cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
A kinetic study of diffusion in the electrothermal atomizer with a graphite filter by laser excited atomic fluorescence

Abstract Laser excited atomic fluorescence-electrothermal atomizer (LEAFS-ETA) was used to study atomization and diffusion mechanisms in a novel diffusive graphite tube atomizer. The atomizer design included a hollow graphite cylinder mounted between two graphite rods which served as electrodes. One of the rods had a small graphite insert with a sampling hollow and could move backwards and forwards. After the sample was introduced into the hollow, the electrodes tightly sealed the graphite cylinder ensuring that the insert was directly in the center of the furnace. The furnace assembly was then heated and the vaporized sample diffused through the hot graphite wall. The atomic fraction of the sample vapor was excited by a laser beam which was directed along the graphite tube surface so that no gap remained between the beam and the tube surface. Fluorescence vs. time profiles for three elements — Cu, Ag and Ni — were obtained within the temperature range of 1400–2600 K. The rate constants of specific processes were measured from the decay portions of the fluorescence signals under the assumption of first-order kinetics. The Arrhenius plots were constructed and the activation energies, E a were evaluated from their slopes. The plots obtained for Cu and Ag consisted of two linear parts, the corresponding values of E a were: 195 kJ/mol and 77 kJ/mol for Cu (1550 K T T E a equal to 161 kJ/mol. The diffusion coefficients were evaluated on the basis of a steady-state diffusion model out of a hollow cylinder. The values for the diffusion coefficients were: 3.7·10 −4 −2.0·10 −3 cm 2 /s (1750–2600 K) for Cu, 6.5·10 −3 −1.4·10 −3 cm 2 /s (1750–2280 K) for Ag and 5.6·10 −5 −1.5·10 −3 cm 2 /s (1770–2530 K) for Ni.
Reconsidering the Character and Role of Inquiry in School Science: Analysis of a Conference

We summarize a conference on scientific inquiry bringing together science educators, cognitive scientists and philosophers of science with three goals: 1. to establish how much consensus exists about scientific inquiry, 2. to discuss implications of that consensus for teaching science, 3. to identify areas where consensus is lacking to establish where further research and discussion would be most valuable.
N-terminal glutamate to pyroglutamate conversion in vivo for human IgG2 antibodies

Therapeutic proteins contain a large number of post-translational modifications, some of which could potentially impact their safety or efficacy. In one of these changes, pyroglutamate can form on the N terminus of the polypeptide chain. Both glutamine and glutamate at the N termini of recombinant monoclonal antibodies can cyclize spontaneously to pyroglutamate (pE) in vitro. Glutamate conversion to pyroglutamate occurs more slowly than from glutamine but has been observed under near physiological conditions. Here we investigated to what extent human IgG2 N-terminal glutamate converts to pE in vivo. Pyroglutamate levels increased over time after injection into humans, with the rate of formation differing between polypeptide chains. These changes were replicated for the same antibodies in vitro under physiological pH and temperature conditions, indicating that the changes observed in vivo were due to chemical conversion not differential clearance. Differences in the conversion rates between the light chain and heavy chain on an antibody were eliminated by denaturing the protein, revealing that structural elements affect pE formation rates. By enzymatically releasing pE from endogenous antibodies isolated from human serum, we could estimate the naturally occurring levels of this post-translational modification. Together, these techniques and results can be used to predict the exposure of pE for therapeutic antibodies and to guide criticality assessments for this attribute.
Space-conserving agglomerative algorithms

This paper evaluates a general, infinite family of clustering algorithms, called the Lance and Williams algorithms, with respect to the space-conserving criterion. An admissible clustering criterion is defined using the space conserving idea. Necessary and sufficient conditions for Lance and Williams clustering algorithms to satisfy space-conserving admissibility are provided. Space-dilating, space-contracting, and well-structured clustering algorithms are also discussed.
Rapid deposition of titania nanoparticles on tin oxide for dye solar cell anodes using fluid mechanics and eletrokinetics

Using electrokinetics and fluid mechanics, we are designing a method to rapidly deposit titania nanoparticles onto transparent conductive oxide surfaces for use in dye solar cell anodes. Manipulating the pH and ionic strength of an aqueous solution makes it possible to control the surface potential of submerged oxide surfaces such as titania and tin oxide. By using pH values near and below 5.5, it is possible to create conditions where titania nanoparticles are stable and electrostatically repel each other in a dilute, aqueous suspension, but are attracted to various tin oxide surfaces. We can then use fluid flow such as that from a rotating disk or impinging jet to deliver nanoparticles adequately close to the surface such that they adhere via strong van der waals forces. For particles which are made in solution via oxidation, this technique offers the major advantage of never drying the particles, thus allowing them to remain un-aggregated until they deposit onto the surface. We have shown that we can monitor particle deposition in situ by measuring the zeta potential of a surface using a rotating disk electrode apparatus. The measured difference in iso-electric point of titania and both fluorine- and indium-tin oxide shown in this work indicates that we should have some control over the rate and extent of particle deposition. Currently, we have deposited titania nanoparticle layers which are several layers thick and consist of particles with diameters smaller than 10 nm; these tightly packed layers have applications as blocking layers to prevent unwanted shunts in dye solar cells.
Selectivity of Adsorption of Thiophene and its Derivatives on Titania Anatase Surfaces: A Density Functional Theory Study

