cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Series Expansion Approximants for Singular Functions of Many Variables

A novel method of approximating functions of two or more variables given a finite number of coefficients of their power series expansions is explained. The method — partial differential approximation — is effective in representing the characteristic singularities to be expected in functions of two or more variables (typically those arising in multicritical thermodynamic behavior). Consequently, it should prove useful in a range of scientific and engineering contexts. Various questions arising in the systematic theoretical study and practical testing and application of the method are posed. The results of initial theoretical and numerical studies indicate the promise of the approach.
Identification and recruitment of low-income pregnant smokers: who are we missing?

Extensive research has demonstrated the health consequences of smoking during pregnancy for both the mother and child. The majority of women, however, continue to smoke throughout the pregnancy and, of those who do quit, the majority return to smoking during the pregnancy or shortly after delivering the child. To best address this important public health problem, three critical goals must be accomplished: (1) development of effective interventions to help women quit smoking during pregnancy; (2) development of effective interventions to help women stay smoke-free during and after pregnancy; and (3) identification of effective methods of reaching women who smoke during pregnancy. Recruitment is the first window of opportunity to maximize our public health impact with pregnant women. Effective recruitment of women across all stages of change is needed, including both preaction stages and action stages. The current article examines the smoking habits of a large sample of low-income pregnant women. It compares those who enrolled in an intervention trial with those who did not enroll on a number of sociodemographic and individual characteristics, smoking patterns, and stage of change. The participants included 2280 pregnant women. Significant differences were found between enrollment groups on a number of variables, including stage of change [χ2(4)=54.74, P<.001], gestational age [t(955)=11.93, P<.001], and multiple smoking pattern variables (P<.001). In addition, a trend was found for ethnicity [χ2(5)=11.15, P<.05]. The findings of this study may help guide the development of enhanced recruitment strategies to expand our reach and thus our impact in this special population of smokers.
Design Requirements and Options for Final Focusing Superconducting Magnets of Heavy Ion Drivers

The environment close to the chamber of heavy ion inertial fusion energy reactors imposes severe constraints on magnets used for final focusing magnets. Space is at a premium, requiring close proximity of adjacent magnets, making magnet integration imperative. In addition, the high radiation flux imposes stringent shielding requirements. In this paper, the options for final focusing magnet topologies are described. Implications of using both high-temperature superconductors and conventional low-temperature superconductors are investigated. The use of high-temperature superconducting materials may offer an attractive, although speculative, opportunity for a fundamentally different approach to magnet construction, leading to either lower cost or reduced maintenance.
Elastic Behavior of the Outer Hair Cell Wall

The electromotility of the outer hair cell appears to be a key feature in mammalian cochlear function. The present study was motivated by the conclusion of Brownell (1990) that the normal level of turgor pressure in the cell is necessary for electromotility to occur. The unique feature of the outer hair cell, compared to the inner hair cell, appears to be the development of the cell wall, as discussed by Forge (1989), featuring micropillars discovered by Flock, et al (1987) which connect the plasma membrane and the outermost membrane of the lateral cisterna. The elastic behavior of such a double wall system is therefore of interest. We consider the possibility of an elastic instability of the micropillars, which could be related to the conversion of electrical charge to elastic force.
Judicial Review of the Other Source of Policy

The Chevron doctrine jurisprudence has delved into every nook and cranny of judicial review of statutory interpretation while investigation of review of administrative policymaking has received little attention. Yet, this other source of policy dominates the administrative role in our society and the allocation of authority over such policy between the courts and the agencies is crucial to the operation of the administrative system. Starting with Dworkin's working definition of policy as decisions that advance or protect some collective goal of the community as a whole, this paper distinguishes two overarching sources of policy in the administrative state. An agency may derive policy from some other source, say a statute, or an agency may be authorized to make policy itself. The power of this distinction can be seen in a question currently much discussed: the extent to which an agency may change a position. Can an agency change its position? If the position is a change in a statutory interpretation, the answer must be "no" for the simple reason that an agency may not revise legislation. But if the position is a change in policy made through an authority delegated to it, the answer must be "of course" because an agency has inherent discretion to change its own policy (unless an abuse of that discretion). After establishing the value and long acceptance of the distinction between review of statutory interpretation and administrative policymaking, the paper attempts to demonstrate the use of the Chevron doctrine jurisprudence in advancing principles surrounding review of administrative policymaking.
Electron microscopy combined with spatial analysis: quantitative mapping of the nano-assemblies of plasma membrane-associating proteins and lipids

