cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
The interfering effect of word perception on letter identification.

Subjects identified a single lowercase letter in a visual display by pressing one of two buttons. Two letters were assigned to each response. Groups received one of three context conditions: word, nonword, or single-letter displays. In words and nonwords, the flanking letters adjacent to the target varied as to whether they were response compatible or incompatible with the target. Single letters produced faster response latencies than either multi-letter condition, and words yielded slower latencies than did nonwords. Items Containing an incompatible-response flanking letter produced longer latencies than items containing a compatible flanking letter. Subgroups of subjects with different characteristic processing patterns were identified with a separate test. These subgroups were differentially affected by the context conditions in the letter-identification task. A greater subgroup difference was found in nonwords than in words.
High resolution applications of the Osher upwind scheme for the Euler equations

The 'Osher' scheme was introduced by Osher (1981). It represents an upwind finite-difference method for hyperbolic systems of conservation laws, including the Euler equations. In studies conducted by Osher (1981) and Osher and Solomon (1982), the method was applied to the nonisentropic form of the Euler equations in one dimension and the isentropically restricted form in two spatial dimensions, both in Cartesian coordinates. Chakravarthy and Osher (1982) have shown an approach for extending the Osher scheme to the Euler equations written for general geometries, taking into account the use of mappings to arbitrary curvilinear coordinate systems. The present investigation is concerned with the high resolution extension of the Osher scheme to second-order accuracy. Results are presented for several example problems, giving attention to quasi-one-dimensional Laval nozzle flow, a one-dimensional shock tube problem, and supersonic flow over a cylinder.
Jewish/gentile intermarriage: An interpretation

In the interpretation of the significance of intermarriage which follows, I plan to set intermarriage as it exists today into a historical and culture framework. This essay is speculative and programmatic in nature, it does not document each jot ant title. However, it does suggest some avenues for further research.
Measurements of the K α transition energies of heliumlike krypton

Measurements of the 1s2${\mathit{p}}^{1}$${\mathit{P}}_{1}$\ensuremath{\rightarrow}1${\mathit{s}}^{2\mathrm{}1}$${\mathit{S}}_{0}$, 1s2${\mathit{p}}^{3}$${\mathit{P}}_{2}$\ensuremath{\rightarrow}1${\mathit{s}}^{2\mathrm{}1}$${\mathit{S}}_{0}$, 1s2${\mathit{p}}^{3}$${\mathit{P}}_{1}$\ensuremath{\rightarrow}1${\mathit{s}}^{2\mathrm{}1}$${\mathit{S}}_{0}$, and 1s2${\mathit{s}}^{3}$${\mathit{S}}_{1}$\ensuremath{\rightarrow}1${\mathit{s}}^{2\mathrm{}1}$${\mathit{S}}_{0}$ transitions in heliumlike krypton (${\mathrm{Kr}}^{34+}$) have been made on the Electron Beam Ion Trap (EBIT) facility at the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory. The measurements were performed using a high-resolution crystal spectrometer and an accuracy of about 30 ppm was achieved. Unlike earlier measurements, our results are in good agreement with recent theoretical predictions. \textcopyright{} 1996 The American Physical Society.
Sexual citizenship, political obligation and disease ecology in gay Seattle

Abstract While rights and freedoms of sexual citizenship have been foregrounded in geography, vaguer attention has been given to questions of political obligation. Feminist work on political obligation, grounded with a framing in political ecology of disease, however, provides a means to correct this neglect. Empirically, I narrate a story of local public health politics in Seattle, WA. There, a cultural panic played out in the media over the alleged failure of political obligations by gay men around sexually transmitted infections. Political obligation and ecology usefully extend the concept sexual citizenship on its own terms by moving beyond a rights-versus-obligation polarity, highlighting the biophysical realities of sex, recognizing the spaces in which sex occurs, and noting the social relations inherent in sex and sexuality. Thus, this paper contributes to deeper thinking for activists involved in working through these questions as well as bolstering the notion of sexual citizenship in political geography.
Itchy mast cells in MPNs

In this issue of Blood, Ishii and colleagues investigate the role of mast cells in the pathogenesis of pruritus in patients with MPNs.
Process temperature/velocity-hardness-wear relationships for high-velocity oxyfuel sprayed nanostructured and conventional cermet coatings

High-velocity oxyfuel (HVOF) spraying of WC-12Co was performed using a feedstock in which the WC phase was either principally in the micron size range (conventional) or was engineered to contain a significant fraction of nanosized grains (multimodal). Three different HVOF systems and a wide range of spray parameter settings were used to study the effect of in-flight particle characteristics on coating properties. A process window with respect to particle temperature was identified for producing coatings with the highest resistance to dry abrasion. Although the use of a feedstock containing a nanosized WC phase produced harder coatings, there was little difference in the abrasion resistance of the best-performing conventional and multimodal coatings. However, there is a potential benefit in using the multimodal feedstock due to higher deposition efficiencies and a larger processing window.
Tumor markers in patients with pancreatic carcinoma

