cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Variational Methods Applied to Crossed Field Devices

Cylindrical magnetrons are well known crossed-field devices for magnetrons and amplifiers (CFA). Recent studies showing that recirculating cylindrical magnetrons yield higher currents, faster heat dissipation, and more favorable magnetic field scaling have motivated the design and development of recirculating planar crossed field amplifiers (RPCFAs)1. This growing interest in CF A simulation and design motivates the extension of previous one-dimensional models for crossed field flow. These models showed that electron trajectories universally collapsed to a Brillouin flow with slight perturbations, including external resistance2 and magnetic field misalignment3, This paper will explore the application of variational calculus, which has previously been applied to generalize the Child-Langmuir law4, to the characterizing the physics of turbulence in the crossed-field geometry. We will further present preliminary calculations applying this technique to non-uniform electrodes, such as those exhibiting surface roughness. Relevance to experiments and potential extensions of this approach to external perturbations2, 3 and multiple dimensions4 will be discussed.
The Price of Differential Privacy under Continual Observation.

We study the accuracy of differentially private mechanisms in the continual release model. A continual release mechanism receives a sensitive dataset as a stream of $T$ inputs and produces, after receiving each input, an accurate output on the obtained inputs. In contrast, a batch algorithm receives the data as one batch and produces a single output. We provide the first strong lower bounds on the error of continual release mechanisms. In particular, for two fundamental problems that are widely studied and used in the batch model, we show that the worst case error of every continual release algorithm is $\tilde \Omega(T^{1/3})$ times larger than that of the best batch algorithm. Previous work shows only a polylogarithimic (in $T$) gap between the worst case error achievable in these two models; further, for many problems, including the summation of binary attributes, the polylogarithmic gap is tight (Dwork et al., 2010; Chan et al., 2010). Our results show that closely related problems -- specifically, those that require selecting the largest of a set of sums -- are fundamentally harder in the continual release model than in the batch model. Our lower bounds assume only that privacy holds for streams fixed in advance (the "nonadaptive" setting). However, we provide matching upper bounds that hold in a model where privacy is required even for adaptively selected streams. This model may be of independent interest.
Orthopaedic Review and Summary

Since the inception of intraoperative spinal cord monitoring in the early 1970’s, much has been written regarding the various techniques, methodology, experimentation, and results of this monitoring system.
Realist Constructivism: The public interest

Approaches to the study of international politics grounded in ­logics of the social require an idea of the social as political, an idea of social institutions as meaningful entities in the practice of politics apart from their role as institutional constraints on individual political actors. John Ruggie uses the term “social purpose” in this context to link constructivism with late nineteenth- and early twentieth-century Continental social theorists such as Durkheim and Weber. Whether or not one accepts this particular understanding of the social as political, a social constructivist approach requires that one have some equivalent idea. Without such an idea one is left either with purely individualist motivations for political action, or without any source of change in political patterns and structures, which is to say without any politics at all. And even purely individualist motivations for individual action reflect social purpose, to the extent that individual identities and interests are socially constructed. As I argue below, a common feature of constructivist ideas of the social as political is the concept of a public interest, defined as a set of political goals intersubjectively held within a social group, goals held for the group rather than (or as well as) for the members of the group as individuals. Any group of people whose political identity is, in whole or in part, focused on the group, and who hold common political goals for the group, have a public interest.
Effect of resection depth of early glottic cancer on vocal outcome: an optimized finite element simulation.

Objectives/Hypothesis To test the hypothesis that subligamental cordectomy produces superior acoustic outcome than subepithelial cordectomy for early (T1–2) glottic cancer that requires complete removal of the superficial lamina propria but does not involve the vocal ligament. Study Design Computer simulation. Methods A computational tool for vocal fold surgical planning and simulation (the National Center for Voice and Speech Phonosurgery Optimizer-Simulator) was used to evaluate the acoustic output of alternative vocal fold morphologies. Four morphologies were simulated: normal, subepithelial cordectomy, subligamental cordectomy, and transligamental cordectomy (partial ligament resection). The primary outcome measure was the range of fundamental frequency (F0) and sound pressure level (SPL). A more restricted F0-SPL range was considered less favorable because of reduced acoustic possibilities given the same range of driving subglottic pressure and identical vocal fold posturing. Results Subligamental cordectomy generated solutions covering an F0-SPL range 82% of normal for a rectangular vocal fold. In contrast, transligamental and subepithelial cordectomies produced significantly smaller F0-SPL ranges, 57% and 19% of normal, respectively. Conclusion This study illustrates the use of the Phonosurgery Optimizer-Simulator to test a specific hypothesis regarding the merits of two surgical alternatives. These simulation results provide theoretical support for vocal ligament excision with maximum muscle preservation when superficial lamina propria resection is necessary but the vocal ligament can be spared on oncological grounds. The resection of more tissue may paradoxically allow the eventual recovery of a better speaking voice, assuming glottal width is restored. Application of this conclusion to surgical practice will require confirmatory clinical data. Level of Evidence N/A. Laryngoscope, 125:1892–1899, 2015
P03 Type-I and -IV hypersensitivity to platinum salts

