cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
The role of A1 exchange in the reaction π−p → (π+π−n

Abstract Data have recently become available, at 17.2 GeV/ c , which show strong target polarization effects for the reaction π − p → ( π + π − )n. These data require the presence of an exchange with the quantum numbers of the A 1 . A simple model based on π , A 2 , and A 1 Regge pole exchange together with parametrized n = 0 cuts is found to provide an excellent description of both the polarized and unpolarized data. The resulting structure of the A 1 dominated amplitudes is discussed and the results are compared with earlier models which neglected A 1 exchange effects.
CROSS-SECTIONAL OBSERVATIONS BY HRTEM OF THE STRUCTURE OF NICKEL OXIDE ELECTROCHROMIC THIN FILMS IN THE AS-DEPOSITED STATE AND THE BLEACHED STATE

Abstract To investigate the microstructure of nickel oxide electrochromic thin films prepared by reactive DC magnetron sputtering, cross-sectional observations of sputtered nickel oxide films have been performed using a high resolution electron microscope. High resolution images were observed for as-deposited and bleached samples. These images show that the surface morphology of these samples is quite different. The bleached sample consists of needle-like microcrystallites, while the as-deposited sample consists of columnar crystals and has a smooth surface. Diffraction patterns indicate that crystallized NiO is the dominant structure in both samples. The fact that no trace of Ni(OH) 2 was observed implies that the boundary and the surface of NiO microcrystallites play important roles in the electrochromic reaction. © 1997 Elsevier Science Ltd
Effect of hysteresis on measurements of thin-film cell performance

Transient or hysteresis effects in polycrystalline thin film CdS/CdTe cells are a function of pre-measurement voltage bias and whether Cu is introduced as an intentional dopant during back contact fabrication. When Cu is added, the current-density (J) vs. voltage (V) measurements performed in a reverse-to-forward voltage direction will yield higher open-circuit voltage (V oc ), up to 10 mV, and smaller short-circuit current density (J sc ), by up to 2 mA/cm 2 , relative to scanning voltage in a forward-to-reverse direction. The variation at the maximum power point, P max , is however small. The resulting variation in FF can be as large as 3%. When Cu is not added, hysteresis in both V oc and J sc is negligible however Pmax hysteresis is considerably greater. This behavior corroborates observed changes in depletion width, W d , derived from capacitance (C) vs voltage (V) scans. Measured values of W d are always smaller in reverse-to-forward voltage scans, and conversely, larger in the forward-to-reverse voltage direction. Transient ion drift (TID) measurements performed on Cu-containing cells do not show ionic behavior suggesting that capacitance transients are more likely due to electronic capture-emission processes. J-V curve simulation using Pspice shows that increased transient capacitance during light-soak stress at 100 °C correlates with increased space-charge recombination. Voltagedependent collection however was not observed to increase with stress in these cells.
Microstructure and high-temperature strength of pressureless-sintered silicon carbide

Silicon carbide (SIC) cermic has been recognized as a prime candidate material for structural applications such as heat engine components, heat exchangers etc., due to its good strength, excellent resistance to corrosion and oxidation, and excellent thermomechanical as well as thermophysical properties. The densification of SiC via pressureless sintering has been an important subject for years, and the first work was pioneered by Prochazka [1] who obtained a dense SiC with the addition of boron and carbon as sintering aids by means of a liquid-phase sintering mechanism. In spite of sufficient flexural strength, SiC ceramics in the SiC + B + C system showed no improvement in the resistance to fracture [2, 3]. A number of investigations indicate the importance of sintering aids, which play a crucial role in changing the mechanical as welt as high-temperature properties of the SiC ceramic [3-6]. Omori and Takei [7], who used alumina and yttria as sintering aids, obtained a dense SiC ceramic with an improved mechanical strength of greater than 6 5 0 MPa. More recently, Lee et al. [3] obtained a dense SiC ceramic with a fracture toughness as high as -8 .3 MPam 1/2, by allowing exaggerated growth of the SiC grains at 2000 °C to form a microstructure containing considerable amounts of plate-like a-SiC grains. Unfommately, the fracture strength of their SiC ceramics decreased to -450 MPa. A recent investigation by the present authors has demonstrated that dense SiC ceramics with a four-point flexural strength above 600 MPa and a fracture toughness as good as 6 . 0 M P a m 1/2 are achievable through the control of microstructure evolution in monolithic SiC ceramic, by starting with a mixture of ozand /3-SIC powders via a two-step pressureless sintering procedure [8]. The requirement of high-temperature strength is a prime consideration in the development of SiC ceramics, since one of their principal uses is for heat-engine applications where the high-tempera~tre properties are critically important. Although studies on the high-temperature strength of SiC ceramics are extensive, most of the investigations involving sintering aids were focused on boron and carbon systems. For employing A1203 and 57203 as sintering aids, the available data on the strength at elevated temperatures are not extensive. In a number of patent references [6,9] the data for high-temperature strength of SiC ceramics, in spite of their high room-temperature strength, showed a considerable reduction in strength by over 25% at 1200 °C.
Biomolecular gradients in cell culture systems

Biomolecule gradients have been shown to play roles in a wide range of biological processes including development, inflammation, wound healing, and cancer metastasis. Elucidation of these phenomena requires the ability to expose cells to biomolecule gradients that are quantifiable, controllable, and mimic those that are present in vivo. Here we review the major biological phenomena in which biomolecule gradients are employed, traditional in vitro gradient-generating methods developed over the past 50 years, and new microfluidic devices for generating gradients. Microfluidic gradient generators offer greater levels of precision, quantitation, and spatiotemporal gradient control than traditional methods, and may greatly enhance our understanding of many biological phenomena. For each method, we outline the salient features, capabilities, and applications.
Biodegradation of diphenyl ethers by a copper-resistant mutant of Erwinia sp.

