cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Banjo Break Angle Tension Modulation as Parametric Oscillation

The motion of the floating bridge of the banjo, in conjunction with the break angle of the strings over that bridge, produces string tension modulation that is first order in the amplitude of the string motion. This note refines a previous suggestion regarding the impact on the frequencies of the strings’ and bridge’s motion. For a given mode frequency pair of string and bridge, the resulting tension modulation produces a new, additional motion characterized by the sum and difference of the original ones.Strictly speaking, this corresponds to canonical “frequency modulation” only in the limit of modulation slow compared to the string frequency. The more general result is precisely an example of what is known as “parametric oscillation,” first analyzed by Rayleigh. The qualitative impact of tension modulation on banjo timbre remains as suggested previously. It is only the precise math and physics that warrants this correction.
Extraterritorial Competence of the United States, the EU, and China Competition Laws

The external outreach of both the Sherman Act and the Clayton Act took quite some time to become part of the U.S. doctrine. The two U.S. antitrust provisions that most frequently give rise to extraterritorial jurisdiction are Sections 1 and 2 of the Sherman Act. Section 1 declares illegal “every contract, combination … or conspiracy,” in restraint of trade or commerce among the several states, or with foreign nations, while Section 2 makes it a felony for any person to “monopolize … or combine or conspire…, to monopolize any part of the trade or commerce among the several states, or with foreign nations.” The United States is not alone. The European Union Merger Regulation, which came into force in 1990 and was revised in 2004, gives the European Commission the authority to review any concentration, which is deemed to have a “Community” (in other words, an EU) dimension. Last but not least, Article 2, China’s AML is applicable to monopolistic conducts outside the territory of the People’s Republic of China, which serve to eliminate or restrict competition on the domestic market of China.
A Rare Case of Angioleiomyoma of the Hand.

Angioleiomyoma is a benign tumor of the vascular system that is often not considered in the differential diagnosis of a painless subcutaneous nodule of the body. In this report, we present a rare case of angioleiomyoma of the phalanx in the left hand in a middle aged man. He underwent surgical excision of the mass with no complications. Given the nonspecific and indolent presentation, our case had a broad differential diagnosis including ganglion cyst and histopathological examination was warranted for definite diagnosis. At 9-month follow-up, the patient was asymptomatic with no signs of recurrence.
What Are the Predictors of Poor Patient-Reported Outcomes After Shoulder Instability Surgery?

Background:Prospectively collected responses to Patient Acceptable Symptom State (PASS) questions after shoulder instability surgery are limited. Responses to these outcome measures are imperative ...
Supersonic aerodynamic characteristics of some reentry concepts for angles of attack up to 90 deg

Past studies of reentry vehicles tested to high angles of attack (up to 90 deg) in the Mach number range from 2 to 4.8 have provided some fundamental insights into the aerodynamic characteristics of such vehicles. Two basic planforms are considered in this paper: highly swept deltas, and circular. The delta concepts include variations in cross section (and thus volume) and in camber distribution. The effectiveness of various types of aerodynamic control devices is also included. The purpose of the paper is to examine the characteristics of the vehicles with a view toward the potential usefulness of such concepts in a flight regime that would include reentry from space into the atmosphere, followed by a transition to sustained atmospheric flight.
Adiposity Measures and Morning Serum Cortisol in African Americans: Jackson Heart Study

OBJECTIVE Altered hormonal regulation, including cortisol, is a proposed mechanism linking adiposity to obesity-related disorders. We examined the association of anthropometric, adipokine, and body fat distribution measures of adiposity with morning serum cortisol in an African American (AA) cohort. METHODS We investigated the cross-sectional associations of adiposity measures (BMI, waist circumference, leptin, adiponectin, leptin:adiponectin ratio, subcutaneous and visceral adipose tissue) and liver attenuation with cortisol in the Jackson Heart Study. Linear regression models were used to analyze the association between exposures and cortisol. Models were adjusted for multiple covariates. RESULTS Among 4,211 participants, a 1-SD higher BMI and waist circumference were associated with a 3.92% and 3.05% lower cortisol, respectively. A 1-SD higher leptin and leptin:adiponectin ratio were associated with a 6.48% and 4.97% lower morning serum cortisol, respectively. A 1-SD higher subcutaneous adipose tissue was associated with a 4.97% lower cortisol (all P < 0.001). There were no associations of liver attenuation or visceral adipose tissue with cortisol. CONCLUSIONS Several measures of adiposity are associated with lower morning serum cortisol among AAs, with leptin having the greatest magnitude. Future studies examining the role of morning serum cortisol in the pathway from adiposity to cardiometabolic disease in AAs are warranted.
Avoiding Punishment? Electoral Accountability for Local Fee Increases:

Do voters punish incumbent legislators for raising service costs? Concern about electoral punishment is considered a leading obstacle to increasing taxes and fees to fund service provision, but emp...
Lean Synchronization in Teaching and Learning: Evidence from a Quasi-Experiment in a Venture Capital (VC) Methods Class