BACKGROUND Tumor markers are putative prognostic indicators for patients with carcinoma, but have not heretofore been evaluated in patients with Stage II and III pancreatic carcinoma. METHODS Patients with Stage II (n = 9) and Stage III (n = 25) unresectable regional adenocarcinoma of the pancreas were treated with combined modality therapy. Treatment consisted of split course radiotherapy and simultaneous combination chemotherapy with fluorouracil infusion, streptozotocin, and cisplatin. Prior to treatment, patients free of both infection and jaundice provided blood for CA 19-9, carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) and CA 125 assays. RESULTS The overall median survival of Stage II patients was 21.1 months. Due to the small number of Stage II patients with markedly abnormal assays, it was not possible to test for a statistically significant association between pretreatment tumor assays and survival. Among patients with Stage III pancreatic carcinoma, a CA 19-9 assay of 2000 u/mL or less identified a group of 16 patients with a median survival of 12.8 months. In contrast, 8 Stage III patients with a CA 19-9 assay of greater than 2000 u/mL had a median survival of 8 months and only 1 patient survived for 1 year (P = 0.020, log rank test; P = 0.010, Wilcoxon test). Among Stage III patients, a comparison of those with a normal assay versus any degree of abnormal assay failed to provide prognostic information. Analyses based on a combination of CA 19-9 and CA 125 assays provided additional powerful prognostic information: (P = 0.002, log rank test; P = 0.005, Wilcoxon test). CEA assays failed to provide information alone or in combination with the CA 19-9 assay. After adjusting for the CA 19-9 assay in multivariate analyses, neither performance status nor tumor size were significant prognostic variables for patients with Stage III cancers. CONCLUSIONS Pretreatment CA 19-9 assays provide powerful independent and objective prognostic information. Cancer 1996;78:57-62.
Age-related dystrophic changes in corneal endothelium from DNA repair–deficient mice

The corneal endothelium (CE) is a single layer of cells lining the posterior face of the cornea providing metabolic functions essential for maintenance of corneal transparency. Adult CE cells lack regenerative potential, and the number of CE cells decreases throughout life. To determine whether endogenous DNA damage contributes to the age-related spontaneous loss of CE, we characterized CE in Ercc1(-/Δ) mice, which have impaired capacity to repair DNA damage and age prematurely. Eyes from 4.5- to 6-month-old Ercc1(-/Δ) mice, age-matched wild-type (WT) littermates, and old WT mice (24- to 34-month-old) were compared by spectral domain optical coherence tomography and corneal confocal microscopy. Histopathological changes in CE were further identified in paraffin tissue sections, whole-mount immunostaining, and scanning electron and transmission electron microscopy. The CE of old WT mice displayed polymorphism and polymegathism, polyploidy, decreased cell density, increased cell size, increases in Descemet's thickness, and the presence of posterior projections originating from the CE toward the anterior chamber, similar to changes documented for aging human corneas. Similar changes were observed in young adult Ercc1(-/Δ) mice CE, demonstrating spontaneous premature aging of the CE of these DNA repair-deficient mice. CD45(+) immune cells were associated with the posterior surface of CE from Ercc1(-/Δ) mice and the tissue expressed increased IL-1α, Cxcl2, and TNFα, pro-inflammatory proteins associated with senescence-associated secretory phenotype. These data provide strong experimental evidence that DNA damage can promote aging of the CE and that Ercc1(-/Δ) mice offer a rapid and accurate model to study CE pathogenesis and therapy.
Robust Design of Cellular Materials With Topological and Dimensional Imperfections

A paradigm shift is underway in which the classical materials selection approach in engineering design is being replaced by the design of material structure and processing paths on a hierarchy of length scales for multifunctional performance requirements. In this paper, the focus is on designing mesoscopic material topology—the spatial arrangement of solid phases and voids on length scales larger than microstructures but smaller than the characteristic dimensions of an overall product. A robust topology design method is presented for designing materials on mesoscopic scales by topologically and parametrically tailoring them to achieve properties that are superior to those of standard or heuristic designs, customized for large-scale applications, and less sensitive to imperfections in the material. Imperfections are observed regularly in cellular material mesostructure and other classes of materials because of the stochastic influence of feasible processing paths. The robust topology design method allows us to consider these imperfections explicitly in a materials design process. As part of the method, guidelines are established for modeling dimensional and topological imperfections, such as tolerances and cracked cell walls, as deviations from intended material structure. Also, as part of the method,
Direct Intramyocardial But Not Intracoronary Injection of Bone Marrow Cells Induces Ventricular Arrhythmias in a Rat Chronic Ischemic Heart Failure Model

