cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Effects of Outdoor Pyrotechnic Displays on the Regional Air Quality of Western Washington State

ABSTRACT Data from a PM25 (i.e., Dp < 2.5 mm) particulate matter monitoring network was used to quantify the effects of outdoor pyrotechnic displays on the regional air quality of western Washington State. Linear regression and principal component analysis demonstrated that the fine par-ticulate matter generated by these displays was primarily composed of Sr, K, V, Ti, Ba, Cu, Pb, Mg, Al, S, Mn, Zn,and soot. The maximum 24-hour averaged PM2.5 mass concentration apportioned to the pyrotechnic displays by absolute principal component scores regression analysis was 18.5 mg/m3. The majority of this mass (54%) was composed of K and S, which originated from the combustion of black powder. The distribution of smoke emissions from the displays closely resembled the population distribution of western Washington. The PM2.5 aerosol monitoring network tracked the pyrotechnic smoke plume for a period of two days as it was advected by low-level winds. The geometric mass mean diameter of the K particles was ~0.7 mm afte...
Enantioselective Reductive Coupling of 1,3-Enynes to Glyoxalates Mediated by Hydrogen: Asymmetric Synthesis of β,γ-Unsaturated α-Hydroxy Esters

Catalytic hydrogenation of 1,3-enynes 1a−8a in the presence of ethyl glyoxalate at ambient pressure and temperature using a rhodium catalyst modified by (R)-(3,5-tBu-4-MeOPh)-MeO-BIPHEP results in highly regio- and enantioselective reductive coupling to furnish the corresponding α-hydroxy esters 1b−8b. As demonstrated by the elaboration of α-hydroxy ester 1b, the terminal and internal olefin moieties embodied by the diene side chain are subject to selective manipulation, one over the other.
A ray-slice-sweep volume rendering engine

Ray-slice-sweeping is a plane sweep algorithm for volume rendering, The compositing buffer sweeps through the volume and combines the accumulated image with the new slice of just-projected voxels. The image combination is guided by sight rays from the view point through every voxel of the new slice. Cube-.#L is a volume rendering architecture which employs a ray-slice-sweeping algorithm. It improves the Cube-4 architecture in three ways. First, during perspective projection all voxels of the dataset contribute to the rendering. Second, it computes gradients at the voxel positions which improves accuracy and allows a more compact implementation, Third, Cube-AL has less control overhead than Cube-C
HPLC-atmospheric pressure chemical ionization mass spectrometric method for enantioselective determination of R,S-propranolol and R,S-hyoscyamine in human plasma.

Abstract A method for the simultaneous determination of R- and S-propranolol and R- and S-hyoscyamine in human plasma was developed, validated and applied to the analysis of samples from a clinical study. Sample preparation was performed by solid-phase extraction of 2 ml of human plasma using Oasis MCX cartridges and the enantioselective separations were achieved using a Chirobiotic V chiral stationary phase. The chromatography was carried out using gradient elution with a mobile phase composed of methanol:acetic acid:triethylamine which was varied from 100:0.05:0.04 to 100:0.05:0.1 (v/v/v) over 30 min and delivered at a flow rate 1 ml/min. The internal standard was R,S-propranolol-d7 and the analytes were quantified using a single quadrupole mass spectrometer employing APCI interface operated in the positive ion mode with single ion monitoring. The enantioselective separation factors, α, were 1.15 and 1.07 for S- and R-propranolol and R- and S-hyoscyamine, respectively. The standard curves were linear for all target compounds with coefficients of determination (r2) ranging from 0.9977 to 0.9999. The intra- and inter-day precision and accuracy were ≤13.2% and ≤10.2%, respectively. The assay was used to analyze plasma samples from seven subjects who had received i.v. infusions of R,S-propranolol and R,S-hyoscyamine. The initial data indicate that R-propranolol was eliminated faster than S-propranolol (CL/f = 2.34 ± 0.13 L/kg min vs. 2.07 ± 0.22 L/kg min) and that R-propranolol had a larger volume of distribution at steady-state (Vss/f = 705 ± 165 L/kg vs. 589 ± 130 L/kg). In the case of R,S-hyoscyamine, S-hyoscyamine was eliminated faster than R-hyoscyamine (CL/f = 0.0537 ± 0.0073 L/kg min vs. 0.0439 ± 0.0086 L/kg min), while the volumes of distribution at steady-state were similar for the hyoscyamine enantiomers (Vss/f = 7.82 ± 2.66 L/kg vs. 7.73 ± 1.39 L/kg).
A variance component-based gene burden test

We propose a novel variance component approach for the analysis of next-generation sequencing data. Our method is based on the detection of the proportion of the trait phenotypic variance that can be explained by the introduction of a new variance component that accounts for the local gene-specific departure of the empirical kinship relationship matrix, estimated from single-nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) genotypes, from their theoretical expectation based on the genealogical information in the pedigree. We tested our method with simulated phenotypes and imputed SNP genotypes from the Genetic Analysis Workshop 18 data set. We observed considerable variation in the differences between theoretical and gene-specific kinship estimates that proved to be informative for our test and allowed us to detect the MAP4 causal gene at a genome-wide significance level. The distribution of our test statistic show no inflation under the null hypothesis and results from a random set of genes suggest that the detection of MAP4 is both sensitive and specific. The use of 2 different strategies for the selection of the SNPs used to derive the gene-specific empirical kinship relationship matrices provides us with suggestive evidence that our method is performing as an empirical test of linkage.
Modification of methanol potentiation of CCl4 toxicity in rats by chloramphenicol and salicylate.

