cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Effects of deposition parameters on the structure and properties of RF sputtered boron nitride

Boron nitride films are deposited by rf reactive sputtering. Structural and optical properties of the films are studied as a function of deposition parameters. The films show optical characteristics similar to those of hexagonal boron nitride. The ratio of boron to nitrogen varies from 3.11 to 1.45 with increase in the nitrogen partial pressure. Refractive index of rf sputtered boron nitride films ranges from 1.67 to 3.21. The effects of substrate bias on the properties of rf sputtered boron nitride films on Si as well as GaAs substrate are investigated. The effect of substrate bias on the XPS core level spectra of both B 1s and N 1s peaks is also studied. Doping of boron nitride films with silicon is achieved by alternate sputtering of BN and Si targets. Intrinsic rf sputtered boron nitride shows little change in resistivity 109 to 1011 Ω cm over the temperature range studied, while Si-doped BN shows linear change in resistivity with increasing temperature and its activation energy is about 0.22 eV. Bornitrid-Filme werden mittels rf-reaktiven Sputterns aufgetragen. Strukturelle und optische Eigenschaften der Filme werden in Abhangigkeit von den Beschichtungsparametern untersucht. Die Filme zeigen optische Eigenschaften ahnlich denen von hexagonalem Bornitrid. Das Verhaltnis von Bor zu Stickstoff wird durch zunehmenden Stickstoff-Partialdruck von 3,11 bis 1,45 variiert. Der Brechungsindex von rf-gesputterten Bornitrid-Filmen reicht von 1.67 bis 3,21. Der Einflus der Substratvorspannung auf die Eigenschaften von rf-gesputterten Bornitrid-Filmen auf Silizium- als auch GaAs-Substraten wird untersucht. Auserdem wird der Effekt der Substratvorspannung auf die XPS-Spektren der B-1s- und N-1s-Maxima studiert. Das Dotieren von Bornitrid-Filmen mit Silizium wird durch alternierendes Sputtern von BN und Si erreicht. Intrinsisches, rf-gesputtertes Bornitrid zeigt wenig Veranderung des Widerstandes (109 bis 1011 Ω cm) innerhalb des untersuchten Temperaturbereiches. Si-dotiertes BN zeigt eine lineare Anderung des Widerstandes mit zunehmender Temperatur mit einer Aktivierungsenergie von etwa 0,22 eV.
Oscillations in resistivity of an organic polymer at low temperatures

We have dissolved polyaniline pronated with camphor sulfonic acid in poly(methyl methacrylate) (PANi-CSA in PMMA) at the few percent level. Magneto-conductance measurements below T=1K and to B=5 Tesla suggest that this system may be similar to systems showing the Gunn effect (i.e. GaAs). The samples are ohmic at high temperatures (T>4.2K) and at low temperatures only for very small currents. Above a critical current Ic(T,B) (which depends on temperature and magnetic field), the voltage drop across the polymer oscillates periodically in time. From the frequency of the oscillations, a low drift velocity of the charge carriers was determined. Work supported in part by the US National Science Foundation through the MRL at UCSB (DMR-9123048), by the University of Florida's DSR (FDA) and BOCC.
Hygienic macro expansion

Macro expansion in current Lisp systems is naive with respect to block structure. Every macro function can cause the capture of free user identifiers and thus corrupt intended bindings. We propose a change to the expansion algorithm so that macros will only violate the binding discipline when it is explicitly intended.
Mammalian sperm acrosomal neuraminidases.

Abstract A neuraminidase and a neuraminidase-like factor (NLF) were demonstrated for the first time in acrosomes of rabbit, bull, hamster, ram and human spermatozoa. The neuraminidase is similar to the known mammalian neuraminidases, but the NLF is unique in that it renders bound sialic acid reactive in Warren's colorimetric assay but does not release it from the macro-molecular complex. Partially purified decapacitation factor preparations that inhibit fertilization also inhibit NLF activity. The true neuraminidase activity appears to arise from NLF during purification. Cowpers gland mucin of the boar was used as substrate, and the effect of neuraminidase and NLF on this substrate was not duplicated by trypsin, α-chymotrypsin, pronase, α-amylase, lysozyme, hyaluronidase or detergents.
Thermoelastohydrodynamic Analysis of Fixed Geometry Thrust Bearings Including Runner Deformation

A thermoelastohydrodynamic theory for the analysis of sector thrust bearings is presented. The analysis includes the generalized Reynolds equation and a fully elliptic three-dimensional energy equation in the film. In addition, full three-dimensional heat transfer is allowed in the pad while axisymmetric conduction is allowed in the runner. Three-dimensional elastic deformation due to mechanical and thermal loading is allowed in the pad while axisymmetric mechanical elasticity is allowed in the runner. The performance of a parallel tapered-land thrust bearing including runner deformation effects is analyzed as a function of different models. It is seen that mechanical deformation of the pad affects the operating characteristics only slightly while thermal deformation of the pad can cause large increases in operating temperature. The runner deformation effects can include a reduction of the maximum film temperature at slight deformation or a large increase in film temperature at the inner radius of the pad...
All of the above: When multiple correct response options enhance the testing effect

