cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
The reaction of metastable Ca atoms with O2 and CO2

Abstract The reactions of metastable 4s4p 3 P calcium atoms with O 2 and CO 2 have been investigated under single-colusion conditions in a beam-gas arrangement. The CaO product has been detected in the ground X 1 Σ + electronic state and in the low-lying A′ 1 π and a 3 π states. The relative populations in the first four vibrational levels of X 1 Σ + and a rotational temperature characterizing the rotational distribution in υ = 0 have been determined from BX excitation spectra. For both reactions, internal CaO excitation accounts for less than 10% of the energy available in the CaO ground state channel. The 1,3 π states are observed by excitation of the unanalyzed green and orange are band systems, and their relative contributions cannot be separated. The excited states have been characterized by measurement of their radiative lifetimes: 32.1 ± 3.8 ns for B 1 π υ = 0, 41.9 ± 2.1 ns for the upper state of the green system and 32.7 ± 2.6 ns for the upper state of the orange system. These lifetimes have been used to help derive product electronic state branching ratios from the observed relative integrated fluorescence intensities in different band systems. We fined the ratio of production of CaO product in the a 3 π + A ′ 1 qP states as compared to that for X 1 Σ + is 2.0 for Ca*+ O 2 and 0.3 for Ca* + CO 2 . While the experimental uncertainties are large (a factor of about two), these ratios are significantly larger than predicted statistical results.
Comments on the eigenvalue formulation of problems with cracks, V-notched cracks, and corners

An eigenvector formulation is often used for configurations containing cracks, V-notched cracks, and corners. Coefficients associated with eigenvectors which give a stress singularity at the crack tip or corner are the stress intensities which can be used in a failure criterion. A complex variable formulation is often used to obtain eigenvalues and eigenvectors. In such a formulation, a solution is assumed in terms of a complex parameter, z, raised to the power λ, where λ is the eigenvalue. The quantity zλ is multi-valued. However, previous authors have only considered one of the possible values of the function. In doing so, they may have overlooked important eigenvalues and/or eigenvectors associated with the problem. This paper reformulates, for the general finite opening crack and real eigenvalues, the eigenvector problem so as to consider the multi-valued nature of zλ. For the zero opening crack, V-notched crack and corner problem, it is shown that with the new formulation, no new real eigenvalues exist and for the zero-opening crack problem, it is also shown that no new eigenvector mode shapes exist. The first eigenvalue for a 90° corner problem was considered. No new eigenvector mode shapes were found. These findings suggest that the linear elastic results found in the literature are complete and correct, even if their derivation is somewhat deficient in generality.
Awareness of Tract Seeding With Endoscopic Ultrasound Tissue Acquisition in Perihilar Cholangiocarcinoma

Awareness of Tract Seeding With Endoscopic Ultrasound Tissue Acquisition in Perihilar Cholangiocarcinoma
Prospects for developing absorptive capacity through internal information provision

Theories of absorptive capacity propose that knowledge gained from prior experience facilitates the identification, selection, and implementation of related profitable practices. Researchers have investigated how managers may develop absorptive capacity by building internal knowledge stocks, but few have focused on the distribution of this knowledge within the firm and the role managers play in administering information to organizational subunits. In this paper, we explore the degree to which managers can develop absorptive capacity by directly providing information to agents in the organization that might potentially adopt a new practice. We find that the effectiveness of managerial information provision depends on the degree to which potential adopters have information from other sources. We find that information from previous adopters and past events reduces the effect of information provision, while experience with related practices amplifies it. Our research helps clarify when absorptive capacity may provide a sustained competitive advantage. Copyright © 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Impact of hospital guideline for weight-based antimicrobial dosing in morbidly obese adults and comprehensive literature review.

SummaryWhat is known and objective Obesity is a significant burden on the healthcare system in the United States, and determining the appropriate antimicrobial dosing regimen in morbidly obese patients is challenging. Morbidly obese patients have documented differences in pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic properties compared to normal-weight patients, which impact antibiotic efficacy and toxicity. The Food and Drug Administration does not recognize obesity as a special population and does not require pharmaceutical companies to perform studies specific to obese patients. However, there are an increasing number of post-approval studies in obese patients, and this manuscript reviews available clinical and pharmacokinetic literature regarding weight-based antimicrobial agents. Additionally, we describe a single-centre approach to optimize dosing in morbidly obese patients. Methods A comprehensive literature search was performed on 15 weight-based antimicrobials in the setting of obesity: acyclovir, aminoglycosides, amphotericin B, cidofovir, colistimethate, daptomycin, flucytosine, foscarnet, ganciclovir, quinupristin/dalfopristin, trimethoprim/sulfamethoxazole, vancomycin and voriconazole. A weight-based antimicrobial dosing guideline for morbidly obese patients was developed. An analysis of guideline compliance and cost analysis were performed following guideline implementation. Results and discussion This review describes the pharmacokinetic changes that occur in obese patients, including increased volume of distribution, altered hepatic metabolism, renal excretion and changes in protein binding. The majority of weight-based antimicrobials result in increased serum concentrations in morbidly obese patients compared to normal-weight patients when the calculated dose is based on actual body weight. What is new and conclusion This review demonstrates different antibiotic pharmacokinetic properties are altered in obese patients that could impact efficacy and toxicity. A single-centre guideline for weight-based antimicrobial dosing in obesity was developed and provides recommendations for using ideal body weight, adjusted body weight or actual body weight when calculating antimicrobial doses. However, more research is needed to better elucidate optimal dosing of weight-based antimicrobials in obesity, with particular focus on efficacy and toxicity.
Treatment and Survival of Low-Grade Astrocytoma in Adults--1977–1988

