cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Microparticle injection effects on microwave transmission through an overly dense plasma layer

Vehicles traveling at hypersonic velocities within the Earth's atmosphere, such as spacecraft during reentry and other hypersonic vehicles, are enveloped by a dense plasma layer. This plasma layer reflects and significantly attenuates GPS and S-band signals for vehicle navigation, telemetry, and voice communications, resulting in radio blackout.
Microviscosity of an ion-conducting polymer probed by fluorescence depolarization and dielectric spectroscopy

Abstract The local segmental motions of polypropylene oxide melt with variable amounts of added LiClO 4 salt (0.3–2.2 mol% per repeat unit) were studied using dielectric relaxation spectroscopy and single photon counting methods after two-photon excitation of an unattached fluorescent dye, rhodamine123, embedded at low concentration within the polymer. The lithium ions serve as junctions between polymer chains and increase the bulk viscosity. The measured microviscosity contains information on the local environment of ClO 4 − ions.
Ralstonia solanacearum AmpD is required for wild-type bacterial wilt virulence

Abstract A gene resembling enterobacterial ampD was identified in the bacterial wilt pathogen, Ralstonia solanacearum. The gene lies 13 bp 3' of pehSR, a two-component positive regulator of virulence factors such as plant cell wall-degrading polygalacturonases and bacterial motility. AmpD, an N-acetylmuramyl-l-alanine amidase, degrades and recycles bacterial cell wall components and also plays a role in the induction of beta-lactamase, which confers ampicillin resistance. AmpD is probably not involved in beta-lactamase regulation in R. solanacearum, because the species produces no detectable beta-lactamase activity and is not ampicillin resistant. However, the R. solanacearum ampD gene restores inducible beta-lactamase activity to an Escherichia coli ampD mutant, demonstrating that the gene encodes an AmpD protein that can function in a heterologous background. An R. solanacearumampD chromosomal mutant was motile, produced wild-type levels of polygalacturonase activity and had wild-type cell and colony morphology. This mutant also grew normally in minimal medium and in plant tissue. Nonetheless, the ampD mutant was significantly reduced in bacterial wilt virulence on eggplant and tomato, suggesting a previously unsuspected role for N-acetylmuramyl-l-alanine amidase in plant pathogenesis.
FIBROMYALGIA, CHRONIC FATIGUE, AND OTHER IATROGENIC DIAGNOSTIC ALGORITHMS : DO SOME LABELS ESCALATE ILLNESS IN VULNERABLE PATIENTS?

PREVIEWContemporary medicine has the sophistication to identify the clinical settings in which the hunt for a diagnosis can be harmful to a patient's health. Which patients are best served by a prolonged search for a cause? Why has the disease-illness paradigm backfired for so many patients? Dr Hadler challenges readers to look at the difficult questions linked with diagnostic labels that might teach patients to stay sick.
Stoichiometric and Catalytic Behavior of Cationic Silyl and Silylene Complexes

Reactions of Ir(III) silyl and silylene complexes with a variety of unsaturated substrates were investigated. The reactivity of these complexes toward small molecules was also examined, and this led to the discovery of a nitrile carbon−carbon bond cleavage under mild conditions. Both silyl and silylene complexes of Ir(III) are precatalysts for catalytic hydrosilylation of ketones, and the mechanism of this reaction is discussed. In the course of studying the catalytic reaction mechanism, analogous new ruthenium silylene complexes of the form [Cp*(PMe3)2Ru(SiR2)][B(C6F5)4] (Cp* = η5-C5Me5, R = iPr, SPh) were prepared. A comparison of [Cp*(PMe3)Ir(SiPh2)(H)][B(C6F5)4] and the known Lewis acid hydrosilylation catalyst B(C6F5)3 is also made.
Scaling of asymmetric Hall magnetic reconnection

[1] The scaling of the reconnection rate and ion and electron outflow speeds with upstream magnetic field strengths and plasma mass densities during asymmetric collisionless (Hall) reconnection without a guide field is studied using two-dimensional two-fluid simulations. The results agree with a recent theory by Cassak and Shay (2007). It is found that the normalized reconnection rate is on the order of 0.1 and is independent of the asymmetry in field or density. Signatures of asymmetric Hall reconnection and applications to the magnetopause are briefly discussed.
SU-D-9A-05: IBEX: An Open Software Infrastructure Platform to Accelerate Collaborative Work On Quantitative Image Features and Predictive Models

