cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Experimental and Calculational Studies of the Interactions of BF3 with Fluoroethers

BF3 was co-condensed with (C2H5)2O, (CF3CH2)2O and (C2F5)2O in excess argon at 15 K. Infrared spectra of the matrices showed a definite Lewis acid-base interaction between BF3 and diethyl ether; a weak but definite interaction with bis(2,2,2,-trifluorodiethyl)ether, and no observable interaction with perfluorodiethyl ether. Molecular orbital (MO) calculations complemented the experimental observations by revealing that fluorine atoms on the ethers decreased electron localization about the oxygen atom. Thus, the experimental data and MO calculations indicated a clear trend between strength of interaction with BF3 and the degree of ether F substitution. The implications of the results for commercial perfluoro ether lubricant/metal oxide surface interactions are discussed.
Growth of Carbon Nanotubes and Carbon Nanofibers in Opposed Flow Oxy-Flame of Methane

Carbon nanotubes and carbon nanofibers formed on a Ni-based catalytic support positioned at the fuel side of opposed flow oxy-flame are characterized by electron microscopy. Observed nanoforms include multiwalled carbon nanotubes (MWNTs), MWNT bundles, helically coiled tubular nanofibers, and ribbon-like coiled nanofibers with rectangular cross-section. The electric field method is applied to control structure and purity of formed carbon nanomaterial. A coating layer of nanotubes possessing a thickness of 35 to 40 microns and a high degree of alignment was formed along the surface of the catalytic probe with variation of probe potential. The method shows a great promise in controlling the structure and formation rate of flame generated carbon nanomaterials.Copyright © 2003 by ASME
Parable of the Minas: A Caricature of Zealot Political Economy

In a recent article, I demonstrated that Jesus's parable of the talents given in Matthew (25: 14–30) describes a co‐operative or monastic economy of self‐starting servants that is both efficient because it maximises total output and equitable because distribution is based on needs. However, I did not analyse the ostensibly similar story, called the parable of the minas, appearing in Luke (19: 11–26). This article demonstrates that the message contained in the parable of the minas is not only radically different from that of the parable of the talents, but was intended to caricature the political and economic ideas propagated by the Zealots during the first and second centuries until their final destruction by the Romans in 135 AD.
Hole counts from X-ray absorption spectra.

The interpretation of X-ray absorption spectra in terms of electronic structure has long been of interest. Hole counts derived from such spectra are often interpreted in terms of free-atom occupation numbers or Mulliken counts. It is shown here, however, that renormalized-atom (RA) and cellular counts are better choices to characterize the configuration of occupied electron states in molecules and condensed matter. A projection-operator approach is introduced to subtract delocalized states and to determine quantitatively such hole counts from X-ray absorption spectra. The described approach is based on multiple-scattering theory (MST) and on atomic calculations of a smooth transformation relating the X-ray absorption spectra to local projected densities of states (LDOS). Theoretical tests for the s and d electrons in transition metals show that the approach works well.
Assessing infection risk with biologic agents in RA: methodological challenges

Patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) are at increased risk of infection compared with the general population. As new DMARDs, in particular biologic agents, become more widely prescribed for the treatment of RA, adverse events that were not previously identified in randomized, controlled trials might develop, including opportunistic and serious infections. Understanding the strengths and weaknesses of data derived from randomized clinical trials, registries and meta-analyses is necessary to interpret the results of these studies. Whereas the risk of infection might be increased for the majority of biologic agents that have been approved for use in RA, differences between these agents might affect patients' susceptibility to specific types of infection, immunocompetence and relative risk of infection.
SPONTANEOUS PNEUMOPERITONEUM SUBSEQUENT TO GASTRIC VOLVULUS IN TWO DOGS

In two dogs spontaneous pneumoperitoneum developed following gastric volvulus. The pneumoperitoneum resulted from splenic necrosis and Klebsiella pneumoniae peritonitis in one and from a gastric perforation near the gastroesophageal junction in the other. The first dog was successfully treated by splenectomy, abdominal lavage, and systemic antibiotic therapy; the other was treated by closure of the perforation, tube gastrostomy, abdominal lavage, and systemic antibiotic therapy. One dog was euthanized four weeks after surgery because of metastatic cancer, and the other was euthanized six weeks after surgery due to recurrence of abdominal distention and peritonitis.
Attenuated Realities: Pynchon's Trajectory from V. to Inherent Vice

Part of what established Pynchon as postmodern was his piling up of multiple realities. Hence, the surprise that Inherent Vice retains only the most attenuated forms of such worlds alternative to our own. In earlier fiction, we find a world served by the Tristero postal system, a world inhabited by angels, by thanatoids and other forms of the dead, by Japanese film monsters, by giant vegetables. In Pynchon’s fictive realities, an airship can sail beneath desert sand or through the center of the globe via Symmes’s Hole, and the photograph of a corpse can be run backward in time to show its murderer. Up through Against the Day , Pynchon showered us with alternate realities that reached beyond the material world that most of us accept as alles, was der Fall ist . Inherent Vice departs from this vision. Has Pynchon simply grown up? Or grown old? Or is something else operating here? I will provide a brief taxonomy of Pynchon’s multiple worlds as characterized by paranoia, mysticism, religion, and humor and then analyze what remains of these in Inherent Vice . Among the causes for his changed technique may be his choice of genre. The detective story is epistemological rather than ontological in its questions, so Pynchon concerns himself far more with what Doc Sportello can know than with making him navigate through multiple realities. I argue, however, that Inherent Vice is surprisingly a worst-case scenario for Pynchon.
A Bernstein–Markov Theorem for Normed Spaces

