cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Runaway fingerlike instability of magnetic walls in ultrathin layers

We show that smooth domain walls in ultrathin ferromagnetic films can develop jaggedness even in the absence of random defects when confronted with a sufficiently large tilt between the uniaxial anisotropy direction and the external field. From the Kerr imaging of 0.7 nm thin Co films and from numerical simulations we report a previously unseen runaway fingerlike instability in a magnetic wall that begins on nanoscales but grows to macroscopic lengths for sufficiently large tilt angles. A threshold for the instability is controlled by the ferromagnet's parameters and the applied field.
A trajectory-clustering-correlation methodology for examining the long-range transport of air pollutants

Abstract We present a robust methodology for examining the relationship between synoptic-scale atmospheric transport patterns and pollutant concentration levels observed at a site. Our approach entails calculating a large number of back-trajectories from the observational site over a long period of time and subjecting them to cluster analysis. The short-term component (weather-related variations) of the pollutant concentration time-series data is segregated according to the back-trajectory clusters. Non-parametric statistics are then used to test for “significant” differences in the chemical composition of pollutant data associated with each cluster. Additional information about the spatial and temporal scales of pollutant transport is obtained from the time-lagged inter-site correlation analysis of ozone for a specific cluster. To illustrate the application of this methodology, we examined 5 yr long time-series data of ozone concentrations measured at Whiteface Mountain, NY, Cliffside Park, NJ, and Quabbin Summit, MA. The results provide evidence of ozone transport to these sites, revealing the spatial and temporal scales involved in the transport.
Recontextualizing sexuality in chronic illness: women and interstitial cystitis.

Interstitial cystitis (IC) is a chronic bladder condition that affects ten times more women than men. The major symptoms of IC include urinary frequency, urgency, and suprapubic pain. Dyspareunia is another common complaint. The construct of sexuality can best be understood in context, from the perspective of the study participants. To better understand the changes in sexuality experienced by women with IC, the findings from a survey of 138 women with IC are compared with responses from an earlier pilot interview with ten women with IC. Managing any chronic illness requires changes in many aspects of one's life, including activities, self‐perceptions, relationships, and roles. Women with IC described what was important to them “as women” in the context of their current primary life values of health, love, and family. Changes in the sexual relationship were described in the context of the effects of having IC and the centrality of maintaining relationships. The healing potential of participation in support...
Implications of Modern Syntactic Style on the "QAL" Data-Acquisition Language

The "Q" data-acquisition software system has, for the last several years, provided most of the abilities required by experimenters in nuclear physics at LAMPF. The system allows its user to select and record the required data at very high speed using a simple notation. It is not necessary to become familiar with machine level programming considerations to use the system. This paper reports partial results of a study of the "QAL" language with special emphasis on improvements suggested by recent progress in the field of programming language design. The results indicate that some features of new programming languages would solve some of the problems users have with the current system. It is also possible to capture the abilities of the current system within a PASCAL-like syntax without sacrificing efficiency.
Deposition of submarine crusts rich in manganese and iron

The chemical and mineralogical analyses of manganese-rich and iron-rich oxide crusts, of probable hydrothermal origin, from several locations on active spreading centers and seamounts in the Pacific and Atlantic indicate that these crusts originate from a uniform depositional process. These crusts are characterized by extreme Fe/Mn ratios, Fe and Si contents which co-vary, generally very low concentrations of most trace metals and the rare-earth elements, and variable contents of Zn and the volatile elements Hg, As, and Sb. Co is markedly depleted relative to Cu and Ni, and Zn is enriched, resulting in characteristically low Co/Zn values. These compositions can be accounted for by the fractional precipitation of Fe, SiO 2 , and Mn and incorporation of Zn, As, Sb, and Hg from hydrothermal solutions, and adsorption of minor amounts of Co, Cu, Ni, Pb, Ba, and rare-earth elements from sea water. Mineralogical analyses by ultra-slow scan X-ray diffraction show the manganese-rich crusts to be composed of nearly pure, well-crystallized birnessite and/or todorokite. Iron-rich crusts consist of either amorphous hydrated iron oxide and silica or iron-rich, low-aluminum nontronite. Analyses of a suite of thin ferromanganese crusts formed on ocean-ridge out-croppings of basalt and of a number of Pacific manganese nodules indicate that ferromanganese crusts are enriched in Fe and Si and depleted in trace metals relative to nodules and are similar in chemical composition to East Pacific Rise metalliferous sediments. The similarity of the ferromanganese crusts to metalliferous sediment suggests that they have a common origin. It is believed that most of the Fe, SiO 2 and Mn entering sea water in hydrothermal solutions precipitates as colloidal SiO 2 and hydrated Fe and Mn oxides which are advected by bottom currents and deposited as crusts and sediments. Trace-element contents in these deposits result from adsorption from sea water onto the Fe and Mn colloids during advection.
Determination of fine particulate semi-volatile organic material at three eastern U.S. sampling sites.

