cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
How can classical multidimensional scaling go wrong

Given a matrix $D$ describing the pairwise dissimilarities of a data set, a common task is to embed the data points into Euclidean space. The classical multidimensional scaling (cMDS) algorithm is a widespread method to do this. However, theoretical analysis of the robustness of the algorithm and an in-depth analysis of its performance on non-Euclidean metrics is lacking. In this paper, we derive a formula, based on the eigenvalues of a matrix obtained from $D$, for the Frobenius norm of the difference between $D$ and the metric $D_{\text{cmds}}$ returned by cMDS. This error analysis leads us to the conclusion that when the derived matrix has a significant number of negative eigenvalues, then $\|D-D_{\text{cmds}}\|_F$, after initially decreasing, will eventually increase as we increase the dimension. Hence, counterintuitively, the quality of the embedding degrades as we increase the dimension. We empirically verify that the Frobenius norm increases as we increase the dimension for a variety of non-Euclidean metrics. We also show on several benchmark datasets that this degradation in the embedding results in the classification accuracy of both simple (e.g., 1-nearest neighbor) and complex (e.g., multi-layer neural nets) classifiers decreasing as we increase the embedding dimension. Finally, our analysis leads us to a new efficiently computable algorithm that returns a matrix $D_l$ that is at least as close to the original distances as $D_t$ (the Euclidean metric closest in $\ell_2$ distance). While $D_l$ is not metric, when given as input to cMDS instead of $D$, it empirically results in solutions whose distance to $D$ does not increase when we increase the dimension and the classification accuracy degrades less than the cMDS solution.
Airflow recovery from thoracic and abdominal movements using synchrosqueezing transform and locally stationary Gaussian process regression

Abstract A wealth of information about respiratory system is encoded in the airflow signal. While direct measurement of airflow via spirometer with an occlusive seal is the gold standard, this may not be practical for ambulatory monitoring of patients. Advances in sensor technology have made measurement of motion of the thorax and abdomen feasible with small inexpensive devices, but estimating airflow from these time series is challenging due to the presence of complicated nonstationary oscillatory signals. To properly extract the relevant oscillatory features from thoracic and abdominal movement, a nonlinear-type time-frequency analysis tool, the synchrosqueezing transform, is employed; these features are then used to estimate the airflow by a locally stationary Gaussian process regression. It is shown that, using a dataset that contains respiratory signals under normal sleep conditions, accurate airflow out-of-sample predictions, and hence the precise estimation of an important physiological quantity, inspiration respiration ratio, can be achieved by fitting the proposed model both in the intra- and inter-subject setups. The method is also applied to a more challenging case, where subjects under general anesthesia underwent transitions from pressure support to unassisted ventilation to further demonstrate the utility of the proposed method.
Floquet Control of Indirect Exchange Interaction in Periodically Driven Two-Dimensional Electron Systems

We present a theory for the Ruderman-Kittel-Kasuya-Yosida (RKKY) interaction mediated by a two-dimensional (2D) electron system subjected to periodic driving. This is demonstrated for a heterostructure consisting of two ferromagnets laterally sandwiching the 2D metallic spacer. Our calculations reveal new non-analytic features in the spin susceptibility. For weak light-matter coupling, the RKKY interaction shows oscillations with a period tunable by the light amplitude and frequency. For stronger light-matter coupling, the interaction becomes non-oscillatory and remains purely ferromagnetic.
Real Wages and Institutional Change: Women's Welfare in the Javanese Rice Economy

Abstract The interaction between real wages and institutional arrangements represents an important equilibrating mechanism that directly affects employment and seasonal incomes for unskilled women in Asia. This article examines recent trends in real wages and employment practices for women in the Javanese rice economy. The evidence indicates that the terms of institutional arrangements, like real wages, have improved with increasing demand for labour off the farm and rising labour productivity in rice production. These improvements have caused the level of women's seasonal incomes from rice production to exceed that which is indicated by the aggregate wage data, and have contributed significantly to the reduction of poverty among women in rural Java.
Evaluating Institutional Performance: An Ex Post Analysis of Water Law in Colombia #

In recent years, there have been many changes in environmental law and policy around the globe targeted at improving both economic and environmental conditions. Policy makers and research analysts in many countries are interested in evaluating the success of these changes. Ex-post analysis may be useful in assessing economic and environmental performance. However, the methodology for this type of analysis is still developing. This paper presents one method for performing ex-post analysis using the case of recent changes in water law in the country of Colombia.
Relative contributions of galactic cosmic rays and lunar proton “albedo” to dose and dose rates near the Moon

