cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Multivariate adaptive approach for monitoring simple linear profiles

Adaptive sample size and sampling intervals schemes have been widely used to improve the statistical efficiency of Hotelling T² control chart in detecting small changes when the quality of a product or a process can be characterised by the multivariate distribution of quality characteristics. In this paper, we design a Hotelling T² scheme varying sample sizes and sampling intervals VSSI-T² for accelerating the speed of detecting off-target conditions in linear profile parameters. We investigate the statistical performance of the adaptive approach versus its fixed sampling counterparts. To find the optimal setting of the VSSI-T², we build an optimisation model solved using genetic algorithm GA. Also, average time to signal ATS is considered as the objective function of the model and estimated using the Markov chain fundamentals. The comparative studies reveal the potentials of the adaptive scheme in improving the performance of the Hotelling T² control chart in monitoring linear profiles.
Right bundle branch block: Long-Term prognosis in apparently healthy men

The long-term cardiac prognosis of 24 clinically healthy men with complete right bundle branch block, identified from the 1,142 men constituting the population of the Baltimore Longitudinal Study on Aging, was assessed over a follow-up period averaging 8.4 years. When compared with a control group matched for age at which right bundle branch block appeared (mean ± standard deviation 64.0 ± 13.5 years), men with right bundle branch block showed no difference in the prevalence of antecedent coronary risk factors or obstructive lung disease. The incidence of angina pectoris, myocardial infarction, valvular heart disease, cardiomegaly, congestive heart failure, advanced heart block or cardiac death in these men did not differ from that of the control group over the observation period. Furthermore, at the latest follow-up study, maximal aerobic exercise tolerance and chronotropic response to maximal exercise were not impaired in men with right bundle branch block relative to control men (9.1 ± 2.2 versus 7.3 ± 3.0 minutes and 150.3 ± 23.5 versus 147.7 ± 20.7 beats/minute, respectively). However, axis deviation leftward of -30° was present in 46% of men with right bundle branch block but in only 15% of control subjects at latest follow-up (probability [p]
Expression of rabbit ileal N3 Na+/nucleoside cotransport activity in Xenopus laevis oocytes.

Abstract To determine if the Na+/nucleoside cotransport activity in the distal rabbit intestine has either purine-selective (N1) or broad (N3) substrate specificity, Na+-dependent inosine uptake was expressed inXenopus laevisoocytes. The rate of expressed Na+-stimulated inosine uptake saturated with increasing inosine concentration (apparent Km= 58.2 ± 13.0 μM), was insensitive to inhibition by 6-(4-nitrobenzyl)thio-9-β- d -ribofuranosylpurine, and was partially inhibited by phloridzin. Na+-dependent uptake was inhibited by guanosine (IC50= 7.1 μM) and thymidine (IC50= 5.5 μM). The Na+/nucleoside cotransport activity expressed by rabbit ileal mRNA in theXenopusoocyte expression system is most characteristic of the N3 subclass of this family of transport proteins.
A unified approach to global convergence of trust region methods for nonsmooth optimization

This paper investigates the global convergence of trust region (TR) methods for solving nonsmooth minimization problems. For a class of nonsmooth objective functions called regular functions, conditions are found on the TR local models that imply three fundamental convergence properties. These conditions are shown to be satisfied by appropriate forms of Fletcher's TR method for solving constrained optimization problems, Powell and Yuan's TR method for solving nonlinear fitting problems, Zhang, Kim and Lasdon's successive linear programming method for solving constrained problems, Duff, Nocedal and Reid's TR method for solving systems of nonlinear equations, and El Hallabi and Tapia's TR method for solving systems of nonlinear equations. Thus our results can be viewed as a unified convergence theory for TR methods for nonsmooth problems.
Performance evaluation of algorithms for transitive closure

Abstract This paper presents the results of an experimental evaluation of the performance of three main algorithms for transitive closure: Seminaive, Smart and Blocked Warren. The algorithms have been implemented using a variety of join methods (block nested-loops and hash-join), disk-based and memory-based data structures and buffer replacement strategies. The algorithms were tested on several graphs, ranging from regular trees to random acyclic graphs to random general graphs. Contrary to what several previous studies have found, our experiments indicate that Seminaive is almost always superior to Smart. In most cases, Seminaive exhibited inferior performance to Warren, but surprisingly, there are some types of graphs where Blocked Warren generates more duplicates than Seminaive and is therefore slower. Finally, for the common case where a transitive closure query involves a selection, Seminaive can take advantage of the constants in the selection, whereas Blocked Warren and Smart cannot. Our experiments indicate that the percentage of the graph nodes that need to be selected for Blocked Warren to be superior to Seminaive is rather large (for all graphs tested, it must be greater than 1 3 ). This implies that for the majority of transitive closure queries with selection, Seminaive is the preferred strategy.
REVOLUTIONARY AND COUNTER REVOLUTIONARY THEORY IN GEOGRAPHY AND THE PROBLEM OF GHETTO FORMATION

