cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
A comparison of different methods to estimate prediction uncertainty using Partial Least Squares (PLS): A practitioner's perspective

Abstract There is an increase in the use of latent variable modeling (LVM) techniques, such as Projection to Latent Structure (PLS), in the pharmaceutical industry. Thus, there exists a practical need to estimate prediction uncertainty for PLS models. Metrics such as standard error of prediction (SEP) and standard error of calibration (SEC) do not truly reflect prediction reliability. Several proposals exist in the literature to tackle the problem. This paper describes a comparison exercise for selected uncertainty estimation algorithms by testing representative pharmaceutical industrial data sets. Algorithms evaluated include linearization-based methods, Ordinary Least Squares (OLS) type method, re-sampling based method and empirical method. Algorithm performance was measured using “coverage probability”. Additionally, different approaches to estimate degrees of freedom consumed by PLS model were evaluated for uncertainty estimation purpose. These methods include the Naive approach, the pseudo degree of freedom (PDF) approach and the generalized degrees of freedom (GDF) approach. Results from this study suggest that none of these algorithms generates accurate coverage rates for all cases considered. Thus, further development in this area is needed. Among all the evaluated algorithms, the simple Faber 96 method seems to perform slightly better under appropriate handling of the degrees of freedom. Different ways to estimate degrees of freedom were shown to have crucial effect on the performance of uncertainty estimation. The results show that the Naive approach should be discouraged for use in uncertainty estimation in practice and the GDF approach should be preferred.
Unusual Complication of a Silicone Implant Arthroplasty at the Base of the Thumb

Pain developed after arthroplasty of the carpometacarpal joint of the thumb. It was due to perforation of the shaft of the metacarpal by the prosthesis, and was cured by a bone graft.
Quality adjustments in a market with imperfect information and probabilistic demand

Homogeneous products are as rare in the marketplace as they are c om mon in economics textbooks. T w o heads of identicallypriced lettuce are unlikely to be regarded as identical by a perceptive consumer, and even "standardized" manufactured goods are seldom identical in design, packaging, and presentation. "Product differentiation" of this type greatly complicates consumers' attempts to get the most for their money. Only a cursory examinat ion may be required to determine if a firm sells its product for a higher or lower price than its competitors, but it is likely to be much more difficult to determine if the "quali ty" of that firm's product is significantly higher or lower than the quality of competing goods. Since most consumers have a limited amount of time available for comparison shopping, considerable quality variation may (and apparently does) persist in many markets, even if little price variat ion is observed. Suppose there exist rn firms selling similar, but not necessarily identical, products. Assume moreover that determining the particular attributes of each firm's product the product "quali ty" requires a non-trivial amount of a potential consumer 's time. In some cases, product quality can be determined by physical inspect ion; in other cases conversations with satisfied (or dissatisfied) customers, referral to consumer rating services, or other more complicated steps may be required. If m is a relatively large number, many consumers may reach a buying decision well before they have examined every firm's product .
Process Text Guides for Summarizing and Evaluating Empirical Studies

ABSTRACT This article presents a model for creating library information literacy process text guides designed to help students summarize and evaluate quantitative empirical articles. Process text guides contain two strands of strategically embedded activities designed to simulate the processes used by “good readers.” One strand of exercises is included to help students develop the abilities to summarize an empirical research article by having them locate the main ideas of each of the article's paragraphs. A second strand of activities includes more evaluative questions about each of the sections of a research article—abstract, introduction, methodology, results and discussion, and references. Process text guides may be presented throughout a semester or quarter as handouts in library sessions and/or as online information literacy modules. An actual article from a peer-reviewed journal in psychology was used to create a sample process text guide.
Advances in diagnosis and treatment of small exotic mammal dental disease

The nature of the dental diseases that occur in pet rabbits, rodents, and small carnivores like ferrets, are directly related to the different types of dentition present in these species. A good understanding of the morphology and physiology of the various types of teeth is essential to understand the disease processes. Incisor malocclusion is most common in rabbits. If this condition occurs as an isolated entity at an early age, it is probably of genetic origin. Incisor malocclusion in older animals is usually secondary to, or occurring concomitantly with, premolar-molar malocclusion. Patients with incisor malocclusion should therefore always receive a comprehensive oral examination. Incisor-premolar-molar malocclusion with periodontal and endodontic disease is a syndrome that may include incisor malocclusion, distortion of the premolar-molar occlusal plane, sharp points, periodontal disease, periapical changes, apical elongation, oral soft-tissue lesions, and maxillofacial abscess formation. It is unclear whether this syndrome is of genetic, dietary, or metabolic origin. The therapeutic options for incisor-premolar-molar malocclusion with periodontal and endodontic disease may include occlusal adjustment of involved teeth, extraction of teeth severely affected by endodontic and/or periodontal disease, and abscess debridement. A specific syndrome occurring in pet prairie dogs is odontoma-like mass formation originating from the root of 1 or both maxillary incisors. Affected animals are middle-aged and are typically presented for upper air-way obstruction. The dental pathology of pet ferrets is similar to the domestic dog and mainly includes periodontal disease due to plaque and calculus accumulation, and endodontic disease secondary to complicated crown fractures. Little is known about the oral pathology of African hedgehogs held in captivity, although they would appear to be very susceptible to oral squamous cell carcinoma formation.
The Borderlands Mall: Form and function of an imported landscape

