cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Determinants of HIV prevalence: A global perspective

Slightly over 25 years since the identification of the virus, Human Immunodeficiency Virus/Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (HIV/AIDS) epidemic has killed millions of people and has expanded to become one of the greatest dangers in the world, threatening individuals, economies, communities and states. To better understand the factors underlying the wide discrepancies in HIV rates across countries, and to better prioritize interventions in the global fight against HIV/AIDS, it is imperative to build sound models that help to identify determinants of worldwide HIV prevalence. While scholars of various disciplines such as political science, anthropology and health studies have engaged in this endeavor, these studies have found divergent results. Seeking to construct a viable model, this current study examines nine theory-informed variables – income inequality, regime type, gender equality, GDP per capita (PPP), control of corruption, per cent Muslims in a country, education, contraceptive use and availability of antiretroviral medication that potentially affect a state's HIV prevalence. This research finds that conditions favorable to a decrease in HIV are low income inequality, a high per cent of Muslims in a country's population and high contraceptive use.
Size Dependent Thermal Activation Study of Single InSb Nanowire Devices for High Speed and Low Power Digital Logic Applications

InSb nanowire devices at different diameter range from 30 nm-200 nm using electrochemical deposition technique is demonstrated. Electrical properties of nanowires is investigated at different diameters for beyond CMOS applications with high speed and low power characteristics. In particular, InSb nanowire based FET devices is fabricated on Si substrate and presented.
Response to Communication on Rand-HUD Fire Models

The Communication from Rodrick and Deborah Wallace repeats allegations that they have made in print [Wallace, D. 1977. New York city fire crisis, part one, the system is falling apart. Heights and Valley News May 10-11; Wallace, R., D. Wallace. 1977. Studies on the Collapse of Fire Service in New York City 1972-1976: The Impact of Pseudoscience in Public Policy pamphlet, Univ. Press of America, Washington, D.C.] and in various forums for more than three years. Their critique is not of Chaiken's paper, "Transfer of Emergency Service Deployment Models to Operating Agencies," Chaiken, J. 1978. Transfer of emergency service deployment models to operating agencies. Management Sci.24 7 719-731. but rather they use the appearance of that paper as an occasion to comment again on the application of Rand's fire deployment models in New York City during the period from 1972 to 1976. Readers of Chaiken's paper who are not familiar with this history are likely to wonder how his paper, which barely mentions New York City, inspired the Wallaces' comments in this Communication.
An investigation of amphetamine anorexia under three motivational conditions of free feeding

Male rats were administered a free-feeding test under one of nine combined conditions of amphetamine (0.0, 0.5, 1.0 mg/kg) and food deprivation (0, 24, 48 h). Overall results demonstrated a significant drug effect and deprivation effect on feeding. Further analysis of the drug’s action under each of the motivational conditions demonstrated that the depressant effect of amphetamine was generalized over the range of motivational conditions studied and that the pattern of the dose-response function was quite similar.
Modeling of wrinkling of thin circular sheets

Abstract A version of the imperfection method is used to investigate the wrinkling (tension buckling) of thin, elastic, homogeneous, isotropic circular plates of uniform thickness undergoing small deflections without inplane twisting. A numerical procedure based on the finite difference approach is employed to quantitatively predict wrinkling loads and wrinkling patterns for three sets of support conditions. Representative numerical results are presented in tabular and graphical formats and used to illustrate interesting aspects of the predictions.
Equilibrium phase transitions in a porous medium.

Static critical phenomena of a three-dimensional Ising model confined in a porous medium made by spinodal decomposition have been studied using large-scale Monte Carlo simulations. We thus examine the influence of the geometry of Vycor-like materials on phase transitions. No surface interactions (preference of the Vycor-like material for one phase above the other) are taken into account. We find that the critical temperature depends on the average pore size D as ${\mathit{T}}_{\mathit{c}}$(D)=${\mathit{T}}_{\mathit{c}}$(\ensuremath{\infty})-c/D. The critical exponents are independent of pore size: we find \ensuremath{\nu}=0.8\ifmmode\pm\else\textpm\fi{}0.1, \ensuremath{\gamma}=1.4\ifmmode\pm\else\textpm\fi{}0.1, \ensuremath{\beta}=0.65\ifmmode\pm\else\textpm\fi{}0.13. No divergence is observed for the specific heat, indicating \ensuremath{\alpha}\ensuremath{\le}0. All data for all pore sizes can be collapsed well with the scaling function for the magnetic susceptibility \ensuremath{\chi}${\mathit{L}}^{\mathrm{\ensuremath{-}}\ensuremath{\gamma}/\ensuremath{\nu}}$=\ensuremath{\chi}\ifmmode \tilde{}\else \~{}\fi{}(${\mathit{tL}}^{1/\ensuremath{\nu}}$), where t=T/${\mathit{T}}_{\mathit{c}}$(D)-1. These critical phenomena are consistent with those computed for the randomly site-diluted Ising model. Experimental realizations of our numerical experiments are discussed. \textcopyright{} 1996 The American Physical Society.
When does imagery practice enhance performance on a motor task

Imagery practice of motor tasks has been recommended for a wide range of activities as from flight training to basketball. A key question, both from a practical and a theoretical standpoint, is whe...
Noise-induced dynamic symmetry breaking and stochastic transitions in ABA molecules: I. Classification of vibrational modes.

