cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
An assessment of the potential utility of “scientific jury selection”: A “thought experiment” approach☆☆☆

Abstract The efficacy of “scientific jury selection” (the use of social science methodology to aid the jury selection process) has been a subject of considerable contention. Unfortunately, such issues are difficult to address empirically, especially at the level of jury rather than juror decisions. One means of addressing some of these questions is through the use of “thought experiments” or computer simulations that are based not on intuition or conventional wisdom alone but guided by relevant empirical data. This paper reports the outcomes of simulations that explore jury verdict consequences from the use of scientific jury selection to (a) obtain changes in venue, (b) select jurors, and (c) accomplish both of the preceding. The results indicated that the potential effects of scientific jury selection are strongest when the techniques are successful in bringing about changes of venue or more representative jury panels. Somewhat weaker, albeit still consequential, effects were observed in those instances where scientific jury selection techniques are used to select particular jurors. The psychological and legal implications of these results, and the thought experiment approach in general, are discussed.
A field study of photosynthetic temperature acclimation in Carex eleocharis Bailey

Abstract. Seasonal patterns in photosynthetic temperature acclimation and growth were investigated in the sedge, Carex eleocharis Bailey, a species which has demonstrated a marked capacity for shifts in the photosynthetic temperature optimum in previous growth chamber studies. The seasonal production of new leaves was 90% complete by the earliest study date, June 3. Shifts in the photosynthetic temperature optimum of 10°C (from 15 to 25°C) were observed during the months of June and July. These results indicate that in situ acclimatory adjustments in C. eleocharis occur in existing leaf tissue, rather than new leaves which are produced as the season progresses. Despite the 10°C increase in the temperature optimum, mean mid-day leaf temperatures were higher than the optimum throughout the summer. A broad temperature response appeared to be more important than the acclimation adjustments in maintaining near-maximum photosynthesis rates during the mid-day period. Seasonal shifts in the photosynthetic temperature optimum were not as great as those previously observed in growth chamber studies. This discrepancy arises because of the capacity for growth chamber grown plants to produce new leaves with temperature response characteristics closely tuned to the growth temperature regime. In field-grown plants the production of 90% of the leaves during the cool portion of the season places limitations on the potential for acclimation to the warmer midsummer temperatures.
Chemical speciation of heavy metals in the Ase River sediment, Niger Delta, Nigeria

The speciation patterns of heavy metals were assessed with a view to providing information on the bioavailability of metals in the sediment matrix. The results indicate that cadmium is speciated into residual and readily exchangeable forms, while copper speciated into organic bound, residual and Fe – Mn oxide fractions: lead into Fe – Mn oxide, organic and residual fractions; chromium into Fe – Mn oxide, organic and residual fractions; nickel into residual and organic bound fraction; zinc into residual Fe – Mn oxide and carbonate fractions; iron and manganese into Fe – Mn oxide, residual and easily exchangeable fractions. The speciation pattern gave a general picture that the majority of the metals exist either in the organic, or Fe – Mn oxide and residual fractions except for cadmium. It implies that metals that are predominantly in the Fe – Mn oxide and organic fractions can only be remobilised under conditions that change the redox potential of the sediment. There are significant spatial and temporal variations in the speciation patterns of heavy metals in river sediment.
Activity of Glutathione S-Transferase in the Hepatopancreas is not Influenced by the Molting Cycle in the Fiddler Crab, Uca pugilator

Glutathione S-transferase (GST) in the hepatopancreas of crustaceans has been suggested as a biomarker for organic pollution. However, much of crustacean physiology is known to exhibit a cyclic characteristic because of the periodic shedding of the confining exoskeleton. The goal of this study was to determine whether hepatopancreatic GST activity varies during the molting cycle using the fiddler crab, Uca pugilator, as the model. Neither the molting cycle nor 20-hydroxyecdysone injection had a significant effect on hepatopancreatic GST activity, suggesting GST activity is not under control of the molting hormone in Uca pugilator.
Patients who initially refuse prehospital evaluation and/or therapy.

Abstract The authors performed a retrospective descriptive and analytical cohort study of prehospital patient initial refusal of care (PIRC) cases to characterize the types of patients encountered and to assess factors associated with their dispositions. During a 6-month period, 169 of 1715 (9.9%) base station calls in an urban emergency medical service (EMS) system were for physician involvement in a PIRC. Patients' dispositions were as follows: left at scene against medical advice (53%); taken by ambulance to the hospital (28%); left with friend (13%); other disposition (5%). While police were called to the scene 41 times, they placed a "legal hold" on only 10 patients. Leaving the patient at the scene against medical advice was associated (logistic regression analysis; P absence of the following factors: family on the scene and a police hold, and with the presence of the following factors: treated hypoglycemia, alcohol use, orlentation, and normal speech. The development of statutes that allow police hold placement under the guidance of the base station physician may be necessary. Such statutes would aid transportation of a patient considered by EMS personnel to have impaired mental capacity that may limit the patient's ability to understand medical care decisions.
Rounds vs queries trade-off in noisy computation

