cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Use patterns of low-molecular weight heparin and the impact on length of stay in patients hospitalized for atrial fibrillation

Abstract Background Low-molecular weight heparin, although unproven as a protective anticoagulant in atrial fibrillation, is not uncommonly used in this clinical setting. This investigation sought to assess the prevalence of its use for atrial fibrillation and its impact on length of hospital stay. Methods A retrospective analysis of patients admitted to the cardiology service at a university hospital with the primary diagnosis of atrial fibrillation was conducted for a 6-month interval in 3 consecutive years. Baseline demographic and clinical information, anticoagulation status, and length of hospital stay were compared. Results A total of 213 patients were identified and divided into 2 groups (before and after low-molecular weight heparin availability). Low-molecular weight heparin use increased with time (0% in 1997, 16.9% in 1998, 24.1% in 1999) and was associated with a significant reduction in length of hospital stay, from 3.3 ± 2.8 days to 2.4 ± 2.1 days ( P = .03), and a trend toward a decreased international normalized ratio. Conclusions This investigation noted the increasing trend toward the use of low-molecular weight heparin as a protective anticoagulant for atrial fibrillation, despite the lack of controlled data about its efficacy. The observed reduction in length of hospital stay is implicated as a potential reason for the use of low-molecular weight heparin. (Am Heart J 2003;145:665-9.)
Cluster growth and dynamic scaling in a two-lane driven diffusive system

Using high precision Monte Carlo simulations and a mean-field theory, we explore coarsening phenomena in a simple driven diffusive system. The model is reminiscent of vehicular traffic on a two-lane ring road. At sufficiently high density, the system develops jams (clusters) which coarsen with time. A key parameter is the passing probability, γ. For small values of γ, the growing clusters display dynamic scaling with a growth exponent of 2/3. For larger values of γ, the growth exponent must be adjusted suggesting the ordered (jammed) state is not a genuine phase but rather a finite-size effect.
Synthesis and ene reactions of 3-methylene-2,3-dihydrofuran

Abstract The unexpected formation of 3-methylene-2,3-dihydrofuran 1 using the Huang-Minlon modification of the Wolff-Kishner reduction of 3-furaldehyde is discribed. Furan 1 readily undergoes ene reactions with simple electron-deficient alkenes.
Biot-Savart correlations in layered superconductors

We discuss the superconductor-to-normal phase transition in an infinite-layered, type-II superconductor in the limit where the Josephson coupling between layers is negligible. We model each layer as a neutral gas of thermally excited pancake vortices and assume that the dominant interlayer coupling is the electromagnetic interaction between the screening currents induced by these vortices. Our main result, obtained by exactly solving the leading order renormalization group (RG) flow, is that the phase transition in this model is a Kosterlitz-Thouless transition despite being a three-dimensional system. While the transition itself is driven by the unbinding of two-dimensional pancake vortices, an RG analysis of the low temperature phase and a mean-field theory of the high temperature phase reveal that both phases possess three-dimensional correlations. An experimental consequence is that the jump in the measured in-plane superfluid stiffness, a universal quantity in $2d$ Kosterlitz-Thouless theory, receives a small nonuniversal correction (of order 1% in ${\text{Bi}}_{2}{\text{Sr}}_{2}{\text{CaCu}}_{2}{\text{O}}_{8+x}$). This overall picture places some claims expressed in the literature on a more secure analytical footing and resolves some conflicting views.
TRANSITION PROBABILITY FROM THE GROUND TO THE FIRST-EXCITED 2+ STATE OF EVEN–EVEN NUCLIDES

Adopted values for the reduced electric quadrupole transition probability, B(E2)↑, from the ground state to the first-excited 2+ state of even–even nuclides are given in Table I. Values of τ, the mean life of the 2+ state; E, the energy; and β, the quadrupole deformation parameter, are also listed there. The ratio of β to the value expected from the single-particle model is presented. The intrinsic quadrupole moment, Q0, is deduced from the B(E2)↑ value. The product E×B(E2)↑ is expressed as a percentage of the energy-weighted total and isoscalar E2 sum-rule strengths. Table II presents the data on which Table I is based, namely the experimental results for B(E2)↑ values with quoted uncertainties. Information is also given on the quantity measured and the method used. The literature has been covered to November 2000. The adopted B(E2)↑ values are compared in Table III with the values given by systematics and by various theoretical models. Predictions of unmeasured B(E2)↑ values are also given in Table III.
Single Event Kinetic Modeling of Complex Catalytic Processes