A bacterium tentatively identified as anErwinia sp. was isolated from sewage by enrichment on methanol and lignin. Several mutants developed from this strain were studied for their ability to degrade aromatic ethers. Different concentrations of the chemicals were incubated with the organisms and the degradation was estimated by high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). Among these mutants, one isolate,Erwinia sp. strain CU3614, showed resistance to copper ions (>20 mM CuSO4) and the ability to degrade 4-hydroxydiphenyl ether (4-HDPE), 4-chlorodiphenyl ether (4-CDPE), 4-nitrodiphenyl ether (4-NDPE) and 2,7-dichlorodibenzo-p-dioxin (2,7-DCDD) in the presence of copper ions. Increased concentrations of copper in the medium resulted in higher degradation of 4-HDPE. Further studies with copper-sensitive mutants obtained fromErwinia sp. CU3614 by Tn5 transposon-induced mutagenesis showed a corresponding decrease in the ability to degrade 4-HDPE. These results suggest the presence of a copper-associated activity in the biotransformation of aromatic ethers.
A Comprehensive Review and Critical Examination of Interdisciplinary Approaches Towards Adolescent Substance Abuse Treatment

ABSTRACT A comprehensive examination of the current state of adolescent substance abuse is presented. Treatment and research approaches are discussed. A detailed account is provided of ritual theory which has its origins in anthropology and comparative religion. Three major theories of ritual are critically explored. Next, theories regarding ritual and current culture and psychological approaches towards ritual are examined and critiqued. Finally, a case is made for the need to approach substance abuse through an interdisciplinary understanding of the phenomenon.
Cross-Reactivity of Anti-CagA Antibodies With Vascular Wall Antigens Possible Pathogenic Link Between Helicobacter pylori Infection and Atherosclerosis

Background— Helicobacter pylori-CagA positive strains have been shown to be associated with atherosclerosis. However, the pathogenesis is still undetermined. The aim of this study was to determine whether anti-CagA antibodies cross-react with antigens of normal and atherosclerotic arteries. Methods and Results— Eight umbilical cord sections, 14 atherosclerotic artery sections, and 10 gastrointestinal tract sections were examined by immunohistochemistry using polyclonal anti-CagA antibodies. Five atherosclerotic and 3 normal artery samples were also lysed in ice-cold lysis buffer containing protease inhibitors and were immunoprecipitated using the same antibodies. Anti-CagA antibodies reacted with cytoplasm and nuclei of smooth muscle cells in umbilical cord and atherosclerotic vessel sections, cytoplasm of fibroblasts-like cells in intimal atherosclerotic plaques, and the cell membranes of endothelial cells. Anti-CagA antibodies also specifically immunoprecipitated 2 high molecular weight antigens of 160 ...
Molecular phylogeny of the prickly shark, Echinorhinus cookei, based on a nuclear (18S rRNA) and a mitochondrial (cytochrome b) gene

Abstract The classification of the sharks is unclear. This is particularly true for the superorder Squalomorphii. The relationships between the squalomorphs and other superorders of sharks and the relationships between the different orders within the squalomorphs are a matter of debate. Here, we report a molecular phylogeny for a little known member of this superorder, the genus Echinorhinus. Echinorhinus is most commonly classified in either the family Echinorhinidae (Squaliformes) or the family Squalidae (Squaliformes). However, some authors have suggested a closer relationship to the order Hexanchiformes. In an attempt to shed light on this controversy, we have cloned, sequenced, and compared two genes widely used in molecular phylogeny studies, the cytochrome b and the 1SS rRNA from the rare prickly shark, Echinorhinus cookei, and two potential relatives, the spiny dogfish Squalus acanthias (Squaliformes), and the sevengill shark, Notorynchus cepedianus (Hexanchiformes). The sequences of these genes for the prickly shark, the dogfish, and the sevengill shark were found to be equally divergent, suggesting that the prickly shark is no closer to the order Squaliformes than to the order Hexanchiformes.
U.S. Common stock prices, 1871–1970: playing with dummies

The received wisdom that the levels of many economic time series are generated by processes with a unit autoregressive root has been called into question by recent work of Perron. When break points, or interventions, in the time series are allowed it emerges that the unit roots hypothesis can often be rejected at quite low significance levels. Taking for illustration a single time series, U.S. common stock prices, we demonstrate that Perron's conclusions are very sensitive to the choice of break point, and that the data contain little support for the particular choice imposed by Perron.
Anatomic site of tube feeding influences glycemic control—an evidence-based hypothesis

