cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
AMPHIBIAN UPLAND HABITAT USE AND ITS CONSEQUENCES FOR POPULATION VIABILITY

To predict the effects of habitat alteration on population size and viability, data describing the landscape-scale distribution of individuals are needed. Many amphibians breed in wetland habitats and spend the vast majority of their lives in nearby upland habitats. However, for most species, the spatial distribution of individuals in upland habitats is poorly understood. To estimate the upland distribution of subadult and adult California tiger sal- amanders (Ambystoma californiense), we used a novel trapping approach that allowed us to model the spatial variation in capture rates in the landscape surrounding an isolated breeding pond. As expected, we found that captures of adults declined with distance from the breeding pond. However, captures of subadults increased steadily from 10 to 400 m from the breeding site, but there were no captures at 800 m. A negative exponential function fit to the adult capture data suggested that 50%, 90%, and 95% were within 150, 490, and 620 m of the pond, respectively. For subadults, the quadratic function fit to the data similarly suggested that 95% were within 630 m of the pond, but that 85% of this life stage was concentrated between 200 and 600 m from the pond. To investigate the population-level consequences of reducing the amount of suitable upland habitat around breeding ponds, we used a stage-based stochastic population model with subadult and adult survival pa- rameters modified according to our empirical observations of upland distribution. Model simulations suggested that substantial reductions in population size are less likely if upland habitats extending at least 600 m from the pond edge are maintained. Model elasticities indicated that quasi-extinction probabilities are more sensitive to reductions in subadult and adult survivorship than reproductive parameters. These results indicate that under- standing the upland ecology of pond-breeding amphibians, especially the distribution and survivorship of subadults, may be critical for designing protective reserves and land use
Galactic infall and cosmic ray acceleration

An estimate is made of the extent to which cosmic rays would be accelerated as a result of their scattering off material entering into the galaxy. A model of the flow is presented, and the assumptions on which the applicability of the model depends are examined. As examples, the maximum acceleration efficiencies are calculated for two ratios of disk gas to total pressure. With these results, the upper limit for power supplied by this process is found to be essentially identical to the cosmic ray power requirement. This circumstance suggests the possibility that the infall might contribute appreciably to the cosmic ray acceleration.
d + α Scattering from 12 to 17 MeV

Abstract A previous phase-shift analysis of the d + α system had indicated that the solution obtained might not describe the backward-angle tensor analyzing powers very well above about 10 MeV. We have measured differential cross sections and all four analyzing powers A y , A xx , A yy and A xz at deuteron bombarding energies of 12, 14, 15 and 17 MeV, with some emphasis on the backward-angle region. The discrepancy with the previous phase-shift analysis was confirmed, and we have studied the changes in the phase parameters necessary to improve the fit to our new measurements.
Choroid plexus calcification: a biological marker of suicidality.

(1991). Choroid Plexus Calcification: A Biological Marker of Suicidality. International Journal of Neuroscience: Vol. 57, No. 1-2, pp. 95-97.
Glycemic response to glucagon during fasting hypoglycemia: An aid in the diagnosis of hyperinsulinism

ORGANIC HYPERINSULINISM, once felt to be rare in the pediatric age range, is now recognized more frequently in infants and children with recurrent hypoglycemia. At the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, hyperinsulinism is the most common cause of recurrent hypoglycemia in infants under one year of age? The diagnosis of hyperinsulinism must be made rapidly so that specific therapy may be instituted, particularly in young infants, to minimize the risk of brain damage from hypoglycemia. Inappropriate elevation of circulating plasma insulin concentration during an episode of hypoglycemia is diagnostic. However, measurement of single or multiple circulating insulin levels may fail to define the disorder since insulin levels at times of spontaneous hypoglycemia in patients with hyperinsulinism are not always diagnostically elevated. For this reason, other physiologic manifestations of excessive insuliri secretion have been utilized to help verify this diagnosis. The demonstration of low serum levels of beta-hydroxybutyrate at the time of fasting hypoglycemia is valuable in establishing the diagnosis of hyperinsulinism? Another predictable effect of hyperinsulinism is an inappropriate conservation of liver glycogen during fasting. The present study examined whether the glycemic response to glucagon at the time of fasting
Relation between electrocardiographic and enzymatic methods of estimating acute myocardial infarct size

