cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Factor analyses of the ADNI neuropsychological battery: An examination of diagnostic and longitudinal invariance.

OBJECTIVE In the Alzheimer's Disease Neuroimaging Initiative (ADNI), cognitive function was tracked across multiple years by a comprehensive neuropsychological battery. In this study, we examined the latent structure of the ADNI battery and evaluated the invariance of that structure among diagnostic groups and over time. METHOD We used exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses to investigate the invariance of the ADNI battery's latent factor structure among three diagnostic groups (healthy controls, patients with mild cognitive impairment, patients with Alzheimer's disease) over a 2-year interval (baseline, 6 months, 12 months, 24 months). RESULTS The results revealed a five-factor structure for the ADNI battery (memory, visuospatial processing, attention, language, executive function). This structure displayed configural invariance but not weak, strong, or strict invariance across the three diagnostic groups. Longitudinally, configural, weak, strong, and strict invariance were all established within each diagnostic group, except that strict invariance was rejected in healthy controls. CONCLUSIONS The ADNI battery assesses the same cognitive abilities in the three diagnostic groups, but test scores do not calibrate to these abilities equally in the respective groups, making certain statistics (e.g., factor scores) noncomparable between groups. Within each group, the latent structure and the numerical relations between individual tests and underlying factors remained invariant over 2 years, suggesting that this battery is a reliable tool for tracking longitudinal changes in specific cognitive abilities within individual diagnostic groups. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2021 APA, all rights reserved).
Male Strategies and Tactics

This chapter looks at some of the reproductive strategies and tactics—both cooperative and competitive—that are found in males. Males tend to invest more of their reproductive effort into mating than into parenting; when possible, they will use a strategy that maximizes their number of matings and mating partners. Because “sperm is cheap,” some males can “afford” the energy it takes to find and court multiple females. In species in which females maintain a territory or for other reasons remain in one place, a male who traverses the greatest area is most likely to intercept the greatest number of females. As with humans, nonhuman courtship involves sending signals–first to attract attention, then to persuade. Since sexually dimorphic traits are related to testosterone production in males, the magnitude of a male's sexual signal is related in part to his level of testosterone production. Males are not so simple. Aggression and manipulation may be directed toward them just as it is toward other males. In many moths and butterflies, males have larger and more elaborate antennae. A female who is ready to mate will find a safe place to rest, then emit a chemical attractant (pheromone) to attract males; the male who reaches her first is likely to be the one to fertilize her eggs. Another selection pressure on males of short-lived species is for early maturation. The earlier a male matures, the fewer other males are out there to compete with. Unlike in humans in most animals, sex only occurs at or near the times that the female is fertile. The responses of females to males puts even further selection pressures in place, resulting in a complex, dynamic dialectic.
In Lumbar Fusion Patients, How Does Establishing a Comfort Function Goal Preoperatively Impact Postoperative Pain Scores?

The purpose of this feasibility study was to determine the impact of establishing a comfort function goal preoperatively on postoperative pain scores and opiate requirements in lumbar fusion patients. A comfort function goal is defined as the pain score identified by the patient describing the level of pain tolerance to participate in healing activities such as deep breathing, ambulation and participation in activities of daily living. The design was prospective, nonrandomized, intervention group (n = 30) compared with retrospective chart review as control group (n = 30). Sample included patients scheduled for routine lumbar fusion in an urban southeastern hospital. The study intervention established a comfort function goal during a routine preoperative patient education class. No significant difference in pain score or opiate requirement was found for these data. However, a fundamental clinical question arose surrounding opiate requirements and dosing management. In our hospital, the norm for postoperative pain management is to categorize pain scores as mild (1-3), moderate (4-6), and severe (7-10) pain. Physician orders commonly use this differential to order opiate dose ranges. In this sample, the mean pain score for the intervention group at home is 5.8 and the mean comfort function goal is 4.9. Based on normative categories of pain scores, if a patient's baseline of tolerable pain is 4.9, this has potential impact on clinician responses to managing pain, as 4.9-5.8 is, for this patient, perhaps a mild range of pain, not moderate. If a patient reports a pain score of 7, and their norm is 5.8, the delta is only 1.2. Does this imply that the patient is experiencing mild or severe pain? Does the nurse deliver a dose of pain medication that is in the mild or severe dose range?
SWI/SNF-Mediated Lineage Determination in Mesenchymal Stem Cells Confers Resistance to Osteoporosis