Hyperglycemia is associated with severe complications AND Gastric bypass surgery has emerged as a cure for hyperglycemia AND Gastric bypass surgery results in exclusion of the proximal intestine from alimentary flow AND The proximal intestine serves as a neuroendocrine regulator of glycemic control SO Jejunal feeding of hyperglycemic patients will improve glycemic control
The Course of Tolerance: Freedom of the Press in Nineteenth-Century America

Preface and Acknowledgements Introduction "A Tendency to Calumny": Defining New Boundaries for Libel Testing the Limits of Tolerance: Mobocracy and the War of 1812 Schools for Democracy: Civil Libel and the Party Press "Their Mad and Wicked Schemes": Abolitionists and the Post Office "The Savage Populace": Violence Against Abolitionists "Watchmen on the Wall": Civil War and Military Censorship "The Rule of Reticence": War and Reconstruction in the South The Gathering Clouds: Labor Unrest and the Spanish American War Selected Bibliography Index
Leadership Education and the Cinematic Experience: Using Film To Teach Leadership

The challenge of leadership education is not solely in the concepts we teach but in how what we teach effects student lives and life long learning. This paper outlines the manner in which Hollywood film might enhance our teaching of leadership by allowing students greater cognitive and emotional attachment to the concepts and leadership.
Effect of temperature preconditioning on catalase, peroxidase, and superoxide dismutase in chilled zucchini squash

Abstract The development of chilling injury symptoms in zucchini squash (Cucurbita pepo L., cv. ‘Elite’) stored at 5 °C was delayed by preconditioning the fruit at a temperature of 15 °C for two days. This temperature preconditioning treatment suppressed the increase in peroxidase activity and reduced the decline of catalase activity in squash during subsequent storage at 5 °C. The superoxide dismutase activity remained higher in temperature-conditioned squash than in untreated squash throughout storage. These results indicate that acclimation to chilling temperature in squash may also involve modifications in the activities of catalase, peroxidase, and superoxide dismutase.
Considerations and methodology for the preparation of data files

After a data base has been located and tapes obtained, the necessary files must be set up to analyze the data. The newcomer to secondary analysis is led carefully through the technical requirements of file preparation, from data verification to variable definition.
Cancer detection using infrared transillumination

The viability of a new infrared imaging modality for the detection of breast cancer is tested via whole animal imaging studies. The potential of this technique for imaging human breast tissue is also demonstrated.
Computer Validation Applied in the Regulatory Environment

During the development of a number of drug information systems, the SWEDIS Development Center has gained a lot of experience in the strategy of software development within the drug regulation environment. Software must be validated to ensure that it does what it is expected to do and will continue to do so. With the help of some simple strategies, software used in clinical research can be validated. The software will also continue to run in new environments if it is developed using independent interfaces to the environment.
Sign of Leser-Trélat: Report of two cases and review of the literature

The sudden appearance of multiple seborrheic keratoses in the two patients could be related to adenocarcinoma of the breast. Despite other isolated reports, this disorder is still controversial as a marker of malignancy.
Coupled active and reactive power flow: a scheduling and despatch tool

This paper is intended to give an overview of CARD, a power system optimal power flow analysis package, reporting on its development from being a near real-time despatch program to become a scheduling and dispatch tool. Given a certain availability pattern of generation, this new tool is able to both schedule and dispatch only those generating units which are needed to satisfy the constraints while minimising the active power cost.
Peroxynitrite formation and sinusoidal endothelial cell injury during acetaminophen-induced hepatotoxicity in mice

Introduction Vascular injury and accumulation of red blood cells in the space of Disse (hemorrhage) is a characteristic feature of acetaminophen hepatotoxicity. However, the mechanism of nonparenchymal cell injury is unclear. Therefore, the objective was to investigate if either Kupffer cells or intracellular events in endothelial cells are responsible for the cell damage.
Kinetic properties of glucosyltransferase adsorbed onto saliva-coated hydroxyapatite.

Results from previous studies have shown that several properties of glucosyltransferase (GTF) adsorbed onto saliva-coated hydroxyapatite beads differ from those of GTF in solution. For example: themostability, pH-activity dependency, sensitivity to inhibitors. The aim of this study was to compare the kinetics of the adsorbed GTF with its kinetic properties in solution. Hydroxyapatite beads were coated with human parotid saliva (sHA). Following washes, cell-free GTF enzyme from Streptococcus sobrinus 6715 (S. sobrinus 6715) or Streptococcus mutans GS-5 (S. mutans GS-5) was adsorbed onto sHA. The GTF-coated sHA were then incubated with radiolabeled sucrose for intervals of 5-360 minutes and the amount of glucans synthesized in situ by the adsorbed GTF was determined and compared with that produced in solution. The adsorbed GTF (from S. sobrinus 6715) exhibited a sharp increase in glucan production within the first 5 minutes of incubation while surface-bound GTF of S. mutans GS-5 displayed an initial burst o...
A Second Generation Low Cost Embedded Color Vision System