Abstract For an economic innovation to succeed in the developing world, it must adapt to the social and economic structures of the host society. Some scholars consider the Mexican shopping mall an imported innovation that has altered the traditional landscape of urban commerce. This paper details how the landscape form and business functions of two regional shopping malls in Ciudad Juarez, the Plaza Juarez and Rio Grande malls, reflect their unique borderlands location. It then analyzes the form and function of traditional commerce in Ciudad Juarez, including street vendors, markets, and downtown stores. Next, traditional commerce is compared to shopping malls of the city. The study demonstrates that Ciudad Juarez's shopping malls have undergone an adaptive process, adopting the “recession proof” form and function of the informal economic sector. This assures the permanence of these facilities in a region dominated by transborder retail trade.
An Early Retirement Incentive Program A Case Study of Dracula and Pinocchio Complexes

Despite academic rhetoric, there are few empirical data available about academic administrators' perceived expectations and achievements resulting from an early retirement incentive program. A natural laboratory for undertaking a preliminary and heuristic study of the perceived impact of such a program became available in Ohio when one was enacted by the state legislature. This study examines academic administrators' expectations for and perceptions of the impact of this program as well as their satisfaction or lack of it with an early retirement incentive program.
Life cycle assessment of potential biojet fuel production in the United States.

The objective of this paper is to reveal to what degree biobased jet fuels (biojet) can reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from the U.S. aviation sector. A model of the supply and demand chain of biojet involving farmers, biorefineries, airlines, and policymakers is developed by considering factors that drive the decisions of actors (i.e., decision-makers and stakeholders) in the life cycle stages. Two kinds of feedstock are considered: oil-producing feedstock (i.e., camelina and algae) and lignocellulosic biomass (i.e., corn stover, switchgrass, and short rotation woody crops). By factoring in farmer/feedstock producer and biorefinery profitability requirements and risk attitudes, land availability and suitability, as well as a time delay and technological learning factor, a more realistic estimate of the level of biojet supply and emissions reduction can be developed under different oil price assumptions. Factors that drive biojet GHG emissions and unit production costs from each feedstock are identi...
Susceptibility to illusions and cognitive style: implications for pharmacy dispensing.

Summary.-Response distributions for five cognitive illusions and one visual illusion were examined in two samples, college students (n= 134) and pharmacists Or= 51). These illusions were selected for study on the basis of pharmacists' judgments about associations of dusions to common dispensing errors. Participants were categorized as Illusion-prone or Illusion-resistant, and distributions of such tendencies for the six stimuli used varied within samples. Significant differences between the nvo samples on Illusion-proneness and resistance were observed for the "Moses' Ark" and "Fcount" illusions. Associations of Illusion-prone and Illusion-resistant responses to field-dependence, psychological type, and the cognitive orientations derived from Psychological Type Theory were examined. Field-independence-field-dependence was the only cognitive dimension associated with Illusion-prone and Illusion-resistant responding. Implications of the data for developing measures based upon visual and cognicive illusions to identiFy people with error-prone tendencies were discussed.
Locomotor behavior of Pan paniscus in Zaire

The locomotor behavior of Pan paniscus was studied over a four-week period in Equateur, Republic of Zaire. Bonobos were found to be both arboreal and terrestrial in their daily activities. In the trees adult bonobos are basically quadrupedal, but they also have significant components of armswinging, diving, leaping, and bipedalism in their locomotor repertoire.
Suppression of experimental autoimmune uveitis in rats by the oral administration of the uveitopathogenic S-antigen fragment or a cross-reactive homologous peptide

The oral administration of S-antigen fragment (a synthetic peptide designated as peptide M and known to be uveitopathogenic for rat, guinea pig, and monkey) to Lewis rats prior to challenge with an emulsion of peptide M and CFA resulted in either a total or partial suppression of experimental autoimmune uveitis (EAU), a T cell-mediated autoimmune disease studied as a model for human uveitis and experimental autoimmune pinealitis (EPA). Both the clinical and histopathologic manifestations of the disease were suppressed in a dose-dependent manner. Pinealitis associated with EAU was also suppressed by the oral administration of peptide M. Additionally, ingestion of a fragment of baker's yeast (Saccharomyces cerevisiae) histone H3, which has five consecutive amino acids identical to peptide M and which has been found to be uveitopathogenic in Lewis rats, induced tolerance to either peptide M or synthetic histone H3 peptide. In addition, the proliferative response to peptide M was inhibited in peptide M-fed rats. The suppression of EAU and in vitro lymphocyte proliferative responses to peptide M were observed to be antigen specific, since oral feeding of a control protein (BSA) exerted no suppressive effect. Furthermore, the T cells isolated from the spleen and lymph nodes of animals rendered tolerant by oral administration of peptide M can transfer protection against EAU adoptively. These results demonstrate that the oral administration of an autoantigen or its homologous peptide initiates an antigen-specific cellular mechanism which may ameliorate EAU.
Fine structure of muscles controlling the strike of the mantis shrimp, Hemisquilla

