cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
St. Valentine, Chaucer, and Spring in February

Late in the fourteenth century Chaucer and his friends John Gower, Sir John Clanvowe, and the Savoyard soldier-poet Oton de Grandson wrote poems in which St. Valentine figures as a patron of the mating of birds and human lovers.* Of these pieces Chaucer's two poems, the Parlement of Foules and the Complaint of Mars, have attracted the most attention. Although many critics speak of these two works as belonging to a "Valentine tradition," and some even discuss ways in which Chaucer makes innovations in the "Valentine convention," no evidence has been discovered of such a tradition, either literary or in social customs, before Chaucer. John M. Manly's judgment that the "cult of Saint Valentine appears to have existed as a folk custom from very remote antiquity"1 is balanced by D. S. Brewer's that Valentine's Day observances probably began as courtly entertainments and "may have been primarily English."2 Yet there is no proof for either idea, nor any convincing argument that even one Valentine poem by Chaucer's contemporaries preceded, and hence influenced, those of Chaucer. Lacking evidence, the critics offer unconsciously unhistoric generalizations. Charles A. Owen, Jr., says of Mars, "A more dissuasive call to the celebration of St. Valentine's Day it would be difficult for bird or poet to imagine,"3 and Neil C. Hultin describes the same work as "a Valentine poem replete with the fowls and flowers common to that species of poetry."4 Similarly, Bertrand H. Bronson speaks of the opening of the Parlement as likely to shock "an audience expecting the conventional celebration of love in a courtly poem for St. Valentine's Day,"5 and M. W. Grose calls it "a St. Valentine's poem with a new twist."6 Not only do we lack information about a literary convention of preChaucerian Valentine poetry, but we are even unsure of the means by which the saint came to be associated with birds, lovers, and the ceremonial choosing of partners or mates on his day. Standard reference works on hagiog-
Three lectures on Hypergroups Delhi, December 1995

LECTURE 1. Cosines, Legendre polynomials, and Bessel functions are examples of eigenfunctions of Sturm-Liouville problems which are also characters of hypergroups. There are many additional examples from the classical special functions. Indeed, it is possible to give conditions on a Sturm-Liouville problem so that its eigenfunctions must be characters of a hyper group. The converse will also be discussed. If a hypergroup consists of measures on a real (compact or not) interval, then with adequate regularity conditions, it must be the case that the characters of the hypergroup are eigenfunctions of a Sturm-Liouville problem.
THE USE OF STABLE CARBON ISOTOPE ANALYSIS FOR DETERMINING THE DIETARY HABITS OF THE FLORIDA MANATEE, TRICHECHUS MANATUS LATIROSTRIS

The sloughed skin from three captive manatees at Lowry Park Zoological Garden (Tampa, Florida) was examined over a period of one year to determine its stable carbon isotopic composition (δ13C). The food consumed by these manatees in a controlled diet was also sampled and its δ13C values determined. The sloughed skin δ13C values from the captive manatees were enriched by an average of +4.1%0 relative to lettuce (generally >98% of the diet) the animals consumed. δ13C values of the skin were shown to be related to changes in δ13C values of the lettuce. The stable carbon isotopic composition of internal tissues (liver, kidney, and blubber) and skin from dead, stranded manatees was also determined. These values were compared to values of vegetation that manatees are known to eat in the wild. The δ13C values of the internal tissues and skin of wild manatees were consistent with the range of δ13C values of their expected diet.
Growth, developmental stability and immune response in juvenile Japanese quails (Coturnix coturnix japonica)

Stresses are environmental factors which restrict growth or cause a potentially adverse change in an organism. The exposure of developing organisms to environmental stresses may have several physiological consequences including a decrease in immunocompetence. However, mounting an immune response against a foreign antigen may in itself constitute a cost for developing organisms. This cost has potentially long-term consequences for adult function and fitness. This study examines the growth and developmental stability of Japanese quail++ chicks challenged by three non-pathogenic antigens: sheep red blood cells, which assess T-cell-dependent immune responses, and Mycoplasma synoviae and Newcastle disease virus, which assess T-cell-independent responses. Increases in both body mass and wing length were significantly reduced in antigen-challenged birds compared to control birds. Fluctuating asymmetry (FA) in the masses of primary feathers increased from the innermost (1) to the outermost (10) position on the wing. In addition, antigen challenge by M. synoviae and sheep red blood cells was associated with an increase in FA. The cell-mediated response measured by reaction to phytohaemagglutinin was significantly depressed in M. synoviae-challenged birds. White blood cell counts, except for monocytes, were elevated in response to all three antigen treatments. Total plasma protein and haematocrit also differed between treatments but exhibited no clear relationship to antigen challenge. Immune responses clearly impose a stress on developing chicks. Additional research will be required to determine the long-term consequences of developmental stress and assess the selective forces that influence the strength of the immune responses of chicks.
Nuclear Matrix Proteins as Proteomic Markers of Preneoplastic and Cancer Lesions Commentary re: G. Brunagel et al., Nuclear Matrix Protein Alterations Associated with Colon Cancer Metastasis to the Liver. Clin. Cancer Res., 8: 3039 -3045, 2002.

