cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Hydrocracking of diphenylmethane

Abstract This study presents the role of H 2 S other than H-transfer catalyst in the hydrocracking of diphenylmethane with H 2 –H 2 S-pyrrhotite. The results indicate that the partial pressure of H 2 S controls the conversion of pyrrhotite to FeS and FeS 2 , which in turn is closely related to the promotional activity of pyrrhotite on the diphenylmethane conversion. Under higher H 2 S overpressures, pyrite bands appear in the Mossbauer spectra providing proof of the reversibility of pyrite decomposition under liquefaction conditions. With lower H 2 S pressures, low activity troilite forms from the pyrrhotite. An enhanced activity was observed for a partial pressure of H 2 S, sufficient for the maintenance of a high iron deficient surface on the pyrrhotite particles. When the partial pressure was increased too much, the formation of FeS 2 was observed with a slight decrease in activity. FeS did not show as great an activity as the non-stoichiometric pyrrhotite.
Application of production scheduling methods to external and internal audit scheduling

Abstract This paper deals with the problem of labor staffing in a service organization. The specific problem is the scheduling of auditors to audit tasks in a complex real life audit environment. We extend the methods of production scheduling to solve such a complex problem and apply these methods to a real life audit scheduling case. Each audit engagement is broken into a set of interrelated tasks and modeled as an activity network. The networks of the individual engagements are combined into a larger activity network. Even though the analysis of the large network answers certain managerial questions it does not answer the specific scheduling questions: when will each audit task start? who is the auditor? when it is completed? and how might the schedule change if the scheduling objective changes? To answer these questions the problem is formulated as an integer linear program in which the large network analysis is used to enhance its efficiency. The integer program accommodates different audit objectives and many real life situations. It is solved using existing computer codes. The model is then applied to a real life audit scheduling case to generate optimal audit schedules to all auditors and audit tasks. Naturally, the model allows for conducting parametric analysis and the generation of revised optimal schedules as the audit environment changes.
Depression and self-rated health are proximal predictors of episodes of sustained change in pain in independently living, community dwelling elders

Objective. To identify, in community dwelling elders, the determinants of sustained pain improvement or worsening. Design. A longitudinal study with two baseline and 11 monthly follow-up interviews was conducted. Pain was assessed monthly using the Parmelee adaptation of the McGill Pain Inventory. Subjects. Subjects included 109 Caucasian and 132 African American, Philadelphia residing Medicare recipients (65–74 years of age). Outcome Measures. To identify sustained pain change (≥2 months), the data for each subject were reconfigured to yield 10 overlapping 3-month data segments. Each segment was classified as improved or worsened pain. Other variables included: the Geriatric Depression Scale (GDS), self-rated health (SRH), physical functioning, and number of improved or worsened medical conditions. Results. Pain experienced (over 3-month periods) was typically stable. Sustained improved pain was more likely than worsened pain. Odds ratios obtained through Generalized Estimation Equation analyses showed that a 1-point increase in GDS scores increased the odds of worsened pain by 1.18 (1.11–1.30). Fair/poor SRH, being female, and having medical conditions worsen increased the odds of worsened pain by 4.04 (2.12–7.70), 1.63 (1.11–2.38), and 2.12 (1.42–3.16), respectively. Observed, statistically significant associations between these variables, except gender, and improved pain were in the opposite direction. Conclusions. With a 1-month time lag between predictor variable assessment and follow-up pain measures, the study supports temporal associations between depressive symptoms and SRH and subsequent pain change. Clinicians providing care to community dwelling elders are advised to evaluate and attend to both the depressive symptoms and SRH of their patients.
Catechol estrogen formation in mouse uterus.

Estrogen 24-hydroxylase (ESH) and catechol-O-methyltranferase (COMT) activities in mouse liver and uterus were studied. While 2-hydroxyestradiol (2-OHE2) was the predominant product in the liver, equal amounts of 2- and 4-hydroxyestradiol were produced in the uterus. Two-hydroxyestradiol was the preferred substrate for COMT in both tissues, but the level of this enzyme activity was much less in the mouse uterus (17-fold less). Thus, preferential production of 4-hydroxyestradiol (4-OHE2) in the presence of relatively less deactivation provides a mechanism for the local formation of a more chemically active form of estrogen by uterine tissue.
Energy expenditure from minute-by-minute heart-rate recording: comparison with indirect calorimetry.

