cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Urine drug screen positive for cocaine and amphetamine is not an adverse risk factor for cardiovascular morbidity or mortality in trauma.

Background Urine drug screening (UDS) is a component of trauma workup and of perioperative risk evaluation. Illicit stimulant use has been associated with cardiovascular complications. This study investigates the impact of stimulant use and its interaction with surgery on cardiovascular complications in trauma patients. Methods Patients were identified from the 2017 National Trauma Data Bank. Univariate and multivariate analyses were used to evaluate the effect of amphetamine and cocaine on mortality, myocardial infarction (MI), and stroke. We evaluated three subsets: all screened patients, those who underwent surgery, and those whose surgery was immediate. Significance was tested with χ2 test for categorical variables, Student's t-test for continuous variables, and logistic regression for multivariate analysis. Results 317 688 (32.1%) patients underwent UDS. Multivariate analysis showed protective association between cocaine and mortality OR 0.9 (p=0.028). Cocaine was a non-significant predictor of MI and stroke: OR 0.63 (p=0.065) and 0.91 (p=0.502), respectively. Amphetamine was a non-significant predictor of mortality, MI, and stroke: OR 0.97 (p=0.405), 0.80 (p=0.283), and 1.02 (p=0.857), respectively.On univariate analysis, amphetamine showed a protective association with MI for all screened patients: relative risk (RR) 0.58 (p=0.005), and for surgical patients: RR 0.58 (p=0.019). Amphetamine showed a protective association with mortality for all three subsets: RR 0.83 (p<0.001), 0.78 (p<0.001), and 0.71 (p<0.001), respectively. Cocaine showed a protective association with MI for all screened patients: RR 0.45 (p=0.001), and for surgical patients: RR 0.44 (p=0.005). Cocaine showed a protective association with mortality for all three subsets: RR 0.76 (p<0.001), 0.71 (p<0.001), and 0.63 (p<0.001), respectively. Discussion UDS positive for cocaine or amphetamine is not an adverse risk factor in trauma, including trauma patients who underwent surgery. The apparent protective effects of illicit drugs warrant further investigation. Level of evidence Therapeutic/care management, level IV.
Plane nonlinear shear wave propagation in transversely isotropic soft solids

Nonlinear wave equations are obtained for the two plane shear wave modes in a transversely isotropic soft solid. The material is modeled using a general expansion of the strain energy density up to fourth order in strain. Whereas, in an isotropic soft solid, leading order nonlinearity for plane wave propagation appears at cubic order in strain, elastic anisotropy in a transversely isotropic material introduces nonlinear effects at quadratic order, including interaction between the modes of a wave with two displacement components. Expressions for second harmonic generation in an elliptically polarized wave field illustrate the low efficiency of nonlinear interactions between the two displacement components, which results from the disparity between propagation speeds of the two shear wave modes. Coupled wave equations with up to cubic nonlinearity are presented and then approximated to describe linearly polarized waves by neglecting interaction between modes. Evolution equations are obtained for linearly polarized progressive waves, and explicit expressions are given in terms of elastic moduli and propagation direction for the coefficients of leading order nonlinearity. Expressions are presented for up to third harmonic generation from a time-harmonic source.
Enrollment and Adherence to Early Outpatient and Maintenance Cardiac Rehabilitation Programs

Early outpatient (ECR) and maintenance cardiac rehabilitation (MCR) programs are essential, evidence-based services that have received unequivocal endorsement by national and international professional organizations. However, the latest data characterizing ECR enrollment and adherence fell well short of what would be expected for a therapy that has accumulated decades of empirical evidence touting the associated physiologic, physical, psychosocial, and financial benefits. Although national participation levels have remained stagnant, a series of recent publications showcase effective strategies that could bolster both ECR enrollment and adherence levels at the institutional level. Unlike ECR, fewer reports on enrollment and adherence rates exist for MCR, partly due to the lack of standardization of this service. In this review, we aim to highlight current data on enrollment and adherence to ECR and MCR and discuss evidence-based programmatic strategies to support utilization of both services.
Design considerations of 6.5kV enabled three-level and 10kV enabled two-level medium voltage SST

The advent of medium voltage silicon carbide (SiC) power semiconductor devices (6.5kV and 10 kV) has opened up the possibilities of looking into different converter topologies for the MV grid interfaced applications. A medium voltage mobile utility support equipment-based three-phase solid-state transformer (MUSE-SST) system is one such application aimed to interconnect a three-phase 4160 V/60 Hz grid to a three-phase 480 V/60 Hz grid to provide a shore-to-ship power interface for naval vessels. The system can be realized by both 10 kV SiC MOSFET and 6.5kV SiC MOSFET employing a two-level and three-level architecture respectively. The aim of this paper is to understand the thermal challenges and provides detailed design considerations of the two MV device-based architectures for a system scale-up to 500kVA rating. Device characteristics for both 6.5kV and 10kV SiC MOSFETs have been evaluated from experimental results. Based on these experimental data, the thermal performance of these devices enabled converter architecture is compared using elctro-thermal simulation-based loss comparison.
Role of Needle Biopsy in Renal Masses: Past, Present, and Future