Redirecting the adipogenic potential of bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stem cells to other lineages, particularly osteoblasts, is a key goal in regenerative medicine. Controlling lineage selection through chromatin remodeling complexes such as SWI/SNF, which act coordinately to establish new patterns of gene expression, would be a desirable intervention point, but the requirement for the complex in essentially every lineage pathway has generally precluded selectivity. However, a novel approach now appears possible by targeting the subset of SWI/SNF powered by the alternative ATPase, mammalian brahma (BRM). BRM is not required for development, which has hindered understanding of its contributions, but knockdown genetics here, designed to explore the hypothesis that BRM-SWI/SNF has different regulatory roles in different mesenchymal stem cell lineages, shows that depleting BRM from mesenchymal stem cells has a dramatic effect on the balance of lineage selection between osteoblasts and adipocytes. BRM depletion enhances the proportion of cells expressing markers of osteoblast precursors at the expense of cells able to differentiate along the adipocyte lineage. This effect is evident in primary bone marrow stromal cells as well as in established cell culture models. The altered precursor balance has major physiological significance, which becomes apparent as protection against age-related osteoporosis and as reduced bone marrow adiposity in adult BRM-null mice.
Relating structural and functional connectivity to performance in a communication task

Measures from event-related functional MRI, diffusion tensor imaging tractography and cognitive performance in a language-based task were used to test the hypothesis that both functional and structural connectivity provide independent and complementary information that aids in the identification of network components most related to the neurobiological basis for language and cognitive processing. Structural connectivity was measured by averaging fractional anisotropy (FA) over a geometric fiber bundle model that projects local white matter properties onto a centerline. In the uncinate fasciculus FA was found to predict performance on a measure of decision-making regarding homonym meaning. Functional synchronization of BOLD fMRI signals between frontal and temporal regions connected by the uncinate fasciculus was also found to predict the performance measure. Multiple regression analysis demonstrated that combining equidimensional measures of functional and structural connectivity identified the network components that most significantly predict performance.
Rotor windage losses for Lundell alternators.

The Lundell alternator is being investigated for power system applications. At the high speeds required, power loss due to windage can become high and result in significant heating of the alternator. This loss must be incorporated in the cooling design. The velocity profiles expected in these alternators are highly turbulent, and the Reynolds numbers are well above the levels previously reported; the available data could only be extrapolated. For this reason, a range of experimental data was generated to permit accurate calculation of the windage power loss for Lundell alternator design. Windage tests were conducted on two concentric rotor-stator configurations in ambient air, producing Reynolds numbers as high as 100,000. Using the data obtained, a method was developed to calculate the windage loss for any Lundell alternator given the geometry and cavity conditions.
Encapsulating binary tree traversal: a design exercise

Traversal of binary trees is possible in many ways. A modern implementation of these methods should use encapsulation. In accord with the existing Java library, the Java Foundation Classes, we look into implementing the encapsulation using "cursors" and various kinds of iterators. Issues arising from the design of interfaces and implementations provide valuable lessons and experience for students in a data structures class. Issues include possible conflict between conformance with existing libraries and good design, tradeoffs between interface size and usefulness, and efficiency considerations.
VeryIDX - A Digital Identity Management System for Pervasive Computing Environments

The problem of identity theft, that is, the act of impersonating others' identities by presenting stolen identifiers or proofs of identities, has been receiving increasing attention because of its high financial and social costs. In this paper we address such problem by proposing an approach to manage user identity attributes by assuring their privacy-preserving usage. The approach is based on the concept of privacy preserving multi-factor authentication achieved by a new cryptographic primitive which uses aggregate signatures on commitments that are then used for aggregate zero-knowledge proof of knowledge (ZKPK) protocols. We present the implementation of such approach on Nokia NFC cellular phones and report performance evaluation results.
Preliminary Feasibility Study of Using Solid-State Nuclear Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy to Characterize Hanford Tank Waste Solids

This report describes experiments performed in FY 2001 to examine the feasibility of using nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy to characterize Hanford tank sludge solids. The results demonstrate the potential utility of magic-angle spinning solid-state NMR spectroscopy for this purpose. We have shown that 27Al NMR signals can be easily detected in samples simulating the compositions of Hanford tank sludge solids. Different Al-containing species can be distinguished on the basis of a number of characteristics, including resonance frequency, lineshape, and response to excitation pulse length of the 27Al NMR signal. This work also indicates that 23Na NMR can likely be used to identify specific Na-containing phases present in tank wastes. It is expected that other NMR-active nuclides can be probed for information about specific phases present in tank-waste solids.
An Atomic Gravitational Wave Interferometric Sensor (AGIS)

We propose two distinct atom interferometer gravitational wave detectors, one terrestrial and another satellite-based, utilizing the core technology of the Stanford 10m atom interferometer presently under construction. Each configuration compares two widely separated atom interferometers run using common lasers. The signal scales with the distance between the interferometers, which can be large since only the light travels over this distance, not the atoms. The terrestrial experiment with baseline {approx} 1 km can operate with strain sensitivity {approx} 10{sup -19}/{radical}Hz in the 1 Hz-10 Hz band, inaccessible to LIGO, and can detect gravitational waves from solar mass binaries out to megaparsec distances. The satellite experiment with baseline {approx} 1000 km can probe the same frequency spectrum as LISA with comparable strain sensitivity {approx} 10{sup -20}/{radical}Hz. The use of ballistic atoms (instead of mirrors) as inertial test masses improves systematics coming from vibrations, acceleration noise, and significantly reduces spacecraft control requirements. We analyze the backgrounds in this configuration and discuss methods for controlling them to the required levels.
When London Was Capital of America – By Julie Flavell

