cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Theory of intergranular creep cavity nucleation, growth and interaction

Abstract Creep cavitation is modeled assuming random continuous cavity nucleation, coupled growth by diffusion and plastic deformation, diffusive cavity interactions and cavity interconnection and finally, failure at a critical a real damage fraction. Nucleation is simulated by Monte-Carlo techniques using an empirically-derived nucleation law for copper that depends on the steady-state creep strain. For initially fully-dense materials, cavity nucleation dominates the cavity number density until interconnection and coarsening become important late in rupture life. In this situation, Monkman-Grant behavior is obtained and cavity sizes approach stable log-normal distributions. However, when a small fraction of cavities pre-exist, the cavity density is dominated by cavity interactions and the density remains relatively constant despite continuous nucleation. In this case, cavity growth controls the rupture time and cavity size distributions tend to approach log-normal distribution more slowly. These diffusive interactions diminish for larger but more widely-spaced pre-existing cavities because of limited interactions between the pre-existing and nucleating cavities. The sensitivity of the rupture life on dihederal angle and nucleation rate are also examined, and the statistics of failure are quantified.
Cricotracheal resection and reanastomosis

Partial cricotracheal resection (CTR) for the treatment of subglottic stenosis has been reported, in children, with decannulation rates of 90% for refractory grades 3 and 4 stenoses. In view of these findings, it has become imperative for pediatric otolaryngologists to add CTR to their surgical armamentarium for the management of severe subglottic stenosis. The authors have described preoperative evaluation, patient selection, operative technique, and possible complications of CTR in this article.
Characterization of powdered turmeric by liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry and gas chromatography-mass spectrometry

Five commercial powdered turmeric samples were analyzed to identify major and minor components. The developed HPLC method allows the separation of curcumin, demethoxycurcumin and bisdemethoxycurcumin, as well as three other major components and numerous minor components. The separation was accomplished on an octadecyl stationary phase using a mobile phase consisting of 50 mM ammonium acetate with 5% acetic acid and acetonitrile as the organic modifier. Thermospray mass spectra were obtained for all of the components. Particle beam EI-mass spectra were obtained for the curcuminoids, but could not be obtained for the other components due to the limitations of the particle beam interface when analyzing volatile and semi-volatile compounds. EI mass spectra for the volatile components were obtained by direct thermal desorption-gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (DTD-GC-MS).
Small‐angle x‐ray scattering by nylon 6

Small-angle x-ray scattering (SAXS) of isotropic or uniaxially oriented nylon 6 was investigated as a function of thermal and mechanical history. In addition to the peak position and linewidth of the SAXS maximum, the integrated SAXS intensity was measured. It was found that the radial intensity distributions of isotropic or arced patterns are controlled to some extent by the small width of the semicrystalline macrolattice, rendering the conventional long period and line shape analysis inapplicable to these patterns. A two-dimensional analysis is possible with well-oriented fibers; the major structural changes which are seen in fibers after annealing above 190°C are associated with melting and recrystallization. Extensive cold drawing and subsequent annealing cause rather modest (ca. ∼30%) changes in the integrated SAXS intensity. These effects are consistent with the generation of homogeneous interfibrillar regions during the latter stages of plastic deformation. On annealing a quenched film on nylon 6, the transformation of the crystals from a pseudohexagonal to a monoclinic habit occurs above 170°C.
Surface modification of polyimide by ECR plasma

Abstract The surfaces of polyimide (PI) films have been treated by exposure to Ar-ECR plasma (ion energy of 10–20 eV) to understand the effects of very-low-energy ions on the surface modification of PI. These effects were monitored by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) as a function of ion dose and compared to those treated by an Ar + beam (ion energy of 600 eV). Our data indicate that (1) Ar-ECR plasma treatment causes the same type of chemical surface modification as conventional ion beams, (2) it is more efficient than Ar + beam in surface treatment within our effective sampling depth, and (3) a region of depth ~ 40 A is modified at an ion dose of 2 × 10 17 ions/cm 2 .
Ethol carbonates: weakly nucleophilic precursors of site-specific enolates

Abstract Examples of trapping of site-specific enolates by enol methoxycarbonylation are described. Selective operations at a remote double bond in the presence of the enol carbonate functionality have been realized. Site-specific enolates can be retrieved from the enol carbonates.
RF Analog Beamforming Fan Filters Using CMOS All-Pass Time Delay Approximations

