cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
The summation of rational functions by an extended Gosper algorithm

Abstract The rational functions form the most elementary class of functions for which the problem of summation or antidifferencing is not straightforward. Gosper's algorithm finds the antidifference of a rational function only if that antidifference is itself a rational function. We present an algorithm based upon Gosper's method which finds the rational part of the antidifference and the purely transcendental summand, i.e., a summand whose antidifference can be expressed entirely as a sum of digamma functions and derivatives of digamma functions. This algorithm is analogous to Horowitz's improvement of the Hermite-Ostrogradski method for finding the antiderivative of a rational function. An earlier algorithm of Moenck is the analogue of the Hermite-Ostrogradski method itself. Our algorithm requires less work than Moenck's.
Pressure-dependent electronic structure and doping in HgBa2Ca2Cu3O8+δ

Abstract Local-density approximation electronic structure calculations are reported for HgBa 2 Ca 2 Cu 3 O 8+δ both at ambient pressure and at 9.2 GPa. The apical O height was relaxed using total energy minimization. These calculations, which were performed for δ = 0.5 within a supercell geometry, show that the doping level of the CuO 2 planes does increase under pressure. However, the increase is found to be quite modest amounting to less than 0.02 additional holes per Cu atom at 9.2 GPa. We suggest that variations in the doping level under pressure may not be solely responsible for the large increases observed in the superconducting critical temperature of this material.
Quantum-chromodynamic radiation and mean scaling for hadronic and current processes

A recently proposed model for the longitudinal- and transverse-momentum distribution of quantum-chromodynamics (QCD) radiation is shown to lead naturally to mean scaling. Excellent agreement is found for the normalized momentum distribution in $\mathrm{pp}\ensuremath{\rightarrow}n\ensuremath{\pi}+X$ between our predictions and the data from 13 to 1500 GeV/c with $n$, the number of pions, varying from 4 to 26. We also show that $\ensuremath{\mu}$-pair production by hadrons exhibits the same transverse-momentum spectrum as do the hadrons produced in ${e}^{+}{e}^{\ensuremath{-}}$ annihilation. This transverse scaling in the mean in terms of the dimensionless variable ${z}_{\ensuremath{\perp}}=\frac{{k}_{\ensuremath{\perp}}}{〈{k}_{\ensuremath{\perp}}〉}$ is interpreted as reflecting the primary (soft-gluon) QCD radiation distribution. Again, very good agreement is found for these normalized distributions and our theoretical scaling curves.
Anxiety in College Students With ADHD: Relationship to Cognitive Functioning

Objective: This study sought to explore how anxiety impacts college students with ADHD, especially with regard to cognitive functioning. Method: 473 college students with ADHD and a control group o...
Quantitative evaluation of vessel tracking techniques on coronary angiograms.

Accurate, automated determination of vessel center lines is essential for two- and three-dimensional analysis of the coronary vascular tree. Therefore, we have been developing techniques for vessel tracking and for evaluating their accuracy and precision in clinical images. After points in vessels are manually indicated, the vessels are tracked automatically by means of a modified sector-search approach. The perimeters of sectors centered on previous tracking points are searched for the pixels with the maximum contrast. The sector size and radius are automatically adjusted based on local vessel tortuosity. The performance of the tracking technique in regions of high-intensity background is improved by application of a nonlinear adaptive filtering technique in which the vessel signal is effectively removed prior to background estimation. The tracking results were evaluated visually and by calculation of distances between the tracked and user-indicated centerlines, which were used as the “truth.” Two hundred and fifty-six coronary vessels were tracked in 32 angiograms. Vessels as small as 0.6 mm in diameter were tracked accurately. This technique correctly tracked 255/256 (>99%) vessels based on an average of 2–3 indicated points per vessel. The one incorrect tracking result was due to a low signal-to-noise ratio ( SNR The distance between the tracked and the “true” centerlines ranged from 0.4 to 1.8 pixels, with an average of 0.8 pixels. These results indicate that this technique can provide a reliable basis for 2D and 3D vascular analysis.
Design of Two RadWorks Storm Shelters for Solar Particle Event Shielding

In order to enable long-duration human exploration beyond low-Earth orbit, the risks associated with exposure of astronaut crews to space radiation must be mitigated with practical and affordable solutions. The space radiation environment beyond the magnetosphere is primarily a combination of two types of radiation: galactic cosmic rays (GCR) and solar particle events (SPE). While mitigating GCR exposure remains an open issue, reducing astronaut exposure to SPEs is achievable through material shielding because they are made up primarily of medium-energy protons. In order to ensure astronaut safety for long durations beyond low-Earth orbit, SPE radiation exposure must be mitigated. However, the increasingly demanding spacecraft propulsive performance for these ambitious missions requires minimal mass and volume radiation shielding solutions which leverage available multi-functional habitat structures and logistics as much as possible. This paper describes the efforts of NASA's RadWorks Advanced Exploration Systems (AES) Project to design two minimal mass SPE radiation shelter concepts leveraging available resources: one based upon reconfiguring habitat interiors to create a centralized protection area and one based upon augmenting individual crew quarters with waterwalls and logistics. Discussion items include the design features of the concepts, a radiation analysis of their implementations, an assessment of the parasitic mass of each concept, and the result of a human in the loop evaluation performed to drive out design and operational issues.
The automation of transversality conditions