Abstract LetXandYbe real normed linear spaces and let φ:X → R be a non-negative function satisfying φ(x + y) ≤ φ(x) + ‖y‖ for allx, y ∈ X. We show that there exist optimal constantscm, ksuch that ifP:X → Yis any polynomial satisfying ‖P(x)‖ ≤ φ(x)mfor allx ∈ X, then ‖ D kP(x)‖ ≤ cm, kφ(x)m − kwheneverx ∈ Xand 0 ≤ k ≤ m. We obtain estimates for these constants and present applications to polynomials and multilinear mappings in normed spaces.
SECOND LANGUAGE DEVELOPMENT IN WRITING: MEASURES OF FLUENCY, ACCURACY, AND COMPLEXITY. Kate Wolfe-Quintero, Shunji Inagaki, and Hae-Young Kim. Honolulu: University of Hawai‘i Press, 1998. Pp. viii + 187. $20.00 paper.

Second language development in writing: Measures of fluency, accuracy, and complexity is a technical report that reviews 39 studies examining measures of writing development. It is a comprehensive, lucid, and carefully researched piece of work analyzing an untidy body of literature. This volume is essential reading for anyone doing quantitative research in L2 writing. The studies included in this review are those that have attempted to correlate potential linguistic measures of writing development with writing proficiency, not simply studies that have used the various measures as dependent variables to examine the effects of some instructional treatment. Complicating the picture is the fact that indicators of writing proficiency are varied, as is the case with indicators of oral proficiency (Thomas, 1994). Each of these indicators, including standardized tests, levels in various language programs, and holistic measures, has its own set of problems. For example, of the 16 studies using holistic scales, only half reported interrater or intrarater reliability.
Pulling together, drifting apart: A longitudinal case study of a four-generation family

Abstract This case study is based on secondary analysis of longitudinal data from 21 members of a four-generation family. The data were collected over a twenty-year period by the USC Longitudinal Study of Three Generations, through two sets of interviews (1987 and 1990) and four waves of surveys (1971, 1985, 1988, and 1991). Examining a single family's evolution through a monographic approach enables us to look closely at its members' interactions within and between generations; to see how family cohesiveness evolves over time; and to understand the meanings their relations have to family members themselves. In this article, we analyze the interactions through which members of this multigenerational family establish greater or lesser interpersonal distance among themselves, both within and between generations. Results indicate that issues in family distance include: divorce within the oldest generation; social class and money matters; and geographic location. Sources of family closeness include family rituals; medical problems and care giving; and efforts of family kin-keepers. The study highlights the holistic and variable characteristics of family ties.
Deuterium–tritium plasmas in novel regimes in the Tokamak Fusion Test Reactor

Experiments in the Tokamak Fusion Test Reactor (TFTR) have explored several novel regimes of improved tokamak confinement in deuterium-tritium (D-T) plasmas, including plasmas with reduced or reversed magnetic shear in the core and high-current plasmas with increased shear in the outer region (high-l{sub i}). New techniques have also been developed to enhance the confinement in these regimes by modifying the plasma-limiter interaction through in-situ deposition of lithium. In reversed-shear plasmas, transitions to enhanced confinement have been observed at plasma currents up to 2.2 MA (q{sub a} {approx} 4.3), accompanied by the formation of internal transport barriers, where large radial gradients develop in the temperature and density profiles. Experiments have been performed to elucidate the mechanism of the barrier formation and its relationship with the magnetic configuration and with the heating characteristics. The increased stability of high-current, high-l{sub i} plasmas produced by rapid expansion of the minor cross-section, coupled with improvement in the confinement by lithium deposition has enabled the achievement of high fusion power, up to 8.7 MW, with D-T neutral beam heating. The physics of fusion alpha-particle confinement has been investigated in these regimes, including the interactions of the alphas with endogenous plasma instabilities and externally applied waves in the ion cyclotron range of frequencies. In D-T plasmas with q{sub 0} > 1 and weak magnetic shear in the central region, a toroidal Alfven eigenmode instability driven purely by the alpha particles has been observed for the first time. The interactions of energetic ions with ion Bernstein waves produced by mode-conversion from fast waves in mixed-species plasmas have been studied as a possible mechanism for transferring the energy of the alphas to fuel ions.
40Ar/39Ar incremental-release ages of biotite from a progressively remetamorphosed Archean basement terrane in southwestern Labrador

