cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Air bubble-induced light-scattering effect on image quality in 193 nm immersion lithography

As an emerging technique, water immersion lithography, offers the capability of reducing critical dimensions by increasing the numerical aperture that is due to the higher refractive indices of immersion liquids than that of air. However, in the process of forming a water fluid layer between the resist and the lens surfaces, air bubbles are often created because of the high surface tension of water. The presence of air bubbles in the immersion layer will degrade the image quality because of the inhomogeneity-induced light scattering in the optical path. Analysis by geometrical optics indicates that the total reflection of light causes the enhancement of scattering in the region in which the scattering angle is less than the critical scattering angle, which is 92 deg at 193 nm. Based on Mie theory, numerical evaluation of scattering that is due to air bubbles, polystyrene spheres, and poly(methyl methacrylate) spheres was conducted for TE, TM, or unpolarized incident light. Comparison of the scattering patterns shows that the polystyrene spheres and air bubbles resemble each other with respect to scattering properties. In this paper, polystyrene spheres are used to mimic air bubbles in studies of lithographic imaging of bubbles in immersion water. In an interferometric lithography system, the distance beyond which bubbles will not print can be estimated by direct counting of defect sites.
An investigation of the bactericidal activity of selected essential oils to Aeromonas spp.

Diseases of fishes caused by Aeromonas spp. are common, have broad host ranges and may cause high mortality. Treatments of captive-reared populations using antimicrobials are limited with concerns for bacterial resistance development and environmental dissemination. This study was done to determine whether selected plant-derived essential oils were bactericidal to Aeromonas spp. Initially, twelve essential oils were evaluated using a disk diffusion assay to an isolate of A. salmonicida subsp. salmonicida, cause of fish furunculosis. The greatest zones of inhibition were obtained with oils of cinnamon Cinnamomum cassia, oregano Origanum vulgare, lemongrass Cymbopogon citratus and thyme Thymus vulgaris. Minimum bactericidal concentrations (MBC’s) were determined for these four oils, Allimed® (garlic extract, Allium sativum) and colloidal silver to sixty-nine isolates representing nine Aeromonas spp. The lowest mean MBCs (0.02–0.04%) were obtained with three different sources of cinnamon oil. MBCs for three sources of oregano and lemongrass oils ranged from 0.14% to 0.30% and 0.10% to 0.65%, respectively, and for two thyme oils were 2.11% and 2.22%. The highest concentration (5%) of Allimed® tested resulted in MBCs to twelve isolates. A concentration of silver greater than 15 mg/L would be required to determine MBCs for all but one isolate.
Impacts of Parameterized Langmuir Turbulence and Nonbreaking Wave Mixing in Global Climate Simulations

AbstractThe impacts of parameterized upper-ocean wave mixing on global climate simulations are assessed through modification to Large et al.’s K-profile ocean boundary layer parameterization (KPP) in a coupled atmosphere–ocean–wave global climate model. The authors consider three parameterizations and focus on impacts to high-latitude ocean mixed layer depths and related ocean diagnostics. The McWilliams and Sullivan parameterization (MS2000) adds a Langmuir turbulence enhancement to the nonlocal component of KPP. It is found that the Langmuir turbulence–induced mixing provided by this parameterization is too strong in winter, producing overly deep mixed layers, and of minimal impact in summer. The later Smyth et al. parameterization modifies MS2000 by adding a stratification effect to restrain the turbulence enhancement under weak stratification conditions (e.g., winter) and to magnify the enhancement under strong stratification conditions. The Smyth et al. scheme improves the simulated winter mixed laye...
Direct determination of hydrogen-bonded structures in resonant and tautomeric reactions using ultrafast electron diffraction

We elucidate the keto−enol tautomeric equilibrium in acetylacetone, the structure of both keto and enol forms, and the nature of the intramolecular O−H···O HB in enolic acetylacetone using our ultrafast electron diffraction apparatus, thereby shedding new light on the nature of the hydrogen bond in resonant tautomeric structures. The enolic structure exhibits some π-resonance delocalization; however, this delocalization is not strong enough to give a symmetric skeletal geometry. The long O···O distance in the refined structure renders the homonuclear O−H···O hydrogen bond in acetylacetone localized and asymmetric.
Rapid quantitative test for free oil (oiling off) in melted Mozzarella cheese.

Abstract A test for free oil in melted Mozzarella cheese using standard Babcock equipment was developed and evaluated. Eighteen grams of whole milk or part skim Mozzarella were weighed into 50 or 20% Paley-Babcock bottles, respectively. Bottles were immersed in boiling water for 4.0 min to melt cheese. Distilled water (20 ml at 57.5°C) was then added and the bottles were centrifuged hot (ca. 57.5°C) for 10 min. A portion of 1:1 distilled water:methanol (21°C) was added to a final level in the upper region of the calibrated neck and then centrifuged for 2 min. Bottles were then rocked by hand for 10 s, centrifuged for 2 min, and a second time rocked by hand for 10 s and centrifuged for 2 min. Finally, bottles were tempered in 57.5°C water for 5 min and the fat column then measured with glymol. This procedure gave a clear, defined fat column. Free oil was expressed as percentage in cheese and percentage in cheese fat. A series of recovery trials in which low moisture and low moisture, part skim Mozzarellas were spiked with butter oil gave recoveries ranging from 97.3% to 104.5%. Eighteen replicates of a low moisture and low moisture, part skim Mozzarella gave coefficients of variation of 3.3 and 6.2%, respectively. Free oil was measured in 64 Mozzarella cheese obtained from local supermarkets and two industrial cheese plants. Free oil as a percentage of total cheese fat ranged from 8.8 to 84.9%. Free oil increased with increasing cheese fat on a dry basis.
Sex roles and cultural diversity in recent award winning picture books for young children