In this paper we describe a low cost embedded vision system, the CMUcam2. The CMUcam2 is the second generation of the CMUcam system and attempts to overcome the shortcomings of the original system as well as improve upon and add to its functionality. The goal of the system is to provide simple vision capabilities to small embedded systems in the form of an intelligent sensor. The system utilizes a low cost CMOS color camera module, a frame buffer chip and all image data is processed by a low cost microcontroller. The system includes the original functionality of color blob tracking, but improves upon it with tracking speeds of up to 50 frames per second. New functionality includes frame differencing, edge detection, and color histogramming. Other improvements were also made to facilitate communication with slower speed processors, as is often the case in a variety of robotics applications, including miniature robotics, hobby robotics and aerial robots.
Parentally Bereaved Children and Adolescents The Question of Peer Support

This study investigates peer interaction and peer support for parentally bereaved children and adolescents. Using data from an extensive bereavement study, transcribed semistructured interviews on ...
Randomized Clinical Trials in Colon Cancer

Surgery remains the mainstay of treatment for colon cancer and surgical resection alone results in 5-year survival in more than 60% of patients. However, the use of fluorouracil (5-FU)-based adjuvant chemotherapy for patients at high risk of recurrence further prolongs disease-free survival and has become the standard of care. New areas of research focus on decreasing the surgical trauma with minimally invasive approaches, improving the surgical staging of patients with colon cancer, and improving adjuvant treatment regimens. We review those randomized controlled trials that have most impacted the clinical management of patients with colon cancer in 2009.
Hardness of Maraglas as affected by solvent-monomer interaction.

Acetone and propene oxide were mixed with equal volumes of Maraglas epoxy embedding medium. Retention of these solvents in the resin after cure at 60 C was measured. The retention of propene oxide was greater than that of acetone and appeared to be due to a chemical interaction with the monomer. The reaction was catalysed by benzyldimethylamine. Although 3-4% of added acetone was retained, no evidence that this resulted from a chemical interaction was obtained. Vacuum evacuation of added solvents prior to cure did not materially affect their retention. Retention of both solvents resulted in softer cured resins.
A Portent α-Receptor Blocking Agent, SU-14542

SU-14542 was studied in isolated cat and rabbit hearts and in in situ dog hearts for possible β -adrenergic receptor stimulating activity. It was determined that this compound has no demonstrable action on β receptors. Investigation of its effects on isolated mesenteric arteries demonstrated powerful α -adrenergic receptor blockade; SU-14542 was found to be 2–7 times more potent than phentolamine as an α -receptor blocking agent. The ID 50 for SU-14542 in blocking epinephrine was determined to be 6.6 × 10 −9 M .
The Analysis of Social Science Data with Missing Values

Methods for handling missing data in social science data sets are reviewed. Limitations of common practical approaches, including complete-case analysis, available-case analysis and imputation, are illustrated on a simple missing-data problem with one complete and one incomplete variable. Two more principled approaches, namely maximum likelihood under a model for the data and missing-data mechanism and multiple imputation, are applied to the bivariate problem. General properties of these methods are outlined, and applications to more complex missing-data problems are discussed. The EM algorithm, a convenient method for computing maximum likelihood estimates in missing-data problems, is described and applied to two common models, the multivariate normal model for continuous data and the multinomial model for discrete data. Multiple imputation under explicit or implicit models is recommended as a method that retains the advantages of imputation and overcomes its limitations.
A robust finite-point based gate model considering process variations

This paper proposes a robust gate model based on a finite-point modeling scheme. With current source model (CSM) framework, a robust, finite-point gate model is constructed. The new model depends on the selective points of I-V curves of gates. Thus, it implicitly incorporates the variation related parameters into finite points. In addition, to provide good accuracy on output waveform, the new model creates the input and output capacitance elements as nonlinear dependency on input/output waveform and process variation parameters. Experimental results show that the generated gate model has less than 3.7% error at mean, less than 6.2% error at variance and less than 5.8% at 90% percentile for cumulative density functions (CDFs).
Bioaccumulation of heavy metals by benthic invertebrates at the arkansas river, colorado

A one-year biomonitoring study was conducted to determine the extent of metal contamination (Cd, Cu, and Zn) in a benthic community from the Arkansas River (CO), a subalpine stream impacted by discharges from historic mining operations. Elevated concentrations of metals in water were paralleled by higher concentrations in benthic organisms. Significant differences (p < 0.05) in metal concentrations in aufwuchs and benthic macroinvertebrates among upstream (reference) and downstream stations were observed. Metal concentration in aufwuchs and benthic invertebrates remained elevated at some downstream stations, despite decreases in water concentrations. Time of year and functional group contributed to the variation in metal bioaccumulation in benthic macroinvertebrates. Monitoring metal concentrations in aquatic macroinvertebrates was a better indicator of metal bioavailability in the Arkansas River than ambient (water) metal concentrations.
Efficient fault-tolerant mesh and hypercube architectures