[1] We use validated radiation transport models of the Cosmic Ray Telescope for the Effects of Radiation instrument and its response to both primary galactic cosmic rays (GCR) and secondary radiation, including lunar protons released through nuclear evaporation, to estimate their relative contributions to total dose rate in silicon (372 μGy/d) and dose equivalent rate at the skin (2.88mSv/d). Near the Moon, we show that GCR accounts for ~91.4% of the total absorbed dose, with GCR protons accounting for ~42.8%, GCR alpha particles for ~18.5%, and GCR heavy ions for ~30.1%. The remaining ~8.6% of the dose at Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter altitudes (~50km) arises from secondary lunar species, primarily “albedo” protons (3.1%) and electrons (2.2%). Other lunar nuclear evaporation species contributing to the dose rate are positrons (1.5%), gammas (1.1%), and neutrons (0.7%). Relative contributions of these same species to the total dose equivalent rate in skin, a quantity of more direct biological relevance, favor those with comparatively high quality factors. Consequently, the primary GCR heavy ion components dominate the estimated effective skin dose. Finally, we note that when considering the lunar radiation environment, although the Moon blocks approximately half of the sky, thus essentially halving the absorbed dose rate near the Moon relative to deep space, the secondary radiation created by the presence of the Moon adds back a small, but measurable, absorbed dose (~8%) that can and should be now accounted for quantitatively in radiation risk assessments at the Moon and other similar exploration targets.
SU-FF-T-584: 4D Treatment Planning Strategy for Lung Tumor Irradiation with Protons

Purpose: To present a new strategy of 4D treatment planning for lung irradiation with protons.Method and Materials:Organ motion is a serious issue in radiation therapy planning, especially for proton irradiation, because the finite range of a proton beam makes the treatment delivery sensitive to density changes along the beam path. In our method the patient is immobilized supine in a whole body‐pod, and undergoes a 4D‐CT scan of the lung.Images are taken at 10 phases per breathing cycle. GTV is contoured on the maximum intensity projection (MIP) scan. The GTV is corrected for density averaging errors across lung‐bone or lung‐normal tissue boundaries using the EE (end exhale) and EI (end inhale) images. The GTV is then transferred to the EE scan which is used as the primary scan for treatment planning. Beam apertures were designed by incorporating beam specific lateral margins around GTV, and compensator bolus design incorporated set‐up and scatter uncertainties through a smear radius. Same method is used to design the aperture and compensator bolus for each CTV beam. Results: Four cases with different locations of the tumor in the lung were studied. Each case was planned four different ways: (i) EE scan as the primary planning scan (ii) MIP scan as the primary planning scan and (iii) and (iv) were 4D‐CT planning strategies published in literature. For small tumors all methods gave similar results irrespective of the tumor location in the lung. For large tumors (∼100 cc) EE method gave the best results both for tumor coverage and for sparing of normal lungtissue.Conclusion: Out of four methods compared, our method of using EE scan as a primary scan for planning and using MIP scan for contouring the GTV gave best results irrespective of the tumor location in the lung or the size.
Millisecond time variations in hard X-ray solar flares

The results of a search for fast spikes in 2830 hard X-ray solar flares as observed with the hard X-ray burst spectrometer on the Solar Maximum Mission (SMM) are presented. Hundreds of fast spikes with durations of less than 1 sec have been detected at time resolutions of 128 msec and 10 msec. Fast spikes have been detected with rise and decay times as short as 20 msec and with widths as short as 45 msec. They are the fastest hard X-ray variations yet seen from the sun. The observations of such fast variations place new constraints on the physical nature of the source, and these observations and constraints are discussed in terms of nonthermal and thermal models of flares.
ADJUVANT MEDICAL THERAPY FOR COLORECTAL CANCER

During 1996, colorectal cancer affected 133,500 persons in the United States, and 54,900 died of the disease. 42 The cause of colorectal cancer is unknown, but environmental, genetic, dietary, and familial factors as well as certain pre-existing conditions have been implicated. When detected at an early stage, colorectal cancer is frequently curable by surgery. In patients with stage III colon carcinoma, postsurgical adjuvant chemotherapy has reduced tumor recurrence and prolonged survival. In patients with stage II and III rectal tumors, survival benefits as well as a reduction in locoregional relapses have been demonstrated with the use of postsurgical chemotherapy and pelvic irradiation (Table 1). 4,11,16,54,56,58,64,65,52 Despite these improvements, almost half the patients with colorectal tumors die of metastatic disease. To further improve survival in patients with this disease, enhanced screening for primary tumors, surveillance for recurrent disease, and new chemotherapeutic agents are needed.
Detection and enumeration of transformation-defective strains of avian sarcoma virus with molecular hybridization

Abstract Serial propagation of avian sarcoma viruses generates deletions in the viral gene responsible for cellular transformation (src). We have devised an assay for these deletion mutants which utilizes molecular hybridization and exploits the availability of DNA (cDNAsarc) complementary to the nucleotide sequences affected by the deletion in src. Our procedure is also applicable to deletions in other viral genes and offers several advantages over conventional bioassays for the deletion mutants; moreover, it can be used to detect deletions in virus-specific intracellular nucleic acids. In order to illustrate the utility of the assay, we demonstrate that all 20 copies of the proviral DNA for avian sarcoma viruses in XC cells contain src, and we show that single avian cells can contain functioning proviruses for both avian sarcoma virus and a congenic deletion mutant. It should now be possible to use molecular hybridization to study the mechanism by which deletions in src are generated.
Toxicity following protein A treatment of metastatic breast adenocarcinoma.