The author of this study is an experienced scholar, and this work is a well‐written jaunt over familiar territory. Her subject in When London Was Capital of America is, as the title implies, Americ...
Extension of adaptive tree code and fast multipole methods to high angular momentum particle charge densities

The development and implementation of a tree code (TC) and fast multipole method (FMM) for the efficient, linear-scaling calculation of long-range electrostatic interactions of particle distributions with variable shape and multipole character are described. The target application of these methods are stochastic boundary molecular simulations with polarizable force fields and/or combined quantum mechanical/molecular mechanical potentials. Linear-scaling is accomplished through the adaptive decomposition of the system into a hierarchy of interacting particle sets. Two methods for effecting this decomposition are evaluated: fluc-splitting and box-splitting, for which the latter is demonstrated to be generally more accurate. In addition, a generalized termination criterion is developed that delivers optimal performance at fixed error tolerance that, in the case of quadrupole-represented Drude water, effects a speed-up by a factor of 2-3 relative to a multipole-independent termination criteria. The FMM is shown to be approximately 2-3 times faster than the TC, independent of the system size and multipole order of the particles. The TC and FMM are tested for a variety of static and polarizable water systems, and for the the 70S ribosome functional complex containing an assembly of transfer and messenger RNAs.
Factors Affecting Clay Formation

Barshad’s method of calculating clay formation from the chemical analyses of the whole soil, the clay fraction, the nonelay fraction, and the mechanical analysis was applied to a large number of soils to determine the effect of climate, topography, parent material, vegetation and time on amount of clay formation. The amount of clay formed from 100 g of the nonclay fraction of the parent material was used as the yardstick for comparing clay formation in the different soils. It was found that for a true evaluation of the effect of these factors on clay formation, it is necessary to determine clay formation in every horizon of a profile and that all soil profiles should be sectioned into horizons which are as nearly alike in thickness as possible. Maximum clay formation in a soil profile occurs in the horizon which is about 2–10 in. below the surface rather than at the immediate surface; as a rule, the amount of clay forming decreases below this maximum horizon. An increase in moisture and temperature enhances clay formation. The temperature factor mainly affects clay formation in the Great Soil Groups in the following order: Podzols > Gray Brown Podzols > Brown Earths > Chernozems > Prairies > Red and Yellow Earths (Latosols) > Laterites. Poor drainage enhances clay formation. Grass-type vegetation is more effective in clay formation than tree-type. Clay formation is greater from the finer grained and the more basic rocks. The more easily rocks fragment, the more clay is formed. The increase in age of a soil is believed to be expressed in the same manner as an increase in the intensity of clay formation, namely, as an increase in clay formation with depth and as an increase in the thickness of a soil profile. It was concluded that clay formation is relatively slow: clay forms at a rate ranging from 0.00001 g to 0.002 g of clay per year per 100 g parent material or from 0.6 to 120 lb of clay per acre foot of parent material per year.
Yield stress of thin f.c.c. polycrystalline metal films bonded to rigid substrates

Abstract The simple idea that a strain applied to a thin polycrystalline metal film bonded to a rigid substrate sets up gradients of plastic shear over distancos determined by film thickness and grain radius has made it possible to predict the yield stress of thin films as a function of film thickness, grain size and internal strain. Compatibility of deformation between differently deforming substrate and film materials and between differently oriented grains can be achieved by the formation of' geometrically necessary' dislocation arrays, the density of which depends on the gradients of shear strain and can be calculated. The yield stress of thin films can be accounted for in terms of these geometrically necessary dislocations and the general results of work-hardening theories relating yield stress to dislocation density. Values of yield stress have been calculated for a given thermal strain for lead films deposited by a variety of techniques, so giving different dependences of grain size on film thickne...
Phase equilibria of phlogopite lamprophyres from western Mexico: biotite-liquid equilibria and P- T estimates for biotite-bearing igneous rocks