Background— Therapeutic efficacy of bone marrow (BM) cell injection for treating ischemic chronic heart failure has not been established. In addition, experimental data are lacking on arrhythmia occurrence after BM cell injection. We hypothesized that therapeutic efficacy and arrhythmia occurrence induced by BM cell injection may be affected by the cell delivery route. Methods and Results— Three weeks after left coronary artery ligation, wild-type female rats were injected with 1×107 mononuclear BM cells derived from green fluorescent protein–transgenic male rats through either a direct intramyocardial or a retrograde intracoronary route. Both intramyocardial and intracoronary injection of BM cells demonstrated similar improvement in left ventricular ejection fraction measured by echocardiography and a similar graft size analyzed by real-time polymerase chain reaction for the Y chromosome–specific Sry gene. Noticeably, intramyocardial injection of BM cells induced frequent ventricular premature contractio...
Cancer Modeling in the Modern Era: Progress and Challenges

Genetically engineered mouse models have contributed extensively to the field of cancer research. The ability to manipulate the mouse germline affords numerous approaches toward understanding the complexities of this disease, possibly providing accurate preclinical models for therapeutic and diagnostic advances. This review highlights some of the current strategies for modeling cancer in the mouse, recent accomplishments, and key remaining challenges.
Erythrocyte survival following thermal injury.

Abstract A three-part study of erythrocyte survival was carried out in burned patients to clarify the mechanisms responsible for the rapid disappearance of red cell mass during the first week following major thermal injury. Tagged erythrocytes from burned patients and nonburned volunteers were utilized in a crossover study of red cell survival. The half-life of normal erythrocytes from non-burned donors was markedly decreased when administered to burned patients ( t 1 2 = 6.3 ± 1.1 days ). The autologous half-life of the burned patients own erythrocytes was similarly decreased ( t 1 2 = 8.5 ± 1.5 days ). However, when the burned patients' cells were studied in non-burned volunteers, red cell survival was found to be normal ( t 1 2 = 23.3 ± 1.8 days ). External counting of the distribution of radioisotope following injection of 51Cr labeled erythrocytes failed to demonstrate progressive accumulation in the burn wound or the spleen, implying that these areas are not the primary sites of red cell removal from the circulation. A randomized program of treatment with aspirin or low-dose heparin in a small series of burned patients was conducted to determine effects of such therapy on autologous erythrocyte survival. The half-life of erythrocytes in heparin-treated patients (7.7 ± 1.4 days) and aspirin-treated patients (6.7 ± 1.0 days) were not significantly different from the survival of autologous erythrocytes in burn patients not receiving these drugs (8.5 ± 1.5 days). This study characterized, but did not precisely identify, a humoral mechanism which results in increased erythrocyte destruction following thermal injury.
An analysis of setup cost reduction in a two stage system

This paper investigates the impact of investing in setup cost reduction in a two stage manufacturing process. Closed form relationships are developed for the cases of investment in primary stage setup cost reduction, investment in finishing stage setup cost reduction, and simultaneous investment in setup cost reduction in both stages. Numerical results are presented which compare each of the models to the basic model. These results indicate that when investment in both stages is feasible, it is most effective to simultaneously invest in setup cost reduction. Failing this, the next best alternative is to invest in setup cost reduction in the finishing stage.
Parvalbumins in fish and their role as food allergens: A review

(1993). Parvalbumins in fish and their role as food allergens: A review. Reviews in Fisheries Science: Vol. 1, No. 1, pp. 1-26.
Speculations About the Earth: the Role of Robert Hooke and Others in the 17th Century

Among his 17th century contemporaries Robert Hooke (1635-1703) was exceptional in his investigations of the terraqueous globe by experimentation and development of instrumentation for ocean exploration and in forming hypotheses concerning the origin of the earth's surface features. Most theories of the earth written at that time were concerned with bringing observations of nature into concordance with Biblical accounts of Creation, the Deluge, and the final Conflagration. In contrast, Hooke's hypotheses, published posthumously in 1705 in his Discourses of Earthquakes, were essentially unhampered by religious considerations or by other forms of Medievalism. Because he was a product of the 17th century and because these Discourses were presented over a period of 30 years, Hooke naturally made references to all-pervasive Biblical concepts and furthermore his ideas showed some changes as time went on. But his approach was generally scientific and is considered more sophisticated than purely Baconian. His syst...
The clinical and prognostic importance of positive blood cultures in adults.

