cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Chlorine isotope behavior during prograde metamorphism of sedimentary rocks

Abstract Chlorine stable isotope compositions of two sedimentary sequences and their metamorphic equivalents were measured in order to study fractionation effects during prograde metamorphism and devolatilization. Protoliths ( n = 25 ) were collected from a 50 m section of Triassic fluvial and playa-lake strata and Jurassic (Liassic) marine black shales in a well-characterized quarry. Low greenschist to middle amphibolite facies equivalents ( n > 80 ) were collected from the Glarus Alps, Urseren Zone, and Lucomagno region. Bulk δ 37 Cl values are constant within individual sedimentary layers, but vary from −2.0 to + 2.4 ‰ in Triassic rocks and from −3.0 to 0‰ in the black shales. Dolomitic and gypsiferous samples have positive δ 37 Cl values, but marls and shales are isotopically negative. Bulk Cl contents show only small declines during the earliest stages of metamorphism. Metamorphic equivalents of the Triassic and Liassic protoliths record the same overall ranges in δ 37 Cl as their protoliths. Samples with highly correlated bulk compositions but different metamorphic grade show no statistically significant difference in δ 37 Cl. These data lead to the following conclusions: (1) Terrestrial and marine sedimentary rocks display large primary heterogeneities in chlorine isotope composition. As a result, an unambiguous “sedimentary signature” does not exist in the chlorine stable isotope system. (2) No isotopic fractionation is discernable during metamorphic devolatilization, even at low temperatures. Alpine-style metamorphism thus has little to no effect on bulk chlorine isotopic compositions, despite significant devolatilization. (3) Cl is largely retained in the rocks during devolatilization, contrary to the normally assumed hydrophilic behavior of chlorine. Continuous release of mixed-volatile C–O–H fluids likely affected Cl partitioning between fluid and minerals and allowed chlorine to remain in the rocks. (4) There is no evidence for fluid communication across (meta)sedimentary layers except within the Urseren shear zone. These data contribute to a relatively closed-system view of metamorphic devolatilization from anchizone through mid-amphibolite facies conditions.
Spiritual care for children with cancer

Objectives: To review literature pertinent to spirituality of children with cancer and to identify practical strategies for providing care for this dimension in children. Data sources: Nursing research and literature about pediatric nursing care and spirituality; theoretical formulations of Piaget, Fowler, and Erikson. Conclusion: Children diagnosed with cancer have unique spiritual needs that place them at risk for developing spiritual distress. With the diagnosis may come experiences of loss of normalcy, physical stamina, relationships, body image, and future goals. Spiritual care includes interventions that assist children to find meaning and purpose in life, to continue relationships, and to transcend beyond the self. Implications for nursing practice: Spiritual care includes caregiver and child assessment and interventions appropriate to the developmental stages of infancy through adolescents. Tables outlining how this can be done by oncology nurses are included.
Existence and uniqueness theorems for three-point boundary value problems

Existence and uniqueness theorems for third-order boundary value problems are studied. The methods used are the Leray-Schauder continuation theorem and Wirtinger-type in-equalities.
Causes and patterns of missed injuries in trauma

Missed injuries have a bad reputation and are sometimes associated with serious morbidity for the patient and personal embarrassment for the surgeon. During a 10-year period, 123 missed injuries in 117 patients requiring re-operation were encountered in one trauma center. A retrospective review of causes and patterns was undertaken. The most common presentation was delayed hemorrhage (64 injuries). The colon, thoracic vasculature, chest wall arteries, and diaphragm were the most frequently involved sites. Forty-six injuries were overlooked during the diagnostic work-up, and 43 were missed during surgery. Technical problems with diagnosis and surgery accounted for 62% of missed injuries, whereas decision and judgment errors accounted for the rest. Further insight was provided by the classification of missed injuries into three types. Type I (20%) occurred outside the body area of clinical focus, whereas type II (69%) occurred within it. Type III (11%) resulted when instability of the patient necessitated interruption of the diagnostic work-up or exploration. Each type represents a different clinical pattern and dictates a specific preventive strategy.
Effect of phosphate salts concentrations, supporting electrolytes, and calcium phosphate salt precipitation on the pH of phosphate buffer solutions

