cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
An International Evaluation of Holmium Oxide Solution Reference Materials for Wavelength Calibration in Molecular Absorption Spectrophotometry

Commercial spectrophotometers typically use absorption-based wavelength calibration reference materials to provide wavelength accuracy for their applications. Low-mass fractions of holmium oxide (Ho2O3) in dilute acidic aqueous solution and in glass matrixes have been favored for use as wavelength calibration materials on the basis of spectral coverage and absorption band shape. Both aqueous and glass Ho2O3 reference materials are available commercially and through various National Metrology Institutes (NMIs). Three NMIs of the North American Cooperation in Metrology (NORAMET) have evaluated the performance of Ho3-(aq)-based Certified Reference Materials (CRMs) under "routine" operating conditions using commercial instrumentation. The study was not intended to intercompare national wavelength scales but to demonstrate comparability of wavelength measurements among the participants and between two versions of the CRMs. It was also designed to acquire data from a variety of spectrophotometers for use in a NIST study of wavelength assignment algorithms and to provide a basis for a possible reassessment of NIST-certified Ho3+(aq) band locations. The resulting data show a substantial level of agreement among laboratories, instruments, CRM preparations, and peak-location algorithms. At the same time, it is demonstrated that the wavelength comparability of the five participating instruments can actually be improved by calibrating all of the instruments to the consensus Ho3+(aq) band locations. This finding supports the value of absorption-based wavelength standards for calibrating absorption spectrophotometers. Coupled with the demonstrated robustness of the band position values with respect to preparation and measurement conditions, it also supports the concept of extending the present approach to additional NMIs in order to certify properly prepared dilute acidic Ho2O3 solution as an intrinsic wavelength standard.
Adipocyte Fatty Acid-Binding Protein: Interaction with Phospholipid Membranes and Thermal Stability Studied by FTIR Spectroscopy†

Fatty acid-binding proteins (FABPs) found in many tissues constitute a family of low molecular weight proteins that are suggested to function as intracellular transporters of fatty acids. Studies of the transfer kinetics of fluorescent anthroyloxy-labeled long-chain fatty acids from FABP to model membranes led to the suggestion that the FABPs, typically considered to be cytosolic proteins, could nevertheless interact directly with membranes [Wootan, M. G., et al. (1993) Biochemistry 32, 8622-8627]. In the current study, the interaction of the adipocyte FABP (A-FABP) with vesicles of various phospholipids has been directly measured and confirmed with FTIR spectroscopy. The strength of this interaction was inferred from the lowering of the gel-liquid-crystal phase transition temperature as monitored from temperature-induced variations in the acyl chain CH2 stretching frequencies and from the intensities of the components of the CH2 wagging progressions. A-FABP interacts more strongly with anionic phospholipids (phosphatidylserine and cardiolipin) than with zwitterionic phosphatidylcholine. Unsaturation in the acyl chains leads to a greater reduction in Tm (stronger lipid-protein interaction). In contrast, neutralization of A-FABP surface charges by acetylation considerably weakens the interaction. Comparison of the shifts in lipid melting temperatures with those induced by other proteins suggests that A-FABP behaves like a typical peripheral membrane protein. The degree of membrane interaction correlates directly with the rate of fatty acid transfer, suggesting that contact between A-FABP and membranes is functionally related to its fatty acid transport properties. As expected, the protein exhibits a predominantly beta-sheet structure. It was found to aggregate with increasing temperature. With the exception of minor differences between the pure and lipid-associated A-FABP in the 1640-1660 cm-1 region, both the protein structure and thermal stability appeared essentially unchanged upon interaction with the lipid.
Na+, K+, H+ and Cl− permeability properties of rabbit skeletal muscle sarcolemmal vesicles

The ion permeability properties of rabbit skeletal muscle sarcolemmal vesicles were investigated by means of radioisotope flux, membrane potential, and light-scattering measurements. An enriched sarcolemmal fraction was obtained from the 22-27% region of sucrose gradients after isopycnic centrifugation. The presence of contaminating sarcoplasmic reticulum was assessed with the use of a purified sarcoplasmic reticulum vesicle fraction. 22Na+, 86Rb+, 36Cl-, and [3H]sucrose flux measurements indicated that the sarcolemmal fraction possessed isotope spaces ranging between 1.5 and 4 microliters/mg protein. Membrane potential measurements using the voltage-sensitive fluorescent probe 3,3'-dipentyl-2,2'-oxadicarbocyanine iodide (diO-C5-(3)) indicated that sarcolemmal vesicles were impermeable to H+ and Na+ but that 10-15% of the vesicles were permeable to K+. Light-scattering measurements indicated a small fraction of sarcolemmal vesicles were permeable to both K+ and Cl-. Whether the low permeability of sarcolemmal vesicles to Na+, K+, and Cl- is the result of a low concentration of ion channels or the inactivation of these channels during isolation is at present uncertain.
More Evidence that University Administrators are Utility Maximizing Bureaucrats

