cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Influence of upper‐tropospheric inertial stability on the convective transport of momentum

This study verifies the apparent high positive correlation between environmental and convection-relative inertial stability, and the transport of momentum by deep convection. We evaluate the hypothesis that convection structurally aligns itself to best access the region of lowest upper-tropospheric inertial stability, while forming the lowest convective updraught-relative inertial stability. A numerical experiment evaluates variations in the structure, behaviour and momentum-transport characteristics of deep convection across the tropical-plume genesis region in the eastern Pacific. This unique region forms as a precursor to tropical-plume genesis, and possesses spatially varying very-low upper-tropospheric inertial stability (the potential vorticity locally reaches zero, or becomes slightly negative, in the northern hemisphere). Our results show that the vertical transport of horizontal momentum is predictable, given knowledge of the inertial-stability fields immediately surrounding the convection. It is conjectured that the preferred mode of convective organization (squall-line dominated versus more three-dimensional) near the intertropical convergence zone is a function of the ambient inertial stability. Therefore, as the convection organizes itself, it selects the most efficient access to regions of lowest inertial stability to enable its upper-tropospheric outflow. Copyright © 2003 Royal Meteorological Society
Augmentation of cocaine hyperactivity in rats by systemic ghrelin

The feeding-relevant pathway by which food deprivation (FD) augments cocaine action is unknown. Systemic administration of the 28 amino acid acylated peptide ghrelin (1-10 nmol) increases food intake in rats and circulating levels of rat ghrelin are up-regulated by FD. The present experiment examined the impact of ghrelin or vehicle pretreatment on the locomotion and stereotypy induced by systemic cocaine hydrochloride. Male Sprague-Dawley rats were pretreated at -60 min with 0 or 5 nmol rat ghrelin (IP) and then injected (IP) at time 0 with 0, 2.5, 5.0, or 10.0 mg/kg cocaine. Locomotor activity was monitored over a 45-min post-cocaine period. Rats received the same ghrelin dose, but a different cocaine dose (in random order) on each of the four drug trials, with each drug trial separated by at least 2 days. Administration of 5 nmol ghrelin-0 mg/kg cocaine slightly increased locomotion relative to that of 0 nmol ghrelin-0 mg/kg cocaine. Cocaine increased locomotion as a function of dose in the 0 nmol ghrelin group, but the effect of cocaine was even greater when preceded by 5 nmol ghrelin. These results indicate that acute injection of ghrelin, at a feeding-relevant dose, augments the acute effects of cocaine on locomotion in rats.
Face Fly (Diptera: Muscidae) Gynandromorph

Single specimens of adult face fly, Musca autumnalis De Geer, gynandromorphs from laboratory and field populations are described and illustrated. The head of all individuals possessed male characteristics (i.e., a narrow interocular area when compared with the interocular area of females), and dorsal and ventral aspects of the abdomen possessed color patterns of both sexes. A possible mechanism of face fly gynandromorphism is discussed.
Determination of a minimal projection from C[-1, 1] onto the quadratics

In this paper we obtain a solution to the long-standing question of what is a minimal projection from C[—1,1] onto the quadratics. A recently developed general theory characterizing minimal projections (see [2]) is used both for obtaining the form of the minimal projection and for determining the values of the parameters appearing in the form.
Blast Lung Injury

Current trends in global terrorism mandate that emergency medical services, emergency medicine and other acute care clinicians have a basic understanding of the physics of explosions, the types of injuries that can result from an explosion, and current management for patients injured by explosions. High-order explosive detonations result in near instantaneous transformation of the explosive material into a highly pressurized gas, releasing energy at supersonic speeds. This results in the formation of a blast wave that travels out from the epicenter of the blast. Primary blast injuries are characterized by anatomical and physiological changes from the force generated by the blast wave impacting the body's surface, and affect primarily gas-containing structures (lungs, gastrointestinal tract, ears). "Blast lung" is a clinical diagnosis and is characterized as respiratory difficulty and hypoxia without obvious external injury to the chest. It may be complicated by pneumothoraces and air emboli and may be associated with multiple other injuries. Patients may present with a variety of symptoms, including dyspnea, chest pain, cough, and hemoptysis. Physical examination may reveal tachypnea, hypoxia, cyanosis, and decreased breath sounds. Chest radiography, computerized tomography, and arterial blood gases may assist with diagnosis and management; however, they should not delay diagnosis and emergency interventions in the patient exposed to a blast. High flow oxygen, airway management, tube thoracostomy in the setting of pneumothoraces, mechanical ventilation (when required) with permissive hypercapnia, and judicious fluid administration are essential components in the management of blast lung injury.
Learning to forget: manipulating extinction and reconsolidation processes to treat addiction

