cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Aging and surface instability in high-Tc superconductors

Low-frequency surface degradation studies of the YBa2Cu3O7-x (123) and Bi-Sr-Ca-Cu-O superconducting ceramics have been performed in N2, Ar2, O2, wet and dry air. The time dependence of the surface impedance of both 123 and Bi-Sr-Ca-Cu- O bulk ceramics are measured from 100 Hz to 20 kHz at room temperatures and pressures. In humid environments the rate of degradation of 123 is dependent on the humidity and appears to be unaffected by the carrier gas. The surface impedance change due to humidity follows a power law and does not appear to saturate at a final value. In an environment without water present, the surface impedance of 123 follows an exponential curve of the form 1+e-at, where a is approximately 150 sec. This implies that the surface of the ceramic is relatively stationary and that it is losing oxygen. This oxygen loss converts the surface from a highly conductive state to an insulating state. This is supported by ESCA analysis of the exposed surface and freshly abraded or broken sample's interiors. In the ESCA spectra of the exposed surface there is a lack of Cu-O bond peaks; in the center of the same sample the Cu-O peaks are present. For the 2223 material there is an aging effect similar to the 1+e-at aging in 123 in inert and dry environments. The time constant for 2223 aging is 120-150 sec. Once again this is interpreted to imply the formation of a less conductive (nonsuperconductive) surface layer on the 2223. The precise mechanism and products of this decay are as yet unknown. In stark contrast with the results obtained on 123, there is no drastic difference between humid and dry inert environment surface impedance vs. time runs for 2223. This implies that 2223 is relatively nonreactive with respect to water.© (1991) COPYRIGHT SPIE--The International Society for Optical Engineering. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.
Private Neighborhoods and the Transformation of Local Government by Robert H. Nelson

Robert H. Nelson, Private Neighborhoods and the Transformation of Local Government (Washington, DC: Urban Institute Press, 2005).For years, the study of local government has been a sideshow of impo...
Comparison of Cartesian Grid Configurations for Application of the Finite-Difference Time-Domain Method to Electromagnetic Scattering by Dielectric Particles

Two grid configurations can be employed to implement the finite-difference time-domain (FDTD) technique in a Cartesian system. One configuration defines the electric and magnetic field components at the cell edges and cell-face centers, respectively, whereas the other reverses these definitions. These two grid configurations differ in terms of implication on the electromagnetic boundary conditions if the scatterer in the FDTD computation is a dielectric particle. The permittivity has an abrupt transition at the cell interface if the dielectric properties of two adjacent cells are not identical. Similarly, the discontinuity of permittivity is also observed at the edges of neighboring cells that are different in terms of their dielectric constants. We present two FDTD schemes for light scattering by dielectric particles to overcome the above-mentioned discontinuity on the basis of the electromagnetic boundary conditions for the two Cartesian grid configurations. We also present an empirical approach to accelerate the convergence of the discrete Fourier transform to obtain the field values in the frequency domain. As a new application of the FDTD method, we investigate the scattering properties of multibranched bullet-rosette ice crystals at both visible and thermal infrared wavelengths.
Origin of Maize

THERE have been three general theories regarding the origin of maize: (1) that it originated from pod-corn, Zea mays tunicata, which differs from normal maize primarily by a single dominant gene governing the development of a brittle, disarticulating rachis and the production of prominent glumes enclosing the seeds; (2) that maize originated from teosinte, Euchlaena mexicana, a wild grass native to Guatemala and Mexico, by direct selection, by large-scale mutations or by the hybridization of Euchlaena with a grass now unknown; (3) that Zea, Euchlaena and Tripsacum, the three American Maydeae, have descended along divergent and independent lines from a remote common ancestor.
X-ray evidence of direct generation of nonequilibrium phonons in quartz by infrared radiation

Direct electromagnetic stimulation of transverse-optical phonons in quartz has been accomplished by irradiation with a ${\mathrm{CO}}_{2}$ laser, and experimentally observed through enhancement of x-ray diffuse scattering due to zone-center and zone-boundary phonons.
Neuromagnetic studies of the lip area of primary somatosensory cortex in humans: evidence for an oscillotopic organization.

Magnetic trigeminal somatosensory responses from human subjects were recorded using a 14-channel magnetoencephalographic system. Sensory stimuli comprising a 15-ms vibration at frequencies of 50 Hz, 150 Hz and 250 Hz were given at randomized interstimulus intervals. Using a single dipole model, the neuronal sources of the evoked responses were determined, and mapped onto magnetic resonance images of each subject. Source localization analysis was based on the main peak of the averaged signal (M55). All of the sources were located deep in the anterior bank of the postcentral gyrus, corresponding to area 3b of somatosensory cortex SI. In all cases, the source for the upper lip was significantly higher in the vertical axis (0.6–1.1 cm) than for the lower lip, while the lower lip stimulation produced a larger response than the upper lip. Furthermore, statistically significant differences were found between the locations of the dipoles evoked by different frequency stimulation. The location of the response shifted with change in stimulation frequency, showing a trend among all subjects with a medial shift between 150 and 250 Hz for both upper and lower lip. The accuracy of source localization calculated from magnetic fields ranged between ±0.9 and ±3.0 mm (SEM). These results demonstrate (1) that a large area of the somatosensory cortex is utilized for lip representation and (2) that the spatial displacement of the trigeminal somatosensory response may be related to the discrimination of frequency.
Risk of monozygotic twinning with blastocyst transfer decreases over time: an 8-year experience