Olivine and augite minette powders have been equilibrated from one bar to nearly 2.0 kbar (water-saturated), and from 900 to 1300° C, and then quenched rapidly, at oxygen fugacities controlled between the nickel-nickel oxide (NNO) and hematite-magnetite (HM) oxygen buffers. The liquidus of both samples is suppressed ∼100° C at water-saturated conditions and 1500 bar. Both lavas contained between 3 and 4 wt% water at the stage of phenocryst precipitation. The partitioning of ferric and ferrous iron between phlogopite and liquid has been determined on eight samples across 3 log f O2 units; when these determinations are combined with previous studies, Fe2O3/(Σ FeO total) of Mg-rich biotite can be calculated knowing log fO2, T, and XFe. Thermodynamic modelling of biotite-liquid equilibria results in two expressions for calculating activity coefficients (γ) for annite and phlogopite in natural biotites. Based on the partitioning of BaO and TiO2 between biotite and liquid, we have formulated a thermometer and barometer. Over the range of 400° C, TiO2 partitioning between phlogopite and liquid is a function of temperature (±50° C), and is insensitive to pressure and H2O and O2 activities. BaO partitioning between phlogopite and liquid is a function of both temperature and pressure (±4 kbar), the latter being most important. Applying the TiO2 and BaO partitioning expressions to lamprophyre and lamproite suites shows that Mexican minettes equilibrated at low pressures (5 to 15 kbar;±4 kbar) and temperatures (1090 to 1160° C; ±50° C), while Australian lamproites equilibrated at higher P (up to 30 kbar; ±4 kbar) and T (1125 to 1400° C; ±50° C). Experimental glass compositions and phenocryst fractionation calculations, together with the BaO- and TiO2- based pressure calculations indicate that felsic minettes from the Mexican suite of lavas can be generated by simple fractionation of a more mafic parent minette at mid to lower crustal pressures.
Methylphenidate: Its Pharmacology and Uses

Methylphenidate is a commonly used medication in the United States. This central nervous system stimulant has a mechanism of action distinct from that of amphetamine. The Food and Drug Administration has approved methylphenidate for the treatment of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder and narcolepsy. Treatment with methylphenidate has been advocated in patients with traumatic brain injury and stroke, cancer patients, and those with human immunodeficiency virus infection. Placebo-controlled trials have documented its efficacy as an adjunctive agent in the treatment of depression and pain. This article reviews the current understanding of the mechanism of action and efficacy of methylphenidate in various clinical conditions.
Enumerative techniques for solving some nonconvex global optimization problems

We give an overview on different methods for solving nonconvex minimization problems using techniques of enumeration of extreme points. The problems considered include concave, indefinite quadratic, and special structured problems such as the concave cost network flow problem and linear complementarity. For methods that enumerate the extreme points according to the ascending order of the value of a linear underestimating function we propose new techniques for obtaining such underestimators.
The Motivational Basis of Straight and Split Ticket Voting

The extraordinary discrepancy in the popular vote for President Eisenhower and the vote for Republican Congressmen in the 1956 election dramatized a privilege which the American electorate exercises almost uniquely in the democratic world, the right of voters to split their ballots between the candidates of opposing political parties.The fact of ballot splitting in American elections is of course a commonplace but it has not been widely studied and it is not well understood. The aggregative statistics from the 1956 election make it apparent that millions of voters must have chosen President Eisenhower and a Democratic congressman but they do not tell us how many voters split their ballots in the opposite direction or how many voted for president but not for Congressman, and they give us only the vaguest indications of what was in the voters' minds when they crossed party lines in marking their ballots.
A single center’s experience with noninvasive prenatal testing

Massively parallel sequencing to detect fetal aneuploidy has high sensitivity and specificity for the detection of trisomies 21, 18, and 13 in high-risk populations. The purpose of our study was to review our institution’s experience with the use of noninvasive prenatal testing for aneuploidy screening. This was a descriptive study of patients who had undergone noninvasive prenatal testing between January and September 2012 at the UNC Prenatal Diagnosis unit. Two hundred and eight women had undergone noninvasive prenatal testing during the study period. The majority of patients were white (62.9%) and of advanced maternal age (71.2%). The fetal fraction was below the threshold in three obese patients (1.4%). An abnormal noninvasive prenatal test (aneuploidy detected or “unclassified” result) was reported in 6.3% (13/208) of the patients. Noninvasive prenatal testing had a combined sensitivity of 87.5% and specificity of 99.5% for detection of trisomies 21, 18, and 13. There were “unclassified” results in 11.1% (5/45) of the patients. Over the study period, the number of patients requesting noninvasive prenatal testing increased monthly. The rate of amniocenteses significantly declined (8.1% before vs. 5.3% after noninvasive prenatal testing, P < 0.01). An increase in uptake of noninvasive prenatal testing and a significant decline in amniocentesis procedures were observed. The rates of “unclassified,” false-positive, and false-negative results were higher than anticipated based on published preclinical trials. Genet Med 16 9, 681–687.
Work-hour restrictions as an ethical dilemma for residents.