The authors present an efficient method for tolerating faults in d-dimensional mesh and hypercube architectures. The approach consists of adding spare processors and communication links so that the resulting architecture can be reconfigured to form the desired mesh or hypercube in the presence of faults. The cost of the fault-tolerant architecture is optimized by adding exactly k spare processors and minimizing the number of links per processor. The results are surprisingly efficient. For example, when the desired architecture is a d-dimensional mesh and k=1, the fault-tolerant architecture has the same maximum degree as the desired architecture and has only one spare processor. Efficient layouts are presented for fault-tolerant two- and three-dimensional meshes, and it is shown that multiplexers and buses can be used to reduce the degree of the fault-tolerant architectures. >
Profiling of nonvolatiles in whiskeys using ultra high pressure liquid chromatography quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry (UHPLC–QTOF MS)

Commercial samples of 63 American whiskeys, including bourbon whiskeys, Tennessee whiskeys, rye whiskeys and other blended whiskeys were analysed using ultra high pressure liquid chromatography (UHPLC) coupled with quadrupole time-of-flight (QTOF) mass spectrometry (MS). The non-volatile composition of the whiskeys was used to model differences among the samples using discriminant analysis. The blended American whiskeys were readily distinguished from the remaining types. Additionally, most Tennessee whiskeys could be differentiated from bourbon and rye whiskeys. Similarly, younger ( 8 years old) whiskeys could be separated. The compounds important for differentiating among these whiskeys included wood derived phenolic compounds, lignan derived compounds and several C8 and larger lipids. A number of additional compounds differentiated the whiskeys but could not be identified using MS and MS/MS data alone.
Validation of Mist/Steam Cooling CFD model in a Horizontal Tube

Mist cooling concept has been considered for cooling turbine airfoils for many years. This concept has been proven experimentally as an effective method to significantly enhance the cooling effectiveness with several fundamental studies in the laboratory under low pressure and temperature conditions. However, it is not certain the same performance can be harnessed in the real gas turbine environment under the condition of elevated temperature, pressure, heat flux, and Reynolds number. This paper aims at validating a CFD model against experimental results in a circular tube and then applies the validated CFD model to simulate mist/steam cooling performance at elevated gas turbine working conditions. The results show that the standard k-e and a RSM turbulence models are the best-suited model for this application. The mist with smaller droplet diameter is found achieving higher cooling enhancement than the flows with bigger droplets, while mist with a distributed droplet size matches the data slightest better than with uniform droplets. Both the wall-film and the reflect droplet boundary conditions are employed and their effects on the cooling result is not significant at the studied cases. The validated CFD model can predict the wall temperature within 2% in steam-only flow and 5% in the mist/steam flow. Applying the calibrated CFD model to the actual gas turbine working environment shows that the mist/steam cooling technique could harness an average 50–100% cooling enhancement.Copyright © 2008 by ASME
Progressive Ethnocentrism Ideology and Understanding in Dominican Baseball

This study is an effort to examine the problems associated with interpreting events and practices emanating in one cultural context (the Dominican Republic) by those of another (the United States)—part of the classic definition of ethnocentrism. Ethnocentrism has been considered to be a problem linked to close-minded individuals and agencies, but this study attempts to show that progressive thinkers can also fall prey to it. Two case studies are looked at—the case of buscones (those responsible for finding and developing Dominican ballplayers) and the case of former Little League sensation Danny Almonte (himself a Dominican emigre). The cases involve young men who have been wronged in one way or another. Guilt and innocence has been reported in the United States. However, ethnographic research into these cases shows that one can be right on the particulars while wrong in matters of cultural context and therefore unintentionally furthering ethnocentric bias.
Cosmological Arguments from Contingency

Cosmological arguments from contingency attempt to show that there is a necessarily existing god-like being on the basis of the fact that any concrete things exist at all. Such arguments are built out of the following components: (i) a causal principle that applies to non-necessary entities of a certain category; (ii) a reason to think that if the causal principle is true, then there would have to be a necessarily existing concrete thing; (iii) a reason to think that the necessarily existing thing would be god-like. In this essay, I discuss various ways of developing each of these components to produce an argument from contingency, and I point out classic objections and replies along the way. I also make note of some of the most recent developments in arguments from contingency and point out avenues for future research.
Elias Putnam West (1820–1892) - Lawyer, Attorney General, Militia Commander, Judge, Postmaster, Archaeologist, and Paleontologist

Following his forty year career in law, and his archeological studies regarding the early Indian cultures that built the mounds along the Missouri River, Judge E.P. West became interested in geology and paleontology. Well into his sixties, he moved to Lawrence, Kansas where he became associated with Professor F.H. Snow at the University of Kansas. Under the guidance of Professor Snow, he began collecting fossil leaves in central Kansas and vertebrate remains from the Late Cretaceous Smoky Hill Chalk in the late 1880s. West's name is associated with several significant discoveries in Kansas, including a rich deposit of fossil leaf impressions from the Dakota Formation in Ellsworth County and the type specimen of the elasmosaurid plesiosaur, Styxosaurus snowii from the Smoky Hill Chalk of Logan County. The specimens he discovered greatly enriched the early paleontology collections at the University of Kansas and illustrations of many of them were included in scientific publications by the University of Kans...
Spectral identification scheme for epitaxially grown single-phase niobium dioxide

