cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Thermal decomposition of graphene armchair oxyradicals

Abstract Energetics and kinetics of the thermal decomposition of oxyradicals with oxygen bonded to a graphene armchair edge were investigated. Phenanthrene, benzoperylene, and an 11-ring polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) were selected as substrates to model the armchair edge, with a total of five different oxyradicals studied. The elementary steps of the reaction pathways were analyzed using density functional theory. Rate coefficients over the ranges of 1500–2500 K and 0.01–10 atm were obtained by solving the master equations. The computed rate coefficients were found to be temperature, pressure, and substrate-size dependent. The results revealed that the decomposition rate of an oxyradical with oxygen positioned on the outside of a corner armchair edge is faster than the rate with oxygen positioned to the inside of the edge. The trends in the computed oxyradical decomposition rates could be rationalized by the structural characteristics of the substrates. The decomposition rates computed for the armchair edge oxyradicals are shown to be similar to those previously obtained for corner zigzag edge oxyradicals. This implies that given an arbitrary shaped PAH, oxidation should preferentially occur at armchair and corner-zigzag sites, leaving resistant to oxidation inner zigzag sites essentially intact. Considering that growth of both armchair and zigzag edges proceeds at effectively the same rate, we expect to find proliferation of zigzag-edge surfaces on soot particles formed in flame environments.
This review on the efficacy of communication-based treatments for children with autism spectrum disorders is limited

This review provides a summary and appraisal commentary on the treatment review by Brunner, D. L., & Sueng, H. K. (2009). Evaluation of the efficacy of communication-based treatments for Autism Spectrum Disorders: A literature review. Communication Disorders Quarterly, 31, 14–41. Source of funding and disclosure of interest: No source of funding reported, and the original authors of this research report no conflicts of interest.
Microstructure investigations of directionally solidified Mg-rich alloys containing Al, Ca and Sn

Abstract The thermodynamic description of Mg–Al–Ca–Sn quaternary system in the Mg-rich region was developed on the basis of both our previous work and literature data on the key constituent ternaries, including Mg–Al–Ca, Mg–Al–Sn and Mg–Ca–Sn systems. Using this description coupled with the Scheil model, the solidification paths of Mg–Ca–Sn ternary alloys and Mg–Al–Ca–Sn quaternary alloys were calculated, which are in good accordance with the experimental results from directional solidification obtained by us.
The specific volume of seawater at high pressures

Abstract The high pressure specific volumes of seawater (relative to pure water and 1 atm) have been measured from 0 to 40°C, 0 to 1000 bars and 5 to 40 ‰ salinity with a high pressure magnetic float densimeter ( Millero, Knox and Emmet , Journal of Solution Chemistry , 1 , 173–186, 1972). The results of the measurements have been fitted to a secant bulk modulus ( K ) equation of state K = V 0 P/(V 0 − V P ) = K 0 + AP + BP 2 , where V 0 and V P are the measured specific volumes of seawater at applied pressure zero and P , respectively, K 0 = 1/β o , the reciprocal of the isothermal compressibility at atmospheric pressure, A and B are all salinity- and temperature-dependent parameters. The specific volumes have been fitted to this equation with a standard deviation of 7 ppm (on the measurement residuals) over the entire salinity, temperature and pressure range. The fitted relative specific volumes ( V P − V 0 ) are in excellent agreement (within ±5ppm ) with the sound-derived data of Wang and Millero ( Journal of Geophysical Research , 78 , 7122–7128, 1973) over the oceanographic range of salinity, temperature and pressure. The derived P-V-T properties have been compared with the experimental work of Ekman ( Publications de circonstance. Conseil permanent international pour l'exploration de la mer , 43 , 1–47, 1908); Wilson and Bradley ( Deep-Sea Research , 15 , 355–363, 1968); Bradshaw and Schleicher ( Deep-Sea Research , 17 , 691–706, 1970; personal communication 1974); Duedall and Paulowich ( Review of Scientific Instruments , 44 , 120–127, 1973); Emmet and Millero ( Journal of Geophysical Research , 79 , 3463–3472, 1974) and the sound-derived data of Wang and Millero (1973); Fine, Wang and Millero ( Journal of Marine Research , 32 , 433–456, 1974).
Ab initio molecular dynamics study of solid nitromethane

Abstract The dynamical behavior of solid nitromethane has been studied using the Car–Parrinello ab initio molecular dynamics scheme. The optimized geometry of the molecule in the gas and solid phases is shown to be in good agreement with experiment. The frequency spectrum and barrier to methyl group rotation have been determined at T=0 K and T=285 K and also accord well with experiment.
The first space-based gravitational-wave detectors

Gravitational waves provide a laboratory for general relativity and a window to energetic astrophysical phenomena invisible with electromagnetic radiation. Several terrestrial detectors are currently under construction, and a space-based interferometer is envisioned for launch early next century to detect test-mass motions induced by waves of relatively short wavelength. Very-long-wavelength gravitational waves can be detected using the plasma in the early Universe as test masses; the motion induced in the plasma by a wave is imprinted onto the cosmic microwave background (CMB). While the signature of gravitational waves on the CMB temperature fluctuations is not unique, the polarization pattern can be used to unambiguously detect gravitational radiation. Thus, forthcoming CMB polarization experiments, such as the Microwave Anisotropy Probe and Planck, will be the first space-based gravitational-wave detectors.
Extracting deep neural network bottleneck features using low-rank matrix factorization

