cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Ligand and solvent effects on the catalytic activity and lifetime of zwitterionic Nickel(II) catalysts for alternating CO-Ethylene copolymerization

Abstract A series of zwitterionic nickel(II) compounds with anionic diphosphine ligands having varied substituents have been synthesized and studied as catalysts for CO-ethylene copolymerization. The electron-donating abilities of the ligands are assessed on the basis of the infrared absorptions of the CO-stretching vibrations of their Ni(0) carbonyl compounds. The equilibriums between Ni(II)-methyl and Ni(II)-acetyl and 4-coordinate and 5-coordinate Ni(II)-acetyls are studied using NMR and IR spectroscopies. With respect to the catalytic performances, a certain degree of steric hindrance around the Ni(II) center is required to achieve a high polymerization activity. The steric hindrance likely disfavors the 5-coordinate catalytically dormant state. Further increased steric congestion decreases the catalytic activity. The electron-donating ability of the ligand on the catalytic activity is modest within the relatively narrow range of variation of the present study. The catalyst lifetime and overall productivity are markedly improved by the presence of o-methoxy ancillaries on the phenyl group of the ligand although the o-methoxy decreases the activity of the catalyst. A comparison of the o-methoxy- and o-methyl-substituted ligands attributes the stabilization to the coordinating ability of the o-methoxy group rather than a steric or inductive electronic origin. The present catalysts are several times faster and more productive in THF than in toluene at room temperature. The increased activity is attributable to the coordinating ability of THF as opposed to polarity. The polymer products are strictly alternating copolymers of CO and ethylene.
Professional Development With Ongoing Coaching: A Model for Improving Educators’ Implementation of Evidence-Based Practices:

Behavior skills training (BST) with ongoing coaching is an effective form of professional development that creates sustained educator practice change and improves student outcomes. We provide a mod...
A systematic review of how expertise is cultivated in instructional design coursework

For decades, researchers in our field have explored what it means to possess instructional design expertise. This systematic review provides a current synthesis of research related to cultivating expertise in instructional design coursework. A search on instructional design pedagogy and the development of expertise yielded 34 peer-reviewed articles that met the inclusion criteria for this study. The findings suggest that more research is needed on instructional strategies to strengthen instructional design students’ procedural, conditional, and conceptual knowledge domains. This study resulted in three recommendations to support the cultivation of expertise in instructional design courses.
Regulation of Acetylcholine Release During Increased Neuronal Activity

The availability of choline (Ch) in the microenvironment of the nerve terminal and its transport across the neuronal membrane may play a significant role in the dynamic regulation of acetylcholine (ACh) metabolism. However, the precise nature of, or factors involved in, the regulatory processes have not been unequivocally determined. In particular, relatively little attention has been focussed on the possibility that the mechanisms regulating the metabolism of ACh can be modified or directly influenced by the state of neuronal activity. Plasticity, the ability to alter or adapt with the immediate environment, is characteristic of numerous biological systems. Hence, it is possible that the regulatory mechanisms controlling the metabolism of ACh may vary according to the demands imposed on the neuron. In order to characterize the nature of the regulatory process(es) and elucidate the determinant effects of the availability and transport of Ch on the metabolism of ACh, we have taken into account the physiological status of the neuron. Consideration of both the supply to and the demand of the system for Ch will undoubtedly clarify the relationship between neuronal activity and possible regulatory mechanisms.
The impact of epidemics on world population prospects for the 21st century: genetic, epidemiologic and bioethical issues

New data of recent researches on genetics and epidemiology imply the idea of rapidly evolving viruses through DNA recombination, which leads to the establishment of new virus families, eventually adapted to the environmental conditions. Consequently the framework of the epidemiological studies widens, replacing the classic aspect of the bilateral virus—host coexistence.An holistic evolutionary approach, considering all the complex interrelationship among viruses, parasites and hosts, in conjugation with the environmental changes is developing.Molecular epidemiology and updated population models renew the health strategy bringing together experts from the fields of population biology, evolution and infectious diseases.The related ethical issues, which consequently emerge should be faced accordingly.
Exercise and Hypertension in the Framework of the Metabolic Syndrome

