cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Threshold photoelectron-photoion coincidence spectroscopy: dissociation dynamics and thermochemistry of Ge(CH3)4, Ge(CH3)3Cl, and Ge(CH3)3Br.

Threshold photoelectron−photoion coincidence spectroscopy (TPEPICO) has been used to investigate the gas-phase ionic dissociation energies and thermochemistry of Me4Ge and Me3GeX, (Me = methyl; X = Cl, Br) molecules. The 0 K dissociation onsets for these species have been measured from the breakdown diagram and the ion time-of-flight distributions, which were modeled with the statistical RRKM theory and DFT calculations. The measured 0 K dissociative photoionization onsets were as follows: Me3Ge+ + Me (9.826 ± 0.010 eV); Me3Ge+ + Cl (10.796 ± 0.040 eV); Me3Ge+ + Br (10.250 ± 0.011 eV); Me2GeCl+ + Me (10.402 ± 0.010 eV); and Me2GeBr+ + Me (10.333 ± 0.020 eV). These onsets were used to obtain new values for (in kJ/mol) of the neutral molecules Me3GeCl (−239.8 ± 5.7) and Me3GeBr (−196.5 ± 4.3), and also for the following ionic species: Me3Ge+ (682.3 ± 4.1), Me2GeCl+ (621.1 ± 5.8), and Me2GeBr+ (657.8 ± 4.7).
Identification of a new newcastle disease virus isolate from Indonesia represents an ancestral lineage of class II genotype XIII

An unknown virus was isolated from a mosquito pool collected in Jakarta during routine surveillance in 1979. Analysis of the sample using the Illumina platform resulted in the identification of a Newcastle disease virus (NDV) isolate. The sequence of the isolate indicated that it is an ancestral lineage of class II, genotype XIII. The source of the isolate is unusual, as newcastle disease virus is not believed to be vector-borne, although this mosquito pool was processed in a laboratory also handling samples for avian influenza surveillance and it is possible that this resulted in cross-contamination. This NDV isolate is still ancestral to most extant genotype XIII strains and provides a useful insight into historic NDV evolution.
Lead in soils and plants: A literature review

The distribution of lead in the environment is altered by the activities of man, principally through its use as a fuel additive. Lead appears in automobile exhaust as halides, hydroxides, and oxides, with lesser amounts of carbonates and sulfates. Lead concentrations decrease rapidly with depth in the soil and distance downwind from a source, and show a positive correlation with traffic volume. Lead in soil is moved slowly by leaching, due to sorption and formation of insoluble compounds. Sorption of lead by soils is positively correlated with cation exchange capacity. Lead can be taken up by plant roots if in an available form, but soil sorption phenomena and precipitation prevent uptake of large amounts unless soil lead levels are extremely high. Lead can be absorbed by plant foliage but much of it is apparently in the form of a surface deposit. Lead content of plants grown in natural soils is generally less than 10 ppm d.w. When taken up by a plant, lead may be found principally in the roots, with little translocation to the shoot. Lead uptake is enhanced by low soil pH and can be reduced by liming the soil.
Computer Evaluation of Second Tarsometatarsal Joint Dislocation

Using computer-assisted techniques, this study analyzes the mean contact area of the articular surface of the second tarsometatarsal joint. The articular contact area decreased proportionate to the displacement in both males and females, but it was consistently greater in males than in females for all simulated displacements. The reduction in the contact area was the highest with dorsolateral displacement compared with the lateral and dorsal displacements. Dorsolateral displacement of the second metatarsal of 3 mm led to 38.6% reduction in the contact area, compared with 33.1% and 20.2% reduction with lateral and dorsal displacements, respectively. This study shows that even minor degrees of displacement not apparent on plain radiographs lead to significant decrease in the contact area of the second tarsometatarsal joint. Careful evaluation of second tarsometatarsal injuries with computed tomography is recommended to detect minor degrees of displacement.
Heavy quarkonium potential model and the P11 state of charmonium.

A theoretical explanation of the observed splittings among the $P$ states of charmonium is given with the use of a nonsingular potential model for heavy quarkonia. We also show that the recently observed mass difference between the center of gravity of the $^{3}P_{J}$ states and the $^{1}P_{1}$ state of $c\overline{c}$ does not provide a direct test of the color hyperfine interaction in heavy quarkonia. Our theoretical value for the mass of the $^{1}P_{1}$ state is in agreement with the experimental result, and its $E1$ transition width is 341.8 keV. The mass of the ${\ensuremath{\eta}}_{c}^{\ensuremath{'}}$ state is predicted to be 3622.3 MeV.
Solubility of oxygen in the major sea salts as a function of concentration and temperature