Can “lean” teaching lead to “fat” learning? First, using a simple benefit maximization model, we characterize lean synchronization in teaching and learning as a distinctive pathway for maximizing aggregate students’ learning. Next, using a two-group post-test only quasi-experiment in an Entrepreneurial Finance class, we demonstrate how a lean synchronization in teaching and learning effort can be captured and evaluated. Our quasi-experiment provides new empirical evidence that lean-synchronization significantly improves aggregate students’ learning, with a non-positive change in the aggregate teaching and learning resources. We also show that improvements in aggregate students’ learning lead to higher aggregate students’ perceptions of multiple aspects of the delivery of a course. Overall, we argue that lean synchronization can enhance institutions’ general preparedness and resilience to unforeseen external shocks (e.g., the COVID-19 pandemic) and contribute to the proliferation of inclusive teaching and learning classrooms globally.
New Thinking about Blockchain in the Fashion Industry

Blockchain is a relatively new and emerging technology that can be considered as a digital, decentralized and distributed public ledger that records data, tracks transactions and updates information. The majority of blockchain research has been conducted on bitcoin or other cryptocurrencies. Recently, however, researchers have recognized blockchain’s potential in other areas, including supply chain, smart contract, healthcare, the Internet of Things, education, privacy and security and data management. Blockchain technology offers a system of recording information in a way that makes it nearly impossible to alter or hack. The concept of blockchain technology is already starting to be applied in the fashion industry. While Blockchain finds many applications related to sustainability, the view expressed in this paper relates more to product attribute information. In this research, a Blockchain model is developed to map out the future fashion supply chain from a product attribute perspective.
A novel wellness intervention: A virtual hangout from coast to coast using video conferencing platforms to increase physician wellness during the COVID-19 pandemic

Within the context of the evolving SARS-CoV-2 pandemic, we sought to design a project to increase social connectivity among emergency medicine physicians with ties to Vanderbilt University Medical Center. Our project aimed to promote physician wellness through fostering and maintaining community at one large academic institution.
The DEPARTS Score: A Novel Tool for Predicting Discharge Disposition in Geriatric Trauma Patients.

BackgroundGeriatric trauma patients (GTPs) represent a high-risk population for needing post-acute care, such as skilled nursing facilities (SNFs) and long-term acute care hospitals (LTACs), due to...
Low-Dose Aspirin Thromboprophylaxis Is Safe and Effective in Patients Undergoing Total Hip Arthroplasty with or without Outpatient Pneumatic Compression Devices

Venous thromboembolism (VTE) remains a serious complication following total hip arthroplasty (THA). Current guidelines recommend pharmacologic prophylaxis with or without intermittent pneumatic compression devices (IPCDs). At our institution, portable IPCDs were previously worn by THA patients at standard risk for VTE for 14 days. Routine prescription of portable outpatient IPCDs was discontinued due to concerns with their efficacy and safety. We sought to determine if discontinuation of portable outpatient IPCDs changed VTE rates after THA. A retrospective review of 1,825 consecutive THA cases was conducted identifying patients with VTE, periprosthetic fractures, dislocations, bleeding complications, infection, and death at 90 days postoperatively. Patients were divided into two cohorts. One cohort received outpatient IPCDs for a period of 14 days (control) while the other did not (no-IPCD). All patients received inpatient IPCDs and were maintained on 81-mg aspirin (ASA) twice daily for 28 days. A total of 748 IPCD patients and 1,077 no-IPCD patients were identified. There was no difference between the total VTE rate for the IPCD versus no-IPCD groups (0 vs. 0.19%, p = 0.24). There were also no differences in periprosthetic fractures (p = 0.09), dislocations (p = 0.22), bleeding complications (p = 0.79), or infection rates (p = 0.75). No deaths were observed. The use of a low-dose ASA thromboprophylaxis protocol was safe and effective for VTE prevention in standard-risk patients undergoing THA with or without portable IPCDs. Any marginal benefit of portable IPCD use was too small to demonstrate despite our relatively large sample size.
Negative Troponin I as a Predictor of Survival in SARS-Cov-2 (COVID-19)

Background: As the number of fatalities due to SARS-CoV-2 (COVID-19) continues to escalate, health care systems are directly affected by the struggle to provide care for patients with and without COVID-19. Little is known regarding the significance of a negative troponin I as a prognosticator in COVID-19. Methods: This is a retrospective analysis of 87,817 patients with COVID-19 admitted to any HCA Healthcare facility in the United States between 03/01/2020 and 03/01//2021. Patients older than 18 years of age were divided into two groups based on their troponin I level from hour 0-24 of admission (positive > 0·1ng/ml or > 30 ng/l if high sensitivity) vs. negative). The primary outcome was all-cause in-hospital mortality. Secondary outcomes included length of stay (LOS), in-hospital and cardiac complications. Results: A total of 66,562 patients met inclusion criteria of which 31,250/66,562 (46.95%) were women with a median age of 67 (IQR: 55-78) years. In-hospital mortality or discharge to hospice occurred in 11,927/66,562 (17·92%) patients. Patients with a negative troponin I in the first 24 hours of admission had lower odds of in-hospital mortality (OR: 0·33, p <0·01). A negative troponin I had a negative predictive value (NPV) of 85·7% (CI: 85·4% - 86·0%) for in-hospital mortality. In-hospital complications, including cardiac, and LOS were worse amongst those with a positive troponin I. Conclusion: A negative troponin I in the first 24 hours of presentation has a high NPV for in-hospital mortality, thereby predicting favorable survival at the time of discharge. Funding Information: None. Declaration of Interests: There are no relationships with any industry. All authors have reported that they have no relationships relevant to the contents of this paper to disclose. Ethics Approval Statement: The Institutional Review Board (IRB) at University of Miami/JFK Medical Center approved this study.
STRUCTURAL SYNTHESIS OF COMPOSITE MATERIALS FOR ABLATIVE NOZZLE EXTENSIONS