Kinetic models for complex processes may contain an excessive number of rate parameters. Rather than simplifying the reaction scheme the approach illustrated here develops it in terms of the elementary steps of cation chemistry, using a computer algorithm. The resulting scheme, although gigantic, thus consists of a limited number of types of steps, generally involving series of homologous species. The rate coefficients of these steps are modeled based upon transition state theory and statistical thermodynamics. The single event concept explicits the effect of structure on the entropy contribution to the rate coefficient of the transformation, while the enthalpy effect is calculated using the Evans‐Polanyi relation. Together with thermodynamic constraints this approach drastically reduces the number of independent parameters to be determined from the experimental data. The approach is applied to the methanol‐to‐olefins process on ZSM5 and to a process with complex feedstock like the catalytic cracking of v...
Viscous Flow Analysis in Mixed Flow Rotors

A method for analyzing the viscous flow through turbomachine rotors is presented. The field analysis is based upon the solution of the full Navier-Stokes equations over the rotor blade-to-blade stream channels. An Alternating-Direction-Implicit method is employed to carry out the necessary numerical integration of the elliptic governing equations. The flow analysis may be applied to various types of turbomachine rotors. Preliminarily, only the case of laminar flows are considered in this paper. The flow characteristics within the rotors of a mixed flow turbine and a radial bladed compressor are investigated over a wide range of operating conditions. Excellent results are obtained when compared with existing experimental data. The method of this analysis is quite general and can deal with a wide range of applications. Possible modification of the present study to deal with turbulent flow cases are also identified.
Tachyon condensation and black strings

We show that under certain conditions, closed string tachyon condensation produces a topology changing transition from black strings to Kaluza-Klein ``bubbles of nothing. This can occur when the curvature at the horizon is much smaller than the string scale, so the black string is far from the correspondence point when it would make a transition to an excited fundamental string. This provides a dramatic new endpoint to Hawking evaporation. A similar transition occurs for black p-branes, and can be viewed as a nonextremal version of a geometric transition. Applications to AdS black holes and the AdS soliton are also discussed.
Gravitational waves from low mass neutron stars

Low mass neutron stars may be uniquely strong sources of gravitational waves. The neutron star crust can support large deformations for low mass stars. This is because of the star's weaker gravity. We find maximum ellipticities $ϵ$ (fractional difference in moments of inertia) that are 1000 times larger, and maximum quadrupole moments ${Q}_{22}$ over 100 times larger, for low mass stars than for $1.4{M}_{\ensuremath{\bigodot}}$ neutron stars. Indeed, we calculate that the crust can support an $ϵ$ as large as 0.005 for a minimum mass neutron star. A $0.12{M}_{\ensuremath{\bigodot}}$ star, that is maximally strained and rotating at 100 Hz, will produce a characteristic gravitational wave strain of ${h}_{0}=2.1\ifmmode\times\else\texttimes\fi{}{10}^{\ensuremath{-}24}$ at a distance of 1 kpc. The gravitational wave detector Advanced LIGO should be sensitive to such objects through out the Milky Way Galaxy. A low mass neutron star could be uniquely identified from a large observed spin down rate and its discovery would have important implications for general relativity, supernova mechanisms, and possibly nucleosynthesis.
Fully packaged dense wavelength-division demultiplexer for optical networks

A fully packaged dense wavelength division demultiplexer by using dispersion-enhanced volume holographic grating and V- grooved silicon fiber array is demonstrated. The device demultiplexes eight optical channels, namely at wavelengths of 1549 nm to 1536 nm every 2 nm respectively. The system insertion losses are -5.68 dB, -5.6 dB, -5.3 dB, -5.68 dB, -5.59 dB, -5.58 dB, -5.49 dB respectively. Typical adjacent cross-talks among these eight channels are less than -35dB. Epoxy and UV curing are used for fixing most parts of the optical components, which ensures the low cost of the devices. The trade-offs between getting smaller physical packaging size and linear dispersion ability at different wavelength is addressed.
Design of software for distributed/multiprocessor systems

Software design methodologies for distributed/multiprocessor systems are investigated. Parallelism and multitasking are considered as key issues in the design process. Petri-nets and precedence graphs are presented as techniques for the modeling of a problem for implementation on a computer system. Techniques using the Petri-net and precedence graph to decompose the problem model into subsets that may be executed on a distributed/multiprocessor system are presented. These techniques offer a systematic design methodology for the design of distributed/multiprocessor system software.
AWM 4 - an isothermal cluster observed with XMM-Newton

We present an analysis of an XMM-Newton observation of the poor cluster AWM 4. The cluster is relaxed and its X-ray halo is regular with no apparent substructure. Azimuthally averaged radial spectral profiles suggest that the cluster is isothermal to a radius of at least 160 kpc, with no evidence of a central cooling region. Spectral mapping shows some significant temperature and abundance substructure, but no evidence of strong cooling in the cluster core. Abundance increases in the core, but not to the extent expected, and we find some indication of gas mixing. Modelling the three-dimensional properties of the system, we show that ongoing heating by an active galactic nuclei (AGN) in the dominant elliptical, NGC 6051, is likely to be responsible for the lack of cooling. We also compare AWM 4 to MKW 4, a cluster of similar mass observed recently with XMM-Newton. While the two systems have similar gravitational mass profiles, MKW 4 has a cool core and a somewhat steeper gas density profile, which leads to a lower core entropy. AWM 4 has a considerably larger gas fraction at 0.1R 200 , and we show that these differences result from the difference in mass between the two dominant galaxies and the activity cycles of their AGN. We estimate the energy required to raise the temperature profile of MKW 4 to match that of AWM 4 to be 9 x 10 58 erg or 3 x 10 43 erg s -1 for 100 Myr, comparable to the likely power output of the AGN in AWM 4.
The Mark of a Criminal Record

