cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Design and electrochemical characterization of ternary alloy electrocatalysts for oxygen reduction reaction

Abstract The ability to engineer the composition and structure of nanoalloy catalysts is important for developing active, robust and low-cost catalysts for fuel cell applications. The recognition of the importance of structural and chemical alloying effects of nanoalloy particles on the electrocatalytic properties has been an important driving force for the exploration of various binary and ternary platinum-based alloy catalysts. In comparison with the extensive studies of binary alloy catalysts for oxygen reduction reaction, the exploration of ternary nanoalloy catalysts in the past few years has led to many intriguing discoveries in terms of enhanced catalytic activities. In this article, we highlight recent progress of our work in the synthesis, processing and electrochemical characterization of molecularly-capped ternary nanoalloy catalysts, focusing on the enhanced electrocatalytic activity of Pt-based ternary nanoalloy catalysts for oxygen reduction reaction in fuel cells. Selected examples of ternary nanoparticle catalysts for electrocatalytic oxygen reduction reaction will be discussed. While important insights have been gained from studies of detailed structural aspects based a variety of techniques, this report summarizes some of the major findings in the studies of the electrochemical and electrocatalytic properties of the ternary nanoalloys to highlight the importance of ternary composition for the design and preparation of electrocatalysts.
The permselectivity of ion-exchange membranes for non-electrolyte liquid mixtures. II. The effect of counterions (separation of alcohol/water mixtures with nafion membranes)

The effect of counterions on the transport of alcohol/water mixtures through a Nafion ion-exchange membrane is reported. Correlations between the counterions and the membrane's selectivity, permeability and the permeate's state of existence in the membrane were established. The membrane's selectivity toward water, in steady state pervaporation experiments, is much higher than that recorded in sorption experiments when employing an isopropanol/water azeotropic composition as the feed mixture. The values recorded for the apparent energy of activation are conspicuously low and follow the order Cs >K >Na. For all counterions the membrane exhibits a large fraction of free water (freezing water). A substantial freezing-point depression was recorded following the counterion series H > Li > Na > K ≈ Cs. The Cs+ version exhibits freezing at 0°C. The swollen membrane equilibrated with the feed mixture shows multiple freezing points, indicative of the heterogeneous nature of the membrane.
An Analysis of Quality of Life Data in Head and Neck Cancer Patients Treated With Intensity Modulated Radiation Therapy (IMRT)

Results: Nearly half the pts filled out a survey before IMRT (48%) with an average follow-up of 16.5 months (1.4‐50.6). Tumor primarysiteincludedhypopharynx(n=10),larynx(n=38),oral cavity(n= 21),oropharynx(n=50), salivarygland(n=10),sinus (n = 6), and thyroid (n = 8). The majority of patients were advanced as follows: stage I (n = 8), stage II (n = 25), stage III (n = 38), stage IV (n = 61), with five patients treated for recurrence and unknown stage in six patients. Ninety-seven (68%) patients received concurrent chemotherapy and 20 patients were treated with surgery followed by post-op RT alone. Mean dose to the right and left parotid averaged 28 and 27 Gy, respectively, with higher radiation dose to the parotid significantly lowering patients’ score in the domains of saliva, chewing, taste, swallowing and pain. Conclusions: Our data suggests that there is acute decrement in QOL in all domains except pain and anxiety, which appear to improve over the first 3 months. Most domains return to baseline between 9 and 12 months from initiating treatment, except taste and saliva, which continued to show slow recovery over an extended period of time (up to 3 years). The overall QOL appears to suggest near recovery nine months from beginning treatment in the vast majority of patients.
What the Wise Ought Believe: A Voluntarist Interpretation of Hume's General Rules

This paper advances an interpretation of what Hume called ‘the general rules’: natural principles of belief-formation that nevertheless can be augmented via reflection. According to Hume, reflection is, in part, what separates the wise from the vulgar. In this paper, I argue that for Hume being wise must therefore be, to some degree, voluntary. Hume faced a significant problem in attempting to reconcile his epistemic normativity, i.e. his claims about what we ought to believe, with his largely involuntarist theory of the mind. Reflection on the General Rules, and an interpretation of that reflection as voluntary, helps explain not only Hume's theory of belief, but also how he hoped to reconcile epistemic normativity with naturalism about the mental.
Detecting failures in distributed systems with the Falcon spy network

A common way for a distributed system to tolerate crashes is to explicitly detect them and then recover from them. Interestingly, detection can take much longer than recovery, as a result of many advances in recovery techniques, making failure detection the dominant factor in these systems' unavailability when a crash occurs. This paper presents the design, implementation, and evaluation of Falcon, a failure detector with several features. First, Falcon's common-case detection time is sub-second, which keeps unavailability low. Second, Falcon is reliable: it never reports a process as down when it is actually up. Third, Falcon sometimes kills to achieve reliable detection but aims to kill the smallest needed component. Falcon achieves these features by coordinating a network of spies, each monitoring a layer of the system. Falcon's main cost is a small amount of platform-specific logic. Falcon is thus the first failure detector that is fast, reliable, and viable. As such, it could change the way that a class of distributed systems is built.
Sensor selection cost function to increase network lifetime with QoS support