How and why would we bring about a revolution in geographic thought? To gain some insight into this question it is worth examining how revolutions and counter-revolutions occur in all branches of scientific thought. Thomas Kuhn provides an interesting analysis of this phenomenon as it occurs in the natural sciences. He suggests that most scientific activity is what he calls normal science which amounts to the investigation of all facets of a particular paradigm (a paradigm being thought of as a set of concepts, categories, relationships, and methods, which are generally accepted throughout the scientific community at a given point in time). During the process of normal science certain anomalies arise, observations or paradoxes which cannot be resolved within an existing paradigm. These anomalies increasingly become the focus of attention until science is plunged into a period of crisis in which speculative attempts are made to solve the problems posed by the anomalies. Eventually there arises out of these attempts a new set of concepts, categories, relationships, and methods, which successfully resolve the existing dilemmas as well as successfully incorporating the worthwhile aspects of the old paradigm. Thus a new paradigm is born to be followed once more by the onset of normal scientific activity. 1 Kuhn's schema is open to criticism on a number of grounds. I shall discuss two problems very briefly. Firstly, there is no explanation as to how anomalies arise and how, once they have arisen, they generate crises. This criticism can be met by distinguishing between significant and insignificant anomalies. Thus it was known for many years that the orbit of. Mercury did not fit into Newton's calculations yet this anomaly was insignificant because it had no relevance when it came to the use of the Newtonian system in an everyday context. If, on the other hand, certain anomalies had arisen in, say, bridge construction, then they obviously would have been highly significant. Thus the Newtonian paradigm remained satisfactory and unchallenged until something of practical importance and relevance could not be accomplished using the Newtonian system. Secondly, there is the question, never satisfactorily answered by Kuhn, concerning the way in which a new paradigm comes to be accepted. Kuhn admits that acceptance is not a matter of logic and he therefore suggests that it involves a leap of faith. A leap of faith based on what? Underlying Kuhn's analysis is a guiding force which is never explicitly examined. This guiding force amounts to a fundamental belief in the virtues of control and manipulation of the natural environment and the leap of faith, then, is based on the belief that the new system will allow an extension of manipulability and control over some aspect of nature. Which aspect of nature?. Presumably once again it will be an aspect of nature which is important in’ terms of everyday activity and everyday life as it exists at a particular point in history.
Out-of-core computing on mesh connected computers

Several models of parallel disks are found in the literature. These models have been proposed to alleviate the I/O bottleneck arising in handling voluminous data. These models have the general theme of assuming multiple disks. For instance the parallel disks model assumes D disks and a single computer. It is also assumed that a block of data from each of the D disks can be fetched into the main memory in one parallel I/O operation. In this paper, we study a model where there are more than one processors and each processor has an associated disk. In addition to the I/O cost, one also has to account for the inter-processor communication costs. To begin with we study the mesh and we investigate the performance of the mesh with respect to out-of-core computing. As a case study we consider the problem of sorting. The goal of this paper is to study the properties of this model.
The Changing Role of Race in Social Welfare Attitude Formation Partisan Divides over Undocumented Immigrants and Social Welfare Policy

Growth in the U.S. Latino population has prompted speculation that the “racialization” of welfare with respect to African Americans would eventually extend to Latinos. The authors assess this prediction, analyzing public attitudes toward welfare spending and national health insurance and their linkages to attitudes about Latinos and undocumented immigrants. The authors find significant relationships between affect for “illegal immigrants” and social welfare attitudes, conditional on party identification. The findings indicate that Americans view undocumented immigrants as the beneficiaries of social welfare policies, not the wider Latino population. Furthermore, the framing of social service utilization by undocumented immigrants could threaten the Democratic coalition.
Malate dehydrogenases and glutamate dehydrogenase in chick liver and heart during embryonic development.

The specific activity of malate dehydrogenase isozymes in cytoplasm and mitochondria of liver and heart have been studied throughout development in the chick. The properties of the isozymes in these tissues are similar to those reported for other tissues. During development, the pattern of the specific activity of the isozymes of liver differs from that of the heart. Activities of the mitochondrial matrix and cytoplasmic isozymes of liver are constant; in heart they increase but not to the same extent. In mitochondria, the activity of malate dehydrogenase varies in the same way as that of cytochrome oxidase. Like cytochrome oxidase, malate dehydrogenase is therefore a constant proportion enzyme. Glutamate dehydrogenase is found in significant amounts in the liver; it is localized in the mitochondrial matrix, and its specific activity remains constant throughout development. In contrast, glutamate dehydrogenase can be detected in the heart only after hatching.
Jurisdictional homogeneity and the Tiebout hypothesis

Abstract In this paper, an alternative to the capitalization approach to testing the Tiebout model is presented. The Tiebout foot voting mechanism suggests that households will sort and stratify into (approximately) homogeneous local public goods jurisdictions. At a point in time, the efficiency of the sort will be positively related to the number of existing jurisdictions. Using a measure of homogeneity introduced by Theil, the relationship between stratification (homogeneity within jurisdiction) and number of jurisdictions is tested. For a sample of school districts within 33 SMSAs, the Tiebout stratification hypothesis is confirmed.
Four-channel polarimeter for time-resolved ellipsometry