Abstract This study updates previous research on how gender is being presented in award-winning picture books for young children by replicating a study that was conducted 10 years ago by Collins, Ingoldsby, and Dellmann (1984). This was accomplished by content-analyzing Caldecott Award and Honor Books from 1989 to 1992 and comparing these results with Collins, Ingoldsby, and Dellman (1984). A second goal was to extend the research design used in prior investigations by examining central characters in the 1989—1992 sample for the portrayal of both androgyny and cultural diversity. Chi-square analysis documented a positive shift in the portrayal of nontraditional gender roles, for both males and females in the most recent award-winners. The portrayal of culturally diverse central characters was also found to be a predominant feature of the 1989–1992 sample. Implications for anti-bias and multicultural early childhood curriculum development are discussed.
Cultural perspectives of grief: an expanded concept analysis

The concept of human grief has been of interest to scholars and practitioners for many years However, there are many aspects of grief about which little is known One of these is the role that cultural heritage plays in influencing the individual, intrapersonal experience of grief Through the use of six focus groups, each consisting of persons from a specific cultural background, the investigator explored the concept of grief The data were thematically analysed and the findings then compared to the findings from a previous concept analysis of grief drawn from professional literature The findings indicated that individuals from a variety of cultural backgrounds whose knowledge of grief was derived primarily from their personal experiences defined grief in much the same way as had the authors of the professional literature Most importantly, the findings also clearly indicated that although cultural differences are perceived to exist in mourning rituals, traditions and behavioural expressions of grief, there are no particular differences in the individual, intrapersonal experience of grief that can be attributed to cultural heritage or ethnicity alone Implications for future research and considerations for practising nurses as they pertain to the highly individual and pervasive nature of grief are presented
Protonic conduction and the Néel temperature in deuterated ammonium dihydrogen arsenate

The conductivity of antiferroelectric ND4D2AsO4 single crystals has been measured as a function of temperature, especially near the Neel temperature. At the Neel temperature the conductivity shows a vertical decrease to a lower value indicating that the mechanism of conduction is connected to the shift of the protons during the phase transition. This conductivity mechanism in potassium and ammonium dihydrogen phosphates and arsenates has been previously proposed to include proton motion along hydrogen bonds and proton jumps across the phosphate or arsenate tetrahedra. The jump activation energy for proton mobility in ND4D2AsO4 is found to be 10.5 kcal/mole and the room temperature conductivity is 9.91 × 10−10 ohm−1 cm−1.
The financial impact of smoking on health-related costs: a review of the literature

Abstract Purpose. To summarize our knowledge of the economic impact of smoking on health-related outcomes and to discuss the quality of this evidence. The potential effect of smoking-related health promotion programs on reducing costs is discussed. Data Sources. Studies reviewed were cited in recently published reviews, identified through database searches of MEDLINE/HealthSTAR, PsychINFO, and ABI/Inform or obtained from reference lists of other studies. Study Inclusion and Exclusion Criteria. Included are studies of the health care and other costs of smoking published in English in peer-reviewed journals during the last 20 years. Studies of annual and lifetime costs are included as are studies of employer costs. Forty-nine studies were reviewed. Data Extraction Methods. Data extracted were total costs, medical care and other direct costs, lost productivity, and mortality costs. Underlying methodologies were described and compared. Data Synthesis. The annual cost of smoking is between 6 and 14% of persona...
QAE-sephadex chromatography of human serum albumin variants.

Hereditary bisalbuminemia is characterized by the appearance of two albumin bands on cellulose acetate or in agar gel after protein electrophoresis with Tris-barbital buffer at pH 8.8 (2, 8, 12). The variant albumin is inherited codominantly with the normal albumin ( 7, lo), and it may be of either the “fast” or “slow” electrophoretic type (5, 15). Biochemical analysis of albumin variants has generally been limited to the calculation of I$ values based on relative migration distances of the normal and variant albumins on cellulose acetate, agar gel, or starch gel. Purification and partial characterization of three “slow” albumin variants, however, have been reported (3, 6, 16). These authors demonstrated the presence of at least one unique peptide in the “slow” albumin variants they studied. Because albumin variants demonstrate ultracentrifugal and immunochemical properties identical to those of normal albumin (4), other means must be used for isolation and purification of these variants. Since fast and slow albumin variants do differ from normal albumin in net charge at a given pH, it is possible to isolate these proteins by ion-exchange chromatography ( 3, 9). We herein report a new method for the separation and purification of severa human serum albumin variants using QAE-Sephadex’ chromatography and a pH gradient elution technique. Purified fast albumin variants can be rapidly prepared by this technique, and they appear to be suitable for albumin-ligand binding studies and for peptide mapping.
Interactive graphics system for locating plunge electrodes in cardiac MRI images