A retrospective review of the records of the Division of Neuropathology at the New York University Medical Center between 1977 and 1988 revealed 53 cases of adult supratentorial astrocytomas. Fifty were fibrillary, and three were gemistocytic. Two additional patients had pilocytic tumors and were not included in the study. The majority of patients had either a subtotal (64%) or gross total resection (19%). Biopsy (17%) was performed for deep-seated lesions and for those lesions confined to eloquent cortex. Forty-eight patients (91%) received postoperative radiation therapy. The median survival was 7 1/4 years with a 5-year survival of 64%. Multivariate regression analysis demonstrated that the most important prognosticators for improved survival were young age, absence of contrast enhancement of the original tumor on computed tomography (CT) and the performance status of the patient. Patients with hemispheric tumors died from dedifferentiation into an anaplastic astrocytoma or a glioblastoma multiforme, with a median time to recurrence of 4.5 years from the original surgery. Survival from the time of recurrence was 12 months. Subsequent operations confirmed progression towards malignancy in six of seven (86%) recurrent tumors. CT contrast enhancement of the original tumor was associated with a 6.8-fold increase in risk for later recurrence. Patients with thalamic tumors (six patients) had a poor prognosis with a median survival of less than 2 years. A review of their CT scans suggest that four died of progressive low-grade disease; however, confirmatory autopsy data were available for only one patient. This study supports others that have shown improved survival for adult patients with astrocytomas treated in the CT era.
Symmetrical formulation of the zonal kinetic energy equation

An equation for the kinetic energy balance of the mean zonal flow in a symmetrical polar cap is derived under minimal assumptions, starting from basic concepts of mechanics. The form of the equation obtained differs from the comparable result of the traditional treatment, in that the rotation of the relative coordinate system used enters the volume integrals in a more symmetrical fashion, and appears also in the surface boundary terms. Various aspects of a still less restrictive possible formulation are enumerated. DOI: 10.1111/j.2153-3490.1969.tb00430.x
Linkages and Leakages: Industrial Tracking in an Enclave Economy

The study of export-led industrialization in an enclave economy comes at the juncture of two long-standing controversies concerning developing areas. The first arises from the difficulties of poor countries in industrializing from a current comparative advantage in primary commodities, despite buoyant earnings of foreign exchange. The second turns inward and, looking away from trade policy, seeks the key to industrial development in greater interaction between domestically oriented sectors, rather than in greater export earnings. This paper is an analysis of the structural changes which have occurred during the industrialization of one country, Puerto Rico. Our objective is to study the apparent success which that growing economy has had in the simultaneous creation of both linkages between local sectors and leakages from those sectors to the world economy, in the creation of new industries and the displacement of others. We begin in Section I by reviewing briefly the broad developmental issues which revolve around the two controversies. In Section II, we examine the case history of Puerto Rico in the context of its steady and successful growth and its experience as a representative of a class of tradedependent, densely populated economies, similar to many small economies which are becoming integrated into the larger industrial metropolises. In order to evaluate Puerto Rico's growth in the context of the broader developmental issues, we propose in the third section a general sectoral * This research has been supported by grants from the Manpower Administration of the U.S. Department of Labor, the National Science Foundation and the National Bureau of Economic Research. The views reported here are in no way reflections on or of these agencies.
Sustainability enhancement under uncertainty: a Monte Carlo-based simulation and system optimization method

Known methods for sustainability enhancement are typically scenario based, and the uncertainty of surrounding available data and information is usually not addressed holistically, due to inherent problem complexity. Thus the solutions identified by those methods could be not sufficiently effective in many industrial applications. In this paper, we introduce a Monte Carlo-based simulation and system optimization method for deriving sustainability enhancement strategies, where uncertainties are systematically taken into account. The methodological efficacy is illustrated through the study of an industrial sustainability enhancement problem involving a number of sectors.
Analysis of Terms Comprising Potential Names for a Recall Notification Campaign

