cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
The influence of OMVPE growth pressure on the morphology, compensation, and doping of GaN and related alloy

Growth pressure has a dramatic influence on the grain size, transport characteristics, optical recombination processes, and alloy composition of GaN and AlGaN films. We report on systematic studies which have been performed in a close spaced showerhead reactor and a vertical quartz tube reactor, which demonstrate increased grain size with increased growth pressure. Data suggesting the compensating nature of grain boundaries in GaN films is presented, and the impact of grain size on high mobility silicon-doped GaN and highly resistive unintentionally doped GaN films is discussed. We detail the influence of pressure on AlGaN film growth, and show how AlGaN must be grown at pressures which are lower than those used for the growth of optimized GaN films. By controlling growth pressure, we have grown high electron mobility transistor (HEMT) device structures having highly resistive (105 Ω-cm) isolation layers, room temperature sheet carrier concentrations of 1.2×1013 cm−2 and mobilities of 1500 cm2/Vs, and reduced trapping effects in fabricated devices.
Pressure gradients for filtration in the developing kidney

It is well documented, both in humans and animals, that low rates of glomerular filtration prevail during early postnatal life. Although several explanations for this phenomenon have been offered, no direct measurements of the forces responsible for glomerular filtration in the developing animal are available. This information was sought in the present study by micro-puncture techniques. Free flow proximal intratubular pressure (Pf), “stop flow” (Ps), mean arterial, and colloid-osmotic pressure of the plasma protein (Pco), were determined in guinea pigs ranging in age from 1 to 56 days (27 animals). The values obtained were used in the calculation of glomerular capillary pressure, Pcap = Ps + Pco, and of the effective filtration pressure, Pcff = Pcap — (Pf + Pco). Free flow intratubular pressure increased from 5.5 ± 0.3 during the 1st to 9.2 ± 0.2 (mean ± S. E.) during the 8th week of life, whereas capillary pressure increased from 21.2 ± 1.8 to 29.3 ± 1.0 mm Hg. Since the actual increase in capillary pressure was about twice the increase in intratubular pressure, effective filtration pressure rose accordingly from 4.9 ± 0.4 to 9.4 ± 0.8 mm Hg. During the same period mean arterial pressure changed from 42.9 ± 2.2 to 58.5 ± 7.9 mm Hg. It appears, therefore, that an increase in glomerular capillary pressure is an important factor in the increase in glomerular filtration rate that is observed with age.
Multidimensional health locus of control of pregnant women who smoke.

The Multidimensional Health Locus of Control scale along with 12 belief statements on factors that affect pregnancy was distributed to 209 pregnant women, 74 smokers, 46 smokers who quit prior to or during their pregnancy, and 87 nonsmokers. Analysis of variance and post hoc Scheffe tests on each subscale showed a significant difference among the three groups of pregnant smokers and nonsmokers on the Chance subscale, however, the differences appeared to be of no practical significance. Only two of the belief statements were significantly different between the groups.
OMIP-008: measurement of Th1 and Th2 cytokine polyfunctionality of human T cells.

Purpose and Appropriate Sample Types This panel was optimized to assess CD4+ and CD8+ T cell responses to various tumor antigens from melanoma patients. The panel was tested on single-cell derived T cell isolates (SCD-T) and T cell lines derived from peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) from melanoma patients, T cell lines from the tumor environment of melanoma patients, and fresh and cryopreserved PBMC (healthy donors). Staining can be performed in 96-well plates for high-throughput.
Development of mirror segments for the Constellation-X observatory

As NASA's next major x-ray observatory, Constellation-X will have a photon collection area of 30,000 cm2 at 1 keV, which, after folding other instrumental respojnses, translates into an effective aera of 15,000 cm2. The observatory consists of four identical satellites each of which carries a spectroscopic x-ray telescope mirror assembly (SXT) that is 1.6 m in diameter and has a focal length of 10 m and a collection area of 7,500 cm2 at 1 keV and an angular resolution of 15" HPD at the system level. Each mirror assembly consists of a large number of mirror segments precisely assembled together. Our development of the mirror segments is divided into two steps. The first one is to develop the basic approach and fabricate segments within the constraints of existing infra-structure to meet the angular resolution requirement, but not mirror segments precisely assembled together. Our development of the mirror segments is divided into two steps. The first one is to develop the basic approach and fabricate segments within the constraints of existing infra-structure to meet the angular resolution requirement, but not mirror segment size requirement. We have all but successfully competed this part of the development. We are now on the verge of going into the second step, that is to fabricate mirror segments of larger sizes to reduce the number of segments that have to be aligned and integrated. In this paper, we report on the requirements and the development status of the mirror segments. These assembly and other requirements of the SXT are reported elsewhere.
Isoform-specific 3,5,3'-triiodothyronine receptor binding capacity and messenger ribonucleic acid content in rat adenohypophysis: effect of thyroidal state and comparison with extrapituitary tissues.