The plasma membrane (PM) is a complex environment consisting of > 700 species of lipids and many different types of membrane-associating proteins. These lipids and membrane proteins are distributed heterogeneously into nanometer-sized domains, called nanoclusters. The lateral spatial segregation in the PM gives rise to different curvature and lipid composition, which determines the efficiency of effector binding and signal transmission. Here, we describe an electron microscopy (EM)-spatial mapping technique to quantify the extent of nanoclusters formation in the PM. The nano-assemblies in the PM are quantified via expressing the GFP-tagged proteins or lipid-binding domains in the cells, which are then immunolabeled with the gold nanoparticles pre-coupled to the anti-GFP antibody. The gold nanoparticles are visualized via the transmission EM at high magnification. The statistical analysis of the Ripley’s K-function calculates the spatial distribution of the gold nanoparticles. Important spatial parameters, such as the extent of nanoclustering, the clustered fraction, the number of proteins per cluster, the optimal size of a nanocluster, and the number of proteins localized to the PM, can be calculated. Further detailed aggregation pattern, such as the populations of monomers, dimers, trimers, and higher ordered oligomers, can also be extracted from the spatial analysis. The EM-bivariate analysis quantifies the extent of co-localization between two different components in the PM and provides key information on the protein–protein and the protein–lipid interactions over a long-distance scale from 8 to 240 nm.
Testing Quantum Electrodynamics in the Lowest Singlet State of Neutral Beryllium-9

We report spectroscopic results on the $2s2p{^{1}P}_{1}$ state in neutral atomic beryllium-9. The absolute frequency for the center of gravity is determined to be $42\text{ }565.4501(13)\text{ }\text{ }{\mathrm{cm}}^{\ensuremath{-}1}$, a factor of 130 more precise than the previous experimental measurement. The result is in agreement with and a factor of 8 more precise than the current best theoretical estimate of $42\text{ }565.441(11)\text{ }\text{ }{\mathrm{cm}}^{\ensuremath{-}1}$, which was calculated including the effects of quantum electrodynamics. Because of the large natural linewidth of the transition, the hyperfine constants were not able to be extracted to high precision.
Environmental Impacts of Abdominal Imaging: A Pilot Investigation.

Abstract Purpose Clinical decision making regarding the use of imaging is appropriately centered on diagnostic efficacy and individual patient factors. However, health policy and imaging guidelines may incorporate other inputs, such as cost-effectiveness and patient preference. In the context of climate change and resource scarcity, the environmental impacts of imaging modalities including ultrasound, CT, and MRI will also become relevant. The purpose of this study was to estimate the environmental impacts of various abdominal imaging examinations. Methods Using commercially available software (SimaPro) and data from user manuals and field experts, a streamlined life cycle assessment was performed to estimate multifactorial environmental impacts of the production and use of ultrasound, CT, and MRI per abdominal imaging examination. Results Ultrasound consumed less energy in both production and use phases (7.8 and 10.3 MJ/examination, respectively) than CT (58.9 and 41.1 MJ/examination) or MRI (93.2 and 216 MJ/examination). Ultrasound emitted fewer CO2 equivalents in production and use phases (0.5 and 0.65 kg/examination) than CT (4.0 and 2.61 kg/examination) or MRI (6.0 and 13.72 kg/examination). Potential human health effects from pollutant emissions were found to be smallest with ultrasound in both production and use phases. Conclusions Among the three imaging modalities, ultrasound was found to have the least environmental impact, by one or more orders of magnitude in various domains. This analysis provides an initial framework for comparing environmental impacts across imaging modalities, which may provide useful inputs for cost-effectiveness analyses and policymaking.
Can the affordable care act provisions explain the recent wave of acquisitions in the health insurance industry

ABSTRACTThis research shows that the ACA health insurance exchanges have generated more merger activity in the health insurance market. The impact is robust to control for an extensive set of factors suggested by both neoclassical and behavioural frameworks. The economic impact of this ACA provision is substantial with 3.8 more months of unusually high merger activity or 52 more merger bids per year.
Patient Reported Outcome Measures and Quality of Life Assessment in Genital Gender Confirming Surgery

Transgender and gender nonbinary (TGNB) individuals may seek genital gender confirming surgery (GCS) as part of their transition. Outcomes of genital GCS may include gender congruence, sexual functioning and satisfaction, urinary symptoms, aesthetic satisfaction, and overall quality of life, among others. Despite a wide number of studies on results of vaginoplasty, metoidioplasty, phalloplasty, and other genital GCS, data regarding patient reported outcomes are limited. To date, there is no patient reported outcome measure (PROM) validated within the TGNB population to assess subjective outcomes of GCS. In this review, we aim to describe existing tools being utilized to report outcomes following GCS, assessing the merits and limitations of each.
The Very Large Array Sky Survey (VLASS)

The Very Large Array (VLA) Sky Survey (VLASS) is a new all-sky radio survey that is currently being developed at the National Radio Astronomy Observatory (NRAO). VLASS will cover the entire sky that is visible to the VLA (decl. > -40°) over three observing epochs with a frequency coverage of 2–4 GHz and angular resolution of $\sim$2.5 arcsec. We expect to reach rms $\sim$120 microJy per epoch, with rms of $\sim$70 microJy when the three epochs are combined. Observations are being taken in full polarization. The data products will include full-continuum images, spectral-index and polarization image cubes, and source catalogs. Scientific applications include the study of radio transients, Faraday tomography of radio galaxies, and demographics of the radio loud/intermediate radio-galaxy population.
Thermal radiation in systems of many dipoles