BACKGROUND: Bloodstream infections are a major cause of morbidity and mortality in adults. Bloodstream infections should be reassessed periodically because of increased antibiotic resistance, more patients receiving immunomodulatory therapy, improved antiretroviral therapy, and acquisition of infection in health care settings other than hospitals. METHODS: We conducted retrospective assessment by infectious disease physicians of hospitalized adults with positive blood cultures at 3 academic medical centers. RESULTS: Two thousand two hundred seventy positive blood culture episodes occurred in 1706 patients. Of 2669 isolates, 51% represented true infection, 41% contamination, and 8% unknown clinical significance. Although coagulase-negative staphylococci were most common, only 10% were clinically significant. Among 1225 true bloodstream infections, the most frequent isolates were Staphylococcus aureus, Escherichia coli, Enterococcus spp., Klebsiella pneumoniae, coagulase-negative staphylococci, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Candida albicans, Enterobacter cloacae, and Serratia marcescens. Intravenous catheters were the most common primary source of bloodstream infection (23% of episodes). Most (81%) bloodstream infections were acquired in the hospital or other health care settings. Crude and attributable in-hospital case-fatality ratios were 20% and 12%, respectively, lower than in previous studies. Increasing age, hypotension, absence of fever, hospital acquisition, extreme white blood cell count values, and the presence of the acquired immunodeficiency syndrome, malignancy, or renal disease were significantly associated with an increased risk of in-hospital attributable death in multivariable analysis. CONCLUSIONS: The proportion of bloodstream infections due to intravenous catheters is continuing to increase. Most episodes were acquired in the hospital or other health care setting. In-hospital case-fatality ratios have decreased compared with previous studies. Several previously identified factors associated with an increased mortality remain statistically significant.
Signed Tilings with Squares

LetTbe a bounded region in the Cartesian plane built from finitely many rectangles of the form [a1,,a2)×[b1,b2), witha1
Reconstructing the Location and Magnitude of Refractive Index Discontinuities from Truncated Phase-Contrast Tomographic Projections

In recent years, much effort has been devoted to developing imaging techniques that rely on contrast mechanisms other than absorption. Phase-contrast computed tomography (CT) is one such technique that exploits differences in the real part of the refractive index distribution of an object to form an image using a spatially coherent light source. Of particular interest is the ability of phase-contrast CT to produce useful images of objects that have very similar or identical absorption properties. In applications such as microtomography, it is imperative to reconstruct an image with high resolution. Experimentally, the demand of increased resolution can be achieved by highly collimating the incident light beam and using a microscope optic to focus the transmitted image, formed on a scintillator screen, onto the detector. When the object is larger than the field-of-view (FOV) of the imaging system, the measured phase-contrast projections are necessarily truncated and one is faced with the so-called local CT reconstruction problem. To circumvent the non-local nature of conventional CT, local CT algorithms have been developed that aim to to reconstruct a filtered image that contains detailed information regarding the location of discontinuities in the imaged object. Such information is sufficient for determining the structural composition of an object, which is the primary task in many biological and materials science imaging applications.
When Galaxies Collide: The Search for Low-frequency Gravitational Wave Backgrounds in the Universe

Gravitational waves (GWs) are a predicted feature of General Relativity (GR). These waves, which are tiny ripples in the fabric of space-time, appear as wavelike solutions to the vacuum Einstein equation, and are the only prediction from GR that have not yet been directly observed. In the past few decades, large scale efforts aimed at detecting these elusive waves have increasingly gained momentum: a direct observation of GWs will provide an entirely new mechanism for learning more about the structure and evolution of astrophysical objects in our universe, as well as the cosmology that underlies the universe itself.
Linux screen reader: extensible assistive technology

The Linux Screen Reader (LSR) project is an open source effort to develop an extensible assistive technology for the GNOME desktop environment. The goal of the project is to create a reusable development platform for building alternative and supplemental user interfaces in support of people with diverse disabilities. In this paper, we highlight some key features of LSR including cascading scripts that tailor the user experience to particular applications and tasks, support for novel methods of input and output (e.g. concurrent spatial audio) suited to the needs and preferences of the user, and the ease and flexibility of extension development.
A comparison of viscoelastic stress wakes for two-dimensional and three-dimensional Newtonian drop deformations in a viscoelastic matrix under shear

A recent experimental study of a Newtonian drop suspended in a viscoelastic matrix undergoing simple shear displays a transient overshoot in drop deformation which is qualitatively similar to two-dimensional (2D) numerical simulation results. Despite the similarity, an interpretation in light of the 2D result is misleading because the overshoot is absent in the fully three-dimensional (3D) simulation. This motivates a study of regimes where qualitatively different and interesting features such as overshoots in deformation occur for a 2D drop but not for a 3D drop. The influence of viscoelastic “wakes” that emanate from the drop tips is reported. The viscoelastic wakes are larger and of higher magnitude in 3D than in 2D, and lead to more deformation in 3D. During drop evolution, the less deformed drop is found to be aligned more with the flow direction. As the drop-to-matrix viscosity ratio increases from 1 to past 3, drop rotation is promoted, with accompanying retraction when the capillary number is suff...
Functions over free algebras definable in the simply typed lambda calculus

Abstract We show that a function over a free algebra is definable in the simply typed λ-calculus (modulo the Bohm–Berarducci embedding) iff it is generated by predicative monotonic recurrence. Monotonic recurrence here is the generalization of iteration-with-parameters from n to arbitrary free algebras and our predicativity condition uses the notion of tiers introduced by Leivant (1990). In fact, we show that the same functions are generated by tiered monotonic recurrence whether 2 tiers or all finite tiers are used.
Drought, groundwater management and land use planning: the case of central Oahu, Hawaii