Recall notices are vital in promulgating warnings about defective products to consumers. The present study examined potential names/titles of recall notifications that might be used in campaigns requesting the return of defective items such as foods, drugs, medical devices, etc. Sixty-one potential names were evaluated showing that some combinations of particular words forming potential names produced higher ratings, such as the terms Recall and Urgent. The term Recall is viewed as appropriate for campaigns involving many kinds of products, however, participants indicated that a different term should be used when the defective product is a surgically implanted medical device. Further analyses indicated that inclusion of FDA in the name produces higher ratings of appropriateness than a generic company name. Also, evaluations of individual words comprising the names showed similar patterns when combined with other words. Implications of these results are discussed. Language: en
On the computational complexity of the minimum‐dummy‐activities problem in a pert network

The scheduling and planning of a project can be represented by two types of networks, namely, by the activity networks and the event networks. For each project, there exists a unique activity network without redundant (transitive) arcs but since there is an infinite number of different-sized event networks, the problem is to find an event network with the minimum number of dummy activities. Krishnamoorthy and Deo proved that this problem is NP-complete. In Sections III and IV we characterize those activity networks which have event networks without dummy activities and present a polynomial-time algorithm which tests if a given activity network requires dummy activities in the event network. The same result is also proved for a generalization of the real-world problem to arbitrary digraphs. Finally, we present an example which shows that the number of nodes and the number of arcs in event networks cannot be minimized simultaneously.
How One Mistake Leads to Another: On the Importance of Verification/Replication

It is impossible to overstate the importance of doing original research based on primary source material in scientific analysis (see, for example, King 1995). Failing to consult primary sources, and by definition relying on secondary sources, can lead to incorrect analyses and mistaken conclusions. An exemplary case is the apparent mystery of whether justices strategically retire and exactly when Congress passed legislation allowing federal judges to retire with benefits upon reaching age 65. One study cited 1937 as the year and based its analysis of judicial retirement on this “fact” (Abraham 1975). Subsequent studies cited the original piece without ever checking the original data—in this case a federal statute—and “replicated” the same mistaken analyses (see Atkinson 1999). In fact, the actual year this legislation was passed was 1954. This 17-year error not only makes a significant difference in the analysis of judicial retirement decisions, but also shows the importance of verification and replication in political research.
Magnetic Resonance Urography for Evaluating Outcomes After Pediatric Pyeloplasty

Purpose We report the role of magnetic resonance urography in children with ureteropelvic junction obstruction. Differential renal function, the single kidney glomerular filtration rate index, renal transit time, renal length and renal pelvis anteroposterior diameter were compared before and after pyeloplasty. Materials and Methods Magnetic resonance urography was performed before and after pyeloplasty in 24 patients with a mean age of 1.9 years (range 3 months to 10 years). Renal length, renal transit time and renal pelvis anteroposterior diameter were determined by the radiologist. The volume of functioning renal tissue and descending aorta were segmented and the ratio of the volumes of functioning kidney tissue was used to calculate differential renal function. Rutland-Patlak plots were used to calculate single kidney glomerular filtration rate index, that is the Patlak score. Results Mean renal pelvis renal pelvis anteroposterior diameter was 3.3 cm preoperatively and 2.5 cm postoperatively (p = 0.0003). There was no difference in average renal length (p = 0.22). Of the 24 cases 22 (92%) showed stable or improved differential renal function. Improvement in renal transit time was seen in 20 of 23 cases (87%). Of 15 patients with complete Patlak scores 14 (93%) showed postoperative improvement. Mean preoperative and postoperative differential renal function, renal transit time and Patlak score were 36% and 41% (p = 0.003), 16.2 and 8.6 minutes (p = 0.0005), and 6.6 and 11.9 ml per minute (p = 0.01), respectively. Conclusions Magnetic resonance urography provides superior anatomical and unprecedented functional information to fully define the preoperatively and postoperative status of corrected ureteropelvic junction obstruction. Magnetic resonance urography has the potential to become the imaging study of choice for evaluating pediatric hydronephrosis and obstructive uropathy.
Sequence of ossification of the foot in marmosets (Saguinus oedipus)

The cleared and alizarin-stained feet of eight marmoset (Saguinus oedipus) fetuses revealed a sequence of initial ossification of the 19 bones of the foot that is almost totally different from that of man. The most striking difference is in the order of ossification of the distal phalanx of the big toe; in man it is the first bone to commence ossification, in the marmoset it is the fourteenth. It is suggested that the sequence of initial ossification in the foot may be species specific among the primates and may serve as a useful marker of teratogenic action.
The generalized Fock implementation of complex orthogonal transformations

We determine precise necessary and sufficient conditions for a complex orthogonal transformation to admit a generalized implementing operator in a Fock representation, extending classical results due to Shale-Stinesp ring and Carey-Palmer.
Malt1 and cIAP2-Malt1 as effectors of NF-κB activation: Kissing cousins or distant relatives?