The imaging-guided renal needle biopsies are playing an increasingly important role in the diagnosis and clinical management of renal masses. The clinical implications and pathologic interpretation of renal biopsies have evolved significantly in the past two decades. This chapter reviews the changes occurred in the clinical utilization of percutaneous renal needle biopsy and provides a practical approach based on cytologic features and architectural patterns for the pathologic diagnosis of renal tumors from limited core biopsy materials. In addition to histologic characteristics, ancillary studies including immunohistochemistry, fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH), and molecular tests are helpful tools for the differential diagnosis of renal masses present in needle biopsies.
Infections in the garden.

Many infectious diseases acquired in the garden are age specific; e.g., small children are more likely than adults to get Strongyloides stercoralis or hookworm infections in the appropriate locale. The epidemiological associations with infectious diseases acquired from plants, soil, or animal vectors have been discussed in this chapter. With all of the diseases potentially acquired by working in the garden, the clinician needs to establish a working diagnosis and then arrive at a definitive diagnosis by ordering the appropriate specific tests. Specific infectious diseases including sporotrichosis, histoplasmosis and blastomycosis have also been discussed. The location of the garden and the characteristics of the soil play a part in determining its infectious potential. The most important factor making the garden an infectious and dangerous place is the number and interaction of animals, whether they are pets or in the wild, that temporarily use the garden for part of their daily activities. The diagnostic approach is to utilize epidemiological principles in concert with clinical clues, which together should suggest a reasonable list of diagnostic possibilities.
Legal neutral dialogue, implementing the work of Bruce Ackerman in the field of law

This legal theory paper deals from a strictly jus philosophical perspective with the work of Bruce Ackerman and relates to the configuration of a theory of neutral dialogue applied in the field of law. The core of this essay is the analysis and complementation of some of the characteristics of this Ackerman's theory with other less abstract theories such as Prakken's formal model of adjudication, Walton's and Krabbe's commitment in dialogue, and Sartor's double face of legal concepts. The major and long term purpose is to achieve a feasible and comprehensible notion of neutral dialogue among these different notions. The more realistic and immediate goal is to provide theoretical data to a more general and multidisciplinary notion of hybrid dialogue. This paper aims to supply legal theoretical background to empirical fields such as the Online Dispute Resolution and Relational Justice. The final thesis of this article is to state that neutrality does not necessarily means denaturalized of the arguments used by parties in law and politics.
Hemoglobin FM-Fort Ripley: Another Lesson From the Neonate

In this issue of Pediatrics, Priest and co-workers have described a new fetal hemoglobin abnormality (Hb FM-Fort Ripley) which causes neonatal methemoglobinemia. Methemoglobin is the form of hemoglobin in which iron is oxidized (Fe3+) instead of reduced (Fe2+), and in this state hemoglobin does not transport oxygen. Methemoglobin normally accounts for less than 1% of the total hemoglobin, although small amounts of hemoglobin continually are being oxidized by exogenous and endogenous agents (including oxygen itself). Elevated methemoglobin levels occasionally occur in pediatric patients, and when this happens they are due to one or more of the following causes: exposure to chemicals that oxidize hemoglobin iron (eg, nitrates, nitrites, aniline derivatives); hereditary deficiency of methemoglobin reductase (also known as cytochrome b5 reductase), an erythrocyte enzyme that normally reduces methemoglobin; transient red blood cell deficiency of methemoglobin reductase, a normal neonatal event that persists until 3 to 4 months of age; the inheritance of an M hemoglobin, such as Hb FM-Fort Ripley.
Studies on ultrastructural dislocations in mitochondria: I. Reconstitution of oxidative phosphorylation in lyophilized mitochondria by sonic irradiation☆

Abstract Exposure of mitochondria to lyophilization, freezing and thawing, Ca++, or distilled water reduces or eliminates the capability for coupled electron transfer. Restoration of coupling capability can be achieved by sonic irradiation of the treated mitochondrial suspensions.
Small fenestra stapedectomy using a microdrill.