Understanding the mechanisms of ventricular fibrillation and defibrillation requires analysis of epicardial and endocardial potentials throughout the heart. Plunge electrodes permit recording of cardiac potentials at epicardial and endocardial sites, and allow determination of electrical gradients. They also enable us to determine the arrhythmia recurrence sites following failed defibrillation; these sites may be epicardial or endocardial. Therefore, it is necessary to relate the position of the plunge electrodes to the cardiac geometry. We have developed an interactive, computer graphics based system that allows us to locate plunge electrodes on digitized MRI slices of a heart. The system, which can work with any type of image, allows us to identify the epicardial and endocardial points of each plunge electrode on the different MRI slices. Up to 128 different plunge electrodes may be identified to the system. Normalized 3-D coordinates for each epicardial and endocardial electrode point are computed and stored in data files on the computer. Geometry information obtained from this system permits a more thorough understanding of the electrical signals recorded by the plunge electrodes. This information can be used in the study of cardiac excitation and arrhythmias and could help in the development of a more effective lead system for ventricular defibrillation.© (1991) COPYRIGHT SPIE--The International Society for Optical Engineering. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.
The relative partial specific enthalpy of water in montmorillonite-water systems and its relation to the swelling of these systems

Abstract A Calvet calorimeter was used to determine the heats of immersion of montmorillonite-water mixtures at different initial values of m w m m , the mass ratio of water to montmorillonite. The heats of immersion were plotted against the respective values of m w m m and values of h w − h w 0 , the relative partial specific enthalpy of the water, were determined from the slopes of the resulting curve at selected values of m w m m . These values of h w − h w 0 were combined with values of the relative partial specific free energy of the water, determined from previously measured values of Π, the swelling pressure, to calculate the corresponding values of s w − s w 0 , the relative partial specific entropy of the water. Then the values of h w − h w 0 and s w − s w 0 were used with other thermodynamic data for the same systems to calculate the enthalpic and entropic contributions to Π and values of ( ∂Π ∂T ) m , the partial derivative of Π with respect to temperature at constant composition, for different values of m w m m . The results showed that: (1) h w − h w 0 becomes increasingly negative with decreasing m w m m , (2) s w − s w 0 becomes increasingly positive with decreasing m w m m until a maximum is reached at m w m m ⋍ 1.0 g/g and then it becomes increasingly negative thereafter, (3) except at very small values of m w m m , the entropic contribution to Π predominates, and (4) the value of ( ∂Π ∂T ) m is very small and its change with m w m m is similar to that of s w − s w 0 .
From WebEx to NavEx: Interactive Access to Annotated Program Examples

This paper reviews our work on providing students interactive access to annotated program examples. We review our experience with WebEx, the system that allows students to explore examples line by line. After that we present NavEx, an adaptive environment for accessing interactive programming examples. NavEx enhances WebEx with a specific kind of adaptive navigation support known as adaptive annotation. The classroom study of NavEx discovered that adaptive navigation support can visibly increase student motivation to work with nonmandatory educational content. NavEx boosted the overall amount of work done and the average length of a session. In addition, various features of NavEx were highly regarded by the students.
Effect of P-glycoprotein-mediated efflux on cerebrospinal fluid concentrations in rhesus monkeys.

Abstract Brain penetration of drugs which are subject to P-glycoprotein (Pgp)-mediated efflux is attenuated, as manifested by the fact that the cerebrospinal fluid concentration ( C CSF ), a good surrogate of the unbound brain concentration ( C ub ), is lower than the unbound plasma concentration ( C up ) for Pgp substrates. In rodents, the attenuation magnitude of brain penetration by Pgp-mediated efflux has been estimated by correlating the ratio of CSF to plasma exposures ( C CSF / C p ) with the unbound fraction in plasma ( f u ) upon the incorporation of the in vivo or in vitro Pgp-mediated efflux ratios (ERs). In the present work, we investigated the impact of Pgp-mediated efflux on C CSF in monkeys. Following intravenous administration to cisterna magna ported rhesus monkeys, the CSF and plasma concentrations were determined for 25 compounds from three discovery programs. We also evaluated their f u in rhesus plasma and ER in human and African green monkey MDR-transfected LLC-PK1 cells. These compounds varied significantly in the f u (0.025–0.73), and 24 out of 25 are considered Pgp substrates based on their appreciable directional transport (ER > 2). The C CSF / C p was significantly lower than the corresponding f u (≥3-fold) for 16 compounds regardless of a significant correlation ( R 2 = 0.59, p = 4 × 10 −5 ) when the C CSF / C p was plotted against the f u . When the f u was normalized to the ER ( f u /ER) the correlation was improved ( R 2 = 0.75, p = 8 × 10 −8 ). More importantly, only one compound showed the C CSF / C p that exceeded 3-fold of the normalized f u . The results suggest that the impact of Pgp-mediated efflux in monkeys, similar to the case in rodents, is reasonably reflected by the gradient between the free concentrations in plasma and in CSF. Therefore, f u and Pgp ER may serve as useful measurements in estimating in vivo C CSF / C p ratios in monkeys, and potentially in humans.
Securing netlist-level FPGA design through exploiting process variation and degradation