Although the role of the three functional thyroid hormone receptor isoforms (TR beta 1, TR beta 2, and TR alpha 1) remains unclear, studies by Hodin and Lazar et al. have suggested that restriction of TR beta 2 messenger RNA (mRNA) to rat pituitary could reflect a specific regulatory role in the pituitary. Supporting their hypothesis was a significant fall in pituitary TR beta 2 mRNA after T3 administration. These observations prompted us to assess the effect of thyroidal state on the level of TR beta 2 protein, as inferred by immunoprecipitation of TR beta 2 nuclear binding activity. In contrast to the behavior of the mRNA, we noted surprising stability in the levels of total nuclear TR binding capacity and TR isoform distribution in the transition from hypo- to hyperthyroid states. Calculations based on these and previous data from this laboratory (7) show that the average cellular content of TR beta 2 mRNA in pituitary is 0.6 molecules, whereas the content of TR beta 2 mRNA molecules in extrapituitary ...
OZONE HAZARDS INCURRED BY ELECTRON VAN DE GRAAFF OPERATION

Abstract Solid state physics experiments employing radiations from a 2.0 MeV Van de Graaff electron accelerator have resulted in the generation of significant quantities of ozone when liquid nitrogen was used as a cooling agent. Under experimental conditions the ozone produced has proved to be an explosion and personnel exposure hazard for which suitable provision must be made.
Screening depressives for causative medical illness; the example of thyroid function testing: II. Hypothesis testing in ambulatory depressives

There are few empirical data to support the widely accepted practice of screening depressives for causative thyroid disease, as summarized in the previous article of this series. We therefore formed, as a null hypothesis, the proposal that ambulatory depressives do not comprise an enriched sample for unsuspected clinical hypo- or hyperthyroidism. To investigate this issue we studied a prospectively assessed sample of 166 consecutive medically healthy outpatients who a) met criteria for a current major depressive episode and b) underwent thyroid function testing consisting of determination of serum total thyroxine (T4) and free thyroxine index (FTI); 105 of the 166 patients also had thyrotropin (TSH) determination. Laboratory thyroid testing was mandated by drug treatment protocol and was therefore not influenced by clinician-related testing factors. The clinic did not participate in thyroid related research and therefore was not likely subject to thyroid related patient selection or referral bias. Caseness was defined by abnormal FTI confirmed by subsequent testing. Prevalence rates for abnormal total T4 and TSH were also calculated. Only one case (0.6%) of hypothyroidism and no cases of hyperthyroidism were found. Four patients (2.4%) had decreased total T4 but normal FTI while two (1.2%) had high total T4 with normal FTI. Elevated TSH was found in only two (1.9%). Thus prevalence of hypo- or hyperthyroidism in patients with major depressive disorder does not differ from that reported for the general population. These data indicate that thyroid screening guidelines which have been developed for the general population may therefore be preferable to routinely screening all ambulatory depressives. A strategy for testing ambulatory depressives is suggested: That all ambulatory depressives be routinely screened for signs, symptoms, and specific risk factors for hyper or hypo-thyroidism, but that routine junction testing is not indicated. Depression 1:220–224 (1993). © 1993 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
A parallel implementation of the backward error propagation neural network training algorithm: experiments in event identification

An artificial neural-network-based (ANN) event detection and alarm generation system has been developed to aid clinicians in the identification of critical events commonly occurring in the anesthesia breathing circuit. To detect breathing circuit problems, the system monitored CO2 gas concentration, gas flow, and airway pressure. Various parameters were extracted from each of these input waveforms and fed into an artificial neural network. To develop truly robust ANNs, investigators are required to train their networks on large training data sets, requiring enormous computing power. We implemented a parallel version of the backward error propagation neural network training algorithm in the widely portable parallel programming language C-Linda. A maximum speedup of 4.06 was obtained with six processors. This speedup represents a reduction in total run-time from 6.4 to 1.5 h. By reducing the total run time of the computation through parallelism, we were able to optimize many of the neural network's initial parameters. We conclude that use of the master-worker model of parallel computation is an excellent method for speeding up the backward error propagation neural network training algorithm.
Kinetic Analysis of Fractal Gel Formation In Waterborne Polyurethane Dispersions Undergoing High Deformation Flows

Isothermal and nonisothermal kinetics studies of thermal-induced gelation for waterborne polyurethane dispersions have been investigated rheologically. The change in the viscoelastic material functions such as elastic storage modulus, G‘, viscous loss modulus, G‘‘ and complex dynamic viscosity, η* during the gelation process was evaluated accurately for the first time. The isothermal kinetics reaction was described using a phenomenological equation based on the Malkin and Kulichikhin model that was originally developed for predicting isothermal curing kinetics of thermosetting polymers from differential scanning calorimetery (DSC) data. The Malkin and Kulichikhin model was found to conform excellently well for the rheokinetics data presented here. The rate of the gelation process was found to be a second-order reaction regardless of the temperature and shear frequency, and to be in good agreement with literature data. The isothermal gelation kinetics was also analyzed using a standard isoconversional meth...
Job Involvement as Obsession-Compulsion

Intuitive conceptions of job involvement have difficulty accounting for empirical evidence that job involvement is not related to performance and that job-involved persons appear to be less sensitive to situational characteristics than do persons not job-involved. A view of job involvement as obsession-compulsion is offered as a way to explain these findings.
Sizes of Critical Graphs with Small Maximum Degrees

In this paper, we give new lower bounds for the size of Δ-critical graphs with Δ=8,9 which improve the partial results of Luo [6] and Y. Zhao [12].
An introduction to Wu's method for mechanical theorem proving in geometry