Finding effective long-lasting treatments for drug addiction has been an elusive goal. Consequently, researchers are beginning to investigate novel treatment strategies including manipulations of drug-associated memories. When environmental stimuli (cues) become associated with drug use, they become powerful motivators of continued drug use and relapse after abstinence. Reducing the strength of these cue–drug memories could decrease the number of factors that induce craving and relapse to aid in the treatment of addiction. Enhancing the consolidation of extinction learning and/or disrupting cue–drug memory reconsolidation are two strategies that have been proposed to reduce the strength of cues in motivating drug-seeking and drug-taking behavior. Here, we review the latest basic and clinical research elucidating the mechanisms underlying consolidation of extinction and reconsolidation of cue–drug memories in the hopes of developing pharmacological tools that exploit these signaling systems to treat addiction.
Dithiocarbamate Assembly on Gold

Au surfaces are functionalized by stable dithiocarbamate ligands when exposed to carbon disulfide and secondary amines. The adsorbed dithiocarbamates are robust under a wide pH range and can resist displacement by other chemisorptive surfactants, providing an attractive method for conjugating sensitive molecules onto metal surfaces.
Use of vibration monitoring data to track structural changes in a retrofitted building

Structural health monitoring (SHM) approaches for condition assessment and damage detection based on vibration signature of target infrastructure systems have received much attention for a long time. However, there is a paucity of studies that evaluate methodologies based on actual vibration measurements, obtained under realistic field conditions. Particularly lacking is the availability of experimental data from physical structures, where quantifiable changes are made in the structure while structural health monitoring studies are being performed. That is precisely the focus of this paper. As a result of the 1994 Northridge earthquake, a critical facility in the metropolitan Los Angeles region was found to need significant seismic mitigation measures. The facility consisted of a six-storey building that housed essential emergency services. The building was instrumented with 14 state-of-the-art strong-motion accelerometers that were placed at various locations and in different orientations throughout the building. The instrumentation network was used to acquire extensive data sets at regular intervals that covered the whole construction phase, during which the building evolved from its original condition to the retrofitted status. This paper presents an overview of the ambient vibration data collected before, during, and after the structural retrofit. A finite-element model of the building was developed and used to estimate the dominant frequencies and mode shapes before and after the retrofit. The experimental data are used to determine the spectral characteristics of the ambient response and to compare the experimental measurements with the computational model. Changes in the identified structural frequencies are correlated with the time that specific structural changes were made. It is shown that this unique collection of data scan be extremely useful in calibrating the accuracy and sensitivity of various SHM schemes. Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Predictors of Food Insecurity among Older Adults in the United States.

Objective Food insecurity among U.S. households is a national concern. Since 2010, the U.S. Healthy People goal has been to reduce food insecurity to 6%. Despite this goal, 14.5% of households remained food insecure in 2013 (U.S. Department of Agriculture). The purpose of this study was to examine the antecedents of food insecurity among older adults through the lens of the social ecological model. Design and Sample This retrospective cross-sectional study utilized secondary data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) from the years 2007 and 2008 from a sample that included 2,045 adults 60 years of age and older. Measures Variables related to the constructs of the social ecological model were examined using descriptive, chi-square, and logistic regression analyses. Results Analyses of the model indicated that the severity of depression, reports of financial support, and having ever received household food stamp benefits had statistically significant main effects on food insecurity among older adults. Conclusions The study findings have implications for nursing practice, education, and research and could facilitate the development of screening methods, interventions, and policy evaluation that focus on food insecurity at multiple spheres of influence among the targeted population.
Kappa and delta opioid receptor densities following chronic repeated cocaine administration

Although cocaine has a vinety of pharmacological actions, it is thought that the reinforcing properties of cocaine are mediated by its ability to inhibit the reuptake of dopamine. Cocaine binds to the dopamine transporter and prevents the reuptake of dopamine into presynaptic terminals, thereby increasing the concentration of dopamine in the synapse. In animals models of drug reinforcement, dopamine receptor antagonists block cocaine-induced reward (1) supporting the role of dopamine in cocaine reinforcement. In a similar manner, opiate receptor antagonists can also attenuate the rewarding effects of cocaine (2,3,4) suggesting an interaction between central opioid and dopaminergic systems in cocaine reinforcement
Evaluating techniques for generating metric-based classification trees