Abstract The extent of initial acute myocardial infarction (AMI) and subsequent patient prognosis were studied using 2 independent indicators of AMI size. Two inexpensive, readily available techniques, the complete Selvester QRS score from the standard 12-lead electrocardiogram and the peak value of the isoenzyme MB of creatine kinase (CK-MB), were evaluated in 125 patients with initial AMI. The overall correlation between peak CK-MB and QRS score was fair (0.57), with marked difference according to anterior (0.72) or inferior (0.35) location. The prognostic capabilities of each measurement varied. Peak CK-MB provided significant information concerning hospital morbidity or early mortality (within 30 days) for both anterior ( χ 2 = 9.83) and inferior ( χ 2 = 9.83) AMI locations; however, the QRS score was significant only for anterior AMI ( χ 2 = 9.50. For total 24-month mortality, the QRS score alone provided the most information ( χ 2 = 10.0, p=0.0016), which was not improved with the addition of CK-MB ( χ 2 = 0.07, p=0.79). This study shows a good relation between these 2 independent estimates of AMI size for patients with anterior AMI location. Both QRS and CK-MB results are significantly related to early morbidity and mortality; however, only the QRS score is related to total 24-month prognosis.
Internal and external causal explanations of the universe

L'A. defend la these selon laquelle il peut y avoir une cause externe a l'univers defini comme un tout (un ensemble, une somme mereologique), meme si celui-ci n'a pas d'origine temporelle (premier instant). Si l'univers est defini comme une unite organique, et si l'interpretation de la mecanique quantique par l'ecole de Copenhague s'applique a l'univers defini comme un tout, alors il est metaphysiquement possible -mais non pas nomologiquement- que l'univers ait une cause externe
The use of placebo in diagnosing psychogenic seizures: Who is being deceived?

Induction procedures have been employed by some neurologists as a method of attempting to determine whether paroxysmal events experienced by the patient are psychogenic in origin. Although various techniques are used, those involving injection of intravenous saline and placebo patches are the focus of this article because they involve deception of the patient and raise the greatest ethical concerns. Issues of potential harm to the patient are examined in light of the typical psychological profile of patients who have psychogenic seizures. In addition, reliability of the procedure, possible benefit to the patient, and alternatives to using the procedure are considered. Finally, the question of whether there is ethical justification to consider induction procedures as an acceptable exception to informed consent is discussed. The authors argue that there is little if any justification for using induction procedures involving placebos, and that when the procedure is considered justifiable it should be done only if examination by a mental health professional discloses no psychological contraindications to proceeding and if a debriefing of the patient explaining the process and purpose of the induction is to take place following the procedure.
Risky Business: Economic Uncertainty, Market Reforms and Female Livelihoods in Northeast Ghana

This article examines the implications of economic uncertainty for rural markets and the livelihoods of female traders. It does so through a case study of a community in northern Ghana caught in the throes of a structural adjustment-driven privatization initiative. In order to fully comprehend the nature of the economic uncertainties in which rural economic actors are enmeshed and the manner in which they resist engage or engender these conditions two theoretical lenses are interposed. One focusing on structural dissolution and an overall process of rural and especially female disempowerment is drawn from recent approaches to African political economy. The other gleaned from the field of economic anthropology attends to the agency and knowledge of rural entrepreneurs in the face of unstable and imperfect market conditions. By bringing together these different analytic traditions the critical significance of uncertainty within the complex process of rural economic transformation and reproduction becomes evident. Rather than functioning as a diagnostic of economic crisis and insecurity uncertainty can be a strategic resource integral to the constitution of markets livelihoods and economic coalitions. Such a perspective privileging the institutional potentials of local social practice makes apparent the forceful role played by female traders in the structuring of rural marketing systems even in the face of externally-induced and sometimes dramatic shifts in material conditions. (authors)
A case of massive thymolipoma

A massive anterior mediastinal tumor was discovered in a 9-year-old girl with long-standing symptoms of asthma. Preoperative computed tomography (CT) scan and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) results suggested the presence of a thymolipoma, a rare benign tumor of the thymus. Few cases have been reported in the literature, although the histological and radiographic features have been well described. This case confirms previously reported characteristics and also illuminates new aspects of clinical presentation and perioperative management.
Ultrasound Assessment of the Mesenteric Arteries

Color and pulsed Doppler imaging is a valuable technique for the evaluation of the mesenteric arteries. Doppler ultrasound is an excellent screening test for patients undergoing evaluation for chronic mesenteric ischemia. Specific ultrasound findings allow the determination of vascular stenosis and the hemodynamic significance of the lesion. The technique can also be used to assess response to revascularization of the mesenteric arteries. This article describes the techniques, diagnostic criteria, and key points to allow successful evaluation of the mesenteric arteries.
INTERRELATIONSHIPS AMONG INBREEDING, HERBIVORY, AND DISEASE ON REPRODUCTION IN A WILD GOURD