The purpose of the report is to describe and illustrate the author's method for performing a small fenestra stapedectomy using a microdill
A Fractal Model for Charge Diffusion Across a Rough Interface

It would appear to be a simple matter to describe the process of charge transfer across the interface between two substances (e.g., electrode and electrolyte): there is ohmic resistance in each material and a capacitance across the interface.
Espiritismo:The Flywheel of the Puerto Rican Spiritual Traditions

Espiritismo (spiritism) is a wide spread religious practice among Puerto Ricans in Puerto Rico and Puerto Ricans in the United States. Espiritismo has been found to be effective in healing people and having similar effects with clients in counseling and psychotherapy. Puerto Rican espiritismo is a syncretism belief system that combines pre- Columbian, African, Catholic, and European spiritual-religious practices into one system to fulfill the spiritual needs as well as the psychocultural needs of the Puerto Rican people. Implications and suggestions are also provided for counselors wanting to use espiritismo in their practices with Puerto Rican clients.
Interviewing Herbert Blumer

In March of 1982, I interviewed Blumer about doing field research with Symbolic Interactionist ideas. I was teaching a course on that topic at UC Santa Cruz. After Herb discussed the field work issues, he turned to his biography and early life.
First Principles Calculations of the Equilibrium Mechanical Properties of Simple Metals and Ordered Intermetallic Alloys

High-strength, light-weight intermetallic compounds which are ductile at high temperatures are of great technological interest. Purely experimental searches for improved intermetallic materials are time consuming and expensive. Theoretical studies can shorten the experimental work by focusing on candidate compounds which have several of the desired properties. Although current abinitio density functional calculations are not adequate to calculate material properties at high temperatures, it is possible to compute the equation of state and elastic moduli of ordered compounds with several atoms in a unit cell. Known correlations between equilibrium and high temperature properties can then be used to point the way for experiments. We have demonstrated the power of this approach by applying the linearized augmented plane wave (LAPW) method to calculate the equation of state and elastic moduli for several simple metals (Al, Ca, and Ir), binary cubic intermetallics (SbY, AlCo, AlNi, AlRu, and RuZr), and binary L1 o intermetallics (AlTi and IrNb). Most of the calculated equilibrium lattice constants are within 3% of the experimentally observed lattice constants. Although the available experimental information about the elastic moduli is limited by the lack of single crystal data for most of these materials, we are in excellent agreement (within 10%) with the available experimental data, except for the shear modulus of IrNb. We also use known correlations between the elastic moduli and the melting temperature to predict melting temperatures of the intermetallics. In general the agreement there is good agreement between theory and experiment, indicating that we can qualitatively predict melting temperatures.
An empirical analysis of the impact of stock index futures trading on securities dealers' inventory risk in the NASDAQ market

Abstract Stock index futures contracts (SIFCs) were developed in part to allow equity investors to conveniently hedge portfolio risks. Therefore, we may expect to observe smaller bid/ask spreads among NASDAQ equities following the introduction of trading in SIFCs. The potential transactions cost reduction results from the enhanced ability of dealers to hedge their inventory risk. Accordingly, we analyze the daily returns and bid/ask spreads of all CRSP-listed NASDAQ stocks for a 10-year period surrounding the introduction of three SIFCs in order to determine whether the introduction of these contracts has affected transactions costs in the NASDAQ equity market. Our results indicate that bid/ask spreads narrowed significantly following the introduction of stock index futures trading. Moreover, the behavior of the spreads leads us to the conclusion that risk reduction through cost-effective hedging via stock index futures trading may have been the cause.
Left ventricular function, morphology, and myocardial tissue characterization in Sickle Cell Disease: a multi-modality imaging study

Methods Thirty-one stable, African-American outpatients with SCD (mean age 32±8 yrs) prospectively underwent CMR (Philips 1.5 Tesla) and TTE (Philips iE33). Retrospectivelygated cines of left ventricular (LV) 2-, 3-, and 4-chamber, and short axis cine stack were obtained using SSFP (temporal resolution 25-40ms). Late gadolinium enhancement (LGE) images of the same views were obtained 10-20 minutes after infusion of Gd-DTPA (0.15 mmol/kg) using phase sensitive inversion recovery (TR 4.5 ms, TE 2.2ms, TI 250-300 ms, flip angle 30°, PSIR flip angle 5°). Single short-axis, mid-ventricular myocardial T2* slice and coronal, hepatic T2* slice were acquired with a single breath-hold, at six echo-times (2.3 to 14 msec) using a gradient echo sequence. Tissue T2* signal intensity was measured in LV septum and liver at two separate echo times and T2*= ΔTE/ln (SITE2/ SITE1) where ΔTE represents time difference between the two echo times and ITE1 and ITE2 represent signal intensity at echo time one and two. Myocardial and hepatic T2* were abnormal if <20ms and <18ms, respectively. CMR LV volumes, ejection fraction (EF), and mass were calculated using method of disks and indexed for body surface area. The presence or absence of LGE was determined. Diastolic dysfunction (DD) was identified based on echocardiographic measurements including tissue Doppler (age adjusted E/A ratio) and left atrial volumes.
Real-time composite pattern demodulation using optical correlators