Total daily energy expenditure (TDEE) and energy expended in activity (EAC) were estimated by the minute-by-minute heart-rate method in 22 (16 men, 6 women) individually calibrated subjects and compared with values obtained by whole-body indirect calorimetry. Subjects followed four activity protocols during the 22 h in the calorimeter, no exercise (n = 6) and 2 (n = 5), 4 (n = 4), and 6 (n = 6) 30-mm bouts of exercise on a bicycle ergometer at varying intensities. There were no statistically significant differences between the two methods in TDEE or EAC in any ofthe sex or protocolgroupings. The regression of TDEE by heart rate on TDEE in the calorimeter was y = 0.92x + 1.0 MJ; (r = 0.87, SEE = 0.91 MJ). The heart-rate method also follows the varying activity patterns ofindividuals and can be used to closely estimate the TDEE and EAC of even small (n = 4-6) groups of subjects. In the present measurements, it gave a maximum error of TDEE for individuals of +20% and -15%. AmJC/inNutr 1988;48:552-9.
Comparison of Different Pacing Strategies to Minimize Phrenic Nerve Stimulation in Cardiac Resynchronization Therapy

Pacing Strategies to Minimize PN Stimulation Introduction Phrenic nerve (PN) stimulation (PNS) frequently limits cardiac resynchronization therapy (CRT). Yet, pacing strategies to minimize PNS have not been systematically compared. We propose to: (1) compare different pacing strategies to minimize PNS in CRT and (2) evaluate differences between PN and left ventricular (LV) capture thresholds among LV pacing configurations. Methods and Results PN and LV thresholds were obtained using 6 LV configurations in 28 patients with any PNS during CRT implantation or replacement. Incidence of PNS was compared in all LV configurations by programming pacing output to (1) One Volt (V) above LV threshold, (2) triple pulse width (PW) at LV threshold, and (3) 1.5 times LV threshold for each patient. PN thresholds and PN strength-duration curves were statistically different between configurations (P < 0.05). RingRVcoil and RingCan had the largest difference between PN and LV thresholds. Pacing output programmed to 1.5 times LV threshold, 1 V above LV threshold, and triple PW at LV threshold had similar probability of PNS between LV configurations. However, 1 V above LV threshold and triple PW at LV threshold frequently resulted in poor (<30%) LV capture safety margin (14–43% and 53–68%, respectively). Freedom from PNS (programmed output at twice LV threshold) was found in 88%, 84%, and 52% with 6, 3, or 2 available LV configurations, respectively. Conclusion Multiple LV pacing configurations marginally increase the probability of avoiding PNS by electronic reprogramming. Pacing output programmed to 1.5 times LV threshold is an additional alternative to minimize PNS when electronic reprogramming options are limited.
Importance of Calcium-Binding Site 2 in Simian Virus 40 Infection

The exposure of molecular signals for simian virus 40 (SV40) cell entry and nuclear entry has been postulated to involve calcium coordination at two sites on the capsid made of Vp1. The role of calcium-binding site 2 in SV40 infection was examined by analyzing four single mutants of site 2, the Glu160Lys, Glu160Arg, Glu157Lys (E157K), and Glu157Arg mutants, and an E157K-E330K combination mutant. The last three mutants were nonviable. All mutants replicated viral DNA normally, and all except the last two produced particles containing all three capsid proteins and viral DNA. The defect of the site 1-site 2 E157K-E330K double mutant implies that at least one of the sites is required for particle assembly in vivo. The nonviable E157K particles, about 10% larger in diameter than the wild type, were able to enter cells but did not lead to T-antigen expression. Cell-internalized E157K DNA effectively coimmunoprecipitated with anti-Vp1 antibody, but little of the DNA did so with anti-Vp3 antibody, and none was detected in anti-importin immunoprecipitate. Yet, a substantial amount of Vp3 was present in anti-Vp1 immune complexes, suggesting that internalized E157K particles are ineffective at exposing Vp3. Our data show that E157K mutant infection is blocked at a stage prior to the interaction of the Vp3 nuclear localization signal with importins, consistent with a role for calcium-binding site 2 in postentry steps leading to the nuclear import of the infecting SV40.
A single center experience with same-day transradial-PCI patients: a contrast with published guidelines.

Objectives: Our goal was to compare recently published Consensus Statement from the SCAI/ACC on appropriateness for same-day PCI with patient characteristics from a real-world same-day PCI experience in the United States. Background: Recent practice statement published by the SCAI /ACC in 2009 describes patients suitable for outpatient PCI procedures. Whether this practice statement reflects actual real-world practice in the setting of advances in transradial catheterization needs further exploration. Methods: Pre-existing, deidentified, quality assurance data from 100 sequential patients undergoing transradial PCI, and same-day discharge were compared with criteria in SCAI/ACC statement on outpatient PCI. Each had been identified post-PCI as uncomplicated and therefore eligible for same day discharged. Specific attention was placed on whether the patients carried any exclusion to same-day discharge. Results: One hundred six procedures were recorded in 100 patients including 11 women and 89 men, median age 62 (55,71) years all with stable ischemia. Early follow up was done for medication compliance. None were readmitted nor had post-PCI complications. Only 15% met appropriateness criteria for same-day discharge. Older age, distance from the hospital, greater than simple PCI, and the need for specific antiplatelet therapy represented the dominant contraindications to discharge. Conclusions: Using transradial approaches and structured early follow up by advance practice nurses, same-day discharge can be accomplished successfully in a broad range of patients outside of those suggested by the SCAI/ACC 2009 Consensus Document. Confirmation of these results could result in shorter hospitalizations for US patients and align advances in catheterization technology to optimize heath care delivery. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Spectral karyotype (SKY) analysis of human prostate carcinoma cell lines.