Because inbreeding, herbivory, and disease are common in plants and their separate impacts on fitness are well documented, investigators have begun to examine the consequences of inbreeding on plant-herbivore and plant-pathogen interactions. In this study, we examined the interrelationships among inbreeding, herbivory, and disease on reproductive output through both male (pollen production and pollen performance) and female (fruit and seed production and seed germination) functions. Inbred (selfed) and outbred plants from five families of a wild gourd (Cucurbita pepo ssp. texana) were grown in five 0.2-ha randomized blocks in an experimental garden. Half of the inbred and half of the outbred plants were sprayed weekly with a contact pesticide to control herbivores. The other half of the plants served as the controls (no-spray treatment). The spray treatment significantly reduced damage by cucumber beetles and aphid infestation levels, the two primary herbivores of the wild gourd. Moreover, because these herbivores are the sole vectors for the five most common viral diseases of cucurbits (Watermelon mosaic-2, Cu- cumber mosaic, Zucchini yellow mosaic, Papaya ringspot, and Squash mosaic), the spray treatment also significantly reduced the amount and severity of the symptoms of viral diseases. Our analyses reveal that (1) there is variation for resistance to herbivores and pathogens among the five families used in the study, indicating that there is broad-sense heritability for resistance; (2) inbred plants suffer greater herbivore damage and have more symptoms of viral infection than outbred plants, i.e., there is inbreeding depression for herbivore/pathogen resistance; (3) the impacts of insecticide applications and inbreeding on reproduction are mostly additive; (4) both male and female functions are significantly affected by the spray treatment and inbreeding; and (5) the adverse effects of both inbreeding and the increased exposure to herbivores/pathogens in the no-spray treatment are greater for female function than for male function, indicating that the impact of genetic and en- vironmental stress can differentially affect the two sexual functions. Together, these findings have important implications for the evolution of selfing, the conservation of small popu- lations, and the establishment and transmission of diseases within populations.
Microsomal-catalyzed hydroperoxide-dependent C-oxidation of amines.

Abstract Organic hydroperoxides are capable of supporting the C-oxidation of several different amines in the presence of hepatic microsomes. Evidence is presented that indicates that microsomal cytochrome P-450 acts as the catalyst. Removal of the NADPH-cytochrome c oxidoreductase or essential phospholipid from microsomes does not significantly affect the peroxidase activity. Of the amine substrates C-oxidized by organic hydroperoxides in the presence of microsomes, only aminopyrine and dimethylaniline are rapidly oxidized by hydroperoxides in the presence of catalase. The catalase-mediated reaction can also be distinguished from the microsomal-catalyzed reaction by the use of differential inhibitors.
On normal characterizations by the distribution of linear forms, assuming finite variance

Abstract If X 1 and X 2 are independent and identically distributed (i. i. d.) with finite variance, then (X 1 +X 2 ) √2 has the same distribution as X 1 if and only if X 1 is normal with mean zero (Polya [9]). The idea of using linear combinations of i. i. d. random variables to characterize the normal has since been extended to the case where σ ∞ i =1 a i X i has the same distribution as X 1 . In particular if at least two of the a i 's are non-zero and X 1 has finite variance, then Laha and Lukacs [8] showed that X 1 is normal. They also [7] established the same result without the assumption of finite variance. The purpose of this note is to present a different and easier proof of the characterization under the assumption of finite variance. The idea of the proof follows closely the approach used by Polya in [9]. The same technique is also used to give a characterization of the exponential distribution.
Adsorption Properties of Hydrogen and Carbon Dioxide in Prussian Blue Analogues M3[Co(CN)6]2, M = Co, Zn

H2 and CO2 adsorption were studied in dehydrated Prussian blue analogues M3[Co(CN)6]2 (M = Co, Zn) using volumetric isotherm measurements. Both materials adsorbed 1.2−1.3 wt % of H2 at 77 K and 760 Torr with isosteric heats of adsorption ranging from 5.9 to 6.8 kJ/mol. High-pressure H2 isotherms at 77 K showed that Co3[Co(CN)6]2 started to saturate well above 6 atm with a saturation coverage of ∼1.9 wt %. These materials adsorbed approximately 17.6−19.7 wt % of CO2 at 253 K and 760 Torr with isosteric heats of adsorption of ∼25−28 kJ/mol. The CO2 saturation coverages from high-pressure isotherms at 263 K and 15 atm were ∼27.4−29.0 wt %. The displacement of CO2 by H2 in these compounds was investigated with Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR). The FTIR experiments showed that CO2 physisorption at cryogenic temperatures produced an infrared peak at 2335 cm-1. Co-adsorption experiments revealed that H2 was able to displace preadsorbed CO2 if the PH2/PCO2 ratio was well above 100. The infrared resu...
The Transformation of Diagnostic Radiology in the ACO Era

As health care undergoes fundamental redesign organized around increasing the value of care for populations, most of the discussion has focused on primary care and its role in managing the care of these populations. Relatively less attention has been given to specialty care population management, especially for hospital-based specialties such as diagnostic radiology. In radiology, an analysis of such a change is important and similar issues likely apply to other specialist activities as well.
Perioperative glucose control.