Purpose: Quantitative imaging analysis has great potential to improve the accuracy and efficiency of cancer research, but the lack of software infrastructure prohibits progress from developing and using its methods. We have developed a software platform to flexibly support common quantitative imaging analysis tasks such as multimodality image data import and review, feature algorithm development, predictive model design, and consistent data sharing among multi-institutions. Methods: The IBEX(Imaging Biomarker Explorer) software package was developed under Matlab and C/C++. The software architecture deploys the modern Model-View-Controller (MVC) and unit testing programming concepts to isolate each task and to validate if their relevant data and algorithms are fit for use. The View component represents multimodality images with delineated structures (if available), which are imported using DICOM, CERR, or other native formats. Non-image data, such as patient performance status can also be entered. The Controller component represents image pre-processing and feature extraction algorithms. The Model component represents the predictive model formula and coefficients. Thanks to the unit testing implementation, the user has the option of reviewing the corresponding result to check the quality of data and algorithms at each stage. While IBEX itself is self-contained and has implemented typical algorithms and models, it is an open system and additional algorithms and models can be easily added by defining them in library files. Also, a complete external model can be imported, including necessary data about pre-processing algorithms, feature algorithms, model formula, and model coefficients. This greatly helps maintain data consistency when institutions attempt to validate external models. Results: Testers found the IBEX software to be intuitive and easy to use. All import, pre-processing algorithms, and feature algorithms were fully validated. Conclusion: We have successfully implemented an open software infrastructure platform to accelerate work on quantitative imaging analysis and collaborative research activities. This work was funded by the NCI(1R03CA178495-01)
The cleaning effects of mask aerial image after FIB repair in sub-80nm node

The Aerial Image Measurement Tool (AIMS) can estimate the wafer printability without exposure to wafer by using scanner. Since measured aerial images are similar with wafer prints, using AIMS becomes normal for verifying issue points of a mask. Also because mask design rule continues to shrink, defects and CD uniformity are at issues as factors decreasing mask yield. Occurred defects on a mask are removed by existing mask repair techniques such as nanomachining, electron beam and focused ion beam. But damages and contaminants by chemical and physical action are found on the mask surface and contaminants above special size lead to defects on a wafer. So cleaning has been necessary after repair process and detergency has been important. Before AIMS measurement, cleaning is done to make same condition with shipped mask, which method brings repeated process - repair and cleaning - if aerial image was not usual. So cleaning effect after the FIB repair is tested by using the AIMS to find the optimized process minimizing the repeated process and to get similar scanner results. First, programmed defect mask that includes various defect size and type is manufactured on some kinds of patterns in DRAM device and sub-80nm tech. Next the defects on the programmed mask are repaired by FIB repair machine. And aerial images are compared after the chemical cleaning, non-chemical cleaning and without cleaning. Finally, approximate aerial images to scanner results are taken regardless of cleaning process. It means that residue originated from repair process doesn't affect aerial images and flexible process is possible between AIMS, repair and cleaning process. But as the effect of minute particles and contaminations will be increased if pattern size is much smaller, it needs to reconfirm the effect below the sub-60nm in DRAM device.
Intersecting cultures and eCommerce: a case study

How do managers of global eCommerce services accommodate to the structural conditions and unique situated cultures in different locations where they do business, as they attempt to control business processes and shape organizational culture? This paper reports on a case study of an eCommerce company, "EmergeInc," that operated from offices in several different countries, selling online information services to customers in many different countries.The case illustrates management's role in attempting to accommodate to cultural and structural influences, while actively shaping organizational norms and practices and encouraging conformance to them. Three main techniques were used by the management team to shape norms and practices: using the Internet to disseminate stories, transferring employees, and creating new integrative roles and reporting relationships.
Mortality Rates and Causes of Death in a Cohort of HIV-Infected and Uninfected Women, 1993-1999

HIV/AIDS-associated and non-HIV/AIDS-associated death rates and causes of death between 1993 and 1999 were examined in 885 HIV-infected women and 425 uninfected women of the HIV Epidemiology Research Study cohort. Causes of death were determined by review of death certificates and the National Death Index. Adjusted bazard ratios were calculated for mortality risk factors. In the 885 HIV-infected women and 425 uninfected women, 234 deaths and 8 deaths, respectively, occurred by December 31, 1999. All-cause death rates in the HIV-infected women were unchanged between the pre-HAART (1993–1996) and HAART eras (1997–1999) —5.1 versus 5.4 deaths per 100 person-years (py). AIDS as a cause of death decreased from 58% of all deaths in 1996 to 19% in 1999, while HAART use increased to 42% by the end of 1999. In spite of the modest proportion ever using HAART, HIV-related mortality rates did decline, particularly in women with CD4+cell counts less than 200/mm3. Drug-related factors were prominent: for the 129 non-AIDS-defining deaths, hepatitis C positivity (relative bazard [RH] 2.6, P 30 and RH 0.7, P>.30, respectively. The regression analysis findings, along with the high percentage of non-AIDS deaths attributable to illicit drug use, suggest that high levels of drug use in this population offset improvements in mortality from declining numbers of deaths due to AIDS.
Recombinant Interleukin-8 Induces Changes in Cytosolic Ca2+ in Human Neutrophils