Abstract A monobasic and a dibasic phosphate salt are usually added to water to form a standard phosphate buffer solution. The solution pH depends primarily on the concentration ratio R of the two salts, and secondarily on their concentrations and on the concentrations of the supporting electrolytes such as NaCl or KCl. Various ideal and non-ideal solution thermodynamic models are presented. The ideal solution model predicts that the pH should depend only on R , and underestimates the pH at physiological osmolarities by 0.3–0.5 pH units at both 298 K and 310 K, depending on the phosphate, NaCl, and KCl concentrations. Model predictions using the non-ideal extended Debye–Huckel (D–H) equation agree with the data up to ca. ±0.1 pH units at 298 K and 310 K. The pH predictions for the standard isotonic phosphate buffer saline, containing 2 mM of monobasic and 8 M of dibasic sodium phosphate, 137 mM of NaCl, and 2.7 mM of KCl agree well with the data. When CaCl 2 is added, up to 3 mM, a phosphate salt often precipitates, affecting the free Ca 2+ ion concentration, the phosphate ion concentrations, and the pH. The conditions for the formation at equilibrium of hydroxyapatite (Ca 5 (PO 4 ) 3 (OH)), or dicalcium phosphate dehydrate (CaHPO 4 ·2H 2 O), or tricalcium phosphate (Ca 3 (PO 4 ) 2 ), are predicted. The results are important in determining and predicting electrolyte concentrations for achieving desirable pH values while avoiding precipitation for various biological or biomedical applications.
Negative Life Events, Self-Perceived Competence, and Depressive Symptoms in Young Adults

Despite consistent support for Cole’s (1990, 1991) competency-based model of depression in children and adolescents, no studies have examined this model in adult samples and few have focused on congruence between domains of self-perceived competence and specific forms of negative life events. Addressing this gap in the current cross-sectional study, we found that forms of self-perceived competence may both moderate and partially mediate the link between negative events and young adults’ current depressive symptoms. Specifically, there was evidence for both the partial mediating and moderating roles of perceived global self-worth and self-perceived scholastic competence. In contrast, perceived social acceptance and negative social events appeared to be independent correlates of depressive symptoms.
Mineral exploration and soil analysis using in situ neutron activation

Abstract A feasibility study has been made to operate by remote control an unshielded portable positive-ion accelerator type neutron source to induce activities in the ground or rock by “in situ” neutron irradiation. Selective activation techniques make it possible to detect some thirty or more elements by irradiating the ground for periods of a few minutes with either 3-MeV or 14-MeV neutrons. The depth of penetration of neutrons, the effect of water content of the soil on neutron moderation, gamma ray attenuation in the soil and other problems are considered. The analysis shows that, when exploring for most elements of economic interest, the reaction 2 H(d,n) 3 He yielding ∼ 3-MeV neutrons is most practical to produce a relatively uniform flux of neutrons of less than 1 keV to a depth of 19″–20″. Irradiation with high energy neutrons (∼ 14 MeV) can also be used and may be better suited for certain problems. However, due to higher background and lower sensitivity for the heavy minerals, it is not a recommended neutron source for general exploration use. Preliminary experiments have been made which indicate that neutron activation in situ is feasible for a mineral exploration or qualititative soil analysis.
Temperature and Electron Density Determination on Laser-Induced Breakdown Spectroscopy (LIBS) Plasmas: A Physical Chemistry Experiment

This laboratory is designed for physical chemistry students to gain experience using laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS) in understanding plasma diagnostics. LIBS uses a high-powered laser that is focused on the sample causing a plasma to form. The emission of this plasma is then spectrally resolved and detected. Temperature and electron number density of the plasma can be determined from the characteristics of the spectrum. Temperature was calculated using the Boltzmann plot method, whereas electron density was determined from Stark broadening considerations. Students learned how to use the information provided by the LIBS spectrum to obtain plasma temperatures and electron densities for various samples. This experiment is appropriate for a physical chemistry course.
School climate and implementation of the Pathways study.

Abstract Background Pathways was a multisite school-based study to prevent obesity in American Indian school children by encouraging healthy eating and physical activity. Methods Over the 3-year study, a total of 290 in-depth interviews were conducted with school administrators, food service managers, classroom teachers, and physical education instructors in all 21 intervention schools to examine support and barriers for Pathways. Analysis included qualitative assessment of key themes using NUD*IST and quantitative modeling of the impact of a school climate score on implementation of intervention components. Results Overall, teachers, food service managers, and physical education instructors were supportive of the Pathways interventions. School administration and lack of family participation were perceived barriers at some schools. Attitudes toward the program ranged from neutral to positive during the first year, with about two-thirds giving positive ratings, with greater variation in successive years. Overall, the mean score was 3.5 on a 5-point scale (1 = very negative, 5 = very positive). School climate score was positively associated with classroom curriculum and student exposure indices, but not with family attendance, food service, or physical activity implementation indices. The latter two indices were associated with site. Conclusions An assessment of school climate through interviews is useful in understanding successes and failures in a school-based health intervention and can predict implementation success for some programs.
Cellulolytic activity as a novel approach to assess long-term zinc stress to Corbicula

Abstract Thirty-day exposures of ZnSO4 to Corbicula sp., the Asiatic clam, were determined comparing cellulolytic activity, organismal growth, and bioaccumulation. Cellulase indices are reported for clams exposed in both laboratory and field-laboratory artificial streams. In general, enzyme activity was strongly reduced at 34–1100 μgZnl−1. Detection of an inferior laboratory diet was also elaborated by reduced cellulase activity, while this was not the case in the field-laboratory setting. A decline in growth of Corbicula in levels tested was inversely related to length of exposure. The cellulase index declined following weight and shell loss between days 20 and 30 in 34 μgl−1 dosed clams, while 1100 μgl−1 dosed animals did not grow after day 5 and had a rapidly declining cellulase index.
Wideband cancellation of multiple mainbeam jammers

We have theoretically demonstrated that the interference produced in a radar by multiple wideband mainbeam jammers can be cancelled using a set of appropriately located auxiliary antennas with adaptive tapped delay lines. Typical cancellation performance is illustrated, and design formulas are derived for the required number of auxiliaries and their gain, spacing, number of temporal taps, etc.
Structure of the group-specific polysaccharide of group E Streptococcus.