Only a pathologist can diagnose a cancer. This is accomplished by inspecting the visual features of the cancer cells, which include the marked variations in cellular structure termed pleomorphism. Disorganization and pleomorphism are a hallmark of cancer diagnosis and include highly variable
A new LMS algorithm for analysis of atrial fibrillation signals.

Background: A biomedical signal can be defined by its extrinsic features (x-axis and y-axis shift and scale) and intrinsic features (shape after normalization of extrinsic features). In this study, an LMS algorithm utilizing the method of differential steepest descent is developed, and is tested by normalization of extrinsic features in complex fractionated atrial electrograms (CFAE). Method: Equations for normalization of x-axis and y-axis shift and scale are first derived. The algorithm is implemented for real-time analysis of CFAE acquired during atrial fibrillation (AF). Data was acquired at a 977 Hz sampling rate from 10 paroxysmal and 10 persistent AF patients undergoing clinical electrophysiologic study and catheter ablation therapy. Over 24 trials, normalization characteristics using the new algorithm with four weights were compared to the Widrow-Hoff LMS algorithm with four tapped delays. The time for convergence, and the mean squared error (MSE) after convergence, were compared. The new LMS algorithm was also applied to lead aVF of the electrocardiogram in one patient with longstanding persistent AF, to enhance the F wave and to monitor extrinsic changes in signal shape. The average waveform over a 25 s interval was used as a prototypical reference signal for matching with the aVF lead. Results: Based on the derivation equations, the y-shift and y-scale adjustments of the new LMS algorithm were shown to be equivalent to the scalar form of the Widrow-Hoff LMS algorithm. For x-shift and x-scale adjustments, rather than implementing a long tapped delay as in Widrow-Hoff LMS, the new method uses only two weights. After convergence, the MSE for matching paroxysmal CFAE averaged 0.46±0.49μV 2 /sample for the new LMS algorithm versus 0.72±0.35μV 2 / sample for Widrow-Hoff LMS. The MSE for matching persistent CFAE averaged 0.55±0.95μV 2 /sample for the new LMS algorithm versus 0.62±0.55μV 2 /sample for Widrow-Hoff LMS. There were no significant differences in estimation error for paroxysmal versus persistent data. From all trials, the mean convergence time was approximately 1 second for both algorithms. The new LMS algorithm was useful to enhance the electrocardiogram F wave by subtraction of an adaptively weighted prototypical reference signal from the aVF lead. The extrinsic weighting over 25 s demonstrated that time-varying functions such as patient respiration could be identified and monitored.
The Role of Urgency in Forming Cross-Sector Collaborations to Address Environmental Sustainability in the U.S.

Recognizing that the U.S. has failed to formulate and implement an integrated national strategy addressing environmental sustainability and energy conservation, this paper proposes cross-sector collaboration among the business, government, and nonprofit sectors as a necessary approach. This paper draws on institutional theory to explain differences among the sectors, and the challenges posed in forming cross-sector collaboration. Scenarios of sustainability initiatives are presented along with potential inhibitors to explain barriers posed by inter- and intra-sector institutional differences. This paper proposes that prolonged urgency, supported by ongoing turbulent conditions economically, socially, and environmentally, is necessary to form cross-sector collaboration at a supraorganizational level.
Obtaining functionally equivalent simulations using VHDL and a time-shift transformation

It is pointed out that many translation schemes from domain-specific languages to supposedly functionally equivalent VDHL (VHSIC hardware description language) have been developed as an approach to simulation. However, due to a subtle theoretical limitation to this approach, functionally equivalent VHDL cannot be created for the general case, making such translations an unsound technique. The authors propose an alternative approach which strives instead for functionally equivalent simulation, while still taking advantage of VHDL simulators. This method uses a novel time-shift transformation in conjunction with any translation scheme, making correct simulations easily obtainable. This bridges the gap to a sound and advantageous use of VHDL as a tool for simulating domain-specific languages. >
Nonresident Parenting and Adolescent Adjustment The Quality of Nonresident Father-Child Interaction

Aside from providing financial support, exactly how nonresident fathers benefit children remains unclear. This article assesses whether the quality of the interaction between nonresident fathers and their children is related to adolescent adjustment, net of visitation frequency. Results suggest that participating in leisure activities with nonresident fathers does not influence children’s well-being. Results provide mixed evidence as to whether children benefit from nonresident fathers’ involvement in authoritative parenting. Whereas talking to nonresident fathers about “other things going on at school” is consistently positively related to adjustment, other measures of authoritative parenting are not. Closeness to nonresident fathers, although negatively related to emotional distress, does not mediate the effect of father involvement. Results suggest that we should continue to examine nonresident fathers’ involvement in specific aspects of authoritative parenting, as opposed to leisure and recreational a...
Absorption and Retention of Trace Minerals in Adult Horses