Purpose of review Hyperglycemia occurs commonly among acutely ill patients owing to a combination of counterregulatory and stress responses, as well as insulin resistance and deficiency, and is associated with increased morbidity and mortality in a variety of different patient populations. This manuscript reviews the adverse consequences of hyperglycemia in these different settings and focuses on perioperative glycemic management. Recent findings Hyperglycemia has a number of effects on the native immune system that may explain its role in increasing the risk of infection. Insulin may exert its beneficial effects by altering lipid metabolism as well as by modulating endothelial function through several mechanisms. Hyperglycemia during cardiac surgery is associated with increased risk of postoperative complications, including death. Several interventional studies have concluded that intensive glycemic management is beneficial, but there are limited data available from general surgical populations. Summary Hyperglycemia is associated with adverse outcomes in acutely ill adult patients and its treatment has been shown to improve mortality and morbidity in a variety of different settings. Additional studies are needed in heterogeneous populations of critically ill patients as well as in other populations of acutely ill patients, especially general surgical patients, to confirm the early studies and define the correct glycemic target.
Plutonium-244 fission tracks: evidence in a lunar rock 3.95 billion years old.

Tracks attributed to the spontaneous fission of plutonium-244 and of uranium-238 were detected in a large whitlockite crystal in the lunar breccia 14321 from the Fra Mauro formation. For a track-retention age of 3.95 b.y., the number of plutonium tracks relative to the number of uranium tracks is 0.51 plus or minus 0.15, provided that the rock was not heavily neutron-irradiated 3.95 b.y. ago.
Antimalarial Activities of Various 4-Quinolinemethanols with Special Attention to WR-142,490 (Mefloquine)

Pilot appraisals of the activities of a selected group of 4-quinolinemethanols against acute Plasmodium falciparum infections in owl monkeys indicated that compounds of this class are equally active against infections with chloroquine-resistant and chloroquine-susceptible strains and that this efficacy is not compromised by concomitant resistance to pyrimethamine, and in addition, identified three derivatives with outstanding activity (WR-226,253; WR-142,490; and WR-184,806). WR-142,490, the second 4-quinolinemethanol evaluated in the above model, was five times as active as chloroquine against infections with the chloroquine-susceptible, pyrimethamine-resistant strain and had a much larger therapeutic index. Expanded evaluations designed to support projected studies in human volunteers provided full confirmation of the pilot appraisals and in addition showed: (i) that the activity of WR-142,490 was a function of the total dose delivered, single doses being as effective as three or seven fractional doses administered over as many days; (ii) that intravenous administration of this agent was feasible and effective; and (iii) that the compound was at least as active against infections with P. vivax as against infections with P. falciparum. Companion studies in rhesus monkeys infected with P. cynomolgi showed that WR-142,490 lacked prophylactic or radical curative activity, but that it was as effective as chloroquine as a companion to primaquine in a combination curative drug regimen. The results of human volunteer and field trials agree well with comparable segments of these experimental evaluations.
Arm Movements and Slip Severity

Slip-initiated falls often cause occupational injuries and deaths, especially in older workers. Previous slips and falls research has to a large extent focused on lower extremity reactions, yet arm responses are often part of postural reactions to such perturbations. It is unclear if arm responses play a role in balance recovery, are modulated by the severity of the postural perturbation and/or are a reflex-type response, e.g. reaching for external body support. In this study, the relationship between slip severity and shoulder biomechanics was examined. Subjects (17 younger and 12 older adults) were exposed to two conditions: (1) baseline dry (subjects knew the floor was dry), and (2) unexpected slip (a diluted glycerol solution was spread on the floor to slip the leading/left foot). Bilateral sagittal plane kinematics and kinetics were derived. Slip severity was quantified using a measure of slip hazardousness based on the peak slip velocity (PSV) measured at the heel of the slipping foot. Specifically,...
Microstructure Characteristics of High Lift Factor MOCVD REBCO Coated Conductors With High Zr Content

We report the microstructural characteristics of high levels of Zr-added REBa 2 Cu 3 O 7-x (RE = Gd, Y rare earth) coated conductors fabricated by Metal Organic Chemical Vapor Deposition (MOCVD). The enhancements of the lift factor defined as a ratio of the in-field (3 T, B ∥ c-axis) critical current density (J c ) at 30 K and self-field J c at 77 K have been achieved for Zr addition levels of 20 and 25 mol% via optimization of deposition parameters. The presence of strong flux pinning is attributed to the aligned nanocolumns of BaZrO 3 and nanoprecipitates embedded in REBa 2 Cu 3 O 7-x matrix with good crystal quality. A high density of BZO nanorods with a typical size 6-8 nm and spacing of 20 nm has been observed. Moreover, the high Zr content was found to induce a high density of intrinsic defects, including stacking faults and dislocations. The correlation between in-field performance along the c-axis and microstructure of (Gd,Y)BCO film with a high level of Zr addition is discussed.
Quantum Chemical and RRKM Investigation of the Elementary Channels of the Reaction C6H6 + O (3P)