With over 2 million individuals currently incarcerated, and over half a million prisoners released each year, the large and growing number of men being processed through the criminal justice system raises important questions about the consequences of this massive institutional intervention. This article focuses on the consequences of incarceration for the employment outcomes of black and white job seekers. The present study adopts an experimental audit approach—in which matched pairs of individuals applied for real entry‐level jobs—to formally test the degree to which a criminal record affects subsequent employment opportunities. The findings of this study reveal an important, and much underrecognized, mechanism of stratification. A criminal record presents a major barrier to employment, with important implications for racial disparities.
Science opportunities at high magnetic fields

Abstract A number of specialized facilities have been developed or are under development throughout the world to support research in condensed matter sciences at high magnetic fields. These facilities provide or will provide continuous magnetic fields up to 40–45 T and pulsed fields up to 50–70 T for tens of ms periods with fields beyond 100 T for several μs's. Also under development in the United States and under consideration in Europe are non-destructive magnets capable of providing magnetic fields at 100 T for tens of ms. During the last several years new laboratories have been opened in the United States and Japan with major expansions of facilities occurring in France, and proposed for The Netherlands and other countries. These new facilities will expand the research opportunities at the extremes of parameter space, i.e., magnetic field, ultra-low temperatures and high pressures for researchers in all areas of science. An overview of the facilities throughout the world will be presented along with a brief discussion of the science opportunities and recent results at the extremes of high magnetic field. The examples presented in this article represent only a small sampling of the new opportunities being provided due to the significant advancements in magnet technology and the availability of new facilities and instrumentation capabilities.
Ultrasonic NDE in a reactor core

We have irradiated bulk single crystal piezoelectric AlN operating as an ultrasonic transducer up to a fast and thermal neutron fluence of 1.85X1018 n/cm2 and 5.8X1018 n/cm2 respectively along with a gamma dose of 26.8 MGy. Our primary interest was in the radiation effects on the piezoelectric performance of the AlN crystal. Ideally standard procedures [2] for extracting material properties from the impedance spectra would have been applied. However, this procedure was anticipated to be very error prone due the effects of radiation on passive components, such as electrodes and cabling. As a result the transducer was coupled to an aluminum cylinder and operated in pulse echo mode throughout the irradiation. In addition to the pulse echo testing impedance data was obtained. Although, material parameters such as d 33 could not be measured in-situ during irradiation with our procedure, our work is the only publication, to the author's knowledge, showing the operation of an ultrasonic transducer in a reactor core. Further, the piezoelectric coefficient was measured prior to irradiation and found to be 5.5 pC/N which is unchanged form as grown samples, and in fact higher than the measured d33 for many as grown samples. Further proof of the viability of utilizing ultrasonic transducers in a reactor core is provided by means of successful time of flight (TOF) measurements throughout the irradiation. The TOF data was used to measure the gamma heating of an aluminum cylinder. The heating due to short lived isotopes in the Al was also detected via TOF.
Will the second item ignite

Abstract The problems of characterizing the burning of more than a single fuel item in a room fire are considered and one specific area is explored experimentally. The first step in describing multiple item burning is to determine if, in fact, it will occur, given the assumed ignition of the first item. This question has been experimentally explored from two aspects. (i) Irradiances have been measured at various distances from burning objects, along with their mass loss rates. (ii) The ignitability of exposed objects has been determined using a bench-scale, uniform flux ignitability test. It is then suggested that whether the second item will ignite can best be determined analytically from considering these two sets of results.
On being sane in insane places