A new four-channel partial polarimeter was designed for use in time-resolved ellipsometry measurements. The device outputs four parallel, equispaced beams from a single input beam. By detecting and digitizing the intensities of these four beams, the intensity, as well as two of the three elements of the reduced Stokes vector can be determined. Since there are no moving parts to the polarimeter, time resolution is limited only by the response time of the photodetectors and the digitizers. The linear array of output beams is ideal for streak-camera detection, yielding a potential time resolution of ~1 psec. A beam splitter is described that separates the input beam into two beams, which are parallel to the input beam and whose polarizations are nearly the same as the input beam. In addition, the polarimeter is achromatic, operating in the wavelength region from 220 to 1100 nm.
Elliptic PDE formulation and boundary conditions of the spherical harmonics method of arbitrary order for general three-dimensional geometries

Abstract The inherent complexity of the radiative transfer equation makes the exact treatment of radiative heat transfer impossible even for idealized situations and simple boundary conditions. Therefore, a wide variety of efficient solution methods have been developed for the RTE. Among these solution methods the spherical harmonics method, the moment method, and the discrete ordinates method provide means to obtain higher-order approximate solutions to the equation of radiative transfer. Although the assembly of the governing equations for the spherical harmonics method requires tedious algebra, their final form promises great accuracy for any given order, since it is a spectral method (rather than finite difference/finite volume in the case of discrete ordinates). In this study, a new methodology outlined in a previous paper on the spherical harmonics method ( P N ) is further developed. The new methodology employs successive elimination of spherical harmonic tensors, thus reducing the number of first-order partial differential equations needed to be solved simultaneously by previous P N approximations ( = ( N + 1 ) 2 ) . The result is a relatively small set ( = N ( N + 1 ) / 2 ) of second-order, elliptic partial differential equations, which can be solved with standard PDE solution packages. General boundary conditions and supplementary conditions using rotation of spherical harmonics in terms of local coordinates are formulated for the general P N approximation for arbitrary three-dimensional geometries. Accuracy of the P N approximation can be further improved by applying the “modified differential approximation” approach first developed for the P 1 -approximation. Numerical computations are carried out with the P 3 approximation for several new two-dimensional problems with emitting, absorbing, and scattering media. Results are compared to Monte Carlo solutions and discrete ordinates simulations and a discussion of ray effects and false scattering is provided.
Myocardial infarction in the absence of coronary occlusion.

Abstract In a 43 year old man with a well documented inferior myocardial infarction, coronary angiography performed 16 months later revealed a widely patent right coronary artery supplying the infarcted area. Although the fate of the original lesion is unknown, lysis of a previous thrombus seems likely.
The Pion form-factor in a light cone representation

Abstract The Bethe-Salpeter equation is formulated on the light-cone for the composite quark-antiquark amplitude to study the pion form factor. A unified description of the pion form factor is obtained for all space-like momentum transfers, with a prediction that it will fall rapidly from the present experimental values to the asymptotic values by about 15 (GeV/ c ) 2 .
Pituitary and thyroid hormone responses of heifers after ferulic acid administration

I evaluated effects of ferulic acid on concentrations of endocrine hormones of eight Holstein heifers. Cattle were fitted with indwelling jugular cannulae 24 h before experimentation. After control blood samples were taken, animals were assigned randomly to groups of four and infused with 100 or 500 mg of ferulic acid. Prolactin, growth hormone, luteinizing hormone, and thyroid hormones were measured in sera from blood samples. Blood sampling or ethanol infusion did not affect serum concentrations of prolactin. Serum prolactin was elevated 5 min after infusion of ferulic acid. Peak serum prolactin concentrations were 15 min after 100 mg of ferulic acid and between 10 and 30 min after 500 mg ferulic acid. Prolactin remained high until 120 min post drug administration. Control bleeding and ethanol administration did not alter serum growth hormone concentrations. Serum growth hormone concentrations were elevated slightly by ferulic acid. The increase was 5 min after drug administration. Baseline concentrations were established 60 to 90 min after administration. Ferulic acid did not affect luteinizing hormone or thyroid hormones. Ferulic acid, a constituent of corn and wheat germ, may affect release of pituitary hormones in cattle.
Preventable In-Hospital Cardiac Arrests― Are We Monitoring the Wrong Organ?