Structured light illumination refers to a technique of acquiring 3-D surface scans through triangulation between a camera and a projector. Because traditional structured-light systems use multiple patterns projected sequentially in time, SLI is not typically associated with applications involving moving surfaces. To address this problem, the authors have introduced a technique referred to as composite pattern projection which involves the combining of a set of standard SLI patterns into a continuously projected pattern such that depth can be recovered from a single, captured image. As such, composite patterns can be used for tracking moving objects in 3-D space. The problem with composite patterns, though, is the added computational complexity associated with demodulating the captured image and extract the component SLI patterns. So in this paper, we introduce a means of achieving real-time pattern demodulation through the use of optical correlators with demonstrated results achieving a processing rate of over 100 frames per second.
Carbon-13 NMR substituent effects in para-substituted benzophenones

Abstract The carbon-13 NMR spectra for a series of benzophenones was obtained and analyzed, using the dual substituent parameter (DSP) equation. The DSP analysis indicates that transmission of the substituent effect to the substituted ring is primarily resonance controlled while the transmission to the second phenyl ring involves a π-bond polarization mechanism. The DSP analysis of the C'4 chemical shifts (para carbon in ring B) was found to compare very favorably with the fluorine “tag” data for analogous systems. Data for some para-para' benzophenones is also given.
Phase II trial of paclitaxel in leiomyosarcoma of the uterus: a gynecologic oncology group study.

Twenty-eight patients with advanced, persistent or recurrent leiomyosarcoma of the uterus not previously exposed to cytotoxic drugs were entered into a study of single-agent intravenous etoposide 100 mg/m2 daily for 3 days every 3 weeks. No complete or partial responses were observed. Thirteen patients demonstrated stable disease, while 15 exhibited increasing disease. Median progression-free interval was 2.1 months, median survival 9.2+ months. The most frequent and severe adverse effects were the result of myelosuppression and manifested primarily as leukopenia and neutropenia. Based on the absence of activity, no further study of intravenous etoposide in leiomyosarcoma of the uterus at the dose and schedule tested is planned.
Effects of prenatal hypoxia upon activity and emotionality of the rat

Gravid female rats were made hypoxic on the eighth or twentieth day of term. Their progeny were found to be more active in an avoidance shuttle box. These results are contrasted to similar studies measuring activity in non-noxious circumstances. Also, the experimental Ss were found to be hypoemotional in comparison to their controls as measured by a rating scale and weight loss during avoidance training. The offspring of animals treated on the eighth day of gestation were less emotional than those receiving treatment on the twentieth day, confirming other studies demonstrating behavioral differences linked to prenatal age at treatment.
Impact of beta distributed wind power on emission mitigation dispatch

In this paper we develop an emission mitigation model for the system consisting of both thermal generators and wind turbines. The wind power is a random variable and is assumed to follow the beta distributions. In this model, the probability of wind power is included in the constraint set. This approach may avoid the probabilistic infeasibility caused by improperly using the average of random variables. Then the impact of wind power with different parameters on emission mitigation dispatch is investigated. Results of numerical simulations for a generic system are presented.
A Myriabit Magnetic-Core Matrix Memory

A coincident-current magnetic-core matrix memory was built giving random access to any of 10,000 bits in a few ?sec. The memory cores, of a diameter less than 1/16?, are made on an automatic press from especially synthesized magnetic ceramic material with rectangular hysteresis loop. Automatic test techniques permit rapid sorting to insure uniformity of the magnetic properties of the cores. The memory array is driven by two ten-by-ten dc biased magnetic switches which reduce the number of address-selecting access vacuum tube drivers to 40 and the required driving current to the order of a few hundred milliamperes. The read-out signal originating from a winding linking all 10,000 cores is freed from the disturbing contributions of partially excited cores on the selected lines by integration over a period of time in which these cores are subject to equal and opposite magnetizing forces. The principles and techniques evolved for this experimental model demonstrate the practicability of an extremely reliable fast random access memory with a capacity of hundreds of thousands of bits, ushering in a new era in storage devices for information handling systems.
The westward intensification of wind‐driven ocean currents

A study is made of the wind-driven circulation in a homogeneous rectangular ocean under the influence of surface wind stress, linearised bottom friction, horizontal pressure gradients caused by a variable surface height, and Corlolie force. An intense crowding of streamlines toward the western border of the ocean is discovered to be caused by variation of the Cortolis parameter with latitude. It is suggested that this process is the main reason for the formation of the intense currents (Gulf stream and others) observed in the actual oceans.
Connectionism and three levels of nativism

Along with the increasing popularity of connectionist language models has come a number of provocative suggestions about the challenge these models present to Chomsky’s arguments for nativism. The aim of this paper is to assess these claims. We begin by reconstructing Chomsky’s “argument from the poverty of the stimulus” and arguing that it is best understood as three related arguments, with increasingly strong conclusions. Next, we provide a brief introduction to connectionism and give a quick survey of recent efforts to develop networks that model various aspects of human linguistic behavior. Finally, we explore the implications of this research for Chomsky’s arguments. Our claim is that the relation between connectionism and Chomsky’s views on innate knowledge is more complicated than many have assumed, and that even if these models enjoy considerable success the threat they pose for linguistic nativism is small.
Bayesian estimation of age-specific bird nest survival rates with categorical covariates