Correct assessment of fine particulate carbonaceous material as a function of particle size is, in part, dependent on the determination of semi-volatile compounds, which can be lost from particles during sampling. This study gives results obtained for the collection of fine particulate carbonaceous material at three eastern U.S. sampling sites [Philadelphia, PA; Shenandoah National Park, VA; and Research Triangle Park (RTP), NC] using diffusion denuder technology. The diffusion denuder samplers allow for the determination of fine particulate organic material with no artifacts, due to the loss of semi-volatile organic particulate compounds, or collection of gas-phase organic compounds by the quartz filter during sampling. The results show that an average of 41, 43, and 59% of fine particulate organic material was lost as volatilized semi-volatile organic material during collection of particles on a filter at Philadelphia, RTP, and Shenandoah, respectively. The particle size distribution of carbonaceous material retained by a filter and lost from a filter during sampling was obtained for the samples collected at Philadelphia and Shenandoah. The carbonaceous material retained by the particles during sampling was found predominantly in particles smaller than 0.4 microm in aerodynamic diameter. In contrast, the semi-volatile organic material lost from the particles during sampling had a mass median diameter of approximately 0.5 microm.
Vertically integrated polymer waveguide device minimizing insertion loss and v π

ABSTRACT We present design and fabrication considerations for a vertically integrated electro-optic polymer modulator.The hybrid design incorporates both passive and active core segments for optimized transmission and modulation 1 an optical signal. When compared to traditional structures, this vertically integrated modulator potentially reducesfiber coupling and propagation losses by more than 10dB for a 6cm structure while maintaining a minimized V. KEYWORDS: vertical integration, electro-optic modulator, fiber coupling, insertion loss, polymer waveguide 1. INTRODUCTION Integrated optical systems increasingly utilize polymer devices for signal routing and modulation. Passivepolymer devices offer low overall propagation loss of <0.2dB/cm (at X 1 .3 1 tim) and processibility necessary for complex optical interconnects. On the other hand, active electro-optic polymer devices exhibit high modulation speeds above 1 1OGHz.2 Currently, however, one must compromise between optimizing a polymer device's signal
Late Pleistocene stratigraphy and implications for deglaciation and subglacial processes of the Flathead Lobe of the Cordilleran Ice Sheet, Flathead Valley, Montana, USA

Abstract The Flathead lobe of the Cordilleran ice sheet advanced and retreated across the Flathead Valley, a 90-km-long by 15–25-km-wide basin. The glacier terminated at the southern end of the Flathead Valley during its last glacial maximum. I used geologic mapping, sedimentologic study, and mapping from 3300 descriptive water-well logs to define the stratigraphy of glacial and post-glacial deposits in the Flathead Valley and to infer subglacial processes and retreat rates. Units in the 30–200-m-thick stratigraphic sequence include deep sand and gravel (proglacial alluvium), diamicton (till), locally gravelly silt and clay (coarse-grained subaqueous deposits at recessional moraines and glaciolacustrine deposits), and surficial sand and gravel (outwash and Holocene stream deposits). A nearly continuous till overlies alluvium and is in turn directly overlain by glaciolacustrine deposits. Glaciolacustrine shoreline indicators at altitudes of 940–958 m show that the Flathead lobe receded as a proglacial lake expanded in that range of altitudes. This lake, the ancestral Flathead Lake, was impounded behind bedrock that was downcut 60–78 m since the late Pleistocene. Glaciolacustrine deposits are as much as 180 m thick in discontinuous troughs that locally cut through till to alluvium and bedrock. The troughs are mostly 1–5 km in width, 6–25 km in length, sinuous in plan view, and undulatory in longitudinal profile. The troughs extend below the elevation of Flathead Lake and have been below local base level since glaciation. These characteristics point to incision by meltwater hydrostatically pressurized beneath the Flathead lobe in subglacial tunnel channels. Sand and gravel at the trough bases and part of the glaciolacustrine fill in the troughs are subglacial deposits. Tunnel channels that terminate at recessional moraines suggest excavation occurred sporadically during deglaciation. The distribution of glaciolacustrine silts indicates that the Flathead lobe retreated, and the ancestral Flathead Lake expanded, by 87 km before the lake-outlet stream could downcut its dam by 500 m year−1.
An economic impact analysis of alternative dairy polices: the case of US and German dairy farms

The problem of dairy market imbalances facing the US government and European Community has led to speculation as to which dairy policy is most effective in controlling dairy surpluses. The focus of this duty is to evaluate the financial impact of alternative dairy policies on representative German (to represent EC farms)and US dairy farms. A new procedure is developed to estimate the dynamic marginal cost of overproducing or underproducing the quota which was allotted to german dairy farmers in 1984 and the corresponding costs for the US farmers if such a supply management systems were to be imposed on US farms. The result show substantial differences in the economic and financial performances among the five farms representing the major dairy regions in the US and three German farms classified by size. The estimated costs of over- and under-quota production indicate that producers are better off producing over the quota rather than under the quota except for the large US dairy farms which have different t...
Experimental study of high electric current effects in carbon/epoxy composites

