cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Kinetic and equilibrium binding studies of actinomycin D with some d(TGCA)-containing dodecamers.

Comparative kinetic, melting, and equilibrium binding studies of actinomycin D (ACTD) with d(ATATACGTATAT), four d(TGCA)-containing dodecamers, and poly(dG-dC).poly(dG-dC) revealed that (1) the affinity of ACTD for the dC-dG sequence is much less than for the dG-dC sequence; (2) ACTD forms 1:1 and 2:1 drug-duplex complexes with d(TATATGCATATA) and d(TATGCATGCATA), respectively, and their SDS driven dissociations exhibit single-exponential characteristics with rates (approximately 5 X 10(-4)s-1 at 20 degrees C) slightly slower than that of poly(dG-dC).poly(dG-dC); (3) although the melting temperature of d(CATGCATGCATG) is 8-9 deg higher than that of d(TATGCATGCATA), the rates of ACTD dissociation from these two oligomers are not greatly different and binding constants of (1-5) X 10(7) M-1 have been estimated for both; (4) a 3:1 stoichiometry is exhibited by ACTD binding to duplex d(TGCATGCATGCA) and the complex dissociates with two characteristic times, the fast component (1/k = approximately 100 s) comprising 2/3 of the contribution and the slow process (approximately 2000 s) contributing the other 1/3; and (5) the slow dissociation kinetics of an oligomer appears to be correlated to the higher percentage of slow association kinetics detectable by non-stop-flow techniques. These results indicate that the d(TGCA) sequence is a stronger binding and a slower dissociation site than the d(CGCG) sequence and suggest that base pairs flanking the dG-dC intercalative site may modulate interactions of the pentapeptide rings of ACTD with the DNA minor groove.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
Ion-implantation-induced stress in glasses: Variation of damage mode efficiency with changes in glass structure☆

Abstract Ion implantation induces lateral stress in glass due to the volume dilatation in the implanted near-surface region. Cantilever-beam experiments allow these quantities to be measured as a function of fluence. For fused silica the stress data for various incident ions are found to scale with atomic collision energy deposition. In sharp contrast, Pyrex (alkali-borosilicate) glass, (1 −x)(Na, K)2O· xB2O3·3SiO2 glass, and a sodalime (microscope slide) glass, yield stress values which scale with energy deposition into electronic processes. More significantly, this mode of damage production is dominant for the nuclear waste glasses PNL 76-68 and SRP. The void space in fused silica allows room for displaced Si and/or O. For the complex alkali-containing silicates, the interstitial volume is restricted. In the latter case, the probability increases that permanent defects can be formed by ionization-induced bond-breaking and network relaxation. These data imply that alpha-particle ionization energy deposition may be an important factor in nuclear waste glass radiation damage production, but the magnitude of this contribution has not yet been evaluated.
Structural sensitivity of the crack-resistance characteristic KIc

A structural approach to estimation of the crack-resistance characteristic KIc is developed for a number of classes of structural steels with a determining influence exerted on their strength properties by the size and volume fraction of hardening-phase particles. The dimensional parameter of the prerupture zone at the crack tip is calculated, and its sensitivity to the plasticity characteristic of the steels under consideration, to the size of the hardening-phase particles, and to the interparticle distance is investigated within the framework of the Hahn and Rosenfield model. Analytical expressions for the relation between the characteristic KIc and the initial structural parameters of the material are constructed and experimentally substantiated on this basis within a broad range of variation in the material's strength and plastic properties.
Extensions of bidding theory: Concealed bidding, optimal number of bidders, and follow-on contracts

Abstract For the case in which a product with an uncertain cost is acquired in a competitive environment, Samuelson developed a bidding model that analyzes the trade-off between the objectives of risk sharing and efficient contractor selection. Using Samuelson's model as the basic analytical framework, this paper extends earlier results for concealed bidding and the optimal number of bidders so that they apply to cost-reimbursement contracts, and extends earlier results for the optimal profit margin in a follow-on contract to allow a more general bidding situation.
Torsion of a fiber reinforced hyperelastic cylinder for which the fibers can undergo dissolution and reassembly

Abstract In previous work, the authors have developed a theory for treating microstructural changes in fiber reinforced hyperelastic materials. In this theory, fibers undergo dissolution as a result of increasing elongation and then reassemble in a direction defined as part of the model. Processes in which the fibers reassemble in the direction of maximum principal stretch of the matrix were specifically considered. This model was previously illustrated for various cases of homogeneous deformation. The present work studies the implications of the model during the non-homogeneous deformation of axial stretch and torsion of a circular solid cylinder composed of an isotropic matrix and families of helically wound fibers. It is shown that the process of fiber dissolution and reassembly produces complex morphological changes in the fibrous structure and hence, in the response of the cylinder. Such events can give rise to an outer layer of material in which the fibers have undergone dissolution and reassembly. The interface between this region and the as yet unaltered core material can then move radially inward as axial stretch and/or twist increase. Gradual reassembly of the fibers with increasing stretch and twist changes their contributions to the torque and axial force and their helical orientation. Different sequences of axial stretch and twist result in different morphologies in the fibrous structure.
Penetration of reinforced concrete with ogive-nose penetrators☆