The continuously widening gap between the Non-Recurring Engineering(NRE) and Recurring Engineering (RE) costs of producing Integrated Circuit (IC) products in the past few decades gives high incentives to unauthorized cloning and reverse-engineering of ICs. Existing IC Digital Rights Management (DRM) schemes often demands high overhead in area, power, and performance, or require non-volatile storage. Our goal is to develop a novel Intellectual Property (IP) protection technique that offers universal protection to both Application-Specific Integrated Circuits (ASIC) and Field-Programmable Gate-Arrays (FPGAs) from unauthorized manufacturing and reverse engineering. In this paper we show a proof-of-concept implementation of the basic elements of the technique, as well as a case study of applying the anti-cloning technique to a nontrivial FPGA design.
Skin test in bronchogenic carcinoma. I. Correlation of the immunological status and the extent of the disease.

Delayed hypersensitivity reaction of 58 consecutive cases of bronchogenic carcinoma was studied by skin tests. None of the patients with excellent skin reaction was found to have hematogenous metastasis. All patients with negative skin reaction had hematogenous metastasis and all but two such patients died within 2 months. Patients with localized tumors or lymph node metastases appear to maintain competent delayed hypersensitivity reaction and a move toward more aggressive approaches in treating the patients in this group is proposed. It is suggested that skin testing in bronchogenic carcinoma could provide useful information of the extent of the tumor and immunological status of the patients, and should, therefore, be included in routine work-ups.
Evaluation of an efficient collision resolving protocol for highly populated wireless networks

An efficient random medium access control protocol for highly populated wireless networks is proposed and evaluated using computer simulations. The algorithm is based on non-coordinated resolving of collisions during a contention period at the beginning of frame transmission. By the end of the contention period a single node has access to the link with very high probability. This approach presents an alternative to the widely used exponential backoff approach which renders the link idle for a substantial proportion of time. We investigate the impact of varying packets length and non-optimal use of parameters on performance. The results demonstrate the robustness of the protocol and a much higher saturation throughput for highly populated wireless networks when compared with existing state-of-the-art. For tested scenarios, the saturation throughput varies slightly around 0.8 for hundreds if nodes sharing the same collision domain.
Impaired cytolytic activity in peripheral blood T cells from renal cell carcinoma patients

Abstract Classic T lymphocyte cytotoxicity is mediated through the T cell receptor (TCR). Defects in TCR signal transduction and cytolytic activity have been reported in tumor infiltrating T lymphocytes. We hypothesized that impaired cytotoxicity occurs in peripheral blood T cells from renal cell carcinoma (RCC) that can be reversed by exposure to rhIL-2. Peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) from 29 RCC patients and 29 healthy volunteers were isolated and cultured in the absence or presence of 10 IU/ml rhIL-2. A redirected cytotoxicity assay that requires TCR signal transduction was used with chromium-labeled P815 target cells, effector PBMC and anti-CD3 antibody. Target cell lysis was measured in “lytic units” (LU). Mean LU from RCC patients was lower than that of healthy volunteers (105.8 LU vs. 194.6 LU, P = 0.025). Exposure to rhIL-2 increased T cell-mediated lysis in both groups. Disruption of T cell cytotoxicity in RCC patients can be overcome by exposure to rhIL-2.
Changing Unit Culture and Fostering Well-being of Staff

Introduction:The key role of healthcare leaders is to create and sustain an environment that optimizes high-quality, safe, and effective patient-centered care. The leader's role is to ensure the best possible physical environment and provide a culture that supports healthcare team members in the stressful work of providing direct care. A positive approach is to empower nurses and other health team members with effective skills and techniques to help them transform stressful situations into more therapeutic scenarios.Methods:The nursing leadership team decided to test an approach to positive coping and resiliency designed to teach individuals on the oncology unit to recognize their stress symptoms and to use learned skills to counteract the negative impact of stress. Sixty-three participants voluntarily participated in the HeartMath educational class where they were taught techniques that could be used “in the moment” and throughout the day. A champions group was then identified to develop tools that would be used on the oncology unit to keep these techniques at the forefront of the staff's mind throughout each day. Staff members were encouraged to use the tools every day.Results:Staff members were surveyed using the Personal and Organizational Quality Assessment survey pre-intervention, post-intervention, and again at 7 months post-intervention. Results at the 7-month post-intervention showed statistically significant differences for each of the personal indicators (positive outlook, gratitude, motivation, calmness, fatigue, anxiety, depression, anger management, resentfulness, and stress symptoms). The organizational indicators at the 7 month post-intervention all trended in the expected direction, but only statistically significant differences were found in the indicators of goal clarity, productively, communication effectiveness, and time pressure. Other areas of improvement noted were decreased turnover on the oncology unit, improved employee satisfaction scores, and patient satisfaction scores with nursing care.Conclusion:Changing unit culture and fostering well-being of staff begins with nursing leadership. Recognizing that nurses and health team members are stressed, we implemented HeartMath as a team approach with staff taking an active role as champions to bring out ideas to keep the techniques at the forefront of everyone's mind everyday. By encouraging use of these tools at work, personal and organizational gains were found that were beneficial for the staff as well as the organization.
Liquid-Based Fluorescence In Situ Hybridization Assay for Detection of ERBB2 Gene Amplification in Patients with Breast Cancer