Malt1 is a multi-domain cytosolic signaling molecule that was originally identified as the target of recurrent translocations in a large fraction of MALT lymphomas. The product of this translocation is a chimeric protein in which the N-terminus is contributed by the apoptosis inhibitor, cIAP2, and the C-terminus is contributed by Malt1. Early studies suggested that Malt1 is an essential intermediate in antigen receptor activation of NF-kappaB, and that the juxtaposition of the cIAP2 N-terminus and the Malt1 C-terminus results in deregulation of Malt1 NF-kappaB stimulatory activity. Initial experimental data further suggested that the molecular mechanisms of Malt1- and cIAP-Malt1-mediated NF-kappaB activation were quite similar. However, a number of more recent studies of both Malt1 and cIAP2-Malt1 now reveal that these proteins influence NF-kappaB activation by multiple distinct mechanisms, several of which are non-overlapping. Currently available data suggest a revised model in which cIAP2-Malt1 induces NF-kappaB activation via a mechanism that depends equally on domains contributed by cIAP2 and Malt1, which confer spontaneous oligomerization activity, polyubiquitin binding, proteolytic activity, and association with and activation of TRAF2 and TRAF6 at several independent binding sites. By contrast, emerging data suggest that the wild-type Malt1 protein uniquely contributes to NF-kappaB activation primarily through the control of two proteolytic cleavage mechanisms. Firstly, Malt1 directly cleaves and inactivates A20, a negative regulator of the antigen receptor-to-NF-kappaB pathway. Secondly, Malt1 interacts with caspase-8, inducing caspase-8 cleavage of c-FLIP(L), initiating a pathway that contributes to activation of the I kappaB kinase (IKK) complex. Furthermore, data suggest that Malt1 plays a more limited and focused role in antigen receptor activation of NF-kappaB, serving to augment weak antigen signals and stimulate a defined subset of NF-kappaB dependent responses. Thus, the potent activation of NF-kappaB by cIAP2-Malt1 contrasts with the more subtle role of Malt1 in regulating specific NF-kappaB responses downstream of antigen receptor ligation.
Patient-Level Moderators of the Efficacy of Peer Support and Pager Reminder Interventions to Promote Antiretroviral Adherence

Antiretroviral therapy (ART) greatly reduces morbidity and mortality for people with HIV/AIDS. However, for optimal effectiveness patients must achieve strict adherence to dosing regimens, which is difficult to maintain over the long term. Interventions to improve adherence have shown promising results, but with small effects. One explanation for small overall effects is that some patient subgroups are less able to benefit from current interventions; however, this explanation lacks empirical support. This study used multilevel modeling of data from a randomized controlled trial in an exploratory analysis to assess whether patient factors moderated the impact of peer support and pager reminders on ART adherence and biological markers of HIV. According to 272 interaction models using an alpha-corrected significance criteria, none of 34 patient characteristics significantly moderated either intervention. Findings suggest that intervention research might more profitably focus on other ways of improving effects, like individual patient needs, rather than target subgroups.
Interference of heparin in carcinoembryonic antigen radioimmunoassays

A false Roche carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) activity could be detected in all commercial and noncommercial heparin preparations we examined. The possibility of 'due to contamination' has been ruled out. Using the Roche procedure, heparin solutions, in the absence of CEA, gave positive CEA activity; on the other hand, no CEA activity was detected in solutions containing only heparin when the Abbott Kit was used. When heparin was present in specimens containing CEA, the Abbott Kit underestimated the CEA activity, whereas the Roche Kit gave false elevated values. However, the negative effect of heparin could be reduced by heat treatment in the presence of plasma proteins.
The Steady Boundary Value Problem for Charged Incompressible Fluids: PNP/Navier Stokes Systems

Abstract The initial-boundary value problem for the Poisson–Nernst–Planck/Navier–Stokes model was investigated in [J.W. Jerome, R. Sacco, Global weak solutions for an incompressible charged fluid with multi-scale couplings: initial-boundary-value problem, Nonlinear Anal. 71 (2009) e2487–e2497], where an existence theory was demonstrated, based upon Rothe’s method of horizontal lines. In this article, the steady case is considered, and the existence of a weak solution is established for the boundary-value problem. This solution satisfies a weak maximum principle for the concentrations relative to the boundary values. As noted in the above-mentioned citation, the model assumes significance because of its connection to the electrophysiology of the cell, including neuronal cell monitoring and microfluidic devices in biochip technology. The model has also been used in other applications, including electro-osmosis. The steady model is especially important in ion channel modeling, because the channel remains open for milliseconds, and the transients appear to decay on the scale of tens of nanoseconds.
Optimal control of systems with discontinuous differential equations

In this paper we discuss the problem of verifying and computing optimal controls of systems whose dynamics is governed by differential systems with a discontinuous right-hand side. In our work, we are motivated by optimal control of mechanical systems with Coulomb friction, which exhibit such a right-hand side. Notwithstanding the impressive development of nonsmooth and set-valued analysis, these systems have not been closely studied either computationally or analytically. We show that even when the solution crosses and does not stay on the discontinuity, differentiating the results of a simulation gives gradients that have errors of a size independent of the stepsize. This means that the strategy of “optimize the discretization” will usually fail for problems of this kind. We approximate the discontinuous right-hand side for the differential equations or inclusions by a smooth right-hand side. For these smoothed approximations, we show that the resulting gradients approach the true gradients provided that the start and end points of the trajectory do not lie on the discontinuity and that Euler’s method is used where the step size is “sufficiently small” in comparison with the smoothing parameter. Numerical results are presented for a crude model of car racing that involves Coulomb friction and slip showing that this approach is practical and can handle problems of moderate complexity.
Abstract 2249: Induction of PIAS3 by curcumin as a novel treatment strategy in mesothelioma.

