cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Training status, resting metabolic rate, and cardiovascular disease risk in middle-aged men.

We investigated differences in resting metabolic rate (RMR) and cardiovascular disease risk factors among 86 middle-aged men (36 to 59 years) classified as resistance-trained ([RT] n = 19), aerobic-trained ([AT] n = 37), or untrained ([UT], n = 30) according to habitual exercise patterns. RMR, body composition, body fat distribution, supine blood pressure, maximal aerobic capacity (VO2max), plasma lipid levels, and fasting levels of insulin, glucose, and thyroid hormones were measured. We found that RMR, adjusted for differences in fat-free mass, showed a tendency to be greater in AT men as compared with RT men (P = .09) and was greater in AT men as compared with UT men (P < .05). No differences in RMR were noted between RT and UT men. UT men had higher values for total cholesterol, triglycerides, low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C), and the insulin to glucose ratio and lower values for high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) (all P < .01) as compared with RT and AT men, whereas no differences in these variables were noted between RT and AT men. Supine diastolic blood pressure was lower in RT men as compared with both AT and UT men. Stepwise regression analysis showed that variations in body fatness accounted for the greatest variation in fasting lipid profile, blood pressure, and the insulin to glucose ratio among groups.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
Pillai's conjecture revisited

Abstract We prove a generalization of an old conjecture of Pillai (now a theorem of Stroeker and Tijdeman) to the effect that the Diophantine equation 3x−2y=c has, for |c|>13, at most one solution in positive integers x and y. In fact, we show that if N and c are positive integers with N⩾2, then the equation |(N+1)x−Ny|=c has at most one solution in positive integers x and y, unless (N,c)∈{(2,1),(2,5),(2,7),(2,13),(2,23),(3,13)}. Our proof uses the hypergeometric method of Thue and Siegel and avoids application of lower bounds for linear forms in logarithms of algebraic numbers.
CHARACTERIZING DEBRIS CLOUDS CREATED IN OBLIQUE ORBITAL DEBRIS PARTICLE IMPACT

The problem of pollution within Earth’s orbital environment has gained considerable recognition over the past decades. Determining adequate passive protection schemes is an unending process that attempts to meet different objectives for widely varying types of missions. Significant amounts of resources have been expended toward development of numerical and analytical models that model the response of a variety of target systems under high-speed orbital debris impacts. The objective of the study whose results are presented herein was to improve upon an existing oblique hypervelocity impact model that characterizes the various secondary debris clouds created in such an impact. This was accomplished by reducing the model’s dependence on empirical user-defined parameters and by correcting an error in one of its equations. Predictions of the improved model are compared with numerical simulations generated during previous impact studies under comparable conditions. It is found that the improved model does a reasonable job of predicting the characteristics of the secondary debris clouds created in an oblique hypervelocity impact.
The Girls' Computing Club: Making Positive Changes in Gender Inequity in Computer Science with an Informal, Female Learning Community

This research was designed to increase the awareness of female students with regard to Computer Science (CS) as both a major and a career field. Five female students from a high school in a northeastern state were voluntarily recruited for a weekly, after-school computing club curriculum for one academic year. Over the project period, participants ventured through tasks relating to various technologies, thereby increasing their computer confidence. Collaboration preferences increased only when faced with both technical and content knowledge. Participantsâ€™ understanding of CS changed from abstract and superficial to more concrete, but disinterest in the major persisted. Finally, while the participantsâ€™ perceptions of gender differences changed, some of the self-reflections did not match their responses to structured questions. While the project impacted only a small sample, increased knowledge of the field of CS prevailed. If females are educated earlier, this may cause a noticeable shift in gender inequity amongst CS majors.
Characterization of MCM-41 Using Molecular Simulation: Heterogeneity Effects

We present new experimental data and molecular simulation results for the adsorption of nitrogen in MCM-41. We show that models in which the solid-fluid interaction potential is homogeneous cannot reproduce the form of the adsorption isotherm, particularly at low pressures. A new heterogeneous interaction model is shown to give very good agreement with the data. Simulations based on this new model for pores of various diameters are used to obtain a relation between capillary condensation pressure and pore diameter. This relation can be used to estimate pore size distributions from experimental adsorption data. 28 refs., 10 figs., 2 tabs.
Free vibration and buckling of unsymmetric cross-ply laminated plates using a refined theory

Abstract The free vibration and buckling of unsymmetric cross-ply plates, with a variety of boundary conditions, are analyzed by using a refined shear deformation theory used in reference [18]. This theory incorporates tranverse shear deformation and transverse normal stress effects, higher order effects are accounted for and the static conditions on the external bounding planes of the plate are satisfied. The results obtained are compared with their classical and first-order transverse shear deformation counterparts, and with results available in the literature. Excellent agreement is found with simply supported edge-condition results in the literature. Further evidence is provided that classical laminated plate theory over-predicts both the eigenfrequencies and the buckling loads.
Reduction of rms-error in shallow faceted large space antennas