Abstract Electrical and thermal behavior of the carbon fiber-reinforced epoxy composites subjected to relatively high (up to 75 A) steady electric currents is studied. A fully automated experimental setup for real time measurements of the electric current, resistance, voltage, and temperature in carbon fiber-reinforced epoxy matrix composites has been developed. A series of electrical characterization tests on IM7/977-3 unidirectional and symmetric cross-ply composite laminates have been performed and the effects of electric current magnitude and duration, electrical resistance, and associated thermal effects have been investigated. It is determined that electrical resistance exhibits time-dependent behavior. It is also found that application of an electric current leads to a significant temperature rise in the composites that is a result of the intense Joule heat produced in the electrically conductive carbon fibers as well as in the composite-electrode contact.
Electronic structure of C60 semiconductors under controlled doping with B, N, and Co atoms

Abstract We present our recent studies of ab initio density functional theory (DFT) calculations of the electronic structures of several selected n- and p-type doped C 60 semiconductors. A super-cell approach was used. We performed a series of ab initio density functional computations to systematically study the changes of the electronic structure of C 60 semiconductors doped with boron, nitrogen and cobalt atoms. We found that boron and cobalt doped, face-centered cubic (FCC) C 60 solids have the electronic structures of n-type semiconductors. Nitrogen doped FCC C 60 solid has an electronic structure similar to those of a p-type semiconductor, with shallow impurity energy levels near the top of the valence bands of the host material.
Interviewer evaluations of interviewee nonverbal behavior

Abstract Personnel representatives (N = 52) were shown one of four videotaped job interviews in which the verbal content of the 16-min interview was identical, but the interviewee's nonverbal behavior was manipulated. A “low nonverbal” interviewee was defined by minimal eye contact, low energy level, lack of affect and voice modulation, and a lack of speech fluency. The “high nonverbal” interviewee demonstrated the opposite behavior on each of these components. The subjects were asked to rate the videotaped candidates on dimensions previously identified as critical in influencing a job interviewer's decisions. Nonverbal behavior was found to have a significant effect on almost every rating made by subjects in this study. After reviewing the entire 16-min interview, 23 of the 26 subjects who saw the “high nonverbal” candidate would have invited him/her for a second interview. All 26 of the subjects who saw the “low nonverbal” candidate would not have recommended a second interview.
Caenorhabditis elegans: a model system for space biology studies.

The utility of the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans in studies spanning aspects of development, aging, and radiobiology is reviewed. These topics are interrelated via cellular and DNA repair processes especially in the context of oxidative stress and free-radical metabolism. The relevance of these research topics to problems in space biology is discussed and properties of the space environment are outlined. Exposure to the space-flight environment can induce rapid changes in living systems that are similar to changes occurring during aging; manipulation of these environmental parameters may represent an experimental strategy for studies of development and senescence. The current and future opportunities for such space-flight experimentation are presented.
Treatability studies of groundwater contaminated with bis(2-cloroethyl) ether

The groundwater aquifer underneath a chemical manufacturing plant in Southeast Texas has been contaminated with the leachate from its landfill. There are 17 major chlorinated hydrocarbon contaminants found in the groundwater with concentrations ranging from 1 ppm to 1,200 ppm. An air-stripping unit followed by a thermal catalytic oxidation unit is currently operating on-site to remove all of the chlorinated compounds from the contaminated groundwater. One of the contaminants, bis(2-chloroethyl)ether (DCEE), has a fairly low Henry`s Law constant; therefore, a high air flow rate is employed in the stripping unit to improve the overall stripping efficiency. Nevertheless, the treated groundwater still contains a fair amount of DCEE. An UV-peroxidation reactor is set up to study its feasibility for oxidizing DCEE. The treatability data indicate that DCEE at a concentration of 200 ppm can be oxidized effectively in the presence of H{sub 2}O{sub 2} and the effective UV wavelengths lie between 200 and 280 nm. No noticeable reduction of the oxidation rate is observed at low temperature ({approximately} 11 C). Apparent oxidation rate equations of DCEE are determined and several process design parameters are discussed.
COMPARISON OF I.V. DIAZEPAM AND HYDROXYZINE AS SURGICAL PREMEDICANTS

Diazepam and hydroxyzine as i.v. surgical premedicants were compared. A double-blind randomized sequence was used employing 7.5 and 15 mg of diazepam μ. 75 and 150 mg of hydroxyzine. Each group consisted of 35 patients. Anxiety relief, sedation, lack of recall and patient acceptance were the principal assessments. Diazepam was superior to hydroxyzine in all respects. No serious side-effects were noted with either drug.
ROLE OF FILTER SURFACE TENSION IN THE RETENTION OF CELLULAR ELEMENTS BY MICROAGGREGATE BLOOD FILTERS