BACKGROUND. Well-characterized in vitro model systems provide an invaluable tool for studying prostate cancer in the laboratory. Detailed karyotypes have been reported using modern techniques such as multiplex fluorescence in situ hybridization (M-FISH) and spectral karyotyping (SKY) for LNCaP, DU 145, NCI-H660, and PC-3 cell lines. However, karyotypic data for more recently established prostate carcinoma cell lines are still limited. METHODS. Classical (G-banding) and SKY analyses were performed on ten prostate carcinoma cell lines: 22Rv1, CWR-R1, DuCaP, LAPC-4, MDA PCa 1, MDA PCa 2a, MDA PCa 2b, PC-346C, PSK-1, and VCaP. RESULTS. Chromosomal abnormalities were identified in all cell lines, although the number and complexity varied greatly among them. PC-346C, established from a primary tumor, exhibited the lowest number (3) of clonal structural abnormalities, while DuCaP, established from a metastasis from a hormone-refractory patient, exhibited both the highest number (31) and largest complexity of structural abnormalities. In various subsets of these models, breakpoints were identified in chromosomal regions previously described as being involved in prostate cancer (e.g., 8p, 10q, 13q, and 16q). CONCLUSIONS. The present study provides a comprehensive karyotypic analysis of a large numberofprostatecarcinomacelllines,andoffersavaluableresourceforfutureinvestigations. Prostate 57: 226–244, 2003. # 2003 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
Managing chronic hepatitis C in the difficult‐to‐treat patient

Patients with chronic hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection and disease-related complications – among them cirrhosis and liver failure – pose a particular management challenge. Some of these patients may fail to respond to current therapy (non-responders), and some are affected so severely that treatment puts them at an unacceptable risk for complications. Treatment with pegylated interferon (peg-IFN) plus ribavirin improves hepatic enzyme levels and eradicates the virus in ≈50% of patients; however, a significant number of patients do not respond to therapy or relapse following treatment discontinuation. Several viral, hepatic and patient-related factors influence response to IFN therapy; many of these factors cannot be modified to improve long-term outcomes. Identifying risk factors and measuring viral load early in the treatment can help to predict response to IFN therapy and determine the need to modify or discontinue treatment. Retreatment options for patients who have failed therapy are limited. Retreatment with peg-IFN has been successful in some patients who exhibit an inadequate response to conventional IFN treatment, particularly those who have relapsed. Consensus IFN, another option in treatment-resistant patients, has demonstrated efficacy in the retreatment of non-responders and relapsers. Although the optimal duration of retreatment and the benefits and safety of maintenance therapy have not been determined, an extended duration is likely needed. This article reviews the risk factors for HCV treatment resistance and discusses the assessment and management of difficult-to-treat patients.
Overcoming Obstacles to Interdisciplinary Research

Mascia et al.’s (2003) call for increased interdisciplinary approaches to conservation and Thornhill’s (2003) response detailing activities of the Society for Conservation Biology reflect an evolution in thinking about environmental problems. We have moved beyond Hilborn and Ludwig’s (1993) call to consider the human context of such problems to addressing them in an interdisciplinary manner and training researchers to do this (Zarin et al. 2003). I fully support efforts to make conservation research, work, and training more interdisciplinary. I believe interdisciplinary approaches are critical for successful conservation and find collaborations personally and professionally rewarding (Campbell 2003). Participants approaching an interdisciplinary collaboration for the first time, however, must recognize potential obstacles from the outset, not the least of which are “obstructive misconceptions or prejudices [that social and natural scientists have] about each other” (Redclift 1998:179). I have written about the challenges of doing social science research in the biologist-dominated field of sea turtle conservation (Campbell 2003). Here, I outline some practical and philosophical obstacles to interdisciplinary research in general, offer illustrative examples from my own experience, and make some suggestions for overcoming them. Many suggestions are directed at conservation biologists, because they are the primary audience for this journal, but are relevant for all participants in an interdisciplinary undertaking. Mascia et al. (2003) address professional societies, conservation organizations, and teaching in the academy. Here, I focus on interdisciplinary research and publishing.
Should a High School Adopt Advanced Placement or a Concurrent Enrollment Program? An Expected Benefit Approach

Abstract This article provides an explicit framework for evaluating the expected benefit to college-bound students of courses offered by Advanced Placement (AP) versus concurrent enrollment programs (CEP). District personnel can use it to assess the relative merits of these programs, given the characteristics of their students, in deciding which model to implement or maintain. Simulations reveal that CEP generally provides a higher expected benefit for districts where students who take the course attend private colleges or universities (including public institutions out of state) and perform on the AP exam around national norms. AP favors high schools where students taking the course either face inexpensive costs for study at institutions of higher education or perform exceptionally well on the AP exam. Information from a sample of 240 colleges and universities reveals that few explicitly reject AP or CEP for credit if the student meets a minimum criterion, although more information is provided for AP.
Ileal resection enhances jejunal absorptive adaptation for water and electrolytes to extrinsic denervation: implications for segmental small bowel transplantation.