The populations of many North American landbirds are showing signs of declining. Gathering information on breeding productivity allows critical assessment of population performance and helps identify good habitat-management practices. He (Biometrics (2003) 59 962–973) proposed a Bayesian model to estimate the age-specific nest survival rates. The model allows irregular visiting schedule under the assumption that the observed nests have homogeneous nest survival. Because nest survival studies are often conducted in different sites and time periods, it is not realistic to assume homogeneous nest survival. In this paper, we extend He’s model by incorporating these factors as categorical covariates. The simulation results show that the Bayesian hierarchical model can produce satisfactory estimates on nest survival and capture different factor effects. Finally the model is applied to a Missouri red-winged blackbird data set.
A Multi-Theoretical Model of Knowledge Transfer in Organizations: Determinants of Knowledge Contribution and Knowledge Reuse*

Knowledge has become one of the most important sources of competitive advantage for firms in many industries, particularly those in which firms provide knowledge services to their clients. Many knowledge intensive firms have spent enormous amounts of time and money trying to find ways to better manage their knowledge resources. Effective leveraging of knowledge resources through the transfer and reuse of existing knowledge is an important aspect of most knowledge management systems. In this study we argue that the effectiveness of intrafirm knowledge transfer based on the reuse of existing knowledge depends on two key factors: (1) the willingness of individuals to contribute their knowledge to the system; and (2) the rate at which individuals access and reuse knowledge within the system. Here we use social exchange theory to develop a model of the factors that will impact the frequency with which individuals contribute their knowledge to the system. Additionally, we use expectancy theory to develop a model of the factors that lead to knowledge reuse. Results of hypothesis tests using data collected from a multinational services firm support our multi-theoretical model, and suggest ways in which the model might be refined. We discuss the implications of these findings for further theory building and for managers engaged in the development and improvement of knowledge management systems.
Neutrinos from type II supernovae: The first 100 milliseconds

The collapse of a 1.17 solar mass iron core is numerically followed through infall to 100 ms past core bounce, and the emergent neutrino spectra during each phase are highlighted. It is found that, even with fairly optimistic conditions for producing a strong, sustained core-bounce shock wave, the prompt shock stalls within 9 ms of core bounce at a radius of less than 250 km. It appears that a radical change in the character of the progenitor core or in our understanding of the relevant physics of stellar collapse is needed before the direct mechanism for type II supernovae can become viable. Expanding the number of neutrino types from one to six magnifies the debilitating effect of neutrino loss on shock propagation. At shock breakout, prompt bursts of all neutrino types are observed. The luminosities of the nonelectron types show a sudden turn-on in luminosity while that of the electron neutrinos steadily increases throughout infall as a result of accelerating electron capture.
Effects of food availability and administration of orexigenic and anorectic agents on elevated ethanol drinking associated with drinking in the dark procedures.

Background: Drinking in the dark (DID) procedures have recently been developed to induce high levels of ethanol drinking in C57BL/6J mice, which result in blood ethanol concentrations reaching levels that have measurable affects on physiology and/or behavior. The present study determined if increased ethanol drinking associated with DID procedures may be motivated by caloric need rather than by the postingestive pharmacological effects of ethanol. To this end, food availability was manipulated or mice were given peripheral administration of orexigenic or anorectic agents during DID procedures. Methods: C57BL/6J had 2-hours of access to the 20% (v/v) ethanol solution beginning 3-hours into the dark cycle on days 1 to 3, and 4-hours of access to the ethanol bottle on day 4 of DID procedures. In Experiment 1, the effects of food deprivation on ethanol consumption during DID procedures was assessed. In Experiments 2 and 3, mice were given intraperitoneal (i.p.) injection of the orexigenic peptide ghrelin (0, 10 or 30 mg/kg) or the anorectic protein leptin (0 or 20 μg/g), respectively, before access to ethanol on day 4 of DID procedures. In Experiment 4, hourly consumption of food and a 0.05% saccharin solution were assessed over a period of hours that included those used with DID procedures. Results: Consistent with previous research, mice achieved blood ethanol concentrations (BECs) that ranged between 100 and 150 mg% on day 4 of DID experiments. Neither food deprivation nor administration of orexigenic or anorectic compounds significantly altered ethanol drinking with DID procedures. Interestingly, mice exhibited their highest level of food and saccharin solution consumption during hours that overlapped with DID procedures. Conclusions: The present observations are inconsistent with the hypothesis that C57BL/6J mice consume large amounts of ethanol during DID procedures in order to satisfy a caloric need.
Response of a layered viscoelastic half-space to a moving point load