This paper presents a flexible, user-oriented algorithm for the numerical implementation of the terminal point transversality conditions associated with optimal control problems. The method differs from the usual numerical implementation in that the constant Lagrange multipliers associated with terminal constraints are eliminated numerically during program execution rather than being eliminated analytically prior to program coding. This conceptual innovation gives the user considerable flexibility in specifying new sets of terminal boundary conditions without reprogramming.
Transformations of matrices into banded form

Abstract A class of full or triangular matrices R is described for which there exist banded matrices B such that the product BR is also banded. The banded matrices yield recursion relations for solving systems of linear equations. Examples of such matrices (arising from second derivative operators acting on orthogonal function expansions) are used to illustrate the main theorem and its application. Practical considerations in efficient implementation are discussed.
SACRAMENTAL SUFFERING: THE FRIENDSHIP OF FLANNERY O’CONNOR AND ELIZABETH HESTER†

As the only orthodox Christian writer the American nation has yet produced, Flannery O’Connor created a remarkable body of fiction rooted in a profoundly sacramental theology. The depth of O’Connor's sacramentalism has recently been revealed with the opening of her remarkable letters to Elizabeth Hester, her most important epistolary friend. Their eleven-year correspondence centers upon two inseparable matters: conversion and suffering. The aim of this essay is to explore how the gift (or refusal) of faith comes through the embrace (or rejection) of a participation in God's own life through a life of sacramental suffering.
Further evidence of the determinants of industrial research and development using single and simultaneous equation models

This paper provides empirical evidence in favor of the Schumpeterian hypothesis using single equation models. A simultaneous equation model is then developed which examines the interaction of R & D, growth and profitability.
Configuring Romanticism and Print History: A Retrospect

This essay returns to a moment of convergence in Romantic studies, before the rise of “history of the book” or reading history, when provocative theoretical, historical, and literary debates in this field posed new questions about writers, publics, and print media. I go back briefly to the genesis of my own project on the formation of reading publics at the turn of the nineteenth century and some of the institutional contexts that shaped The Making of English Reading Audiences, 1790–1832. Following a few second thoughts on the project, I then turn to more recent questions facing scholars working on the historicity of reading and print culture. What is entailed by a “history of reading”? Where do historians and literary/cultural critics, for all they may share in this enterprise, part company on some important matters in reading and book history? And where does the case-study or microcosmic approach to these questions need to join with a more generous and complex systematic approach to reading and print me...
Choice of fixative is crucial to successful immunohistochemical detection of phosphoproteins in paraffin-embedded tumor tissues.

Protein phosphorylation is frequently used as an indicator of cellular signaling activity. Elevated phosphorylation of tyrosine kinase receptors plays an important role in cancer pathogenesis. However, phosphoproteins are usually poorly preserved in clinical tissue samples that are routinely fixed in 10% formalin. Nonetheless, in oncology clinical trials, use of phosphoproteins as biomarkers has been considered to be of great value in evaluating the effectiveness of a given drug candidate. Therefore, it is worthy of investigating whether alternative fixatives would improve the preservation of phosphoproteins in tissue. We compared the IHC staining of a number of phosphoproteins in xenograft and human surgical tumor tissues fixed in three different fixatives: 10% formalin, 4% paraformaldehyde (PFA), and Streck’s tissue fixative (STF). We found that STF significantly enhanced the staining intensity of phosphoproteins compared with 10% formalin or 4% PFA. STF fixative also showed superiority of preservation of phosphoproteins in human surgical samples. Our results indicate that the choice of fixative could significantly affect the usability of clinical tissue samples for evaluating phosphoprotein by IHC. (J Histochem Cytochem 57:257–264, 2009)
Local sequence patterns of hydrophobicity and solvent accessibility in soluble globular proteins.

We examined the variation in the solvent accessibility and hydrophobicity of the amino acids along the sequences of 58 soluble globular proteins with known tertiary structure. We found that there is a significant tendency for the accessibilities to run in clusters along the sequence but that the hydrophobicities are distributed without such nonrandom clusters. Theseresults suggest severe limitations on the power of sequence analysis tools that use average hydrophobicity scores of overlapping subsequences to predict accessibility.
Structural and social psychological determinants of prisonization

This research examined the structural and social psychological determinants of prisonization among a sample of 239 male inmates in a maximum security prison. The study examined the process of prisonization more fully than has been done in the past by developing a theoretical model that integrates measures of importation, deprivation, and inmate self-conceptions. To date, the self-concepts inmates bring with them and sustain in prison have been a neglected aspect in the study of prisonization. The results of this study demonstrated that while deprivation model variables were shown to be the better predictors of prisonization, certain importation model variables were not without significant impact and the two models do explain more variance together than either one separately. Measures of self-conception were of limited value in predicting prisonization.
Search for γ rays above 10 14 eV from Cygnus X-3 during the June and July 1989 radio outbursts