Previous research has shown that multiple choice tests often improve memory retention. However, the presence of incorrect lures often attenuates this memory benefit. The current research examined the effects of "all of the above" (AOTA) options. When such options are correct, no incorrect lures are present. In the first three experiments, a correct AOTA option on an initial test led to a larger memory benefit than no test and standard multiple choice test conditions. The benefits of a correct AOTA option occurred even without feedback on the initial test; for both 5-minute and 48-hour retention delays; and for both cued recall and multiple choice final test formats. In the final experiment, an AOTA question led to better memory retention than did a control condition that had identical timing and exposure to response options. However, the benefits relative to this control condition were similar regardless of the type of multiple choice test (AOTA or not). Results suggest that retrieval contributes to multiple choice testing effects. However, the extra testing effect from a correct AOTA option, rather than being due to more retrieval, might be due simply to more exposure to correct information.
Mining connections between chemicals, proteins, and diseases extracted from Medline annotations

The biomedical literature is an important source of information about the biological activity and effects of chemicals. We present an application that extracts terms indicating biological activity of chemicals from Medline records, associates them with chemical name and stores the terms in a repository called ChemoText. We describe the construction of ChemoText and then demonstrate its utility in drug research by employing Swanson's ABC discovery paradigm. We reproduce Swanson's discovery of a connection between magnesium and migraine in a novel approach that uses only proteins as the intermediate B terms. We validate our methods by using a cutoff date and evaluate them by calculating precision and recall. In addition to magnesium, we have identified valproic acid and nitric oxide as chemicals which developed links to migraine. We hypothesize, based on protein annotations, that zinc and retinoic acid may play a role in migraine. The ChemoText repository has promise as a data source for drug discovery.
Effects of conspecifics and phytoplankton on predation rates of the omnivorous copepods Epischura lacustris and Epischura nordenskioldi.

We measured the effects of conspecifics and phytoplankton on the rate at which Epischura lacustris and Epischura nordenskioldi prey upon calanoid nauplii. Per capita predation rates of Epischura in the presence of conspecifics and phytoplankton were 73% lower than those of lone individuals in the absence of phytoplankton. Because these effects occurred at common field densities of Epischura, animal prey, and phytoplankton, it is likely that they occur in situ. Therefore, estimates of the effect of spatial and temporal patchiness on predation rates of omnivorous copepods should consider phytoplankton and conspecifics, not simply the abundance and composition of the animal prey assemblage.
Needs and opportunities: nondestructive evaluation for energy systems

Advanced manufacturing and new energy systems are presenting a wide variety of challenges for nondestructive testing and evaluation (NDT/NDE). This paper discusses the state of the art, needs and opportunities for NDE to provide reliable, effective and economic inspection and monitoring for energy systems. It introduces issues of materials, defects and allowables, the evolution of advanced NDT and NDE and then considers examples of NDE for energy systems. These include applications in the petrochemical industry, advanced and additive manufacturing, solar cells, wind turbines, nuclear systems and some underlying issues of large scale composites, pipes and concrete.
Extended antidepressant maintenance and discontinuation syndromes

Unipolar and bipolar depression are episodic, recurrent illnesses for the majority of patients. Because each episode engenders considerable costs for patients, families, and society, prevention of recurrences has high priority. Numerous studies demonstrate that maintenance antidepressants or mood stabilizing medications are efficacious in preventing recurrences. A review of maintenance studies supports the view that all antidepressants perform significantly better than placebo in preventing recurrences of depression--with the stipulation that full antidepressant doses be employed. Earliest studies, conducted two decades ago, evaluated tricyclics (TCAs), heterocyclics, and lithium, while recent studies have focused on selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs). Compliance is essential. Strategies for enhancing compliance include selection of medications with reported safety and few side effects, education of patients and families, referral to patient advocacy groups, and use of new technological compliance aids. Preliminary data suggest that SSRIs are better tolerated than TCAs; fewer patients discontinue these agents due to side effects. Selection criteria for maintenance treatment have not been well determined, but three or more prior episodes is recognized as a relatively strong indicator. Other clinical or genetic criteria have also been suggested. For various reasons, patients may discontinue medications, and when this happens withdrawal phenomena may occur. Withdrawal effects are well documented for all antidepressants and can be profound with TCAs. After stopping some SSRIs, a few withdrawal symptoms may have similarities with those following discontinuation of TCAs, but unique "CNS-like" effects are frequently described, including brief recurrent episodes of dizziness, lightheadedness, vertigo, electric shock-like sensations, and gait instability. These appear to be half-life dependent, with agents with shorter half-lives having more discontinuation symptoms. If antidepressant medications must be discontinued, a gradual taper is preferable, perhaps extending three to six months or longer to prevent discontinuation effects, enable adaptation at the receptor level and allow earlier recognition and treatment of recurrent depressive symptoms.
Glimpses of East Antarctica: Aeromagnetic and satellite magnetic view from the central Transantarctic Mountains of East Antarctica