We show that a noisy parallel decision tree making O(n) queries needs Ω(log* n) rounds to compute OR of n bits. This answers a question of Newman [21]. We prove more general trade-offs between the number of queries and rounds. We also completely settle a similar question for computing MAX in the noisy comparison tree model; these results bring out interesting differences among the noise models.
A hybrid meshed multipath forwarding scheme in wireless ad hoc networks

Flexibility and robustness are the two key features of multipath routing in multihop wireless networks. While robustness to node failures and link errors is important to achieve high end-to-end throughput, it is also important to judiciously use the routing flexibility to achieve a better traffic load distribution among the network nodes, so that the network lifetime can be extended. In this paper, we study point-to-point multipath forwarding strategies in relatively static but highly error-prone wireless sensor networks. We investigate a multipath forwarding scheme, called selective random forwarding (SRF), and compare its end-to-end throughput and traffic load distribution with respect to selective preferential forwarding (SPF) (or forwarding along primary/secondary routes). We first show that in node disjoint multipath routes SRF has a better overall performance. When considering meshed multipath routes [14], SRF offers a much better load balancing performance but a poorer throughput. Aiming at achieving a good performance trade-off in meshed multipath routes, we introduce a new hybrid packet forwarding scheme that takes the advantages of higher end-to-end throughput in SPF and more uniform load distribution in SRF. Our network performance studies show that while the hybrid approach always offers the throughput performance nearly as good as SPF, its improved load distribution performance becomes more significant with more inhomogeneous network activity. Our approach is guided by analytic intuition and verified by simulations.
Hydrothermal clinopyroxenes of the Skaergaard intrusion

Magmatic augites reacted with high temperature aqueous solutions to form secondary calcic pyroxenes during the subsolidus cooling of the Skaergaard intrusion. Secondary, hydrothermal clinopyroxenes replace wall rock igneous augites at the margins of veins filled with calcic amphibole. These veins are up to several millimeters wide and tens of meters in length. Hydrothermal clinopyroxenes are a ubiquitous and characteristic phase in the earliest veins throughout the Layered Series of the intrusion, and occur rarely in late veins that, in some places, crosscut the early veins. Associated secondary phases in early veins include amphiboles ranging in composition from actinolite to hornblende, together with biotite, Fe-Ti oxides and calcic plagioclase. Hydrothermal clinopyroxenes in late veins may be associated with actinolite, hornblende, biotite, magnetite and albite. Hydrothermal clinopyroxenes are depleted in Fe, Mg and minor elements, and enriched in Ca and Si relative to igneous augites in the Layered Series gabbros. Secondary vein pyroxenes are similar in composition to calcic pyroxenes from amphibolite facies metamorphic rocks. Clinopyroxene solvus thermometry suggests minimum temperatures of equilibration of between 500° and 750° C. These temperatures, combined with numerical transport models of the intrusion, suggest that vein clinopyroxenes could have formed during 20,000 to 60,000 year time intervals associated with a maximum in the fluid flux through fractures in the Layered Series.
Alzheimer’s Disease Pathologic Cascades: Who Comes First, What Drives What

This review discusses known and speculated relationships between Alzheimer's disease (AD) biochemical, molecular, and histologic phenomena. In the AD brain, various pathologies including neuritic plaques, neurofibrillary tangles, synaptic loss, oxidative stress, cell cycle re-entry, and mitochondrial changes have all been described. In an attempt to explain what exactly goes wrong in the AD brain various investigators have proposed different heuristic and hierarchical schemes. It is important to accurately define the AD pathology hierarchy because treatments targeting the true apex of its pathologic cascade arguably have the best chance of preventing, mitigating, or even curing this disease.
Augmented Relaxation Labeling and Dynamic Relaxation Labeling

Current implementations of relaxation labeling are homogeneous, where each pixel is in an identical relationship to a static neighbor set. These systems maintain the iterative probabilistic labeling but use a nonhomogeneous dynamic neighborhood to establish a local consistency. Neighborhoods are created at each iteration through the broadcasting and reception of label information according to semantically established broadcasting patterns for each label. Augmented relaxation labeling is a two stage process which contains a separate relaxation stage with a top-down direction capability for specific pixel label updating. Dynamic relaxation is a one step process where every pixel label is updated through the dynamic neighborhoods. Both labeling processes are demonstrated on simple line drawings.
Human thymus cell cultures-evidence for two functional populations.

SummaryHuman thymus cells were cultured in vitro with and without phytohemagglutinin (PHA). At the time of culture, the cells were morphologically heterogeneous with respect to size, and 5–7% took up H3-thymidine (H3T). After longer periods of incubation, the labelling decreased and the cell population was composed almost solely of small cells. In the presence of PHA, large cells appeared and up to 20% of the cell population took up H3T at 72 hours. The data are interpreted to show 2 populations of cells in the human thymus—one synthesizing DNA spontaneously for a short period of time and the other a “resting” population of small cells many of which can be transformed into large cells capable of manufacturing DNA in the presence of PHA.
Adaptive cross-parity (AXP) code for a high-density magnetic tape subsystem