Systems of many nanoparticles or volume-discretized bodies exhibit collective radiative properties that could be used for enhanced, guided, or tunable thermal radiation. These are commonly treated as assemblies of point dipoles with interactions described by Maxwell's equations and thermal fluctuations correlated by the fluctuation-dissipation theorem. Here, we demonstrate the equivalence of different theories for these systems and provide a complete derivation of many-dipole thermal radiation, showing that the correct use of the fluctuation-dissipation theorem depends on the definitions of fluctuating and induced dipole moments. We formulate a method to calculate the diffusive radiative thermal conductivity of arbitrary collections of nanoparticles; this allows the comparison of thermal radiation to other heat-transfer modes and across different material systems. We calculate the radiative thermal conductivity of ordered and disordered arrays of SiC and $\mathrm{Si}{\mathrm{O}}_{2}$ nanoparticles and show that thermal radiation can significantly contribute to thermal transport in these systems, because packed nanoparticles have low phonon thermal conductivity. We demonstrate that the radiative heat transfer strongly depends on the materials and geometrical arrangement of the nanoparticle array, and we verify our calculations by comparison to the exact solution for a one-dimensional particle chain.
Dynamic Estimation of Model Parameters for in-Pipe Walking Robots

In this paper, the problem of the model parameter estimation for in-pipe walking robots has been studied. Three estimators (regressor function-based method and the least squares-based methods with and without damping) are studied and analyzed. The study is focused on the influence the sensor resolution has on the accuracy of the estimation. The influence the accuracy of the initial estimation has on the methods' performance was also discussed. Two performance functions are proposed in order to simplify the analysis. It was shown that the least squares method has a significant advantage when the exact information about the robot's state is known; however, when the sensors have finite resolution, the performance of this method changes significantly while the regressor-based method is affected much less.
High glycemic index and glycemic load diets as risk factors for insomnia: analyses from the Women's Health Initiative

BACKGROUND Previous studies have shown mixed results on the association between carbohydrate intake and insomnia. However, any influence that refined carbohydrates have on risk of insomnia is likely commensurate with their relative contribution to the overall diet, so studies are needed that measure overall dietary glycemic index (GI), glycemic load, and intakes of specific types of carbohydrates. OBJECTIVE We hypothesized that higher GI and glycemic load would be associated with greater odds of insomnia prevalence and incidence. METHODS This was a prospective cohort study with postmenopausal women who participated in the Women's Health Initiative Observational Study, investigating the relations of GI, glycemic load, other carbohydrate measures (added sugars, starch, total carbohydrate), dietary fiber, and specific carbohydrate-containing foods (whole grains, nonwhole/refined grains, nonjuice fruits, vegetables, dairy products) with odds of insomnia at baseline (between 1994 and 1998; n = 77,860) and after 3 y of follow-up (between 1997 and 2001; n = 53,069). RESULTS In cross-sectional and longitudinal analyses, higher dietary GI was associated with increasing odds of prevalent (fifth compared with first quintile OR: 1.11; CI: 1.05, 1.16; P-trend = 0.0014) and incident (fifth compared with first quintile OR: 1.16; CI: 1.08, 1.25; P-trend < 0.0001) insomnia in fully adjusted models. Higher intakes of dietary added sugars, starch, and nonwhole/refined grains were each associated with higher odds of incident insomnia. By contrast, higher nonjuice fruit and vegetable intakes were significantly associated with lower odds of incident insomnia. Also, higher intakes of dietary fiber, whole grains, nonjuice fruit, and vegetables were significantly associated with lower odds of prevalent insomnia. CONCLUSIONS The results suggest that high-GI diets could be a risk factor for insomnia in postmenopausal women. Substitution of high-GI foods with minimally processed, whole, fiber-rich carbohydrates should be evaluated as potential treatments of, and primary preventive measures for, insomnia in postmenopausal women.
Secondhand Time: The Last of the Soviets

Investigative journalist and oral historian Svetlana Alexievich’s goal in this complex oral history narrative was to piece together the history of socialism felt in a person’s soul. Upon awarding h...
Formal verification of robotic cell injection systems

Abstract Cell injection is a technique used for delivering substances into a cell and is widely adopted in gene injection, intracytoplasmic sperm injection, in vitro fertilization, drug development, and various other areas of cell biology. Robotic cell injection systems provide the automation of this process and are capable of replacing the manual cell injection process in these applications. Conventionally, these systems are analyzed using paper-and-pencil proof and computer-based simulation techniques. However, both these techniques are error-prone, that is, the paper-and-pencil proof method can be prone to human error and simulation cannot provide a complete analysis due to its sampling-based nature and the inability to capture continuous behaviors in computer-based models. Recently, formal methods, including model checking and theorem proving, have been used for formally analyzing robotic cell injection systems to overcome the above-mentioned limitations of traditional techniques. This chapter presents these formal method-based analyses of the robotic cell injection systems. Moreover, it highlights their strength and weaknesses assisting a user for selecting the appropriate analysis method based on a particular scenario.
Increased Heat Shock Protein Expression Decreases Inflammation in Skeletal Muscle During and after Frostbite Injury.

