cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Future ambulation prognosis as predicted by somatosensory evoked potentials in motor complete and incomplete quadriplegia

Abstract Objective: The purpose of this prospective study was to determine the efficacy of tibial somatosensory evoked potentials (SEPs) in predicting ambulation in tetraplegic individuals. Design: This was a prospective study of a cohort of cervical spinal cord—injured patients who had SEPs recorded within 72 hours to 2 weeks post-SCI and whose ambulation outcome was followed up to 2 years post-SCI. Setting: Regional Spinal Cord Injury (SCI) Center. Patients: All male and female subjects admitted to the center from 1988 to 1991 between the ages of 15 and 60 years who demonstrated C 4 through T 1 complete and incomplete acute SCIs were asked to participate in this study. Measurements: The tibial nerve cortical SEPs were graded as either present or absent. The waveforms were also graded as less than 0.5 μ V or ≥0.5 μ V. Quadriceps strength plus touch and pin sensation were tested within 72 hours to 2 weeks post-SCI. Ambulation was rated as absent, exercise, household, or community. The ambulatory and clinical status were assessed monthly for 3 months, and then at 6, 12, 18, and 24 months post-SCI. Statistical analysis using the two-tailed Fisher's exact test was performed relating the initial clinical and SEP data to ambulation outcome up to 24 months post-SCI. Results: All 13 subjects with a right and/or left quadriceps manual muscle test (MMT) greater than 0/5 became ambulatory. Of the 9 subjects with an initial bilateral quadriceps MMT=0/5, only 1 recovered enough lower limb function to ambulate ( p = .0001). One of the 7 subjects with absent touch sensation in the lower limbs became ambulatory, whereas 14 of the 15 subjects with touch sensation present became ambulatory ( p = .002). All 7 subjects with absent pin sensation in the lower limbs were nonambulatory, and 14 of 15 subjects with pin sensation present became ambulatory ( p p = .0015). Of the 10 subjects with a cortical SEP wave amplitude less than 0.5 μ V, only two became ambulatory, whereas all 12 subjects with an amplitude ≥0.5 μ V became ambulatory ( p = .00014). In no subject did the SEP predict future ambulation where the clinical examination did not also predict recovery of ambulation. Conclusion: Both the early postinjury clinical evaluation and the SEP predicted ambulation outcome to a significant degree, but the SEP offered no additional prognostic accuracy over that provided by the clinical examination.
Anthropology and ethics in America's declining imperial age

The wars in Afghanistan and Iraq have made US imperialism more evident to a global mass audience. Military and political failures in these wars have led to a recruitment of anthropologists who again found to be of value in wartime engagement. Debates have occurred in the pages of this journal, and elsewhere, and professional concern is manifest in the creation in 2006 of the AAA Commission on Engagement of Anthropology with the US Security and Intelligence Communities whose work has been extended until 2010. The Commission released its Final Report in November 2007. It neither opposed nor encouraged engagement, but laid out an initial framework of the issues for discussion, debate and decision-making. This article describes some of the ethical dilemmas for anthropologists, and unresolved issues. The present era calls for basic education - both in ethical principles and in their ambiguities, vigorous debate, and sustained review of the statements and codes by professional associations.
Enhanced Carboxylate Binding Using Urea and Amide-Based Receptors with Internal Lewis Acid Coordination: A Cooperative Polarization Effect.

A structural design strategy is described that greatly improves the acetate binding ability of neutral urea and amide-based receptors. The enhanced binding is due to a cooperative polarization effe...
A Novel Electrophysiological Model of Chemotherapy-Induced Cognitive Impairments in Mice

Abstract Purpose Chemotherapeutic agents are known to produce persistent cognitive deficits in cancer patients. However, little progress has been made in developing animal models to explore underlying mechanisms and potential therapeutic interventions. We report an electrophysiological model of chemotherapy-induced cognitive deficits using a sensory gating paradigm, to correspond with performance in two behavioral tasks. Experimental design Mice received four weekly injections of methotrexate and 5-fluorouracil. Whole-brain event-related potentials (ERPs) were recorded throughout using a paired-click paradigm. Mice underwent contextual fear conditioning (CFC) and novel-object recognition testing (NOR). Results Chemotherapy-treated animals showed significantly impaired gating 5 weeks after drug treatments began, as measured by the ratio of the first positive peak in the ERP (P1) minus the first negative peak (N1) between first and second auditory stimuli. There was no effect of drug on the amplitude of P1–N1 or latency of P1. The drug-treated animals also showed significantly increased freezing during fear conditioning and increased exploration without memory impairment during novel object recognition. Conclusions Chemotherapy causes decreased ability to gate incoming auditory stimuli, which may underlie associated cognitive impairments. These gating deficits were associated with a hyperactive response to fear conditioning and reduced adaptation to novel objects, suggesting an additional component of emotional dysregulation. However, amplitudes and latencies of ERP components were unaffected, as was NOR performance, highlighting the subtle nature of these deficits.
Navigating the rise of high-deductible health insurance: childbirth in the bronze age.