Abstract : The ability of certain composite materials to sustain extremely high temperatures has led to their extensive use for the thermal protection of aerospace structures. Frequently, these materials are used in conjunction with metallic or non-metallic substructures to provide optimum combinations of structural and thermal properties. In principle, the substructures are load-carrying structures for strength, which are lined with fiber-reinforced plastics for thermal insulation. However, when insulators become integral with the structure, complexities in design, test, and analysis result. A structural synthesis in this case requires the close coordination of basic materials research, experimental determination of material properties, and results of thermal and structural analyses. In the report, this mode of structural synthesis is applied to obtain an understanding of the structural behavior of an actual composite structure, the Titan III Stage II ablative nozzle extension. The value of the approach is clearly shown by its ability to identify structural failure modes, predict structural failures experienced, and guide a successful modification program. (Author)
Fault recovery designs for processor-embedded distributed storage architectures with I/O-intensive DB workloads

Fault recovery has become an essential capability for systems that process large data-intensive workloads. Processor-embedded distributed storage architectures offload user-level processing to the peripheral from the host servers. Our earlier work investigated the performance benefits of such architectures for disk- and MEMS-based smart storage devices. In this paper, we focus on the issue of fault recovery. We propose recovery schemes for TPC-H based workloads, and evaluate several recovery scenarios applicable to both disk- and MEMS-based smart storage architectures.
Two architectures for implementing RBF neural networks

This paper describes two methods for implementing radial basis function (RBF) neural networks using CMOS. The first method (i.e., the parallel method) is designed to maximally exploit the parallelism of neural computing. The distance between an input vector and each of the stored prototypes is calculated at the same time in the parallel method. The concept of an input plane and an output plane is introduced in the parallel method. The second method (i.e., the serial method) is designed to minimize the chip area required to implement the RBF network. The distance between an input vector and each of the stored prototypes is calculated sequentially in the serial method. Two buses (i.e., the weight bus and the threshold-value bus) are introduced in the serial method. All circuits used in the serial and parallel methods are presented and simulated using SPICE. The entire network is verified by SPICE using two examples. Performance comparison of using the serial and parallel methods is also presented. >
The covalently bound flavin of Chromatium cytochrome c552. 2. Sequence of flavin peptides and flavin-tyrosine interaction.

Reports in the literature indicate that the flavin prosthetic group of Chromatium cytochrome c552 is not acid-extractable but is dissociated from the protein by various treatments, including prolonged incubation with urea solution, which are not expected to break covalent bonds. In the present paper it is established by isolation of peptic and of tryptic-chymotryptic flavin peptides that the flavin component is covalently linked to the protein. The peptide chain is attached to the 8α group of the FAD, as in other enzymes containing covalently bound flavin, as evidenced by a hypochromic shift of the near ultraviolet absorption maximum, the characteristics of the hyperfine EPR spectrum, and the release of 8-carboxy-FMN from the cytochrome on oxidation with cold performic acid with concomitant hydrolysis of the pyrophosphate linkage. The fluorescence of the flavin peptides, at the FAD, FMN and riboflavin level, is extensively quenched, with less than 1% of the quantum yield of fluorescence, compared with riboflavin, in the peptic peptide. On oxidation of the tryptic-chymotryptic peptide with performic acid the fluorescence increases to 50% of that given by an equimolar concentration of riboflavin. This increase is accompanied by a further hypochromic shift of the near ultraviolet absorption maximum. This behavior, the tendency of the flavin peptide to undergo autooxidation, and the positive chloroplatinic acid test resemble the properties of cysteinylflavin thioether and its peptides and suggest that the flavin is bounded to a cysteine residue, as in monoamine oxidase. The presence of cysteine in both flavin peptides from cytochrome c552 has been verified by the liberation of cysteine on acid hydrolysis. Despite these similarities to peptides containing a cysteinyl flavin thioether, the peptic and tryptic-chymotryptic peptides from cytochrome c552 show several properties which preclude a thioether linkage. Evidence is summarized to indicate that the flavin is linked via a thiohemiacetal bond to a cysteinyl residue in the polypeptide chain. Thus, the flavin released from the peptides by acid hydrolysis is in every respect identical to 8-formylriboflavin. Further, two flavin components were detected on high voltage electrophoresis after aminopeptidase M digestion of the peptic peptide, which had mobilities expected for the aminoacylflavin and a thiazolidine derivative. A thiohemiacetal structure also accounts for the much greater lability of the flavin peptide linkage than that found for monoamine oxidase. Thus from the evidence presented, it is concluded that the structure of the covalently bound flavin in Chromatium cytochrome c552 is 8α-cysteinyl-8α-hydroxy-FAD.
DARK MATTER IN THE GALAXY CLUSTER CL J1226+3332 AT z = 0.89