A 28-year-old female analytical chemist visited our patch test clinic with initially complaints of severe hand dermatitis. Later on she developed rhinitis, bronchial asthma and tightness of the chest. The complaints seemed work related: her condition improved during holidays and on sick leaves. She worked in a laboratory with several platinum salts and used different kinds of gloves (latex, nitril, etc.). Methods: Patch tests were performed with the European Standard series and prick tests with common inhalant allergens. Patch-, prick- and open patch tests were carried out with various aqueous dilutions of platinum chloride (PtCl2). Results: Patch tests with 0.01–2% PtCl2 were positive on day 2, 3 and 6, and at 0.001% a follicular reaction was found. The prick-test was already positive at the lowest concentration tested (0.001%). The open patch test, carried out retro-auricular, showed a positive reaction at 1 and 2% PtCl2 after 20 min. Controls in healthy volunteers (n = 5) were all negative. Discussion: It is well known that platinum salts can cause type-I hypersensitivity reactions like allergic rhinitis, conjunctivitis, bronchial asthma and urticaria, also referred to as platinosis. Contact dermatitis to platinum salts, however, is very rare. In our patch test clinic, 78 patients were tested between 1987 and 2001 with PtCl2 2%. Only 2 women showed a positive patch test for PtCl2. The patient presented here, stopped working with platinum salts and recovered from all complaints. We interpret our case as occupational type-I and type-IV hypersensitivity to platinum salts with mucosal and dermal manifestations.
What students include in hand-drawn diagrams to explain seasonal temperature variation

This study seeks to understand how hand-drawn diagrams are made to represent ideas related to the cause of the seasons. It draws from a set of diagrams produced by a sample of high school students (N=652) in the United States who were asked to describe their naive understandings regarding the cause of the seasons. Using codes applied to students' short, written explanations of the cause of the seasons and codes applied to drawings that were produced, this paper describes patterns seen across diagrams and identifies a few depiction trends associated with specific categories of explanations.
Photoperiodic determination of insect development and diapause

The hypothesis advanced by James W. Truman to explain the photoperiodically regulated circadian rhythm of adult eclosion in a Saturniid moth has been modified and extended to form the basis of a proposed Developmental Determination Model. This model postulates the synthesis of a hypothetical substance (S) and the kinetics of its metabolism in the presence or absence of light energy. The relationship of scotophase duration to the temporal occurrence of postulated “determination response thresholds” was estimated in the terms of the hypothetical model. The temporal position of a postulated “Determination Gate” was also approximated in terms of the model system. The characteristics of the proposed model were designed to be consistent with the observed effects of different 24-hour photoperiods on the incidence of diapause among larvae of the European corn borer,Ostrinia nubilalis. The proposed Determination Model was shown to be capable of generating all four types of photoperiodic diapause reponse curves reported in existing literature.
Parallel AR computation with a reconfigurable signal processor

A proposed reconfigurable signal processor has hundreds of processors connected by optical fibers to an optical crossbar switch and uses static dataflow. The system, optical switch, programming methodology, and functional operation are described. Levinson-Durbin, Burg. and Schur algorithms for solving Toeplitz equations arising in optimal filters and AR modeling are reviewed. The implementation of these algorithms on the proposed processor are considered. Reconfigurability permits the most suitable algorithms to be selected and trade offs to be made between speed and efficiency.
Adaptations of Truth and Reconciliation Commissions in the North American Context: Local Examples of a Global Restorative Justice Intervention

Truth and Reconciliation Commissions (TRCs) are restorative justice mechanisms for addressing human rights violations and injustice at the macro level. Mainly applied in the Global South, they have only recently been adapted within North America. The Greensboro, NC TRC was launched by grassroots and community-based organizations in 2004 to examine the causes and consequences of a 1979 incident of racial violence. The Canadian TRC was established in 2008 to address the legacy of colonial policies of assimilation and the forced schooling of indigenous populations. Through a comparison of these two cases, this paper will investigate how the North American context shapes the nature of the problems that these TRCs address, how they are organized, their relationship to the legal system, the role of civil society, and their relationship to poverty and reparations. Implications for social work, restorative justice and the potential for additional TRCs in North America are discussed.
Real-Time Path Planning and Navigation for Multi-agent and Crowd Simulations

We survey some of our recent work on real-time path planning and navigation of multiple autonomous agents in dynamic environments. The driving application of our work are real-time crowd simulation for computer games, virtual environments, and avatar-based online 3D social networks. We also present extensions to these methods for accelerating the overall simulation and for modeling more complex behaviors. Finally, we present some preliminary results from our simulations.
Abrupt termination of Marine Isotope Stage 16 (Termination VII) at 631.5 ka in Santa Barbara Basin, California