Abstract We developed a model to estimate forces on ogive-nose penetrators launched into reinforced-concrete targets. Post-test target observations and triaxial tests on samples cored from concrete slabs guided the model development. The cylindrical, cavity-expansion approximation simplified the analysis to one-dimensional, radial motion, and an iterative procedure provided the solution technique for the partial differential equations. Graphical results show forces on nose shapes for a practical range of penetration velocities.
Platinum−Silicon Four-Membered Rings of Two Different Structural Types

The synthesis and characterization of platinum−silicon four-membered rings of two different structural types is reported. The reaction of Pt(PR3)3 (R = Et or Pr) and Si(Hex)H3 (Hex = n-hexyl) gives [Pt(PR3)2SiH(Hex)]2 (R = Et, 1a; R = Pr, 1b) and [(R3P)Pt(μ-Si(μ-H)(Hex)(Pt(PR3)2)H)]2 (R = Et, 2a; R = Pr, 2b). The ratio of 1a to 2a is highly dependent on the reaction conditions, whereas 1b is always the major product in the PPr3 substituted case. Evidence that suggests that 1a and 1b are precursors to 2a and 2b, respectively, is presented. X-ray crystallography of the rings 1b and 2a shows they contain short Si−Si and Pt−Pt contacts, respectively. The 29Si NMR chemical shifts for the two types of rings differ by over 250 ppm. A 2D-NMR study of these rings has provided detailed coupling information, including information on the agostic Pt−H−Si hydride in 2a.
Subdiffraction optical resolution of a gold nanosphere located within the nanojet of a Mie-resonant dielectric microsphere

We theoretically investigate light scattering from a bi-sphere system consisting of a gold nanosphere and a lossless dielectric microsphere illuminated at a resonant optical wavelength of the microsphere. Using generalized multisphere Mie theory, we find that a gold nanosphere 100 times smaller than the dielectric microsphere can be detected with a subdiffraction resolution as fine as one-third wavelength in the background medium when the microsphere is illuminated at a Mie resonance. Otherwise, off-resonance, the spatial resolution reverts to that of the nonresonant nanojet, approximately one-half wavelength in the background medium. An important potential biophotonics application is the detection of antibody-conjugated gold nanoparticles attached to the membranes of living cells in an aqueous environment.
Echocardiographic assessment of epicardial defibrillator patch electrodes.

We performed a blinded controlled analysis of transthoracic echocardiograms on IK patients before and after epicardial defibrillator patch electrode placement to determine the accuracy of echocardiography in identifying defibrillator patches and to determine possible echocardiographic findings that may correlate with defibrillator function or perioperative complications. The sensitivity of two-dimensional echocardiography in detecting defibrillator electrodes was 72% by one observer and 39% by a second observer. Corresponding specificities were 67% and 83%, respectively. The discordance rate was 27%. The echocardiographic finding of patch buckling was not observed, and echocardiographic estimates of the distance from patch to epicardium did not correlate with defibrillator threshold at the time of surgery. We conclude that: echocardiography is only moderately sensitive and specific in identifying epicardial defibrillator electrodes; significant interobserver variability does exist; and echocardiography therefore cannot be used reliably to assess for pericardia] changes or possible complications of patch electrode placement.
A New Posterior Chamber Intraocular Lens Formula for Axial Myopes

The accuracy of prediction of postoperative refractive error was evaluated in 175 patients with extracapsular cataract extraction and a Shearing-style posterior chamber intraocular lens. The Binkhorst, Colenbrander - Hoffer and SRK formulas were all less accurate in patients with an axial length greater than or equal to 24.5 mm. The standard error of the estimates of the Binkhorst formula was 1.2 diopters, the Colenbrander - Hoffer formula 1.18 diopters and the SRK formula 0.90 diopters. A new intraocular-lens formula for axial myopes was derived by polynomial regression analysis with a standard error of the estimate of 0.85 diopters. This new formula was accurate within 1 diopter in 79% of axial myopes compared to 71% for the SRK , 66% for the Colenbrander - Hoffer and 64% for the Binkhorst formulas. Regression analysis of a surgeon's own patient data can further improve the accuracy of prediction of the post-operative refraction.
Effect of benzolamide on pH in the proximal tubules and peritubular capillaries of the rat kidney

The influence of carbonic anhydrase inhibition with benzolamide on proximal tubular and peritubular capillary pH was evaluated in the rat using a glass-membrane pH microelectrode. Control peritubular capillary pH, 7.38±.02 (N=11), was significantly lower than control arterial pH, 7.44±.01, p<.05. Early proximal tubular pH, 7.20±.02 (N=17), was more alkaline than late proximal tubular pH, 6.74±.06 (N=13), p<.001; pH at both sites was more acid than in the peritubular capillary, p<.001. Benzolamide treatment had no detectable effect on arterial or peritubular capillary pH, but reduced early proximal tubular pH by 0.54 pH units, to 6.66±.04 (N=13), p<.001. Late proximal pH also fell slightly to 6.57±.03 (N=14), p<.02. These results support previous observations indicating that benzoamide treatment decreases early proximal tubular pH dramatically, and provide further evidence that HCO 3 − reabsorption is accomplished by hydrogen ion secretion in the proximal tubule.
Probing Bose-Einstein condensed atoms with short laser pulses.