Activation of polymorphonuclear leukocytes (PMNL) by most soluble stimulants is associated with a marked increase in cytosolic free Ca2+ ([Ca2+]i). Interleukin-8 (IL-8), a monocyte-derived neutrophil chemotactic factor and potent neutrophil-activating cytokine, effectively enhanced the resting free [Ca2+]i within human PMNL in a dose-dependent manner (maximal effect with 100 ng/mL). The increase in [Ca2+]i was substantially (55%) inhibited in the absence of extracellular Ca2+. Thus, the increase was due to extra- and intracellular cooperative mobilization of Ca2+, as supported by the reduced effect of IL-8 on [Ca2+]i after quenching with Mn2+. Granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor and interferon-gamma failed to induce a change in [Ca2+]i, suggesting that they may operate through different signal pathways. Pretreatment with Bordetella pertussis toxin largely inhibited the IL-8-induced change in [Ca2+]i. Thus, IL-8-induced cooperative mobilization of intra- and extracellular Ca2+ leads to a net Ca2+ influx into the cytoplasm through a process mediated by a guanosine triphosphate-binding protein.
Is the collapse of agricultural output in the CEECs a good indicator of economic performance? A total factor productivity analysis

This paper analyzes total factor productivity (TFP) growth in agriculture for the ten Central and East European countries (CEECs) that began formal negotiations for EU accession in September 1998. A panel data set is constructed consisting of pooled time series data for the ten CEECs from 1993 to 2002, and it is used to estimate a time-varying stochastic production frontier. A Malmquist index of TFP growth is estimated and decomposed into efficiency change and technical change. The results show that despite the fall in output, TFP growth rates were positive for all ten CEECs. This suggests that the collapse of agricultural output in the CEECs is not necessarily a good indicator of agricultural performance. An analysis that only focuses on output decline provides a partial and misleading interpretation of the success of agricultural reforms. Also, estimates of technical efficiency confirm the hypothesis that large-scale farming performs better than small-scale farming when markets are missing and economic ...
Supplementary absolute differential cross sections for the excitation of atomic hydrogen's n=3 and 4 levels by electron impact

We have conducted measurements of absolute differential cross sections for the excitation of hydrogen atoms to their n=3(3S+3P+3D) and 4(4S+4P+4D+4F) levels. A modulated, crossed-beam method was employed, and the impact energies were 40 and 60 eV. Comparison of our results with those of others is quite favorable.
The solubility of calcium oxalate in tissue culture media.

Abstract The equilibrium parameters for calcium oxalate solubility in tissue culture media were investigated because of the current interest in oxalate toxicity. The calcium selective ion electrode methodology was evaluated and calcium concentrations from potentiometric calculations were verified by d-c argon plasma emission spectroscopy. The experimental K sp 's at 25°C for Dulbecco's modified Eagle media and McCoys 5A media are equivalent to the literature K sp of 2.3 × 10 −9 for low ionic strength. The equilibrium concentration products, [Ca 2+ ] [C 2 O 2− 4 ], are ten times higher than the K sp 's due to the high ionic strengths of tissue culture media. At 37°C, addition of soluble oxalate at the 10 −3 to 10 −4 M level causes >50% precipitation of the oxalate resulting in equilibrium oxalate concentrations of less than 6 × 10 −5 M. This relatively inexpensive selective ion technique allows the determination of oxalate concentrations in equilibrium-saturated media which are substantially less than those calculated by the amount of soluble oxalate added to the media.
Unzipping the mysteries of amyloid fiber formation.

Interest in the phenomenon of protein aggregation is as old as protein research. For example, changes in activity and covalent structure accompanying “coagulum” formation by insulin were important to the elucidation of the molecular origins of hormone action (1). In recent memory, the phenomenon of aggregation served only as an annoyance to the research biochemist and a serious economic consideration in the production and distribution of protein pharmaceuticals. Now, however, one class of aggregate has drawn considerable interest from a range of disciplines. These aggregates are readily identified ultrastructurally by the presence of nonamorphous, filamentous structures, termed amyloid fibers. Two diverse groups share an interest in these systems. The first are those interested in the biological and biomedical relevance. Amyloid fibers are involved in a range of human conditions, e.g., Alzheimer's disease and type II diabetes (2, 3). The conversion of a normally soluble protein into amyloid can give rise to a gain in toxic function or a loss of function, or can result in occlusion of normal cellular or organ function. Furthermore, there is growing evidence that amyloid can be used productively by organisms (4). For example, in Escherichia coli , the deposition of the protein curli as amyloid serves as a substrate for colony and biofilm formation (5). In humans, it has recently been suggested that similar conversions in conformation of cytoplasmic polyadenylation element-binding proteins are central to the maintenance of long-term memory (6). The second group are those interested in the development of novel materials (7, 8). Amyloid fibers template their own assembly, giving rise to reproducible structures on the nanometer scale. The precursors are readily synthesized or are biologically expressed, allowing for a range of derivitization. The reaction conditions for assembly can be environmentally friendly and yet yield fibers that are physically and chemically …
Binary Encoding and Nanotagging Using Plasmonic Core-Shell Nanoparticles

We present a frequency-domain binary encoding/tagging using a set of core-shell nanoparticles. The frequency content of signals from this set contains peaks corresponding to plasmonic resonances of particles and can be interpreted as binary digits.
Co-Speech Gesture Input as a Support for Language Learning in Children With and Without Early Language Delay

The current paper provides empirical support for adults using co-speech gesturing with children with and without early language delay. The discussion starts broad by showing that co-speech gestures...
Detection of Undocumented Changepoints Using Multiple Test Statistics and Composite Reference Series.