The ultrastructure of some muscle fibers of the five physiologically different motor units operating the strike of the mantis shrimp were studied by electron microscopy. The distal portion of the lateral flexor was found to have the shortest sarcomere length (4.3 μm), the densest, most complex sarcoplasmic reticulum, the largest number of dyads per unit cross-sectional area and the smallest filament cluster (“fibril”) size. The proximal portion of the same muscle differs from it mainly in having a less well-developed reticulum and a large filament cluster size. The remaining muscles have longer sarcomere lengths: 5.3 μm for the medial flexor, 7.8 μm for the lateral extensor, and 6.0–10.2 μm for the medial extensor, as well as a weakly-developed sarcoplasmic reticulum and fewer dyads per unit cross-sectional area. These data were compared with contraction and relaxation times of the units and showed that the rates of both contraction and relaxation are lower the greater the A band or true relaxed sarcomere length. For fibers of equal A band length, faster rates were found to be associated with a more extensive sarcoplasmic reticulum, giving reduced filament cluster size, as well as with a larger number of dyads.
A cryocooling technique for protein crystals grown by dialysis from volatile solvents

The transfer of protein crystals from the original crystallization environment to cryoprotectants, heavy-atom solutions, or quartz capillary tubes, exposes crystal droplets to conditions that can cause evaporation of the droplet and damage to the crystal. This problem is particularly acute for crystals grown from volatile solvents or that are otherwise air-sensitive. Here a method that overcomes this problem is applied to crystals of macrophage inflammatory protein II encoded by herpesvirus-8. The method is based on dialysis and makes use of a dialysis adaptor that can be used with 24-well crystallization plates. This method permits the transfer of crystals to cryoprotectant conditions with greater ease and lowers the risk of mechanical damage relative to other available methods.
The involvement of β1 integrin in the modulation by collagen of chondrocyte-response to transforming growth factor-β1

Abstract The physiologic response of chondrocytes to maintenance of the matrix and response to injury likely involves signaling from multiple sources including soluble cytokines, mechanical stimulation, and signaling from the extracellular matrix. The signaling from the extracellular matrix may serve to effect cell differentiation and to modulate the response to cytokines. We have previously reported that type II collagen modulates the response of bovine articular chondrocytes to TGF-β1. The molecular nature of the signaling mechanism has not been elucidated but presumably involves a similar mechanism by which the cell attaches to the surrounding matrix. An alginate bead culture system is utilized to which exogenous type II collagen is added. The inclusion of type II collagen results in an alteration of integrin expression with a down regulation of α2. The response of the chondrocyte to TGF-β1 can be modulated by the inclusion of exogenous type II collagen. The modulation of DNA and proteoglycan synthesis was blocked by the treatment of anti-β1 integrin antibody (4B4) or by cyclic RGD containing peptides. These events occur at concentrations that block cell adhesion to type II collagen. Linear RGD containing peptides and anti-anchorin antibodies had no effect on the modulation by type II collagen. These results suggest that type II collagen binding by chondrocytes at least in part occurs through the β1 integrin. This binding results in modulation of the cell response to TGF-β1. This modulation may serve to provide physiologic specificity to the cytokine-signaling cascade. An understanding of the regulatory milieu of the chondrocyte may permit the stimulation of an intrinsic repair of articular cartilage in the future. A near term application of this understanding can be made to tissue engineering attempts at articular cartilage repair.
The auditory event-related potential is a stable and reliable measure in elderly subjects over a 3 year period

Abstract Objectives : Valid markers of psychobiological processes, including changes over the lifespan, must be reliable. This study investigated the reliability of the auditory event-related potential (ERP) over a 3 year period. Methods : Predictable and unpredictable rare tones were embedded in common-to-rare sequences at 3 different ratios (2:3, 2:5 and 2:8). Forty-six older (mean age 72.3 years) volunteers pressed a key to the rare tones, and ERPs (Fz, Cz and Pz) and reaction time (RT) were measured. Reliability across years was assessed using 3 methods: (1) determination of the stability of waveform components (P1, N1, P2, N2 and P3); (2) cross-correlation of successive 15 ms epochs of within-subject ERPs; and (3) cross-correlation of 15 ms epochs of between-subject ERPs. Results : With all analyses, the ERP was stable. Analysis of the scored components indicated that P3 was especially stable in the unpredictable rare (2:8) condition. Earlier components were equally stable across all conditions. Analysis of 15 ms ERP epochs indicated significant ERP stability 60 ms after stimulation, lasting over 640 ms. Conclusions : Robust within-subject reliability of the ERP strengthens its potential use for detecting preclinical changes in at-risk elderly populations.
Monolithically Integrated Photodiode And Preamplifier For Wide-Band Fiber Optic Links