Background: Current reference methods for evaluating gene amplification and expression of ERBB2 (also known as HER-2 )—cell-based fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) and immunohistochemistry (IHC)—are subjective and influenced by methods of tissue preparation and fixation. We developed and evaluated a novel, quantitative liquid-based FISH (L-FISH) assay that uses flow cytometry to detect ERBB2 gene amplification in breast cancer patients. Methods: DNA was extracted from serum or tissue, biotinylated, hybridized to differentially labeled probes for ERBB2 and a chromosome 17–specific single-copy sequence (17-SSC), and immobilized to streptavidin-coated microspheres. The ERBB2 /17-SSC signal ratio measured by flow cytometry was used to evaluate ERBB2 amplification. We used L-FISH to test 122 stored formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded (FFPE) tissue samples and 22 serum samples from randomly selected breast cancer patients; results were compared with those obtained with conventional FISH and IHC. Results: The inter- and intraassay imprecisions were 3.7%–18.9% for FFPE tissue and 2.8%–6.3% for serum. Overall, L-FISH analyses of FFPE tissues demonstrated 84.4% concordance with results obtained with conventional FISH ( P < 0.001) and 78.8% concordance with IHC results ( P < 0.001). L-FISH analyses of serum samples showed 91% concordance with tissue-based IHC/FISH results ( P = 0.038). Conclusions: Our data indicate that this PCR-free L-FISH method can be used to evaluate ERBB2 amplification in both cell-containing (paraffin-embedded tissue) and cell-free (serum) samples. This approach provides more objective results and is amenable to automation and quantitative measurement.
Transmission of Kashmir bee virus by the ectoparasitic mite Varroa destructor

The ability of the parasitic mite Varroa destructor to transmit Kashmir bee virus (KBV) to the Western honey bee (Apis mellifera) was investigated by exposing pupae from a KBV-negative colony to varying numbers of adult female mites from KBV-positive colonies. After five days, the virus status of pupae and the mites was determined by RT-PCR. There was a significant relationship between KBV- positive pupae and exposure to KBV-positive mites. No pupae were virus-positive when all the mites introduced into a given cell subsequently tested negative. Mites testing positive for KBV transmitted virus about 70% of the time. The percentage of KBV-positive V. destructor in a given cell also increased significantly, suggesting virus-free mites became virus-positive by cohabiting in the same cell with virus- positive mites, and we calculated the mite-to-mite transmission rate as 51%. There was 100% sequence identity of 415 bp KBV fragment amplified from bee pupae and mites, reflecting two isolates of the same virus source and supporting the conclusion of virus transmission from mite to bee pupae. Kashmir bee virus / transmission / Varroa destructor / RT-PCR
Self-adhesive resin cements.

Regular readers will note that we depart from our normal Critical Appraisal format in this issue of the Journal. This particular Critical Appraisal resembles an expanded Ask the Expert feature and addresses the topic of self-adhesive resin cements through a series of brief reviews of several clinically relevant issues.
Targeting of IgMκ Antibodies to Oligodendrocytes Promotes CNS Remyelination

We previously identified the remyelinating activity of a natural IgMκ oligodendrocyte-reactive autoantibody (SCH94.03), using a virus-induced murine model of multiple sclerosis. We now describe a second mouse IgMκ monoclonal antibody (mAb) (SCH79.08) raised against normal mouse spinal cord homogenate, which reacts with myelin basic protein and also promotes remyelination. Because these two mAbs recognize different oligodendrocyte antigens, several previously identified oligodendrocyte-reactive IgMκ mAbs (O1, O4, A2B5, and HNK-1), each with distinct antigen specificities, were evaluated and found to promote remyelination. In contrast, IgMκ mAbs that did not bind to oligodendrocytes showed no remyelination. One of these, CH12 IgMκ mAb, which shares variable region cDNA sequences with SCH94.03 except for amino acid differences in the complementarity-determining region 3 in both heavy and light chains, did not bind to oligodendrocytes and did not promote remyelination. The fact that multiple oligodendrocyte-reactive antibodies with distinct antigen reactivities induce remyelination argues against direct activation by a unique cell surface receptor. These findings are most consistent with the hypothesis that the binding of mAbs to oligodendrocytes in the lesions induces myelin repair via indirect immune effector mechanisms initiated by the μ-chain. Importantly, these studies indicate that oligodendrocyte-reactive natural autoantibodies may provide a powerful and novel therapeutic means to induce remyelination in multiple sclerosis patients.
Capital Requirements in a Quantitative Model of Banking Industry Dynamics