Objective The purpose of our study is to compare the occurrence of monozygotic twinning (MZT) from blastocyst transfer (BT) in our program between an earlier and more recent time period. Design Retrospective. Setting Academic IVF practice. Patient(s) All pregnancies conceived between March 2002 and December 2005 (N = 932) in our program were compared to pregnancies conceived before March 2002 (N = 554), which were the subject of a previous study. Intervention(s) None. Main Outcome Measure(s) The incidence of MZT with day 3 embryo transfer and BT were compared between the study and control groups. Result(s) During the study period, the rate of MZT was not significantly different for BT at 2.3% (9/385) compared to day 3 embryo transfer at 1.8% (10/547). This rate of 2.3% for BT was significantly lower than the rate of 5.6% (11/197) reported at our institution for BT before March 2002. Conclusion(s) Our study suggests that the risk of MZT with BT is significantly lower in the more recent time period and is in the range of what is seen with cleavage stage transfer. It is likely that improvements in culture systems as experience is gained with BT played a role.
Power optimal capacitor charging to illustrate a method for identifying microgrid renewable source characteristics

Developing requirements for renewable power sources that are able to meet specified load needs is the motivation for this work. The approach used here is to formulate energy storage as an optimal control problem. Alternative objective functions are applied to a tutorial LC circuit yielding insight into the relationship between the supply characteristics and the rate of storage. Given a specified storage target and time, several objective functions are considered. These are used to form a spectrum of voltage source time histories that minimize the objective functions while achieving the storage target. Although the system being considered is linear, the complexity of the solutions arises due to the nonlinearity of the objective functions employed. The resulting source characteristics provide insight into desirable renewable source characteristics. More importantly, this work describes a methodology for addressing more complex renewable integration designs using an optimal control approach.
The Effects of Climate Change on Water Resources in the West: Introduction and Overview

The results of an experimental 'end to end' assessment of the effects of climate change on water resources in the western United States are described. The assessment focuses on the potential effects of climate change over the first half of the 21st century on the Columbia, Sacramento/San Joaquin, and Colorado river basins. The paper describes the methodology used for the assessment, and it summarizes the principal findings of the study. The strengths and weaknesses of this study are discussed, and suggestions are made for improving future climate change assessments. In the summer of 2000, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) funded a project to perform an experimental 'end-to-end' assessment of the effects of climate change on the western United States. The project was intended both to demonstrate and test a methodology for performing quantitative assessments of climate-driven environ- mental impacts. A second objective was to provide useful information to regional, state, and local decision-makers, whose job it will be to deal with the conflict- ing demands that climate change, population increases, and economic growth will place on the water resources of the West. The third objective was to demonstrate the potential value of an Accelerated Climate Prediction Initiative (ACPI). The ACPI was a DOE initiative to accelerate the development, improvement, and application of U.S. climate models and to provide the advanced computational facilities that would be needed to carry out this work. Although the ACPI was not funded, some of its spirit lives on in various DOE and other federal agency projects and programs designed to advance 'ultra-scale' computing and the science of climate simulation. In this volume, we hope to demonstrate what can be achieved if a highly qualified group of scientists are brought together, under relatively light management reins, to take an in-depth look at how future climate change might affect issues of real importance to the citizens of the United States. Other assessments have been made of the potential effects of climate change on the West (National Assessment Report, 2000), but this current work differs from previous assessments in important ways. The principal differences are as follows:
External validation of Global Evaluative Assessment of Robotic Skills (GEARS).

