cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Insulation Materials for Bi-2223 Tapes

Simulating Wind & React method, influence of insulators on superconducting properties of Bi-2223 silver sheath tape was investigated. CuO in the oxide core penetrated through the silver sheath and chemical reaction with insulation materials was observed. Resultant low Cu content in the core caused secondary phases. Critical current densities were limited by the phases. AI2O3 was found most suitable for insulation materials in our experiments.
Hypercubes and the Gray Representation

In this lecture we will take an algebraic approach to routing on the hypercube. We will develop some algebraic tools, which we will then use to analyze the hypercube implementation of parallel prefix described in the last lecture.
Association of Cadmium and Lead Exposure With the Incidence of Contrast Sensitivity Impairment Among Middle-aged Adults.

Importance Contrast sensitivity (CS) is an important indicator of visual function that affects daily life, including mobility, visually intensive tasks, safety, and autonomy. Understanding the risk factors for CS impairment could prevent decreases in visual function. Objective To determine the incidence of and factors associated with CS impairment in a large cohort. Design, Setting, and Participants The Beaver Dam Offspring Study is an ongoing longitudinal cohort study of aging involving adults in Beaver Dam, Wisconsin. Participants who were free of CS impairment in both eyes at baseline were included (N = 1983). Baseline data collection occurred from June 8, 2005, through August 4, 2008, when the participants ranged from 21 to 84 years of age. Two follow-up examinations occurred at 5-year intervals: one was conducted between July 12, 2010, and March 21, 2013, and the other between July 1, 2015, and November 13, 2017. Data analysis was performed from November 27, 2017, to February 27, 2018. Main Outcomes and Measures Contrast sensitivity testing was conducted with Pelli-Robson letter sensitivity charts, and incident impairment was defined as a log CS score less than 1.55 in either eye at any follow-up examination. Cadmium and lead levels were measured in whole blood with inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry. Associations between baseline characteristics and CS impairment incidence were examined using Cox proportional hazard models and quantified as hazard ratios (HRs) with 95% CI. Results Of the 1983 participants included, 1028 (51.8%) were female and 955 (48.2%) were male, with a mean (SD) age of 48 (9.3) years. The 10-year cumulative incidence of CS impairment was 24.8% (95% CI, 22.9-26.8), similar in women (24.9%) and men (24.6%), and highest in the oldest age group (65-84 years) at 66.3%. In multivariable models, cadmium level in the highest quintile (HR, 1.35; 95% CI, 1.02-1.78), older age (HR, 1.36; 95% CI, 1.25-1.47), larger waist circumference (HR, 1.06; 95% CI, 1.01-1.11), and more plaque sites (1-3 sites: HR, 1.43; 95% CI, 1.07-1.92; 4-6 sites: HR, 2.75; 95% CI, 1.26-6.05) were among the factors associated with increased risk, while male sex (HR, 0.77; 95% CI, 0.60-0.98) and any alcohol consumption (HR, 0.61; 95% CI, 0.43-0.88) were associated with decreased risk. Results were similar when smoking status replaced cadmium exposure in the models. Lead level was not associated with increased risk. Conclusions and Relevance This study’s findings suggest that incident CS impairment was common in the 10-year follow-up, with cadmium, but not lead, exposure associated with increased risk. The associations of diminished CS with other modifiable risk factors found appear to imply that changes in behavior may reduce future incidence of CS impairment.
Optical and photoelectrochemical studies on photoactive inorganic/organic/organic/interface assemblies of CdS/poly 3-(2-thienyl) aniline/poly 2,2 bithiophene

Assemblies of poly 2,2 bithiophene, poly 3-(2-thienyl) aniline, and CdS were subjected to optical and photoelectrochemical investigation in acetate, citrate, and phosphate aqueous electrolytes. Optical conductivity and dielectric contents reflect the role of CdS on the optical properties of the assemblies. Occlusion of CdS into the organic polymer increased the electron diffusion coefficient and diffusion length by changing both the electron lifetime and electron transport time. O2 enhanced generated photocurrent in presence and in absence of a magnetic field. The magnetic field effects were explained on the basis that external magnetic fields affect the photogeneration of singlet/triplet radical pair processes. The recorded photoactivities indicate formation of hybrid sub-bands due to band alignments between each of the assembly components. The present study also shows that the use of electrolytes can affect the electron life-times at I/O/O/I and possible charge transfer processes.
Biogenic amines shift during the pre-reproductive to reproductive transition in the small carpenter bee, Ceratina calcarata

The shift from solitary to social living is a major evolutionary transition for social insects. In bees, this transition is marked by certain females becoming reproductive and reducing their role in nest and offspring care, duties that are assumed by other females. Biogenic amines play a significant role in regulating these behaviors in both solitary and social insects. How has the function of biogenic amines in solitary insects been coopted for social behaviors? Here, we used Ceratina calcarata, a behaviorally well-studied small subsocial carpenter bee to explore how biogenic amines may play a role in the reproductive shift over a season. We found that as females transition from a pre-reproductive to reproductive state, ovarian development is accompanied by an increase in brain levels of octopamine and serotonin. For comparison, we provide the first characterization of biogenic amines in the brains of males. These results suggest the essential role of biogenic amines in the transition of reproductive states in a bee on the brink of sociality and provide a deeper understanding of how biogenic amines may have influenced the evolution of social behavior.
Teams Build a Wiki to Teach Each Other Four Social Media Platforms