Abstract The solubility of oxygen has been measured in NaCl, Na2SO4, MgCl2 and MgSO4 solutions from 5 to 45 °C from 0.1 to saturation. The solubilities, [O2], have been fitted to a Setschenow [J. Phys. Chem. 4 (1899) 117] type equation ln {[ O 2 ] 0 /[ O 2 ]}= ln γ=Am+Bm 2 where the superscript zero is the solubility of oxygen in water, m is the molality and γ is the activity coefficient of O2. The adjustable parameters A and B are determined by least squares to equations of the form (T/K)A=a00+a01/T+a02ln T and B=b00+b01/T+b02ln T. The standard errors of all the fits of [O2] are less than ±2.0 μmol (kg H2O)−1 for all the salts. The limiting values of kS=A for the solutions have been determined from the fits. The ionic values of kS for SO42− are not additive due to the strong interactions between Mg2+ and SO42−. The results have been interpreted using the Pitzer equations ln γ O 2 =2 ∑ c λ O 2 c m c +2 ∑ a λ O 2 a m a + ∑ c ∑ a m c m a ζ O 2 ca where λO2i is a parameter that accounts for the interaction of O2 with cations (c) and anions (a) and ζO2ca accounts for interactions for O2 with the cation and anion (c–a). The coefficients (λO2i) determined for Na+, Cl− and SO42− are in reasonable agreement with the tabulations of Clegg and Brimblecombe [J. Phys. Chem. 93 (1990) 7237]. The values of λO2c for the interactions of Na+, Mg2+, SO42− and ζO2ca for the interactions of NaCl, Na2SO4, MgCl2 and MgSO4 with O2 from 5 to 45 °C (T/K) have been fitted to equations of the form (λO2Cl=0) λ O 2 Na =−24.2231+1169.14/T+3.58915 ln T λ O 2 Mg =−40.3039+1912.70/T+5.99055 ln T λ O 2 SO 4 =44.8440−1956.75/T−6.69935 ln T ζ O 2 NaCl =5.7292−260.89/T−0.85431 ln T ζ O 2 MgCl 2 =19.715−888.35/T−2.93893 ln T ζ O 2 Na 2 SO 4 =18.8007−862.37/T−2.79870 ln T ζ O 2 MgSO 4 =25.4448−1186.25/T−3.77264 ln T These parameters represent the oxygen solubilities to ±2.0 μmol (kg H2O)−1 over the entire range of temperature and concentration. The resulting coefficients for the major sea salts can be used to estimate the solubility of oxygen in all natural waters over a wide range of temperature and ionic strength.
J×B heating by very intense laser light

Plasma heating by the oscillating component of the pondermotive force of a very intense light wave is discussed.
Comparison of five elsa assays for IgG antibody against coxsackievirus B1

Enterovirus type and group specificities of five different IgG ELISA methods were compared, using neutralization titration tests as an indicator of the presence or absence of antibodies to coxsackie B (CB) viruses. One of the ELISA assays was a “standard” IgG assay, where the solid phase was coated directly with the purified virus, followed by incubations with human serum, biotinylated anti-human-IgG, streptavidin-peroxidase, and the substrate/chromogen In a modified standard assay, blocking of common epitopes was attempted by incubating the CBI virus antigen on the solid phase with a rabbit antiserum to CB5 before the human serum was added. In another modification the serum dilution buffer contained heat-denatured heterologous enteroviruses in an attempt to consume human antibodies reacting with common epitopes. In one assay the purified CBl virus was captured by purified horse anti-CB1 IgG on the solid phase, before incubation with human serum. In the last of the five assays the serum specimen was incubated with CBl virus (in the liquid phase) before the virus or virus-antibody complex was captured with purified horse anti-CB1-IgG. Reactions against common antigens dominated in the first three assays. The antigen-capture assay appeared to be at least predominantly type specific. Our data indicate that the liquid-phase assay may be type specific, but more studies are needed. The method of virus purification was critical for the type specificity of the antigencapture and liquid-phase assays.
DNA polymerase, thymidine kinase and DNA synthesis in erythropoletic mouse spleen cells separated on bovine serum albumin gradients

Abstract A single dose of erythropoietin stimulates DNA synthesis in the spleen of the polycythemic mouse with the maximum effect occurring 48 h after the hormone is administered. The increase in DNA synthesis is accompanied by morphologic evidence of increased erythropoiesis and by increases in the activities per cell of both thymidine kinase and cytoplasmic high molecular weight DNA polymerase-α. The activity of low molecular weight DNA polymerase-β does not change significantly. Spleen cells from mice which had received either erythropoietin or saline 48 h previously were separated into 7 density classes on discontinuous bovine serum albumin gradients. Following the administration of erythropoietin, thymidine incorporation and thymidine kinase activity showed the greatest relative increases per nucleated cell in layers 3, 4 and 5 of the gradient. DNA polymerase-α showed the greatest increase in cells of the denser layers 5, 6 and 7. Each layer contained normoblasts and lymphocytes. The less well differentiated erythroid elements constituted a larger proportion of cells in layers of lower density. Increases in the rates of thymidine incorporation were better correlated with increases in thymidine kinase activity than with increases in DNA polymerase activities. Measurement of iron incorporation into heme confirm the morphological impression that the cell type responsible for increased thymidine incorporation and increased DNA polymerase-α activity is the young normblast.
Finite state stochastic games: Existence theorems and computational procedures