Abstract A recent decision to allow higher levels of urban development in central Oahu, Hawaii, has heightened the concern about possible loss of agricultural land and further drops in aquifer levels. This paper examines such potential impacts and offers a procedure for incorporating them into land use planning. First, a water-balance simulation model computes the change in groundwater recharge under changes in land use and irrigation technology. The resulting changes, together with estimated water demands for the agricultural, commercial and residential sectors, are then included in a multiobjective programming model that identifies optimal patterns of land use conversion under different objective trade-offs. Objectives treated are the minimization of agricultural land loss and of water demand, and the maximumization of recharge over withdrawal. The second objective pertains to water management during drought, while the third refers to sustainable groundwater management. Results show that, depending on the relative importance given each of these two objectives, land moving out of sugar cane will differ significantly in amount and by type of irrigation presently used. The relative importance of these objectives thus needs to be determined if water is to play a coherent and guiding role in land use planning.
Magnetic properties of Dy in Pb2Sr2DyCu3O8

Abstract Superconductivity can be induced at high temperatures in Pb 2 Sr 2 RCu 3 O 8 (R, rare earth) by partially doping Ca 2+ for R 3+ . In order to understand the interplay between magnetism and superconductivity, the magnetic properties of the parent compounds, Pb 2 Sr 2 RCu 3 O 8, have been studied. The work presented here includes magnetic susceptibility and specific heat measurements on R=Dy and extends our previous studies on R=Ce, Pr, Tb, Ho and Er. Specific heat experiments suggest that the Dy ions order magnetically with an ordering temperature of 1.3 K. The magnetic susceptibility data are in good agreement with the susceptibility calculated using crystal-field parameters that are extrapolated from previous modeling of the R=Er and Ho analogs of this series.
Selective removal of lanthanides from natural waters, acidic streams and dialysate

The increased demand for the lanthanides in commercial products result in increased production of lanthanide containing ores, which increases public exposure to the lanthanides, both from various commercial products and from production wastes/effluents. This work investigates lanthanide (La, Ce, Pr, Nd, Eu, Gd and Lu) binding properties of self-assembled monolayers on mesoporous silica supports (SAMMS™), that were functionalized with diphosphonic acid (DiPhos), acetamide phosphonic acid (AcPhos), propionamide phosphonic acid (Prop-Phos), and 1-hydroxy-2-pyridinone (1,2-HOPO), from natural waters (river, ground and sea waters), acid solutions (to mimic certain industrial process streams), and dialysate. The affinity, capacity, and kinetics of the lanthanide sorption, as well as regenerability of SAMMS materials were investigated. Going from the acid side over to the alkaline side, the AcPhos- and DiPhos-SAMMS maintain their outstanding affinity for lanthanides, which enable the use of the materials in the systems where the pH may fluctuate. In acid solutions, Prop-Phos- and 1,2-HOPO-SAMMS have differing affinity along the lanthanide series, suggesting their use in chromatographic lanthanide separation. Over 95% of 100 µg/L of Gd in dialysate was removed by the Prop-Phos-SAMMS after 1 min and 99% over 10 min. SAMMS can be regenerated with an acid wash (0.5 M HCl) without losing the binding properties. Thus, they have a great potential to be used as in large-scale treatment of lanthanides, lanthanide separation prior to analytical instruments, and in sorbent dialyzers for treatment of acute lanthanide poisoning.
Depression and medication adherence among breast cancer survivors: Bridging the gap with the theory of planned behaviour

Evidence suggests that more depressed breast cancer patients will less likely adhere to treatment plans. This study presents evidence that the theory of planned behaviour mediates the relation between depression and intentions to adhere to treatment plans and between depression and lack of adherence to medication regime. Two hundred and thirteen women undergoing breast cancer treatment participated in this study. Measures of depressive symptoms and planned behaviour variables were collected at the first time point; measures of medication adherence were collected at the second time point. Structural equation models were utilised to fit the data to the proposed models. Depressive symptoms were significantly correlated to both intentions and medication adherence. In support of hypotheses, the relation between depressive symptoms and treatment intention was mediated by attitudes towards health maintenance plans. The relation between depressive symptoms and medication adherence was fully mediated by the planne...
The neurology of death and what it does not mean