Abstract Metric-based classification trees provide an approach for identifying user-specified classes of high-risk software components throughout the software lifecycle. Based on measurable attributes of software components and processors, this empirically guided approach derives models of problematic software components. These models, which are represented as classification trees, are used on future systems to identify components likely to share the same high-risk properties. Example high-risk component properties include being fault-prone, change-prone, or effort-prone, or containing certain types of faults. Identifying these components allows developers to focus the application of specialized techniques and tools for analyzing, testing, and constructing software. A validation study using metric data from 16 NASA systems showed that the trees had an average classification accuracy of 79.3% for fault-prone and effort-prone components in that environment. One fundamental feature of the classification tree generation algorithm is the method used for partitioning the metric data values into mutually exclusive and exhaustive ranges. This study compares the accuracy and the complexity of trees resulting from five techniques for partitioning metric data values. The techniques are quartiles, octiles, and three methods based on least weight subsequence (LWS-χ) analysis, where χ is the upper bound on the number of partitions. The LWS-3 and LWS-5 partition techniques resulted in trees with higher accuracy (in terms of completeness and consistency) than did quartiles and octiles. LWS-3 and LWS-5 trees were not statistically different in terms of accuracy, but LWS-3 trees had lower complexity than all other methods in terms of the number of unique metrics required. The trees from the three LWS methods (LWS-3, LWS-5, and LWS-8) had lower complexity than did the trees from quartiles and octiles. In general, the results indicate that distribution-sensitive partition techniques that use only relatively few partitions, such as the least weight subsequence techniques LWS-3 and LWS-5, can increase accuracy and decrease complexity in classification trees. Classification analysis techniques, along with other empirically based analysis techniques for large-scale software, will be supported in the Amadeus measurement and empirical analysis system.
Effect of Sucrose, Trehalose, Hypotaurine, Taurine, and Blood Serum on Survival of Frozen Bull Sperm

Factorially arranged experiments were conducted to study the effects of adding sucrose and trehalose, known to have cryoprotective properties, blood serum, and the antioxidants taurine and hypotaurine on sperm motility after freezing and thawing at different rates. At sugar concentrations of 0.1 M , osmolality of the whole milk (WM) or egg yolk-Tris freezing medium (without glycerol) was about 370 mOsmol. Survival following freezing and thawing was reduced unless osmolality was corrected by adding pure water to reduce osmolality to about 280 mOsmol. Then the post-thaw percentages of motile sperm for control WM, and WM with 0.05 or 0.10 M sucrose, or 0.05 or 0.10 M trehalose, respectively, were 62, 55, 61, 57, and 62%. Thawing semen at 5°C, versus 25°C resulted in 64 versus 70% motile sperm (P < 0.05). Post-thaw survival of sperm stored at 250°C for 24 h in trehalose-treated WM was superior to that in WM (P < 0.05). Hypotaurine and taurine had little effect on sperm survival. Up to 10% (v/v) of heated blood serum was generally beneficial, but gave more variable responses with different bulls. Sperm survival after cooling at -25°C/min was slightly superior to that after cooling at 15°C/min to - 100°C. The effects of the compounds studied on motility of frozen-thawed sperm were small, but if they protect sperm cell membranes, as reported for other types of membranes, they may assist sperm in surviving in the reproductive tract of the cow prior to fertilization.
The Minnesota Grading System of eye bank eyes for age-related macular degeneration.

Purpose The Minnesota Grading System (MGS) is a method to evaluate human eye bank eyes and determine the level of age-related macular degeneration (AMD), by using criteria and definitions from the Age-Related Eye Disease Study (AREDS). Methods Donor eyes (108 pairs) from the Minnesota Lions Eye Bank were cut circumferentially at the pars plana to remove the anterior segment. A 1000 +/- 2.5-microm ruby sphere was placed on the optic nerve as a size reference. A digital, high-resolution, color macular photograph was taken through a dissecting microscope. The neurosensory retina was removed from one globe of the pair. The underlying retinal pigment epithelium was rephotographed, localizing the fovea with a proportional triangle. A grid was superimposed in the macular photographs and images were graded according to AREDS criteria. Twenty pairs were dissected bilaterally and graded for symmetry. Results Eighty-eight globes were graded into one of four MGS categories. Nineteen (95%) of 20 globes had symmetric grades. Conclusions The MGS provides a methodology to grade donor tissue from eye bank eyes to correspond to the AREDS classification system. Donor tissue may be used for subsequent molecular analysis, including genomics and proteomics.
Tracing Temporal Changes in the Human Dimensions of Forest Insect Disturbance on the Kenai Peninsula, Alaska

A rapidly growing literature on the human dimensions of forest disturbance by insects has emerged over the past decade. As a result, the diverse social and economic impacts of forest disturbances and their implications have become increasingly understood. However, little research has assessed the temporal dynamics of community experience, perceptions, and actions related to changing forest landscapes and risks. Using longitudinal survey data from 2004 to 2008, this study examines the changing human dimensions of forest disturbance in the context of Alaska’s Kenai Peninsula spruce bark beetle outbreak. Findings suggest ramifications of forest risks related to bark beetles were more complicated than an issue-attention cycle or timeline of beetle activity would predict. Shifts in perceptions of beetle impacts and forest risks, relationships with land managers, and local interaction and activeness of study communities reflected diverse pathways of temporal changes in human dimensions. Ordinary least squares and panel regression models indicated community participation and indirect risk perception (concern about broader threats to community and ecological well-being) had a consistently strong influence on community activeness in response to the beetle outbreak. Community wildfire experience and the perceived intensity of forest disturbance contributed most to risk perceptions. Implications of these results for forest management and future research are advanced.
Retirement Security for Black, Non-Hispanic White, and Mexican-Origin Women: The Changing Roles of Marriage and Work