The Marine Isotope Stage 16–15 boundary (Termination VII) is the first deglacial warming step of the late Quaternary following the mid-Pleistocene transition (MPT), when 41 kyr climatic cycles shifted to strong 100 kyr cycles. The detailed structure of this important climatic event has remained unknown until now. Core MV0508-19JPC from Santa Barbara Basin, California, contains a decadal-scale climatic and geochemical sediment record of 4000 years duration that includes the early part of this deglacial episode. This record reveals that the climatic shift during the early deglacial occurred rapidly (<700 years), in a progression of three abrupt warming steps. The onset of Marine Isotope Stage (MIS) 15 was remarkably abrupt with 4–5°C sea surface warming in ~50 years. The deglacial sequence contains the well-dated Lava Creek tephra (631.3 ± 4 ka) from Yellowstone Caldera used to date the onset of Termination VII at 631.5 ka. The late MIS 16 and early MIS 15 interval exhibits multiple decadal-scale negative excursions in δ13C of planktic foraminifera, likely the result of repeated discharges of methane from methane hydrates associated with both ocean warming and low sea level. A warm interstadial that interrupts late MIS 16 is marked by elevated concentrations of redox-sensitive elements indicating sulfidic, oxygen-deficient bottom and pore-waters, and elevated concentrations of total organic carbon and Cd, reflecting increased surface productivity. Unlike younger sediments on the California margin, these indicators of increased productivity and low dissolved oxygen do not consistently correspond with each other or with preserved laminations, possibly reflecting instability of a still evolving ocean-atmosphere system following the MPT.
Improving Project Management Decision Making by Modeling Quality, Time, and Cost Continuously

The value of a project to a client can be measured in part by the level of quality associated with the completed project. Quality is acknowledged to be an important component of project management, but its joint relationship with time and cost previously has not been modeled. This paper introduces the notion of a quality function for individual tasks and uses the functional form of the bivariate normal (after also evaluating a bivariate logistic form), to model quality at the task level. Using real data from two case studies, a translation agency and a software development company, the quality function is specified and incorporated into a mathematical programming model that allows quality to be explicitly considered in project planning and scheduling. An alternative model formulation leads to the creation of quality level curves that enable managers to evaluate the nonlinear tradeoffs between quality, time, and cost for each of the example projects. The results of these analyses lead to specific decisions about the planned values for these three fundamental dimensions at the task level and provide insights for project planning and scheduling that can be gained through improved understanding of the choices and tradeoffs.
Fiber Optic FT-IR Spectrometry Of Laminates

The process of lamination can be monitored by the use of fiber optics coupled with Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) spectrometry. During the process, the effects of temperature and pressure on the laminate and fiber can be followed. Problems related to the temperature, stripping, and pressure on the fiber have been addressed. Temperature has virtually no effect on the fiber up to about 350°F. Stripping the fiber using the manufacturer's recommended method was detrimental to the surface of the fiber. Pressure (up to about 400 psi) on the fiber was not a problem unless the coating of the fiber was removed by the prescribed method.
The validity of EQ-5D US preference weights in liver transplant candidates and recipients

Health utility instruments assess patients' valuation of specific health states, which can be converted to quality-adjusted life years for cost-utility analysis. Data from the EQ-5D, a generic health-related quality of life questionnaire from EuroQoL, can be reported as 5 health status scores or as a single health preference weight (HPW). US population-based HPWs were published by Shaw and colleagues in 2005 (Med Care 2005;43:203-220). Our aim was to test the validity of US EQ-5D HPWs and health status scores in liver transplant patients. EQ-5D scores were converted to HPWs with Shaw et al.'s model. Data were stratified by measurement period: pretransplant period, early posttransplant period ( 36 months). EQ-5D scores were compared to specific, hypothesized Short Form 36 Health Survey, Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale, and Beck Anxiety Inventory scores that were identified a priori on the basis of construct similarity. Criterion-related and construct validity were tested with nonparametric methods. Two hundred eighty-five adults participated (113 in the pretransplant period, 60 in the early posttransplant period, 47 in the intermediate posttransplant period, and 65 in the late posttransplant period), and follow-up averaged 36 +/- 36 months. Eighty-one percent of the hypothesized relationships between EQ-5D and gold-standard scales were strong (r > or = |0.5|, P |0.3|, P < 0.001). Differences between pretransplant and posttransplant EQ-5D HPWs were statistically significant. In conclusion, EQ-5D dimensions and the health utility index generated from Shaw's US population preference weights demonstrated criterion-related and construct validity in liver transplant patients. It is a valid instrument for cost-utility analysis in this setting.
Scattering of wind turbines - Radar wave propagation analysis in wind farms

As the wind power industry thrives, more wind turbines are being installed across the country. A large group of wind turbines built next to each other forms a wind farm, which may cause potential EMI (Electromagnetic Interference) to nearby radio devices. Some studies have been performed to investigate this impact on radio applications, mostly on radar, because by far there have been many cases found to have severe impact on radar networks.
A comparison of TRMM to other basin-scale estimates of rainfall during the 1999 Hurricane Floyd flood