A monolithic integration of InGaAs PIN photodiodes and InP junction field-effect transistors has been demonstrated. The photodiodes show a frequency response beyond 22GHz with a quiantum efficiency of 65%. The FETs have a transconductance of 35mS/mm, a leakage current of less than lOnA/mm and a gate capacitance of less than 0.7pF/mm. The cut-off frequency of the FETs is estimated to be 7GHz. The receiver sensitivity is calculated to be -33dBm at 2 GHz.
Ouabain-sensitive K+ uptake in submandibular salivary gland slices of rats of different post-natal ages.

Abstract Slices of submandibular glands of newborn and early post-natal rats took up K + when incubated in vitro in an enriched, oxygenated Krebs-Ringer bicarbonate solution. This uptake of K + was observed when the slices were transferred to K + -containing medium after pre-incubation in K + -free medium, when the previously stimulated cholinergic or α-adrenergic receptors were blocked with appropriate antagonists or when the Ca 2+ in the medium was chelated with EGTA 2 min after stimulation with carbamy choline. The extent of K + uptake was larger in the youngest (1-day-old) animals in all these experiments. Uptake of K + was inhibited by 1 mM ouabain. This inhibition was not immediate and varying rates of K + uptake were observed for 2–5 min after addition of the glycoside. It is concluded that: (1) K + uptake can be elicited in the developing submandibular glands of newborn and early post-natal rats; (2) this response is sensitive to ouabain and is likely to depend, therefore, on the presence of a Na + , K + ATPase in the immature gland; (3) changes in ouabain-sensitive K + uptake with age suggests that the activity of the Na, K ATPase varies as the gland matures in the immediate post-natal period. As the Na + , K + ATPase is thought to provide a driving force for the transport of ions underlying salivary secretion, the findings suggest that this mechanism is present in the early stages of post-natal development of the rat submandibular gland.
INTERACTIONS OF PLATELETS AND LEUKOCYTES WITH VASCULAR ENDOTHELIUM: In Vitro STUDIES*

Our studies suggest that the interactions of blood cells with cultured endothelial monolayers mimic in vivo phenomena, thus providing potentially useful in vitro experimental models. For example, normal endothelial cells in culture show little tendency to react with platelets, similar to their behavior in vivo. Production of anti-aggregatory prostaglandins, such as prostacyclin, by cultured endothelial cells does not appear to be necessary for their non-thrombogenicity. Significant changes in platelet reactivity can be observed when endothelial cells are altered by certain stimuli. Analogous alterations in vivo might constitute a form of endothelial dysfunction relevant to thrombosis and atherosclerosis. In contrast to platelets, PMN leukocytes appear to show a preferential adherence to cultured endothelial monolayers. As our data indicate, this basal adhesion, which is observed in the absence of exogenous chemotactic agents or other stimuli, is neither dependent upon endogenous cyclooxygenase derivatives of arachidonate, nor inhibited by exogenous prostacyclin. However, certain anti-inflammatory drugs and other agents, that can interfere with the metabolism of arachidonate via lipoxygenase pathways, do significantly reduce basal PMN leukocyte-endothelial interactions. Further definition of the cellular and biochemical sites of action of these compounds may provide new insights into the mechanisms of the inflammatory response. Finally, given the vast repertoire of biologically active substances that platelets and leukocytes can secrete or generate, the regulation of blood cell interaction with endothelium may represent a key locus for pharmacological intervention in the treatment and prevention of vascular diseases.
Connectional organization of the superior colliculus

Abstract The mammalian superior colliculus is a prominent subcortical sensorimotor integrator that plays an important and specific role in allowing the animal to orient to visual, auditory and somatosensory stimuli 1–8 . Over the past decade, anatomical and physiological studies have revealed some important organizational correlates of this functional specificity. In the early 1970s, combined anatomical and behavioral studies in the laboratory of I.T. Diamond 1,5 , as well as electrophysiological analyses by B. Gordon 9 and B. Stein 7 and colleagues, demonstrated fundamental differences between the superficial collicular layers (I–III) and the deep layers (IV–VII) . This ‘superficial-deep' distinction was in turn refined as a result of studies that revealed connectional and functional differences between individual layers comprised in these two major regions. Recent data indicate that the layers are themselves divisible according to criteria based on anatomical connections and physiology. In light of these recent findings we suggest that the connectional subdivisions of individual superficial layers differ in type from those of individual deep layers. We further suggest that the different types of subdivision reflect the different quantities and qualities of connections of the superficial versus the deep layers.
Diversity management: Dialogue, dialectics and diversion