In this paper, we investigate the use of deep neural networks (DNNs) to generate a stacked bottleneck (SBN) feature representation for low-resource speech recognition. We examine different SBN extraction architectures, and incorporate low-rank matrix factorization in the final weight layer. Experiments on several low-resource languages demonstrate the effectiveness of the SBN configurations when compared to state-of-the-art hybrid DNN approaches.
Displacement of the Beating Heart with a Low-Profile Suction-Based Apical Positioning Device in a Closed Chest:

BackgroundOff-pump, multivessel, endoscopic coronary artery bypass requires cardiac displacement within an intact chest. The current study evaluated right ventricular performance and systemic hemod...
Retroactive interference from translation equivalents: implications for first language forgetting.

First language vocabulary is vulnerable to forgetting after massive exposure to a second language. Two possible factors responsible for the forgetting are degree of semantic overlap between concepts in the two languages and amount of second language exposure. In a laboratory simulation of the language forgetting situation, participants received 10 exposures to a list of words in a foreign language, followed by 2, 5, 10, or 15 exposures to a list in a second foreign language. The second list consisted of either translation equivalents or new concepts. Participants were then tested for retention of the first list. More retroactive interference was found for translation equivalents than for new concepts and for higher degrees of exposure to the second list. When retention of the first list was broken down in terms of gains and losses, effects of both similarity of the second list to the first and amount of exposure to the second list were found only for losses—a fact that points to lack of discriminability as one of the underlying causes of forgetting. Overall, the experimental paradigm proved useful for exploring and developing theories about the causes of first language forgetting.
THE SELECTIVE FUNCTIONALIZATION OF SATURATED HYDROCARBONS. PART 40. ASPECTS OF FEII BASED PEROXIDE FRAGMENTATION IN PYRIDINE SOLUTION

Abstract The Haber-Weiss mechanism does not apply to the FeII induced fragmentation of primary and secondary hydroperoxides in pyridine. However, it does apply to tertiary hydroperoxides. Steric bulk is an important factor in FeII induced dialkyl peroxide decomposition in pyridine. On the contrary in tetrahydrofuran a different relatively unhindered electron transfer process predominates where the FeII becomes a catalyst.
Solar Radiation: Absence of Air Pollution Trends at Mauna Loa

Measurements of solar radiation made at Mauna Loa, Hawaii, over a period of 13 years give no evidence that human activities affect atmospheric turbidity on a global scale. Short-term fluctuations in insolation appear to be associated with naturally produced tropospheric aerosols. The intrusion of volcanic dust into the stratosphere results in prolonged increases in atmospheric opacity due to the extended residence times of aerosols in the stratosphere.
Reassortment of genome segments between reovirus defective interfering particles and infectious virus: construction of temperature-sensitive and attenuated viruses by rescue of mutations from DI particles.

Abstract Genetic interactions between reovirus defective interfering (DI) particles and infectious virus have been examined. We have found that (1) reovirus DI particles can reassort genome segments with either ts mutants or wild type (ts+) virus; (2) the low frequency of recombination between DI particles and ts mutants is due to viral interference; (3) ts and small plaque/low yield mutations can be rescued from DI particles; (4) both the ts and low yield mutations were located on the S4 segment, the segment that encodes the major outer capsid polypeptide, σ3; and (5) “interfering” genes that inhibit growth of wild type virus at both 31 and 39° can be rescued from DI particles. Thus, DI particles of reovirus in addition to lacking certain dsRNA segments, contain mutations in other genes. These mutations may play a critical role in the biological properties of DI particles.
Configuration of a Large Scale Analog Emulator for Power System Analysis

This paper provides a systematic approach to configure a large scale analog emulator for power system analysis. Historically this involved magnitude and time scaling of parameters and consisted of many trials and errors. A recently developed remotely reconfigurable analog power system emulator contains operational transconductance amplifiers and thus has limited linear operating ranges. Scaling of the power system parameters is critical to ensure accurate results and keep the analog hardware operating in linear regions. The configuration method proposed here determines analog hardware gains along with magnitude and time scaling parameters to ensure the analog hardware properly emulates the power system in a systematic manner which could be automated via software and remote control of the hardware. An example is provided for a single machine infinite bus system.
Root reinforcement of soil: review of analytical models, test results, and applications to design

This paper reviews analytical models that are used to evaluate results of laboratory and in situ tests on soil reinforced by vegetation roots and performance of slopes with vegetation. Predicted an...
Two-level pointer forwarding strategy for location management in PCS networks