This paper describes an error-correction system, called adaptive cross-parity (AXP) code, for the IBM 3480, a new high-density 18-track tape storage subsystem. Redundancy is applied to two interleaved sets of nine tracks in the same proportion as that in the previous IBM 3420 tape machines. The coding structure, however, is simpler, for it avoids the complex computations of Galois fields. The coding structure is based on a concept of interacting vertical and cross-parity checks, where the cross-parity checks span both sets of tracks and are used in either set in an adaptive manner. As a result, the overall error-correcting capability is substantially improved without increasing the redundancy. Decoding, in which simple parity equations are processed, is designed to progress iteratively. By means of adaptive use of redundancy, the new method corrects up to three known erroneous tracks in any one set of nine tracks and up to four known erroneous tracks in the two sets together. The code also identifies the first unknown erroneous track in each of the two sets, and subsequently identifies the second unknown erroneous track in one of the two sets while providing correction for all these tracks. The result is generalized for a system with any number of tracks divided into a multiple number of unequal sets.
Thermal conductivity peaks in old and new ceramic superconductors

Abstract A sharp peak in the thermal conductivity curve of high T c ceramic superconductors below T c found by many workers is compared with a similar but even larger effect found earlier for niobium carbide — an older ceramic superconductor — by Radosevich and Williams. The interpretation of this peak given in the literature for the high T c materials — reduced phonon-electron scattering below T c as the superconducting energy gap opens — is the same as that established earlier for niobium carbide, which can be treated by BCS/BRT theory, thus lending support to this view. The role of point defects (vacancies) in both materials is also emphasized.
A comparison between short‐period and long‐period Q models

In this study, the power spectra of short-period P waves were obtained from a network of 17 stations in order to measure P-wave attenuation in the entire mantle. A Q-depth relationship was estimated from the use of a Southern Alaskan earthquake and a Novaya Zemlya nuclear explosion. For the determination of t* values from stations, the power spectra were obtained using the instantaneous maximum likelihood method for frequencies of 0.5, 1.0 and 1.5 Hz. Attempts to obtain a satisfactory Q model by inversion of the differential travel times and t* values were unsuccessful. An indirect approach was therefore used to obtain the Q-depth relationship. The resulting Q model was then compared with existing long-period Q models. This short-period Q model shows a high-Q zone near the middle of the mantle. These short-period Q values were higher than those Q values at longer periods.
A prospective study of the effects of cigarette smoking and alcohol abuse on mortality.

Objective:To compare the relative risks of alcohol abuse and cigarette smoking. Design:Cohort studies utilizing a 12-to-16-year follow-up of 47-to-52-year old men. Participants and setting:237 Caucasian college sophomores (COLLEGE sample) and 366 socially disadvantaged junior high school students (CORE-CITY sample) selected in 1940–43 for relative mental health and for interdisciplinary study. Main results:The presence of many risk factors for death, including alcohol abuse and smoking, had been assessed prior to age 47 (CORE-CITY sample) and age 52 (COLLEGE sample). Over the next 12 years (CORE-CITY sample) and the next 16 years (COLLEGE sample), the men’s mortality was monitored. Heavy use of cigarettes and alcohol abuse were highly correlated. When the effect of alcohol abuse was controlled, heavy smoking was associated with elevated mortality risks in both samples, although this was not statistically significant in the CORE-CITY sample. When smoking was controlled, the odds ratios for mortality from alcohol abuse were substantial in both samples. Conclusions:These results and a literature review suggest that insufficient alcohol abuse histories may lead clinicians to underestimate the mortality risk of alcohol abuse.
ICESat sea level comparisons

[1] ICESat calculations of sea level and mesoscale variability are demonstrated and compared to calculations from TOPEX altimetry. In particular, we examine the accuracy of the ICESat Laser 2a Release 21 GLA15 ocean elevations. A global ICESat ocean elevation bias of −10.0 ± 1.0 cm (low) was found with respect to TOPEX, obtained with a reference mean sea surface (MSS). Dual-satellite (ICESat - TOPEX) crossovers independently verify this bias, having a mean of −11.7 ± 1.8 cm. The origin of this bias is unknown, although it may be related to sea state. Release 21 improvements have mitigated ICESat's thermally-induced day/night laser pointing variations to 1 to 2 cm in elevation. The average daily single-satellite internal crossover RMS is 12 cm for ICESat, 7 cm for TOPEX. ICESat laser altimetry is able to match TOPEX detection of major sea level anomaly and mesoscale variability features on a global scale.
Small cell neuroendocrine (Oat cell) carcinoma of the breast

A 52-year-old woman with small cell neuroendocrine (oat cell) carcinoma of the breast is described. Identical neoplasms have been reported in a variety of extrapulmonary sites, but this is the first description of a primary mammary tumor of this type. The patient had axillary and hepatic metastases at the time of diagnosis, and the clinical course suggests that this tumor behaves in an aggressive fashion, analogous to other small cell neuroendocrine carcinomas. The relationship of small cell neuroendocrine carcinoma of the breast to mammary "carcinoid tumor" or argyrophilic carcinoma is discussed.
“Total Trash”: Analysis and Post Punk Music