This paper uses Habermas’ model of dialogue and the public sphere to provide a critical examination of organizational diversity management. The paper argues that, in spite of the dialogic and inclusive claims made by the diversity movement, its basic framework and methods serve to limit and repress productive dialogue on race rather than produce effective organizational change. The diversity movement represents an important ideological strategy that seeks to re‐assert the privacy of the corporate sphere and its employment decisions, making its emergence a significant element of the general social‐political attempt to manage and contain racial conflict and social contradiction.
Alone in the Universe

Extraterrestrial Intelligence. By Jean Heidmann. Cambridge University Press: 1995. Pp. 235. £16.95, $24.95. Extraterrestrials: Where are They? Second Edition. Edited by Ben Zuckerman and Michael H. Hart. Cambridge University Press: 1995. Pp. 239. £25, $39.95 (hbk); £11.95, $19.95 (pbk).
SU‐GG‐T‐107: Genetic Optimizers and Control of DMLC IMRT Delivery to Moving Body Anatomy

Purpose: A new treatmentdelivery method based on the control of the leaf‐velocity and intensity‐dose‐rate for moving and deforming body anatomy during hypo fractionation and intensity modulated radiation therapy(IMRT) is presented. Since the organmotions are unavoidable, a proactive approach to utilize the organmotions is taken to lower the dose to sensitive structures without compromising the dosedelivered to the target. Method and Materials: Diverse criteria for quality of treatment can be utilized, some increasing the efficiency of treatment and minimizing overall radiation exposure while other decreasing cumulative dose distribution over organs at risk to minimize treatment toxicity. The solution strategies can lead to complex optimization processes, many supporting diverse landscapes of multiple local minima. Among few possible procedures leading to achieving global solutions, or satisfactory local solutions, we explore explicitly dynamical pathways that breed offspring control parameters that efficiently conform to optimal solutions. These so called genetic operations, such as reproduction, suppression, mutation, and the mating crossover lead to efficient solutions of our multi‐parameter dynamic treatment optimization problems. Results: By using the velocity of the leaves and the intensity dose rate as the control parameters in optimization we find a strategy that the dosedelivered to the organ at risk can be reduced to 50% compare to the delivery based on static anatomy assumption. Conclusion: We present strategies based on controlling the velocity of multi‐leafs and intensity rate of beams that allow to redistribute beneficially the irradiation to the target and to organs at risk over subsequent phases of the body motion.
Real-time intraoperative full-range complex FD-OCT guided cerebral blood vessel identification and brain tumor resection in neurosurgery

This work utilized an ultra-high-speed full-range complex-conjugate-free optical coherence tomography (FD-OCT) system to perform real-time intraoperative imaging to guide two common neurosurgical procedures: the cerebral blood vessel identification and the brain tumor resection. The cerebral blood vessel identification experiment is conducted ex vivo on human cadaver specimen. Specific cerebral arteries and veins in different positions of the specimen are visualized and the spatial relations between adjacent vessels are indentified through real-time 3D visualization. The brain tumor resection experiment is conducted in vivo on 9L gliomas established in rat brains. The normal brain-tumor margin can be clearly identified in depth of the tissue from sagittal, coronal and axial slices of the intraoperatively acquired 3D data set. The real-time full-range FD-OCT guided in vivo rat flank tumor resection is also conducted.
Global Learning Communities: A Comparison of Online Domestic and International Science Class Partnerships.

The conception of Global Learning Communities (GLCs) was researched to discover potential benefits of the use of online technologies that facilitated communication and scientific data sharing outside of the normal classroom setting. 1,419 students in 635 student groups began the instructional unit. Students represented the classrooms of 33 teachers from the USA, 6 from Thailand, 7 from Australia, and 4 from Germany. Data from an international environmental education project were analyzed to describe grades 7–9 student scientific writing in domestic US versus international–US classroom online partnerships. The development of an argument analytic and a research model of exploratory data analysis followed by statistical testing were used to discover and highlight different ways students used evidence to support their scientific claims about temperature variation at school sites and deep-sea hydrothermal vents. Findings show modest gains in the use of some evidentiary discourse components by US students in international online class partnerships compared to their US counterparts in domestic US partnerships. The analytic, research model, and online collaborative learning tools may be used in other large-scale studies and learning communities. Results provide insights about the benefits of using online technologies and promote the establishment of GLCs.
USING GLOBAL POSITIONING SYSTEM DATA FOR FIELD EVALUATION OF ENERGY AND EMISSION IMPACT OF TRAFFIC FLOW IMPROVEMENT PROJECTS: ISSUES AND PROPOSED SOLUTIONS

Traffic-operational projects typically are evaluated by using several measures of effectiveness, including vehicle delay, queue sizes, and vehicle stops. Other emerging measures include vehicle fuel consumption and emissions. Although these emerging measures are difficult to determine in the field, they can be estimated by using second-by-second speed measurements of individual vehicles with Global Positioning System (GPS) technologies. GPS can provide such information with relatively high accuracy (within 1 m/s), but the presence of any erroneous data in the measured data as a result of signal losses may result in unrealistic vehicle fuel consumption and emission estimates. The ability of various data-smoothing techniques to remove such erroneous data without significantly altering the underlying vehicle speed profile is investigated. The techniques reviewed involve differentiating the measured speed profile to generate an acceleration profile that is checked for validity. Several smoothing techniques ar...
Polymer-Derived Ceramic Functionalized MoS2 Composite Paper as a Stable Lithium-Ion Battery Electrode