The dissipative vibrational dynamics of a symmetric triatomic ABA molecule is extensively studied in a series of three papers. The momentum-dependent rotor model is used to describe the dynamical behavior of an ABA molecule with a single 1:1 nonlinear resonant coupling. Four characteristic modes, including symmetric normal modes, asymmetric normal modes, local modes, and quasi-local modes, are identified at different energy regimes. Under the influence of thermal noise, an ABA molecule switches between the four distinct modes intermittently along its dynamic trajectory, resulting in blinking of vibrational bond energy. The statistics of these dynamic transitions (i.e., “vibrational blinking”) is obtained from numerical integration of stochastic equations in this paper and will be analyzed within the theoretical framework of noise-induced symmetry breaking and activated barrier crossing in the next two papers. This study demonstrates the rich dynamic behavior of a highly nonlinear system in a dissipative e...
Dynamic Pricing and the Direct-to-Customer Model in the Automotive Industry

The Internet is changing the automotive industry as the traditional manufacturer and dealer structure faces increased threats from third party e-tailers. Dynamic pricing together with the Direct-to-Customer business model can be used by manufacturers to respond to these challenges. Indeed, by coordinating production and inventory decisions with dynamic pricing, the automotive industry can increase profits and improve supply chain performance. To illustrate these benefits, we discuss a strategy that incorporates pricing, production scheduling, and inventory control under production capacity limits in a multi-period horizon. We show that under concave revenue curves, a greedy algorithm provides the optimal solution, and we describe extensions to the model such as multiple products sharing production capacity. Using computational analysis, we quantify the profit potential and sales variability due to dynamic pricing, and we suggest that it is possible to achieve significant benefit with few price changes.
Partial analysis of high-way factorial designs

Inclusion of several variables in a design is often desirable, but each added variable doubles the number of significance tests in the routine analysis of variance. This note discusses a procedure of partial analysis in which interactions, primarily those involving minor variables, are omitted from the analysis when prior evidence indicates that they are probably negligible. The rationale of this procedure is given, and its use illustrated in a model experiment. Specific recommendations for handling systematic sources and error terms are given.
Association of sequence variations in vitamin K epoxide reductase and γ-glutamyl carboxylase genes with biochemical measures of vitamin K status.

Summary Genetic factors, specifically the VKORC1 and GGCX genes, have been shown to contribute to the interindividual variability in response to the vitamin K-antagonist, warfarin, which influences the dose required to achieve the desired anticoagulation response. These differences in warfarin sensitivity may be explained by differences in vitamin K status. Men and women (n = 416, 60–80 y), primarily of European descent, were genotyped for common polymorphisms in VKORC1 and GGCX. Cross-sectional associations exist between polymorphisms and biochemical markers of vitamin K [plasma phylloquinone, percent undercarboxylated osteocalcin (%ucOC)]. VKORC1 rs8050894 GG homozygotes had significantly higher cross-sectional measures of plasma phylloquinone than carriers of the CG or CC genotypes (plasma phylloquinone geometric means: GG 0.874±0.092 versus CG/CC 0.598± 0.044; p = 0.020), whereas carriers of VKORC1 rs7294 AA or AG had significantly lower plasma phylloquinone concentrations compared to GG homozygotes (plasma phyllo-quinone geometric means: 0.579±0.045 versus 0.762±0.057; p = 0.035). Crosssectional analyses also revealed that heterozygous carriers of GGCX rs10187424 and rs7568458 had significantly lower %ucOC relative to either homozygous group. Polymorphisms in genes encoding enzymes involved in vitamin K metabolism may modulate plasma concentrations of phylloquionone and percent carboxylation of osteocalcin.
DATS - A Digital Acoustic Telemetry System for Underwater Communications

High data rate acoustic telemetry for underwater communications is limited by both the available bandwidth imposed by high frequency absorption and the range and Doppler spreading of the underwater channel. These limitations can be combatted by the use of spread channel communication techniques. Application of these techniques, however, has been limited by the space and power limitations required to implement the appropriate coding, waveform synthesis and modulation that are encountered in underwater environments. The availability of microprocessors and low power LSI circuits has changed the situation significantly so that now an extensive amount of signal processing can be packaged on remote underwater vehicles and sensors. During the last two years, M.I.T. and W.H.O.I. have jointly developed a digital acoustic telemetry system, DATS. The DATS system has been developed to characterize and test the data transmission properties of underwater channels using the capabilities made available by advances in solid state technology. The design of the DATS and its use is described in the paper.
Localization of the HLA class 11-associated invariant chain gene to human chromosome band 5832