We demonstrate the construct validity, reliability, and utility of Global Evaluative Assessment of Robotic Skills (GEARS), a clinical assessment tool designed to measure robotic technical skills, in an independent cohort using an in vivo animal training model. Using a cross-sectional observational study design, 47 voluntary participants were categorized as experts (>30 robotic cases completed as primary surgeon) or trainees. The trainee group was further divided into intermediates (≥5 but ≤30 cases) or novices (<5 cases). All participants completed a standardized in vivo robotic task in a porcine model. Task performance was evaluated by two expert robotic surgeons and self-assessed by the participants using the GEARS assessment tool. Kruskal–Wallis test was used to compare the GEARS performance scores to determine construct validity; Spearman’s rank correlation measured interobserver reliability; and Cronbach’s alpha was used to assess internal consistency. Performance evaluations were completed on nine experts and 38 trainees (14 intermediate, 24 novice). Experts demonstrated superior performance compared to intermediates and novices overall and in all individual domains (p < 0.0001). In comparing intermediates and novices, the overall performance difference trended toward significance (p = 0.0505), while the individual domains of efficiency and autonomy were significantly different between groups (p = 0.0280 and 0.0425, respectively). Interobserver reliability between expert ratings was confirmed with a strong correlation observed (r = 0.857, 95 % CI [0.691, 0.941]). Experts and participant scoring showed less agreement (r = 0.435, 95 % CI [0.121, 0.689] and r = 0.422, 95 % CI [0.081, 0.0672]). Internal consistency was excellent for experts and participants (α = 0.96, 0.98, 0.93). In an independent cohort, GEARS was able to differentiate between different robotic skill levels, demonstrating excellent construct validity. As a standardized assessment tool, GEARS maintained consistency and reliability for an in vivo robotic surgical task and may be applied for skills evaluation in a broad range of robotic procedures.
Diminished contractile response to increased heart rate in intact human left ventricular hypertrophy. Systolic versus diastolic determinants.

BACKGROUNDExperimental studies indicate that in addition to diastolic dysfunction, hypertrophied myocardium can display depressed contractile responses, particularly at rapid heart rates, compounding reserve limitations. This study tests whether such abnormalities exist in intact human subjects at physiological paced rates and, if so, whether they are linked to simultaneous rate-dependent deterioration in diastolic function.METHODS AND RESULTSTen subjects with left ventricular hypertrophy (LVH) and 8 normal control subjects were studied. Most LVH patients presented with dyspnea and/or pulmonary edema and had concentric hypertrophy. Since rapid pacing simultaneously alters cardiac filling volumes and pressures, pressure-volume relation analysis was used to better define changes in contractile response. Patients were instrumented with a conductance catheter and micromanometer for pressure-volume data recording and a balloon occluder at the right atrial-inferior vena caval junction to vary filling and thus g...
Predictive Value of sGaw, FEF25 − 75, and FEV1 for Development of Asthma after a Negative Methacholine Challenge Test

Background. A 20% change in forced expiratory volume in 1 second (FEV1) during methacholine challenge testing (MCT) is a reliable marker of asthma. When the FEV1 decrease is < 20%, there is controversy whether other changes in flows and conductance may be useful. We conducted this study to determine whether changes in sGaw, FEF25 − 75, and FEV1 in a negative MCT could predict future occurrence of asthma over a 3-year period. Methods. A total of 100 consecutive patients with clinical suspicion of asthma but who had a negative MCT per ATS FEV1 criteria (< 20% FEV1 decline at 16 mg/mL of methacholine) performed by the 5-breath dosimeter method were analyzed. Two pulmonary fellows, blinded to MCT results, reviewed the patients' medical records. Patients were classified into one of three categories: asthmatic, unclear, and not asthmatic. Decreases in sGaw, FEF25 − 75, and FEV1 in the five groups were then retrieved. Analysis of variance (ANOVA) was used for data analysis. Results. Of 100 patients, 23 were excl...
Proteomic characterization of skin and epidermis in response to environmental agents

The skin and its outer epidermis layer in particular, prevent access of various environmental agents including potential allergens, irritants, carcinogens, ultraviolet radiation and microbes. Cells in the epidermis make a significant contribution to innate as well as adaptive immune reactions in skin. The skin immunity thus provides a biologic defense in response to hazardous environmental agents. Although proteomics has been utilized to establish skin proteomes and investigate skin responses to some environmental agents, it has not been extensively used to address the complexity of skin responses to various environments. This review summarizes cutaneous genes and proteins that have been characterized as related to skin exposure to environmental agents. In parallel, this review emphasizes functional proteomics and systems biology, which are believed to be an important future direction toward characterizing the skin proteome–environmental interaction and developing successful therapeutic strategies for ski...
The Ecology of Power: Culture, Place, and Personhood in the Southern Amazon, A.D. 1000–2000

The Ecology of Power: Culture, Place, and Personhood in the Southern Amazon, A.D. 1000–2000. Michael J. Heckenberger. New York: Routledge, 2005. 404 pp.
Regulated Translation Initiation Controls Stress-Induced Gene Expression in Mammalian Cells

Protein kinases that phosphorylate the alpha subunit of eukaryotic initiation factor 2 (eIF2alpha) are activated in stressed cells and negatively regulate protein synthesis. Phenotypic analysis of targeted mutations in murine cells reveals a novel role for eIF2alpha kinases in regulating gene expression in the unfolded protein response (UPR) and in amino acid starved cells. When activated by their cognate upstream stress signals, the mammalian eIF2 kinases PERK and GCN2 repress translation of most mRNAs but selectively increase translation of Activating Transcription Factor 4 (ATF4), resulting in the induction of the downstream gene CHOP (GADD153). This is the first example of a mammalian signaling pathway homologous to the well studied yeast general control response in which eIF2alpha phosphorylation activates genes involved in amino acid biosynthesis. Mammalian cells thus utilize an ancient pathway to regulate gene expression in response to diverse stress signals.
Propagation of Uncertainty in Substructured Spacecraft Using Frequency Response