Coates and Humphreys (2000) found evidence that administrators affect enrollment supply and faculty demand using a panel of eleven public colleges and universities in Maryland, implying that institutions have enough market power to permit the preferences of administrators to influence these variables. We extend this framework to include political constraints on administrators’ behavior and add data from public higher education in Virginia. The results from these extensions are consistent with the earlier findings. However, we find that political considerations and differences in the governance of higher education in the two states have relatively little influence on enrollment supply and faculty demand decisions of university administrators.
Evaluation of Subepithelial Abnormalities of the Appendix by Endoscopic Ultrasound

Background. The use of through-the-scope (TTS) miniprobe catheter endoscopic ultrasound is a valuable technique for evaluating subepithelial lesions in the proximal colon. Few reports include the evaluation of the appendix by EUS. Objective. To describe endoscopic and endosonographic characteristics of subepithelial lesions of the appendix. Methods. Retrospective case series in a single academic medical center. Adult patients referred for evaluation of subepithelial lesions of the appendix identified by colonoscopy between April 1, 2003 to February 29, 2008. Data were abstracted from an electronic endoscopic database for all patients undergoing miniprobe endoscopic ultrasound examination of the appendix. Medical records were reviewed for patient followup and outcomes. Results. Nine cases were identified. Seven (78%) patients were female. Seven (78%) utilized the 12 MHz miniprobe device and two (22%) used the 20 MHz device. Three mucoceles were described and confirmed by surgical resection. Cases also included one inverted appendix, one gastrointestinal stromal tumor, and one lipoma. In three cases, no abnormality was found. Conclusions. EUS evaluation of the appendix is feasible with standard miniprobe devices and may assist in the selection of patients who may benefit from surgical management.
Competing physiological pathways link individual differences in weight and abdominal adiposity to white matter microstructure

Abstract Being overweight or obese is associated with reduced white matter integrity throughout the brain. It is not yet clear which physiological systems mediate the association between inter-individual variation in adiposity and white matter. We tested whether composite indicators of cardiovascular, lipid, glucose, and inflammatory factors would mediate the adiposity-related variation in white matter microstructure, measured with diffusion tensor imaging on a group of neurologically healthy adults (N = 155). A composite factor representing adiposity (comprised of body mass index and waist circumference) was associated with smaller fractional anisotropy and greater radial diffusivity throughout the brain, a pattern previously linked to myelin structure changes in non-human animal models. A similar global negative association was found for factors representing inflammation and, to a lesser extent, glucose regulation. In contrast, factors for blood pressure and dyslipidemia had positive associations with white matter in isolated brain regions. Taken together, these competing influences on the diffusion signal were significant mediators linking adiposity to white matter and explained up to fifty-percent of the adiposity–white matter variance. These results provide the first evidence for contrasting physiological pathways, a globally distributed immunity-linked negative component and a more localized vascular-linked positive component, that associate adiposity to individual differences in the microstructure of white matter tracts in otherwise healthy adults.
Provider Perspectives on Evidence-Based HIV Prevention Interventions: Barriers and Facilitators to Implementation

Abstract Since the beginning of the HIV/AIDS epidemic, community-based organizations (CBOs) have been key players in combating this disease through grassroots prevention programs and close ties to at-risk populations. Increasingly, both funding agencies and public health institutions require that CBOs implement evidence-based HIV prevention interventions, most of which are researcher developed. However, after completing training for these evidence-based interventions (EBIs), agencies may either abandon plans to implement them or significantly modify the intervention. Based on 22 semistructured interviews with HIV prevention service providers, this article explores the barriers and facilitators to dissemination and implementation of EBIs included in the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's (CDC) Diffusion of Effective Behavioral Interventions (DEBI) program. Results suggest that there is a tension between the need to implement interventions with fidelity and the lack of guidance on how to adapt the...
Potential Nitrate Leaching Under Common Landscaping Plants

Studies on N losses from ornamental plantings – other than turf – are scant despite the ubiquity of these landscaping elements. We compared pore water NO3 and extractable soil NO3 and NH4 in areas with turf, areas with seven different types of ornamental landscape plantings, and a native woodland. Turf areas received annual N inputs of ~48 kg ha−1 and annual flowers received ~24 kg N ha−1 at the time of planting. None of the other areas were fertilized during the course of the study. Data were collected on 23 occasions between June 2002 and November 2003. Pore water NO3 concentrations at a 60-cm depth – based on pooled data – were highest (1.4 to 7.8 mg NO3–N l−1) under ground covers, unplanted-mulched areas, turf, deciduous trees, and evergreen trees, with no differences among these vegetation types. Lower values were observed under woodlands, annual and perennial flowers, and evergreen and deciduous shrubs. Pore water NO3 concentrations exceeded the drinking water regulatory limit of 10 mg NO3–N l−1 under ground covers, turf and unplanted-mulched areas in 39, 20 and 10% of samples, respectively. Leaching losses of NO3–N over 18 months ranged from 0.17 kg N ha−1 in the woodlands to 34.97 kg N ha−1 under ground covers. Annual NO3 losses under unplanted-mulched areas and ground covers were approximately twice the average N input (10 kg N ha−1 year−1) from atmospheric deposition. Extractable NO3 in woodland soils (0.5 μg NO3–N g−1) was lower than for all other vegetation types (3.1–7.8 μg NO3–N g−1). Extractable NH4 levels were highest in woodlands, deciduous trees, and annual flowers (6.7–10.1 μg NH4–N g−1). Most vegetation types appear to act as net N sinks relative to atmospheric inputs, whereas unplanted-mulched areas and areas planted with ground covers act as net sources of NO3 to groundwater.
Absolute value programming