The toxic effects of protein A (Prosorba, IMRE Corporation, Seattle, WA) treatments given as part of an on-line plasmapheresis or off-line procedure were determined in a Phase I Study. Patients were randomized and treated 12 times either once per week or three times per week with a Prosorba column containing 50 or 200 mg protein A. Treated plasma volumes varied from 150 ml off-line to 2000 ml on-line. Seven patients having advanced metastatic breast adenocarcinoma patients were evaluated. All had advanced progressive disease that was resistant to chemotherapy and/or radiation therapy. Greater than 50% regression of measurable tumor volume occurred in four of seven patients; an additional patient responded with 33.5% regression. Two patients with only bony metastases demonstrated stable disease for a 60-day period. Side effects resulting from protein A treatments included transient fever, chills, rigors, and infrequently nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, episodic hyper and/or hypotension, broncho-spasm, venospasm, headache, joint and tumor pain. Mild to moderate reactions were seen in all patients regardless of clinical response, but abated spontaneously or were controlled with pretreatment and/or post treatment with antipyretics and/or antihistaminics. The side effects decreased notably during the course of the week with the more intense reaction occurring during the first treatment of the week. Side effects occurred regardless of column size or volume of plasma treated. In the course of 12 treatments, anemia requiring transfusion developed in two of seven patients. Significant tumor regression was obtained in this group of patients with advanced disease. In light of the mild to moderate side effects and tumor regression in five of seven of the patients treated, protein A treatment merits further evaluation to determine the effectiveness of this treatment in breast adenocarcinoma.
The clinical spectrum of necrotizing angiopathy of the peripheral nervous system.

The peripheral neuropathy seen with necrotizing angiopathy is said to begin classically as a mononeuritis multiplex, usually associated with polyarteritis nodosa, rheumatoid arthritis, or systemic lupus erythematosus. Our experience, however, suggests that a large number of these patients do not have a well-defined collagen vascular disease or the typical clinical pattern. In 350 consecutive nerve biopsies (sural or superficial radial), 16 patients showed a necrotizing angiopathy in the epineurial blood vessels. Six of these 16 patients had a distal symmetrical sensorimotor poly-neuropathy. The remaining 10 had a mononeuritis multiplex, although in 8 overlapping nerve involvement somewhat obscured the picture of mononeuritis. In 12 patients, no specific underlying collagen vascular disease could be diagnosed by accepted criteria despite extensive clinical, radiological, and serological evaluations. The peripheral neuropathy was the only objective evidence of vasculitis in 7 of these 12 patients. Our findings suggest that patients with a peripheral neuropathy secondary to necrotizing angiopathy often do not have a definable collagen vascular disease. In fact, peripheral neuropathy may be the sole manifestation of vasculitis. Furthermore, the neuropathy was found to be a distal symmetrical sensorimotor neuropathy in a higher proportion of cases than has been documented previously.
Compositional Analysis of Eastern Sigillata A and Related Wares from Tel Anafa (Israel)

Abstract This study concerns three pottery wares from Tel Anafa in Israel. A previous study employing NAA data and univariate statistical techniques indicated that two of the wares formed a single chemical group perhaps originating in Cyprus and that the third group was separate. Intercalibration of NAA data produced at different laboratories allowed us to re-evaluate the evidence for a Cypriot source. Using principal components analysis and Mahalanobis distance calculations we show that all three groups originate from a single source. Greater chemical homogeneity arising from increasing standardization of clay preparation recipes is all that distinguishes a ware with pan-Mediterranean distribution (Eastern Sigillata A) from an earlier local ware. Isolation and removal of the chemical effects of the temper which characterizes a small group of coarse sherds from the Phoenician coast allows all the material to form a single broad group and supports the Levantine origin of all three wares.
A simple model for granular convection

A stochastic model, validated by numerical simulations, is used to analyze granular convection. The vertical flow field is found to depend on the hyperbolic cosine of the horizontal coordinate and on a mixed linear-exponential function of the vertical coordinate. Separate cellular automata and particle dynamic simulations are included. Results agree with existing experimental studies and give predictions to be tested experimentally.
Psychological Control During Early Adolescence Links to Adjustment in Differing Parent/Adolescent Dyads

The present study examined the association between adolescent perceptions of parental psychological control and adolescent internalizing and externalizing symptoms across four dyadic relationships (mother/daughter, mother/son, father/daughter, and father/eson) cross-sectionally and longitudinally. Participants were 306 sixth- and seventh-grade students,287 mothers, and 115 fathers, interviewed at two time points one year apart. Cross-sectionally, father psychological control predicted higher adolescent-reported internalizing both for boys and for girls only when mothers also were perceived as high in psychological control. Similarly, but only among girls, father psychological control predicted higher externalizing only when mothers also were perceived as high in psychological control. Longitudinal analyses indicated that adolescents with higher internalizing symptoms at one time are especially likely to perceive parents as using psychological control one year later; earlier psychological control did not p...
Telling America's story: Narrative form and the Reagan presidency