ABSTRACT The surface tension of the material composing microaggregate blood filters was determined in order to assess the contribution of surface interactions to the retention of blood cells by these devices. Eight commercially available blood filters were investigated. The filter elements were composed of materials including polyvinyl chloride, polyurethane, dacron, cotton and polyester. The surface tension of these materials was determined using the advancing solidification front technique. In the case of granulocyte concentrates and fresh platelets a striking correlation was shown to exist between the extent of cellular retention and filter material surface tension: the higher the surface tension of the material, the greater the extent of cellular retention in accord with previously published thermodynamic predictions. Filters made of the same material but having a different total surface area retained different amounts of fresh blood cells: the larger the surface area the greater the number of cells r...
Deuterium trapping in irradiated 316 stainless steel

Abstract Linear ramp thermal desorption measurements were conducted on 316 stainless steel samples implanted at 296 K with 1–10 keV D + to fluences of 10 17 –10 19 D + /cm 2 . Samples were held 1–100 h at 296 K prior to desorbing. The desorption data were shown to arise from two dominant mechanisms: bulk migration of mobile deuterium atoms with ~0.6 eV migration energy, and release from near surface traps with a net detrapping energy of ~0.9 eV. After 10 keV D + bombardment, more complex desorption spectra were observed. Samples pre-damaged with 300 keV He + exhibited a significant increase in the deuterium trapping compared to samples without pre-bombardment. Based on the data and modelling, estimates of tritium retention in TFTR were made.
Antioxidant Therapy in Male Infertility

Although reports have suggested the benefit of antioxidant treatment of infertile men, many studies also show no effect. Most studies in the literature are not randomized, placebo controlled, or double blinded in design, which makes it difficult to differentiate regression toward the mean from true positive treatment effects. The small patient sample sizes and varying male populations also add to the difficulty in comparing studies. Pregnancy, the most relevant outcome parameter, is rarely reported. Ideally, patients would be selected based on oxidative stress levels, and improvement in these levels would be correlated to improvement in pregnancy rates. Until those studies are performed, the use of antioxidants for the treatment of male infertility remains empiric.
Memory for own- and other-race faces: A dual-process approach

SUMMARY The current studies assessed the phenomenological basis of the cross-race effect by examining predictions of various social-cognitive mechanisms within a dual-process framework for both the perception (Experiment 1) and recognition (Experiment 2) of own- and other-race faces. Taken together, the current studies demonstrated that differential performance on own-race faces was largely due to qualitative differences in the encoding of facial information represented by a recollection process. Furthermore, false recollections with high ratings of confidence occurred more often when participants encoded and responded to unfamiliar other-race faces. The theoretical implications of these findings for the phenomenology of skilled perceptual-memory are discussed, and the applied consequences of the cross-race effect as an encoding-based phenomenon are considered. Copyright # 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Large current high T/sub c/ superconducting rods for current lead applications

The high critical temperature and low thermal conductivity of ceramic superconductors make them suitable for current leads in low T/sub c/ magnets. The plastic extrusion process was applied for the fabrication of YBaCuO and BiSrCaCuO rods for this application. The platelet morphology of BiSrCaCuO was utilized to process rods with a high degree of preferred orientation, through a combination of plastic extrusion and cold isostatic pressing. Rods with consistent current capacities of few hundred amperes over 15 cm have been fabricated. The critical currents of these rods were measured at various temperatures and magnetic fields. Other related aspects such as contact resistance, mechanical properties and degradation due to thermal cycling have also been evaluated. >
Diffusion/perfusion MR imaging of the brain: from structure to function.

328 C ONSIDERABLE interest has recently emerged in the capability of magnetic resonance (MR) to image and measure molecular diffusion and capillary flow or perfusion. Sessions on diffusion/perfusion imaging are now common at major MR imaging meetings, and the number of publications related to this topic is rapidly growing. This interest has been triggered by the important clinical potential of diffusion/perfusion imaging and also by the controversies that still exist in its technical achievement, mainly regarding perfusion measurement. The excellent article by Chenevert et al (1) in this issue has the merit of addressing both issues. Diffusion/perfusion imaging relies on the well known sensitivity of MR to spin motion in the presence of magnetic field inhomogeneities. Motion thus represents a “natural” marker of the MR signal, so that no external contrast material is theoretically needed. In this respect, diffusion and perfusion are often confounded. Indeed, diffusion and perfusion refer to different physical phenomena and present different technical challenges. While perfusion can be better evaluated today by many methods excluding MR imaging, the choice of MR imaging to measure diffusion in vivo is almost a necessity. Measuring molecular diffusion in tissues presents several potentially useful approaches to tissue characterization for functional studies, from the determination of cell geometry to the early
Heat Inactivation of the Ethylene-Forming Enzyme System in Cucumbers