We have looked for \ensuremath{\gamma}-ray emission above 100 TeV from the binary x-ray source Cygnus X-3 during a period of intense radio emission in the summer of 1989. We find no evidence for excess air showers from the direction of the source and the muon content of air showers from this direction is the same as that of ordinary cosmic rays. The flux of \ensuremath{\gamma} rays from Cygnus X-3 with energies exceeding 2.1\ifmmode\times\else\texttimes\fi{}${10}^{14}$ eV is 5.5\ifmmode\times\else\texttimes\fi{}${10}^{\mathrm{\ensuremath{-}}13}$ ${\mathrm{cm}}^{\mathrm{\ensuremath{-}}1}$ ${\mathrm{sec}}^{\mathrm{\ensuremath{-}}1}$ (90% C.L.).
Biosynthesis of triglycerides from triose phosphates by microsomes of intestinal mucosa

Microsomes of hamster intestinal mucosa synthesize triglycerides from dihydroxyacetone phosphate or DL-glyceraldehyde 3-phosphate in the presence of palmitate, ATP, CoASH and NADPH or NADH but in the absence of soluble enzymes. An inhibitor of triose phosphate isomerase, 1-hydroxy-3-chloro-2-propanone phosphate, completely inhibits glyceride synthesis from glyceraldehyde 3-phosphate. This compound does not inhibit glyceride synthesis from dihydroxyacetone phosphate. These reactions confirm the conversion of glyceraldehyde 3-phosphate to dihydroxyacetone phosphate prior to glyceride synthesis.
The bcl-2 Gene, Follicular Lymphoma, and Hodgkin's Disease

In this issue of the Journal, Stetler-Stevenson et al. (7) describe studies that have potentially profound implications for our understanding of the biology of Hodgkin's disease, an entity with long-time enigmatic pathogenesis and cellular origin. StetlerStevenson and her colleagues show that within the tissues of at least one third of unselected Hodgkin's disease patients are cells carrying a specific DNA abnormality that is the molecular hallmark of the 14;18 chromosomal translocation. This translocation, which results in deregulation of the so-called bcl-2 gene on chromosome 18, had previously been restricted to bona fide B-lineage neoplasms, particularly non-Hodgkin's follicular lymphomas. The authors (7) deduce that their results imply a potential B-cell origin for the characteristic Reed-Sternberg cell and implicate the bcl-2 gene product in the pathogenesis of a clinicopathologic entity distinct from low-grade non-Hodgkin's lymphomas. These results, to say the least, are certainly unexpected and most provocative. The technique used by Stetler-Steve nson and associates was the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) that recently has seen an explosive increase in its application to a wide variety of investigative problems in molecular biology and medicine. In this technique, repetitive cycles of specifically primed DNA synthesis are used to amplify a target sequence up to one billion-fold. However, the inherent power of the technique to detect minute amounts of the target DNA molecule is offset by the specter of false-positive signals resulting from subpicogram amounts of contaminating DNA. These minute amounts of contaminating DNA are widespread and present serious problems to laboratory researchers using the PCR technique to examine materials that may have low levels of the target sequence; they must take special precautions and perform the technique meticulously to minimize possible cross-contamination of test samples. Contamination does not appear to account for the findings of Stetler-Steve nson et al., because they were able to repeat their results with freshly extracted tissues in an independent laboratory. In addition, they performed several control measures to rule out possible contamination of reagents. Therefore, the experimental methods used appear sound, and the presence of cells carrying the 14;18 chromosomal translocation in tissues of patients with Hodgkin's disease must be addressed. A potential explanation for the current observations is that the examined tissues contained both Hodgkin's disease and follicular lymphoma. Indeed, the authors acknowledge that several of their "positive" tissues were found on review to contain composite lymphomas consisting of Hodgkin's disease and non-Hodgkin's
Two-phonon Raman spectra of LiH and LiD crystals

Abstract The experimental two-phonon Raman spectra of LiD and LiH are reported here. A deformation dipole model formulated elsewhere for LiD is used to compute the lattice dynamics of LiD and LiH required in the Raman intensity calculations. The use of the same model for LiH is justified by the good agreement between the peak positions of the temperature-weighted two-phonon density of states and the various experimental spectra. The Raman intensity calculations are carried out by treating the second-order expansion coefficients in the polarisability tensor as adjustable parameters. The need for the parameters associated with the next-nearest-neighbor ions is clearly demonstrated for all the spectra. A single set of six parameters for the T 2 8 spectra and thirteen parameters for the E 8 (or A 1 8 ) spectra is found to explain all the experimental spectra of LiD and LiH quite well. Since the polarisability of Li + is very small, the need for the second-neighbor positive-positive parameters reflects on the extended and highly polarisable nature of the H − or D − ion.
Maternal serum screening for fetal trisomy 18: a comparison of fixed cutoff and patient-specific risk protocols.