Abstract The structure of the group-specific polysaccharide of group E Streptococcus was determined by methylation, periodate oxidation, and partial methanolysis, and the configuration of the anomeric linkages by 1 H- and 13 C-n.m.r. spectroscopy. The trisaccharide repeating unit→2)-α- l -Rha p -(1→3)-[β- d -Glc p -(1→2)]-α- l -Rha p -(1→ was determined.
“Look at all those nouns in a row"—authoritarianism, democracy, and the iconicity of political Russian

A linguistic evolution that is encountered repeatedly in transitions from authoritarianism to democracy is recurring in contemporary Russia. A very frequent, and perhaps universal, feature of authoritarianism is the confinement of political deliberation to a language markedly separate from the vernaculars spoken by populations under authoritarian rule. Transitions toward democracy, whether ultimately successful or failing, commonly begin when someone—perhaps one of the authoritarian rulers, perhaps one of the people living under domination—transgresses the rules separating speech about politics from everyday speech. In polities that complete the transition to election of national leaders by a universal franchise, the speech of electoral politicians merges into everyday speech. The rapprochement with the vernacular, which is measurable by change in the iconicity of political speech, reduces the conceptual distance separating rulers from the people. Reduction of conceptual distance invites Russian citizens ...
An Atomic Absorption Analysis Method for Cyanide

Abstract An atomic absorption analysis procedure for cyanide has been developed. The procedure is based upon the solubilization of copper(II) from a basic copper carbonate in an alkaline medium. The amount of copper complexed by the cyanide ion is determined by atomic absorption and a calibration curve is constructed concurrently. The stoichiometry of the cyanide-copper complex is 3:1, implying formation of the complex ion Cu(CN)− 3, with no formation of CuCN observed at the low concentration of cyanide used. The method is used primarily for analyzing low levels of cyanide; the sensitivity of the method extending down to 2.0 × 10−5 M CN−. The most likely interference, iron, is considered. Finally, recovery of cyanide from spiked samples is demonstrated.
The Use Of Physics In Answering Metaphysical Questions

This paper by Hoyt Edge comments on Janusz Slawinski's paper "Electromagnetic Radiation and the Afterlife" by looking at Slawinski's arguments from a logical and structural point of view. Edge points out the logical shortcomings of Slawinski's arguments, and criticizes Slawinski for making bold claims upon lacking evidence. Edge gives credit to Slawinski for continuing the conversation about the afterlife, however.
Altered acetylcholinesterase activity (AChE) and maze performance of developing rats (Rattus norvegicus) following mesencephalic electrical brain stimulation

Cortical arousal was altered by electrical brain stimulation (EBS) to the mesencephalic ascending reticular formation beginning at 27 days of age and administered 2 h/day for either 14 or 28 days. Subjects receiving brain stimulation from 27 to 41 days of age showed a significant decrease in telencephalon AChE activity and weight when compared to controls. These decreases in biochemical and physical parameters corresponded to a marked decrement in maze performance. The advantages and potential uses of the weanling chronic EBS preparation to investigate critical developmental periods are considered.
Agricultural Energy Modeling for Policy Purposes

Although the economic problems of rural areas are too broad to be modeled on a specific energy-related basis, the response of individual farms to energy prices can be analyzed and applied to broader economic policies. The use of alternative price scenarios to forecast substitute fuels, pump irrigation, and other investments under uncertainty can provide relevant information on the impacts of energy prices on all sectors of agriculture. Four problem areas (price uncertainty, commodity and food price increases, income level and distribution changes, and energy substitutions) are defined and analyzed with the national programming models of Dvoskin, Heady, and English. The model results include suggestions for new types of crops, new forms of agriculture, and adjusting land-use patterns to substitute land for energy.
Pineal Function: The Biological Clock in the Sparrow?