Heat inactivation of the ethylene-forming enzyme system (EFE) in cucumbers was biphasic and both phases followed first order kinetics. The activation energies for the thermal inactivation of the heat resistant (HR) and the heat susceptible (HS) EFE's were 77.67 and 68.92 kcal/ mole, respectively. The thermodynamic constants for the heat inactivation of both HS and HR are as follows: enthalauv. 68.27 (HS) and 77.03 (HR) kcal/mole; free energy; 21.2 (HS) and 22.9 (HR) kcal/mole; entropy, 146.1 (HS) and 168.2 (HR) cahdeg-mole. The heat resistant EFE appears to comprise 2535% of the total EFE activity
Quality in quality improvement research - a new benchmark

Scales DC, Dainty K, Hales B, Pinto R, Fowler RA, Adhikari NK, Zwarenstein M: A multifaceted intervention for quality improvement in a network of intensive care units: a cluster randomized trial. JAMA 2011, 305:363-72. Evidence-based practices improve intensive care unit (ICU) outcomes, but eligible patients may not receive them. Community hospitals treat most critically ill patients but may have few resources to devote to quality improvement. To determine the effectiveness of a multicenter quality improvement program to increase delivery of 6 evidence-based ICU practices. Pragmatic, cluster-randomized trial among 15 community hospital ICUs in Ontario, Canada. A total of 9269 admissions occurred during the trial (November 2005 to October 2006) and 7141 admissions during a decay-monitoring period (December 2006 to August 2007). The authors implemented a videoconference-based forum including audit and feedback, expert-led educational sessions, and dissemination of algorithms to sequentially improve delivery of 6 practices. The ICUs were randomized into 2 groups. Each group received this intervention, targeting a new practice every 4 months, while acting as control for the other group, in which a different practice was targeted in the same period. The primary outcome was the summary ratio of odds ratios (ORs) for improvement in adoption (determined by daily data collection) of all 6 practices during the trial in intervention vs control ICUs. Overall, adoption of the targeted practices was greater in intervention ICUs than in controls (summary ratio of ORs, 2.79; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.00-7.74). Improved delivery in intervention ICUs was greatest for semi recumbent positioning to prevent ventilator-associated pneumonia (90.0% of patient-days in last month vs. 50.0% in first month; OR, 6.35; 95% CI, 1.85-21.79) and precautions to prevent catheter-related bloodstream infection (70.0% of patients receiving central lines vs. 10.6%; OR, 30.06; 95% CI, 11.00-82.17). Adoption of other practices, many with high baseline adherence, changed little. In a collaborative network of community ICUs, a multi-faceted quality improvement intervention improved adoption of care practices.
Gametic Selection by Glyphosate in Soybean Plants Hemizygous for the CP4 EPSPS Transgene

Glyphosate application to glyphosate-tolerant soybean [Glycine max (L.) Men.] cultivars expressing a CP4 EPSPS transgene has become the most common method of soybean weed control in the USA. The objectives of this research were (i) to determine whether atypical segregation ratios for glyphosate tolerance and glyphosate sensitivity in the progeny of hemizygous plants resulted from gametic selection caused by glyphosate applications, (ii) to investigate the effects of different glypbosate application rates and timing of application on segregation ratios, and (iii) to determine whether male gametes, female gametes, or both were sensitive to the levels of glyphosate used. Segregation for glyphosate tolerance in a no-glyphosate control treatment fit the expected 3:1 segregation ratio, indicating segregation of a single transgene. Glyphosate applications at three stages of plant development (V3, V3 + 2 to 3 wk, V3 + 3 to 4 wk) eliminated the glyphosate-sensitive phenotypic class irrespective of plant maturation stage in a field experiment. Variations observed in the relative proportions of lines with either all-tolerant or segregating phenotypic classes depended on glyphosate dosage and stage of plant development at the time of application. Overall, the data suggest that glyphosate application to hemizygous plants shortly before the onset of flowering was lethal to male gametes that do not carry the glyphosate tolerance transgene.
Anatomy of Turbulence Effects on the Aerodynamics of an Oscillating Prism

Turbulence-induced changes in aerodynamic force characteristics on an oscillating rectangular prism were investigated in this study. It encompassed examination of aeroelastic quantities, i.e., flutter derivatives, and the buffeting components of the integral forces. A forced-vibration system was employed to extract the aerodynamic characteristics of an oscillating prism using a model instrumented with multiple pressure transducers for synchronous scanning of the pressure field. Chordwise distributions of self-excited pressure amplitudes were measured and associated phases were derived to examine the anatomy of turbulence effects on the aerodynamics of the prism rather than simply discern the influence of turbulence on the integrated forces. The resulting changes in flutter derivatives were traced back to a turbulence-induced upstream shifting of the regions of maximum pressure amplitudes. This upstream shifting was consistent with earlier research showing that turbulence increases the radius of curvature of separated shear layers and moves reattachment upstream. In this study, turbulence was found to have a stabilizing effect on the aerodynamics of the prism. The broad band character of the buffeting forces was found to be quite similar to that of stationary prisms with body motion slightly increasing energy content.
Solid state impact welding of BMG and copper by vaporizing foil actuator welding