Applying the adage, “The best way to learn is to teach,” this case study shows how a wiki can be used by undergraduate marketing student teams to become classroom ‘experts’ in one social media plat...
The Metaphysics of Dao in Wang Bi’s Interpretation of Laozi

Wang Bi 王弼 develops a metaphysic of Dao 道 in his Commentary on Laozi (Laozi Zhu 老子注) and “The Structure of Laozi’s Subtle Pointers (Laozi Zhilue 老子指略).” I summarize this metaphysic as the following thesis: Dao is featureless and is the ultimate reason why the myriad things exist and are the ways they are. I develop a systematic account of this thesis: I provide an interpretation of the featurelessness of Dao and show how Dao’s featurelessness relates to its fundamental explanatory role as the ontological ground for the myriad things.
The Structural Analysis of the General Dynamics SSC Baseline Design Collider Dipole Magnet

This paper presents the methodology for the structural analysis of the 13m and 15m Collider Dipole Magnet (CDM) coldmass. A geometric nonlinear Finite Element solution was used to determine the deflection characteristics, and stress state of the typical two-dimensional magnet cross-section through all assembly operations, and for magnet energization at 4K.
Cyclic Irrigation and Media Affect Container Leachate and Ageratum Growth

Abstract Two experiments were conducted with container-grown Ageratum houstonianum Mill. ‘Blue Puffs’ to compare cyclic and continuous irrigations. In experiment 1, leachate volumes were reduced ab...
The Evolution of Sexual Systems in Animals

A sexual system is the pattern of gender allocation that characterizes a species. In both plants and animals, simultaneous hermaphroditism and dioecy are the most common and stable sexual systems. Other sexual systems, sequential hermaphroditism, environmental sex determination, gynodioecy, androdioecy, and trioecy, are less stable and less widely distributed. The boundaries between these sexual systems are not always clear, largely because phenotypic plasticity is an important and prevalent component of sexual reproduction. One can view sexual systems in the Metazoa as lying on a gradient of phenotypic plasticity from simultaneous hermaphroditism at the high end through sequential hermaphroditism and environmental sex determination to genetically determined dioecy, which has a minimum of phenotypic plasticity in sex allocation. The distribution of sexual systems across the Metazoa gave rise to Williams’ Paradox, which states that the pattern is best explained by phylogeny rather than sex allocation theory. Today, sex allocation theory seems to explain transitions in sexual system in those taxa with labile sexual systems adequately. However, the stability of either dioecy or simultaneous hermaphroditism in many major taxa, such as phyla and classes, remains inexplicable. While in angiosperms the evolutionary pathways between dioecy and simultaneous hermaphroditism are fairly well understood, a plausible evolutionary sequence for transitions between dioecy and simultaneous hermaphroditism in animals has been lacking. Here, the proposal is made that it is useful to view transitions from simultaneous hermaphroditism to dioecy as the result of selection for decreasing phenotypic plasticity and vice versa. A scenario for evolutionary transitions between simultaneous hermaphroditism and dioecy, in animals, through intermediate stages of sequential hermaphroditism and environmental sex determination is proposed.
Functional analysis of Aarf domain-containing kinase 1 in Drosophila melanogaster

BACKGROUND The ADCK proteins are predicted mitochondrial kinases. Most studies of these proteins have focused on the Abc1/Coq8 subfamily, which contributes to Coenzyme Q biosynthesis. In contrast, little is known about ADCK1 despite its evolutionary conservation in yeast, Drosophila, Caenorhabditis elegans and mammals. RESULTS We show that Drosophila ADCK1 mutants die as second instar larvae with double mouth hooks and tracheal breaks. Tissue-specific genetic rescue and RNAi studies show that ADCK1 is necessary and sufficient in the trachea for larval viability. In addition, tracheal-rescued ADCK1 mutant adults have reduced lifespan, are developmentally delayed, have reduced body size, and normal levels of basic metabolites. CONCLUSION The larval lethality and double mouth hooks seen in ADCK1 mutants are often associated with reduced levels of the steroid hormone ecdysone, suggesting that this gene could contribute to controlling ecdysone levels or bioavailability. Similarly, the tracheal defects in these animals could arise from defects in intracellular lipid trafficking. These studies of ADCK1 provide a new context to define the physiological functions of this poorly understood member of the ADCK family of predicted mitochondrial proteins.
History of Eminent Domain in Colonial Thought and Legal Practice

This paper explores the prehistory of the Land Acquisition Act of 1894. By focusing on colonial Calcutta, it traces the emergence, development and various legal justifications of the principle of eminent domain under the East India Company rule. It describes the legal, bureaucratic and often extralegal methods employed to enact land acquisition law and documents the processes and narrative fictions that coalesced into our present understandings of the state’s relation to land and law’s relation to ethics. It also throws light upon the workings of the “reality” that law constructed and enacted in devising the principle of eminent domain.
Generation of a ChATCre mouse line without the early onset hearing loss typical of the C57BL/6J strain.