We propose a method of probing a system of cooled atoms in a trap using short laser pulses. Above the critical temperature for Bose-Einstein condensation such a system scatters very weakly. Coherent scattering occurs primarily in the forward direction. Below the critical temperature, the number of scattered photons increases dramatically and the scattered light is emitted in the solid angle determined by the size of the condensate.
Quality attributes of processed tomato products: A review

Abstract Tomato is the second largest vegetable crop in dollar value in the United States and other parts of the world. World production of tomatoes for processing stands over 20 million tons per annum, with more than 50% in the United States. Processed tomato products are an important source of minerals and vitamins in the diet of U.S. consumers. An American consumes over 12 kg of processed tomatoes per year excluding tomato ketchup and sauce. In addition to nutritive value, the color, consistency, and flavor are the major quality attributes of processed tomato products which influence the buying behavior of the consumer. These attributes are highly variable and change with changes in fruit cultivar, growing conditions, and/or processing parameters. This paper reviews the quality factors of processed tomato products along with the factors that affect them.
ASPEN: an adaptive spatial peer-to-peer network

Geographic Information Systems (GIS) are increasingly managing very large sets of data and hence a centralized data repository may not always provide the most scalable solution. Here we introduce a novel approach to manage spatial data by leveraging structured Peer-to-Peer (P2P) systems based on Distributed Hash Tables (DHTs). DHT algorithms provide efficient exact-match object search capabilities without requiring global indexing and as a result they are extremely scalable. Furthermore, the adoption of uniform hash functions ensures excellent load balancing. However, range queries -- which are very common with spatial data -- cannot be executed efficiently because the hash functions unfortunately destroy any existing data locality. Here we report on the design of an Adaptive Spatial Peer-to-pEer Network (ASPEN) that extends Content Addressable Networks (CAN) to preserve spatial locality information while also retaining many of the load balancing properties of DHT systems. We introduce the concept of scatter regions, which are spatial data distribution units that optimize both load balancing and spatial range query processing at the same time. We present a data object key generation function and algorithms for spatial range queries. We rigorously evaluate our technique with both synthetic and real world data sets and the results demonstrate the efficient execution of spatial range queries in the ASPEN system.
Loss-based formulation for multiple hazards with application to residential buildings

Abstract Most areas of the world are subjected to one or more natural hazards, such as earthquakes, tsunamis, hurricanes (cyclones), snow storms, wildfires, costal inundation or river flooding. In the United States, economic losses average about $5.4 billion annually from hurricanes and about $4.4 billion dollars for buildings a year from earthquakes. In addition, greater than 75% of declared Federal disasters are a result of flooding. This paper summarizes a loss-based formulation to evaluate the risk to buildings from multiple hazards, taking into account the different nature of the hazards, frequency of occurrence and associated return period for current codified design, hazard-resistant design philosophy and consequences. Structural reliability-based methods that describe natural hazard and structural system responses probabilistically are essential for quantifying expected losses from natural disasters and for developing appropriate strategies to manage risk. The formulation permits the main sources of uncertainty that affect building performance to be identified, and provides insight on strategies for effective multi-hazard mitigation efforts. Fragilities, defined as the conditional probability of various levels of losses as a function of hazard demand (i.e. wind speed, spectral acceleration, ground snow load, or flood depth), of typical residential buildings with two levels of hazard resistance standards are generated. Probabilistic descriptions of the various hazards at four representative sites are used to combine with the appropriate fragility to determine the annual probability of different levels of losses as well as the combination of all hazards and the resulting loss at each site. The comparative assessment of risks due to multiple hazards is desirable for public policy and disaster planning purposes, as well as for insurance underwriting.
Dynamic Properties of the Rigid Body and Supports from Vibration Measurements

A novel method is presented to determine the dynamic characteristic of a multi DOF rigid body structure from vibration measurements and coordinates of the transducers. These characteristics include the center of gravity, moment of inertia, and mass; stiffness, center of stiffness and moment of stiffness; damping, center of damping and moment of damping, and corresponding principal values and axes. The method is capable of handling complicated structures with various DOFs, from 2 up to maximum 6. The mass modified matrices are first obtained based on measured vibration data and estimated rigid body modes by data dependent systems methodology
Preliminary experience with the use of a programmable pacemaker.

One hundred sixty-four patients, in whom new externally programmable pacemakers had been inserted, were studied over a two year period, beginning July, 1972. Following implantation, the rate and current output of this pacemaker could be changed at any time by a noninvasive technique involving electromagnetic pulse trains emitted by an external “programmer.” In 89 percent of the patients it was possible to reduce battery output by half, implying greater longevity of the pacer in these cases. In 15 percent of the patients, manipulative control of the pacemaker rate was employed and found beneficial.
Sinonasal hemangiopericytomas. A clinicopathologic and DNA content study.