[1] Aeromagnetic and satellite magnetic data provide glimpses of the crustal architecture within the Ross Sea sector of the enigmatic, ice-covered East Antarctic shield critical for understanding both global tectonic and climate history. In the central Transantarctic Mountains (CTAM), exposures of Precambrian basement, coupled with new high-resolution magnetic data, other recent aeromagnetic transects, and satellite magnetic and seismic tomography data, show that the shield in this region comprises an Archean craton modified both by Proterozoic magmatism and early Paleozoic orogenic basement reactivation. CTAM basement structures linked to the Ross Orogeny are imaged 50–100 km farther west than previously mapped, bounded by inboard upper crustal Proterozoic granites of the Nimrod igneous province. Magnetic contrasts between craton and rift margin sediments define the Neoproterozoic rift margin, likely reactivated during Ross orogenesis and Jurassic extension. Interpretation of satellite magnetic and aeromagnetic patterns suggests that the Neoproterozoic rift margin of East Antarctica is offset by transfer zones to form a stepwise series of salients tracing from the CTAM northward through the western margin of the Wilkes Subglacial Basin to the coast at Terre Adelie. Thinned Precambrian crust inferred to lie east of the rift margin cannot be imaged magnetically because of modification by Neoproterozoic and younger tectonic events.
Deterministic and Probabilistic Analyses of Pipeline Burst Failure

Deterministic and probabilistic analyses are carried out in this paper to investigate burst failure of defect-free pipelines. Three deterministic models for predicting the burst pressure of pipelines, i.e., the Tresca solution, the Mises solution and a newly developed Average Shear Stress Yield (ASSY) solution are used in statistical evaluation of experimental data of burst pressure, and in probabilistic analysis of pipeline failure. Monte Carlo simulation is adopted and programmed as Excel macros for calculating probability of failure. The results show that the ASSY solution is the best prediction of the experimental data, the Tresca and Mises solutions provide a lower bound and an upper bound, respectively. These three theoretical solutions can significantly affect the possibility of burst failure for pipelines, and the difference can be in several orders of magnitude. Validity of the modified ASME B31G and other criteria to predict the burst failure is examined, and influence of the probability distribution type of random variables on probability of failure for pipelines is also discussed.Copyright © 2007 by ASME
The linden bark borer (Lepidoptera: Agonoxenidae) infesting European linden in Nova Scotia

The Holarctic genus Chrysoclista (Lepidoptera: Agonexenidae) consists of very distinctive, small, brightly coloured moths whose larvae bore in the bark of deciduous trees. There are seven species worldwide including three found in Europe, two found in the Caucasus, and two Nearctic species, C. cambiella (Busck, 1915) and C. villela (Busck, 1904). In addition, the Palearctic species C. linneella (Clerck, 1759) has been introduced to North America (Karsholt 1997). In Europe, C. linneella is found across most of the continent, in all of the Baltic and Fennoscandian countries, Great Britain, the Netherlands, Belgium, Luxembourg, Germany, Poland, Czech Republic, Slovakia, Hungary, Austria, Switzerland, France, Spain, Italy, Rumania, Russia (Karsholt and Razowski 1996), Turkey, and Ukraine (S. Koster, personal communication).
Prisons of the mind: Lessons learned from home confinement

As conservative political ideologies have shifted U.S. correctional policies toward a justice model orientation, efforts to escalate the “pains of imprisonment” have become increasingly prevalent. Although these attempts to enhance the punishing aspects of incarceration are primarily driven by political grandstanding and emotional appeal, it is not uncommon for today's postsecondary students to enter the classroom with punitive attitudes similarly based on rhetoric and emotion. Yet correctional students cannot be expected to develop an empathetic appreciation for the intrinsically punishing nature of confinement itself through traditional classroom techniques that rely exclusively on the cognitive dimensions of learning. In an effort to broaden personal perspectives on punishment by engaging the affective domain, students in an introductory corrections class participated in a simulated 48-hour confinement exercise. The intent was to enhance empathy for the intrinsic discomfort of imprisonment through expe...
Study on the design and equivalence test methods of VSC-HVDC valves

The high voltage direct current transmission technology based on voltage source converter (VSC-HVDC) which employs voltage source converter (VSC), self-turn-off device and pulse-width modulation (PWM) technique. VSC can be categorized into two types as per its topology: one is multi-level converter which consists of series-connected self-turn-off devices, and the other is Modular Multi-level converter (MMC) which is made up of series-connected submodules whose major components are self-turn-off devices. To ensure safe operation, type testing of VSC-HVDC valves is essential before launching them. Substitute equivalence methods are always utilized for valve type tests. For different converter topologies, test objects and test methods are similar. This article begins with the studying of the two kinds of VSC-HVDC valve topologies, and then the electric structures are analyzed. Moreover, corresponding equivalence test methods are investigated, including valve stresses, test requirements, test items, and test methods.
MAGNETIC RESONANCE IMAGING OF PELVIC MUSCULOSKELETAL AND GENITOURINARY ANATOMY IN PATIENTS BEFORE AND AFTER COMPLETE PRIMARY REPAIR OF BLADDER EXSTROPHY