This publication describes how to distinguish under-oxidized and over-oxidized phases of the metal-insulator transition material NbO2 by employing a combination of the Nb 3d and O 1s core-level and valence-band spectra. Niobium oxides (NbOx) are grown under various conditions by molecular beam epitaxy on several different substrates, mostly (111)-oriented strontium titanate (SrTiO3), in order to obtain phase-pure NbO2. The films are characterized by in situ reflection high-energy electron diffraction, X-ray diffraction, and transmission electron microscopy to determine crystallinity, lattice constants, and epitaxial relationships. Niobium metal oxidation states and film stoichiometry are determined with in situ X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. Asymmetric Nb 3d core-level spectral components are observed in phase-pure NbO2, with a binding energy for Nb 3d5/2 of 206 eV. The effect of substrate type, growth temperature, and oxygen pressure on the film composition is also described.
WEBQUEST FOR INTERCOMPREHENSION

In line with both EU policy on plurilingualism and CEFR, the purpose of this paper is to show the outcome of federating two concepts: Intercomprehension – the ability to co-construct meaning, understanding languages without speaking or having studied them in a formal environment, and WebQuests – inquiry-oriented activities based on internet resources. These intercomprehensive principles have been combined with the webquest methodology adapted to language teaching online in order to create more immersive and interactive experiences. This particular kind of structured research has been preferred as webquests are generally intended for learners’development of critical thinking. Given the aforementioned context, this paper will demonstrate how student motivation for understanding more than just one foreign language can be boosted by involving them in collaborative, experiential tasks such as WebQuests.
Influence of oligodeoxyribonucleotides on phagocytic activity of the reticuloendothelial system.

SummaryOligodeoxyribonucleotides (but not monodeoxyribonucleotides), derived from calf thymus DNA, produce a significant stimulation of the phagocytic activity of the reticuloendothelial system. Kinetin riboside inhibits this stimulation without affecting the normal rate of clearance. This reversal of the effects of oligodeoxyribonucleotides is comparable to that previously observed in studies on stimulated antibody formation.
Cationic iridium complexes containing anionic iridium counterions supported by redox-active N-heterocyclic carbenes

The first cationic iridium complex supported by two bulky, ferrocenylated N-heterocyclic carbenes, [(1)2Ir(COD)]+[Cl]− ([2]+[Cl]−; 1 = 1-ferrocenylmethyl-3-mesitylimidazol-2-ylidene, Fc-NHC; COD = cis,cis-1,5-cyclooctadiene), was synthesized and characterized. Treatment of the aforementioned complex with a mixture of [N(nBu)4]+[Cl]− and [Ir(COD)(Cl)]2 afforded [(1)2Ir(COD)]+[Ir(COD)(Cl)2]− ([2]+[Ir(COD)Cl2]−), which featured cationic as well as anionic Ir centers. Electrochemical analysis of [2]+[Ir(COD)Cl2]− revealed that the complex displayed two reversible (iron- and iridium-centered) and two irreversible (iridium-centered) redox processes, which were assigned to the cationic and anionic components, respectively. Stirring [2]+[Ir(COD)Cl2]− under an atmosphere of carbon monoxide generated the corresponding Ir carbonyl complex [(1)2Ir(CO)2]+[Ir(CO)2(Cl)2]− ([3]+[Ir(CO)2Cl2]−). Cyclic voltammetry (CV) measurements of the aforementioned complexes containing [(1)2Ir(COD)]+ showed that the iron-centered oxid...
Is quantum-dot LCD ready for prime time?

Quantum dots (QDs) backlight brings several advantages to LCDs, including wider color gamut, higher light efficiency, enhanced ambient contrast ratio, and over 100X smaller color shift. The prime time for QD-enhanced LCDs is
Effects of acetylsalicylic acid on excretion of endogenous metabolites by man.

Summary1. Both small and large amounts of acetylsalicylic acid have a marked inhibitory effect on renal excretion of sodium and chloride. 2. Uricosuric amounts of acetylsalicylic acid block the renal reabsorptive mechanisms for amino acids. 3. The findings of Yu and Gutman concerning the paradoxical effects of salicylate on uric acid excretion are confirmed.
Older Adult Descriptions of Living Apart Together

Much can be learned about the nature and meaning of close relationships by studying language use. This qualitative study explores the process of defining relationships and choosing partner reference terms among an understudied population—living apart together (LAT) couples in older adulthood. Twenty-five men and women aged 60 years and older were interviewed about their LAT relationships. Grounded theory analyses demonstrated that participants chose terms by trial and error through a process of meaning making. Terms associated with youth culture (e.g., girlfriend, boyfriend) were spurned, although they were commonly used for lack of age-appropriate alternatives. Participants defined LAT by drawing contrasts to dating and marital relationships. Practical implications and future directions for research are discussed.
The Stress of Discrimination: A Possible Influence on Drug Use Trajectory?