Proceedings: AACR 104th Annual Meeting 2013; Apr 6-10, 2013; Washington, DC Curcumin, a natural drug derived from the spice turmeric, has been extensively studied as an anti-cancer agent. The mechanism of action behind this promising bioactivity of curcumin, previously unclear, is now beginning to emerge. Curcumin has been shown to inhibit STAT3 phosphorylation and activity in melanoma cells, ovarian and endometrial cancer cells and small-cell lung cancer cells. In many cancers constitutively activated STAT3 (Signal Transducers and Activators of Transcription 3) is essential for cell proliferation. In this study we demonstrate that four mesothelioma cell lines demonstrate high levels of active STAT3. The addition of curcumin can suppress mesothelioma cell growth and proliferation, demonstrating the STAT3-dependence of these cells. Interestingly, the inhibitory effect of curcumin on STAT3 appears to be mediated through an upregulation of an endogenous inhibitor of STAT3 called PIAS3 (protein inhibitor of activated STAT3). Thus, the significance of our results is that curcumin not only targets an effector of mesothelioma cell proliferation, STAT3, but does this by increasing the expression of its endogenous inhibitor, PIAS3. This result prompted ongoing studies to determine if PIAS3 levels are deficient in mesothelioma tumor specimens obtained from the National Virtual Mesothelioma bank. Taken together, our data support the idea that mesothelioma is a STAT3-driven cancer caused by a lack of PIAS3 expression and that strategies to increase endogenous PIAS3 expression will have tumor suppressor effects. The ability of curcumin to increase PIAS3 expression will give us a jump start on pursuing this strategy because it represents a bioactive lead compound with many available structural analogs. Citation Format: Snehal Dabir, Gary Wildey, Afshin Dowlati. Induction of PIAS3 by curcumin as a novel treatment strategy in mesothelioma. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 104th Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2013 Apr 6-10; Washington, DC. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2013;73(8 Suppl):Abstract nr 2249. doi:10.1158/1538-7445.AM2013-2249
Technique of laparoscopic-assisted total proctocolectomy and ileal pouch anal anastomosis in children and adolescents: a single center's 8-year experience.

Abstract Background Laparoscopic techniques have been applied to restorative proctocolectomy since the early 2000s. We have employed a technique for laparoscopic-assisted total proctocolectomy (TPC) and ileal pouch anal anastomosis (IPAA) for the treatment of children with ulcerative colitis (UC). Methods A total of 68 children underwent laparoscopic-assisted TPCs at our institution from June 2003 to February 2011. The patients ranged from 5 to 22 years of age. We progressively modified our surgical approach in positioning, equipment use, and operative technique. Results A total of 68 children underwent laparoscopic-assisted TPC within the 8-year time period. Two major complications occurred (2/68 = 3%) consisting of 1 duodenal injury and 1 small bowel injury. There were 6 minor complications (6/68 = 9%), including 5 stoma revisions and 1 port site hernia. There were no superficial wound infections. There were no reported cases of pouch fistulas, anastomotic breakdown, or neurovascular injuries. Conclusions Our surgical technique is safe and effective in treating children with UC.
Motivations and risks in international licensing: a review and implications for licensing to transitional and emerging economies

Abstract In the light of changes in technology and today’s global business environment, recent contributions in the literature regarding international licensing, particularly the reasons, risks, and management of licensing are reviewed. The main reasons that firms choose licensing over other methods of international market entry are examined, and the risks associated with licensing are synthesized and updated, along with perspectives on managing those risks. Finally, areas are suggested for further inquiry that may help to enrich this field of study. Throughout, particular attention is paid to the issues of international licensing that affect emerging and transitional economies, particularly from the perspective of small firms.
The effectiveness of a primary aliphatic amino group as an internal Lewis base on the formation of a boron–oxygen–carbon linkage: a computational study

Abstract It is well known that boronic acids form covalent linkages with compounds containing 1,2- or 1,3-diols, to form 5- or 6-membered cyclic boronate esters. In this article, we present results from a computational study designed to assess the ability of a primary aliphatic amino group to function as an internal Lewis base and catalyze the construction of a boron–oxygen–carbon linkage. In particular, thermodynamic and kinetic parameters for the dehydration reaction of (3-amino-1-propenyl)-monohydroxy borane, H 2 N–CH 2 –CH CH–B(OH)H, and methanol are reported. It is shown that when the amine group in the reactant, H 2 N–CH 2 –CH CH–B(OH)H, is appropriately positioned, it effectively lowers the activation barrier for the formation of (3-amino-1-propenyl)-borane methyl ether, H 2 N–CH 2 –CH CH–B(OCH 3 )H.
The role of SP in data-storage systems