Abstract Background/Purpose: Segmental small bowel transplantation (SBT) may be an alternative to whole jejunoileal SBT. The aim of this study was to evaluate adaptability of extrinsically denervated jejunum after ileectomy. Methods: Baseline absorption of an isomolar, nonnutrient electrolyte solution was measured in an 80-cm in situ jejunal segment. Control (CON) and extrinsically denervated dogs (EXT DEN) then underwent distal 50% enterectomy; EXT DEN dogs also underwent a complete extrinsic denervation of remnant jejunum. Absorption was remeasured 2 and 12 weeks later; jejunal biopsies at 12 weeks were compared with baseline. Results: All dogs experienced weight loss and diarrhea, which resolved by 10 weeks in CON but persisted in EXT DEN dogs. Net absorptive fluxes of water, Na + , K + , and Cl − , however, remained unchanged in both groups 2 weeks and 12 weeks after denervation. Morphometric evaluation showed an increase in crypt depth in both groups at the 12-week time-point. Conclusions: Despite a clinical short bowel syndrome, more weight loss, and diarrhea in EXT DEN, there were no temporal differences in net absorptive fluxes of water and electrolytes within or between these 2 groups, and both developed increased crypt depth at 12 weeks. Extrinsic denervation does not blunt jejunal adaptive response to ileectomy. J Pediatr Surg 38:502-507. Copyright 2003, Elsevier Science (USA). All rights reserved.
Perinuclear mitochondrial clustering creates an oxidant-rich nuclear domain required for hypoxia-induced transcription.

Mitochondria can govern local concentrations of second messengers, such as reactive oxygen species (ROS), and mitochondrial translocation to discrete subcellular regions may contribute to this signaling function. Here, we report that exposure of pulmonary artery endothelial cells to hypoxia triggered a retrograde mitochondrial movement that required microtubules and the microtubule motor protein dynein and resulted in the perinuclear clustering of mitochondria. This subcellular redistribution of mitochondria was accompanied by the accumulation of ROS in the nucleus, which was attenuated by suppressing perinuclear clustering of mitochondria with nocodazole to destabilize microtubules or with small interfering RNA–mediated knockdown of dynein. Although suppression of perinuclear mitochondrial clustering did not affect the hypoxia-induced increase in the nuclear abundance of hypoxia-inducible factor 1a (HIF-1a) or the binding of HIF-1a to an oligonucleotide corresponding to a hypoxia response element (HRE), it eliminated oxidative modifications of the VEGF (vascular endothelial growth factor) promoter. Furthermore, suppression of perinuclear mitochondrial clustering reduced HIF-1a binding to theVEGF promoter and decreased VEGF mRNA accumulation. These findings support a model for hypoxia-induced transcriptional regulation in which perinuclear mitochondrial clustering results in ROS accumulation in the nucleus and causes oxidative base modifications in the VEGF HRE that are important for transcriptional complex assembly and VEGF mRNA expression.
Broad-band distributed amplifier impedance-matching techniques

A circuit concept is developed which allows impedance transformations to be performed over extremely broad bandwidths. The transformation is obtained by coupling one or more input or output lines of a distributed amplifier into several output or input lines, respectively. The circuit technique is demonstrated by results for an amplifier for a 1:2 impedance transformation over a 2-20-GHz bandwidth. The amplifier yields a voltage standing wave ratio (VSWR) of better than 1.7:1 into 25 Omega at the input and better than 1.5:1 into 50 Omega at the output while maintaining a gain of 9+or-1 dB. An application of the technique to the broadband impedance-matching problem of a laser diode driver is discussed. The circuit has a gain of 8.5+or-1 dB from 0.5 to 12.5 GHz and better than 10 dB return loss at both the input and output. >
Economic and biological influences on key pecking and treadle pressing in pigeons.