Single-hop centralized wireless sensor networks are widely used for applications ranging from security and surveillance to medical monitoring. Often the goal of these networks is to provide satisfactory quality of service (QoS) to the application under different system states, but it is difficult to determine how the appropriate sensor sets should be selected over time, given the knowledge of all possible sensor sets to support the application QoS requirements. To address this problem, in this paper we propose a novel cost function called SUI (Sensor Usage Index) that is based on a sensor's relative ideal lifetime (SRIL) and can be used to select sensor sets so as to meet application QoS requirements for extended periods of time. Simulation results show that utilizing the proposed cost function for sensor set selection enables the network to meet application QoS requirements for longer than using other standard sensor selection schemes. In fact, our scheme approaches the optimal network lifetime, which can be found using global knowledge of the sensors and the system dynamics.
Meta-Analysis for Primary and Secondary Data Analysis: The Super-Experiment Metaphor.

(1991). Meta‐analysis for primary and secondary data analysis: The super‐experiment metaphor. Communication Monographs: Vol. 58, No. 4, pp. 449-462.
Estimation of hydraulic conductivity in large-diameter, hand-dug wells using slug-test methods

Abstract To demonstrate the viability of using slug-test-analysis techniques to interpret recovery data in large-diameter, hand-dug wells, 37 wells representing a range of hydraulic conductivity and located in unconfined and weathered chalk and marl and confined alluvium in North-Central Texas were tested. Recovery data were analyzed by means of a numerical model, two semiempirical methods developed especially for interpreting recovery data from large-diameter hand-dug wells, and different slug-test-analysis methods that have different shape factors describing well geometry. Most hydraulic-conductivity values estimated by slug-test methods are within an order of magnitude of values that are estimated by using a numerical model or methods derived specifically for hand-dug wells. Because of the unique geometry of hand-dug wells (diameters on the same order as well lengths), care must be taken to ensure that the proper shape factors are used with slug-test methods. Because of the substantial well storage in hand-dug wells, considerable time may be required to lower the water level to the desired position, especially if pump capacity is limited. This pumping time results in a noninstantaneous withdrawal of water from the aquifer, which violates one of the assumptions of slug-test-interpretation methods. However, in low-permeability environments, reasonable results can still be attained if water removed from the well sources from well storage or if recovery time is considerably longer than pumping time.
Methysergide (Sansert) Treatment in Acute Stroke Community Pilot Study

Since its first discovery in 1948, serotonin (5-HT) has been the subject of considerable interest. Its potent vasoactivity led to the hypothesis that altered serotonin metabolism was responsible for the pathophysiology of cerebrovascular disease (infarction & hemorrhage) with documentation of elevated levels of serotonin in CSF. If (5-HT) serotonin-mediated release is ultimately responsible for cerebral edema, vasospasm and infarction in experimental and human stroke, then an opportunity exists to pharmacologically block these effects with serotonin-antagonizing agents. This hypothesis has been tested in the laboratory with several agents that inhibit biogenic amines resulting in promising data suggesting a reduction in damage and disability. Since the "natural history of human stroke" results in a 30-40% mortality within the first three weeks, an aggressive new attempt should be directed to increasing the number of survivors in this initial period of high risk. In this regard Sansert (methysergide) was considered worthy of clinical trials.
Natural selection and mammalian BRCA1 sequences: elucidating functionally important sites relevant to breast cancer susceptibility in humans

Comparison of orthologous gene sequences is emerging as a powerful approach to elucidating functionally important positions in human disease genes. Using a diverse array of 132 mammalian BRCA1 (exon 11) sequences, we evaluated the functional significance of specific sites in the context of selection information (purifying, neutral, or diversifying) as well as the ability to extract such information from alignments that index varying degrees of mammalian diversity. Small data sets of either closely related taxa (Primates) or divergent placental taxa were unable to distinguish sites conserved due to purifying selection from sites conserved due to chance (false-positive rate = 65%–99%). Increasing the number of placental taxa to 57 greatly reduced the potential false-positive rate (0%–1.5%). Using the larger data set, we ranked the oncogenic risk of human missense mutations using a novel method that incorporates site-specific selection level and severity of the amino acid change evaluated against the amino acids present in other mammalian taxa. In addition to sites undergoing positive selection in Marsupialia, Laurasiatheria, Euarchontoglires, and Primates, we identified sites most likely to be undergoing divergent selection pressure in different lineages and six pairs of potentially interacting sites. Our results demonstrate the necessity of including large numbers of sequences to elucidate functionally important sites of a protein when using a comparative evolutionary approach.
HIPPOCAMPAL CHANGES ASSOCIATED WITH EARLY-LIFE ADVERSITY AND VULNERABILITY TO DEPRESSION