Among the key components in the development of a successful storage system are heads, media, and signal processing. In the past, major breakthroughs in the heads and media technologies have been mainly responsible for the spectacular growth in storage capacity, but signal processing is increasingly recognized as a cost-efficient means of improving density. This article addresses the issues relevant to signal processing. While the focus is on magnetic storage, most of the signal-processing strategies discussed are also applicable to optical storage. This article begins with a description of the read/write (R/W) process in magnetic storage. The characteristics of noise and nonlinearity present in real magnetic storage channels are also discussed, and a discussion on channel modeling is followed by a description of different modulation codes. Different suboptimal sequence detectors and equalizers are then presented that represent the techniques that are either already in use in commercial systems or being investigated for near-future applications. We then discuss sequence detectors, with in-depth treatment given to those based on tree search, particularly finite or fixed delay tree search (FDTS) detectors. Finally, performance evaluation results are presented under various channel conditions, which should be useful in assessing the potential benefits of different coding and sequence-detection strategies.
Strain transfer in a smart structure adhesive joint

The ability of the adhesive in a piezoceramic actuator to effectively transfer strain between the ceramic and the metal structure is critical as piezoceramics become popular as elements in mechanical actuators. As motion requirements increase, the strain transfer must be maximized from the ceramic to the metal. The objective of this work is to develop guidelines for designing metal-ceramic actuator systems using piezoceramic motor elements. Both analytical and experimental methods were employed to investigate strain transfer between the piezoceramic element and the metal. Taguchi methods were used to select optimum adhesive and base metal combinations. Following these optimum parameters, single-layer piezoceramic elements were bonded to cantilevered beams to investigate the strain transfer from an actuator to a beam. An existing analytical model of the bond layer was modified for use with the metal-ceramic actuators being tested. The strain and deflection predicted by this model were compared to the experimental results.© (1994) COPYRIGHT SPIE--The International Society for Optical Engineering. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.
Achievement Motivation, Expected Coworker Performance, and Collective Task Motivation: Working Hard or Hardly Working?1

Social loafing is the tendency of individuals to work less hard collectively than individually. The present study examined the joint influence of achievement motivation and expected coworker effort on collective task performance. Participants (N = 107) who qualified and were available after pretesting on an achievement motivation scale were randomly assigned to a work condition and coworker effort condition. Dyads were asked to generate as many uses for a knife as possible within a 12-min time period. Participants low in achievement motivation engaged in social loafing, but only when expected coworker effort was high, whereas participants high in achievement motivation did not engage in social loafing, regardless of expected coworker effort. The implication of achievement motivation for collective task performance settings is discussed.
Non-observance of monovalent Md

Abstract Cocrystallization experiments were reported in 1972 that indicated a monovalent state existed for Md. We recently repeated some of these experiments and performed a series of new ones in which we attempted to prepare Md(I) by reduction with Sm2+ in an ethanolic or fused KCl medium. The oxidation state of Md was determined by the amount of 256Md tracer (≥ 105 atoms) carried on precipitates of SmF 2 SmCl 2 , SmCl2, RbCl and Rb2PtCl6. Comparisons of the coprecipitation behavior of Md with the behavior of tracer amounts of the elements Es, Fm, Eu, Sr, Y and Cs showed that Md consistently follows the behavior of Fm2+, Eu2+ and Sr2+, rather than the behavior of Cs+. Therefore, we conclude that Md cannot be reduced to a monovalent oxidation state with Sm2+ and that the earlier claim for Md(I) is unsubstantiated.
Studies on the Control of Hypertension VI. Some Evidence for Reversal of the Process During Hexamethonium and Hydralazine Therapy

Because doses of antihypertensive agents necessary to control human arterial hypertension at relatively normotensive levels were observed to decrease with time, records of all patients in our series receiving oral hexamethonium chloride and hydralazine (but no other drugs) were analyzed (114 cases). After two years of therapy, those patients maintaining average diastolic pressures below 100 mm. Hg were found to require considerably less methonium ion while those unable or unwilling to control their pressures to this degree needed approximately their initial doses. Further decreases in drug requirements for the well-controlled group occurred after three years. Ten were able to discontinue all medication eventually and nine others needed only smaller doses of hydralazine; in these reversal of secondary changes was sometimes observed. Prolonged, continuous and adequate drug therapy is apparently associated with a change in the basic process producing hypertension.
506: Comparison of Impedance Cardiography to Thermodilution Cardiac Output Determination in Pediatric Heart Transplant Patients