Pigeons were studied on a two-component multiple schedule in which the required operant was, in different conditions, biologically relevant (i.e., key pecking) or nonbiologically relevant (i.e., treadle pressing). Responding was reinforced on a variable-interval (VI) 2-min schedule in both components. In separate phases, additional food was delivered on a variable-time (VT) 15-s schedule (response independent) or a VI 15-s schedule (response dependent) in one of the components. The addition of response-independent food had different effects on responding depending on the operant response and on the frequency with which the components alternated. When components alternated frequently (every 10 s), all pigeons keypecked at a much higher rate during the component with the additional food deliveries, whether response dependent or independent. In comparison, treadle pressing was elevated only when the additional food was response dependent; rate of treadling was lower when the additional food was response independent. When components alternated infrequently (every 20 min), pigeons key pecked at high rates at points of transition into the component with the additional food deliveries. Rate of key pecking decreased with time spent in the 20-min component when the additional food was response independent, whereas rate of pecking remained elevated in that component when the additional food was response dependent. Under otherwise identical test conditions, rate of treadle pressing varied only as a function of its relative rate of response-dependent reinforcement. Delivery of response-independent food thus had different, but predictable, effects on responding depending on which operant was being studied, suggesting that animal-learning procedures can be integrated with biological considerations without the need to propose constraints that limit general laws of learning.
On the Optimum Gain for Estimating the Reverberation Operator from Seismic Data

In seismic data processing various methods of gain control are used in recording the data and to subsequently bring the events in the record up to a nearly uniform level. In carrying out deconvolution, an essential step is estimating the reverberation operator, or, equivalently, its autocorrelation function, from the data. The choice of gain function not only affects the appearance of the data but the reliability of the estimate of the correlation function of the reverberation operator. This paper investigates what choice of gain function yields the most reliable estimate, measured in terms of the signal-to-noise ratio in the estimate. The result, not suprisingly, is that the most reliable estimate is obtained by the gain function which brings the mean-square event strength up to a uniform level. However, this result is true only when certain assumptions are made. The purpose of this paper is to give a rational basis for this intuitively plausible result and to carefully delineate the circumstances under which it is true.
Circuit level analysis of analog signal processing based MIMO radar system

Conventional digital signal processing (DSP) based systems, when expanded into a multi input multi output (MIMO) system, suffer from increase of power consumption and computational burden. In this paper, an analog based MIMO radar system is introduced. The proposed system uses a combination of wavelets as its pulse at transmitters. Using the property of wavelets being orthogonal in time, our proposed system achieves waveform diversity. Implementation of a MIMO radar system based on analog circuitry results in significant decrease in power consumption of the system. This was verified by comparing systems with similar performance and estimating their power consumption. While our proposed system consumed 422.2 mW, a DSP-ASIC MIMO radar system consumed 2621.6 mW, a conventional DSP-ASIC single input single output (SISO) radar system consumed 1767 mW, and a conventional DSP-FPGA SISO radar system consumed 4158 mW.
The backstage story of the discovery of LHRH.

During my postdoctoral years (1956-1961) spent first at Yale University and then at Tulane University, I was fortunate to become acquainted with many talented endocrinologists. At that time, my major interest was the role of vasopressin in stimulating ACTH secretion. Vasopressin was then one of the strongest candidates for CRF, as advocated by Don McCann. Roger Guillemin and Andrew Serially claimed the existence of separate CRF-a and CRF-β molecules. At Tulane University I worked with Joseph Dingman in the Department of Medicine where I tried to establish a method for separating vasopressin from human plasma using glass fiber paper chromatography. In 1960, on the way home from Miami after attending the Annual Endocrinology Meeting, I happened to board the plane with Schally. He showed a considerable interest in the chromatographic method on which I was working. We talked enthusiastically about CRF and he emphatically denied the possibility that vasopressin was CRF. During my stay in New Orleans, I visited...
Heterogeneous Parsing via Collaborative Decoding

There often exist multiple corpora for the same natural language processing (NLP) tasks. However, such corpora are generally used independently due to distinctions in annotation standards. For the purpose of full use of readily available human annotations, it is significant to simultaneously utilize multiple corpora of different annotation standards. In this paper, we focus on the challenge of constituent syntactic parsing with treebanks of different annotations and propose a collaborative decoding (or co-decoding) approach to improve parsing accuracy by leveraging bracket structure consensus between multiple parsing decoders trained on individual treebanks. Experimental results show the effectiveness of the proposed approach, which outperforms state-of-the-art baselines, especially on long sentences.
Expression of a gene family in the dimorphic fungus Mucor racemosus which exhibits striking similarity to human ras genes.

Abstract Sporulation, spore germination, and yeast-hypha dimorphism in the filamentous fungus Mucor racemosus provide useful model systems to study cell development in eucaryotic cells. Three RAS genes (MRAS1, MRAS2, and MRAS3) from M. racemosus have been cloned, and their nucleotide sequences have been determined. The predicted amino acid sequences and the sizes of the three MRAS proteins exhibit a high degree of similarity with other ras proteins, including that encoded by H-ras, which have been implicated in regulation of proliferation and development in eucaryotic cells by mediating signal transduction pathways. The MRAS proteins show conservation of functional domains proposed for ras proteins, including guanine nucleotide interaction domains, an effector domain, a binding epitope for neutralizing antibody Y13-259, and the COOH-terminal CAAX box, which is a site of thiocylation and membrane attachment. Amino acid sequences unique to each MRAS protein occur adjacent to the CAAX box, consistent with the location of the hypervariable region in other ras proteins. Northern (RNA) analysis was used to study expression of the three MRAS genes in relation to cell development. Gene-specific probes for two of these genes, MRAS1 and MRAS3, hybridized to different 1.3-kb mRNA transcripts. The accumulation of these transcripts depended on the developmental stage, and this pattern was different between the two MRAS genes. No transcript for MRAS2 was detected in the developmental stages examined. The unique patterns of MRAS transcript accumulation suggest that individual MRAS genes and proteins may play distinct roles in cell growth or development.
Fabrication and Characterization of MEMS-Based Resonant Organic Gas Sensors

