cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Oxidatively stable polyaniline:polyacid electrodes for electrochemical energy storage

Conjugated polymers, such as polyaniline, have been widely explored as sensors, electrodes, and conductive fillers. As an electrode material in electrochemical energy storage systems, polyaniline can be subject to irreversible oxidation that reduces cycle life and electrode capacity, thus, limiting its widespread application. Here we present a simple route to produce and prepare polyaniline-based electrodes that are oxidatively stable up to 4.5 V vs. Li/Li+. The route uses a polyacid to stabilize the fully oxidized pernigraniline salt form of polyaniline, which is normally highly unstable as a homopolymer. The result is an organic electrode of exceptionally high capacity, energy density, power density, and cycle life. We demonstrate that the polyaniline:polyacid electrode stores 230 mA h g−1 of polyaniline for over 800 cycles, far surpassing homopolymer polyaniline under equivalent conditions. This approach provides a highly stable, electrochemically reversible replacement for conventional polyaniline.
Constructing Meaning from Narrative Text: Cognitive Processes of Deaf Children

The purpose of this study was to examine the reading comprehension processes of deaf children during the reading of narrative text by exploring the predictions they made when the material confirmed and did not confirm their expectations. The subjects were 48 deaf children in upper elementary and junior high school. Each read a well-formed and non-well-formed story, half of which began with a thematic organizer. They were asked to make predictions at three points in each story. It was found that (1) when the children made elaborated predictions, they tended to make them with both stories, (2) elaborated predictions were related to reports of mental imagery, and (3) more elaborations were reported near the beginning and end of non-well-formed stories and stories with no organizers.
A Grammar of Konso

Orkaydo’s grammar of the Lowland Cushitic language Konso is a comprehensive and richly examplified description of an important language of interest in a number of ways including absence of a voice contrast, marked nominative case, and an unusually distributed set of subject-person agreement clitics. Highlighted in this review are the subject clitics, adjectival notions expressed through a class of stative verbs, and a rule of glottal stop insertion argued here to result from an analogical not phonological rule.
Biostratigraphic and Geochronologic Constraints on Early Animal Evolution

Two distinct evolutionary pulses, represented by the Vendian Ediacaran fauna and Cambrian small shelly faunas, are generally thought to characterize the emergence of macroscopic animals at the end of Precambrian time. Biostratigraphic and uranium-lead zircon age data from Namibia indicate that most globally distributed Ediacaran fossils are no older than 549 million years old and some are as young as 543 million years old, essentially coincident with the Precambrian-Cambrian boundary. These data suggest that the most diverse assemblages of Ediacaran animals existed within 6 million years of the Precambrian-Cambrian boundary and that simple discoid animals may have appeared at least 50 million years earlier.
Clockwork Shakespeare: The Bard Meets the Regressive Imagery Dictionary:

Shakespeare's plays were analyzed with the Regressive Imagery Dictionary. Incongruous juxtapositions first increased then decreased with date of composition. Primordial content decreased, while conceptual content increased over the same period. These trends were reflected in most, but not all, play types. Both overall and within most play types, popularity did not correspond to the various contents as they changed with time. In this analysis at least, Shakespeare's work does not seem to have been influenced by factors that might have been related to popularity.
Skinner's theory of behavior. An examination of B. F. Skinner's Contingencies of Reinforcement: A Theoretical Analysis

Psychologists are well aware that Skinner denies that a hypothetical construct lurks somewhere in the corpus of his work. It is appropriate, then, to ascertain why he has presented us with a new book entitled Contingencies of Reinforcement: A Theoretical Analysis. Because it is well known that this book is a collection of previously published papers, it is also appropriate to determine what new analyses, if any, are given in this work. Throughout the book, Skinner returns to the lean and muscular style of writing that was characteristic of his earlier works. The presentation is much more compact than Science and Human Behavior (Skinner, 1953). This is especially true of the new material, in the form of a preface and notes to the various chapters, which occupy 105 of the 279 actual pages of the text. It represents a significant elaboration and natural extension of his earlier work to some previously untouched domains, a restatement or reformulation of some of his earlier methodological and conceptual contributions, and an effective rebuttal to numerous critics. In his preface, Skinner explains that he uses -the word "theory" at least three different ways: (1) an explanatory system involving hypothetical constructs; (2) a critique of the methods, data, and concepts of a science of behavior; (3) the interpretation of familiar facts, such as our observation of human behavior in daily life, in the light of scientific analysis. It is, of course, in the first and most famous sense of the word "theory" that Skinner is usu-
The effects of the environment on physical activity patterns of children with mental retardation.