HLA class II antigens are present as heterodimers of and /3 chains at the surface of B lymphocytes, macrophages, Langerhans cells, and a few other cell types involved in the immune response, including a subset of T lymphocytes (Cresswell 1987). Intracellularly, they are found in association with a third molecule that, in contrast to the highly polymorphic o~ and/3 chains, shows a constant electrophoretic mobility and has therefore been called 3' (Kvist et al. 1982) or invariant (Jones et al. 1978) chain. The function of the HLA class II-associated invariant chain has not yet been elucidated, though it is speculated that it may play a role in facilitating assembly or intracellular transport of a and/3 chains (Cresswell 1987) or both. As the invariant chain presents several structural and biochemical similarities to the transferrin receptor, the parallel could extend to function as well, which suggests a putative role in antigen processing and presentation through endocytosis (Rosamond et al. 1987). As a rule, the expression of HLA class II a, ¢3, and 3' chains is coordinately regulated both in cell types normally expressing HLA class II antigens (Narni et al. 1987) and after 3"-interferon stimulation (Paulnock-King et al. 1985). While the c~ and /3 genes are clustered in the major histocompatibility complex region on the short arm of chromosome 6, the invariant chain has been assigned to chromosome 5 by somatic cell hybrid methodology (Claesson-Welsh et al. 1984). Here we report on its sublocalization to band 5q32 by in situ hybridization to metaphase chromosomes. An invariant chain cDNA clone, p7-2D-1446 (Kudo et al. 1985), was digested with Pst I to release the 1.44 kb insert from pBR322. The insert was then radiolabeled by random priming (Feinberg and Vogelstein 1983) with [3H]dATP (42.3 Ci/mmol) and [3H]dTTP (93 Ci/mmol) (New England Nuclear, Boston, Massachusetts) to a
Organic nitrate formation in the radical-initiated oxidation of model aerosol particles in the presence of NOx

Using a flow tube reactor coupled to a chemical ionization mass spectrometer, the Cl-initiated oxidation of solid and supercooled liquid brassidic acid (BA, trans-13-docosenoic acid) particles was investigated in the presence of NO and NO2. For the first time, organic nitrate formation from the heterogeneous oxidation of model organic aerosols in the presence of NO was observed, but none was formed by the addition of up to 600 ppb of NO2. Also, no nitrate formation was observed in liquid particles, but the nitrate yields in the solid particles were measured to be as large as 6% with a negative temperature dependence over the range 259–293 K. The corresponding effective activation energy of −7.5 (±4.4) kJ mol−1 suggests that the mechanism of particulate organic nitrate formation is analogous to the termolecular gas-phase reaction of . The yields are smaller than those from analogous gas-phase reactions, but this may result from photodissociation of the nitrate by the UV (355 nm) laser for which there is indirect evidence. Additionally, enhanced rates of the RO2 + RO2 reactions in the condensed phase could lead to smaller nitrate yields. The results suggest that slower diffusion of the RO2 radicals in the solid particles compared to the liquid particles makes the RO2 + NO reaction competitive with the RO2 + RO2 reactions and results in nitrate formation near the surface of the particle. The organic nitrates formed in these experiments are observed intact after the reacted particles have been vaporized at temperatures up to 380 °C suggesting that they are thermally stable in the troposphere and may enable long-range transport of NOx if they photodissociate on the timescale of days. The findings from these experiments are not specific to unsaturated carboxylic acids but should apply to nearly all particulate hydrocarbons, and they indicate that the particle phase could be important in determining how organic aerosols evolve chemically through radical-initiated oxidation in polluted atmospheres.
Electron impact excitation of the electronic states of N 2 . III. Transitions in the 12.5-14.2-eV energy-loss region at incident energies of 40 and 60 eV

Analysis of electron energy-loss data at incident electron energies of 40 and 60 eV has led to the determination of normalized absolute differential cross sections for electron-impact excitation of five optically-allowed singlet states, two known triplet states, and two unknown triplet-like states of N2, lying in the energy-loss range 12.5-14.2 eV. The range of scattering angles was 5 to 138 deg. The optically allowed transitions and the known triplet excitations are identified. Cross sections for excitation to two unidentified triplet-like states at 13.155 and 13.395 eV were also obtained. The relationship of the generalized oscillator strength for the dipole-allowed states obtained from the described data to known optical oscillator strengths is discussed.
A preliminary investigation of longitudinal changes in speech production over 18 months in young children with cerebral palsy.