ABSTRACTThe mechanism by which methanol potentiates CC14 hepatotoxicity was studied in rats. Chloramphenicol, an inhibitor of cytochrome P-450, blocked the increase of serum glutamate-oxaloacetate trans-minase activity enhanced by methanol pretreatment of rats exposed to CC14. Chloramphenicol also decreased microsomal lipid peroxidation in both CC14 and methanol-pretreated, CC14 -intoxicated animals when measured 30 minutes after exposure. Chloramphenicol prevented the loss of glucose 6-phosphatase activity after CC1 and methanol. Sodium salicylate, which lowers the level of NADPH in the hepatocyte, blocked mthanol potentiation of CC14 damage as measured by the elevation of serum GOT activity. Therejore, methanol may potentiate CC14 hepatotoxicity by stimulation of CC14 bioactivation by cytochrome P-450 via an increase in the level of reduced NAD(P)H in the liver.
The Telomeric Poly(ADP-ribose) Polymerase, Tankyrase 1, Contains Multiple Binding Sites for Telomeric Repeat Binding Factor 1 (TRF1) and a Novel Acceptor, 182-kDa Tankyrase-binding Protein (TAB182)

Tankyrase 1, a human telomeric poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase, was originally identified through its interaction with TRF1, a negative regulator of telomere length. Tankyrase 1 ADP-ribosylates TRF1 in vitro, and its overexpression induces telomere elongation in human cancer cells. In addition to its telomeric localization, tankyrase 1 resides at multiple subcellular sites, suggesting additional functions for this protein. Here we identify TAB182, a novel tankyrase 1-binding protein of 182 kDa. TAB182 displays a complex pattern of subcellular localization. TAB182 localizes to the nucleus in a heterochromatic staining pattern and to the cytoplasm, where it co-stains with the cortical actin network. TAB182 coimmunoprecipitates with tankyrase 1 from human cells and serves as an acceptor of poly(ADP-ribosyl)ation by tankyrase 1 in vitro. Like TRF1, TAB182 binds to the ankyrin domain (comprising 24 ankyrin repeats) of tankyrase 1. Surprisingly, dissection of this domain reveals multiple discrete and overlapping binding sites for TRF1 and TAB182. Thus, we demonstrate five well conserved ankyrin repeat clusters in tankyrase 1. Although each of the five ankyrin repeat clusters independently binds to TRF1, only three of the five bind toTAB182. These findings suggest that tankyrase 1 may act as a scaffold for large molecular mass complexes made up of multiple binding proteins. We discuss potential roles for tankyrase 1-mediated higher order complexes at telomeres and at other subcellular sites.
Production of cosmogenic Be nuclei in the Earth's atmosphere by cosmic rays: Its dependence on solar modulation and the interstellar cosmic ray spectrum

Recent work by McCracken [2001] shows that 10 Be production rates by cosmic rays on the polar plateau are little affected by geomagnetic field changes in the last few hundred years. Also, the 10 Be observed in ice cores on the polar plateau probably originated at high latitudes and precipitated to the Earth in about 1 year, according to McCracken. As a result of this assumption, ice core records of 10 Be concentration extending back several hundred years, including the Maunder minimum, have the potential to study the solar modulation of cosmic rays on a time scale extending back several hundred years. These ice core records indicate that the 10 Be concentration at the time of the Maunder minimum was ∼2.0 times what it was during recent sunspot minima in 1965 and 1976. We have examined 10 Be production in the atmosphere using new data related to the interstellar cosmic ray spectrum and the effects of solar modulation as determined from Voyager spacecraft data in the outer heliosphere. We have used the FLUKA Monte Carlo program along with new cross-section data to calculate the production of nucleons and 10 Be nuclei in the atmosphere. These calculations show that 10 Be temporal variations are sensitive indicators of low-energy solar modulation. Our calculations of 10 Be production are able to reproduce well the factor ∼1.5-2.0 change in 10 Be observed in the ice core data as a result of the 11-year solar modulation. We are also able to show that starting as recently as the sunspot minimum of 1954, the cosmic ray intensity at the Earth was higher than it was during more recent minima. The cosmic ray intensity during these minima time periods represents the residual modulation between the Earth and interstellar space. The 10 Be measurements are consistant with the fact that given the interstellar cosmic ray spectrum used in this analysis, this residual modulation was small or zero at the time of the Maunder minimum.
The physical source of adherent microbubble signal separation in singular spectrum-based targeted molecular imaging (SiSTM) of large vessels