This paper examines the potential for reducing root-mean-square surface error in shallow faceted reflectors by replacing flat facets with membrane facets. Exact solutions are obtained for the small lateral deflections of equilateral triangular and rectangular membranes subject to isotropic tension and parabolic edge deflections. These solutions are used to minimize the rms-error between a facet of a shallow paraboloidal surface and its approximating membrane facet. The resulting optimum placements and edge curvatures yield membrane facets which have significantly lower rms-errors than the corresponding best-fit flat facets. The rms-error reductions are about 55 percent for equilateral triangles and 25 percent to 93 percent for rectangles, depending on aspect ratio. The results suggest that the use of membrane facets conforming to curved structural members could yield reflectors with lower rms-error, or comparable error with larger facets and, hence, fewer structural members.
Derivation of Non-intrusive Cardiac Synthetic Sensor Using Native Instrumentation Metadata

Measuring an event of interest is not always as simple as placing a sensor with the desired properties in an appropriate measurement location to observe the event. Often, sensors cannot be placed at the desired site for numerous reasons (e.g. weight, space, and power issues). The desired measurement can often be derived through the use of other embedded native sensors, networked sensors and test specific sensors possessing appropriate metadata supporting extended use / reuse of measurement data. These measures are then used within a performance model to fuse data and derive a composite measure for the overall performance taking into account all of the discrete parameters and their performance variations both good and bad in determining overall system performance. This paper utilizes concepts for metadata and sensors allowing seamless selection and construction of non-physical (non-contact) synthetic sensors using embedded sensors and native metadata specifications.
In Vitro Microbial Leakage of Endodontically Treated Teeth Using New and Standard Obturation Techniques

Coronal microbial leakage is an important cause of apical periodontitis and thus should be prevented if possible. The purpose of this study was to compare microbial leakage of new and standard obturation techniques over a 30-day period. A split chamber microbial leakage model was used in which Streptococcus mutans placed in the upper chamber could reach the lower chamber only through the obturated canal. Leakage was assessed every day for 30 days. One hundred forty single-rooted human teeth were used in this study, equally split between lateral, vertical, and Obtura II condensation; SimpliFill with Obtura II condensation; FibreFill; and a combination of FibreFill and SimpliFill. Cochran-Mantel-Haenszel row mean score statistics showed a high statistical significance when all groups were compared (p < 0.0001). Microbial leakage occurred more quickly in lateral and vertical condensation techniques compared with SimpliFill and FibreFill techniques. A combination of an apical plug of gutta-percha with SimpliFill and a FibreFill coronal seal was the best obturation technique used (SimpliFill-FibreFill group).
The near-ubiquitous pedogenic world of mesquite roots in an arid basin floor

Abstract A major invasion of grassland by shrubs began about 1850 A.D. in many desert areas of southern New Mexico. Mesquite ( Prosopis glandulosa ) is the most numerous of these invading shrubs in a studied basin floor. Mesquite roots readily penetrated all soil horizons except for continuously indurated petrocalcic horizons. However, roots grew along the top of petrocalcic horizons and in places found locations for penetration, such as cracks and pipes, with numerous, often upward-growing roots enroute to utilize the sparse precipitation. At another site, mesquite roots descended to a depth of at least 5·5 m. Although the spread of mesquite seed by cattle was a major factor in the spread of mesquite, its successful establishment over large areas is apparently due to the ability of mesquite roots to adapt to a wide variety of soils and soil conditions to take advantage of the sparse precipitation; to their ability to greatly proliferate while spreading laterally over long distances; to grow upward and take advantage of small precipitation events that only wet the soil to depths of a few centimeters; and to descend to great depths along cracks and other openings in the soil, down which soil water also penetrates, and thus to their ability to utilize available water at all depths.
Effects of Collagen Microstructure on the Transport Properties of Vascularized Engineered Tissues

When vascular perfusion is compromised within the body, a number of physiological phenomena can occur, including the progression of disease states (e.g. peripheral vascular disease), impaired wound healing, and organ/tissue transplant failure. Therefore, there is a need for an engineered tissue construct that promotes therapeutic vasculogenesis by enhancing the formation of functional, stabilized vessel networks that have the ability to integrate with the host vasculature. In order to restore tissue structure and function, a matrix-based delivery system, which combines a biopolymer and endothelial precursor cells, is necessary to ensure the localization and guidance of vessel formation and stabilization.Copyright © 2012 by ASME
Demystifying Family Treatment of the "Teflon" Adolescent

Adolescents who appear impervious to adult injunctions, admonitions, and consequences are described. Early adolescence, immediate-family interactions, extended-family patterns, and contextual stressors converge to promote development of "Teflon " behavior in the adolescent. This article suggests a contextual family therapy approach to disrupting the Teflon behavior, including treatment of the adolescent impasse, treatment of the parental impasse, and creating a new context for non-Teflon behavior. A case example illustrates the themes developed in the article.
On the sizes of neutral hydrogen regions giving rise to damped Lyα absorption systems