In many situations, it is either impossible to perform a spacecraft system level vibration test, or it is highly desirable to avoid one to conserve time and resources. If modeling and analysis are to replace system tests, it is imperative to have confidence in the results. Therefore, a probabilistic system correlation analysis must be performed by quantifying uncertainty in the substructures, and then propagating it into the system correlation metrics. A systematic procedure is presented for studying the effects of substructure uncertainty on system test-analysis correlation of spacecraft that are validated on a substructure-by-substructure basis. Covariance propagation is used to propagate uncertainty in a free-interface substructure frequency response into the expected frequency response uncertainty for the system using a component mode synthesis approach. The frequency response-based procedure is of special interest in systems with high-modal density, where modal correlation methods do not work. A simp...
REDUCTION AND REOXIDATION OF NONTRONITE: EXTENT OF REDUCTION AND REACTION RATES

The reduction and reoxidation of three nontronite samples, GAN (API H-33a, Garfield, Washington), SWa-1 (ferruginous Washington smectite), and NG-1 (Hohen Hagen, Federal Republic of Germany) were studied with visible absorption and Mossbauer spectroscopy. The intensity of the intervalence electron transfer (IT) band at 730 nm in these nontronites was monitored during reduction and reoxidation at 277, 294, and 348 K. The results showed that the intensity of the band followed the number of Fe(II)-O-Fe(III) groups in the clay crystal, increasing to a maximum at about Fe(II): total Fe = 0.4; upon complete reduction, the band decreased to about the intensity of the unaltered, oxidized sample. With reoxidation of the sample with O2, the intensity of the band increased sharply, followed by a gradual decay back to the original, oxidized intensity. The ultimate level of Fe reduction achieved was at least 92%. Concomitantly, the color changed from yellow through green, blue-green, dark blue, light blue, and light gray as the Fe(II) content increased. The GAN nontronite was more difficult to reduce than the SWa-1 or NG-1 samples. The rate and level of reduction increased with the amount of reducing agent added.
A Depth-Derived Pleistocene Age-Model: Uncertainty Estimates, Sedimentation Variability, and Nonlinear Climate Change

[1] A new chronology of glaciation, spanning the last 780,000 years, is estimated from 21 marine sediment cores using depth as a proxy for time. To avoid biasing this “depth-derived” age estimate, the depth scale is first corrected for the effects of sediment compaction. To provide age uncertainty estimates, the spatial and temporal variability of marine sediment accumulation rates are estimated and modeled as an autocorrelated stochastic process. Depth-derived ages are estimated to be accurate to within ±9000 years, and within this uncertainty are consistent with the orbitally tuned age estimates. Nonetheless, the remaining differences between the depth and orbitally tuned chronologies produce important differences in the spectral domain. From the δ18O record, using the depth-derived ages, we infer that there are weak nonlinearities involving the 100 kyr and obliquity frequency bands which generate interaction bands at sum and difference frequencies. If an orbitally tuned age model is instead applied, these interactions are suppressed, with the system appearing more nearly linear.
Shape recognition by using a scale-invariant model

The recognition of unknown shapes by maximum-likelihood methods is considered. The contour of a shape is represented by its centroidal profile, and it is fitted by a circular autoregressive model. Two different shape recognition problems are considered: the decision on the similarity of two unknown shapes and the classification of an unknown shape as one of many known shapes. Maximum-likelihood decision rules for these two cases are derived. The decision rules are invariant to translation, rotation, and size change after normalizing the estimates. The developed algorithms are used to classify eight classes of machine parts and eight classes of aircraft shapes. For each class, 60-80 samples are generated by rotating and dilating the original shape. In the experiment, more than 98% of the machine parts are classified correctly, and more than 97% of the aircraft shapes are correctly classified. This result is better than the results of previous model-based approaches. >
Cerebral response to auditory oddball task using multi-distance near-infrared spectroscopy

Multi-distance near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) was used to map the brain functional response to an auditory oddball task. Activation patterns (increase in oxy-hemoglobin, decrease in deoxy-hemoglobin) were observed at both sides of the frontal lobe.
Lung cancer screening as a teachable moment for smoking cessation.