• The clinicopathologic and the flow cytometric DNA characteristics of 14 patients with sinonasal hemangiopericytomas are presented. Patient and tumor characteristics were similar to previously published series. Flow cytometric analysis revealed a diploid DNA pattern and low S-phase in 13 neoplasms and an aneuploid DNA pattern with relatively high S-phase in one. Histopathologically, all diploid and low S-phase neoplasms displayed relatively uniform cellular features and low mitotic counts. All patients are alive and free of disease; one is still alive after a single recurrence. Our data suggest that sinonasal hemangiopericytomas are low-grade neoplasms as evidenced by their histomorphology and their DNA content. Recurrences are delayed and can be controlled. ( Arch Otolaryngol Head Neck Surg. 1992;118:134-137)
Spreading of a turbulent disturbance.

The presented paper shows the effect of local Mach number on the turbulent disturbance spreading angle relative to the wall and on lateral disturbance spreading angles. Almost all the disturbances angles relative to the wall were determined from investigations where hot-wire contours or hot-film surveys of a 'laminar' boundary layer were obtained. Lateral disturbance spreading angles were obtained from investigations of various conditions including turbulent bursts, reported observations of transverse contamination, and observed transitional flow. It is noted that the disturbance spreading angle relative to the wall seems to remain essentially invariant with Mach number, while the lateral spreading angle decreases sharply with increasing Mach number up to about 6. The good agreement between lateral disturbance spreading angle data and data for the variation of turbulent jet spreading angle with Mach number implies that in the lateral dimension, turbulence in a boundary layer may develop essentially free of wall constraints (similar to a free shear layer).
Psychiatric Correlates of Bullying in the United States: Findings from a National Sample

The aim of this study was to examine the psychiatric correlates of bullying behavior in the United States. Data were derived from the National Epidemiologic Survey on Alcohol and Related Conditions, a nationally representative sample of US adults. Structured psychiatric interviews (N = 43,093) were completed by trained lay interviewers between 2001 and 2002. Six percent of US adults reported a lifetime history of bullying others. Respondents who were men, 18 to 34, Asian/Native American, earned ≤$35,000 annually, were born in the US, and received no college education had significantly higher rates of bullying. Multivariate logistic regression analyses identified significant associations between bullying and bipolar disorder, lifetime alcohol and marijuana use disorders, nicotine dependence, conduct disorder, antisocial, paranoid, and histrionic personality disorders, and family history of antisocial behavior. Prevention and treatment targeting bullying behaviors, comorbid conditions, and their precursors could potentially reduce the prevalence and consequences of bullying.
Solder fatigue reduction in point focus photovoltaic concentrator modules

Solder fatigue tests have been conducted on point focus photovoltaic concentrator cell assemblies to identify a baseline fatigue life and to quantify the fatigue life improvements that result using a copper-molybdenum-copper low-expansion insert between the solar cell and copper heat spreader. The Coffin-Manson and total strain fatigue models for low-cycle fatigue were evaluated for use in fatigue life predictions. Since both of these models require strain calculations, two strain calculation methods were compared: hand-calculated shear strain and a finite element method shear strain. At present, the available theoretical models for low-cycle solder fatigue are limited in their ability to predict failure. >
Fermi-level depinning in metal/Ge Schottky junction and its application to metal source/drain Ge NMOSFET

We successfully demonstrated Schottky barrier height modulation in metal/Ge Schottky junction by inserting an ultrathin interfacial SiN layer. The SiN layer suppressed strong Fermi level pinning in metal/Ge junction, which resulted in effective control of the Schottky barrier height. We systematically investigated its physics, for the first time, and almost zero Schottky barrier height was successfully obtained for electrons. We applied this technology to metal source/drain Ge NMOSFET and achieved low source/drain resistance.
Synoptic climatology of extreme fire-weather conditions across the southwest United States

Extreme fire-weather conditions are usually thought of as discrete events rather than part of a continuum of meteorological and climatological variability. This study uses a synoptic climatological approach (weather typing) to examine the seasonal climatology of extreme fire-weather conditions across the southwest United States (Arizona and New Mexico) during the period of 1988–2003. Three key circulation patterns representing broad southwesterly flow and large geopotential height gradients are associated with over 80% of the extreme fire-weather days identified in this study. Seasonal changes in relative humidity levels, strength of height gradient, and geopotential heights all modulate the relationship between these key circulation patterns and extreme fire-weather days. Examination of daily incident summaries for three recent wildfires (May 2000, June 2002 and June 2003) shows that wildfire activity can be strongly regulated by these critical fire-weather circulation patterns. Copyright  2006 Royal Meteorological Society.
Hospital preparedness for weapons of mass destruction incidents: an initial assessment.