Wu's algebraic method for mechanically proving geometry theorems is presented at a level as elementary as possible with sufficient examples for further understanding the complete method.
Biomimetic Flow Sensing Using Artificial Lateral Lines

By mimicking fish lateral lines and fish sensing behaviors, we constructed an artificial lateral line and employed it for biomimetic flow sensing. Thirteen hot-film anemometers were mounted to the surface of a NACA0015 airfoil to constitute the artificial lateral line. The resulting fish-like platform was maneuvered by a 3-degree-of-freedom robotic arm for two-dimensional mobility in aquatic environments. Assisted with specially developed algorithms, two biologically relevant flow-sensing scenarios have been realized. They were tracking a nearby dipole source in still water by detecting the dipole flow field and tracking a distant stationary source in running water by detecting its hydrodynamic wake.Copyright © 2007 by ASME
Mechanism of Redox Reactions between SO3•- Radicals and Transition-Metal Macrocyclic Complexes: Oxidative Addition to the Ligand and Outer-Sphere Electron Transfer

Reactions of SO3•- radicals with complexes of Ni(II and I) and Cu(II and I) were investigated under anaerobic conditions. Reactions of CuCR+, Cu(TIM)+, and Ni(Me6[14]dieneN4)+ with SO3•- radicals were investigated by time-resolved spectroscopy. The kinetics of the processes is in accordance with an outer-sphere electron-transfer mechanism. Intermediates with a ligand−radical nature were observed in SO3•- reactions with Cu(2,9-dimethyl-1,10-phenanthroline)2+, Cu(Me6[14]dieneN4)2+, NiCR2+, or NiCRH42+. Two products were isolated in the reaction of NiCR2+ with SO3•- radicals, one product with a sulfonated macrocycle and the other product with one additional double bond in the macrocycle. These products confirmed the attack of the ligand by SO3•- radicals and the formation of intermediates with a ligand−radical nature. A mechanism based on the oxidative addition of SO3•- radicals to the ligand accounts also for the kinetics of product formation.
Large oscillations of an anisotropic triangular plate

Abstract An analysis of large amplitude oscillations of right triangular anisotropic plates is given, based on von Karman governing equations generalized to the dynamical and rectilinearly orthotropic case. The coordinate functions represented in a separable form involve the deflection of the plate and the membrane stress function. Both the deflection and the stress satisfy the boundary conditions associated with a built-in contour, free to move in the normal inplane directions. By means of Galerkin procedure a nonlinear second order differential equation for the unknown time function is obtained and readily solved in terms of Jacobian elliptic functions. Period of linear and nonlinear oscillations as well as static nonlinear case are analyzed for various types of anisotropy, side ratios and values of the amplitude.
Studies of excited electronic states of anthracene and some of its derivatives by photoselection and PPP-SCF calculations

Abstract Detailed polarized absorption and emission spectra are presented for anthracene and some of its methyl and methoxy derivatives in rigid solution at 77°K. PPP-SCF calculations show that no new states are introduced below 5 eV by the substitution. The observed effects of chemical substitution on state ordering, polarizations, and oscillator strength correlate quite well with the predictions of the PPP-SCF calculations. A vibrational analysis of the anthracene polarization spectra is carried out. In the near uv long-axis polarized absorption and fluorescence of anthracene, two vibronic origins are identified as a 1630 cm−1 b1g molecular vibration and a weak 60 cm−1 bg type of lattice vibration. All long-axis polarized structure in the near uv absorption can be assigned to Franck-Condon progressions built upon these vibronic origins in the 1La band (which is electronically short-axis polarized). Differences in the spectral integrated transition intensity (oscillator strength) between the absorption and the emission reveal an additional long-axis component in the high energy region of the 1La absorption which could be evidence for the hidden 1Lb band in anthracene. However, there is no clear cut structural evidence for this state in the polarization spectrum. This hidden transition is made allowed by methoxy substitution. In the symmetric 2,3-dimethoxyanthracene, the 1Lb band appears at 365 nm as a new transition. In 2-methoxyanthracene the 1La and the 1Lb are strongly mixed. The anomalous short-axis polarization of the 1Lb band, predicted by the theory for 2-methoxyanthracene, is confirmed by the polarization data. Methoxy substitution also reveals new weak bands, located between the 1Lb and 1Bb bands, of B1g and A1g parentage, which are successfully predicted by the PPP-SCF calculations.
A prospective study of dominance and coronary heart disease in the Normative Aging Study.