Abstract The development of knockin mice with Cre recombinase expressed under the control of the promoter for choline acetyltransferase (ChAT) has allowed experimental manipulation of cholinergic circuits. However, currently available ChATCre mouse lines are on the C57BL/6J strain background, which shows early onset age-related hearing loss attributed to the Cdh23753A mutation (a.k.a., the ahl mutation). To develop ChATCre mice without accelerated hearing loss, we backcrossed ChATIRES-Cre mice with CBA/CaJ mice that have normal hearing. We used genotyping to obtain mice homozygous for ChATIRES-Cre and the wild-type allele at the Cdh23 locus (ChATCre,Cdh23WT). In the new line, auditory brainstem response thresholds were ∼20 dB lower than those in 9 month old ChATIRES-Cre mice at all frequencies tested (4–31.5 kHz). These thresholds were stable throughout the period of testing (3–12 months of age). We then bred ChATCre,Cdh23WT animals with Ai14 reporter mice to confirm the expression pattern of ChATCre. In these mice, tdTomato-labeled cells were observed in all brainstem regions known to contain cholinergic cells. We then stained the tissue with a neuron-specific marker, NeuN, to determine whether Cre expression was limited to neurons. Across several brainstem nuclei (pontomesencephalic tegmentum, motor trigeminal and facial nuclei), 100% of the tdTomato-labeled cells were double-labeled with anti-NeuN (n = 1896 cells), indicating Cre-recombinase was limited to neurons. Almost all of these cells (1867/1896 = 98.5%) also stained with antibodies against ChAT, indicating that reporter label was expressed almost exclusively in cholinergic neurons. Finally, an average 88.7% of the ChAT+ cells in these nuclei were labeled with tdTomato, indicating that the Cre is expressed in a large proportion of the cholinergic cells in these nuclei. We conclude that the backcrossed ChATCre,Cdh23WT mouse line has normal hearing and expresses Cre recombinase almost exclusively in cholinergic neurons. This ChATCre,Cdh23WT mouse line may provide an opportunity to manipulate cholinergic circuits without the confound of accelerated hearing loss associated with the C57BL/6J background. Furthermore, comparison with lines that do show early hearing loss may provide insight into possible cholinergic roles in age-related hearing loss.
An Immunogenomic Investigation of Oral Cavity Squamous Cell Carcinoma in Patients Aged 45 Years and Younger.

OBJECTIVES/HYPOTHESIS To investigate differences in the immunogenomic landscape among young patients presenting with oral cavity squamous cell carcinoma (OCSCC). STUDY DESIGN Retrospective database review. METHODS Normalized messenger mRNA expression data were downloaded from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) database. OCSCC patients were categorized into young and older age groups with a cutoff of 45 years. Human papillomavirus-positive tumors were excluded. Cell fractions, marker expression, and mutational load were compared between age groups using the Wilcoxon rank sum test. Adjustment for multiple comparisons was performed using the Benjamini-Hochberg method, with a false discovery rate of 0.05. RESULTS Two hundred forty-five OCSCC tumors were included; 21 (8.6%) were young (37.1 ± 7.5 years) and 224 (91.4%) were older (64.5 ± 10.3 years). There was no significant difference between groups in the fraction of B and T lymphocytes, macrophages, monocytes, natural killers, and dendritic cells. Cytolytic activity score was decreased in young patients (8.33 vs. 18.9, P = .023). Additionally, young patients had significantly lower expression of immunomodulatory markers of immune activation, including PD-1 (PDCD1, P = .003), CTLA4 (P = .025), TIGIT (P = .002), GITR (TNFRSF18, P = .005), OX40 (TNFRSF4, P = .009), LAG-3 (P < .001), and TIM-3 (HAVCR2, P = .002). Young patients had a significantly lower number of single nucleotide variant-derived neoantigens (26.2 vs. 60.6, P < .001). CONCLUSIONS OCSCC patients aged 45 years and younger appear to have an attenuated immune response that may be related to a lower frequency of immunogenic mutations. This may contribute to the pathogenesis of these tumors, and ultimately help inform personalized immune-based therapeutic strategies for young patients with OCSCC. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE NA Laryngoscope, 131:304-311, 2021.
Early-Life Respiratory Syncytial Virus Infection, Trained Immunity and Subsequent Pulmonary Diseases

Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) is often the first clinically relevant pathogen encountered in life, with nearly all children infected by two years of age. Many studies have also linked early-life severe respiratory viral infection with more pathogenic immune responses later in life that lead to pulmonary diseases like childhood asthma. This phenomenon is thought to occur through long-term immune system alterations following early-life respiratory viral infection and may include local responses such as unresolved inflammation and/or direct structural or developmental modifications within the lung. Furthermore, systemic responses that could impact the bone marrow progenitors may be a significant cause of long-term alterations, through inflammatory mediators and shifts in metabolic profiles. Among these alterations may be changes in transcriptional and epigenetic programs that drive persistent modifications throughout life, leaving the immune system poised toward pathogenic responses upon secondary insult. This review will focus on early-life severe RSV infection and long-term alterations. Understanding these mechanisms will not only lead to better treatment options to limit initial RSV infection severity but also protect against the development of childhood asthma linked to severe respiratory viral infections.
Microbial metabolite indole-3-propionic acid supplementation does not protect mice from the cardiometabolic consequences of a Western diet.