Absorption and retention of Cu, Mn, and Zn were compared when feeding diets supplemented with oxide, sulfate, or organic-chelated forms of the minerals. Six mature Miniature Horses were used in the replicated 3 × 3 Latin square-designed experiment. The experiment was conducted in three 17-d periods, consisting of 10 d of diet adaptation followed by a 7-d total fecal and urine collection. Horses were fed a diet of 40% coastal Bermudagrass and 60% concentrate formulated to meet the energy, protein, Ca, and P requirements for maintenance of mature horses. Copper, Mn, and Zn were supplemented to provide 140 to 180% of the NRC (1989) recommended dietary concentrations for these minerals and were supplied in oxide, sulfate, and organic-chelate forms. Following total collections of feces and urine, feed, fecal, and urine samples were processed and analyzed for Cu, Mn, and Zn concentrations by atomic absorption spectrophotometry. Absorption of Cu, Mn, and Zn in all forms was low compared with previous studies, but systemic retention of these minerals was high. The cause of this disparity is unknown, although experimental error is unlikely. There were no differences in the absorption or retention of Cu, Mn, and Zn among the three forms of mineral supple
Externally directed assembly of disk-shaped zeolite particles by an electric field

Alternating current (AC) electric fields generated by coplanar electrodes are used to externally direct the assembly of submicrometer sized disk-shaped zeolite particles. At the edge of the electrode, zeolite particles assemble in a brushlike structure that forms because of an interplay between an induced dipolar interaction and the drag force due to AC electroosmotic flow. Far from the electrode edge, where the fluid is quiescent, the disk-shaped particles form a nearly hexagonally close-packed structure, similar to suspensions of spherical particles. These results demonstrate a surprising generality of field-directed structures and offer promise for a hierarchical fabrication of nanostructures from zeolites.
Studies of Microstructures in High-Tc Superconductors by X-ray Absorption Techniques

Fluorescence emission and total-electron-yield vs. grazing angle of incidence at fixed energy of incoming soft x-ray radiation, around O is absorption edge, for YBa2Cu3O7−δ and Bi2Sr2 CaCu2O8+x thin films on MgO and ZrO2substrates were investigated. Surface rms roughness and oxygen depth distribution were estimated. We have found that in these materials the information depth of microstructures derived from fluorescence yield and total-electron-yield is around 2500 A and 100 A, respectively.
Analog statistical simulation

A technique for providing design for manufacturability of analog circuits is presented. This technique consists of novel approaches for the definition and extraction of the physical process parameters and relationship to the electrical simulation parameters, an improved modeling technique based on geometric characteristics, and a statistical simulation technique that provides Cpk and yield analysis. To support these techniques a design tool called MSTAT (Motorola Statistical Analysis Tool) is developed to provide the analog designer with these capabilities. Benefits from these techniques result in the ability of a analog designer to achieve a higher level of quality in the design of a part, by being able to model and simulate a circuit based on the process variational and geometric attributes. >
Euler-Rodrigues and Cayley Formulae for Rotation of Elasticity Tensors

It is well known that rotation in three dimensions can be expressed as a quadratic in a skew symmetric matrix via the Euler-Rodrigues formula. A generalized Euler-Rodrigues polynomial of degree 2n in a skew symmetric generating matrix is derived for the rotation matrix of tensors of order n. The Euler-Rodrigues formula for rigid body rotation is recovered by n = 1. A Cayley form of the nth-order rotation tensor is also derived. The representations simplify if there exists some underlying symmetry, as is the case for elasticity tensors such as strain and the fourth-order tensor of elastic moduli. A new formula is presented for the transformation of elastic moduli under rotation: as a 21-vector with a rotation matrix given by a polynomial of degree 8. Explicit spectral representations are constructed from three vectors: the axis of rotation and two orthogonal bivectors. The tensor rotation formulae are related to Cartan decomposition of elastic moduli and projection onto hexagonal symmetry.
Comparative racisms: What anti-racists can learn from Latin America

There has been extensive debate about the putative imperial dimensions of critical race studies in Latin America. The concern is that US racial discourses, identities and anti-racist strategies are being incorrectly applied to, if not forced upon, Latin America. Those who disagree with this position, including ourselves, argue that it is legitimate to take insights and understandings gleaned in the USA as tools for understanding and challenging racism in Latin America. However, we also believe that the exchange of ideas regarding effective anti-racist strategies should flow in both directions. Therefore, in this article we change the direction of the traditional dialogue by discussing ways in which research in Latin America can inform the theoretical foundation of antiracism in other countries, such as the USA. Specifically, we discuss the implications of current strategies of race mixing, minimization of racial consciousness, colorblindness, multiculturalism and racism literacy for current theories of an...
Magnetic Resonance Imaging Diagnosis of Left Atrial Abscess After Ablation of Atrial Fibrillation

We report a 52-year-old patient with a late presentation of a fistula that occurred after catheter ablation for atrial fibrillation. A secondary left atrial wall abscess was diagnosed by upper endoscopy and cardiac magnetic resonance imaging. Emergency operative repair was successful, with no adverse cardiac or gastrointestinal sequelae.
Planning mobile sensor net deployment for navigationally-challenged sensor nodes