The character of Reagan's rhetoric and the response to it can be explained by its narrative form. The dominance of narrative in Reagan's discourse and the nature of the narrative form combine to differentiate the perspective of Reagan's supporters and his opponents. Three characteristics of narrative form—a story‐based truth, an emphasis on morality, and a grounding in common sense—explain the way in which narrative affects political judgment. The analysis reveals the power of narrative form and, in contrast to the assertions of some narrative theorists, its fragility and moral limitations.
In the Name of Psychoanalysis: Persistent Controversies and Evolution in Psychoanalysis: A Review of Impossible Training: A Relational View of Psychoanalytic Education by Emanuel Berman

In his book Impossible Training, Emanuel Berman stresses the historical roots of current standards of psychoanalytic training and demonstrates the persistence of controversies that have been present in psychoanalysis and psychoanalytic training from their inception. This perspective, of psychoanalysis and psychoanalytic education as evolving, encourages candidates and practitioners to be participants and creative voices in an evolving field rather than rote followers learning a trade. The author proposes ways that the transference of educators to the younger generation of psychoanalysts can facilitate or interfere with the training of candidates. Berman is applauded for shedding light on current controversies in psychoanalytic education by showing their roots in historical controversies. However, the author points out Berman's tendency to overvalue his side of the controversy rather than embrace controversy itself as in the best interest of the evolution and development of the field.
Radiation-crosslinked polyethylene for wire and cable applications

Abstract Polyethylene is used as an insulation material for wires and cables because of its excellent electrical properties. Polyethylene is also a typical irradiated crosslinked polymer. The characteristics of irradiated polyethylene, the effects of density, molecular weight and so on, were studied.
Automatic detection of regions of interest in complex video sequences

Studies of visual attention and eye movements have shown that people generally attend to only a few areas in typical scenes. These areas are commonly referred to as regions of interest (ROIs). When scenes are viewed with the same context and motivation, these ROIs are often highly correlated amongst different people, motivating the development of computational models of visual attention. This paper describes a novel model of visual attention designed to provide an accurate and robust prediction of a viewer's locus of attention across a wide range of typical video content. The model has been calibrated and verified using data gathered in an experiment in which the eye movements of 24 viewers were recorded while viewing material form a large database of still and video scenes. Certain characteristics of the scene content, such as moving objects, people, foreground and centrally-located objects, were found to exert a strong influence on viewers' attention. The results of comparing model predictions to experimental data demonstrate a strong correlation between the predicted ROIs and viewers' fixations.© (2001) COPYRIGHT SPIE--The International Society for Optical Engineering. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.
Scaling of geochemical reaction rates via advective solute transport

Transport in porous media is quite complex, and still yields occasional surprises. In geological porous media, the rate at which chemical reactions (e.g., weathering and dissolution) occur is found to diminish by orders of magnitude with increasing time or distance. The temporal rates of laboratory experiments and field observations differ, and extrapolating from laboratory experiments (in months) to field rates (in millions of years) can lead to order-of-magnitude errors. The reactions are transport-limited, but characterizing them using standard solute transport expressions can yield results in agreement with experiment only if spurious assumptions and parameters are introduced. We previously developed a theory of non-reactive solute transport based on applying critical path analysis to the cluster statistics of percolation. The fractal structure of the clusters can be used to generate solute distributions in both time and space. Solute velocities calculated from the temporal evolution of that distribution have the same time dependence as reaction-rate scaling in a wide range of field studies and laboratory experiments, covering some 10 decades in time. The present theory thus both explains a wide range of experiments, and also predicts changes in the scaling behavior in individual systems with increasing time and/or length scales. No other theory captures these variations in scaling by invoking a single physical mechanism. Because the successfully predicted chemical reactions include known results for silicate weathering rates, our theory provides a framework for understanding changes in the global carbon cycle, including its effects on extinctions, climate change, soil production, and denudation rates. It further provides a basis for understanding the fundamental time scales of hydrology and shallow geochemistry, as well as the basis of industrial agriculture.
CAN IBEX IDENTIFY VARIATIONS IN THE GALACTIC ENVIRONMENT OF THE SUN USING ENERGETIC NEUTRAL ATOMS

The Interstellar Boundary Explorer (IBEX) spacecraft is providing the first all-sky maps of the energetic neutral atoms (ENAs) produced by charge exchange between interstellar neutral Ho atoms and heliospheric solar wind and pickup ions in the heliosphere boundary regions. The "edge" of the interstellar cloud presently surrounding the heliosphere extends less than 0.1 pc in the upwind direction, terminating at an unknown distance, indicating that the outer boundary conditions of the heliosphere could change during the lifetime of the IBEX satellite. Using reasonable values for future outer heliosphere boundary conditions, ENA fluxes are predicted for one possible source of ENAs coming from outside of the heliopause. The ENA-production simulations use three-dimensional MHD plasma models of the heliosphere that include a kinetic description of neutrals and a Lorentzian distribution for ions. Based on this ENA-production model, it is then shown that the sensitivities of the IBEX 1.1 keV skymaps are sufficient to detect the variations in ENA fluxes that are expected to accompany the solar transition into the next upwind cloud. Approximately 20% of the IBEX 1.1 keV pixels appear capable of detecting the predicted model differences at the 3σ level, with these pixels concentrated in the Ribbon region. Regardless of the detailed ENA production model, the success of the modeled B R ~ 0 directions in reproducing the Ribbon locus, together with our results, indicates that the Ribbon phenomenon traces the variations in the heliosphere distortion caused by the relative pressures of the interstellar magnetic and gaseous components.
Hypothermia and Hyperthermia in Children After Resuscitation From Cardiac Arrest