We performed a computational study of an important reaction in the combustion of hydrocarbons, C6H6, + O (3P), using ab initio and RRKM methods. Density functional theory (B3LYP) was used to optimize geometries and obtain molecular vibrational frequencies, and complete basis set extrapolation (CBS-QB3) was used to obtain the energies for the reactants several transition states and products. The initial formation of a stabilized adduct is characterized by a barrier of 4.9 kcal mol-1, in good agreement with the measured activation energy for this reaction. All product channels originate from rearrangement or decomposition of this adduct, which our calculations suggest is a triplet ground state. All of our ab initio calculations are thus conducted on the triplet surface. There are several products that are energetically accessible at combustion temperatures, but the formation of phenoxy radical, C6H5O, and H atom dominate the product slate at low temperatures. Rearrangement to form formylcyclopentadiene, C5H...
Strong Stellar Winds

The hottest and most luminous stars lose a substantial fraction of their mass in strong stellar winds. These winds not only affect the evolution of the star, they also carve huge expanding cavities in the surrounding interstellar medium, possibly affecting star formation. The winds are probably driven by radiation pressure, but uncertainties persist in their theoretical description. Strong x-ray sources associated with a few of these hot stars may be used to probe the stellar winds. The nature of the weak x-ray sources recently observed to be associated with many of these stars is uncertain. It is suggested that roughly 10 percent of the luminous hot stars may have as companions neutron stars or black holes orbiting within the stellar winds.
Silicon Detectors Highly Compensated by Neutron Induced Deep Levels for Low Energy X-Ray Detection*

Fast neutron radiation damage in silicon results in defect levels which are predominantly acceptor-like at low fluences and may be used to compensate high resistivity n-type material to create very high effective resisitivity material. Compensated material to the order of Neff below 1011/cm3 enables depletion of diode thicknesses ≥ 1mm at reasonable biases (< 100V), yielding diodes of reasonable area and capacitance < 1 pF which are suitable for low noise applications such as X-ray spectrometry. Although exposure to fluences of this order will greatly increase the generation current and require cooling, most high resolution X-ray spectrometry systems are routinely operated at reduced temperature to achieve low noise operation of the front end electronics. Silicon p+ /n− /n+ implanted devices (area ≤0.25 cm2) made on high resistivity FZ silicon have been irradiated by 1 MeV neutrons to fluences of a few times 1012 n/cm2. Thick n− substrates (d=630 µm and 1000 µm) were used to achieve detector capacitances eeo/d in the range of 1 pF. After a neutron fluence of ϕn = 2.9×l012 n/cm2, the total depletion of a p+ /n− /n+ detector, 1040 µm thick and an area of 0.1 cm2, is reached at about V=50 Volts, with a Cd of 1 pF and a neutron induced leakage current of about 300 nA at room temperature. A total depletion of an 680 µm thick detector was reached after the fiuence of 2–5×1012 n/cm2 at a voltage of 20 volts, and the capacitance of a 0.25 cm2 diode is 4.5 pF The resistivities of the compensated detector substrates are in the range of 100 K Ω-cm, and are not inverted to “p” type. The trapping of collected charge by neutron induced deep levels is modeled and simulated, and is found to be less than a few percent; with no obvious effect on peak shape. Using a resistive feedback preamplifier of modest noise contribution (225 eV), resolution of the Mn Kα X-ray was 255 eV (FWHM) with 3 µsec shaping time constants. Other effects of uncollected charge will be discussed and comparisons between this type of detectors and Li-drift silicon detectors will be made.
Neuropsychological Characteristics of Learning Disabled/Gifted Children

The neuropsychological characteristics of 68 learning-disabled/gifted children (LD/Gifted) were studied using the Halstead-Reitan Neuropsychological Test Battery for Children (HRNB-C). The proportion of LD/Gifted children identified as impaired was low compared to previous research that has examined the proportion of school-identified learning-disabled students who scored within the impaired range on the HRNB-C. Consistent with previous research, the results of this study indicated that LD/Gifted children were also more likely to demonstrate impairment on the Tactual Performance Test-Memory, Tactual Performance Test-Localization, and Trails B-Errors components of the HRNB-C.
Corrigendum to “Infectious genomic RNA of Rhopalosiphum padi virus transcribed in vitro from a full-length cDNA clone” Virology 375(2) (2008) 410–411

This article has been corrected at the request of the Authors. Reason: The acquisition of a full length infectious clone of Rhopalosiphum padi virus (RhPV; Dicistroviridae) was reported. It was determined that the sequence reported in Table 1 is incorrect. In particular, a mutation in the clone at 2185 nt (deletion of a cytosine) results in a frame shift and an early stop codon in ORF1. The helicase, protease, and RNA-dependent RNA polymerase (RdRP), which is required for virus replication, are not expected to be produced. Therefore, the clone RhPV6-1 is highly unlikely to be infectious. However, the results presented in the manuscript can be explained on the basis of the following: The GWSS-Z10 line used in this study was lost. Virus-like particles observed by TEM in the GWSS-Z15 cell line suggest that covert viruses are present. The same may have been true for the GWSS-Z10 line. In addition, sequences similar to Aphid lethal paralysis virus (Dicistroviridae) and Big Sioux river virus (of which the reported partial structural polyprotein is 70% identical to RhPV at the amino acid level) were detected in the aphid host (R. padi).
Systematic performance analysis of continuous processes subject to multiple input cycling