Abstract Study Objective: We performed an assessment of hospital preparedness for weapons of mass destruction (WMD) incidents in Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) Region III. Methods: Interviews of hospital personnel were completed in 30 hospitals. Data collected included level of preparedness, mass decontamination capabilities, training of hospital staff, and facility security capabilities. Results: No respondents believed their sites were fully prepared to handle a biologic incident, 73% (22/30) believed they were not prepared to manage a chemical weapons incident, and 73% believed they were unprepared to handle a nuclear event. If a WMD incident were to occur, 73% of respondents stated a single-room decontamination process would be set up. Four (13%) hospitals (all rural) reported no decontamination plans. WMD preparedness had been incorporated into hospital disaster plans by 27% (8/30) of facilities. Eighty-seven percent (26/30) believed their emergency department could manage 10 to 50 casualties at once. Only 1 facility had stockpiled any medications for WMD treatment. All facilities had established networks of communication. No hospital had preprepared media statements specific to WMD. Nearly one fourth (7/30) stated that their hospital staff had some training in WMD event management. All reported need for WMD-specific training but identified obstacles to achieving this. Seventy-seven percent (23/30) of hospitals had a facility security plan in place, and half were able to perform a hospital-wide lock down. Ninety-six percent (29/30) reported no awareness regarding the threat of a secondary device. Conclusion: Hospitals in this sample do not appear to be prepared to handle WMD events, especially in areas such as mass decontamination, mass medical response, awareness among health care professionals, health communications, and facility security. Further research is warranted, including a detailed assessment of WMD preparedness using a statistically valid sample representative of hospital emergency personnel at the national level. [Treat KN, Williams JM, Furbee PM, Manley WG, Russell FK, Stamper CD Jr. Hospital preparedness for weapons of mass destruction incidents: an initial assessment. Ann Emerg Med. November 2001;38:562-565.]
The Molecular Receptive Range of a Lactone Receptor in Anopheles gambiae

In an environment filled with a complex spectrum of chemical stimuli, insects rely on the specificity of odorant receptors (ORs) to discern odorants of ecological importance. In nature, cyclic esters, or lactones, represent a common class of semiochemicals that exhibit a range of diversity through ring size and substituents, as well as stereochemistry. We have used heterologous expression to explore the lactone sensitivity of AgOr48, an odorant-sensitive OR from the principal malaria vector mosquito, Anopheles gambiae. Voltage clamp and calcium-imaging experiments revealed that AgOr48 is particularly sensitive to changes in the size of the lactone ring and in the length of the carbon chain substituent. In addition, the two enantiomers of a strong agonist, δ-decalactone, elicited significantly different potency values, implicating AgOr48 as an enantioselective odorant receptor. Investigation of the molecular receptive range of this lactone receptor may contribute to a greater understanding of ligand–OR interactions and provide insight into the chemical ecology of An. gambiae.
Sorption kinetics and equilibrium uptake for water vapor in soft-contact-lens hydrogels.

A gravimetric-sorption technique was used to obtain kinetic and equilibrium adsorption/desorption data for water vapor in four different soft-contact-lens (SCL) polymers at 35 degrees C. The SCL materials are a conventional hydrogel (polymacon) with a low water content at saturation ( 50 wt %); and a siloxane hydrogel (balafilcon A). Absorption and desorption equilibrium isotherms (water activity versus water weight fraction) overlap at high water contents, whereas significant hysteresis is observed at low water contents. The hysteresis loop is likely due to trapping of water in the polymer during the desorption process because of a rubber-to-glass transition of the SCL-film surfaces. Sorption data were interpreted using Flory-Rehner theory. The positive Zimm and Lundberg cluster function suggests that water tends to cluster in these SCL materials, except at very low water content. For polymacon and hilafilcon A, Fickian diffusion is observed for all activities for both water sorption and desorption. However, for alphafilcon A and balafilcon A, non-Fickian features appear at intermediate/low activities, in particular during water desorption, suggesting coupling of the diffusion process with polymer-matrix relaxation. The diffusion coefficient increases significantly with water concentration for polymacon and hilafilcon A (from approximately 0.3 x 10(-8) to 4.0 x 10(-8) cm2/s) because of augmented mixture free volume induced by water sorption, whereas a more complex composition dependence is observed for alphafilcon A and balafilcon A probably as consequence of a combined effect of polymer relaxation, plasticization, and water clustering.
Reducing Iatrogenic Risk in Thoracentesis: Establishing Best Practice Via Experiential Training in a Zero-Risk Environment