Abstract Gneisses within an Archean basement terrane adjacent to the southwestern portion of the Labrador Trough were variably retrograded during a regional metamorphism of Grenville age (ca. 1000 Ma). Biotites from non-retrograded segments of the gneiss terrane record 40 Ar/ 39 Ar plateau and isochron ages which date times of cooling following an episode of the Kenoran orogeny (2376–2391 Ma). A suite of gneiss samples displaying varying degrees of retrograde alteration was collected across the Grenville metamorphic gradient. Biotites in these samples show no petrographic evidence of retrograde alteration, however they do record internally discordant 40 Ar/ 39 Ar age spectra. Although the extent of internal discordance is variable, the overall character of the release patterns is similar with younger apparent ages recorded in intermediate-temperature gas fractions. The total-gas dates range from 2257±27 Ma (northwest) to 1751±23 Ma (southeast), suggesting that variable quantities of radiogenic argon were lost from the Archean biotites during Grenville metamorphism. The “saddle-shaped” nature of the discordant spectra indicates that argon loss was not accomplished through single-stage, volume diffusion processes. Biotites in portions of the gneiss terrane which were completely recrystallized during Grenville metamorphism are petrographically and texturally distinct. A representative of this phase records a 40 Ar/ 39 Ar plateau age of 2674±28 Ma. This date is markedly inconsistent with regional constraints on the timing of Grenville metamorphism, and indicates the presence of extraneous argon components. Both the extraneous and radiogenic argon components must have been liberated in constant proportions during experimental heating because the argon isotopic data yield a well-defined 40 Ar/ 36 Ar vs. 39 Ar/ 36 Ar isochron corresponding to an age (2658±23 Ma) similar to that defined by the plateau portion of the spectrum. The 40 Ar/ 39 Ar biotite dates suggest that the effects of Grenville metamorphism extent 15–20 km northward into the Superior Province. The limit of this overprint is approximately coincident with the northernmost development of Grenville age thrust faults in the Archean terrane. Therefore, it is proposed that the northern margin of the Grenville Province in southwestern Labrador should be located along the northernmost Grenville thrust fault because this represents both a structural and a thermal discontinuity.
The regulatory easy street: Self-regulation below the self-control threshold does not consume regulatory resources.

Abstract We present and test a theory in which self-control is distinguished from broader acts of self-regulation when it is both effortful and conscious. In two studies, we examined whether acts of behavioral management that do not require effort are exempt from resource depletion. In Study 1, we found that a self-regulation task only reduced subsequent self-control for participants who had previously indicated that completing the task would require effort. In Study 2, we found that participants who completed a self-regulation task for 2 min did not evidence the subsequent impairment in self-control evident for participants who had completed the task for 4 or more minutes. Our results support the notion that self-regulation without effort falls below the self-control threshold and has different downstream consequences than self-control.
Left upper-extremity weakness in an 18-year-old man

Summary Question: What is the role of the emergency physician in the management of the patient with GuillainBarre syndrome? Dr Bennett: The key tasks for the emergency physician are to recognize that objective weakness always has an organic cause and that in the case of rapidly progressive weakness, Guillain-Barre syndrome always merits serious consideration. Although there are no specific therapies that the emergency physician can use to retard the progression of the disease, acknowledgment of the possibility of Guillain-Barre syndrome with subsequent hospitalization and intensive observation of the patient can help prevent unnecessary morbidity and mortality.
The effect of hydrogen on hot carrier radiation immunity of MOS devices

Abstract The effects of hydrogen on the stability of the SiSiO2 system are studied using electrical measurements and SIMS analysis of high temperature hydrogen or deuterium annealed MOS devices and capacitors. The effect of hydrogen anneal at 400°C is mainly to reduce the interface state density by passivating the Si dangling bonds. It was found, however, that hydrogen at high temperatures (− 800°C) creates an excess of SiH bonds reaching levels of 1013 cm−2. While the passivating effect is well known, it is shown here unambiguously that the hydrogen bonds at the interface are precursors for generation of new trapping states under hot carrier or radiation stress conditions. Consequently, MOS devices which were processed with high temperature steps with hydrogen are more susceptible to hot carrier and radiation induced degradation.
Cation sorption on the muscovite (0 0 1) surface in chloride solutions using high-resolution X-ray reflectivity

Abstract The structure and mechanism of cation sorption at the (0 0 1) muscovite-water interface were investigated in 0.01 and 0.5 m KCl, CsCl, and CaCl2 and 0.01 m BaCl2 solutions at slightly acidic pH by high-resolution X-ray reflectivity. Structural relaxations of atom positions in the 2M1 muscovite were small (⩽0.07 A) and occurred over a distance of 30 to 40 A perpendicular to the interface. Cations in all solutions were sorbed dominantly in the first and second solution layers adjacent to the mineral surface. The derived heights of the first solution layer in KCl and CsCl solutions, 1.67(6)–1.77(7) and 2.15(9)–2.16(2) A, respectively, differ in magnitude by the approximate difference in crystallographic radii between K and Cs, and correspond closely to the interlayer cation positions in bulk K- and Cs-mica structures. The first solution layer heights in CaCl2 and BaCl2 solutions, 2.46(5)–2.56(11) and 2.02(5) A, respectively, differ in a sense opposite to that expected based on crystallographic or hydrated radii of the divalent cations. The derived ion heights in all solutions imply that there is no intercalated water layer between the first solution layer and the muscovite surface. Molecular compositions were assigned to the first two solution layers in the electron density profiles using models that constrain the number density of sorbed cations, water molecules, and anions by considering the permanent negative charge of the muscovite and average solution density. The models result in partial charge balance (at least 50%) by cations sorbed in the first two layers in the 0.01 m solutions and approximately full charge balance in the 0.5 m solutions. Damped oscillations of model water density away from the first two solution layers agree with previous X-ray reflectivity results on the muscovite (0 0 1) surface in pure water.
Hedgehogs use toad venom in their own defence