Pulseless Electrical Activity (PEA) and aystole are the most common initial rhythms in patients with in-hospital cardiac arrest. Respiratory failure is the most common cause for Rapid Response Team alert, and may be the initial cause for in-hospital cardiac arrests. Although cardiac monitoring is shown to be ineffective in identifying patients at risk for cardiac arrest, it is the most common monitoring used on the wards. As many of the cardiac arrests may have a respiratory origin, respiratory monitoring could identify patients at risk to develop cardiac arrest. Reclassifying cardiac arrests as primary cardiac and secondary would help in identifying secondary causes, and monitoring that could help in early identification of deterioration.
A fuzzy logic approach for determining expected values : A project management application

This paper presents a methodology rooted in the general concepts of fuzzy logic theory with specific emphasis on belief functions and extension principles, and fuzzy probability distributions with fuzzy expectation based on fuzzy probability measures. This approach offers a useful alternative to the traditional approach in the estimation of probabilities in the absence of information about relative frequencies. An algorithm called BIPFET is developed and its application is demonstrated by utilizing data from a real-life research and development project.
TU‐A‐BRB‐01: Convex Optimization Techniques for Handling Delivery Time and Plan Complexity in Multi‐Criteria VMAT Optimization

Purpose: To explore the joint trade‐offs of target coverage, organ sparing, and delivery time for volumetric modulated arc therapy (VMAT).Methods: One measure of beam‐on time in IMRT is the “sum of positive gradients” (SPG) of the intensity maps. We adapt this measure to VMAT planning. The adaptation is based on the fact that while the beam rotates through a specified arc length, a certain amount of modulation can be achieved “for free”, that is, without slowing down the gantry. The resulting convex optimization formulation is applied to minimizing or constraining delivery time in VMAT. We also consider the selection of collimator angle, and we explore the following: finding the single collimator angle which offers the quickest delivery while maintaining a specified dosimetric plan quality. Results: We demonstrate the optimization routines on three cases: a pancreas, a prostate, and a lung. We find that SPG smoothing decreases delivery time by a factor of 2 for the pancreas and lung cases and 2.7 for the prostate. For the pancreas case, we examine collimator rotation. Compared to the default angle of 0 degrees (i.e. leaf motion perpendicular to gantry rotation direction), a well‐chosen single collimator angle (23° in this case) can reduce the delivery time by an additional 8%. Conclusions: Although the VMAT problem is fundamentally non‐convex, due to the non‐convex mapping from leaf positions to voxel doses, we can use a modified SPG function, which is convex, to compute VMAT plans that correctly slow down the beam where it should. Our method is exact for leaves that move infinitely fast, and practically useful in the finite leaf speed case. It can straightforwardly be embedded into a multi‐criteria system allowing the user to explore the trade‐offs of target coverage, organ sparing, and delivery time. Funding support from NIH R01 Grant
Fighting like a girl fighting like a guy: gender identity, ideology, and girls at early adolescence.

In this chapter we explore the phenomenon of "girls fighting like guys" by listening to adolescent girls' justification for physical fighting with other girls. We argue that physical girlfighting is a particular kind of gendered performance--a performance of identity that expresses, at least in part, an answer to the question, "Who am I?"--that both perpetuates and challenges the usual notions of masculinity and femininity and the differential power associated with these discourses. We present a sociocultural approach to identity that we believe not only holds promise for helping us to understand girl-fighting behavior but also highlights the clear interrelationship between social identity and personal identity. We conclude by highlighting several implications of this analysis for those who work with girls (and boys) in educational and clinical settings. Language: en
Visitation to Natural Areas on Campus and its Relation to Place Identity and Environmentally Responsible Behaviors

This study examined college students’ visits to natural areas on campus and how these visits relate to place identity and environmentally responsible behaviors. The majority (76.5%) of the 115 participants visited the natural areas, and 55.7% of these students visited for a course requirement. Students who lived on campus, were younger, and majored in environmental studies, humanities, or arts made more frequent visits. Among those who had visited the natural areas (n = 88), place identity and environmental responsibility were related to visitation frequency, and were stronger for those who had visited for a course requirement. Place identity mediated the relationship between visiting for a course requirement and environmental behaviors, but did not mediate the impact of visitation frequency.
Cyanogenesis in manioc: Linamarin and isolinamarin

Abstract The cyanogenetic glucoside linamarin was obtained in good yield from tubers of manioc ( Manihot esculenta Crantz) by a chromatographic procedure. From the reaction of acetobromoglucose and acetone cyanohydrin both the α- and β-anomers of the glucoside of acetone cyanohydrin were obtained, and comparison of the properties of natural linamarin with those of the synthetic samples established the identity of the natural glucoside as the β-anomer. The spectroscopic properties of the α- and β-anomers are consistent with the configurational assignments.
A K+-selective, three-state channel from fragmented sarcoplasmic reticulum of frog leg muscle.