The metabolic syndrome is a clustering of several metabolic risk factors that identify individuals at risk for atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease. These metabolic risk factors include abdominal obesity, insulin resistance, impaired glucose tolerance, dyslipidemia, and elevated blood pressure. Elevated blood pressure is one of the most commonly accepted metabolic risk factors in the metabolic syndrome. The American Heart Association and the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute recommend lifestyle modifications including the promotion of physical activity and exercise for the management of the metabolic syndrome. The purposes of this chapter are to: (1) provide a history and the current definition(s) of the metabolic syndrome; (2) explain the prevalence and relation of the metabolic syndrome to mortality; (3) describe the role of exercise and hypertension in the framework of the metabolic syndrome; (4) review studies of the effects of exercise training in persons with the components of the metabolic syndrome; and (5) present recommendations for exercise prescription in individuals with the metabolic syndrome.
Piezoelectric Nanogenerators for Self‐Powered Nanosensors and Nanosystems

In the near future, a sensor network will be a key technology and economic driver for the global small electronics industry, which covers health care, environmental monitoring, infrastructure monitoring, national security, and more. Developing technologies for self-powered nanosensors is vitally important. The current technology mainly relies on rechargeable batteries. But soon micro/nanosystems will be widely used in health monitoring, infrastructure and environmental monitoring, Internet of things, and defense technologies; thus, the traditional batteries may not meet or may not be the best choice as power sources for the following reasons. First, with size of these devices constantly shrinking, the size of the total micro/nanosystems could be largely dominated by the size of the battery rather than by the devices. Second, the number and density of micro/nanosystems to be used in a sensor network could be large, thus, making replacing the batteries for these mobile devices challenging and even impractical. Lastly, the power needed to drive a micro/nanosystem is rather small, in the range of microwatt to milliwatt. To meet these technological challenges, we proposed self-powering nanotechnology in 2005, aiming at harvesting energy from the environment to power the micro/nanosystems-based sensor network. This article reviews our development of a piezoelectric nanogenerator for self-powered nanodevices and systems. The basic principle, engineering approach, and up-to-date applications of the nanogenerators will be covered. Keywords: nanogenerator; self-powered system; nanowire; ZnO; piezoelectricity
Engineering Quality Software

Producing high performing, reliable and secure software is a challenging problem in the software industry. An important element in achieving this goal lies in the automation of the software development process, which currently is primarily manual. However, progress in program specification, verification, and testing is more rapid today than ever before. At Microsoft, we have developed innovative techniques to address some of these challenges. Our techniques scale to meet the requirements of real production environments and span the whole development process from software architecture to sustained engineering. These methodologies are making huge impact in the development of Windows and other products at Microsoft. This talk focuses on the challenges in software development, describes our progress and experience, and outlines remaining problems.
360-Degree Appraisals

The central idea of a 360-degree appraisal system is to obtain performance evaluations on individual employees from multiple perspectives or sources. Keywords: 360-degree appraisal system
Designing Educational Software for International Use

AbstractThis article discusses some of the major considerations in the design of educational software for international/multicultural use. Principles to follow include: avoid hard-coding anything that will be displayed, keep all text in data files, provide editing tools with the program so that it is easy to localize, and test the program in targeted countries as early as possible. A program that is well designed for international use will likely be more successful with all users.
TOF spectra of direct recoils: II. Interaction of H2 with clean and oxidized magnesium

Abstract The interaction of gaseous hydrogen with clean and oxidized polycrystalline magnesium surfaces has been studied by time-of-flight (TOF) analysis of directly recoiled surface atoms (neutrals plus ions) produced by pulsed Ar + ion irradiation. The spectra exhibit no surface hydrogen for H 2 exposures up to 2000 L on clean magnesium, indicating that either hydrogen does not react at all or it reacts to yield a totally subsurface hydrogen product. Oxidized magnesium reacts with H 2 to yield a product with a surface stoichiometry of approximately one hydrogen to one MgO pair. The H 2 /MgO reaction kinetics fit a one-site adsorption model with H 2 sticking probability of 8 × 10 −4 . The direct recoil technique is sensitive to the structural change resulting from the reaction of hydrogen with MgO.
'To Enter or Not to Enter: That is Not the Question' Substitutable Strategies for New Party Entry

This paper makes the assumption that the founders of new parties are policy-motivated rather than office-motivated. Party formation is one of several potentially substitutable strategies for policy influence and these other options are argued to be superior to party entry under certain institutional and strategic conditions. This paper sees new party entry as one potential outcome of a broader game. This broader game is the puzzle which confronts democratic citizens who care about an issue that existing parties are ignoring. What is the most effective way for them to make their voices heard? The formal model introduced here takes new party entry as a strong signal of strength from political entrepreneurs, which increases the salience of the issue by forcing major parties to respond to a new electoral threat. The model also examines how under different institutional, strategic, and sociological circumstances, interest group entry may surpass party entry as the optimal signal to major parties that an issue requires attention.
Some Aspects of B Decays