The volumetric rainfall attributed to Hurricane Floyd in 1999 was computed for the bulk of the Tar, Neuse, and Cape Fear River Basins in eastern North Carolina, USA from the Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission (TRMM) Multi-Satellite Precipitation Analysis (TMPA) research product, and compared with volumes computed using kriged gauge data and one centrally located radar. TMPA showed similar features in the band of heaviest rainfall with kriged and radar data, but was higher in the basin-scale integrations. Furthermore, Floyd’s direct runoff volumes were computed and divided by the volumetric rainfall estimates to give runoff coefficients for the three basins. The TMPA, having the larger storm totals, would suggest greater infiltration during Floyd than the gauge and radar estimates would. Finally, we discuss a concept for adjusting the United States Department of Agriculture Natural Resources Conservation Service rainfall-runoff model when predicting discharge values from real-time TMPA in ungauged river basins.
What Makes Grassroots Conservation Organizations Resilient? An Empirical Analysis of Diversity, Organizational Memory, and the Number of Leaders

Conservation Area Management Committees (CAMCs)—the functional decision-making units consisting entirely of local villagers—are grassroots organizations legally established to manage the Annapurna Conservation Area (ACA) in Nepal. These committees suffered due to the decade-long Maoist insurgency, but they survived. The paper attempts to test what factors contributed to their resiliency. For this, I surveyed 30 CAMCs during the summer of 2007 and conducted semi-structured interviews of 190 executive members of the CAMCs and 13 park officials who closely monitor the CAMCs. Regression results showed that the number of leaders (b = 0.44, t = 2.38, P = .027) was the most critical variable for building the resilience of CAMCs to the Maoist insurgency, i.e., retaining the same function, structure, and identity of the committees. As there were no reported conflicts among leaders and they were involved in negotiations and devising contingency plans, CAMCs actually benefited from having more leaders. Of the three diversity indices, the quadratic terms of age diversity (b = −5.42, t = 1.95, P = .064) and ethnic diversity (b = −4.05, t = 1.78, P = .075) had a negative impact on the CAMCs’ resilience. Skill diversity and organizational memory had no significant influence on the CAMCs’ resilience (t .10). These results have important implications for building resilience in community-based conservation.
Property maps for abrasion resistance of materials

Using mechanics models of contacting surfaces under both normal and tangential loads, a mechanistic framework has been developed for assessing material resistance to initiation of abrasive damage. Solutions are presented for the critical loads to initiate yielding and cracking at blunt contacts, as well as those to attain a prescribed plastic penetration depth and cause cracking from within the plastic zone at sharp contacts. Material property groups that characterize abrasion resistance emerge from the models. Guided by these groups, illustrative property maps are constructed and used to make comparative assessments of a wide range of engineering materials.
1D design style implications for mask making and CEBL

At advanced nodes, CMOS logic is being designed in a highly regular design style because of the resolution limitations of optical lithography equipment. Logic and memory layouts using 1D Gridded Design Rules (GDR) have been demonstrated to nodes beyond 12nm.[1-4] Smaller nodes will require the same regular layout style but with multiple patterning for critical layers. One of the significant advantages of 1D GDR is the ease of splitting layouts into lines and cuts. A lines and cuts approach has been used to achieve good pattern fidelity and process margin to below 12nm.[4] Line scaling with excellent line-edge roughness (LER) has been demonstrated with self-aligned spacer processing.[5] This change in design style has important implications for mask making: • The complexity of the masks will be greatly reduced from what would be required for 2D designs with very complex OPC or inverse lithography corrections. • The number of masks will initially increase, as for conventional multiple patterning. But in the case of 1D design, there are future options for mask count reduction. • The line masks will remain simple, with little or no OPC, at pitches (1x) above 80nm. This provides an excellent opportunity for continual improvement of line CD and LER. The line pattern will be processed through a self-aligned pitch division sequence to divide pitch by 2 or by 4. • The cut masks can be done with “simple OPC” as demonstrated to beyond 12nm.[6] Multiple simple cut masks may be required at advanced nodes. “Coloring” has been demonstrated to below 12nm for two colors and to 8nm for three colors. • Cut/hole masks will eventually be replaced by e-beam direct write using complementary e-beam lithography (CEBL).[7-11] This transition is gated by the availability of multiple column e-beam systems with throughput adequate for high- volume manufacturing. A brief description of 1D and 2D design styles will be presented, followed by examples of 1D layouts. Mask complexity for 1D layouts patterned directly will be compared to mask complexity for lines and cuts at nodes larger than 20nm. No such comparison is possible below 20nm since single-patterning does not work below ~80nm pitch using optical exposure tools. Also discussed will be recently published wafer results for line patterns with pitch division by-2 and by-4 at sub-12nm nodes, plus examples of post-etch results for 1D patterns done with cut masks and compared to cuts exposed by a single-column e-beam direct write system.
Delivering optical power to subcutaneous implanted devices