We present a weak-lensing analysis of the galaxy cluster CL J1226+3332 at z 0.89 using Hubble Space Telescope Advanced Camera for Surveys images. The cluster is the hottest (>10 keV), most X-ray luminous system at z > 0.6 known to date. The relaxed X-ray morphology, as well as its high temperature, is unusual at such a high redshift. Our mass reconstruction shows that on a large scale the dark matter distribution is consistent with a relaxed system with no significant substructures. However, on a small scale, the cluster core is resolved into two mass clumps highly correlated with the cluster galaxy distribution. The dominant mass clump lies close to the brightest cluster galaxy, whereas the other less massive clump is located ~40''(~310 kpc) to the southwest. Although this secondary mass clump does not show an excess in the X-ray surface brightness, the gas temperature of the region is much higher (12-18 keV) than those of the rest. We propose a scenario in which the less massive system has already passed through the main cluster and the X-ray gas has been stripped during this passage. The elongation of the X-ray peak toward the southwestern mass clump is also supportive of this possibility. We measure significant tangential shears out to the field boundary (~1.5 Mpc), which are well described by a Navarro-Frenk-White profile with a concentration parameter of c 200 = 2.7 ± 0.3 and a scale length of rs = 78'' ± 19'' (~600 kpc) with χ2/dof = 1.11. Within the spherical volume r 200 = 1.6 Mpc, the total mass of the cluster becomes M(r 0.6.
Identification of a rabbit class I-like thymocyte-specific antigen.

The availability of a monoclonal antibody, 5E2, has made it possible to characterize a new class I-like thymocyte-specific antigen in the rabbit. Flow cytometry and cyto-fluorescent microscopy show that approximately 70 to 80% of the cells reacting with 5E2 are located throughout the thymic cortex. Structural studies reveal that the cell surface molecule recognized by 5E2 is a non-covalently associated heterodimer consisting of a 45,000 dalton glycoprotein and a low m.w. beta-2-microglobulin protein. Certain properties of the 5E2 antigen were similar to the murine TL and human T6 antigens. Therefore we have tentatively assigned to the 5E2 antigen the designation R-Ta on the premise that the structural gene(s) encoding this molecule will be associated with the rabbit major histocompatibility complex.
Inner-Shell Ionizations in the Interstellar Medium

An understanding of the dynamics of interstellar matter and of the formation of stars requires in part knowledge of the ionizing processes in interstellar clouds and in the intercloud medium. Observations1,2 now indicate that the ionization rate per hydrogen atom, ζH, is at least 2 x 10-15 sec-1 in both interstellar regimes, and that the cloud and intercloud temperatures are typically 100°K and 10,000°K, respectively. Given these temperatures, some nonthermal mechanism must be invoked to explain this large value of ζH; however, there exists no direct observational evidence of any such mechanism.
Our Approach to Minimize Risk of Epicardial Access: Standard Techniques with the Addition of Electroanatomic Mapping Guidance

In a series of 8 patients referred for ventricular tachycardia ablation, an RV endocardial voltage map was created using EAM systems. EAM images were fused with pre-procedure CT scans when available. A 17G Tuohy needle was integrated with the EAM system by attaching the needle to sterile electrode clamps. EAM location points were used in conjunction with standard access techniques until epicardial access was obtained. Epicardial access was successfully obtained in 8/8 (100%) patients. Successful access without RV puncture was achieved in 7/8 (88%) cases. This proof of concept study demonstrates that EAM systems can be used as an adjunct to standard access techniques to visualize and facilitate pericardial access.
What Does ‘He’ Mean?Use of the Generic Masculine

“Those defenders of the generic masculine who are alternately amused and outraged by demands for nonsexist language seem to echo Humpty Dumpty's famous retort: ‘When I use a word, it means just what I choose it to mean.…’”
Use of misoprostol for induction of second-trimester abortion in patients with previous cesarean delivery