Background Frostbite injury results in serious skeletal muscle damage. The inflammatory response due to frostbite causes local muscle degeneration. Previous studies have shown that heat shock proteins (hsps) can protect against inflammation. In addition, our previous studies showed that increased expression of hsp70 is able to protect skeletal muscle against cryolesion. Methods Therefore, our aim was to determine if the induction of the heat shock proteins are able to minimize inflammation and protect skeletal muscle against frostbite injury. Results In the present study, we used the hsp90 inhibitor, 17-dimethylaminoethylamino- 17-demethoxygeldanamycin (17-DMAG), which was administered within 30 minutes following frostbite injury. Rat hind-limb muscles injected with 17-DMAG following frostbite injury exhibited less inflammatory cell infiltration as compared to control rat hind-limb muscles. In agreement with this observation, it has been observed that increased hsp expression resulted in decreased inflammatory cytokine expression. Additionally, we found that the administration of 17-DMAG after frostbite injury can preserve muscle tissue structure as well as function. Conclusion It has been concluded that compounds such as 17-DMAG that induce the heat shock proteins are able to preserve skeletal muscle function and structure if injected within 30 minutes after frostbite injury. Our studies provide the basis for the development of a potential therapeutic strategy to treat the injury caused by frostbite.
Amplification of MDM2 and Loss of p16 Expression: Do They Have a Role in Malignant Transformation of Ovarian Brenner Tumor?

Objectives To review the significance of MDM2 and cyclin D1 expression and loss of p16 expression in malignant and borderline Brenner tumors (BTs) of the ovary. Methods We describe 2 new cases of ovarian BT, 1 malignant and 1 borderline. We studied MDM2, p16, and cyclin D1 expression by immunohistochemistry in the benign, borderline, and malignant components of these 2 cases and in 5 additional cases of benign BT. We also reviewed and summarized the literature on the clinical, immunohistochemical and molecular characteristics of borderline and malignant BTs (BdBTs and MBTs). Results Nuclear expression of MDM2 was seen only in the MBT. Loss of p16 expression was seen in both BdBT and MBT. Cyclin D1 expression was in proportion to the degree of malignancy. Amplification of MDM2, loss of CDKN2A (p16-encoding gene), and amplification of CCND1 (cyclin D1-encoding gene) were confirmed by commercial next-generation sequencing in the case of MBT. Conclusions We are the first to report immunohistochemical expression of MDM2 in an MBT. Amplification of MDM2 and loss of p16 expression may have a role in malignant transformation of BT.
Stability of environmentally persistent free radicals (EPFR) in atmospheric particulate matter and combustion particles

Abstract Environmentally persistent free radicals (EPFRs) are an emerging area of atmospheric interest due to their implications in adverse health effects. Previous EPFR studies have looked at 24-hour averages of EPFR concentration within ambient PM2.5. However, PM2.5 levels vary diurnally. This study demonstrates instrumental sensitivity that is adequate to assess EPFR concentrations at a much higher temporal resolution than previously reported. Ambient PM2.5 samples were collected for 90 min at 96 L min−1 and analyzed quantitatively via electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) spectroscopy. For environmental samples that had no measurable PM2.5 mass, EPFR concentrations were found in the range of 1012 spins m−3, which is similar to values that have been reported previously in other urban locations. Additionally, since combustion products are likely to contribute to the EPFR portion of PM2.5, hexane generated soot was assessed for radical stability when exposed to water and ambient atmospheric conditions. Radical concentrations decreased by about 5% over the course of 88 days, but there was no difference in degradation rates between wetted and non-wetted soot. This study highlights the potential for sub-hourly EPFR monitoring which would allow for better insight into human exposure.
A primer on information processing in upscaling

Abstract The intent of this paper is to provide both an introduction to the concepts of information theory, and to review how such concepts might be effectively applied in computing information reduction via upscaling methods. The concept of using scaling postulates to reduce the dimensionality or amount of information in a problem is a central idea in upscaling. In this paper, we present a number of introductory examples that help illustrate the fundamental concepts and definitions of information theory. While the subject matter relates primarily to applications from hydrologic systems, the concepts are general and may be applied to upscaling in any physical system. Two more involved examples are investigated. The first examines how information content is changed by upscaling for the observable volume fraction in a heterogeneous porous material with a binary distribution of textures. In this example, we also focus on how the entropy of the data changes with increasing sample size, and how the sample size relates to the distribution of the observed volume fraction. The notion of typical sets from information theory is introduced, and a connection between this concept and the concept of a representative (elementary) volume (REV or RV) is made. In a second example, we examine similar issues related to information content, sample size, upscaling, and the distribution of the upscaled variables. To add additional concreteness to the example, we also introduce the idea of a simple utility function as a constraint for discerning among different upscaling options. This latter concept is important when the relative costs of upscaling (i.e., the loss of resolution) must be weighted against the benefits (reduction in the number of degrees of freedom). Such analyses may be important when considering upscaling options (model selection) in applications.
Long‐Term Safety and Clinical Effects of Nilotinib in Parkinson's Disease