I REPORT here that toxic secretions evolved in prey organisms such as toads (Bufo) as chemical anti-predator mechanisms are used by hedgehogs (Insectivora, Erinaceidae) to enhance their own mechanical anti-predator adaptations—the spines, modified hairs, of the back. The secretions are taken into the mouth and licked on to the spines. In spite of interest in chemical, mechanical and behavioural anti-predator adaptions of both invertebrates and vertebrates1 there have been no reports of the behavioural utilisation of the anti-predator secretions of one species by another for its own defence. Toad skin is one of many irritating substances used by hedgehogs in self-anointing, and the presence of any of these, fresh or dried, on the spines would probably increase the pain or potential of infection to the would-be predator.
A diet and exercise regimen: its effect upon mental acuity and personality, a pilot study.

Of the 75 patients in the February 1977 “class” at the Longevity Research Institute, Santa Barbara, California, 11 volunteers were pre- and posttested (21- to 23-day intervals) with the MMPI, 13 with the California Psychological Inventory, and 17 with four subtests of the WAIS (total: 21 males, 10 females). Ten of the (total) 32 scales showed changes in the predicted, favorable direction, statistically significant at the .05 level or better by t test. Further, the number of scales changing in the predicted, desirable direction for each of the three tests was statistically significant at the .06, and .001, and .06 levels (sign test), respectively. The pilot results indicate improvement in psychological factors and mental acuity within a month's time concomitant with the diet, activity, and educational program and warrant further investigation.
Solubility of Small Molecules and Their Mixtures in Polyethylene

The solubility of small molecules and their mixtures in polyethylene is studied using a recently proposed united atom force field.1 By comparing the simulation results with experimental data on solubility of small molecules in semicrystalline polyethylene, it is found that crystallinity can severely effect the solubility of a solute, especially if it is highly soluble in the polymer of interest. It is also observed that small molecules form aggregates within the polymer in the liquid phase.
Molecular Inversion Probes for Detection of Copy Number Alterations and Loss of Heterozygosity in Renal Cell Carcinoma

The clinical utility of chromosome genomic array testing (CGAT) is increasingly appreciated for cancer diagnosis. The detection of copy number aberrations (CNAs) and copy-neutral LOH (cnLOH) significantly enhance diagnostic yield and provide for additional prognostic information. In the setting of hematopoietic cell transplantation (HCT), unique challenges of detecting preor post-transplant minimal residual disease (MRD) and post-transplant mixed chimerism provide opportunities for innovative methodologies, appropriate interpretation of results, and novel discoveries. We have applied CGAT in patients undergoing HCT using the CytoScan HD platform. Acquired and constitutional abnormalities were distinguished by testing of diagnostic/remission pairs, paired cell fractions, longitudinal diagnostic pair, and buccal or saliva DNA. Data was analyzed with ChAS and Nexus softwares. CNAs >100kb and cnLOH >10 Mb are reliably detected with high confidence. MRD as low as 0.5% to 1% can be detected by enrichment of disease clones using appropriate immunophenotypic markers. Buccal and saliva DNA from the same patient may yield different results, cautioning the use of these samples, especially saliva, as constitutional controls. Various types of posttransplant chimerism may be observed, including those from twin or sibling donors, matched unrelated donors, or partially matched unrelated donors. We will also report novel findings of an adult patient with doubling of a near-haploid clone, which was reported only in pediatric acute lymphocytic leukemia patients previously. CGAT in the HCT setting can help with risk stratification, identification of disease marker for preand posttransplant MRD monitoring, and confirmation of the level of donor engraftment.
The effects of advertisement picture likeability on information search and brand choice

A considerable amount of advertising research has focused on the effects of affective cues such as likeable people, pictures, or music. The conclusions have been that ads relying on affective cues can influence choice only under limited conditions, when relevant brand information is either unavailable or not useful if present. However, the effects of affective cues on choice may not be as limited as previously thought. When respondents are allowed to explore diagnostic information but must do it sequentially after initial exposure to the ads with pictures varying in likeability, we hypothesize that the positive ad will influence brand choice, and this effect will be at least partially due to the initial effects of the ads on search of this information. Our study manipulated the likeability of pictures in print ads for a “test brand,” along with other similarly formatted ads for three other brands. Brand attribute information was not readily available but could be searched and showed clearly that the test brand was only the second-best. Results showed that the ad pictures biased search order in favor of the advertised test brand and increased choice of the second-best test brand when it was advertised with the likeable pictures. Subsequent analysis revealed that search order significantly but not completely mediated the effects of picture on choice. The results suggest that information search can be a useful, sensitive measure of the effects of advertising.
Behavior Analysis of Companion-Animal Overpopulation: A Conceptualization of the Problem and Suggestions for Intervention