Let {X_{n}} be a Markov process with finite state space and transition probabilities p_{ij}(u_{i}, v_{i}) depending on u i and v_{i}. State 0 is the capture state (where the game ends; p_{oi} \equiv \delta_{oi}) ; u = {u_{i}} and v = {v_{i}} are the pursuer and evader strategies, respectively, and are to be chosen so that capture is advanced or delayed and the cost C_{i^{u,v}} = E[\Sum_{0}^{\infty} k (u(X_{n}), v(X_{n}), X_{n}) | X_{0} = i] is minimaxed (or maximined), where k(\alpha, \beta, 0) \equiv 0 . The existence of a saddle point and optimal strategy pair or e-optimal strategy pair is considered under several conditions. Recursive schemes for computing the optimal or e-optimal pairs are given.
Neuron-specific regulation of major histocompatibility complex class I, interferon-β, and anti-viral state genes

The regulation of major histocompatibility complex (MHC) class I, interferon (IFN)-beta, and anti-viral state expression in neurons was analyzed. Treatment of neurons with either double-stranded RNA (poly I: poly C) or virus, but not IFNs, induced high levels of IFN-beta, but not MHC class I genes. However, neurons treated with IFN-beta established an anti-viral state. Transfection of neurons with IFN-beta constructs showed that a region containing PRDI (IRF-E site) and PRDII (kappa B site) mediated induction, but closely related sites in a MHC class I construct did not. Gel mobility shift assays indicated that transcription factors containing the RelA (p65) component of NF-kappa B, but not p50, bound to PRDII. PRDI, however, bound to transcriptional antagonist IRF-2. Unique selective induction of these transcription factors is likely to mediate non-coordinate expression of IFN-beta, MHC class I, and anti-viral state genes in neurons.
Dynamic Behavior of Spectral Hole Burning in EDFA with 980nm Pumping

EDFA dynamic behavior is studied with respect to the influence of spectral hole burning on surviving channel power. Simulation results are compared with measurements and importance of new 3-level EDFA model with SHB is demonstrated.
Alternative models for cyclic lemming dynamics

Many natural population growths and interactions are affected by seasonal changes, suggesting that these natural population dynamics should be modeled by nonautonomous differential equations instead of autonomous differential equations. Through a series of carefully derived models of the well documented high-amplitude, large-period fluctuations of lemming populations, we argue that when appropriately formulated, autonomous differential equations may capture much of the desirable rich dynamics, such as the existence of a periodic solution with period and amplitude close to that of approximately periodic solutions produced by the more natural but mathematically daunting nonautonomous models. We start this series of models from the Barrow model, a well formulated model for the dynamics of food-lemming interaction at Point Barrow (Alaska, USA) with sufficient experimental data. Our work suggests that an autonomous system can indeed be a good approximation to the moss-lemming dynamics at Point Barrow. This, together with our bifurcation analysis, indicates that neither seasonal factors (expressed by time-dependent moss growth rate and lemming death rate in the Barrow model) nor the moss growth rate and lemming death rate are the main culprits of the observed multi-year lemming cycles. We suspect that the main culprits may include high lemming predation rate, high lemming birth rate, and low lemming self-limitation rate.
Relationships of Treatment of Child Sexual Abuse with School Achievement and Self-Concept:

Adolescent victims of child sexual abuse suffer through complex problems of vast proportions. Treatment of these victims is a challenging task facing mental health professionals. Few studies have assessed treatment success in child and adolescent sexual abuse cases. The present investigation used a pretest-posttest format with three measures from the Stanford Achievement Test and self-concept (Piers-Harris) scores to assess the effectiveness of 6 months of psychotherapy with sexually abused girls. Social workers led psychotherapeutic groups like those described by Blick and Porter. The groups offered the girls a supportive environment to gain insights into their difficulties. The study used a comparison group based on gender, age, IQ, and socioeconomic status. Results indicated that the early adolescent sexual abuse victims in treatment made significant gains on all measured areas whereas the comparison group's scores did not change significantly.
Hysteresis, menu costs, and pricing with random exchange rates

Abstract This paper develops a model to explain price stickiness to nominal shocks. It is the first model to allow two-sided general shocks. In an international environment, a firm that sells in its domestic market and abroad faces a stochastic exchange rate and menu costs. We obtain significant stickiness with very small menu costs. With exchange rate variance of 10% p.a., the exchange rate can fluctuate 25% without the firm having to adjust prices. An optimal control problem is solved whereby the firm allows marginal revenue to oscillate between two boundaries. It only regulates, by changing prices, at those boundaries.
Alterations in quadriceps and hamstrings coordination in persons with medial compartment knee osteoarthritis.