The pineal organ of the house sparrow, Passer domesticus, is essential for persistence of the circadian locomotor rhythm in constant conditions. Upon removal of the pineal body, activity becomes arrhythmic. However, pinealectomy does not abolish the rhythm of locomotor activity in birds exposed to light-dark cycles. Pinealectomized birds are entrained by light cycles in much the same manner as are normal birds. Our data demonstrate that the pineal organ is a crucial component of the endogenous time-measuring system of the sparrow.
Predicting Rehabilitation Success with the MMPI and Demographic Data

The purpose of this investigation was to assess the value of selected demographic and personality variables in the prediction of rehabilitation success of handicapped individuals. Demographic data and MMPI scores of 79 clients who had been served by a state Division of Vocational Rehabilitation (DVR) were used as predictor variables in a multiple-regression analysis. An attempt was made to predict three criteria: occupational level, upward mobility, and closure status. The multiple correlations for each of the three regression equations approached significance at the .05 level. Correlations significant at the .05 level, were found between age at onset, age at time of application, type of disability, and education, for one or more of the criteria. Significant beta weights were obtained for age at time of application, IQ, and the Mf, K, and Pd scales from the MMPI.
A Short Term Approach to Intervention With Homeless Mothers: A Role for Clinicians in Homeless Shelters

An increase in homelessness among single mothers and their children has led to an Increasing need for the provision of clinical social work services in homeless shelters. This article presents a sh...
Sleepiness and Hypertension in Obstructive Sleep Apnea

In order to assess the complications of sleep apnea, we have reviewed a data base of 619 consecutive admissions to a university sleep disorders center. Although patients with obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) described more subjective sleepiness than patients with central sleep apnea (CSA) or primary snoring (PS), the multiple sleep latency test (MSLT) indicated similar levels of physiologic sleepiness in the two apneic groups, which was greater than among those with PS. There was no significant relationship between individual subjective estimates of habitual sleepiness and the MSLT values. Among the OSA patients the mean minimum arterial oxygen desaturation during REM sleep accounted for 65 percent of the variance of the mean sleep latency on the MSLT, with an additional, smaller, contribution of the disordered breathing rate per hour. Subjective reports of sleepiness were associated with sleep efficiency and the number of disordered breathing events in NREM sleep. Patients with OSA or CSA had similar diastolic blood pressures and frequencies of history of treatment for hypertension, which were significantly higher in OSA than in the PS group. In the OSA group the absolute minimum arterial oxygen desaturation during NREM sleep was the most significant contributor to waking diastolic blood pressure, with an additional small contribution by weight. A history of treatment for hypertension was most strongly associated with weight, without significant additional contributions by measures of disordered breathing events or oxygen desaturation; however, weight was highly intercorrelated with measures of the apnea/hypopnea index and minimum arterial oxygen desaturation. In summary, these data support recent findings which show a close relation of obesity to a history of hypertension in OSA, and extend to this group a previous observation that in regular heavy snorers, there may be a disparity between levels of physiologic and subjective sleepiness.
Understanding the Changes of Stratospheric Water Vapor in Coupled Chemistry–Climate Model Simulations

Abstract Past and future climate simulations from the Goddard Earth Observing System Chemistry–Climate Model (GEOS CCM), with specified boundary conditions for sea surface temperature, sea ice, and trace gas emissions, have been analyzed to assess trends and possible causes of changes in stratospheric water vapor. The simulated distribution of stratospheric water vapor in the 1990s compares well with observations. Changes in the cold point temperatures near the tropical tropopause can explain differences in entry stratospheric water vapor. The average saturation mixing ratio of a 20° latitude by 15° longitude region surrounding the minimum tropical saturation mixing ratio is shown to be a useful diagnostic for entry stratospheric water vapor and does an excellent job reconstructing the annual average entry stratospheric water vapor over the period 1950–2100. The simulated stratospheric water vapor increases over the 50 yr between 1950 and 2000, primarily because of changes in methane concentrations, offse...
A novel microRNA mmu‐miR‐466h affects apoptosis regulation in mammalian cells

This study determined the changes in microRNA expression in mammalian Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) cells undergoing apoptosis induced by exposing the cells to nutrient-depleted media. The apoptosis onset was confirmed by reduced cell viability and caspase-3/7 activation. Microarray comparison of known mouse and rat microRNA’s in CHO cells exposed to fresh or depleted media revealed up-regulation of the mouse miR-297-669 cluster in CHO cells subjected to depleted media. Mmu-miR-466h was chosen for further analysis as the member of this cluster with the highest overexpression and its up-regulation in depleted media was confirmed with qRT-PCR. Since microRNAs suppress mRNA translation, we hypothesized that up-regulated mmu-miR-466h inhibits anti-apoptotic genes and induces apoptosis. A combination of bioinformatics and experimental tools was used to predict and verify mmu-miR-466h anti-apoptotic targets. 8708 predicted targets were obtained from miRecords database and narrowed to 38 anti-apoptotic genes with DAVID NCBI annotation tool. Several genes were selected from this anti-apoptotic subset based on nucleotide pairing complimentarity between the mmu-miR-466h seed region and 3′ UTR of the target mRNAs. qRT-PCR analysis revealed reduced mRNA levels of bcl2l2, dad1, birc6, stat5a and smo genes in CHO cells exposed to depleted media. The inhibition of the mmu-miR-466h increased the expression levels of those genes and resulted in increased cell viability and decreased caspase-3/7 activation. The up-regulation of mmu-miR-466h in response to nutrients depletion causes the inhibition of several anti-apoptotic genes in unison. This suggests the pro-apoptotic role of mmu-miR-466h and its capability to modulate the apoptotic pathway in mammalian cells.
Alcohol consumption, alcohol abuse and alcohol dependence. The United States as an example