It is clear that we cannot distinguish the sane from the insane in psychiatric hospitals. The hospital itself imposes a special environment in which the meanings of behavior can easily be misunderstood. The consequences to patients hospitalized in such an environment-the powerlessness, depersonalization, segregation, mortification, and self-labeling-seem undoubtedly countertherapeutic. I do not, even now, understand this problem well enough to perceive solutions. But two matters seem to have some promise. The first concerns the proliferation of community mental health facilities, of crisis intervention centers, of the human potential movement, and of behavior therapies that, for all of their own problems, tend to avoid psychiatric labels, to focus on specific problems and behaviors, and to retain the individual in a relatively non-pejorative environment. Clearly, to the extent that we refrain from sending the distressed to insane places, our impressions of them are less likely to be distorted. (The risk of distorted perceptions, it seems to me, is always present, since we are much more sensitive to an individual's behaviors and verbalizations than we are to the subtle contextual stimuli that often promote them. At issue here is a matter of magnitude. And, as I have shown, the magnitude of distortion is exceedingly high in the extreme context that is a psychiatric hospital.) The second matter that might prove promising speaks to the need to increase the sensitivity of mental health workers and researchers to the Catch 22 position of psychiatric patients. Simply reading materials in this area will be of help to some such workers and researchers. For others, directly experiencing the impact of psychiatric hospitalization will be of enormous use. Clearly, further research into the social psychology of such total institutions will both facilitate treatment and deepen understanding. I and the other pseudopatients in the psychiatric setting had distinctly negative reactions. We do not pretend to describe the subjective experiences of true patients. Theirs may be different from ours, particularly with the passage of time and the necessary process of adaptation to one's environment. But we can and do speak to the relatively more objective indices of treatment within the hospital. It could be a mistake, and a very unfortunate one, to consider that what happened to us derived from malice or stupidity on the part of the staff. Quite the contrary, our overwhelming impression of them was of people who really cared, who were committed and who were uncommonly intelligent. Where they failed, as they sometimes did painfully, it would be more accurate to attribute those failures to the environment in which they, too, found themselves than to personal callousness. Their perceptions and behavior were controlled by the situation, rather than being motivated by a malicious disposition. In a more benign environment, one that was less attached to global diagnosis, their behaviors and judgments might have been more benign and effective.
Silk - new opportunities in optics and photonics for an ancient material

The first thoughts evoked by silk are associated with the shimmering and sought after textile that, over the past five millennia, has diffused throughout the world in its westerly path from Imperial China. The rich history surrounding this protein leads us to the present, where its material properties are inspiring new silk routes in contemporary technology.
Children's Use of Social Conceptions: Toward a Dynamic Model of Social Cognition

For developmental social psychology to be clinically practical, it must use categories of experience similar to categories that counselors, clinicians, and other practitioners find useful. Knowledge of the developmental forms or levels, conceptions of critical issues in intrapsychic (individual), friendship, and peer group relationships provide such a map of how individuals at different ages view their social relations. The article also describes how individuals may function at different levels depending on the context in which they are expressing their understanding (e.g., spontaneous discussion, reflective thought).
Forced tidal response in the Gulf of Mexico

[1] This study investigates the characteristics of tides in the Gulf of Mexico (GoM) and the response to forcing by local tidal potential and tides propagating as waves through straits connecting this semienclosed sea to the Caribbean Sea and Atlantic Ocean. Numerical simulations performed with the Navy Coastal Ocean Model run in a barotropic configuration with 1/60° horizontal resolution are used to analyze the tidal response to different forcing mechanisms. The tidal energy budget and tidal energy fluxes in the GoM are calculated from the simulations. Results show that diurnal tides in the GoM are dominantly due to co-oscillation with the western Atlantic and that a substantial amount of semidiurnal tidal energy also enters the Gulf through the straits. Model experiments suggest that adding the local tidal potential significantly modifies the propagation of the semidiurnal tidal signal within the GoM and reduces the tidal power associated with the diurnal tides in the basin. An interesting phenomenon of nonlinear interaction between the two forcing mechanisms (local forcing and propagation through the straits) is described and explained by using a mechanistic mass-spring system model.
Outliers from the Mass-Metallicity Relation. I. A Sample of Metal-Rich Dwarf Galaxies from SDSS

We have identified a sample of 41 low-mass high-oxygen abundance outliers from the mass-metallicity relation of star-forming galaxies measured by Tremonti et al. (2004). These galaxies, which have 8.6 MB > − 19.1 and 7.4 < log (M/M☉) < 10, are surprisingly nonpathological. They have typical specific star formation rates, are fairly isolated, and, with few exceptions, have no obvious companions. Morphologically, they are similar to dwarf spheroidal or dwarf elliptical galaxies. We predict that their observed high oxygen abundances are due to relatively low gas fractions, concluding that these are transitional dwarf galaxies nearing the end of their star formation activity.
Pessimistic portfolio allocation and Choquet expected utility

Recent developments in the theory of choice under uncertainty and risk yield a pessimistic decision theory that replaces the classical expected utility criterion with a Choquet expectation that accentuates the likelihood of the least favorable outcomes. A parallel theory has recently emerged in the literature on risk assessment. It is shown that a general form of pessimistic portfolio optimization based on the Choquet approach may be formulated as a problem of linear quantile regression. Copyright 2004, Oxford University Press.
Optimal greedy algorithms for indifference graphs