Purpose: We characterize pelvic soft tissue and bony anatomy of patients before and after complete primary repair of exstrophy (CPRE). Materials and Methods: We evaluated 15 measurements on pelvic magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) in patients who underwent CPRE without osteotomy at our institution from 1996 to 2004. MRI protocols included axial, sagittal and coronal fast spin echo proton density sequences. Measurements were compared before and after CPRE using a paired t test, and between patients after CPRE, and age and gender matched controls using linear regression adjusting for the matched case-control groups. Patients older than 3 years with continent intervals longer than 3 hours after CPRE were compared to age and gender matched controls using linear regression. Results: A total of 29 MRIs in 18 patients with exstrophy were available for analysis. Median patient age at postoperative MRI was 25 months (range 4 to 36). The configuration of the post-CPRE pelvis was significantly different from that of controls in all parameters measured including wider symphyseal diastasis (34.5 mm vs less than 1 mm) and more obtuse iliac wing (121° vs 98°), puborectalis (94° vs 49°) and ileococcygeus angles (111° vs 98°). The anatomy of continent patients after CPRE was not significantly different from that of controls in most parameters measured. Conclusions: Comparison of the pelvic anatomy in patients before and after CPRE suggests that after CPRE patients have parameters that more closely approximate, but are still significantly different, from those of control patients. Patients with greater than 3-hour continent intervals after CPRE have anatomic parameters most similar to those of age matched controls.
An Overview of the Controversial Issues in the Psychology of Language and Thought

This book presents the reader with a combination of two levels of interaction. The first involves the relationship between the mind and language, and the second the relationship of two individuals communicating in a dialogue. The combination of both of these features in one book is unique to the scientific literature in this field.
Substituted azabicyclo[3.1.0]hexan-1-ols from aspartic and glutamic acid derivatives via titanium-mediated cyclopropanation

The Kulinkovich cyclopropanation reaction has been used to synthesize azabicyclo[3.1.0]hexanols from amino acid derivatives containing two ester moieties.
The space groups of axial crystals and quasicrystals

We compute all the three-dimensional quasicrystallographic space groups with n-fold axial point groups and standard lattices by a method that treats crystals and quasicrystals on an equal footing. We do not rely on projecting higher-dimensional crystallographic space groups, our results are valid for arbitrary n, and our analysis is elementary. We regard space groups as a scheme for classifying diffraction patterns to be carried out in three-dimensional reciprocal space. The familiar three-dimensional crystallographic space groups with axial point groups emerge simply and directly as special cases of the general n-fold three-dimensional quasicrystallophic treatment with n=3, 4, and 6
Health Impact of Polychlorinated Dibenzo-p-dioxins: A Critical Review

Polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins (PCDDs), commonly known as dioxins, form as unwanted impurities in the manufacturing of chlorophenol and its derivatives--pulp and paper--and in the combustion of municipal, sewage-sludge, hospital, and hazardous waste. Combustion, in presence of a chlorine donor, seems to be a major source of these compounds. High levels of dioxins are also emitted from metallurgical industries including copper smelters, electric furnaces in steel mills, and wire reclamation incinerators. Trace levels are detectable in emissions from motor vehicles using leaded gasoline or diesel fuel, in forest fires, and in residential wood burning. Extremely persistent and widely distributed in the environment, PCDDs have been detected in all three primary and many secondary media. Releases into the air occur mainly from combustor emissions. Atmospheric dispersion, deposition, and subsequent accumulation in the food chain seem to be the major pathways of exposure to the general population. Residues of these chemicals have been detected in soil, sediment, fish, meat, cow's milk, human adipose tissue, and mothers' milk. In general, these chemicals have high lipophilicity. The elimination half-life of 2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin (TCDD) in humans is approximately 7-11 years. Very little human toxicity data from exposure to PCDDs are available. Health-effect data obtained from occupational settings in humans are based on exposure to chemicals contaminated with TCDD. It produces a spectrum of toxic effects in animals and is one of the most toxic chemicals known. Most of the toxicity data available on TCDD are from high-dose oral exposures to animals. Very few percutaneous and no inhalation exposure data are available in the literature. There is a wide range of difference in sensitivity to PCDD lethality in animals. The signs and symptoms of poisoning with chemicals contaminated with TCDD in humans are analogous to those observed in animals. Dioxin exposures to humans are associated with increased risk of severe skin lesions such as chloracne and hyperpigmentation, altered liver function and lipid metabolism, general weakness associated with drastic weight loss, changes in activities of various liver enzymes, depression of the immune system, and endocrine- and nervous-system abnormalities. It is a potent teratogenic and fetotoxic chemical in animals. A very potent promoter in rat liver carcinogenesis, TCDD also causes cancers of the liver and other organs in animals. Populations occupationally or accidentally exposed to chemicals contaminated with dioxin have increased incidences of soft-tissue sarcoma and non-Hodgkin's lymphoma. No comprehensive studies have been conducted to determine any health impact to the general population from environmental exposure to PCDDs. This paper presents a brief review of relevant animal and human data for projecting any possible health effects from environmental exposures to PCDDs.
A reduction of nonpyramidal cells in sector CA2 of schizophrenics and manic depressives