Background Nilotinib is US Food and Drug Administration-approved for leukemia, and this open-label study investigated the safety, tolerability, and potential clinical effects of nilotinib in medically optimized patients with Parkinson's disease. Objectives Safety and tolerability were the primary objectives, and clinical outcomes were exploratory. Methods A total of 63 patients completed a 15-month phase 2, double-blind, placebo-controlled study and were rerandomized 1:1 into an open-label study of nilotinib 150 mg versus 300 mg for 12 months. Results Nilotinib was safe and tolerated, and no adverse effects seemed to be related to the drug, and no differences in adverse events were observed between groups. Exploratory clinical outcomes showed that nilotinib 300 mg was remarkably stable from baseline to 27 months using partial and total Unified Parkinson's Disease Scale (UPDRS). Nilotinib 150 mg versus 300 mg, significantly declined using partial or the sum of UPDRS Parts I and II. There was no significant difference in nilotinib 150 mg versus 300 mg using UPDRS Part III (on levodopa) and total UPDRS Parts I to III. Subgroup analysis showed that late-start nilotinib 150 mg significantly worsened using the sum of UPDRS Parts II + III and total UPDRS Parts I to III compared with late-start nilotinib 300 mg. Quality of life using the Parkinson's Disease Questionnaire in nilotinib 150 mg significantly declined between 15 and 27 months compared with nilotinib 300 mg, and there was no change in cognition using the Montreal Cognitive Assessment between groups. Conclusions This study provides evidence that nilotinib is safe and tolerated in Parkinson's disease. The exploratory clinical data will inform an adequately powered larger study to evaluate the efficacy of nilotinib 300 mg in Parkinson's disease. © 2020 The Authors. Movement Disorders published by Wiley Periodicals LLC on behalf of International Parkinson and Movement Disorder Society.
An expert-based risk ranking framework for assessing potential pathogens in the live baitfish trade.

As global trade of live animals expands, there is increasing need to assess the risks of invasive organisms, including pathogens, that can accompany these translocations. The movement and release of live baitfish by recreational anglers has been identified as a particularly high-risk pathway for the spread of aquatic diseases in the United States. To provide risk-based decision support for preventing and managing disease invasions from baitfish release, we developed a hazard identification and ranking tool to identify the pathogens that pose the highest risk to wild fish via this pathway. We created a screening protocol and semi-quantitative stochastic risk ranking framework, combining published data with expert elicitation (n = 25) and applied the framework to identify high-priority pathogens for the bait supply in Minnesota, USA. Normalized scores were developed for seven risk criteria (likelihood of transfer, prevalence in bait supply, likelihood of colonization, current distribution, economic impact if established, ecological impact if established and host species) to characterize a pathogen's ability to persist in the bait supply and cause impacts to wild fish species of concern. The generalist macroparasite Schizocotyle acheilognathi was identified as presenting highest overall threat, followed by the microsporidian Ovipleistophora ovariae, and viral haemorrhagic septicaemia virus. Our findings provide risk-based decision support for managers charged with maintaining both the recreational fishing industry and sustainable, healthy natural resources. Particularly, the identification of several high-risk but currently unregulated pathogens suggests that focusing risk management on pathogens of concern in all potential host species could reduce disease introduction risk. The ranking process, implemented here for a single state case study, provides a conceptual framework for integrating expert opinion and sparse available data that could be scaled up and applied across jurisdictions to inform risk-based management of the live baitfish pathway.
Contextualizing powerful geographic knowledge in higher education: Data-driven curriculum design to interweave student aspirations with workforce applications

This article describes a data-driven approach to contextualize geography subject matter using student aspirations and workforce data. To test this teaching strategy, undergraduate students in two w...
Postural and Head Control Given Different Environmental Contexts

Virtual reality allows for testing of multisensory integration for balance using portable Head Mounted Displays (HMDs). HMDs provide head kinematics data while showing a moving scene when participants are not. Are HMDs useful to investigate postural control? We used an HMD to investigate postural sway and head kinematics changes in response to auditory and visual perturbations and whether this response varies by context. We tested 25 healthy adults, and a small sample of people with diverse monaural hearing (n = 7), or unilateral vestibular dysfunction (n = 7). Participants stood naturally on a stable force-plate and looked at 2 environments via the Oculus Rift (abstract "stars;" busy "street") with 3 visual and auditory levels (static, "low," "high"). We quantified medio-lateral (ML) and anterior-posterior (AP) postural sway path from the center-of-pressure data and ML, AP, pitch, yaw and roll head path from the headset. We found no difference between the different combinations of "low" and "high" visuals and sounds. We then combined all perturbations data into "dynamic" and compared it to the static level. The increase in path between "static" and "dynamic" was significantly larger in the city environment for: Postural sway ML, Head ML, AP, pitch and roll. The majority of the vestibular group moved more than controls, particularly around the head, when the scenes, especially the city, were dynamic. Several patients with monaural hearing performed similar to controls whereas others, particularly older participants, performed worse. In conclusion, responses to sensory perturbations are magnified around the head. Significant differences in performance between environments support the importance of context in sensory integration. Future studies should further investigate the sensitivity of head kinematics to diagnose vestibular disorders and the implications of aging with hearing loss to postural control. Balance assessment and rehabilitation should be conducted in different environmental contexts.
Thermal atomic layer deposition of rhenium nitride and rhenium metal thin films using methyltrioxorhenium.