Abstract Objective: To compare the effectiveness of two widely used protocols for second-trimester screening for fetal trisomy 18. Methods: Second-trimester screening results for 41,565 women were reviewed to determine whether pregnancies could be considered to be at high risk for trisomy 18. The screening test was considered positive if either maternal serum concentrations of alpha-fetoprotein (MSAFP), hCG, and unconjugated estriol (E3) fell below defined levels, or the second-trimester patient-specific risk (based on maternal age and serum analytes) was greater than 1:100. Detection rates, false-positive rates, and pregnancy outcomes for the two protocols were compared. Results: The fixed-cutoff method showed a 23% detection rate and a 0.19% false-positive rate for trisomy 18. These low rates were in close agreement with a theoretical expectation for fixed-cutoff trisomy 18 screening. The risk-based approach resulted in a 69% detection rate and a 0.45% false-positive rate. Both methods identified pregnancies with other fetal anomalies. Conclusion: Overall, the risk-based method is more effective than the fixed-cutoff approach to trisomy 18 screening.
Telomeres, cancer, and immortality.

Numerous genetic accidents, including the activation of proto-oncogenes and the loss of tumor-suppressor genes, can result in the stimulation of cell division. However, mammalian cells have evolved...
The reaction of the duodenal content after exclusion of bile from the duodenum.

Observations were made on the changes in pH of the duodenal content of dogs following various diets before and after draining the bile to the outside of the body. The results indicate that the loss of bile did not significantly alter the pH of the duodenal content under the conditions of these experiments.
A simple index for the estimation of energy resolution in sodium iodide detectors

The energy resolution index of NaI detectors for use in medical gamma -cameras has been calculated for a range of peak energies and has been shown to be independent of energy. It is concluded that measurement of this index provides a simple accurate method to measure energy resolution which can easily be incorporated into a regular quality assurance program.
Remark on the renormalization group and total cross sections

Recently the renormalization-group method has been used to give the asymptotic behavior of the physical fixed-angle scattering amplitude in phi/sup 4/ field theory. This method does not directly apply to forward (or backward) scattering due to the inevitably singular nature of the zero-mass vertex functions at theta/sub c.//sub m./ = 0 or ..pi... The method used to get the above results is applied to integrals of the vertex functions over the angle variable. The resulting restriads us, withtion on these integrals leads, with the help of rigorously established inequalities due to Bessis and Singh, to a new strong upper bound on sigma/sub tot/(s) for the massive phi/sup 4/ case. The new input needed to get this result is, like many of the assumptions used in connection with the renormalization-group method, valid at least order by order in perturbation theory. (AIP)
Planar terahertz circuits using thin dielectric waveguides

In this paper, the use of polymer-ceramic nanocomposites in the fabrication of THz planar circuits at the wafer-level is introduced. Thin ribbon dielectric waveguides (50∼60μm) made from SU-8 — Barium Titanate (BaTiO 3 ) composites are used in the fabrication of THz ribbon waveguides and circuits. Details of material characteristics, fabrication process and an example power splitter circuit are presented.
Risk factors for bronchopleural fistula after right pneumonectomy: Does eliminating the stump diverticulum provide protection?

Purpose Bronchopleural fistula (BPF) remains an important source of morbidity and mortality after right pneumonectomy. We reviewed our 18-year institutional experience with right pneumonectomy to identify risks factors for BPF.
Cerebral metabolic suppression during hypothermic circulatory arrest in humans

Abstract Background . Hypothermic circulatory arrest (HCA) is used in surgery for aortic and congenital cardiac diseases. Although studies of the safety of HCA in animals have been carried out, the degree to which metabolism is suppressed in patients during hypothermia has been difficult to determine because of problems with serial measurements of cerebral blood flow in the clinical setting. Methods . To quantify the degree of metabolic suppression achieved by hypothermia, we studied 37 adults undergoing operations employing HCA. Cerebral blood flow was estimated using an ultrasonic flow probe on the left common carotid artery, and cerebral arteriovenous oxygen content differences were calculated from jugular venous bulb and arterial oxygen saturations. Cerebral metabolic rates while cooling were then ascertained. The temperature coefficient, Q 10 , which is the ratio of metabolic rates at temperatures 10°C apart, was determined. Results . The human cerebral Q 10 was found to be 2.3. The cerebral metabolic rate is still 17% of baseline at 15°C. If one assumes that cerebral blood flow can safely be interrupted for 5 min at 37°C, and that cerebral metabolic suppression accounts for the protective effects of hypothermia, the predicted safe duration of HCA at 15°C is only 29 min. Conclusions . The safe intervals calculated from measured cerebral oxygen consumption suggest that shorter intervals and lower temperatures than those currently used may be necessary to assure adequate cerebral protection during hypothermic circulatory arrest.
Abnormal neuronal networks and seizure susceptibility in mice overexpressing the APP intracellular domain

Alterations in the processing of the amyloid precursor protein (APP) lead to familial Alzheimer’s disease (AD). AD patients exhibit increased seizure susceptibility and alterations in their EEGs, which suggests that APP and its metabolites may modulate neuronal networks. Here we demonstrate that transgenic mice overexpressing APP intracellular domain (AICD) and its binding partner Fe65 exhibit abnormal spiking events and a susceptibility to induced seizures. These abnormalities are not observed in PDAPP(D664A) mice, which express high A levels but harbor a mutation in the APP intracellular domain. These data suggest that alterations in the levels of AICD contribute to network dysfunction in AD.
STAMPing out Inflammation