For a IPCS network to effectively deliver services to its mobile users, it must have an efficient way to keep track of the mobile users. The location management fulfills this task through location registration and paging. To reduce the signaling traffic, many schemes such as a local anchor (LA) scheme, per-user caching scheme and pointer forwarding scheme have been proposed in the past. In this paper, we present a new location management scheme which intends to mitigate the signaling traffic as well as reduce the tracking delay in the PCS systems. In this strategy, we choose a set of visitor location registers (VLRs) traversed by users as the mobility agents (MA), which form another level of management in order to make some registration signaling traffic localized. The idea is as follows: instead of always updating to the home location register (HLR), which would become the bottleneck otherwise, many location updates are carried out in the mobility agents. Thus, the two-level pointer forwarding scheme is designed to reduce the signaling traffic: pointers can be set up between VLRs as the traditional pointer forwarding scheme and can also be set up between MAs. The numerical results show that this strategy can significantly reduce the network signaling traffic for users with low CMR without increasing much of the call setup delay.
Computational limitations on learning from examples

The computational complexity of learning Boolean concepts from examples is investigated. It is shown for various classes of concept representations that these cannot be learned feasibly in a distribution-free sense unless R = NP. These classes include (a) disjunctions of two monomials, (b) Boolean threshold functions, and (c) Boolean formulas in which each variable occurs at most once. Relationships between learning of heuristics and finding approximate solutions to NP-hard optimization problems are given.
Effect of foot orthoses on 3-dimensional kinematics of flatfoot: A cadaveric study

Abstract Kitaoka HB, Luo Z-P, Kura H, An K-N. Effect of foot orthoses on 3-dimensional kinematics of flatfoot: a cadaveric study. Arch Phys Med Rehabil 2002;83:876-9. Objective: To test in cadaveric feet the hypothesis that prefabricated foot orthoses will improve arch alignment in flatfoot deformity. Design: Experimental, paired comparisons. Setting: Biomechanics laboratory. Cadavers: Nine cadaveric lower-extremity specimens with no abnormalities. Interventions: To evaluate the performance of 2 orthoses specimens were tested in 4 combinations: intact, flatfoot, flatfoot with shoe and orthosis 1, and flatfoot with shoe and orthosis 2. To simulate the midstance phase of gait, loads were applied to 5 tendons and an axial load equivalent to two thirds of the standing load was applied to the foot's plantar surface. Main Outcome Measures: Arch height and tarsal bone positions before and after a flatfoot deformity created by ligament sectioning; tarsal bone positions determined with a magnetic tracking system. Results: After ligament sectioning, the average decrease in arch height with a shoe applied was 4.6±1.6mm (8%); with orthosis 1, mean arch height increased 0.7±0.6mm (P=.008); with orthosis 2, it increased 0.3±0.5mm (P=.05). With both orthoses, arch height after sectioning was significantly less than that of the normal arch. Compared with the flatfoot condition, metatarsal-talar alignment improved in plantar flexion and inversion with both orthoses but did not approximate normal with either orthosis. Calcaneal-tibial position did not improve with either orthosis and was markedly different from that in the intact foot with either orthosis. No difference was found between the 2 orthoses except for metatarsal-talar motion in external rotation (P=.014) and eversion (P=.026). Conclusions: Arch alignment improved significantly but to a limited degree (
A dinuclear silver hydride and an umpolung reaction of CO2

A triangular [Ag2H]+ core is stabilised by the N-heterocyclic carbene (NHC) ligand 1,3-bis(2,6-diisopropylphenyl)imidazolin-2-ylidene (SIDipp). The X-ray crystal structure of this complex reveals a short silver–silver distance, and 109Ag NMR spectroscopy shows substantial coupling between the silver nuclei. The complex persists for hours in solution after exposure to air and moisture. When carbon dioxide is added in the form of a Lewis-basic NHC adduct, a rapid reaction results in hydride transfer to form a bis(NHC)silver(I) formate.
Reduction and Analysis of Phosphor Thermography Data With the IHEAT Software Package

Detailed aeroheating information is critical to the successful design of a thermal protection system (TPS) for an aerospace vehicle. This report describes NASA Langley Research Center''s (LaRC) two-color relative-intensity phosphor thermography method and the IHEAT software package which is used for the efficient data reduction and analysis of the phosphor image data. Development of theory is provided for a new weighted two-color relative-intensity fluorescence theory for quantitatively determining surface temperatures on hypersonic wind tunnel models; an improved application of the one-dimensional conduction theory for use in determining global heating mappings; and extrapolation of wind tunnel data to flight surface temperatures. The phosphor methodology at LaRC is presented including descriptions of phosphor model fabrication, test facilities and phosphor video acquisition systems. A discussion of the calibration procedures, data reduction and data analysis is given. Estimates of the total uncertainties (with a 95% confidence level) associated with the phosphor technique are shown to be approximately 8 to 10 percent in the Langley 31-Inch Mach 10 Tunnel and 7 to 10 percent in the 20-Inch Mach 6 Tunnel. A comparison with thin-film measurements using two-inch radius hemispheres shows the phosphor data to be within 7 percent of thin-film measurements and to agree even better with predictions via a LATCH computational fluid dynamics solution (CFD). Good agreement between phosphor data and LAURA CFD computations on the forebody of a vertical takeoff/vertical lander configuration at four angles of attack is also shown. In addition, a comparison is given between Mach 6 phosphor data and laminar and turbulent solutions generated using the LAURA, GASP and LATCH CFD codes. Finally, the extrapolation method developed in this report is applied to the X-34 configuration with good agreement between the phosphor extrapolation and LAURA flight surface temperature predictions. The phosphor process outlined in the paper is believed to provide the aerothermodynamic community with a valuable capability for rapidly obtaining (4 to 5 weeks) detailed heating information needed in TPS design.
Distance‐scaled, finite ideal‐gas reference state improves structure‐derived potentials of mean force for structure selection and stability prediction