Using quasi-stellar object (QSO) absorption-line spectra obtained along closely spaced sight-lines, we examine the transverse sizes of regions containing large columns of neutral hydrogen gas at redshifts z ≈ 1.5. The observations are primarily of intervening damped Lyα (DLA) and sub-DLA absorption-line systems in gravitationally lensed QSOs. In particular, Hubble Space Telescope spectroscopy of the four-component Cloverleaf QSO (H1413+1143) reveals three new DLA/sub-DLA systems at z ≈ 1.44, 1.49 and 1.66. A neutral hydrogen column density of N HI ≥ 2 × 10 20 atoms cm ―2 is required for a system to be classified as a DLA, but none of the three systems has an H column density above the DLA threshold in all four components. Over component separations < 1.4 arcsec in the Cloverleaf, corresponding to transverse sizes of ≈5―12 h ―1 70 kpc, the HI column densities typically change by factors of ≈2―40. Similar observations of other QSOs containing absorption systems in the DLA regime are summarized from the literature. In addition to establishing approximate sizes for DLA regions, the results have implications for their volume-averaged HI gas number densities and neutral gas masses. By combining our results on DLA absorber sizes with published results on the sizes of lower column density QSO absorbers, which however arise in very ionized regions, we infer the useful relation that the typical transverse size of an absorber in the redshift interval z≈[1,2] is S abs ≈ 11 h ―1 70 [[N HI /10 20 ] ―1/4 kpc.
Disjunctive and conjunctive normal forms of pseudo-Boolean functions

After showing that every pseudo-Boolean function (i.e. real-valued function with binary variables) can be represented by a disjunctive normal form (essentially the maximum of several weighted monomials), the concepts of implicants and of prime implicants are analyzed in the pseudo-Boolean context, and a consensus-type method is presented for finding all the prime implicants of a pseudo-Boolean function. In a similar way the concepts of conjunctive normal form, implicates and prime implicates, as well as the resolution method are examined in the case of pseudo-Boolean functions.
Search improvement via automatic query reformulation

Abstract : Users of online retrieval systems experience many difficulties, particularly with search tactics. User studies have indicated that searchers use vocabulary incorrectly and do not take full advantage of iteration to improve their queries. To address these problems, an expert system for online search assistance was developed. This prototype augments the searching capabilities of novice users by providing automatic query reformulation to improve the search results, and automatic ranking of the retrieved passages to speed the identification of relevant information. Users' search performance using the expert system was compared with their search performance on their own, and their search performance using an online thesaurus. The following conclusions were reached: (1) The expert system significantly reduced the number of queries necessary to find relevant passages compared with the user searching alone or with the thesaurus. (2) The expert system produced marginally significant improvements in precision compared with the user searching on their own. There was no significant difference in the recall achieved by the three system configurations. (3) Overall, the expert system ranked relevant passages above irrelevant passages.
Use of an anti-CD16 antibody for in vivo depletion of natural killer cells in rhesus macaques

Non-human primates serve as key animal models for a variety of viral infections. To evaluate the contribution of natural killer (NK) cells to the immune-mediated control of these viruses in macaque monkeys, we have described a method for depleting NK cells in vivo by administration of anti-human CD16 mouse monoclonal antibody. Using a fluorometric NK-cell cytotoxicity assay, we show that most NK-cell cytotoxicity in rhesus monkey peripheral blood mononuclear cells resides in the CD16(+) and/or CD159A(+) subset of lymphocytes. The anti-human CD16 antibody, 3G8, binds to subsets of rhesus monkey lymphocytes and monocytes but not to neutrophils. Intravenous administration of 10-50 mg/kg of 3G8 to normal rhesus monkeys resulted in anti-CD16 antibody persistence in the plasma for 1-3 weeks. This treatment also depleted 80-90% of CD3(-) CD159A(+) lymphocytes, putative NK cells, from blood for at least 1 week and was associated with the loss of NK-cell cytotoxicity when evaluated by in vitro assays. Using this method, transient depletion of NK cells from two rhesus monkeys chronically infected with simian immunodeficiency virus failed to cause changes in virus replication. These studies describe a non-human primate model for in vivo NK-cell depletion and suggest a limited role for cytotoxic CD16(+) NK cells in controlling AIDS virus replication during chronic infection.
Grain-oriented ferroelectric bismuth titanate thin film prepared from acetate precursor