Abstract The purpose of this study was to examine the prospective relation between dominance, as assessed by a Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory (MMPI-2)-derived dominance scale, and incidence of coronary heart disease (CHD), independent of participants’ anger level. The study was performed in the VA Normative Aging Study, an ongoing cohort of older (mean age 61 years) men. A total of 1,225 men who were free of CHD in 1986 completed the MMPI-2. A factor analysis of selected MMPI items provided the basis for the construction of a dominance scale and an anger scale. During an average of 8 years of follow-up, 158 cases of incident CHD occurred, including 29 cases of fatal CHD, 69 cases of nonfatal myocardial infarction (MI), and 60 cases of angina pectoris (AP). Compared with men reporting the lowest levels of dominance (lower tertile), the multivariate-adjusted relative risk among men reporting the highest levels of dominance (upper tertile) was 1.80 (95% confidence interval [CI] 1.21 to 3.24) for combined nonfatal MI and fatal CHD. Additional adjustment for anger scores did not significantly alter this relation. There was no significant relation between dominance and AP. Our data suggest that dominance is an independent risk factor for CHD in older men.
ICP27-dependent resistance of herpes simplex virus type 1 to leptomycin B is associated with enhanced nuclear localization of ICP4 and ICP0

It was previously shown that herpes simplex virus type 1 (HSV-1) is sensitive to leptomycin B (LMB), an inhibitor of nuclear export factor CRM1, and that a single methionine to threonine change at residue 50 (M50T) of viral immediate-early (IE) protein ICP27 can confer LMB resistance. In this work, we show that deletion of residues 21-63 from ICP27 can also confer LMB resistance. We further show that neither the M50T mutation nor the presence of LMB affects the nuclear shuttling activity of ICP27, suggesting that another function of ICP27 determines LMB resistance. A possible clue to this function emerged when it was discovered that LMB treatment of HSV-1-infected cells dramatically enhances the cytoplasmic accumulation of two other IE proteins, ICP0 and ICP4. This effect is completely dependent on ICP27 and is reversed in cells infected with LMB-resistant mutants. Moreover, LMB-resistant mutations in ICP27 enhance the nuclear localization of ICP0 and ICP4 even in the absence of LMB, and this effect can be discerned in transfected cells. Thus, the same amino (N)-terminal region of ICP27 that determines sensitivity to LMB also enhances ICP27's previously documented ability to promote the cytoplasmic accumulation of ICP4 and ICP0. We speculate that ICP27's effects on ICP4 and ICP0 may contribute to HSV-1 LMB sensitivity.
REIMAGINING REPRESSION: NEW CENSORSHIP THEORY AND AFTER

Emerging from the work of Foucault and Bourdieu in particular, a powerful theoretical critique of prevailing notions of censorship and its opposite, free speech, emerged in the waning decades of the last century. The principal theoretical contribution, I will argue, of this “New Censorship Theory” has been not to overthrow the dominant liberal conception of censorship, but rather to bracket this conception as a separate and ultimately subordinate species of censorship. In this article I reexamine the development of New Censorship Theory, especially its antecedents in the Marxist critique of bourgeois civil society. In place of an exclusive focus upon state actions, newer conceptions of censorship have enshrined self-censorship as the paradigm and have seen traditional forms of censorship as secondary to impersonal, structural forms like the market. I argue that historians' qualms about New Censorship Theory stem from concerns over this erasure of the specificity of state repressive force. Rather than simply accepting the division of censorship into a dichotomy of repressive/authoritative and productive/structural, this article argues that no strict distinction ought to be drawn. Instead, investigations of censorship in the traditional sense must incorporate the insights of newer theories to understand state censors as actors internal to communication networks, and not as external, accidental features. By investigating the intellectual trajectory of New Censorship Theory, I posit a way forward for historians to incorporate its insights while addressing their concerns.
Complexes of silver(III) with oxoanions

Abstract Silver(III) has a half-life at pH 11 of several hundred seconds in aqueous solutions in the presence of 0.1–1.0 M concentrations of certain basic oxoanions (Oxo) (phosphate, carbonate, borate, pyrophosphate, and arsenate). This compares with a lifetime of a few seconds at pH 11 in the absence of these oxoanions. UV-visible spectra and kinetic data for these solutions are interpreted as evidence for the following equilibria in the pH range 9–13. Ag(OH) 4 −1 + H 2 O ⇌ Ag(OH) 3 H 2 O + OH − (1) Ag(OH) 4 −1 + Oxo ⇌ Ag(OH) 3 Oxo + OH − (2) Ag(OH) 3 Oxo + H 2 O ⇌ Ag(OH) 2 (Oxo)H 2 O + OH − (3) Values of K 3 lie in the range 10 −3 K 3 4 M for the systems studied. K 2 is estimated to be ∼10 2 for phosphate and slightly smaller for the other systems. Ag(OH) 4 − undergoes an unusual reaction with pyrophosphate at pH ∼ 8 to form a novel silver(II) complex, [Ag(P 2 O 7 ) 2 ] 6− , for which EPR and electronic absorption spectral parameters are reported.
Quantitative and qualitative analysis of performance during advanced laparoscopic fellowship: a curriculum based on structured assessment and feedback.