Abstract Background: Recent studies have suggested that there may be a preferential decrease of “nonpyramidal” neurons (NPs) in several corticolimbic regions of schizophrenic (SZ) brain. The current study was undertaken to determine whether a change in the density of pyramidal neurons (PNs) and NPs might be present in the hippocampal formation (HIPP) of SZ brain. Methods: A spatial counting approach in which the location of each and every PN and NP in the stratum pyramidale of sectors CA1–4 was applied to 11 normal control (CONs) and 10 SZs matched for age and postmortem interval, as well as 4 manic depressive (MD) subjects matched for age. Results: The data indicate that the CONs had approximately 10–20 times as many PNs than NPs in the various HIPP subfields. When the CON data were compared to those for the SZs, both the total number and density of PNs were found to be similar in all four sectors, while NPs were found to be selectively reduced by approximately 40% in CA2 of the SZ group. When the data were broken down according to patients with and without neuroleptic exposure, drug-free SZs showed a significant reduction in the density of NPs in CA2. The 4 MD cases both with and without neuroleptic exposure also showed a similar reduction of NPs in sector CA2. Conclusions: Taken together, the results of this study suggest that there may be a highly selective decrease in the number of NPs in sector CA2 that could play a contributory role in the pathophysiology of the major psychoses.
Radiative decay of the bound exciton in direct-gap semiconductors: The correlation effect

We present a theory of the radiative decay of excitons bound to neutral donors and acceptors in direct-gap semiconductors within the spherical-effective-mass approximation. The calculation is carried out using a three-particle wave function which incorporates Pauli exchange and important interparticle correlation effects over the entire range of electron- to hole-mass ratios. Thus donor-and acceptor-bound excitons are treated within the same framework. Radiative lifetimes are studied and are found to be particularly sensitive to the interparticle distance between electron and hole for all mass ratios of physical interest. Calculations are carried out for the radiative decay rates of bound excitons in a number of materials and comparison is made with the measured radiative lifetimes of both donor- and acceptor-bound excitons in GaAs, InP, and CdS.
Minimalist model for force-dependent DNA replication.

In experiments using optical or magnetic tweezers, investigators have monitored the rate at which polymerase enzymes catalyze DNA replication when the template strand is subjected to a stretching force. For T7, Klenow, and Sequenase polymerases, the replication rate increases modestly at low tension and then decreases markedly at higher tension. Molecular-dynamics (MD) simulations using x-ray structure data for the open and closed complexes of the Taq enzyme with DNA revealed that the dependence of replication rate on tension could be accounted for in terms of the induced enthalpy changes for the two DNA segments adjacent to the site of the added nucleotide. Here, we present a simple, minimalist two-segment local model (M2L) derived from some striking features seen in the MD simulations. The model predicts the tension dependence of the replication rate using only structural data and a critical tension, f∗, without recourse to MD simulations. At f∗, the outermost DNA segment undergoes a large angular reorientation in the open conformation of the enzyme. We give a generic plot for the M2L model, apply it to family A and B polymerases and HIV reverse transcriptase, and discuss factors that may govern the f∗ flip parameter.
A systematic description of semi-inclusive cross sections

Abstract The properties of semi-inclusive cross sections are derived using unitarity and Regge-pole analysis in the three particle scattering channel and they disagree with earlier predictions if the triple-Pomeron contributions do not vanish identically.
Physiologic approach to mechanical ventilation

An understanding of ventilator management must be predicated on physiologic principles. There is a considerable array of equipment, permitting an almost limitless number of permutations in ventilator therapy, to support patients with respiratory failure. The physician who understands patient-ventilator interactions and their effects on cardiopulmonary function will be best equipped to individualize therapy. We believe that further refinements in supportive equipment probably will not improve outcome significantly. Thus, more emphasis should be placed on elucidating the underlying disease process and its effects on respiratory structure and function.
t -Matrix Calculations of the Ground-State Energies of Solid He 3 and Solid H 2