This wok describes novel algorithms for planning the deployment of a large number of navigationally-challenged mobile sensor nodes in known indoor environments. Due to cost and power constraints, our mobile sensor nodes have the ability to move and communicate, but they cannot detect or avoid obstacles or localize to the environment. Additionally, they have only minimal capabilities for detecting other robot team members, through the use of a crude camera. Our deployment process, therefore, uses an assistive navigation technique that enables a more capable leader robot, equipped with a laser rangefinder and a camera, to guide several mobile sensor nodes to their deployment positions. To ensure the successful deployment of the mobile sensor nodes, we have developed an autonomous planning process that plans the positions of the sensor nodes based upon a number of constraints, including maintaining line of sight maximizing visibility coverage, avoiding placement in doorways, minimizing obstruction of corridors, and so forth. Additionally, because of the navigational constraints of simple robots following a leader to these deployment positions, our algorithm also derives two leader waypoints for each sensor position, which on strain the motion of the leader path to the deployment position. These leader
Intracoronary Adenovirus Encoding Adenylyl Cyclase VI Increases Left Ventricular Function in Heart Failure

Background— We tested the hypothesis that intracoronary delivery of an adenovirus encoding adenylyl cyclase type VI (Ad.ACVI) would be associated with increased left ventricular (LV) function in pigs with congestive heart failure. Methods and Results— Pigs (52±6 kg; n=16) underwent placement of pacemakers, LV pressure transducers, and left atrial and aortic catheters. Physiological and echocardiographic studies were obtained from conscious animals 13 days later, and pacing was initiated (220 bpm). Seven days later, measures of LV function were reduced, documenting severe LV dysfunction and dilation. Pigs then received intracoronary Ad.ACVI (1.4×1012 vp; n=7) or saline (PBS; n=9) (randomized, blinded), with concomitant infusion of nitroprusside (50 μg/min, 6.4 minutes) to increase gene transfer. Pacing was continued for 14 days, and final studies were obtained. The a priori key end point was change in LV dP/dt during isoproterenol infusion (pre-Ad.ACVI value minus value after 21 days of pacing). Pigs recei...
Expert systems in EET

It is noted that, as expert systems technology expands, it is engulfing many areas of industry which are targets for EET (electrical engineering technology) and MET graduates. Systems engineering and product testing involve diagnostics software which in many cases can best be implemented and maintained using expert systems. Programmable controllers are being developed with fuzzy logic and other methods to reason in the face of uncertainty. In order to expose students to these concepts, artificial intelligence, in the form of expert systems, is being introduced in a lower-division required course as well as an upper-division elective. The author describes the content and goals of these courses and offers a justification of expert systems as an emerging technology worthy of study. >
Interceptors for Java Remote Method Invocation

An interceptor is a software mechanism that provides the hooks that are needed to introduce additional code dynamically into the execution path of an application. By exploiting interceptors, developers can enhance and potentially modify the behavior of an application at runtime without having to revise or recompile the application code. We have identified three distinct interception points for the Java Remote Method Invocation (JavaRMI) model, at the proxy level, the transport level and the shared library level of the JavaRMI model. The interceptors implemented at these interception points employ the DynamicProxy API, the RMISocketFactory API, and a library mediation approach, respectively. Our interceptor implementations are novel in that they are transparent to the application, add nominal latency overheads and are easy to deploy, requiring only minimal modifications to the application. We describe how the interceptors can be exploited to introduce additional services (such as logging and profiling mechanisms) to the JavaRMI runtime. In particular, we describe the use of interceptors in the Aroma System to enhance the existing JavaRMI model with support for fault-tolerance through the consistent replication of JavaRMI objects. Copyright © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
An International Perspective on Adolescent Pregnancy

The purpose of the introductory chapter is to provide an overview of adolescent pregnancy from an international perspective. It is an overview of the response by different countries from around the world to adolescent pregnancy. This overview will also highlight issues related to adolescent pregnancy that are important for a comprehensive understanding of why and how the response and concerns vary from country to country and region to region. What will become evident is that issues, which are a major concern in one country, may not be relevant in another. For instance, child marriage and early adolescent childbirth is not a major concern in countries where religion, tradition, and culture support child marriage even when it may be illegal under the constitutional laws of a particular country. The greatest risks for an adolescent mother and her child are the mother’s age, delaying or failing to receive prenatal care, and the social and political response to her pregnancy. These are critical issues in all countries. In developed countries such as the United States, when pregnant teens are not using prenatal care, the reasons are not related to the lack of available prenatal services; the reasons are more associated with the adolescent’s lack of knowledge, and the humiliation girls must deal with before receiving prenatal care. The numbers in the United States are astonishing. Some 85 % of US teen pregnancies are unplanned, and 72 % of teens receive no prenatal care at all (Holgate, International Journal of Adolescence and Youth, 17, 1–10, 2012). Today’s adolescents are the next generation of parents, workers, and leaders. To fulfill these roles to the best of their ability, these adolescents need the guidance and support of their family, their community, and national and global leaders. They also need governments and a world community that are committed to their health, development, education, and well-being.
The Real Effects of Relational Contracts