We investigate equations, inequalities and mathematical programs involving absolute values of variables such as the equation Ax+B|x| = b, where A and B are arbitrary m× n real matrices. We show that this absolute value equation is NP-hard to solve, and that solving it with B = I solves the general linear complementarity problem. We give sufficient optimality conditions and duality results for absolute value programs as well as theorems of the alternative for absolute value inequalities. We also propose concave minimization formulations for absolute value equations that are solved by a finite succession of linear programs. These algorithms terminate at a local minimum that solves the absolute value equation in almost all solvable random problems tried.
The mechanism of the bischler‐napieralski reaction

The Bischler-Napieralski dihydroisoquinoline synthesis was proven to occur via imidoyl chlorides and the corresponding nitrilium salt. The two-step process required much milder conditions (20°–50°) compared to drastic classical conditions of refluxing at 100°–200°. The Bischler-Napieralski reaction is shown to share a common intermediate with two other well-known reactions: the von Braun and the Ritter reactions.
Workshop on remote sensing algorithms

The Workshop on Intercomparison of Remote Sensing Algorithms in Hydrology (HW 7), held August 16, 1991, in Vienna, Austria, was sponsored by the International Committee on Remote Sensing and Data Transmission for IAHS. Two half-day sessions were included that covered the topics of snow cover and soil moisture. The workshop was well attended with over 100 participants, many of whom were from the United States. Four of the thirteen presentations were made by U.S. investigators, and the soil moisture convener was T. Jackson from Beltsville, Md.
Memory confusions for real and imagined completions of symmetrical visual patterns.

In Experiment 1, subject ratings indicated that it was easier to imaginally complete half of a symmetrical form when the form was symmetrical about the vertical axis than when the form was rotated so that it was symmetrical about the horizontal axis. In Experiment 2, new subjects saw these same forms, some presented as wholes and some presented as halves. Compared with controls, subjects who were instructed to imagine the vertically symmetrical half forms as complete had more difficulty remembering which forms had been presented as wholes and which had been presented as halves. Imagery and control groups did not differ in ability to discriminate half from whole horizontally symmetrical forms. The results are consistent with predictions from Johnson and Raye’s (1981) reality monitoring model that discriminating memories of imagined and perceived events should be a function of the amount of cognitive operations included in the memory.
Heterosis in Poultry 1. Strain Crossing and Crossbreeding Compared with Closed Flock Breeding

Abstract INTRODUCTION THERE is a great deal of interest today in the possibilities of utilizing hybrid vigor in the breeding of poultry. The best way in which to accomplish this is a highly controversial issue. There are those who advocate crossbreeding for both broiler and egg production. Some have found success by crossing strains, more or less distinct, of the same breed. Others believe that only after a period of intensive inbreeding followed by crossing will it be possible to derive the maximum benefits from heterosis. At the other extreme there are those who are convinced that a good purebred developed by the conventional methods of closed flock breeding is still the most important method for the future improvement of poultry. This lack of agreement among commercial poultry breeders, and even among experiment station geneticists, is largely a consequence of our inadequate knowledge of heterosis in the fowl. Certainly there is …
Commutants of Toeplitz Operators with Separately Radial Polynomial Symbols

We study the commuting problem of Toeplitz operators on the Fock space over \(\mathbb {C}^n\). Given a separately radial polynomial \(\varphi \) in \(z\) and \(\bar{z}\), we characterize polynomially bounded functions \(\psi \) such that the operators \(T_{\psi }\) and \(T_{\varphi }\) commute. Several examples and consequences are discussed.
Lexical Case, Inherent Case, and Argument Structure

In addition to the division in Case theory between structural and non-structural Case, the theory must distinguish two kinds of nonstructural Case: lexical Case and inherent Case. Lexical Case is i...
Impaired male fertility and atrophy of seminiferous tubules caused by haploinsufficiency for Foxa3