Abstract Bismuth titanate (Bi 4 Ti 3 O 12 ) thin films were fabricated by a spin coating deposition and rapid thermal processing (RTP) technique. The acetate-derived solution for deposition was synthesized by blending dissolved bismuth acetate in aqueous acetic acid and then adding titanium acetate. A series of electrically insulating, semiconducting and conducting substrates were evaluated for Bi 4 Ti 3 O 12 films deposition. X-ray diffraction indicated that the initial crystallization temperature of the Bi 4 Ti 3 O 12 films was 500 °C or less; a 700 °C crystallization treatment was used to obtain single phase films. The Bi 4 Ti 3 O 12 film crystallographic orientation is shown to depend on three factors: substrate type; number of coating layers; and thermal processing. While preferred c -direction orientation was observed for films deposited on silver foil substrates, preferred a -direction orientation was obtained for films deposited on both Si and Pt coated Si wafers. The films were dense, smooth, crack-free and had grain sizes ranging from 20 to 400 nm. Film thickness and refractive index were determined using a combination of ellipsometry, waveguide refractometry and TEM techniques. The refractive index is close to the value of single crystal BIT.
The Influence of Reversed-Phase n-Alkyl Chain Length on Protein Retention, Resolution and Recovery: Implications for Preparative HPLC

Abstract High-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) of proteins on reversed-phase columns of varying n-alkyl chain length (C2 to C22 was studied using a trifluoroacetic acid/2-propanol mobile phase system. Protein resolution was influenced by chain length but retention times for proteins, unlike those of small molecules, were relatively constant, independent of chain length or carbon loading. Loading capacities were found to be affected by chain length, and aspects of protein interaction with stationary phase are discussed.
Dynamics of nonadiabatic premixed flames in a gravitational field

A nonlinear stability analysis of a plane flame subject to gravitational forces and small volumetric heat loss is presented. A nonlinear partial differential equation describing the evolution and structure of the flame is derived. It is shown that the effects of volumetric heat loss can be summarized in a scale factor multiplying the strength of the gravitational force field. The scale factor is a function of the heat loss coefficient.
Not your average fraternal organization: the IBPOEW and labor activism, 1935–1950

In writing about working-class activism, scholars frequently study labor organizations and workplaces from which African Americans have been mostly excluded. Consequently, the uniqueness of black labor activism is not captured and is often misinterpreted. This article posits that black fraternal organizations, specifically the Improved, Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks of the World (IBPOEW), offer an alternative site for studying black workers and their struggles for employment during the 1930s and 1940s. By analyzing the Elks participation in the continuous battle to gain work while resisting union exclusion, workplace segregation, unemployment and other labor issues central to the African American experience, this study concludes that black men and women often developed labor solidarity not in the workplace or labor unions but in a cross-class organization that participated in coalitions whose members’ ideologies ranged from Christianity to Communism. Cross-class alliances, male/female solidarity...
Interspecific Odour Discriminations Among Syntopic Congeners in Scincid Lizards (Genus Eumeces)

In a successive discrimination experiment several odours were presented to male Eumeces fasciatus on cotton-tipped applicators. The males displayed higher tongue-flick rates during a 60 second interval when responding to cloacal odours of conspecific females than to cloacal odours of females belonging to two very closely related species in the fasciatus group of Eumeces, water, or a pungency control. Similarly, male E. inexpectatus emitted higher tongue-flick rates to cloacal odors of conspecific females than to those of female E. fasciatus. Because male E. laticeps, which can follow female scent trails, also can discriminate conspecific from heterospecific female odors and because all three of these lizards tongue-flick repeatedly at the outsets of potential social encounters, chemical signals appear to be a basis for important social discriminations in the fasciatusgroup.
High-resolution superconducting x-ray detectors with two aluminum trapping layers

Superconducting tunnel junctions coupled to superconducting absorbers may be used as high-resolution, high-efficiency x-ray spectrometers. We have tested three detectors with niobium x-ray absorbing layers coupled to aluminum layers that serve as quasiparticle traps. Two detectors differed only in barrier thickness. A third detector includes an extra absorbing layer. Here we present a comparison of detector performance. The best energy resolution measured was 36 eV full width at half maximum at 6 keV.
Cortical electrical responses to visual stimulation in the human infant.

Full-term and premature babies have been stimulated on one or more occasions by single and repetitive flashes of light. The responses recorded from the occipital cortex (scalp) differ from those of adults in being of (a) more variable wave-form, (b) more variable (and often higher) amplitude, (c) longer latency, and (d) greater “fatigability”. Developmental changes with increasing age have been demonstrated; the most notable of these are (a) change from a response with initial negative phase in the earliest records of some subjects to the classical response with initial positive phase, (b) decreasing response latency, and (c) increasing ability to respond to more and more rapidly repeated stimuli. Response latency is also inversely correlated with body weight up to about 12 lb. (r = −.80). Curves of response latency vs. age and of response latency vs. body weight are 2-legged rather than monotonic, the breaks in the curves occurring at 4 weeks post-term and 9 lb., respectively. This phenomenon may reflect either a growth spurt in the visual system or different developmental rates in the two parts (scotopic and photopic ?) of the visual system. The physiological evidence appears to be related to anatomical evidence of immaturity and developmental change, but available anatomical data are not detailed enough for close correlation. The human data described are in most respects similar to those reported for cats and rabbits. The visual system of the human infant appears to be physiologically more mature at birth than that of the cat and the rabbit, but the latter develop more rapidly postnatally. Individual differences are as striking in the human as they are in the other two species.
Surgical resection of gastric cancer in the octogenarian population.