An evaluation of three hypothesis test statistics that are commonly used in the detection of undocumented changepoints is described. The goal of the evaluation was to determine whether the use of multiple tests could improve undocumented, artificial changepoint detection skill in climate series. The use of successive hypothesis testing is compared to optimal approaches, both of which are designed for situations in which multiple undocumented changepoints may be present. In addition, the importance of the form of the composite climate reference series is evaluated, particularly with regard to the impact of undocumented changepoints in the various component series that are used to calculate the composite. In a comparison of single test changepoint detection skill, the composite reference series formulation is shown to be less important than the choice of the hypothesis test statistic, provided that the composite is calculated from the serially complete and homogeneous component series. However, each of the evaluated composite series is not equally susceptible to the presence of changepoints in its components, which may be erroneously attributed to the target series. Moreover, a reference formulation that is based on the averaging of the first-difference component series is susceptible to random walks when the composition of the component series changes through time (e.g., values are missing), and its use is, therefore, not recommended. When more than one test is required to reject the null hypothesis of no changepoint, the number of detected changepoints is reduced proportionately less than the number of false alarms in a wide variety of Monte Carlo simulations. Consequently, a consensus of hypothesis tests appears to improve undocumented changepoint detection skill, especially when reference series homogeneity is violated. A consensus of successive hypothesis tests using a semihierarchic splitting algorithm also compares favorably to optimal solutions, even when changepoints are not hierarchic.
Effects of nitric oxide synthase inhibitor NG-nitro-L-arginine methyl ester on spatial and cued leaning.

Abstract An investigation was made of the effects of the nitric oxide synthase inhibitor N G -nitro- l -arginine methyl ester ( l -NAME) on the acquisition and retention of two operantly conditioned discrimination tasks. Twenty Long–Evans rats were conditioned to approach one of two spatial locations that was either held constant across trials (spatial task) or was associated with a visual cue (illuminated lamp) that was randomly assigned to one of the locations on each trial (cued task). Rats were assigned to one of two treatment groups in which they received intraperitoneal injections of either N G -nitro- l -arginine methyl ester or saline approximately 2 h before sessions on each day of training. Analysis was made of the trial-by-trial performance in order to identify the characteristics of learning under each condition. Assessment of learning acquisition was based on the number of trials required to reach a criterion of 80% correct responses, whereas retention was assessed by the number of trials to criterion on each day after the criterion was initially reached. Analysis indicated that treatment groups did not differ significantly on acquisition or retention of either the spatial or cued task. These results indicate that inhibition of nitric oxide synthase does not interfere with the learning or retention of basic operant tasks that involve simple spatial or visual analysis. Whereas results from biochemical and physiological investigations have suggested an impact of nitric oxide synthase on behavioural function, behavioural investigations indicate a limited impact of nitric oxide synthase inhibition on learning and memory. Although these results do not discount the role of nitric oxide synthase in a hippocampal mechanism, they illustrate that behavioural analysis should be made in the context of multiple interacting neural systems. Viewed with previous behavioural research on the effects of N G -nitro- l -arginine methyl ester, these results indicate that nitric oxide synthase inhibition results in impairment of certain forms of learning whereas other forms are preserved.
Gun availability and use of guns for suicide, homicide, and murder in Canada

A reliability check of Lester's (2000b) 1970-1995 time series that examined associations between the availability of firearms and their use for homicide and suicide in Canada. For the period 1974 to 1999, the relative availability of firearms as measured by the rate of accidental death from firearms and the average of the percentages of suicides + homicides using firearms was positively associated with the rate of homicide by firearms but not negatively associated with the rate of homicide by all other methods, and positively associated with the rate of suicide by firearms and negatively associated with the rate of suicide by all other methods. Correlations for the homicide versus murder rates, homicide rate using guns versus murder rate using guns, and homicide rate by all other methods versus murder rate by all other methods were very similar. There was a decrease over time of total suicide and homicide rates and firearm suicide and homicide rates, and with a slight indication of substitution of other methods for suicide.
Systolic array implementation of recursive bispectrum estimation