The growth of rhenium nitride and rhenium metal thin films is presented using atomic layer deposition (ALD) with the precursors methyltrioxorhenium and 1,1-dimethylhydrazine. Saturative, self-limiting growth was determined at 340 °C for pulse times of ≥4.0 s for methyltrioxorhenium and ≥0.1 s for 1,1-dimethylhydrazine. An ALD window was observed from 340 to 350 °C with a growth rate of about 0.60 A/cycle. Films grown at 340 °C revealed an root mean square surface roughness of 2.7 nm for a 70 nm thick film and possessed a composition of ReN0.14 with low O and C content of 1.6 and 2.6 at.%, respectively. Enhanced nucleation on in-situ grown TiN, relative to thermal SiO2, enabled a conformality of 98% on high aspect ratio trenched structures. Subjecting the ReN0.14 thin films to thermal or chemical and thermal treatments reduced the nitrogen content to ≤1.6 at.%, yielding a film purity of about 96 at.% rhenium and resistivities as low as 51 µΩ cm. The Re metal film thicknesses on the trenched structures remained intact during the post-deposition annealing treatments and the films did not delaminate from the substrate surfaces.
The regulatory gene VosA affects conidiogenesis and is involved in virulence of the fungal cereal pathogen Cochliobolus sativus

VosA is one of the four components in the velvet complex shown to be involved in regulation of fungal development and secondary metabolism in filamentous fungi. However, the function of VosA has only been studied in a few plant pathogenic fungi. In this study, we identified the ortholog (CsVosA) of VosA in the cereal spot blotch pathogen Cochliobolus sativus and generated gene knockout mutants for functional characterization of the gene. Conidia of the CsVosA knockout mutants (ΔCsVosA) lacked trehalose, were significantly reduced in viability, had less pigmentation, and showed a dramatic reduction in tolerance to heat, oxidative, and ion stresses. However, ΔCsVosA produced more conidia than the wild type under both constant dark, and constant light conditions, suggesting that CsVosA is a negative-feedback regulator in conidiation. Interestingly, the ΔCsVosA mutants exhibited a hypermorphic conidiation phenotype with indeterminate growth of the conidial tip cells resulting in head-to-tail (acropetal) arrays of conidiogenesis, indicating that some genes involved in conidiation are also regulated by CsVosA. The ΔCsVosA mutants showed significant reduction in virulence on susceptible barley plants and the two genes for nonribosomal peptide synthetases (NRPSs) involved in virulence during host infection were down-regulated in ΔCsVosA, suggesting that CsVosA may affect virulence of the fungus by regulating the expression of the genes for NRPSs, as well as other genes directly or indirectly involved in virulence.
AN EVALUATION OF ARCHITECTURAL PLATFORMS FOR PARALLEL NAVIER-STOKES COMPUTATIONS

We study the computational, communication, and scalability characteristics of a computational fluid dynamics application, which solves the time-accurate flow field of a jet using the compressible Navier-Stokes equations, on a variety of parallel architectural platforms. The platforms chosen for this study are a cluster of workstations (the LACE experimental testbed at NASA Lewis), a shared-memory multiprocessor (the CRAY Y-MP), and distributed-memory multiprocessors with different topologies (the IBM SP and the CRAY T3D). We investigate the impact of various networks connecting the cluster of workstations on the performance of the application and the overheads induced by popular message-passing libraries used for parallelization. The work also highlights the importance of matching the memory bandwidth to processor speed for good single processor performance. By studying the performance of an application on a variety of architectures, we are able to point out the strengths and weaknesses of each of the example computing platforms.
Carcinoma of the Anal Sac Glands in Ranch Mink

During a 14-year period, carcinoma of the anal sac apocrine glands was found in 52 pastel and 8 sapphire mink (Mustela vison) kept for studies on slow viral diseases. The pastel mink varied in age from 72 to 135 months (mean age 108 months), the sapphire mink from 63 to 100 months (mean age 81 months). All but one pastel mink were females. The primary tumor varied in size from masses that caused bulges in the perineum to those that were found only after microscopic examination of the anal sac glands. Although the primary tumor grew mainly by expansion with little local infiltration, 41 of the 60 tumors had metastasized to the regional lymph nodes and sometimes also to more distant sites. The striking propensity of the carcinoma to metastasize while still small, even microscopic, often resulted in massive secondary growths, notably in the iliac lymph nodes. Hypercalcemia did not accompany the carcinoma. Its varied microscopic appearance included solid, glandular, squamous cell, and spindle or round cell components. Combinations of them formed mixed or complex histologic patterns, no doubt largely attributable to neoplastic proliferation of myoepithelial cells and squamous metaplasia of the apocrine gland epithelium. Although its cause remains obscure, the carcinoma appeared to arise from small foci of hyperplastic apocrine glands, sometimes in relation to both anal sacs. The tumor is a common and distinctive expression of neoplasia in older ranch mink.
A Borohydride Reduction Method for Characterization of the Acyl Phosphate Linkage in Proteins and Its Application to Sarcoplasmic Reticulum Adenosine Triphosphatase