Foxa1, 2 and 3 (formerly HNF-3α, -β and -γ) constitute a sub-family of winged helix transcription factors with multiple roles in mammalian organ development. While all three Foxa mRNAs are present in endoderm derivatives including liver and pancreas, only Foxa3 is expressed in the testis. Here we demonstrate by genetic lineage tracing that Foxa3 is expressed in postmeiotic germ and interstitial Leydig cells. The germinal epithelium of Foxa3-deficient testes is characterized by a loss of germ cells secondary to an increase in germ cell apoptosis that ultimately leads to a Sertoli cell-only syndrome. Remarkably, not only the Foxa3−/− mice but also Foxa3+/− mice exhibited loss of germ cells. This cellular phenotype caused significantly reduced fertility and testis weight of both Foxa3−/− and Foxa3+/− mice. Using microarray analysis, we found a dramatic downregulation of the zinc finger protein 93 and the testicular tumor-associated paraneoplastic Ma antigen (PNMA) and increased expression of a number of genes including zinc finger protein 94 and several kallikrein 1-related peptidases which could account for at least part of the observed phenotype. In summary, we have identified Foxa3 as a transcriptional regulator with a dominant phenotype in germ cell maintenance and suggest FOXA3 as a potential candidate gene for subfertility in man.
Klippel-feil syndrome

Klippel-Feil syndrome is characterized by congenital fusion of two or more cervical vertebrae and may be associated with other organ system anomalies. Although many congenital anomalies are of little clinical importance to the emergency physician, Klippel-Feil syndrome is associated with both spontaneous and progressive neurologic sequelae as well as a predisposition for serious neurologic injury after relatively minor neck trauma. Such patterns of skeletal abnormalities as an unstable fusion pattern, craniocervical anomalies, and associated spinal stenosis are associated with a higher risk of neurologic sequelae. We report the case of a patient with a previously undiagnosed type II Klippel-Feil syndrome who presented after neck trauma to illustrate how further diagnostic imaging modalities may be required to elucidate the presence or absence of acute injury. Key considerations in the emergency management of such patients include radiographic evaluation for hypermobile cervical segments, the anticipation of difficult tracheal intubation, and proper follow-up and referral because of the associated other organ system anomalies and progression of the skeletal pathology.
Relative biological effectiveness of 125 sources in a murine brachytherapy model

Abstract The relative biological effectiveness of 125 I and 192 Ir has been determined in a murine brachytherapy model that uses a clonogenic cell assay as the end point. Removable 125 I or 192 Ir sources were implanted at right angles to the surface of RIF-1 tumors grown in the flanks of C3H/He mice. After irradiation for 1–5 days, mice were sacrificed and isodosed annuli of irradiated tumor tissue were sampled for the clonogenic cell assay. The slopes and intercepts of the two radiation survival curves for implanted sources with activities of 10 to 50 Gy for 125 I (dose rate=39.8 ± 4.3 cGy/hr) and 192 I (dose rate=42.3 ± 2.7 cGy/hr) were identical; the relative biological effectiveness was 1.
Is breastfeeding protective against child obesity

Recent studies suggest that breastfeeding reduces the risk of child obesity to a moderate extent. Of 11 studies that examined prevalence of overweight in children older than 3 years of age and that had a sample size of > or = 100 per feeding group, 8 showed a lower risk of overweight in children who had been breastfed, after controlling for potential confounders. The 3 "negative" studies lacked information on the exclusivity of breastfeeding. A dose-response relationship with duration of breastfeeding was observed in some, but not all, of the "positive" studies. Possible mechanisms include learned self-regulation of energy intake, metabolic programming in early life, and residual confounding by parental attributes. If the association is causal, the effect of breastfeeding is probably small compared to other factors that influence child obesity, such as parental overweight. Nonetheless, it may be of public health significance considering the current epidemic of child overweight.
Development of a codominant PCR-based marker for allelic selection of the pink trait in onions ( Allium cepa ), based on the insertion mutation in the promoter of the anthocyanidin synthase gene

Bulb color in onions (Allium cepa) is an important trait and is inherited in a complex manner. However, the mechanism of color inheritance is poorly understood at the molecular level. A previous study showed that pink bulb color in onions is inherited as a single recessive trait. This trait is attributable to a significantly reduced transcription of the anthocyanidin synthase (ANS) gene. In this study, we developed a PCR-based marker for an allelic selection of the ANS gene to avoid the laborious progeny tests traditionally employed. To identify polymorphisms between pink and red alleles of the ANS gene, promoter sequences of both alleles were isolated. There was 97% nucleotide sequence identity between the promoter sequences of the two alleles. A 390-bp insertion was identified 632 bp upstream from the putative transcription start site in the pink allele. A pair of primers was designed on the flanking sequences of the inserted region and utilized as a PCR-based marker for allelic selection of the ANS gene. The reliability of the marker was tested using parents, F1 hybrids, and F3 lines whose genotypes had been identified by progeny tests. The marker was also used to evaluate the distribution of the pink allele in white and yellow breeding lines. The results indicated that a majority of the breeding lines tested were homozygous recessive.
Balancing the risk of mortality and major bleeding in the treatment of NSTEMI patients - a report from the National Cardiovascular Data Registry.