Background Smaller hippocampal volume has been reported in some adult and pediatric studies of unipolar major depressive disorder. It is not clear whether the smaller hippocampal volume precedes or is a consequence of the illness. Early-life adversity is associated with both smaller hippocampal volume and increased vulnerability to depressive disorder. Hippocampal changes may mediate the relationship between early-life adversity and depressive illness in a subset of patients. However, there are no reports of longitudinal clinical studies that have examined this issue. Methods Thirty adolescents with unipolar major depressive disorder, 22 adolescent volunteers with no personal history of a psychiatric illness including depression but who were at high risk for developing depression by virtue of parental depression (high-risk group), and 35 adolescent volunteers with no personal or family history of a psychiatric disorder (control subjects) underwent volumetric magnetic resonance imaging studies. Information was also gathered on early and recent adverse experiences with standard interviews. The participants were followed for up to 5 years to assess the onset and clinical course of depression. Results Depressed and high-risk groups had significantly smaller left and right hippocampal volumes than control subjects. Higher levels of early-life adversity were associated with smaller hippocampal volumes. Smaller hippocampal volume partially mediated the effect of early-life adversity on depression during longitudinal follow-up. Conclusions Smaller hippocampal volume in adolescents at high risk for depression suggests that it may be a vulnerability marker for the illness. Early-life adversity may interact with genetic vulnerability to induce hippocampal changes, potentially increasing the risk for depressive disorder.
A map analysis of Middle East immigrants in Detroit and suburbs, 1961-1974.

. Many recent immigrants from the Middle East have located in the Detroit metropolitan area. Data were extracted from Petitions for Naturalization to determine some characteristics of these immigrants and aspects of their settling processes. This source of data could be the basis of new study on the migration and settlement of immigrant ethnic groups in the United States.
The development of the newborn rat lung in hyperoxia: a dose-response study of lung growth, maturation, and changes in antioxidant enzyme activities

Summary: To examine the dose-response relationships of oxygen-induced lung changes, newborn rats were exposed to various patterns of concentrations of hyperoxia (0.4, 0.8, and >0.95 FiO2) for up to 12 days. Prominent findings included microscopic evidence of lung injury and retarded alveolar development (secondary septal development delayed by as much as 88%), lower whole lung DNA (50% of control), lung-to-body-weight ratios (by as much as 18%), and significantly less compliance in the lungs after exposures of 6− or 12-day durations to all concentrations of hyperoxia. Significant increases in the activities of the lung protective enzymes superoxide dismutase (129 to 160% of control), catalase (112 to 274% of control), and glutathione peroxidase (118 to 256% of control) were noted when activity was expressed on a DNA basis after 12-day exposures to the various patterns of hyperoxia. Lung changes noted after a 7-day recovery period in air included interstitial thickening (117% of control), persistance of the microscopic injury, and retarded alveolar development seen immediately after initial 6-day hyperoxic exposures. At the conclusion of a second wk of recovery in air, the lungs of hyperoxic exposed animals resembled controls in most respects, but a significantly altered compliance was exhibited by the lungs of animals initially exposed to 6 days of 0.4 or >0.95 FiO2. The dose dependency of oxygen-induced lung injury is complex. Straightforward, stepwise dose-response adequately describes the evolution of microscopic injury and slowing of alveolar development in hyperoxia, but the dose dependency is not as clearly identified in the oxygen-induced retardation of lung growth including DNA content and in changes in antioxidant enzyme activities. Changes in lung compliance clearly do not follow expected dose-response relationships. Speculation: The toxic influence of oxygen on the lung and on lung develop ment varies depending upon the concentration and duration of oxygen exposure. In addition, individual vulnerability to the toxic effects of oxygen on the lung may vary depending upon the stage of maturation of the lung at the time of oxygen exposure. The variety of clinical presentations and morphologic features of chronic lung disease in premature infants (e.g., Wilson Mikity, chronic pulmonary insufficiency of the premature, and bronchopulmonary dysplasia) may represent a spectrum of oxygen effects on the lung rather than diseases with distinctly different pathogenesis.
Ion channels in mammalian vestibular afferents may set regularity of firing

Rodent vestibular afferent neurons offer several advantages as a model system for investigating the significance and origins of regularity in neuronal firing interval. Their regularity has a bimodal distribution that defines regular and irregular afferent classes. Factors likely to be involved in setting firing regularity include the morphology and physiology of the afferents' contacts with hair cells, which may influence the averaging of synaptic noise and the afferents' intrinsic electrical properties. In vitro patch clamp studies on the cell bodies of primary vestibular afferents reveal a rich diversity of ion channels, with indications of at least two neuronal populations. Here we suggest that firing patterns of isolated vestibular ganglion somata reflect intrinsic ion channel properties, which in vivo combine with hair cell synaptic drive to produce regular and irregular firing.
2. Health Services Research for Children with Disabilities

Growing numbers of children and adolescents have long-term disabilities. Research on the epidemiology, clinical care and its improvement, organization, and financing of care for children with disabilities is very limited. Given the cost burden of the nation's chronic diseases and disabilities, the lack of investigation into necessary clinical activities seems remarkable. This article reviews recent research on health services relating to children and adolescents with disabilities and outlines a research agenda in clinical and health services for this population in these study areas.
The generalized standard addition method: intermetallic interferences in anodic stripping voltammetry