A facile process is demonstrated for the synthesis of layered SiCN-MoS2 structure via pyrolysis of polysilazane functionalized MoS2 flakes. The layered morphology and polymer to ceramic transformation on MoS2 surfaces was confirmed by use of electron microscopy and spectroscopic techniques. Tested as thick film electrode in a Li-ion battery half-cell, SiCN-MoS2 showed the classical three-stage reaction with improved cycling stability and capacity retention than neat MoS2. Contribution of conversion reaction of Li/MoS2 system on overall capacity was marginally affected by the presence of SiCN while Li-irreversibility arising from electrolyte decomposition was greatly suppressed. This is understood as one of the reasons for decreased first cycle loss and increased capacity retention. SiCN-MoS2 in the form of self-supporting paper electrode (at 6 mg·cm−2) exhibited even better performance, regaining initial charge capacity of approximately 530 mAh·g−1 when the current density returned to 100 mA·g−1 after continuous cycling at 2400 mA·g−1 (192 mAh·g−1). MoS2 cycled electrode showed mud-cracks and film delamination whereas SiCN-MoS2 electrodes were intact and covered with a uniform solid electrolyte interphase coating. Taken together, our results suggest that molecular level interfacing with precursor–derived SiCN is an effective strategy for suppressing the metal-sulfide/electrolyte degradation reaction at low discharge potentials.
An exponential gradient maker for use with minigel polyacrylamide electrophoresis systems

Abstract Minigel electrophoresis has reduced the required sample size and cost of running polyacrylamide gels without loss of resolution. The many problems incurred in the minigel system when pouring multiple gradient gels are eliminated by pouring individal gels with the described economical, exponential gradient maker, which can accurately deal with the small gel volumes. The advantages of exponential gradients are discussed.
U.S. market basket study to determine residues of the insecticide chlorpyrifos.

A market basket study was conducted to measure residues of the insecticide chlorpyrifos in samples of apples, applesauce, apple juice, fresh orange juice, tomatoes, peanut butter, whole milk, ground beef, and pork sausage collected during a 12-month period from 200 grocery stores across the United States. Approximately 90% of the samples contained no detectable levels of chlorpyrifos, and all residues detected were below tolerances, the legal limits for the United States. No values greater than the limit of quantitation (LOQ) were found in applesauce (LOQ = 0.008 ppm), apple juice (LOQ = 0.003 ppm), whole milk (LOQ = 0.006 ppm), ground beef (LOQ = 0.005 ppm), or pork sausage (LOQ = 0.007 ppm) samples. Only one fresh orange juice sample contained residues greater than the LOQ at 0.015 ppm. Only about 20% of the apples (maximum = 0.052 ppm), 20% of the tomato samples (maximum = 0.058 ppm), and 50% of the peanut butter samples (maximum = 0.021 ppm) contained quantifiable residues.
Impacts of forest harvest on cold season land surface conditions and land‐atmosphere interactions in northern Great Lakes states

Land cover change, including temporary disturbances such as forest harvests, can significantly affect established regimes of surface energy balance and moisture exchange, altering flux processes that drive weather and climate. We examined the impacts of forest harvest on winter land-atmosphere interactions in a temperate region using high-resolution numerical modeling methods in paired simulations. Using the WRF-ARW atmospheric model and the Noah land surface model, we simulated the balance of surface sensible and latent heat fluxes and the development and dissipation of a stable nocturnal boundary layer during generally calm synoptic conditions. Our results show reduced daily-average snow-covered land surface sensible heat flux (by 80%) and latent heat flux (by 60%) to the atmosphere in forest clearings due to albedo effects and rebalancing of the surface energy budget. We found a land surface cooling effect (−8 W m−2) in snow-covered cleared areas, consistent with prior modeling studies and conceptual understanding of the mechanisms for midlatitude deforestation to offset anthropogenic global warming at local scales. Results also demonstrate impacts of forest clearing on the passage of a weak cold front due to altered near-surface winds and boundary layer stability. We show significant differences in both surface conditions and fluxes between harvested and undisturbed forest areas. Our results demonstrate the potential utility of high-resolution remote sensing analyses to represent transient land cover changes in model simulations of weather and climate, which are usually undertaken at coarser resolutions and often overlook these changes at the land surface.
The newer antidepressants: promises and realities.