We briefly discuss measurements of angles β and α of the Unitarity triangle. We then review rate asymmetries using SU(3) relationships in the standard model. Some methods to measure angle γ using SU(3) are then discussed. We note that rate for b → sγ can be used to set limits on extra dimensions in which standard model particles propagate.
A Case Study Of Unintended Consequences Of Teams

Teams have been widely proclaimed to be the panacea of corporations. Many teams have been very effective. And the role of organizational culture is critical in providing an appropriate supportive environment for fostering team performance. This paper presents a case study describing a successful and effective team development process and a modified organization culture consistent with and necessary for high team performance and member satisfaction. It describes three stages of interaction as a consequence of a clash of radically different cultures. This study highlights unintended social and political consequences a team development process had on non-team members in a broader organizational context.
Software release management: a business perspective

Increasing competition in the software industry, constantly changing customer needs, along with the usual problems associated with software maintenance, have made timing of a new software release extremely important for the success of a software vendor in the market place. Once the base release of a software is introduced in the market, based on the customers experience, a number of new features and enhancements are identified. Moreover, the complexity of maintaining the software increases over time because of the increase in the installed customer base and change in the entropy of the system. This paper proposes an economic model to capture the various tradeoffs involved in software release decisions and further discusses methods to obtain optimal software release time. Also investigated are the potential effects of factors related to the software development process, product characteristics such as size and the changing market needs on the optimal time of software product introduction.
System-Level Vibration Testing of Physical Hardware Components Using Real-Time Hybrid Substructuring

Real-time hybrid substructuring (RTHS) is a relatively new method of vibration testing for characterizing the system-level performance of physical hardware components. With RTHS, a dynamic system is partitioned into physical and numerical substructures and interfaced together in real-time similar to hardware-in-the-loop testing. This paper presents an overview of RTHS including the challenges posed by its real-time constraints and the application to system-level testing of physical vibration control devices and mechanical equipment. Two laboratory RTHS experiments performed at the University of Connecticut Structures Research Laboratory are used to demonstrate the benefit of RTHS. The first test examines the connected control method using viscous damper hardware as the physical substructure coupled to adjacent base isolation systems as the numerical substructure. The second test involves a multi-stage isolation system comprised of an operating mechanical component on isolators as the physical substructure coupled to an intermediate mass on similar isolators as the numerical substructure. In these RTHS tests, feedforward inverse compensation combined with feedback is used to compensate the frequency-dependent dynamics of the multi-actuator system. Experimental results demonstrate that RTHS accurately captures the system-level behavior of the coupled system and allows for repeatable tests of various conditions and potential system improvements to be efficiently examined.Copyright © 2015 by ASME
QUANTUM CONFINEMENT EFFECTS ENABLE PHOTOCATALYZED NITRATE REDUCTION AT NEUTRAL PH USING CDS NANOCRYSTALS

Size-quantized CdS nanocrystals serve as photocatalysts for nitrate reduction at neutral pH under conditions that mimic illumination by sunlight with overall product quantum yields of up to 4% for ...
Hierarchical crack patterns: a comparison with two-dimensional soap foams

Crack patterns, as they appear in the glaze of ceramics or in desiccated gels, are the result of the frustrated shrinkage of a material layer. In contrast to two-dimensional soap foams, the space dividing crack pattern shows an apparent geometrical hierarchy. It is the result of the successive formation of the fractures and the absence of reorganization phenomena. Guided by common concepts in foams, we introduce the genealogical tree of cell division as the description of the topological structure of the crack pattern. Using this concept, we demonstrate that the domains in the hierarchical crack pattern must have in average four sides. We combine then the dual graph used in the context of foams and the introduced genealogical tree for the cracks and propose a general framework of these kinds of patterns.
Recovery of neurological function despite immediate sleep disruption following diffuse brain injury in the mouse: clinical relevance to medically untreated concussion.