Summary Background Lung cancer screening may serve as a ‘teachable moment’ for smoking cessation, a brief period in which motivation to stop smoking is enhanced. Within the context of two NCI-funded randomized lung screening trials, we conducted an ancillary study to explore the impact of screening on smoking cessation and readiness to stop smoking. Methods We accrued a sample of current and former smokers participating at the Georgetown University site of the Lung Screening Study (LSS; N = 144) and of the National Lung Screening Trial (NLST; N = 169). In each sample, we assessed reasons for trial participation, interest in smoking cessation interventions, motivations for stopping smoking, and the impact of undergoing screening on tobacco use and readiness to stop smoking. Telephone interviews were conducted prior to screening, and 1-month following receipt of the screening result. The samples were analyzed separately due to differences in age and level of nicotine dependence. Results The majority of the findings were consistent across the two samples. Frequently endorsed reasons for trial participation among both current and former smokers included psychological reasons (e.g., wanting peace of mind about lung cancer) and altruism (e.g., wanting to make a contribution to science). Nicotine replacement therapy and free counseling were the cessation methods that were of most interest, and fear of lung health problems was the most frequently endorsed motivation for quitting smoking. Regarding readiness to stop smoking, approximately 20% were ready to stop in the next 30 days, 45% were ready to stop in the next 6 months, while 35% were not thinking of stopping. At the follow-up, 7% of current smokers at baseline reported abstinence, and 4% of former smokers at baseline reported having relapsed. The findings differed across the two samples when considering the readiness to quit outcome. At the 1-month follow-up of the NLST sample, participants became more ready to stop smoking (p Conclusions The current findings demonstrated the feasibility of enrolling lung screening participants into a smoking-related research study, as well as the high level of interest in stopping smoking and in smoking cessation interventions. These data indicate that lung cancer screening may serve as a teachable moment for smoking cessation, and suggest that a smoking cessation trial within the context of lung cancer screening is feasible.
Two-level logic minimization for low power

Abstract: We study the problem of two-level logic minimization for low power in static CMOS circuits. We start by defining Power Prime Implicants (PPIs) which identify the set of all implicants that are sufficient and necessary for obtaining a minimum power solution. We then provide an efficient algorithm for generating the set of all PPIs of a function. The set of all PPIs is then used in a minimum covering problem to find the best power solution. The feasibility of generating the set of all PPIs and the increased complexity of solving the minimum covering problem are analyzed by deriving an upper bound on the expected number of PPIs which shows it to be linearly proportional to the number of prime implicants of the function. The results of our experiments are then used to draw conclusions on the effectiveness of low power two-level logic minimization.
LISSA — Live Interactive Social Skill Assistance

We present LISSA — Live Interactive Social Skill Assistance — a web-based system that helps people practice their conversational skills by having short conversations with a human like virtual agent and receiving real-time feedback on their nonverbal behavior. In this paper, we describe the development of an interface for these features and examine the viability of real time feedback using a Wizard of Oz prototype. We then evaluated our system using a speed-dating study design. We invited 47 undergraduate male students to interact with staff and randomly assigned them to intervention with LISSA or a self-help control group. Results suggested participants who practiced with the LISSA system were rated as significantly better in nodding when compared to a self-help control group and marginally better in eye contact and gesturing. The system usability and surveys showed that participants found the feedback provided by the system useful, unobtrusive, and easy to understand.
Confronting Students: Evaluation in the Process of Mentoring Student Professional Development

Concerned that externship and other clinical students were not always aware of their supervising attorneys' views of the students' progress, the authors examined the process of evaluation in the process of mentoring student professional development, attempting, as well, to define the qualities being evaluated, and to include the views of the supervising attorneys and judges. They critique the process of professional development mentoring of students in clinical experiences and recommend ways to improve communication in that process.
CO2 Gasification Rates of Petroleum Coke in a Pressurized Flat-Flame Burner Entrained-Flow Reactor

Two petcoke samples were gasified by CO2 at total pressures of 10 and 15 atm in a high-pressure flat-flame burner reactor at conditions where the bulk phase consisted of either 40 or 90 mol % CO2 with gas temperatures up to 1909 K. Particle diameters of 45–75 μm were used in the experiments. The morphology of the two petroleum coke chars was drastically different and evaluated using scanning electron microscopy images of the chars. The mass release data caused by CO2 gasification of the petcoke chars were fit to a global first-order model, and the optimal kinetic parameters are reported. The CO2 char gasification rates of both petcokes were shown to be higher than Illinois #6 coal when reacted at conditions of high temperature and pressure, even though most reactivity comparisons between petcoke and coal at lower temperature, pressure, and heating rates typically result in coal being more reactive.
The volume distribution of human lymphocytes.