Abstract A procedure to obtain the steady-state displacements and stresses within a multi-layered viscoelastic half-space generated by a buried or surface point load moving with constant speed parallel to the surface of the half-space is presented. The approach is based on an integral representation of the complete response in terms of wavenumbers. The effects of layering are included by use of an exact factorization of the displacement and stress fields in terms of generalized transmission and reflection coefficients. The results in the time domain are obtained by Fourier synthesis of the frequency response which in turn is obtained by numerical integration over one horizontal wavenumber. Numerical results for the displacement and stress fields on the surface and within the half-space are presented for surface and buried loads moving with various subsonic and supersonic speeds.
A Holistic Model for Making Cloud Migration Decision: A Consideration of Security, Architecture and Business Economics

The emergence of cloud computing services has created an additional dimension in the decision for creating a new business plan which requires computing resources. Although quite a few of the recent published analytical models have provided some very good ground work for assessing the cost difference between in-house systems and leasing cloud services for the same set of computing requirements, there is a need for research towards providing a company with risk analysis tools that will allow business managers to assess the viability of migrating business applications to the cloud with broader considerations. This article consolidates several genres of analysis on cloud computing risk. We derive an new analytical model that takes into account business economics, and other business requirements such as various considerations on security and availability. This model applies these considerations to the already well researched buy-or-lease models currently used by business management professionals which allows for an easy transition to this more thorough model. We made a comparison research through evaluating the service requirement situation from published research against two service providers. The results of this research demonstrates the veracity of our model. The rationale for this research is to provide a more complete and robust model that encompasses the entire spectrum of considerations yet holds a high degree of precision.
The importance of base pairing in the penultimate stem of Escherichia coli 16S rRNA for ribosomal subunit association.

The influence of base pairing in the penultimate stem of Escherichia coli 16S rRNA (defined as nt 1409-1491) on ribosome function has been addressed by the construction of mutations in this region of rRNA. Two sets of mutations were made on either side of a structurally conserved region in the penultimate stem that disrupted base pairing, while a third set of mutations replaced the wild-type sequence with other base pair combinations. The effects of these mutations were analyzed in vivo and in vitro . The mutations that disrupted base pairing caused significant increases in cell doubling times as well as a severe subunit association defect and a modest increase in frame shifting and stop codon read-through. Restoration of base pairing restored wild-type growth rates, decoding and subunit association, indicating that base pairing in this region is essential for proper ribosome function.
An Accessible Mercury-Free Vacuum Schlenk Line for Air-Free Techniques

A vacuum Schlenk line is essential for teaching some air-free laboratory techniques. Conventional variations of this apparatus in the inorganic laboratory employ mercury bubblers, which makes them unsuitable for institutions seeking to eliminate mercury. This communication describes an effective modification of a vacuum line system that can be set up with minimal time and effort.
AFM Characterization of Surface Segregated Erucamide and Behenamide in Linear Low Density Polyethylene Film

Coefficient of friction (COF) measurements and AFM of LLDPE films containing erucamide and behenamide indicated that COF reduction is not necessarily dependent on additive coverage of the film surf...
On the Origin of Second Harmonic Generation of Light in Liquid Crystals

Abstract Second Harmonic Generation of light (SHG) is used as a probe to study the structure of the nematic, cholesteric or smectic mesophases of various liquid crystals, with non centro-symmetric molecules. In one case (cholesteryl 2-(2-ethoxy ethoxy) ethyl carbonate) where SHG has already been reported, it is shown that SHG occurs in the crystalline rather than the mesomorphic phase. In all cases, no evidence is found of any SHG in any mesophase. Consequently, these are probably centrosymmetric by compensation, as is the normal liquid phase.
Variation of the standard error of measurement

As usually interpreted, the standard error of measurement is assumed to be constant throughout the test-score range. In this investigation the standard error of measurement was assumed to be not higher than a second-degree function of the test score. By conceiving a test score to be made up of the scores on two parallel tests, an equation was derived for predicting the standard error of measurement from the test score. In the derivation the corresponding first four moments of the score distributions for the parallel tests were assumed to be identical, and certain errors of estimate involved in predicting the second test score from the first were assumed to be uncorrelated with powers of the score on the first test. An empirical verification was carried out, using nine synthetic tests and a 1000-case sample, and showed good agreement between predicted and observed results. The findings indicated that the standard error of measurement was constant only for a symmetrical, mesokurtic distribution of scores.
Valar: a benchmark suite to study the dynamic behavior of heterogeneous systems