(2001). The Effects of the Environment on Physical Activity Patterns of Children with Mental Retardation. Research Quarterly for Exercise and Sport: Vol. 72, No. 2, pp. 189-195.
Herpes Zoster Infection in a Patient on Methotrexate Given Prednisone to Prevent Post-herpetic Neuralgia

Excerpt To the editor: Corticosteroids are often prescribed for prevention of post-herpetic neuralgia in the elderly. We report a case of disseminated herpes zoster after prednisone treatment in a ...
An Introduction to the Theory and Conduct of Meta‐Analysis

“Meta-analysis” is defined as a cross-discipline research method. Formally a form of literature review, its primary purpose is the synthesis of research studies already reported. It may be used for description or theory testing, and statistical tests may be applied to the units of analysis, termed effects, to estimate relationships between independent and dependent variables found in research studies.
The toxins of the psittacosis-lymphogranuloma group of agents; the toxicity of various members of the psittacosis-lymphogranuloma venereum group.

jection or recovered and showed no evidence of infection. In subsequent studies similar toxins were demonstrated in the yolk sac suspension of the viruses of mouse pneumonitis, meningopneumonitis and feline pneumonitis (Rake and Jones, 1944; Hamre and Rake, 1944). The toxic component is labile, being destroyed in a short time at incubator temperatures and by low concentration of formalin, and is present in high concentration only in the yolk sac. Each of the three pneumonitis viruses produced a characteristic graphic death curve when injected intravenously into mice, showing an initial interval in which deaths were due to toxin, a second interval during which few or no deaths occurred and a third interval during which the remaining mice died as a result of infection. The toxins of each of the four viruses
Distribution and tissue specificity of 4-aminobutyrate-2-oxoglutarate aminotransferase.

A rapid and specific method for assaying 4-aminobutyrate-2-oxoglutarate aminotransferase was developed. The method was based on the selectivity of ion exchange resin and the speed of vacuum filtration. With this new method, the aminotransferase activity in various tissues has been determined as follows: brain, 10.2; spinal cord, 11.8; liver, 5.7; kidney, 4.6; heart, 0.5; lung, 0.4 nmol glutamate formed/min/mg. No activity could be detected in muscle preparations. When the aminotransferases were tested with the antibody, against the purified 4-aminobutyrate aminotransferase from brain, no difference could be detected among brain, spinal cord, and kidney preparations as judged from the results of immunodiffusion, inhibition of enzyme activity by antibody, and microcomplement fixation. It is concluded that 4-aminobutyrate aminotransferases from various tissues of the mouse are probably identical or closely related.
Magnetic field of the cardiac conduction system (invited)

An overview is given of recent progress in our understanding of the magnetic field of the human cardiac conduction system. This field, of the order of 0.5 pT, has been mapped with a first‐order SQUID gradiometer in a rural location having the very low overall noise level of 6×10−3 pT/√Hz. Measurements of similar sensitivity in an ordinary clinical environment have not yet been attempted but we discuss a new approach to noise reduction which should permit this to be achieved. A theoretical model, based on an electrophysiological description of the nerve fibers of the cardiac conduction system accounts quantitatively for the principal features of the existing observations. This constitutes a first step toward the extraction of clinically useful information from magnetic measurements of the conduction system. An extension of this approach is discussed, which promises to supply useful information on abnormal as well as normal subjects.
Food Habits of Georgia Estuarine Fishes II. Symphurus plagiusa (Pleuronectiformes: Cynoglossidae)

Abstract Examination of the digestive tracts of 588 blackcheek tonguefish, Symphurus plagiusa, during 1973 and 1974 indicated a primarily benthic feeding habit. Mollusks and various crustaceans were the most common identifiable constituents of the diet during all times of the year in fish of all sizes above postlarvae in both rivers and sounds in Georgia estuaries. Sand grains were present in about half of the fish.
The extended IL-10 superfamily: IL-10, IL-19, IL-20, IL-22, IL-24, IL-26, IL-28, and IL-29

Cytokines are involved in virtually every aspect of immunity and inflammation. A cascade of responses evolves after cytokine activation, although optimal function might ultimately involve several complementary cytokines. Understanding the function of individual cytokines is complicated because their role can vary depending on the cellular source, target, and phase of the immune response. In fact, numerous cytokines have both proinflammatory and anti-inflammatory potential, with the contrasting outcome observed being determined by the immune cells present and their state of responsiveness to the cytokine. These issues make the study of cytokine biology daunting, particularly so for IL-10 and IL-10-related genes. The IL-10 superfamily is highly pleiotropic. These genes are linked together through genetic similarity and intron-exon gene structure. Significant commonality exists not only through shared receptors but also through conserved signaling cascades. However, its members mediate diverse activities, including immune suppression, enhanced antibacterial and antiviral immunity, antitumor activity, and promotion of self-tolerance in autoimmune diseases.
The Anatomy of a Death: Repression, Human Rights and the Case of Alexandre Vannucchi Leme in Authoritarian Brazil

Employing new archival sources, this article reappraises the role of human rights in the opposition to Brazil's repressive military regime. While most interpretations pinpoint the protest against the 1975 murder of journalist Vladimir Herzog as the opposition's great awakening, this research focuses on a similar outcry against the 1973 killing of University of Sao Paulo student Alexandre Vannucchi Leme. His death led students and clergymen to defy riot troops and gather 3,000 people for a memorial service that was the first large-scale anti-regime demonstration of the 1970s and a decisive step in the Roman Catholic Church's development as leader of the opposition.
POWER, PARTICIPATION, AND LOCAL GOVERNMENT: THE COMMUNAL STRUGGLE FOR PARITY

From the perspective of the small community within the city, there has emerged a view of the urban power struggle as a contest between economic and communal forces, with local government as a mediator, facilitator, implementor that is pulled, pushed, and sometimes captured by one combatant or the other. Now, as jobs replace development as the central issue for neighborhood people, the power struggle enters a new phase with new kinds of communal coalitions appearing. Participation is people and their organizations enlisting as communal forces. The opportunities for such enlistment seem to be expanding.
A Web-based experiential rotation platform.