SummaryHuman lymphocytes were separated on glass bead columns and measured electronically for cell volume distribution. Cells from healthy subjects have a modal volume of about 250 μ3, and a mean cell volume around 250 μ3. Skewness of the right limb of the volume distribution curve suggests a second population of large cells. Acute lymphocytic leukemia patients in relapse demonstrate true bimodality, while those in remission do not. Data are presented to suggest that lymphocytes which appear to be large on stained slide preparations may be merely more distensible cells of average volume.
Multiparametric continuous monitoring of brain metabolism and substrate delivery in neurosurgical patients

Brain function and tissue integrity are highly dependent on continuous oxygen supply and clearance of CO2. Aerobic metabolism is the major energy source to normal brain, however, during hypoxia and ischemia, lactate accumulation may sometimes be seen, indicating anaerobic glycolysis after severe head injury. Current monitoring techniques often fail to detect such events which can affect substrate delivery to the injured brain. We have recently adapted a method for continuous monitoring of brain tissue pO2, pCO2, pH and temperature, using a single sensor. The multiparameter sensor is inserted into brain tissue, via a new three lumen bolt, together with a standard ventriculostomy catheter and a microdialysis probe. The system has been left in place as long as needed, but never more than 7 days. All readings were compared to clinical parameters, and outcome. Stable measurements could be obtained in the first group of 20 patients, after calibration and rigid fixation, using the new bolt. Severely head injured patients had brain oxygen levels of less than 25-30 mmHg for the first hours after injury. Thereafter two patterns could be seen. Patients with favorable outcome had a slow increase in brain oxygen, and brain CO2 decreased to normal values, as long as the cerebral perfusion pressure (CPP) was kept above 70 mmHg. However, in those patients with secondary ischemic events, and bad outcome, a further decline in brain oxygen to anaerobic levels (< 20 mmHg) was seen. For these patients, both decreased and increased brain CO2 levels could be seen. Brain CO2 levels of 90-150 mmHg were consistently seen after brain death. Brain pH was inversely related to brain CO2 for all patients. Brain glucose and lactate in patients with poor outcome were 639 microM l-1 +/- 330, and 1642 microM l-1 +/- 788, whereas patients with good outcome had brain glucose levels of 808 microM l-1 +/- 321 and lactate levels of 1001 microM l-1 +/- 417. Extended neuromonitoring using a combined sensor for brain oxygen, CO2, pH and temperature measurements, as well as a microdialysis probe for glucose and lactate analysis may optimize the management of comatose neurosurgical patients in the future, by allowing a fuller understanding of dynamic factors affecting brain metabolism.
Gender, crisis and the welfare state: Female labor market outcomes across OECD countries

The 2008 global economic crisis has had profound social and economic consequences across states. In addition to cross-national social and economic disparities, the crisis generated increased domestic divisions between labor market insider and outsider groups. This article analyzes the impact of the global economic crisis on female workers across advanced welfare states. While considerable attention has been given to the impact of the Great Recession on financial markets and employment sectors, we argue that the crisis had an important gendered effect across advanced capitalist states that remains significantly underexplored. In particular, we examine the divergent ways in which distinct welfare systems and their cultural underpinnings shape labor market access and levels of social protection for women. In this endeavor, we integrate literature on welfare systems, feminist political economy and financial crisis to examine the relationship between social protection structures, cultural legacies and gender inequalities – which manifests most strongly during times of economic crisis. Our hierarchical panel model of 28 countries across 7 years is supplemented by cultural and survey data. Our findings not only give an important analysis of an understudied aspect of the global economic crisis, but also provide policy implications for more gender-conscious crisis management responses going forward.
Ancestral Pueblo Settlement Dynamics: Landscape, Scale, and Context in the Burnt Corn Community

ABSTRACTArchaeologists addressing issues of settlement dynamics in the Pre-Columbian American Southwest are turning to new strategies of landscape analysis. Flexible scale, an inclusive perspective on the archaeological record, and an interest in establishing the cultural context within which such processes as aggregation and abandonment occurred are all hallmarks of this approach. Examination of the Burnt Corn community landscape, a late-13th century A.D. settlement in the western Galisteo Basin of New Mexico, indicates that settlement dynamics look quite different at multiple scales. Functional, economic explanations of these patterns are less satisfactory than those rooted in Pueblo tradition. The image of Ancestral Pueblo settlement that emerges is one in which the daily lives of local people were structured by a landscape of historical and cultural meaning.
Management of Declining Groundwater Resources and the Role of Policy Planning in Semi-Arid Economies: The Case of Texas High Plains

Recent decades have witnessed the expansion of irrigated agriculture in some of the most productive semi-arid economies in the world, such as the Texas High Plains. Interest in groundwater management continues to increase due to the excessive depletion of groundwater, which is the primary source of fresh water supply in these economies that critically depend on irrigated agriculture. In addition, the uncertainties posed through extreme climatic events such as drought exacerbate the challenge of managing this scarce yet vital resource. This chapter describes the problem of declining groundwater resources in a semi-arid economy exemplified by the Texas High Plains, discusses the management approach of water use restriction to handle the ever increasing demand for agricultural production with a limited supply in hand, and outlines the role of policy planning in groundwater management. For a semi-arid economy such as the Texas High Plains that is largely dependent on groundwater resources, an effective partnership between groundwater management bodies and local producers is an important step in planning towards the long term objective of ensuring adequate groundwater availability in the future.
Dynamic convexification within nested Benders decomposition using Lagrangian relaxation: An application to the strategic bidding problem