Abstract A barrier to routine application of anodic stripping voltammetry is the possible formation of intermetallic compounds which can lead to significant errors in the estimated analyte concentrations. As the method of standard additions can correct only for matrix effects, it is powerless to correct for intermetallic interferences which are not matrix effects. By changing the experimental design, the new generalized standard addition method can simultaneously characterize and correct for this type of interference as well as matrix effects expected for real samples. The method is tested on the Cu—Zn—Hg system and error estimates are provided for calculated linear response constants and analyte concentration.
Measurement of the complex refractive index and complex dielectric permittivity of T.P.S. Space Shuttle tile materials at millimeter wavelengths

Complex Refractive Index and Dielectric Permittivity studies of presently used space shuttle tile materials at millimeter wavelength region reveal these tiles to exhibit similar absorption characteristics as fused silica materials. This absorption is mainly related to the water content in the specimen. A strong bire-fringence is observed at least in one of these fibrous refractory composite materials.
Renal papillary necrosis in juvenile rheumatoid arthritis

Three patients who developed renal papillary necrosis while receiving long-term, high-dose aspirin therapy for juvenile rheumatoid arthritis are presented. It appears that aspirin alone or aspirin in combination with other drugs is the causative agent. The incidence and biologic significance of renal papillary necrosis are insufficient to alter the use of aspirin as the drug of choice in, management of JRA. It is recommended that all children with JRA be encouraged to drink ample fluids and be followed with periodic urinalysis and blood pressure measurements. Those children who develop hematuria or hypertension should be evaluated by excretory urography.
Influence of light intensity and temperature on growth of fenugreek (Trigonella foenum-graecum, L.) bean seedlings, from gamma-irradiated seed

Gamma irradiation of dry seed of fenugreek beans indicated that the subsequent damage shown by growing seedlings was slightly modified by the growing conditions. Dry weights of the entire 21-day-old seedlings as well as the various seedling parts indicated significant interaction effects between temperature × radiation, and temperature × light. Dry weights of the cotyledons of all seedlings from irradiated seed were higher than those from their unirradiated controls.
Efficacy and Blood Sera Analysis of a Long-Acting Formulation of Moxidectin Against Rhipicephalus (Boophilus) microplus (Acari: Ixodidae) on Treated Cattle

ABSTRACT The therapeutic and persistent efficacy of a single subcutaneous injection of a long-acting formulation of moxidectin at a concentration of 1 mg/kg body weight was determined against Rhipicephalus (Boophilus) microplus (Canestrini), along with the concentration-time blood sera profile in treated cattle. The therapeutic efficacy against ticks of all parasitic stages on cattle at the time of treatment was >99.9%, and the mean tick number, index of fecundity, engorgement weight, and egg mass weight of ticks recovered from treated animals were all significantly lower than ticks from untreated animals. The index of fecundity, engorgement weight of females, and egg mass weight of ticks recovered from treated animals infested at weekly (7-d) intervals between 14 and 63 d posttreatment were significantly lower than for ticks on untreated animals, whereas the number of ticks per animal recovered from treated cattle remained lower than that of untreated cattle for up to 49 d posttreatment. The percentage c...
Oil and resource-backed aggression

A common misperception about oil politics is that it has a uniform, monolithic effect on policy development. This paper argues that in fact the net political effect of oil varies dramatically depending on the nature of the petrostate. It shows that oil income, when combined with revolutionary governments in petrostates, generates strong incentives for foreign policy aggression and international conflict. The aggressiveness of petro-revolutionary states is shown to have consequences in both military and economic spheres of international relations. Militarily, the aggressiveness of this type of state leads to a high rate of armed conflicts. Economically, the aggressiveness of petro-revolutionary states shapes global oil markets and international economic relations. The argument is tested using statistical analysis of international conflicts and economic sanctions. The policy implications are then considered, focusing on the negative global impacts of dependence on oil consumption.
The monoclonal antibody, Alz 50, recognizes tau proteins in Alzheimer's disease brain.

Abstract The monoclonal antibody, Alz 50, is known to label many dystrophic neurites and neurofibrillary tangles in Alzheimer's disease (AD) brain. Using immunoprecipitation and immunoblotting, we have compared Alz 50 to monoclonal antibodies directed at two known components of neurofibrillary tangles, tau and ubiquitin, in order to characterize further the antigens recognized by Alz 50 in AD brain. Alz 50 labeled purified tau proteins in a highly similar fashion to two well-characterized tau monoclonal antibodies. Alz 50 precipitated proteins at the molecular weight of 50–70 k Da from AD but not normal brain; these proteins were reactive with the tau antibodies. In addition, Alz 50 precipitated proteins migrating principally around 160–180 kDa from AD but not normal brain; the relationship of the latter proteins to tau remains unclear. None of these proteins reacted with a ubiquitin antibody. We hypothesize that the proteins recognized by Alz 50 at much higher levers in AD than normal brain include modified and aggregated forms of tau.
Sex offender laws in the United States: smart policy or disproportionate sanctions?