STUDY OBJECTIVE We investigated the relationship between immediate disruption of posttraumatic sleep and functional outcome in the diffuse brain-injured mouse. DESIGN Adult male C57BL/6 mice were subjected to moderate midline fluid percussion injury (n = 65; 1.4 atm; 6-10 min righting reflex time) or sham injury (n = 44). Cohorts received either intentional sleep disruption (minimally stressful gentle handling) or no sleep disruption for 6 h following injury. Following disruption, serum corticosterone levels (enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay) and posttraumatic sleep (noninvasive piezoelectric sleep cages) were measured. For 1-7 days postinjury, sensorimotor outcome was assessed by Rotarod and a modified Neurological Severity Score (NSS). Cognitive function was measured using Novel Object Recognition (NOR) and Morris water maze (MWM) in the first week postinjury. SETTING Neurotrauma research laboratory. MEASUREMENTS AND RESULTS Disrupting posttraumatic sleep for 6 h did not affect serum corticosterone levels or functional outcome. In the hour following the first dark onset, sleep-disrupted mice exhibited a significant increase in sleep; however, this increase was not sustained and there was no rebound of lost sleep. Regardless of sleep disruption, mice showed a time-dependent improvement in Rotarod performance, with brain-injured mice having significantly shorter latencies on day 7 compared to sham. Further, brain-injured mice, regardless of sleep disruption, had significantly higher NSS scores postinjury compared with sham. Cognitive behavioral testing showed no group differences among any treatment group measured by MWM and NOR. CONCLUSION Short-duration disruption of posttraumatic sleep did not affect functional outcome, measured by motor and cognitive performance. These data raise uncertainty about posttraumatic sleep as a mechanism of recovery from diffuse brain injury.
An operator onL pwithout best compact approximation

We construct, for 1<p<∞,p ≠ 2, an operator onL pwhose distance to the space of compact operators onL pis not attained. We also show that the identity operator onL p,p ≠ 1,2, ∞ has a unique best compact approximation.
Shear-induced vascular adaptations: therapeutic insights and heterogeneity throughout the arterial tree.

A recent study by Green et al. (2010) published in The Journal of Physiology examined the novel hypothesis that repeated skin heating improves cutaneous microvascular vasodilator function via a shear stress-dependent mechanism. Local heating of both forearms to 42°C (via water immersion) was applied to 10 healthy men for 30 min, 3 times per week for 8 weeks. During the immersion sessions, skin blood flow and, presumably shear stress, were cleverly manipulated in one arm by inflation of a proximal forearm cuff to 100 mmHg, while the other arm remained uncuffed. To assess microvascular adaptations a local heating protocol was used that elicits vasodilatation through largely nitric oxide-dependent mechanisms (Kellogg et al. 1999). After repeated bouts of limb heating, the cutaneous vascular response to acute local heating was increased in the uncuffed arm (i.e. the arm with the greatest chronic increase in shear), whereas it remained unchanged in the cuffed arm. The results of Green et al. (2010) represent the first data that support the hypothesis of shear-induced endothelial adaptations in the human skin circulation. Without diminishing the significance of the data presented by Green et al. (2010), it is important to recognize that assumptions about the microcirculatory shear profile on the basis of blood flow estimates have not been validated. At present it is unclear how changes in microvascular diameter and blood velocity during forearm heating translate to alterations in shear stress in the skin circulation, and laser Doppler flowmetry is incapable of yielding this information (particularly for microvascular diameter). Nevertheless, the findings of Green et al. provide insight into at least two exciting areas of cardiovascular physiology.
Response to Letter Regarding Article, “TASER Electronic Control Devices Can Cause Cardiac Arrest in Humans”

More than 40 years ago, we demonstrated summation and voltage dependency in the atrioventricular node.1 When the manuscript reviewer asked for P values, senior author Gordon Moe said, “Unequivocal demonstration of an event establishes unequivocally that it happens. We don’t need to sacrifice more rabbits to show how often it happens.” In his letter, Dr Sheridan agrees that 1 study2 has unequivocally shown cardiac capture at 240 bpm for 10 seconds in a human with an experimental TASER model. (To the best of my knowledge, TASER has never revealed the specifications of that model and the differences, if any, between it …
The Phenol–Croton Oil Peel Was Originally Investigated in the 1980s

DR. LARSON RESPONDS On behalf of Drs. Karmo and Hetter, I would like to thank Dr. Brody for providing references to the two previously published articles by Dr. Stegman. In our abstract,1 we stated that there were “no animal studies to confirm [the previous] clinical observations” of Dr. Hetter, our coauthor, thereby establishing the purpose of our animal study. As might be inferred from our paper, we did not …
Temperature reduction in neonatal mice: Effects on later behavior