Abstract A fundamental problem in social sciences and management is understanding and predicting decisions made by individuals, various groups, or the society as a whole. In this context, one important concept is the notion of indifference. We characterize the class of indifference graphs, that is, graphs which arise in the process of quantifying indifference relations. In particular, we show that these graphs are characterized by the existence of a special ordering of their vertices. As it turns out, this ordering leads naturally to optimal greedy algorithms for a number of computational problems, including coloring, finding a shortest path between two vertices, computing a maximum matching, the center, and a Hamiltonian path.
The effect of Chernobyl on electric-utility stock prices

Abstract U.S. public electric-utility stock price reactions to the Chernobyl nuclear-power accident are investigated. Results indicate that utility shareholders earned, on average, significant negative abnormal returns during the 20-day period immediately following the accident. Firms using nuclear power experienced greater losses than did nonnuclear firms. These findings are consistent with those of previous studies on Three Mile Island. However, our results indicate no significant changes in systematic risk, total risk, or market risk as a result of the Chernobyl accident.
Possible Electronic Structure of Domain Walls in Mott Insulators

We discuss the quantum numbers of domain walls of minimal length induced by doping Mott insulators, carefully distinguishing between holon and hole walls. We define a minimal wall hypothesis that uniquely correlates the observed spatial structure with the doping level for the low-temperature commensurate insulating state of La2−xBaxCuO4 and related materials at x = ⅛. We remark that interesting walls can be supported not only by conventional antiferromagnetic but also by orbital antiferromagnetic (staggered flux phase, d-density) bulk order. We speculate on the validity of the minimal wall hypothesis more generally, and argue that it plausibly explains several of the most striking anomalous features of the cuprate high-temperature superconductors.
Field of dreams: team implementations and greenfields

Purpose – Greenfields are new plants – typically, but not exclusively manufacturing – that belong to an existing organization. They are ideal settings for teams, but implementation of the technology and people systems during start‐up can be difficult. This review aims briefly to describe the origin of the greenfield concept, three decades of research, and recommendations for work practices that promote teams.Design/methodology/approach – A total of 37 research studies evaluating greenfield operations were located, including quasi‐experiments, surveys and case studies. A brief description of the study is provided, as well as information regarding productivity and employee attitudinal and behavioral outcomes.Findings – The paper finds that greenfields are frequently used to implement team‐based systems, with varying results. Outcomes such as productivity, quality, employee satisfaction, absenteeism and turnover are described. Research evaluating greenfields is limited due to proprietary and competitive conc...
On mapping cones of Seifert fibered surgeries

Using the mapping cone of a rational surgery, we give several obstructions for Seifert-fibered surgeries, including obstructions on the Alexander polynomial, the knot Floer homology, the surgery coefficient and the Seifert and four-ball genus of the knot. These generalize the corresponding results in Kronheimer, Mrowka, Ozsvath and Szabo [‘Monopoles and lens space surgeries’, Ann. Math. (2) 165 (2007) 457–546] and Ozsvath and Szabo [On Heegaard Floer homology and Seifert fibered surgeries, Geometry and Topology Monographs 7 (Geometry and Topology Publications, Coventry, 2004)].
Piecewise polynomials on polyhedral complexes

For a d-dimensional polyhedral complex P, the dimension of the space of piecewise polynomial functions (splines) on P of smoothness r and degree k is given, for k sufficiently large, by a polynomial f(P,r,k) of degree d. When d=2 and P is simplicial, Alfeld and Schumaker give a formula for all three coefficients of f. However, in the polyhedral case, no formula is known. Using localization techniques and specialized dual graphs associated to codimension-2 linear spaces, we obtain the first three coefficients of f(P,r,k), giving a complete answer when d=2.
Exponential quantum enhancement for distributed addition with local nonlinearity

We consider classical and entanglement-assisted versions of a distributed computation scheme that computes nonlinear Boolean functions of a set of input bits supplied by separated parties. Communication between the parties is restricted to take place through a specific apparatus which enforces the constraints that all nonlinear, nonlocal classical logic is performed by a single receiver, and that all communication occurs through a limited number of one-bit channels. In the entanglement-assisted version, the number of channels required to compute a Boolean function of fixed nonlinearity can become exponentially smaller than in the classical version. We demonstrate this exponential enhancement for the problem of distributed integer addition.
Molecular simulation of ionic liquids: current status and future opportunities

Ionic liquids are salts that are liquid near ambient conditions. Interest in these unusual compounds has exploded in the last decade, both at the academic and commercial level. Molecular simulations based on classical potentials have played an important role in helping researchers understand how condensed phase properties of these materials are linked to chemical structure and composition. Simulations have also predicted many properties and unexpected phenomena that have subsequently been confirmed experimentally. The beneficial impact molecular simulations have had on this field is due in large part to excellent timing. Just when computing power and simulation methods matured to the point where complex fluids could be studied in great detail, a new class of materials virtually unknown to experimentalists came on the scene and demanded attention. This topical review explores some of the history of ionic liquid molecular simulations, and then gives examples of the recent use of molecular dynamics and Monte Carlo simulation in understanding the structure of ionic liquids, the sorption of small molecules in ionic liquids, the nature of ionic liquids in the vapor phase and the dynamics of ionic liquids. This review concludes with a discussion of some of the outstanding problems facing the ionic liquid modeling community and how condensed phase molecular simulation experts not presently working on ionic liquids might help advance the field.
Differential mapping of the amino acids mediating agonist and antagonist coordination with the human thromboxane A2 receptor protein.