Mounting evidence suggests that inflammatory signaling pathways are central players in the pathogenesis of insulin resistance and type 2 diabetes. In this issue, Wellen et al. (2007) identify STAMP2 as a factor that integrates inflammatory and nutritional signals with metabolism.
Rates and Reasons: Disparities in Low Intentions to Use a State Smoking Cessation Quitline

Purpose. Little is known about population-level rates and reasons for low intentions to call the quitline, a widely available evidence-based smoking cessation treatment. Design. This study is a secondary analysis of the 2008 Colorado Adult Tobacco Attitudes and Behavior Survey. Setting. This is a population-based telephone survey of adults in Colorado. Subjects. Study respondents (N 5 1662) included current adult smokers who had heard of the Colorado QuitLine (QL) and did not report that they never intend to quit. Measures. Outcome measures included intent to call the QL, self-reported reasons for not intending to call the QL, and knowledge of QL services. Analysis. Descriptive and multivariate logistic regression analyses were used for each outcome variable. All analyses were weighted for complex survey design to represent the population of Colorado. Results. Overall 45.6% of smokers intend never to call the QL. In multivariate analysis, Latinos (odds ratio [OR] 5 2.5; 95% confidence intervals [CI], 1.4, 4.7), gay/lesbian/bisexuals (OR 5 5.2; 95% CI, 2.4, 11.4), and those with no insurance compared with Medicaid (OR 5 3.8; 95% CI, 1.1, 13.0) were most likely to intend never to call the QL. Perceiving no need for assistance (34.8%) was the most common reason for not calling. Conclusions. A majority of smokers have no or weak intentions of ever calling the QL, with variation by subgroup. Reasons for not intending to call can inform targeted media campaigns to increase QL reach. (Am J Health Promot 2011;25[5 Supplement]:S59–S65.)
Usefulness of salivary trans-3' Hydroxycotinine concentration and trans-3' Hydroxycotinine / cotinine ratio as biomarkers of cigarette smoke in pregnant women

Nicotine is rapidly and extensively metabolized in humans and negatively impacts the developing fetus. The concentrations of nicotine, cotinine, trans-3'-hydroxycotinine (hydroxycotinine), and norcotinine in pregnant smokers' oral fluid were evaluated to determine usefulness as biomarkers of cigarette smoking. Sixteen participants were divided into two groups: eight light smokers (LS) who smoked or =20 cigarettes/day. Oral fluid specimens (n=415) were collected throughout pregnancy and analyzed with solid-phase extraction followed by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry-electron impact selected ion monitoring. Median concentrations of nicotine, cotinine, and hydroxycotinine in oral fluid of LS ranged from 241.1 to 622.0, 80.6 to 387.5, and 14.4 to 117.7 ng/mL and for HS 146.5-1372.2, 66.0-245.8, and 38.3-184.4 ng/mL, respectively. Salivary cotinine and hydroxycotinine concentrations were significantly correlated in LS (r = 0.55, p < 0.01) and HS (r = 0.74, p < 0.01). Ratios of hydroxycotinine/cotinine in oral fluid from pregnant women averaged 0.30 +/- 0.18 (range, 0.07-1.05) for LS and 0.68 +/- 0.25 (range, 0.29-1.83) for HS. Based on these preliminary data, the best ratio to differentiate light from heavy pregnant smokers was 0.41. Salivary hydroxycotinine and cotinine concentrations are both good biomarkers of cigarette smoking. Determining the hydroxycotinine/cotinine ratio may differentiate light from heavy tobacco use and help predict increased fetal tobacco exposure.
QoS Guarantees and Service Differentiation for Dynamic Cloud Applications

Cloud elasticity allows dynamic resource provisioning in concert with actual application demands. Feedback control approaches have been applied with success to resource allocation in physical servers. However, cloud dynamics make the design of an accurate and stable resource controller challenging, especially when application-level performance is considered as the measured output. Application-level performance is highly dependent on the characteristics of workload and sensitive to cloud dynamics. To address these challenges, we extend a self-tuning fuzzy control (STFC) approach, originally developed for response time assurance in web servers to resource allocation in virtualized environments. We introduce mechanisms for adaptive output amplification and flexible rule selection in the STFC approach for better adaptability and stability. Based on the STFC, we further design a two-layer QoS provisioning framework, DynaQoS, that supports adaptive multi-objective resource allocation and service differentiation. We implement a prototype of DynaQoS on a Xen-based cloud testbed. Experimental results on representative server workloads show that STFC outperforms popular controllers such as Kalman filter, ARMA and, Adaptive PI in the control of CPU, memory, and disk bandwidth resources under both static and dynamic workloads. Further results with multiple control objectives and service classes demonstrate the effectiveness of DynaQoS in performance-power control and service differentiation.
Maximum likelihood image reconstruction from Fourier-offset data using the expectation-maximization algorithm