This Viewpoint examines the possible implications of high-deductible health plans for out-of-pocket childbirth costs and discusses suggestions for policy responses.
A Fully Redundant On-Line Mass Spectrometer System Used to Monitor Cryogenic Fuel Leaks on the Space Shuttle

An on-line, gas-monitoring system was developed to replace the older systems used to monitor for cryogenic leaks on the Space Shuttles before launch. The new system uses a mass spectrometer to monitor multiple locations on the Orbiter. The results of performance tests are reported in this article.
Coronal mass ejection associated with the stationary post-flare arch of 21–22 May 1980

By using a combination of X-ray (HXIS), Hα (Haleakala), white-light corona (Solwind), and zodiacal light (Helios) images on 21–22 May, 1980 we demonstrate, and try to explain, the co-existence of a coronal mass ejection with a stationary post-flare coronal arch. The mass ejection was seen, both by Solwind and Helios, in prolongation of the path of a powerful spray, whereas the active region filament did not erupt. A tentative comparison is made with other occurrences of stationary, or quasi-stationary post-flare coronal arches.
THE FINE LINE BETWEEN MAPPING AND MAP MAKING

Brian Harley's efforts to re-form the history and theory of cartography were doomed by his inability to free himself from the idealism and representationlism that have passed for thinking in the field. Nor did his sturdy British empiricism help him understand the Continental thinkers who dazzled and inspired him. But what he wanted was vital: a proactive cartography embodying the self-conscious awareness only an honest, living history could provide, one that could foreclose the possibility of imagining cartography as objective, as value-free … today. Les efforts de Brian Harley pour reformer l'histoire et la theorie de la cartographie etaient voues a l'echec a cause de son incapacite a transcender l'idealisme et le courant representatif acceptes comme pensee dans le domaine. Son vigoureux empirisme britannique ne l'avait pas aide non plus a comprendre les penseurs du Continent qui l'ont ebloui et inspire. Toutefois, ce qu'il voulait etait vital : une cartographie proactive, representant la conscience perc...
Camera identification from printed images

In this paper, we study the problem of identifying digital camera sensor from a printed picture. The sensor is identified by proving the presence of its Photo-Response Non-Uniformity (PRNU) in the scanned picture using camera ID methods robust to cropping and scaling. Two kinds of prints are studied. The first are postcard size (4" by 6") pictures obtained from common commercial printing labs. These prints are always cropped to some degree. In the proposed identification, a brute force search for the scaling ratio is deployed while the position of cropping is determined from the cross-correlation surface. Detection success mostly depends on the picture content and the quality of the PRNU estimate. Prints obtained using desktop printers form the second kind of pictures investigated in this paper. Their identification is complicated by complicated geometric distortion due to imperfections in paper feed. Removing this distortion is part of the identification procedure. From experiments, we determine the range of conditions under which reliable sensor identification is possible. The most influential factors in identifying the sensor from a printed picture are the accuracy of angular alignment when scanning, printing quality, paper quality, and size of the printed picture.
Research in Economic History: An Annual Compilation of Research

Volume 26 of "Research in Economic History" includes six papers, evenly divided between European and North American topics. On the European side, Stefano Fenoaltea and Carlo Ciccarelli provide new regional estimates of social overhead investment in Italy. Markus Lampe reports data on bilateral trade flows in Europe between 1857 and 1875. And Bernard Harris surveys the literature on gender, wealth, and health in England and Wales since industrialization. Turning west, Mark Kanazawa studies conflicts between ranchers and miners over who should bear the burden of taxation in nineteenth century California. Jason Taylor and Peter Klein examine Depression era cartel behavior under the National Industrial Recovery Act. Finally, James Butkiewicz mines archival material to provide a new perspective on and some rehabilitation of Eugene Meyer's role as Governor of the Federal Reserve Board between 1930 and 1933.
Energy and momentum flow in electromagnetic fields and plasma

The energy momentum tensor for a perfect fluid in a magnetic field is used to predict the momentum density, energy density, momentum flow, and energy flow of the fluid and the electromagnetic field. It is shown that taking the momentum flow from the energy momentum tensor, rather than starting with differential magnetohydrodynamic equations, can produce more accurate results on the basis of magnetic field data. It is suggested that the use of the energy momentum tensor has the potential for application to analysis of data from the more dynamic regions of the solar system, such as the plasma boundaries of Venus, the Jovian ionosphere, and the terrestrial magnetopause.
Annuloplasty ring dehiscence in ischemic mitral regurgitation.

A 75-year-old woman described having shortness of breath. Four months earlier she had undergone coronary artery bypass grafting and undersized annuloplasty for treatment of ischemic mitral regurgitation (IMR). Real-time three-dimensional echocardiography revealed annuloplasty ring (AR) dehiscence (Fig 1A) from the posterior annulus (PA) and recurrent IMR (Fig 1B). Often the degree of annular undersizing necessary to restore valve competence in IMR is substantial and predisposes to ring dehiscence. Customized software was used to generate a quantitative three-dimensional model of the patient’s valve, including leaflets (anterior, AL; posterior, PL), annulus (An), annuloplasty ring (AR), and regurgitant orifice area (ROA) (Fig 1C, D). Such modeling techniques are rapidly evolving and in the future will allow annular and leaflet stress to be determined before and after operation. Inasmuch as most repair failures are stress related, these models should promote the development of patient-specific strategies that improve the results of mitral repair operation. Fig 1
Diphenol oxidase in the crayfish cuticle. Localization and changes in activity during the moulting cycle