In this paper, a new, easy-to-implement, and MRI-compatible approach for delivering power to implantable devices is presented. The idea is to harvest the energy of light within the therapeutic window wavelengths, where the optical absorption is small, by using subcutaneous photovoltaic (PV) cells. Depending on the application, this energy can then be used to directly drive the embedded electronics of an implanted device or recharge its battery. To show the feasibility of this system, a CMOS chip based on this concept has been implemented and tested. The experimental results demonstrate that μW's of power in ambient light conditions can be harvested using mm2-size PV cells. This amount of power is sufficient to address the needs of many low-power applications.
Neuromuscular complications of hepatitis A virus infection and vaccines

The hepatitis A virus (HAV) infects millions of people worldwide every year. Case histories report on various acute neuropathy syndromes in the context of acute HAV infection, but any causal link has not been established. Epidemiological data also cast doubt on the importance of HAV as a trigger for Guillain-Barre syndrome. The virtual absence of a chronic HAV-infected state likely explains the rare occurrence of extrahepatic immune-mediated diseases, including an absence of chronic autoimmune neuromuscular disorders. Several vaccines against HAV provide effective protection against natural infection. Isolated case histories report on an unconvincing association between HAV vaccination and neuropathy. Medical and epidemiological data show insufficient evidence to support a causal relationship between HAV vaccines and neuropathy syndromes. Aluminum hydroxide, a HAV vaccine adjuvant, is considered a trigger of the macrophagic myofasciitis syndrome. This review concludes that it seems unnecessary to routinely consider HAV infection or vaccination as triggers of neuromuscular diseases.
Localization of γ-aminobutyric acid and glutamic acid decarboxylase in rhesus monkey retina

Use of antisera directed against gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) and L-glutamic acid decarboxylase (GAD) in the retina of rhesus monkey reveals immunoreactivity in about one-third of amacrine and horizontal cells and in a subclass of cells situated within the ganglion cell layer. Within the inner plexiform layer neuronal processes form 3 heavily immunoreactive bands which alternate with two lightly reactive bands. Further, a dense narrow band of staining was observed in the scleral half of the outer plexiform layer. Muller cells and their processes are stained with anti-GABA but not with anti-GAD, suggesting that these glial cells take up, but do not synthesize GABA.
The evolution of plant architecture

The vascular plants have evolved from a simple body plan that has diversified into the vast array of architectures seen in plants today. Much architectural diversity results from the varied growth patterns of apical and axillary meristems. Current research is showing that meristem growth patterns are regulated genetically and hormonally, and the genes that control these processes are being identified and characterized.
Orthogonal factors vs. interdependent variables as predictors of drug treatment response in anxious outpatients.

Two forms of multiple regression analysis, one based upon a set of individual variables, one based upon a set of orthogonal factors generated from them, were used to predict response to treatment in a group of 199 primarily anxious, neurotic outpatients treated for a 4 week period with either diazepam or phenobarbital. Greater improvement, irrespective of medication received, was found in patients who: 1. enjoyed greater social and personal advantage, 2. participated in a more empathetic treatment relationship, 3. were oriented toward drugs and away from psychotherapy as a primary treatment modality, 4. had less severe presenting symptomatology, and 5. had sufficient cognitive differentiation to realize that their problems were emotional in origin. Diazepam was superior to phenobarbital in employed patients and in patients with more severe somatizing tendencies, while the relative effectiveness of the 2 medications was reversed in unemployed patients and those with limited somatizing tendencies. Weaknesses in one form of regression analysis were complemented by strengths in the other.
Differential Stability of Dimeric and Monomeric Cytochrome c Oxidase Exposed to Elevated Hydrostatic Pressure

Detergent-solubilized dimeric and monomeric cytochrome c oxidase (CcO) have significantly different quaternary stability when exposed to 2-3 kbar of hydrostatic pressure. Dimeric, dodecyl maltoside-solubilized cytochrome c oxidase is very resistant to elevated hydrostatic pressure with almost no perturbation of its quaternary structure or functional activity after release of pressure. In contrast to the stability of dimeric CcO, 3 kbar of hydrostatic pressure triggers multiple structural and functional alterations within monomeric cytochrome c oxidase. The perturbations are either irreversible or slowly reversible since they persist after the release of high pressure. Therefore, standard biochemical analytical procedures could be used to quantify the pressure-induced changes after the release of hydrostatic pressure. The electron transport activity of monomeric cytochrome c oxidase decreases by as much as 60% after exposure to 3 kbar of hydrostatic pressure. The irreversible loss of activity occurs in a time- and pressure-dependent manner. Coincident with the activity loss is a sequential dissociation of four subunits as detected by sedimentation velocity, high-performance ion-exchange chromatography, and reversed-phase and SDS-PAGE subunit analysis. Subunits VIa and VIb are the first to dissociate followed by subunits III and VIIa. Removal of subunits VIa and VIb prior to pressurization makes the resulting 11-subunit form of CcO even more sensitive to elevated hydrostatic pressure than monomeric CcO containing all 13 subunits. However, dimeric CcO, in which the association of VIa and VIb is stabilized, is not susceptible to pressure-induced inactivation. We conclude that dissociation of subunit III and/or VIIa must be responsible for pressure-induced inactivation of CcO since VIa and VIb can be removed from monomeric CcO without significant activity loss. These results are the first to clearly demonstrate an important structural role for the dimeric form of cytochrome c oxidase, i.e., stabilization of its quaternary structure.
Synthesis and characterization of nanosized metals embedded in polystyrene matrix