A continuous-time (CT) radio frequency (RF) antenna array beamformer and analog circuit based on a discrete-space-continuous-time (DSCT) 2-D fan-filter having transfer function HF,A(zx,sct) is derived. The proposed transfer function is based on a 2-D FIR discrete domain fan filter. The discrete domain prototype is converted to the proposed mixed-domain DSCT analog filter by replacing unit sampled delays with CT analog first-order all-pass networks corresponding to the bilinear transform. First-order all-pass network Φ(st) is a poor approximation to a CT delay exp(-sT) . To address this, a novel broadband pre-warping method is proposed to exactly compensate for such “bilinear warping”. A 65 nm CMOS VLSI circuit for Φ(st) is proposed and an example fan filter with axis oriented at θ0=35°, half-fan-angle e = 5° and maximum frequency Fu = 2.6 GHz is simulated employing closed-form expressions, an ABCD parameter based model and 65 nm CMOS simulations in Cadence. A stop-band interference rejection of 38 dB is verified by BSIM4 based simulations. The proposed circuit for Φ(st) operates at 3.7 mA from a 1.2 V supply. The beamfomer is shown to operate correctly in the presence of PVT variations of Φ(st).
Experiences in fertility preservation: lessons learned to ensure that fertility and reproductive autonomy remain options for cancer survivors

Purpose Assess fertility preservation (FP) measures chosen by patients newly diagnosed with malignancy and their outcomes.
The Diurnal Cycle of Upper-Tropospheric Clouds Measured by GOES-VAS and the ISCCP

Abstract A comparison of diurnal cycles in high clouds (<440 hPa) measured by the Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite Visible Infrared Spin Scan Radiometer (VISSR) Atmospheric Sounder (GOES-VAS) and the International Satellite Cloud Climatology Project (ISCCP) was made. The GOES-VAS longwave infrared data allow uniform detection of upper-tropospheric cirrus clouds from daylight into night without effects from solar reflections. It is sensitive to thin cirrus, which are difficult to detect. But it is not available globally because the sounder instrument is flown only on geostationary satellites operated by the United States. The ISCCP, however, is a global dataset using five to seven geostationary satellites. Large diurnal cycles were found in the Rocky Mountains and along the northern coast of the Gulf of Mexico mainly in the summer season. In the Tropics substantial diurnal cycles also were found in central Brazil and the Atlantic ITCZ. In the winter over the continental United States, diur...
Marketing and public accommodation: A retrospective on title III of the Americans with disabilities act

Abstract The Americans with Disabilities Act was implemented with the desire to make society inclusive for people with disabilities. This attempt at social engineering has fundamentally changed the way Americans perceive disability, however much work remains to be done. This article, which focuses on Title III of the Americans with Disabilities Act, begins with an overview of the statute. Next, it highlights some of the relevant marketing issues of Title III, made salient by case studies and court cases. The article concludes with a discussion of marketing and public policy implications for increasing accessibility to public facilities.
Hyaluronidase-sensitive nanoparticle templates for triggered release of HIV/AIDS microbicide in vitro.

This study was designed to test the hypothesis that a triggered release of a topical microbicide (tenofovir) from hyaluronic acid nanoparticles (HA-NPs) can be achieved under the influence of hyaluronidase (HAase) enzyme. A fractional factorial experimental design was used to examine the factors [molar concentrations of adipic acid dihydrazide (X1) and 1-ethyl-3-[3-dimethylaminopropyl] carbodiimide hydrochloride (X2), volume of acetone (X3) and reaction time (X4)] influencing the responses, Y1; particle mean diameter: PMD (nanometers: nm), Y2; polydispersity index: PDI and Y3; zeta (ζ) potential: (millivolts). The amide bond formation between HA and ADH after cross-linking was confirmed by FT-IR and 13C-NMR analyses. These NPs were also characterized for cytotoxicity on a human vaginal epithelial cell line and L. crispatus. When formulated with factors X1; 2.49 mM, X2; 9.96 mM, X3; 60 mL, X4; 6 h, HA-NPs exhibited a spherical shape with PMD, PDI, ζ potential, encapsulation efficiency, and drug loading of 70.6 ± 4.1 nm, 0.07 ± 0.02, −38.2 ± 2.8 mV, 51.8 ± 2.4% w/w and 26.1 ± 1.2% w/w, respectively, (n = 3). Unlike for HA based gel, HAase significantly triggered the drug release and HA degradation from the NPs after 24 h (∼90% w/w and 65% w/w, respectively); whereas, in its absence, these values were ∼39% w/w and 26% w/w, respectively. The NPs were non-cytotoxic to human vaginal VK2/E6E7, End1/E6E7 cells and Lactobacillus crispatus. These data highlight the potential of HAase-sensitive HA-NPs templates for the controlled and vaginal delivery of anti-HIV/AIDS microbicides.
Fibrocystin/Polyductin, Found in the Same Protein Complex with Polycystin-2, Regulates Calcium Responses in Kidney Epithelia