Heterogeneous systems have grown in popularity within the commercial platform and application developer communities. We have seen a growing number of systems incorporating CPUs, Graphics Processors (GPUs) and Accelerated Processing Units (APUs combine a CPU and GPU on the same chip). These emerging class of platforms are now being targeted to accelerate applications where the host processor (typically a CPU) and compute device (typically a GPU) co-operate on a computation. In this scenario, the performance of the application is not only dependent on the processing power of the respective heterogeneous processors, but also on the efficient interaction and communication between them.To help architects and application developers to quantify many of the key aspects of heterogeneous execution, this paper presents a new set of benchmarks called the Valar. The Valar benchmarks are applications specifically chosen to study the dynamic behavior of OpenCL applications that will benefit from host-device interaction. We describe the general characteristics of our benchmarks, focusing on specific characteristics that can help characterize heterogeneous applications. For the purposes of this paper we focus on OpenCL as our programming environment, though we envision versions of Valar in additional heterogeneous programming languages.We profile the Valar benchmarks based on their mapping and execution on different heterogeneous systems. Our evaluation examines optimizations for host-device communication and the effects of closely-coupled execution of the benchmarks on the multiple OpenCL devices present in heterogeneous systems.
784-4 Older Donor Age Predicts Increased Risk for Coronary Vasculopathy in the Year Following Transplantation: Serial Examination by Intravascular Ultrasound

Objectives We have previously shown a high prevalence of transmision of atherosclerosis to recipients examined by intravascular ultrasound within a few weeks of transplantation. However, the effect of donor characteristics on progression of vasculopathy is uncertain. Methods We examined 22 patients by intravascular ultrasound within 1.0 ± 0.2 months after transplantation. Identical sites were imaged again at one year follow-up (12 ± 0.5 months) to determine donor-related factors associated with the development of intimal thickening during the first year. Intravascular imaging was performed in multiple coronary arteries (2.2 arteries/patient) using a 3.5 Fr, 30 MHz probe. A core laboratory, blinded to patient identity and to time from transplantation, quantified minimum lumen diameter, plaque cross-sectional area, intimal thickness, and percent area reduction. Results Donor gender, hypertension and smoking did not predict progression of vasculopathy in the first year. However, older donor age was a strong predictor of measures of disease progression. Donor Group: Increase in Intimal Thickness (mm) Plaque Area (mm2) Area Reduction % Age l 35 0.12 0.63 4.7 Age g 35 028 2.08 10.3 Pvalue l0.008 l0.001 l0.024 Conclusions Recipients of older donor hearts develop more intimal thickening in the first year following transplantation. Longer follow-up will be required to prove that this increase in intimal thickeness correlates with the subsequent development of severe vasculopathy. These findings have implications for donor organ acceptance criteria.
Probing nuclear matter with dielectrons—results from the Bevalac

Abstract The use of dielectrons to probe extreme conditions in nuclear matter is discussed. Earlier results from p-A and A-A studies by the Dilepton Spectrometer (DLS) collaboration at the Bevalac are briefly reviewed. Preliminary results on the yield of dielectrons in p-p and p-d interactions at 1.0 and 4.9 GeV are presented. Future directions of the DLS program, with the expectation of higher statistics, is outlined.
Creating collaborations: from isolationism to community

Purpose – The focus of this work is on the theories that explicate the possibilities of collaboration from the perspective of the participants.Design/methodology/approach – The paper is based on the literature and the author's own experiences and knowledge.Findings – Finds that successful change is characterized by changes in people: in the way they think and act due to and within particular organizational structures and in the way they interact with the world outside those structures.Originality/value – Gives advice on the steps that need to be taken to gain support with collaboration in organizations and to be able to identify resistance to it.
Markovian Milestoning for Computing Entry, Exit, and Internal Diffusion Rates of Ligands in Proteins

Measuring diffusion rates of ligands plays a key role in understanding the kinetic processes inside proteins. For example, although many molecular simulation studies have reported free energy barriers to infer rates for CO diffusion in myoglobin (Mb), they typically do not include direct calculation of diffusion rates because of the long simulation times needed to infer these rates with statistical accuracy. We show in this talk how to apply Markovian milestoning along minimum free-energy pathways to calculate diffusion rates of both CO inside Mb and O2 inside monomeric sarcosine oxidase (MSOX). In Markovian milestoning, one partitions a suitable reaction coordinate space into regions and performs restrained molecular dynamics in each region to accumulate kinetic statistics that, when assembled across regions, provides an estimate of the mean first-passage time between states. We show here that the milestones can be chosen from a Voronoi tessellation defined by discrete centers taken from minimum free-energy pathways computed using the single-sweep reconstruction method. In the case of CO/Mb, we find that, although simulations predict the existence of many potential portals that connect the solvent phase with the distal pocket (DP, the site of CO attachment to the heme iron), the so-called “histidine gate” pathway is kinetically dominant for both CO entry and exit by approximately a factor of ten, in qualitative agreement with existing experimental data. Our calculations also semi-quantitatively agree with experiment, predicting a 60-ns mean exit time for CO from the DP and a mean entry time of 50 microsec under CO-saturating conditions. The Markovian milestoning approach seems from these results to be a promising way to estimate biomolecule-related transition rates, and ongoing work involves using it to time conformational changes.
Spin-free and spin-paired transition metal perchlorate complexes of 2,6-lutidine N-oxide