Altered muscle coordination strategies in persons with knee osteoarthritis (OA) result in an increase in co-contraction of the quadriceps and hamstrings during walking. While this may increase intersegmental joint contact force and expedite disease progression, it is not currently known whether the magnitude of co-contraction increases with a progressive loss of joint space or whether the level of co-contraction is dependent on walking speed. The purposes of this study were to (1) determine if co-contraction increased with OA severity and (2) discern whether differences in co-contraction were a result of altered freely chosen walking speeds or rather an inherent change associated with disease progression. Forty-two subjects with and without knee osteoarthritis were included in the study. Subjects were divided into groups based on disease severity. When walking at a controlled speed of 1.0 m/s, subjects with moderate and severe knee OA showed significantly higher co-contraction when compared to a healthy control group. At freely chosen walking speeds only the moderate OA group had significantly higher co-contraction values. Increased walking speed also resulted in a significant increase in co-contraction, regardless of group. The results of this study demonstrate that persons with knee OA develop higher antagonistic muscle activity. This occurs despite differences in freely chosen walking speed. Although subjects with OA had higher co-contraction than the control group, co-contraction may not increase with disease severity.
Psychological treatment for chronic pain: A selective review

Abstract The status of biofeedback and biofeedback assisted relaxation, operant conditioning, and cognitive behavioral treatment for chronic pain management is discussed. Successful treatment outcomes have been reported for each approach. Unfortunately, various weaknesses in the designs of the studies reporting positive outcome, such as the absence of control groups, inadequate patient sample descriptions, and few long term follow-ups do not allow unqualified acceptance of the efficacy of these approaches. Evaluations of the current status of each approach and suggestions for future research are presented. The need to develop a prescriptive approach for assessment and treatment is stressed.
Assessing decadal-scale changes to a giant sand wave field in eastern Long Island Sound

Three digital precision bathymetric data sets spanning 16.1 yr enabled a long-term analysis of the geometric, migration, and volumetric changes to large bedforms in a 1 km2 region of eastern Long Island Sound. Whereas a 1 yr study of sand wave mechanics during 1987 provided indirect evidence of long-term southwestward transport, this study adds a June 2003 data set and conclusively demonstrates a basinward (southwestward) progression of sand waves between 7 and 17 m in height. In addition, the modus operandi of sand wave migration during various temporal scales involves crestal flexing, crestal rotation, and differential migration along the crest. A volumetric analysis suggests that the sand waves are in a waning phase of migration and early stage of preservation as sea level rises into the basin and flood-dominant tidal currents decrease in strength.
Pharmacokinetics of Once-Daily Gentamicin Dosing in Pediatric Patients

Abstract Background/Purpose: To achieve cost-effective health care in adults, once-daily aminoglycosides administration has been used and judged to be safe and efficacious. A similar strategy in children requires the characterization of pharmacokinetic parameters and the development of a therapeutic monitoring protocol for this antibiotic regimen. Methods: A prospective, controlled, randomized (2:1) study was undertaken in 50 pediatric patients between June 1995 and September 1997. Children between 6 months and 18 years who required gentamicin therapy based on independent clinical assessment were eligible if they had normal renal function, no aminoglycoside allergies, were not neutropenic, or did not have cystic fibrosis. Measurements included a peak, 4-hour, 8-hour, and trough gentamicin levels to determine volume of distribution (Vd) and elimination constant (Ke). Ototoxicity and nephrotoxicity were monitored by pre- and postaudiology examinations and serial calculated creatinine clearance determinations, respectively. Results: Thirty-three patients received 7.5 mg/kg every 24 hours, and 17 patients received 2.5 mg/kg every 8 hours. Most frequent indications for treatment were ruptured appendicitis (n = 19) followed by wound infections caused by trauma (n = 4), but the spectrum of treatment was broad including enteric, genitourinary, central nervous system, biliary, ophthalmologic, and orthopedic infections. Pharmacokinetic data indicated that 24-hour dosing resulted in higher peak levels compared with 8-hour dosing (20.4 ± 45.4 v 7.2 ± 6.2 mg/L, P v 0.69 ± 0.13, P Conclusions: These data confirm that once-daily dosing of gentamicin is a safe method of treatment that provides equivalent pharmacokinetics compared with traditional dosing and enhances bactericidal effect based on higher peak levels, avoids toxicity, and allows cost savings.
Tactical Means, Strategic Ends: Al Qaeda's Use of Denial and Deception

This analysis surveys Al Qaeda's employment of denial and deception (D&D) and shows that it uses D&D on tactical and operational levels in order to achieve strategic results. It defines denial and deception and explains how they relate to Al Qaeda, overviews Al Qaeda's changing network structure and seeks to summarize how Al Qaeda employs D&D throughout its operations. This paper is structured to show that denial and deception are institutionalized factors that manifest themselves through all aspects of bin Laden's organization and that the traditional conception of D&D—that nonstate actors are incapable of employing deception as an element of grand strategy—is incorrect.
Islam and the United States: streams of convergence, strands of divergence

This article identifies four historical phases of relations between Islam and the Western world, as led by the United States. The first phase was a convergence of values coinciding with a divergence of empathy. The second phase reversed the order – Islamic and Western values diverged, but intercommunal relations became closer. The third phase is after September 11 when intercommunal relations once again diverged while differences between Western and Islamic values were greater than ever. The futuristic fourth phase of Islam's relations with the U.S.‐led Western world is when the power of the new American Empire is circumscribed, Western values become less libertarian, and Islam reconciles itself to modernity.
The Analysis of Mixtures of Glutamic and α-Ketoglutaric Acids by Infrared Spectroscopy