Objective: To review our experience with the use of misoprostol in inducing second-trimester abortions in patients with previous cesarean deliveries, and to assess complications specifically related to bleeding, retained placenta, and uterine rupture. Materials and Methods: Between January 1997 and April 2000, 10 patients were identified as the cohort for the study population. The dose of misoprostol suppositories used was 200 mg placed every 4–8 hours into the posterior fornix. Univariate analysis was used to describe the data in this series. Results: The mean age was 28 ± 8 years (range 19–40), with a median parity of 1.0 (range 1–2). Nonviable pregnancies were diagnosed in all of the patients before induction, and all had at least one previous cesarean delivery. Seven patients (70%) had known scars (LST), while three (30%) had unknown scars. The median number of misoprostol suppositories used was 1.0 (range 1–6). The mean time to delivery of a fetus was 586.0 ± 312.2 minutes (range 3–21.5 hours), and the mean weight was 292 ± 214 gms (range 113–790). The delivery of the placenta was delayed in only three cases, none required curettage, and the mean time for placental delivery was 593.3 ± 324.5 minutes (range 3–21.5 hours). Three patients (30%) suffered from nausea and vomiting, and one patient (10%) developed endometritis. No cases of uterine rupture or hemorrhage were identified. Conclusion: Although misoprostol use in patients with previous cesarean delivery was not associated with major complications in this series, its use in this type of patient population still warrants caution and further evaluation.
On a family of Serre classes of nilpotent groups

Abstract Let N be a P-local nilpotent group. We say that N is finitely generated (fg) as P-local group if there is a finite subset S of N such that the smallest P-local subgroup of N containing S is N itself; we could also say that S generates N as P-local group and write N=〈S〉 p. If G is nilpotent, we say that G is finitely generated at every prime (fgp) if Gp is fg as p-local group for all primes p. Such groups share with fg nilpotent groups many important properties (e.g., they are Hopfian). We show that they satisfy the axioms for a Serre class, as extended by Hilton and Roitberg to nilpotent groups.
Aortic valve replacement: comparison of late survival between autografts and homografts

Abstract Background . Autografts (AG) and homografts (HG) are currently considered the best choices for replacement of the diseased aortic valve in young adults, although few data exist comparing their late outcome. Nonhomogeneous populations and evolving operative techniques confound existing comparisons. Methods . To help clarify these issues, we reviewed our results with 238 hospital survivors (aged 17 to 82 years) undergoing operation between 1986 and 1999. All operations were done as root replacements, and patients needing concomitant valve replacement were excluded. Results . Mean age of the 145 AGs and 93 HGs was 35 ± 13 years and 49 ± 17 years, respectively ( p p = 0.001), and active endocarditis was present at time of current operation in 10 (7%) AG and 25 (27%) HG patients ( p = 0.001). Maximum follow-up was 12.2 years for AGs and 12.8 years for HGs. Late survival at 10 years was 77% ± 11% for AGs and 67& ± 9% for HGs ( p = 0.13). Freedom from AG or HG degeneration at 10 years was 97% ± 2% and 79% ± 10% ( p = 0.63). Freedom from valve-related complications at 10 years was 73% ± 10% and 64% ± 10% ( p = 0.93), respectively. Freedom from all reoperations at 10 years was 88% ± 5% for AG and 72% ± 11% for HG ( p = 0.67). Conclusions . Autografts and HGs have comparable late survival. The incidence of valve degeneration is low for both AG and HG up to about 8 years at which point there may be a trend toward an advantage for AG over the HG, suggesting benefit for the younger patient.
Methane-derived carbonate cements in barrier and beach sands of a subtropical delta complex

Abstract Highly negative δC 13 values, −18 to − 40%., for carbonate cements found in Recent barrier and beach sands of the Mississippi River Delta complex strongly suggest that considerable carbon is furnished to the CaCO 3 cements by either chemical or biological oxidation of CH 4 . These cemented sands are commonly found on beaches of the Chandeleur barrier island chain and other sites along the Louisiana coast where Holocene sands are rapidly transgressing over highly organic marsh deposits. Generation of CH 4 from underlying anoxic marsh sediments, followed by vertical migration and oxidation to CO 2 in the porous overlying sand, appears to be the unique set of conditions regulating this process of carbonate cementation.
Interconversion of α-tocopherol and its oxidation products

Abstract α-Tocopheroxide is not readily reduced polarographically and in mixtures with α-tocopherol does not give a stable electromotive potential; thus α-tocopheroxide is not the electromotively active, bivalent oxidation product detectable polarographically. Various experiments are reported on the conversion of α-tocopheroxide to α-tocopherol and to α-tocopherylquinone; under weakly acidic conditions α-tocopheroxide readily forms α-tocopherylquinone, whereas under similar conditions with ascorbic acid present α-tocopherol is formed. The formation of a common intermediate with a hemi-ketal structure in both reactions is considered as a likely possibility. No intermediate was detected spectrophotometrically during the slow conversion of α-tocopheroxide to α-tocopheryl;quinone near neutral pH. Treatment of α-tocopherylquinone in absolute ethanol with ascorbic and hydrochloric acids converts the quinone principally to α-tocopherol, or a product closely resembling α-tocopherol, by a pathway not involving α-tocopherylhydroquinone; with some preparations considerable amounts of products of unknown structure are formed. Ascorbate and α-tocopherol act synergistically in the prevention of the acceleration by cytochrome c of the oxidation of linoleate near neutral pH. Neither α-tocopheroxide or α-tocopherylquinone are effective with or without ascorbate. The implications of these and other findings are discussed.
Acousto-optic/photorefractive processor for adaptive antenna arrays