This paper presents national estimates of alcohol consumption and DSM-IV alcohol abuse and dependence in the United States. Fifty-two percent of the adults surveyed were classified as current drinkers and nearly 9.0% met criteria for DSM-IV alcohol abuse or dependence. Greater percentages of males and whites were classified as current drinkers and as alcohol abusers or dependent, compared with females and non-whites, respectively. There is a need for future epidemiological research to collect better data on drinking patterns as an aid to interpreting socio-demographic differentials and to estimate more precisely the association between alcohol consumption and abuse and dependence in multivariate statistical environments. The critical need to examine the unprecedented reversal of the abuse-to-dependence ratio resulting from the application of the DSM-IV classification is emphasized. The role of future longitudinal alcohol epidemiological research in elucidating the initiation and maintenance of consumption patterns and alcohol use disorders is stressed. Language: en
Predictors of recurrent stroke in African Americans.

Background: Stroke incidence and mortality are disproportionately higher among African Americans than among whites. Objective: To describe the recurrent stroke characteristics and determine the predictability of known vascular risk factors for stroke recurrence in African Americans. Methods: The authors followed 1,809 African Americans in the African-American Antiplatelet Stroke Prevention Study with recent noncardioembolic ischemic stroke for recurrent stroke, recurrent stroke subtype, and disability. Results: Of the subjects, 10.6% experienced a recurrent stroke during follow-up. The mean interval between eligibility and recurrent stroke was 325 days (median 287 days, SD = 224 days). Stroke recurrence resulted in an average 1.5-point increase in the National Institute of Health Stroke Scale (p Conclusion: Recurrent stroke leads to disability and disability predicts recurrent stroke. Hypertension is the most predictive modifiable stroke risk factor.
Re-analysis of polarization in the γ-ray flux of GRB 021206

A previous analysis of the Reuven Ramaty High Energy Solar Spectroscopic Imager (RHESSI) observation of GRB 021206 found that the γ-ray flux was 80 ± 20 per cent polarized. We re-examine these data and find no signal that can be interpreted as due to polarization. First, we find that the number of scattering events suitable for measuring polarization – having been scattered from one detector to another, with a count produced in both – is considerably lower than estimated by Coburn & Boggs, by a factor of 10 (830 ± 150, versus 9840 ± 96). The signal-to-noise ratio of the data set is thus too low to produce a detection, even from a 100 per cent polarized source. None the less, we develop a polarization-detection analysis limited in sensitivity only by Poisson noise, which does not require a spacecraft mass model to detect polarization, as in Coburn & Boggs. We find no signal which might be interpreted as due to polarization of GRB 021206. Separately, we reproduce the Coburn & Boggs signal and show that it is not due to polarization. Rather, the Coburn & Boggs signal is consistent with the previously neglected systematic uncertainty in the ‘null light curve’ used for detection. Due to the low signal-to-noise ratio of the RHESSI data, our Poisson noise-limited analysis results in an upper limit consistent with 100 per cent polarization of the γ-ray flux from GRB 021206. Thus, no observational constraint on the polarization of GRB 021206 can be derived from these data.
The Struggle to Address Woman Battering in Slovakia: Stories From Service Providers

Following the fall of communism, Slovakia found itself in a challenging position: to openly acknowledge the existence of intimate partner violence (IPV) and its disproportionate effect on women and children without an infrastructure to address victim safety, and provide resources and legal help. With collaboration with non-governmental organizations (NGOs), the government responded by developing shelters and introducing legislation that criminalized IPV and created social services for victims. To assess implementation efforts, we conducted in-depth interviews with governmental officials and NGO personnel who provide services for battered women. We focus on the operation and efficacy of shelters to discover what services are most needed for battered women, the criminal justice system’s response to IPV, and what long-range goals will facilitate more permanent solutions to the social problem of violence against women in Slovakia.
Advanced deposition phase diagrams for guiding Si:H-based multijunction solar cells

Phase diagrams have been established to describe very high frequency (vhf) plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition (PECVD) of intrinsic hydrogenated silicon (Si:H) and silicon–germanium alloy (Si1xGex:H) thin films on crystalline Si substrates that have been over-deposited with n-type amorphous Si:H (a-Si:H). The Si:H and Si1xGex:H films are prepared under conditions used for the top and middle i-layers of high efficiency triple-junction a-Si:H-based n–i–p solar cells. Identical n/i cell structures were co-deposited in this study on textured (stainless steel)/Ag/ZnO which serve as substrate/back-reflectors in order to relate the phase diagrams to the performance parameters of single-junction solar cells. This study has reaffirmed that the highest efficiencies for a-Si:H and a-Si1xGex:H solar cells are obtained when the i-layers are prepared under previously-described maximal H2 dilution conditions. Published by Elsevier B.V.
Advising Major-Changers: Students in Transition