We used density functional theory calculations to examine the adsorption of thiophene and its derivatives (methyl and dimethyl thiophenes) on the (001), (101) and (100) surfaces of titania anatase, of relevance to adsorptive desulfurization of liquid fuels. The adsorption of isomers of methyl and dimethyl thiophenes allows evaluation of electronic, steric hindrance and dispersive attraction impacts on adsorption energies. Adsorption of all species is found to preferentially form a sulfone-like species, where the sulfur containing molecule is partially oxidized on the surface. Oxygen molecules trapped in O-vacancies may serve as the preferred adsorption site for sulfoxide formation. Comparison is made between DFT and DFT-D results, which include a semi-empirical dispersion correction. DFT-D gives a more accurate representation of the interactions between the adsorbate (thiophene) molecules and the adsorbent (anatase) surface. The selectivity of different surfaces towards sulfur-containing molecules is estimated by comparing the adsorption energies of the thiophenes and their corresponding hydrocarbons.
Daring to Care: American Nursing and Second-Wave Feminism. By Susan Gelfand Malka. (Urbana: University of Illinois Press, 2007. xviii, 219 pp. Cloth, $65.00, ISBN 978-0-252-03247-9. Paper, $25.00, ISBN 978-0-252-07481-3.)

"Daring to Care" examines the impact of second-wave feminism on the nursing field since the 1960s. In arguing that feminism helped to end nursing's subordination to medicine and provided nurses with greater autonomy and professional status, Susan Gelfand Malka discusses two distinct eras in nursing history. The first extended from the mid-1960s to the mid-1980s, when feminism seemed to belittle the occupation in its analysis of gender subordination but also fuelled nursing leaders' drive for greater authority and independence. The second era began in the mid-1980s, when feminism grounded in the ethics of care appealed to a much broader group of caregivers and was incorporated into nursing education. While nurses accepted aspects of feminism, they did not necessarily identify as feminists; nonetheless, they used, passed on, and developed feminist ideas, which is evident in nursing school curricula changes and the increase in self-directed and specialized roles available to twenty-first-century expert caregivers.
Relationships Between Effects of Smoking, Gender, and Alcohol Dependence on Platelet Monoamine Oxidase‐B: Activity, Affinity Labeling, and Protein Measurements

Background Many studies have reported apparent associations between platelet monoamine oxidase (MAO) activity and susceptibility to alcoholism and other psychiatric conditions. Alcohol-dependent individuals generally exhibit lower platelet MAO activity compared with controls, and on this basis, platelet MAO has been proposed as a potential genetic marker for predisposition to alcoholism. However, several lines of evidence also suggest that MAO activity is reduced in both the brain and platelets of smokers. Many alcohol-dependent individuals are also tobacco users, and few studies have attempted to dissociate the effect of alcohol and tobacco use on MAO activity. Methods Platelet MAO-B activity in 629 subjects recruited as part of the WHO/ISBRA Study of State and Trait Markers of Alcohol Use and Dependence was assayed by using a high throughput fluorescence assay. Platelet MAO-B protein concentrations were measured by analysis of immunoblots probed with a polyclonal antibody selective for MAO. Quantitative measurements of affinity labeling of platelet MAO were made by using the selective MAO-B catalytic site antagonist [3H]Ro 19–6327. Results Multiple regression analysis revealed that subjects’ gender, cigarette smoking, lifetime alcohol dependence, and recruitment site each contributed independently to the variance in platelet MAO activity levels. Female subjects had significantly higher MAO activity levels than males, whereas heavy smokers had significantly lower MAO activity levels than nonsmokers. Immunoblot measurement of platelet MAO-B protein demonstrated that females had significantly higher MAO-B protein concentrations. Platelet MAO-B protein concentrations did not differ significantly between smokers and nonsmokers but were lower in subjects with a diagnosis of lifetime alcohol dependence (DSM-IV) compared with subjects who were never alcohol dependent. Measurements of affinity labeling by [3H]Ro 19–6327 of platelet MAO correlated significantly with MAO activity levels (i.e., the lower MAO-B activity in smokers was mirrored by lower levels of [3H]Ro 19–6327 binding). Conclusions In this international population, gender, cigarette smoking, lifetime history of alcohol dependence, and recruitment site were associated with lower platelet MAO activity levels. Differences in MAO activity associated with gender and lifetime alcohol dependence can be attributed largely to differences in MAO-B protein concentration, whereas those associated with smoking behavior may be the result of binding of an inhibitor contained in cigarette smoke to platelet MAO-B at catalytic site of MAO.
Field Activity Studies of Adult Culicoides furens