Frozen sections of carapaces of the crayfish Orconectes obscurus were incubated in phenolic substrates, and formation of a coloured product was used to detect sites of phenol oxidase activity. Enzyme activity was found in the newly formed epicuticle and outer pre-exuvial endocuticle shortly before the moult in stages D2, D3, and D4 and after the moult in stages A1 through C2. Thus, the enzyme seems to be incorporated in these layers when they are first secreted. Activity diminished rapidly during stage B, when sclerotization is thought to occur, leaving a small residual activity in stages C1 and C2 and no activity after stage C2. The loss of activity during stage B is in itself evidence that sclerotization occurs during this stage. Although the formation of coloured product was inhibited by 0·005 M KCN during stages D2 through B, colour developed in the outer pre-exuvial endocuticle even in the presence of 0·005 M KCN in all stages later than stage B. This cyanide-insensitive reaction may be produced by the natural quinone-protein products of sclerotization. The enzyme was found to be active without the activator substance sodium oleate, and appeared to catalyse oxidation of the diphenols dopa (3,4-dihydroxy-phenylalanine) and dopamine and not the monophenols tyrosine and tyramine.
All-orders resummation for diphoton production at hadron colliders

We present a QCD calculation of the transverse momentum distribution of photon pairs produced at hadron colliders, including all-orders soft-gluon resummation valid at next-to-next-to-leading logarithmic accuracy. We specify the region of phase space in which the calculation is most reliable, compare our results with data from the Fermilab Tevatron, and make predictions for the Large Hadron Collider. The uncertainty of predictions for production of diphotons from fragmentation of final-state quarks is examined.
Pubertal alterations in growth and body composition: IX. Altered spontaneous secretion and metabolic clearance of growth hormone in overweight youth.

Abstract Deconvolution analysis was used to determine 12-hour spontaneous nocturnal growth hormone (GH) secretion and GH half-life in lean (body mass index, P μ g/L per minute ( r = −0.39, P μ g/L ( r = −0.28, P r = −0.38, P R 2 for any GH secretion variable. Sequential addition of percentage of body fat increased R 2 ( P
The Tyler Asbestos Workers Program. I. A medical surveillance model and method.

An asbestos-exposed worker who smokes cigarettes has a high risk of developing cancer of the lung. One thousand ninety-five former workers at a plant manufacturing asbestos (amosite) insulation pro...
Synthesis of 5,5,6,6-D4-L-lysine-aflatoxin Bl for use as a mass spectrometric internal standard

Human exposure to the hepatocarcinogenic mycotoxin aflatoxin Bl results in modification of serum albumin lysine e-amino residues to form lysine-aflatoxin adducts. A perdeuterated reference standard is now required to quantitatively measure this adduct in epidemiologic studies of liver cancer using isotopic dilution mass spectrometry. A convenient method for the preparation of D4-L-lysine-AFBl using commercially available 5,5,6,6-D4-l-lysine is demonstrated for the first time. The application of two standard α-amino protection methods is also reported that simplifies the production of natural isotopic abundance lysine-AFBl over the currently used method employing Nα-acetyl-l-lysine. t-Boc-Nα-lysine was used to prepare lysine-AFBl; however, a preferred method for directing reaction of AFBl-dialdehyde to the e-amino group of 5,5,6,6-D4-l-lysine utilized cupric ions that were spontaneously removed during the reverse phase HPLC purification of D4-lysine-AFBl using 1% HOAc. This strategy eliminates the need to otherwise synthesize and purify t-Boc-Nα- or Nα-acetyl-5,5,6,6-D4-lysine and then TFA or enzymatically deprotect overnight to obtain the target compound. Copyright © 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Analysis of rainwater samples: Comparison of single particle residues with ambient particle chemistry from the northeast Pacific and Indian oceans

[1] Individual particles produced from atomized rainwater samples collected in California and the Indian Ocean were analyzed with an aerosol time-of-flight mass spectrometer (ATOFMS) to investigate the chemical composition of the individual rain residue particles. Insoluble residue particle types were determined on the basis of a comparison of the rainwater particle mass spectra with ambient particle spectra. Major particle types found in rainwater include dust, organic carbon with sodium, aromatic organic carbon, vegetative detritus, and an internally mixed sea salt and elemental carbon class. A unique internally mixed sea salt–elemental carbon particle type was detected in both the ambient and rainwater samples, suggesting this particle type was most likely formed by cloud processing occurring during long-range transport. The presence of this particle type in remote marine locations has important climate ramifications as it is anticipated it will be strongly absorbing on the basis of the combination of an absorbing particle (elemental carbon) mixed with a high refractive index material (sea salt). Most of the particle types detected in rainwater were detected in the ambient particles with the exception of a unique aromatic particle type detected in rainwater samples from both locations. The presence of the aromatic type coupled with the absence of biomass particles in the rainwater samples leads to the hypothesis the aromatic components were originally associated with atmospheric biomass burning particles. The ubiquitous presence of this aromatic type in rainwater samples highlights the potential importance of biomass burning and/or humic-like substances (HULIS) compounds in cloud formation and rain processes.
Distributed control concepts for future power grids