Presents the systolic array implementation of recursive higher order spectrum in which the bispectrum estimate is updated every data sample. Forward and reverse sequence running Fourier transforms are first systolically realized. The results are then used to drive a second systolic array whose outputs represent the FT of the data third order moment. The proposed systolic array has no global communications with a number of PEs independent of the size of the employed two dimensional lag window. >
Violation of the Adiabatic Invariants and Trapped Particle Diffusion

The radiation belts are kept in existence by the simultaneous action of four processes: (i) injection of charged particles into the trapping region of the magnetosphere; (ii) acceleration; (iii) diffusion, and (iv) loss. This chain operates at a rate in which on a long term average injection and loss are roughly in equilibrium. Part of the acceleration process is intimately coupled to diffusion.
Modeling biogeochemical responses of tundra ecosystems to temporal and spatial variations in climate in the Kuparuk River Basin (Alaska)

[1] We used a process-based ecosystem model (Marine Biological Laboratory General Ecosystem Model (MBL-GEM III)) to predict and analyze biogeochemical responses of Arctic tundra ecosystems to past (1921–2000) and future (2001–2100) changes in climate and atmospheric CO2 in the Kuparuk River Basin, Alaska. We first calibrated the model by deriving a single parameter set that closely simulated the response of moist tussock tundra to decade-long experimental manipulations of nutrients, temperature, light, and atmospheric CO2 at Toolik Lake on the North Slope of Alaska. We then applied the parameterized model to the entire Kuparuk River Basin over 180 years. The model predicted that warming and drying resulted in a short-term source of CO2 on annual timescales but resulted in a CO2 sink on decadal timescales. These predictions are consistent with recent measurements. A time series analysis has identified that while the immediate response to warming is to release C, the response a year later is to store C. This 1-year lag is consistent with other work that has shown a similar lag in C storage and normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) on a global scale. Our simulation results indicated that by 2100 high CO2 and warming will increase C sequestration, mostly as a result of (1) an increase in vegetation C:N ratio, which occurs across the Kuparuk Basin, and (2) a redistribution of N from soils (with low C:N ratios) to vegetation (with high C:N ratios), which occurs mainly in ecosystems in the basin that are initially productive, dry, and warm. These results are consistent with the observation of increased shrubiness in Alaskan tundra over the past few decades. Our application of the model has been hindered by the lack of climate data for the region, especially precipitation. A number of other general issues have been identified for making progress in modeling spatial and temporal C dynamics of Arctic tundra.
Response of extreme floods in the southwestern United States to climatic variations in the late Holocene

A regional synthesis of paleoflood chronologies on rivers in Arizona and southern Utah reveals that the largest floods over the last 5000 years cluster into distinct time periods that are related to regional and global climatic fluctuations. The flood chronologies were constructed using fine-grained slackwater deposits that accumulate in protected areas along the margins of bedrock canyons and selectively preserve evidence of the largest events. High-magnitude floods were frequent on rivers throughout the region from 5000 to 360014C yrs BP (dendrocalibrated age = 3800-2200 BC) and increased again after 2200 BP (400 BC), with particularly prominent peaks in magnitude and frequency around 1100-900 BP (AD 900–1100) and after 500 yrs BP (AD 1400). In contrast, the periods 3600-2200 BP (2200-400 BC) and 800-600 yrs BP (1200–1400 AD) are marked by sharp decreases in the occurrence of large floods on these rivers. In the modern record, storms that generate large floods (≥ 10-year) in the region fall into three categories: (1) winter North Pacific frontal storms; (2) late-summer and fall storms that draw in moisture from recurved Pacific tropical cyclones; and (3) summer storms, mainly convective thunderstorms. Winter storms and tropical cyclones are associated with the most severe floods on the rivers in this study, and are the most probable causes of the paleofloods over the last 5000 years. Floods from both winter storms and tropical cyclones occur when deep mid-latitude troughs steer storm systems into the region. Composite anomaly maps of daily 700-mbar heights indicate that these floods are associated with a low-pressure anomaly off the California coast and a high-pressure anomaly over the Aleutians or Gulf of Alaska. A strong connection exists between the negative phase of the Southern Oscillation Index (often associated with El Nin˜o conditions) and the large floods associated with winter storms and tropical cyclones. The paleoflood records confirm the existence of centennial-scale variations in the conditions conducive to the occurrence of extreme floods and flood-generating storms in this region. The episodes with an increased frequency of high-magnitude floods coincide with periods of cool, wet climate in the western U.S., whereas warm intervals, such as the Medieval Warm Period, are times of dramatic decreases in the number of large floods. A positive relationship between the paleofloods and long-term variations in the frequency of El Nin˜o events is evident over the last 1000 years. This relationship continues over at least the last 3000 years with warm coastal sea-surface temperatures indicative of El Nin˜o-like conditions.
A transformation for a Heterogeneous, Multiple Depot, Multiple Traveling Salesman Problem

Unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) are being increasingly used for surveillance missions in civil and military applications. These vehicles can be heterogeneous in the sense that they can differ either in their motion constraints or sensing/attack capabilities. Given a surveillance mission that require a group of heterogeneous UAVs to visit a set of targets, this paper addresses a resource allocation problem of finding the optimal sequence of targets for each vehicle such that 1) each target is visited at least once by some vehicle, and 2) the total cost travelled by all the vehicles is minimized. This problem can be posed as a Heterogeneous, Multiple Depot, Multiple Traveling Salesman Problem (HMDMTSP). This paper presents a transformation of a Heterogeneous, Multiple Depot, Multiple Traveling Salesman Problem (HMDMTSP) into a single, Asymmetric, Traveling Salesman Problem (ATSP). As a result, algorithms available for the single salesman problem can be used to solve the HMDMTSP. To show the effectiveness of the transformation, the well known Lin-Kernighan-Helsgaun heuristic was applied to the transformed ATSP. Computational results show that good quality solutions can be obtained for the HMDMTSP relatively fast.
ON THE MECHANICS OF FATIGUE CRACK GROWTH DUE TO CONTACT LOADING.

This paper analyses the propagation behaviour of fatigue cracks arising from contact loading. Stress intensity factors are computed for a surface breaking crack in the presence of a near-surface inclusion, and under the influence of interacting asperities at the surface. With the use of the growth law of McEvily and Foreman (McEvily, A. J. The microstructure and design of alloys, vol. 2, Proc. 3rd Int. Conf. on the Strength of Metal and Alloys, Cambridge (1973)), crack propagation is studied as a function of the calculated mode II stress intensity range, $\Delta$K$_{II}$. Crack arrest is examined, the role of inclusions demonstrated, and a single-crack load-life calculation is performed, yielding results consistent with experimental observation. Finally, stress intensity factors are computed for a subsurface crack growing from an inclusion toward the surface, and the limitations of these results are discussed.
The Child Care HOME Inventories: Assessing the Quality of Family Child Care Homes.

Abstract Versions of the HOME Inventory for use in family child care homes are described. The Infant/Toddler version is designed for use when children are less than 3 years old; the Early Childhood version for children ages 3–6. Psychometric characteristics of the child care versions of HOME are similar to the psychometric characteristics found for the original HOME used to measure the family environment. Child Care HOME scores were strongly related to intensive observational measures of behavior among child care providers and to measures of physical and organizational aspects of the environment. Because the inventories take less time and training to administer than most current measures of family child care, they may provide a way for licensing workers and others responsible for maintaining quality in child care to obtain useful information about this widely used but minimally monitored form of non-parental care.
Collective matrix remodeling by isolated cells: unionizing home improvement do-it-yourselfers.

How do isolated cells reach out collectively to remodel the environment in which they reside? We have known for some time that in certain processes, such as wound-healing, cells appear to act together, contacting one another through bands of remodeled collagen stretching over distances that are very long compared to the size of a cell (Fig. 1, left panel). We also know that fibroblasts act locally, synthesizing and remodeling extracellular matrix (ECM) proteins in response to signals that are only partially understood (Fig. 1, right panel).
Issues and Examples Regarding Growth of AlN, GaN and AlxGa1−xN Thin Films via OMVPE and Gas Source MBE

Organometallic vapor phase epitaxy (OMVPE) and molecular beam epitaxy (MBE) are the most common methods for the growth of thin films of A1N and GaN. Sapphire is the most common substrate; however, a host of materials have been used with varying degrees of success. Both growth techniques have been employed by the authors to grow AIN, GaN and AlxGa1−xN thin films primarily on 6H-SiC(0001). The mismatch in atomic layer stacking sequences along the growth direction produces double positioning boundaries in A1N and the alloys at the SiC steps; this sequence problem appears to discourage the two-dimensional nucleation of GaN. Films of these materials grown by MBE at 650°C are textured; monocrystalline films are achieved between 850°C (pure GaN) and 1050°C (pure A1N) by this technique and OMVPE. Donor and acceptor doping of GaN has been achieved via MBE without post growth annealing. Acceptor doping in CVD material requires annealing to displace the H from the Mg and eventually remove it from the material. High brightness light emitting diodes are commercially available; however, numerous concerns regarding metal and nitrogen sources, heteroepitaxial nucleation, the role of buffer layers, surface migration rates as a function of temperature, substantial defect densities and their effect on film and device properties, ohmic and rectifying contacts, wet and dry etching and suitable gate and field insulators must and are being addressed. Selected issues surrounding the growth of these materials with particular examples drawn from the authors' research are presented herein.
Employee Stock Options And Diluted Earnings Per Share: An Extension