An analytical procedure utilizing infrared techniques has been developed for the quantitative determination of glutamic and α-ketoglutaric acids for samples containing milligram quantities of these acids. The infrared spectra of the samples in KBr pellets was determined on a Beckman IR-8 infrared spectrophotometer using double beam, slow scan, gains of 5.2% to 5.6% and attenuation to 97% T at 3846.2 cm−1. For preparation of the pellets, approximately 400 mg of KBr (IR grade, E. Merck, Darmstadt, Germany), was used. Better dispersion of the sample was achieved by mixing a part of the KBr with the sample in an agate mortar and combining this mixture with the rest of the KBr in the capsule of a Wig-L-Bug (Crescent Dental Mfg. Co., Chicago, Ill.) along with a nylon ball (⅛ in.). Twenty seconds agitation completed the mixing. The mixture was transferred to the die and the pellet prepared in the usual manner.
Elastic strain and preferred orientation in monoclinic crystals

Microcline phenocrysts in a monzonite gneiss, and hornblende and actinolite crystals in a series of amphibole schists, form strong lineations of elongate crystals perpendicular to axes of small folds. The crystallographic c axes of the amphibole and microcline crystals form strong maxima parallel to the A fabric axis of the rocks; the b axes of microcline form a strong maxima parallel to the C fabric axes and the b axes of the amphiboles form maxima parallel to the B fabric axis. If the folds and foliation planes are products of inelastic shear strain, these orientations correspond to the maximum elastic strain energies per unit stress for these crystals and agree with the prediction of preferred orientation by MacDonald (1960) . A predicted effect of positive and negative shear strain was not observed in these crystals. Preferred mineral orientations and recrystallization may be interpreted by use of elastic strain theory to give additional insight into the problems of rock deformation.
International expansion of retail firms: A theoretical approach for future investigations

Abstract The purpose of this study is to offer a comprehensive assessment and evaluation of the literature in the field of a firm's internationalization based on a behavioral paradigm and propose a model for the retail internationalization process which could serve as a basis for future empirical investigations of international retail expansion. The model discusses the antecedents, the process and the outcomes of international involvement of retail firms. An attempt has been made to apply major variables in the model to idiosyncrasies of the retail industry and provide examples of currently active international retailers in the U.S.A. The model is dynamic as it proposes that the outcome of a retail internationalization process will affect its antecedents.
The 4f spectral weight in cerium materials—facts and issues☆

Experimental work to determine the spectral weight for 4f electron addition and removal in cerium materials is reviewed briefly, and new inverse photoemission results on CeO2 and collapsed volume cerium compounds are described. It is pointed out that the tendency for the spectral weight of collapsed volume materials to develop a peak at the Fermi level is implicit in a Kondo picture of their loss of magnetism.
Sulfate-Ion Pillared Layered Hydroxide of Eu2(OH)4SO4·nH2O: Controlled Hydrothermal Processing, Thermal Decomposition, and Photoluminescence

Sulfate-ion pillared layered hydroxide of Eu2(OH)4SO4·nH2O (n~2, SO42--LEuH) was synthesized through controlled hydrothermal reaction, and the phase evolution of which upon calcination in the air and hydrogen was studied in detail. It was found that annealing in the air produced orthorhombic Eu2O2SO4 in the temperature range of 300-1000 °C while in flowing H2 hexagonal Eu2O2S was resulted in the 600-1000 °C range. Strong red emissions were found at 621 nm for the SO42--LEuH and 627 nm for Eu2O2S under excitation at 396 nm (the 7F0-5L6 transition of Eu3+). Improved luminescence intensity was also observed for the Eu2O2S powder calcined at a higher temperature.
An explanation of the sheath instability

When the sheath accelerates in its plasma–bound motion as a result of the ion response to the electric field, one has a top-heavy equilibrium. In the sheath frame ions are accelerated towards the wall–sheath boundary. In such a situation sheath may become unstable. The sheath instability is examined as the Rayleigh–Taylor (RT) instability and RT growth rate is compared with the reported sheath instability in the literature.
RESEARCH: Religion, Likelihood of Action, and the Morality of Mentality

Protestants, relative to Jews, consider thoughts about immoral actions to be immoral and more likely to lead to action. In Study 1, controlling for agreement that thoughts lead to actions did not eliminate the effect of religion on agreement that thoughts have moral status. Protestants also considered thoughts about cheating on an exam (which Jews and Protestants consider equally likely) and thoughts about having an affair with Julia Roberts (an unlikely event) more morally relevant than Jews (Studies 2 & 3), The studies suggest that likelihood of action differences are only a partial account of Jewish-Protestant differences in the moral relevance of thoughts.
Synthesis, structure and porosity analysis of microporous and mesoporous carbon derived from zirconium carbide