We develop a model of banking industry dynamics to study the quantitative impact of capital requirements on bank risk taking, commercial bank failure, and market structure. We propose a market structure where big, dominant banks interact with small, competitive fringe banks. Banks accumulate securities like Treasury bills and undertake short-term borrowing when there are cash flow shortfalls. A nontrivial size distribution of banks arises out of endogenous entry and exit, as well as banks’ buffer stocks of securities. We test the model using business cycle properties and the bank lending channel across banks of different sizes studied by Kashyap and Stein (2000). We find that a rise in capital requirements from 4% to 6% leads to a substantial reduction in exit rates of small banks and a more concentrated industry. Aggregate loan supply falls and interest rates rise by 50 basis points. The lower exit rate causes the tax/output rate necessary to fund deposit insurance to drop in half. Higher interest rates, however, induce higher loan delinquencies as well as a lower level of intermediated output.
Nonlinear robust observer-based position controller for the 3-DOF parallel kinematic machine

This paper proposes a solution to the problem of the state observation and position control by output feedback for a nonlinear three degrees-of-freedom (3-DOF) parallel kinematic machine (PKM) system, based on the limited signal availability (moving platform displacement measurements only). The unknown velocity signals are estimated via a nonlinear robust observer which is designed for the nonlinear system with observable linear dynamics part and bounded nonlinearities and disturbances, and which guarantees global exponential stability of the observation error. A proportionalderivative (PD) controller is designed to solve the position control problem, utilizing the estimated velocity, as well as the gravitation compensation, dynamic friction and external disturbance compensation for the PKM. The closed-loop system is proven to have global asymptotic stability according to the Lyapunov's analysis method and LaSalle's invariance principle. Performance of the resulting observer and controller is illustrated in a simulation study of a 3-DOF PKM.
Infectivity of equine H3N8 influenza virus in bovine cells and calves.

Please cite this paper as: Lin et al. (2010) Infectivity of equine H3N8 influenza virus in bovine cells and calves. Influenza and Other Respiratory Viruses 4(6), 357–361. Background Serological evidence for influenza A, subtype H1 and H3 virus infections of bovines, associated with respiratory disease and decreased milk production, has been reported. Equine H3N8 influenza virus circulates widely and was responsible for the introduction of H3N8 influenza into canines. Objective To explore the possibility that equine H3N8 influenza might also infect bovines. Methods To assess the incidence of seroconversion in the field, a retrospective survey of bovine serum samples was carried out. Also, primary cultures of bovine nasal turbinate cells, and live beef calves, were studied for their permissiveness to infection. Results and Conclusions We found serological evidence of exposure of bovines in Kentucky to H3 influenza. We demonstrate that cultured bovine respiratory epithelium is permissive for the growth of equine H3N8 influenza virus in vitro, but this virus does not replicate extensively or produce disease in experimentally inoculated cattle.
Cooperative material handling by human and robotic agents: module development and system synthesis

Presents a collaborative effort to design and implement a cooperative material handling system by a small team of human and robotic agents in an unstructured indoor environment. The authors' approach makes fundamental use of the human agents' expertise for aspects of task planning, task monitoring, and error recovery. The authors' system is neither fully autonomous nor fully teleoperated. It is designed to make effective use of the human's abilities within the present state of the art of autonomous systems. The authors' robotic agents refer to systems which are each equipped with at least one sensing modality and which possess some capability for self-orientation and/or mobility. The authors' robotic agents are not required to be homogeneous with respect to either capabilities or function. The authors' research stresses both paradigms and testbed experimentation. Theory issues include the requisite coordination principles and techniques which are fundamental to a cooperative multiagent system's basic functioning. The authors have constructed an experimental distributed multiagent-architecture testbed facility. The required modular components of this testbed are currently operational and have been tested individually. The authors' current research focuses on the agents' integration in a scenario for cooperative material handling.
Characterization of NBTI induced temporal performance degradation in nano-scale SRAM array using I DDQ

One of the major reliability concerns in nano-scale VLSI design is the time dependent negative bias temperature instability (NBTI) degradation. Due to the higher operating temperature and increasing vertical oxide field, threshold voltage (Vt) of PMOS transistors can increase with time under NBTI. In this paper, we examine the impact of NBTI degradation in memory elements of digital circuits, focusing on the conventional 6T SRAM array topology. Using an empirical NBTI model based on the reaction diffusion (RD) framework, we first examine the impact of NBTI degradation in critical performance parameters of SRAM array. These parameters include (1) static noise margin (SNM), (2) statistical read & write stability, and (3) standby leakage current (IDDQ). We show that due to NBTI, read stability of SRAM cell degrades, while write stability and standby leakage improve with time. Furthermore, using specific time trend of IDDQ degradation, we proposed efficient characterization technique to predict the lifetime behavior of SRAM array under NBTI.
Policy Innovation and Soviet Media Campaigns