The medical records of 80 patients whose mean age was 81.1 years (range 80 to 94 years) were retrospectively evaluated for morbidity, mortality, and survival following gastric resection for gastric carcinoma. The overall 5-year survival of 68 patients who had undergone a total or subtotal gastrectomy for adenocarcinoma was 11%, with a mean and median survival of 25 and 17.5 months, respectively. In contrast, eight patients who did not undergo gastric resection for adenocarcinoma were found to have a mean and median survival of only 3.6 and 2.0 months, respectively. The 30-day perioperative morbidity and mortality rates for patients who had undergone gastric resection were 45.8% and 5.0%, respectively. The total gastric resection group had no perioperative deaths or anastomotic leaks. We conclude that with careful selection of patients and precise surgical technique, gastric resections can safely be performed in octogenarian patients with minimal morbidity and mortality.
The effect of derivatives of 2-mercaptobenzothiazole on the pyrolysis of polystyrenes

Abstract High yields of monomeric styrene and α-methylstyrene were obtained when polystyrene or poly(α-methylstyrene) was heated at temperatures above 350°C. Other pyrolytic products obtained from polystyrene were benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene and traces of cumene and α-methylstyrene. Similar pyrolytic products were obtained from poly(α-methylstyrene) but toluene and ethylbenzene were present only as traces. Analysis by gas chromatography showed the thermal decomposition products to be similar when three different pyrolytic techniques were used, viz. , a hot platinum wire, heated open tubes and closed tubes. No change in the composition of the products was noted when mixtures of these polymers are derivatives of 2-mercaptobenzothiazole were decomposed on the hot platinum wire or in heated open tubes. However, the ratio of monomer to the corresponding unsaturated alkylbenzene in the products obtained from the closed tubes decreased linearly as the concentration of 2-mercaptobenzothiazole derivative was increased.
Stresses and rate of twist in single-cell thin-walled beams with anisotropic walls

The classical theory of elastic thin-walled beams of (assumedly) nondeformable cross section, familiar to aerospace structures engineers, is generalized to the case in which the walls are anisotropic. The assumed anisotropy is such as to allow coupling between cross-sectional shear flow and longitudinal strain and, reciprocally, between shear strain and longitudinal stress. The theory and several illustrative applications show that anisotropy of the walls can, as expected, lead to coupling phenomena not present in the classical theory, e.g., twist due to bending mements, bending due to torque, twist due to tension, and extension due to torque, thus confirming the well-known possibility of "tailoring" elastic behavior through the use of laminated composites. It is also shown that anisotropy of the walls can lead to a nonconstant rate of twist in uniform beams even if the cross-sectional torque and shears are constant. Another interesting outcome of the present theory is its prediction that the shear flows are independent of the coupling constant in the constitutive equations, i.e., the constant that defines the longitudinal strain due to shear flow and the shear strain due to longitudinal stress, and also independent of the elastic constant relating shear strain to shear flow.
Dynamic response characteristics of CO2-induced air hunger.

Abstract The time course of change in ‘air hunger’, the uncomfortable urge to breathe, was assessed following sudden increases and decreases in P et CO 2 . Healthy normal men and women were mechanically ventilated at constant tidal volume and frequency, and were required to rate the perceived intensity of air hunger every 10–15 sec. P et CO 2 was changed by altering F i CO 2 unbeknownst to the subject. Air hunger changed to its new level following steps with a median time constant of about 50 sec during hyperoxia. Changes in air hunger following P et CO 2 steps were slightly faster when background gas was slightly hypoxic. Although the present results are consistent with the hypothesis that air hunger and ventilatory drive share the same receptors and central neural processes, analysis of dynamic response is probably not sensitive enough to disprove the hypothesis.
Designing complex software

Abstract Since 1978, the goal of the Software Cost Reduction (SCR) project has been to demonstrate the effectiveness of certain software engineering techniques for developing complex software. The application is the redevelopment of the operational flight program for the A-7E aircraft. Also since then, the Software Technology Evaluation (STE) project has been monitoring SCR project activity in order to provide an objective evaluation of the SCR methodology. SCR project activity data are collected from SCR personnel on a weekly basis. Over 55000 hours of SCR design, code, test and other activity data have been captured and recorded in a computer data base. Analyses of SCR module design data show that there are parameters that can be used to characterize and predict design progress. One example is the ratio between cumulative design discussing activities and cumulative design creating activities. This ratio is referred to as the Progress Indicator Ratio (PIR) and seems to be an accurate metric for design completeness. This and other results suggest that discussion activity among software engineers may play a major role in the software design process and may be a leading indicator of design activity progress.
Dynamics of phase separation of crystal surfaces.