A maximum likelihood (ML) estimate of the magnitude of a complex-valued image from measurements of its Fourier transform in a limited region offset from the origin is derived under the assumption of independent, uniformly distributed image phase samples. The expectation-maximization (EM) algorithm is employed to solve the resulting nonlinear maximum likelihood equation, and it yields a computationally efficient iterative estimator. Reconstructions from this algorithm contain significantly more energy than conventional reconstructions, but with only slightly improved reconstruction quality. >
Graphene Electronics: Materials, Devices, and Circuits

Graphene is a 2-D atomic layer of carbon atoms with unique electronic transport properties such as a high Fermi velocity, an outstanding carrier mobility, and a high carrier saturation velocity, which make graphene an excellent candidate for advanced applications in future electronics. In particular, the potential of graphene in high-speed analog electronics is currently being extensively explored. In this paper, we discuss briefly the basic electronic structure and transport properties of graphene, its large scale synthesis, the role of metal-graphene contact, field-effect transistor (FET) device fabrication (including the issues of gate insulators), and then focus on the electrical characteristics and promise of high-frequency graphene transistors with record-high cutoff frequencies, maximum oscillation frequencies, and voltage gain. Finally, we briefly discuss the first graphene integrated circuits (ICs) in the form of mixers and voltage amplifiers.
Thin film rf magnetron sputtering of gadolinium-doped yttrium aluminum garnet ultraviolet emitting materials

Y3Al5O12:Gd thin films were co-deposited by using a multi-source radio frequency reactive magnetron sputtering process. A statistical design of experiment (DOE) was conducted to analyze the effects that the substrate bias, substrate temperature, and O2 flow rate have on the composition, structure, and cathodoluminescence properties of the Y3Al5O12:Gd thin films. The structure and composition of the films were characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and energy dispersive X-ray spectra (EDS). The crystallinity of the films has been investigated by X-ray diffraction (XRD). The effect that each parameter has on the cathodoluminescent (CL) properties and XRD integrated intensity of the films has been correlated to the chemical and microstructural properties of the films. The DOE results showed that low O2 flow rate, high substrate temperature, and bias sputtering are the conditions that lead to the highest CL efficiency of YAG:Gd thin films. As O2 flow rate increases, both CL efficiency and XRD intensity decrease due to the effect of O2 flow rate on film stoichiometry. Increasing substrate temperature enhances the CL intensity and has a negligible effect on the XRD intensity due to higher temperature annealing. Substrate bias slightly decreases the XRD intensity, but improves the CL efficiency due to higher light scattering improved by enhanced surface roughness. � 2005 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Thrombocytosis is associated with Mycobacterium tuberculosis infection and positive acid-fast stains in granulomas

Mycobacterium tuberculosis infection is associated with thrombocytosis. We sought to determine if this information might be valuable in evaluating granulomas using acid-fast stains (AFS). Fifty-eight patients with culture-confirmed M tuberculosis infection were compared with 75 patients with atypical mycobacterial infection and 48 patients negative for mycobacteria. Thrombocytosis (platelet count >360 × 10(3)/μL [360 × 10(9)/L]) was significantly more common in patients with M tuberculosis (50%) than those with either atypical mycobacterial infection (12%) or negative for mycobacteria (4%, P < .001 for each). In 67 patients, histologic evaluation of tissue samples showed granulomatous inflammation; 37 (55%) had positive AFS results. Of 19 patients with thrombocytosis, 16 (84%) had a positive AFS result compared with 21 (44%) of 48 without thrombocytosis (P = .003). Fifteen of 16 M tuberculosis cases with thrombocytosis had positive AFS findings on histologic evaluation; the single negative case had a platelet count of 362 × 10(3)/μL (362 × 10(9)/L). However, 3 of these cases of positive results on staining were initially diagnosed as negative and only recognized as positive on review. We conclude that patients whose specimens were sent for mycobacterial culture and thrombocytosis had an increased risk for M tuberculosis. Patients with granulomas and thrombocytosis are more likely to have a positive AFS result usually showing M tuberculosis. Finally, patients with initially negative AFS results and thrombocytosis deserve to have additional evaluation of the AFS specimens.
Efficiency comparison of graphical approaches for designing contaminant detection networks in groundwater

[1] Graphical approaches for locating monitoring wells near landfills in aquifers dominated by intergranular porosity were evaluated. Both perpendicular groundwater monitoring networks (wells constrained to a monitoring locus perpendicular to flow) and equidistant networks (wells located the same distance along flow paths) were considered, along with several setbacks between wells and a landfill and different flow fields. For an orthogonal landfill oblique to groundwater flow, equidistant networks generally outperformed their perpendicular counterparts. Equidistant monitoring networks with well locations compressed 10–20% closer to the downgradient corner of a landfill outperformed other networks over a wide range of setbacks. However, compression reduced the detection efficiency of an equidistant network at a field setting with divergent flow, a nonlinear buffer zone boundary, and discharge zones near the sides of a landfill. Graphical approaches described in this paper identify effective monitoring networks that can be refined to site-specific conditions.
International Institutions and Compliance with Agreements