Real-time ultrasound-based molecular imaging in large vessels has the promise for early detection and diagnosis of stroke. Isolation of echo signals from adherent microbubbles (AMBs) from signals attributed to free microbubbles and tissue structures is critical to the success of these imaging techniques. Singular spectrum-based targeted molecular imaging (SiSTM) is a recently proposed method that uses changes in statistical dimensionality, as quantified by the normalized singular spectrum area (NSSA), to more effectively separate components compared with methods that use frequency-domain filtering alone. However, the precise physical mechanism responsible for NSSA-based signal separation of AMBs and vessel wall is still unknown. In this paper, in vitro flow phantom experiments were performed to elucidate the physical mechanism responsible for NSSA-based separation. NSSA and image intensity of AMBs were measured with different radiation forces, microbubble concentrations and flow rates. In the absence of flow, NSSA shifts between vessel wall and AMBs with increasing radiation force and microbubble concentration were less than 2.5% and 10% of typical values (i.e. ~ 0.2) observed from SiSTM, respectively. With flow, and thus with shear forces, the NSSA shift between vessel wall and AMBs was close to 0.2. With different flow rates, the steady-state NSSA level increased with higher flow shear forces. Consequently, our results indicate that the physical source responsible for NSSA-based signal separation is shear forces from flow.
Effect of algae pigmentation on photobioreactor productivity and scale-up: A light transfer perspective

Abstract This paper reports a numerical study coupling light transfer with photosynthetic rate models to determine the size and microorganism concentration of photobioreactors based on the pigmentation of algae to achieve maximum productivity. The wild strain Chlamydomonas reinhardtii and its transformant tla1 with 63% lower pigmentation are used as exemplary algae. First, empirical models of the specific photosynthetic rates were obtained from experimental data as a function of local irradiance using inverse methods. Then, these models were coupled with the radiative transfer equation (RTE) to predict both the local and total photosynthetic rates in a planar photobioreactor (PBR). The optical thickness was identified as the proper scaling parameter. The results indicated that under full sunlight corresponding to about 400 W/m2 photosynthetically active irradiation, enhancement of PBR productivity up to 30% was possible with tla1. Moreover, under similar irradiation, optical thicknesses above 169 and 275 for the wild strain and tla1, respectively, did not further enhance PBR productivity. Based on these results guidelines are provided for maximizing PBR productivity from a light transport perspective.
Development of an Industry Based Laser Manufacturing Degree Program

In 2005, Connecticut’s Regional Center for Next Generation Manufacturing (RCNGM) surveyed companies representing a cross section of the laser manufacturing industry in New England. A technician competency profile was created as a result of a detailed job skills survey and intensive personal interviews with company personnel. Three Rivers Community College subsequently developed a Laser Manufacturing Option to the Manufacturing Engineering Technology A.S. degree based on the competency profile, with new and revised courses featuring an emphasis on interdisciplinary skills and knowledge across several disciplines.
Topographies of forensic practice in Imperial Germany.

Abstract This article examines the topography and “cultural machinery” of forensic jurisdictions in Imperial Germany. It locates the sites at which boundary disputes between psychiatric and legal professionals arose and explores the strategies and practices that governed the division of expert labor between them. It argues that the over-determined paradigms of ‘medicalization’ and ‘biologization’ have lost much of their explanatory force and that historians need to refocus their attention on the institutional and administrative configuration of forensic practices in Germany. After first sketching the statutory context of those practices, the article explores how contentious jurisdictional negotiations pitted various administrative, financial, public security, and scientific interests against one another. The article also assesses the contested status of psychiatric expertise in the courtroom, as well as post-graduate forensic psychiatric training courses and joint professional organizations, which drew the two professional communities closer together and mediated their jurisdictional disputes.
Coenzyme A Binding to the Aminoglycoside Acetyltransferase (3)-IIIb Increases Conformational Sampling of Antibiotic Binding Site

NMR spectroscopy experiments and molecular dynamics simulations were performed to describe the dynamic properties of the aminoglycoside acetyltransferase (3)-IIIb (AAC) in its apo and coenzyme A (CoASH) bound forms. The (15)N-(1)H HSQC spectra indicate a partial structural change and coupling of the CoASH binding site with another region in the protein upon the CoASH titration into the apo enzyme. Molecular dynamics simulations indicate a significant structural and dynamic variation of the long loop in the antibiotic binding domain in the form of a relatively slow (250 ns), concerted opening motion in the CoASH-enzyme complex and that binding of the CoASH increases the structural flexibility of the loop, leading to an interchange between several similar equally populated conformations.
Mania in the geriatric patient population: a review of the literature.

The diagnosis of mania in the geriatric population is uncommon. However, it comprises significant healthcare utilization and cost requirements, which are expected to increase in the near future with the projected increase in the geriatric population. The authors review literature pertaining to geriatric mania and discuss epidemiology, psychopathology, neuropathology, differential diagnosis, evaluation, treatment, and outcomes. Literature searches were performed by GratefulMed for the years 1960–1997, with secondary- and tertiary-source follow-up. It is clear from this review that geriatric mania is a complex illness with many possible etiologies and treatments. Much more research needs to be conducted in all of the areas reviewed.
A Life In Health Policy

EDITOR’S NOTE: On 30 April 2001 Eli Ginzberg will celebrate his ninetieth birthday. For more than sixty of those years—and still today—he has been an informed, eclectic, and respected commentator on health care in America. In his rich policy career and in more than a hundred books and almost a thousand articles, Dr. Ginzberg has dealt with issues as varied as the medical preparations for D-Day in 1944 and the failure of health care reform in the 1990s. His most constant interest has been the medical workforce and his belief that America’s insistence on training too many physicians drives up medical costs and prevents the construction of an equitable and affordable health care system. As Eli Ginzberg enters his tenth decade, Health Affairs invited him to reflect on his decades of service in health policy and economics, to shed light on the context of current U.S. health policy.
Anatomy of Great Plains Protracted Heat Waves (especially the 1980 U.S. summer drought)