In the 1990s, the United States began enacting a series of laws to monitor and supervise sex offenders living in the community. These evolved to include Internet registries of sex offenders, sex of...
A heterogeneous coarse mesh solution for the 2-D NEA C5G7 mox benchmark problem

Abstract This paper presents a transport solution to the C5G7 2-Dbenchmark problem using a Monte Carlo adaptation of a heterogeneous coarse mesh transport method. The method couples Monte Carlo response function calculations to deterministic sweeps for converging the partial currents on coarse mesh boundaries. The propagation of statistical uncertainties is accounted for in a straightforward fashion. Presently, eigenvalue iterations have been avoided in order to investigate the impact of the partial current representation on the solution accuracy. Therefore, the results do not include the effect of residual eigenvalue error from actual outer iterations. However, excellent results have been achieved with very simple representations of the partial currents. In particular, the errors in the system multiplication factor and the average absolute pin power were 0.12% and 0.68%, respectively. The root mean square and the mean relative pin power errors were 1.15% and 0.56%, respectively. The largest discrepancies from the reference pin powers appeared in low power regions near the reflector, with a maximum error of 6.99%. The accuracy of the results of the coarse mesh method is comparable to most published fine mesh results. We note that the deterministic iterations that actually solve the coarse mesh problem are extremely fast (of the order of seconds).
Precision NMR measurement of 7 Li and limits on spatial anisotropy

7Li NMR is observed with 7LiCl in D 2 O using a Nicolet NT-360 NMR Spectrometer over a 3.5 month period. The linewidth is typically about 40 mHz. Fitting to a triple Lorentzian line shape gives the splitting Δf ≲ 2.2 mHz which is roughly 20 times better than previous experiments. This result puts a limit on mass anisotropy Δm /m and the nonuniversality |H ij − g ij | of the gravitational coupling H ij to electromagnetism and the gravitational coupling g ij , to particle mass as follows: δm/m μν − g μν | / U ≤ 10−13, | H 0μ − g 0μ | / U ≤ 10−8 ∼ 10−9, and | H 00 − H 00 | / U ≤ 10−5.
Breaking the sound barrier: designing an interactive tool for language acquisition in preschool deaf children

This paper introduces a new interactive tool for teaching ASL to deaf preschool children. Our design makes use of a familiar form-factor, that of a teddy bear, to create a tangible media solution to presenting video content and providing intuitive means of interaction. Children interact with the system by "showing" the bear RFID flash cards to trigger ASL videos on an embedded LCD screen. The system supports different modes of learning and the ability to track the user's progress over time. Here we describe the design, prototyping, and evaluation of this system, which has been well-received in our initial pilot study. At the time of submission, a more empirically-based evaluation is under development.
Elastic energy loss and longitudinal straggling of a hard jet

The elastic energy loss encountered by jets produced in deep-inelastic scattering (DIS) off a large nucleus is studied in the collinear limit. In close analogy to the case of (nonradiative) transverse momentum broadening, which is dependent on the medium transport coefficient q, a class of medium enhanced higher twist operators which contribute to the nonradiative loss of the forward light-cone momentum of the jet (q{sup -}) are identified and the leading correction in the limit of asymptotically high q{sup -} is isolated. Based on these operator products, a new transport coefficient e is motivated which quantifies the energy loss per unit length encountered by the hard jet. These operator products are then computed, explicitly, in the case of a similar hard jet traversing a deconfined quark-gluon plasma (QGP) in the hard-thermal-loop (HTL) approximation. This is followed by an evaluation of subleading contributions which are suppressed by the inverse light-cone momentum q{sup -}, which yields the longitudinal 'straggling', i.e., a slight change in light cone momentum due to the Brownian propagation through a medium with a fluctuating color field.
Genotypic effects on pollen morphology in sesame (Sesamum indicum L.)

The morphology (shape, exine wall pattern, diameter, volume, surface area) of mature pollen grains from eight genotypes, four within each of two capsule types (dehiscent, indehiscent) was studied. The shape was a flattened sphere (oblate) with a P (polar axis diameter): E (equatorial axis diameter) ratio = 0.69. The exine wall pattern consisted of a series of furrows passing through the poles and intersecting the equatorial plane at right (90°) angles. In cross section, the furrows appeared to be associated with shallow U-shaped structures with the intine protruding between these structures. Over the eight genotypes, the diameter, volume, and surface area were 65 μm, 147300 μm3, and 13444 μm2, respectively. For all three related characters, highly significant differences between capsule type and genotypes within capsule type were obtained. For each character, the dehiscent capsule type mean was larger than the indehiscent capsule type mean with minimum overlap among the four genotype means within each capsule type. Possibly, the numerous and diverse pleiotropic effects associated with this simply-inherited recessive indehiscent capsule type character includes pollen dimensions.
Associations of nonverbal decoding ability with indices of person‐centered communicative ability