Sarcoplasmic reticulum (SR) vesicles from frog leg muscle were fused with a planar phospholipid bilayer by a method described previously for rabbit SR. As a result of the fusion, K+-selective conduction channels are inserted into the bilayer. Unlike the two-state rabbit channel, the frog channel displays three states: a nonconducting (“closed”) state and two conducting states “α” and “β”. In 0.1m K+ the single-channel conductances are 50 and 150 pS for α and β, respectively. The probabilities of appearearance of the three states are voltage-dependent, and transitions between the closed and β states proceed through the α state. Both open states follow a quantitatively identical selectivity sequence in channel conductance: K+>NH 4 + >Rb+>Na+>Li+>Cs+. Both open states are blocked by Cs+ asymmetrically in a voltage-dependent manner. The zero-voltage dissociation constant for blocking is the same for both open states, but the voltage-dependences of the Cs+ block for the two states differ in a way suggesting that the Cs+ blocking site is located more deeply inside the membrane in the β than in the α state.
The Impact of Technology Amenities on Hotel Guest Overall Satisfaction

Technology is a critical determinant in hotel guest satisfaction. Hotels often utilize technology as a value-added amenity to help promote differentiation and enhance guest satisfaction. The purpose of this study was twofold: to measure and document the level of guest satisfaction with existing technology-based amenities, and to examine the scope of impact of such amenities on overall hotel guest satisfaction. A random sample of 3,000 American travelers was chosen from a national database for this study. A total of 534 usable responses were received. The results indicate that there is a significant positive relationship between three factors—“Business Essentials for Travelers,” “In-Room Technologies,” “Internet Access”—and hotel guest's overall satisfaction. “Comfort technologies” factor was found not significant in predicting hotel guest's overall satisfaction.
Arteriolar Dilation Produced by Venule Endothelium‐Derived Nitric Oxide

Objective: We conducted bioassay experiments to determine whether nitric oxide produced by endothelial cells (endothelial-derived nitric oxide, or EDNO) within large venules could act to dilate arterioles.Methods: In these experiments, parallel segments of first-order arterioles and venules were isolated from skeletal muscle and were cannulated in series with a glass connecting tube (length: 300–500 μm). Arterioles were mechanically denuded of endothelium by a delicate yet abrasive rubbing technique. Venular endothelium remained intact. Endothelial denudation of arterioles was confirmed by the absence of dilation during exposure to acetylcholine (10−6 mol/L). The cannulated vessels were pressurized to 30 cm H2O and the arterioles preconstricted by approximately 50% with norepinephrine (10−10 mol/L).Results: Topical applications of acetylcholine (10−6 mol/L) or bradykinin (10−9 mol/L) during luminal perfusion from venule to arteriole produced significant arteriolar dilation. In contrast, a slight arteriola...
Probabilistic assessment of agricultural droughts using graphical models.

Summary Agricultural droughts are often characterized by soil moisture in the root zone of the soil, but crop needs are rarely factored into the analysis. Since water needs vary with crops, agricultural drought incidences in a region can be characterized better if crop responses to soil water deficits are also accounted for in the drought index. This study investigates agricultural droughts driven by plant stress due to soil moisture deficits using crop stress functions available in the literature. Crop water stress is assumed to begin at the soil moisture level corresponding to incipient stomatal closure, and reaches its maximum at the crop’s wilting point. Using available location-specific crop acreage data, a weighted crop water stress function is computed. A new probabilistic agricultural drought index is then developed within a hidden Markov model (HMM) framework that provides model uncertainty in drought classification and accounts for time dependence between drought states. The proposed index allows probabilistic classification of the drought states and takes due cognizance of the stress experienced by the crop due to soil moisture deficit. The capabilities of HMM model formulations for assessing agricultural droughts are compared to those of current drought indices such as standardized precipitation evapotranspiration index (SPEI) and self-calibrating Palmer drought severity index (SC-PDSI). The HMM model identified critical drought events and several drought occurrences that are not detected by either SPEI or SC-PDSI, and shows promise as a tool for agricultural drought studies.
Stress corrosion cracking of aluminum alloys

Stress corrosion cracking of aluminum alloys is reviewed. An extensive failure analysis shows how many service failures occurred in the aerospace industry over a ten year period and what kind of alloys and stresses led to initiation and propagation of stress corrosion cracks which caused these service failures. The paper contains most of the results of stress corrosion tests with aluminum alloys that have been obtained to date with fracture mechanics techniques. Stress corrosion crack growth rate measurements are compared with the results from smooth specimen testing and it is shown that the correlation between the different test results is very satisfactory. The present and limited status of theoretical understanding of stress corrosion cracking is outlined. A major part of the paper is devoted to the results of the latest alloy development. High strength aluminum alloys of dramatically increased stress corrosion resistance are available now. In the near future, stress corrosion resistant alloys of even higher strength might become available. What is still lacking is a detailed understanding of the mechanisms by which stress corrosion cracks initiate and propagate.
Aspirin and acetaminophen use by pregnant women and subsequent child IQ and attention decrements