Recent evidence suggests that fibrocystin/polyductin (FPC), polycystin-1 (PC1), and polycystin-2 (PC2) are all localized at the plasma membrane and the primary cilium, where PC1 and PC2 contribute to fluid flow sensation and may function in the same mechanotransduction pathways. To further define the exact subcellular localization of FPC, the protein product encoded by the PKHD1 gene responsible for autosomal recessive polycystic kidney disease (PKD) in humans, and whether FPC has direct and/or indirect cross talk with PC2, which, in turn, is pivotal for the pathogenesis of autosomal dominant PKD, we performed double immunostaining and coimmunoprecipitation as well as a microfluorimetry study of kidney tubular epithelial cells. FPC and PC2 are found to completely or partially colocalize at the plasma membrane and the primary cilium and can be reciprocally coimmunoprecipitated. Although incomplete removal of FPC by small interfering RNA and antibody 803 to intracellular epitopes of FPC did not abolish flow-induced intracellular calcium responses, antibody 804 to extracellular epitopes of FPC blocked cellular calcium responses to flow stimulation. These findings suggest that FPC and polycystins share, at least in part, a common mechanotransduction pathway. Inherited polycystic kidney diseases (PKD) are a large group of diseases characterized by the development of multiple fluid-filled cysts in the kidney, starting from infancy or adulthood, which gradually lead to end-stage renal disease (ESRD). About 10 percent of ESRD cases are caused by PKD. In humans, there are two major forms of PKD, i.e., autosomal dominant PKD (ADPKD)
Postmitotic neurons migrate tangentially in the cortical ventricular zone

Patterns of cell movement play a key role in the establishment of the brain9s functional architecture during development. The migration of neuronal progenitor cells has been hypothesized to disperse clonally related cells among different areas of the developing cerebral cortex. To test this model, we explored the migratory patterns of cells in the proliferative zone of the intact cortex of the ferret. After focal injections of DiI, labeled cells migrated in all directions and over long distances within the ventricular and subventricular zones. These cells expressed the neuron-specific marker TuJ1 and did not incorporate BrdU after cumulative labeling. Our results reveal an extensive tangential dispersion of cortical cells mediated predominantly or exclusively by the non-radial migration of postmitotic neurons.
The asymmetrical field-controlled thyristor

A new device structure has been developed for field-controlled thyristors. In this structure, the uniformly doped n base of the conventional device has been replaced with a very lightly doped region near the gate and a more heavily doped region at the anode. This change in the base doping profile results in a significant improvement in the tradeoff between the forward-blocking voltage capability and the on-state forward-voltage drop. In addition, the high-resistivity region around the gate area allows the device to pinch off anode current flow at zero gate bias due to the built-in potential of the gate junction. The devices can, however, be triggered to the on-state by applying a small forward gate voltage and exhibit a forward voltage drop in the on-state which is much lower than that of conventional devices. The high resistivity of the channel area between gates also results in these devices having dc blocking gains in excess of 60, which is the highest value achieved in devices of this type. Further, because these devices have been fabricated using conventional planar processing techniques, this structure is suitable for high-volume production with high processing yields.
A new look at the antenna effect

It is a widely held belief that plasma process-induced damage (PID) is caused, among other things, by plasma nonuniformities. These nonuniformities are caused by either nonoptimum reactor design and operation or nonflat wafer topography, the latter giving rise to electron shading that selectively inhibits one charge specie over another causing local surface charging. This charging builds over many cycles. While these phenomena are of serious concern, it is the object of this work to point out that there is an additional way to conceptualize the mechanism for PID in ac glow discharges. In this model, it is proposed that the net charge flux in each power supply half cycle is enough to induce a surface potential of sufficient magnitude to damage thin dielectrics. Semiquantitative arguments are made that outline how this mechanism is capable, in principle, of explaining a wide range of published empirical data. Notable among these predictions is that plasma PID can depend upon the size and shape of the antenna, behaves as though the stress were from a current source, and is only proportional to antenna ratio (AR) under special circumstances.
Reduction in delayed mortality and subtle improvement in retrograde memory performance in pilocarpine-treated mice with conditional neuronal deletion of cyclooxygenase-2 gene.

SUMMARY Purpose: Pilocarpine induces prolonged status epilepticus (SE) in rodents that results in neurodegeneration and cognitive deficits, both commonly observed to be associated with human temporal lobe epilepsy. The multifunctional neuronalmodulator, cyclooxygenase-2 (PTGS2orCOX-2), is rapidly induced after SE, mainly in principal neurons of the hippocampal formation and cortex. We used mice in which COX-2 is conditionally ablated in principal forebrain neurons to investigate the involvement of neuronderived COX-2 in delayed mortality and performance in the Barnes maze. Methods: Using the COX-2 conditional knockout mouse (nCOX-2 cKO) and their littermate wild-type controls, we compared motor behavior and performance in the Barnes maze before and 3 weeks after the induction of SE by pilocarpine. Mortality rate was also measured during SE and in the week following SE. Key Findings: nCOX-2 cKO mice showed less delayed mortality than wild-type mice in the week after SE. Although motor behavior and most cognitive measures were not different in the nCOX-2 cKO, upon reexposure to the maze 3 weeks after pilocarpine, the latency to find the previously learned target hole was significantly shorter in the nCOX-2 cKO than their wild-type littermate controls. By this measure pilocarpine-treated nCOX-2 cKO mice were identical to mice that had not experienced SE. Significance: Results point to a role for neuronal COX-2 in delayed mortality in mice during the week following SE and suggest that neuronal COX-2 contributes to selected cognitive deficits observed after SE. Taking into consideration our previous findings that neurodegeneration and neuroinflammation after SE are reduced in the nCOX-2 cKO, and opening of the blood‐brain barrier after pilocarpine is prevented, we conclude that neuronal COX-2 induction is an early step in many of the deleterious consequences of SE.
Association of p130CAS with Phosphatidylinositol-3-OH Kinase Mediates Adenovirus Cell Entry