The gut microbiota has been shown to mediate host health. Emerging data implicate gut microbial metabolites of tryptophan metabolism as potential important mediators. We examined the effects of ind...
Optimal pricing policies for tandem queues: Asymptotic optimality

We study the optimal pricing problem for a tandem queueing system with an arbitrary number of stations, finite buffers, and blocking. The problem is formulated using a Markov decision process model...
Deciphering the 3D Microstructures of a Doubly Charged Homopolymer through a Complementary Correlation of Monomer Crystallography and Polymer Powder X-ray Diffraction

This work unravels the bulk microstructure of a doubly charged homopolymer by correlating crystallographic details from single-crystal X-ray diffraction (SCXRD) of the monomer with the crystalline ...
Arizona’s S.B. 1070: Separating Fact from Fiction

When Arizona Governor Jan Brewer signed the legislation commonly referred to as Senate Bill 1070 into law, she sparked a firestorm of controversy in the local and national media. Commentators and activists on both sides of the immigration debate fanned the flames of that controversy by giving starkly different accounts of what the legislation contained and what its effects were likely to be. This short commentary identifies a number of examples where the public discussion of S.B. 1070 is incomplete or inaccurate.
The influence of spawning periodicity on population connectivity

Many coral reef populations exist as discrete habitat patches linked through larval dispersal into a larger network. On these reefs, organisms spawn periodically and release propagules over a range of frequencies. Biophysical models of larval transport examine marine networks, yet particle release frequency needs careful consideration. We describe the time between sequential spawning events as the release interval and define any linkage of modeled larvae between two habitat sites as a connection. We investigate how changing the release interval affects the connectivity networks of three Caribbean species with low- to high-dispersal potential and swimming behavior. We find that spawning periodicity controls the number and persistence of network connections. Further, larval vertical movement behavior stabilizes the network, significantly increasing connections and connection persistence. This work demonstrates the impact of release interval on connectivity networks and underscores including larval behavior with realistic spawning periodicity in biophysical models of larval transport.
Cascade modeling the effects of mysticism, spirituality, and religiosity on within- and between-group biases

Abstract Previous studies on the relationship between religiosity and prejudice have produced inconsistent results and lack a diverse understanding of faith identities. This prompts the need for further exploration of the contexts in which different forms of faith correlate with attitudinal biases both within and between biocultural groups. In this online study, we evaluated two cascade models hypothesizing paths between three forms of faith — mysticism, religiosity, and spirituality — and bias against: (i) women and (ii) Arab immigrants. Additionally, we provide evidence supporting the nomological validity of a novel measure of globalism. 189 volunteer participants were recruited from the population of undergraduate students enrolled in psychology courses at the University of Arizona, and data were collected through a series of online survey measures. We found that both mysticism and religiosity appear to facilitate antagonistic attitudes towards both women and Arab immigrants. Meanwhile, spirituality seems to inhibit antagonistic attitudes towards women, while facilitating antagonistic attitudes towards Arab immigrants. By assessing the structural pathways between these constructs and various group-orientation variables, including collectivism, overt positive ethnocentrism, social dominance orientation, and globalism, this research provides a clearer understanding of how variations among these forms of belief affect group behavior and prejudiced attitudes.
Lack of differential impact of del17p on survival in African Americans compared with White patients with multiple myeloma: a VA study

Abstract Multiple myeloma (MM) is a heterogeneous disease that has an increased incidence in African Americans (AAs). We previously observed that, with equal access to health care, younger AA patients (age
An Efficient Approach to Predict Fear of Human’s Mind During COVID-19 Outbreaks Utilizing Data Mining Technique

COVID-19 has severely affected the world health and economic sector. It has also affected the psychological behavior of people of every ages. That’s why this study has been conducted, “Detecting Fear of COVID-19”. A wide variety of data from different ages including student, jobholder, doctor, businessmen, unemployed person, and others is collected for conducting this study. We have collected 553 instances to complete this analysis. By using this data, we have constructed a detection system which help us to detect the fear of COVID-19. We have constructed a machine learning classifier by using ten machine learning algorithms and their features technique. Finally, two machine learning algorithms have been used to identity the fear of human's mind during Covid-19 outbreaks. One is LogitBoost and the other one is Random Forest algorithm. With the assistance of tenfold-cross validation, we have measured the validity of data which is collected by us, whereas performance matrix has helped us to report the evaluation of data. This evaluation report has shown us the accuracy and effectiveness of constructing a model to detect the fear of COVID-19. We have gotten the final result, that is, 70.34% by using LogitBoost algorithm. Our main goal is to identify the fear of COVID-19, as many people were afraid of this virus.
Carbonic anhydrase: the first marker of glial development.