Students who change majors do so because of changing interests or because they are forced to face “institutional realities. “ Major-changers often drift without recognition or advising. Many students are able to make an otherwise difficult transition into another academic area if they are given special curricular and career advising. An innovative program for helping these students identify, explore, and decide on alternative educational and career directions is described.
Processor allocation for a class of hypercube-like supercomputers

Modified hypercubes (MHs) have been proposed as the building blocks of hypercube-based parallel systems that support incremental growth techniques. In contrast, systems comprising the standard hypercube cannot be expanded in practice. Processor allocation for MHs is a more difficult task due to a slight deviation in their topology from that of the hypercube. The authors address the processor allocation problem for MHs and propose two strategies which are based, partially or entirely, on a table lookup approach. The proposed strategies are characterized by a perfect subcube recognition ability and a superior performance. Furthermore, two existing processor allocation strategies for pure hypercubes, namely the buddy and free list strategies, are shown to be ineffective for MHs, in the light of their inability to recognize many available subcubes. >
Implementing point-symmetry models for square contingency tables having ordered categories in SAS

In this paper, the class of point-symmetry models in a square contingency table discussed in (Tomizawa, 1985; 1986a; 1986b) are implemented in SAS by employing the non-standard log-linear model approach discussed in (von Eye and Spiel, 1996), and (Lawal, 2001). This approach is simpler than earlier implementation of these models as it unifies the approaches in various papers by Tomizawa. The implementation of these models require the generation of factor and regression variables whose entries derivation are explained in the text. The models are fitted using SAS PROC GENMOD.
Social Security and Marginal Returns to Work Near Retirement

Using the Social Security Administration's MINT (Modeling Income in the Near Term) model, this paper calculates the marginal returns to work near retirement, as measured by the increase in benefits associated with an additional year of employment at the end of an individual's work life. With exceptions for certain population subgroups, the analysis finds that marginal returns on Social Security taxes paid near retirement are generally low. The paper also tests the effects on marginal returns of a variety of potential Social Security policy changes designed to improve incentives to work.
Acquisition of prepositions in language-delayed preschoolers: is intervention effective?

Many language-delayed children experience difficulty with prepositions, but few instructional guidelines exist. A group of 25 language-delayed preschoolers made significant gains on a test measuring comprehension of 20 prepositions following five months of systematic instruction by classroom teachers in a preschool setting. They continued to improve on a second post-test after four additional months of instruction. The instructional method is discussed in detail, and an analysis of the order of difficulty of the prepositions is presented.
Pixel response function experimental techniques and analysis of active pixel sensor star cameras

The pixel response function (PRF) of a pixel within a focal plane is defined as the pixel intensity with respect to the position of a point source within the pixel. One of its main applications is in the field of astrometry, which is a branch of astronomy that deals with positioning data of a celestial body for tracking movement or adjusting the attitude of a spacecraft. Complementary metal oxide semiconductor (CMOS) image sensors generally offer better radiation tolerance to protons and heavy ions than CCDs making them ideal candidates for space applications aboard satellites, but like all image sensors they are limited by their spatial frequency response, better known as the modulation transfer function. Having a well-calibrated PRF allows us to eliminate some of the uncertainty in the spatial response of the system providing better resolution and a more accurate centroid estimation. This paper describes the experimental setup for determining the PRF of a CMOS image sensor and analyzes the effect on the oversampled point spread function (PSF) of an image intensifier, as well as the effects due to the wavelength of light used as a point source. It was found that using electron bombarded active pixel sensor (EBAPS) intensification technology had a significant impact on the PRF of the camera being tested as a result of an increase in the amount of carrier diffusion between collection sites generated by the intensification process. Taking the full width at half maximum (FWHM) of the resulting data, it was found that the intensified version of a CMOS camera exhibited a PSF roughly 16.42% larger than its nonintensified counterpart.
Ex Vivo Confocal Microscopy of Human LASIK Corneas with Histologic and Ultrastructural Correlation