Power grids by their nature occupy a large geographical area, and any robust, intelligent control system for these grids needs to be distributed as well. Moreover, the increase in both the number and types of intelligent power consumer devices and the number and variation in renewable power sources presents new challenges and opportunities for more intelligent control. In this paper, the authors use a small scale model for such a DC micro-power grid to implement and test several intelligent control algorithms. These are implemented using a combination of real-time control and intelligent agents. Each distributed algorithm is described and preliminary results from this testing have provided important advances toward an understanding of information management in highly dynamic distributed power systems.
Application of homonuclear decoupling to measures of diffusion in biological 31P spin echo spectra

Pulsed field gradient (PFG) spin echo 31P NMR can be used to measure diffusion coefficients of phosphorus-containing metabolites in vivo. In biological spin echo spectra, the ATP resonances are phase modulated by J-coupling between the three phosphorus atoms. This phase modulation may severely decrease the apparent signal intensity of the ATP peaks. In this paper, we describe the use of homonuclear decoupling during spin evolution to suppress the effects of J-coupling in biological spin echo spectra. Phosphorous spectra of ATP and creatine phosphate (PCr) in solution and goldfish (Carassius auratus) skeletal muscle demonstrate the effectiveness of homonuclear decoupling in improving the effective signal-to-noise ratio of ATP. In addition, diffusion coefficients of ATP and PCr determined in goldfish skeletal muscle show that PFG homonuclear decoupled spin echo (HDSE) NMR provides accurate measures of diffusion coefficients.
THE EFFECT OF SURFACE INTERACTION ON PARTICLE DEPOSITION

Experimental results of the deposition of submicron particles on single collectors of spherical and cylindrical geometry were presented. The effect of the surface interaction between particle and collector was found significant. Agreement with theory was satisfactory in the context of the inherent limitation of the theory and the accuracy of data.
Deliver 100,000 Modules a Month? of Course, We use Cam!

The application of computer-aided manufacturing (CAM) techniques to the assembly and test of a low-cost high-volume X-band Radar T/R module will be investigated by highlighting the differences between low frequency and microwave CAM methods, focusing on the difficulties of automated testing, evaluation and circuit tuning. The problems encountered when implementing high-precision automated assembly methods, which include wire-bonding, soldering and piece-part placement will also be discussed. The assembly methods, and a novel implementation of a microwave circuit Laser tuning technique, which were used to manufacture the module's five-bit phase shifter, aids in illustrating the above CAM concepts.
Intramolecular perturbations and the quenching of luminescence in small molecules

Abstract We consider the problem of interpreting quenching kinetics in small molecules [e.g., CN, CH 2 , NO 2 and SO 2 ] which show significant intrinsic interactions, and argue the importance of analyzing these data in terms of collisional transitions between perturbed (mixed electronic parentage) as opposed to pure (non-spectroscopic) vibronic states. Time resolved experiments are discussed which could determine more unambiguous deactivation cross sections and spectral assignments.
Developement of serum-free media in CHO-DG44 cells using a central composite statistical design

A serum free medium was developed for the production of recombinant antibody against Botulinum A (BoNTA) using dihydrofolate reductase deficient Chinese Hamster Ovary Cells (CHO-DG44) in suspension culture. An initial control basal medium was prepared, which was similar in composition to HAM’s F12: IMDM (1:1) supplemented with insulin, transeferrin, selenium and a lipid mixture. The vitamin concentration of the basal medium was twice that of HAM’s F12: IMDM (1:1). CHO-DG44 cells expressing S25 antibody grew from 2 × 105 cells to maximum cell density of 1.04 × 106 cells/ml after 5 days in this control medium. A central composite design was used to identify optimal levels and interaction among five groups of medium components. These five groups were glutamine, Essential Amino Acids (EAA), Non Essential Amino Acids (NEAA), Insulin, Transferrin, Selenium (ITS), and lipids. Fifty experiments were carried out in four batches, with two controls in each batch. There was little effect of ITS and Lipid concentrations over the range studied, and glutamine concentration showed a strong interaction with EAA. The optimal concentrations of the variables studied were 2.5 mM Glutamine, 7.4 mM (2×) EAA, 1.4 mM (0.5×) NEAA, 1× ITS supplement, 0.7× Lipids supplement. The maximum viable cell density attained in the optimized medium was 1.4 × 106 cells/ml, a 35% improvement over the control culture, while the final antibody titer attained was 22 ± 3.4 μg/mL, a 50% improvement.
Neurodevelopmental Outcomes After Regional Cerebral Perfusion With Neuromonitoring for Neonatal Aortic Arch Reconstruction