Nonattractant sampling of resting and in-flight populations of adult Culicoides furens was employed to study the daily activity cycle. Power-aspirator collections showed the largest numbers to rest near the salt marsh, the males remaining closer than the females. Females were found to rest about equally on the ground or in the trees during the day whereas males preferred the trees. Horizontal sticky panels showed 62% of the females rested 1 to 2 feet above the ground in preference to 8 to 14 feet, while 88% of the males were taken on the 8- and 14-foot panels. Truck-trap collections during the night showed two types of flight activity; a period after sunset and preceding sunrise, and irregular peaks during the dark period. The cause of the peaks during the dark period was not determined.
A long-term cohort study of outcome after cholecystectomy for chronic acalculous cholecystitis.

Abstract Background Cholecystectomy is effective therapy for chronic calculous cholecystitis (CCC). The long-term outcome of patients treated with cholecystectomy for chronic acalculous cholecystitis (CAC) is unknown. Methods A controlled, retrospective cohort study assessing biliary pain (preoperative and at follow-up) in postcholecystectomy patients with CAC or CCC was performed. Results In 19 CAC and with matched CCC control patients, the mean duration of symptoms before surgery was 38.3 months (95% CI, 16.4 to 60.2) and 8.1 months (95% CI, 5.4 to 10.8), respectively. The mean follow-up for both groups was 8.37 ± 1.13 years. Both groups benefited from cholecystectomy (P 0.05). Conclusions There was no difference in outcome between the groups after an average follow-up of 8.37 years. Postcholecystectomy patients with chronic cholecystitis and no gallstones have long-term, complete pain resolution, similar to patients with gallstones.
Crystallization and preliminary X-ray crystallographic analysis of a 40 kDa N-terminal fragment of the yeast prion-remodeling factor Hsp104.

A 40 kDa N-terminal fragment of Saccharomyces cerevisiae Hsp104 was crystallized in two different crystal forms. Native 1 diffracted to 2.6 A resolution and belonged to space group P212121, with unit-cell parameters a = 66.6, b = 75.8, c = 235.7 A. Native 2 diffracted to 2.9 A resolution and belonged to space group P6122 or P6522, with unit-cell parameters a = 179.1, b = 179.1, c = 69.7 A. This is the first report of the crystallization of a eukaryotic member of the Hsp100 family of molecular chaperones.
First paleoenvironmental interpretation of a pre-Quaternary rock-varnish site, Davidson Canyon, southern Arizona

Dark, manganese-rich rock varnish of probable Miocene age is exhumed in a road cut in the drainage of Davidson Canyon, southern Arizona. Its structure and inorganic chemistry is similar to modern arid and semiarid rock varnishes. The {delta}{sup 13}C content of organic matter in the varnish is consistent with a C{sub 4} photosynthetic pathway for adjacent plants. Organic and inorganic chemical analyses of paleovarnishes can be used to interpret past subaerial environments.
Racial/ethnic differences in weight concerns: Protective and risk factors for the development of eating disorders and obesity among adolescent females

Objective: This study compared African American and Caucasian adolescent girls on measures of appearance concerns, body-contingent self-esteem, pressures for thinness, and dieting behaviour. Also, correlations among these measures were contrasted across the two ethnic groups. Method: African American (n=32) and Caucasian (n=29) adolescent girls completed a series of self-report measures concerning dieting behaviour, perceived pressures for thinness, self-esteem, and perceptions of physical appearance. Results: Across all measures, Caucasian girls endorsed more disturbed eating behaviors and beliefs about body shape and weight. Dieting among Caucasian girls was correlated with preoccupation with body shape. Among African American girls dieting behaviour was unrelated to concerns about body shape. Discussion: These findings support the hypothesis that in comparison to Caucasian girls, African American girls may be at lessened risk for developing eating disorders but may be at greater risk for developing obesity. This conclusion is based upon the findings of higher levels of eating disorder symptoms among Caucasian girls and the relative absence of significant correlations between dieting and body shape and appearance concerns among African American girls.
Gonadotropin release after administration of GnRH in depressed patients and healthy volunteers