The distance-dependent structure-derived potentials developed so far all employed a reference state that can be characterized as a residue (atom)-averaged state. Here, we establish a new reference state called the distance-scaled, finite ideal-gas reference (DFIRE) state. The reference state is used to construct a residue-specific all-atom potential of mean force from a database of 1011 nonhomologous (less than 30% homology) protein structures with resolution less than 2 A. The new all-atom potential recognizes more native proteins from 32 multiple decoy sets, and raises an average Z-score by 1.4 units more than two previously developed, residue-specific, all-atom knowledge-based potentials. When only backbone and C(beta) atoms are used in scoring, the performance of the DFIRE-based potential, although is worse than that of the all-atom version, is comparable to those of the previously developed potentials on the all-atom level. In addition, the DFIRE-based all-atom potential provides the most accurate prediction of the stabilities of 895 mutants among three knowledge-based all-atom potentials. Comparison with several physical-based potentials is made.
Exploring texture ensembles by efficient Markov chain Monte Carlo-Toward a "trichromacy" theory of texture

Presents a mathematical definition of texture, the Julesz ensemble /spl Omega/(h), which is the set of all images (defined on Z/sup 2/) that share identical statistics h. Then texture modeling is posed as an inverse problem: Given a set of images sampled from an unknown /spl Omega/(h/sub */), we search for the statistics h/sub */ which define the ensemble. A /spl Omega/(h) has an associated probability distribution q(I; h), which is uniform over the images in /spl Omega/(h) and has zero probability outside. The authors previously (1999) showed q(I; h) to be the limit distribution of the FRAME (filter, random field, and minimax entropy) model, as the image lattice /spl Lambda//spl rarr/Z/sup 2/. This conclusion establishes the intrinsic link between the scientific definition of texture on Z/sup 2/ and the mathematical models of texture on finite lattices. It brings two advantages: the practice of texture image synthesis by matching statistics is put on a mathematical foundation; and we need not learn the expensive FRAME model in feature pursuit, model selection and texture synthesis. An efficient Markov chain Monte Carte algorithm is proposed for sampling Julesz ensembles. It generates random texture images by moving along the directions of filter coefficients and, thus, extends the traditional single site Gibbs sampler. We compare four popular statistical measures in the literature, in terms of their descriptive abilities. Our experiments suggest that a small number of bins in marginal histograms are sufficient for capturing a variety of texture patterns.
A Semantic Triplet Based Story Classifier

A story is defined as “an actor(s) taking action(s) that culminates in a resolution(s).” In this paper, we investigate the utility of standard keyword based features, statistical features based on shallow-parsing (such as density of POS tags and named entities), and a new set of semantic features to develop a story classifier. This classifier is trained to identify a paragraph as a “story,” if the paragraph contains mostly story(ies). Training data is a collection of expert-coded story and non-story paragraphs from RSS feeds from a list of extremist web sites. Our proposed semantic features are based on suitable aggregation and generalization of ; triplets that can be extracted using a parser. Experimental results show that a model of statistical features alongside memory-based semantic linguistic features achieves the best accuracy with a Support Vector Machine (SVM) classifier.
The Polymorphism P315L of Human Toll-Like Receptor 1 Impairs Innate Immune Sensing of Microbial Cell Wall Components

As a pattern recognition receptor, TLR1 mediates innate immune responses to a variety of microbial cell wall components including bacterial lipoproteins. We have previously shown that the central region of the extracellular domain of human TLR1, comprising leucine-rich repeat (LRR) motifs 9-12, is required for the sensing of bacterial lipopeptides. In this study, we have investigated three nonsynonymous single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) located in this region of TLR1 by generating these variants and examining receptor function. We have found that a variant of TLR1 based upon the SNP P315L, located in the loop of LRR motif 11 (LRR11), is greatly impaired in mediating responses to lipopeptides and a variety of other bacterial agonists for this receptor. Despite normal cell surface expression, the P315L variant also fails to bind to GD2.F4, a commonly used anti-TLR1 mAb. Although a number of amino acid substitutions at position 315 impair receptor function, the leucine substitution has the strongest deleterious effect. GD2.F4 inhibits agonist-induced activation of TLR1, supporting a crucial role for the loop of LRR11 in receptor function. These results also suggest that the P315L SNP may predispose certain individuals to infectious diseases for which the sensing of microbial cell components by TLR1 is critical to innate immune defense.
Tube Feeding the Demented Nursing Home Resident

Despite the many complications and minimal benefits associated with long-term enteral nutrition in patients with advanced dementia, it is, nevertheless, a widespread practice in nursing homes throughout the United States. This paper presents a review of the literature on dementia, geriatric nutrition, and enteral feeding. There appears to be limited research to support the long-term benefits and safety of enteral nutrition in advanced dementia. Additionally, it is not yet clear that long-term enteral nutrition in advanced dementia results in an improved quality of life.
Integration of Palliative Medicine Into Routine Oncological Care: What Does the Evidence Show Us?