Abstract The objective of this study was to create impact welds between a Zr-based Bulk Metallic Glass (BMG) and copper at a laboratory scale and subsequently investigate the relationship between interfacial structure and mechanical properties. Vaporizing Foil Actuator (VFA) has recently been demonstrated as a versatile tool for metalworking applications: impact welding of dissimilar materials being one of them. Its implementation for welding is termed as VFA Welding or VFAW. With 8 kJ input energy into an aluminum foil actuator, a 0.5 mm thick Cu110 alloy sheet was launched toward a BMG target resulting in an impact at a velocity of nearly 600 m/s. For this experiment, the welded interface was straight with a few BMG fragments embedded in the copper sheet in some regions. Hardness tests across the interface showed increase in strength on the copper side. Instrumented peel test resulted in failure in the parent copper sheet. A slower impact velocity during a separate experiment resulted in a weld, which had wavy regions along the interface and in peel failure again happened in the parent copper sheet. Some through-thickness cracks were observed in the BMG plate and there was some spall damage in the copper flyers. TEM electron diffraction on a sample, cut out from the wavy weld interface region using a focused ion beam, showed that devitrification of the BMG was completely avoided in this welding process.
Theoretically Optimal Duty Cycles for Chest and Abdominal Compression during External Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation

Objective: To use an electronic model of human circulation to compare the hemodynamic effects of different durations of chest compression during external CPR, both with and without interposed abdominal compression (IAC). Methods: An electrical analog model of human circulation was studied on digital computer workstations using SPICE, a general-purpose circuit simulation program. In the model the heart and blood vessels were represented as resistive-capacitive networks, pressures as voltages, blood flow as electric current, blood inertia as inductance, and cardiac and venous valves as diodes. External pressurization of the heart and great vessels, as would occur in IAC-CPR, was simulated by the alternate application of damped rectangular voltage pulses, first between intrathoracic vascular capacitances and ground, and then between intra-abdominal vascular capacitances and ground. With this model compression frequencies of 60, 80, and 100 cycles/min and duty cycles ranging from 10% to 90%, both with and without IAC, were compared. Results: There was little difference in hemodynamics when the overall compression frequency was varied between 60 and 100 cycles/min, but the effects of duty cycle were substantial. During both standard CPR and IAC-CPR, total flow and coronary flow were greatest at chest compression durations equal to 30% of cycle time. Interposed abdominal compression substantially improved simulated systemic blood flow and perfusion pressure at all duty cycles, compared with standard CPR without abdominal compression. Mean arterial pressure > 75 mm Hg and artificial cardiac output > 2.0 L/min could be generated by 30% duty cycle compression with IAC. Coronary perfusion in the model is clearly optimized at 30% chest compression (i.e., high-impulse chest compression technique). Conclusion: Combined high-impulse chest compressions and IACs maximize blood flow during CPR in the electrical analog model of human circulation.
An analysis of gender-based reversal in life expectancy in southern Africa

This paper uses a geographic perspective in discussing the social inequalities in health between men and women in southern Africa. Keeping in mind the reality of data scarcity that show male and female differences in mortality, this paper uses life expectancy data to illustrate the widening gender inequalities in access to health. The analysis in the paper addresses two main objectives. First, the paper reviews the literature on the underlying factors behind the presence of drastic differences between male and female life expectancies. Secondly, the paper examines in greater detail the trends and geographical patterns in life expectancy in southern African countries, particularly the reversal of life expectancy in favor of men during the past 30 years or so. The results of the analysis show a worrisome trend in life expectancies with regard to gender. The advantage in life expectancy that females had over men before 1980 has all but disappeared during the past 25 years. To make matters worse, life expectancy declined dramatically for both males and females, and in some cases the declines were more than 10 years. Women experienced greater declines in life expectancy lowering them to below those of men, a condition contrary to what existed before the 1980s. The upsurge in HIV infections and the attendant high female mortality rates as well as other factors have combined to result in the unequal gender realities in as far as life expectancies are concerned in the countries of southern Africa.
Postoperative recurrence of Reis-Bücklers' corneal dystrophy.