We investigate the dynamical evolution of a thermodynamically unstable crystal surface into a hill-and-valley structure. We demonstrate that, for quasi-one-dimensional ordering, the equation of motion maps exactly to the modified Cahn-Hilliard equation describing spinodal decomposition. Orderings in two dimensions follow the dynamics of continuum clock models. We establish that the hill-and-valley pattern coarsens logarithmically in time for quasi-one-dimensional orderings. For two-dimensional orderings, a power-law growth L(t)\ensuremath{\sim}${\mathit{t}}^{\mathit{n}}$ of the typical pattern size is attained with exponent n\ensuremath{\approxeq}0.23 and n\ensuremath{\approxeq}0.13, for the two ordering mechanisms dominated by evaporation and condensation and by surface diffusion, respectively.
Stable isotope evidence for a foggy climate on Santa Cruz Island, California at ~ 16,600 cal. yr. B.P.

Abstract In this study we use stable isotope analysis to investigate the climate in southern coastal California during the last 10,000 years of the Pleistocene by comparing the carbon and oxygen stable isotope ratios of preserved Douglas-fir ( Pseudotsuga menziesii ) wood from Santa Cruz Island to modern Douglas-fir wood from northern California. AMS age determination indicates that the preserved trees grew at about 16,600 ± 270 cal. yr. B.P. After isolating cellulose from both the modern and Pleistocene wood to remove any potential bias due to differential decomposition rates of wood components [Loader, N.J., Robertson, I., McCarroll, D., 2003. Comparison of stable carbon isotope ratios in whole wood, cellulose, and lignin of oak tree-rings. Palaeogeography, Palaeoclimatology, Palaeoecology 196, 395–407.], we find that the Pleistocene Douglas-fir wood has significantly greater carbon isotope discrimination and significantly more enriched δ 18 O than the modern Douglas-fir wood, which suggests that the Douglas-fir trees growing on Santa Cruz Island at ~ 16,600 cal. yr. B.P. experienced less moisture stress and used more enriched water from fog than Douglas-fir trees at Point Reyes today.
Simulation of an algorithm for determining the reliability of unmanned ground vehicle networks

There is an increasing interest in the army of small unmanned robots taking part in defense operations. It is considered important to predict the reliability of the group of robots taking part in different operations. A group of robots have both coordination and collaboration. The robot operations are considered as a network graph whose system reliability can be determined with the help of different techniques. Once a specified reliability is achieved the commander controlling the operation can take appropriate action. This paper gives a simulation which can determine the system reliability of the robotic systems having collaboration and coordination. The procedure developed is based on binary decision diagrams to obtain a disjoint Boolean expression. The procedure is applicable for any number of nodes and the branches. For illustration purposes reliability of simple circuits like series network, parallel network, series-parallel and non-series parallel network are illustrated. It is hoped that more work in this area will lead to the development of algorithms which will be ultimately used for a real time environment.
Metalorganic vapor phase epitaxial growth of red and infrared vertical-cavity surface-emitting laser diodes

Abstract Metalorganic vapor phase epitaxy (MOVPE) is used for the growth of vertical-cavity surface-emitting laser (VCSEL) diodes. MOVPE exhibits a number of important advantages over the more commonly-used molecular-beam epitaxial (MBE) techniques, including ease of continuous compositional grading and carbon doping for low-resistance p-type distributed Bragg reflectors (DBRs), higher growth rates for rapid throughput and greater versatility in choice of materials and dopants. Planar gain-guided red VCSELs based on AlGaInP/AlGaAs heterostructures lase continuous-wave at room temperature, with voltage thresholds between 2.5 and 3 V and maximum power outputs of over 0.3 mW. Top-emitting infra-red (IR) VCSELs exhibit the highest power-conversion (wall-plug) efficiencies (21%), lowest threshold voltage (1.47 V), and highest single mode power (4.4 mW from an 8 μm device) yet reported. These results establish MOVPE as a preferred growth technique for this important new family of photonic devices.
Stiffening an off-axis beam compressor mount for improved performance

The Navy Prototype Optical Interferometer (NPOI) near Flagstaff, Arizona, makes use of separate smaller optical elements spaced along a Y-array and used simultaneously to simulate an equivalent single large telescope. The instrument is useful in generating and upgrading existing astronomical catalogues and investigating synthetic aperture optical imaging techniques. The NPOI is a joint collaboration between the US Naval Observatory and Naval Research Laboratory in collaboration with the Lowell Observatory. Stellar radiation (visible light) reflects off 35 cm diameter flat mirrors, also known as siderostats, toward a tilt-tip mirror, which reflects a 12 cm diameter beam through a multi-reflection relay transport system. To maximize the reflective area of the siderostat optics and achieve an increase by a factor of 8.5 in light collecting area, a beam compressor is to be installed between the siderostat and fast tip/tilt mirror. However, the present configuration of a prototype beam compressor mount (BCM) vibrates at unacceptable amplitudes, which makes it nearly impossible to optically align the mirrors. This paper presents the results of finite element analyses conducted to quantify the design limitations of the prototype beam compressor mount. The analyses indicated that the current configuration is too soft, with very low fundamental frequencies, which verified the difficulties encountered during alignment tests. Based on these results, design modifications have been proposed to increase the overall structural stiffness of the mount and increase its fundamental frequency of vibration. These modifications will mechanically stabilize the structure for the alignment of the optics, and allow integration of the compressor into the interferometer. The interferometer will then have the capability to capture more light from each siderostat and allow observations of fainter stellar targets. More generally, the results can be useful as a guide for engineers and scientists involved in the design of similar optomechanical structures.
Uniqueness and global stability in general equilibrium theory