Brain death is a neurological condition on which much can be said and theorized. A recent book Death Before Dying —with its contradictio in terminis title—puts some of the disputes on what could be called ‘the neurology of death’ into historical perspective. Belkin is a psychiatrist from New York University Langone Medical Centre who has a PhD in the history of science. During his psychiatry residency more than 20 years ago, he personally dissected the ‘Beecher papers’: the collected correspondence and drafts from the Harvard Medical School Ad Hoc Committee set up to examine the definition of brain death. To gain a fuller perspective, he also interviewed many neurologists and other physicians, including members of the Harvard Committee (the ‘brain death architects’ as he calls them). In Death before Dying , Belkin provides a good insight into the deliberations of the Committee and, more speculatively, places the Harvard criteria of brain death and its prior deliberation into the early history of medical ethics. The book takes a broad sweep, has many asides and dense prose, particularly when Belkin posits that ‘the explosive growth of bioethics was a response to a loss of faith in the pragmatism of the medical point of view, of the thought style and structure of medical knowledge as a source of values’. It leans heavily on personal remembrances by neurologists of the day and, although this can sometimes give a skewed one-sided view, it also produces a plethora of anecdotes and sentiments. Ultimately, the book is about Henry Beecher, the Committee and the Law, but also on how coma became better understood and the aforementioned emerging role of bioethics. This work is an exploration of, in essence, a very simple neurological finding generating all sorts of vexed questions and sophistical arguments. Belkin does much right in …
Using High-Frequency Data in Dynamic Portfolio Choice

This article evaluates the economic benefit of methods that have been suggested to optimally sample (in an MSE sense) high-frequency return data for the purpose of realized variance/covariance estimation in the presence of market microstructure noise (Bandi and Russell, 2005a, 2008). We compare certainty equivalents derived from volatility-timing trading strategies relying on optimally-sampled realized variances and covariances, on realized variances and covariances obtained by sampling every 5 minutes, and on realized variances and covariances obtained by sampling every 15 minutes. In our sample, we show that a risk-averse investor who is given the option of choosing variance/covariance forecasts derived from MSE-based optimal sampling methods versus forecasts obtained from 5- and 15-minute intervals (as generally proposed in the literature) would be willing to pay up to about 80 basis points per year to achieve the level of utility that is guaranteed by optimal sampling. We find that the gains yielded b...
Quantitatively distinct requirements for signaling-competent cell spreading on engineered versus natural adhesion ligands.

To design synthetic microenvironments that elicit desired cell behaviors, we must better understand the molecular mechanisms by which cells interact with candidate biomaterials. Using cell lines with distinct α5β1 integrin expression profiles, we demonstrate that this integrin mediates cell spreading on substrata coated with genetically engineered artificial extracellular matrix (aECM) proteins containing the RGD sequence (RGD-containing aECM protein [^aRGD]) but lacking the PHSRN synergy site. Furthermore, ^aRGD-mediated adhesion stimulates an intracellular focal adhesion kinase (FAK) signal that is indicative of integrin tethering. Although both ^aRGD and the natural ECM protein fibronectin (FN) support α5β1 integrin-mediated cell spreading, quantitative single-cell analysis revealed that aRGD-mediated spreading requires ten-fold greater threshold amount of integrin expression than FN-mediated spreading. Our analysis demonstrates that ^aRGD-based substrata mediate both biophysical (cell spreading) and biochemical (FAK signaling) events via the α5β1 integrin, albeit with efficacy quantitatively distinct from that of natural ECM proteins that possess the full spectrum of adhesion and synergy domains.
Circadian Rhythms: To Sync or Not To Sync

Using real-time imaging of circadian gene expression, a new study reveals how a light pulse briefly desynchronizes clock neurons in the fly brain before they settle into a new, synchronized daily rhythm.
In vivo biomicroscopy with ultrasound 2

In the first article of this series it was shown that the use of inverse scattering theory to analyse ultrasound reflections could provide high resolution images of the acoustic impedance profile of the retina. Unlike the retina, most tissue structures of interest, like small tumours and arterial plaque deposits, are shielded from view by intervening layers of tissue of appreciable acoustic impedance and attenuation. By analysing a one-dimensional model for a plaque deposit on the wall of a carotid artery embedded in a 5 cm thick layer of tissue, we demonstrate that a relatively high quality image can be recovered when compensation for the attenuation of the intervening tissue is made. We observe that because of the dearth of low frequency power in the recovered signal of ultrasound transducers, it is important that the field of view imaged is not taken to be too large. We compare the exact iterative distorted wave Born approximation inverse scattering method with the approximate but computationally faster plane wave Born approximation method and find that they give images of comparable quality for this model.
Fiscal Policy, Public Debt and the World Crisis

This study summarizes a theory of the origin of the current world economic crisis and the role of fiscal policy in mitigating its effect. The perspective is dynamic stochastic general equilibrium analysis. Overall, the model analysis suggests a strong case for fiscal policy if the monetary authority is unable/unwilling to close the output gap. This remains the case, even when explicitly taking into account public debt dynamics.
An Evolving Integrative Treatment Program for Military Sexual Trauma (MST) and One Veteran's Experience