Today’s college students may require different approaches to teaching and learning. The so-called “video-game generation” currently populating the majority of pharmacy schools is adept at using technology and seems to respond well to interactive teaching techniques.[1][1] Efforts to increase
Author retrospective for adaptive reduction parallelization techniques

Modern applications are dynamic and input dependent and algorithm performance is input and environment sensitive. This potential mismatch between algorithmic choice and performance is exacerbated in the case of parallel programs because the penalty for less than optimal locality is grows with the size of the machine. Reductions, e.g., map-reduce are one of the most important algorithms used in parallel codes are also input sensitive. This led us to develop an adaptive framework that used a statistical method to learn how to select the best algorithm for every execution instance. We applied it to parallel reduction algorithm selection. The importance of better reduction methods as well as adaptive selection methods has only increased since the time this paper was first published.Original paper:http://dx.doi.org/10.1145/335231.335238
Staining of histones on polyacrylamide gels with amido black and fast green.

Abstract The absorption characteristics and stability of amido black-histone complexes are shown to be highly dependent on the kind of histone involved. The potential of amido black for qualitative analyses of histone complements, and some risks in its use for quantitation are indicated. The absorption characteristics of fast green also depend to some extent on the kind of histone it is bound to. Fast green occurs in blue as well as green forms in histone complexes, and the proportion of blue to green forms may vary according to the kind of histone and the extent of destaining. In quantitative analyses based on fast green staining, measurements of the blue form should be preferred since complexes of different histones with the blue form are all relatively stable.
Effect of ferrocene addition on sooting limits in laminar premixed ethylene–oxygen–argon flames

Abstract The critical sooting C/O ratio was measured for a series of atmospheric-pressure, laminar premixed ethylene–oxygen–argon flames doped with a small amount of ferrocene. Comparisons of the doped and undoped flames show marked increases in sooting tendency for flames doped with ferrocene. Under the same flame conditions, the critical C/O ratios in doped flames were uniformly lower than those of undoped flames. A five-step reaction mechanism of ferrocene decomposition, leading to the formation of the cyclopentadienyl, was proposed. Detailed kinetic modeling of the experimental flames showed little changes in the flame temperature and the aromatic concentration upon ferrocene doping. The experimental and computational results support the early suggestion that in premixed flames the increase in sooting tendency due to ferrocene addition is the result of induced nucleation by iron oxide nanoparticles. These particles provide a surface to initiate soot surface growth.
Entropy driven radiation

Abstract Clapp [R. E. Clapp, J. Theor. Biol. 92 , 15 (1981).] has shown that biological systems dispose of their excess entropy by the emission of photons each carrying about 3.6 k entropy units, k being Boltzmann's Constant. It is here proposed to apply this argument to inorganic as well as to organic nontransient irreversible processes, which proceed wholly or nearly isothermally and in which the product has a higher degree of order or of organization than the initial states. The concept is applied to fuel cell reactions and to crystallization processes which thus should be accompanied by the emission of ir radiation capable of external detection.
A quasi‐explicit modification of the two time level family of schemes for non‐linear transient analysis

A quasi-explicit modification of well-known two time level implicit schemes for first-order, non-linear initial value problems is presented. Stable and accurate quadratic families for the quasi-explicit generalized trapezoidal method (GTM) and the generalized midpoint method (GMM) are derived. Accuracy, stability and oscillatory behaviour of the proposed algorithms are studied. Much higher stability and oscillatory levels are obtained for quasi-explicit modification of the generalized trapezoidal method than those of the generalized midpoint method.
PCDD/PCDF contamination following a plastics fire in a university lecture hall building

Abstract Polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins (PCDDs) and polychlorinated dibenzofurans (PCDFs) were detected in soot from a building fire involving synthetic materials not containing polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) or chlorobenzenes.
Possible signatures of magnetic phase segregation in electron-doped antiferromagnetic CaMnO 3

Specimens of the form ${\mathrm{Ca}}_{1\ensuremath{-}x}{\mathrm{La}}_{x}{\mathrm{MnO}}_{3}$ $(0l~xl~0.2)$ are utilized to study the effect of electron doping on the magnetic saturation moment ${M}_{\mathrm{sat}}(5\mathrm{K}).$ The systematic behavior of ${M}_{\mathrm{sat}}(5\mathrm{K})$ vs x is understood through a phenomenological model which suggests the existence of local ferromagnetic regions within the antiferromagnetic host for $0.03lxl0.08.$
Microwave plasma diagnostics