Abstract Background The objective of this study was to examine the acquisition of advanced laparoscopic technical and cognitive skills during a fellowship. Methods During a yearlong fellowship, consecutive assessments were completed by a fellow and 1 attending for 3 advanced procedures. The Global Operative Assessment of Laparoscopic Skills, Objective Structured Assessment of Technical Skills, and procedure-specific rating tools and free-text feedback were used. Descriptive statistics, the t test, linear mixed-effects regression, and qualitative analysis of feedback were performed. Results Seventy-six cases were included. Average ratings increased for each assessment area every month (P Conclusions These assessment tools can be used as a quantitative index to monitor fellows' learning curve. In combination with narrative feedback, such data can provide measures to direct improvement during self-directed learning.
Medicolegal analysis of bile duct injury during open cholecystectomy and abdominal surgery

To understand the medicolegal impact of bile duct injury, we analyzed 68 cases of biliary injury resulting from open cholecystectomy and abdominal surgery. Cases were litigated within the US civil justice system between 1970 and 1991. Operations resulting in bile duct complications included cholecystectomy for cholelithiasis in 49 patients (72%), common bile duct exploration in 5 patients (7%), and other abdominal operations in 7 patients (10%); 7 operations were of unknown type. The average delay in recognition of injury was 16 days (range 3 to 42). The mortality rate was 18% (12 of 68). Median jury verdict awards in successfully litigated cases were twice that of out-of-court settlements ($500,000 versus $250,000, P = 0.01). Bile duct injury after open cholecystectomy and abdominal surgery has a high mortality rate when diagnosed late, and is expensive to litigate. This review may be useful in defining the medicolegal outcome of similar injuries from laparoscopic cholecystectomy.
Comparison of the Traditional Recall-Based versus a New List-Based Method for Computing Semantic Clustering on the California Verbal Learning Test: Evidence from Alzheimer's Disease

For over 50 years, cognitive psychologists and neuropsychologists have relied almost exclusively on a method for computing semantic clustering on list-learning tasks (recall-based formula) that was derived from an outdated assumption about how learning occurs. A new procedure for computing semantic clustering (list-based formula) was developed for the CVLT-II to correct the shortcomings of the traditional method. In the present study we compared the clinical utility of the traditional recall-based method versus the new list-based method using results from the original CVLT administered to 87 patients with Alzheimer's disease and 86 matched normal control participants. Logistic regression and score distribution analyses indicated that the new list-based method enhances the detection of differences in semantic-clustering ability between the groups.
Effects of random rough surface on absorption by conductors at microwave frequencies

The effects of a random rough surface on the absorption by a metallic surface at microwave frequencies are analyzed by using two methods: the analytic small perturbation method and the numerical method of moments method. The results show significant difference between absorption of a rough surface and that of a smooth surface. The absorption depends on the root mean square height, correlation length, and correlation function of the random rough surface. The similarities with and differences from Morgan's classical result and the Hammerstad and Bekkadal formula are discussed. It is shown that for multiscale rough surfaces, saturation of absorption does not occur, or occurs at much higher frequencies.
Is rarity of pinedrops (Pterospora andromedea) in eastern North America linked to rarity of its unique fungal symbiont

Like other myco-heterotrophic plants, Pterospora andromedea (pinedrops) is dependent upon its specific fungal symbionts for survival. The rarity of pinedrops fungal symbiont was investigated in the eastern United States where pinedrops are rare. Wild populations of eastern pinedrops were sampled, and the plant haplotypes and fungal symbionts were characterized with molecular techniques; these data were compared to those from the West with phylogenetic analyses. The frequency of the fungal symbiont in eastern white pine forests was assessed using a laboratory soil bioassay and in situ pinedrops seed baiting. Only one plant haplotype and fungal symbiont was detected. The plant haplotype was not unique to the East. The fungal symbiont appears to be a new species within the genus Rhizopogon, closely related to the western symbionts. This fungal species was not frequent in soils with or without pinedrops, but was less frequent in the latter and in comparison to the fungal symbionts in western forests. Seed baiting resulted in few germinants, suggesting that mycelial networks produced by the eastern fungal symbiont were rare. Results suggest that eastern pinedrops rarity is influenced by the distribution and rarity of its fungal symbiont.
Hydrodynamic model for surface plasmons in metals and degenerate semiconductors

A hydrodynamic model is used to study the effect of the electron-density profile at the surface on surface-plasmon modes. The model consists of an extension of Bloch's original hydrodynamic model to study an inhomogeneous electron gas capable of self-oscillations about a ground state given by the Hohenberg-Kohn-Sham theory of the inhomogeneous electron system. We write down an expression for the conductivity tensor which formally contains all relevant information within the context of our hydrodynamic formulation. The qualitative features of the model are illustrated by detailed numerical calculations for smooth electron-density profiles. The dispersion relation of both regular surface-plasmon and higher-multipole excitations (which occur for sufficiently diffuse profiles) are studied for a wide range of wave vectors from the optical ($\ensuremath{\omega}\ensuremath{\sim}\mathrm{cq}$) to the nonretarded or electrostatic limit.
Room temperature deposition of sputtered TiN films for superconducting coplanar waveguide resonators