In a longitudinal prospective study of 1,529 women pregnant in 1974-1975, aspirin and acetaminophen were the two medications most frequently taken during the first half of pregnancy (46 and 41%, respectively). In a selected cohort of 421 offspring of these women, examined at 4 years of age, maternal aspirin use during the first half of pregnancy was significantly related to IQ and attention decrements in the exposed children. Multiple regression analyses were used to statistically adjust for a variety of potentially confounding factors including demographic characteristics, child characteristics, other exposures, and lifestyle/environmental variables. Continuous dose-response and step-function parameterizations of aspirin exposure were both statistically significant and not clearly distinguishable from each other. The estimated aspirin effect is significantly greater for girls than boys. Aspirin effects on offspring function were found in the absence of effects on physical size both at birth and at 4 years. Maternal acetaminophen use was not significantly related to child IQ or attention. As this exploratory research originated from observations of a data set gathered for other purposes, it would be desirable to have these findings replicated in other studies. Further follow-up of the children at a later age is planned.
Deposition of metal clusters on single-layer graphene/Ru(0001): Factors that govern cluster growth

Abstract Fabrication of nanoclusters on a substrate is of great interest in studies of model catalysts. The key factors that govern the growth and distribution of metal on graphene have been studied by scanning tunneling microscopy (STM) based on different behaviors of five transition metals, namely Pt, Rh, Pd, Co, and Au supported on the template of a graphene moire pattern formed on Ru(0001). Our experimental findings show that Pt and Rh form finely dispersed small clusters located at fcc sites on graphene while Pd and Co form large clusters at similar coverages. These results, coupled with previous findings that Ir forms the best finely dispersed clusters, suggest that both metal–carbon (M–C) bond strength and metal cohesive energies play significant roles in the cluster formation process and that the M–C bond strength is the most important factor that affects the morphology of clusters at the initial stages of growth. Furthermore, experimental results show Au behaves differently and forms a single-layer film on graphene, indicating other factors such as the effect of substrate metals and lattice match should also be considered. In addition, the effect of annealing Rh on graphene has been studied and its high thermal stability is rationalized in terms of a strong interaction between Rh and graphene as well as sintering via Ostwald ripening.
Thermodynamics of Agricultural Sustainability: The Case of US Maize Agriculture

This paper considers the local, field-scale sustainability of a productive industrial maize agrosystem that has replaced a fertile grassland ecosystem. Using the revised thermodynamic approach of Svirezhev (1998, 2000) and Steinborn and Svirezhev (2000), it is shown that currently this agrosystem is unsustainable in the U.S., with or without tilling the soil. The calculated average erosion rates of soil necessary to dissipate the entropy produced by U.S. maize agriculture, 23–45 t ha−1 yr−1, are bounded from above by an experimental estimate of mean soil erosion by conventional agriculture worldwide, 47 t ha−1 yr−1, (Montgomery, 2007). Between 1982 and 1997, US agriculture caused an estimated 7–23 t ha−1 yr−1 of average erosion with the mean of 15 t ha−1 yr−1 (USDA-NRCS Database). The lower mean erosion rate of no till agriculture, 1.5 t ha−1 yr−1 (Montgomery, 2007), necessitates the elimination of weeds and pests with field chemicals—with the ensuing chemical and biological soil degradation, and chemical...
Ovipositional Preference of the Cotton Fleahopper, Pseudatomoscelis seriatus, and Distribution of Eggs Among Host Plant Species

Distribution of eggs of cotton fleahopper, Pseudatomoscelis seriatus among wild host plants in a field study area was found to be related to the species and phenology of the plants. On a per plant basis, horsemint, Monarda punctata , accounted for the highest proportion of eggs until mid-July. After July 29 all P. seriatus eggs in the study area were found on Croton capitatus . Other aspects of the distribution of eggs among host plants in the field were investigated. Laboratory studies showed that flowering Monarda punctata , and flowering Croton capitatus were favored over other host species and other phenological stages as oviposition sites. Significantly more eggs were deposited in a pubescent cotton variety than in a glabrous variety.
The Dutch-Belted rabbit: an alternative breed for developmental toxicity testing.

BACKGROUND: Historical control data play a crucial role in the interpretation of observations made from developmental and reproductive toxicity studies. METHODS: In our effort to develop the Dutch-Belted rabbit as an alternative breed of rabbit for testing of small molecule pharmaceuticals, data collected from 236 untreated pregnant Dutch Belted rabbits are summarized and compared to data collected from 350 untreated pregnant New Zealand White Rabbits. RESULTS: The data presented include mean maternal body weight and food consumption values, mean maternal hematological and serum biochemical values collected during gestation, maternal reproductive (laparotomy) parameters collected at cesarean section, and incidences of spontaneous fetal morphological alterations collected during 1999–2002. Due to their smaller size the use of this breed of rabbit would require approximately 40% less drug than studies conducted with New Zealand White rabbits. Because the Dutch-Belted rabbit is pigmented this breed also offers the ability to test the potential effects of various xenobiotics on melanocyte development and to evaluate the potential sequela of drugs that have a propensity to bind melanin in the skin and pigmented retinal epithelium. CONCLUSIONS: Based on these data, the Dutch-Belted rabbit is considered to be a practical alternative to use of the New Zealand White rabbit for these types of studies. Birth Defects Res B 68:439–448, 2003. © 2003 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
Analytical Methods used in Bioavailability Studies: A Regulators Viewpoint