Cold atmospheric plasmas (CAP) may have the ability to improve cancer treatment, though the mechanisms of which are yet to be fully understood. Recent works have shown that Rayleigh microwave scattering (RMS) can be used to obtain the absolute value of the electron density in CAP. An RMS apparatus titled the Microwave Electron Density Device (MEDD) has recently been fabricated and tested at The George Washington University. At present, electron density has been successfully measured in a commercial Argon Plasma Coagulation device and work is ongoing concerning the measurement of a 100% helium CAP. Results from recent electron density experiments will be presented.
Stimulation of prostaglandin E2 and thromboxane B2 production by human monocytes in response to interleukin-2

Interleukin 2 (IL-2) is a potent lymphokine involved in the regulation of immune responses and is classically regarded as a stimulus for the activation and growth of T-cells. Recent reports have demonstrated the IL-2 dependent activation of human peripheral blood lymphocytes into lymphokine activated killer cells capable of lysing tumor cells both in vitro and in vivo . In this study we report data which clearly show IL-2 may also act to down-regulate the immune response by inducing the synthesis of arachidonic acid metabolites with known immunosuppressive actions. Stimulation of peripheral human blood monocytes with IL-2 caused an increased production of prostaglandin E2 (PGE2) and thromboxane (TXB2) in a dose-dependent manner. Kinetic analysis showed no increase above controls after 6 hours and maximal levels by 10 hours; elevated levels were maintained after 45 hours of incubation. After 20 hours of stimulation with 2000 U/ml IL-2, the level of PGE2 and TXB2 were greater than three-fold above controls, 0.7 and 19 ng/106 cells, respectively. The stimulation was relatively specific in that neither prostacyclin nor leukotrienes were produced in response to IL-2. These data demonstrate that IL-2 acts on human monocytes to induce the secretion of PGE2 and TXB2.
Single Source Molecular Precursors to Niobia–Silica and Niobium Phosphate Materials

The molecular precursors Nb(OiPr)2[OSi(OtBu)3]3 and {Nb(OiPr)4[O2P(OtBu)2]}2 have been prepared. The first compound undergoes facile thermal conversion to high surface area, acidic niobia silica, whereas the second one thermally decomposes to a low surface area niobium phosphate.
The structure of the IS discipline reconsidered: Implications and reflections from a community of practice perspective

The motivation of this paper is to advance the recent discussion about the identity of the Information Systems field with a social analysis of its community structures. It seeks to shed new light on the reasons why the field continues to debate its identity and to voice concerns about its recognition by other disciplines. For that purpose the paper adapts selected concepts from the community of practice literature for improving our understanding of the ways in which the IS research community differentiates itself into diverse constituencies, called communities of practice and knowing (CoPK (ii) what the nature and role of fundamental criticism is for the IS research community and why it is necessary for the field's future to pay more institutional attention to it; and (iii) how to improve understanding and communication within each paradigm constituency across a broad subset of different CoPK it also helps to suggest new priorities and possible strategies for dealing with these challenges.
Comment on “How Biased are US Government Forecasts of the Federal Debt?”

Abstract In this comment on “How Biased are US Government Forecasts of the Federal Debt?” by Neil R. Ericsson, we investigate the sensitivity of the “bare-bones” application of the impulse indicator saturation technique. We offer an alternative but complementary interpretation of Ericsson’s findings of bias in government debt forecasts. Our findings reinforce his interpretation of the role of the IIS technique as a general diagnostic tool for detecting model misspecification.
An Observation Tool for Monitoring Social Skill Implementation in Contextually Relevant Environments

Skills related to social-emotional learning (SEL) are essential for college and career readiness. Failure to use appropriate skills for SEL in school is often linked to several negative academic outcomes, including rejection by school community members, academic deficits, and higher rates of problematic behavior. Social skills interventions are commonly used to address deficits in SEL. To be most effective, these interventions must be culturally and contextually relevant to the student. The Social Skills Observation Tool (SSOT) was developed to (a) identify the social skills commonly used within natural school environments and (b) determine specific student deficits in the appropriate use of these skills. Implications for practice are discussed.
A programming language for the teaching of algorithmic analysis

This report deals with the design, implementation and evolution of programming language designed specially for the teaching of Algorithmic Processes. In the first section two alternative approaches to the teaching of this first course in Computer Science are described. Next the authors state their basic hypothesis: that a programming language may be custom-designed for a given flow chart language with ensuing benefit. A flow chart language is chosen and described in detail with several examples of complete problems solved in flow chart form, Next the programming language is described and the problems solved in the previous section with flow charts are now coded in this programming language. Several simplifying features of the programming language are described. This programming language is now being utilized in a college classroom situation in order to evaluate its effectiveness as a teaching tool. A brief description of its current use and the means of its evaluation are presented in the last section.
Study of spin-temperature effects using energy-ordered continuum gamma-ray spectroscopy technique