Abstract Does the “soft side” of management matter? Many managers assert that “firm culture” is strongly correlated with productivity, but there are few robust tests of this assertion. In a set of ...
Increased renal nerve activity in cardiac failure: arterial vs. cardiac baroreflex impairment

Cardiac failure is characterized by increased renal sympathetic nerve activity that is associated with an impairment of both arterial and cardiac baroreceptor reflex function. These reflex dysfunctions are in the afferent limb at the level of the peripheral baroreceptors. This study sought to define the relative quantitative magnitude of the defects in arterial and cardiac baroreceptor function in cardiac failure. Renal sympathetic nerve activity was measured in anesthetized normal control rats and rats with cardiac failure (left coronary ligation) during sequential random order sinoaortic denervation and vagotomy to interrupt afferent input from the arterial and cardiac baroreceptors, respectively. Increases in renal sympathetic nerve activity after individual or combined sinoaortic denervation and vagotomy were less (P < 0.05 for both) in cardiac failure than in normal control rats in both order sequences (42 +/- 5 vs. 87 +/- 8%; 44 +/- 5 vs. 108 +/- 7%). In cardiac failure rats, vagotomy produced lesser increases (P < 0.05 for both) in renal sympathetic nerve activity than sinoaortic denervation in both order sequences (10 +/- 4 vs. 32 +/- 5%; 13 +/- 2 vs. 30 +/- 5%). The relative magnitude of impaired cardiac baroreceptor reflex function that is associated with the increased renal sympathetic nerve activity of cardiac failure is greater than that of impaired arterial baroreceptor reflex function.
High Resolution Light Microscopy in Renal Pathology

Seven hundred renal specimens embedded in epoxy resins and stained with polychromatic stains were compared with paraffin sections stained with Hematoxylin and Eosin (H & E), Perodic and Schiff, (PAS), silver, and trichrome stains. High resolution of light microscopy, never in wax histopathology, may be obtained by the use of plastic embedding and polychromatic stains. Cell boundaries, intracellular organelles, basement membranes, different cellular types, apposition of different substances, and other pathologic changes were readily recognized in a single P + P (Plastic section stained with Polychromatic stains) section, whereas paraffin sections usually needed special stains. The same plastic block may be used for transmission electron microscopy. Slightly elevated cost, special training of the technician and pathologist, and some few remaining technical difficulties :ire the disadvantages of this method. High resolution light microscopy methods are recommended for routine renal biopsies.
Cross-State Bias in Voting and Registration Overreporting in the Current Population Surveys

There is tremendous nonrandom variation from state to state in the rates at which people overreport voting in the Current Population Surveys (CPS). What accounts for this state-level bias in overreporting? We find that the determinants of statewide rates of overreporting parallel those in our earlier findings on individual-level overreporting: overreporting is a function of higher concentrations of racial and ethnic minorities, higher rates of religious membership, and being in the Deep South. These relationships are remarkably stable over time (1980-2000), and they are unaltered by improvements in how we measure overreporting. We suggest a method for deflating reported statewide registration figures to account for this bias, assuming that these registration figures are inflated in the same way as are statewide voting figures. We replicate and extend a part of Brown, Jackson, and Wright's (1999) analysis using these deflated figures, showing that our approach can improve explanation.
HETERODICHOGAMY IN WALNUTS: INHERITANCE AND STABLE RATIOS.

Dichogamy involves the maturation, by an individual plant, of male and female organs at different times. "Protandry" refers to the shedding of pollen prior to stigma receptivity and "protogyny" the reverse sequence. Both are widespread among flowering plants, with several entire families characterized by one system or the other (Knuth, 1906). The mating system of walnuts, members of the genus Juglans, exhibits a phenotypic dimorphism of protandrous and protogynous mating types. Knuth (1906, following Loew, 1895) has classified such a system as "heterodichogamy." This paper presents data on the details of the flowering patterns of the mating types in walnuts, their observed frequencies, and their mode of inheritance. A genetic model is developed to predict equilibrium frequencies based on the mode of inheritance and flowering pattern. The taxonomic distribution of heterodichogamy is reviewed. This paper is concerned with heterodichogamy in two species of walnut, Juglans regia L., the cultivated English (or Persian) walnut, and J. hindsii Jeps., the northern California black walnut. Walnuts are monoecious, wind-pollinated, deciduous trees. All studies indicate that walnuts are entirely self-compatible (see Funk, 1970 for a review). Flowering time in walnuts is highly heritable (Hansche et al., 1972). If one assumes a common basis for heterodichogamy in the genus Juglans, the results from these two species can be combined into a reasonably clear and sim-
i-CxSiyOzHw Films Formed by Ion Beam Assisted Deposition