The ground-state energies of solid ${\mathrm{He}}^{3}$ and ${\mathrm{H}}_{2}$ at various densities are calculated using a self-consistent method in the $t$-matrix formulation. The two-body equation of motion is solved by expanding the two-body wave function in terms of partial waves. The partial-wave expansion gives rise to a set of coupled differential equations which are solved numerically for the ground-state eigenfunctions. The calculations for ${\mathrm{He}}^{3}$ are done using three different two-body potentials, the Lennard-Jones potential, the Beck potential, and the Frost-Musulin potential. The calculations for ${\mathrm{H}}_{2}$ are done using the Mason-Rice two-body potential. A bcc structure is assumed for solid ${\mathrm{He}}^{3}$, while an fcc structure is assumed for solid ${\mathrm{H}}_{2}$. Exchange effects are neglected. Figures and tables are given which compare the present results with those of other authors.
The GSFC Diffraction Grating Evaluation Facility - An Overview

The design of the diffraction grating evaluation facility (DGEF) for the evaluation of the performance of new-technology diffraction gratings, being presently established at the Goddard Space Flight Center, is discussed. The DGEF was devised to evaluate gratings of the proposed spectrographic designs for future missions, such as Lyman or the Far UV Spectroscopic Explorer, and second-generation Space Telescope instruments such as the Space Telescope Imaging Spectrograph (STIS). Test results for several STIS new technology gratings, including an ion-etched cross dispenser, are presented. Diagrams of the DGEF and of an optical layout are included.
Polycystic ovarian syndrome and insulin resistance in white and Mexican American women: a comparison of two distinct populations.

Objectives: We sought to determine what differences, if any, existed between white and Mexican American women with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) and whether the same values for fasting insulin, fasting glucose/insulin ratio, and homeostasis model assessment (HOMA) might be applied when screening both ethnic groups for insulin resistance. Study Design: Eighty-three consecutive women suspected to have PCOS but who demonstrated absence of other endocrine disorders comprised the study population. Nineteen healthy ovulatory women volunteered as controls. Fasting serum samples were obtained for determination of thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH), prolactin, glucose, insulin, free and total testosterone, 17-hydroxyprogesterone, and dehydroepiandrosterone sulfate in the early proliferative phase. An oral glucose load was administered, and blood samples for glucose and insulin were drawn at 1, 2, and 3 hours. Those with impaired glucose tolerance or diabetes mellitus were excluded from our final study population. Four different groups were defined: (1) women with PCOS and insulin resistance, (2) women with PCOS without insulin resistance, (3) women with irregular cycles but without PCOS or another identifiable endocrinopathy, and (4) regular, cycling control subjects. Each group was subdivided by ethnicity (white or Mexican American). A total of 65 white and 37 Mexican American women were studied, including control subjects. Results: Among all study participants, Mexican American women with PCOS had significantly higher mean values for body mass index, fasting insulin, and HOMA but lower mean fasting glucose/insulin levels than white women. When group 1 patients (PCOS with insulin resistance) were compared between ethnic groups, mean fasting insulin and HOMA levels were significantly lower and glucose/insulin ratios higher in white than in Mexican American women. A single cutoff value for insulin resistance in PCOS was insensitive when applied to both ethnic groups. A fasting insulin value >20 μU/mL, HOMA value > 3.8, and glucose/insulin value 23 μU/mL, HOMA value >4.5, and glucose/insulin ratio <4.0 were feasible screening values in Mexican American women. Conclusions: We conclude that (1) Mexican American women with PCOS are more insulin resistant than white women, (2) the incidence of insulin resistance is higher in Mexican American women with PCOS than in white women, (3) a single “screening” value for PCOS-related insulin resistance screening cannot be applied to both white and Mexican American women, and (4) normative values for insulin resistance screening in the PCOS population should be individualized for different racial or ethnic populations. (Am J Obstet Gynecol 2002;187:1362-9.)
Effects of treatment factors, comorbidities and health-related quality of life on self-efficacy for physical activity in cancer survivors.

Objective: The physical and psychological benefits of exercise for cancer survivors are well documented. Researchers have examined self-efficacy (SE) as a target for promoting exercise; however, the predictors of SE, including treatment factors and comorbidities, have not been examined extensively. The purpose of this cross-sectional analysis was to examine how variables related to cancer and cancer treatment, comorbid health problems, health-related quality of life (QOL), and depression relate to SE for physical activity in cancer survivors. Methods: This secondary analysis examined treatment factors, comorbidity, and QOL data from 148 breast cancer and 134 prostate cancer survivors who had participated in studies examining exercise and QOL. A predictive regression model was developed by testing each variable individually with SE and including the variables that had a significance of ≤0.2 in a multivariate regression model. Results: For the breast cancer population, vitality (B=0.23, p=0.02), bodily pain (B=0.16, p=0.07), and mental health (B=0.15, p=0.01) were associated with SE for physical activity. For the prostate cancer survivors, education, (B=−0.20, p=0.036) vitality (B=0.26, p=0.01), and bodily pain (B=0.13, p=0.182) remained in the model. Conclusion: Treatment factors and comorbidities were not associated with SE for physical activity, but health-related QOL factors of vitality and bodily pain were associated with SE. Thus, subjective measures of well-being are important factors to consider when developing targeted interventions to increase physical activity in cancer survivors. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Estimating Tracking Sources and Sinks