Objective. In experimental models of ischemic-anoxic brain injury, changes in body temperature after the insult have a profound influence on neurologic outcome. Specifically, hypothermia ameliorates whereas hyperthermia exacerbates neurologic injury. Accordingly, we sought to determine the temperature changes occurring in children after resuscitation from cardiac arrest. Study Design. The clinical records of 13 children resuscitated from cardiac arrest were analyzed. Patients were identified through the emergency department and pediatric intensive care unit arrest logs. Only patients surviving for ≥12 hours after resuscitation were considered for analysis. Charts were reviewed for body temperatures, warming or cooling interventions, antipyretic and antimicrobial administration, and evidence of infection. Results. Seven patients had a minimum temperature (T min) of ≤35°C and 11 had a maximum temperature (T max) of ≥38.1°C. Hypothermia often preceded hyperthermia. All 7 patients with T min ≤35°C were actively warmed with heating lamps and 5 of 7 responded to warming with a rebound of body temperatures ≥38.1°C. None of the 6 patients with T min >35°C were actively warmed but all developed T max ≥38.1°C. Six patients received antipyretics and 11 received antibiotics. Fever was not associated with a positive culture in any case. Conclusion. Spontaneous hypothermia followed by hyperthermia is common after resuscitation from cardiac arrest. Temperature should be closely monitored after cardiac arrest and fever should be managed expectantly.
Lower Extremity Fasciotomy: Indications and Technique

All clinicians caring for traumatically injured patients must be able to recognize and treat (or refer for treatment) compartment syndrome (CS) of the extremities. CS results from a number of etiologies (traumatic and non-traumatic) with the final common being ischemia and necrosis as a result of impaired arterial inflow due to increased compartmental pressures. Preventable morbidity and mortality results from failure to identify and treat CS in a timely fashion and is a common source of litigation. Successful treatment of CS requires prompt recognition and complete surgical release of the compartments involved, and requires a thorough understanding of the relevant anatomy. CS most commonly affects the lower extremity below the knee. This article will present the pathophysiology, epidemiology, diagnosis, relevant anatomy, and treatment of CS, emphasizing the proper performance of a two incision four compartment fasciotomy of the lower extremity.
Peralkylated Tetrasilanes: Conformational Dependence of the Photoelectron Spectrum

Photoelectron spectra of conformationally constrained methylated tetrasilanes 1−5 were measured, extending to the full 0−180 ° range the previously available 0−80° region of SiSiSiSi dihedral angle...
Cuticular permeability of two species of Coptotermes Wasmann (Isoptera: Rhinotermitidae)

Abstract Cuticular permeability (CP) values of worker and soldier castes of Coptotermes formosanus Shiraki and Coptotermes vastator Light were determined using gravimetric techniques. Comparisons were made between castes, species, and between colonies of C. formosanus and C. vastator . CP values did not differ among either species or colony, however they did differ between castes. Data reported here and that of established data in the literature for C. formosanus are inconsistent, with the current report having values as small as half that of previously published data. Examining mean CP data by colony indicated that there is a range for Coptotermes spp. termites, from 6.84±1.2 to 25.61±1.49 μgH 2 O cm −2 mmHg −1 h −1 dependent upon caste. A novel method of examining intercaste CP variability is the use of worker:soldier CP ratios. Ratios for C. formosanus were consistent between the current study and previous reports. Mean percentage total body water (%TBW) lost at the time of death was 33.75±1.15% (soldiers) and 54.24±1.43% (workers) for C. formosanus , and 37.69±3.31% (soldiers) and 52.87±3.65% (workers) for C. vastator . Consistently, %TBW (and fresh mass) was greater in worker than in soldier castes. These data suggest the use of water storage mechanisms in worker termites, as shown for other rhinotermitids.
Laser ablation sampling for induction coupled plasma source quadrupole mass spectrometry of Cd-Zn-Te materials