Thermal treatment of a solution containing iron pentacarbonyl and styrene monomer in hexadecane resulted in a high yield (>90%) of nanoparticles of iron encapsulated in a polystyrene matrix (Fe-PST). The freshly prepared off-colored Fe in polystyrene (Fe-PST) material consisted of black particles that were attributed to zero-valent iron. On exposure to air, the black Fe particles slowly turned dark brown due to conversion into iron oxide. The observed oxidation phenomenon was confirmed by electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) spectroscopy: the freshly prepared Fe-PST was EPR silent but after exposure to air, a strong signature EPR signal for iron oxide was recorded. The infrared data confirmed changes in intensity of characteristic bands of PST in Fe-PST. The TEM image of the oxidized Fe-PST material consisted of discrete Fe particles that were distributed throughout the polymer matrix. The differential scanning calorimetric data of Fe-PST showed an enhanced glass transition temperature to 120 °C owing to the presence of Fe nanoparticles.
Controlling malaria: competition, seasonality and ‘slingshotting’ transgenic mosquitoes into natural populations

Forty years after the World Health Organization abandoned its eradication campaign, malaria remains a public health problem of the first magnitude with worldwide infection rates on the order of 300 million souls. The present paper reviews potential control strategies from the viewpoint of mathematical epidemiology. Following MacDonald and others, we argue in Section 1 that the use of imagicides, i.e., killing, or at least repelling, adult mosquitoes, is inherently the most effective way of combating the pandemic. In Section 2, we model competition between wild-type (WT) and plasmodium-resistant, genetically modified (GM) mosquitoes. Under the assumptions of inherent cost and prevalence-dependant benefit to transgenics, GM introduction can never eradicate malaria save by stochastic extinction of WTs. Moreover, alternative interventions that reduce prevalence have the undesirable consequence of reducing the likelihood of successful GM introduction. Section 3 considers the possibility of using seasonal fluctuations in mosquito abundance and disease prevalence to 'slingshot' GM mosquitoes into natural populations. By introducing GM mosquitoes when natural populations are about to expand, one can 'piggyback' on the yearly cycle. Importantly, this effect is only significant when transgene cost is small, in which case the non-trivial equilibrium is a focus (damped oscillations), and piggybacking is amplified by the system's inherent tendency to oscillate. By way of contrast, when transgene cost is large, the equilibrium is a node and no such amplification is obtained.
Viscosity properties of sodium borophosphate glasses

Abstract The viscosity behavior of (1 − x )NaPO 3 − x Na 2 B 4 O 7 glasses ( x = 0.05–0.20) have been measured as a function of temperature using beam-bending and parallel-plate viscometry. The viscosity was found to shift to higher temperatures with increasing sodium borate content. The kinetic fragility parameter, m , estimated from the viscosity curve, decreases from 52 to 33 when x increases from 0.05 to 0.20 indicating that the glass network transforms from fragile to strong with the addition of Na 2 B 4 O 7 . The decrease in fragility with increasing x is due to the progressive depolymerization of the phosphate network by the preferred four-coordinated boron atoms present in the low alkali borate glasses. As confirmed by Raman spectroscopy increasing alkali borate leads to enhanced B–O–P linkages realized with the accompanying transition from solely four-coordinated boron (in BO 4 units) to mixed BO 4 /BO 3 structures. The glass viscosity characteristics of the investigated glasses were compared to those of P-SF67 and N-FK5 commercial glasses from SCHOTT. We showed that the dependence of the viscosity of P-SF67 was similar to the investigated glasses due to similar phosphate network organization confirmed by Raman spectroscopy, whereas N-FK5 exhibited a very different viscosity curve and fragility parameter due to its highly coordinated silicate network.
PLZT thermal/flash protective goggles: Device concepts and constraints

Abstract In 1975 Sandia Laboratories began the design and development of PLZT Goggles for the U.S. Air Force to provide protection from temporary flashblindness and permanent retinal burns caused by the brilliant flash of nuclear explosions. The user requirements, system and physical constraints, and use/storage environments were all considered in arriving at the final design goals. When the program began, there was no industrial capability to manufacture large-aperture PLZT materials or bonded lens assemblies. The technology has been established from a laboratory baseline in a brief period, and operational testing and evaluation by the Air Force has been completed. The goggles, identified as the EEU-2/P, are now in production.
Estimation of Winds from GPS Radio Occultations