Heretofore, only von Winkelman and Delleman 1 have reported recurrences of classical Reis-Bucklers' corneal dystrophy in previously grafted eyes; all recurrences were in the same pedigree and appeared in the early postoperative period. We have found delayed recurrence 15 years after graft and in a different family. This recurrence supports the opinion that the origin of the "curly filaments" or abnormal substance in Reis-Bucklers' is the basal epithelium. 2,3
Policy Adoption and the Redefinition of Operating Procedures: Comparison Cases at UMTA

Political scientists often consider the place of standard operating procedures (SOPS) in shaping bureaucratic responsiveness to “top-down” direction, but our writing only infrequently considers the processes and ease by which bureaucratic routines, decision standards, and SOPS adjust to produce nm outputs. This article explores the change of routines, decision standards, and SOPs from a behavioral perspective to portray bureaucratic behavior and policy as something other than a static function of extant SOPs or a fully and fluidly malleable function of internal preferences and external incentives. In particular, the role of two organizationally “bottom-up” factors — careerists' policy approval and their policy-relevant working schema — are explored to suggest how readily “top-down” preferences for policy translate into pragmatic working arrangements. The empirical basis for the article is a structured set of cases in the Urban Mass Transportation Administration through the latter 1970s and early 1980s.
TH‐D‐BRC‐05: Respiratory Motion Correction of Cone‐Beam CT in Abdomen Using a Patient‐Specific Motion Model

Purpose: Respiratory motion reduction methods to improve cone‐beam CT quality (CBCT) have focused on the thorax, but reduced tissuecontrast in abdomen poses additional challenges. We report a method to correct CBCT in abdomen, using a motion model adapted to the patient from a prior respiration‐correlated CT (RCCT) image set. Method and Materials: Model adaptation consists of nonrigid image registration that maps each RCCT image to a reference image in the set, followed by principal component analysis (PCA) to reduce noise in the resultant deformation fields and relate them to diaphragm position and motion (inhalation or exhalation). CBCT projection images are sorted into subsets according to diaphragm position in the images and reconstructed, yielding a set of low‐quality 3‐D images. Model application deforms the CBCTimages to a reference CBCT in the set; combining all images yields a high‐quality CBCTimage with reduced motion artifacts. We also investigate a simpler correction method, which does not use PCA and correlates motion state with respiration phase. Comparison of contrast‐to‐noise ratios of pixel intensities within kidneys relative to surrounding background tissue provides a quantitative assessment of relative organ visibility. Results: Evaluation of CBCT examples in upper abdomen shows that streaking artifacts and blurring of liver, kidneys, spleen, bowel and implanted fiducial markers are visibly reduced with PCA‐model‐based correction. Phase‐based motion correction without PCA reduces blurring less effectively; in addition, implanted markers appear broken up, indicating inconsistencies in the correction. Model‐based motion correction shows the highest contrast‐to‐noise ratios in the cases examined. Conclusion: Motion correction of CBCT in abdomen is feasible and yields observable improvement. The PCA‐based model is an important component: first, by removing noise; second, by relating deformation to diaphragm position rather than phase, thus accommodating breathing pattern changes between imaging sessions.
Quantifying the Directional Parameter of Structural Anisotropy in Porous Media

Abstract A new method has been developed to define the directional parameter and characterize the structural anisotropy of a highly porous structure with extensive pore interconnectivity and surface area, such as scaffolds in tissue engineering. This new method called intercept segment deviation (ISD) was validated through the comparison of structural anisotropy from ISD measurements with mechanical anisotropy from finite-element stress analysis. This was carried out on a generated two-dimensional (2D) image of a two-phase material and a real three-dimensional (3D) image of a tissue scaffold. The effect of tissue regeneration and scaffold degradation on the anisotropy of the scaffold was discussed. The performance of other methods for quantification of the directional parameter was also assessed. The results indicate that the structural anisotropy obtained from this new method conforms to the actual mechanical anisotropy and provides a better prediction of the material orientation than the other methods f...
Radiation effects in thin films of high Tc superconductors

Abstract The discovery of a class of oxides showing superconducting properties at temperatures of 38 K. and above has generated intense interest. We have studied the effects of ion implantation into thin films consisting largely of one of these oxides, YBa 2 Cu 3 O x , which typically has a superconducting transition temperature, T c of greater than 90 K. Ion implantation with 500 keV oxygen ions causes degradation of the completion temperature of the superconducting transition, and changes the room temperature electrical properties from conducting to insulating. Further irradiation causes a sudden crystalline to amorphous structural transition. In the case of arsenic ion bombardment the c-a transition was more gradual. These effects were studied using TEM and X-ray diffraction to characterize the structure of the films. The deposited energy required to change T c was found to be 0.2 eV/atom, and the change was ascribed to the formation of an amorphous layer on the grain boundaries. 1 to 2 eV/atom was required to affect the room temperature conductivity, and 4 eV/atom to render the film amorphous. The damage mechanisms responsible for these effects are discussed.
Query Auto-Completion for Rare Prefixes