Objective: This study examined longitudinal change in speech intelligibility, vowel space, and word duration over 18 months among children with cerebral palsy (CP) who varied in the severity of their speech motor involvement. The study also examined relationships among variables at each time point. Method: Twenty-two children with CP participated in the study (mean age = 50 months at the first time point). Speech samples were collected at four time points that were 6 months apart. Children were separated into four severity groups based on intelligibility scores. Results: Change over time varied by severity. Children with CP who did not have speech motor involvement and children in the mild group showed gains in intelligibility, but no changes in vowel space area or word duration. Children in the moderate group showed no significant change, and children in the severe group showed increased vowel space and decreased word durations. Significant positive correlations between intelligibility and vowel space were noted at each time point for data pooled across all children. Conclusion: Children showed different patterns of change over time in intelligibility, vowel space, and word duration based on their speech motor abilities. The relationship between intelligibility and vowel space across severity groups was constant, suggesting a robust relationship between these variables.
Analysis of the 1400 Å electronic transition of the ethane molecule

Abstract Ethane is the only alkane which exhibits structure in its molecular electronic absorption spectrum. High resolution photographs reveal that this is diffuse vibrational structure in the case of C 2 H 6 . However, the 0-0 band of C 2 D 6 , near 1406 A, exhibits a distinctive rotational contour. Computer simulation of the contour shows that the transition moment for the 0-0 band lies perpen-dicular to the carbon-carbon bond: The electronic transition is 1 E u - 1 A 1 g , in agreement with majority theory. Vibrational analysis shows that the transition effects a large reduction in the CH stretching frequency ( a 1 g ), consistent with a 731 cm −1 shift of the origin band toward higher frequencies on deuterium substitution, and with the promotion of an electron out of the CH bond. Electronic angular momentum is detected in the excited state. Finally, it is deduced that the lifetime of the excited state of C 2 D 6 is about 10 −11 seconds.
Electron solvation in 1-propanol and 2-propanol as a function of temperature☆

Abstract The kinetics and activation energy for electron solvation in 1-propanol and 2-propanol were measured from −20 to −50°C. The activation energy for electron solvation in 1-propanol (14.4 ± 1.4 kJ/mol) is less than that for hydrogen-bond breakage while the activation energy for electron solvation in 2-propanol (21 ± 2 kJ/mol) is greater than that for hydrogen-bond breakage. These results suggest that (1) the electron is solvated in preexisting clusters, (2) in 1-propanol, these clusters are cyclic and rotational motion that breaks hydrogen bonds is not rate-limiting, and (3) in 2-propanol, linear structures dominate and the solvation process requires hydrogen-bond breakage.
Isolation and characterization of human HSP70 expressed in Escherichia coli.

Abstract A plasmid containing the human HSP70 gene was used to transfect and express the protein in Escherichia coli. The bacterial product was a fusion protein containing 640 amino acids of HSP70, plus 33 additional NH2 terminal amino acids; 12 from the bacterial expression vector and 21 from a 5′ human sequence that is not normally translated. It was partially purified by ion-exchange and ATP-Sepharose affinity column chromatography. The bacterially produced human HSP70 protein was then compared with HSP70 obtained from cultured 293 cells. Both shared the same staphylococcal V8 protease peptide fragment pattern, ATP binding, and a weak ATPase activity (about 10–15 nmol ATP hydrolyzed per milligram protein per minute at 30 °C). The bacterially produced human HSP70 protein differed in its V8 protease pattern with an E. coli ATP-binding protein that corresponded in molecular mass to the E. coli dnaK gene product. Mutants in the human HSP70 gene were constructed which significantly reduced a predicted major α-helical domain in the HSP70 molecule that has partial homology to an ATP-binding site of several protein kinases. One HSP70 mutant clone contained a deletion of 20% at the NH2 terminus, and expressed a 57-kDa product, while the other was missing the middle 50% of the gene (40-kDa product). Neither protein fragment bound to an ATP affinity column, suggesting that ATP binding to HSP70 may be conformationally affected by a region about 20% internal to the NH2 terminal end of the molecule. Recently, a similar location of the ATP-binding site has been reported by Milarski and Morimoto (27).
Optical properties of solar-absorbing oxide particles suspended in a molten salt heat transfer fluid☆

Abstract The optical absorption properties of a high temperature molten salt heat transfer fluid were measured from 0.35 to 2.5 μm using both hemispherical transmission and reflection techniques. This fluid has application as a direct-absorbing working fluid in a high temperature central receiver solar energy facility. To enhance its solar absorption, particulate metallic oxides of Co or Cu were introduced into the fluid. Absorption spectra of these oxide particle suspensions in the molten salt were determined as a function of dopant concentration ranging from 0 to 0.1 wt% metal nitrate added to the molten salt. The solar-averaged absorption in a fixed layer thickness was calculated for various concentrations of the fluid-particle mixtures. The fluid without oxide particles absorbs approximately 8 per cent of the solar spectrum per cm of path length. Addition of 0.1 wt% of Co(NO3)2·6H2O increases this absorption to approximately 90 per cent per cm.
Reliability and validity of the direct observation form of the child behavior checklist

This article reports reliability and validity data for the Direct Observation Form (DOF) of the Child Behavior Checklist. Observational data were collected on two samples of boys aged 6–11 in classroom settings. Interobserver agreement was high: r=.92 for behavior problem score and r =.83 for on-task score. Generalizability, as measured by the one-way intraclass correlation, was .86 and .71 for behavior problem score and on-task score, respectively. In terms of validity, DOF scores correlated significantly and in the expected directions with teacher-reported problem behavior, school performance, and adaptive functioning. In addition, boys who had been referred by their teachers due to problem behavior obtained significantly higher behavior problem scores and significantly lower on-task scores than a matched sample of normal boys observed in the same classrooms.
Review and Update on the Epidemiology, Clinical Presentation, Diagnosis, and Treatment of Fungal Keratitis