Publisher Summary This chapter describes localization of carbonic anhydrase (CA). Localization of CA in cells is fundamental in understanding the function of this enzyme in the nervous tissue. Two qualitative techniques—histochemistry and immunocytochemistry—have independently confirmed the original finding of a selective localization of CA in glial cells, as demonstrated by a quantitative cytochemical technique. All three approaches (histochemistry, immunocytochemistry, and cytochemistry) demonstrate a high concentration of CA activity in oligodendrocytes and its presence in myelin. The glial localization of CA holds true for both the central nervous system (CNS) and the peripheral nervous system (PNS), thereby suggesting a general role of this enzyme in the conversion of carbonic acid formed from metabolic CO2 back to CO2. In an investigation presented in the chapter, a new microdiver technique has been applied to the samples of single nerve cells and surrounding glial cells. Single cell preparations (neurons and oligodendrocytes) have been isolated under the dissection microscope from fresh unstained sections of the CNS of the rat. In the same investigation, the activity of single-cell samples isolated from neural tissue, choroid plexus, and single erythrocytes are compared. This novel approach offered the possibilities of obtaining direct information on the localization of CA in the CNS and of exploring the functional relationship between glia and neurons at a cellular level.
Piecewise linear systems in economic models

We construct a market where agents make decisions to buy or sell stocks and bonds. Agents make decisions based on a convex optimization problem with a risk-sensitive utility as the objective function. The solutions to each optimization problem are piecewise linear demands for the securities. We use a discrete time map for price dynamics of the stock such that price changes are proportional to excess demand. The sum of all agent stock demands is the stock excess demand and in our case also a piecewise linear function. The dynamics of the stock price are given by a discrete time piecewise linear system (PLS). We analyze stability of a one stock one bond market PLS, give sufficient conditions for global stability and characterize the origins of unstable complex price dynamics. The multi-security market problem is derived and the dependence on parameters of the basins of attraction for an equilibrium price and periodic orbits is discussed.
Genetic and Developmental Influences on Infant Mouse Ultrasonic Calling. II. Developmental Patterns in the Calls of Mice 2–12 Days of Age

Infant house mice, Mus musculus, produce ultrasonic calls that reliably lead to retrieval by adult mice. While individual differences in calls have been demonstrated both among and within species, the influences of age and sex on call characteristics have not been systematically investigated in mice. This study examined the influences of age, sex, and genotype (inbred versus hybrid) on the rate, length, and frequency characteristics of the calls of 486 male and female mice from 2 to 12 days of age. Rate of calling followed a shallow inverted U-shaped function across days. Call lengths decreased and call frequency characteristics increased, in a linear manner, with age. Females emitted fewer calls, with a smaller bandwidth, at some ages than males. Hybrid pups produced more calls of greater length and a lower frequency than inbred pups. These results indicate the presence of cues that could allow adult mice to behave differentially toward pups as a function of their age and sex.
Upgrades, Switching Costs and the Leverage Theory of Tying*

This article investigates the role of product upgrades and consumer switching costs in the tying of complementary products. Previous analyses have found that a monopolist of one product will not increase its profits and reduce social welfare by tying and leveraging its monopoly position into a complementary market if the initial monopolised product is essential, where essential means that all uses of the complementary good require the initial monopolised product. We show that this is not true in settings characterised by product upgrades and consumer switching costs. We also discuss various extensions including the role of the reversibility of tying.
Management of disease as a threat to amphibian conservation

Infectious diseases, such as chytridiomycosis, have been recognized as one major cause of worldwide amphibian population declines. In response to these declines, there are increased demands for zoos and aquariums to develop amphibian captive survival assurance colonies and participate in breeding programmes to produce animals for reintroduction into the wild. To this end, there is a huge responsibility for zoos not only to be familiar with the control of chytridiomycosis and Ranavirus infection, which are the major emerging infectious diseases of wild amphibian populations, but also to recognize the potential threats posed by a myriad of other infectious diseases that have yet to be well described or understood. The example of chytridiomycosis as a disease that has been transmitted by anthropogenic means worldwide makes it essential that zoos make every effort to prevent introduction of deleterious infectious agents into wild amphibian populations as the result of reintroduction programmes. Captive animals destined for eventual release into the wild should be maintained in states of ‘permanent quarantine’ that are well isolated from cosmopolitan zoo collections. Comprehensive disease surveillance and testing programmes should be part of the standard operating procedures for zoo amphibian programmes. Finally, wild amphibians brought into captive survival assurance colonies will present husbandry and disease-control challenges including elimination of pre-existing infectious diseases like chytridiomycosis, control of rhabditiform nematodes and development of a better understanding of amphibian nutrition.
Synthesis and Characterization of Mixed-Metal Oxide Nanopowders Along the CoOx–Al2O3 Tie Line Using Liquid-Feed Flame Spray Pyrolysis