Abstract The protracted heat wave and drought of the Great Plains during summer 1980 was a manifestation of an abnormal form of the general circulation. An upper-level continental high developed rapidly over the Southern Plains in late May and persisted with only small changes throughout the summer. The associated subsidence, dry soil, lack of cloud and high insolation led to unrelenting heat. Descriptions of several interlocking features are given followed by an attempt to ascribe the development and maintenance of the drought-producing cell to several physical factors. Strong low-latitude westerlies (expanded circumpolar vortex) over the North Pacific, North America and North Atlantic during spring 1980 led to latitudinally depressed storm tracks relative to normal. Combined with normal seasonal forcing this anomalous pattern was stable in spring but unstable in summer after the climatologically dependable northward march of the westerlies. Moreover, normal spring to summer mid-tropospheric height chang...
Congenital cytomegalovirus (CMV) infection and hearing deficit.

Abstract Background The association between congenital cytomegalovirus (CMV) infection and sensorineural hearing loss (SNHL) was first described in 1964. Studies over the past four decades have further described the relationship between congenital CMV infection and SNHL in children. Objectives This manuscript will review the current knowledge of CMV-related SNHL and summarize the studies completed at the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB). Study Design A review of the series of studies at UAB that has led to a more detailed characterization of hearing loss due to congenital CMV infection. Results Approximately, 22%–65% of symptomatic and 6%–23% of asymptomatic children will have hearing loss following congenital CMV infection. CMV-related SNHL may be present at birth or occur later in childhood. Variability in the severity of CMV-related hearing loss ranges from unilateral high frequency losses to profound bilateral losses. Conclusions Congenital CMV infection significantly contributes to SNHL in many infant populations. Although, most children with congenital CMV infection do not develop hearing loss, it is difficult to predict which children with congenital CMV infection will develop hearing loss and, among those who do develop loss, whether or not the loss will continue to deteriorate.
MOBILE4.1/5 reweighting software

Abstract This paper presents software developed by the Desert Research Institute to read MOBILE4.1/5 output and reweight the emission factors with user-given travel fractions. Composite emission factors are calculated for comparison with experimental tunnel measurements. This software can be used to model any fixed segment of roadway with known traffic composition.
Bone-sparing properties of oral contraceptives

Postmenopausal osteoporosis is a major health care problem that affects 20 million women in the United States and accounts for > 1 million fractures per year. Hormone replacement therapy is effective for reducing bone loss in the postmenopausal women. However, intervention before menopause may delay or prevent the decline in bone mass that begins between ages 30 and 40 years. The effects of oral contraceptives on bone mass have been investigated, and a positive association between oral contraceptive use and bone mass that is directly related to the duration of oral contraceptive use was observed. The effects of oral contraceptives on bone mass may be related to the specific formation. The effect of estrogens is dose related, and the optimal dose appears to be 25 to 35 micrograms of ethinyl estradiol or its equivalent. Results from several studies show that norethindrone has a positive effect on bone mass. An oral contraceptive may offer optimal birth control for the older premenopausal woman who currently uses other forms of birth control.
Synaptic vesicle recycling at the neuromuscular junction in the presence of a presynaptic membrane marker

Abstract Staining of the presynaptic axonal membrane of the neuromuscular junction with horseradish peroxidase-labeled α-bungarotoxin was utilized as a marker for observing directly the fate of this membrane during the process of synaptic vesicle release and recycling. The neuromuscular junctions of frog sartorius-sciatic nerve preparations were stained with horseradish peroxidase-α-bungarotoxin and stimulated by electrical stimulation of the nerve, high concentration of external potassium ions, and black widow spider venom. Some preparations were stimulated in the presence of exogenous horseradish peroxidase tracer after incubation in the conjugate and were found to contain horseradish peroxidase within many synaptic vesicles, indicating that the conjugate did not affect the process of synaptic vesicle recycling. Stimulation was followed by depletion of synaptic vesicles and appearance of axolemmal infoldings and membranous cisternae. With rest after electrical and potassium stimulation, synaptic vesicles were reconstituted and terminals assumed a more normal appearance. Membrane staining after stimulation occurred in the axolemmal infoldings, some of the intra-axonal cisternae, and in a few coated vesicles. However, all synaptic vesicles were unreactive, in either rested or unrested terminals. Thus, axonal membrane labeled with horseradish peroxidase-α-bungarotoxin did not become incorporated into new synaptic vesicles. These observations support a mechanism of recycling of synaptic vesicles by specific retrieval of vesicle membrane or constituents from the axolemma.
The effect of infection by gram-negative bacteria, and their endotoxins, on the blood-clotting mechanism of the crustacean Sacculina carcini, a parasite of the crab Carcinus maenas.