The Crk-associated substrate, p130CAS, has been implicated in the regulation of the actin cytoskeleton following ligation of cell integrins with the extracellular matrix. Integrin-mediated cell adhesion involves p130CAS association with focal adhesion kinase (p125FAK). Internalization/cell entry of type 2 and type 5 adenoviruses (Ad) is also mediated by αv integrins. However, expression of dominant negative forms of p125FAKdoes not alter virus entry, and Ad entry occurs normally in p125FAK-deficient fibroblasts. We now provide evidence that Ad internalization, a process which is mediated by αvintegrins, also requires p130CAS and phosphatidylinositol-3-OH kinase (PI 3-kinase). Ad induces p130CAS phosphorylation and inhibition of p130CAS phosphorylation by tyrphostin and genistein, or expression of the substrate domain deleted p130CAS blocks Ad internalization. p130CAS was also found to associate with the p85 subunit of PI 3-kinase through its proline-rich domain during virus internalization and expression of p130CAScontaining a deleted proline-rich domain (PRD) inhibited adenovirus cell entry. We showed further that the RPLPSPP motif in the proline-rich region of p130CAS interacts with the SH3 domain of p85/PI 3-kinase. These studies reveal the molecular basis by which p130CAS coordinates the signaling pathways involved in integrin-mediated Ad endocytosis.
Rapid urea broth test for yeasts

A rapid, miniaturized, urea broth test useful for detecting urease activity of yeasts was compared to Christensen urea agar. All urease-producing yeasts tested were positive on both media; however, 60% were reactive in the urea R broth within 30 min, and the remainder were reactive within 4 h. This urea multiwell test may be useful as a rapid screening method for detecting urease-producing yeasts recovered from clinical specimens and as an adjunct test with other rapid methods of yeast identification.
All-optical heterodyne RF signal generation using a mode-locked-laser frequency comb: theory and experiments

Theoretical and experimental investigations are presented for a technique to synthesize signals with high phase stability from 1 GHz to 94 GHz by injection-locking two DFB diode lasers to individual modes of an actively mode-locked laser. An application is demonstrated in a photonic frequency-converting system at frequencies up to 94 GHz.
Teaching 3D Computer Animation to Illustrators: The Instructor as Translator and Technical Director

An art instructor discusses the difficulties he's encountered teaching computer graphics skills to undergraduate art students. To help the students, he introduced an automated-rigging script for character animation.
Prevalence and Correlates of Depression, Anxiety, and Suicidality Among University Students

Mental health among university students represents an important and growing public health concern for which epidemiological data are needed. A Web-based survey was administered to a random sample at a large public university with a demographic profile similar to the national student population. Depressive and anxiety disorders were assessed with the Patient Health Questionnaire (R. L. Spitzer, K. Kroenke, J. B. W. Williams, & the Patient Health Questionnaire Primary Care Study Group, 1999). Nonresponse weights were constructed with administrative data and a brief non-respondent survey. The response rate was 56.6% (N = 2,843). The estimated prevalence of any depressive or anxiety disorder was 15.6% for undergraduates and 13.0% for graduate students. Suicidal ideation in the past 4 weeks was reported by 2% of students. Students reporting financial struggles were at higher risk for mental health problems (odds ratios = 1.6-9.0). These findings highlight the need to address mental health in young adult populations, particularly among those of lower socioeconomic status. Campus communities reach over half of young adults and thus represent unique opportunities to address mental health issues in this important age group.
Visual Analysis for Textual Relationships in Digital Forensic Evidence

We present a visual analytics framework for exploring the textual relationships in computer forensics. Based on a task analysis study performed with practitioners, our tool addresses the inefficiency of searching for related text documents on a hard drive. Our framework searches both allocated and unallocated sectors for text and performs some pre-analysis processing; this information is then presented via a visualization that displays both the frequency of relevant terms and their location on the disk. We also present a case study that demonstrates our framework's operation, and we report on an informal evaluation conducted with forensics analysts from the Mississippi State Attorney General's Office and National Forensics Training Center.
Lack of Association of Infectious Agents With Risk of Future Myocardial Infarction and Stroke Definitive Evidence Disproving the Infection/Coronary Artery Disease Hypothesis?