Abstract Many applications of porous carbons demand control of pore size and its distribution. One of the most promising ways to mass-produce carbon with the desired porosity is by etching of non-carbon species from inorganic carbon containing materials, such as metal carbides. In this work, carbon was synthesized from zirconium carbide, ZrC 0.98 , in a chlorine environment in the temperature range of 200–1200 °C. Thermodynamic simulation shows the possibility of carbon formation in a broad range of temperature. The structure of the resultant carbon analyzed using Raman spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction (XRD) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM), shows that ordering of carbon took place with increase in synthesis temperature. Porosity analyzed using gas sorption technique shows that carbon produced at low temperature (300–600 °C) has small pores with narrow pore size distribution; whereas carbon produced at high temperature (800–1200 °C) has large pores with wider pore size distribution. In comparison with other carbide derived carbons, B 4 C and Ti 3 SiC 2 , whose pore size and its distribution do not change appreciably in 200–1000 °C range; carbon produced from ZrC can have both narrowly distributed micropores and mesopores depending upon the temperature of synthesis. As in carbons produced from other carbides, both the structure and porosity were found to depend on the synthesis temperature.
A Test Environment for Natural Language Understanding Systems

The Natural Language Understanding Engine Test Environment (ETE) is a GUI software tool that aids in the development and maintenance of large, modular, natural language understanding (NLU) systems. Natural language understanding systems are composed of modules (such as part-of-speech taggers, parsers and semantic analyzers) which are difficult to test individually because of the complexity of their output data structures. Not only are the output data structures of the internal modules complex, but also many thousands of test items (messages or sentences) are required to provide a reasonable sample of the linguistic structures of a single human language, even if the language is restricted to a particular domain. The ETE assists in the management and analysis of the thousands of complex data structures created during natural language processing of a large corpus using relational database technology in a network environment.
Towards “real-time” tool-tissue interaction detection in robotically assisted laparoscopy

The real-time detection of surgeonpsilas action could be very useful for intelligent intraoperative assistance. Robotic assisted surgery provides quantified information that can be used to detect these actions. In this paper we present our attempt at spotting tool-tissue interactions from real surgery data, in the context of robotic assisted laparoscopy with the daVincitrade system, using both kinematic information and visual information. Our early results are encouraging in this very challenging context.
The distribution of passives in spoken Sesotho

A previous study of passive constructions has suggested that these are much more frequent in Sesotho than in English spontaneous speech (Demuth, 1989). This has raised a number of questions regarding the possible effects of the input on the apparently earlier acquisition of passives in Sesotho. This paper explores the distribution of passives in Sesotho child-directed speech. It aims to provide a more thorough investigation of the grammatical, lexical and discourse contexts in which the passive is used. The findings confirm that passives occur in approximately 4% of utterances directed at 2-3-year olds. Many of these are full (rather than truncated) passives, most occurring with actional verbs that show active/passive alternations. Many passives are also questions/clarifications about past events. The implications for language acquisition are discussed.
The Importance of Contraceptive Attributes Among College Students

This study assessed how ratings of the importance of contraceptive attributes varied with gender, age, relationship status, and contraceptive method usually used. In a classroom setting, 210 male and 217 female university students completed the 55-item Contraceptive Attribute Questionnaire (CAQ). Significant differences on importance ratings were found between women and men, age groups, women using barrier methods and women using the pill, and by relationship status. The underlying dimensions of the CAQ were investigated through factor analysis, and somewhat different factors emerged for men and women. Implications for the provision of family planning services to college students are discussed.
Visual causes versus correlates of attentional selection in dynamic scenes

What are the visual causes, rather than mere correlates, of attentional selection and how do they compare to each other during natural vision? To address these questions, we first strung together semantically unrelated dynamic scenes into MTV-style video clips, and performed eye tracking experiments with human observers. We then quantified predictions of saccade target selection based on seven bottom-up models, including intensity variance, orientation contrast, intensity contrast, color contrast, flicker contrast, motion contrast, and integrated saliency. On average, all tested models predicted saccade target selection well above chance. Dynamic models were particularly predictive of saccades that were most likely bottom-up driven-initiated shortly after scene onsets, leading to maximal inter-observer similarity. Static models showed mixed results in these circumstances, with intensity variance and orientation contrast featuring particularly weak prediction accuracy (lower than their own average, and approximately 4 times lower than dynamic models). These results indicate that dynamic visual cues play a dominant causal role in attracting attention. In comparison, some static visual cues play a weaker causal role, while other static cues are not causal at all, and may instead reflect top-down causes.
Clinical implications of the involvement of tPA in neuronal cell death