A simple, robust architecture is proposed for adaptive antenna array processing using an acousto-optic Bragg cell array and a photorefractive material in a time integrating correlator configuration. A Bragg cell array is used for computing correlation coefficients and for forming the tapped delay line filter. The resulting processor is very compact since it can be implemented as a monolithic structure by using the same material for the acousto-optic interaction and the photorefractive implementation of adaptive tap weights. Equations are derived for expected dynamic range, and time response.
Beechem Risk Inventory for Late-Onset Alcoholism

This group study features an at-risk inventory administered to ninety-six respondents. The principle purposes of this study were: 1) to design a “user-friendly” assessment tool to identify elderly persons who may be at risk for drinking problems and/or late-life alcoholism; and 2) to identify unresolved loss-grief issues that will need to be addressed in the treatment phase. For each of the loss items, the respondent indicates whether the loss occurred at “(A) Age Fifty-Four and Younger” or “(B) Age Fifty-Five and Older.” The respondent also subjectively indicates the extent to which he/she feels the intensity of the loss at the moment (i.e., in the “here and now”). An additional feature of the inventory illustrates a simplified procedure to compute the respondent's unresolved loss-grief level through use of a 5-point Likert scale.
Orientation dependence of laser amorphization of crystal Si

Conditions for laser amorphization of Si were studied as a function of orientation for samples from [110] surface normal through [111] to [001] at 5\ifmmode^\circ\else\textdegree\fi{} intervals. Two regimes of behavior are observed, one within 15\ifmmode^\circ\else\textdegree\fi{} of [111] and a second for the remaining orientations. The transition energy density for amorphous crystal regrowth and the maximum a-Si thickness changes abruptly between regimes. These results are inconsistent with a single-ledge growth model and suggest that two separate interface morphologies or solidification mechanisms are active in the liquid-phase growth of Si.
Lost in translation: formalizing proposed extensions to c#

Current real-world software applications typically involve heavy use of relational and XML data and their query languages. Unfortunately object-oriented languages and database query languages are based on different semantic foundations and optimization strategies. The resulting ''ROX (Relations, Objects, XML) impedance mismatc'' makes life very difficult for developers. Microsoft Corporation is developing extensions to the .NET framework to facilitate easier processing of non-object-oriented data models. Part of this project (known as "LINQ") includes various extensions to the .NET languages to leverage this support. In this paper we consider proposals for C# 3.0, the next version of the C# programming language. We give both an informal introduction to the new language features, and a precise formal account by defining a translation from C# 3.0 to C# 2.0. This translation also demonstrates how these language extensions do not require any changes to the underlying CLR.
Growth hormone-independent suppression of growth hormone-dependent female isoforms of cytochrome P450 by the somatostatin analog octreotide

Octreotide is a potent somatostatin analog therapeutically used to treat several conditions including hyper growth hormone secretion in patients with acromegaly. We infused octreotide into female Sprague Dawley rats every 12h for 6 days at levels considerably greater than typical human therapeutic doses. Resulting circulating growth hormone profiles were characterized by ∼25% reduction in plasma levels, including both pulse and interpulse components, but still contained in an otherwise female-like "continuous" secretory profile. The normally elevated feminine expression levels (protein and/or mRNA) of CYP2C12, CYP2A1, CYP2C7 and insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF-1), all dependent on the continuous feminine growth hormone profile, were dramatically down-regulated. Octreotide suppression of the female-dependent levels of CYPs (cytochromes P450) and IGF-1 could not be explained by the apparently inconsequential alterations in the feminine circulating growth hormone profile. In this regard, somatostatin and its analogs are known to have a myriad of extra-pituitary actions effecting nearly all tissues in the body. Focusing our attention on CYP2C12, accounting for >40% of the total hepatic cytochrome P450 content in the female rat liver, we found a ∼4-fold increase in hepatic ubiquitin-CYP2C12 levels in octreotide treated rats suggesting a possible contributing factor for the >60% suppression of CYP2C12 protein concentrations.
Source location variability and volcanic vent mapping with a small-aperture infrasound array at Stromboli Volcano, Italy

Stromboli Volcano in Italy is a persistently active, complex volcanic system. In May 2002 activity was confined to 3 major summit craters within which several active vents hosted multiple explosions each hour. During a 5-day field campaign an array of 3 low-frequency microphones was installed to investigate the coherent infrasound produced by degassing from these vents. Consistent phase lags across the 3 stations indicate distinct sources that are subsequently investigated to determine the associated vent location, apparent depth, and origin time. The cross-correlation routine allows for variations in comparison window length, waveform filtering bandwidth, and correlation and consistency thresholds, allowing for improved detection of certain types of degassing sources. Identification of activity at the various vents could be subsequently corroborated with 3 channels of synchronously acquired thermal data and video. During the May 2002 experiment persistent, energetic infrasound was observed from a passive degassing source within the Central Crater (CC) and transient infrasound, produced by discrete Strombolian explosions, was identified at 4 additional vents. The continuous infrasound produced by the CC exhibits variable frequency-dependent correlation lag times that are interpreted as a diffraction effect due to the acoustic radiator’s recessed location within a steep-walled crater. Such dispersion has important implications for accurate eruption source modeling because it indicates that infrasonic waveforms may be significantly filtered during propagation. Transient explosion signals from the Northeast Crater (NEC) and Southwest Crater (SWC) vents also exhibit dynamic correlation lag times, but this scatter may be more reasonably attributed to variable epicentral locations. Explosions from the NEC west vent, for instance, appear to emanate from a diffuse zone with a lateral extent in excess of 10 m.
Lexical and semantic priming deficits in patients with Alzheimer's disease.