Abstract The development of a psychopharmacologic approach to the treatment of depression represented a major advance in psychiatry. Since that time, the pharmaceutical industry has proceeded to synthesize many additional drugs which resemble either imipramine or the monoamine oxidase inhibitors (MAOI) pharmacologically. Recently, several new agents have been introduced to the US market with claims of greater efficacy, shorter latency of onset of action, or vastly improved side effect profiles. Are these agents truly unique, and what is their place in the treatment of depression? In this article, the second generation antidepressants are reviewed clinically and pharmacologically, on parameters such as efficacy, latency, autonomic effects, cardiotoxicity, lethality, and on newly recognized effects on memory and cognition. The new antidepressants are as effective as the established agents, but the side effects are different and are still emerging. They definitely are useful in selective situations and need to be used with caution.
Pulsed excitation source multiplexed fluorometry for the simultaneous measurement of multiple analytes. Continuous measurement of atmospheric hydrogen peroxide and methyl hydroperoxide.

Presently, solid-state sources such as light-emitting diodes (LEDs) provide for intense, nearly monochromatic light. They are available over a broad range of emission wavelengths. Unlike incandesce...
Surface and Structural Properties of Novel Titanium Phosphates

Abstract Two novel fibrous framework titanium phosphates having a similar formula, Ti2O(PO4)2·H2O, and a layered titanium phosphate, Ti2O3(H2PO4)2·2H2O, were synthesized and their properties were characterized with physicochemical methods, such as elemental analysis, thermogravimetry, nitrogen adsorption, X-ray diffraction, and31P solid-state NMR. Nitrogen adsorption isotherms were measured on synthesized titanium phosphates in order to characterize their surface and structural properties. The specific surface area and total pore volume of the titanium phosphates studied were determined. The low-pressure nitrogen adsorption isotherms were used to evaluate surface heterogeneity of the synthesized materials by employing an advanced numerical procedure based on the regularization method.
The application of chromatic dark-adapted kinetic perimetry to retinal diseases

Abstract Purpose To demonstrate the value of a 2-color perimetric procedure for determining cone and rod system contributions to the dark-adapted kinetic visual field (VF). Design Prospective evaluation of perimetric testing procedure. Participants Five patients with retinal diseases and 6 visually normal individuals. Methods Long- and short-wavelength stimuli were presented under dark-adapted conditions in a Goldmann perimeter. Visual fields were measured for the II and V test target sizes with a long-wavelength filter (cut-on at 600 nm) and a short-wavelength filter (cutoff at 510 nm). Light intensities through these filters were matched scotopically for the rod system by producing equal peripheral boundaries on 6 visually normal individuals. To validate the application of this procedure, we tested a patient with congenital achromatopsia and another patient with congenital stationary night blindness (CSNB). We then tested 2 patients with retinitis pigmentosa (RP) and 1 patient with Usher's syndrome to determine the cone and rod contributions to their VF isopters. Main outcome measures Isopters for long- and short-wavelength test stimuli, and the appearance of the test stimuli, whether reported as chromatic or achromatic. Results The patient with congenital achromatopsia showed superimposed isopters for the 2 stimuli, which were reported as achromatic, demonstrating that the peripheral field boundaries were rod mediated. The patient with CSNB showed an isopter in response to the long-wavelength stimulus that was considerably larger than that in response to the short-wavelength stimulus, both stimuli reported as chromatic, showing that the cone system determined peripheral thresholds for both stimuli. In 2 patients with RP, we observed a mixed pattern of cone or rod system detection of the chromatic stimuli. The peripheral isopters were rod mediated, whereas the cone system determined the central field isopters. In an Usher's syndrome patient, cones mediated both the peripheral and the central field isopters. Conclusions A 2-color dark-adapted Goldmann perimetric procedure was able to determine whether the VF isopters were rod or cone mediated in 5 patients with various forms of retinal disease.
The Madres de Plaza de Mayo and Three Decades of Human Rights' Activism: Embeddedness, Emotions, and Social Movements

The Madres de Plaza de Mayo is a community of mothers and human rights activists in Argentina that has remained active for almost three decades. Based on a qualitative analysis of archival and ethnographic data assembled through fieldwork, this article examines the crucial role emotions play in maintaining the Madres' embeddedness in territorially dispersed social networks. The Madres de Plaza de Mayo perform emotional labor within their movement to sustain their activism. The Madres' emotional geographies emerge through their individual and collective practices in key places, which are themselves layered with emotions. Over the years, such practices have allowed the Madres to create widespread networks of activists and to sustain a social movement community that extends all across Argentina. The Madres' emotional labor and their sustained activism over time demonstrate that an open sense of place (place understood as a network of social relations that flow across space) is more important than the local (...
Effects of conductor sag on spatial distribution of power line magnetic field

Traditional extremely low frequency (ELF) magnetic field computation techniques assume that the current carrying power line conductors are straight horizontal wires. This assumption results in a model whose magnetic fields are distorted from those produced in reality. An exact solution and an approximation are proposed for modeling magnetic fields produced by the sagged conductors of power lines, by taking advantage of the fact that the equation of the catenary exactly describes the line sag. The proposed approaches differ in the required computational burden and in the precision of the results. A field mapping measurement example illustrates the applicability and the need for this analysis. The relative importance of the catenary effect is discussed.
Assessing multi-layered social networks using reliability models