Abstract The cell-free clear plasma of healthy specimens of the parasitic crustacean, Sacculina carcini , coagulates into a nonretractable gel on contact with glass. Infection of the body cavity of Sacculina with gram-negative bacteria, or the injection of endotoxin from gram-negative bacteria, causes internal coagulation so that fluid subsequently obtained is incoagulable. The apparent exhaustion of coagulation is accompanied by progressive infection and death of the parasite. It is suggested that this endotoxin-stimulated coagulation functions as a protective mechanism against trauma and infection of the exposed parasite.
Morphological Alterations in Vital Organs After Prolonged Cardiac Arrest at Low Body Temperature

Abstract Surface-induced deep hypothermia was carried out in 34 adult mongrel dogs using ether anesthesia, Rheomacrodex, and respiratory alkalosis. Cardiac arrest was instituted for 30, 60, or 90 minutes at a temperature of 18° to 20°C. All animals were resuscitated, rewarmed, and sacrificed up to two and one-half years postoperatively. One other group was only cooled and rewarmed without cardiac arrest. Myocardial sections showed focal areas of cell necrosis with cytoplasmic band formation, and in the later specimens calcification and interstitial fibrosis had developed. These changes were more severe in the animals subjected to cardiac arrest. The alterations in pulmonary tissue consisted only of patchy atelectasis and alveolar hemorrhage in the early specimens. The kidney and spleen were unaltered. Some liver sections showed widening of centrilobular sinusoids and vacuolization of hepatic cells. All the brains examined had slight anoxic changes; however, it was not possible to differentiate normal from hypothermic brains. There was no correlation between morphological changes and duration of total circulatory arrest.
Investigation of hydrogen reactivity and its use as a surface probe on high surface area copper-chromium-silver impregnated charcoal

Abstract ASC whetlerite is a copper/chromium/silver impregnated, activated charcoal which is used effectively to remove and hydrolyze vapor contaminants from gas streams. Its catalytic activity is known to decrease as the chromium oxidation state is reduced from +6 to +3. A thermal treatment process was used to systematically reduce the Cr(+6) species to Cr(+3)-containing species and a pulse technique was developed to nondestructively quantify this reduction using hydrogen. The data illustrated that hydrogen uptake can be correlated with the oxidation state(s) of the chromium metal impregnant. In addition, total uptake of hydrogen was determined in a static adsorption system. These data showed that total hydrogen uptake was independent of the oxidation state of chromium on the charcoal surface and was much greater than a one-to-one relationship between metal atoms and hydrogen atoms. These results suggested that hydrogen molecules are adsorbed and dissociated by the Cr(+3)-containing species and then diffuse away from the “Cr(+3) centers” to the activated charcoal support. Finally, the hydrogen pulse results together with ESCA data indicated that the deactivation of whetlerite involves not only the reduction of chromium, but most likely also the separation of the chromium/copper impregnants.
High precision 230Th and 232Th in the Norwegian Sea and Denmark by thermal ionization mass spectrometry

Seawater samples (1–2 liters) were collected from the Norwegian Sea and Denmark Strait and analyzed for 230Th and 232Th using highly sensitive thermal ionization mass spectrometry (TIMS). Depth profiles of dissolved 230Th and 232Th are characterized by surface water minima (<1 fg/kg, <5 pg/kg), subsurface maxima (12 fg/kg, 134 pg/kg), and intermediate concentrations that progressively decrease toward the bottom (∼5 fg/kg, ∼17 pg/kg), respectively. The lack of an increase in 230Th with depth is suggested to result from the short ventilation age of Norwegian Sea Deep Water combined with enhanced scavenging near the basin margins. The 230Th maximum is attributed to advection of high 230Th in the Arctic Intermediate Water, whereas the 232Th maximum may be related to a particulate source. The low dissolved 230Th and 232Th concentrations observed in the NADW formation regions implies a minor advective export of these long-lived Th tracers to the North Atlantic.
Polymerization of Acrylamide in the Presence of Tetradecyltrimethylammonium Bromide Surfactant

The polymerization of acrylamide (AAm) and N,N‘-methylenebis(acrylamide) (BIS) in the presence of high concentrations of tetradecyltrimethylammonium bromide (TTAB) results in formation of macroporous gels. Prior to polymerization, the presence of AAm monomer shifts the TTAB micelle to the columnar phase transition boundary. The combination of dynamic viscosity measurements and X-ray diffraction shows for high TTAB concentrations that during polymerization TTAB micelles are driven into nanodomains of the hexagonal−columnar phase. X-ray diffraction from lower concentration TTAB samples shows that micelles are limited to a closest separation of 10 nm, apparently due to the presence of the polyacrylamide network.
Effect of Ag Particle Size in Thick-Film Ag Paste on the Electrical and Physical Properties of Screen Printed Contacts and Silicon Solar Cells