Abstract Two experiments utilizing priming procedures examined the status of semantic memory in demented and amnesic patients. In the first investigation, lexical priming was assessed in patients with dementia of the Alzheimer type (DAT), Huntington's Disease (HD), alcoholic Korsakoff's syndrome (KS), and in intact control subjects. Subjects were first exposed to a list of words in a rating task and then required to complete three-letter stems with the “first word that comes to mind”. Half of the stems could be completed with the previously presented words and the other half were used to assess baseline guessing rates. Recall and recognition of incidentally exposed words was also assessed. Although all three patient groups were impaired on tests of recall and recognition, only the DAT patients exhibited a priming deficit on the stem-completion task. In the second experiment, DAT, HD, and intact control subjects were administered a semantic priming test which required the subject to “free associate” to the...
Responsiveness and concurrent validity of the revised Capabilities of Upper Extremity-Questionnaire (CUE-Q) in patients with acute tetraplegia

Responsiveness and concurrent validity of the revised Capabilities of Upper Extremity-Questionnaire (CUE-Q) in patients with acute tetraplegia
Hereditary spherocytosis and hereditary elliptocytosis: aberrant protein sorting during erythroblast enucleation

During erythroblast enucleation, membrane proteins distribute between extruded nuclei and reticulocytes. In hereditary spherocytosis (HS) and hereditary elliptocytosis (HE), deficiencies of membrane proteins, in addition to those encoded by the mutant gene, occur. Elliptocytes, resulting from protein 4.1R gene mutations, lack not only 4.1R but also glycophorin C, which links the cytoskeleton and bilayer. In HS resulting from ankyrin-1 mutations, band 3, Rh-associated antigen, and glycophorin A are deficient. The current study was undertaken to explore whether aberrant protein sorting, during enucleation, creates these membrane-spanning protein deficiencies. We found that although glycophorin C sorts to reticulocytes normally, it distributes to nuclei in 4.1R-deficient HE cells. Further, glycophorin A and Rh-associated antigen, which normally partition predominantly to reticulocytes, distribute to both nuclei and reticulocytes in an ankyrin-1-deficient murine model of HS. We conclude that aberrant protein sorting is one mechanistic basis for protein deficiencies in HE and HS.
Fast-growth thermodynamic integration: Error and efficiency analysis

Equilibrium free energy differences can be calculated accurately from repeated fast-growth thermodynamic integration (TI) based on Jarzynski’s identity [Phys. Rev. Lett. 78, 2690 (1997)]. We derive expressions for the free energy differences. Error estimates allow us to quantify the relative efficiency of performing many fast-growth vs few slow-growth TIs for a given total computational cost. Fast-growth TI is illustrated through the calculation of the potential of mean force between two methane molecules and compared to umbrella sampling analyzed by using the weighted histogram analysis method. Fast-growth TI is well suited for parallel computer architectures, requiring only the simplest parallelism with repeated runs for different starting conditions.
A Theoretical Determination of the Efficiency with which Aerosol Particles are Collected by Simple Ice Crystal Plates

Abstract Two theoretical models are presented which allow computing the efficiency with which aerosol particles of radius 0.001 ≤ r ≤ 10 μm are collected by simple ice crystal plates of radius 50 ≤ ac ≤ 640 μm, in air of various relative humidity, temperature and pressure. Particle capture due to Brownian diffusion, thermophoresis, diffusiophoresis and inertial impaction is considered. It is shown that, analogous to water drops, ice crystal plates exhibit a minimum collection efficiency within a specific size interval of aerosol particles. This minimum is strongly affected by the relative humidity of the ambient air. The collection efficiency of particles with r > 1 μm is controlled by the flow field around the ice crystal, while the collection efficiency of particles with r < 0.01 μm is controlled by convective Brownian diffusion. Trajectory analysis predicts that aerosol particles are preferentially captured by the ice crystal rim. Our theoretical results are found to agree satisfactorily with laborator...
Virus removal from sewage effluents during saturated and unsaturated flow through soil columns