Background We studied the reasons why patients undergoing thoracenteses performed in our outpatient pulmonary clinic had a higher frequency of iatrogenic pneumothorax compared to that in the concurrent radiology practice in our institution, which utilizes ultrasound guidance. We reviewed our practice model and implemented a unique experiential training paradigm in a zero-risk simulation environment to improve efficacy, timeliness, service orientation, and safety. Methods We retrospectively determined the rate of clinically significant pneumothoraces in our practice (phase I, July 1, 2001, to June 30, 2002). The training system redesign included the following: (1) a designated group of pulmonologist instructors dedicated to treating pleural disease and reducing the number of iatrogenic complications; (2) the use of ultrasound image guidance for all thoracenteses; and (3) structured proficiency and competency standards for proceduralists. Postintervention (phase II) data were prospectively collected (January 2005 to December 2006) and compared with our baseline data. Results The baseline rate of pneumothorax was 8.6% (5 of 58 patients) in our pulmonary practice. Following intervention (phase II), the rate of pneumothorax declined to 1.1% (p = 0.0034). During phase II, the number of thoracenteses performed increased (186 vs 58 per year, respectively; p 0.9). Postintervention complications included procedure-related pain (n = 19), cough (n = 4), and hypotension (n = 10). Conclusions An improvement program that included simulation, ultrasound guidance, competency testing, and performance feedback reduced iatrogenic risk to patients. We recommend application of this process to procedural practices.
On the well‐posedness of integral equations associated with cavity Green's functions around resonant frequencies

In this article, theoretical analyses are carried out for integral equations associated with cavity Green's functions. When cavities are fully enclosed and lossless, conventional integral equations are ill-posed at cavities' resonant frequencies. As a remedy, modified integral equations are formulated around resonances, and they are theoretically proved to be well-posed. © 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Microwave Opt Technol Lett 51: 1476–1481, 2009; Published online in Wiley InterScience (www.interscience.wiley.com). DOI 10.1002/mop.24360
Did the Great Recession change the regional reputation premium for wine in the US

Wine is an experience good and also (at least under certain circumstances and to a certain extent) a conspicuous consumption good. As such, wine buyers should be willing to pay a premium for regional reputation to avoid risk and to send signals about their wealth and social status. At the same time, wine is an annually produced good; every year new bottles arrive to wine stores. Accordingly, a wine store's manager has to periodically clear the store's inventory. Statistical analyses indicate that, during the Great Recession in the US, two developments—a substantial decline in income and a rise in information sharing via the internet and social media—had a dampening effect on the regional reputation premium and lowered the price-quality ratio differences among different wine regions. Moreover, during the same time period, the discount rates necessary to clear inventories significantly increased.
Depression and Parkinson’s Disease: Current Knowledge

Depressive disturbances are common in patients with Parkinson’s disease (PD) and influence many other clinical aspects of the disease. In addition to causing inherent emotional distress, depressive disorders negatively impact quality of life, motor and cognitive deficits, functional disability, and other psychiatric comorbidities in patients with PD. Knowledge of the pathophysiology of PD depression remains limited. However, clinical studies demonstrate the efficacy of medications and psychotherapies for PD depression, underscoring the importance of their timely detection and concerted management.
The Effect of Tube Orientation and Pour Point Depressant on Paraffin Wax Deposition

Abstract A flow loop was used to study wax deposition in the laboratory. Data are presented to demonstrate that the tube orientation and pour point depressants have significant effects on the paraffin wax deposition for oil from the Octh Louie, a Cretaceous formation in the Manderson Field, Wyoming. Changing the tube orientation from horizontal to vertical reduced the amount of wax deposited by 28% for a tube wall (Twall) temperature of 42°F. The circulating oil temperature (Tbulk) was held constant at 76 ± 3°F. The amount of wax deposited was found to be a linear function of the driving force (Tbulk – Twall) and the wax appearance temperature (WAT) was estimated by extrapolating this linear relationship to a point of zero wax deposition. The WAT thus obtained (94.5°F) varied considerably with the cloud point (62°F) obtained using the ASTM D2500 method. Change in viscosity with time has also been investigated. Addition of a specific pour point depressant (PPD) at a concentration of 5 mL/gallon reduced wax...
Development of precursors to speech in infants exposed to two languages

The study of bilingualism has often focused on two contradictory possibilities: that the learning of two languages may produce deficits of performance in each language by comparison with performance of monolingual individuals, or on the contrary, that the learning of two languages may produce linguistic or cognitive advantages with regard to the monolingual learning experience. The work reported here addressed the possibility that the very early bilingual experience of infancy may affect the unfolding of vocal precursors to speech. The results of longitudinal research with 73 infants aged 0;4 to 1;6 in monolingual and bilingual environments provided no support for either a bilingual deficit hypothesis nor for its opposite, a bilingual advantage hypothesis. Infants reared in bilingual and monolingual environments manifested similar ages of onset for canonical babbling (production of well-formed syllables), an event known to be fundamentally related to speech development. Further, quantitative measures of vocal performance (proportion of usage of well-formed syllables and vowel-like sounds) showed additional similarities between monolingual and bilingual infants. The similarities applied to infants of middle and low socio-economic status and to infants that were born at term or prematurely. The results suggest that vocal development in the first year of life is robust with respect to conditions of rearing. The biological foundations of speech appear to be such as to resist modifications in the natural schedule of vocal development.
A Nother Ceiling? Can Males Compete for Traditionally Female Jobs?