Despite the well documented involvement of thromboxane A2 receptor (TPR) signaling in the pathogenesis of thrombotic diseases, there are currently no rationally designed antagonists available for clinical use. To a large extent, this derives from a lack of knowledge regarding the topography of the TPR ligand binding pocket. On this basis, the purpose of the current study was to identify the specific amino acid residues in the TPR protein that regulate ligand coordination and binding. The sites selected for mutation reside within or in close proximity to a region we previously defined as a TPR ligand binding region (i.e. the C terminus of the second extracellular loop and the leading edge of the fifth transmembrane domain). Mutation of these residues caused varying effects on the TPR-ligand coordination process. Specifically, the D193A, D193Q, and D193R mutants lost SQ29,548 (antagonist) binding and exhibited a dramatically reduced calcium response, which could not be restored by elevated U46619 (agonist) doses. The F184Y mutant lost SQ29,548 binding and exhibited a reduced calcium response (which could be restored by elevated U46619); and the T186A and S191T mutants lost SQ29,548 binding and retained a normal U46619-induced calcium response. Furthermore, these last three mutants also revealed a divergence in the binding of two structurally different antagonists, SQ29,548 and BM13.505. Two separate mutants that exhibited SQ29,548 binding yielded either a normal (F196Y) or reduced (S201T) U46619 response. Finally, mutation of other residues directly adjacent to those described above (e.g. E190A and F200A) produced no detectable effects on either SQ29,548 binding or the U46619-induced response. In summary, these results identify key amino acids (in particular Asp193) involved in TPR ligand coordination. These findings also demonstrate that TPR-specific ligands interact with different residues in the ligand-binding pocket.
Catalytic, Asymmetric Michael Reactions of Cyclic Diketones with β,γ-Unsaturated-α-ketoesters

Newly synthesized cinchona alkaloid-derived pyrimidines function as effective asymmetric catalysts for the Michael reaction between cyclic diketones and β,γ-unsaturated α-ketoesters. The reactions of electrophiles with either aryl or alkyl γ-substituents give 64−99% yields and 94−99% ee.
Loading a continuous-wave atom laser by optical pumping techniques

Demonstrating that, despite loss processes, Bose-Einstein condensates can be formed in steady state is a prerequisite for obtaining a coherent beam of atoms in a continuous-wave atom laser. In this paper we propose a method for loading atoms into the thermal component of a Bose condensed cloud confined in a magnetic trap. This method is aimed at allowing steady-state dynamics to be achieved. The proposed scheme involves loading atoms into the conservative magnetic potential using the spontaneous emission of photons. We show that the probability for the reabsorption of these photons may be small.
Modified Mode-I Cracked Sandwich Beam (CSB) Fracture Test

Five composite sandwich panels were fabricated using vacuum assisted resin transfer molding (VARTM). Four of these panels had E-glass/vinylester facesheets and one had carbon/epoxy facesheets. The sandwich panels had different density PVC foam cores. The four E-glass panels had core densities of 80, 100, 130, 200 kg/cu m. The sandwich with carbon/epoxy 3 facesheets had a core with density of 100 kg/cu m. Fracture tests were conducted using a modified Cracked Sandwich Beam (CSB) test configuration. Load displacement curves were obtained for loading and unloading of the specimens during crack growth. Various increments of crack growth were monitored. Critical Strain Energy Release Rates (SERR) were determined from the tests using the area method. The critical values of SERR can be considered the fracture toughness of the sandwich material. The fracture toughness ranged 367 J/sq m to 1350 J/sq m over the range of core densities. These results are compared to the Mode-I fracture toughness of the PVC foam core materials and values obtained for foam-cored sandwiches using the TSD specimen. Finite-element analyses (FEA) were performed for the test configuration and Strain Energy Release Rates were calculated using the Virtual Crack Closure Technique (VCCT). The SERR values determined from the FEA were scaled to the fracture loads, or critical loads, obtained from the modified CSB tests. These critical loads were in close agreement with the test values.
Asymmetric radical cyclizations: the synthesis of 6-Alkyl Pyrrolizidin-2-ones

Abstract This work describes the use of ethyl (5S)-carboethoxy-2-pyrrolidinone (ethyl pyroglutamate) as a chiral starting material for use in radical cyclizations reactions. Pyroglutamate is converted to a 5-iodomethyl-N-allylic-2-pyrrolidinone that undergoes radical cyclization under mild conditions. The products are 6-substituted pyrrolizidinone derivatives, produced with high diastereoselectivity.
Towards Principled Experimental Study of Autonomous Mobile Robots