i-CxSiyOzHw films were formed by thermal evaporation of a tetraphenyl-tetramethyl-trisiloxane diffusion pump oil onto silicon and steel substrates with simultaneous bombardment of the growing film with 40 keV Ar+ ions to decompose the (C6H5)4(CH3)4Si3O2 molecules. Both the current density of the ion beam and the oil arrival rate were varied to produce hard, adhesive films on room temperature substrates, with densities ranging from 1.4 to 2.3 g/cm3 and Knoop microhardness values (at 15 g load) from 1000 to 2100. Unlubricated friction coefficients against a 440C steel ball with a 50 g load ranged from 0.03 to 0.40, depending on deposition conditions, and all films were more wear-resistant than the substrate materials. The films were examined with RBS, hydrogen forward recoil scattering, SEM, TEM, photon tunneling microscopy, electron diffraction, and ellipsometry to ascertain and correlate their chemical compositions and microstructures with their mechanical/chemical properties (microhardness, adhesion, friction and wear).
Fracturing Technology of Water Injection Well in the Low Permeability Reservoir

Water flooding is very important for the development in the low permeability reservoir. For more water flooding, all factors such as formations, production characteristic must be considered. A better method of the fracturing for water injection well in the low permeability reservoir at ShanShan is pointed out in the paper.
Remote Sensing of the Distribution and Extent of Wetlands in the Amazon Basin

Basin-wide mosaics of synthetic aperture radar (SAR) data, validated with airborne videography, were used to map the extent and distribution of Amazonian wetlands. Cover states consisted of classes determined by vegetation physiognomy (non-vegetated, herbaceous, shrub, woodland, and forest) and by inundation state (flooded or non-flooded). About one-fourth of wetlands are in the Madeira basin. Large wetland features occur in the Maranon (Maranon-Ucayali palm swamps), Negro (Roraima savanna; Negro-Branco interfluvial wetlands), and Madeira (Llanos de Moxos) basins. The mainstem Amazon floodplain, with less than 2% of the total basin area, accounts for about 12% of the basin’s wetlands. Basin-wide, about three-fourths of wetlands are covered by forest, woodland or shrubland. All large watersheds west of the Negro are at least 85% forested. The Madeira basin has the highest percentage of herbaceous wetlands. Numerous remote sensing studies of wetlands using SAR, passive microwave and optical data for selected areas that complement these basin-wide values are summarized.
Effect of vasopressin on intracellular [Ca] and Na transport in cultured toad bladder cells.

Intracellular free [Ca] [( Ca]i) and transepithelial sodium transport were measured simultaneously in cultured toad bladder cells grown on collagen-coated filters. [Ca]i was measured with fura-2 and fluorescence microscopy while sodium transport was measured as the short-circuit current (Isc) with a voltage clamp. Following stimulation with vasopressin [Ca]i and Isc rose in parallel to maximal values within 10 min. [Ca]i increased from 65 +/- 5 to 123 +/- 12 nM and Isc, from 11 +/- 3 to 25 +/- 6 microA (n = 4). The vasopressin-induced rise in [Ca]i correlated significantly with the increase in Isc, suggesting that the rise in [Ca]i might be necessary for the increase in Isc. If so, then adenosine 3',5'-cyclic monophosphate (cAMP), which mimics the natriferic action of vasopressin, should also increase [Ca]i. Although cAMP increased [Ca]i to a peak value of 32 +/- 13% (P less than 0.05) above control at 10 min, the rise in Isc did not parallel the increase in [Ca]i. Isc peaked instead at 20 min, rising to ...
Perennial Punishment? Why the Sex Offender Registration and Notification Act Needs Reconsideration

Congress enacted the Adam Walsh Child Protection and Safety Act of 2006 (―AWA‖) 1 ―to protect the public from sex offenders and offenders against children, and in response to the vicious attacks by violent predators against [an enumerated list of seventeen] victims . . . .‖ 2 AWA‘s first subchapter, the Sex Offender Registration and Notification Act (―SORNA‖), 3 created a national sex offender registry to track post-conviction offenders and to set a baseline for state registration systems. 4 The underlying
Physiology of Hemostasis

Hemostasis is a complex process mediated by enzymes, activators, inhibitors, platelets, neutrophils, and endothelial cells. Hemostasis helps close off damaged blood vessels, keep blood in a fluid state and dissolve blood clots following restoration of vascular integrity. Hemostasis is now also known to play an important role in wound healing and endothelial barrier protection and function. Further to the classic coagulation cascade or waterfall hypothesis and the cell-based model of coagulation, newer concepts have enabled better understanding of the blood coagulation process. Current molecular concepts have enabled a reappraisal of the intrinsic pathway of coagulation. Three physiological triggers of activation of the intrinsic pathway are now known to include collagen, the linear phosphate polymers, termed polyphosphates (PolyP), and neutrophil extracellular traps (NETs). NETs are also now known to have a role in fibrinolysis. DNA and histones are components of NETs that are released at the site of infection and intravascular thrombi. Large fibrin degradation products (FDP) bound to combinations of DNA and histones may help stabilize lysing clots. This understanding has led to a rationale for using DNAse as an adjunct to thrombolytic therapy.
Public Preferences for Science Occupations in the U.S.: The Influence of Public Perception of Scientists and Science