Changing family patterns and high rates of marital instability mean that women are increasingly responsible for their own retirement security. In this study we compare private retirement coverage among pre-retirement age people using multiple years of the Current Population Survey. We find that women are less likely than men to participate in employer-sponsored retirement plans. Married women are at highest risk of lacking coverage. Minority group status compounds this disadvantage, with Mexican-origin women far less likely than any other group to have coverage. These gender, race, and Mexican-origin disadvantages in retirement coverage have implications for the economic security of women.
Optical properties of the Magnetotropic Nematic Phase of Poly-γ-Benzyl-ζ-Glutamate

Abstract Above a critical concentration in certain solvents poly-γ-benzyl-L-glutamate (PBLG) forms a lyotropic liquid crystal of the cholesteric structure. In the presence of sufficiently strong electric or magnetic fields this liquid crystal undergoes a mesomorphic phase transition to nematic order. Reported are the results of our long term observations of bulk samples of liquid crystalline PBLG subjected to strong magnetic fields. We have observed visually magnetohydrodynamic processes that occur on several very different time scales: (a) the slow cholesteric-nematic phase transition, (b) a more rapid reorientation in the acquired nematic condition, and (c) a critical orientation of nematic PBLG with unusual anisotropic optical effects and high, but directional, thermal sensitivity. The phenomena are accounted for in terms of molecular order and dynamics of the associated polypeptide helices.
Within-species variations in visual capacity among squirrel monkeys (Saimiri sciureus): Sensitivity differences

Earlier observations suggested there might be significant within-species variations in visual sensitivity among squirrel monkeys (Saimiri sciureus). Reported here are the results from measurements of increment-threshold spectral sensitivity in 41 squirrel monkeys of Peruvian origin. As determined in a forced-choice discrimination task, no large variations were found among these animals in sensitivity to a 540 nm test light. However, there were large individual variations in sensitivity to a 640 nm light, the result being that, across this sample of monkeys, the differences in sensitivity to the 540 and 640 nm lights are bimodally distributed. This variation in sensitivity is gender related in that the more sensitive mode in this distribution is made up exclusively of female monkeys. The less sensitive animals include all of the males tested and a minority (7 out of 22) of the females examined. Additional experiments involving the measurement of sensitivity to monochromatic lights under conditions of dark and chromatic adaptation indicate that (a) the variation in sensitivity is not due to the variable presence of an intraretinal filter, and (b) the more sensitive squirrel monkeys have two differentially adaptable spectral mechanisms in the green to red portion of the spectrum, while the less sensitive monkeys do not.
Salt and activity effects on the precipitation of tetraphenylarsonium perchlorate

Abstract Alkali metal chlorides in the concentration range 0.006–4 M influence the solubility, crystal form and filterability of precipitated, tetraphenylarsonium perchlorate. Low salt concentrations increase, and high concentrations decrease the filterability and solubility. The mean activity coefficient of tetraphenylarsonium perchlorate is controlled by general and specific salt effects. Crystal nucleation is probably heterogeneous in low concentrations of salt and homogeneous in high concentrations.
What is the precise role of human MDR 1 protein in chemotherapeutic drug resistance

Elucidating the molecular function of hu MDR 1 protein (also called P-glycoprotein or P-gp 1) and the precise role this protein plays in clinically relevant tumor drug resistance remains a perplexing problem. Hundreds of reports over the past decades summarize a dizzying array of observations relevant to hu MDR 1 protein function. A dominant model in the MDR literature that is used to explain many observations is the well known "drug pump" model first suggested by Keld Dano in 1973 [1]. Although this model has proved useful in conceptualizing additional experiments, it violates fundamental laws of biology and chemistry and in well over a decade of intense effort, active outward drug pumping via hu MDR 1 protein has still never been unequivocally measured. Also, in recent years it has become clear that the drug pump model cannot explain several important phenomena that are highly relevant to the cancer clinic. Thus, other models have also proved increasingly popular. One is the altered partitioning model, which does not violate fundamental laws, is consistent with the vast majority of available data, and has important predictive ability. This newer model has several novel facets that are relevant for cancer pharmacology, and that help explain phenomena not explained by the drug pump model. The basic principle of this model is that MDR proteins do not directly transport drugs, but that their altered expression leads to altered regulation of ion transport or signal transduction that is critical for setting key biophysical parameters of the cell (e.g. compartmental pH and membrane potentials) that dictate relative passive diffusion of drugs as well as important signal transduction linked to the cytotoxic actions of these drugs. Along with debate over the molecular details of hu MDR 1 function, additional controversy surrounds the precise role of hu MDR 1 in the clinic. Many investigators now debate the significance of its function (regardless of precise mechanism) with regard to "real" drug resistance phenotypes exhibited in the clinic. I believe that thorough debate on the pros and cons of various molecular models for hu MDR 1 function will help to address confusion over the clinical relevance of hu MDR1. In the current atmosphere of disappointment over the relative success of clinical trials based in large part on the logic of the drug pump model, it is important that we not lose sight of critical points. Namely, hu MDR 1 protein remains an extremely important window in on the complex pathways that lead to induced chemotherapeutic drug resistance. Exploring the rationale behind newer models for hu MDR 1 function leads to key predictions that can be tested.
When Social Outcomes Aren′t Fair: The Effect of Causal Attributions on Preferences