We present a systematic study of the properties of room temperature deposited TiN films by varying the deposition conditions in an ultra-high-vacuum reactive magnetron sputtering chamber. By increasing the deposition pressure from 2 to 9 mTorr while keeping a nearly stoichiometric composition of Ti1−xNx (x = 0.5) without substrate heating, the film resistivity increases, the dominant crystal orientation changes from (100) to (111), grain boundaries become clearer, and the strong compressive in-plane strain changes to weak tensile in-plane strain. The TiN films absorb a high concentration of contaminants including hydrogen, carbon, and oxygen when they are exposed to air after deposition. With the target–substrate distance set to 88 mm the contaminant levels increase from ∼0.1% to ∼10% as the pressure is increased from 2 to 9 mTorr. The contaminant concentrations also correlate with in-plane distance from the center of the substrate and increase by roughly two orders of magnitude as the target–substrate distance is increased from 88 to 266 mm. These contaminants are found to strongly influence the properties of TiN thin films. For instance, the resistivity of stoichiometric films increases by around a factor of 5 as the oxygen content increases from 0.1% to 11%. These results strongly suggest that the energy of the sputtered TiN particles plays a crucial role in determining the TiN film properties, and that it is important to precisely control the energy of these particles to obtain high-quality TiN films. Superconducting coplanar waveguide resonators made from a series of nearly stoichiometric films grown at pressures from 2 to 7 mTorr show a substantial increase in intrinsic quality factor from ∼104 to ∼106 as the magnitude of the compressive strain decreases from nearly 3800 MPa to approximately 150 MPa and the oxygen content increases from 0.1% to 8%. Surprisingly, the films with a higher oxygen content exhibit lower loss, but care must be taken when depositing at room temperature to avoid nonuniform oxygen incorporation, which presents as a radially dependent resistivity and becomes a radially dependent surface inductance in the superconductor.
The Relevance Vector Machine

The support vector machine (SVM) is a state-of-the-art technique for regression and classification, combining excellent generalisation properties with a sparse kernel representation. However, it does suffer from a number of disadvantages, notably the absence of probabilistic outputs, the requirement to estimate a trade-off parameter and the need to utilise 'Mercer' kernel functions. In this paper we introduce the Relevance Vector Machine (RVM), a Bayesian treatment of a generalised linear model of identical functional form to the SVM. The RVM suffers from none of the above disadvantages, and examples demonstrate that for comparable generalisation performance, the RVM requires dramatically fewer kernel functions.
A Grating Interferometer

Discussions of the Michelson interferometer indicate that fringes are formed by the superposition of two approximately parallel wave fronts. Wave fronts having the necessary characteristics can be obtained by mounting gratings on the arms of the interferometer in the places of the customary reflecting mirrors. The construction and action of such an interferometer has been studied; it is here described. The instrument becomes its own monochromator when the gratings are rotated to positions of minimum deviation for some particular wave-length. The customary form of the Michelson interferometer may be considered as the special case of the grating interferometer for which the grating space is large in comparison with λ.
Dynamic properties near the columnar-crystalline phase transition

Dynamic quantities are computed near the transition from the columnar to the crystalline phase. The enhancement from order parameter fluctuations of the viscosities ν 1 and ν 3 is found to be proportional to the first power of the correlation length. We briefly describe how the ω −1/2 divergence of viscosities predicted in the columnar phase by Ramaswamy and Toner is suppressed near the transition to the crystalline phase Calcul de quantites dynamiques pres de la transformation phase en colonnes-phase cristalline. Augmentation des viscosites ν 1 et ν 3 , due aux fluctuations du parametre d'ordre, proportionnellement a la 1re puissance de la longueur de correlation. Demonstration de la suppression de la divergence en ω −1/2 des viscosites, predite par Ramaswamy et Toner dans la phase en colonnes, pres de la transformation a la phase cristalline
para-Aminobenzoic Acid Is a Precursor in Coenzyme Q6 Biosynthesis in Saccharomyces cerevisiae

Coenzyme Q (ubiquinone or Q) is a crucial mitochondrial lipid required for respiratory electron transport in eukaryotes. 4-Hydroxybenozoate (4HB) is an aromatic ring precursor that forms the benzoquinone ring of Q and is used extensively to examine Q biosynthesis. However, the direct precursor compounds and enzymatic steps for synthesis of 4HB in yeast are unknown. Here we show that para-aminobenzoic acid (pABA), a well known precursor of folate, also functions as a precursor for Q biosynthesis. A hexaprenylated form of pABA (prenyl-pABA) is normally present in wild-type yeast crude lipid extracts but is absent in yeast abz1 mutants starved for pABA. A stable 13C6-isotope of pABA (p- amino[aromatic-13C6]benzoic acid ([13C6]pABA)), is prenylated in either wild-type or abz1 mutant yeast to form prenyl-[13C6]pABA. We demonstrate by HPLC and mass spectrometry that yeast incubated with either [13C6]pABA or [13C6]4HB generate both 13C6-demethoxy-Q (DMQ), a late stage Q biosynthetic intermediate, as well as the final product 13C6-coenzyme Q. Pulse-labeling analyses show that formation of prenyl-pABA occurs within minutes and precedes the synthesis of Q. Yeast utilizing pABA as a ring precursor produce another nitrogen containing intermediate, 4-imino-DMQ6. This intermediate is produced in small quantities in wild-type yeast cultured in standard media and in abz1 mutants supplemented with pABA. We suggest a mechanism where Schiff base-mediated deimination forms DMQ6 quinone, thereby eliminating the nitrogen contributed by pABA. This scheme results in the convergence of the 4HB and pABA pathways in eukaryotic Q biosynthesis and has implications regarding the action of pABA-based antifolates.
Software reliability practices at Cray Research Inc