The ultimate litmus test of compliance theories occurs in situations where states’ interests are directly opposed, such as competing interstate claims over territory, maritime areas, and cross-border rivers. This article considers the extent to which the involvement of international institutions in the settlement of contentious issues between states bolsters compliance with agreements that are struck. Institutions may influence the prospects for compliance actively and passively. Active institutional involvement in the conflict management process increases the chances for compliance with agreements, particularly for binding institutional activities, relative to the active involvement of noninstitutional third parties. More passively, joint membership in peace-promoting institutions enhances the likelihood that states will comply with peaceful agreements to resolve contentious issues. Empirical analyses demonstrate the relevance of international institutions for resolving contentious interstate issues both actively and passively, although the results suggest that institutions are more effective conflict managers when they choose binding settlement techniques. I nstitutions figure prominently in the theoretical landscape of political science, shaping political outcomes and influencing political behavior. Institutional analysts address a multitude of questions including how institutions form, how they define roles or establish norms, how institutions structure incentives, and why certain institutions succeed while others fail. The wide array of institutionalisms (e.g., historical, rational choice, new, sociological, and neoliberal) in the discipline attests to the important role institutions play in politics. Yet in the scholarly community of international relations, the influence of institutions (IOs) on interstate interactions is heavily debated. Three prominent views can be found in the academic literature, identifying a positive, negative ,o rnull relationship between international institutions and interstate cooperation. The positive view, put forward by institutionalists, emphasizes the importance of institutions (or regimes more broadly) in mitigating the effects of anarchy and enhancing the prospects for cooperation among states. Neoliberals argue that institutions facilitate cooperation by decreasing transaction costs, reducing uncertainty, and increasing the flow of
Arsenic concentration and speciation in infant formulas and first foods

Arsenic exposure to humans is pervasive, and, increasingly, studies are revealing adverse health effects at ever lower doses. Drinking water is the main route of exposure for many individuals; however, food can be a significant source of arsenic to an individual, especially if their diet is rice-based. Infants are particularly susceptible to dietary exposure, since many first foods contain rice and they have a low body mass. Here we report on arsenic concentration and speciation in infant formulas and first foods. Speciation is essential for food analysis because of the much greater toxicity of inorganic arsenic species and the possibility that arsenic in food (unlike water) may be present in either inorganic or organic forms. Infant milk formulas were low in total arsenic (2.2-12.6 ng g(-1), n=15). Non-dairy formulas were significantly higher in arsenic than dairy-based formulas. Arsenic in formula was almost exclusively inorganic and predominantly arsenic(V). Arsenic concentration in purees (n=41) and stage 3 foods (n=18) ranged from 0.3-22 ng g(-1). Rice-fortified foods had significantly higher total arsenic concentrations than non rice-based foods. Again arsenic speciation was predominantly inorganic; arsenic(III) was the main species with lower concentrations of DMA and arsenic(V) also present. These data confirm that infants are exposed to arsenic via diet, and suggest that careful attention to diet choices may limit this.
Matrix Metalloproteinases Activities in Hypertension: Emerging Opportunities

See related article, pp 123–130 One of the challenges in the development of molecular models of hypertension as a disease with end organ failure is the multifaceted nature of complications that accompany elevated blood pressure. Comorbidities can be detected even at early stages of hypertension and in patients with family history of hypertension even before blood pressure elevation.1 Well-documented comorbidities to hypertension are diabetes, cardiac- and large-artery remodeling with hypertrophy and fibrosis, atherosclerosis, and renal pathogenesis. Hypertension is also accompanied by complications such as microvascular rarefaction, immune suppression, and apoptosis. To date, no satisfactory mechanism has been proposed to put this manifold of pathophysiological phenomena under one conceptual roof while at the same time providing an explanation for elevated arterial blood pressure. Oxygen free-radical production in hypertensives could possibly form a bridge between elevated blood pressure and vascular complications. Reactive oxygen species serve as signaling molecules for elevated artery/arteriolar tone by reaction with nitric oxide and are also involved in cell injury. But no molecular details have emerged in any model of hypertension to provide a conclusive picture for the role of free …
Low surface energy polymeric films from solventless liquid oligoesters and partially fluorinated isocyanates

Partially fluorinated isocyanates were synthesized from hexamethylene diisocyanate (HDI) and an HDI trimer (Desmodur N3300). The perfluoroalkyl group (Rf) was C6F13 or C8F17, and the ratio between Rf and the isocyanate group (NCO) was 1/99 in the case of HDI or 1/49 in the case of N3300. Polymeric films with surface energies as low as 10 mN/m were obtained from mixtures of these partially fluorinated isocyanates and a previously reported hydroxyl-end-capped solventless liquid oligoester. Contact angles of water and hexadecane reached 120° and 80°, respectively, when less than 1 wt % of fluorine was present in the films. The surface enrichment of fluorine-containing species was confirmed by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) investigations. At a fluorine concentration of 0.5−1.0 wt %, the surface F/C atomic ratio (at a 15° takeoff angle) was greater than 1; the surface enrichment factor of fluorine was up to 600. The topological structures of the polymeric films were recorded by an atomic force microsc...
Founder effects and silvereyes