Building upon recent models of social utility theory, this paper outlines a theoretical framework for examining the effect of causal attributions on choice in social decision making. The results of three empirical studies are reported, which identify two dimensions of external attribution that affect how individuals weight absolute versus comparative payoffs. These dimensions are whether the causal agent is perceived to be human versus non-human (e.g., an act of nature) and the degree to which human agents are perceived to have an interest in the outcome of the decision. Together, these findings have implications for social welfare policies, dispute resolution, and game theoretic models.
Contamination of nebulizer equipment with cockroach allergen: there's a bug in the system!

Background Physicians often have anecdotal reports of patients describing increased asthma symptoms after the use of nebulizers; however, there are few published reports of nebulizer-associated exacerbations. Objective To present 2 cases of asthmatic children who experienced a life-threatening exacerbation of their symptoms after nebulizer use. Methods Case 2's nebulizer was tested for cockroach allergen by washing the medication reservoir with 2 mL of sterile filtered 1% phosphate-buffered saline, 0.05% bovine serum albumin, and Tween 20 overnight with rotation. The patient's sealed albuterol nebulizer medication was used as a control. The control albuterol and test solutions were analyzed for Blattella germanica 1 and 2 allergens using a monoclonal antibody-based immunoenzymetric assay. Results The reservoir from case 2 was found to have measurable levels of both Bla g 1 and Bla g 2. The control albuterol solution had no measurable cockroach allergen. An insect found in the nebulizer box of case 2 was identified as an infantile German cockroach. Conclusions Nebulizer use provides an opportunity for antigen exposure directly to small airways, which may lead to severe allergic reactions in patients using contaminated equipment.
Extension of a Probabilistic Mesomechanics based Model for Fatigue Notch Factor to Titanium Alloy Components

Abstract This paper extends a recently developed probabilistic mesomechaniccs based model for fatigue notch factor to titanium alloy components. The notch size effects and notch root and inelastic behaviour are combined with probability distributions of microscale stress-strain gradient and small crack initiation to inform minimum life design methods. The fatigue notch factors predicted using the new model are in good agreements with the experimental results for the notched titanium alloy specimens.
Effect of block length and yard crane deployment systems on overall performance at a seaport container transshipment terminal

As more and more container terminals open up all over the world, terminal operators are discovering that they must increase quay crane work rates in order to remain competitive. In this paper we present a simulation study that shows how a terminal's long-run average quay crane rate depends on (1) the length of the storage blocks in the terminal's container yard and (2) the system that deploys yard cranes among blocks in the same zone. Several different block lengths and yard crane deployment systems are evaluated by a fully dynamic, discrete event simulation model that considers the detailed movement of individual containers passing through a vessel-to-vessel transshipment terminal over a several week period. Experiments consider four container terminal scenarios that are designed to reproduce the multi-objective, stochastic, real-time environment at a multiple-berth facility. Results indicate that a block length between 56 and 72 (20-ft) slots yields the highest quay crane work rate, and that a yard crane deployment system that restricts crane movement yields a higher quay crane work rate than a system that allows greater yard crane mobility. Interestingly, a block length of 56-72 slots is somewhat longer than the average block in use today. The experiments provide the first direct connection in the literature between block length and long-run performance at a seaport container terminal. The simulator can be suitably customized to real, pure-transshipment ports and adequately tuned to get an appreciable prescriptive power.
Combination angiostatic therapy completely inhibits ocular and tumor angiogenesis