Firms must currently apply the fair value method in determining the amount of employee compensation incurred in the case of employee stock options. The amount of such compensation is required to be measured as fair value of the equity instrument at the grant date, with compensation expense recognized over the service period under the straight-line method. This compensation expense affects the numerator for purposes of calculating earnings per share (EPS) under generally accepted accounting principles (GAAP). Current GAAP also requires that for purposes of calculating diluted EPS, the treasury stock method be applied where the assumed proceeds from exercise of the optioned shares is used to purchase shares of the firm’s stock at its average market price of the earnings period. These incremental shares increase the denominator for purposes of calculating diluted EPS. These requirements are consistent across the pronouncements of the Financial Accounting Standards Board (FASB) and the International Accounting Standards Board (IASB). This study extends the work of Doran (2005) where a single period model was assumed and found: 1. Application of the fair value method does not double count the impact of compensation recognized, and 2. Applying the treasury stock method where shares are assumed purchased at the average for the period price (instead of end of year price) understates the number of incremental shares (the denominator), which overstates diluted EPS. This paper employs a simple multi period model that assumes a risk free environment with complete certainty in testing the accuracy of GAAP compliant diluted EPS in the case of employee stock options. Consistent with Doran (2005) the results here again indicate that assuming purchase of treasury shares at their average market price of the earnings period understates the EPS denominator. The results of this study also indicate that the reported employee compensation expense is understated. The observed cause of this numerator error is treating the “payment” for the option (employee service) as if it was received in full at the grant date as a lump sum (like inventory or some other asset), rather than being received ratably over the employee service period – as an annuity. Each of these findings contributes to the observed overstatement of diluted EPS. Correct diluted EPS is observed when the employee service is treated as being received ratably over the service period, and the shares assumed purchased as treasury stock are acquired at the higher period ending market price. The amount of diluted EPS overstatement under both FASB and IASB standards is directly related to the length of the term of the option.
Performance Evaluation Gradient

The Infrastructure Engineering Directorate of the Defense Information Systems Agency (DISA) Center for Information Management is responsible for defining an information utility to provide data processing, storage, and value-added services to DOD users. One of the key questions on how to structure the utility is whether to contract for services or provide them within DOD. The primary goal of PEG is to aid in answering this question. Present procurement regulations and practices lead to long procurement and installation delays when compared to commercial practice. The age of the government installed base is far higher than in industry (see references 1&2). These effect the potential cost of government-provided services. Key information utility questions include: What are the key parameters that affect the outsourcing decision? What products or services are more efficiently outsourced? What products or services are more cost effectively provided by the government? How do government procurement delays affect costs? How does the age of installed equipment affect costs? What is the most cost effective equipment turnover rate?
Quality Improvement Process in a Large Intensive Care Unit: Structure and Outcomes

Quality improvement in the health care setting is a complex process, and even more so in the critical care environment. The development of intensive care unit process measures and quality improvement strategies are associated with improved outcomes, but should be individualized to each medical center as structure and culture can differ from institution to institution. The purpose of this report is to describe the structure of quality improvement processes within a large medical intensive care unit while using examples of the study institution's successes and challenges in the areas of stat antibiotic administration, reduction in blood product waste, central line-associated bloodstream infections, and medication errors.
Convective Self-Aggregation and Tropical Cyclogenesis under the Hypohydrostatic Rescaling

AbstractThe behavior of rotating and nonrotating aggregated convection is examined at various horizontal resolutions using the hypohydrostatic, or reduced acceleration in the vertical (RAVE), rescaling. This modification of the equations of motion reduces the scale separation between convective- and larger-scale motions, enabling the simultaneous and explicit representation of both types of flow in a single model without convective parameterization. Without the RAVE rescaling, a dry bias develops when simulations of nonrotating radiative–convective equilibrium are integrated at coarse resolution in domains large enough to permit convective self-aggregation. The rescaling reduces this dry bias, and here it is suggested that the rescaling moistens the troposphere by weakening the amplitude and slowing the group velocity of gravity waves, thus reducing the subsidence drying around aggregated convection. Separate simulations of rotating radiative–convective equilibrium exhibit tropical cyclogenesis; as horizo...
Treating Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus

Diabetes currently affects 23.6 million people in the United States, or 7.8% of the population, and 246 million people worldwide.1,2 Approximately 90–95% of those affected have type 2 diabetes (DM2). Diabetes is the fifth leading cause of death by disease in the United States and was estimated to cost $174 billion in direct and indirect expenditures in 2007.3 Clearly this is an enormous burden in terms of both human suffering and economic cost.
Of Limits and Growth: Conservation for Development: The World Conservation Strategy and the Rise of Sustainable Development Planning