This chapter discusses racial discrimination as a possible factor in African American – white differences in drug use trajectory. The central question addressed in this chapter is whether racial discrimination, at both the macro and the micro level, play a significant role in changing patterns of substance use over the life course for African Americans and whites. We specifically focus on the transition to young adulthood, and the growing adversity likely encountered by minority young adults. Two central arguments are made: First, we argue that the transition to adulthood is one that can be problematic for all adolescents. For some the road may be rocky, and for others, relatively smooth. Secondly, there is the added stress of dealing with the harsh world of racial disadvantage that confronts minority youth as they transition. This may be an added burden for minority youth. Both of these factors may combine to increase substance use over the young adulthood for African Americans.
Household structure analysis via hawkes processes for enhancing energy disaggregation

In energy conservation research, energy disaggregation becomes an increasingly critical task, which takes a whole home electricity signal and decomposes it into its component appliances. While householder's daily energy usage behavior acts as one powerful cue for breaking down the entire household's energy consumption, existing works rarely modeled it straight forwardly. Instead, they either ignored the influence between users' energy usage behaviors, or modeled the influence between the energy usages of appliances. With ambiguous appliance usage membership of householders, we find it difficult to appropriately model the influence between appliances, since such influence is determined by human behaviors in energy usage. To address this problem, we propose to model the influence between householders' energy usage behaviors directly through a novel probabilistic model, which combines topic models with the Hawkes processes. The proposed model simultaneously disaggregates the whole home electricity signal into each component appliance and infers the appliance usage membership of household members, and enables those two tasks mutually benefit each other. Experimental results on both synthetic data and four real world data sets demonstrate the effectiveness of our model, which outperforms state-of-the-art approaches in not only decomposing the entire consumed energy to each appliance in houses, but also the inference of household structures. We further analyze the inferred appliance-householder assignment and the corresponding influence within the appliance usage of each householder and across different householders, which provides insight into appealing human behavior patterns in appliance usage.
Staying Connected: How to Prevent Wrong Route Medication Errors in the Operating Room

The purpose of this review is to demonstrate the usefulness of universal Luer-type connector systems, and through analysis of case reports, we highlight the wrong-route medication errors that have occurred because of misconnections of these universal connectors. We will also describe new legal remedies that have attempted to improve patient safety and prevent wrong route medication errors. We present the new 80369 small bore standards created by the International Organization of Standards and describe the new connectors devised for enteral and neuraxial connectors. In the future, health-care workers worldwide will use different types of connectors for different entry routes such as intravascular, enteral, neuraxial, respiratory, limb inflation, and urinary equipment. As of 2017, new types of connectors for enteral administration have been introduced, and neuraxial administration connectors are expected within the next year or two. Advantages and disadvantages of these connectors will be uncovered with increasing use by patients and anesthesia providers.
Coping with class in science

I grew up in rural North Carolina, in a single-parent, poor, working-class family living in a singlewide mobile home. Writing that sentence takes courage after 30 years of denial, guilt, and feeling like an outsider in academia. As a first-generation college student, I struggled with financial
Treatment of Median Nerve Transection

Median nerve injuries can lead to devastating consequences if not managed efficiently and effectively. Early diagnosis and treatment is of paramount importance. Primary repair of median nerve injury leads to best outcomes. Alternative treatments include autograft, allograft, and nerve conduits. In long-standing injuries, nerve transfers are viable options. This chapter will discuss the neuropathology of peripheral nerve injury, clinical examination, indications for surgery, surgical treatment options, rehabilitation, and outcomes after median nerve transection.
Isolation of mammalian heterochromatin and euchromatin.

Publisher Summary This chapter discusses the isolation of mammalian heterochromatin and euchromatin. One of the essential requirements for the isolation of relatively pure heterochromatin and euchromatin fractions from mammalian cells is the isolation of clean nuclei in which the architecture of the chromatin has not been significantly altered. The techniques used in the isolation of nuclei from mammals, as well as other species, are divided into those utilizing aqueous or nonaqueous media, depending upon the nuclear component under investigation. Techniques involving nonaqueous media are usually time consuming, but are desirable when nuclear components, such as the soluble proteins, are to be retained in the nucleus. Sucrose solutions are usually most efficient for the isolation of nuclei from normal tissue cells, where the cytoplasmic constituents can be easily stripped off. In this case, numerous recipes exist that differ primarily in the concentration of sucrose and divalent cations. Nearly 100% recovery of nuclei may be obtained by homogenization of the tissue in isotonic sucrose solutions containing divalent cations.
The Economic Justification for the Programs of the Eximbank

This chapter discusses the economic justification for the programs of the Eximbank. The need for the Bank's credit, guarantee, and insurance programs remains a controversial issue. This chapter presents an assessment of the economic justification for the programs, even though the Congress had mandated that the Eximbank promote U.S. exports, meet foreign officially supported export financing, and supplement private export financing. Six principal economic rationales have been advanced in support of the Eximbank's programs. The analysis of these rationales leads to the conclusion that while the capital market imperfections may justify insurance and/or guarantee programs, the first five rationales provide no justification for the Bank's loan programs. The loan programs of the Bank, however, may be warranted as a component of a U. S. strategy to persuade other countries to eliminate their concessionary export financing programs. Support for the Eximbank manifests itself ultimately through the political process, and an analysis of the demand for and the supply of the Bank's programs may provide a better explanation for those programs than does an analysis of market imperfections and economic objectives.
Differences in Coping Among African American Women With Breast Cancer and Triple-Negative Breast Cancer.