Potential improvement in performance of continuous processes via weak periodic perturbations in one or more process inputs is systematically analyzed using the generalized π-criterion. At very low forcing frequencies, the performance of a periodically forced continuous process is tied to the second total differentials of the objective function at steady state. Periodic forcing of multiple inputs and the role of binary interactions between multiple inputs are analyzed in detail. Where permissible, conditions for properness of periodic control are derived and expressions for optimum phase differences (between input pairs), optimum amplitude ratios, and the maximum performance improvement vis-a-vis steady state operation are obtained. The powerful analytical results are applicable for any continuous process. Two illustrations, one dealing with antibiotic selection in recombinant cell cultures and the other dealing with series-parallel reactions, are considered for numerical study. Portions of the operating parameter space (base values of input variables and forcing frequency) where periodic operations involving weak variations in one or more inputs are superior to optimal steady state operation are identified for each illustration. An increase in the number of inputs perturbed is demonstrated to lead to broadening of the regions in the operating parameter space where forced periodic operations are superior to steady state operation and also to improved process performance. Both analytical and numerical results reveal the significant benefits of binary input interactions.
Effect of increasing patient age on the rate of complications after repair of intact abdominal aortic aneurysms

Introduction: Advanced age is a risk factor for adverse surgical outcomes, but little information exists to define the magnitude of this association in vascular surgery patients. The objective of this study was to determine the relation of patient age to complications following abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) repair. Methods: 6,397 patients with a primary ICD-9-CM diagnosis code for intact AAA and a procedure code for repair of abdominal aortic aneurysm from the Nationwide Inpatient Sample (NIS) in 2000 were studied. The NIS represents a 20% stratified random sample representative of all United States hospitals. Primary outcome variables were those major post-operative complications determined from secondary codes. Adjustment for confounding variables was performed using multiple logistic regression. Results: At least one complication affected 29% of the study patients. Increasing age was associated with a higher risk of at least one complication (51–60 years, 18.8%; 61–70 years, 27.3%; 71–80 years, 31.2%; > 80 years, 34.3%) (P 80 years, OR, 2.3 (95% CI, 1.8–3.1), P < .001. Conclusion: Older patient age is independently associated with an increased risk of major postoperative complications after AAA repair. The increasing age of the United States population will compound this health care problem and quality improvement efforts must focus on minimizing their complication rates to both lessen the economic burden to society and to improve the care of elderly patients.
High-temperature polymer electrolytes for PEM fuel cells: study of the oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) at a Pt–polymer electrolyte interface

Abstract A novel micro-band electrode (MBE) cell was designed to study the oxygen reduction at the platinum/polymer electrolyte interface at normal to elevated temperatures and under various relative humidities. A mathematic model is used for the design validation and geometric parameters selection. This technique has been applied to the investigation of the O 2 reduction in the Pt/polybenzimidazole (PBI)–phosphoric acid system at elevated temperature and low humidity. A Tafel plot with expanded current density range is obtained, together with the oxygen diffusion coefficient and solubility in phosphoric acid-doped PBI. Both the kinetic parameters and the oxygen transport parameters are comparable to those from the Pt/phosphoric acid system under similar conditions.
A Suggested Modification of “Proton” to “Prouton” as a Memorial to William Prout

THE amazing advances in our knowledge of the composition and structure of matter achieved during the past few decades constitute an important, if not quite final, step toward the establishment of the essential unity of the physical universe.
Methods and moral inquiry

Despite a consistent and pervasive concern with analytic method, geography and the social sciences in general lack an adequately developed method of moral inquiry. When researchers working across a variety of political and ideological perspectives, for example, equally embraced the analytical turn in mid-twentieth century geography, the considerable disagreements among them rested not on methodological but on political and moral grounds. But while all the protagonists in this debate presented themselves as moral actors, their moral judgments were exogenous to their analytical methods, and none of those methods provide a usable way to evaluate their respective moral claims. The legacy of positivism and its debates is to make us believe that the challenge we face is to become better methodologists, leaving unresolved the problem of how to become better moral agents, a question raised by John Dewey nearly a century ago. Rephrasing the question in this way encourages us to stop thinking of the moral question ...
1312 PHYSICAL AND SOCIAL ECOLOGY OF THE NICU