Abstract Many decomposition algorithms like Benders decomposition and stochastic dual dynamic programming are limited to convex optimization problems. In this paper, we utilize a dynamic convexification method that makes use of Lagrangian relaxation to overcome this limitation and enables the modeling of non-convex multi-stage problems using decomposition algorithms. Though the algorithm is confined by the duality gap of the problem being studied, the computed upper bounds (for maximization problems) are at least as good as those found via a linear programming relaxation approach. We apply the method to the strategic bidding problem for a hydroelectric producer, in which we ask: What is the revenue-maximizing production schedule for a single price-maker hydroelectric producer in a deregulated, bid-based market? Because the price-maker’s future revenue function has a sawtooth shape, we model it using mixed-integer linear programming. To remedy the non-concavity issues associated with modeling the future revenue function as a mixed-integer linear program, we model the price-maker’s bidding decision utilizing both Benders decomposition and Lagrangian relaxation. We demonstrate the utility of our algorithm through an illustrative example and through three case studies in which we model electricity markets in El Salvador, Honduras, and Nicaragua.
Effects of pentachlorophenol and dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane on secretion of interferon gamma (IFNγ) and tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNFα) from human immune cells.

AbstractPentachlorophenol (PCP) and dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane (DDT) are pesticides that have been widely used and significantly contaminate the environment. Both are found in human blood and have been shown to alter the lytic and binding function of human natural killer (NK) cells. Interferon gamma (IFNγ) and tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNFα) are pro-inflammatory cytokines, which regulate immune responsiveness to pathogens and tumors. Their levels require very tight control to prevent loss of immune competence or excessive inflammation. Here, we examined the capacity of PCP and DDT to alter the secretion of these critical pro-inflammatory cytokines from increasingly reconstituted (more complex) preparations of human immune cells which included NK cells, monocyte-depleted (MD) peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) (a preparation that is predominantly lymphocytes) and PBMCs (a preparation containing lymphocytes and monocytes). Results indicated that exposure to PCP decreased IFNγ secretion at th...
Der Streuquerschnitt bei der Beugung einer ebenen Welle an einem unendlich langen metallischen Streifen und am unendlich langen Spalt

Ein dem vorangehenden Beispiel der Beugung am Kreiszylinder verwandtes Problem ist die Beugung an einem metallischen unendlich ausgedehnten Streifen. Wir wollen fur den senkrechten Einfall einer ebenen Welle auf einen solchen Streifen eine stationare Darstellung fur σ∥ formulieren, d. h. fur den Fall, das der elektrische Feldvektor parallel zur Streifenachse polarisiert ist. Das zugrunde gelegte Koordinatensystem zeigt Fig. 9.1. Die ebene Welle falle in der positiven x-Richtung ein; der Streifen von der Breite 2a liege in der y, z-Ebene an der Stelle x=0. Das elektrische Feld E y der einfallenden Welle sei gegeben durch $$ E_y^i = {e^{ikx}}, $$ (9.1) d. h. wir normieren die Amplitude von E i zu Eins. Das zugehorige magnetische Feld ist gegeben durch $$ E_z^i = \frac{1}{{{Z_0}}}{e^{ikx}} $$ (9.2) .
Anti-antimicrobial Approaches to Device-Based Infections

Biofilms cause a significant amount of all human microbial infections. Nosocomial infections are the fourth leading cause of death in the United States with ~60% of these infections being biofilms associated with some type of implanted medical device. Biofilms have profound implications for the patient, because microbes growing within biofilms are significantly less susceptible to antibiotics and host defenses than are their planktonic counterparts. Worldwide production of biomedical devices and tissue engineering-related materials is a $180 billion per year industry and expanding rapidly but could be severely compromised by unresolved infection issues. Antimicrobial resistance in bacteria is also a major worldwide healthcare pandemic. The worldwide explosion in multidrug-resistant bacteria (MDRB) is further exacerbated by the precipitous decline in the 1980s of new antibiotic development. The biomaterial/medical device community over the past 30 years has attempted to produce anti-infective devices or implants by either (1) mechanical design alternatives (liquid/air breaks, skin cuffs, antibiotic fills, all for indwelling catheters); (2) non-fouling anti-adhesive surface treatments; (3) tethered anti-infective agents, bound directly to the surface of the material (silver coatings, tethered quaternary ammonium salts, synthetic antibiotics); or (4) the controlled release of soluble toxic agents (chlorhexidine, antibiotics) into the adjacent surroundings. Most, if not all, of these approaches are only effective for very short periods of time (if at all), and none provide long-term protection (≥ 5–15 years) of device-based infections (e.g., late-stage endocarditis of heart valves can occur 15–20 years post-implantation).
Emotions Know Best: The Advantage of Emotional versus Cognitive Responses to Failure

Making mistakes or failing at tasks is a common occurrence in human life. People can respond to and cope with failure in many ways. In this research, we examine potential advantages of relatively emotional (versus cognitive) responses to failure. In particular, we study how effort and time spent in subsequent tasks depend on whether people predominantly focus on their emotions or their cognitions as they respond to a failure. We demonstrate that, left to their own means, people's cognitions upon a failure are mainly justificatory in nature and thus do not automatically have the commonly believed reflective, self-improving qualities. We further argue and demonstrate that a relative focus on cognitions following a failure can prevent improvement in subsequent episodes, but a focus on emotions can allow for learning and, therefore, increased effort. Copyright © 2017 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Interpersonal barriers to recovery from borderline personality disorder: A qualitative analysis of patient perspectives.