LVEF (-2.5%; 95% CI: -3.4, -1.6, P 0.001), lower LVSF-Z (-0.61 SD; 95% CI: -0.88, -0.33; P 0.001), higher LVDD-Z (0.31 SD; 95% CI: 0.15, 0.47; P 0.001), and higher LVSD-Z (0.39 SD; 95% CI: 0.18, 0.60; P 0.001) in that person. Conclusions: NT-proBNP is strongly associated with symptoms and indices of systolic function and cardiac remodelling. Changes in NT-proBNP in children with HF provide a good proxy for the evolution of HF and the response to treatment.
Diversification of the Banking Firm

Diversification of banks and bank holding companies into nonbank product lines may reduce the risk to banking returns or cash flows provided appropriate portfolio conditions are satisfied. This study of bank and nonbank financial-service firms and nonfinancial corporations over the 1966–1985 period finds evidence consistent with the proposition that individual banking firm risk may be reduced through selected product-line diversification, particularly in the insurance and data processing fields. Moreover, there is evidence of less cash-flow sensitivity of selected nonbank product lines to exogenous economic and financial-market variables compared to banking firms. While public policy continues to insulate banking firms from most nonbank product and service lines, the potential benefits of risk reduction suggest that a careful review of current policy is needed.
PRINCIPAL COMPONENTS ANALYSIS OF THE REVISED BRISTOL SOCIAL ADJUSTMENT GUIDES

Summary. In clinical and research application, the various syndromes and syndrome combinations of the Bristol Social Adjustment Guides (BSAG) are used in the initial identification and subsequent classification of behavioural and social maladjustment in school children. It is important to test the validity of the assumptions that the overall BSAG scales, i.e., under- and over-reaction, retain sufficient factorial integrity for use as general indicators of maladjustment and that the several contributing syndromes evidence a satisfactory degree of specificity to be considered as individual dimensions of maladaptive behaviour. Data for the standardisation sample of 2,527 randomly chosen children for the revised BSAG were submitted to principal components factor analysis with varimax rotation of significant factors. A two-factor solution was found with the resulting factor structure clearly substantiating the validity of an under- vs. over-reactive dichotomy of maladjusted behaviours. Moreover, significant syndromic specificity was established for the majority of syndromes, with conjoint and reciprocal variation being suggested in the case of two of the syndromes. The findings, in general, support the uses of the BSAG as advised by the developer in the test manual and associated research.
Influence of temperature and u.v. light on disinfection with ozone

Abstract An inactivation study was performed with ozone in two laboratory-scale, continuous flow systems to determine the effects of temperature and u.v. light on the survival of Mycobacterium fortuitum , a potential microbial indicator for disinfection efficiency. Four temperatures were investigated in the range of 9–37°C. It was determined that a higher degree of inactivation occurred with ozone at elevated temperatures. The activation energy for M. fortuitum was found to be 18.3 kcal. When u.v. light was employed as a catalyst with ozone disinfection, there was no apparent increase in the degree of inactivation of M. fortuitum in either the clean system (deionized water-phosphate buffer) or secondary wastewater effluent. However, u.v. light in itself exerted a strong disinfecting effect.
Carboplatin plus paclitaxel combination chemotherapy: impact of sequence of drug administration on treatment-induced neutropenia.

Abstract Objectives While the importance of the sequence of administration of cisplatin and paclitaxel on the degree of observed neutropenia has been documented, there is limited information available in the oncology literature to determine whether there exists sequence-dependent toxicity for the combination of carboplatin plus paclitaxel. Methods Patients with advanced gynecologic malignancies were randomized to receive either carboplatin (AUC 6), followed by paclitaxel (175 mg/m 2 over 3 h) (C-P), or the same doses of the agents delivered in the opposite sequence (P-C). The primary endpoint was the degree of neutropenia experienced during the initial treatment course. Results A total of 40 patients (median age: 63) entered this trial, of whom 27 had complete pretreatment and nadir counts available for course 1 and 24 for both course 1 and course 2. By random chance, patients initially receiving P-C began therapy with a higher baseline ANC than those treated with C-P. During course 1, the P-C population was noted to have a greater reduction, from baseline, in ANC ( P = 0.02), but no difference in absolute nadir counts (ignoring the baseline value) ( P = 0.64). There was no difference between P-C, followed by C-P, versus C-P, followed by P-C in the severity of neutropenia experienced during course 2 ( P = 0.38). Conclusion The sequence of carboplatin/paclitaxel administration does not exert a significant influence on the level of observed neutropenia. This finding leads to the suggestion that the sequence of drug delivery can be modified, as necessary, to satisfy unique requirements of individual patients and to establish the optimal drug delivery strategy of an innovative investigational treatment regimen.
On the correspondence between individual and aggregate food consumption functions: evidence from the USA and The Netherlands

This paper provides evidence from the US and Dutch budget surveys that income elasticity of family food consumption is a function of family income and other observable characteristics of the household. It also finds that the conditional variance of family food consumption depends on family income. This complicated pattern of dependence of family food consumption on income breaks the exact correspondence between the family and the aggregate food consumption functions. Simple dynamic models for aggregate food consumption are developed which are used for forecasting. © 1997 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Neutrality tests of conservative-radical amino acid changes in nuclear- and mitochondrially-encoded proteins.