Soviet media campaigns publicize policy initiatives of the party leadership. Two overlapping campaigns of 1979, which concern the decrees on improving ideological indoctrination and on reforming the economic mechanism, are compared on the basis of content analysis of articles in five party periodicals. Differing patterns of political and editorial favor for the decrees are observed. Evidence of variation and competition in the publicity given each decree is explained by political divergences among the central party leaders.
Functional Brain Activation Differences in School-Age Children with Speech Sound Errors: Speech and Print Processing

Purpose To examine neural response to spoken and printed language in children with speech sound errors (SSE). Method Functional magnetic resonance imaging was used to compare processing of auditori...
Inferring Facial Action Units with Causal Relations

A system that could automatically analyze the facial actions in real time have applications in a number of different fields. However, developing such a system is always a challenging task due to the richness, ambiguity, and dynamic nature of facial actions. Although a number of research groups attempt to recognize action units (AUs) by either improving facial feature extraction techniques, or the AU classification techniques, these methods often recognize AUs individually and statically, therefore ignoring the semantic relationships among AUs and the dynamics of AUs. Hence, these approaches cannot always recognize AUs reliably, robustly, and consistently. In this paper, we propose a novel approach for AUs classification, that systematically accounts for relationships among AUs and their temporal evolution. Specifically, we use a dynamic Bayesian network (DBN) to model the relationships among different AUs. The DBN provides a coherent and unified hierarchical probabilistic framework to represent probabilistic relationships among different AUs and account for the temporal changes in facial action development. Under our system, robust computer vision techniques are used to get AU measurements. And such AU measurements are then applied as evidence into the DBN for inferencing various AUs. The experiments show the integration of AU relationships and AU dynamics with AU image measurements yields significant improvements in AU recognition.
Transient Photoconductivity in Polyacetylene and Polydiacetylene

Conducting polymers have been found to be rather good photoconductors in the sub-nansecond time regime. The TP measurement is an effective probe for determining carrier photogeneration quantum yield as well as for investigating transport mechanisms. Here, we present a short survey of our results for a few interesting polymeric systems. We start with the trans-(CH) x grown by the Shirakawa method. We then compared the TP results to those obtained from PDA-TS which currently is the only conjugated polymer in single crystal form. From this comparison, we are able to gauge the improvements in the material quality as was demonstrated by recent TP in trans-(CH) x grown by the Naarmann method
Alaskan soil carbon stocks: spatial variability and dependence on environmental factors

Abstract. The direction and magnitude of soil organic carbon (SOC) changes in response to climate change depend on the spatial and vertical distributions of SOC. We estimated spatially resolved SOC stocks from surface to C horizon, distinguishing active-layer and permafrost-layer stocks, based on geospatial analysis of 472 soil profiles and spatially referenced environmental variables for Alaska. Total Alaska state-wide SOC stock was estimated to be 77 Pg, with 61% in the active-layer, 27% in permafrost, and 12% in non-permafrost soils. Prediction accuracy was highest for the active-layer as demonstrated by highest ratio of performance to deviation (1.5). Large spatial variability was predicted, with whole-profile, active-layer, and permafrost-layer stocks ranging from 1–296 kg C m−2, 2–166 kg m−2, and 0–232 kg m−2, respectively. Temperature and soil wetness were found to be primary controllers of whole-profile, active-layer, and permafrost-layer SOC stocks. Secondary controllers, in order of importance, were found to be land cover type, topographic attributes, and bedrock geology. The observed importance of soil wetness rather than precipitation on SOC stocks implies that the poor representation of high-latitude soil wetness in Earth system models may lead to large uncertainty in predicted SOC stocks under future climate change scenarios. Under strict caveats described in the text and assuming temperature changes from the A1B Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change emissions scenario, our geospatial model indicates that the equilibrium average 2100 Alaska active-layer depth could deepen by 11 cm, resulting in a thawing of 13 Pg C currently in permafrost. The equilibrium SOC loss associated with this warming would be highest under continuous permafrost (31%), followed by discontinuous (28%), isolated (24.3%), and sporadic (23.6%) permafrost areas. Our high-resolution mapping of soil carbon stock reveals the potential vulnerability of high-latitude soil carbon and can be used as a basis for future studies of anthropogenic and climatic perturbations.
Turbulence characteristics of the boundary layer on a rotating disk

Measurements of the boundary layer on an effectively infinite rotating disk in a quiescent environment are described for Reynolds numbers up to Re δ 2 = 6000. The mean flow properties were found to resemble a ‘typical’ three-dimensional crossflow, while some aspects of the turbulence measurements were significantly different from two-dimensional boundary layers that are turned. Notably, the ratio of the shear stress vector magnitude to the turbulent kinetic energy was found to be at a maximum near the wall, instead of being locally depressed as in a turned two-dimensional boundary layer. Also, the shear stress and the mean strain rate vectors were found to be more closely aligned than would be expected in a flow with this degree of crossflow. Two-point velocity correlation measurements exhibited strong asymmetries which are impossible in a two-dimensional boundary layer. Using conditional sampling, the velocity field surrounding strong Reynolds stress events was partially mapped. These data were studied in the light of the structural model of Robinson (1991), and a hypothesis describing the effect of cross-stream shear on Reynolds stress events is developed.
Long-term follow-up results of hyperfractionated cyclophosphamide, vincristine, doxorubicin, and dexamethasone (Hyper-CVAD), a dose-intensive regimen, in adult acute lymphocytic leukemia