Over the past decade, increasing evidence has accumulated implicating a role for infectious agents in the genesis of atherosclerosis. Although far short of definitive, the increasing number of articles suggesting a causal role has led to the perception the case is proven, even stimulating some physicians and the media to wonder whether antibiotics should now be given to patients with coronary artery disease (CAD). However, it must be appreciated that publication bias has the tendency to lead to far more “positive” studies being published (the positive results often deriving from poor study designs) than negative studies (often deriving from excellent study designs). One of the best examples of this publication bias in the area of infection and CAD is seen in the ROXIS (ROXithromycin Ischemic Syndromes) trial, which was preliminarily published in the Lancet as a “positive pilot randomized trial” and has recently been published in final form in the European Heart Journal as a negative study.1 2 Given this publication bias and the as-yet-unproven nature of the infection/CAD hypothesis, it would seem important to emphasize those studies containing results that appear to be at variance with the concept that infection can contribute to CAD. Two such studies, important because they involve a large cohort and because they are prospective in design, have been published recently in Circulation .3 4 However, just as there is the danger of prematurely accepting the infection/CAD hypothesis as proven, there is also the danger of using the results of such apparently conclusive negative studies to peremptorily dismiss the potential role of infection. It is therefore the purpose of this analysis to help put these 2 recent studies into perspective: to develop the case that such studies, despite their excellent design, must still be evaluated critically because they may contain inherent limitations that …
Impact of Dietary Antigens on Multiple Sclerosis

Background: Current research provides evidence to support the theory that a diet restricting foods considered to have high antigenic potential might be beneficial in the treatment of multiple sclerosis (MS). Grains, legumes and dairy foods may have high antigenic potential and could be contributing environmental factors in genetically susceptible people. Design: Literature review. Methods: An Internet search of the National Library of Medicine and discussions with colleagues. Results: One of the largest challenges that MS researchers face today is to find treatments that have positive clinical effects and yet are non-toxic. A host of epidemiological, animal and clinical data support the theory that the manipulation of dietary factors may possess potential for a positive effect upon the progression of MS. A variety of data indicate that food proteins and lectins from dairy, gluten, and legumes found in a Neolithic and in a modern diet, can be involved in the activation and expansion of autoreactive T cells by several mechanisms. These mechanisms vary from direct activation of T cells and immune components, to indirect activation by increasing intestinal permeability (leaky gut syndrome), peripheral antigenic stimulation, and the propensity for molecular mimicry. In particular, a milk protein (butyrophilin) has now been identified that may be triggering MS due to cross-reactivity, or molecular mimicry, with a myelin protein. Additionally, serum vitamin D levels, which were much higher on average in our Paleolithic ancestors, are observationally correlated to a reduction in MS lesion activity and may play an important role in the treatment of MS. The administration of vitamin D to animals has resulted in complete regression of the animal model of the disease. A protein in milk (bovine serum albumin) has molecular mimicry with the vitamin D-binding protein, and may interfere with vitamin D absorption. Conclusion: It is theorized that incorporation of a diet that eliminates suspicious dietary elements may hold the potential to reduce the antigenic stimulus (both pathogenic and dietary) and possibly result in a diminution of disease symptoms in certain MS patients. Also, it is proposed that addition of vitamin D to the diet warrants further study to determine its efficacy in the treatment of MS.
Future directions in antler research

Through a series of interrogatories, unsolved problems of antler evolution, anatomy, development, physiology, and pathology are probed, with commentaries, on the following prospects for future research: 1. How could these improbable appendages have evolved mechanisms to commit suicide, jettison the corpse, and regenerate new ones every year? 2. By what developmental processes are antlers able to prescribe their own morphogenesis with mirror image accuracy year after year and in some cases produce deliberate asymmetries? 3. What causes the scalp to transform into velvet skin as a deer's first antlers develop? 4. Why do healing pedicle stumps give rise to antler buds instead of scar tissue? 5. How is the unprecedented rate of antler elongation related to the diameter and length of the structure to be grown? 6. How come wound healing by pedicle skin is held in abeyance for several months until new growth resumes? 7. How is it that tropical deer regenerate antlers at any time of year, while in temperate zones deer do so in seasonal unison? 8. How do deer find enough calcium to make such massive antlers in only a few months? 9. What is the nature of the bizarre tumors that some antlers grow following castration?
The Computational Science Environment (CSE)