The impact of the Ag particle (metal powder in the screen printed paste) size on the quality of Ag thick-film ohmic contacts to high-sheet-resistance emitters of Si solar cells is investigated. Spherical particle size wasvaried in the range of 0.10-10 μm (ultrafine to large). Even though ultrathin glass regions are achieved for the large particle paste, giving low specific contact resistance (ρ c ), secondary ion mass spectroscopy measurements showed a higher Ag concentration (>10 1 5 cm - 3 ) at the p-n junction that increased the junction leakage current (J o 2 ) and decreased the V o c by ∼7 mV and fill factor (FF) by ∼0.02. Pastes with ultrafine Ag particles generally produced a thick glass layer at the Ag-Si contact interface, which increased ρ c and series resistance (R s ) (≥ 1 Ω cm 2 ), and lowered the FF by ∼0.03. Small to medium size Ag particles in the paste produced thin glass regions and many regularly distributed Ag crystallites at the contact interface. This resulted in low R s (< 1 Ω cm 2 ), high shunt resistance (60,558 Ω cm 2 ), low J o 2 (∼20 nA/cm 2 ), and high FF (0.781). Cell efficiencies of ∼17.4% were achieved on untextured float zone Si with 100 Ω/□ emitter by rapid firing of screen printed contacts in a lamp-heated belt furnace.
Hyperbranched Poly(carbosilanes) from Silyl-Substituted Furans and Thiophenes

The synthesis and characterization of new hyperbranched organosilicon polymers containing furan or thiophene are described. The air- and moisture-stable polymers were prepared in 78−98% yields by t...
Urine Specimen Collection from Incontinent Female Nursing Home Residents

Urine Specimen Collection from Incontinent Female Nursing Home Residents OBJECTIVE: To determine if a clean catch technique can accurately diagnose bacteriuria among incontinent female nursing home residents. DESIGN: Cultures and dipstick screening test results from paired urine specimens, one collected by a clean catch technique and the other collected by sterile in-and-out catheterization, were compared. PARTICIPANTS: A total of 101 incontinent female nursing home residents who were being assessed for participation in a larger clinical intervention trial for incontinence. MEASUREMENTS: Each urine was tested by a dipstick method for leukocyte esterase and nitrite and sent to a bioclinical laboratory for quantitative culture. RESULTS: Positive and negative culture results matched in 92 of the 101 paired specimens. Using the catheter specimen as a gold standard, the clean catch had a sensitivity of 90%, specificity of 92%, positive predictive value of 81%, and a negative predictive value of 95%. In a population with symptoms suggestive of infection, among whom the prevalence of bacteriuria would likely be higher than in the asymptomatic residents we studied (e.g., 60% vs 30%), the positive predictive value would increase to 95%, but the negative predictive value would decrease to 86%. The concordance of the results of the urine screening tests was not as good, except for the detection of a positive leukocyte esterase test and a negative nitrite test. CONCLUSION: Incontinent female nursing home residents do not necessarily have to be catheterized in order to obtain an accurate quantitative urine culture. Our results using a careful clean catch technique are comparable to those previously reported using urine obtained from a urine-soiled diaper as well as those using a condom catheter technique in men. J Am Geriatr Soc 43: 279–281, 1995.
An efficient Runge-Kutta (4,5) pair

Abstract A pair of explicit Runge-Kutta formulas of orders 4 and 5 is derived. It is significantly more efficient than the Fehlberg and Dormand-Prince pairs, and by standard measures it is of at least as high quality. There are two independent estimates of the local error. The local error of the interpolant is, to leading order, a problem-independent function of the local error at the end of the step.
Type III - Type I transition and strain-effect in Hg1−xCdxTeCdTe and Hg1−xZnxTeCdTe superlattices

Abstract In this paper, the results of Hg 1−x Zn x TeCdTe strained layer superlattices grown by MBE are reported, and compared to Hg 1−x Cd x TeCdTe superlattices. Both Type III and Type I Hg 1−x Zn x TeCdTe superlattices with different strain have been grown on CdTe(111)B/GaAs(100) and CdTe(100)/GaAs(100) substrates and characterized by electron, X-ray diffraction, infrared transmission and Hall measurements. The values of hole mobility between 5×10 3 up to 2×10 4 cm 2 v −1 s −1 at T = 23K along (111)B growth orientation and up to 4.9×10 4 cm 2 v −1 s −1 at T = 5K along (100) growth orientation are obtained for Type III superlattices whereas in Type I superlattices, the hole mobility is between 200–300cm 2 v −1 s −1 . This drastic change in the hole mobility between Type III and Type I superlattices along with the role of the strain are discussed in this paper.
Diffusional mixing in an ideal system

Abstract A quantitative theory is presented which describes the mixing of two identical powders in a horizontal barrel mixer. It is proposed that when two components are loaded end-to-end in a simple barrel mixer, mixing can occur only by diffusion. By application of the equations of diffusion, theoretical expressions for the kinetics of the process have been derived. An experimental system has been devised for studying the mixing of essentially identical components. The progress of mixing is followed by a sampling and assaying technique which allows quite accurate determination of concentration with minimal disturbance of the charge. Excellent agreement is obtained when comparing the experimental data to the theoretical predictions.
Model system evaluating fluorescein‐labeled microbeads as internal standards to calibrate fluorescence intensity on flow cytometers

Fluorescence intensity calibration was evaluated in a model system for flow cytometers using commercially available fluorescein-labeled microbeads as internal standards and stabilized fluoresceinated thymus cell nuclei (Fluorotrol) as surrogates for stained mononuclear cells. Spectrophotometrically determined calibration values for the microbeads were used to generate a standard curve that converted green fluorescence histogram channels into molecular equivalents of soluble fluorescein (MESF). In 19 analyses repeated during a single run, the coefficients of variation (CVs) for the derived MESF values on both dimly and brightly stained Fluorotrol populations were less than 2%. In 26 separate determinations over 14 weeks, the CVs of the derived MESF values were less than 3%. The MESF values of the dim and bright Fluorotrol populations derived from the microbead standard curves were both about 50% lower than those determined by direct spectrophotometric analysis of Fluorotrol. The analytical imprecision of fluorescence intensity measurements in this idealized model system has a CV less than 3%, and the analytical inaccuracy shows that calibration in MESF units remains uncertain over about a two-fold range.
Variation of the refractive indices of calcite, with pressure to 7 kbar