Fungal keratitis is a leading cause of ocular morbidity worldwide. Globally, there has been a steady increase in the prevalence of fungal keratitis, yet the management of disease continues to be a challenge. This review will focus on the epidemiology of fungal keratitis on a global scale, as well as a review of the literature on the risk factors associated with the increasing trend of infection including ocular trauma, climate, contact lens use, ocular surgery, ocular surface disease, and systemic diseases. This review will also briefly cover the clinical presentation, diagnosis, and treatment of fungal infections.
Kronecker Matrices, Computer Implementation, and Generalized Spectra

Closed product form and simplified algorithm for efficient operation of generalized Kronecker matrices, considering role in spectral analysis
Baer rings satisfying J2 = J For all ideals

A ring satisfies J2 = J for all ideals J if and only if all of its homomorphic images are semiprime; we call such rings ‘fully semiprime’. D. Castella's theory of compressibility of regular Baer rings is extended to fully semiprime Baer rings and Baer ∗—rings. Sample application: If a fully semiprime Baer ring is a matrix ring, then its center is self-injective
Texture quilts: Basic tools for studying motion-from-texture

A theoretical foundation and concrete stimulus-construction methods are provided for studying motion-from-spatial-texture without contamination by motion mechanisms sensitive to other aspects of the signal. Specifically, examples are constructed of a special class of random stimuli called texture quilts. Although, as we demonstrate experimentally, certain texture quilts display consistent apparent motion, it is proven that their motion content (a) is unavailable to standard motion analysis (such as might be accomplished by an Adelson/Bergen motion-energy analyzer, a Watson/Ahumada motion sensor, or by any elaborated Reichardt detector), and (b) cannot be exposed to standard motion analysis by any purely temporal signal transformation no matter how nonlinear (e.g., temporal differentiation followed by rectification). Applying such a purely temporal transformation to any texture quilt produces a spatiotemporal function P whose motion is unavailable to standard motion analysis: The expected response of every Reichardt detector to P is 0 at every instant in time. The simplest mechanism sufficient to sense the motion exhibited by texture quilts consists of three successive stages: (i) a purely spatial linear filter, (ii) a rectifier (but not a perfect square law) to transform regions of large negative or positive responses into regions of high positive values, and (iii) standard motion analysis.
Current-induced torques in the presence of spin-orbit coupling

In systems with strong spin-orbit coupling, the relationship between spin transfer torque and the divergence of the spin current is generalized to a relation between spin transfer torques, total angular momentum current, and mechanical torques. In ferromagnetic semiconductors, where the spin-orbit coupling is large, these considerations modify the behavior of the spin transfer torques. One example is a persistent spin transfer torque in a spin valve: the spin transfer torque does not decay away from the interface but approaches a constant value. A second example is a mechanical torque at a single ferromagnetic-nonmagnetic interface.
La Nina and El Nino—induced variabilities of ozone in the tropical lower atmosphere during 1970–2001

[1] This study provides the first evidence from several decades of satellite measurements that both La Nina and El Nino events have a comparable and dramatic impact in altering the interannual variability and distribution of tropospheric ozone in the tropics. Measurements of tropospheric ozone were combined from several total ozone mapping spectrometer (TOMS) and backscatter ultraviolet (BUV) satellite instruments to establish long time series in the tropics extending from April 1970 through December 2001. The changes in tropospheric column ozone (TCO) for both La Nina and El Nino are sizeable when compared to local values which average from less than 15 Dobson Units (DU) up to 25 DU over the year. It is suggested that interannual changes in TCO from combined La Nina and El Nino are the dominant source of decadal variability in the tropics.
Identification of gonadotropin inducible, high density lipoprotein receptors in the solubilized membranes from rat ovary

Specific receptors for high density lipoproteins (HDL 3 ) were solubilized from membranes of rat corpus luteum using different detergents. Among the detergents tested, octyl-β-D-glucoside (40 mM) was most effective with respect to recovery of binding activity. The receptor activity released into 105,000 x g supernatant, can be assayed directly or with the precipitate obtained after dilution of the soluble supernatant. The 125 I-HDL 3 binding activity in the precipitated extract was linear with time, proportional to the amount of protein in the incubation mixture and saturable with increasing concentrations of 125 I-HDL 3 . The solubilized receptor has an equilibrium dissociation constant (Kd) of 21.2 μg/ml and the binding activity was insensitive to Ca +2 , EDTA and NaCl. These properties are similar to the membrane associated receptor. Administration of gonadotropin induced the HDL 3 receptor in the solubilized membranes, suggesting that this receptor represents the physiologic receptor in the ovary.
Chlordecone‐induced hepatic dysfunction