Background In this study we report magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) brain injury and 12-month neurodevelopmental outcomes when regional cerebral perfusion (RCP) is used for neonatal aortic arch reconstruction. Methods Fifty-seven neonates receiving RCP during aortic arch reconstruction were enrolled in a prospective outcome study. RCP flows were determined by near-infrared spectroscopy and transcranial Doppler monitoring. Brain MRI was performed preoperatively and 7 days postoperatively. Bayley Scales of Infant Development III was performed at 12 months. Results Mean RCP time was 71 ± 28 minutes (range, 5 to 121 minutes) and mean flow was 56.6 ± 10.6 mL/kg/min. New postoperative MRI brain injury was seen in 40% of patients. For 35 RCP patients at age 12 months, mean Bayley Scales III Composite standard scores were: Cognitive, 100.1 ± 14.6 (range, 75 to 125); Language, 87.2 ± 15.0 (range, 62 to 132); and Motor, 87.9 ± 16.8 (range, 58 to 121). Increasing duration of RCP was not associated with adverse neurodevelopmental outcomes. Conclusions Neonatal aortic arch repair with RCP using a neuromonitoring strategy results in 12-month cognitive outcomes that are at reference population norms. Language and motor outcomes are lower than the reference population norms by 0.8 to 0.9 standard deviations. The neurodevelopmental outcomes in this RCP cohort demonstrate that this technique is effective and safe in supporting the brain during neonatal aortic arch reconstruction.
Childhood immunization in the 1990s

Abstract The science and practice of immunization has become among the fastest growing and changing fields in medicine. Despite growing knowledge and access to new and better vaccines, young children are not being immunized on time, largely due to missed opportunities to immunize them while they are in the doctor's office. Concerted efforts are now underway to improve childhood immunization levels nationwide. Standards have been published to guide practitioners in the provision of appropriate immunization services. The routine childhood immunization schedule is updated and published annually. New recommendations for the 1997 routine childhood immunization schedule will include the incorporation of the inactivated poliovirus vaccine into the regular infant polio vaccination series; and the licensure of and recommendation for use of acellular pertussis vaccines for infants. Recent additions to the childhood vaccine armamentarium are hepatitis A and varicella vaccines. This review will cover these and other topics and point the practitioner to resources for maintaining current knowledge in the field of childhood immunization.
The mechanical design and dynamic testing of the IBEX-H1 electrostatic analyzer spacecraft instrument

This paper presents the mechanical design, fabrication and dynamic testing of an electrostatic analyzer spacecraft instrument. The functional and environmental requirements combined with limited spacecraft accommodations, resulted in complex component geometries, unique material selections, and difficult fabrication processes. The challenging aspects of the mechanical design and several of the more difficult production processes are discussed. In addition, the successes, failures, and lessons learned from acoustic and random vibration testing of a full-scale prototype instrument are presented.
Oseltamivir and Oseltamivir Carboxylate Pharmacokinetics in Obese Adults: Dose Modification for Weight is not Necessary

Obesity is an independent risk factor for mortality in patients infected with pandemic influenza A virus (H1N1). Given the poor outcomes observed among adult obese patients with H1N1, the dosing of antiviral agents in this population has been questioned, and use of twice the standard oseltamivir dose has been suggested. However, studies evaluating the disposition of oseltamivir and oseltamivir carboxylate (the active metabolite) in the obese population are scant. We evaluated the single-dose and steady-state pharmacokinetics of oseltamivir (75 mg by mouth twice daily) in a cohort of 21 healthy adult volunteers with class III obesity (body mass index [BMI], ≥ 40 kg/m(2)). The median (minimum, maximum) age, weight, and BMI were 36 (19, 50) years, 122 (106, 159) kg, and 43.7 (40.0, 54.4) kg/m(2), respectively. The population pharmacokinetic exposure profiles of oseltamivir carboxylate (the active metabolite) were comparable between class III obese subjects and nonobese adults (healthy and infected). Similar to previous pharmacokinetic analyses in nonobese subjects, the mean (percent covariance [CV]) area under the concentration-time curve for the dosing interval (AUC(0-τ)) was 2,621 ng · h/ml (17) for oseltamivir carboxylate. Body size was significantly (P < 0.05) associated with oseltamivir and oseltamivir carboxylate apparent clearance, but the correlation coefficient was poor (R(2) ≤ 0.3). Creatinine clearance estimated by the Cockcroft-Gault method and lean body weight were also significantly (P < 0.05) but poorly (R(2) = 0.17) correlated with oseltamivir carboxylate apparent clearance. Since the systemic exposure of oseltamivir carboxylate is not reduced in class III obese adults with standard doses, a dose increment of oseltamivir is likely to be unnecessary.
p=2 Continuous finite elements on tetrahedra with local mass matrix inversion to solve the preconditioned compressible Navier–Stokes equations

Abstract For unsteady simulations a global mass matrix must be inverted when using a continuous finite element method. To avoid this, a local approximate mass matrix inversion procedure is given for a p = 2 basis. This inversion process when combined with a low Mach Turkel preconditioner, dual time stepping, and multigrid gives an efficient and accurate iterative scheme to solve the compressible Navier–Stokes equations. The performance of the preconditioner for both p = 1 and p = 2 is examined on a perturbed free stream flow under a wide range of flow conditions. Both preconditioning and multigrid improved the convergence rates for all cases and for both polynomial degrees the performance is similar in most cases. The best performance is seen for unsteady and viscous flow problems. In these regimes the iterative convergence is almost independent of the polynomial degree and it takes around 1–3 multigrid cycles to reduce the residual one order of magnitude. A large scale simulation of flow around a NACA 0012 airfoil is also presented. For the flow conditions of M = 0.1 , Re = 500 , and CFL = 55 the convergence rate averaged 2.5 cycles per decade. Also, the method showed good linear speedup when solved in parallel, as a speedup of 160 was achieved with 192 processors.
When Opportunity Structure Knocks: Social Movements in the Soviet Union and Russian Federation