Background Modern intensive chemotherapy regimens have improved the prognosis for patients with adult acute lymphocytic leukemia (ALL). With these regimens, the complete response rates are now reported to be > 80%, and the long-term survival rates range from 30% to 45%. The current analysis updated the long-term results with the original hyperfractionated cyclophosphamide, vincristine, doxorubicin, and dexamethasone (Hyper-CVAD) program, with a median follow-up time of 63 months. Methods Between 1992 and 2000, 288 patients were treated with Hyper-CVAD. The median age of the patients was 40 years, and 59 patients (20%) were > or = age 60 years. The incidence of Philadelphia chromosome (Ph)-positive ALL was 17%, and the incidence of of T-cell ALL was 13%. Results A complete response (CR) was achieved in 92% of patients. The induction mortality rate was 5% (2% if the patient's age was or = 60 years). With a median follow-up time of 63 months, the 5-year survival rate was 38% and the 5-year CR duration rate was 38%. Multivariate analysis of prognostic factors for CR duration identified the following adverse factors: age > or = 45 years, leukocytosis > or = 50 x 10(9)/L, poor performance status (an Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group score of 3-4), Ph-positive disease, French-American-British L2 morphology, > 1 course to achieve CR, and Day 14 bone marrow blasts > 5%. Patients were divided into low-risk (risk score 0-1; 37%), intermediate risk (risk score 2-3; 36%), and poor-risk groups (risk score > or = 4; 27%) with 5-year CR duration rates of 52%, 37%, and 10%, respectively. Conclusions Compared with the previous VAD regimens, Hyper-CVAD was associated with significantly better CR rates, CR duration, and survival. The long-term follow-up results of Hyper-CVAD were favorable. Comparison of Hyper-CVAD with other established adult ALL regimens is warranted.
War and Families

War and armed conflict impact individuals and families in all countries, groups, and areas. The abilities of families to perform their expected functions can be negatively affected by war and political violence. Families can experience wars by being in a war zone, by being in countries that deploy military personnel to a war zone, by suffering from the consequences of military expenses and economic warfare, or by experiencing war and terrorism from a distance through media and suffering from indoctrination and the building of enemy images. Keywords: children; family; parent; peace; terrorism; violence; war
Perceptions of Faculty Status among Academic Librarians

This study measures the opinions of ARL librarians concerning the benefits and disadvantages of faculty status in academic librarianship. Average responses from faculty and nonfaculty librarians, as well as from tenured and tenure-track librarians, are analyzed to determine the general perceptions of each group. Overall, faculty librarians reported more positive perceptions of faculty status than nonfaculty librarians. Tenured librarians generally reported more positive perceptions than tenure-track librarians. Despite the differences in opinion, these results offer insight into the potential benefits and disadvantages of faculty status in academic librarianship and suggest that faculty status improves relationships with teaching faculty, even if status alone cannot make them full peers.
An exact approach to Bayesian sequential change point detection

Change point models seek to fit a piecewise regression model with unknown breakpoints to a data set whose parameters are suspected to change through time. However, the exponential number of possible solutions to a multiple change point problem requires an efficient algorithm if long time series are to be analyzed. A sequential Bayesian change point algorithm is introduced that provides uncertainty bounds on both the number and location of change points. The algorithm is able to quickly update itself in linear time as each new data point is recorded and uses the exact posterior distribution to infer whether or not a change point has been observed. Simulation studies illustrate how the algorithm performs under various parameter settings, including detection speeds and error rates, and allow for comparison with several existing multiple change point algorithms. The algorithm is then used to analyze two real data sets, including global surface temperature anomalies over the last 130 years. Algorithm quickly updates its inference in linear time with each new observation.Derives uncertainty bounds on the number and location of change points in a data set.Explores potential detection criteria associated with posterior distribution.Simulation studies show high detection rate, low false positive rate.Analysis of two real data sets illustrate wide range of potential applications.
A novel method to determine air leakage in heat pump clothes dryers

Abstract Although heat pump clothes dryers offer the potential to save a significant amount of energy as compared to conventional vented electric dryers; they are prone to air leakage that can limit their efficiency gain. This study serves to develop a novel method of quantifying leakage, and to determine specific leakage locations in the dryer drum and air circulation system. The method follows an ASTM (American Society of Testing and Materials) standard, which is used to determine air leakage area in a household ventilation system through fan pressurization. This ASTM method is adapted to the dryer system, and the leakage area is determined by an analysis of the leakage volumetric flow - pressure relationship. The procedure presents a framework that determines and quantifies major components contributing to leakage in HPCDs. The novel method can improve component design features, resulting in more efficient HPCD systems.