> The evaluation of rock music based on inappropriate criteria drawn from the creative arts generally takes two forms: the literary critical assessment of words, or the musicological-notational assessment of music. In both cases the aural artefact of rock song is valued only to the extent that it
Intersexual social behavior of urban white-tailed deer and its evolutionary implications

White-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus (Zimmermann, 1780)) are now common in many urban environments throughout their geographic range. Yet, how male and female deer in the urban environment ass...
A Berlin for Historians

On his death in 1997 Isaiah Berlin was widely hailed as a leading philosopher of political liberalism. This article takes the position that Berlin’s philosophical views, particularly those on freedom and cultural pluralism, can also be construed as a valuable guide for historians working in the present, “postmodernist” climate of debate. It further argues that Berlin’s character and career, the subjects already of considerable critical inquiry, lend added authority to these views. The focus is on three lengthy essays on history written by Berlin in the 1950s, one of which was first published in the first issue of this journal. The article concludes, following Berlin, that it is the responsibility of historians, as historians, to recognize the often incommensurate plurality of ultimate values to which their fellow human beings historically have subscribed and to judge, as judge they sometimes must, with that recognition fully in mind. If the result of these as well as the other choices that they make is a plurality of histories, of contending subjects, approaches, methods, and outcomes, that is only to be expected, indeed welcomed. It is freedom in practice, and infinitely preferable as such to any known alternative.
DIGITAL PID CONTROLLER DESIGN FOR DELAYED MULTIVARIABLE SYSTEMS

A new methodology is proposed to design digital PID controllers for multivariable systems with time delays. Except for a few parameters that are preliminarily selected, most of the PID parameters are systematically tuned using the developed plant state-feedback and controller state-feedforward LQR approach, such that satisfactory performance with guaranteed closed-loop stability is achieved. In order to deal with the modeling error owing to the delay time rational approximation, an IMC structure is utilized, such that robust stability is achieved, without need for an observer, and with improved online tuning convenience. Using the prediction-based digital redesign method, the digital implementation is obtained based on the above-proposed analog controller, such that the resulting mixed-signal system performance will closely match that of the analog controlled system. An illustrative example is given for comparison with alternative techniques.
Determining the concentration and the absorptivity factor at 260 nm in sodium dodecyl sulfate of the adenovirus reference material using analytical ultracentrifugation

A concentration of 6.4 +/- 0.2 (at 1 SD) x 10(11) virus particles (vp) per milliliter was determined for the adenovirus reference material (ARM) by averaging analytical ultracentrifugation concentration data obtained with refractometric detection with the completely independent concentration reported by the Adenoviral Reference Material Working Group (ARMWG). Using this concentration, the ARM absorptivity factor (in sodium dodecyl sulfate [SDS] at 260 nm) of 1.2+/-0.1 (at 1 SD) x 10(12) vp/ml per OD(260 nm) per centimeter was obtained.
Lumbar motoneurons of man II: the number and diameter distribution of large- and intermediate-diameter cytons in "motoneuron columns" of spinal cord of man.

Using a methodology which corrects for split cell error, and for the linear relationship between diameter of nucleolus and of cell body (cyton) and using semi-automatic methods of counting and sizing and programmed calculation and plotting, the number and diameter histograms of cytons of L-3, L-4, and L-5 motoneuron columns of 18 reference spinal cords of man (ages 17 to 82 years) have been evaluated. The number and frequency distribution of diameters (diameter histograms) of myelinated fibers of L-3, L-4 and L-5 ventral spinal roots (VSRs) had been determined in a preceding study as a control to validate the estimated number of alpha and gamma motoneuron cytons determined in this study from the same segment of spinal cord. The diameter histograms of cytons of motoneuron columns consistently contain three discrete peaks: a large-diameter peak (CL), an intermediate-diameter (CI) and small-diameter peak (CS). To illustrate, on the average, there were 4874 ± 585 large cytons and 1700 ± 564 ← intermediate cytons in the L5 segment of spinal cord. A reasonably close concordance was found between the average number of large cytons of spinal cord segments and the number of large-diameter myelinated fibers of ventral spinal roots (VSRs) (0.91, 0.94, and 0.98 for L3, L4 and L5 spinal cord segments and ventral spinal roots, respectively). For the ratio of the number of intermediate cytons to the number of intermediate axons the concordance was not as good (0.77, 0.85, and 1.14 for L3, L4 and L5 segments, respectively). Assuming that a cyton provides only one axon to VSR it is reasonable to infer from our studies that most large-diameter cytons are those of alpha motoneurons and that most of the intermediate-diameter cytons are those of gamma motor neurons. The greater number of axons than of cytons for the intermediate diameter group may be from a spurious inclusion of small-diameter axons (possibly pre-ganglionic autonomic fibers) with the intermediate-diameter group. On the average, the range of diameters of large-diameter cyton population in motoneuron columns was found to be 33 to 59 µm and for intermediate-diameter cytons was 24 to 33 µm. The total number of cytons per L3, L4 and L5 segments fell at a rate of ∽260, 175 and 200 per decade, respectively.
Wandering spleen causing gastric outlet obstruction and pancreatitis

Excessive splenic mobility (i.e. wandering spleen) is a rare condition caused by laxity or deficiency of all the spleen’s normal ligamentous attachments in the left hypochondrium. In the pediatric population, a wandering spleen may present as an incidental finding, an abdominal mass or torsion of the vascular pedicle causing venous congestion and acute abdominal pain, and eventually infarction. We present an unusual case of wandering spleen causing pancreatitis and gastric outlet obstruction via direct external compression.
Sodium salicylate treatment in early lactation increases whole-lactation milk and milk fat yield in mature dairy cows.