Abstract Considerable attention has been paid to studies of hormonal response abnormalities in depressed patients, and functional changes have been demonstrated in a number of neuroendocrine axes. The findings from the present study extend the results of previous investigations but demonstrate a functionally intact HPG axis in depressed patients. A number of statements can be made concerning the gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH) strategy: (1) Previous studies utilizing GnRH challenge have been limited in number and poorly controlled. (2) We chose to utilize our own normative data because standard gonadotropin response ranges to GnRH have not previously been established in studies with depressed patients. Moreover, hormonal responses may be affected by age, sex, mentrual status, dose, and method and rate of GnRH administration. The assessment of the hormonal responses to GnRH in depressed patients and healthy controls studied under identical conditions provides the most accurate basis for comparison. (3) The incidence of abnormal LH and FSH release in depressed subjects was similar to controls, in contrast to response abnormalities found with other neuroendocine axes. (4) Alterations in gonadotropin were limited to FSH, were sporadic, and did not differ significantly from controls. This finding is of interest and suggests that neuroendocrine alterations in depression do not necessarily affect all neuroendocrine axes.
Intraoperative Sentinel Lymph Node Mapping in Non–Small-Cell Lung Cancer Improves Detection of Micrometastases

PURPOSE: Lymph node metastases are the most significant prognostic factor in localized non–small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Nodal micrometastases may not be detected with current standard histologic methods. We performed intraoperative technetium-99m (99mTc) sentinel lymph node (SN) mapping in patients with resectable NSCLC. This study aimed to identify the first station of nodal drainage of operable lung cancers. Serial section histology and immunohistochemistry were used to validate the SN and to identify the presence of micrometastatic disease. PATIENTS AND METHODS: One hundred patients with potentially resectable suspected NSCLC were enrolled. At thoracotomy, the primary tumor was injected with 0.25 to 2 mCi 99mTc. Intraoperative scintigraphic readings of both the primary tumor and lymph nodes were obtained with a hand-held gamma counter. Anatomic resection with a mediastinal node dissection was then performed. RESULTS: Nine of the 100 patients did not have NSCLC (seven benign lesions and two metastati...
Spectrum and energy levels of twelve-times ionized niobium (Nb xiii)

The spectrum of Nb xiii was observed with a low-inductance spark and a laser-produced plasma in the region from 70–630 A on the 10.7-m grazing incidence spectrograph at NBS. From the identification of 38 lines, a system of 29 energy levels was determined. The level system (Cu i isoelectronic sequence, 3d10nl) includes the series ns(n = 4–6), np(n = 4–7), nd(n = 4–6), nf(n = 4–7), and ng(n = 5–8). The observed energy levels are compared with Hartree-Fock calculations. The ionization energy is determined from the nf and ng series to be 2 166 300 ± 300 cm −1 (268.59 ± 0.04 eV).
Knowledge management in Central and Eastern Europe through network development and boundary spanners

ABSTRACT Central and Eastern European (CEE) countries have become a popular research venue due to their transitioning into market based economies. For international business scholars this represents a unique opportunity, as one of the key driving forces is the privatization of state-owned enterprises. Due to the market's great potential, many multinational enterprises are entering CEE countries and realizing that a transfer of market knowledge (i.e., customer tastes, distribution methods/channels, etc.) from the host country to the multinational, as well as from the multinational to the host country (i.e. technology, management/marketing capabilities, etc.), is essential. The lack of host country skills have made knowledge transfer difficult. Also, the tacit nature of some of the most important knowledge embedded within the host country's organization and the multinational makes knowledge diffusion a daunting task to manage. However, successful knowledge management will assist in positive performance meas...
Cholesterol affects physical properties and (Na+,K+)-ATPase in basolateral membranes of renal and intestinal epithelia from thermally acclimated rainbow trout

Previous work has shown that cholesterol levels are modulated in plasma membranes from some but not all tissues of poikilotherms over the course of temperature change. To gain a better understanding of tissue and membrane domain-specific cholesterol function during thermal adaptation we examined effects of cholesterol on membrane physical properties and (Na+,K+)-ATPase in native and cholesterol-enriched basolateral membranes from kidney and intestine of thermally acclimated trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss). Membrane order (as indicated by fluorescence depolarization studies) is increased, whereas its thermal sensitivity is decreased by elevated cholesterol levels in mem branes with relatively low endogenous amounts of cholesterol (intestinal membranes and renal membranes from cold-acclimated fish). Thermal sensitivities of membrane order in kidney are 1.5-fold higher in native compared with cholesterol-enriched basolateral membranes. For renal plasma membranes, (Na+,K+)- ATPase activity is lowest near the transition between native and surpraphysiological cholesterol levels. Endogenous cholesterol levels (relative to phospholipid contents) in intestinal basolateral membranes from cold-acclimated fish vary more than 1.5-fold; membranes with cholesterol/phospholipid molar ratios of 0.3 have activities of (Na+,K+)-ATPase that are twofold lower than native membranes having a ratio of 0.2. These results suggests that maintenance of cholesterol levels in intestinal basolateral membranes during thermal acclimation may ensure sufficient activity of (Na+,K+)-ATPase. Membrane function in kidney, with its high native cholesterol content, is less likely to be affected by temperature change.
Storage and processing constraints on integrating story information in children and adults

In two experiments, this study examined the effects of integration complexity on the ability of child and adult listeners to integrate information from different sentences in a story. First and third graders and college adults were read stories containing incongruent event information and succeeding resolution information that explained the incongruency, and asked questions that probed incongruency recognition and resolution. Information storage complexity was manipulated by separating the event and resolution information and foregrounding or backgrounding the focal story characters. Processing complexity was manipulated by varying the inferential complexity of relating the resolution to the incongruent information, and the coreferential cues linking the event and resolution information. The results showed that increases in complexity adversely affected resolution integration, and more for the children than for the adults. The children's integration performance, in particular, was affected by theme discontinuity and coreferential complexity.
Vacuum and excited states of Coulomb-gauge SU(n) Yang-Mills fields.