This study (n=75) examined the relations of a measure of nonverbal decoding ability (Archer & Costanzo, 1988) with measures of interpersonal cognitive complexity (Role Category Questionnaire) and person‐centered persuasive verbal adaptiveness. Results showed a significant, positive relationship between the measures of nonverbal decoding ability (Interpersonal Perception Task) and the Role Category Questionnaire. Scores on the Interpersonal Perception Task also were significantly associated with respondents' person‐centered verbal adaptiveness. However, regression analysis with persuasive verbal adaptiveness as the criterion revealed that when controlling for the influence of sex, interpersonal cognitive complexity and nonverbal decoding ability entered together as predictors dropped from significance in their association with persuasive verbal adaptiveness.
Is It Ethical for Consulting Firms to Make Political Contributions to Candidates That Can Directly Affect Engineering Contracts

Political contributions that affect engineering contracts inhibit true competition among consulting firms. This essay argues that it is unethical for consulting firms to make contributions to political candidates who can be directly connected to engineering contracts since such contributions put professional standards at risk. Unethical contributions will devalue the profession. Honest practices satisfy the Engineering Professional Community, the State Board of Engineering Registration, the principles of our government, the country, and its people. Unethical contributions and dishonest practices will devalue a consulting firm's reputation and integrity at the national and possibly international level.
Are concanavalin A receptor sites mediators of cell-cell adhesion?

THE identity of the chemical sites that mediate adhesions between tissue cells remains to be established. Attractive candidates for this role include carbohydrate-containing groups which have in recent years been shown to be common structural constituents of animal cell membranes1. A number of lines of evidence2 indicates that these surface sugar-containing molecules may play a part in mediating cellular interactions, perhaps as “recognition sites”.
Changing Directions in HIV Prevention: The Move Toward a Psychosocial Model

ABSTRACT Although some HIV prevention programs have been successful in helping gay and bisexual men change their sexual behaviors, rates of HIV infection continue to increase. In an attempt to address this problem, social workers need to move beyond traditional HIV prevention approaches to a psychosocial model of HIV prevention. Based on the work of previous researchers, this approach assumes that a combination of individual, psychological, and social factors contribute to risky sex in gay and bisexual men. Because social workers are trained to view problems from a psychosocial framework, they are already in a position to develop programs incorporating the psychosocial model. This article examines the psychosocial model of HIV prevention and the various psychosocial factors that may contribute to high-risk sexual behavior and concludes with examples of prevention research that have already incorporated the model.
Spike Train Analysis Toolkit: Enabling Wider Application of Information-Theoretic Techniques to Neurophysiology

Conventional methods widely available for the analysis of spike trains and related neural data include various time- and frequency-domain analyses, such as peri-event and interspike interval histograms, spectral measures, and probability distributions. Information theoretic methods are increasingly recognized as significant tools for the analysis of spike train data. However, developing robust implementations of these methods can be time-consuming, and determining applicability to neural recordings can require expertise. In order to facilitate more widespread adoption of these informative methods by the neuroscience community, we have developed the Spike Train Analysis Toolkit. STAToolkit is a software package which implements, documents, and guides application of several information-theoretic spike train analysis techniques, thus minimizing the effort needed to adopt and use them. This implementation behaves like a typical Matlab toolbox, but the underlying computations are coded in C for portability, optimized for efficiency, and interfaced with Matlab via the MEX framework. STAToolkit runs on any of three major platforms: Windows, Mac OS, and Linux. The toolkit reads input from files with an easy-to-generate text-based, platform-independent format. STAToolkit, including full documentation and test cases, is freely available open source via http://neuroanalysis.org, maintained as a resource for the computational neuroscience and neuroinformatics communities. Use cases drawn from somatosensory and gustatory neurophysiology, and community use of STAToolkit, demonstrate its utility and scope.
Synthesis and characterization of a new cobalt aluminophosphate with an open-framework structure

A new cobalt aluminophosphate, CoxAl1-xPO4[(NH4)x(NH3)0.5-x], with relatively high cobalt content (x ≤ 0.4) has been hydrothermally synthesized and characterized by single-crystal X-ray diffraction, thermogravimetric analysis, and infrared and visible light spectroscopies. The structure of the compound is a new zeolite-like open framework (monoclinic, C2/c, Z = 4, a = 13.312(3), b = 13.160(3), c = 8.914(2) A, β = 100.94(3)° for x = 0.38). It contains channels of eight-membered rings of alternating tetrahedra of (Co,Al)O4 and PO4. The templates of NH4+ and NH3 reside in the channels and are surrounded by oxygen atoms with N−O distances of 3.0 A and above.
Kinetic theory of laser filamentation in plasmas.