Palliative medicine is now a recognized medical subspecialty. The goal of palliative medicine is to prevent and relieve suffering, and to support the best possible quality of life for patients and their families, regardless of the stage of their illness.(1) Typically, palliative medicine teams consist of multiple disciplines (such as physicians, advanced practice nurses, social workers, and chaplains) to address several domains of the patient experience. Medical oncologists have routinely provided palliative care to their patients along with antineoplastic therapy. Nevertheless, there is a recognized need for an improvement in palliative care delivery to the patient with advanced cancer. This narrative review outlines recent clinical trials of palliative care being integrated into routine oncological care.
Social Work Decision-Making: Need Factors of Older Adults That Affect Outcomes of Home- and Community-based Services

The purposes of this study were to examine social work decision-making outcomes of home- and community-based services (HCBS) referrals provided to older adults with unmet physical and psychosocial needs discharged from acute care to a community setting, and to understand older adults' (N=247) responses to receiving referrals for HCBS. Older adults with inadequately or marginally met basic needs was a statistically significant predictor of the number of HCBS referrals home health social workers provided to older adult clients (p < .01). The adapted three-step models were statistically significant: activities of daily living model [F(15) = 1.95, p < .05] and instrumental activities of daily living model [F(15) = 2.06, p < .05]. Most older adults accepted the HCBS referrals provided to them at the time of the social work home visit. Implications for practice were suggested for clinical social workers.and case managers providing HCBS referrals to older adults with unmet physical and psychosocial needs discharged from acute care or skilled care to community settings.
Insight into the role of Mg2+ in hammerhead ribozyme catalysis from X-ray crystallography and molecular dynamics simulation

Results of a series of 12 ns molecular dynamics (MD) simulations of the reactant state (with and without a Mg(2+) ion), early and late transition state mimics are presented based on a recently reported crystal structure of a full-length hammerhead RNA. The simulation results support a catalytically active conformation with a Mg(2+) ion bridging the A9 and scissile phosphates. In the reactant state, the Mg(2+) spends significant time closely associated with the 2'OH of G8, but remains fairly distant from the leaving group O(5') position. In the early TS mimic simulation, where the nucleophilic O(2') and leaving group O(5') are equidistant from the phosphorus, the Mg(2+) ion remains tightly coordinated to the 2'OH of G8, but is positioned closer to the O(5') leaving group, stabilizing the accumulating charge. In the late TS mimic simulation, the coordination around the bridging Mg(2+) ion undergoes a transition whereby the coordination with the 2'OH of G8 is replace by the leaving group O(5') that has developed significant charge. At the same time, the 2'OH of G8 forms a hydrogen bond with the leaving group O(5') and is positioned to act as a general acid catalyst. This work represents the first reported simulations of the full-length hammerhead structure and TS mimics, and provides direct evidence for the possible role of a bridging Mg(2+) ion in catalysis that is consistent with both crystallographic and biochemical data.
Radar waveform pulse analysis measurement system for high-power GaN amplifiers

This work presents a measurement system to characterize the pulsed response of high-power GaN amplifiers for use in space-based SAR platforms that require very strict amplitude and phase stability. The measurement system is able to record and analyze data on three different time scales: fast, slow, and long, which allows for greater detail of the mechanisms that impact amplitude and phase stability. The system is fully automated through MATLAB, which offers both instrument control capability and in-situ data processing. To validate this system, a high-power GaN HEMT amplifier operated in saturation was characterized. The fast time results show that variations to the amplitude and phase are correlated to DC supply transients, while long time characteristics are correlated to temperature changes.
Oceanic influence on atmospheric mercury at coastal and inland sites: a springtime noreaster in New England

Abstract. Continuous measurements of elemental (Hg0) and reactive mercury were conducted at two sites in New Hampshire during a powerful April 2007 noreaster. During the most intense period of the storm, enhancements of ~30–50 ppqv in Hg0 were observed at a coastal and a high elevation inland site. This enhancement occurred simultaneously with elevated mixing ratios of three marine tracers, CH3I, CH2Br2 and CHBr3. These observations suggest a marine source of Hg0, possibly outgassing from the ocean surface during strong turbulence. The Hg0 enhancement observed 100 km inland suggests that the impact of coastal storms on terrestrial Hg cycling may not be limited to near-shore environments. Combining Hg0 and marine tracer measurements during the storm with estimates of oceanic tracer fluxes during previous strong storms yields an order-of-magnitude estimate of the oceanic source of Hg0 during the storm (~7 ppqv h−1) which can account for the observed enhancement at the field sites.
Does shade cover availability limit nest-site choice in two populations of a turtle with temperature-dependent sex determination?