GPS radio occultations (RO) offer the possibility to map winds in the upper troposphere and lower stratosphere (UTLS) region because geopotential height is the independent coordinate of retrieval. Most other sounders do not offer this possibility because their independent coordinate of retrieval is pressure. To estimate theprecisionwithwhichGPSradiooccultationdatacanmapwinds,drypressureprofilesaresimulatedfromthe Interim European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts Re-Analysis (ERA-Interim) at the actual locations of the Challenging Minisatellite Payload (CHAMP) and the Constellation Observing System for Meteorology, Ionosphere and Climate (COSMIC) soundings for the year 2007. Monthly wind maps were created by using Bayesian interpolation on subsampled ERA-Interim data in 3‐5-day bins and subsequent averagingoveramonth.Mappingwindsinthisapproachrequiresthat1)geostrophyapproximateswinds;2)dry pressureapproximatespressureintheUTLS;and3)geopotentialheightcanbemappedaccuratelygivensparse, nonuniform distributions of data. This study found that, under these conditions, it is possible to map monthly windsnearthetropopausewithanaccuracyof5.6ms 21 withCHAMPaloneand4.5ms 21 withCOSMICalone. Thedominantcontributorstouncertaintyareundersamplingoftheatmosphereandageostrophy,particularlyat the leading and trailing edges of the subtropical jet. The former is reduced with increased density of GPS RO soundings. The latter cannot be reduced even after iteration for balanced winds. Nevertheless, it is still possible tocapturethegeneralwindpatternandtodeterminethepositionofthesubtropicaljetdespitetheuncertaintyin its magnitude. COSMIC radio occultation measurements from 2006 through 2011 were used to estimate monthly geostrophic winds maps in UTLS. The resultant wind dataset is posted online.
The local lymph node assay being too sensitive

The local lymph node assay (LLNA) and modifications thereof were recently recognized by the OECD as stand-alone methods for the detection of skin-sensitizing potential. However, although the validity of the LLNA was acknowledged by the ICCVAM, attention was drawn to one major problem, i.e., the possibility of false positive results caused by non-specific cell activation as a result of inflammatory processes in the skin (irritation). This is based on the fact that inflammatory processes in the skin may lead to non-specific activation of dendritic cells, cell migration and non-specific proliferation of lymph node cells. Measuring cell proliferation by radioactive or non-radioactive methods, without taking the irritating properties of test items into account, leads thus to false positive reactions. In this paper, we have compared both endpoints: (1) cell proliferation alone and (2) cell proliferation in combination with inflammatory (irritating) processes. It turned out that a considerable number of tests were “false positive” to the definition mentioned above. By excluding such false positive results the LLNA seems not to be more sensitive than relevant guinea pig assays. These various methods and results are described here.
SIGNAL LUMINANCE AND POSITION EFFECTS IN HUMAN REACTION TIME.

Abstract Reaction time of 3 trained subjects is measured under four conditions of flash luminance at nine retinal positions along the horizontal meridian. The interaction between retinal position, intensity and reaction time is discussed. When reaction time is plotted as a function of retinal position, different functions are derived for stimuli at photopic levels than for stimuli in the scotopic range. The relationship between density of retinal elements at a given locus of stimulation and reaction time at that locus is examined. An hypothesis is advanced to account for this relationship.
Transparent poly(vinyl acetate)-silica gels by a sol-gel process

Rod shaped silica-poly(vinyl acetate) (PVAc) gels have been prepared by a sol gel process. In situ polymerization of tetraethoxysilane (TEOS) was accomplished in the presence of low molecular weight PVAc by dissolving various amounts of PVAc in a mixture of TEOS, ethanol, water and hydrochloric acid (HCl). Gelation of this mixture was carried out between room temperature and slightly above. Silica-PVAc rods recovered from cylindrical molds were homogeneous and transparent. Gels with weight percents of PVAc ranging from 2% to 50% were prepared. Silica-PVAc gels have higher flexure strengths, less brittle character and improved water durability in comparison with pure sol- gel silica.
100 years of the visual cycle.

Abstract One-hundred years have passed since Franz Boll and Willy Kuhne first characterized rhodopsin and discovered the visual pigment cycle. Some of the events and individuals of that period are described, and color photographs are presented to show the appearance of rhodopsin in the living retina.
Constituent gluons and a new mechanism for radiative weak decays of hyperons

Abstract An effective quark-gluon-photon operator is considered as the mechanism for radiative weak decays of hyperons. The coefficient function is unsuppressed by GIM cancellations, suggesting a significant decay rate, and a substantial amount of parity violation (large decay asymmetry) is expected. Attempted model calculations confirm this last feature but fail to provide an adequate absolute decay rate.
A rapid high-yield purification procedure for the cyclic adenosine 3',5'-monophosphate receptor protein from Escherichia coli.