Abstract Background We propose that the standardized work-hour limitations have created an ethical dilemma for residents. Methods A survey tool was designed to assess factors that influence the number of hours residents work and report. The program directors of pediatrics, internal medicine, and general surgery at our institution supported their residents’ participation. A voluntary, anonymous survey of these residents was performed. Results One hundred seventy of 265 eligible residents were surveyed. Eighty-one percent of residents surveyed responded. Eighty percent of respondents reported exceeding work-hour restrictions at least once within the past 6 months. The factor of greatest influence measured was concern for patient care (80%). Forty-nine percent of respondents admitted underreporting their work hours. Conclusions The Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education work-hour restrictions have created an ethical dilemma for residents. Our data show that a significant number of residents feel compelled to exceed work-hour regulations and report those hours falsely.
Effects of knowledge and display design on comprehension of complex graphics

Abstract In two experiments, participants made inferences from weather maps, before and after they received instruction about relevant meteorological principles. Different versions of the maps showed either task-relevant information alone, or both task-relevant and task-irrelevant information. Participants improved on the inference task after instruction, indicating that they could apply newly acquired declarative knowledge to make inferences from graphics. In Experiment 1, participants spent more time viewing task-relevant information and less time viewing task-irrelevant information after instruction, and in Experiment 2, the presence of task-irrelevant information impaired performance. These results show that domain knowledge can affect information selection and encoding from complex graphics as well as processes of interpreting and making inferences from the encoded information. They also provide validation of one principle for the design of effective graphical displays, namely that graphics should not display more information than is required for the task at hand.
Simulation of Hybrid Heating

A hybrid microwave heating arrangement used to heat alumina fiber preforms has been modeled to determine what conditions are needed to create significant differences in temperature across the specimen while still maintaining control of the temperature. The model assumes a uniform external microwave field and dielectric properties for the specimen as a function of temperature. The results of the model show that significant differences in temperature can be attained while still having control of the temperature at the center. Experiments show that the temperature at the center can be held at 1000°C and still allow a difference in temperature of 50°C between the center and the surface of the specimen to be present.
Energy dissipation and limiting discharge with orifices

Equations and methods are presented to calculate the energy dissipation and the limit of maximum choked flow for orifices and sudden enlargements. A correction factor Cf is introduced to correct the head loss equation to allow the calculation of maximum choked flow. Equations are given to estimate and calculate Cf. The difference between the use of an orifice as a flow meter and an energy dissipator is emphasized.
Identification of a cytotoxin from Tolypothrix byssoidea as tubercidin

Abstract Tubercidin, a biologically active pyrrolo[2,3-d]pyrimidine nucleoside previously isolated from Streptomyces tubercidicus , has been identified as a major metabolise of the cyanophyte Tolypothrix byssoidea .
Error-correcting codes from graphs

The paper surveys some constructions of linear binary codes defined by the adjacency matrices of undirected graphs. It is shown that the class of all graphs with n vertices leads to codes that for large n meet the Gilbert-Varshamov bound. Some interesting codes are obtainable from graphs with high degree of symmetry, such as strongly regular graphs. A relation between the linear binary codes derived from graphs and a class of quantum error-correcting codes is also discussed.
Semiclassical quantization and extraction of eigenfunctions using arbitrary trajectories

We present in this paper a coordinate independent semiclassical quantization method. We demonstrate that in order to extract accurate eigenvalues and eigenfunctions the trajectory does not necessarily have to reside on the quantizing torus, rather, one can use information obtained on arbitrary tori. Because the method is coordinate independent, no difficulty is encountered in quantizing within classical resonance zones. Furthermore, nearby eigenstates and eigenvalues (nearby in action space) may be extracted from the same trajectory—this is especially convenient when the density of states becomes large.
The Balanced-Force Volume Tracking Algorithm and Global Embedded Interface Formulation for Droplet Dynamics With Mass Transfer

Understanding the complex interaction of droplet dynamics with mass transfer and chemical reactions is of fundamental importance in liquid-liquid extraction. High-fidelity numerical simulation of droplet dynamics with interfacial mass transfer is particularly challenging because the position of the interface between the fluids and the interface physics need to be predicted as part of the solution of the flow equations. In addition, the discontinuity in fluid density, viscosity and species concentration at the interface present additional numerical challenges. In this work, we extend our balanced-force volume-tracking algorithm for modeling surface tension force (Francois et al., 2006) and we propose a global embedded interface formulation to model the interfacial conditions of an interface in thermodynamic equilibrium. To validate our formulation, we perform simulations of pure diffusion problems in one- and two-dimensions. Then we present two and three-dimensional simulations of a single droplet dynamics rising by buoyancy with mass transfer.Copyright © 2010 by ASME
Measurement of the thermal coefficients of nonreversible phase-change optical recording films

We have developed a procedure to obtain the critical temperature for the amorphous-to-crystalline phase transition as well as the thermal conductivity and the specific heat of the phase-change media of optical recording. The procedure involves estimating the thermal conductivity from the data obtained by measuring the threshold cw laser power required for inducing phase transition. Then, from the data obtained in short-pulse measurements, we estimate the specific heat. In principle this method can yield the thermal parameters of any number of layers, so long as one of the layers is made of a phase-change material having a well-defined transition temperature.
Learning about Technology in a Non-Instructional Environment.