A new method for identification and characterization of an acyl phosphate linkage in phosphorylated proteins is presented. The method involves reductive cleavage of the acyl phosphate bond with sodium [3H]borohydride to form a labeled aminohydroxy acid residue. [3H]Borohydride reduction of the phosphorylated (Ca2+, Mg2+)-adenosine triphosphatase of sarcoplasmic reticulum, followed by analysis of the acid hydrolysate of the reduced enzyme, showed the formation of labeled homoserine. The results demonstrate that the phosphoryl group of sarcoplasmic reticulum ATPase is attached to the β-carboxyl group of an aspartyl residue at the active site.
A Comparison of the Economic Status of Working-Age Persons with Visual Impairments and Those of Other Groups

This article compares the economic status of working-age individuals with visual impairments with those with nonvisual impairments. It shows that the employment rates and mean household incomes wer...
Qué es erróneo en el consenso de Washington y qué debemos hacer

Este ensayo de Paul Davidson critica los postulados basicos y la adopcion en bloque de las diez reformas del Consenso de Washington, cuya aplicacion en los ultimos lustros ha sido desastrosa para los paises en desarrollo. Muestra que los postulados del libre cambio y algunas de las recomendaciones que se derivan de ellos (disciplina fiscal, liberalizacion de las tasas de interes, tasa de cambio competitiva, libre inversion extranjera directa y busqueda de la competitividad internacional mediante la reduccion de los salarios) no corresponden al mundo real y son enganosas y perjudiciales. Luego de revisar las consecuencias de la aplicacion en bloque de estas medidas, presenta una propuesta de reforma del sistema de pagos internacionales basada en la que Keynes presento en Breton Woods. Para terminar, comenta criticamente las propuestas de James Tobin, George Soros y Milton Friedman.
Biomass Burning: The Cycling of Gases and Particulates from the Biosphere to the Atmosphere

Biomass burning is both a process of geochemical cycling of gases and particulates from the biosphere to the atmosphere and a process of global change. Biomass burning or vegetation burning is the burning of living and dead vegetation and includes human-initiated burning and natural lightning-induced burning. The bulk of the world's biomass burning occurs in the tropics − in the tropical forests of South America and Southeast Asia and in the savannas of Africa and South America. The majority of the biomass burning, primarily in the tropics, is believed to be human initiated for land clearing and land use change. A significant amount of biomass burning occurs in the boreal forests of Russia, Canada, and Alaska.
On-the-Fly Conversion of Redundant into Conventional Representations

An algorithm to convert redundant number representations into conventional representations is presented. The algorithm is performed concurrently with the digit-by-digit generation of redundant forms by schemes such as SRT division. It has a step delay roughly equivalent to the delay of a carry-save adder and simple implementation. The conversion scheme is applicable in arithmetic algorithms such as nonrestoring division, square root, and on-line operations in which redundantly represented results are generated in a digit-by-digit manner, from most significant to least significant.
(Li)Ability Grouping: The New Susceptibility of School Tracking Systems to Legal Challenges.

In this article, Kevin Welner and Jeannie Oakes assert that educators and education advocates have developed a greater awareness of the harmful effects and pedagogical indefensibility of tracking. They also note that detracking advocates are increasingly giving litigation serious consideration in their search for policy tools to promote reform. The authors argue that courts can play an important role in advancing detracking, and that educational researchers are vital to these efforts. They survey four recent cases and discuss the presentations made by the researchers who served as experts on the cases. Then, based on their review of case law, including these recent cases, as well as their review of desegregation literature, Welner and Oakes conclude that these top-down mandates, while unlikely to achieve all of their intended goals, can play an indispensable role in initiating detracking in schools and districts where such reforms are otherwise highly unlikely.
Chain-of-rotators group contribution equation of state

Abstract A group contribution equation of state is developed from the chain-of-rotators equation and parameters for 20 groups are reported. It is shown that the new equation allows predictions with good accuracy of phase equilibrium and volumetric properties for a variety of non-polar fluids and their mixtures over wide ranges of temperature and pressure.
CHROMOSOME COMPLEMENTS OF RANA PIPIENS EMBRYOS DEVELOPING FROM EGGS INJECTED WITH PROTEIN FROM ADULT LIVER CELLS.