We review the current state of research in autonomous mobile robots and conclude that there is an inadequate basis for predicting the reliability and behavior of robots operating in unengineered environments. We present a new approach to the study of autonomous mobile robot performance based on formal statistical analysis of independently reproducible experiments conducted on real robots. Simulators serve as models rather than experimental surrogates. We demonstrate three new results: 1) Two commonly used performance metrics (time and distance) are not as well correlated as is often tacitly assumed. 2) The probability distributions of these performance metrics is exponential rather than normal, and 3) a modular, object-oriented simulation accurately predicts the behavior of the real robot in a statistically significant manner.
Stranger Still: Kaon Loops and Strange Quark Matrix Elements of the Nucleon

Intrinsic strangeness contributions to lowenergy strange quark matrix elements of the nucleon are modelled using kaon loops and meson-nucleon vertex functions taken from nucleon-nucleon and nucleon-hyperon scattering. A comparison with pion loop contributions to the nucleon electromagnetic (EM) form factors indicates the presence of significantSU(3)-breaking in the mean-square charge radii. As a numerical consequence, the kaon loop contribution to the mean square Dirac strangeness radius is significantly smaller than could be observed with parity-violating elastic\(\vec e\)p experiments planned for CEBAF, while the contribution to the Sachs radius is large enough to be observed with PV electron scattering from (0+, 0) nuclei. Kaon loops generate a strange magnetic moment of the same scale as the isoscalar EM magnetic moment — a scale large enough to be observed at CEBAF — and a strange axial vector form factor having roughly one-third of the magnitude extracted from\(vp/\bar vp\) elastic scattering. In the chiral limit, the loop contribution to the fraction of the nucleon's scalar density arising from strange quarks has roughly the same magnitude as the value extracted from analyses of∑πN. The importance of satisfying the Ward-Takahashi Identity, not obeyed by previous calculations, is also illustrated, and the sensitivity of results to input parameters is analyzed.
Geochemical modelling of uranium redistribution in the Osamu Utsumi mine, Poços de Caldas

Abstract Substantial mobilisation of uranium has resulted from the oxidation of alkaline intrusive rocks now exposed in the Osamu Utsumi mine, Pocos de Caldas, Brazil. Groundwaters percolating through the sequence have promoted dissolution of pyrite and primary pitchblende ore with subsequent redeposition of uranium in the form of discrete concretionary nodules below a sharply defined redox front. Above the front, uranium is found at lower concentrations in association with finely dispersed iron oxyhydroxides. A surface complexation model for uranyl species on goethite has been used in an attempt to quantify the extent to which surface adsorption can account for the uranium levels found in oxidised rock. The results of these calculations approach, but generally underestimate, observed concentrations, suggesting that a more complex mechanism than equilibrium adsorption is responsible. A combined diffusion-precipitation model has been used to quantify uranium movement across the redox front itself. The results indicate a sharp uranium reprecipitation zone in reduced rock leading to concentrations in the region of 4,000 ppm. These findings are in broad agreement with the observed occurrence of uranium in the mine.
Recovery from aspermia induced by low-dose radiation in seminoma patients

Gonadal dosimetry and spermatogenic activity was monitored in patients given radiation therapy (RT) after unilateral orchiectomy for seminoma. The RT given was, with minor variations, 3200 rad in 16 fractions in four weeks to the para-aortic and ipsilateral pelvic inguinal lymphatics in order to include the orchiectomy scar. The incidental amount of radiation to the remaining testicle averaged 78.4 +/- 7.4 rad and ranged from 32-178 rad as determined by thermoluminescent dosimetry. Induction of aspermia was documented in ten out of 14 patients who received over 65 rad to the gonad. At lower doses, aspermia may not have occurred or was of short duration. Recovery of sperm in the semen occurred in 12 patients within 30-80 weeks after start of treatment. The data suggest that the time of recovery may be dose dependent within the range of 19-148 rad. During the period of recovery, patients with oligospermic semen may be fertile and should be so advised.
A structured information system design for a newspaper organization: a case study

Designing an information system, whether it is one of decision making or decision supporting, often starts with the identification of the objectives of the system. Information is then generated and processed to meet these objectives. In many transaction processing systems (also known as life-stream systems or programmed systems) the objectives are expressed in terms of reports, both scheduled and ad hoc (output design). The content portion of this output design is used to determine the information needs. Some of this information may be computed internally (process design) or input directly from an external source (input design).
Effects of Welfare Reform on Illicit Drug Use Of Adult Women