AbstractThe importance of adequate and validated analytical methodology used in biostudies for interpretation of pharmacokinetic data is discussed. The performance characteristics of analytical methods, the issues and concerns relating to the major bioanalytical techniques and the analytical information/data needed in biosubmissions from regulatory viewpoint are outlined.
Twelve DNA markers accurately assess risk of progression in adolescent idiopathic scoliosis

Objective Optimization of AIS management necessitates early and accurate identification of progressive deformities. As standard radiographic evaluation relies on variables that change over time, these methods are often inaccurate in assessing risk of progression. Most data suggest that adolescent idiopathic scoliosis (AIS) has a polygenic inheritance. The exact gene(s) involved, however, have not been identified. Using our unique genealogy resources and a large patient population from across the United States, we hope to discover the molecular basis of AIS. As an interim result in our efforts to understand the genetic basis of AIS, we report on twelve DNA markers potentially useful in accurately predicting curve progression.
Thank you for seeing my beautiful daughter Kate

Medical training prepared me well for some things, poorly for many, and hardly at all for medical parenthood. Never before had I used the word beautiful in a referral letter. Now I cannot write a referral for Kate without it, far more important than details of her gestational age or medications. Kate was born by emergency caesarean section. The operation, another commonplace miracle, was “uneventful” except for its outcome—a girl of 1480 g. She was intubated and whisked away. Neonatal intensive care was also uncomplicated, at fi rst. Apart from a lumbar puncture on day 1, we were spared the traumas that struck neighbouring families. The medical errors that are rife in hospitals somehow skirted us. Kate was an excellent baby, already irresistibly cute as tube-feed hiccups shook her whole body like some nano earthquake. We were lucky. Then came the head ultrasound. “Widespread periventricular leukomalacia, perhaps aff ecting all four limbs”: cerebral palsy was almost certain, and might be severe. No one could know its extent for months at least. Would we like to see the pictures? No. After months of congratulations about the pregnancy, our Hollywood happy ending had disappeared. Instead “Thank you for seeing my beautiful daughter Kate...”
Vibration–Vibration energy exchange between N2O and CO

The temperature dependence of the vibration–vibration energy transfer between the v3 mode of 15N14NO and the first vibrational level of CO was determined over a range of 680 to 1300°K using a shock tube. Several mixtures of 15N14NOCO were tested, diluted in 95% Ar. The resulting exothermic transfer probabilities for the reaction, are compared to previous work on N2O—CO. The results for 15N14NOCO exhibit a more pronounced direct temperature dependence than for N2O—CO even though the process has a closer resonance (ΔE = 59 cm−1 for 15N14NOCO and ΔE = 81 cm−1 for N2OCO).
The Strength of a Weak Institution: Clearing House, Federal Reserve, and the Survival of Commercial Banks in Manhattan, 1840-1980

This paper compares the function of public vs. private institutions and studies conditions that influence their effectiveness. We use the population of commercial banks in Manhattan from 1840 to 1980 and investigate the impact of banks "participation in the New York Clearing House Association, an industry-level cooperative arrangement, and the New York Federal Reserve Bank, the governmental regulatory institution, on their failure rates. We find that banks" participation in the private institution reduced their failure rates more than did participation in the public institution. The effectiveness of the private institution hinges on its nature as a local organization that includes a relatively small number of homogeneous and densely-connected banks. Localism enables strong monitoring and enforcement mechanisms that are critical to solve the problem of collective action. In contrast, the governmental regulation enlarges the geographical scope of participation, adopts standardized procedures, and introduces regulatory agencies, which in fact loosen monitoring and create an opportunity for banks to be more risk-taking. But the upside of the public institution is its „public‟ nature, and we find banks that were excluded from the private institutions were better off under the regime of government regulation.
Structure and spin of the nucleon

Parton distribution functions, describing longitudinal momentum, helicity and transversity distributions of quarks and gluons, have been recently generalized to account also for transverse degrees of freedom. Two new sets of more general distributions, Transverse Momentum Distributions and Generalized Parton Distributions, were introduced to describe transverse momentum and space distributions of partons. Great progress has been made since then in measurements of different Single Spin Asymmetries (SSAs) in semi-inclusive and hard exclusive processes providing access to TMDs and GPDs, respectively. Facilities world-wide involved in studies of the 3D structure of nucleon include HERMES, COMPASS, BELLE, BaBar, Halls A, B, and C at JLab, and PHENIX and STAR at RHIC (BNL). TMD studies in the Drell-Yan process are also becoming an important part of the program of hadron scattering experiments. Studies of TMDs are also among the main driving forces of the JLab 12-GeV upgrade project, several of the forward upgrade proposals of STAR and PHENIX at RHIC, and future facilities, such as the Electron Ion Collider (EIC), FAIR in Germany, and NICA in Russia. In this contribution we present an overview of the latest developments in studies of parton distributions and discuss newly released results, ongoing activities, as well as some future measurements.
Metromorphosis : Documenting change