In an effort to provide a common platform for utilizing and developing data analysis and assessment applications in heterogeneous high performance computing (HPC) environments, the Classified Data Analysis and Assessment Center (CDAAC) has developed the computational science environment (CSE). CSE provides a stable suite of data analysis and assessment tools, applications, and libraries, which are common across most HPC environments and standard 64-bit Linux workstations. CSE also provides an experimental, cutting-edge suite of developer tools that can enhance the data analysis and assessment process. Most importantly, CSE provides a common platform that enables the development of full-featured portable HPC applications. This paper provides an overview of how CSE works and highlights some of the benefits of CSE.
Testing a Seismic Interpretation of Great Bahama Bank with a Computer Simulation

Sixty million years of carbonate deposition were simulated to test an interpretation of platform development based on seismic data and limited well control from northwestern Great Bahama Bank. Seismic profiles of the northwestern Great Bahama Bank document the lateral growth potential of isolated platforms that were welded together by progradation to form the modern bank. The mechanism we proposed responsible for an evolution from aggradation to progradation was sediment overproduction on the platform, the excess of which was transported offbank and which caused a decrease in accommodation space on the marginal slope. Progradation occurred in pulses that were interpreted to be the result of third-order sea level fluctuations. To evaluate the proposed mechanism, 15 input p rameters were used to model the platform evolution. The simulation program, which uses empirical relationships to model basin fill, successfully reproduced the geometries seen on the seismic lines, indicating that the proposed interplay of mechanisms could have built the observed platform architecture. The simulation demonstrated, in particular, that in a setting like the Bahamas, a basin must be substantially filled before progradation can take place, and that sea level changes can drive the pulses of progradation. This implies that laterally stacked sequences often contain the record of sea level changes, and therefore have potential use in sequence stratigraphy. The simulation can also be used to estimate the quantitative importance of individual factors controlling aggradation and progradation in the Bahamas. We show how close the balance between aggradation and progradation is, and how small changes in the rate of subsidence or accumulation can cause immediate switches from aggradation to progradation. In particular, we show that the rate of subsidence exerts the major control on the timing of progradation, more so than basin width. Carbonate production rates similar to modern rates were required to produce the necessary sediment input for progradation, which suggests that carbonate production has been consistently high since the early Tertiary. Repeated exposure and erosion, however, have decreased the overall accumulation rate. The simula ion also suggests that the asymmetric progradation in the Bahamas was only possible where there were extreme differences between windward and leeward conditions, with a maximum sediment input of 10% from the windward side.
All about Brands and Brand Building

In this study I have used a review centric research method for studying the various factors impacting a brand and its branding image. Post identifying the factors I have done a case study of major brands in India and for the factors impacting the brand image of a brand. Developing a conceptual model for the probable impacting factors and then later studying the same for confirming the same factors. In the conceptual model it was identified that Brand Identity is a major factor contributing to build a brand and brand image. The objective of the review centric research study is to find out the major factors that create a brand and later discuss the same, which can act as a tool for further studies for creating Brand Image of major Indian brand.
Stimulus Complexity and Rate of Alternation in Binocular Rivalry

Pairs of random figures representing four levels of complexity were presented in a binocular-rivalry situation to 12 student volunteer observers. The effect of different levels of complexity on the rate at which complete alternations of the rivalry stimuli occurred was assessed. Rate of alternation was significantly inversely related to the level of stimulus complexity.
Intermetropolitan Migration in High and Low Opportunity Areas: Indirect Tests of the Distance and Intervening Opportunities Hypotheses

(1973). Intermetropolitan Migration in High and Low Opportunity Areas: Indirect Tests of the Distance and Intervening Opportunities Hypotheses. Economic Geography: Vol. 49, No. 1, pp. 68-73.
Study of Gd/Tb LPP emission near λ = 6.7nm for beyond EUV lithography

Plasmas emitting near λ=6.7nm are of interest for beyond EUV lithography (BEUVL). We have conducted a comprehensive study of the spectral characteristics, conversion efficiency, and source size of Gd and Tb laser-produced plasmas over a broad range of laser pulsewidths (120ps-4ns) and irradiation intensities (1.4×10 11 -6.1×10 13 W/cm 2 ). The data over the entire parameter range was acquired using a single diode-pumped Yb: YAG laser. The angular distribution of the BEUV emission was measured using an array of calibrated energy-monitors, allowing for an accurate estimate of the BEUV yield. A similar conversion efficiency of 0.47% into a 0.6% bandwidth in 2π solid angle was measured for both Gd and Tb plasma.
Politics of the French Left: A Review Essay