Our after-school recreational activity system (called “The Fifth Dimension”) has the goal of encouraging multiple literacies in school-aged children, including computer literacy. In keeping with its recreational, non-instructional flavor, there is no formal computer curriculum, despite the prevalence of computer use. The current research addresses the effects of exposure to this environment on children's computer knowledge, hypothesizing that participants' greater familiarity with the meanings and relationships among technical terms would lead to improved performance on a memory task. Memory for words that were neutral with respect to the Fifth Dimension was compared to memory for words that were specific to our computer tools and words associated with other aspects of the Fifth Dimension. Fifth Dimension novices were compared to children who had visited at least eleven times. Experts were biased toward recognizing both types of relevant words over neutral words, while novices showed the opposite pattern....
Static And Dynamic Dispositions

When it comes to scientific explanation, our parsimonious tendencies mean that we focus almost exclusively on those dispositions whose manifestations result in some sort of change – changes in properties, locations, velocities and so on. Following this tendency, our notion of causation is one that is inherently dynamic, as if the maintenance of the status quo were merely a given. Contrary to this position, I argue that a complete concept of causation must also account for dispositions whose manifestations involve no changes at all, and that a causal theory that fails to include these ‘static’ dispositions alongside the dynamic ones renders static occurrences miraculous.
Stringent Restriction from the Growth of Large-Scale Structure on Apparent Acceleration in Inhomogeneous Cosmological Models

Probes of cosmic expansion constitute the main basis for arguments to support or refute a possible apparent acceleration due to different expansion rates in the Universe as described by inhomogeneous cosmological models. We present in this Letter a separate argument based on results from an analysis of the growth rate of large-scale structure in the Universe as modeled by the inhomogeneous cosmological models of Szekeres. We use the models with no assumptions of spherical or axial symmetries. We find that while the Szekeres models can fit very well the observed expansion history without a $\mathrm{\ensuremath{\Lambda}}$, they fail to produce the observed late-time suppression in the growth unless $\mathrm{\ensuremath{\Lambda}}$ is added to the dynamics. A simultaneous fit to the supernova and growth factor data shows that the cold dark matter model with a cosmological constant ($\mathrm{\ensuremath{\Lambda}}\mathrm{CDM}$) provides consistency with the data at a confidence level of 99.65%, while the Szekeres model without $\mathrm{\ensuremath{\Lambda}}$ achieves only a 60.46% level. When the data sets are considered separately, the Szekeres with no $\mathrm{\ensuremath{\Lambda}}$ fits the supernova data as well as the $\mathrm{\ensuremath{\Lambda}}\mathrm{CDM}$ does, but provides a very poor fit to the growth data with only 31.31% consistency level compared to 99.99% for the $\mathrm{\ensuremath{\Lambda}}\mathrm{CDM}$. This absence of late-time growth suppression in inhomogeneous models without a is consolidated by a physical explanation.
Form and Sense in Browning's The Inn Album

"Modern Poetry" was the caption of Carlo Pellegrini's caricature illustrating Vanity Fair's article on Browning ("the best of our pro fessors of modern poetry"), containing the first notice o? The Inn Album, which was published on 19 November 1875.1 Viewed in retrospect, the caption seems particularly aptias an announcement of The Inn Album. In content, the poem was modern, contem porary to the point of topicality. The very selection of contem porary upper-middle-class life as a subject was an especially modern undertaking in the mid-seventies, within a twelve-month period that included both Anthony Trollope's The Way We Live Now and George Elio t's Daniel Deronda, the latter of which Lewes described as, like Middlemarch, "a story of English life but o? our own day, and dealing for the most part in a higher sphere of Society."2 The Inn Album found its material in contemporary manners, just as Browning's poems that had preceded it in the seventies had ad dressed themselves, in various ways, to other aspects of contem porary life. In addition, references in The Inn Album to contem porary styles in the arts call attention to the poem as a poem and relate it, also, to modern art. In its own time, The Inn Album was variously called a sensation novel, a melodrama, and a poetic anomaly. Yet the form of the poem exemplifies Browning's most characteristic methods. The work extends into a continuous narrative the techniques of Brown ing's dramatic monologues. Like The Ring and the Book, it brings together the monologues of several characters, with differing per spectives on the facts, and, again, as in The Ring and the Book, its meanings lie within the perceptions of its various speakers. So read, the poem can be seen to embody also certain of Browning's most characteristic themes.
Factors associated with obstetrician-gynecologists' response to the Women's Health Initiative trial of combined hormone therapy.