Exploiting changes in welfare policy across states and over time and comparing relevant population subgroups within an econometric difference-in-differences framework, we estimate the effects of welfare reform on adult women's illicit drug use from 1992 to 2002, the period during which welfare reform unfolded in the U.S. The analyses are based on all available and appropriate national datasets, each offering unique strengths and measuring a different drug-related outcome. We investigate self-reported illicit drug use (from the National Household Surveys on Drug Abuse and National Surveys on Drug Use and Health), drug-related prison admissions (from the National Corrections Reporting Program), drug-related arrests (from Federal Bureau of Investigation Uniform Crime Reports), and drug-related emergency department episodes (from the Drug Abuse Warning Network). We find robust evidence that welfare reform led to a 10-21% decline in illicit drug use among women at risk of relying on welfare, as well as associated declines in drug-related arrests (6-7%), drug-related hospital emergency department episodes (7-11%), and possibly drug-related prison admissions (11-19%). The findings indicate that an appropriately designed system with sufficient job opportunities for those are able to work can result in both increases in employment and decreases in drug use.
Ramsey-like cardinals

One of the numerous characterizations of a Ramsey cardinal κ involves the existence of certain types of elementary embeddings for transitive sets of size κ satisfying a large fragment of ZFC. We introduce new large cardinal axioms generalizing the Ramsey elementary embeddings characterization and show that they form a natural hierarchy between weakly compact cardinals and measurable cardinals. These new axioms serve to further our knowledge about the elementary embedding properties of smaller large cardinals, in particular those still consistent with V = L.
Finite element modeling of ag transport and reactions in chalcogenide glass resistive memory

Silver-based electrochemical memories show enormous potential for non-volatile memory applications. While several groups have made significant strides in device development and process integration, challenges remain to improve function and reliability. The central problem is the large variability of operational parameters and programmed resistance. To understand these variabilities, we need to understand the physics of conducting filament formation and dissolution. Recently, Monte Carlo simulation techniques have been developed to capture the kinetics of Ag transport and metallic filament formation in resistive memory engineered with chalcogenide glass (ChG) films. In this paper the mechanisms of Ag transport and reactions are modeled using a finite element device simulator. The ChG film is modeled as a wide-bandgap semiconductor with material constants (e.g., bandgap, permittivity, electron affinity) extracted from data reported in literature and the results of first principles density functional theory calculations. Active and inert electrodes are modeled as ideal metals with specified workfunctions. The code solves standard carrier statistics and transport equations (continuity, drift-diffusion, and Poisson) and, simultaneously, performs ion transport and reaction calculations. The essential chemistry captured by the simulator are the reduction/oxidation (RedOx) reactions, incorporated as generation (G) and recombination (R) terms in the continuity equations for both ionic and neutral Ag species in the ChG film. The simulation results show how neutral Ag builds up in the film under applied bias. The simulations also reveal that the neutral Ag density is left unchanged once the bias is removed, which enables memristive action. The results provide strong qualitative evidence that finite element codes can simulate ionic transport and metallic growth in ChG-based resistive memory. Quantitative comparisons to experimental data will be provided in the final paper.
Inter-county spillovers in California’s ports and roads infrastructure: the impact on retail trade

Using county-level data, we analyze the impact of ports infrastructure investment on the retail trade sector in California. We include the level of ports infrastructure stocks in own and neighboring counties as shift variables in the production function and find significant evidence of spatial autocorrelation. There are unambiguous positive spillover effects from ports infrastructure on the retail trade sector in adjacent counties.
Exact matrix formula for the unmixed resultant in three variables

Abstract We give the first exact determinantal formula for the resultant of an unmixed sparse system of four Laurent polynomials in three variables with arbitrary support. This follows earlier work by the author on exact formulas for bivariate systems and also uses the exterior algebra techniques of Eisenbud and Schreyer. Along the way we will prove an interesting new vanishing theorem for the sheaf cohomology of divisors on toric varieties. This will also allow us to describe some supports in four or more variables for which determinantal formulas for the resultant exist.
Formation of microscopic voids in resin transfer molded composites

Performance of composite materials usually suffers from process-induced defects such as dry spots and microscopic voids. While effects of void content in molded composites have been studied extensively, knowledge of void morphology and spatial distribution of voids in composites manufactured by resin transfer molding (RTM) remains limited. In this study, through-the-thickness void distribution for a disk-shaped, E-glass/epoxy composite part manufactured by resin transfer molding is investigated. Microscopic image analysis is conducted through-the-thickness of a radial sample obtained from the molded composite disk. Voids are found to concentrate primarily within or adjacent to the fiber preforms. More than 93% of the voids are observed within the preform or in a so-called transition zone, next to a fibrous region. In addition, void content was found to fluctuate through-the-thickness of the composite. Variation up to 17% of the average void content of 2.15% is observed through-the-thicknesses of the eight layers studied. Microscopic analysis revealed that average size of voids near the mold surfaces is slightly larger than those located at the interior of the composite. In addition, average size of voids that are located within the fiber preform is observed to he smaller than those located in other regions of the composite. Finally, proximity to the surface is found to have no apparent effect on shape of voids within the composite.