Chlordecone (Kepone) is a decachloroketone analog of the dodecachlorohydrocarbon mirex and is used as a stomach poison insecticide. Despite the structural similarity to mirex, chlordecone is unlike mirex in general and organ‐specific toxic properties. Chlordecone is primarily accumulated in the liver, where it causes a variety of morphological and biochemical alterations. Although less effective than mirex as a hepatotoxin, it causes liver enlargement, focal necrosis, mitochondrial changes, fatty infiltration of hepatocytes, and proliferation of endoplasmic reticulum. Chlordecone accumulation and morphological alterations in the liver were also observed in occupationally exposed human patients. Induction of hepatic microsomal mixed‐function oxidases (MFOs) and impaired production and utilization of hepatocellular energy are the principal biochemical aberrations produced by chlordecone. Chronic exposure causes carcinogenesis in mice and rats. Hyperplastic nodules, which progress to hepatocellular carcinoma...
Experimental Investigation of Natural Convection Heat Transfer of an Ionic Liquid in a Rectangular Enclosure Heated From Below

This paper presents an experimental study of natural convection heat transfer for an Ionic Liquid. The experiments were performed for 1-butyl-2, 3-dimethylimidazolium bis(trifluoromethylsulfonyl)imide, ([C{sub 4}mmim][NTf{sub 2}]) at a Raleigh number range of 1.26 x 10{sup 7} to 8.3 x 10{sup 7}. In addition to determining the convective heat transfer coefficients, this study also included experimental determination of thermophysical properties of [C{sub 4}mmim][NTf{sub 2}] such as, density, viscosity, heat capacity, and thermal conductivity. The results show that the density of [C{sub 4}mmim][NTf{sub 2}] varies from 1.437-1.396 g/cm{sup 3} within the temperature range of 10-50 C, the thermal conductivity varies from 0.105-0.116 W/m.K between a temperature of 10 to 60 C, the heat capacity varies from 1.015 J/g.K - 1.760 J/g.K within temperature range of 25-340 C and the viscosity varies from 18cp-243cp within temperature range 10-75 C. The results for density, thermal conductivity, heat capacity, and viscosity were in close agreement with the values in the literature. Measured dimensionless Nusselt number was observed to be higher for the ionic liquid than that of DI water. This is expected as Nusselt number is the ratio of heat transfer by convection to conduction and the ionic liquid has lower thermal conductivity (approximately 18%) than DI water.
The evolution of American attitudes toward the Atlantic alliance: Continuity and change from the Washington treaty to NATO enlargement

This article contrasts the views of NATO expressed by American leaders in the 1998 debate over alliance expansion, with those expressed in the initial debate over the creation of the North Atlantic Treaty in 1948 and 1949. A focused comparison of these cases is conducted primarily to illustrate the ways in which American attitudes toward the alliance have evolved since the years immediately following World War II, though more general conclusions about the ways in which US foreign policy adapts to meet the demands of new international conditions emerge as well. This study concludes that the American understanding of the transatlantic security relationship has changed significantly over time, and that traditional realist descriptions of the role of alliances in statecraft are no longer adequate to explain the US view of NATO.
Comorbidity of psychiatric disorders and personality profiles of american world war II prisoners of war

To characterize the effects of trauma sustained more than 40 years ago, prevalence of psychiatric disorders and personality dimensions were examined in a sample of 62 former World War II POWs. The negative effects of their experiences are reflected in their multiple lifetime diagnoses and in their current personality profiles. Fifty percent met DSM-III posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) criteria within 1 year of release; 18 (29%) continued to meet the criteria 40 years later at examination (chronic PTSD). A lifetime diagnosis of generalized anxiety disorder was found for over half the entire sample; in 42% of those who never had PTSD, 38% of those with recovery from PTSD, and 94% of those with chronic PTSD. Ten percent of those without a PTSD diagnosis had experienced a depressive disorder, as had 23% of those with recovery from PTSD and 61% of the POWs with chronic PTSD. The combination of depressive and anxiety disorders also was frequent in the total sample (61%). Current MMPIs of three groups with psychiatric diagnosis were compared with those of POWs who had no diagnoses and with a group of Minnesota normal men. Profile elevations for the groups, from highest to lowest, were: POWs with chronic PTSD, POWs with recovery from PTSD, POWs with other psychiatric diagnoses, POWs with no disorders, and Minnesota normal men. Symptoms of anxiety, depression, and somatic concerns combined with the personality styles of suppression and denial characterize the current adjustment of negatively affected POWs.
The glocal crisis and the politics of change