Shifts in resource use may be an important mechanism by which organisms can adjust to novel environmental conditions, such as those imposed by climate change. However, for such shifts to be possible, environmental space must exist into which organisms can move. Habitat that ensures successful survival and reproduction is one such critical resource. We studied resource selection of shade cover over nest sites by painted turtles in populations in Illinois (center of range) and New Mexico (southern edge of range). We targeted this habitat feature because shade can influence hatching success and offspring phenotype (including sex in the study species) by affecting nest microenvironments. We found that while turtles in both populations selected nest sites that were shadier than average available sites, overall resource selection differed between the populations. This disparity may have been due to differences in structure of vegetation that provides shade at each site, because areas with high shade cover in New Mexico (low dense thickets) were much more difficult for turtles to access than those in Illinois (dense tree canopy cover). Further, shade cover predicted different parameters of incubation regime at each site, suggesting that turtles must assess dissimilar components of shade cover in order to choose nest sites and predict their future incubation regimes. Our results suggest that shade cover within nesting areas is a key component of painted turtle habitat, and that accessible, highly-shaded nest sites may be limited at the New Mexico site. Maintaining a range of shade cover from which turtles can select nest sites would permit plasticity in nest-site choice to be expressed, which may be important in preventing sex ratio skews due to climate change.
Preparation of porous hydrophilic monoliths: Effect of the polymerization conditions on the porous properties of poly (acrylamide‐co‐N,N′‐methylenebisacrylamide) monolithic rods

Molded macroporous monoliths with pores sizes up to 1000 nm have been prepared by copolymerization of the hydrophilic monomers, acrylamide, and N,N′-methylenebisacrylamide, in the presence of a porogenic diluent. A combination of dimethylsulfoxide and 2-heptanol was selected from a broad spectrum of solvents and water soluble polymers to achieve the optimum composition of the porogenic mixture. In addition to the composition of the porogen the porous properties of the monolithic rods can also be optimized through changes in the percentage of both N,N′-methylene-bisacrylamide (crosslinking monomer) and azobisisobutyronitrile (free radical initiator) used for the polymerization. The hydrophilic monoliths may be used in the separation of biological polymers, solid-phase extraction, or for immobilization of proteins. © 1997 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Polym Sci A: Polym Chem 35 1013–1021, 1997
Investigating the use of asymmetric windows in CELP vocoders

The behavior of several windows in relation to time delay and spectral estimation is analyzed in its application to CELP (code excited linear prediction) coders, with emphasis on time delay considerations. From the data, the importance of asymmetric windows in such a context becomes evident. In order to obtain objective conclusions, a perceptually weighted residual energy was used as the comparison criterion. Experimental data show that an appropriately chosen window can reduce the time delay by up to 50% of the analysis frame. Typical reductions in delay will be about 6-8 ms. It is observed that this delay reduction is obtained with no cost in complexity or speech quality, and that in many algorithms it can be implemented in the coder without affecting compatibility with previous versions of the same algorithm. As an example of a specific implementation, an asymmetric window has been introduced in the Federal Standard 1016 CELP algorithm (4.8 kbit/s CELP). It has been shown to reduce the implicit delay of that algorithm by 5.6 ms with no loss in quality. >
A Model for the Optimal Timing and Sizing of Capacity Increments for Single-Location Facilities

Abstract This paper develops and tests a mixed-integer programming model for finding the optimal timing and sizing of plant capacities, The object of the model is to minimize the total discounted costs over a planning horizon. The factors that are considered for this purpose are the current and future values of the following: discount rates, construction and setup costs, operating costs, subcontracting costs, idle costs of excess capacities, and growth rates of demand. Actual data from a set of electrical power generating facilities are utilized to test the model. Several variations in time paths of demand, and the cost factors are considered to assess the effects of each factor on the timing and sizing decisions
Identical Pattern of Release of Specific Triiodothyronine Receptors by Micrococcal Nuclease from Rat Cerebral Cortex and Liver Nuclei

Most if not all known biochemical variables responsive to thyroid hormone in the cerebral cortex during development become refractory to it in the adult rat. Nonetheless, a significant number of nuclear T3 receptors are demonstrable in adult cerebral cortex. The loss of responsiveness could be due to relocation of nuclear T3 receptors to transcriptionally inactive chromatin. Transcriptionally active chromatin is very sensitive to micrococcal nuclease and DNAase I digestion, and nuclear T3 receptors from liver and GH1 cells, both highly responsive to T3, are readily released by mild digestion of chromatin with these enzymes. Therefore, we tested the hypothesis that nuclear T3 receptors could be associated with quiescent chromatin in the cerebral cortex by comparing the rate, extent, and form of nuclear T3 receptors released from chromatin of cerebral cortex and liver by micrococcal nuclease. Nuclear T3 receptors in liver and cerebral cortex nuclei were labeled with [125I]T3 and [131I]T3, respectively, in v...
Variation in nocturnality and circadian activity rhythms between photoresponsive F344 and nonphotoresponsive Sprague Dawley rats