When tracking in a particular environment, objects tend to appear and disappear at certain locations. These locations may correspond to doors, garages, tunnel entrances, or even the edge of a camera view. A tracking system with knowledge of these locations is capable of improved initialization of tracking sequences, reconstitution of broken tracking sequences, and determination of tracking sequence termination. Further, knowledge of these locations is useful for activity-level descriptions of tracking sequences and for understanding relationships between non-overlapping camera views. This paper introduces a method for simultaneously solving these coupled problems: inferring the parameters of a source and sink model for a scene; and fixing broken tracking sequences and other tracking failures. A model selection criterion is also explained which allows determination of the number of sources and sinks in an environment. Results in multiple environments illustrate the effectiveness of this method.
A Bayesian latent model with spatio-temporally varying coefficients in low birth weight incidence data.

In spatial epidemiology studies, the effects of covariates on adverse health outcomes could vary over space and time so examining the spatio-temporally varying effects is useful. In particular, the...
Research ship plans for 1985”1987

The University National Oceanographic Laboratory System (UNOLS), representing operators of American academic research ships, has established a National Expeditionary Planning Committee to coordinate planning of research ship cruises to remote areas, multi-ship operations, and operations requiring fixed schedules of work. One essential part of this is to provide predictions of the areas in which the major research ships are likely to operate to make it possible for scientific investigators to do their own planning. This is, of course, a circular process: Some marine scientists have told us of their plans; these have resulted in tentative schedules. We hope that other investigators will fit their plans into these schedules to use the ships more efficiently and to avoid unproductive transit time.
Glucose metabolism in lymphocytes is a regulated process with significant effects on immune cell function and survival

Lymphocytes require glucose uptake and metabolism for normal survival and function. The signals that regulate the expression and localization of glucose transporter 1 (Glut1) to allow glucose uptake in T cells are now beginning to be understood. Resting T cells require extracellular signals, such as cytokines, hormones, and growth factors, or low-level TCR stimulation to take up adequate glucose to maintain housekeeping functions. In the absence of extrinsic signals, resting T cells internalize and degrade Glut1 and cannot maintain viability. Activated T cells have dramatically increased metabolic requirements to support the energy and biosynthetic needs necessary for growth, proliferation, and effector function. In particular, glucose metabolism and aerobic glycolysis fuel this demand. Therefore, activation of T cells causes a large increase in Glut1 expression and surface localization. If glucose uptake is limited, glycolytic flux decreases to a level that no longer sustains viability, and proapoptotic Bcl-2 family members become activated, promoting cell death. However, excessive glucose uptake can promote hyperactive immune responses and possible immune pathology. Tight regulation of glucose uptake is required to maintain immune homeostasis, and understanding of these metabolic pathways may lead to therapeutic strategies to target some forms of cancer or autoimmunity.
Altered Ion Transport in Vascular Smooth Muscle from Spontaneously Hypertensive Rats: Influences of Aldosterone, Norepinephrine, and Angiotensin

The interaction of vascular electrolytes and early spontaneous hypertension was studied in the rat aorta. Chemical composition (H2O, Na, K, Ca, Mg, Cl, collagen, and elastin), extracellular space, and cell water content were little changed. Only uronic acid and hexosamine contents were significantly elevated in the spontaneously hypertensive rat. Approximately 37% of the aortic weight was cellular. Functional changes in ion transport were observed in smooth muscle from hypertensive rats; the muscle exhibited decreased ability to accumulate K and extrude Na and increased turnover of 42K (0.0165 ± 0.0009 vs. 0.0086 ± 0.0002 min-1) and 36C1 (0.162 ± 0.011 vs. 0.118 ± 0.003 min-1). Spontaneously hypertensive rats maintained increased 42K exchange after adrenalectomy and reserpinization. The bioregulants, aldosterone, norepinephrine, and angiotensin had important actions on ion exchange. After adrenalectomy, aldosterone therapy reduced 42K exchange toward intact levels. Norepinephrine increased the rate of 42K...
Clinical estimates of treatment adequacy.