Angiostatic therapies designed to inhibit neovascularization associated with multiple pathological conditions have only been partially successful; complete inhibition has not been achieved. We demonstrate synergistic effects of combining angiostatic molecules that target distinct aspects of the angiogenic process, resulting in the complete inhibition of neovascular growth associated with development, ischemic retinopathy, and tumor growth, with little or no effect on normal, mature tissue vasculature. Tumor vascular obliteration using combination angiostatic therapy was associated with reduced tumor mass and increased survival in a rat 9L gliosarcoma model, whereas individual monotherapies were ineffective. Significant compensatory up-regulation of several proangiogenic factors was observed after treatment with a single angiostatic agent. In contrast, treatment with combination angiostatic therapy significantly reduced compensatory up-regulation. Therapies that combine angiostatic molecules targeting multiple, distinct aspects of the angiogenic process may represent a previously uncharacterized paradigm for the treatment of many devastating diseases with associated pathological neovascularization.
A note on the cross-reactivity of antibodies

Abstract We suppose that each individual antibody molecule can be regarded as a “feature detector”, capable of interacting with a corresponding “feature” on an antigen molecule. It is shown that, of all antigen molecules which can be built from ro or fewer features taken from a set of N features, the number which bear a single feature will comprise a proportion 1 N of the total number of antigens. Thus the cross-reactivity of a single antigen molecule with different antibodies determines the total number of features N which can appear in any antigen. Moreover, it is shown that the “features” recognized in protein antigens must involve, in general, at least five amino acids.
The waterpipe: an emerging global epidemic in need of action

The story has been told many times: waterpipe, a centuries-old tobacco use method in which smoke is passed through water before being inhaled, probably originated on the Indian subcontinent and southeast Asia. Over the years, it spread and became popular in the Middle East. During most of the 20th century, it seemed that waterpipe's heyday had passed, in favour of easy-to-use types of tobacco such as cigarettes. Its use was not even registered in the expanding body of global tobacco surveillance systems. The medical and public health literatures made little note of it: Rakower and Fatal's1 examination of lung cancer mortality rates by ethnic groups in Jerusalem that differed in their use of waterpipe, appearing in the British Journal of Cancer , was the first notice of waterpipe in Medline in 1962, and almost 20 years were to pass before any additional studies were to appear. But things suddenly changed in the 1990s: upticks in use were observed in the Middle East, especially among teenagers and young adults. This was mostly fuelled by the invention of flavoured and easier-to-use tobacco, a growing cafe culture in the Middle East, and expanding internet availability and globalisation. As a result, waterpipe use has snowballed globally at the start of the 21st century. Tobacco Control published the first review of waterpipe's global spread and health effects in 2004,2 noting the scant but steadily increasing research base, and the potential for waterpipe to upend successes in global tobacco control. A decade later, that forecast has come true. In this supplement, Maziak et al 3 note that the “global evolution of this smoking habit has exceeded worst predictions.” In several Middle Eastern nations, the waterpipe has quickly replaced cigarettes as the most popular method of tobacco use among youth, and in several other parts of …
Identification and Localization of Type IV Collagen Chains in the Inner Ear Cochlea

Mutations in the genes encoding the α3(IV), α4(IV) and α5(IV) chains of type IV collagen have been implicated in the pathogenesis of Alport's syndrome, a hereditary disorder characterized by progressive nephropathy and sensorineural deafness. The known expression of these chains in kidney basement membranes supports the contention that they play a crucial role in the ultrafiltration function. Whether they play a role in auditory signal transduction remains unknown as heretofore, they have not been identified in the inner ear. In the present study, the expression of type IV collagen in cochlea of the inner ear of guinea pigs was determined. All six α-chains of type IV collagen were identified by biochemical and immunological methods. By indirect immunofluorescence, α1(IV) and α2(IV) chains were localized to the spiral limbus, basilar membrane and tectorial membrane. The α3(IV), α4(IV), α5(IV) and α6(IV) chains localized exclusively to the tectorial membrane and basilar membrane. These results suggest a pos...
Large-scale Facies Sequences In Alluvial Overbank Environments

ABSTRACT Gradational coarsening-upwards or fining-upwards sequences (order of meters thick) in overbank environments can be produced by progressive crevasse-splay/levee progradation or abandonment while the channel belt remains unchanged in position. In contrast, meter-scale facies sequences related to periodic channel-bell avulsion may show relatively abrupt changes in facies and paleocurrent direction. Simulation models suggest that the number of such avulsion-related facies changes in any overbank sequence bounded above and below by channel-belt deposits is on the order of 1 to 10; this is confirmed using an ancient example. In this example the average thickness of each avulsion-bounded overbank facies sequence was 3 m: assuming an average recurrence interval for avulsions of about 1,000 ye rs, the mean overbank deposition rate was about 3 mm per year.
Correlation theory of polarization mode dispersion in optical fibers

A general theory is used to describe the correlation properties of polarization mode dispersion (PMD) in a birefringent, linear, dispersive medium such as optical fibers. The theory includes the effects of frequency dependence of birefringence on all orders, and it is capable of providing statistical information about second- and higher-order correlations among the polarization and PMD vectors. We apply the general theory to study pulse broadening induced by different-order PMD and PMD-induced pulse distortion through the third- and fourth-order temporal moments (related to skewness and flatness, respectively). Our analytic results are in good agreement with numerical simulations.
Computational materials chemistry at the nanoscale