Cray Research Inc. is using the Poisson-type models proposed by A.C. Goel (1985), K. Okumoto (1985), J.D. Musa (1987), M. Obah (1984). Because the processes fail to conform to these models, they have been of little use in predicting software reliability or failure intensity for products which have yet to be released. This led to the search for non-parametric or non-model dependent approaches. Using sequential analysis Cray have been able to test hypotheses by comparing an unspecified model to a true homogeneous Poisson process operating at a target rate. >
Anesthesia for the expremature patient

Rendering anesthetic care to the expremature patient, particularly those born severely premature (
Estimation of soil moisture using multispectral and FTIR techniques

Abstract Soil moisture is a key capricious in hydrological process, the accessibility of moisture content in soil reins the mechanism amid the land surface and atmospheric progression. Precise soil moisture determination is influential in the weather forecast, drought monitoring, hydrological modeling, agriculture management and policy making. The aims of the study were to estimate soil moisture through remotely sensed data (FTIR & optical) and establishment of the results with field measured soil moisture data. The ground measurements were carried out in 0–15 cm depth. Permutation of normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) and land surface temperature (LST) were taken to derive temperature vegetation dryness index (TVDI) for assessment of surface soil moisture. Correlation and regression analysis was conceded to narrate the TVDI with in situ calculated soil moisture. The spatial pattern of TVDI shows that generally low moisture distribution over study area. A significant (p
Design and control of a parallel linkage wrist for robotic microsurgery

This paper presents the design and control of a teleoperated robotic system for dexterous micromanipulation tasks at the meso-scale, specifically open microsurgery. Robotic open microsurgery is an unexplored yet potentially a high impact area of surgical robotics. Microsurgical operations, such as microanastomosis of blood vessels and reattachment of nerve fibers, require high levels of manual dexterity and accuracy that surpass human capabilities. A 3-DoF robotic wrist is designed and built based on a spherical five-bar mechanism. The wrist is attached to a 3-axis commercial off-the-shelf linear stage, achieving a fully dexterous system. Design requirements are determined using motion data collected during a simulated microanastomosis operation. The wrist design is optimized to maximize workspace and manipulability. The system is teleoperated using a haptic device, and has the required bandwidth to replicate microsurgical motions. The system was successfully used in a micromanipulation task to stack 1 mm-diameter metal spheres. The micromanipulation system presented here may improve surgical outcomes during open microsurgery by offering better accuracy and dexterity to surgeons.
Cognitive Processing in Learning Disabled and Normally Achieving Boys in a Goal-Oriented Task

Ten normally achieving and ten learning disabled boys were studied as they performed a block balancing task. Some of the blocks had obvious and some had hidden weights. The learning disabled boys performed very much like younger children: they placed the blocks randomly and then adjusted them proprioceptively or they placed the blocks at their geometric center or in the spot where the previous block had balanced. Many had no theories about how things balance or described specific instances rather than rules. Inefficient language and stress-related avoidance behaviors were evident. The two learning disabled boys who expressed initial theories, however, performed more like their normally achieving peers.
Treatment of Refractory Hypoxemia in Adults With Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome-What Is the Available Evidence?

There is no clear cut consensus on the definition of refractory hypoxemia in literature even though it is a difficult entity to treat. Some of the current treatment options have shown mortality benefits in addition to improving hypoxemia while others merely improve oxygenation only. First line therapies for management of refractory hypoxemia in acute respiratory distress syndrome [ARDS] include optimal ventilation, use of neuromuscular blocking agents, higher positive end expiratory pressure, fluid restriction, nitric oxide, recruitment maneuvers and prone ventilation. The timing of rescue therapies in oxygenation failure is not clearly defined. Rescue therapies like extracorporeal membrane oxygenation and high frequency oscillation may be useful when hypoxemia remains refractory to first line therapies. Robust studies are needed in future to elucidate the efficacy of these therapies on outcomes in patients with refractory hypoxemia. This review looks at recent evidences for various strategies that improve oxygenation and survival in hypoxemic patients in the clinical context of ARDS.
Congressional Statement of Reid K. Weisbord Regarding Social Security Representative Payee Misuse to United States House Ways and Means Committee (June 5, 2013)

Hearing before the House Ways and Means Committee Subcommittee on Social Security Wednesday, June 5, 2013. “How Social Security Protects the Benefits of Those Who Cannot Protect Themselves.” Statement of Reid Kress Weisbord, Submitted June 5, 2013, on Social Security Representative Payee Misuse.Representative payee misuse adversely affects the most vulnerable beneficiaries within the Social Security program and is exceptionally difficult to detect under current agency protocols. Additionally, when the Social Security Administration’s failure to monitor a representative payee results in benefit misuse, SSA is statutorily required to reimburse certain beneficiaries for all misused funds. To reduce the incidence of benefit misuse (and, by extension, to reduce government reimbursement of misused funds), this statement proposes a "family representative" system whereby a concerned family member or friend would be carefully vetted and appointed with authority to monitor the representative payee’s performance. A family representative with first-hand observation of the beneficiary would be in a better position to detect and report benefit misuse than a governmental agency lacking personal contact. This proposal would be essentially cost-free, protect vulnerable beneficiaries, and reduce government spending on benefit misuse reimbursements.
Computer-Assisted Volumetric Measurement of Core Infarct Volume in Pediatric Patients: Feasibility for Clinical Use and Development of Quantitative Metrics for Outcome Prediction