Query auto-completion (QAC) systems typically suggest queries that have previously been observed in search logs. Given a partial user query, the system looks up this query prefix against a precomputed set of candidates, then orders them using ranking signals such as popularity. Such systems can only recommend queries for prefixes that have been previously seen by the search engine with adequate frequency. They fail to recommend if the prefix is sufficiently rare such that it has no matches in the precomputed candidate set. We propose a design of a QAC system that can suggest completions for rare query prefixes. In particular, we describe a candidate generation approach using frequently observed query suffixes mined from historical search logs. We then describe a supervised model for ranking these synthetic suggestions alongside the traditional full-query candidates. We further explore ranking signals that are appropriate for both types of candidates based on n-gram statistics and a convolutional latent semantic model (CLSM). Within our supervised framework the new features demonstrate significant improvements in performance over the popularity-based baseline. The synthetic query suggestions complement the existing popularity-based approach, helping users formulate rare queries.
Circular dichroism of κ- and λ-type Bence-Jones proteins at various pH values and temperatures

Abstract Comparison of the near ultraviolet circular dichroism (CD) spectra of κ- and λ-type Bence-Jones proteins showed differences which, in some cases, were correlated with the proteins' antigenic type. The far ultraviolet (190–250 nm) CD spectra showed that both antigenic types had a negative band at 216–218 nm indicative of β structure. A consistent finding on 5 κ and 7 λ samples was that the positive CD band near 200 nm was resolved into a single band (200–204 nm) for the κ type proteins and into two positive bands (at 190–195 nm and at 197–204 nm) for the λ-type proteins. The positive ellipticity near 200 nm was progressively decreased as the pH was lowered and was replaced by a negative trough at pH 2. Increasing the temperature (25–60 °C) also caused a progressive decrease in the positive ellipticity near 200 nm. The results indicated that acid and heating to 60 °C produced an unfolding of the native structure which was partially reversible. CD spectra showed that heating to 95 °C resulted in irreversible conformational changes which led to an increase in the amount of random chain structure. Physical and immunological characterization of one sample indicated that it was a half ( M r 11 500) of a λ-type Bence-Jones protein corresponding to the constant portion. The changes in the far ultraviolet CD spectrum at various temperatures for this sample were similar to those obtained with intact Bence-Jones proteins. CD studies between 25 and 60 °C were also performed on a κ-type Bence-Jones protein corresponding to the variable half, and it was found that the degree of unfolding was greater for the variable half than for the constant half.
Shearing of junctions between metal surfaces

Abstract The initial stages in the deformation of junctions between sliding metal surfaces are investigated by examining metallographic sections cut through such junctions after various small amounts of relative tangential displacement of the surfaces. The junctions do not break when sliding begins. Instead, the relative motion of sliding is accommodated by plastic shearing of the underlying material in a direction slightly inclined to the surfaces. This shearing process subsequently leads to the formation of the wedges of displaced metal which have been described in previous papers. Some implications of these observations relative to the development of quantitative theories of friction and wear are discussed.
Maximum intensity projection (MIP) imaging using slice-stacking MRIa)

Purpose: To evaluate the feasibility of acquiring maximum intensity projection (MIP) images using a novel slice-stacking MRI (SS-MRI) technique. Methods: The proposed technique employed a steady state acquisition sequence to image multiple axial slices. At each axial slice, the scan is repeated throughout one respiratory cycle. Four objects (small, medium, and large triangles, and a cylinder) moving with a patient breathing trajectory were imaged repeatedly for six times using the slice-stacking MRI and 4D-CT.MIPSS‐MRI and MIP4D‐CT were reconstructed. The internal target volume (ITV) was segmented for each object on the six scans and compared between MIPSS‐MRI and MIP4D‐CT. The medium triangle was also imaged with various motion patterns using slice-stacking MRI, 4D-CT, and sagittal cine-MRI. The corresponding MIP images were reconstructed and volume/area measurements were performed and compared between different imaging methods. Three healthy volunteers underwent the slice-stacking MRI and sagittal cine-MRI scans. A region of interest (ROI) was selected and contoured for each subject in both MIPSS‐MRI and MIPcine‐MRI. The area of the selected ROI was computed and compared. Results: Volume comparison betweenMIPSS‐MRI and MIP4D‐CT showed statistically insignificant (p>0.05 in all cases) difference in the mean ITVs for all four objects. For the study of the medium triangle with multiple motion patterns, there was a good agreement in the measured ITVs between MIPSS‐MRI and MIP4D‐CT (p=0.46, correlation coefficient=0.91), with a mean difference of 1.4%±4.4%. The area measurements between MIPSS‐MRI and MIPcine‐MRI also showed good agreement (p=0.47, correlation coefficient=0.97), with a mean difference of 0.2%±2.9%. For the healthy volunteer study, the average difference in the area of selected ROI was −2.5%±2.5% between MIPSS‐MRI and MIPcine‐MRI. Conclusions: These preliminary results showed good agreement in volume/area measurements between the slice-stacking MRI technique and 4D-CT/cine-MRI, indicating that it is feasible to use this technique for MIP imaging.