Objectives We sought to describe real-world patterns of care in NSTEMI patients across different risk profiles for bleeding and mortality. Background The NCDR ACTION Registry–GWTG in-hospital mortality and major bleeding risk scores were developed to assess patient risk and optimize treatment decisions. However, little is known about the alignment of contemporary clinical management patterns with these risk estimates. Methods We studied 61,366 NSTEMI patients in the NCDR ACTION-Registry-GWTG from January 2007 to March 2009, stratifying them into four groups based on estimated risk of mortality and major bleeding. Results There were 24,709 (40.3%) patients in each of the concordant risk groups (low:low; high:high) and 5974 (9.7%) in each of the discordant risk groups (low:high; high:low). Subjects at high estimated risk for both mortality and major bleeding were least likely to receive guideline-based adjunctive pharmacotherapy or to undergo angiography within 48 hours but most likely to receive an excess dose of an antithrombotic agent. Patients at low estimated risk for mortality and bleeding received the most intensive adjunctive therapy and were most likely to undergo invasive angiography. Conclusion There are significant differences in contemporary patterns of care across varying risk profiles of mortality and major bleeding. Despite practice patterns which seem to emphasize avoiding harm with reduced use of antithrombotic therapy, patients at high risk for major bleeding continue to receive excess doses of antithrombotic therapy. Additional performance improvement efforts are needed to optimize outcomes in NSTEMI patients with high risk for both bleeding and mortality.
Tensile deformation behavior and microstructure evolution of Ni-based superalloy 617

Abstract The mechanisms of deformation were investigated in a nickel-based alloy (Inconel 617) of interest for the Intermediate Heat Exchanger (IHX) for the very high temperature reactor (VHTR). Tensile tests at 25 °C, 600 °C, 800 °C, and 950 °C were conducted in air at different strain rates. The tests were followed by electron microscopy analysis (including FE-SEM, TEM, EDX). The tensile property measurements and the metallographic examination of tested specimens allowed relating the deformation behavior with the microstructural changes in the material. The temperature and strain rate impact on the properties was assessed. The results and microstructure observations were discussed in terms of serrated flow associated with dynamic strain ageing, precipitate evolution, and softening processes due to dynamic recrystallization.
A Retrospective on Twenty Years of the Design Theory and Methodology Conference

Since its birth from the Design Automation Conference (DAC) and the Association for the Advancement of Artificial Intelligence (AAAI) twenty years ago, the Design Theory and Methodology (DTM) Conference has accepted 769 papers for presentation in a total of 179 tracks. Papers have covered advances in design theory and methods as well as design education, decision making, product development, collaborative endeavors, case studies, information processing, computational methods and industrial applications. Through the years tracks have evolved to better define existing research topics and branched to spawn new areas of interest. This paper presents a retrospective of the past twenty years of the DTM conference including a look at the evolution of tracks, those researchers who have contributed and predictions for the upcoming twenty years.Copyright © 2008 by ASME
Positioning and tracking control system analysis for mobile free space optical network

Free Space Optical (FSO) communication has evolved to be applied to the mobile network, because it can provide up to 2.5Gbps or higher data rate wireless communication. One of the key challenges with FSO systems is to maintain the Line of Sight (LOS) between transmitter and receiver. In this paper, the feasibility and performance of applying the FSO technology to the mobile network is explored, and the design plan of the attitude positioning and tracking control system of the FSO transceiver is investigated. First, the system architecture is introduced, the requirements for the control system are analyzed, the involved reference frames and frame transformation are presented. Second, the control system bandwidth is used to evaluate the system performance in controlling a positioning system consisting of a gimbal and a steering mirror, some definitions to describe the positioning accuracy and tracking capacity are given. The attitude control of a FSO transceiver is split into 2 similar channels: pitch and yaw. Using an equivalent linear control system model, the simulations are carried out, with and without the presence of uncertainties that includes GPS data errors and sensor measurement errors. Finally, based on the simulation results in the pitch channel, the quantitative evaluation on the performance of the control system is given, including positioning accuracy, tracking capability and uncertainty tolerance.
Bromine content of lipids of marine organisms

Lipids were extracted from a number of organisms taken in the northern Pacific ocean and the bromine content measured by neutron activation analysis. The lipids of each species studied were found to contain bromine with concentrations ranging from ten to several hundred µg/g. The major portion of the bromine was associated with the fatty acids in Chromatographic separations; however, the presence of a number of different brominated compounds was indicated. When the fatty acids were prepared from the crude lipids by acid hydrolysis, partitioned into base, and then esterified, 60% of the initial bromine was recovered in the ester fraction. This would indicate the presence of brominated acids in marine lipids.
Role of pH and dissolved mineral species in Pittsburgh no. 8 coal flotation system — II. Separation of pyrite and non-pyritic minerals from coal