Multiple lines of inquiry have suggested that a high degree of inflammation in early lactation cows is associated with low productivity and increased disease incidence. In addition, some small studies have suggested that milk production increases in response to antiinflammatory treatment in the first week of lactation. Our objective was to determine if administration of sodium salicylate (SS), a nonsteroidal antiinflammatory drug (NSAID), in the first week of lactation changes whole-lactation productivity and retention in the herd. At calving, 78 cows [n = 39 primiparous (1P); n = 24 second parity (2P); n = 15 third parity or greater (3P)] were alternately assigned to either control (CON) or SS treatments for 7 d postpartum. Sodium salicylate treatment was administered via individual water bowls at a concentration of 1.95 g/L, delivering a mean of 123.3 ± 5.5 g of salicylate/d during the 7-d treatment. For the first 21 d of lactation, dry matter intake, water intake, milk yield, and health were monitored daily, and milk samples were collected twice weekly for milk component analysis. Monthly milk yield and component testing through the rest of the lactation provided data to assess long-term responses, and the effects of treatment on the risk of leaving the herd and on 305-d milk, fat, and protein yields were assessed. During the first 21 d of lactation, we observed no differences in morbidity, except for increased risk of metritis in 3P SS cows. Treatment interacted with parity to influence both 305-d milk and milk fat yields, and a tendency for an interaction was detected for 305-d milk protein yield. Milk yield was 2,469 ± 646 kg greater over the lactation in 3P SS cows compared with 3P CON cows (21% increase) and tended to decrease by 8% in 1P cows treated with SS; no effects were detected in 2P cows. Furthermore, 3P SS cows produced 130 ± 23 kg more milk fat over the lactation (30% increase), with no effects detected for 1P or 2P. Treatment with SS tended to increase 305-d milk protein yield in 3P cows by 14%, with no effects in 1P or 2P cows. A tendency for a treatment × parity interaction was also observed for the risk of leaving the herd. First-parity cows treated with SS tended to have greater risk of leaving the herd than controls (30 vs. 6% risk); however, treatment did not alter herd retention in 2P or 3P groups, and SS had no effect on the risk of leaving the herd overall. Results indicate that SS has long-term effects on lactation of mature dairy cows, particularly on fat yield, but may have negative effects for primiparous cows.
Rice–soybean rotations: opportunities for enhancing whole farm profits or water savings

Abstract The objective of this paper is to examine the impacts of terminating rice [Oryza sativa] irrigation earlier than usual. One straightforward result of this would be the associated cost savings (≈$10 ha−1 per irrigation or more with deep wells) without placing a value on the water itself. However, another option exists for some farms. An assumption is that the typical farm will be constrained from irrigating all of the soybean [Glycine max (L.) Merr] crop due to constraints in any or all of water supply, pumping capacity, and labor availability. In these cases, a portion of the land in soybean production would be non-irrigated for the first part of the growing season. This study explores the possibility of transferring irrigation water to the soybean crop after the needs of the rice crop are met. If rice and soybean planting dates are planned optimally, this partial irrigation can lead to substantial soybean yield improvements and therefore a more profitable rice/soybean production system. On average, across a 41 year period, net revenue gains from partially irrigating the soybean crop were consistently positive, ranging from $41 to $458 ha−1. While these numbers are interesting, the reader is cautioned that the results are based on simulation models and therefore the marginal analysis results are more realistic. On clayey and silt loam soils at Keiser and Stuttgart, respectively, the change in returns for moving from the least to the most water saving rice irrigation strategy was $190 and $99 ha−1, respectively. In addition, for any given year, financial losses are typically restricted to the irrigation setup costs of $17 ha−1. The irrigation termination strategies therefore show high economic potential with little risk of loss.
Photolithographic synthesis of high-density oligonucleotide probe arrays.

High-density DNA probe arrays provide a massively parallel approach to nucleic acid sequence analysis that is transforming gene-based biomedical research and diagnostics. Light-directed combinatorial oligonucleotide synthesis has enabled the large-scale production of GeneChip® probe arrays which contain several hundred of thousand oligonucleotide sequences on glass “chips” about one cm2 in size. Due to their very high information content, GeneChip® probe arrays are finding widespread use in the hybridization-based detection and analysis of mutations and polymorphisms (“genotyping”), and in a wide range of gene expression studies. The manufacturing process integrates solid-phase photochemical oligonucleotide synthesis with lithographic techniques adapted from the microelectronics industry. The present-generation methodology employs MeNPOC photo-activatable nucleoside monomers with proximity photolithography, and is currently capable of printing individual 10 μm2 probe features at a density of 106 probes/cm2.
Suspension ring-opening metathesis polymerization: the preparation of norbornene-based resins for application in organic synthesis.