Abstract We have investigated a new continuum γ -ray spectroscopy technique which is based on the detection of all emitted γ rays in a 4π detector system, and ordering them according to their energies on an event-by-event basis. The technique allows determination of gamma strength functions, and rotational damping width as a function of spin and temperature. Thus, it opens up the possibility of studying the onset of motional narrowing, order-to-chaos transition, and the mapping of the evolution of nuclear collectivity with spin and temperature. Application of the technique for preferential entry-state population, exit-channel selection, and feeding of the discrete states via selective pathways will be discussed.
The Use of Magnetic Resonance Imaging in the Study of Endema

A method of studying edema using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is presented. Three patients with lower extremity edema due to congestive heart failure were imaged with a 0.6 tesla system before and after diuresis. Edge detection algorithms were utilized to precisely outline regions of interest for quantification. Water and nonwater elements were separated within the region of interest to quantify water content. The results show that: (1) Edema can be quantified by use of MRI. (2) Subcutaneous edema is distributed along defined planes (ie, nonuniformly). (3) Increased water content is present not only in the subcutaneous tissue but also in deeper lying muscle.
Statement on the publication of Alice Dreger's investigation, Darkness's descent on the American Anthropological Association: a cautionary tale.

We feel it is important to explain to the readership of Human Nature why we decided to break with our tradition of publishing only those papers based on evolutionary approaches to human behavior that are highly empirical in terms of substantive testing of theoretical predictions with data. Our decision to publish an investigation of the conduct of a professional society needs to be explained to those who are not aware of the history that lies behind it. Although the readers of Human Nature come from a wide variety of disciplines, a solid core of both readers and Consulting Editors identify themselves as Evolutionary Anthropologists or Human Evolutionary Ecologists, do research in nonindustrialized societies, and practice scientific methodology. This is the group that was most damaged in reputation and status by the original publication in 2001 of Darkness in El Dorado by Patrick Tierney (New York: W. W. Norton) and, that same year, by the President and Executive Board of the American Anthropological Association, who launched an unstructured investigation into accusations of scientifically motivated genocide against James Neel, a geneticist, and Napoleon Chagnon, an anthropologist. Evolutionary anthropologists were very disturbed by what seemed to be a witchhunting psychology that rippled through the AAA meetings, the AAA-sponsored investigation, and subsequent web postings. A number of us decided that we needed Hum Nat DOI 10.1007/s12110-011-9106-8
Genetic and epigenetic contributions to the cortical phenotype in mammals

One aspect of cortical organization, cortical field size, is variable both within and across species. The observed variability arises from a variety of sources, including genes intrinsic to the neocortex and a number of extrinsic and epigenetic factors. Genes intrinsic to the cortex are directly involved in the development and specification of cortical fields and are regulated from both signaling centers located outside of the neocortex, which secrete diffusible molecules, and the expression of transcription factors within the neocortex. In addition, extrinsic factors such as the type, location and density of sensory receptor arrays and how these receptor arrays are utilized, are also strongly related to cortical field size. Epigenetic factors including the relative activity patterns generated by the different types of physical stimuli in a given environment also contribute to differences in cortical organization, including cortical field size. Since both genetic and epigenetic factors contribute to cortical organization, some aspects of the cortical phenotype evolve, while other aspects of the cortical phenotype persist only if the environment in which an individual develops is relatively stable.
Hydrogen-extended defect interactions in heteroepitaxial InP materials and devices

Abstract Hydrogen is well-known to have a profound influence on the electrical properties of many semiconductors, including bulk crystals, polycrystalline materials, homoepitaxial layers, and amorphous semiconductors. In comparison, much less information exists on the specific role and properties of hydrogen in lattice-mismatched, heteroepitaxial semiconductor layers, which often contain high densities of dislocations and related defects due to strain-relaxation that are expected to interact strongly with hydrogen. The purpose of this article, therefore, is to review the interaction of hydrogen with such extended defects for the particular case of lattice-mismatched, relaxed InP layers with an application emphasis toward heteroepitaxial InP solar cells. However, the results should be generally applicable to other mismatched III–V semiconductor layers. Hydrogen is shown to strongly passivate extended defect states in both n and p-type InP, displaying high thermal stability in comparison to point defect passivation. The fundamental trapping properties of extended defects are altered by passivation as well, displaying a shift toward “point defect-like” behavior. The thermal dissociation kinetics of hydrogen complexes with extended defect states are revealed by a combination of DLTS and reverse bias annealing, and the strong passivation effect is confirmed by large values of H-extended defect dissociation energies. Finally, the combination of extended defects, dopants and hydrogen present within relaxed, semiconductor layers results in complicated interactions that both influence hydrogen-dopant complexes and can also give rise to additional hydrogen interactions with point defects that are gettered by dislocations.
Menhaden, a single step from vascular plant to fishery harvest