: Adequacy of rapid, high-efficiency therapies (RHET) in patients with end-stage renal failure involves comparisons with hemodialysis, the primary reference standard. However, the latter's adequacy is also insecurely rendered in descriptive, subjective terms that often embrace outcomes beyond legitimate expectations of the dialysis process. Many measurable abnormalities in renal failure contribute little to patients' clinical illness and respond poorly to dialysis. It is therefore proposed that adequacy for all proposed clinical treatment modalities, including RHET, be based on objective, quantitative measures of what such treatments actually do: control volume and dialyzable solute composition of the body fluids, and suppress the uremic illness. Recognition of the dialysis-responsive—and also disabling—uremic illness as an encephalopathic, neurobehavioral (NB) disorder logically led to objective documentation of quantitative NB impairments that varied inversely with the amount of hemodialysis and improved following renal transplantation. Similar objective documentations of RHET are needed.
Finger circumference measurements: inter- and intra-rater reliability

Background. Finger oedema can occur for a variety of reasons, including traumatic injuries to the fingers and as a consequence of stroke or diabetes. The purpose of this study was to determine the intra- and inter-rater reliability for finger circumference measurements. Methods. Eight hand therapists assessed the middle finger circumference of 11 healthy adults using the Richardson Products finger circumference device for three trials over two testing days. Intraclass reliability analysis and analysis of variance were used to assess the consistency and stability of measures. Level of significance was set at P � 0.05. Results. Significant differences (P , 0.001) were found between raters for circumference measurements with a range difference of 0.5 cm. Intrarater reliability was 0.98‐0.99 (single measure intraclass coefficient). Interrater reliability coefficients ranged from 0.94 to 0.95. Conclusions. These results provide clinicians with evidence for using a specific finger circumference device and issues associated with various therapists assessing finger circumference. A device with a way of assessing tension at the end of the tape measure or cloth pulled around the finger is warranted.
Migrant agency and community structure: Competing explanations for economic decline in migrant sending communities of rural central Mexico

In response to Giddens' structuration theory, this study attempts to unravel the linkages between migration and local economic growth by moving beyond the household to the community level of analysis, and by considering lagged relationships over several years. The case study -24 towns in central Zacatecas, Mexico-concludes that remittances from US migration play an ambiguous role, providing basic income but at the same time resulting in more expenditures outside the community, which results in a lower multiplier effect and lower growth rates (measured by population growth). The reason for the externalization of expenditures is not so much the migration experience itself, as the socio-economic structure of sending communities, including their small populations and poor employment structures, which put overwhelming constraints on their growth and development.
Depression and rumination: Relation to components of inhibition

Background: Recent research has demonstrated that depressed individuals show impairments in inhibiting irrelevant emotional material, and that these impairments are linked to rumination. Cognitive inhibition, however, is not a unitary construct but consists of several components which operate at different stages of information processing. The present study was designed to assess two components of inhibition and examine their relation to depression and rumination in a sample of clinically depressed and healthy control participants. Methods: Twenty-two individuals diagnosed with a current depressive episode and 27 never-disordered control participants completed an Emotional Flanker Task to assess individual differences in interference control and a modification of the Working Memory Selection Task to assess individual differences in the ability to discard no longer relevant emotional material from working memory. Participants completed self-report measures to assess depressive symptoms and rumination. Resul...
Are Natural Resources Conservation Service Range Management Investments Working at Cross-Purposes With Wildlife Habitat Goals on Western United States Rangelands?

Wildlife conservationists and agencies have recommended managing rangelands for vegetation heterogeneity to improve wildlife habitat, particularly for many grassland birds. However, range management focuses on livestock production and associated practices and structural items (fences, water developments) that are applied to improve livestock distribution. This article assesses the occurrence of livestock distribution–oriented grazing management in the spending and applied practices of the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS), the federal agency charged with assisting private landowners with implementation of US Department of Agriculture conservation programs. NRCS applied practices and spending both suggest an emphasis on livestock distribution and associated structures, with almost 20 million ha of prescribed grazing systems, 10 000 km of fence, and 127 000 water facilities implemented in 17 western states with assistance from NRCS programs between 2004 and 2007. Ninety percent of funding for 2005 Conservation Security Program grazing enhancements supported investments or management related to livestock distribution. We suggest that increasing the emphasis of NRCS conservation programs and financial assistance on maintaining or increasing compositional and structural heterogeneity of vegetation, rather than on livestock distribution, could be an approach that unifies livestock production and wildlife habitat objectives. In particular, including vegetation heterogeneity as a central goal for upland wildlife habitat management could be a key opportunity to increase incentives for heterogeneity-promoting management on privately owned rangeland.
Review: Identifying patient subtypes in multiple sclerosis and tailoring immunotherapy: challenges for the future

The accelerating pace of technological and analytical development in the fields of genetic and phenotypic profiling has ushered in an era of great promise for multiple sclerosis (MS) research. As we continue to identify modest but meaningful associations to MS susceptibility, disease course, treatment response, and other clinical or paraclinical phenotypes, we must begin to (1) embark on the challenging set of studies that will integrate disparate observations into clinical algorithms, and (2) validate their clinical utility. Genetic data are receiving muchofthe attention today, but they are unlikelytobesufficienttooffer a personalized approach to disease management in MS. Rather, the genetic architecture of the disease, once uncovered, will offer a fixed platform upon which more dynamic molecular profiles can be assembled to deconstruct the structure of the patient population that we label with a diagnosis of MS. The tools and methods to gain insight into the heterogeneity of MS patients are available today; we must now realize their potential in enhancing the care of MS patients.