A series of norbornene-based resin beads were obtained by aqueous suspension ring-opening metathesis polymerization (ROMP) and used as polymeric supports for organic synthesis. These resins were prepared from norbornene, norborn-2-ene-5-methanol, and cross-linkers such as bis(norborn-2-ene-5-methoxy)alkanes, di(norborn-2-ene-5-methyl)ether, and 1,3-di(norborn-2-ene-5-methoxy)benzene. The resulting unsaturated ROMP (U-ROMP) resins containing olefin repeat units were chemically modified using hydrogenation, hydrofluorination, chlorination, and bromination reactions to produce saturated ROMP resins with different chemical and physical properties. The hydrogenated ROMP (H-ROMP) resin was found to be highly resistant to acidic, basic, Lewis acid, and Birch reduction conditions and was assessed as a polymeric support in a series of solid-phase synthetic applications. The H-ROMP resin was found to have superior performance compared to polystyrene-divinylbenzene (PS-DVB) copolymers in aromatic nitration and acyla...
Energy calculations of the crystal structure of the low temperature phase (II) of polytetrafluoroethylene

Abstract Energy analysis is used to determine the low energy crystal structure for polytetrafluoroethylene molecules in the 13 6 and 54 25 conformations. The structure for the 54 25 conformation contains an ordered repeating pattern of a left- and right-handed pair of molecules in a unit cell having projected parameters, a′, b′, and γ′, of 9.60 A, 5.62 A, and 91.4 degrees, respectively. These results, the relative orientations of the molecules, and the relative translations of the molecules are in good agreement with results obtained in a concurrent and independent analysis of diffraction data. Energies calculated for rotational and translational displacements in various modes suggest that a range of structures and a fairly large amount of disorder may be present, also in agreement with experiment.
Synthesis of Collagen

Gerber and Altman have suggested1 that the mechanism involved in the synthesis of fibrous proteins is different from the mechanism involved in the synthesis of globular proteins. In particular, they suggested that collagen is synthesized by the addition of polypeptides containing 70–140 amino-acids to pre-existing collagen fibres. Although the communication raised a number of interesting questions, it should be noted that the conclusions which were reached are not entirely consistent with several recent reports. They stated that the mechanism underlying the biosynthesis of fibrous proteins must be unique, since experiments on the isotopic labelling of collagen and silk fibroin indicated that specific amino-acids are labelled to varying degrees in different parts of these molecules. It is now apparent, however, that a similar situation exists in the synthesis of a number of proteins and polypeptides, including ovalbumin, ribonuclease and insulin2. Recently, Dintzis3 demonstrated non-uniform labelling of specific amino-acids in the synthesis of the globular protein haemoglobin.
Shuttle entry performance and stability and control derivatives extraction from flight measurement data

Flight data taken from three Shuttle Space Transportation System flights (STS-1, 2, and 3) during entry are analyzed to determine the shuttle performance and aerodynamic characteristics. Correlations of the performance coefficients and the stability and control derivatives with preflight predictions are presented over the hypersonic speed range from Mach 2 to 25. In addition, an evaluation of the effectiveness of the onboard Reaction Control System (RCS) is given and an effort is made to independently quantify the combined impingement and flow-field interaction effects on the spacecraft rolling moment. Comparisons of stability and control derivatives extracted for the same flight conditions, but using data from different onboard sensors are also made. Results obtained using the same flight data, but different computer software are also shown.
TU‐FF‐A2‐01: A Heterogeneity Inclusive Algorithm for Calculation of Central‐Axis Absorbed Dose in Finite‐Size Pencil Beams

Purpose: To develop algorithms for calculating central-axis absorbed dose from high-energy photon beams in heterogeneous media of arbitrarily varying density. Method and Materials: We employ and extend a phenomenological model for the central-axis absorbed dose in therapeutic photon beams (Nizin, Med. Phys. 26, 1893–1900 (1999)) in order to describe absorbed dose in heterogeneous media. The parameters defined by the model are extracted from beam data for a homogeneous water phantom. For heterogeneous media, the model's parameters are determined by rescaling these for water using the local values of the relative density of the medium. Results: The phenomenological model was generalized for arbitrarily varying density media by introducing a differential equation that modulates the field size dependent normalization factor. This factor is multiplied by the photon fluence, which decays exponentially with the radiological depth. The generalized model was tested using slab geometries where layers of water and lung-like material alternate. We found very close agreement between absorbed dose calculated using the generalized model and Monte Carlo simulations (Kawrakow et al, NRCC PIRS-701 (2003)) for finite-size pencil beams and for a wide range of field sizes for broad beams. Conclusion: Accurate algorithms for calculation of central-axis absorbed dose in heterogeneous media are proposed. For both narrow and broad photon beams, the model generates results that are in close agreement with Monte Carlo data for slab geometries. Conflicts of Interest: This research was supported by NOMOS Radiation Oncology Division of North American Scientific.
A gene-based SNP resource and linkage map for the copepod Tigriopus californicus.