Purpose/objectives To determine differences in psychological distress, symptoms, coping capacity, and coping abilities among African American (AA) women with triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) and non-TNBC and to explore differences in relationships among these variables. . Design A prospective, descriptive, comparative, and correlational design. . Setting Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore, Maryland. . Sample 30 AA women with breast cancer. . Methods Patients completed questionnaires during chemotherapy. The Transactional Model of Stress and Coping was used to guide the research. . Main research variables Psychological distress, symptoms, coping capacity, and coping ability. . Findings Patients with non-TNBC reported more intense present total pain, nausea and vomiting, better emotional functioning, lower cognitive functioning, use of significantly more prayer and hope, and more coping self-statements. A lower coping capacity score was associated with psychological distress in the TNBC group at midpoint and in both groups at completion of chemotherapy treatment. Patients in both groups used a higher level of positive religious coping. . Conclusions AA women with TNBC and non-TNBC might benefit (reduced psychological distress and improved coping skills) from receiving a comprehensive psychological care program. The findings can be incorporated and tested in a comprehensive coping strategy program. . Implications for nursing Nurses should work closely with AA women with breast cancer undergoing chemotherapy to help them identify and consciously use coping strategies associated with increased coping capacity.
Abelian Invertible Automata

Invertible transducers are particular Mealy automata that define so-called automata groups, subgroups of the full automorphism group of the infinite binary tree. In the recent past, automata groups have become a major source of interesting and challenging constructions in group theory. While this research typically focuses on properties of the associated groups, we describe the topological structure of the associated automata in the special case where the group in question is free Abelian. As it turns out, there are connections between these automata and the theory of algebraic number fields as well as the theory of tiles. We conclude with a conjecture about the connectivity properties of the canonical invertible automata generating free Abelian groups.
Multi-parametric photoacoustic microscopy with 1.2-MHz A-line rate (Conference Presentation)

In the current form of multi-parametric photoacoustic microscopy (PAM), imaging hemoglobin concentration and blood flow speed requires dense sampling. Moreover, large-scale recording beyond the focal zone of ultrasonic transducer requires time-consuming mechanical scan of the optical-acoustic dual foci. Thus, the image acquisition time of multi-parametric PAM has been severely limited by the laser repetition rate and the focal diameter of the transducer. Here, we report an ultrahigh-speed multi-parametric PAM with 1.2-MHz A-line rate for simultaneous real-time imaging of hemoglobin concentration, blood oxygenation, and blood flow in the mouse brain. Capitalizing on the pronounced stimulated Raman scattering in pure silica-core polarization-maintaining single-mode optical fibers, a dual-wavelength (532 and 558 nm) nanosecond laser with 1.2-MHz pulse repetition rate has been developed. Using a weakly focused ultrasonic transducer, we have achieved real-time acquisition of multi-parametric PAM images at a frame rate of 2.2 Hz over the 250-μm-diameter acoustic focal zone. By employing optical-mechanical hybrid scan, 25 dual-wavelength B-scans can be acquired simultaneously within one mechanical-scan trip, leading to a 25-fold improvement of imaging speed. As a result, the imaging frame rate is improved from 0.08 Hz in the conventional multi-parametric PAM to 2.2 Hz. The utility of this new PAM technology has been demonstrated in a mouse model of epilepsy by studying the dynamic neurovascular uncoupling during status epilepticus.
AAuAl (A = Ca, Sc, and Ti): Peierls Distortion, Atomic Coloring, and Structural Competition.

Using density functional theory, the crystal structure variation of AAuAl (A = Ca, Sc, and Ti) from orthorhombic Co2Si-type to distorted hexagonal Fe2P-type and then Ni2In-type structures is shown ...
Placebo hypoalgesic effects in pain: Potential applications in dental and orofacial pain management.

Abstract Placebo and nocebo effects are present within every treatment and intervention, and can be purposefully enhanced and reduced, respectively, in order to improve patients’ clinical outcomes. A plethora of research has been conducted on the mechanisms of placebo hypoalgesia and nocebo hyperalgesia in experimental and clinical settings. However, its implications in particular clinical settings such as orthodontic pain management remain underexplored. We conducted a search of the literature regarding placebo analgesia, orthodontic pain management, and orofacial and dental pain. Articles were qualitatively assessed and selected based on the scope of this narrative review. Although no studies investigating the extent of the implications of the placebo and nocebo phenomena in the orthodontic clinical setting were found, we herein present a comprehensive review on the influences of placebo and nocebo effects in experimental and clinical pain management, as well as on the potential for engaging placebo-related endogenous pain modulation for orthodontic pain management. Ethical considerations for the clinical application of placebos are discussed, and future research directions are presented.