The classical theory of laser thermal filamentation in a homogeneous plasma has been extended to include the effects of nonlocal electron heat transport. The new theory reduces the instability threshold and predicts an optimum perturbation wavelength that maximizes the spatial growth. Theoretical predictions suggest that the thermal mechanism, rather than the ponderomotive one, may explain the experimental observation of filaments by Young et al. [Phys. Rev. Lett. 61, 2336 (1988)]. In general, for conditions typical of inertial-confinement fusion, the thermal filamentation instability is expected to dominate.
An algorithm for solving a special class of tridiagonal systems of linear equations

An algorithm is presented for solving a system of linear equations Bu = k where B is tridiagonal and of a special form. This form arises when discretizing the equation - d/dx (p(x) du/dx) = k(x) (with appropriate boundary conditions) using central differences. It is shown that this algorithm is almost twice as fast as the Gaussian elimination method usually suggested for solving such systems. In addition, explicit formulas for the inverse and determinant of the matrix B are given.
Effects of weight loss on norepinephrine and insulin levels in obese older men.

Older individuals have higher plasma insulin and norepinephrine (NE) levels than the young. This may be due to biological aging; however, these changes also may be due in part to the increase in abdominal obesity that often accompanies aging. The latter possibility was tested by examining the effects of weight loss on plasma insulin and NE levels in 11 healthy men aged 52 to 72 years who had mild to moderate obesity (body mass index [BMI], 27 to 36 kg/m2). Plasma insulin levels were measured during an oral glucose tolerance test, and on a second day NE levels were measured during supine rest and upright posture. Subjects lost 10 +/- 5 kg (mean +/- SD) and decreased their waist to hip ratio ([WHR] an index of the pattern of regional fat distribution) 2.8% (P < .01) over 9 +/- 3 months through mild caloric restriction. This resulted in a 23% decrease (P < .05) in fasting insulin levels and a 48% decrease (P < .01) in 2-hour insulin levels. Weight loss also resulted in a 31% decrease (P < .001) in supine plasma NE levels and an 8% decrease (P < .05) in supine diastolic blood pressure (BP). Decreases in supine plasma NE levels correlated with changes in WHR (r = .61, P < .05), but did not correlate with changes in other measures of body composition or with changes in glucose and insulin levels. These results suggest that higher plasma NE levels are related to the distribution of body fat to upper-body or abdominal sites in obese older men.
Origins of bad-metal conductivity and the insulator-metal transition in the rare-earth nickelates

Bad metals, such as the copper oxide superconductors, do conduct electricity but the origin of their poor conductivity is unclear. A study of disordered rare-earth nickelates now provides microscopic insights into bad-metal behaviour
The 52-kd protein as a target of intermolecular spreading of the immune response to components of the SS-A/Ro-SS-B/La complex.

Objective. To determine whether immunization of healthy non-autoimmune mice with 52-kd SS-A/Ro induces a secondary antibody response to other components of the 48-kd SS-B/La-60-kd SS-A/Ro RNP complex and vice versa, since anti-52-kd antibodies have been invariably linked to these antigens in patients with Sjogren's syndrome and in mothers whose children have neonatal lupus. Methods. Female BALB/c mice were immunized with 100 μg of 6 × His recombinant human 48-kd SS-B/La, 52-kd SS-A/Ro, or 60-kd SS-A/Ro proteins, or the 6 × His polypeptide control, each purified by Ni2+ affinity chromatography. Mice subsequently received booster injections with 50 μg of the same antigen every 10–21 days. Immune responses were measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), immunoblotting of recombinant antigens, and immunoprecipitation of 35S-methionine-labeled in vitro translation products. Results. Immunization with 48-kd SS-B/La resulted in anti-48-kd SS-B/La antibodies within 45 days, followed 10 days later by a secondary response to 52-kd SS-A/Ro, as measured by ELISA. Antibody spreading to 60-kd SS-A/Ro was not detected. Immunization with 52-kd SS-A/Ro resulted in rapid high-titer anti-52-kd SS-A/Ro responses within 27 days. Spreading to 48-kd SS-B/La occurred in only 1 mouse and 60-kd SS-A/Ro was detected in a minority of the mice after prolonged antigen exposure. Immunization with 60-kd SS-A/Ro led to anti-60-kd SS-A/Ro responses within 37 days, followed 3 months later by low-titer anti-48-kd SS-B/La and anti-52-kd SS-A/Ro antibodies. All primary immune responses were confirmed by immunoblotting and immunoprecipitation. While immunoblotting of the recombinant proteins revealed reciprocal intermolecular spreading in the majority of mice, immunoprecipitation clearly demonstrated that predominant spreading was generated after immunization with 48-kd SS-B/La, which consistently resulted in antibodies to 52-kd SS-A/Ro. Conclusion. The murine responses observed in the present study, demonstrating reciprocal intermolecular spreading to 48-kd SS-B/La, 52-kd SS-A/Ro, and 60-kd SS-A/Ro, support the linkage of 52-kd SS-A/Ro with the other proteins, despite their as-yet-undetected association in vivo. The marked recruitment of anti-52-kd SS-A/Ro responses elicited by 48-kd SS-B/La may provide a lead to exploring the physical interaction, direct or indirect, of 52-kd SS-A/Ro with the SS-A/Ro-SS-B/La RNP particle and its presentation to the immune system. These data should facilitate the establishment of a murine model of neonatal lupus.
The relative food value of diatoms, dinoflagellates, flagellates, and cyanobacteria for tintinnid ciliates