Abstract Fertilized eggs of Rana pipiens were injected with various amounts of protein extracted from adult liver cells of the same species. Such injected embryos generally exhibited developmental arrest at the late blastula stage. Previous work showed that nuclei of such embryos had been irreversibly changed so that they could promote development only to the beginning of gastrulation when transplanted to enucleated eggs. In the present study chromosome analyses were made at successive stages in the development of injected embryos. These analyses revealed the presence of chromosomal abnormalities such as rings, fragments, and loss of chromosomes in a large proportion of cells in stages prior to arrest. These chromosomal abnormalities may reasonably be invoked as a sufficient cause for the arrest of development.
Capital Leasing and Corporate Borrowing

ABSTRACT This paper makes two refinements to the theory of debt displacement of leasing and Incorporates then into a model of firms' debt capacity. First, the debt displacement effects of particular types of cash flows are explicitly distinguished from the displacement effects of a lease or debt transaction In toto. Second, the tax shield multiplier process originally Identified by Idol is Improved. Estimates of displacement are generated for alternative assumptions about the relationship between the present value of lease obligations and the cost of the underlying asset. For a reasonable set of parameters, we find that leasing displaces seven to twenty-one percent more debt capacity than debt finance
Evaluation of mounting mechanisms for the installation of lightweight PV systems on commercial rooftops

Lightweight PV (LPV) systems enable deployment of PV onto rooftops that are load constrained (maximum distributed load of < 3 psf). The total system weight is reduced by eliminating traditional racking components and ballasts, and by reducing the weight of modules. PVMC has surveyed lightweight PV systems for commercial rooftops that are deployed in the market today, and has broadly classified these systems as: a) Mechanical (Rigid PV clamped to metal roofs), b) Direct attach (Flex PV adhered to metal roofs), c) Sacrificial layer (Flex PV adhered to membrane roofs), and d) Plastic mold (Rigid PV clamped to membrane roofs). PVMC is developing advanced mounting concepts that incorporate emerging, light-weight and frameless PV technologies into the above classification using low cost, commercially available adhesives and clamps.
White Racial Reasoning: Rational Racism in the Perceptions of White Males:

Dans cet article, l'A se penche sur le raisonnement en terme de race aux Etats-Unis. L'A analyse ici les perceptions et les constructions de l'identite fondee sur la rapport Noir/Blanc et du concept de colorblindess, de neuf hommes blancs de la region de la Nouvelle Orleans, pour tenter de comprendre le glissment idelogique entre race et racisme
Warpage Measurement Using Projection Moire´ System and Two Automatic Image Segmentation Algorithms

Out-of-plane displacement (warpage) has been a major reliability concern for board-level electronic packaging. Printed wiring board (PWB) and component warpage results from CTE mismatch among the materials that make up the PWB assembly (PWBA). Warpage occurring during surface-mount assembly reflow processes and normal operations may lead to serious reliability problems. In this paper, a projection moire warpage measurement system and two types of automatic image segmentation algorithms were presented. In order to use the projection moire technique to separately determine the warpage of a PWB and assembled electronic packages in a PWBA, two image segmentation algorithms based on mask image models and active contour models (snakes) were developed. They were used to detect package locations in a PWBA displacement image generated by the projection moire system. The performances of the mask image and snake approaches based on their resolutions, processing rates, and measurement efficiencies were evaluated in this research. Real-time composite Hermite surface models were constructed to estimate the PWB warpage values underneath the electronic packages. The above automatic image segmentation algorithms were integrated with the projection moire system to accurately evaluate the warpage of PWBs and assembled chip packages individually.Copyright © 2007 by ASME
Innate immunity and the role of the antimicrobial peptide cathelicidin in inflammatory skin disease.

Cathelicidin antimicrobial peptide is an important mediator of the innate immune response. In addition to its potent antimicrobial activity, cathelicidin has been shown to have chemoattractant and angiogenic properties. Recent research has demonstrated that, in addition to its aforementioned functions, cathelicidin plays an important role in the complex pathogenesis of several chronic inflammatory skin diseases. This review will present a concise overview of the role of cathelicidin in infection and in the development of atopic dermatitis, psoriasis and rosacea. This understanding will direct future research efforts to identify therapeutic approaches that use cathelicidin as a novel drug itself, or aim to modify its expression and regulation.
Pulse-height defects for heavy ions in a silicon surface-barrier detector

Abstract The pulse-height vs energy response of a surface-barrier detector was measured for the ions He, C, O, Al, S, Ni, Cu, Ag, Au and U. The detector was a “heavy-ion” type, with high field strength. The ions were obtained by elastically scattering oxygen and sulfur beams on the appropriate targets. The lighter ions (up to sulfur) showed little or no pulse-height defect (PHD). Heavier ions had a significant PHD which increased with increasing energy, and their response curves were non-linear at low energies. The highest energies at which the PHD was measured were: Ni, 58 MeV; Cu, 18 MeV; Ag, 45 MeV; Au, 31 MeV; and U, 26 MeV. The total PHD is described in terms of three contributing parts: a window defect, a nuclear-stopping defect, and a residual defect, which is attributed to charge recombination. The residual defect is shown to be proportional to the difference between the electronic stopping power of the ion in silicon and a constant, in agreement with a simple model of the recombination defect. The constant is the critical value of the stopping power, below which no recombination occurs. Although there is insufficient data on which to base a practical scheme for calibrating detectors for heavy ions at the present time, some features which appear necessary to such a scheme are pointed out.