A method to measure the elemental composition of both major and minor species that is spatially resolved along and below the surface of Cd-Zn-Te (CZT) crystal specimens is described. This method uses laser ablation sampling (LAS) for material introduction into an inductively coupled plasma (ICP) source quadrupole mass spectrometer (QMS) system for subsequent elemental analysis. Mass spectra are acquired at discrete locations on the surface of each CZT specimen, mounted inside a LAS cell. This cell allows argon sweep gas to transport the ablation products into the ICP-QMS for analysis. Since three component movement of the CZT specimen surface relative to the LAS site is possible under computer control, elemental analysis at specific locations on the surface can be obtained. Additional mass spectra are obtained by repetitive LAS at progressively deeper locations beneath the surface at a fixed position, and at difference sites of interest anywhere on the surface of the CZT specimen. These spectra are analyzed to obtain the relative ionic abundances of all detectable isotopes of the major (CZT matrix) and the minor (trace) elements. From these data, the ensemble atom mass concentrations are calculated for each LAS procedure. The relative mass fraction of each element specie within a particular LAS data set is then determined by calculating the ratio of its abundance to the whole ensemble mass in that sample.
Generalized quantum spins, coherent states, and Lieb inequalities

A mathematical generalization of the concept of quantum spin is constructed in which the role of the symmetry groupO3 is replaced byOv (ν=2,3,4, ...). The notion of spin direction is replaced by a point on the manifold of oriented planes in ℝv. The theory of coherent states is developed, and it is shown that the natural generalizations of Lieb's formulae connecting quantum spins and classical configuration space hold true. This leads to the Lieb inequalities [1] and with it to the limit theorems as the quantum spinl approaches infinity. The critical step in the proofs is the validity of the appropriate generalization of the Wigner-Eckart theorem.
Thyroid receptor agonists for the treatment of androgenetic alopecia.

A thyroid hormone receptor β subtype-selective thyromimetic 5 was found to be efficacious in both mouse and monkey hair growth models after topical applications. It penetrates the skin according to the test in human cadaver skin mounted onto Franz diffusion chambers. The serum drug level of 5 is below the limit of quantification during tests in the bald stump-tailed macaques (Macaca arctoides). It is tested negative in the 3T3 neutral red uptake (NRU) phototoxicity test, indicating a low risk for causing photo-irritation. It is also rapidly metabolized according to the PK data, thus the systemic exposure is limited.
The effect of cortisone and corticotropin on the release and peripheral metabolism of thyroid hormone.

Rat thyroid glands were labelled with I131 and further uptake blocked with propylthiouracil. The effects of cortisone and corticotropin on I131 release rates were studied, each animal being used as its own control. Corticotropin, 25 or 90 units subcutaneously 12 hourly was without effect. Two and one-half milligrams of cortisone subcutaneously 12 hourly doubled the I131 release rate. This increase was also present in hypophysectomized animals. Cortisone did not influence the acceleration of “release rate” produced by thyrotropin. It was concluded that this unexpected effect of cortisone is due in part to a direct action on the thyroid. The hypophysis may also be stimulated to produce excess thyrotropin. The effects of cortisone and corticotropin, in the same doses, on peripheral degradation of thyroxine, were investigated in rats, using intravenous thyroxine I131 and frequent blood sampling over a 72-hour period. Control and experimental groups were used.
Cultural Influences on International Capital Structure

Many studies have been conducted on the impact of various factors on international capital structure. The literature still reveals disagreement on the significance of the industry and country effects in determining capital structure, and the basis of country differences. This paper presents the results of a study of the debt structure of 677 firms in 9 industries headquartered in 23 countries. The results of this study tend to agree with the hypothesis that cultural differences are correlated with the significant country and minimal industry influences which are found. Further, there appear to be some intercountry influences caused by underlying cultural patterns among groups of countries.
Configuration management with logical structures

When designing software, programmers usually think in terms of modules that are represented as functions and classes, but using existing configuration management systems, programmers have to deal with versions and configurations that are organized by files and directories. This is inconvenient and error-prone, since there is a gap between handling source code and managing configurations. We present a framework for programming environments that handles versions and configurations directly in terms of the functions and classes in source code. We show that with this framework, configuration management issues in software reuse and cooperative programming become easier. We also present a prototype environment that has been developed to verify our ideas.
Determinants of exhaled nitric oxide levels in healthy, nonsmoking African American adults.

Background Asthma is a significant cause of morbidity and mortality for African Americans. Fraction of exhaled nitric oxide (FeNO) levels are increased in patients with asthma, and airway levels of nitric oxide metabolites regulate airway inflammation and airway diameter. More needs to be known about the factors that regulate FeNO. There is a need for FeNO reference values for African Americans. Objective We sought to establish reference values and identify factors associated with FeNO levels in healthy African American adults. Methods FeNO levels were measured in 895 healthy, nonsmoking African Americans between the ages of 18 and 40 years. FeNO measurements were repeated in 84 subjects. Factors potentially associated with FeNO were measured, including blood pressure, height, weight, and serum total IgE, eosinophil cationic protein, C-reactive protein, and nitrate levels. Data on respiratory symptoms, including upper respiratory tract infection (URI) symptoms, were collected. Univariate and multivariate analyses of the relationship between these variables and FeNO levels were performed. Results In healthy, nonsmoking African Americans FeNO levels were stable during repeated measurements (intraclass correlation coefficient, 0.81). Sex ( P P P = .0002) contributed significantly to FeNO variability but together accounted for less than 50% of the variation in FeNO levels. Conclusion The high correlation between repeated measurements of FeNO and the low correlation coefficients of known factors associated with FeNO suggest that other factors might contribute substantially to variability of FeNO levels in African Americans.
Sonographic determination of first trimester umbilical cord length