We report here the use of liquid-feed flame spray pyrolysis (LFFSP) to produce a series of nanopowders along the CoOx– Al2O3 tie line. The process is a general aerosol combustion synthesis route to a wide range of lightly agglomerated oxide nanopowders. The materials reported here were produced by aerosolizing ethanol solutions of alumatrane [Al(OCH2CH2)3N] and ac obalt precursor, made by reacting Co(NO 3)2 . 6H2O crystals with propionic acid. The compositions of the as-produced nanopowders were controlled by selecting the appropriate ratios of the precursors. Nine samples with compositions (CoO)y(Al2O3)1� y, y 5 0� 1a long the CoO x–Al2O3 tie line were prepared and studied. The resulting nanopowders were characterized by X-ray fluorescence, BET, scanning electron microscopy , high-resolution transmission electron micrographs, X-ray diffraction (XRD), thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), and FTIR. The powders typically consist of single-crystal particleso40 nm diameter and specific surface areas (SSAs) of 20– 60 m 2 /g. XRD studies show a gradual change in powder patterns from d-Al2O3 to Co3O4. The cobalt aluminate spinel phase is observed at stoichiometries (21 and 37 mol%) not seen in published phase diagrams, likely because LF-FSP processing involves a quench of 410001C in microseconds frequently leading to kinetic rather than thermodynamic products. Likewise, the appearance of Co3O4 rather than CoO as the end member in the tie line is thought to be a consequence of the process conditions. TGA studies combined with diffuse reflectance FTIR spectroscopic studies indicate that both physi- and chemi-sorbed H2O are the principal surface species present in the as-processed nanopowders. The only sample that differs is Co3O4, which has some carbonate species present that are detected and confirmed by a sharp mass loss event at B2501C. The thermal behavior of the high cobalt content samples differs greatly from the low cobalt content samples. The latter behave like most LF-FSPderived nanopowders exhibiting typical 1%–4% mass losses over the 14001C range due mostly to loss of water and some CO2. The high cobalt content samples exhibit a sharp mass loss event that can be attributed to the decomposition of Co3O4 to CoO.
Disturbance and neutral competition theory in rain forest dynamics

Abstract Subsequent to a disturbance in a tropical rain forest, many new stems arrive, either as new seedlings, previously established seedlings, small saplings, newly germinating seeds that were in the seed bank previously, or as newly germinating seeds that arrived after the disturbance. As the new stems grow, they eventually enter a stage of intense competition, at which point competitive thinning occurs. To describe the various patterns this process may take, a theoretical focus is proposed in which the neutrality of competition among different species of rain forest trees is assumed. Using the total biomass and total number of stems as state variables, the dynamic interaction between these two variables in the post hurricane forest is described. Using this model, six distinct patterns of post disturbance succession are recognized and discussed. Data from post hurricane succession in a tropical rain forest in Nicaragua are applied to one aspect of the theory.
Toxicity and physiological effects of brominated flame retardant PBDE-47 on two life stages of grass shrimp, Palaemonetes pugio.

This study examined the effects of a polybrominated diphenyl ether (PBDE) compound, PBDE-47, on adult and larval stages of the estuarine grass shrimp (Palaemonetes pugio). The 96-h LC50 test resulted in an estimate of 23.60 µg/L (95% confidence interval = 14.51–38.37 µg/L) for larval shrimp. Adult shrimp had a higher 96-h LC50 of 78.07 µg/L (95% CI = 65.1–93.63 µg/L). Four physiological biomarkers glutathione (GSH), lipid peroxidation (LPx), cholesterol (CHL) and acetylcholinesterase (AChE) were then assessed to study the sublethal effects of PBDE-47 exposure. GSH, LPx and AChE levels in both adults and larvae were not affected by PBDE-47 at concentrations up to 50 µg/L for 96 h. CHL levels were elevated in adults and larvae at the lowest exposure concentrations tested, but significant differences were found only in adult exposures. Effects associated with PBDE-47 aqueous exposures were observed at levels well above those reported in the environment.
Test-particle motion in Einstein's unified field theory. I. General theory and application to neutral test particles

We develop a method for finding the exact equations of structure and motion of multipole test particles in Einstein's unified field theory---the theory of the nonsymmetric field. The method is also applicable to Einstein's gravitational theory. Particles are represented by singularities in the field. The method is covariant at each step of the analysis. We also apply the method and find both in Einstein's unified field theory and in Einstein's gravitational theory the equations of structure and motion of neutral pole-dipole test particles possessing no electromagnetic multipole moments. In the case of Einstein's gravitational theory the results are the well-known equations of structure and motion of a neutral pole-dipole test particle in a given background gravitational field. In the case of Einstein's unified field theory the results are the same, providing we identify a certain symmetric second-rank tensor field appearing in Einstein's theory with the metric and gravitational field. We therefore discover not only the equations of structure and motion of a neutral test particle in Einstein's unified field theory, but we also discover what field in Einstein's theory plays the role of metric and gravitational field.
Theory of quantitative reconstruction of vegetation I: pollen from large sites REVEALS regional vegetation composition:

Quantitative reconstruction of past vegetation is one of the primary goals in Quaternary palynology and palaeoecology but still remains difficult. This paper proposes a model, REVEALS, that estimates regional vegetation composition using pollen from ‘large lakes’ that have small site-to-site variations of pollen assemblages even if vegetation is highly heterogeneous. Once these data have been used to quantify regional vegetation composition within 104 -105 km2, background pollen, one of the parameters crucial for vegetation reconstruction, can be estimated for smaller-sized sites, and incorporated into the Landscape Reconstruction Algorithm (LRA), a multistep framework for quantitative reconstruction of vegetation in smaller areas (≤ 104 ha). Simulations using the POLLSCAPE modelling show that REVEALS can provide accurate estimates of regional vegetation composition in various landscapes and under different atmospheric conditions. If pollen assemblages from lakes that are much smaller than ‘large lakes’ a...
Principle of Equivalence for all Strongly Interacting Particles within the S-Matrix Framework

The notion, inherent in Lagrangian field theory, that certain particles are fundamental while others are complex, is becoming less and less palatable for baryons and mesons as the number of candidates for elementary status continues to increase. Sakata has proposed that only the neutron, proton, and A are elementary,(1) but this choice is rather arbitrary, and strong-interaction consequences of the Sakata model merely reflect the established symmetries.
Prognostic impact of muscular venous branch invasion in localized renal cell carcinoma cases.

Purpose: Beginning with the 2002 American Joint Committee on Cancer staging system, renal sinus muscular venous branch invasion has prognostic equivalence with renal vein invasion in renal cell carcinoma cases. To validate this presumed equivalence we compared patients with isolated muscular venous branch invasion to those with renal vein invasion and those with no confirmed vascular invasion.Materials and Methods: From routine cataloging at our institution we identified 500 patients who underwent partial or radical nephrectomy from 2003 to 2008. After excluding patients with metastasis or noncortical renal cell carcinoma pathology we identified 85 with positive muscular venous branch invasion (+). The 259 patients with pT1-2 muscular venous branch (−) invasion and the 71 with renal vein (+) invasion served as comparison groups. We used a multivariate Cox model to control for tumor characteristics using the Kattan renal cell carcinoma nomogram.Results: On multivariate analysis the risk of recurrence in th...
Angle of incidence effect on multiline rugate filters

This paper examines the effects of angle of incidence changes on the optical properties of rugate filters. Like quarterwave dielectric stacks rugate filters are sensitive to tilting: their reflectance bands shift to shorter wavelengths and their optical properties become polarization dependent. Tilting a quarterwave stack also produces a drop in the transmittance in the middle of the passband this drop is called the halfwave hole. In single line rugate filters a similar behavior is observed and multiple holes corresponding to harmonics of the main reflectance bands appear in the pass band. In multiline rugate filters the situation is even more complicated: the large number of harmonics already present is increased by supplementary peaks produced by beating between each family of harmonics. All these reflecting bands are located on the short wavelengths side of the main bands and they can be such that most of the light is reflected. Some possible solutions are suggested involving the use of aperiodic structures. 1.
FDG PET or PET/CT in patients with pancreatic cancer: when does it add to diagnostic CT or MRI?

Abstract Objective Assess the impact of FDG-PET or PET/CT (PI) on pancreatic cancer management when added to CT or MRI (CDI). Materials and Methods Forty-nine patients underwent 79 PI exams. Discordant findings on PI and CDI were assessed for clinical impact. Results Fifteen of 79 PI-CDI pairs were discordant. Ten of 79 PI favorably and 5 of 79 unfavorably altered management. PI favorably altered management more often when ordered for therapy monitoring compared to staging [risk ratio 13.00 (95% CI 1.77–95.30)] or restaging [risk ratio 18.5 (95% CI 2.50–137.22)]. Conclusion PI favorably alters management more often when used for therapy monitoring compared to staging or restaging.
The Reconstruction of Upwind Fluxes for Conservation Laws

The Euler equation of compressible flows is solved by the finite volume method, where high order accuracy is achieved by the reconstruction of each component of upwind fluxes of a flux splitting using the biased averaging procedure. Compared to the solution reconstruction in Godunov-type methods, its implementation is simple and easy, and the computational complexity is relatively low. This approach is parameter-free and requires neither a Riemann solver nor field-by-field decomposition. The numerical results from both dynamic and steady state calculations demonstrate the accuracy and robustness of this approach. Some techniques for the acceleration of the convergence to the steady state are discussed, including multigrid and multistage Runge?Kutta time methods.
Enhancements to a multiple model adaptive estimator/image-tracker

Three major enhancements to a previously devised multiple model adaptive estimator (MMAE) for target image tracking are developed and analyzed. These are: allowing some of the elemental filters to have rectangular fields of view and to be tuned for target dynamics that are harsher in one direction than others; considering both Gauss-Markov acceleration models and constant turn-rate models for target dynamics; and devising an initial target acquisition algorithm to remove important biases in the estimated target template to be used in a correlator within the tracker. Particularly good adaptation responsiveness is demonstrated in the multiple model algorithm's ability to handle harsh maneuver onset, yielding performance essentially equivalent to that of the best artificially informed tracking algorithm. >
A joint design of transmit waveforms for radar and communications systems in coexistence