Abstract Cationic transition metal complexes of 2,6-lutidine N-oxide (2,6-LNO) were synthesized and studied. For the monomeric tetra-cordinated cations of the type [M(2,6-LNO) 4 ] 2+ (M = Fe, Co, Ni, Cu, Zn), stabilization of an essentially planar configuration is interpreted in terms of a combination of steric and electronic effects. The MO 4 grouping in the high-spin Cu II and the low-spin Ni II complex is assigned a D 4h symmetry. Evidence is presented in favor of a monomeric structure, with essentially planar MO 4 groupings for the high-spin Co II and the partially spin-paired Fe II complex. Coordination of one monodentate OClO 3 group in [Mn(2,6-LNO) 4 (OClO 3 )] + is attributed to the anticipated instability of a planar configuration for the Mn II ion. Cr III forms a hexacoordinated cationic complex. Finally, the formation of tetracoordinated Ni II complexes with pyridine N-oxide and its monosubstituted derivatives is favored in triethyl orthoformate solution.
Investigation of Turbulence Modification by Momentum Injection Into Turbulent Flow Over a Rough Surface

Utilizing a turbulent channel ow facility, experiments were performed to determine the modi cations made to the temporal and spatial structure of turbulence over a sinusoidally rough surface due to momentum injection through the surface. As expected, when compared to the smooth-walled conditions, it was found that the surface roughness increased wall shear stress, decreased the turbulence energy content near the wall, and shifted that energy content to wavelengths on the order of the roughness elements. The addition of momentum injection was found to produce further modi cations analogous to increasing the roughness height by increasing the wall shear stress and further reducing the energy content of the near-wall turbulence while simultaneously shifting it to longer wavelengths.
Phase-Resolved Fluorescence Spectral and Lifetime Characterization of Commercial Humic Substances

Phase-resolved excitation-emission matrices (PREEMs) are shown to provide a unique visual representation of the intrinsic fluorescence properties of humic acids under a variety of solution conditions. The calculation of spectral peak ratios in PREEMs as well as steady-state excitation-emission matrices provides a convenient means for quantitating differences between the spectra with good precision. Absorbance correction is shown to be essential for accurate comparison among spectral features. Increased detail is available from PREEMs at various modulation frequencies that reveal the distribution of fluorescence lifetime contributions across the spectral surface. Direct measurement of fluorescence lifetime recovered three ranges of lifetime components in the humic substances, < 1 ns, 2-5 ns, and 8-14 ns, that are consistent with previously reported lifetimes. PREEMs, which provide a concise ''survey'' of how the lifetimes change across the spectrum, may aid in pinpointing spectral regions that provide the best lifetime discrimination among samples.
Feasibility studies on explosive detection and homeland security applications using a neutron and x-ray combined computed tomography system

The successful creation and operation of a neutron and X-ray combined computed tomography (NXCT) system has been demonstrated by researchers at the Missouri University of Science and Technology. The NXCT system has numerous applications in the field of material characterization and object identification in materials with a mixture of atomic numbers represented. Presently, the feasibility studies have been performed for explosive detection and homeland security applications, particularly in concealed material detection and determination of the light atomic number materials. These materials cannot be detected using traditional X-ray imaging. The new system has the capability to provide complete structural and compositional information due to the complementary nature of X-ray and neutron interactions with materials. The design of the NXCT system facilitates simultaneous and instantaneous imaging operation, promising enhanced detection capabilities of explosive materials, low atomic number materials and illicit materials for homeland security applications. In addition, a sample positioning system allowing the user to remotely and automatically manipulate the sample makes the system viable for commercial applications. Several explosives and weapon simulants have been imaged and the results are provided. The fusion algorithms which combine the data from the neutron and X-ray imaging produce superior images. This paper is a compete overview of the NXCT system for feasibility studies of explosive detection and homeland security applications. The design of the system, operation, algorithm development, and detection schemes are provided. This is the first combined neutron and X-ray computed tomography system in operation. Furthermore, the method of fusing neutron and X-ray images together is a new approach which provides high contrast images of the desired object. The system could serve as a standardized tool in nondestructive testing of many applications, especially in explosives detection and homeland security research.
Population pressure and agricultural intensity

A positive relationship between population pressure and agricultural intensity is fundamental to Boserup's thesis of agricultural growth and to several of its modifications. Correlation analysis reveals a strong positive association between the population densities and agricultural intensities of a sample of tropical subsistence agriculturalists; the variation in population densities accounts for fifty-eight percent of the variation in the logarithm of agricultural intensities. The addition of subsistence and environmental factors to the model increases the explained variation and suggests several modifications of Boserup's thesis.