Properties of the quantized SU(n) Yang-Mills fields, for n = 2, 3, and 4, have been studied numerically. We apply the Hamiltonian formalism to the continuum theory, with a truncated momentum expansion in a finite volume, and have examined states in the vacuum sector using variational methods in the Coulomb gauge. The results depend on the strength of the interaction constant ..cap alpha.., with a transition at n..cap alpha..approx.1. For small ..cap alpha.., there is a gap between excited-state energies and the vacuum energy, but the excited 0/sup + +/ states correspond to pairs of weakly interacting transverse gluons. For larger ..cap alpha.., the excited states are associated with a collective degree of freedom and can be identified with a glueball. There is no evidence for the existence of an instability associated with magnetic interactions
Four-Coordinate Dimethylgallium Compounds Vary in Stability toward Hydrolysis

Four-coordinate dimethylgallium complexes were prepared by the reaction of dimethylgallium hydroxide with bidentate Lewis bases and evaluated for their stability toward decomplexation in water, a key property in determining their potential usefulness as radiopharmaceuticals, particularly those targeted at specific receptor proteins. Model compounds from six structural classes, containing bidentate ligands with oxygen−oxygen, oxygen−nitrogen, and sulfur−nitrogen donor atoms, were prepared from the ligand and dimethylgallium hydroxide; they were characterized spectroscopically and, in two cases, by X-ray crystallography. The percentage decomplexation of the stable (CH3)2Ga+ unit from the Lewis base when exposed to 1000 equiv of water in acetone-d6, determined by 1H NMR, was used as a measure of the relative hydrolytic stability of each compound. Among the compounds we have investigated, the percent hydrolysis under these conditions ranged from 10% to 100%, the most hydrolytically stable compounds proving to...
Communicating the benefits of combination vaccines to parents and health care providers.

Abstract Infants may receive as many as 5 separate injections at an office visit in order to comply with the 2002 childhood immunization schedule. Many parents and healthcare providers disagree with administering 4 or 5 injections at one visit, and therefore may delay some injections until another visit. This practice may lead to decreased compliance and can increase costs for the parent. New combination vaccines will help to simplify the immunization schedule, and health care providers will need to be able to address parental concerns regarding these vaccines. Nurses are often responsible for administering vaccines in the office setting, and therefore are also influential in deciding which vaccines should be ordered. The purpose of this article is to educate nurses on communicating the benefits of combination vaccines to parents and other healthcare providers. J Pediatr Health Care. (2003). 17, 53-57.
Calculated emission rates for barium releases in space

The optical emissions from barium releases in space are caused by resonance and fluorescent scattering of sunlight. Emission rates for the dominant ion and neutral lines are calculated assuming the release to be optically thin and the barium to be in radiative equilibrium with the solar radiation. The solar spectrum has deep Fraunhofer absorption lines at the primary barium ion resonances. A velocity component toward or away from the sun will Doppler shift the emission lines relative to the absorption lines and the emission rates will increase many-fold over the rest value. The Doppler brightening is important in shaped charge or satellite releases where the barium is injected at high velocities. Emission rates as a function of velocity are calculated for the 4554, 4934, 5854, 6142 and 6497 A ion emission lines and the dominant neutral line at 5535 A. Results are presented for injection parallel to the ambient magnetic field, B, and for injection at an angle to B.
Adolescent Brain Development: A Period of Vulnerabilities and Opportunities. Keynote Address

This article introduces and summarizes the goals of the symposium. It also provides an overview of a conceptual framework for understanding adolescence, which emphasizes how the very nature of this developmental transition requires an interdisciplinary approach-one that focuses on brain/behavior/social-context interactions during this important maturational period. More specifically it describes a set of neurobehavioral changes that appear to be linked to pubertal development, which appear to have a significant effect on motivation and emotion, and considers these puberty-specific changes in affect in relation to a much larger set of developmental changes in adolescence. This framework is used to argue for the need for a transdisciplinary dialogue that brings together work in several areas of neuroscience (including animal models) and normal development with clinical and social policy research aimed at early intervention and prevention strategies.
Mexican Students’ Identities in Their Language Use at a U.S. High School