Abstract Recharge of sewage effluents may lead to contamination of groundwater with viruses. The goal of this research was to quantify virus removal in representative subsurface transport conditions. Soil column and batch studies were conducted to evaluate how virus type, effluent type and water saturation affect virus adsorption and removal. Three viruses were used: MS2 and PRD1 bacteriophages and poliovirus type 1. In the first column study, secondary- or tertiary-treated sewage containing the viruses percolated through coarse-sand columns under unsaturated conditions. In the second column study, the viruses suspended in secondary-treated sewage percolated through the columns under saturated or unsaturated conditions. A batch adsorption study was conducted to determine equilibrium adsorption of these viruses to the sand. Effluent type had no significant effect on first-order virus removal coefficients or retardation of virus transport. Virus “removal” was considered to be inactivation or irreversible adsorption. Unsaturated conditions resulted in an average removal coefficient ( μ s = 0.31 h −1 ) more than three times greater than saturated conditions ( μ s = 0.095 h −1 ), a significant difference at the 0.01 level. Poliovirus had a greater retardation coefficient ( R = 5.2) than the bacteriophages (MS2, R = 1.4; and PRD1, R = 2.2), a significant difference at the 0.001 level. Column retardations of virus transport were only 0.8–8.0% of that predicted by adsorption coefficients determined from the batch studies. Equations developed in this paper may aid in estimating virus removal during recharge of effluents if the water residence times in ponds, the vadose zone and the aquifer are known.
The Assessment of Ethnic Identity in a Diverse Urban Youth Population

This article examines the assessment of ethnic identity in a multiethnic, probability sample of urban adolescents using the Multigroup Ethnic Identity Measure (MEIM). The concept of ethnic identity captures the incorporation of ethnicity into self-perception, providing a pivotal link to the social psychological consequences of minority status. A more generalizable psychometric examination of an instrument used extensively in research on African American youth to capture this phenomenon is warranted. This investigation seeks to identify revisions of the MEIM that would render it more useful for interethnic and intraethnic comparisons, utilizing a sample more heterogeneous and representative than those of prior studies. Item and exploratory factor analyses indicate that 10 of 14 items can be combined into a short form (MEIM-S) that measures aspects of this phenomenon that are comparable across ethnic groups, and identify two factors. In general, Whites score significantly lower than African Americans, Asian...
Aggregate level simulation protocol (ALSP) managing confederation development

ALSP provides computerized support, via a confederation of models, for joint military training exercises which allows the use of familiar training simulations. The collective group of simulations communicating via ALSP is known as the ALSP Confederation. The 1993 ALSP Confederation is composed of three service models: USA Corps Battle Simulation (CBS), USAF Air Warfare Simulation (AWSIM), and USN Research, Evaluation, and Systems Analysis (RESA) model. This paper addresses ALSP Confederation development and the management processes that focus this joint development effort.
Frontogenesis and Frontolysis as a Three-Dimensional Process.

Abstract A detailed analysis is presented to show the atmospheric structure during the earlier formative stages of a deep, upper trough. Over the western United States, a well-marked west-east frontal layer extends through the whole troposphere; in upper levels, this disappears within a short distance eastward. Individual changes in vorticity, vertical shear, horizontal temperature gradient, and vertical stability are discussed for air particles streaming eastward, out of the frontal layer. Factors in individual frontolysis vary in relative importance at different levels. In particular, variations of the vertical and horizontal components of vorticity and potential temperature gradient are chiefly effected, in the middle troposphere, by horizontal gradients of vertical motion and vertical gradients of the non-geostrophic wind component normal to the frontal layer. Near the maximum-wind level and near the earth's surface, divergence processes and deformation fields in the horizontal flow are of predominant...
A boundary-integral algorithm for adaptive motion planning

An algorithm is developed for adaptively computing the path of an object in a domain with arbitrary geometry in the presence of stationary or arbitrarily moving obstacles. The methodology hinges on an analogy with heat transfer where hard walls and obstacles are cold surfaces while targeted positions such as doorways or laboratory benches are hot surfaces. At any instant, the navigator moves in a direction that maximizes the rate of inward heat transport so as to get warmer. A central part of the algorithm is the fast solution of the heat transfer problem using a boundary-element method. Illustrative examples are provided for stationary and moving obstacles in sample domain geometries.
Brownian dynamics simulation of probe diffusion in DNA: effects of probe size, charge and DNA concentration.

Abstract We have used Brownian dynamics simulation to study probe diffusion in solutions of short chain DNA using our previously developed simulation algorithm [1]. We have examined the effect of probe size, charge, and DNA concentration on the probe diffusion coefficient, with the aim of gaining insight into the diffusion of proteins in a concentrated DNA environment. In these simulations, DNA was modeled as a worm-like chain of hydrodynamically equivalent spherical frictional elements while probe particles were modeled as spheres of given charge and hydrodynamic radius. The simulations allowed for both short range Lennard-Jones interactions and long ranged electrostatic interactions between charged particles. For uncharged systems, we find that the effects of probe size and DNA concentration on the probe diffusion coefficient are consistent with excluded volume models and we interpret our results in terms of both empirical scaling laws and the predictions of scaled particle theory. For charged systems, we observe that the effects of probe size and charge are most pronounced for the smallest probes and interpret the results in terms of the probe charge density. For an ionic strength of 0.1 M we find that, below a critical probe surface charge density, the probe diffusion coefficient is largely independent of probe charge and only weakly dependent on the DNA charge. These effects are discussed in terms of the interactions between the probe and the DNA matrix and are interpreted in terms of both the underlying physics of transport in concentrated solutions and the assumptions of the simulation model.