Abstract The role of pH and of dissolved mineral species on the separation of pyrite and non-pyritic minerals from Pittsburgh No. 8 coal by flotation was investigated. In the pH range of 4 to 8, enhanced pyrite rejection was obtained at higher pH. However, pH itself had no measurable effect on the separation of non-pyritic minerals from coal in the pH range of 4 to 10. The precipitation/adsorption of the dissolved mineral ions resulted in a measurable decrease in the selectivity for non-pyritic minerals separation. Increased pyrite rejection with pH increase was shown, by induction time measurements, to be mainly due to the decrease of the pyrite hydrophobicity. The adsorption of Ca ions in the coal flotation systems had a positive effect on the pyrite separation, although it did not affect coal recovery to a measurable extent. This could be due to the selective precipitation/adsorption of Ca species on the pyrite surface. The precipitation/adsorption of Fe species had no measurable effect on the selectivity, even though it depressed coal flotation considerably. This is attributed to the non-selective precipitation of Fe species between the surfaces of coal and pyrite.
A design procedure for the exact H∞ siso‐robust performance problem

Presented in this paper is a loop-shaping solution to the H∞ robust performance problem for a class of SISO systems. The key feature of this work is the explicit incorporation of phase information into the controller synthesis to facilitate loop-shaping over all frequencies. Consequently, a significant reduction in the required controller gain/bandwidth is achieved. It is also shown that the optimal solution, in the sense of controller gain/bandwidth minimization, to the robust performance problem is that which makes μ = 1 over all frequencies. This is different from the usual definition of optimality in the H∞/μ literature. An example is included for completeness.
Efficacy of a Brief Image-Based Multiple-Behavior Intervention for College Students

Background Epidemiologic data indicate most adolescents and adults experience multiple, simultaneous risk behaviors.
Control, causality and information system requirements

Abstract This paper takes a critical perspective on the manner with which system designers have framed the information requirements question. Biases inherent in model-based approaches to defining information needs, and biases in observing the decision making process result in an overly restricted understanding of control and causal processes in organizations. The sociology of knowledge and symbolic interaction are introduced as the basis for an expanded two aspect framework of system design. Implications for design methodologies, evaluation techniques and ethical responsibilities in information system design are identified.
Pancreatic adenocarcinoma patients with localised chronic severe pancreatitis show an increased number of single beta cells, without alterations in fractional insulin area.

Aims/hypothesis Recent histological analysis of pancreases obtained from patients with long-standing type 1 diabetes identified chronic islet inflammation and limited evidence suggestive of beta cell replication. Studies in rodent models also suggest that beta cell replication can be induced by certain inflammatory cytokines and by gastrin. We therefore tested the hypothesis that beta cell replication is observed in non-autoimmune human pancreatic disorders in which localised inflammation or elevated gastrin levels are present.
Studies on the cellular localization of biochemical responses to catecholamines in the brain.

Abstract Studies were undertaken to determine the cellular localization of the cyclic adenosine monophosphate (cAMP) response of various forebrain regions to β-adrenoceptor stimulation. Using brain slices, it was found that the gliotoxin, fluorocitrate (FC), which blocks metabolism selectively in glial cells, virtually abolished the cAMP response to β-receptor stimulation whereas the neurotoxin, kainic acid (KA), was without effect. FC was confirmed by electrophysiological recording to be selective for glial cells in the brain slices. Similar results were found for these agents on in vivo brain cAMP responses to β-receptor stimulation using a new microdialysis technique to measure in vivo responses. It is concluded that the cAMP response to β-adrenoceptor stimulation in various regions of the forebrain occurs predominantly in glia. To determine if this could be correlated with a second biochemical response to β-receptor stimulation, preliminary studies were undertaken on the localization of the immediate early gene, c-fos, produced in the brain after in vivo stimulation of β-receptors. It was found that unlike the cAMP responses the c-fos response to β-receptor stimulation occurs predominantly in neurons. The possible relationship of these two responses is discussed.
Diabetes prevention in a faith-based setting: Results of translational research

AIM The purpose of this study was to translate the National Institutes of Health (NIH)-Diabetes Prevention Program (DPP) into a church-based setting. METHODS The lifestyle arm of the NIH-DPP was implemented in an African American Baptist church. Church members 18 years or older completed a risk screen during Sunday service followed by fasting glucose (FG) testing at the church during the week. Persons with prediabetes participated in a 16-session DPP conducted over 4 months. Participation rates, height, weight, blood pressure (BP) and FG were followed for 12 months post-intervention. Fifty participants completed the risk screen, 26 were at risk for diabetes, 16 of 26 received FG testing, and 8 had prediabetes (FG = 100- 125 mg/dL). RESULTS The mean participation rate was 10.4 (65%) sessions. Following the intervention, weight, systolic and diastolic BP, and FG decreased by 7.5 lb (3.6%), 16 mm Hg (11.7%), 12 mm Hg (14.0%), and 5 mg/dL (4.8%), respectively (P < .05). In comparison with baseline, significant reductions were evident at 6 and 12 months postintervention for all endpoints. CONCLUSIONS This study demonstrated successful translation of the 16-session NIH-DPP into a church-based setting. Future studies should test this intervention in churches of different sizes and denominations.
Structural characterization of a four-electron donating, doubly-bridging isocyanide in (μ-p-CH3C6H4NC)Mn2(Ph2PCH2PPh2)2(CO)4