The term ‘glocal’ seems to have originated in business circles, often attributed to the Japanese business practice of expanding global enterprise by focusing on local conditions. Of late it also comes to mean how local actors can organize activities in the locality to counter the effects of globalization on economic and social vitality. Some may worry that glocalization runs the risk of generalizing the global into the local to defuse local cultural differences, and indeed the increased migration flows between more and less developed countries, the ever expanding internationalization and standardization of consumption, and the uniformity of cultural symbols that threatens local variation and undermines the intergeneration transmission of social practices and norms are a threat. That is, as global capital tries to appropriate local differences in the quest for sales the consequence is a bleeding and blending of those differences into international products. But glocal also evokes oppositional politics, the politics of local first by recognizing that in the middle of this globalizing process the locality can assert itself. It means advocating for the consumption of locally produced food to support farmers in the area over crops shipped half-way around the world. It means looking at the local content of production in the goods we purchase, especially those that have a small ecological footprint and promote sustainability. It means simply drinking coffee at the locally owned and operated coffee house and passing on the many outlets of corporate coffee purveyors that seem to pop up everywhere. Implicit in this effort is a desire to retain local character as well as support local economies to withstand the vagaries of global standardization. Ritzer warns us of the process of standardized reduction in quality of all things in our economic and social world when he points out that ‘McDonaldization ... is the process by which the principles of the fast-food restaurant are coming to dominate more and more sectors of American society as well as of the rest of the world.’ (1993: 1) The cultural challenge is well summed up by looking at an innovative art project out of Canada which tries to tackle the ubiquity of images and to form unique and (as their name implies) locally focused representations of the collectivity out of individual visions.
Proactive interference in the retention of “attentional sets” in pigeons

In Experiment 1, six groups of pigeons (n=8) were tested for wavelength generalization either immediately or 24 h after learning a successive discrimination, with 550 nm reinforced and a black vertical line extinguished. The groups differed in the stimulus present during single stimulus pretraining, which was 550 nm (pretrain S+), the vertical Une (pretrain S−), or a neutral dim white light (pretrain Sn), respectively. The three immediate generalization gradients were steep and indistinguishable, reflecting only the immediately preceding discrimination training condition. The three delay gradients were flatter, with the flattening particularly marked in the pretrain S− group. This was interpreted as proactive interference (PI) resulting from the memory that both the 550-nm and the line stimuli had previously been reinforced. In Experiment 2, two (TD) groups of pigeons (n=16) were given single stimulus training with a 555-nm keylight followed by eight sessions of discrimination training with two line angles, then one session of non-differential (ND) training with the same two lines, and then a wavelength generalization test either immediately or after a 24-h delay. Two other (hold) groups (n=16) received similar training, except for the TD Une angle training sessions, in these hold groups, the wavelength gradient was flatter in a delayed test; in the TD groups it was steeper, indicating PI from the prior TD training. These two experiments suggest that the “attentional sets,” which purportedly result from TD and ND training, may fruitfully be viewed as target memories subject to the principles of interference theory.
The magnitude of [C-H...O] hydrogen bonding in molecular and supramolecular assemblies.

Ab initio calculations at the MP2/6-311++G** level on model systems (N-methylpyridinium complexes of dimethyl ether and dimethyl phosphate anion) provide quantitative measures of the large stabilization energies that arise from [C-H...O] contacts in charged systems. These attractive interactions control (i) the self-assembly of bipyridinium-based catenanes and rotaxanes in solution, (ii) the self-organization of left-handed Z-DNA with alternating [dC-dG] sequences in the solid state, and (iii) the binding of pyridinium derivatives with single- and double-stranded DNA. Slightly attractive interactions occur between the donor ether and phosphate moieties and a neutral pyridine molecule in the gas phase. Electrostatic potential and solvation calculations demonstrate that [C-H...O] interactions which involve a cationic [C-H] donor are dominated by electrostatic terms.
THE NATURAL HISTORY OF ISCHEMIC HEPATITIS

Although poor hepatic perfusion from low cardiac output may result in ischemic hepatitis in adults, this syndrome has not previously been described in children. We report 16 children who developed liver dysfunction compatable with ischemic hepatitis. A summary of laboratory findings is presented below. In children with ischemic hepatitis, the SGOT increased to 10x normal within 12 hours in 8 and peaked at greater than 1000 IU/L in 8/16. Although total bilirubin exceeded 4.0 mg/dl in only 3 children, in those 3 it was very high (12, 24, 28 mg/dl). SCOT fell below 100 IU/L by 10 days in 8/16. Conditions resulting in ischemic hepatitis included: prolonged seizures 4, cardiac disorders 4, near drowing 3, septic shock 2, hypovoluemia 1, SIDS ], and hypothermia ]. Documented hypotension occurred in 13/16 and required pressor therapy in 9 cases. Hepatomegally developed in 12 and jaundice in 5. Although 5 children died, no deaths were related to hepatic failure. CONCLUSION: Ischemic hepatitis follows a charac taristic and benign course in children. Resolution of abnormal liver function is rapid.
Women’s Preferences for the Location of Abortion Services: A Pilot Study in Two Chicago Clinics

Between July and December 2006, 209 women at a university-based primary care center and a freestanding abortion clinic completed a verbally administered questionnaire in which they were asked their preference for the location of early abortion services. Sixty women seeking primary care services at the university-based clinic and 149 women seeking first-trimester abortion services at an abortion clinic completed the questionnaire. Sixty-seven percent (67%) of women surveyed at the university-based primary care facility and 69% at the abortion clinic indicated a preference for abortion services from their regular health care provider. A statistically significant association (P = 0.002) was found between comfort speaking with a regular health care provider about pregnancy prevention and preference for the provision of abortion services from a regular health care provider. Women may feel more comfortable undergoing an early abortion procedure with a provider with whom they have an established relationship. The integration of early abortion services into primary care practice may increase continuity of care among women seeking an abortion.
Theoretical analysis of the effects of noise on diffusion tensor imaging