Summary Growth rates of two coastal tintinnid ciliates, Tintinnopsis acuminata Daday and Tintinnopsis vasculum Meunier , were measured in batch cultures of 10 diatom clones, 10 clones of dinoflagellates and flagellates, and 2 clones of chroococcoid cyanobacteria. Diatom clones represented species lacking significant external processes ( Minutocellus ), species possessing siliceous setae ( Chaetoceros ), and species possessing β-chitin threads ( Thalassiosira, Cyclotella ). Both tintinnids grew rapidly when fed diatoms lacking threads or setae; neither species grew when fed setae-bearing diatoms. The smaller tintinnid, Tintinnopsis acuminata , exhibited extensive mortality when fed thread-bearing diatoms; the larger tintinnid, Tintinnopsis vasculum , grew only when fed the two smallest thread-bearing diatoms. Both tintinnids grew rapidly on diatoms with threads reduced by culture on a shaker table: growth rates were inversely related to diatom cross-sectional diameter (= cell + threads). Tintinnids feeding on the prymnesiophytes, Dicrateria, Isochrysis , and Pavlova , grew at rates similar to those feeding on diatoms lacking significant external processes. T. vasculum showed moderate growth when fed dinoflagellates, while T. acuminata grew well when fed chlorophytes and prasinophytes. Both tintinnids exhibited extensive mortality when fed the chroococcoid eyanobaeteria, Synechococcus .
Structure and shape transformation from multiply twinned particles to epitaxial nanocrystals: Importance of interface on the structure of Ag nanoparticles

The effect of a substrate on the structure of nanometer-sized metal particles was investigated for Ag on silicon surfaces by using high-resolution transmission electron microscope and electron diffraction. The nanometer-sized Ag particles, formed by the vapor deposition of Ag on (001) hydrogen-terminated Si (H-Si) surfaces at room temperature, adopt multiply twinned structures. Upon annealing, the multiply twinned Ag nanoparticles on H-Si (001) transform into fcc nanocrystals. The fcc Ag takes up the cube-on-cube epitaxy, with the orientation relationship of $\mathrm{Ag}(001)\text{∕∕}\mathrm{Si}(001)$ and $\mathrm{Ag}\phantom{\rule{0.3em}{0ex}}[110]\text{∕∕}\mathrm{Si}\phantom{\rule{0.3em}{0ex}}[110]$. An energetic model is developed to account for the structure and shape transition of supported multiply twinned particles to fcc epitaxial nanocrystals. Possible transition mechanisms are discussed.
Observations of Stratocumulus Clouds and Their Effect on the Eastern Pacific Surface Heat Budget along 20°S

AbstractWidespread stratocumulus clouds were observed on nine transects from seven research cruises to the southeastern tropical Pacific Ocean along 20°S, 75°–85°W in October–November of 2001–08. The nine transects sample a unique combination of synoptic and interannual variability affecting the clouds; their ensemble diagnoses longitude–vertical sections of the atmosphere, diurnal cycles of cloud properties and drizzle statistics, and the effect of stratocumulus clouds on surface radiation. Mean cloud fraction was 0.88, and 67% of 10-min overhead cloud fraction observations were overcast. Clouds cleared in the afternoon [1500 local time (LT)] to a minimum of fraction of 0.7. Precipitation radar found strong drizzle with reflectivity above 40 dBZ.Cloud-base (CB) heights rise with longitude from 1.0 km at 75°W to 1.2 km at 85°W in the mean, but the slope varies from cruise to cruise. CB–lifting condensation level (LCL) displacement, a measure of decoupling, increases westward. At night CB–LCL is 0–200 m an...
Polygyny, Family and Sharafat: Discourses amongst North Indian Muslims, circa 1870–1918

While historians of South Asia have examined in elaborate detail critiques of sati and child marriage in the Hindu community, a similar approach to Muslim familial reform also needs serious attention. By investigating discourses on the question of polygyny 1 , this paper is an attempt in this direction. In the light of these discourses, the paper argues that polygyny, influenced by modern sensibilities of reform and social change, underwent different interpretations during the colonial period. The debate on polygyny was not homogenous and uniform and research reveals a plurality of viewpoints on the subject. The argument was often based on an assumption of sexual difference which, in some cases, emphasized the infertility and reproductive incapacity of the first wife, and in others, presented an idealization of domestic ideology where the second wife made the ‘perfect’ home. Simultaneously, there were also strong critiques of polygyny by women writers who underscored the misery of the first wife. These debates do not necessarily settle the question in favour of a particular position, but reflect a conversation held on marriage, children and family, and express how love, conjugality and affection were narrated in the public sphere.
The one-dimensional heat equation with a nonlocal initial condition

Abstract A boundary value problem for the one-dimensional heat equation is considered under the constraint of a nonlocal initial condition. The problem is investigated by conversion to a Fredholm integral equation. The solution of the integral equation is derived as an eigenfunction expansion that is valid for situations in which either uniqueness or nonuniqueness applies. Circumstances under which a resonance effect occurs are discussed and illustrated with an example.