Polymer coated thermal-piezoresistive micromechanical resonant silicon nanobalances have been utilized for detection and concentration measurement of volatile organic compounds in gas phase. Polyglycolic acid, which is the main polymer ingredient of the shipley-1813 photoresist, was used as the absorbent coating layer. Experiments have shown that polymer thickness determines the achievable sensitivity towards the gas molecules. The main challenge is to coat the devices with a thick layer of polymer while still maintaining their high-Q resonance. Multiple polymer coating approaches have been demonstrated. Following polymer deposition, in order to find the sensitivity of the devices, they were tested by exposure to regular gasoline and toluene vapor. The best measurement results were obtained by utilizing the photoresist already present on the resonant structures from the fabrication process. A maximum frequency shift of 3600 ppm (55 kHz) was obtained from a 15.5 MHz resonator with a ~ 1.5 μm thick coating upon exposure to nitrogen saturated with toluene vapor at room temperature. Based on the measurement results, minimum detectable concentration of toluene in the gas phase for such devices is in the range of a few ppm.
CD40L blockade prevents autoimmune encephalomyelitis and hampers TH1 but not TH2 pathway of T cell differentiation.

Although it is well established that CD40 and its ligand (CD40L) play pivotal roles in the development of humoral immunity, their roles in cell-mediated immunity and cell-mediated autoimmune diseases are not well defined. We report here that CD40:CD40L interaction is crucial for the development of experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE), a prototype TH1-cell mediated autoimmune disease. Specific blockade of CD40L at the time of immunization markedly suppressed the incidence, mortality, day of onset, and clinical scores of EAE in (PLJ×SJL) F1 mice. Importantly, the disease suppression was not associated with anergy or deletion of autoreactive T cells but was accompanied by a drastic alteration of their cytokine profiles. The production of interferon (IFN)-γ was markedly suppressed while that of interleukin (IL)-4 enhanced. These results suggest that CD40:CD40L interaction plays important roles in the differentiation of autoreactive TH1 versus TH2 cells in vivo, and that CD40L blockade is effective in preventing autoimmune encephalomyelitis.
Safe Conduct: Women, Crime, and Self in Public Places

In this essay, I paint a portrait of women in public places and their concerns with crime prevention, based on a survey of the literature and in-depth interviews with women. I argue that there is a situationally appropriate self that crime-prevention advice literature suggests women adopt and that women attempt to adopt. This situated self, however, is sometimes constrained by the general character of public places and by the particular character of the belief system that women have and that the literature recommends with regard to crime prevention. In particular, I view normative beliefs about crime prevention as a “rhetoric” that involves negative contingencies for the woman's situated self in public, including frequent reliance on others, self-profanation, and lengthy or consuming preparations.
A Note on the EPP

L'A. examine la maniere dont le Principe de Projection Etendue evolue dans la theorie de Chomsky depuis sa premiere formulation en 1981. Il discute notamment des consequences que le rejet du mouvement base sur le trait en faveur de la notion d'Accord (Agree) a eues sur ce principe de projection. L'A. montre a la lumiere de l'analyse des interactions entre ellipse et mouvement que le principe de projection etendue ne constitue effectivement pas un cas de verification des traits. Il se penche ainsi sur les constructions a pseudo-trou syntaxique, sur le changement de la position de l'objet et l'effacement
A Primary Role for Golgi Positioning in Directed Secretion, Cell Polarity, and Wound Healing

Peri-centrosomal positioning of the mammalian Golgi apparatus is known to involve microtubule-based motility, but its importance for cellular physiology is a major unanswered question. Here, we ide...
The Major Problems of the Philosophy of Science and Clinical Psychology

Some individuals reject philosophy and philosophical analysis because they claim there simply are no problems to be examined—there is nothing there. For example, if one thinks that it is just absolutely clear what is morally right and what is morally wrong, and why these have this sort of status—then, it would seem to follow that there is then no need to examine questions regarding morality. In this view, there simply is no problem to be explored. Similarly with science and the philosophy of science, if one thinks it is obvious what science is, what the scientific method is, how to distinguish between good science and bad science, what is special about science, what is the logic of science, what a cause is, whether observation is theory neutral or not, etc., one need not rise to the meta-perspective and worry about and attempt to resolve these problems.
Service Networks for Public Health and Medical Preparedness: Medical Countermeasures Dispensing and Large-Scale Disaster Relief Efforts