This paper conceptualizes the societal problem of companion-animal overpopulation and offers a framework to humanely reduce the current surplus of animals and prevent further overpopulation. Overpopulation is described as a societal problem, with the individual and collective behavior of people as a causal agent. Variables in the environment, including animal-welfare agencies and the pet industry, are also discussed as contributing factors. Behavior and environment factors described in the conceptualization are targeted in a proposed framework for intervention. The intervention framework details relevant target populations and agencies, target behaviors, and dependent measures for evaluating intervention programs. Finally, environmental contingencies are described that support current behavior deficits and will likely impede environment and behavior changes proposed in the framework. It is suggested that behavior analysis can be used to manipulate these contingencies to initiate and sustain proposed changes to beneficially impact companion-animal overpopulation.
Response Diversity and Resilience in Social-Ecological Systems.

Recent work in ecology suggests that the diversity of responses to environmental change among species contributing to the same ecosystem function can strongly influence ecosystem resilience. To render this important realization more useful for understanding coupled human-natural systems, we broaden the concept of response diversity to include heterogeneity in human decisions and action. Simply put, not all actors respond the same way to challenges, opportunities, and risks. The range, prevalence, and spatial and temporal distributions of different responses may be crucial to the resilience or the transformation of a social-ecological system and thus have a bearing on human vulnerability and well-being in the face of environmental, socioeconomic, and political change. Response diversity can be seen at multiple scales (e.g., household, village, region), and response diversity at one scale may act synergistically with or contrary to the effects of diversity at another scale. Although considerable research on...
Deep-sea benthic foraminifera and biogenic opal: Glacial to postglacial productivity changes in the western equatorial Pacific

The accumulation rate of benthic foraminifera in deep-sea sediments is strongly correlated with the productivity of the surface ocean. Core tops from diverse deep-sea settings straddling different export production levels are used in this study for the calibration between the organic carbon flux to the seafloor (Jsf-flux) and the benthic foraminifera accumulation rate (BFAR). The correlation can be used to reconstruct organic carbon flux to the seafloor in the past, and hence the productivity of past oceans. These results are compared with the accumulation rates of carbonate and biogenic opal in the sediments. It is found that biogenic opal is more sensitive to productivity changes in the modern ocean than is carbonate. The appropriate equations are derived for the equatorial Pacific, using ☐ core material fromEurydice (ERDC),Indomed (INMD), andPleiades (PLDS) expeditions. These equations are then applied to two selected time horizons in sediments from the Ontong Java Plateau, a western equatorial Pacific pelagic depth transect, the last transition (LT), and the last glacial (LG). It is found that productivity was higher during the last glacial relative to the late Holocene, by a factor between 1.6 and 2. During the last transition productivity was intermediate between glacial and recent values. We do not see any corresponding increase in the rates of accumulation of carbonate or biogenic opal during the last glacial. This observation questions the importance of ocean productivity as the main controlling factor of carbonate and biogenic opal accumulation rates back through geological time.
Detection of kinetically abnormal argininosuccinate synthase in neonatal citrullinemia by conversion of citrulline to arginine in intact fibroblasts

The apparent Km values of argininosuccinate synthase toward citrulline and aspartate were significantly increased in cultured skin fibroblasts from one patient with neonatal citrullinemia, whereas, those determined in cells from three other patients were within the normal range. The abnormal apparent Km of the mutant enzyme toward aspartate was determined by a ureagenesis assay system (0.14 mmol/l as compared with 0.010-0.018 mmol/l for the normal enzyme), and the abnormal values toward citrulline were measured by both arginine synthesis (6.1 mmol/l as compared with 0.21-0.26 mmol/l for the normal enzyme) and ureagenesis (0.63 as compared with 0.043-0.067) assay systems.
Long QT syndrome due to a novel mutation in SCN5A: treatment with ICD placement at 1 month and left cardiac sympathetic denervation at 3 months of age

We describe the case of a newborn with congenital long QT syndrome, with 2:1 AV block and frequent episodes of Torsades de Pointes (TdP) requiring placement of a dual chamber ICD at 33 days and 3.63 kg, the youngest and smallest patient, thus far reported. Long QT syndrome was diagnosed due to bradycardia in the newborn nursery, with frequent episodes of TdP. The patient was initially treated with magnesium and esmolol then given lidocaine which resulted in dramatic transient normalization of the QTc with 1:1 AV nodal conduction. An attempt to transition to oral sodium channel and beta blockade was unsuccessful. An ICD was placed and dual chamber pacing was initiated which facilitated the transition to an oral medical regimen and ultimate discharge from the hospital. Soon after placement of the ICD, genetic testing revealed a novel F1473C mutation in the SCN5A gene. Episodes of TdP continued and left stellate gangliectomy was performed at 3 months of age. At 30 months follow-up, the patient has occasional, self-limited episodes of TdP and has received rare, successful, and appropriate ICD shocks.
A Posteriori Error Determination and Grid Adaptation for AMR and ALE Computational Fluid Dynamics