Abstract Juvenile Atlantic menhaden, Brevoortia tyrannus (Latrobe), living in salt marsh ecosystems of the North Carolina coast have a diet which consists primarily of detritus with little apparent contribution from living plants, animals, or bacteria. Cellulose is a major constituent of the organic matter eaten. Feeding experiments indicate that vascular plant material, including cellulose, is digested with ≈ 75% efficiency. This demonstrates an efficient direct link from marsh primary production to fishery utilization.
High frequency induction heated sintering of nanostructured Al2O3–ZrB2 composite produced by MASHS technique

Abstract Nanostructured Al 2 O 3 –ZrB 2 composite was synthesized using an alternative route called Mechanically Activated Self-propagating High-temperature Synthesis (MASHS). It was demonstrated that Al 2 O 3 –ZrB 2 composite with nanometric structure could be produced via a very fast combustion front in contrast with the SHS process. Ball milling for 5 h with ball to powder weight ratio of 5:1 was found to be the optimum condition for activation of the reactants. Using the high frequency induction heated sintering method, the composite was consolidated within 3 min. The relative density of the sintered sample was 99% of the theoretical density at an applied pressure of 20 MPa and temperature of 1800 °C. The average hardness and fracture toughness were 19.5 GPa and 4.1±0.3 MPa m 1/2 , respectively.
Orographic cloud over the eastern slopes of Mauna Loa volcano, Hawaii, related to insolation and wind

Abstract During the period 1–11 June 1978, solar radiation and other meteorological data were gathered at eight stations arranged in a nearly linear transaction extending from the coast at Hilo, Hawaii to Mauna Loa Observatory, 60 km inland and 3400 m higher. Solar radiation distributions followed climatological rainfall patterns; the driest areas were sunniest. At the wettest sites, underneath the orographic cloud, measured global solar radiation was only 50% of clear-sky potential, and the diffuse component probably accounted for more than 50% of the global radiation. The orographic cloud developed during the day in upslope winds, and sharply reduced afternoon solar radiation at all sites. Total cloudiness, and hence insulation, varied greatly from day to day due to the passage of trade wind cloud masses and jet stream cirrus.
Densities, viscosities and refractive indexes of ethylene glycol solutions and Tris-Mg(II)-KCl buffers.

Abstract The densities, viscosities and refractive indexes of two Tris-Mg(II)-KCl buffers and solutions of ethylene glycol which are frequently used in various biochemical studies have been measured. These physical constants are important for the calculation of hydrodynamic and spectroscopic parameters of macromolecules. Failure to use the proper constants results in significant errors.
Visual impairment in patients with chronic open angle glaucoma

Chronic open angle glaucoma (COAG) is to a great extent a disease of the elderly,- a population often affected by other diseases reducing vision. The visual reduction in older patients affected by COAG is thus often the cause of other diseases than glaucoma. We looked at the visual function of 809 patients with COAG and tried to define the main cause of visual impairment, as well as classify visual reduction according to WHO recommendations from 1977. (fig.1). The study is also ment to serve as a referance for future evaluations of the visual function in our glaucoma patients
AN APPLICATION OF THE FOURIER TRANSFORM TO SECTIONS OF STAR BODIES

We express the volume of central hyperplane sections of star bodies inR n in terms of the Fourier transform of a power of the radial function, and apply this result to confirm the conjecture of Meyer and Pajor on the minimal volume of central sections of the unit balls of the spacesl with 0<p<2.
ProSAAS-Derived Peptides are Colocalized with Neuropeptide Y and Function as Neuropeptides in the Regulation of Food Intake

ProSAAS is the precursor of a number of peptides that have been proposed to function as neuropeptides. Because proSAAS mRNA is highly expressed in the arcuate nucleus of the hypothalamus, we examined the cellular localization of several proSAAS-derived peptides in the mouse hypothalamus and found that they generally colocalized with neuropeptide Y (NPY), but not α-melanocyte stimulating hormone. However, unlike proNPY mRNA, which is upregulated by food deprivation in the mediobasal hypothalamus, neither proSAAS mRNA nor proSAAS-derived peptides were significantly altered by 1–2 days of food deprivation in wild-type mice. Furthermore, while proSAAS mRNA levels in the mediobasal hypothalamus were significantly lower in Cpefat/fat mice as compared to wild-type littermates, proNPY mRNA levels in the mediobasal hypothalamus and in other subregions of the hypothalamus were not significantly different between wild-type and Cpefat/fat mice. Intracerebroventricular injections of antibodies to two proSAAS-derived peptides (big LEN and PEN) significantly reduced food intake in fasted mice, while injections of antibodies to two other proSAAS-derived peptides (little LEN and little SAAS) did not. Whole-cell patch clamp recordings of parvocellular neurons in the hypothalamic paraventricular nucleus, a target of arcuate NPY projections, showed that big LEN produced a rapid and reversible inhibition of synaptic glutamate release that was spike independent and abolished by blocking postsynaptic G protein activity, suggesting the involvement of a postsynaptic G protein-coupled receptor and the release of a retrograde synaptic messenger. Taken together with previous studies, these findings support a role for proSAAS-derived peptides such as big LEN as neuropeptides regulating food intake.
Education differentials by race in the diagnosis and management of hypercholesterolemia