A theoretical framework is presented for understanding the effects of noise on estimates of the eigenvalues and eigenvectors of the diffusion tensor at moderate to high signal-to-noise ratios. Image noise produces a random perturbation of the diffusion tensor. Power series solutions to the eigenvalue equation are used to evaluate the effects of the perturbation to second order. It is shown that in anisotropic systems the expectation value of the largest eigenvalue is overestimated and the lowest eigenvalue is underestimated. Hence, diffusion anisotropy is overestimated in general. This result is independent of eigenvalue sorting bias. Furthermore, averaging eigenvalues over a region of interest produces greater bias than averaging tensors prior to diagonalization. Finally, eigenvector noise is shown to depend on the eigenvalue contrast and imposes a theoretical limit on the accuracy of simple fiber tracking schemes. The theoretical results are shown to agree with Monte Carlo simulations.
Real-time lane departure and front collision warning system on an FPGA

Driving safety is a top priority when designing intelligent automobiles. In this paper, we present an FPGA-based real-time system for lane departure warning (LDW) and front collision warning (FCW), which requires intensive computation and memory access for high resolution video input from a front-view camera. Our system first converts gray scale video input into desired binary video images by applying Sobel filter, Otsu's threshold binarization and dilation. Hough transform is then applied to detect lanes for LDW. The front vehicles are detected for FCW by searching shadow area on the images. Our experimental results demonstrate the FPGA design is fully functional and it can process about 160 frames per second for 720P video input, which exceeds the real-time processing requirement.
MyriMatch: highly accurate tandem mass spectral peptide identification by multivariate hypergeometric analysis.

Shotgun proteomics experiments are dependent upon database search engines to identify peptides from tandem mass spectra. Many of these algorithms score potential identifications by evaluating the number of fragment ions matched between each peptide sequence and an observed spectrum. These systems, however, generally do not distinguish between matching an intense peak and matching a minor peak. We have developed a statistical model to score peptide matches that is based upon the multivariate hypergeometric distribution. This scorer, part of the “MyriMatch” database search engine, places greater emphasis on matching intense peaks. The probability that the best match for each spectrum has occurred by random chance can be employed to separate correct matches from random ones. We evaluated this software on data sets from three different laboratories employing three different ion trap instruments. Employing a novel system for testing discrimination, we demonstrate that stratifying peaks into multiple intensity ...
Simulation and queueing network modeling of single-product production campaigns

Abstract A two-stage approach to modeling single-product campaigns in specialty chemical production facilities has been developed. In the first stage a simple analytical queueing network model is formulated. In some instances this approximate model is accurate enough for its intended applications (e.g. debottlenecking, capacity planning or scheduling). If it is not, the results indicate which portions of the process must be subjected to more detailed modeling, and a general-purpose simulation language is used for that purpose. In an illustrative application of the approach, a queueing network model was developed for a single-product campaign in an existing multiproduct pharmaceutical plant, and a SLAM II simulation model was subsequently used to model finite intermediate storage and non-Markovian arrival and service times. The final model was validated and used to explore alternative production procedures to reduce the campaign duration and yield additional production capacity.
Usefulness of North Carolina Workers' Compensation Data for Surveillance of Cumulative Trauma Disorders

Abstract North Carolina workers' compensation claims data were explored to determine the ease with which the data could be used to study cumulative trauma disorders. A descriptive survey was performed to determine the frequency and distribution of claims for carpal tunnel syndrome and upper extremity tendinitis during 1986 to 1988. Minor claims were not computerized and therefore were not available for study. Cases were not entered into the database until the claim had legally closed, resulting in a delay in claim ascertainment for more complex cases. Race of claimants was not available for study. There were 851 claims for cumulative trauma disorders in the study group. The highest rate was found in the food products industry (5.6 claims per 10,000 workers); the 6 next highest rates were found among manufacturing industries (2.5 to 4.2 claims per 10,000 workers). In the 10 industries with highest cumulative trauma disorder rates, the proportion of claims diagnosed as carpal tunnel syndrome varied from 26....
Statistical Power of Randomization Tests Used with Multiple-Baseline Designs

Abstract Statistical power was estimated for 3 randomization tests used with multiple-baseline designs. In 1 test, participants were randomly assigned to baseline conditions; in the 2nd, intervention points were randomly assigned; and in the 3rd, the authors used both forms of random assignment. Power was studied for several series lengths (N = 10, 20, 30), several effect sizes (d = 0, 0.5, 1.0, 1.5, 2.0), and several levels of autocorrelation among the errors (p 1 = 0, .1, .2, .3, .4, and .5). Power was found to be similar among the 3 tests. Power was low for effect sizes of 0.5 and 1.0 but was often adequate (> .80) for effect sizes of 1.5 and 2.0.