The Women's Health Initiative trial of combined estrogen and progestin (WHI E+P) ended prematurely after preliminary evidence indicated that harms exceeded benefits, with no cardiovascular benefit. There was controversy over the results and the decision to end the trial early, with many obstetrician-gynecologists expressing reservations about the evidence. The Research Department of the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists conducted a study regarding the WHI E+P, sending questionnaires to 2500 randomly selected Fellows; 703 Fellows returned usable surveys (28.1%). Despite almost universal awareness of the results of the WHI E+P (> 97%), almost half of the responding physicians did not find the results convincing and disagreed with the decision to stop the trial. In this further examination of the data, we identified characteristics of the respondents who were associated with either accepting or rejecting the WHI E+P. The year residency was completed, the relative importance a respondent att...
Feline herpes virus: isolations and experimental studies.

ummary Isolation of a feline herpes virus from cases of ulcerative glossitis is described. The virus was found to be serologically identical with Crandell's feline rhino-tracheitis virus. Experimental transmission of this virus in cats produced a wide range of clinical symptoms, including in most cases an ulcerative glossitis. The manifestations of this viral infection are not unlike those of herpes simplex infection in man. Zusammenfassung Katzen-Herpesvirus: Isolierung und experimentelle Studien Von Fallen mit einer ulzerativen Glossitis konnte ein Katzen-Herpesvirus isoliert werden. Das Virus erwies sich als serologisch identisch mit Crandell's Katzen-Rhinotracheitisvirus. Die experimentelle Ubertragung des Virus auf Katzen fuhrte zu einer ganzen Reihe klinischer Symptome, zu denen in den meisten Fallen auch eine ulzerative Glossitis gehorte. Das Bild dieser Virusinfektion ist dem der Herpes-Simplex-Infektion des Menschen nicht unahnlich. Resume Virus herpetico felino: aislamiento y estudios experimentales On isole un virus herpetique du chat dans des cas accompagnes de glossites ulceratives. Ce virus se revele identique au point de vue serologique au virus de la rhinotracheozr fi vjsz fr yvatsmfroo. yoas ztsmdoddopm experimentale du virus sur des chats a pour consequence toute une serie de symptomes cliniques, accompagnes dans la plupart des cas d'une glossite ulcerative. L'image de cette infection virale n'est pas sans rappeler celle de l'herpes simple humain. Resumen Virus herpetique du chat: Isolement et etudes experimentales De casos con una glositis ulcerativa se pudo aislar un virus herpetico en el gato. El virus se mostro serologicamente identico al virus de la rinotraqueitis del gato de Crandell. La transmisidn experimental del virus a gatos ocasionaba toda una serie de sintomas clinicos, entre los que en la mayoria de los casos tambien se encontraba una glositis ulcerativa. El cuadro de esta infeccion virsica se parece algo a la infeccion del herpes simple en el hombre.
Gray scale ultrasound in identification of lymphoma complicating lymphomatoid granulomatosis

Lymphomatoid granulomatosis is a necrotizing vasculitis involving multiple organs which may be associated with lymphomatous transformation. A case of lymphomatoid granulomatosis is presented in which gray scale ultrasound identified lymphomatous transformation involving the right kidney and retroperitoneum, thus preventing unnecessary surgery. Ultrasound is a valuable modality for identifying and characterizing abdominal masses in patients at risk for neoplastic disease.
STRUCTURE OF A DNA ANALOG OF THE PRIMER FOR HIV-1 RT SECOND STRAND SYNTHESIS

Abstract The non-self-complementary DNA decamer C-A-A-A-G-A-A-A-A-G/C-T-T-T-T-C-T-T-T-G is a DNA/DNA analogue of a portion of the polypurine tract or PPT, which is a RNA/DNA hybrid that serves as a primer for synthesis of the (+) DNA strand by HIV reverse transcriptase (RT), and which is not digested by the RNase H domain of reverse transcriptase following (−) strand synthesis. The same unusual conformation that eludes RNase H, thought to be a change in width of minor groove, may also be responsible for the inhibition of HIV RT by minor groove binding drugs such as distamycin and their bis-linked derivatives. The present X-ray crystal structure of this DNA decamer exhibits the usual properties of A-tract B-DNA under biologically relevant conditions: large propeller twist of base-pairs, narrowed minor groove, and a straight helix axis. Groove narrowing is fully developed in the A-A-A-A region, but not in the A-A-A region, which previous investigators have proposed as being too short to exhibit typical A-tract properties. The RNA/DNA hybrid produced by HIV reverse transcriptase during (−) strand synthesis presumably forms a “heteromerous” or H-helix with narrower minor groove than an A-helical RNA/RNA duplex. If the narrowing of minor groove in A-tract H-helices is comparable to that seen in A-tract B-helices, then the narrowed minor groove of the polypurine tract could make the second primer site both (1) impervious to RNase H digestion, and (2) susceptible to inhibition by minor groove binding drugs.
Summer Stream Water Temperature Models for Great Lakes Streams: New York