This study is to address what factors influence Americans' preferences for science occupations with the analysis of the NSF-sponsored Survey of Public Attitudes Toward and Understanding of Science and Technology conducted in 2001. People's positive perception of scientists and science tend to strengthen the preference. Women are more likely than men to be sensitive to the danger of scientific work. People who choose biology as their major are more likely to value science occupations than those with other majors. However, female biology majors are less likely to value the occupations than their male counterparts. With this negative influence of being a female biology major, the negative influence of being a scientist or engineer with the advanced degrees on the preference remains to be confirmed in future research.
Triptans and third nerve paresis: a case series of three patients.

The aim of this report is to increase awareness of a possible association between cranial nerve paresis and the use of sumatriptan in migraine sufferers, particularly in patients who have additional vascular risk factors. We describe a series of three cases where third nerve paresis developed in patients who were treated with the oral form of sumatriptan. All of the patients had a clear history of repetitive migraine headache and none of them had previous third nerve paresis. Among a variety of medications for the treatment of migraine, there are some drugs with vasoconstrictive effects, particularly triptans. These drugs may be a contributing factor for microvascular damage of the cranial nerves and other organs.
Locke on attention

ABSTRACTLocke’s remarks about attention have not received a great deal of attention from commentators. In Section 1, I make the case that attention plays an important role in his philosophy. In Section 2, I describe and discuss five Lockean claims about attention. In Section 3, I explore Locke’s views about attention in relation to his account of sense perception. He thinks that we attend to objects by attending to ideas, and I argue that he treats sensory ideas as transparent in a particular sense. In Section 4, I raise the worry that some of Locke’s remarks about attention seem at odds with his doctrine of the transparency of the mind. I offer two ways of resolving the problem, and suggest that they are parts of a single story.
Interfaces in heterogeneous catalytic reactions: Ambient pressure XPS as a tool to unravel surface chemistry

Abstract In this article we provide a summary of the recent development of ambient pressure X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (AP-XPS) and its application to catalytic surface chemistry. The methodology as well as significant advantages and challenges associated with this novel technique are described. Details about specific examples of using AP-XPS to probe surface chemistry under working reaction conditions for a number of reactions are explained: CO oxidation, water-gas shift (WGS), CO 2 hydrogenation, dry reforming of methane (DRM) and ethanol steam reforming (ESR). Finally, we discuss insights into the future development of the AP-XPS technique and its applications.
Pediatric Anti-N-Methyl-d-Aspartate Receptor Encephalitis: A Review with Pooled Analysis and Critical Care Emphasis.

Purpose: Anti N-methyl D-aspartate receptor encephalitis is being recognized with increasing frequency among children. Given the paucity of evidence to guide the critical care management of these complex patients, we provide a comprehensive review of the literature with pooled analysis of published case reports and case series. Methods: We performed a comprehensive literature search using PubMed, Scopus, EMBASE, and Web of Science for relevant published studies. The literature search was conducted using the terms NMDA, Anti-NMDA, Anti-NMDAR, pediatric encephalitis, and Anti-N-methyl-D-aspartate receptor, and included articles published between 2005 and May 01, 2016. Results: Forty-eight references met inclusion criteria accounting for 373 cases. For first-line treatments, 335 (89.8%) received high-dose corticosteroids, 296 received IVIG (79.3%), and 116 (31%) received therapeutic plasma exchange. In these, 187 children (50.1%) had a full recovery with only minor deficits, 174 patients (46.7%) had partial recovery with major deficits, and 12 children died. Additionally, 14 patients were reported to require mechanical ventilation. Conclusions: Anti-NMDA encephalitis is a formidable disease with great variation in clinical presentation and response to treatment. With early recognition of this second most common cause of pediatric encephalitis, a multi-disciplinary approach by physicians may provide earlier access to first and second-line therapies. Future studies are needed to examine the efficacy of these current therapeutic strategies on long-term morbidity.
Signal processing methods for second harmonic generation in thin specimens

Abstract This research explores five available signal processing methods: discrete Fourier transform (DFT); least squares method; original Prony method; least squares (LS) Prony method; and known poles (KP) Prony method, to accurately analyze the harmonic content of a tone-burst signal obtained from the second harmonic generation (SHG) measurement. Accurately obtaining the correct frequency content is especially important when the number of cycles is limited by the thickness or high attenuation of a specimen. Results from both numerically generated synthetic signals and experimental data from a specimen demonstrate that the least squares and KP Prony methods provide the most consistent and accurate results for tone-burst signals with low number of cycles. The conventional DFT provides accurate harmonic amplitudes only when the effective number of cycles (neff) is eight or higher. The least squares and KP Prony methods are then applied to a set of thin binary Fe-1.0% Cu alloy specimens where the changes in the nonlinearity parameter, β, as a function of heat treatment time is determined. The β parameters processed with these two methods produce trends that make better physical sense than processing with the original Prony method.
Waterways and the cultural landscape