We discuss grid adaptation for application to AMR and ALE codes. Two new contributions are presented. First, a new method to locate the regions where the truncation error is being created due to an insufficient accuracy: the operator recovery error origin (OREO) detector. The OREO detector is automatic, reliable, easy to implement and extremely inexpensive. Second, a new grid motion technique is presented for application to ALE codes. The method is based on the Brackbill-Saltzman approach but it is directly linked to the OREO detector and moves the grid automatically to minimize the error.
Coping with Drought by Adjusting Land Tenancy Contracts: A Model and Evidence from Rural Morocco

Summary We explore vulnerability to drought in Morocco by analyzing household coping responses to a severe drought. We find that nearly 25% of households increased or decreased their cultivated land via short-term land tenancy arrangements. We use this pattern to motivate a model in which drought shocks induce the reallocation within communities of usufruct rights to land. We show how different liquidity constraints can lead some households to invest in crop production as others divest. Empirical analysis finds some support for the model but also highlights how pre-existing tenancy arrangements strongly determine a household’s reliance on land tenancy markets for coping.
Heteronuclear J spectroscopy

In a study of heteronuclear J NMR spectroscopy, the radio frequency phase of the initial 90 Deg pulse was shifted together with the phase of the refocusing pulse. In heteronuclear spectra, the phase cycling method shifts all resonances by DF1 = (4Dt-1)-1 corresponding to 1/2 of the spectral width in the F1 frequency domain. Thus the proton transmitter can be set in the middle of the proton spectrum without introducing aliasing problems, and the technique does not interfere with ordinary quadrature detection, which is routinely used in the F-2 or P dimension. The phase-cycling scheme represents a simple alternative to the quadrupole phase detection proposed by R. R Ernst et al. (1978) since it does not require addnl. software for a hypercomplex Fourier transform. To eliminate the unmodulated component in the P spectra, the phase of the last 90 Deg proton pulse is alternated while the P free-induction decays are added and subtracted in alternate transients. Results are presented for Me3PO4 and 2'-guanosine monophosphate. [on SciFinder (R)]
Area use by white-lipped and collared peccaries (Tayassu pecari and Tayassu tajacu) in a tropical forest fragment

We present the first long-term radio telemetry study of area use by white-lipped and collared peccaries in a tropical forest fragment. Population densities of both species in a 2178-ha fragment of semideciduous Atlantic forest in southeastern Brazil were similar to estimates from another regional fragment with 16 times the area. The population of 150 (� 52) white-lipped peccaries was divided among 3–4 subherds. We observed a high frequency of switching of individuals among subherds and documented periodic subherd fusion. Seven to 22 collared peccary herds (mean herd size, 9) persisted in the main forest fragment. Average home range size for the white-lipped peccaries was 1871 ha (90% HM). This was similar to the few reliable estimates available from continuous tropical forests. Despite supposed area restrictions, white-lipped peccaries maintained distinct seasonal ranges with a minimum of overlap. Within seasons, subherds overlapped spatially, but were separated temporally. Average home range sizes of two radiotracked collared peccary herds were 305 and 123 ha. Home range boundaries and seasonal ranges of collared peccary herds shifted minimally, and herd subgrouping was short-lived. Spatial overlap between the two peccary species varied seasonally with whitelipped herd movements. We discuss future research needs and management actions for conservation of these species in fragmented landscapes.
Why Do We Observe Minimal Warranties

Why is it that some products carry a minimal manufacturer base warranty even though all consumers are risk-averse? Conventional wisdom suggests that it is profitable for the manufacturer to offer a comprehensive warranty in this setting. We provide in this paper an explanation for the provision of minimal warranty in markets where all consumers are risk-averse. Minimal warranties are created by the impact of consumer moral hazard and competition in the insurance after-market for the product. We show that consumers who purchase optional extended warranties from an independent provider of insurance create a significant negative externality on the warranty redemption costs of the manufacturer. This, in turn, creates a significant erosion in the manufacturer's profits from warranty insurance. Consequently, it is in the best interest of the manufacturer to drop the level of warranty coverage provided with the product. This intuition holds for homogeneous as well as heterogeneous markets of consumers.
Enzymic hydrolysis of cephalin in rat intestinal mucosa.

Abstract 1. 1. The phosphatidyl ethanolamine and phosphatidyl serine fractions of crude brain cephalin are hydrolyzed by a phospholipase found in the small intestines of the rat. The optimal pH of the hydrolysis is between 6.5 and 7.0. 2. 2. The enzyme was found exclusively in the mitochondrial particle fraction of intestinal mucosa. 3. 3. The glycerylphosphorylesters of ethanolamine and serine have been identified as the principal products of the action of intestinal phospholipase on cephalin. Only negligible amounts of inorganic phosphate are formed during the incubation of cephalin with preparations of intestinal phospholipase. 4. 4. Cephalin is hydrolyzed at much faster rates than lecithin by the intestinal particle fraction studied in this investigation. The acetal bonds of acetalphospholipides are resistant toward intestinal cephalin phospholipase. At least 95% of the considerable hydrolytic activity of crude intestinal mucosa toward glycerol monostearate was found not to be present in the mitochondrial fraction. 5. 5. The cephalin phospholipase of rat intestinal mucosa is considerably inhibited by bile salts and by salts of fatty acids containing between 7 and 11 carbon atoms in the form of straight chains, but considerably enhanced by soaps of higher chain lengths. It is not affected by cyanide ions.
Recurrence of amyloidosis in a kidney transplant.