Social-environmental factors have been found to be an integral part in the recovery process for individuals with psychiatric disabilities. There are few studies that have obtained patient perspectives of how their social and treatment environments help facilitate or impede the recovery process. The following study examined the self-reported interpersonal barriers to recovery among a sample of individuals (N = 31) with borderline personality disorder who were receiving dialectical behaviour therapy. The goal of study was to identify self-reported problematic behaviour that interferes with recovery goals and identify types of family, friend and/or provider behaviours that increased the likelihood of patients engaging in these problematic behaviours. A content analysis yielded three themes of problematic behaviour, and how these behaviours were reinforced by others, including (1) avoidance behaviours, (2) encouragement of negative coping and (3) communication of low behavioural expectations. Implications for the impact of these patterns of reinforcement within behavioural health settings are discussed. Copyright © 2017 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Grain, Fibril Patterns, and Internal Defects

Differing grain patterns, fibril angles, internal defects, and reaction wood are of great importance both for the strength and quality of the final product and for esthetic uses of wood. There are many patterns in this context; for the purpose of simplicity, they have been discussed as six types in this chapter. Certainly the divisions could be much finer but in most cases genetic studies have either not been carried out, or are just now underway.
A Model for Electron-Molecule Interaction in IETS

The inelastic current in Inelastic Electron Tunneling Spectroscopy (IETS) is due to the interaction of the tunneling electron with the vibrational modes of the molecule. The intensity of IETS spectrum should depend on the details of this interaction. Previously this interaction was described by making use of fictitious ‘partial charges’ located on each atom of the vibrating molecule. We report here a ‘first principle’ approach to the calculation of relative IETS peak intensities. Initial calculations have been made for Ethylene molecule. The present calculation employs a more realistic description of the molecular charge distribution and its vibrational properties. The charge density is obtained using linear combination of atomic orbital method. The polarization vectors and frequencies for the vibrating molecule is obtained using a force constant model. The electron-molecule interaction is dependent on the gradient of the molecular charge distribution with respect to nuclear displacements and consists of nuclear, Coulomb, and exchange terms. Our results for Ethylene molecule indicate that the interaction can not be described in terms of the partial charges located on each atom.
The cultured fibroblast model

Cultured skin fibroblasts have been successfully used to elucidate the molecular and biochemical bases of a large number of inborn errors of metabolism which cause neurological disease. The fibroblast model is now being extended to studies of genetic diseases of the nervous system with later clinical onset, including Alzheimer’s Disease (AD). Persistence in the cultured cells of an abnormality found in AD brain provides evidence that the abnormality in brain is not simply a reflection of anatomic or chemical damage in the clinically affected tissue. Biochemical and cell biological studies of AD fibroblasts are succeeding in implicating molecules which warrant further study at the molecular genetic level. In neurological diseases with an important genetic component, including AD, studies of fibroblasts can be a useful adjunct to studies of brain.
HIGH-RESOLUTION IMAGING OF THE BRAIN

Phased-array imaging at 1.5 T is a practical means of obtaining high-resolution images of the brain. Our novel coil designs and image intensity correction algorithms, which are critical for the accurate interpretation of phased-array images of the brain, are described. High-resolution imaging of the brain has been proven to be clinically useful in the evaluation of patients with partial neocortial epilepsy and has potential clinical applications in mesial temporal sclerosis as well as in diffusion and functional imaging.
Genetic-cytoplasmic male sterility in progeny of 4x-2x crosses in cultivated potatoes.

Forty-three percent of the progeny from 4x × 2x crosses [Group Tuberosum cultivar x diploid hybrid (Groups Phureja or Stenotomum x Group Tuberosum haploid)] were male sterile. In contrast only four percent of the progeny from the reciprocal crosses were male sterile. Male sterility among the former progeny is presumed to result from the interaction of Tuberosum cytoplasm with dominant genes from the cultivated diploids, Groups Phureja and Stenotomum, an interaction known to occur in crosses of Tuberosum haploid x cultivated diploid species (2n = 2x = 24). The frequency of fertile progeny from the 4x × 2x crosses (57%) was significantly higher than that from the 2x × 2x crosses (Tuberosum haploid x cultivated diploid), (28%). The frequency of male fertility among progeny from different cultivars in 4x × 2x crosses varied from 31–82 percent. The difference between cultivars strongly suggests that some cultivars may have dominant male fertility restorer genes.