The neutralist-selectionist debate should not be viewed as a dichotomy but as a continuum. While the strictly neutral model suggests a neutralist-selectionist dichotomy, the nearly neutral model is a continuous model spanning strict neutrality through weak selection (Ns , 1) to deterministic selection (Ns . 3). We illustrate these points with polymorphism and divergence data from a sample of 73 genes (31 mitochondrial, 36 nuclear genes from Drosophila, and six Arabidopsis data sets). In an earlier study we used the McDonald‐Kreitman (MK) test to show that amino acid replacement polymorphism in animal mitochondrial genes and Arabidopsis genes show a consistent trend toward negative selection, whereas nuclear genes from Drosophila span a range from negative selection, through neutrality, to positive selection. Here we analyze a subset of these genes (13 Drosophila nuclear, ten mitochondrial, and six Arabidopsis nuclear) for polymorphism and divergence of conservative and radical amino acid replacements (a protein-based conservative-radical MK, or pMK, test). The distinct patterns of selection between the different genomes is not apparent with the pMK test. Different definitions of conservative and radical (based on amino acid polarity, volume or charge) give inconsistent results across genes. We suggest that segregating fitness difference between silent and replacement mutations are more visible to selection than are segregating fitness differences between conservative and radical amino acid mutations. New data on the variation among genes with different opportunities for positive and negative selection are as important to the continuum view of the neutralist-selectionist debate as is the distribution of selection coefficients within individual genes. q 2000 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.
Using a CCD to make a high-accuracy absolute linear position encoder

The field of melrology always seeks increasingly accurate, high resolution absolute measurement devices having a fast frequency response. This has driven the field of linear position measurement to accept compromises to achieve the one most desired feature for a particular task at the expense of the other features. These compromises usually take the form of trading speed and/or absolute position information for accuracy with incremental position information; or trading accuracy and/or speed for absolute position information . To try and eliminate these compromises, an absolute linear position encoder was built using a linear C.C.D., a small high-intensity area infra-red light source, a new simple absolute scale, and a digital signal processor (for image processing, temperature compensation, and calibration compensation). The prototype encoder has a measurement distance of 500 mm, and a measurement resolution of 1.0 im at measurement update rate of 1 kHz or 0.1 jtm at 15.6 Hz. The mechanical backlash or short term repeatability of the device was found to be a total of 1 pm. This device was then calibrated and checked with respect to an Hewlett Packard 5528A laser interferometer. The encoder proved to be accurate to within 5.0 tm over the 500 mm length or to have more than 16 bits of accuracy. It is clear that this new type of absolute linear position measurement technology eliminates many of the above mentioned compromises of the past by combining relatively high speed, high resolution, high accuracy, temperature compensation, and absolute position information in one measurement system.© (1990) COPYRIGHT SPIE--The International Society for Optical Engineering. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.
Theoretical Note Parsimony in neural representations: Generalization of a model of spatial orientation ability

Brains must be adequate to process complex information, but they must also have a simple enough underlying organization to have evolved by natural selection. Beginning with a network model, originally developed to show how spatial orientational behavior might be organized with a modest number of neural connections, the following hypothesis is offered about a pattern of connections recurring within the brain: All significant activation patterns of a large number of input elements are transformed to output patterns by small numbers of associative subsystems, or modules, which do not require computerlike algorithms. They are single neurons or other functional units, which individually merely summate inputs; together, they discriminate among probable inputs without requiring a complex representation to do so. They may be thought of as registering (1) values of input dimensions, (2) combinations of activated input elements, or (3) numerical labels for distinct inputs. The informational capacity of a set of modules is a function of its number of modules and their dynamic range. The set works most efficiently if all its modules have the same range. Elementary combinatorial considerations suggest that besides receiving patterns of connections appropriate to the information being processed, sets of associative modules probably receive inputs systematically restricted in more general ways, for example by lateral inhibition or by connections from a small or large, but not intermediate, proportion of the set of input modules.
Price discovery in the Hong Kong security markets: evidence from cointegration tests

Abstract According to the theory of efficient markets, price adjustments occur so rapidly that profitable arbitrage opportunities cannot exist among risk-adjusted price differentials across individual securities as well as different submarkets (industries). That is, observed prices represent long-run equilibrium prices among different submarkets given certain types of risk-return relationships. By performing cointegration tests and estimating an error correction model, this study finds evidence that a stable long-run linear relationship exists among four security submarkets in Hong Kong. The results of the error correction model not only indicate the significant increase in explanatory power of the model compared with the vector autoregressive (VAR) model, but also suggest that price changes in one submarket have significant impacts on other three submarkets. In addition, the explicit process of price discovery among four submarkets in Hong Kong is implied in the coefficients for error correction terms.