There is no doubt that cities around the world are returning to the waterways as sources of cultural heritage. In Waterways and the Cultural Landscape, editors Francesco Vallerani and Francisco Vis...
“How Much Time Do I Have?”: Communicating Prognosis in the Era of Exceptional Responders

Prognostication is the science by which clinicians estimate a patient's expected outcome. A robust literature shows that many patients with advanced cancer have inaccurate perceptions of their prognosis, thus raising questions about whether patients are truly making informed decisions. Clinicians' ability to communicate prognostic information is further complicated today by the availability of novel, efficacious immunotherapies and genome-guided treatments. Currently, clinicians lack tools to predict which patients with advanced disease will achieve an exceptional response to these new therapies. This increased prognostic uncertainty on the part of clinicians further complicates prognostic communication with patients. Evidence also suggests that many oncologists avoid or rarely engage in prognosis-related communication and/or lack skills in this area. Although communication skills training interventions can have a positive impact on complex communication skills for some clinicians, there is no one-size-fits-all approach to improving patient-clinician communication about prognosis. Yet improving patient understanding of prognosis is critical, because patient understanding of prognosis is linked with end-of-life care outcomes. Solutions to this problem will likely require a combination of interventions beyond communication skills training programs, including enhanced use of other cancer clinicians, such as oncology nurses and social workers, increased use of palliative care specialists, and organizational support to facilitate advance care planning.
The Stories We Must Tell: Ugandan Children and the Atrocities of the Lord's Resistance Army

This essay is about stories -- the stories that we are told and the stories that we, in turn, tell to others. It has become a truism that we have lost our faith in master narratives and that the "real" is composed of many competing narratives, all fragmentary, contradictory, overlapping. In this article, the author discusses the problems this view poses for those of us who see ourselves as advocates and activists rather than solely -- or primarily -- as scholars, but who nonetheless seek to combine social activism with intellectual rigor and honesty. In particular, she discusses the dilemmas this creates for the human rights activist, who is committed both to acknowledging diverse cultures, with all their internal complexity, and to being a strong advocate for change on behalf of those whose rights are trampled. (The author is not unaware of the problematic nature of the terms she has just used; to speak blithely of "cultures" -- and, indeed, to speak of "rights" -- is to enter into dangerous territory.)The author begins by discussing the decade-old conflict in northern Uganda between the government and the Lord's Resistance Army (LRA). After briefly providing background information on the conflict, she describes the many contradictory stories she heard during her time in Uganda about the reasons for the conflict's persistence. The author discusses the difficulty of assessing these competing narratives, as well as the impossibility of ever getting at the "truth" about the conflict. She then turns to the stories of children who have survived months or years in rebel captivity, and the author ends by discussing the ways in which these highly personal narratives force us to insist that some things, at least, are absolute.
Bounding Entries in Multi-way Contingency Tables Given a Set of Marginal Totals

We describe new results for sharp upper and lower bounds on the entries in multi-way tables of counts based on a set of released and possibly overlapping marginal tables. In particular, we present a generalized version of the shuttle algorithm proposed by Buzzigoli and Giusti that computes sharp integer bounds for an arbitrary set of fixed marginals. We also present two examples which illustrate the practical import of the bounds for assessing disclosure risk.
Compact Nuclear Radio Sources in our and External Galaxies

The compact nonthermal radio source, Sgr A*, has long been considered a signpost of a massive black hole at the center of our Galaxy. It has properties similar to those of the powerful compact radio sources found in quasars and other active galactic nuclei (CNRS) that require massive black holes on energetic grounds. But, for Sgr A*, its low luminosity cannot exclude a stellar object such as a neutron star as the underlying energy source. We review the properties of Sgr A* and other CNRS in nearby “normal” galaxies. The continuity of properties of such radio sources with the powerful CNRS would suggest that massive black holes are common in galactic nuclei and that Sgr A* is due to a massive black hole. The compact radio sources in our and other nearby galaxies axe especially important since it is in such nearby sources that dynamical probes of the presence of a large point mass will become increasingly definitive. The capabilities of the Hubble Space Telescope for Sgr A* in this regard are described.
TEMPORAL EVOLUTION OF NONLINEAR LOWER HYBRID WAVES

Abstract The nonlinear evolution of a single lower hybrid waves in two dimensions and time is considered. If the potential is taken to have the form Φ(x,z,t) exp(-iωt), the equation describing the fields is ivτ - ∫ vξ dζ + vζζ + ‖v‖2v = 0 where v is proportional to the electric field, ξ to time, and ξ and ζ are distances along and across the lower hybrid ray. The properties of this equation are investigated numerically. When the amplitude of the injected lower hybrid waves is sufficiently large, the following phenomena are observed: the fields do not reach a steady state even though steady-state boundary conditions are imposed; the density modulations are sufficient to cause an appreciable fraction of the incident power to be reflected; the average wavenumber of the transmitted wave is larger than that of the incident wave.