The notion of an opportunity structure has become both popular and confusing for social movement research. This paper attempts to clarify how opportunity structures are understood through a discussion of separatism in two cases: the Soviet Union and the Russian Federation. Instead of being treated as a collective whole, opportunity structures are broken into three factors: A) constitutional rules and rights; B) elite control; and C) the state's capacity and propensity for repression. Factor A represents formal restrictions on potentially insurgent groups while factors B and C are informal restrictions. In the Soviet and Russian settings, four distinct opportunity structures are identified. The first, established under Stalin, was narrow, constraining potentially insurgent groups. But the second, which emerged under Gorbachev, was relatively wide and contributed to the willingness of various republics to declare independence. The third, established at the founding of the Russian Federation, was medium in w...
Blast impact response of aluminum foam sandwich composites

Military and civilian structures can be exposed to intentional or accidental blasts. Aluminum foam sandwich structures are being considered for energy absorption applications in blast resistant cargo containers, ordnance boxes, transformer box pads, etc. This study examines the modeling of aluminum foam sandwich composites subjected to blast loads using LS-DYNA software. The sandwich composite was designed using laminated face sheets (S2 glass/epoxy and aluminum foam core. The aluminum foam core was modeled using an anisotropic material model. The laminated face sheets were modeled using material models that implement the Tsai-Wu and Hashin failure theories. Ablast load was applied using the CONWEP blast equations (*LOAD_BLAST) in LS-DYNA. This paper discusses the blast response of constituent S2-glass/epoxy face sheets, the closed cell aluminum foam core as well as the sandwich composite plate.
Large‐Area, Electronically Monodisperse, Aligned Single‐Walled Carbon Nanotube Thin Films Fabricated by Evaporation‐Driven Self‐Assembly

By varying the evaporation conditions and the nanotube and surfactant concentrations, large-area, aligned single-walled carbon nanotube (SWCNT) thin films are fabricated from electronically monodisperse SWCNT solutions by evaporation-driven self-assembly with precise control over the thin film growth geometry. Tunability is possible from 0.5 μm stripes to continuous thin films. The resulting SWCNT thin films possess highly anisotropic electrical and optical properties that are well suited for transparent conductor applications.
Effect of substituents at the 9-position on cytokinin activity

Abstract The preparation and properties of cytokinins substituted in the 9-position by methoxymethyl, propyl and cyclohexyl are described. Each is less active in the soybean and tobacco tests than the unsubstituted cytokinin from which they were derived.
Kinetics of the gamma‐induced graft copolymerization of vinyl acetate to Teflon

The gamma-induced graft copolymerization of vinyl acetate to films of polytetrafluoroethylene is affected by hydroquinone. A study of the effect of polytetrafluoroethylene film thickness on the rate of grafting indicates that the weight of vinyl acetate grafted is independent of the film thickness. The rate of grafting is observed to be proportional to the three-halves power of the monomer concentration from 2.0 to 10.8 molar vinyl acetate in ethyl aeetate, and to the onehalf power of the intensity in the range investigated from 15,000 to 460,000 r/hr. After initial grafting there is an increase in the grafting rate. The addition of as much as 15 g./dl. of high molecular weight polyvinyl acctate to the copolymerization mixture has no effect on the initial rate of grafting. The activation energy is found to be 4.78 plus or minus 0.32 kcal./mole (95% confidence limit). A mechanism consistent with these observations is presented. The addition of small quantities of carbon tetrachloride results in a decrease in the rate of grafting as well as a decrease in the molecular weight of the homopolymer formed. The decrease in grafting rate is attributed to a smaller G- value for radical formation of carbon tetrachloride when compared tomore » that for vinyl acetate and to the differential rate of chain transfer between carbon tetrachloride and grafted polyvinyl acetate with vinyl acetate radical. The chain transfer constant of carbon tetrachloride with vinyl acetate radical has been measured with the use of gamma-rays to initiate polymerization. The value is 0.47. (auth)« less
Filterbanks for blind channel identification and equalization

Multirate precoding using filterbanks induces cyclo-stationarity at the transmitter and guarantees blind identifiability of frequency selective communication channels with minimal decrease of information rate and without restrictions on zero locations. Finite impulse response (FIR) filterbank decoders are capable of equalizing blindly (and perfectly in the absence of noise) FIR channels without constraints on their zeros.
Subcellular redistribution and mitotic inheritance of transition metals in proliferating mouse fibroblast cells