In order to illustrate how atomistic modeling is being used to determine the structure, physical, and chemical properties of materials at the nanoscale, we present here the results of molecular dynamics (MD) simulations on nanoscale assemblies of such materials as carbon nanotubes, diamond surfaces, metal alloy nanowires, and ceramics. We also include here the results of nonequilibrium MD simulations on the nanorheology of a monolayer of wear inhibitor self-assembled on two metal oxide surfaces, separated by hexadecane lubricant, and subjected to steady state shear. We also present recent developments in force fields (FF) required to describe bond breaking and phase transformations in such systems. We apply these to study of plasticity in metal alloy nanowires where we find that depending on the strain rate, the wire may deform plastically (forming twins), neck and fracture, or transition to the amorphous phase.
Challenges and Dilemmas in Implementing Disability Rights Policies

The passage of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) in 1990 created a powerful civil rights mandate which built and expanded upon the mandates created in earlier disability rights policies. While it is too soon to evaluate the impact of the ADA—compliance deadlines only recently having passed—it is not too early to consider strategies for effective implementation and to identify potential areas of difficulty in program execution. This paper reviews evidence on the implementation of earlier disability rights policies and speculates on potential obstacles and challenges that administrators will face in effectively implementing the ADA.
Urban Inequality: Evidence from Four Cities. Edited by Alice O'Connor, Chris Tilly, and Lawrence D. Bobo. New York: Russell Sage Foundation, 2001. Pp. xii, 549. $45.00.

In some inquiries, racism is a given, a fundamental assumption and fact that is known to shape economic and social and spatial inequalities. In such inquiries, from the empirical studies of W. E. B. Du Bois to the social thought of Patricia Williams, the world is believed to be racialized “always already”: the task of the researcher, then, is to probe the roots of racism in particular cases, and to liberate (or compensate) the people who are oppressed by its institutional manifestations. Other inquiries—guided by a methodology of rational choice—do not assume racism to be a given. For example, in mainstream economics after Gary Becker, race is a possible “factor,” one vector of a matrix, whose strength and direction of force on earnings or housing differences is to be examined in a regression equation once all other factors have been held constant. Indeed, some economists after Becker argue that racism cannot explain differences in earnings or in opportunities because if the marginal product of labor (or the bid on a house) of a person of color exceeds that of the white competition, the argument goes, then no profit-maximizing employer or seller would deny the offer of the person of color. And since all employers and households are assumed to be profit-maximizers, the color of one's skin will have no economic significance at all.
Observer adaptive PRF for synthetic aperture radar imaging

A synthetic array radar (SAR) image is formed by processing a data base collected by an aircraft flying an array length while periodically interrogating the image field with a sequence of transmitted pulses. The length of the array, hence the resolution of the map is limited by quadratic phase terms which are accumulated along the array path. We will show in this paper, that this quadratic term is due in part to the uniform temporal sampling and can be significantly reduced by an observer adaptive sampling technique. This technique is particularly useful for minimizing the effects of aircraft maneauvers on the image depth of field.
Microwave ZnO thin film transistors on Si substrates

The performance of flat panel display electronic circuits is mostly limited by the availability of stable thin film transistors (TFT) with high speed capabilities. The most commonly used technologies for this application based on amorphous Si and organic semiconductor films have severe speed limitations due to low mobility associated with such films. As the demand for higher speed electronics increase with display size and complexity, alternative technologies are being developed based on heavy metal oxide compounds such as ZnO, which have higher performance and better robustness to environmental conditions. High speed operation of nanocrystalline ZnO TFTs was recently demonstrated on GaAs substrates. Devices with 2µm gate lengths had field effect mobilities in excess of 100 cm2/V.s and high frequency cut-off frequency values of f T =500MHz and f max =400MHz.
An IIOP architecture for Web-enabled physiological models

This paper develops a specific information architecture to serve complex physiological information models and a means of delivering these models in a manner that allows interactive and distributed use. By redesign of existing models for distributed use, the IIOP (Internet Inter-ORB Protocol) architecture provides general access across the Internet; the methods are replicable with many different types of physiological models that produce a variety of results. This paper defines and explains the complete architecture for the user interface, the model encapsulation, and the communication layer between the client and server by developing a general example. Using the equivalent of interactive browsers to access remote models and display the results, the IIOP architecture is built up using platform-independent technology such as CORBA, Java and XML. The existing physiological models are first encapsulated by a suitable software language respect to the legacy models. Then CORBA IDL-XML interfaces are built accordingly as a broker interface connecting user interfaces to encapsulating interfaces. Therefore, the standard user interfaces on the browsers are easily built to access these models through the CORBA ORB and the encapsulating interfaces. This interface software is capable of interpreting and displaying very high-level descriptors and model output such that the amount of data required to be transmitted over the Internet is reduced.
Microbially enhanced oil recovery from carbonate reservoirs