Abstract A new method for the purification of the cyclic adenosine 3′,5′-monophosphate receptor protein from Escherichia coli has been developed. The method is rapid and simple, and a very high yield of the purified protein is obtained which is not contaminated with either DNAase or RNAase activity.
Attacking the Leader, Missing the Mark: Why Terrorist Groups Survive Decapitation Strikes

Leadership targeting has become a key feature of counterterrorism policy. Both academics and policymakers have argued that the removal of leaders is an effective strategy in combating terrorism. Leadership decapitation is not always successful, however, and existing empirical work does not account for this variability. A theory of organizational resilience explains why decapitation results in the decline of some terrorist organizations and the survival of others. Organizational resilience is dependent on two variables: bureaucratization and communal support. Older and larger organizations tend to develop bureaucratic features, facilitating a clear succession process and increasing their stability and ability to withstand attacks on their leadership. Communal support plays an important role in providing the resources necessary for terrorist groups to function and survive. Religious and separatist groups typically enjoy a high degree of support from the communities in which they operate, and thus access to critical resources. Application of this theoretical model to the case of al-Qaida reveals that Osama bin Laden’s death and the subsequent targeting of other high-level al-Qaida operatives are unlikely to produce significant organizational decline.
Localizing imbalance in progressive supranuclear palsy: is the thalamus the "fall guy"?

Gait imbalance and falls present a major challenge in neurologic care. Current therapeutics have little to offer for most problems of balance, especially in neurodegenerative disorders like progressive supranuclear palsy (PSP). Frequent falling, a hallmark of PSP, typically develops early and with greater disability than in idiopathic Parkinson disease (PD), in which imbalance is primarily retropulsive rather than multidirectional. The pathologic changes in PSP are intraneuronal aggregates of tau protein (predominantly the H1 haplotype1), but there is little known about the circuitry and neurochemistry of specific motor impairments.2 Fortunately, new insight into the functional anatomy of PSP comes from a report by Zwergal et al.3 in this issue of Neurology ®. Their findings argue for thalamic localization of postural imbalance and falling in PSP. Using controlled multimodal studies to characterize a group of 16 patients with PSP, this report brings together data from the patients' reported frequency of falls, posturography, brain [18F]fluorodeoxyglucose PET scanning, and fMRI. The sophisticated analysis was based primarily on functional connectivity, without evidence from neurotransmitter or electrophysiologic studies. The conclusions should be regarded as tentative, therefore, although suggestive of where therapeutic interventions should be targeted. Next to PD, PSP is the most common parkinsonian syndrome; although clinically heterogeneous, it is …
Dental management of patients with hereditary angioedema: report of case

The causes, diagnostic findings, and management of hereditary angioneurotic edema are reviewed, and a case report that describes dental treatment of a patient with hereditary angioneurotic edema in an outpatient clinic is presented.
Oscillatory and step response electromechanical phenomena in human and bovine bone.

Abstract Bone generates electrical potentials or strain-related potentials when mechanically deformed. These electrical potentials may be partially responsible for the remodeling process which bone experiences in response to mechanical loads. A large body of evidence suggests that streaming potentials are the dominant mechanism responsible for strain-related potential generation in fluid saturated bone. Recently, biphasic poroelastic theory has been coupled to electrokinetic theory in an attempt to further elucidate this mechanism. The work reported here expands the experimental evidence in support of this theory. Experimental results which characterize electrical and mechanical phenomena in both wide frequency oscillatory and step response testing of 47 human and bovine bone specimens are reported. These results also include data from experiments in which the viscosity and conductivity of the solutions permeating 10 human and bovine bone specimens were varied. A specially designed mechanical spectrometer and data acquisition system was used to perform oscillatory and step response mechanical testing of bone specimens. Testing procedures, which were optimized for strain-related potential measurement, were developed. These included procedures for varying testing solution viscosity and conductivity. The experimental data was analyzed using descriptive and inferential statistical techniques and linear and nonlinear regression methods. The following objectives were established for the work reported here: (1) to confirm the existing experimental results; (2) to attempt to obtain a successful correlation between theoretically predicted and experimentally observed mechanical phenomena; (3) to extend the experimental results over the wider frequency range of 0.05–100 Hz; (4) to test the theory in the time domain; (5) to test the theory for changes in viscosity and conductivity of the permeating fluid; and (6) to extend the experimental testing to include human bone specimens. All of these objectives were met except that a highly variable correlation between the theoretically predicted and experimentally observed mechanical phenomena was obtained. Patterns in these data are explored and the possible causes of the highly variable correlation are discussed. The results strongly suggest an electrokinetic origin for the observed electrical potentials. The microporosity of bone appears to be the location in which this mechanism operates.
Sulfur processing in forest soil and litter along an elevational and vegetative gradient

O2 litter and A1 horizon soil samples from various locations within the Santa Fe and Cibola National Forests of New Mexico were assayed for sulfate adsorption, organic S formation, and organic S so...
Chaos or nonlinear dynamics: Implications for reading research

Abstract Chaos theory, or the study of nonlinear systems, is a rapidly growing area. The theory of chaos can be defined as being the study of complex, disorderly phenomena with the view that such systems exhibit an underlying deterministic behavior. While traditionally most of this work has been related to research in the physical sciences, particularly in the field of physics, recently there have developed new ideas involving chaos and the social sciences. This paper discusses chaos theory for reading and literacy research.