In this paper, we propose a dynamic spectrum allocation approach for the coexistence of a radar system with a communications system whose operating frequency ranges overlap. We develop a combined mutual information criterion for the joint waveform and power spectrum design to optimize the performance of the radar and communications systems. The performance is evaluated in terms of the minimum separation distance between the coexisting systems under the constraint that a predefined operational SINR must be achieved for both systems. Significant performance gains close to 3.5 dB for the communication system and 1 dB for the radar system are observed in terms of the minimum separation distance compared to the scenario when the waveform with equal power allocation across the frequency bandwidth is used.
Inhibition of acyl trypsins by human serum.

THERE is in blood a relatively high concentration of a specific trypsin inhibitor, the nature and identity of which are not fully established. In the presence of salts, it seems to form a stable stoichiometric addition complex with the enzyme, which is practically undissociated and enzymatically inactive1. Similar complexes also prevail between the enzyme and a score of other natural inhibitors, whereby, in the case of ovomucoid, complex formation can be largely prevented by chemical modification of trypsin2,3. Thus it was recently shown that the trypsin – ovomucoid complex has a dissociation constant K 1 = 5.8 × 10−9 M, whereas acetylated trypsin is inhibited to a much lesser degree, the dissociation constant being higher3 by a factor of about 102.
Closed incompressible surfaces in 2-generator hyperbolic 3-manifolds with a single cusp

A knot K is said to have tunnel number 1 if there is an embedded arc A in S3, with endpoints on K, whose interior is disjoint from K and such that the complement of a regular neighbourhood of K ∪ A is a genus 2 handlebody. In particular the fundamental group of the complement of a tunnel number one knot is 2-generator. There has been some interest in the question as to whether there exists a hyperbolic tunnel number one knot whose complement contains a closed essential surface. The aim of this paper is to prove the existence of infinitely many 2-generator hyperbolic 3-manifolds with a single cusp which contain a closed essential surface. One such example is a knot complement in RP3. The methods used are of interest as they include the possibility that one of our examples is a knot complement in S3.
Temporal evolution of Arctic sea-ice temperature

Vertical profiles of temperature from the air through the snow and ice and into the upper ocean were measured over an annual cycle, from October 1997 to October 1998, as part of a study of the Surface Heat Budget of the Arctic Ocean (SHEBA). These observations were made at nine locations, including young ice, ponded ice, undeformed ice, a hummock, a consolidated ridge and a new blocky ridge. All of the sites had similar environmental forcing, with air temperatures at the different sites typically within 1°C. In general, the seasonal evolution of ice temperature followed a pattern of (1) a cold front propagating down through the ice in the fall, (2) cold ice temperatures and ice growth in late fall, winter and early spring, and (3) warming to the freezing point in the summer. Within this general pattern, there was considerable spatial variability in the temperature profiles, particularly during winter. For example, snow/ice interface temperatures varied by as much as 30°C between sites. The coldest ice temperatures were observed in a consolidated ridge with a thin snow cover, while the warmest were in ponded ice. The warm pond temperatures were a result of two factors: the initial cooling in the fall was retarded by freezing of pond water, and the depressed surface of the pond was quickly covered by a deep layer of snow (0.6 m). In an 8 m thick unconsolidated ridge, the cold front did not penetrate to the ice bottom during winter, and a portion of the interior remained below freezing during the summer. The spatial variability in snow depth and ice conditions can result in situations where there is significant horizontal transport of heat.
The anticancer drug, cisplatin, increases the naturally occurring cell-mediated lysis of tumor cells

It has been proposed that a component of the antitumor potential of the chemotherapeutic agent, cisplatin, resides in the host's ability to respond to cisplatintreated tumor cells. Here we report that tumor cells that are normally resistant to lysis mediated by naturally occurring cytotoxic cells showed an increased sensitivity to lysis mediated by murine spleen cells or human peripheral blood monocytes and lymphocytes when cisplatin was added at the beginning of the lytic assay. This was shown for the lysis of both murine and human tumor cells. The pretreatment of tumor cells, but not effector cells with cisplatin caused an increase in lysis in the presence of murine spleen cells or human peripheral blood leukocytes, indicating that the effect of cisplatin is to reduce resistance to lysis by these effector cells. The lysis of tumor cells by naturally occurring cytotoxic cells was blocked by antibodies specific for tumor necrosis factor. In addition, the ability of cisplatin to increase lysis was seen with cells that are sensitive to natural cytotoxic cells, but not with cells that are sensitive to natural killer cells. These results suggest that the effector cells that mediate the lysis of these tumor cells in the presence of cisplatin are likely to be natural cytotoxic cells. The ability of cisplatin to increase the lysis of tumor cells by naturally occurring cytotoxic cells indicates that these cells may be a host defense mechanism that contributes to the anticancer potential of cisplatin.