Military sexual trauma (MST) increases the risk for Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and multiple other comorbidities, presenting substantial challenges for nurses and psychiatric and medical clinicians. A specialized VA Medical Center outpatient program is patterned after Herman's three-phased, empirically-supported, recovery treatments. We use a case example of a female veteran MST survivor to illustrate our treatment model. She presented to our program meeting diagnostic criteria for PTSD, Major Depressive Disorder, and a history of substance abuse. Post-treatment she demonstrated improved scores on measures of PTSD, quality of life, and socialization. This model shows promise for treatment of MST survivors with PTSD.
The pH of body fluids from marine intertidal invertebrates

Abstract The pH of the body fluids of 25 species of marine invertebrates from nine phyla was determined at temperatures to which these animals were acclimated. The gastrovascular fluid of several coelenterates and one species of flatworm was found to have pH values approximating to that of sea water. The coelomic fluid of nemertine, sipinculid, echiuroid, and annelid worms, as well as the heart fluid of several molluscs and the sternal sinus fluid of decapod crustaceans, were characterized by more alkaline pH values. Echinoderm polian vesicle fluid was characterized by slightly acidic pH values. The importance of the pH of the body to the respiratory physiology of marine invertebrates is discussed.
On the International Effects of Inflation Targeting

Abstract This study empirically examines the international effects of inflation targeting. Employing a variety of propensity score matching methods, we find strong evidence that inflation targeting has significantly different impacts on exchange rate volatility and international reserves in different country groups. It significantly increases real and nominal exchange rate stability and international reserves in developing countries but lowers them in industrial countries. On average, inflation targeting increases (lowers) reserves roughly by the size of 1.3 (1.8) months of imports values in developing (industrial) countries. The treatment effects on targeting countries' current accounts are found to be insignificant in both country groups.
Failure mode and effect analysis for delivery of lung stereotactic body radiation therapy.

Purpose To improve the quality and safety of our practice of stereotactic body radiation therapy (SBRT), we analyzed the process following the failure mode and effects analysis (FMEA) method. Methods The FMEA was performed by a multidisciplinary team. For each step in the SBRT delivery process, a potential failure occurrence was derived and three factors were assessed: the probability of each occurrence, the severity if the event occurs, and the probability of detection by the treatment team. A rank of 1 to 10 was assigned to each factor, and then the multiplied ranks yielded the relative risks (risk priority numbers). The failure modes with the highest risk priority numbers were then considered to implement process improvement measures. Results A total of 28 occurrences were derived, of which nine events scored with significantly high risk priority numbers. The risk priority numbers of the highest ranked events ranged from 20 to 80. These included transcription errors of the stereotactic coordinates and machine failures. Conclusion Several areas of our SBRT delivery were reconsidered in terms of process improvement, and safety measures, including treatment checklists and a surgical time-out, were added for our practice of gantry-based image-guided SBRT. This study serves as a guide for other users of SBRT to perform FMEA of their own practice.
Numerical acceleration of spectral domain approach for shielded microstrip lines by approximating summation with corrected integral

In this paper, a technique for numerical acceleration of the spectral domain approach (SDA) for shielded microstrip lines has been presented. This is achieved by speeding up the convergence of series summation in the elements of the Galerkin matrix by leading term extraction and approximating the series summation of the tail as an integral with a correction. This technique results in highly accurate results for the effective permittivity without the need for numerical integration and incurring a very low computational cost.
The Decline of the Pyramid Lake Fishery

Abstract The history of the Pyramid Lake (Nevada) cutthroat trout (Salmo henshawi Gill and Jordan) fishery, conducted by reservation Indians, shows a rapid decline in the catch within the last few years. While the Indian is blamed for overfishing, the white man's demand for trout, the dams and diversions that he built along the Truckee River where the trout have spawned, the pollutants that he has dumped into the river, the spawn that he has taken, the competing species of fish that he has introduced, and principally the large amounts of water that he has diverted to another watershed, have led to a condition which has prevented the trout from reproducing its kind. The revival of the fishery is made doubtful by an agreement concerning the use of the Truckee River's flow, the expense of hatching and rearing a stock of the Pyramid Lake trout (not to mention the questionable availability of its eggs), and inadequate regulation of the fishery. Thus, the Pyramid Lake cutthroat trout fishery appears to be doomed.
Phase evolution during crystallization of sputter-deposited amorphous titanium-aluminium alloy thin films: dimensional and solute effects

Abstract Ti-Al thin films have been deposited by magnetron sputtering on oxidized Si substrates. The targets consisted of a binary Ti-48 at.% Al alloy and a quaternary Ti–48 at.% Al–2at.% Nb–2at.% Mn alloy. In the as-deposited condition, the thin film grown from the quaternary alloy was completely amorphous whereas the film grown from the binary alloy consisted of crystalline α-Ti(Al) precipitates embedded in an amorphous matrix. In order to study the microstructural evolution during crystallization of these thin films two types of annealing experiment have been performed: ex situ in a furnace under a protective Ar atmosphere and in situ on a hot stage in the transmission electron microscope. Both the binary and the quaternary films crystallized into a two-phase mixture of γ-Tial and α2-Ti3Al as a result of ex situ crystallization. A thickness dependence in the evolution of microstructure has been observed during the in situ annealing. Thus, thick regions on the binary film evolved into the two phase micr...
Information Literacy from the Trenches: How Do Humanities and Social Science Majors Conduct Academic Research?