Background Variation in circadian rhythms and nocturnality may, hypothetically, be related to or independent of genetic variation in photoperiodic mediation of seasonal changes in physiology and behavior. We hypothesized that strain variation in photoperiodism between photoperiodic F344 rats and nonphotoperiodic Harlan Sprague Dawley (HSD) rats might be caused by underlying variation in clock function. We predicted that HSD rats would have more activity during the day or subjective day, longer free-running rhythms, poor entrainment to short day length, and shorter duration of activity, traits that have been associated with nonphotoperiodism in other laboratory rodent species, relative to F344 rats. An alternative hypothesis, that differences are due to variation in melatonin secretion or responses to melatonin, predicts either no such differences or inconsistent combinations of differences.
The effect of prior androgen synthesis inhibition on outcomes of subsequent therapy with docetaxel in patients with metastatic castrate-resistant prostate cancer: results from a retrospective analysis of a randomized phase 3 clinical trial (CALGB 90401) (Alliance).

BACKGROUND: Preliminary data suggest a potential decreased benefit of docetaxel in patients with metastatic, castration-resistant prostate cancer (mCRPC) who previously received abiraterone acetate, a novel androgen synthesis inhibitor (ASI). Cancer and Leukemia Group B (CALGB) trial 90401 (Alliance), a phase 3 trial in patients with mCRPC who received docetaxel-based chemotherapy, offered the opportunity to evaluate effect of prior ketoconazole, an earlier generation ASI, on clinical outcomes after docetaxel. METHODS: In CALGB trial 90401, 1050 men with chemotherapy-naive mCRPC were randomized to receive treatment with docetaxel and prednisone that included either bevacizumab or placebo. In total, 1005 men (96%) had data available regarding prior ketoconazole therapy.
Min oscillation in bacteria.

Oscillation of the Min proteins is a key regulator of the division plane in many bacteria including the model organism E. coli. The coupled oscillation of these proteins between the ends of the cell restricts the formation of the Zring, an essential cytoskeletal element that serves as a scaffold for the cytokinesis machinery, to a narrow region at midcell. The oscillation was discovered following the fusion of the Min proteins to green fluorescent protein. Importantly, the Min system is readily manipulated allowing rapid advances in understanding key aspects of the oscillation. In addition, details of the biochemistry of the Min proteins have pmerged that provide the basis for their dynamic interaction with the membrane. Furthermore, the in vivo description of the oscillations along with the biochemical details of the Min proteins have provided the fuel for mathematical approaches to try and understand the critical features have underlie this oscillatory system. The simplicity and ease of manipulating the Min system make it a tractable model to obtain a complete understanding of a self-organizing system.
Abortion and Postabortion Care

Critically analyze the history, incidence, and reasons for abortion from a global perspective. Identify and discuss differences in implementation of abortion laws and policies across different countries, and the public health implications with particular attention to unsafe abortion and abortion-related mortality and morbidity. Explain abortion techniques and safety and appraise the emerging trend toward earlier abortion in countries where abortion is safe and available. Discuss postabortion care – its evolution, current best practices, and examples.
15 Laparoscopic Sleeve Gastrectomy: Outcomes

Since the introduction of laparoscopic sleeve gastrectomy (LSG) (Fig. 1) as an operation to manage high-risk patients a decade ago, this bariatric operation has gained increasing credibility as stand-alone primary bariatric procedure. Over the last 5 years, many published reports have emerged demonstrating the safety and efficacy of LSG. Despite the increased popularity of LSG based on medium-term results, durability of the weight loss has been a concern. There are now several publications reporting the long-term (≥ 5 years) outcomes after this procedure. Additionally, metabolic mechanisms of action have been identified for this procedure and have placed it in the category of “metabolic” procedures. The relative simplicity of the operation, the lack of a foreign body or need for multiple postoperative adjustments, and an acceptable safety profile are features that appeal to many patients and surgeons.
Lessons learned about wireless technologies for data acquistion