Purpose Our objective was to examine education differentials in screening, prevalence, awareness, treatment and control of hypercholesterolemia in three race/ethnic groups. Methods We analyzed data of 14,805 men and women ages ≥20 years, reported as African American, white or Mexican American, who participated in the Third National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, conducted between 1988–1994. Prevalence of hypercholesterolemia was defined as having a total cholesterol level ≥240mg/dL, or use of lipid-lowering medication. Screening and awareness were determined by self-report, and control was based on National Cholesterol Education Program guidelines. Education levels included: grade school, some high school, high school, some college and ≥college. Results Participants with less education were less likely to have been screened, after adjusting for age, gender, comorbid conditions and BMI (odds ratio were 0.2, 0.2, 0.4. 0.6/0.7 for each increasing education level vs. the highest, in each race/ethnic group; all odds ratios were statistically significant). Multivariate models for awareness (among those with hypercholesterolemia) only showed the lowest education level (vs. highest) to be significantly associated with lower awareness within each race/ethnic group (odds ratios 0.6 for Whites, 0.5 for African Americans and 0.2 for Mexican Americans). There were almost no statistically significant associations between education and prevalence, treatment (among those aware), or control (among those who were treated). Conclusion We found that individuals with less education were less likely to have been screened, and those with the least education were less likely to be aware of their condition. These associations were apparent in each race/ethnic group. Once individuals were aware of their condition, no education differentials were found. Focusing public health policy on increasing screening and awareness for individuals with lower education might greatly improve their chances of preventing or mitigating morbidity related to hypercholesterolemia and subsequent disease.
Setting the Rules: An Examination of the Influence of Organizational Founders' Values

The most important contribution of this research is the empirical test of founders' values related to employee perceptions of organizational rules, organizational satisfactions, and levels of uncertainty for communication sending and receiving. Specifically, this research extends previous work by Shockley-Zalabak and Morley by seeking to determine interrelationships among founders' values, culture, and individual members' values. Findings indicate that (a) employees' own values and their perception of organizational rules were related to communication behaviors and organizational outcomes of work satisfaction, company satisfaction, perceived quality of the company, and perceived likelihood of the company's surviving; (b) founders experienced significantly less ambiguity about organizational rules than all other work groups, including managers and supervisors; (c) perception of organizational rules and values varied by organizational level; and (d) differences existed by organizational levels in communicat...
Ultrahigh-speed spectral domain optical coherence tomography of the human retina

Properties and applications of Spectral Domain OCT have recently been explored, demonstrating improved signal to noise ratios and the potential for high-speed acquisition. In this presentation, we demonstrate in-vivo measurements of a human retina using a Spectral Domain system with acquisition rates of 10,000, 20,000, and 30,000 A-lines per second and 580 μW incident on the eye. Images consisting of 1000 depth profiles and ranging in width from 4 to 12 mm were acquired. The dynamic ranges within an image at 104, 2x104, and 3x104 lps were 40 dB, 39 dB and 28 dB respectively. These values are comparable to that of time domain Optical Coherence tomography yet are achieved at acquisition rates over 50 times faster, demonstrating video-rate OCT imaging at up to 30 frames/sec with 1000 A-lines per image. This work is more thoroughly described in the following publications: 1) B. R. White, M. C. Pierce, N. Nassif, B. Cense, B. H. Park, G. J. Tearney, B. E. Bouma, T. C. Chen,J. F. de Boer, "In vivo dynamic human retinal blood flow imaging using ultra-high speed spectral domain optical doppler tomography," Opt. Express 11, 3490-3497 (2003). 2) N. A. Nassif, B. Cense, B. H. Park, M. C. Pierce, S. H. Yun, B. E. Bouma, G. J. Tearney, T. C. Chen, and J. F. de Boer, "In vivo high-resolution video-rate spectral-domain optical coherence tomography of the human retina and optic nerve," Opt. Express 12, 367-376 (2004). 3) N. Nassif, B. Cense, B. H. Park, S. H. Yun, T. C. Chen, B. E. Bouma, G. J. Tearney,J. F. de Boer, "In-vivo human retinal imaging by ultra high-speed spectral domain optical coherence tomography," Optics Letters 29, 480-482 (2004).
CAD challenges in BioMEMS design

The ability of micromachining, or MEMS, technology to directly manipulate micron- and nanometer-sized objects makes it an idea technology for a wide range of biological and biomedical applications, and has led to a sub field in bioMEMs design. Although BioMEMS is attracting substantial attention and research, development has been hampered by the lack of computer-aided design tools. The available tools are far behind those for integrated circuit design, and therefore successful bioMEMS designers require very sophisticated processing expertise. It is the purpose of this paper to encourage research in this rapidly evolving computer-aided design field, by providing the briefest of summaries and an extensive set of pointers to literature.
Character Recognition using Spiking Neural Networks