Synchrotron X-ray fluorescence microscopy of non-synchronized NIH 3T3 fibroblasts revealed an intriguing redistribution dynamics that defines the inheritance of trace metals during mitosis. At metaphase, the highest density areas of Zn and Cu are localized in two distinct regions adjacent to the metaphase plate. As the sister chromatids are pulled towards the spindle poles during anaphase, Zn and Cu gradually move to the center and partition into the daughter cells to yield a pair of twin pools during cytokinesis. Colocalization analyses demonstrated high spatial correlations between Zn, Cu, and S throughout all mitotic stages, while Fe showed consistently different topographies characterized by high-density spots distributed across the entire cell. Whereas the total amount of Cu remained similar compared to interphase cells, mitotic Zn levels increased almost 3-fold, suggesting a prominent physiological role that lies beyond the requirement of Zn as a cofactor in metalloproteins or messenger in signaling pathways.
Physical functioning and mental well-being in association with health outcome in patients enrolled in the Multicenter Automatic Defibrillator Implantation Trial II

Aims The association of psychosocial and physical factors with health outcome in patients with congestive heart failure (CHF) has not been fully explored. The aim of this study was to assess the physical and mental health in relationship to health outcome in post-infarction patients with advanced left ventricular dysfunction. Methods and results A total of 1058 patients enrolled in the Multicenter Automatic Defibrillator Implantation Trial II (MADIT II) completed the Medical Outcome Trust Short Form (SF-12) at baseline. Physical component summary (PCS) and mental component summary (MCS) of SF-12 were analysed in relationship to survival, hospitalization due to CHF, and implantable cardioverter-defibrillator (ICD) therapy. Both baseline PCS and MCS were significantly associated with death ( P < 0.001 and P < 0.016, respectively) and hospitalization due to CHF ( P ≤ 0.001). After adjustment for significant clinical covariates and treatment group, low PCS and low MCS groups remained significant predictors of mortality and CHF hospitalization. Neither PCS nor MCS was associated with appropriate ICD therapy for ventricular tachyarrhythmias. Patients who experienced appropriate ICD shocks had a statistically significant deterioration of PCS but not MCS from baseline to 12 months. Conclusion Lower baseline PCS and MCS are associated with unfavourable health outcome in MADIT II patients, but not with appropriate ICD therapy for ventricular tachyarrhythmias. Patients who experience ICD shock reported a decrease in PCS, but little or no changes in MCS.
Routine Analysis of Porphyrins in Urine

Procedures are described that utilize an anion exchange resin for preliminary purification of porphyrins from highly colored urine specimens. Following purification, porphyrins may be quantitatively determined by a spectrophotometric method. A procedure is outlined for routine screening of porphyrins in the urines of hospital patients.
Pretreatment with Urea-Hydrochloric Acid Enhances the Isolation of Helicobacter pylori from Contaminated Specimens

ABSTRACT Human saliva seeded with H. pylori was incubated in urea-HCl and then cultured on nonselective media. Pretreatment with 0.06 N HCl–0.08 M urea for 5 min at 37°C resulted in reproducible isolation of H. pylori, even at low inocula (≤102 CFU/ml of saliva), despite the presence of large numbers of contaminating organisms.
The Ribosomal Protein rpL11 Associates with and Inhibits the Transcriptional Activity of Peroxisome Proliferator-Activated Receptor-α

Peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor alpha (PPARa )i s a member of the nuclear receptor superfamily whose ligands, the peroxisome proliferators (PPs), are liver tumor promoters in rodents. Interaction cloning was performed using bacterially expressed PPARa to identify proteins involved in PP signaling. The ribosomal protein L11 (rpL11), a component of the large 60S subunit, was identified as a PPARa-associated protein. Since rpL11 is a regulator of p53 and the cell cycle, the association between this protein and PPARa was examined in detail. PPARarpL11 interaction was confirmed using yeast and mammalian two-hybrid systems as well as in vitro pull-down assays. The association with rpL11 occurs within the D-domain (hinge-region) of PPARa. Unlike PPARa, the two closely related isoforms PPARb and g do not interact with rpL11. Cotransfection of mammalian cells with rpL11 resulted in ligand-dependent inhibition of transcriptional activity of PPARa. Ribosomal protein L11‐ mediated inhibition of gene expression is associated with decreased binding to the PPAR-response element (PPRE) DNA sequence. Release of rpL11 from the ribosome by serum deprivation or lowdose actinomycin D did not dramatically affect PPRE-driven luciferase activity when PPARa was overexpressed by cotransfection. However, when endogenous levels of PPARa are examined and rpL11 concentration is manipulated by expression by small interference RNA, the ability of peroxisome proliferator to induce PPRE-driven reporter activity and target gene mRNA is affected. These studies show that rpL11 inhibits PPARa activity and adds further evidence that ribosomal proteins play roles in the control of transcriptional regulation.
Transport phenomena at interfaces between turbulent fluids

TRANSPORT PHENOMENA AT INTERFACES BETWEEN TURBULENT FLUIDS Damon Turney Department of Mechanical Engineering Bren School of Environmental Science and Management University of California, Santa Barbara, CA 93106, USA Sanjoy Banerjee Department of Chemical Engineering Department of Mechanical Engineering Bren School of Environmental Science and Management University of California, Santa Barbara, CA 93106, USA
Nonarrest Decision Making in Police–Citizen Encounters:

While early arrest studies tended to be more qualitative in nature and focus on the nonarrest process, more recent quantitative research has centered on the factors most likely to predict arrest. U...
Glass fiber entrapped sorbent for reformates desulfurization for logistic PEM fuel cell power systems

Abstract Glass fiber entrapped ZnO/SiO 2 sorbent (GFES) was developed to remove sulfur species (mainly hydrogen sulfide, H 2 S) from reformates for logistic PEM fuel cell power systems. Due to the use of microfibrous media and nanosized ZnO grains on highly porous SiO 2 support, GFES demonstrated excellent desulfurization performance and potential to miniaturize the desulfurization reactors. In the thin bed test, GFES (2.5 mm bed thickness) attained a breakthrough time of 540 min with up to 75% ZnO utilization at 1 ppm breakthrough. At equivalent ZnO loading, GFES yielded a breakthrough time twice as long as the ZnO/SiO 2 sorbent; at equivalent bed volume, GFES provided a three times longer breakthrough time (with 67% reduction in ZnO loading) than packed beds of 1–2 mm commercial extrudates. GFES is highly regenerable compared with the commercial extrudates, and can easily be regenerated in situ in air at 500 °C. During 50 regeneration/desulfurization cycles, GFES maintained its desulfurization performance and structural integrity. A composite bed consisting of a packed bed of large extrudates followed by a polishing layer of GFES demonstrated a great extension in gas life and overall bed utilization. This approach synergistically combines the high volume loading of packed beds with the overall contacting efficiency of small particulates.
Biomolecular modeling and simulation: a field coming of age

We assess the progress in biomolecular modeling and simulation, focusing on structure prediction and dynamics, by presenting the field's history, metrics for its rise in popularity, early expressed expectations, and current significant applications. The increases in computational power combined with improvements in algorithms and force fields have led to considerable success, especially in protein folding, specificity of ligand/biomolecule interactions, and interpretation of complex experimental phenomena (e.g. NMR relaxation, protein-folding kinetics and multiple conformational states) through the generation of structural hypotheses and pathway mechanisms. Although far from a general automated tool, structure prediction is notable for proteins and RNA that preceded the experiment, especially by knowledge-based approaches. Thus, despite early unrealistic expectations and the realization that computer technology alone will not quickly bridge the gap between experimental and theoretical time frames, ongoing improvements to enhance the accuracy and scope of modeling and simulation are propelling the field onto a productive trajectory to become full partner with experiment and a field on its own right.
The cost of service quality in IT Outsourcing

In recent years, the IT services industry is under continuous pressure to improve the quality of its services, while doing so at reduced prices. In order to determine quality, the IT industry seems to be converging towards a set of commonly used metrics, including but not limited to, equipment availability, the time to resolve incidents, etc. In order to improve the quality of their services, service providers need to adopt a consistent and continuous focus on their internal processes, the skills of their people, the organizational structure and so on. On the other hand, the IT service industry has been traditionally labor intensive. Even though a wide range of management tools is available to support even the most complex management tasks, the overall service management process still relies on the existence of humans to make important decisions, perform complex administration tasks and monitor the performance and effectiveness of the overall process. This paper studies the tradeoff between the cost of a service (as manifested by the staffing level) and the corresponding quality metrics (subject to the service level agreement). In particular, we study the cost of service quality through the use of an optimization model that takes into account the constraints and cost factors typically encountered in a service provider environment.
Infrared Reflectivity of Iron Oxide Minerals

Abstract The total reflectivity from 0.5 to 6.0 microns of a number of iron oxide minerals exhibits features that may be useful in remote investigations of the surface of Mars. A strong dependence of reflectivity on particle size is seen in the 2-micron regions in some specimens. Hydrated minerals show a marked reflection minimum that could be used for the identification of such minerals by remote spectra.
Experimental and theoretical results of light scattering by aggregates of spheres

We present laboratory microwave scattering measurements for complex amplitude scattering matrices of three aggregates of 2, 8, and 27 identical spheres and compare them with theoretical predictions. Electromagnetic multiparticle-scattering calculations involve the determination of a large number of vector translation coefficients introduced by the addition theorems for vector spherical harmonics. For one of the two classes of vector translation coefficients there is an overall-sign discrepancy between two groups of formulations that exist in the literature. We compare our experimental data with the theoretical results from scattering calculations using the two different sets of formulas for computation of the translation coefficients. This comparison of experiment with theory reveals that Cruzan’s original research on the vector addition theorems [Q. Appl. Math.20, 33–40 (1962)] is correct, although many authors believe that Cruzan’s formulation contains an overall-sign error.
Vieta-like products of nested radicals

The beautiful infinite product of radicals due to Vieta [1] in 1592, is one of the oldest non-iterative analytical expressions for π, In a previous paper [2] the author proved the following two Vieta-like products: for N even, and for N odd. Here N is a positive integer, FN and LN are the Fibonacci and Lucas numbers, and is the golden section. (The Fibonacci numbers are F1 = 1, F2 = 1, with the recursion relation , while the Lucas numbers are L1 = 1, L2 = 3 with the same recursion relation )