Abstract X-Ray crystallographic analysis of (μ-p-CH3C6H4NC)Mn2(Ph2PCH2PPh2)2(CO)4 is reported. The molecule consists of two manganese atoms joined by a single bond and bridged by two trans diphosphine ligands and the isocyanide. There are two terminal CO groups per Mn. The isocyanide carbon donates a pair of electrons to one Mn (MnC = 1.81 A) while the CN unit donates a second pair of electrons to the other Mn (MnN = 2.12 A, MnC = 2.14 A). The isocyanide is strongly bent with a CNC(phenyl) angle of 137°. The bonding of the isocyanide ligand is discussed.
Yield-Driven Near-Threshold SRAM Design

Voltage scaling is desirable in static RAM (SRAM) to reduce energy consumption. However, commercial SRAM is susceptible to functional failures when VDD is scaled down. Although several published SRAM designs scale VDD to 200-300 mV, these designs do not sufficiently consider SRAM robustness, limiting them to small arrays because of yield constraints, and may not correctly target the minimum energy operation point. We examine the effects on area and energy for the differential 6T and 8T bit cells as VDD is scaled down, and the bit cells are either sized and doped, or assisted appropriately to maintain the same yield as with full VDD. SRAM robustness is calculated using importance sampling, resulting in a seven-order run-time improvement over Monte Carlo sampling. Scaling 6T and 8T SRAM VDD down to 500 mV and scaling 8T SRAM to 300 mV results in a 50% and 83% dynamic energy reduction, respectively, with no reduction in robustness and low area overhead, but increased leakage per bit. Using this information, we calculate the supply voltage for a minimum total energy operation (VMIN) based on activity factor and find that it is significantly higher for SRAM than for logic.
Intramolecular vibrational relaxation in the 3-methyl-3 hexyl radical

Abstract Vibrational energy relaxation has been measured at H2 bath gas pressures from 1 to 65000 Torr at 298 K in the competitive channel decomposition of 3-methyl-3-hexyl radicals chemically activated to ≈44 kcal mol−1. Decomposition of the initially formed, internally non-randomized radicals occurs on a picosecond time scale to produce 2-methyl-1-pentene. Formation of 2-methyl-1-butene is also possible after internal energy relaxation has occurred. The presence of the 3-methyl group at the site of excitation appears to increase the relaxation rate (8 × 1012 s−1). Comparisons are made with previous studies to help establish the size of the initially excited subset of vibrational modes.
A Probabilistic Approach to Diagnose SETs in Sequential Circuits

In recent work, the error latching probability due to an SET is calculated for a single observable point, and this help in hardening the design. This paper utilizes a recently proposed probabilistic framework for SET propagation in order to diagnose the location and time of strike based on errors observed at multiple points. The proposed diagnostic framework requires a new approach to calculate the probability for SET propagation to multiple non-independent variables. It is shown experimentally that error appearances at multiple observable points help in SET diagnosis. The time performance of the proposed diagnostic framework is compared against an alternative implementation. This is particularly important in on-line diagnosis.
The Good Judge revisited: Individual differences in the accuracy of personality judgments

This study examined individual differences in the accuracy of personality judgments. Participants (N = 122) reviewed videotaped segments of 3 individuals responding to employment interview questions, judged the personality of the interviewees, and rated acquaintances who later completed self-report personality inventories. Participants also completed measures of general mental ability, personality, and dispositional intelligence (knowledge of how personality is related to behavior). Results indicated that dispositional intelligence was related to general mental ability(r = .43) and Openness to Experience (r = .33) and emerged as the best predictor of interview accuracy (r = .41), acquaintance accuracy (r = .42), and an accuracy composite (r = .52). In addition, the relationship between dispositional intelligence and acquaintance accuracy was moderated by Conscientiousness and Agreeableness with a stronger association being observed when elevation on these traits was high. Implications for occupational suc...
A FLUID LIPID-GLOBULAR PROTEIN MOSAIC MODEL OF MEMBRANE STRUCTURE*

The thermodynamic and experimental bases for the lipid-globular protein mosaic model for the organization of biological membranes, which was proposed some six years ago16 (Lenard and Singer, 1966) and has since been elaborated 6,26 are described. In this model, the integral proteins of membranes are postulated to have an amphipathic structure in the intact membrane; that is, their ionic and highly polar groups are largely located on the membrane surfaces in contact with the aqueous medium, while their nonpolar residues are sequestered from contact with water in the membrane interior. These proteins are intercalated into a discontinuous lipid bilayer in this model. Recent experimental results are consistent with the suggestion that the lipid forms the matrix of the mosaic, and since the membrane lipid is generally fluid rather than crystalline under physiological conditions, the mosaic is expected to be a dynamic one. That is, the membrane appears to be a two-dimensional viscous solution, with its components able to undergo translational diffusion in the plane of the membrane. Some of the many important functional and physiological corollaries of this structural hypothesis are discussed.
Improved sub-pixel stereo correspondences through symmetric refinement