A spiking neural network model is used to identify characters in a character set. The network is a two layered structure consisting of integrate-and-fire and active dendrite neurons. There are both excitatory and inhibitory connections in the network. Spike time dependent plasticity (STDP) is used for training. The winner take all mechanism is enforced by the lateral inhibitory connections. It is found that most of the characters are recognized in a character set consisting of 48 characters. The network is trained successfully with increased resolution of the characters. Also, addition of uniform random noise does not decrease its recognition capability.
Accelerating XML query matching through custom stack generation on FPGAs

Publish-subscribe systems present the state of the art in information dissemination to multiple users. Such systems have evolved from simple topic-based to the current XML-enabled systems. Here, users pose complex queries (expressed in XPath) on the structure and content of the streaming documents. The parts of the documents that match the user queries are then returned to the users. This paper proposes a novel hardware architecture that would exploit the parallelism found in XPath filtering systems. Using an incoming XML stream, parsing and matching with thousands of user profiles are performed simultaneously on a single FPGA, thus yielding up to three orders of magnitude higher throughput when compared to conventional approaches bound by the sequential aspect of software computing. By converting XPath expressions into custom stacks, our architecture is the first providing full support for all structural XPath constructs, including parent-child and ancestor descendant relations, whilst allowing wildcarding and recursion.
International trade and industrial upgrading in the apparel commodity chain

This article uses a global commodity chains perspective to analyze the social and organizational dimensions of international trade networks. In linking international trade and industrial upgrading, this article specifies: the mechanisms by which organizational learning occurs in trade networks; typical trajectories from assembly to OEM and OBM export roles; and the organizational conditions that facilitate industrial upgrading moves such as the shift from assembly to full-package networks. The empirical focus is the apparel industry, with an emphasis on Asia. © 1999 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved. Globalization has altered the competitive dynamics of nations, firms, and industries. This is most clearly seen in changing patterns of international trade, where the explosive growth of imports in developed countries indicates that the center of gravity for the production and export of many manufactures has moved to an ever expanding array of newly industrializing economies (NIEs) in the Third World. This shift is central to the 'East Asian miracle,' which refers to the handful of high-performing Asian economies that have attained lofty per capita growth rates, relatively low income inequality, high educational attainment, record levels of domestic saving and investment, and booming exports from the 1960s to the mid-1990s (World Bank, 1993). Regardless of whether the growth is due to
Possible Origins of the Complex Topographic Organization of Motor Cortex: Reduction of a Multidimensional Space onto a Two-Dimensional Array

We propose that some of the features of the topographic organization in motor cortex emerge from a competition among several conflicting mapping requisites. These competing requisites include a somatotopic map of the body, a map of hand location in space, and a partitioning of cortex into regions that emphasize different complex, ethologically relevant movements. No one type of map fully explains the topography; instead, all three influences (and perhaps others untested here) interact to form the topography. A standard algorithm (Kohonen network) was used to generate an artificial motor cortex array that optimized local continuity for these conflicting mapping requisites. The resultant hybrid map contained many features seen in actual motor cortex, including the following: a rough, overlapping somatotopy; a posterior strip in which simpler movements were represented and more somatotopic segregation was observed, and an anterior strip in which more complex, multisegmental movements were represented and the somatotopy was less segregated; a clustering of different complex, multisegmental movements into specific subregions of cortex that resembled the arrangement of subregions found in the monkey; three hand representations arranged on the cortex in a manner similar to the primary motor, dorsal premotor, and ventral premotor hand areas in the monkey; and maps of hand location that approximately matched the maps observed in the monkey.
PaperSpeckle: microscopic fingerprinting of paper

Paper forgery is among the leading causes of corruption in many developing regions. In this paper, we introduce PaperSpeckle, a robust system that leverages the natural randomness property present in paper to generate a fingerprint for any piece of paper. Our goal in developing PaperSpeckle is to build a low-cost paper based authentication mechanism for applications in rural regions such as microfinance, healthcare, land ownership records, supply chain services and education which heavily rely on paper based records. Unlike prior paper fingerprinting techniques that have extracted fingerprints based on the fiber structure of paper, PaperSpeckle uses the texture speckle pattern, a random bright/dark region formation at the microscopic level when light falls on to the paper, to extract a unique fingerprint to identify paper. In PaperSpeckle, we show how to extract a "repeatable" texture speckle pattern of a microscopic region of a paper using low-cost machinery involving paper, pen and a cheap microscope. Using extensive testing on different types of paper, we show that PaperSpeckle can produce a robust repeatable fingerprint even if paper is damaged due to crumpling, printing or scribbling, soaking in water or aging with time.
Introduction to EMC simulations of analog ICs

Electromagnetic compatibility is an important performance meter of any modern IC design. This paper describes methods on how to simulate and evaluate the IC's electromagnetic susceptibility and electromagnetic emissions performance at the IC level in a SPICE simulator. It is intended as a short tutorial to the IC EMC simulations mainly for mixed signal ASICs.