Umbilical cord length was measured sonographically in 53 normal fetuses and 15 fetuses with an intrauterine demise. The age of the fetuses ranged from 6.1 weeks to 11 weeks, menstrual age. Intra- and interobserver differences in measurements were not significantly different from zero. A close linear relationship (r2 = 0.89) was found between umbilical cord length and menstrual age in the normal group. The cord lengths of 9 of 15 fetuses (60%) with an intrauterine fetal demise were more than 2 SD below the expected value for menstrual age in normal fetuses.
Progressive neuropsychiatric and brain abnormalities after smoke inhalation.

A 46-year-old man inhaled combustible smoke of unknown chemical composition for 15–20 min in an automobile body shop. Within 1 month, he noted headache, sadness, anergia, anhedonia, agitation, poor sleep and impairment of concentration, attention and learning skills. Three years later, mental status examination showed major depression and cognitive disorder manifested by apprehension, continuous sadness, agitation, exhaustion, difficulty with word finding, bradyphrenia, short-term and long-term memory impairment, and judgement impaired by impulsive and affect-laden reactions without reflection. Impairments were noted on neuropsychiatric tests, and positron emission tomography (PET) scan of the brain with 18F-fluorodeoxyglucose showed globally decreased and heterogeneous metabolic activity in the entire brain. Treatment included sertraline, methylphenidate, valproic acid and topiramate. At 14 years after smoke inhalation injury, he had persistent cognitive impairment. Repeat brain PET scan showed areas of improvement and deterioration. This case shows long-term brain and psychiatric dysfunction resulting after toxic smoke inhalation, with some areas of the brain having progressive deterioration between years 3 and 14 after smoke inhalation.
Aperture averaging of optical scintillations in the turbulent atmosphere

We have developed approximate expressions for the aperture-averaging factor of optical scintillation in the turbulent atmosphere. For large apertures and weak path-integrated turbulence with a small inner scale, the variance of signal fluctuations is proportional to the -7/3 power of the ratio of the aperture diameter to the Fresnel zone size. If the inner scale is large, the variance is proportional to the -7/3 power of the ratio of the aperture diameter to the inner scale. In strong path-integrated turbulence, two scales develop. That portion of the variance associated with the smaller scale is proportional to the -2 power of the ratio of the aperture diameter to the phase coherence length. That portion of the variance associated with the larger scale is proportional to the -7/3 power of the ratio of the aperture diameter to the scattering disk. These simple approximations are within a factor of 2 of the measurements.
Transient heat conduction during quenching of downward facing copper and stainless steel convex surfaces

Abstract Quenching experiments were performed to determine the effect of watt material properties on pool boiling heat transfer for downward facing convex surfaces( radius of curvature 218.5 mm) in saturated water. Experiments employed 303e-type stainless steel and copper test sections having identical dimensions ( 75 mm in diameter and 20 mm thick). Pool boiling curves were constructed on the basis of two-dimensional numerical solution of transient heat conduction in spherical coordinates( r, 9) in test sections during quenching. The measured temperature histories at nine interior locations near the boiling surface ( ∼0.5 mm) provided a time-dependent boundary condition for the numerical solution. To ensure stability and reduce both computer storage and execution time, the numerical solution used the alternating direction implicit ( ADD method with control volume representations. A sensitivity analysis was conducted to assess the effect of grid size on computation time as well as the accuracy of calculat...
Are There Two Different Geometric Isomers of the O=C=N=C=O Cation?

Re-examination of the O=C=N=C=O + cation reported previously by Eberlin et al. ( J. Chem. Soc., Perkin Trans. 2 1997 , 2347) yielded a single local minimum for the C 2v bent structure ( 1a ). The D ∞h linear structure ( 1b ) reported previously as a local minimum was found to be a second-order stationary point that, upon slight geometry perturbation, collapsed to a C 2v transition state ( 1c ) for degenerate inversion of the N-C-N angle in 1a . The ion enthalpy of formation was obtained from the enthalpies of three reactions as ∆ H f,298 ( 1a ) = 718 ± 6 kJ mol -1 .
Absorption and elimination of14C-alpha- andgamma-chlordane by a freshwater alga, daphnid, and goldfish

The bioconcentration of chlordanes by fresh water food chain organisms gave values of 5,560 for algae, 24,000 for daphnids, and 162 for goldfish. The transfer of preexposed daphnids and goldfish to insecticide-free water resulted in up to 90% elimination of the absorbed/adsorbed dose in 7 and 11 days, respectively. Tissue distribution of chlordane suggests that the biliary pathway of excretion, along with elimination through the gill, kidney, and feces, may be important in the elimination of lipophilic hydrocarbons by fish.
Learning of monotonic and nonmonotonic sequences in domesticated horses (Equus callabus) and chickens (Gallus domesticus)