This article examines the ways in which students majoring in humanities and social sciences conceptualize and operationalize course-related research. Findings are presented from an information-seeking behavior study with data collected from student discussion groups, a student survey, and a content analysis of professors' research assignment handouts. Results indicate that students first use course readings and library resources for academic research and then rely on public Internet sites later in their research process. Students adopt a hybrid approach to course-related research. A majority of students in this study leveraged both human and computer-mediated resources to compensate for their lack of information literacy. In particular, students faced problems with determining information needs for assignments, selecting and critically evaluating resources, and gauging professors' expectations for quality research.
Detecting preferential infiltration pathways in soils using geophysics

Preferential infiltration openings such as fractures, fissures, and soil pipes allow surface runoff to quickly enter the groundwater system and expose shallow aquifers to contamination. Geophysical techniques have the potential to noninvasively characterize these fractures or soil pipes, even when they are obscured by vegetation or thin soil cover. Electrical methods are particularly effective because they are sensitive to soil moisture variations associated with these features and may be deployed to image very shallow structures. Mine-induced subsidence fractures and soil piping above karstic bedrock are examined here to illustrate these applications.
A novel method for crosslinking polyetheretherketone

A novel method for crosslinking polyetheretherketone via imine formation at carbonyl groups is presented. In polyetheretherketone these Schiff bases form short, stiff crosslink junctions which are stable up to 630°C. Dynamic mechanical and thermal properties of polyetheretherketone and imine crosslinked polyetheretherketone are reviewed. A large reduction in the temperature sensitivity of the material stiffness has been achieved. Increases in the glass transition temperature from 143°C to greater than 280°C have been obtained.
A new toroidal-meander type integrated inductor with a multilevel meander magnetic core

A novel toroidal-meander type integrated (TMTI) inductor with a multilevel meander magnetic core has been designed, fabricated, and integrated onto a silicon wafer. In a conventional inductor, conductor wires are wound around magnetic cores. By switching the roles of conductor wire and magnetic core, i.e., by 'wrapping' a magnetic core around a conductor wire, the same effect can be realized in a planar geometry. This geometry has been implemented using multilevel metal interconnection schemes, by interlacing a meander planar conductor with a multilevel meander magnetic core. The total inductor size is 4 mm/spl times/1.0 mm, the coil has 30 turns, and the magnetic material used was electroplated nickel(81%)-iron(19%) Permalloy. An inductance of 30 nH/mm/sup 2/ was achieved at a frequency of 5 MHz. The fabrication sequence of this inductor structure is entirely compatible with post-processing of standard bipolar and CMOS circuitry, as well as the fabrication of multichip module substrates, thus enabling the integration of the inductor structure with control circuitry for applications such as filters, sensors, magnetic microactuators, and low-power voltage converters. >
Validity and Reliability of a Glucometer Against Industry Reference Standards

As an appealing alternative to reference glucose analyzers, portable glucometers are recommended for self-monitoring at home, in the field, and in research settings. The purpose was to characterize the accuracy and precision, and bias of glucometers in biomedical research. Fifteen young (20-36 years; mean = 24.5), moderately to highly active men (n = 10) and women (n = 5), defined by exercising 2 to 3 times a week for the past 6 months, were given an oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT) after an overnight fast. Participants ingested 50, 75, or 150 grams of glucose over a 5-minute period. The glucometer was compared to a reference instrument. The glucometer had 39% of values within 15% of measurements made using the reference instrument ranging from 45.05 to 169.37 mg/dl. There was both a proportional (−0.45 to −0.39) and small fixed (5.06 and 0.90 mg/dl) bias. Results of the present study suggest that the glucometer provided poor validity and reliability results compared to the results provided by the reference laboratory analyzer. The portable glucometers should be used for patient management, but not for diagnosis, treatment, or research purposes.
Rate determination based on perceptual loudness

We describe a perceptually-motivated rate determination algorithm (RDA) for variable bit rate speech coding. Unlike existing rate selection strategies that are based on a voice activity detector and energy thresholds, the proposed method employs a perceptual loudness (PL) measure. The TIA IS-127 enhanced variable rate codec (EVRC) has been chosen as the test-bed for evaluating the performance of the PL-based rate selection strategy relative to three existing methods. In particular, the comparative study includes the following rate determination algorithms: voice activity detection; speech frame energy-thresholding; phonetic segmentation. Experimental results demonstrate that the proposed PL-based RDA compares well against other rate selection techniques in terms of average bitrate and speech quality.