Objective To perform confocal microscopy on postmortem human LASIK corneas and correlate these findings to histologic and ultrastructure evaluations. Design Prospective, consecutive, observational case series. Participants Ninety postmortem LASIK corneas (47 patients) were evaluated for histopathology, of which 22 consecutive corneas (12 patients) were also evaluated by confocal microscopy. Six normal corneas (3 patients) served as controls. Methods This observational case series involving 22 corneas from 12 patients with postoperative intervals from 1 month to 6.5 years after LASIK surgery were collected. The corneas were mounted in an artificial anterior chamber and perfused with balanced salt solution before confocal microscopy was performed on the center of the cornea. The corneas were then bisected and processed for light and transmission electron microscopy. Results Confocal microscopy, along with histologic and ultrastructural correlations, demonstrated that the most prevalent alterations in the centers of LASIK corneas were a slightly thickened epithelium caused by focal basal epithelial cell hypertrophic modifications, random undulations in Bowman's layer over the flap surface, and a variably thick hypocellular primitive stromal interface scar. By using confocal microscopy, the interface wound was easily identified in 100% of the cases because numerous brightly reflective interface particles were always present in the hypocellular primitive stromal scar. These particles were found primarily to consist of organic cellular constituents, some of which were transient in nature. Conclusion After LASIK, active stromal wound healing in the central cornea results in the production of a hypocellular primitive stromal scar, whereas secondary tissue adjustments seem to cause the Bowman's layer undulations and the subsequent epithelial cell modifications. Most of the interface particles revealed by confocal microscopy in the region of the stromal scar are organic in nature and presumably innocuous to the cornea.
Making B+- trees cache conscious in main memory

Previous research has shown that cache behavior is important for main memory index structures. Cache conscious index structures such as Cache Sensitive Search Trees (CSS-Trees) perform lookups much faster than binary search and T-Trees. However, CSS-Trees are designed for decision support workloads with relatively static data. Although B+-Trees are more cache conscious than binary search and T-Trees, their utilization of a cache line is low since half of the space is used to store child pointers. Nevertheless, for applications that require incremental updates, traditional B+-Trees perform well.Our goal is to make B+-Trees as cache conscious as CSS-Trees without increasing their update cost too much. We propose a new indexing technique called “Cache Sensitive B+-Trees” (CSB+-Trees). It is a variant of B+-Trees that stores all the child nodes of any given node contiguously, and keeps only the address of the first child in each node. The rest of the children can be found by adding an offset to that address. Since only one child pointer is stored explicitly, the utilization of a cache line is high. CSB+-Trees support incremental updates in a way similar to B+-Trees.We also introduce two variants of CSB+-Trees. Segmented CSB+-Trees divide the child nodes into segments. Nodes within the same segment are stored contiguously and only pointers to the beginning of each segment are stored explicitly in each node. Segmented CSB+-Trees can reduce the copying cost when there is a split since only one segment needs to be moved. Full CSB+-Trees preallocate space for the full node group and thus reduce the split cost. Our performance studies show that CSB+-Trees are useful for a wide range of applications.
Quantifying and Reducing the Effect of Calibration Error on Variability of PET/CT Standardized Uptake Value Measurements

The purpose of this study was to measure the errors introduced by regular calibration of PET/CT scanners and to minimize the effect of calibration error on standardized uptake value measurements. Methods: Global calibration factors from 2 PET/CT scanners were recorded for 3.5 and 1.8 y, comparing manufacturer-recommended protocols with modified protocols to evaluate error contributions due to operator-influenced procedures. Dose calibrator measurements were evaluated using National Institute of Standards and Technology–traceable sources. Results: Dose calibrator variability was less than 1%, although there was a consistent bias. Global scaling variability was reduced from 6% to 4% for scanner 1 and from 11% to 4% for scanner 2 when quality assurance and quality control procedures were applied to the calibration protocol. When calibrations were done using a 68Ge/68Ga phantom, the variability for both scanners was reduced to approximately 3%. Conclusion: Applying quality assurance and quality control procedures to scanner calibration reduces variability, but there is a still a residual longitudinal scanner variability of 3%–4%. The procedures proposed here reduce the impact of operator error on scanner calibration and thereby minimize longitudinal variability in standarized uptake value measurements.
Conditioning to reduce the sensitivity of general estimating functions to nuisance parameters

SUMMARY A conditional method is presented that renders an estimating function insensitive to nuisance parameters. The approach is a generalisation of the conditional score method to a general estimating function context and does not require complete specification of the probability model. We exploit the informal relationship between general estimating functions and score functions to derive simple generalisations of sufficient and partially ancillary statistics, referred to as G-sufficient and G-ancillary statistics, respectively. These two types of statistic are defined in a manner that does not require complete knowledge of the probability model and thus are more suitable for use with estimating functions. If we condition on a G-sufficient statistic for the nuisance parameters, the resulting conditional estimating function is insensitive to nuisance parameters and in particular achieves the plug-in unbiasedness property. Furthermore, if the conditioning argument is also G-ancillary for the parameters of interest, then the conditional estimating function possesses an attractive optimality property.
Numerical Study of the Effects of Engine Size on Rotating Detonation Engines

Rotating detonation engines (RDE’s) represent an alternative to the extensively studied pulse detonation engines (PDE’s) for obtaining propulsion from the high efficiency detonation cycle. Since it has received considerably less attention, the general flow-field and effect of parameters such as stagnation conditions, combustion chamber sizing, and fuel mixture on specific impulse are less well understood than for PDE’s. In this paper we use a model developed previously for doing time-accurate calculations of RDE’s in two and three dimensions to examine the effect of different engine sizing parameters on mass flow rate, performance, and thrust. Specific sizing parameters that are discussed are area ratio of micro-injectors to head-end wall, combustion chamber diameter and length. Additionally, several three-dimensional simulations for small combustion chambers with different thicknesses are shown. Results indicate that for many of these parameters, the characteristics of the engine scale in predictable ways for high plenum pressures. At lower plenum pressures, the results are more difficult to interpret. Specific impulses varied from 3300 s (low-pressure, large chamber length) to 5500 s.
Ecosystem Management and Nonindustrial Private Forest Landowners in Washington State, USA