In recent years the electronics for developing sensor networks have become compact and cheaper. This has led to an interest in creating communities of distributed sensors that can collect and share data over a large area without being physically connected by wires. The Intelligent Systems Center at the University of Missouri-Rolla (UMR) has for several years been using commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) hardware and custom software to develop a system of stationary sensing nodes capable of pre processing their data locally and sharing processed data to produce global details. This distributed sensing and processing array is targeted for use in monitoring a wide variety of infrastructures. It has been laboratory tested for use in civil, automotive, and airframe monitoring. This paper is an overview of the technologies investigated and the level of functionality obtained from each hardware/sensor/target set. The current system consists of a web server, a central cluster and a collection of satellite clusters. The central cluster is a PC104 X 86 based computer with the satellite clusters being 8051 based single board computers. The satellite clusters are of the order 6 inch X 5 inch X 2 inch in size. There is an effort under way to place a short-range radio with a processor and a PZT sensor into a 2 inch X 1.5 inch X.5 inch package. Exercises have been carried out to demonstrate the ability of the central clusters to remotely control the satellite clusters and the web server's ability to control the central cluster. Further work is under way to integrate the entire system into a web server attached to the Internet and to a long distance communication device, currently employed is a cellular modem into the monitoring array. The web server communicates over standard phone lines to the central cluster, which is equipped with a cellular modem. The central cluster communicates with the satellite clusters using short-range wireless equipment. Proxim rangelan, Erickson Bluetooth, and Linx Technologies RF modules have all been tested as short-range wireless communication solutions. We have demonstrated a system that consists of a structure with an array of smart sensors, preprocess and collect data, and post this data on a web server for global inspection and manipulation. This will enable data sharing and collaborative data analysis to extend the knowledge of structural health monitoring.
Contraception in Adolescents

Major changes with regard to the provision of contraceptive services for teenagers have occurred over the past few years. The question nowadays is not so much whether to provide birth control methods and information to teenagers, but how to do this. Models for delivery of care are being developed over the nation. Educational programs are being broadened to include all aspects of human sexuality, and contraceptive counselling is taking into consideration factors other than simply the choice of a method.
Barriers to a cure for HIV in women.

Introduction: Distinct biological factors exist that affect the natural history of HIV and the host immune response between women and men. These differences must be addressed to permit the optimal design of effective HIV eradication strategies for much of the HIV-positive population. Methods and results: Here, we review the literature on sex-based differences in HIV pathogenesis and natural history in tissues and anatomic compartments, HIV latency and transcriptional activity, and host immunity including the role of sex hormones. We then outline the potential effects of these differences on HIV persistence, and on the safety and efficacy of HIV eradication and curative interventions. Finally, we discuss the next steps necessary to elucidate these factors to achieve a cure for HIV, taking in account the complex ethical issues and the regulatory landscape in the hopes of stimulating further research and awareness in these areas. Conclusions: Targeted enrolment of women in clinical trials and careful sex-based analysis will be crucial to gain further insights into sex-based differences in HIV persistence and to design sex-specific approaches to HIV eradication, if required.
The Business Enterprise Income Tax: A First Appraisal

This report analyzes a proposal, recently published by the Hamilton Project of the Brookings Institution, for a new division of the tax base between businesses and individuals. The discussion proceeds in three steps: a review of certain equivalences that underlie the logic of the proposal, a brief examination of 10 related divisions of the tax base, and an analysis of the major components of the proposal. The principal conclusions of the report are that the objectives of the tax proposed for businesses could be more simply accomplished with expensing; that the tax proposed for individuals is impractical; that the tax subsidy proposed for foreign investment by U.S. companies is undesirable; and that the rationale for applying graduated rates to some, but not all, components of capital income is not apparent.
Second Harmonic Generation Studies of Fe(II) Interactions with Hematite (α-Fe2O3)

Iron oxides are a ubiquitous class of compounds that are involved in many biological, geological, and technological processes, and the Fe(III)/Fe(II) redox couple is a fundamental transformation pathway; however, the study of iron oxide surfaces in aqueous solution by powerful spectroscopic techniques has been limited due to “strong absorber problem”. In this work, atomic layer deposition (ALD) thin films of polycrystalline α-Fe2O3 were analyzed using the Eisenthal χ(3) technique, a variant of second harmonic generation that reports on interfacial potentials. By determining the surface charge densities at multiple pH values, the point of zero charge was found to be 5.5 ± 0.3. The interaction of aqueous Fe(II) at pH 4 and in 1 mM NaCl with ALD-prepared hematite was found to be fully reversible and to lead to about 4 times more ferrous iron ions adsorbed per square centimeter than on fused-silica surfaces under the same conditions. The data are consistent with a recently proposed conceptual model for net Fe...
Orientation of Phenyl Rings and Methylene Bisectors at the Free Surface of Atactic Polystyrene

Atomistically detailed models of free-standing thin films and the bulk structure of amorphous atactic polystyrene have been produced by reverse mapping from equilibrated coarse-grained models. The bridging technique employed in the simulation allows the generation of a moderate sized atomistic system (six independent parent chains of C400H402, 4812 atoms) with a more reasonable computational effort than is required when all of the construction is performed on chains expressed with atomistic detail. Reverse mapping from the coarse-grained model to the atomistically detailed model is found to be straightforward, without ring piercing or concatenation. The calculated surface energy (38 ± 10 erg/cm2) is in reasonable agreement with prior experimental findings. The surface of the thin films is enriched in phenyl rings. The rings at the surface tend to be oriented so that they are pointing outward, but rings in the middle of the thin film show no preferred orientation. In contrast with the phenyl rings, the bis...
Plasmonic and High Dielectric Constant Nanostructures for Light Trapping

Nanometallic and high index dielectric nanostructures have gained significant interest for their ability to boost the energy conversion efficiency of photovoltaic cells. I will discuss recent progress in the development of such structures.