A decade ago the French political scene was characterized by the existence of a majority rightist party 5 whose ascendancy seemed assured, and a muddled and disparate left which had barely regrouped once again in the opposition camp. Today the French political scene is characterized by the existence of a new rightist majority whose structure and ideology remain as yet only loosely defined, and a renovated and united left in a position to achieve governmental power-which it very nearly did in May 1974. Yet the left's struggle for realignment has tended to go relatively ignored by American political scientists for a variety of reasons: the primacy in the political system of the rightist majority, a fascination with unique political phenomena such as Gaullism, and an assumption of the French left's inability to offer anything in the way of successful political opposition. The disparate and therefore nonviable status of the left seemed a foregone conclusion, reflected in the old dictum that "while nothing could be done without the Communists, neither could anything be done with them." But while the electoral history of the Fifth Republic had proved that nothing in fact could be done by the left without the Communists, profound changes within both the Parti communiste frangais (PCF) and the democratic socialist SFIO sud-
An examination of the relationship between the municipal strategic plan and the capital budget and its effect on financial performance

Strategic planning in all sectors of government is currently experiencing greater use. Strategic planning in the federal government, for example, is now mandated and the emphasis is on “managing for results” (Roberts, 2000). At the same time, capital budgeting in all sectors of government is also receiving greater attention because of the recognition of greater need for attention to funding infrastructure. In this study, the relationship between the municipal strategic plan and the capital budget and their effect on financial performance is examined. Based on the analysis, the strategic plan, when connected to the capital budget, was found to have a statistically significant effect on selected aspects of municipal financial performance. The findings for practitioners indicate that strategic planning and capital budgeting are a major influence on financial performance and that the combination of capital budgeting and strategic planning constitutes a strategic decision-making process.
Modeling aggression and bullying: a complex systems approach

Almost daily, we read about the devastation and lasting consequences of bullying, and feel a greater impact when we hear of another child taking their life or the lives of others. What makes bullying behaviors so insidious is they cut across people, age, cultures and nations. These behaviors remain difficult to study and direct experimentation remains ethically and morally prohibitive. Therefore, we turn to computational models and simulate the natural complex social systems using the human element. If approached well, these models may yield emergent behaviors providing insight into the interactions around bullying. This paper discusses our complex systems model, and evaluates the viability of modeling bullying. Results of our implementation are described and future opportunities are identified.
Cost-effectiveness Analysis of 3 Kinds of Therapeutic Regimes in the Treatment of Bacterial Vaginitis

OBJECTIVE:To explore the pharmacoeconomic effectiveness of 3 kinds of therapeutic regimes for bacterial vaginitis.METHODS:188 patients with bacterial vaginitis were divided into 3 groups according to drug use.3 days after menstruation,after vulva was cleaned with water every night,group A,B and C were given a piece of Nifuratel nysfungin vaginal soft capsules,Metronidazole furazolidone suppositories and Metronidazole suppositories into vaginal posterior fornix.A treatment course of them lasted for 6,5 and 7 days.They went to outpatient department to recheck 7 days after drug withdrawal;therapeutic efficacy and ADR were observed and cost-effectiveness was analyzed.RESULTS:The costs of 3 groups were 179.35,156.70 and 136.66 yuan,respectively;total effective rates were 96.92%,88.52% and 82.26%,respectively;the cost-effectiveness ratios were 185.05,177.02 and 166.13,respectively.Compared with group C,the incremental cost-effectiveness ratio of group A and B were 291.20 and 320.13.CONCLUSIONS:Nifuratel nysfungin vaginal soft capsules is a better regimen for bacterial vaginitis.
Environmental Endocrine Disruptors Affect DNA Methylation

Environmental endocrine disruptors( EEDs) widely exist in our living environment. With significant reproductive toxicity,these compounds not only affect embryonic development but also exhibit transgenerational inheritance effect and carcinogenesis effect. The most EEDs produce toxicity through epigenetic mechanisms focused on DNA methylation changes after explosing to EEDs at fatal or neonatal period. In this paper,the effects of EEDs on embryonic development,transgenerational inheritance and carcinogenesis at the aspect of DNA methylation modification regulatory mechanisms are reviewed.
Environmental flow requirements in a water availability modeling system

Abstract The Texas Water Availability Modeling (WAM) System consists of the generalized Water Rights Analysis Package (WRAP), which is applicable for river systems located anywhere, and WRAP input datasets for the river basins of Texas. The WRAP/WAM system has been applied for over a decade in planning studies and administration of a water rights allocation system. Environmental flow standards for selected river systems in Texas have recently been established through a legislatively mandated process based on flow regimes with subsistence, base, pulse, and overbank flow components that describe the magnitude, frequency, duration, and timing of flows required to maintain sound ecosystems. WRAP and WAM capabilities for integrating environmental flow requirements in water allocation and associated water availability modeling have been greatly expanded as necessary to implement the new environmental flow standards. The modeling system and lessons learned in its implementation in Texas are relevant elsewhere.
Design Of A Low Cost Diode-Laser-Based High Spectral Resolution Lidar (HSRL)

A concept for an eye-safe, semiconductor-based high spectral resolution lidar has been developed at the National Center for Atmospheric Research. The lidar operates at a wavelength of 780 nm near several rubidium absorption peaks. A rubidium vapor cell is used to block aerosol backscatter in one channel to provide a molecular backscatter measurement for calculating extinction and backscatter ratio (calibrated backscatter).Laser and optical components around 780 nm are widely developed due to the large growth in atomic cooling and trapping of rubidium. Thus this instrument can be built largely using mature commercial-off-the-shelf parts. The simulation of the conceptual design shown here uses known commercial products and suggests that such an instrument could be used for quantitative profiling of the lower troposphere.
Use of Bulk Tank and Milk Filter Cultures in Screening for Streptococcus agalactiae and Coagulase-positive Staphylococci.