Patterns of variation in nature have played a large role in the development of explanations for biological richness at the species level. One such influential pattern has been the morphological distinctiveness of small populations on islands at the periphery of a large continental land mass (1). If the island differs from the mainland in habitat or composition of the biological community, the morphological differences often can be explained in terms of adaptation by natural selection (2). But, if the environments are more or less the same, then an explanation has to be sought elsewhere. Fifty years ago, Ernst Mayr (3) suggested that the key to island evolution lies in the circumstances and immediate consequences of colonization. The model he proposed, called the “founder effects model,” postulated major changes in the genetic constitution of a newly established population that were set in motion by the reduced genetic variation carried by the few colonizing individuals in the founding event (4).
Obtaining Helpful Information From the Internet About Prognosis in Advanced Cancer

Oncologists should be aware that patients will not find estimates of survival or treatment effect on the Internet, which may contribute to overly optimistic estimates of survival.
Analysis of the neutron time-of-flight spectra from inertial confinement fusion experiments

Neutron time-of-flight diagnostics have long been used to characterize the neutron spectrum produced by inertial confinement fusion experiments. The primary diagnostic goals are to extract the d + t → n + α (DT) and d + d → n + 3He (DD) neutron yields and peak widths, and the amount DT scattering relative to its unscattered yield, also known as the down-scatter ratio (DSR). These quantities are used to infer yield weighted plasma conditions, such as ion temperature (Tion) and cold fuel areal density. We report on novel methodologies used to determine neutron yield, apparent Tion, and DSR. These methods invoke a single temperature, static fluid model to describe the neutron peaks from DD and DT reactions and a spline description of the DT spectrum to determine the DSR. Both measurements are performed using a forward modeling technique that includes corrections for line-of-sight attenuation and impulse response of the detection system. These methods produce typical uncertainties for DT Tion of 250 eV, 7% fo...
Nanoindentation Hardness of 17–4PH Stainless Steel Irradiated With 2.5 MEV PER Nucleon 20NE2+ Ions

Direct ion implantation of radioactive isotopes, such as 7Be or 22Na, has recently been of interest as a means of surface layer activation for purposes of wear-rate measurement in material systems for which activation by conventional proton irradiation is ineffective. Though direct implantation doses anticipated for adequate wear measurement sensitivity are expected to be quite low (∼1012 cm−2), the potential for alteration of wear properties by ion damage cannot be ignored. The present work was designed to simulate 22Na implantation with non-radioactive 20Ne irradiations into specimens of 17–4PH stainless steel which had been deliberately heat treated to contain 98 vol% metastable martensite. Specimens were subjected to doses of 2×1012, 2×1013 and 2×1014 cm−2 of 20Ne2+, applied at a total energy of 50 MeV, giving a projected ion range (determined by TRIM-91 computations) of approximately 10 μm. Nanoindentation surface hardness traverses were conducted to detect any material softening which may have resulted from ion-solid interactions within the projected range. Though doses of > 1014 cm−2 produced a detectable softening (apparent as a dip in the hardness level corresponding to locations near the end of the ion range) the maximum dose for a negligible effect on nanoindentation hardness was found to be approximately 1013 cm−2, well above the doses anticipated for use in wear studies employing direct ion implantation of radioisotopes.
Mortality of Cowpea Weevil in a Low-Oxygen Atmosphere

Various stages of Callosobruchus maculatus (F.) were exposed to a modified atmosphere (O2 14-day-old larvae > 7-day-old larvae > 1-day-old eggs > 3 day-old-eggs > adults. At 27°C, times of exposure for 100% mortality were 48 h for adults, 96 h for 1- and 3-day-old eggs, 120 h for 7- and 14-day-old larvae, and 192 h for 21-day-old larvae and pupae.
ASYMMETRICAL DEVELOPMENTAL PLASTICITY IN AN INTERTIDAL SNAIL.

Field and laboratory experiments were used to investigate the variation and phenotypic plasticity in the adhesive abilities of the intertidal snail Nucella lapillus between high- and low-wave-energy environments. Whelks from an exposed coast produced a larger pedal surface area and were more resistant to dislodgement than were similar-sized individuals from a protected shore. Tenacity (g/cm2 ) was similar between individuals from exposed and protected shores, indicating that variation in resisting dislodgement was solely a function of pedal surface area. Whelks from exposed and protected shores did not differ in pedal surface area as they emerged from egg capsules or when reared in the laboratory under uniform conditions, suggesting that variation between populations does not represent genetic differentiation. Individuals from high-and low-wave-energy environments reared intertidally produced a larger pedal surface area than did those reared in the laboratory. The extent to which pedal surface area increased corresponded to the intensity of wave action. These findings suggest that pedal surface area is a highly plastic character modulated or induced by the water turbulence accompanying breaking waves. A reciprocal-transplant experiment confirmed this notion but revealed an asymmetry in the plasticity. Snails from the protected site transplanted to an exposed shore formed a much larger pedal surface area than did controls reared on the protected shore. In contrast, whelks from a wave-swept shore transplanted to a protected shore differed little from their controls reared on the exposed shore. The asymmetric response parallels a possible asymmetry in the risks of acclimating to a temporally unpredictable environmental cue, such as wave action.