Abstract Temperature is one of the most important environmental influences on aquatic organisms. It is a primary driver of physiological rates and many abiotic processes. However, despite extensive research and measurements, synoptic estimates of water temperature are not available for most regions, limiting our ability to make systemwide and large-scale assessments of aquatic resources or estimates of aquatic species abundance and biodiversity. We used subwatershed averaging of point temperature measurements and associated multiscale landscape habitat conditions from over 3,300 lotic sites throughout New York State to develop and train artificial neural network models. Separate models predicting water temperature (in cold, cool, and warm temperature classes) within small catchment–stream order groups were developed for four modeling units, which together encompassed the entire state. Water temperature predictions were then made for each stream segment in the state. All models explained more than 90% of d...
Nucleation behavior of supported Rh nanoparticles fabricated from Rh(CO)2(acac) on Al2O3/Ni3Al(1 1 1)

Abstract In this combined DFT and STM study, the adsorption of rhodium dicarbonyl acetylacetonate (Rh(CO) 2 (acac)) on an Al 2 O 3 thin film and the subsequent formation of Rh deposits have been examined. When Rh(CO) 2 (acac) is deposited on the Al 2 O 3 /Ni 3 Al(1 1 1) surface, the molecule is observed to bind preferentially to specific sites associated with the film superstructures. DFT calculations suggest that the parent molecule, however, must be at least partially deligated as its interaction with the substrate is very weak. In contrast, Rh clusters are adsorbed strongly to defect structures associated with the film. In addition, it has been shown that by annealing the substrate to higher temperature, the particle growth on the oxide changes from 2D islands to 3D clusters.
Design and fabrication of an omnidirectional reflector as ultra-sensitive biochemical sensing platform

Fluorescence has important applications in chemical and biological sensing and analysis due to the large selection of fluorescent markers and their specificity in staining. In order to achieve high sensitivity, the strength and the collection efficiency for the fluorescence signal is a critical issue that needs to be addressed. In this paper, we study the use of one dimensional photonic band gap (1D PBG) structures to enhance the florescence excitation and collection. The 1D PBG structure is designed to create an enhanced evanescent field for the excitation wavelength at the interface of last layer of the PBG and the sample. Meanwhile, the 1D PBG also serves as an omnidirectional reflector for the florescence signal, leading to higher collection efficiency. The combination of both effects provides a significant enhancement of florescence signal. In order to Verify the feasibility, GaP/SiO 2 multilayer thin film stack is designed and fabricated. High quality GaP/SiO 2 multilayer thin film stack is fabricated using sputtering technique. The sputtered GaP thin film is characterized using ellipsometer. GaP thin film with very high refractive index (n=3.45 at 633 nm) was obtained. The performance of the multilayer stack as omnidirectional reflector is also reported.
A critical evaluation of preliminary design techniques for steam drive projects

Abstract Preliminary design is critical for proper application of enhanced oil recovery processes. Initial estimates of overall project performance and economics are based on preliminary design calculations; these in turn establish the advisability of additional investment in the project. For steam drive projects, this design work requires models which accurately predict primary performance parameters, such as oil production schedules and oil/steam ratios (OSR). This paper presents an evaluation study of four simple and widely used preliminary design models for steam drives: Marx and Langenheim, Myhill and Stegemeier, Gomaa, and Jones; results from these models are history matched with sixteen field projects. Each model is evaluated with respect to instantaneous oil production rate and OSR over the life of the projects. Reservoir characteristics and operating conditions for which each model accurately predicts these parameters are established. The Marx-Langenheim and Myhill-Stegemeier methods generally overpredict instantaneous oil production rates and OSR (sometimes by orders of magnitude), and should not be used in predicting project performance or making design decisions. The models of Gomaa and Jones predict oil production rates and OSR fairly well for some classes of reservoirs, but not so well for other types, and should be used with caution.
Structure and catalytic function of sphingosine kinases: Analysis by site-directed mutagenesis and enzyme kinetics

Sphingosine kinases 1 and 2 (SK1 and SK2) generate the bioactive lipid mediator sphingosine 1-phosphate and as such play a significant role in cell fate and in human health and disease. Despite significant interest in and examination of the role played by SK enzymes in disease, comparatively little is currently known about the three-dimensional structure and catalytic mechanisms of these enzymes. To date, limited numbers of studies have used site directed mutagenesis and activity determinations to examine the roles of individual SK residues in substrate, calmodulin, and membrane binding, as well as activation via phosphorylation. Assays are currently available that allow for both single and bisubstrate kinetic analysis of mutant proteins that show normal, lowered and enhanced activity as compared to wild type controls. Additional studies will be required to build on this foundation to completely understand SK mediated substrate binding and phosphoryl group transfer. A deeper understanding of the SK catalytic mechanism, as well as SK interactions with potential small molecule inhibitors will be invaluable to the future design and identification of SK activity modulators as research tools and potential therapeutics. This article is part of a Special Issue entitled Advances in Lysophospholipid Research.
Unified weak-electromagnetic interactions and lepton-hadron symmetry — Nine leptons and nine quarks

Abstract A vector-like model with nine leptons and nine quarks is presented. Various consequences of the model are discussed.