Most dense stereo correspondence algorithms start by establishing discrete pixel matches and later refine these matches to sub-pixel precision. Traditional sub-pixel refinement methods attempt to determine the precise location of points, in the secondary image, that correspond to discrete positions in the reference image. We show that this strategy can lead to a systematic bias associated with the violation of the general symmetry of matching cost functions. This bias produces random or coherent noise in the final reconstruction, but can be avoided by refining both image coordinates simultaneously, in a symmetric way. We demonstrate that the symmetric sub-pixel refinement strategy results in more accurate correspondences by avoiding bias while preserving detail.
Critical properties of two-dimensional simplicial quantum gravity

Simplicial higher-derivative quantum gravity is investigated in two dimensions for a manifold of toroidal topology. The manifold is dynamically triangulated using Regge’s formulation of gravity, with continuously varying edge lengths and fiied coordination number. Critical exponents are estimated by computer simulation on lattices with up to 786432 edges, and compared to the continuum conformal field theory results for central charge zero (pure gravity), one haif (Ising model coupled to gravity), one and two (massless scalar field coupled to gravity). The dependence of critical properties on the coefficient of the curvature squared term and the gravitational functional measure is investigated, suggesting universal critical behavior at least within a certain class of measures. In the case of pure gravity, we have computed the string susceptibility exponent for both the torus and the sphere, and our estimates agree with the exact result of KPZ. The fluctuations in the area density are consistent with the behavior expected for a massless scalar field, the Liouviiie mode. In the case of gravity coupled to a massless scalar field, we have computed what corresponds to the fractal dimension of the surface, and found it to be infinite. The critical exponents associated with the Ising model coupled to gravity on a torus are found to be the same as for the Ising model in flat space.
Identifying Mangrove Species and Their Surrounding Land Use and Land Cover Classes Using an Object-Oriented Approach with a Lacunarity Spatial Measure

Accurate and reliable information on the spatial distribution of mangrove species is needed for a wide variety of applications, including sustainable management of mangrove forests, conservation an...
Diarrhoea in the ICU: respective contribution of feeding and antibiotics

Diarrhoea is frequently reported in the ICU. Little is known about diarrhoea incidence and the role of the different risk factors alone or in combination. This prospective observational study aims at determining diarrhoea incidence and risk factors in the first 2 weeks of ICU stay, focusing on the respective contribution of feeding, antibiotics, and antifungal drugs. Out of 422 patients consecutively admitted into a mixed medical–surgical ICU during a 2-month period, 278 patients were included according to the following criteria: ICU stay >24 hours, no admission diagnosis of gastrointestinal bleeding, and absence of enterostomy or colostomy. Diarrhoea was defined as at least three liquid stools per day. Diarrhoea episodes occurring during the first day in the ICU, related to the use of laxative drugs or Clostridium difficile infection, were not analysed. Multivariate and stratified analyses were performed to determine diarrhoea risk factors, and the impact of the combination of enteral nutrition (EN) with antibiotics or antifungal drugs. A total of 1,595 patient-days were analysed. Diarrhoea was observed in 38 patients (14%) and on 83 patient-days (incidence rate: 5.2 per 100 patient-days). The median day of diarrhoea onset was the sixth day, and 89% of patients had ≤4 diarrhoea days. The incidence of C. difficile infection was 0.7%. Diarrhoea risk factors were EN covering >60% of energy target (relative risk = 1.75 (1.02 to 3.01)), antibiotics (relative risk = 3.64 (1.26 to 10.51)) and antifungal drugs (relative risk = 2.79 (1.16 to 6.70)). EN delivery per se was not a diarrhoea risk factor. In patients receiving >60% of energy target by EN, diarrhoea risk was increased by the presence of antibiotics (relative risk = 4.8 (2.1 to 13.7)) or antifungal drugs (relative risk = 5.0 (2.8 to 8.7)). Diarrhoea incidence during the first 2 weeks in a mixed population of patients in a tertiary ICU is 14%. Diarrhoea risk factors are EN covering >60% of energy target, use of antibiotics, and use of antifungal drugs. The combination of EN covering >60% of energy target with antibiotics or antifungal drugs increases the incidence of diarrhoea.
A survey of extreme point results for robustness of control systems

Abstract This paper surveys a subset of the body of research which was sparked by Kharitonov's Theorem. The focal point is extreme point results for robust stability and robust performance. That is, we give conditions under which satisfaction of a performance specification is ascertained for a family of systems by only checking a finite subset of the extreme members of this family. The results which are surveyed apply mainly to systems with structured real parametric uncertainty. In addition, a number of counterexamples are given to illustrate cases for which an extreme point result does not hold. For such cases, a solution via the so-called Edge Theorem is often possible.