Tissue plasminogen activator (tPA), the serine protease that converts inactive plasminogen to the protease plasmin, was recently shown to mediate neurodegeneration in the mouse hippocampus. Mice deficient in tissue plasminogen activator (tPA) display a dramatic resistance to a paradigm of excitotoxic neuronal death that involves intrahippocampal injection of the excitotoxin. This model is thought to reproduce the mechanism of neuronal death observed during acute (such as ischemic stroke) and degenerative (such as amyotrophic lateral sclerosis) diseases of the nervous system. The requirement for the proteolytic activity of tPA to mediate neuronal death is acute in the adult mouse. Serine protease inhibitors, specific for tPA or the tPA/plasmin proteolytic cascade, are effective in conferring extensive neuroprotection following the excitotoxic injection. These findings suggest possible new ways for interfering with the neuronal death observed in the hippocampus as a result of excitotoxicity. In addition, tPA is produced in the hippocampus primarily by microglial cells, which become activated in response to the neuronal injury. Blocking microglial activation has been shown in other injury paradigms to protect against neuronal death, therefore suggesting another way to retard neurodegeneration in the CNS. Furthermore, after the insult has been inflicted and in the presence of a compromised blood-brain barrier macrophages (cells deriving from the same lineage as microglia) migrate into the brain, where they are thought to contribute to the neuronal cell loss by secreting neurotoxic molecules. If these macrophages/microglia expressed, however, a tPA inhibitor, rather than the possibly neurotoxic tPA, they might be able to protect the neurons from dying.
Song versus verbal forms for very-long-term, long-term, and short-term verbatim recall

Abstract Very-long-term, long-term, and short-term verbatim recall of the Preamble to the Constitution were assessed in both naturalistic and experimental television studies. In the naturalistic study of very-long-term memory, young adults who as children were frequent viewers of an educational televised song about the Preamble recalled the words of the text better than did infrequent viewers. In the experimental study, young adults who were repeatedly exposed to this televised song demonstrated better short- and long-term recall of the Preamble text than did those who saw a verbal presentation of the same televised vignette, but recall was comparable for students who saw either the verbal or the song vignette only once. Songs are discussed as a presentational form that students can use to represent, rehearse, and retrieve verbal content over extended periods of time.
A 'best' mismatched filter response for radar clutter discrimination

The response of a mismatched filter which will reduce the effects of radar clutter energy on signal detection is considered in this paper. Clutter is assumed to result from scatterers having a range-velocity distribution different from that of a desired target. A tradeoff between signal-to-clutter ratio (SCR) and signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) is made. The mathematical treatment involves controlling the distribution of the volume of the squared magnitude t/f cross-correlation function associated with a given transmitted waveform and the response of the mismatched receiving filter. A measure of this volume is minimized for variations in mismatched filter response under suitable constraints on the output signal and noise powers. The essential result is contained in a linear integral equation. A method of solution is illustrated which enables one to choose a "best" tradeoff between SCR and SNR.
QR factorization based blind channel identification with second-order statistics

Most eigenstructure-based blind channel identification and equalization algorithms with second-order statistics need SVD or EVD of the correlation matrix of the received signal. In this paper, we address new algorithms based on QR factorization of the received signal directly without calculating the correlation matrix. This renders the QR factorization-based algorithms more robust against ill-conditioned channels, i.e., those channels with almost common zeros among the subchannels. First, we present a block algorithm that performs the QR factorization of the received data matrix as a whole. Then, a recursive algorithm is developed based on the QR factorization by updating a rank-revealing ULV decomposition. Compared with existing algorithms in the same category, our algorithms are computationally more efficient. The computation in each recursion of the recursive algorithm is on the order of O(m/sup 2/) if only equalization is required, where m is the dimension of the received signal vector. Our recursive algorithm preserves the fast convergence property of the subspace algorithms, thus converging faster than other adaptive algorithms such as the super-exponential algorithm with comparable computational complexities. Moreover, our proposed algorithms do not require noise variance estimation. Numerical simulations demonstrate the good performance of the proposed algorithms.
Targeting the Androgen Receptor

Androgen receptor (AR)-mediated signaling is critical to the growth and survival of prostate cancer. Although medical castration and antiandrogen therapy can decrease AR activity and lower PSA, castration resistance eventually develops. Recent work exploring the molecular structure and evolution of AR in response to hormonal therapies has revealed novel mechanisms of progression of castration-resistant prostate cancer and yielded new targets for drug development. This review focuses on understanding the mechanisms of persistent AR signaling in the castrate environment, and highlights new therapies either currently available or in clinical trials, including androgen synthesis inhibitors and novel direct AR inhibitors.
Introduction to post-quantum cryptography

Imagine that it’s fifteen years from now and someone announces the successful construction of a large quantum computer. The New York Times runs a frontpage article reporting that all of the public-key algorithms used to protect the Internet have been broken. Users panic. What exactly will happen to cryptography? Perhaps, after seeing quantum computers destroy RSA and DSA and ECDSA, Internet users will leap to the conclusion that cryptography is dead; that there is no hope of scrambling information to make it incomprehensible to, and unforgeable by, attackers; that securely storing and communicating information means using expensive physical shields to prevent attackers from seeing the information—for example, hiding USB sticks inside a locked briefcase chained to a trusted courier’s wrist. A closer look reveals, however, that there is no justification for the leap from “quantum computers destroy RSA and DSA and ECDSA” to “quantum computers destroy cryptography.” There are many important classes of cryptographic systems beyond RSA and DSA and ECDSA:
Regulation and acclimation of leaf gas exchange in a piñon-juniper woodland exposed to three different precipitation regimes.