The growth of the Mexican population in the U.S. Midwest has also been reflected in the public school population. Mexican students face many hardships in school such as language difficulties and cultural issues. Due to these hardships, their dropout rate from school is high and their attendance of postsecondary institutions is low. Using critical discourse analysis, this study explores the identities enacted in recently arrived Mexican students' descriptions of their views on language use at school in the classroom as well as in other spaces in the school environment. Instead of using external elements such as attendance, test scores, participation, and other external indicators, this study uses the students' descriptions of their experiences to discover the identities constructed in the context of language use at school. The study informs us about some reasons Mexican students acquire identities of English speakers and their future plans for English. At the same time, their consideration of Spanish in ac...
The Clandestine Political Economy of War and Peace in Bosnia

Most contemporary intrastate military conflicts have a criminalized dimension: In various ways and to varying degrees they use smuggling networks and criminal actors to create and sustain the material basis for warfare. Despite its importance, the criminalized side of intrastate war and its legacy for postwar reconstruction is not a central focus of analysis in most scholarly accounts of armed conflict. A detailed examination of the Bosnian conflict illustrates the explanatory usefulness of a “bottom up,” clandestine political economy approach to the study of war and post-war reconstruction. Drawing on interviews with former military leaders, local and international officials, and in-country observers, I argue that the outbreak, persistence, termination, and aftermath of the 1992–1995 war cannot be explained without taking into account the critical role of smuggling practices and quasi-private criminal combatants. The article suggests the need for greater bridging and broadening of the study of security, political economy, and crime.
Evaluation of kidney function in renal transplant patients receiving long-term cyclosporine.

We prospectively assessed renal function in a group of 29 renal transplant patients receiving cyclosporine (CsA) in order to determine the course of their renal function overtime and the relationship between different markers of glomerular function. We measured serum creatinine, DPTA, and creatinine clearances, and urinary albumin excretion. The clinical course of 24 patients (83%) permitted repeat studies over a period of 32 ± 1(SEM) months, and in these patients DTPA clearance, creatinine clearance, and the serum creatinine concentration did not vary with time. Five of the patients (17%) lost their grafts and returned to dialysis. On initial evaluation patients who lost their grafts had a lower DPTA clearance than those whose function was maintained (29 ± 3 v 46 ± 2 mL/min/1.73 m 2 body surface area [BSA], respectively, P 2 BSA. There was an inverse correlation between the log of the urinary albumin excretion and the DTPA clearance (N = 33, r = - 0.59, P r = 0.89, P
User experience, satisfaction, and continual usage intention of IT

The purpose of this paper is to develop and test a research model that investigates the effects of user experience with information technology (IT) on user satisfaction with and continual usage intention of the technology. The research model uses the concept of cognitive absorption (CA) to conceptualize the optimal holistic experience that users feel when using IT. A set of hypotheses are proposed regarding the direct and indirect effects of CA on user satisfaction through the perceived utilitarian and hedonic performance and expectation disconfirmation of IT. An online survey was conducted to test the model and its associated hypotheses. The results provided support for the hypothesized effects of CA and indicated its importance for the formation of post-adoption satisfaction and continuance intention with IT.
Religious and Unity Criteria of Baptists and Nones in Reports of Mystical Experience

40 Baptists and 40 persons who had no religious membership were asked to give experience ratings on religious and unity criteria of mysticism. Both Nones and Baptists acknowledged mystical experience in religious language; an experience of unity was a major characteristic of both religious and non-religious mysticism.
The burning library: Benjamin, Hugo, and the critique of violence

This article explores the relation between violence and literature as it informs Benjamin’s essay “Towards a Critique of Violence” read in conjunction with two poems by Hugo on the Paris Commune: “Whose Fault?” and “Paris Gutted by Fire.” It further considers how Benjamin’s citation of “Paris Gutted by Fire” in the Arcades Project underlines the articulation of violence and literature that informs the Arcades Project’s account of the dialectical image. “Towards a Critique of Violence” opposes the revolutionary force of “divine” violence to the oscillating rhythms of law in which law posits itself in lawmaking violence and maintains itself in law‐preserving violence. As an interruptive force that suspends the normative operations of law, divine violence disrupts normative language in a way that corresponds to the modern function of “literature.” Hugo often seems to offer an analogous pairing of revolutionary and literary violence, but his poems on the commune show how the commune disturbs the coherence bet...
A look at real-world metamaterial applications: A practioner's viewpoint

Research activities in the area of Metamaterials (MTMs)—especially Negative Refractive Index (NRI) media—have been truly intense during the last ten years, and these activities are likely to continue on unabated during the next decade. In this presentation we will critically examine the potential use of metamaterials for a number of practical applications for which they appear to be promising.
Equilibrium and dynamic design principles for binding molecules engineered for reagentless biosensors.