Background: As yet, few genomic resources have been developed in crustaceans. This lack is particularly evident in Copepoda, given the extraordinary numerical abundance, and taxonomic and ecological diversity of this group. Tigriopus californicus is ideally suited to serve as a genetic model copepod and has been the subject of extensive work in environmental stress and reproductive isolation. Accordingly, we set out to develop a broadly-useful panel of genetic markers and to construct a linkage map dense enough for quantitative trait locus detection in an interval mapping framework for T. californicus–a first for copepods. Results: One hundred and ninety Single Nucleotide Polymorphisms (SNPs) were used to genotype our mapping population of 250 F2 larvae. We were able to construct a linkage map with an average intermarker distance of 1.8 cM, and a maximum intermarker distance of 10.3 cM. All markers were assembled into linkage groups, and the 12 linkage groups corresponded to the 12 known chromosomes of T. californicus. We estimate a total genome size of 401.0 cM, and a total coverage of 73.7%. Seventy five percent of the mapped markers were detected in 9 additional populations of T. californicus. Of available model arthropod genomes, we were able to show more colocalized pairs of homologues between T. californicus and the honeybee Apis mellifera, than expected by chance, suggesting preserved macrosynteny between Hymenoptera and Copepoda. Conclusions: Our study provides an abundance of linked markers spanning all chromosomes. Many of these markers are also found in multiple populations of T. californicus, and in two other species in the genus. The genomic resource we have developed will enable mapping throughout the geographical range of this species and in closely related species. This linkage map will facilitate genome sequencing, mapping and assembly in an ecologically and taxonomically interesting group for which genomic resources are currently under development.
Configuration interaction calculations on the nitrogen molecule

A contracted Gaussian basis set capable of describing about 63% of the correlation energy of N2 has been used in a detailed configuration-interaction calculation. Second-order perturbation theory overestimated the correlation energy by 23–50% depending on how H0 was chosen. Pair-pair interaction affects the correlation energy by about 20% while quadruple excitations have an 8% effect.
Pressure dependence of the coexistence of proton-glass and ferro-jantiferroelectric order in Rb1-x(NH4)xH2AsO4

The effects of hydrostatic pressure, temperature and frequency on the dielectric properties and phase transitions of the material system Rb1-x(NH4)xH2AsO4 (RADA) in the composition range 0.10 ≤ x ≤ 0.40 have been investigated. This system exhibits coexistence of both ferroelectricJproton-glass and antifefroelectricJproton-glass behavior. Results on compositions in both regimes are presented and discussed, and the pressure-temperature phase diagrams are determined. By analogy with our earlier results on other hydrogen-bonded crystals, the present results indicate that all proton ordering will vanish below ∼ 20 kbar, but the disordered O—H c O bond network which is responsible for the formation of the proton-glass phase will persist to higher pressures than does the long-range order which is responsible for either the ferroelectric or antiferroelectric phases. The temperature dependence of the dipolar relaxation process associated with the glass transition is represented by the Vogel-Fulcher equation, and t...
On Partitioning a Sample with Binary-Type Questions in Lieu of Collecting Observations

Abstract The problem is to search for the t largest observations in a random sample of size n by asking binary-type questions of the people (or items) in the sample without collecting any exact data whatever. The unordered and ordered cases are both considered; in the latter case the complete ranking is of special interest. Two different criteria of optimality are considered: (a) to minimize the expected number of questions required and (b) to maximize the probability of terminating the search in at most r questions for specified r. Optimal procedures are found and compared; in some sense the solutions for these two criteria are close to each other. The analysis is nonparametric in the sense that it holds for any underlying sampling distribution, but the actual optimal procedures depend on the specified distribution. In the above, we count (the cost of) a question as one regardless of the number of people addressed; other models in which the cost depends on the number of people are considered only briefly...
SYNTHESIS AND EVALUATION OF 11C-LABELED 6-SUBSTITUTED 2-ARYLBENZOTHIAZOLES AS AMYLOID IMAGING AGENTS

The synthesis and evaluation of a series of neutral analogues of thioflavin-T (termed BTA's) with high affinities for aggregated amyloid and a wide range of lipophilicities are reported. Radiolabeling with high specific activity [(11)C]methyl iodide provided derivatives for in vivo evaluation. Brain entry in control mice and baboons was high for nearly all of the analogues at early times after injection, but the clearance rate of radioactivity from brain tissue varied by more than 1 order of magnitude. Upon the basis of its rapid clearance from normal mouse and baboon brain tissues, [N-methyl-(11)C]2-(4'-methylaminophenyl)-6-hydroxybenzothiazole (or [(11)C]6-OH-BTA-1) was selected as the lead compound for further evaluation. The radiolabeled metabolites of [(11)C]6-OH-BTA-1 were polar and did not enter brain. The binding affinities of [N-methyl-(3)H]6-OH-BTA-1 for homogenates of postmortem AD frontal cortex and synthetic Abeta(1-40) fibrils were similar (K(d) = 1.4 nM and 4.7 nM, respectively), but the ligand-to-Abeta peptide binding stoichiometry was approximately 400-fold higher for AD brain than Abeta(1-40) fibrils. Staining of AD frontal cortex tissue sections with 6-OH-BTA-1 indicated the selective binding of the compound to amyloid plaques and cerebrovascular amyloid. The encouraging in vitro and in vivo properties of [(11)C]6-OH-BTA-1 support the choice of this derivative for further evaluation in human subject studies of brain Abeta deposition.
Effect of sound similarity and word position on lexical selection.