Abstract Hulse and Dorsky (1977, 1979) found that rats, like humans, learn sequences following a simple rule-based structure more quickly than those lacking a rule-based structure. Through two experiments, we explored whether two additional species—domesticated horses ( Equus callabus ) and chickens ( Gallus domesticus )—would show this same propensity. In both experiments, subjects encountered either a structured or unstructured sequence of food quantities in a runway paradigm. In both experiments, subjects exposed to structured patterns of food quantities learned to track sequences of food quantities more efficiently than those exposed to patterns lacking such structure by running fast for large food quantities and slowly for small food quantities. These results provide evidence that horses and chickens track simple sequences similarly to humans and rats.
Spin-Wave Excitations and Perpendicular Susceptibility of a Diluted Antiferromagnet Near Percolation Threshold

The long-wavelength excitations of a diluted antiferromagnet near the percolation threshold p c are studied. Within the hydrodynamic theory, the excitation frequency depends on two parameters, A and χ t . A is the stiffness associated with the spatial variation in the staggered magnetization and χ t is the perpendicular susceptibility in the ordered state of the antiferromagnet. The critical behavior of A near p c is known. We develop a field-theoretic formalism to calculate χ t . We ex- plicitly calculate χ t in the mean-field approximation and find that it diverges as ||ln(p-p c )||, as the concentration p approaches p c . Some further scaling arguments yield a scaling relation relating the divergence exponent of χ t with other known exponents at the percolation critical point.
The Global Justice Movement and Occupy Wall Street: spillover, spillout, or coalescence?

This article argues that a symbiotic coalescence has emerged between the Global Justice Movement (GJM) and Occupy Wall Street (OWS), rather than a spillover or spillout from the GJM to OWS. News coverage concerning GJM and OWS protests and interviews with scholars who have studied or participated in these movements are used to explore overlapping actors, frames, targets, and tactical repertoires as well as dynamics in protest mobilization levels. I conclude that a symbiotic coalescence emerged between the GJM and OWS. Although the coalescence was mutually beneficial to both movements, OWS benefited more from these cross-movement ties than the GJM. Further, the demobilization of the GJM preceded the onset of OWS. The findings are consistent with coalescence arguments and inconsistent with spillover or spillout arguments. OWS continues to maintain a largely untapped network of participants, which can be remobilized at politically opportune moments for new waves of social justice activism.
Evaluation and optimization of electron capture dissociation efficiency in fourier transform ion cyclotron resonance mass spectrometry.

Electron capture dissociation (ECD) efficiency has typically been lower than for other dissociation techniques. Here we characterize experimental factors that limit ECD and seek to improve its efficiency. Efficiency of precursor to product ion conversion was measured for a range of peptide (∼15% efficiency) and protein (∼33% efficiency) ions of differing sizes and charge states. Conversion of precursor ions to products depends on electron irradiation period and maximizes at ∼5–30 ms. The optimal irradiation period scales inversely with charge state. We demonstrate that reflection of electrons through the ICR cell is more efficient and robust than a single pass, because electrons can cool to the optimal energy for capture, which allows for a wide range of initial electron energy. Further, efficient ECD with reflected electrons requires only a short (∼500 µs) irradiation period followed by an appropriate delay for cooling and interaction. Reflection of the electron beam results in electrons trapped in or near the ICR cell and thus requires a brief (∼50 µs) purge for successful mass spectral acquisition. Further electron irradiation of refractory precursor ions did not result in further dissociation. Possibly the ion cloud and electron beam are misaligned radially, or the electron beam diameter may be smaller than that of the ion cloud such that remaining precursor ions do not overlap with the electron beam. Several ion manipulation techniques and use of a large, movable dispenser cathode reduce the possibility that misalignment of the ion and electron beams limits ECD efficiency.
Design and Fabrication of Thermo-Optic Tunable Guided-Mode Resonance Filters

A novel thermo-optic tunable guided-mode resonance filter is designed and fabricated. The fabricated filter has a spectral width of 12 nm, tuning range of 15 nm, and tuning efficiency of 0.15 nm per degree Celsius.
Optical SETI and the Arecibo myth

One of the arguments frequently made against conducting an optical search for extra-terrestrial intelligence deals with the propagation range limitations of optical signals. Examples abound, dating back to the Cyclops report, which show microwave signals to be easily capable of trans-Galactic communications, whereas optical signals reputedly are not. Could proponents of microwave SETI have perhaps overstated the capabilities of their systems, and unwittingly stifled the development of optical techniques in the process? The author, a strong supporter of microwave SETI, concedes the possibility. He reviews the assertion that Arecibo (Earth's largest radiotelescope) would be able to detect its theoretical twin across the Galaxy. This paper challenges the veracity of that widely held belief, through detailed range calculations. It traces the propagation of what the author calls the Arecibo Myth, and explores its impact upon public perceptions as to the validity of SETI acitivites in general, and optical SETI in particular.© (1996) COPYRIGHT SPIE--The International Society for Optical Engineering. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.