Washington’s non-industrial private forest (NIPF) landowners control 1.2 M ha, or nearly 20%, of the forestland in Washington State. Results of a mail survey suggest that educated and informed NIPF landowners are more likely to show interest in ecosystem-based management programs. NIPF respondents in Washington State indicated an appreciation for the temporal vision and landscape perspective crucial to understanding the foundation of ecosystem management. It is concluded that public agencies need to involve private landowners in ecosystem-based projects by using a more ‘place’ based cross-boundary management approach. NIPF landowners must be actively involved in the decision-making so that the process, for them, is one of self-governance. Providing landowners with opportunities for education and assistance may offer the best prospects for achieving ecosystem management objectives across diverse ownerships
Lessons from an Early-Mover: Shale Gas Policy Development in Pennsylvania

The emergence of hydraulic fracturing and horizontal drilling techniques is generating a dramatic expansion of the development of domestic natural gas resources in the United States and abroad. Fracking also poses a series of environmental protection challenges that cut across traditional medium and program boundaries. Formal constraints on federal government engagement thus far devolve considerable latitude to individual states for policy development. This provides an important test of whether recent scholarly emphasis on highly-innovative state environmental and energy policies can be extended to this burgeoning area. Pennsylvania has moved to the epicenter of the fracking revolution, reflecting its vast Marcellus Shale resource and far-reaching 2012 legislation. This paper examines the Pennsylvania case and notes that the emerging Pennsylvania policy appears designed to maximize resource extraction while downplaying environmental considerations. The case analysis generates questions as to whether this experience constitutes an influential state early-mover that is likely to diffuse widely or is instead an aberration in a rapidly-developing state policy development process.
A Phenomenological Theory of Literary Creativity: Ricoeur and Joyce

In this article I wish to present a theory of literary creativity that begins with an idea put forward by Paul Ricoeur in T ime and Narrative, Vol. I. ‘‘The productive imagination,’’ according to Ricoeur, ‘‘is not only rulegoverned, it constitutes the generative matrix of rules’’ (68). Ricoeur shows how an author, in writing a text that is ‘‘sedimented’’ by previously uttered material, perhaps necessarily so, can, none-the-less be engaged in ‘‘innovation’’: innovation by transformation. ‘‘Rule-governed deformation,’’ Ricoeur claims, constitutes an ‘‘axis’’ around which changes in previous material transform these content elements so much that the result consists of an original text (70). I am presenting Ricoeur’s concept of ‘‘rule-governed deformation’’ as a defense against a cascade of theoretical outcomes that place ‘‘creativity’’ into question. Late twentieth-century post-structuralist literary theory challenges the very existence of creativity.1 Theorists’ insights that literary texts consist of a woven fabric of previous literary texts suggest to some of them that ‘‘creativity’’ is a null category. Michel Foucault, to present a single example, thinks that ‘‘to raise or lower’’ a literary work’s ‘‘stock of originality’’ is a ‘‘harmless enough amusement for historians who refuse to grow up’’ (144). For Foucault the evidence for re-use of older texts in every new text is so overwhelming that only an irrational child-like desire to believe in literary creativity can keep a person from accepting that it is an outmoded concept. What could be more useless, Foucault asks, than to ‘‘reveal in a work its fidelity to tradition or its irreducible uniqueness?’’ The ‘‘great accumulation of the already said,’’ in literary texts means, for Foucault, that ‘‘the originality/banality opposition’’ is ‘‘not relevant’’ (144). Foucault merely states the logical implication of the many statements of post-structuralist theorists to the effect that, in literature, ‘‘only language speaks,’’ that the work does not originate from an author who might be deemed more (or less) original. Among theorists holding this view in addition to Foucault are Roland Barthes (Pleasure 34–50;
The Assembly and Characterization of Dynamic Hohlraum Double-Shell Targets

General Atomics has supported the dynamic hohlraum experiment series with the production of double-shell targets filled with deuterium, xenon, and neopentane gases. Production of a double-shell target is a process by which multiple subassemblies are fabricated, assembled, and characterized in a planned sequence. An inner capsule assembly is produced with a SiGDP conversion glass capsule stalk mounted and attached together with glass fill tube and laser-cut beryllium disk. An outer CH mandrel with a permeation barrier is then machined and each subassembly fitted together. Challenges include aligning the inner and outer glass capsules as well as filling the inner void space with known gas quantities. Information describing how we assemble the target, new hardware designed to complete the gas fills, and characterization techniques to analyze the assembly will be presented.