In this paper we introduce the first model to determine how best to make connections amongst a multi-layer network so to ensure a specified level of reliability amongst the components (actors) in the various levels of the system. This work is broadly applicable to any relationship in ma nufacturing, business organization or social networks in which the communication structure between independent subsystems is to be determined. Our approach utilizes concepts from the fields of reliability and network optimization to provide decision makers with the first tool for measuring the tradeoff between system reliability and the degree of information sharing in a system. Using an intelligent enumeration scheme, we provide solutions and analysis for an example network. The results support the con clusion that a significant decrease in reliability accompanies even moderate increases in the requirements of participating components (actors). They also emphasize that given the level of network design flexibility allowed in our model, numerous communication paths of equivalent system reliability are available that would be difficult to obtain without mathematical modeling.
On the Use of Two-Stage Least Squares in Financial Models: A Comment

There appears to be growing interest in the development and estimation of simultaneous equation models for finance. Simkowitz and Jones [11] stimulated much of this concern in their observations on the need for these structures. Moreover, Simkowitz's application to the modeling of security returns with Logue [12] provides some support for these suggestions. Recently Lloyd [6] has argued that there may be significant problems in using two-stage least squares (hereafter 2SLS) with such models as a result of the potential for contemporaneous correlation in the structural errors across equations. The purpose of this note is to question several of Lloyd's conclusions and to provide some evidence that his findings may not be representative for the broad array of simultaneous models applicable to financial problems.
Median cascaded canceller using reiterative processing

A novel, robust adaptive processor is introduced, based on reiterative application of the median cascaded canceller (MCC). The MCC, though a highly robust adaptive processor, has a convergence rate that generally is dependent on the effective rank of the interference-plus-noise covariance matrix. The reiterative median cascaded canceller (RMCC) introduced here exhibits the highly desirable combination of 1) convergence-robustness to outliers/targets in adaptive weight training data, like the MCC, and 2) fast convergence performance independent of the interference-plus-noise covariance matrix and at a rate commensurate with the sample matrix inversion (SMI) algorithm, unlike the MCC. Both simulated data as well as measured airborne radar data from the MCARM space-time adaptive processing (STAP) database are used to show performance enhancements. It is concluded that the RMCC adaptive processor is a highly robust replacement for the SMI adaptive processor and all its equivalent implementations.
Genome-Wide Analysis Reveals the Vacuolar pH-Stat of Saccharomyces cerevisiae

Protons, the smallest and most ubiquitous of ions, are central to physiological processes. Transmembrane proton gradients drive ATP synthesis, metabolite transport, receptor recycling and vesicle trafficking, while compartmental pH controls enzyme function. Despite this fundamental importance, the mechanisms underlying pH homeostasis are not entirely accounted for in any organelle or organism. We undertook a genome-wide survey of vacuole pH (pHv) in 4,606 single-gene deletion mutants of Saccharomyces cerevisiae under control, acid and alkali stress conditions to reveal the vacuolar pH-stat. Median pHv (5.27±0.13) was resistant to acid stress (5.28±0.14) but shifted significantly in response to alkali stress (5.83±0.13). Of 107 mutants that displayed aberrant pHv under more than one external pH condition, functional categories of transporters, membrane biogenesis and trafficking machinery were significantly enriched. Phospholipid flippases, encoded by the family of P4-type ATPases, emerged as pH regulators, as did the yeast ortholog of Niemann Pick Type C protein, implicated in sterol trafficking. An independent genetic screen revealed that correction of pHv dysregulation in a neo1ts mutant restored viability whereas cholesterol accumulation in human NPC1−/− fibroblasts diminished upon treatment with a proton ionophore. Furthermore, while it is established that lumenal pH affects trafficking, this study revealed a reciprocal link with many mutants defective in anterograde pathways being hyperacidic and retrograde pathway mutants with alkaline vacuoles. In these and other examples, pH perturbations emerge as a hitherto unrecognized phenotype that may contribute to the cellular basis of disease and offer potential therapeutic intervention through pH modulation.
Nonlinear motion control of servo-systems actuated by permanent-magnet stepper motors: analysis, dynamics, and control

Permanent-magnet stepper motors have begun to displace direct current motors in servo-systems and direct drives. The principle of operation of stepper motors is simple, and high-precision state-of-the-art servos are equipped with an incremental encoder because the frequency of the applied voltage must be adjusted with the rotor position. Conventional open loop servo-systems actuated by permanent-magnet motors do not ensure microstepping capabilities, and microstepping features can be achieved through the use of nonlinear robust control laws. We tackle the problem of synthesizing the nonlinear controllers to guarantee the robust tracking and disturbance rejection by applying the Lyapunov-based design framework and admissibility concept. Nonquadratic Lyapunov candidates are used, and nonlinear state and error feedback ensure robustness, tracking, and disturbance attenuation. Analytical and experimental results are reported to validate the explored methodology, and microstepping tracking capabilities have been ensured by a nonlinear controller.