Abstract A result of Balasko shows that any economy with an endowment distribution nearly Pareto optimal will have a unique, locally stable equilibrium. We extend this result to show that the equilibrium will, in fact, be globally stable.
Acousto-optic image correlator with a throughput rate of 1000 templates per second

A two dimensional image correlator based on acousto-optic (AO) and charge coupled devices (CCDs) is described that can be built with existing technology to provide 1000 frames per second operation. In recent years, architectures have been developed that perform the two dimensional correlation utilizing one dimensional input devices. The input scene is loaded into the acousto-optic device (AOD) one line at time. This line is then correlated against all of the rows of a reference template introduced into the optical system using a one dimensional array of LEDs or laser diodes. However, it generally takes a much greater time to load the AO cell than it does to process the information. This latency time severely limits the maximum throughput rate of the processor. This paper introduces a new acousto-optic correlator implementation that overcomes this bottleneck so that processing can occur close to 100% of the time. A grayscale image correlator is proposed that can be built using present technology that can realistically achieve throughput rates on the order of lO12 operations per second. This translates to over 1000 correlations per second for input scenes with dimensions of 512 x 512 pixels and reference templates of size 64 x 64 pixels.
Log-Concavity of Multiplicities with Application to Characters ofU(∞)☆

The log-concavity of the reduction multiplicities for the classical groups of typeAn,Bn,Cnis proved, moreover the skew Schur functionssλ/μare shown to be log-concave coefficient by coefficient. The results are applied to the calculation of the characters of the infinite-dimensional classical groups. The log-concavity of density of the push-forward of the Liouville measure on coadjoint orbits under moment map is proved.
Immediate hemodynamic effects of cardiac angiography in man.

Abstract Changes in human circulatory physiology occurring in the minutes after intracardiac injection of angiographic contrast material have been well documented, but little information is available for the period of left ventricular opacification. The immediate and instantaneous effect on left ventricular function of the rapid intracardiac injection of 1 ml/kg body weight of 75 percent sodium-meglumine diatrizoate (Hypaque M®) into the pulmonary artery, left atrium or left ventricle in 43 adult patients was studied by measurement during angiography of (1) peak aortic root blood velocity in 28 patients, (2) instantaneous stroke volume (computed from the velocity tracing) in 28 patients, (3) heart rate in 41 patients, (4) left ventricular end-diastolic pressure in 17 patients, and (5) left ventricular end-diastolic and end-systolic volumes (calculated from the single-plane cineangiogram) in 14 patients. During left ventricular opacification, variables 1 through 4 differed only slightly from control values; the only statistically significant changes were in peak velocity after pulmonary arterial injection (114 percent of control, control = 100 percent), heart rate after left atrial injection (93 percent of control) and left ventricular end-diastolic pressure after left ventricular injection (110 percent of control). Sequential left ventricular end-diastolic and end-systolic volumes measured over 3 to 5 cardiac cycles demonstrated no significant change. We conclude that measurements based on angiographic left ventricular volumes should be valid and correspond closely to the control state. The major hemodynamic changes secondary to contrast injection occur later, beginning 15 to 30 seconds after injection.
INTERROGATORIOS EN LAS CÁRCELES SALVADOREÑAS: DIÁLOGOS Y NEGOCIACIÓN FEMENINA EN LOS MÁRGENES DE LA REVOLUCIÓN

En Las carceles clandestinas de Ana Maria Guadalupe Martinez y en Nunca estuve sola de Nidia Diaz se negocian identidades revolucionarias desde lo colectivo en los espacios marginales de las carceles salvadorenas. Sin embargo, es patente la busqueda de una individualidad a traves de la construccion de un “yo” revolucionario femenino. Los dialogos sirven para negociar cuestiones de genero, reformulaciones nacionales y familiares, desde posiciones y espacios marginales hechas por dos mujeres revolucionarias en carceles clandestinas de El Salvador. Al mismo tiempo, estos dialogos y la construccion de subjetividades revolucionarias son armas de defensa contra la tortura a la que se ven sometidas las protagonistas
OBESITY AND PROSTATE CANCER CLINICAL RISK FACTORS AT PRESENTATION: DATA FROM CaPSURE