Reagentless biosensors rely on the interaction of a binding partner and its target to generate a change in fluorescent signal using an environment-sensitive fluorophore or Forster resonance energy transfer. Binding affinity can exert a significant influence on both the equilibrium and the dynamic response characteristics of such a biosensor. We here develop a kinetic model for the dynamic performance of a reagentless biosensor. Using a sinusoidal signal for ligand concentration, our findings suggest that it is optimal to use a binding moiety whose equilibrium dissociation constant matches that of the average predicted input signal, while maximizing both the association rate constant and the dissociation rate constant at the necessary ratio to create the desired equilibrium constant. Although practical limitations constrain the attainment of these objectives, the derivation of these design principles provides guidance for improved reagentless biosensor performance and metrics for quality standards in the development of biosensors. These concepts are broadly relevant to reagentless biosensor modalities.
Single crystal semiconductor micropillar and nanowire on amorphous substrates for low cost solar hydrogen generation

We report a novel method to fabricating single crystal and highly oriented 1-D Silicon micropillars and nanowires and then transferring them to coat a target surface of any topology using an innovative harvest/lift-off process. This method enables highly crystalline micro- and nano- pillars of different materials with diverse bandgaps and physical properties to be fabricated on appropriate mother substrates and transferred to form multilayered 3D stacks for multifunctional devices. This approach not only ensures the incorporation of any kind of material (with the best device characteristics) on a single substrate facilitating substrate-free device fabrications on any topology, but also allows the repeated use of a mother substrate for continual production of new devices. This capability of fabricating substrate-less devices will offer a universal platform for material integration and allow solar active devices to be coated on various surface topologies that would be suitable for solar hydrogen generation.
Analysis of Allosterism in Functional Assays

The theoretical basis for analyzing the effects of an allosteric modulator on the response to an agonist is described. The effects of an allosteric modulator on the concentration-response curve to an agonist can be attributed to changes in the observed dissociation constant and intrinsic efficacy of the agonist-receptor complex. Each of these two changes can be represented by a coefficient or factor. It is possible to estimate the ratio of the coefficient of change in agonist efficacy divided by that for the agonist dissociation constant. This ratio is designated as the relative activity (RA) of the agonist in the presence of the allosteric modulator. The RA value can be estimated for each concentration of allosteric modulator by nonlinear regression analysis, regardless of the shape of the concentration-response curve. Regression analysis of the RA values against the concentration of allosteric modulator yields estimates of the dissociation constant (K(A)) of the allosteric modulator and the maximal RA value. If the concentration-response curve to the agonist obeys a logistic function and the allosteric modulator influences the maximal response, it is possible to distinguish between the maximal change in affinity from that of efficacy. If the agonist concentration-response curve obeys a logistic equation with a Hill slope of 1, the RA values can be estimated easily from the agonist EC(50) and E(max) values. This analysis illustrates the utility of the RA value in quantifying allosteric effects.
Quantifier-eliminable locally finite graphs

We identify the locally finite graphs that are quantifier-eliminable and their first order theories in the signature of distance predicates. © 2011 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim
Order statistic distributions with multiple windows

Algorithms for computing the distributions of order statistic related estimators with moving or multiple windows are presented. These algorithms may be used to compute joint distributions of moving window estimators, such as moving median filters, or of estimators made from ranking operations on multiple windows, such as many stacked or morphological filters. The presented algorithms make no distributional assumptions on the underlying random variables, but do make assumptions on the dependency between them. For instance, the random variables may be independent, Markov, or Markov-corrupted by an independent noise source. Unlike other approaches, these algorithms have polynomial complexity in the number of random variables. How these algorithms may be easily implemented is shown. Finally, two computational examples of the behavior of median filters are given. >
Pressure, Propaganda, and Political Action in the Elections of 1950

Most social scientists today accept the thesis that men interacting in groups, and not individual men interacting on each other, must constitute the basis for studying the social process in any society. The phenomenon of interaction is vital to this concept for, as one author has indicated, it is only in the actual performance of group activities as they come into conflict with one another that one can discover the real causes underlying the political process as a whole, or any specific phase of it.1 This is not to say that the groupings in American society are clear-cut, inflexible, and mutually exclusive. Over the long run, they will be fluid, constantly changing entities in terms of organization, structure, and aspirations. At any given moment, however, it is possible to single out those groups which are functioning within a given sphere, to determine the nature of their activities, and, in some instances, to assess their effectiveness. It was an understanding of the validity of the foregoing which led another student of the process of government to conclude that "The 'American Political Scene' is what it is, to a large extent, because of the activity of pressure groups .... Examination reveals a certain amount of polarization, the operation of forces which tend to give unity and common patterns to the activities of fractional parts of the aggregate."2 Professor H. L. Childs has pointed out that "Although any group may be considered a pressure group, those of greatest political significance are the more or less permanently organized groups, having or representing certain common attributes or interests which, to an appreciable extent, seek to mold public policy directly or indirectly.")3 By this standard, one may surmise that the number of such
A centralized multi-level water-filling algorithm for Dynamic Spectrum Management