A catastrophic health event, such as a terrorist attack with a biological agent, a naturally occurring pandemic, or a calamitous meteorological or geological event, could cause tens or hundreds of thousands of casualties, weaken the economy, damage public morale and confidence, create panic and civil unrest, and threaten national security. It is therefore critical to establish a strategic vision that will enable a level of public health and medical preparedness sufficient to address a range of possible disasters. Planning for a catastrophe involving a disease outbreak or mass casualties is an ongoing challenge for first responders and emergency managers. They must make critical decisions on treatment distribution points, staffing levels, impacted populations and potential impact in a compressed window of time when seconds could mean life or death. Some of the key areas of public health and medical preparedness include medical surge, population protection, communication infrastructure, and emergency evacuation. This chapter highlights our own experience on projects with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and various public health jurisdictions in emergency response and medical preparedness for mass dispensing for disease prevention and treatment and large-scale disaster relief efforts.
Maternal and fetal effects of obstetric analgesia

Summary 1. A combination of promethazine and meperidine, 50 mg. of each per cubic centimeter, was given intravenously to 400 patients as an obstetric analgesic agent. 2. Only the initial injection of promethazine and meperidine, 50 mg. of each, was required to produce satisfactory analgesia in 85 per cent (343) of the patients. 3. The attending physician considered 86 per cent of the patients to have either excellent or good analgesic effect from the medication. 4. More than 87 per cent of the mothers considered the analgesic effect as excellent or good. Ninety-five per cent considered the sedative effect as excellent or good and 79.5 per cent felt they experienced an amnesic effect. 5. The newborn infant was evaluated by the Apgar method and serial arterial oxygen saturations. There was no evidence of depression of the infant due to the promethazine and meperidine. 6. Promethazine blood levels were determined in both maternal and fetal blood in 25 cases. Fetal and maternal levels are shown for a duration of at least 4 hours. 7. Transient hypertension developed in 11.5 per cent of the patients and 6 per cent were hyperreactive after receiving the injection.
Capacity Building in Agricultural Extension: the World Bank Experience in Nigeria

Capacity building for effective agricultural extension may be required at the levels of individual non-governmental group, and institutional and policy actors. World Bank support to Nigeria for capacity building in agricultural extension dates back to the mid-1970s with the establishment of nine enclave Agricultural Development Projects (ADPs). These were followed by the statewide ADPs (1981-83), the multi-state ADPs (1986-89), and the National Agricultural Technology Support Project approved in 1992. The total investment in the ADPs, so far is about US$2 billion. Analyses of the earlier World Bank interventions for capacity building show results that vary/ from highly satisfactory to unsatisfactory, depending largely on the performance of the Bank, the government and the rural clients. In the process, the Bank has learned a number of lessons which will guide its future interventions in agricultural extension in Nigeria. First, the client needs to be in the driver's seat, empowered to decide its priorities and be able to hold extension agents accountable. Second, the Bank's limited resources will need to befocused on achieving strategic outcomes that are in line with the client's development priorities andfor which the Bank has a comparative advantage. Third, the selectivity principle will be applied to support the development strategies of reforming state and local governments. These lessons are being applied in the Second National Fadama Development Project (Fadama II) and the proposed Fadama III Project. The paradigm shift adopted under these projects requires: (a) demand-responsive advisory services; (b) empowerment of user groups to participate in the planning and implementation of advisory services; and (c) encouragement of pluralistic service delivery. Although the experience on Fadama 11 is still very limited, there are clear indications of increasing participation and ownership by the user groups which will likely increase the sustainability ofthe investments in capacity building.
The Obama Administration and the Use of Military Force — John Yoo by Another Name?

The George W. Bush presidency posed a direct challenge to the rule of law in a number of areas, including the use of military force. An initially secret September 25, 2001 memo written by John Yoo and never repudiated by the administration claimed inherent or plenary power for the President to make all decisions regarding the use of military force, whether or not authorized by Congress (and even by ignoring limits Congress attempted to place on presidential power). As a candidate for president, Barack Obama correctly stated that the President can only act unilaterally in an emergency situation when responding to “an actual or imminent threat to the nation”. As President, however, Obama administration lawyers have found new ways to reach the same conclusion as Yoo — that there are no meaningful constitutional or statutory limits on presidential power to order the use of military force.
Roadmap to Gridlock: The Failure of Long-Range Metropolitan Transportation Planning