The variation of the ordinary and extraordinary refractive indices of calcite for λ = = 5893 A with hydrostatic pressure to 7 kbar has been measured from the shift of the localized interference fringes across the sample which was kept in a fluid pressure medium. The change in the thickness of the sample under pressure was considered by utilizing the non-linear theory of elasticity. The ordinary and the extraordinary refractive indices were found to increase linearly with pressure with slopes of 0.50 × 10−3/kbar and 0.44 × 10−3/kbar respectively in the entire region investigated. The results are compared with the theoretical values evaluated from Bragg's theory, and are also interpreted according to Mueller's theory of photoelasticity. Die Abhangigkeit des ordentlichen und auserordentlichen Brechungsindex von Kalkspat vom hydrostatischen Druck wurde bis 7 kbar fur λ = 5893 A durch die Verschiebung der Interferenzringe gemessen. Die Kristalle wurden durch ein flussiges Einbettmedium beobachtet. Die durch den Druck entstandene Veranderung der Dicke der Probe wurde durch die nichtlineare Theorie der Elastizitat berucksichtigt. Es wurde festgestellt, das der ordentliche, sowie der auserordentliche Brechungsindex linear mit einem Anstieg von 0,50 × 10−3/kbar, bzw. 0,44 × 10−3/kbar mit dem Druck ansteigt. Die Resultate werden mit den theoretischen Werten der Braggschen Theorie Verglichen und nach der Muellerschen Theorie der Photoelastizitat ausgewertet.
Modification of the catalytic properties of rabbit liver fructose diphosphatase by a particulate fraction from liver.

Fructose diphsphatase (EC 3.1.3.11) 1 assayed in crude extracts of rabbit liver shows maximum activity in the neutral pH range, in contrast to purified enzyme preparations which show an alkaline pH optimum under the same assay conditions. Incubation of the crude enzyme preparations with a particulate fraction from rabbit liver, or with a soluble fraction derived from the particles, causes a decrease in neutral pH activity, and a concomitant increase in activity at alkaline pH; the result is a pH activity curve which resembles that of the purified enzyme. The properties of fructose diphosphatase in crude extracts are compared with those of the purified enzyme activated by formation of mixed disulfides with CoA, acylcarrier protein, or homocystine, all of which show similar pH optima in the neutral pH range, and similar sensitivity to inhibition by AMP. Crude fructose diphosphatase, which shows the neutral pH optimum, can be further activated by homocystine; the neutral activity in crude extracts cannot be attributed to the presence of the disulfide structure.
Solvent Dependence of the Luminescence of N-Arylaminonaphthalenesulfonates

N-Methyl,N-phenyl-2-aminonaphthalene-6-sulfonate, a fluorescence probe, adsorbs to cycloheptaamylose with a stoichiometry of 1 : 1. The fluorescence of the complex is similar to that observed when the dye is dissolved in organic solvents. Similar fluorescence is observed with the dye in ice. The results are interpreted in terms of "solvent" relaxation during the excited state lifetime of the dye.
On the effects of non-linear elements in the reliability-based optimal design of stochastic dynamical systems

Abstract The aim of the present paper is to study the effects of non-linear devices on the reliability-based optimal design of structural systems subject to stochastic excitation. One-dimensional hysteretic devices are used for modelling the non-linear system behavior while non-stationary filtered white noise processes are utilized to represent the stochastic excitation. The reliability-based optimization problem is formulated as the minimization of the expected cost of the structure for a specified failure probability. Failure is assumed to occur when any one of the output states of interest exceeds in magnitude some specified threshold level within a given time duration. Failure probabilities are approximated locally in terms of the design variables during the optimization process in a parallel computing environment. The approximations are based on a local interpolation scheme and on an efficient simulation technique. Specifically, a subset simulation scheme is adopted and integrated into the proposed optimization process. The local approximations are then used to define a series of explicit approximate optimization problems. A sensitivity analysis is performed at the final design in order to evaluate its robustness with respect to design and system parameters. Numerical examples are presented in order to illustrate the effects of hysteretic devices on the design of two structural systems subject to earthquake excitation. The obtained results indicate that the non-linear devices have a significant effect on the reliability and global performance of the structural systems.
Coroner and medical examiner documentation of sudden unexplained deaths in epilepsy.