In digital-subscriber-line (DSL) networks, the interference, or crosstalk, between multiple DSL lines can severely limit the data-rate of the lines. Level-2 Dynamic Spectrum Management (DSM) optimizes the transmit spectra of multiple DSL lines to mitigate such mutual interference. This paper proposes a centralized multi-level water-filling (MLWF) Level-2 DSM algorithm for optimizing the transmit spectra for multiple DSL lines at a Spectrum Management Center (SMC). The algorithm is a practical approximation to the more complex Optimal Spectrum Balancing (OSB), which is known to present computational issues in practice. The intuition behind the algorithm is that a DSL user should first try to use frequency bands where less interference is emitted unless its target data rate cannot be met. The frequency bands are characterized by one or more cut-off frequencies that separate the bands. MLWF uses a centralized gradient-descent algorithm to search for such cut-off frequencies. After obtaining the cut-off frequencies, MLWF first uses a water-filling algorithm to compute the power spectrum density (PSD) of each user, and then moves bits from the user's high-interference band to its low-interference bands to minimize its crosstalk to the adjacent DSL lines. The PSDs obtained by MLWF are subsequently passed to each DSL user as PSDMASKs for transmit spectra shaping. Simulations showed that MLWF achieves close to optimal performance with significantly less computational complexity and much faster convergence.
GASTROINTESTINAL ABNORMALITIES AND INVOLVEMENT IN SYSTEMIC MASTOCYTOSIS

Recent studies have shown that involvement of the gastrointestinal tract is much more frequent than originally reported in patients with systemic mastocytosis. Seventy percent to 80% of patients with systemic mastocytosis are found to have gastrointestinal symptoms when a careful history is taken, and abnormalities in the gastrointestinal tract are frequently detected by endoscopic studies, functional studies of absorption, and barium studies. Because of the rarity of the disease, there are few prospective studies of gastrointestinal involvement, so the actual frequency of upper and lower gastrointestinal lesions is unknown. Furthermore, there have been no studies correlating endoscopic abnormalities of the lower gastrointestinal tract with the presence or absence of diarrhea, which is a frequent symptom (mean, 43% [range 14%-100%]). A review of gastric acid studies reveals that a proportion of patients develop gastric acid hypersecretion because of the hyperhistaminemia, which can result in ulcer disease that in turn can cause dyspeptic pain, small intestinal mucosal damage, and malabsorption. In some patients gastric acid hypersecretion in the range seen in Zollinger-Ellison syndrome can develop. A number of studies suggest that the prevalence of peptic ulcer disease has been underestimated in these patients and is certainly higher than the general population. The exact physiologic basis for the diarrhea or nondyspeptic abdominal pain remains largely unknown in these patients. Whereas some studies suggest small intestinal mucosal abnormalities are responsible for most cases of malabsorption not associated with gastric acid hypersecretion, this supposition also remains unproven. Hepatomegaly, portal hypertension, splenomegaly, and ascites occur frequently in patients with systemic mastocytosis, especially those with category II through IV disease. Whereas the histology of the liver and spleen and alterations in hepatic function studies have been well studied, the pathogenesis of each of these abnormalities has not been well studied, and almost all the information comes from a few well-studied case reports.
Multirate Filterbank Design: A Relaxed Commutant Lifting Approach

In this paper, we reformulate the design of the IIR synthesis filters in classical multirate systems as an interpolation problem involving a norm called the P m norm where m is any positive integer. This interpolation problem can be solved using relaxed commutant lifting techniques in operator theory. The P m norm is actually a tradeoff in handling energy distortion and error peak distortion. Our development allows the designer to select from a family of filters the one which is best suited for a specific application. The well-known H 2 and H ? design methods can be viewed as special cases when m = 1 and m ? ? respectively. The computation relies mainly on FFT techniques and a finite section of certain Toeplitz matrices. The resulting filters are given in state space form and maybe useful for practical implementation.
Escape routing for dense pin clusters in integrated circuits

As the design complexities and circuit densities are increasing, the detailed routing (DR) problem is becoming a more and more challenging problem. Due to the high complexity of DR algorithms, it is very important to start the routing process with clean solutions, rather than starting with suboptimal routes and trying to fix them in iterative process. In this paper, we propose an escape routing algorithm that can optimize routing of a set of nets around their terminals. For this, we first propose a polynomial-time algorithm that guarantees to find the optimal escape routing solution for a set of nets when the track structures are uniform. Then, we use this algorithm as a baseline, and study the general problem with arbitrary track structures. For this, we propose a novel multi-commodity flow (MCF) model that has a one-to-one correspondence with the escape routing problem. This MCF model is novel in the sense that the inter-dependency and contention between different flow commodities is minimal. Using this model, we propose a Lagrangian-relaxation (LR) based algorithm to solve the escape problem. Our experiments demonstrate that this algorithm improves the overall routability significantly by reducing the number of nets that require rip-up and reroute.