Management of prematures in the NICU has reduced neonatal mortality and morbidity; however, deficits in cognitive and sensory functioning persist. The environment of the NICU may be responsible for newly recognized iatrogenic problems and may not be conductive for optimal development. We studied the quantity, quality, organization, and diurnal rhythmicity of physical and social stimulation in the NICU. Observations were conducted every half hour over 3 days. Physical recordings included light and sound levels, sound spectra, and occurrence of nonspeech, speech, and radio sounds. This information was collected both in the units and in incubators. Social data included the frequency of nursing care, feeding, social touching, rocking, and talking when in contact with an infant. There were 405 recordings for each physical variable and 1551 infant observations. The same illumination was always present. Infants were exposed incessantly to nonspeech sounds. Sound levels at times were excessively high. Incubators did not shield infants from stimulation. 19% of the observations included social contact of which 17% involved handling. Infants in the NICU suffered not from a lack of visual auditory, and tactile stimulation, but from a low frequency of sensory coordinated experiences. There was no diurnal rhythmicity in the physical or social stimulation across days. The nature of environmental stimulation in NICU's may contribute to the deficits associated with prematurity.
Column wall modifications using polyethylene oxide for capillary electrophoresis of ribonucleotides

In this study, a variety of fused silica capillaries with different combinations and sequences of treatments with HMDS and polyethylene oxide were prepared in order to develop an optimized column modification method for analysis of ribonucleotides. The 12 most common ribonucleotides (UTP, CTP, ATP, GTP, UDP, CDP, ADP, GDP, UMP, CMP, AMP, and GMP) in human cells were used as test solutes. Column performance measurements, including electroosmotic flow (EOF), solute migration speed and retention, column efficiency, peak shape, and resolution were investigated. By analyzing solute migration speed and retention of various hydrophilic/hydrophobic solutes, the column wall effects (EOF and adsorption) can be distinguished. This analysis method can give guidance in optimizing polymer coating properties (hydrophilicity/hydrophobicity) for CE columns. By studying the performance of these columns after various surface treatments, we were able to improve the separation of ribonucleotides from real samples to within 16 minutes with high efficiency and stability (over 300 analyses) using columns first deactivated with hexamethyldisilazane, and then coated with polyethylene oxide.
Transport properties of high albite crystals, near-endmember feldspar and pyroxene glasses, and their melts to high temperature

Thermal diffusivity (D) was measured using laser-flash analysis (LFA) from oriented single-crystal albite and glasses near LiAlSi3O8, NaAlSi3O8, CaAl2Si2O8, LiAlSi2O6 and CaMgSi2O6 compositions. Viscosity measurements of the supercooled liquids, over 2.6 × 108 to 8.9 × 1012 Pa s, confirm strongly non-Arrhenian behavior for CaAl2Si2O8, and CaMgSi2O6, and near-Arrhenian behavior for the others. As T increases, D glass decreases, approaching a constant near 1,000 K. Upon crossing the glass transition, D decreases rapidly. For feldspars, D for the melt is ~15% below D of the bulk crystal, whereas for pyroxenes, this difference is ~40%. Thermal conductivity (k lat = ρC P D) of crystals decreases with increasing T, but k lat of glasses increases with T because heat capacity (C P ) increases with T more strongly than density (ρ) and D decrease. For feldspars, k lat for the melt is ~10% below that of the bulk crystal or glass, whereas this decrease for pyroxene is ~50%. Therefore, melting substantially impedes heat transport, providing positive thermal feedback that could promote further melting.
The Impact of India’s Regional Parties on Voter Turnout and Human Development:

While some analysts fear that regional parties in federal democracies are narrow in orientation, Indian experience has shown that regional parties can sometimes improve both voter turnout and human development (HD) in their region. Based on the experience of the South Indian states of Kerala and Tamilnadu, this article develops a theory of how regional parties in developing countries may occasionally succeed at these goals while identifying five obstacles that may prevent HD improvement even if voter turnout expands. Testing this theory across Indian states over the period from 1970 to 2000, I discover that regional parties significantly increased voter turnout. Utilising pooled regression analysis of the human development index (HDI), I find that HD performance was largely determined by initial conditions, social spending, agricultural yield and gender equality, but the evidence also suggests a small but positive relationship between regional party control of state governments and HDI improvement.
Creation Myths: The Beginnings of Robotics Research

Some readers will wonder why I date the origin of robotics research to the 1940s and 1950s when there are so many important precursors. By most accounts, robotics history starts with ancient machines followed by centuries of progress in machine design, philosophy, and literature. But I am focusing more narrowly on robotics research: the substantial sustained communal scientific enterprise that has now been in progress for approximately 50 years (Figure 1).
Production and Impact Effects of Fast Charged Particles

Masses ranging from 1.67 x 10-24 gm (a single proton) to about 10-10 gm can be charged and electrostatically accelerated to high velocities. Beams of projectiles in the low-mass end of this range with unprecedented intensities are being produced or planned for fusion research. Light-ion (H+) beam currents approaching 106 A have been generated in modified electron-beam devices. Heavy-ion (U+) currents exceeding 103 A are anticipated from accelerators now being designed. Charged solid projectiles with relatively large masses (10-15-10-10 gm) have been accelerated to velocities as high as 106 cm/sec. Impact of both intense ion beams and hypervelocity microparticles on solid targets produces hydrodynamic flow and crater formation. Target plasmas with temperatures in the 104-106 K range are also produced by fast charged particles.
Entrepreneurship in mobile application development