In September 1975, the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) met for their Thirteenth General Assembly in Kinshasa, Zaire. The meeting was fraught with tensions. For one, the event host, Zaire's dictatorial leader Mobutu Seso Seko, had armed guards patrol meetings and often made quick, unexpected schedule changes that left participants nervous and aggravated. More deeply, however, conflicts within the organization that had been simmering for years finally erupted. The IUCN had spent the past two decades trying to make the case for environmental protection as countries pursued economic development, often defining the two concepts as irreconcilable. By the mid-1970s, some officials had begun to wonder whether it would be more desirable and effective for nations to fold conservation principles into their development planning from the start – to emphasize “conservation's value as an instrument for sound development everywhere” as the IUCN's 1974 annual report suggested. Yet others remained skeptical of making such a shift, believing that the organization should hew closely to their older focus on species and landscape protection. In Kinshasa, debates over how to define the organization's purpose exacerbated anxieties over other issues – such as whether the IUCN was becoming too bureaucratic and whether it had forged too many ties with the UN system – and deeply frustrated participants. The meeting, later dubbed the “Night of the Long Knives,” ended with a “bad-tempered” session of the group's executive board, a dramatic overhaul in the group's leadership, and widespread confusion, uncertainty, and anger among its members. The Kinshasa meeting and the many similar debates over the direction of environmental activism attested to the fact that the IUCN and many other environmental non-governmental organizations (NGOs) were at a crossroads in the 1970s. Activists could celebrate movements pushing to rethink development, such as the appropriate technology movement, and growing awareness of the need for accountability mechanisms, such as impact statements, to rein in development lenders. Yet the desire for economic development continued to captivate leaders across the world, and many nations still resisted comprehensive environmental protection policies. Powerful questions hung over the purpose of environmental NGOs toward the Global South: How could groups such as the IUCN convince leaders in developing countries to include conservation in their development strategies? And to what extent should activists place conservation in service of economic objectives?
Humanity, Obligation, and the Good Will: An Argument against Dean's Interpretation of Humanity

Humanity (die Menschheit) is an important notion within Kant's moral theory. The humanity formulation of the categorical imperative (FH) commands: ‘So act that you use humanity, whether in your own person or in the person of any other, always at the same time as an end, never merely as a means’ (G 4: 429). Kant's analysis of ethical obligation and his expositions of rights and duties in the Metaphysics of Morals refer frequently to humanity. How we understand this concept, then, has signifcant implications for how we understand Kant's ethics.
The Effect of Hydrogen Dilution of the Gas Plasma on Glow Discharge a-Ge:H

A series of films of amorphous hydrogenated germanium has been produced using the r.f. glow discharge technique by varying the H2/GeH4 ratio in the gas plasma from 0 to 50 while keeping all other deposition parameters constant. Electronic, optical, and structural characterization has been performed. No significant changes in optical and electronic properties were observed for this range of dilution, in contrast to repeated reports on the hydrogenated silicon-germanium alloy system. However, small systematic changes in structure are observed using TEM techniques. We conclude that the observed differences are unimportant in determining the optical and electronic properties of this material.
Healthcare providers' perspectives on parental health literacy and child health outcomes among Southeast Asian American immigrants and refugees

Abstract Low health literacy has emerged as an important area of research because of its close link with health disparities. In this study, we used a qualitative approach to investigate healthcare providers' perspectives on the health literacy of immigrant and refugee parents and its association with children's health. Sixteen health and mental health professionals serving immigrant and refugee parents and children in various clinical settings were recruited through a purposive sampling method and interviewed. Six broad themes were identified: (1) multi-dimensional components of parental health literacy; (2) parent characteristics and native country experiences; (3) host systems and their interactions impact on parental health literacy; (4) diverse aspects of help-seeking; (5) culture-based parental help-seeking; and (6) child health outcomes. Within these larger themes, the complexity of parental health literacy and its various effects on children's health outcomes among immigrant and refugee parents were evident. Future research includes more population-based quantitative studies of parental health literacy and culturally relevant clinical approaches among immigrant and refugee parents.
Rights Forfeiture Theorists Should Embrace the Duty View of Punishment

ABSTRACTIn this paper, I bring into conversation with each other two views about the justification of punishment: the rights forfeiture theory and the duty view. I argue that philosophers attracted to the former should instead accept the latter.
Ultra-High Resolution Optical Coherence Tomography Imaging of Unilateral Drusen in a 31 Year Old Woman.

We report a case of widespread unilateral drusen in a healthy 31 year old Caucasian woman using multi-modal imaging including ultra-high resolution optical coherence tomography (UHR-OCT). Dilated fundus exam showed multiple drusen-like lesions in the posterior pole without heme or fluid. Fundus auto fluorescence demonstrated hyperautofluorescent at the deposits. Fluorescein angiography revealed mild hyperfluorescence and staining of the lesions. Spectral-domain optical coherence tomography (SD-OCT) OS showed accumulations in the temporal macula at Bruch’s membrane. UHR-OCT provided improved axial resolution compared to the standard 5 μm on the commercial SD-OCT and confirmed the presence of deposits in Bruch’s membrane, consistent with drusen. The retinal layers were draped over the excrescences but did not show any disruption.
Novel, Extremely Hard Nitride Coatings for Tool Steel

(1992). Novel, Extremely Hard Nitride Coatings for Tool Steel. Materials and Processing Report: Vol. 7, No. 5, pp. 1-2.