Abstract About half of the world's oil production is from carbonate formations. However, most of the research in microbially enhanced oil recovery (MEOR), a potentially important tertiary recovery technology, has focused on sandstone reservoirs because, in general, they are geologically simpler than carbonate reservoirs and easier to model in the laboratory. Carbonate formations have a wide range of pore geometries and distributions, resulting in complex flow dynamics. The low matrix permeabilities and the dual porosity characteristics of most carbonate formations, coupled with the chemistry of carbonates, have slowed implementation of enhanced oil recovery methods. A review of the data on carbonate reservoirs in Dwight's Energydata TOTL System indicated that 40% of the oil‐producing carbonate reservoirs surveyed in the United States have environmental, geological, and petrophysical conditions that would make them candidates for MEOR. A review of a number of MEOR field trials showed that rates of oil prod...
Extended spectral analysis of internal quantum efficiency

A powerful new method for identifying the performance-limiting mechanisms in silicon solar cells has been developed and tested at Sandia. This method uses the internal quantum efficiency (IQE) of the device at both near-infrared and near-bandgap wavelengths. The conventional interpretation of IQE is expanded to accommodate textured surfaces and long diffusion lengths, and extended to near-bandgap wavelengths where internal optical effects play an important role. This paper describes how the information available from this extended analysis can be used to obtain a value for the internal optical reflectance of the back surface, and to separate the effects of diffusion length from back-surface recombination. Results from experimental tests verify the method. The information obtained can be used to compute recombination components for the cell, and to quantify the light-trapping effectiveness of the device. >
Influence of mixtures of calcium-chelating salts on the physicochemical properties of casein micelles

Calcium-chelating salts (CCS), such as phosphates and citrates, are often added to milk systems to modify physical properties like heat stability. The objective of this study was to investigate the effect of binary CCS mixtures on the properties of casein (CN) micelles including the distribution of Ca between the soluble and CN-bound states. Six binary CCS mixtures were prepared from 4 different types of CCS [i.e., trisodium citrate (TSC), disodium phosphate (DSP), tetrasodium pyrophosphate (TSPP), and sodium hexameta phosphate (SHMP)] by combining 2 CCS at a time in 5 different proportions (8.3:91.7, 29.2:70.8, 50:50, 70.8:29.2, and 91.7:8.3). Different concentrations of these mixtures (0, 0.1, 0.3, 0.5, and 0.7% wt/wt) were added to milk protein concentrate solutions (5% wt/wt) at pH 5.8. The ability of CCS to disperse CN particles and its interaction with Ca were assessed from turbidity measurements, acid-base titration behavior, and the quantity of CN-bound Ca and inorganic phosphate (Pi). Turbidity and the buffering peak at pH ∼5.0 during acid titration decreased with an increasing concentration of CCS. This was due to the chelation of Ca and the dispersion of CN micelles. The presence of TSC in mixtures decreased the amount of CN-bound Ca and Pi; however, the presence of TSPP in mixtures increased CN-bound Ca and Pi. When DSP was present at high proportions in mixtures of CCS, the CN-bound Ca and Pi slightly increased. When SHMP was used in mixtures of CCS, CN-bound Ca and Pi increased with the use of a low proportion of SHMP but decreased when SHMP was used at high proportions in the mixture. Combinations of DSP-TSPP used in the proportions 29.2:70.8, 50:50, and 70.8:29.2 resulted in the gelation of milk protein concentrates when the total CCS concentration was ≥0.3%. These results indicated that the type of CCS present in a mixture modified CN properties by various mechanisms, including chelation of Ca, dispersion of CN micelles, and formation of new types of Ca-CCS complexes. The type of interaction between the newly formed Ca-CCS complexes and the dispersed CN depended on the proportion, concentration, and type of CCS present in the mixtures. This information is useful in understanding how mixtures of CCS affect CN properties.
Privacy Preserving Burst Detection of Distributed Time Series Data Using Linear Transforms

In this paper, we consider burst detection within the context of privacy. In our scenario, multiple parties want to detect a burst in aggregated time series data, but none of the parties want to disclose their individual data. Our approach calculates bursts directly from linear transform coefficients using a cumulative sum calculation. In order to reduce the chance of a privacy breech, we present multiple data perturbation strategies and compare the varying degrees of privacy preserved. Our strategies do not share raw time series data and still detect significant bursts. We empirically demonstrate this using both real and synthetic distributed data sets. When evaluating both privacy guarantees and burst detection accuracy, we find that our percentage thresholding heuristic maintains a high degree of privacy while accurately identifying bursts of varying widths