Subjects ranked hypothetical male and female job applicants for top- and mid-level management positions in a traditionally female job. Consistent with a “lack of fit” explanation, over one-fourth of the raters selected a less-qualified female over a more qualified male for both the top-level and mid-level jobs. Additionally, those subjects with management experience tended to make decisions favoring the less-qualified female more often than those without management experience. Results suggested that males may suffer from discrimination in traditionally female jobs similar to that faced by females in traditionally male jobs.
Computational Fluid Dynamics Investigation of Human Aspiration in Low-Velocity Air: Orientation Effects on Mouth-Breathing Simulations

Computational fluid dynamics was used to investigate particle aspiration efficiency in low-moving air typical of occupational settings (0.1-0.4 m s(-1)). Fluid flow surrounding an inhaling humanoid form and particle trajectories traveling into the mouth were simulated for seven discrete orientations relative to the oncoming wind (0°, 15°, 30°, 60°, 90°, 135° and 180°). Three continuous inhalation velocities (1.81, 4.33, and 12.11 m s(-1)), representing the mean inhalation velocity associated with sinusoidal at-rest, moderate, and heavy breathing (7.5, 20.8, and 50.3 l min(-1), respectively) were simulated. These simulations identified a decrease in aspiration efficiency below the inhalable particulate mass (IPM) criterion of 0.5 for large particles, with no aspiration of particles 100 µm and larger for at-rest breathing and no aspiration of particles 116 µm for moderate breathing, over all freestream velocities and orientations relative to the wind. For particles smaller than 100 µm, orientation-averaged aspiration efficiency exceeded the IPM criterion, with increased aspiration efficiency as freestream velocity decreased. Variability in aspiration efficiencies between velocities was low for small (<22 µm) particles, but increased with increasing particle size over the range of conditions studied. Orientation-averaged simulation estimates of aspiration efficiency agree with the linear form of the proposed linear low-velocity inhalable convention through 100 µm, based on laboratory studies using human mannequins.
The role of visual cortex acetylcholine in learning to discriminate temporally modulated visual stimuli

Cholinergic neurons in the basal forebrain innervate discrete regions of the cortical mantle, bestowing the cholinergic system with the potential to dynamically modulate sub-regions of the cortex according to behavioral demands. Cortical cholinergic activity has been shown to facilitate learning and modulate attention. Experiments addressing these issues have primarily focused on widespread cholinergic depletions, extending to areas involved in general cognitive processes and sleep cycle regulation, making a definitive interpretation of the behavioral role of cholinergic projections difficult. Furthermore, a review of the electrophysiological literature suggests that cholinergic modulation is particularly important in representing the fine temporal details of stimuli, an issue rarely addressed in behavioral experimentation. The goal of this work is to understand the role cholinergic projections, specific to the sensory cortex, in learning to discriminate fine differences in the temporal structure of stimuli. A novel visual Go/No-Go task was developed to assess the ability of rats to learn and discriminate fine differences in the temporal structure of visual stimuli (lights flashing at various frequencies). The cholinergic contribution to this task was examined by selectively eliminating acetylcholine projections to visual cortex (using 192 IgG-saporin), either before or after discrimination training. We find that in the face of compromised cholinergic input to the visual cortex, the rats’ ability to learn to perform fine discriminations is impaired, whereas their ability to perform discriminations remains unaffected. These results suggest that acetylcholine serves the role of facilitating plastic changes in the sensory cortices that are needed for an animal to refine their sensitivity to the temporal characteristics of relevant stimuli.
Analysis of multiple antenna wireless links at low SNR

Wireless channels with multiple transmit/receive antennas are known to provide a high spectral efficiency both when the channel is known to the receiver, and when the channel is not known to the receiver if the signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) is high. Here we analyze such systems at low SNR, which may find application in sensor networks and other low-power devices. The key point is that, since channel estimates are not reliable, it is often not reasonable to assume that the channel is known at the receiver at low SNR. In this unknown channel case, we show that for sensible input distributions, in particular all practical modulation schemes, the capacity is asymptotically quadratic in the SNR, /spl rho/, and thus much less than the known channel case where it exhibits a linear growth in /spl rho/. We show that under various signaling constraints, e.g., Gaussian modulation, unitary space-time modulation, and peak constraints, that mutual information is maximized by using a single transmit antenna. We also show that at low SNR, sending training symbols leads to a rate reduction in proportion to the fraction of training duration time so that it is best not to perform training. Furthermore, we show that the per-channel use mutual information is linear in both the number of receive antennas and the channel coherence interval.
Modulational Instability and Envelope Solitons

Let us superimpose a slowly-varying modulation on a stationary wave, and study the evolution of such a modulation. Let us assume that the wave can still be taken to be sinusoidal, i.e., $$ \phi = {a_0}\cos \;{\theta_0},\quad {\theta_0} = {k_0}x - {\omega_0}t. $$ (1)
Effort in Low-Stakes Assessments: What Does It Take to Perform as Well as in a High-Stakes Setting?