Leaf gas-exchange regulation plays a central role in the ability of trees to survive drought, but forecasting the future response of gas exchange to prolonged drought is hampered by our lack of knowledge regarding potential acclimation. To investigate whether leaf gas-exchange rates and sensitivity to drought acclimate to precipitation regimes, we measured the seasonal variations of leaf gas exchange in a mature pinon–juniper Pinus edulis–Juniperus monosperma woodland after 3 years of precipitation manipulation. We compared trees receiving ambient precipitation with those in an irrigated treatment (+30% of ambient precipitation) and a partial rainfall exclusion (−45%). Treatments significantly affected leaf water potential, stomatal conductance and photosynthesis for both isohydric pinon and anisohydric juniper. Leaf gas exchange acclimated to the precipitation regimes in both species. Maximum gas-exchange rates under well-watered conditions, leaf-specific hydraulic conductance and leaf water potential at zero photosynthetic assimilation all decreased with decreasing precipitation. Despite their distinct drought resistance and stomatal regulation strategies, both species experienced hydraulic limitation on leaf gas exchange when precipitation decreased, leading to an intraspecific trade-off between maximum photosynthetic assimilation and resistance of photosynthesis to drought. This response will be most detrimental to the carbon balance of pinon under predicted increases in aridity in the southwestern USA.
Narrow-Band Photometry of Red Variables in Globular Clusters

Fourteen red variables in the southern globular clusters 47 Tuc, ω Cen, and NGC 362 have been observed on an eight-color system of narrow-band photometry in the near infrared. Temperatures are derived from blackbody fits to the calibrated fluxes, and spectral types are given for the M stars. The types observed for the three Mira variables in 47 Tuc range from M3.1 to M7.5; two small-range variables in the same cluster are later than M4. The variables in ω Cen are mostly earlier than K5, but spectra of types M3 and M0 were also encountered among radial-velocity members. In both the metal-rich 47 Tuc and the metal-poor ω Cen, the relation between TiO band strength and temperature is approximately normal. Several of these stars fall well above or below the red giant branches of their clusters in diagrams of infrared magnitude against temperature. Comparisons are made with recent results obtained at Radcliffe Observatory on some of the same stars.
Aggregation of Induction Motors for Transient Stability Load Modeling

An investigation of several methods for aggregating induction motors is described. The accuracy of the methods is compared using frequency-domain techniques. A new method involving the use of one or two aggregate motors is described and shown to be superior to other methods.
Identities for stopped markov chains and their applications

In this paper we obtain identities for some stopped Markov chains. These identities give a unified approach to many problems in optimal stopping of a Markovian sequence, extinction probability of a Markovian branching process and martingale theory.
Characterizing the Dynamics of CD4+ T Cell Priming within a Lymph Node

Generating adaptive immunity postinfection or immunization requires physical interaction within a lymph node T zone between Ag-bearing dendritic cells (DCs) and rare cognate T cells. Many fundamental questions remain regarding the dynamics of DC-CD4+ T cell interactions leading to priming. For example, it is not known how the production of primed CD4+ T cells relates to the numbers of cognate T cells, Ag-bearing DCs, or peptide-MHCII level on the DC. To address these questions, we developed an agent-based model of a lymph node to examine the relationships among cognate T cell frequency, DC density, parameters characterizing DC-T cell interactions, and the output of primed T cells. We found that the output of primed CD4+ T cells is linearly related to cognate frequency, but nonlinearly related to the number of Ag-bearing DCs present during infection. This addresses the applicability of two photon microscopy studies to understanding actual infection dynamics, because these types of experiments increase the cognate frequency by orders of magnitude compared with physiologic levels. We found a trade-off between the quantity of peptide-major histocompatibility class II on the surface of individual DCs and number of Ag-bearing DCs present in the lymph node in contributing to the production of primed CD4+ T cells. Interestingly, peptide-major histocompatibility class II t(1/2) plays a minor, although still significant, role in determining CD4+ T cell priming, unlike the primary role that has been suggested for CD8+ T cell priming. Finally, we identify several pathogen-targeted mechanisms that, if altered in their efficiency, can significantly effect the generation of primed CD4+ T cells.
Towards effective and compression-friendly test of memory interface logic

Cost and time-to-market considerations are strongly driving the need to improve the effectiveness of structural patterns for speed/voltage binning. In this paper we focus on improving the quality of testing memory interface paths for speed/voltage-binning. We propose DFT schemes that propagate faults through the memory that are effective with test compression. We also propose memory architectural enhancements to improve the effectiveness of ATPG patterns for Fmax identification. Both synchronous and asynchronous memories are targeted. Experimental results on an industrial ASIC core show the effectiveness of the proposed schemes with test compression. Initial silicon results from a 40-nm testchip is also presented and it proves that Fmax using the proposed scheme is very close to that of functional patterns, while Fmax using conventional schemes are more than 2X higher than that of functional patterns.