Abstract Background Prevalence data for sudden unexplained death in epilepsy (SUDEP) are hampered by its underuse as a final diagnosis on death certificates in appropriate cases. Few data exist about how coroners (COs) and medical examiners (MEs) in the United States use the diagnosis of SUDEP. Methods A survey instrument that addressed demographics, professional background, annual cases of epilepsy, seizure history, percentage of post-mortem examinations, cause of death, and use of SUDEP as a diagnosis was sent to all COs and MEs in the United States. Unadjusted comparisons between categorical variables used χ 2 tests. A multiple regression model examined the odds of respondents considering SUDEP to be a valid diagnosis. Results Of 2995 surveys, 80.7% went to COs and 19.3% to MEs. The response rate was 15.9% for COs and 21.8% for MEs. Acknowledgment of SUDEP as a valid entity was greatest among pathologists (83.5%) versus other physicians and non-physicians ( P Conclusions SUDEP appears to be an underused final diagnosis by COs and MEs throughout the United States. There is a need to educate officials at all levels about this diagnosis in persons who have epilepsy with no other cause of death.
Registration of ‘Osage’ Soybean

'Osage' soybean [Glycine max (L.) Merr.] (Reg. No. CV-495, PI 648270) was developed and released by the Arkansas Agricultural Experiment Station as a Maturity Group V conventional cultivar in March 2007. It was derived from the cross 'Hartz 5545' × 'KS4895' and has been evaluated in 130 field tests in several southern states. Osage is widely adapted to areas between 33 and 37°N latitude and has high yield potential and moderately high protein content. Overall, when grown in southern environments, Osage had seed yield 3.2% greater than the check '5601T' and 3.3% greater than the check '5002T'. Seed protein of Osage is 3.1% and 5.4% greater than 5601T and 5002T, respectively. Osage is resistant to several important diseases in the Mid-South USA, including southern stem canker, sudden death syndrome, soybean mosaic virus, and frogeye leaf spot.
Cross-sectional estimates of active life expectancy for the U.S. elderly and oldest-old populations.

Estimates are made of active life expectancy for the U.S. elderly and oldest-old populations using data from the 1982 and 1984 National Long Term Care Surveys. In the calculation of active life expectancy a multivariate analysis of 27 measures of functioning was used to define scores to decompose total life expectancy by type and level of disability. These analyses showed significant differences in active life expectancy for males and females. Though a higher proportion of male life expectancy at age 65 was "active," females had larger absolute amounts of active life expectancy. By age 85, in contrast, males had a higher absolute amount of active life expectancy. In addition, calculations were performed with the disability associated with cognitive impairment eliminated in order to illustrate the sensitivity of active life expectancy to changes in morbidity.
The measurement of velocity gradients in laminar flow by homodyne light-scattering spectroscopy

A technique for measuring velocity gradients in laminar flows by homodyne light scattering is presented. A theory which describes the light-scattering spectrum is derived that includes the effects of different types of linear flow fields, particle diffusion and the intensity profile in the scattering volume. The conditions which must be satisfied in order that the theory describe the experimental situation are outlined and complementary experiments are performed which both verify the theory and apply the technique. Verification is provided using the flow in a Couette device, and the flow due to single rotating cylinder in a large bath of fluid. The technique is then applied to measure the spatial variation of the shear rate in a four-roll mill.
On the expression of sex dimorphism.

A procedure is developed and presented for the calculation of sex dimorphism in quantitative variates. Instead of expressing sex dimorphism by the male X/female X¯ ratio, it deletes the area of overlap of the two curves and provides the proportion of males and females in terms of the areas under each curve. Examination of anthropometric variates among Eskimos from northwestern Alaska and the Hadza from Tanzania indicates that extremity measurements might be of special value for assessing the magnitude of sex dimorphism.
Some basic considerations concerning the sensitivity of sputter ion mass spectrometers

The importance of proper phase space matching of source emittance and analyzer acceptance to achieve maximum sensitivity in sputter ion mass spectrometers is emphasized. Quantitative relations between transmitted current and instrument parameters are given. In an optimized instrument ion currents of the order of microamperes can be expected from large samples. Using low background detection systems a dynamic current range of 14 orders of magnitude is achievable. Under ideal conditions this corresponds to the detectability of bulk impurities with concentrations between 10−3 and 10−6 p.p.b., depending on the element. Depth gradients of p.p.b.-impurities can be measured with a material consumption corresponding to a single monolayer of sample. Physical processes and not sensitivity problems ultimately limit the depth resolution. The statistical nature of sputtering seems to set this limit at 10–15 atomic layers at the surface and even higher than that as surface erosion progresses. For small samples the trace sensitivity is proportional to the projected area. For a 1 μm diameter particle, sensitivity limits are characteristically of the order of 1 p.p.m. In the limit an impurity (continuously distributed over a few atomic layers or in the form of an inclusion) can be identified with 10% accuracy if it contains at least 104 atoms of one kind.
Women as Leaders: What Women Have Attained In and Through the Field of Physical Education

In her 1792 treatise A Vindication of the Rights of Woman, Mary Wollstonecraft proclaimed that when girls were allowed to take the same exercise as boys the fiction of the ‘natural superiority of man’ would be exposed. A century later, as growing numbers of women began engaging in sports and achieving a place of distinction in the profession of physical education, her assertion became a reality. Few people today know that women were serving as presidents of the inclusive American Physical Education Association decades before any became the president of organizations such as the American Medical Association or the American Historical Association – or how early they had achieved other leadership positions. Although a considerable number of informative books now exist regarding what women have achieved in and through sporting competitions, to date the only comprehensive treatment of what women once attained in and through physical education has been Shelia Fletcher's book Women First: The Female Tradition in...