Recurrent AA amyloidosis in a kidney transplant is rare, especially when the underlying inflammatory condition is controlled. We present a 59-year-old man who underwent a living donor kidney transplant 17 years ago for kidney failure due to AA amyloid nephropathy in the setting of long-standing Crohn disease. His Crohn disease was quiescent before and after the kidney transplant. Transplant function had been stable until a month before presentation, when he developed worsening proteinuria and decreased kidney function. A transplant biopsy showed recurrent AA amyloidosis despite excellent clinical and histologic control of Crohn disease.
Root numbers of semistable elliptic curves in division towers

The growth of the Mordell-Weil rank of an elliptic curve in a tower of number fields can be discussed at many levels. On the one hand, the issues raised can be embedded in a broader Iwasawa theory of elliptic curves (Mazur [10]); on the other hand, they can be crystallized in a single easily stated question, namely whether the rank of the elliptic curve over subextensions of finite degree is bounded in the tower. But whatever one’s point of view, the case of abelian towers has seen important advances in recent years, including notably the results of Kato on cyclotomic towers, of Cornut [2] and Vatsal [18] on anticyclotomic towers, and of Skinner and Urban on Mazur’s conjecture. In the case of nonabelian towers, by contrast, virtually nothing is known, and even a conjectural framework has begun to emerge only recently [1]. However Greenberg [7] observed more than twenty years ago that some insight could already be gained from the classical conjectures about L-functions: They imply that for certain pairs (E1, E2) of elliptic curves of relatively prime conductor there exist primes p such that the rank of E1 is unbounded in the p-division tower of E2 (which can be chosen not to have complex multiplication, so that the division tower is nonabelian). Greenberg’s idea was elaborated further by L. Howe [8], who gave a conjectural lower bound for the growth of the rank of E1 in the division tower of E2. The aim of the present note is to show that the standard conjectures also have some bearing on the growth of the rank of an elliptic curve in its own division tower. For example, we shall see that if E is a semistable elliptic curve over Q and p is a sufficiently large prime congruent to 3 mod 4 then the rank of E should be unbounded in its p-division tower. As in the papers of Greenberg and Howe, the mechanism for arriving at such conclusions is a root number calculation. Fix a number field F , an elliptic curve E over F , and a prime p, and put F∞ = F (E[p∞]), where E[p∞] denotes the group of points on E of p-power order. The root numbers at issue here are associated to the L-functions L(s,E, τ), where τ runs over irreducible self-dual representations of Gal(F∞/F ). For a precise definition of L(s,E, τ) we refer the reader to [12], pp. 151 and 156, or to [1], §5, but we should at least spell out our group-theoretic conventions: First of all, a representation of a topological group is understood to be continuous, finite-dimensional, and defined over the complex numbers. In particular, in the case of a profinite group like Gal(F∞/F ) a representation is trivial on an open subgroup and hence factors through a finite quotient. It also follows that when the term character is used in the sense of “one-dimensional representation” we are talking about a continuous homomorphism to C×. On the other hand, if we think of a character as the trace of a representation of arbitrary dimension then in the case of a compact group like Gal(F∞/F ) characters provide a criterion
Diagnosis of Malignant Pleural Mesothelioma by Axillary Lymph Node Biopsy

Diffuse malignant mesothelioma was diagnosed by axillary lymph node biopsy in a patient with brief asbestos exposure and extensive pleural masses. The clinical, radiographic and pathologic findings of this case are reported and lymph node involvement in DMM is briefly discussed.
The Abandoned Radical Hysterectomy: A Gynecologic Oncology Group Study

Abstract Objective. The aim of this study was to evaluate the frequency with which intended radical hysterectomy for cervical cancer is abandoned and the outcomes for those patients. Methods. A secondary evaluation of a prospective surgical pathological trial was performed. There were 1127 patients with Stage IB carcinoma of the cervix entered on Gynecologic Oncology Group Protocol No. 49. These patients were to undergo radical hysterectomy and pelvic lymphadenectomy with careful analysis of pathologic findings, complications, and outcomes. Results. Ninety-eight women were found, at operation, to have extrauterine disease and the proposed radical operation was abandoned at the discretion of the operating surgeon. The records of these patients were evaluated. Subgroups of patients with extrapelvic disease (30) and pelvic extension (26), including grossly positive pelvic nodes (12), other pelvic implants (8), and gross serosal extension (2), were identified. Sixty-three (93%) patients subsequently underwent pelvic radiation therapy and one or two intracavitary applications. Para-aortic fields were added for 8 patients who were found to have positive para-aortic nodes. Five patients received radiotherapy and chemotherapy; 4 patients received chemotherapy alone. One patient declined any further therapy. The disease-free survival was shorter for patients whose radical procedure was abandoned than for those patients who underwent radical hysterectomy. Among the abandoned-operation patients, those with extrapelvic disease had the shortest progression-free interval and survival and those with direct pelvic extension the longest. Conclusions. Retrospective comparisons of radical hysterectomy to radiation therapy are not valid unless the group of patients whose radical operation was abandoned is included. The morbidity of the operation is low even when followed by radiation therapy. However, no recommendations for optimal therapy can be made from this analysis.
Grass pollen immunotherapy (IT) decreases IL-9 mRNA expressing cells in the nasal mucosa during the pollen season