Spoken word production research has shown that phonological information influences lexical selection. It remains unclear, however, whether this phonological information is specified for its phonological environment (e.g., word position) or its phonetic (allophonic) realisation. To examine this, two definition-naming experiments were performed during which subjects produced lexical targets (e.g., “balcony”) in response to the targets' definitions (“deck higher than a building's first floor”) after naming a series of phonologically related or unrelated primes. Subjects produced target responses significantly more often when the primes were phonologically related to the target, regardless of whether the phonologically related primes matched the target's word position or did not. For example, subjects were equally primed to produce the target “balcony” after the prime “ballast” or “unbalanced” relative to unrelated primes. Moreover, equal priming occurred irrespective of phonological environment or phonetic r...
Mega‐projects as displacements*

Dams, roads, ports, urban developments, pipe-lines and petrochemical plants, mines, and vastindustrial plantations both reﬂect and instanti-ate the larger social projects of colonialism,development, and globalisation. An emphasison mega-projects helps us to see the relationshipbetween these abstract processes and the bio-geophysical and social transformation of parti-cular landscapes. Mega-projects are spatially situ-ated and inherently displa-cing.ExtendingSchumpeter’s(1947) use of the term, weargue that mega-projectsentail ‘‘creative destruc-tion’’ in a material sense:they transform landscapesrapidly and radically, dis-placing mountaintops, riv-ers, ﬂora and fauna, as wellas humans and their com-munities.We argue that displa-cement is intrinsic to mega-project development andthat both are socio-naturalphenomena. The ideologiesthat inform project devel-opmentandhelptoaccountfor the persistence of dis-placement are the work ofepistemic communities,elite groups of actors fromstateagencies,internationallending and donor institu-tions, and the private sector. Members of thesecommunities consider mega-project displace-ment as an externality to be either ignored oraddressed through remediation, much to theconsternation of transnational advocacy coali-tions.To understand how mega-project dis-placements are produced and why theypersist, we ﬁrst deﬁne mega-projects and thedisplacements that they engender. We thendescribe a range of primaryandsecondarysocio-naturaldisplacements. Third, weargue that the ideologiesand cultural biases of epis-temic communities shapeproject processes in waysthat foster displacement.We close by consideringfor whom mega-projectsare creative and for whomthey are destructive.
Pore-scale modeling of dispersion in disordered porous media.

Abstract We employ a direct pore-level model of incompressible flow that uses the modified moving particle semi-implicit (MMPS) method. The model is capable of simulating both unsteady- and steady-state flow directly in microtomography images of naturally-occurring porous media . We further develop this model to simulate solute transport in disordered porous media. The governing equations of flow and transport at the pore level, i.e., Navier–Stokes and convection–diffusion, are solved directly in the pore space mapped by microtomography techniques. Three naturally-occurring sandstones are studied in this work. We verify the accuracy of the model by comparing the computed longitudinal dispersion coefficients against the experimental data for a wide range of Peclet numbers , i.e., 5 × 10− 2 . Solutions of full Navier–Stokes enable us to examine the impact of inertial forces at the very high Peclet numbers. We show that inclusion of the inertial forces improves the agreement between the computed dispersion coefficients with their experimental counterparts. We then investigate the impact of pore-space topology on the pre-asymptotic and asymptotic dispersion regimes by comparing solute dispersion in the three sandstones that possess different topological features. We illustrate how grain size and homogeneity of the two sandstones dictate the threshold and magnitude of the asymptotic regime.
Exploring the Underachievement Gap.

Prevalent definitions of the achievement gap conceptualize it as the difference in achievement between white and minority students. Recent research, however, points to numerous gaps both within and between groups. This study explores a further conceptualization of achievement gaps by looking at the “underachievement gap”—the difference between students from capital-rich backgrounds who choose to attend postsecondary institutions and those who do not. Using the NELS:88 database to examine differences in college enrollment for Hispanic, black, and white students separately, results indicate being held back, number of hours worked during the week, and how far the student expected to go in college were significant predictors for all three groups. With all students combined into one sample, HGLM analysis revealed race/ethnicity generally proved not to be a significant predictor of postsecondary enrollment.
Determination of mercury via reduction with hydrazine

Abstract A convenient, accurate method for the determination of mercury is described, based on reduction to the elemental state by hydrazine in an ammoniacal solution containing tartrate ion. The precipitated mercury is dissolved in nitric acid and titrated with standard thiocyanate solution. The method is applicable in the presence of copper, bismuth, lead, cadmium, arsenic, antimony, and tin, and most other elements of the hydrogen sulfide group.