The growth of mobile commerce will require development of both demand and supply sides of the market. On the supply side, the development of mobile applications (e.g. games, calendars, search engines) via cellular technologies will occur in a context partially defined by technical development dependencies that arise from the layered nature of mobile hardware and software technologies. This research finds that these technical application development dependencies shape both the strategies employed by entrepreneurs as well as the evolution of the mobile market. In particular, entrepreneurs are faced with technology choices and device uncertainties, while the market experiences fragmentation, intermediation and distribution integration. These results explain, in part, the slow development of mobile commerce in general, provide a basis for understanding future market developments, and are further evidence of the complex interdependency between technological and market evolution.
Hydrologic flowpaths in tropical rainforest soilscapes—a review

A conceptual framework of hillslope hydrological response patterns and their environmental controls is used to evaluate past and present research sites in tropical rainforests with regard to their predominant controls and hydrological functioning. This evaluation highlights the importance of near-surface flowpaths for runoff generation in Acrisol landscapes, and lack thereof in Ferralsol landscapes. Both soil types tentatively define the width of a spectrum of possible hillslope hydrologic flowpaths, from predominantly vertical to predominantly lateral flowpaths. This result allows the testing of hypotheses concerning the soil geographical occurrence of particular processes of runoff generation even where soil hydraulic data are not available.
The Problem of King Louis IX of France: Biography, Sanctity, and Kingship

Medieval historians composing biographies of kings often have no recourse but to rely on hagiography when other sources about their subjects are lacking. Given this constraint, the most successful medieval biographies tend to concentrate on matters of rulership rather than personality. Yet, two recent books—Gaposchkin's The Making of Saint Louis and Le Goff's Saint Louis—reverse this trend, illuminating Louis IX of France as man and saint but not fully as king. A careful look at the scholarship, as well as the available primary sources, about Louis underscores the need for more study of his kingship and provides a test case for the benefits and limits of medieval biography.
Subsurface Image Reconstruction by Near-Infrared Reflectance Analysis

A method is described for reconstructing decorative images concealed by layers of overcoatings. The method employs a nonparametric multivariate algorithm and a cellular-automaton construct to convert the near-infrared spectrum of a surface into digital images of the surface layers. The technique is potentially applicable to the restoration of historic buildings where aging, previous restoration attempts, and even political considerations have resulted in the alteration of the original historic surfaces.
Time-sharing visual and auditory tracking tasks

An experiment is described which examined the benefits of distributing the input demands of two tracking tasks as a function of task integrality. Visual and auditory compensatory tracking tasks were utilized. Results indicate that presenting the two tracking signals in two input modalities did not improve time-sharing efficiency. This was attributed to the difficulty insensitivity phenomenon.
What Happens When Discovery Laboratories Are Integrated into the Curriculum at a Large Research University

Traditional laboratories are often based on the hidden assumptions that students can, and indeed should, work alone, and that they can leave the laboratory when they have finished collecting the data or observations. Discovery laboratories provide an alternative to traditional laboratories in which one or more routes are taken by groups of students working toward the discovery of a specific scientific relationship or concept. The discovery laboratories used in this study were developed by colleagues from institutions where faculty teach the laboratory component of the course. The goal of this study was to see what happens when discovery laboratories are integrated into the general chemistry curriculum at a large research university where teaching assistants are in charge of the laboratory sections. For the purpose of this study, we differentiated between a minimal level of success, in which discovery laboratories become an alternative approach to traditional experiments, and a significant level of success, in which they become a preferred approach. Evidence is presented to support the notion that discovery laboratories can be successfully integrated into the curriculum at a large research university, that students in the discovery laboratories believe they had to take responsibility for what happened in the laboratory, that both teaching assistants and the students reacted positively to the discovery laboratories, and that we achieved at least our definition of the minimal level of success.
A coopetition perspective of MNC–host government relations

Abstract Building on convergent insights of resource dependence and business political behavior, this article attempts to develop a conceptual and typological framework of coopetition in which cooperation and competition simultaneously coexist in the relationship between multinational corporations (MNCs) and host governments. The coopetition view does not see the MNC–government relationship (MGR) as dichotomous or as a continuum between cooperation and competition but as a simultaneous, inclusive partnership containing cooperation and competition as two separate yet interrelated continua. This article addresses why coopetition arises, what coopetition constitutes, and how coopetition configures with environmental and organizational dynamics. It offers a typology of coopetition that identifies MNCs involving varying cooperation and competition (estranger, contender, partner, and integrator) and elucidates each identity's political responses.