Abstract Rationale In murine studies IL-9 is involved in mast cell infiltration of tissues in a c-Kit dependent fashion and stimulates eosinophil development via upregulation of IL-5 receptor. IL-9 is increased in the bronchial mucosa in asthma (Shimbara et al, JACI 1999; 105:108). Grass pollen immunotherapy was effective in hayfever and inhibited seasonal increases in eosinophils in the nasal mucosa (Wilson et al Clin Exp Allergy; 2001: 1705). In the same biopsies we measured IL-9 expression before/after immunotherapy and related IL-9 to seasonal changes in local mast cells and eosinophils. Methods In a randomized blinded trial in 44 adults with seasonal rhinitis, nasal biopsies were taken from the inferior turbinate before treatment and during the pollen season after 2 years of treatment. Biopsies were processed by in situ hybridization to detect IL-9 mRNA+ cells and immunohistochemistry to detect IL-9 protein+ cells, eosinophils and mast cells. Results Seasonal increases in nasal mucosal IL-9 mRNA+ cells and IL-9 protein+ cells were inhibited after immunotherapy (between group differences p=0.06 and p=0.04, respectively). Seasonal increases in nasal c-Kit+ mast cells and EG2+ eosinophils were similarly inhibited (p=0.001 and p=0.03). In the placebo-treated group, the number of IL-9 mRNA+ cells correlated with IL-9 protein+ cells (r=0.47, p=0.06). There were also significant correlations (both groups combined) between IL-9 mRNA + cells and EG2 + cells (r=0.46, p=0.004) and IL-5 mRNA+ cells (r=0.41, p=0.01). Conclusions Local expression of IL-9 in the nasal mucosa during natural seasonal pollen exposure may contribute to local eosinophil (and possibly mast cell) accumulation and is inhibited following successful immunotherapy.
Three-wave resonant interaction in a thin layer

Abstract We analyze in detail conversion of a pump wave into two daughter waves (DWs) on an infinitely thin nonlinear layer, assuming that the conversion is initiated by weak seed pulses of the DWs. Three cases corresponding to different signs of the group velocities of the DWs are considered separately. In the case when both velocities are opposite to that of the pump wave, a threshold value of the “strength” of the nonlinear layer is found, above which oscillations between the conversion and the inverse process of recombination set in. In the case when the DW group velocities have different signs, the shapes of the generated DW pulses do not depend upon shapes of the corresponding “seed” pulses. In this case, multiple solutions are possible, provided the nonlinearity is strong enough.
Lateral Asymmetries in the Frontal Brain: Effects of Depression and a Family History of Alcoholism in Female Adolescents

Background Subtle electroencephalographic (EEG) abnormalities have been detected among subjects with depressed affect. The present study attempted to discern whether these abnormalities reflect a main effect or an interaction between depression and either of two family history variables—a family history of alcoholism or a family history of depression. Methods The subjects were 151 adolescent females, aged 14 to 20 years, of whom 58 met DSM-III-R diagnostic criteria for a lifetime history of a major depressive episode. The electroencephalogram was recorded from 31 electrode sites while the subjects sat relaxed, with their eyes open, for 5 min. Results Analyses of EEG data revealed that a personal history of depression and a family history of alcoholism had opposite effects on the EEG power spectrum. Depression was associated with an increase in α power (7.5–12.5 Hz). In contrast, a family history of alcoholism was associated with an increase in fast β power (19–30 Hz) and a decrease in θ power (4–7 Hz). There were no significant main or interactive effects of a family history of depression. Current source density topographic analyses of the significant group differences in α and fast β power demonstrated that the effects of depression could be localized to the right frontal brain, whereas the effects of a family history of alcoholism were localized to the left frontal area. Conclusions The laterally opposite effects of depression and a family history of alcoholism suggest a high level of functional differentiation of the frontal brain. They also suggest that the different neurophysiological substrates of depression and familial risk can be distinguished through the use of modern methods of EEG source localization.
Revision cochlear implantation in children

Revision cochlear implant (RCI) surgery has become an important tool for the management of cochlear implantation complications. This review encompasses both common and uncommon indications of RCI, diagnostic and management considerations, outcomes, surgical principles, and emerging applications. In summary, early identification of complications and suboptimal device performance is imperative for children who are in critical periods of communicative development. Independent of indications, most RCI achieve a successful restoration of sound. Although rare, it is prudent to discuss the potential complications of revision surgery and their implications with patients and their families.