ABSTRACT Purpose: We investigated the association of obesity with prostate cancer case demographics and clinical disease features at presentation. Materials and Methods: Data were abstracted from CaPSURE (Cancer of the Prostate Strategic Urologic Research Endeavor), a disease registry of 10,018 men with prostate cancer. A total of 2,952 men were included who were treated between 1989 and 2002, and had complete body mass index (BMI) information. BMI classes were defined as normal (less than 25 kg/m 2 ), overweight (25 to 29.9 kg/m 2 ), obese (30 to 34.9 kg/m 2 ) or very obese (35 kg/m 2 or greater). Patients were categorized as having low, intermediate or high risk disease based on the D'Amico classification. Associations among BMI, risk and demographics were analyzed using univariate and multivariate models. Results: Of the patients 29% had a normal BMI, 51% were overweight, 16% were obese and 5% were very obese. Patients who were overweight or obese were more likely to be young, have hypertension and diabetes, and have a lower education level. The overweight group had a lower serum prostate specific antigen (p = 0.010) and lower stage disease (p = 0.030) at diagnosis, but there was no association between Gleason score and obesity (p = 0.57). However, among men with a BMI of 25 kg/m 2 or greater there was a positive correlation between increasing BMI and risk of being in a worse prognostic group at diagnosis (p = 0.018). Conclusions: Overweight and obese patients are more likely to be young at diagnosis and have multiple comorbidities. Men in the overweight and obese groups presented with lower risk prostate cancer at diagnosis. This may be due to earlier disease detection secondary to more frequent interaction with the medical community. Among overweight and obese patients increased obesity is associated with a slightly increased chance of having high risk prostate cancer at diagnosis.
The role of critical zone processes in the evolution of the Prairie Pothole Region wetlands

Abstract The Prairie Pothole Region, which occupies 900,000 km2 of the north central USA and south central Canada, is one of the most important ecosystems in North America. It is characterized by millions of small wetlands whose chemistry is highly variable over short distances. The study involved the geochemistry of surface sediments, wetland water, and groundwater in the Cottonwood Lakes area of North Dakota, USA, whose 92 ha includes the dominant wetland hydrologic settings. The data show that oxygenated groundwater interacting with pyrite resident in a component of surficial glacial till derived from the marine Pierre Shale Formation has, over long periods of time, focused SO 4 2 - -bearing fluids from upland areas to topographically low areas. In these low areas, SO 4 2 - -enriched groundwater and wetlands have evolved, as has the CaSO4 mineral gypsum. Sulfur isotope data support the conclusion that isotopically light pyrite from marine shale is the source of SO 4 2 - . Literature data on wetland water composition suggests that this process has taken place over a large area in North Dakota.
Mixed programming metaphors in a shared dataspace model of concurrency

A simple language called Swarm is used as a vehicle for the investigation of the shared dataspace approach to concurrent computation. An important feature of Swarm is its ability to bring a variety of programming paradigms under a single, unified model. In a series of related examples Swarm's capacity to express shared-variable, message-passing, and rule-based computations; to specify synchronous and asynchronous processing modes; and to accommodate highly dynamic program and data structure is explored. Several illustrations make use of a programming construct unique to Swarm, the synchrony relation and explain how this feature can be used to construct dynamically structured, partially synchronous computations. An overview of the Swarm programming notation, an examination of Swarm programming strategies via a series of related example programs, and a discussion of the distinctive features of the shared dataspace model are given. A formal operational model for Swarm is presented. >
A multilayer Jerusalem Cross Frequency Selective Surface

In this paper a previously proposed configuration of a Jerusalem Cross Frequency Selective Surface (JC-FSS) is optimized for operation in the 2.4 GHz ISM band. The new feature introduced in this paper is the addition of superstrate layer on top of the FSS. In practice the added layer accounts for the substrate of an antenna mounted above the FSS. In this second layer is where the TE and TM propagating waves would impinge into the structure. The simulation results show a frequency stability of up to 70° for both TE and TM polarized waves at 2.45 GHz. In addition the band gap for the proposed JC-FSS covers the full ISM band (2.38–2.5GHz, 4.5%). The fabricated structure shows adequate 180° phase shift in comparison with a metal sheet, resonating at 2.47 GHz with a band gap of 2.5%.
Can a Global Peace Last Even If Achieved? Huntington and the Democratic Peace

Current events have surfaced new challenges in the international state system. These are alternatively characterized as state versus substate conflicts, religious conflicts or the outgrowth of the rise in fundamentalism, class struggle between the West and the Third World resulting from globalization, and the lack of democratic government in those states that breed terrorists. Whereas religious conflict is difficult to fix if true and globalization hard to stop, the democratic peace offers promise because changing the form of government is a conceivable goal. But would it help? Samuel Huntington provides an interesting, if unintended, challenge to the democratic peace in both The Third Wave and The Clash of Civilizations. If democracy is reversible under some circumstances, can it really lead to a lasting peace? If there are cultural divisions in the world, are these necessarily united by polity? If racism is real, does polity really eliminate it? Based on Huntington, the democratic peace falters.