Performance of students in low-stakes testing situations has been a concern and focus of recent research. However, researchers who have examined the effect of stakes on performance have not been ab...
ISETBIO: Computational tools for modeling early human vision

Vision begins with the formation of the retinal image, sampling by photoreceptors, and retinal processing of photoreceptor excitations. We describe software tools for modeling how these fundamental processes limit human performance on visual tasks. Article not available.
Female Worthies and the Genres of Women’s History

In The Christian Religion, as Profess’d by a Daughter of the Church of England (1705), Mary Astell remonstrated against the fundamentally masculine character of historical writing, but she was not thinking of just any kind of history. She was thinking of a specific and very prestigious genre of political history that had originated in classical antiquity, and she was likely provoked by the greatest such work published in her lifetime, the 1st Earl of Clarendon’s History of the Rebellion and Civil Wars in England (1702–04). Astell eagerly mined what she called ‘that useful and valuable History’ for two pamphlets she published in 1704. Yet while the History of the Rebellion fortified her High Church Tory polemical writings, it paid scant attention to women. The principal actors in Clarendon’s sprawling political narrative of the British Civil Wars were men, and his character sketches of them were an acclaimed feature of his neoclassical masterpiece.1 Clarendon’s ‘great men’ conception of history certainly had a hallowed pedigree, but so too did a parallel historical tradition of ‘great women’ which Astell herself sometimes deployed. In fact, I shall argue that the discourse of ‘female worthies’ was the prime vehicle for the dramatic growth of women’s historical self-knowledge in Britain during the long eighteenth century. In Astell’s day, writers lamented the paucity of information about women of the past, and it was men who usually wrote collective female biographies, but by the end of the eighteenth century female authors dominated the genre and their works appeared in profusion.
A GLIMPSE of the Internet’s Fabric

Network measurements are essential for network operations and troubleshooting. A number of network measurement projects have developed measurement platforms to not only assess the state of individual networks and services but target certain aspects of the Internet as a whole. Measuring any aspect of the Internet is challenging for various reasons such as the sheer scale of the Internet or the dynamics of it. Building and operating a platform that has Internet-wide network measurements as a goal is therefore challenging. In this paper, GLIMPSE-an end user-based network measurement platform-is introduced and its architecture is described in detail. GLIMPSE is an attempt to build a measurement platform based on standard measurement techniques, external logic to trigger measurements and last but not least community support.
Biologies of Three Species of Alydus in Wisconsin

Alydus consperus Montandon, A. eurinus (Say), and A. pilosulus Herrich-Schaeffer overwintered in the egg stage and had 2 complete generations a year in southern Wisconsin. Nymphs began appearing in May, and adults could be collected until November. A. eurinus was the commonest species; A. conspersus was less common; A. pilosulus was uncommon. These bugs fed on a variety of legume seeds, including Baptisia leucantha T. & G., B. leucophaea Nutt., and Lespedeza capitata Michx., as well as on a nonlegume seed, Ceanothus americanus L. Two immature nematode parasites (Hexamermis) were obtained, each from an A. eurinus female. The laboratory biologies of the 3 species were very similar. Eggs hatched either after a short incubation period or after a period of diapause. The external characteristics of eggs were recorded. Head capsules of exuviae of the 5 instars were measured, and no overlapping was found between stages within each species. The use of spittle during cleaning was noted, and also the feeding of nymphs on eggs.
A Complete Artificial Diet for Rearing the Plum Curculio

Conotrachelus nenuphar (Herbst) was reared successfully through 5 generations on a modified pinto bean diet. For adult feeding and oviposition, the diet was shaped into cylindrical plugs and dried as required for acceptance. When minimum amounts of potassium sorbate and apple juice, were incorporated, egg hatch, larval survival, and overall production were increased. A single diet plug could support at least 6 larvae. The longevity of adults held on diet and on apples was comparable. Production of larvae and adults increased substantially with each succeeding generation.
Sgo1 recruits PP2A to chromosomes to ensure sister chromatid bi-orientation during mitosis.

ABSTRACT Sister chromatid bi-orientation on the mitotic spindle is essential for proper chromosome segregation. Defects in bi-orientation are sensed and corrected to prevent chromosome mis-segregation and aneuploidy. This response depends on the adaptor protein Sgo1, which associates with pericentromeric chromatin in mitosis. The mechanisms underlying Sgo1 function and regulation are unclear. Here, we show that Sgo1 is an anaphase-promoting complex/cyclosome (APC/C) substrate in budding yeast ( Saccharomyces cerevisiae ), and that its mitotic destruction depends on an unusual D-box-related sequence motif near its C-terminus. We find that the removal of Sgo1 from chromosomes before anaphase is not dependent on its destruction, but rather on other mechanisms responsive to tension between sister chromatids. Additionally, we find that Sgo1 recruits the protein phosphatase 2A (PP2A) isoform containing Rts1 to the pericentromeric region prior to bi-orientation, and that artificial recruitment of Rts1 to this region of a single chromosome is sufficient to perform the function of Sgo1 on that chromosome. We conclude that in early mitosis, Sgo1 associates transiently with pericentromeric chromatin to promote bi-orientation, in large part by recruiting the Rts1 isoform of PP2A.