Abstract: This study examines a community development process for achieving revitalization in urban neighborhoods. It reports on a study conducted for a St. Louis-based intermediary organization that supports the creation and maintenance of community gardens. Community gardens purport to have a wide range of beneficial impacts on their surrounding neighborhoods. There has been scant empirical investigation of these claims, although there is a preponderance of anecdotal evidence in the popular press. The study focused on a series of variables that estimate the well-being of the neighborhoods in general and Garden Impact Areas in particular. The study applied GIS software to collect data from the 1990 and 2000 Census for 3-block radii around the study gardens. Using difference of differences to measure change, the findings record Garden Impact Areas improved in indicators of resident quality of life and neighborhood conditions.
Studying wireless routing link metric dynamics

Multi-hop wireless mesh networks are increasingly being deployed for last-mile Internet access. Typically, network algorithms such as routing, channel assignment and topology control for such networks rely heavily on metrics that intend to capture link "quality" across the network. However, the underlying dynamics of the proposed link metrics themselves have not yet been studied in detail. In this paper, we study the dynamics of the most popular link metrics in real network deployments. Using two wireless mesh testbeds, we measure a number of link metrics across different hardware platforms and network environments. The collected measurements allow us to study the stability and sensitivity of the different metrics to various conditions. Our study provides several insights and future research directions on how network algorithms need to adapt to link dynamics as well as how popular and widely used link metrics can be improved.
Abuse potential of non-nicotine tobacco smoke components: acetaldehyde, nornicotine, cotinine, and anabasine.

Introduction This review identified published animal studies evaluating the possible abuse potential of acetaldehyde, nornicotine, cotinine, and anabasine based on five commonly used paradigms. These include their effects on midbrain dopamine (DA) levels, drug discrimination and substitution for known drugs of abuse, place conditioning, self-administration behavior, and somatic withdrawal symptoms. Results Acetaldehyde had mixed effects on midbrain DA levels and drug discrimination; however, it consistently produced a conditioned place preference and supported self-administration. The single available study on withdrawal found that cessation of acetaldehyde administration resulted in a somatic withdrawal syndrome. Nornicotine increased DA in the midbrain, especially in the nucleus accumbens. Although there are no data on place conditioning, it substituted for nicotine in drug discrimination testing, partially substituted for cocaine and amphetamine, and, though only a single study, supported self-administration. Anabasine increased midbrain DA levels and that it partially substituted for nicotine in drug discrimination testing. Cotinine increased midbrain DA levels and substituted for nicotine. Conclusions The existing literature suggests that acetaldehyde and nornicotine likely possess abuse potential, with anabasine having possible abuse potential. Although some cotinine data were available, it was insufficient to draw conclusions about possible abuse potential. Further research is needed to determine the role of minor alkaloids on tobacco dependence.
A review of pulse propagation in viscoelastic arteries with distributed flow leakage.

Current mathematical models for describing pulse propagation in arteries are summa­ rized. These models include the effects of viscoelasticity, frequency dependent friction, and other factors. One factor that has not been previously considered is the effect of distributed flow leakage. This leakage is known to have a significant effect on pulse propagation in rigid tubes and it has been assumed to have a similar effect in compliant tubes. These effects are described here, along with the results of a recent study by these authors on the effects of the distributed flow leakage in compliant THE FLOW of blood arteries may be modeled as pulsatile flow in a deformable tube. The study of blood flow requires knowledge of: the laws of fluid motion, the geometry of the arterial system, the rheological properties of blood, and the mechanical properties of the arterial walls. A foundation for modem study has been the work of Womersley. The Wom­ ersley model is a linearized model based on axisymmetric flow in a very long tube. His basic model has been extended by various authors to include such effects as viscoelasticity, prestressing, tethering, and anisotropy ofthe tube wall. One limitation of these models is that they were based on very long tubes, for which there were no reflections, an important phenomenon in the propagation of pulsatile waves in the body. Many researchers have noted the similarity between one-dimensional pulsatile flow and the transmission of electrical current. Transmission line models have been shown to be very effective in describing blood flow in the body with reflections e.g., (1-5). The basic trans­ mission line model may be easily modified to include the effects of viscoelasticity and frequency dependent friction (6,7). One aspect of pulsatile flow that has not yet been studied is the effect of distributed flow leakage. As blood flows along the aorta it is drawn off through several large arteries, such as the brachiocephalic, mesenteric, and renal arteries, and through many small arteries, such as the intercostal and lumber arteries. These many small arteries may be modeled as a uniformly distributed flow leakage. In rigid tubes it is known that such a leakage can significantly dampen flow pUlsatile. In fact, such leakage is often designed into hydraulic systems to control pressure pulsations (8). It would be expected that flow leakage along the aorta (or other artery) would similarly dampen pulsatile waves. This presumed effect was described by (9) while discussing an experimental method for measuring arterial transmission characteristics. They stated that, "If a tube loses fluid through the wall, the expression for the transmitted signal manifests an