The use of a single bulk tank milk culture and a single milk filter culture was studied for their suitability as screening tests for coagulase-positive staphylococci and Streptococcus agalactiae . Bulk tank and bulk tank milk filter cultures were compared to quarter milk cultures taken from individual cows at 49 Ohio dairy herds selected from all Ohio dairy herds by a stratified random sampling scheme. Individual cow quarter milk samples were collected from a sample of all milking cows using a sampling scheme designed to detect an organism present in 2% of quarters, with 95% confidence intervals between 1 and 3%. Seventeen (35%) herds had one or more cows positive for S. agalactiae and 34 (69%) had one or more cows positive for coagulase-positive staphylococci. Using the results of individual cow sampling as the standard, the sensitivity for S. agalactiae was estimated as 23.5% for a single milk filter sample and 35.3% for a single bulk tank milk sample. The sensitivity for coagulase-positive staphylococci was estimated as 52.9% for a single milk filter culture and 41.2% for a single bulk tank milk culture. Based on these results and those of others, it appears that a single bulk tank or milk filter sample has a relatively low sensitivity for both coagulase-positive staphylococci and S. agalactiae , making these poor screening tests for the presence of these pathogens within a dairy herd.
Notes from a (psychoanalytic) feminist field

This paper uses feminist theory to reflect on the limitations of psychoanalytic approaches to engagement and responsibility. Using Sara Ahmed’s notion of the feminist “killjoy,” it describes some of the ways a feminist approach to responsibility and interactions complicates identifications. As I describe some personal interactions and relationships with my students, I come to the conclusion that engaging with others requires not just a complex approach to relating, but one that can “kill joy” while providing the conditions for a new (and sometimes terrifying) feeling of aliveness and uncertainty.
A Field Expanding

Neuroscience is an expanding field, to which we give some indication in a larger context of understanding motivated behaviors. Within neuroscience, all of inquiry lies within an epistemic community with common resources, outlook, expertise, and ideas of what is good and bad. Nevertheless, it is really hard to find commonality across the diverse domains. The production of knowledge tends to be sequestered.
Law, family & women : toward a legal anthropology of Renaissance Italy

Focusing on Florence, Thomas Kuehn demonstrates the formativeinfluence of law on Italian society during the Renaissance, especially in the spheres of family and women. Kuehn's useof legal sources along with letters, diaries, andcontemporary accounts allows him to present a compellingimage of the social processes that affected the shape andfunction of the law. The numerous law courts of Italian city-statesconstantly devised and revised statutes. Kuehn traces thepermutations of these laws, then examines their use byFlorentines to arbitrate conflict and regulate socialbehavior regarding such issues as kinship, marriage, business, inheritance, illlegitimacy, and gender. Rangingfrom one man's embittered denunciation of his father toanother's reaction to his kinsmen's rejection of him asillegitimate, "Law, Family, and Women" providesfascinating evidence of the tensions riddling family life inRenaissance Florence. Kuehn shows how these same tensions, often articulated in and through the law, affected women. Heexamines the role of the mundualdus a male legal guardianfor women in Florence, the control of fathers over theirmarried daughters, and issues of inheritance by and throughwomen. An ambitious attempt to reformulate the agenda ofRenaissance social history, Kuehn's work will be of value toboth legal anthropologists and social historians. Thomas Kuehn is professor of history at ClemsonUniversity."
Air-Quality Considered Study for Multiple Olefin Plant Startups

Ground-level ozone is a pervasive air pollutant, which could be formed from substantial flare emissions during chemical plant startup operations. Especially in regions where chemical plants are concentrated, the regional air quality (i.e., the ozone concentration) might be aggravated by simultaneous startup emissions from multiple chemical plants. Thus, it is environmentally important and cost-effective for optimal scheduling of multiplant startups under their manufacturing allowances to minimize possible adverse air-quality impacts. In this paper, a systematic methodology has been developed for air-quality conscious multiplant startups. Through case studies, they demonstrate that multiplant startups without any coordination could result in significant air-quality impacts (15.4 ppb increment). However, an optimal scheduling plan with several-hour tuning on the starting time of their startup operations would significantly reduce such adverse air-quality impacts (only 3.2 ppb increment). Another important f...