Federal law requires metropolitan planning organizations in urban areas of more than 50,000 people to write long-range (20- to 30-year) metropolitan transportation plans and to revise or update those plans every 4 to 5 years. A review of plans for more than 75 of the nation's largest metropolitan areas reveals that virtually all of them fail to follow standard planning methods. As a result, taxpayers and travelers have little assurance that the plans make effective use of available resources to reduce congestion, maximize mobility, and provide safe transportation facilities. Nearly half the plans reviewed here are not cost effective in meeting transportation goals. These plans rely heavily on behavioral tools such as land-use regulation, subsidies to dense or mixed-use developments, and construction of expensive rail transit lines. Nearly 40 years of experience with such tools has shown that they are expensive but provide negligible transportation benefits. Long-range transportation planning necessarily depends on uncertain forecasts. Planners also set qualitative goals such as "vibrant communities" and quantifiable but incomparable goals such as "protecting historic resources." Such vagaries result in a politicized process that cannot hope to find the most effective transportation solutions. Thus, long-range planning has contributed to, rather than prevented, the hextupling of congestion American urban areas have suffered since 1982. Ideally, the federal government should not be in the business of funding local transportation and dictating local transportation policies. At the least, Congress should repeal long-range transportation planning requirements in the next reauthorization of federal surface transportation funding. Instead, metropolitan transportation organizations should focus planning on the short term (5 years), and concentrate on quantifiable factors that are directly related to transportation, including safety and congestion relief.
A Comparative Study Between high and low Temperature Thermally Controlled Crystallization of thin films

Numerical simulation of zone-melting recrystallization (ZMR) was conducted to determine the heat transfer dynamics over a wide range of temperatures. ZMR is a thermal processing technique used to recrystallize materials. Therefore, the thermal effects induced by the ZMR process critically affect the crystallization dynamics. Parametric studies indicated that the conductive heat flux from the heat source through the gas accounted for at least 15% of the total energy heating the film for materials with melting points less than 800°C. The influence of this conductive heating has been neglected in past analyses. Also, materials with higher melting points are less sensitive to changes in the heat flux from the heat source. Slight variations of thermal gradients in the film can lead to different qualities of crystal, so care must be taken when processing materials with lower melting points, since they are more sensitive to temperature variation. This paper analyzes the dominant modes of heat transfer in ZMR over a wide range of temperatures that influence the recrystallization dynamics.
The spin switch oscillator: A new approach based on gain and feedback

We propose a new kind of oscillator based on incorporating feedback into a transistor-like amplifying device namely the spin switch. Unlike the present-day state-of-the-art spin transfer nano oscillators (STNO) based on the delicate balancing of magnetic fields and spin currents, this spin switch oscillator (SSO) should exhibit high tunable output power without the need of external magnetic fields.
Correction and application of injection-recovery history curve of steam flooding heavy oil reservoir

It is a simple and accurate method to compute development index and analyze reservoir performance by injection-recovery history curve, so that this is a conventional method used in heavy oil steam drive. However, practical data shows that, early injection-recovery history is a curve, and only the straight line section, which appears after long production time, can be used for computing, otherwise there would be larger errors. This paper presents a correction method for early injection-recovery history, and expands the application range of the curve.
NONSTATIONARY LINEAR ITERATIVE METHODS

This chapter discusses the use of nonstationary linear iterative methods. It highlights the concepts of consistency, reciprocal consistency, complete consistency, and convergence for nonstationary linear iterative methods. The chapter also describes various measures for the rapidity of convergence on nonstationary methods. It focuses on periodic methods constructed by the periodic use of m linear stationary methods of first degree. The study of such methods can be reduced to the study of stationary methods. It also discusses various properties of Chebyshev polynomials, which are very useful in the study of nonstationary methods.
Influence of Loading Rate on Fracture Strength of Individual Sand Particles

Dynamic loading on granular materials, such as impact, blast, or projectile penetration, can impose large inter-particle forces to cause significant particle fracture within individual particles. Extensive research has been conducted at different strain rates on granular media mass, but very little has been published to investigate the influence of strain or loading rate on individual particles. Therefore, a gap in the knowledge base is present since comprehensive multi-scale modeling of granular material begins at the micro (particle) scale. In this paper, individual natural sand particles are compressed to fracture at loading rates of 0.2 mm/min, 2.25 m/s, and 14.5 m/s using quasi-static unconfined compression and unconfined mini-Kolsky bar techniques. Fracture loads are compared for various “types” of particles within the natural sand, and compared to conventional quasi-static failure definitions for particles. Particles exhibited loading rate dependence when comparing Weibull characteristic tensile strength with loading rate.
Far-field patterns of Quantum Well, Quantum Dash, and Quantum Dot Laser Diodes

We perform measurements of far field pattern of various quantum-confined heterostructures namely quantum well (QW), quantum dash (Qdash), and quantum dot (Qdot) lasers to study the effect of different active gain mediums of semiconductor lasers on the optical beam quality and coupling efficiency. The beam pattern profile of the Qdash laser is similar to that of the QW laser (FWHM ~ 20deg) while Qdot laser shows smaller divergence (FWHM ~ 5deg) and retain its intensity profile of single lobe Gaussian-shape at current injection up to two and half times threshold current.