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Infarct volume may predict clinical outcome in acute stroke, but manual segmentation techniques limit its routine use. We hypothesized that computer-assisted volumetric analysis to quantify acute infarct volume will show no difference compared with manual segmentation but will show increased speed of performance and will correlate with outcome. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Patients with acute stroke younger than 18 years were included. Infarct volume on diffusion-weighted imaging was quantified by using computer-assisted volumetric and manual techniques. The Pediatric Stroke Outcome Measure scored clinical outcome. Computer-assisted volumetric and manual techniques were compared with correlation coefficients. Linear regression analysis compared Pediatric Stroke Outcome Measure with core infarct volume and percentage volume of brain infarction. RESULTS: Twenty-three patients were analyzed (mean age, 4.6 years). Mean infarct volume from computer-assisted volumetric and manual approaches was 65.6 and 63.7 mL, respectively ( P = .56). Concordance correlation between methods was 0.980, and between users, 0.968. The mean times for segmentation between computer-assisted volumetric and manual techniques were P P P CONCLUSIONS: Computer-assisted volumetric quantification of infarct volume is reproducible, is significantly faster than manual techniques, and may have important applications for future clinical workflow. Core infarct volumes and infarct percentage correlated with outcome severity.
Infrared Spectra of Manganese Insertion, Vinyl, and Cyclic Complexes Prepared in Reactions of Laser-Ablated Mn Atoms with Methane, Ethane, Ethyl Chloride, and 1,2-Dichloroethane

Manganese insertion, vinyl, and cyclic complexes are prepared in direct reactions of excited Mn atoms with CH4, C2H6, C2H5Cl, and CH2ClCH2Cl, all with sextet ground states. The only organometallic ...
The Effects of Three Cultural Variables on the Incidence of Nomuraea rileyi, Phytophagous Lepidoptera, and Their Predators on Soybeans

The effects of soybean planting date, row width and seeding rate on populations of Plathypena scabra , Heliothis zea , Pseudoplusia includens , and their natural enemies Geocoris punctipes , Orius insidiosus , Nabis spp., Araneida and Nomuraea rileyi were monitored in a 3-yr study in North Carolina. Of the cultural variables, seeding rate had the least effect and planting date generally had the greatest effect on all populations except O. insidiosus . Early-planted soybeans in narrow rows at a high seeding rate generally had larger numbers of N. rileyi -killed larvae and a higher percentage of mortality of the total larval population due to N. rileyi . There is strong evidence to support the recommendation of planting soybeans early (before June 5) because yields were higher and parasitism (by N. rileyi ) and predation on the key pests were higher than on late-planted soybeans. When soybeans are planted late as a 2nd crop following small grain, planting in narrow rows at a high seeding rate maximizes the effects of N. rileyi and key predators.
453 The Prevalence of Chronic Kidney Disease before and after Orthotopic Heart Transplant: Does the Degree of eGFR Decline Proportionally Translate into Poorer Patient Outcomes?

The Prevalence of Chronic Kidney Disease before and after Orthotopic Heart Transplant: Does the Degree of eGFR Decline Proportionally Translate into Poorer Patient Outcomes? J. Jiang, A. Almehmi, M. Ji, H. Yerebakan, M.A. Farr, M. Argenziano, C.R. Smith, H. Takayama, D.M. Mancini, Y. Naka, P.C. Schulze, F.H. Cheema. Department of Cardiothoracic Surgery, Columbia University Medical Center, New York, NY; Department of Cardiology, Columbia University Medical Center, New York, NY; Division of Nephrology, University of Tennessee College of Medicine, Memphis, TN.
Why Tolerate Religion, Again? A Reply to Michael McConnell

This essay discusses a lengthy review by Professor Michael McConnell of the Stanford Law School in the Yale Law Journal to my 2013 book WHY TOLERATE RELIGION? (Princeton University Press). I identify two important objections that Prof. McConnell raises, but also identify eight different mistakes or misunderstandings that mar other parts of the review. I conclude by taking Prof. McConnell to task for several rhetorical cheap shots that, together with the other errors, suggests that his essay was more a partisan brief than a scholarly evaluation of the arguments. Most surprisingly, the fact that Professor McConnell, in his lengthy review, never actually responds to my book's central thesis -- namely, that the inequality between religious and non-religious claims of conscience is not morally defensible -- suggests that there may really be no serious argument on the other side.
Studies on Screening and Immobilization of High Effective Mixed Culture for Domestic Sewage Degrading

Thirty-three strains were obtained for domestic sewage COD degrading in primary screening.Three strains including high effective starch degrading S-6,high effective protein degrading P-4 and high effective cellulose degrading C-3 were obtained through further screening,and gradations of 82%,97% and 89.36% were obtained for COD respectively.In the process of molding of calcium alginate microcapsule,piercing-solidifying incubation method was applied.The optimum operation conditions were as following: the concentration of sodium alginate is 2.5 %,the concentration of calcium chloride is 4 %,and the entrapping rate is 2 ∶ 1.Finally when influent COD concentration was 500 mg/L,the average COD removal rates were 89% and 79% respectively for immobilized high effective mixed culture and free high effective mixed culture,the former was 10% higher than the latter.