The effects of body temperature reduction in neonatal C57BL/6J mice were studied in 2 experiments. Experiment I investigated the development of the thermoregulatory response of mice from 1 to 15 days of age in their nest and in an ambient environment of 22°C. The experimental conditions could then be specified to produce body temperature reduction of either 5 or 10°C for 10 min from day 1 through 15. In Experiment 2, effects of these body temperature reductions at day 1 to 5, 6 to 10, or 11 to 15 on subsequent behavior at 30 and 70 days of age were studied. Three control groups (handled, non-temperature maintained; handled, temperature maintained; and nonhandled) were treated at the same age periods. Behavioral tests were open field, water runway, water maze (preference) and single-alternation problem, and water submersion. No consistent behavioral effects could be attributed to body temperature reduction or to age at treatment in infancy. Mice receiving body temperature reduction of 5 and 10°C, or handling (with or without body temperature reduction) behaved differently from nontreated subjects on latency and activity measures in an open field; on the latency measure in the water maze (preference) test; on the errors and days to criterion measures in the single-alternation water maze; and in time-to-submersion in water. The behavioral alterations of the treated groups could be interpreted to represent reduced emotionality, and improved performance and learning ability resulting from the neonatal experiences.
Leveraging new SEMI standard to reduce waste and improve flow for semicoductor manufacturing

A successful cutting-edge semiconductor manufacturer applies Lean principles with the goal set on perfecting its operation flow. In 2007 SEMI adopted a new standard E94-1107 that breaks the dependency between carrier and lot for processing wafers and formally introduces material redirection, which creates several opportunities for waste reductions and improved WIP handling. As depicted from simulations, the new standard is impacting several KPIs including throughput, cycle time, yield, and Just-In-Time customer response. This paper discusses different lean optimizations leveraging the new standard. Some tools require loading of many wafers simultaneously to achieve a high throughput. Although with reducing lot sizes, takt time can be improved, the sequential nature of these tools become limited by the number of load ports and thus have a negative impact on the equipment effectiveness. Before the new standard implementation, no carrier could be removed from load ports during processing to allow other carriers to load or unload wafers leaving the ports blocked. With this change, we can now remove the carrier from the Load Port after unloading wafers into the tool to allow filling the tool with the optimum number of wafers. Over the years, numerous lean manufacturing studies have been performed in terms of determining the correct lot size (number of wafers in a lot) to meet the Just-In-Time targets. Simulation runs demonstrate that smaller lots have up to 33% and 50% improved cycle time for batch tools and single wafer tools, respectively. Based on fluctuations in demand, there may not only be a need to speed up, but also to slow down production quickly. All these have direct correlation with scheduling of right sized lots (dynamic lot sizing), carefully planned delivery of carriers for processing and improved pull production techniques.
Spectral performance evaluation of parallel processing systems

Abstract The aim of this paper is that spectral determinants are objects that can be effectively used as a performance prediction tool for the modern parallel processing systems. In the aim to confirm this we give the matrix representation of the linear evolution operator of the certain class of parallel processing systems. An explicit polynomial expression of the corresponding spectral determinant has been established and eigenvalues were computed. Derived eigenvalues were validated against the results of the simulation. The strong agreement between computed results and those obtained through the simulation has been found.
Polymeric electro-optic phase modulator for broadband data transmission

Polymeric traveling-wave phase modulators have been fabricated to assess the applicability of organic devices as the external modulating elements in coherent optical communication systems. The organic nonlinear optical material in our device was a PMMA-DR1 pendant side-chain polymer. The electrode geometry, used to drive the 1 cm long active region, consisted of a microstrip electrode on top of a poled single transverse mode channel waveguide made by photobleaching at a visible wavelength. This modulator, for which a 3 dB bandwidth in excess of 1 GHz has been demonstrated, was used to transmit a color television signal in a simulated communication system operating at 1.32 micrometers .
A computational normative theory of scientific evidence

Abstract A scientific reasoning system makes decisions using objective evidence in the form of independent experimental trials, propositional axioms, and constraints on the probabilities of events. I propose a collection of algorithms that derive probability intervals and estimate conditional probabilities from objective evidence in those forms. This reasoning system can manage uncertainty about data and rules in a rule-based expert system. I expect that the system will be particularly applicable to diagnosis and analysis in domains with a wealth of experimental evidence such as medicine. The algorithms currently apply to systems with arbitrary amounts of experimental evidence but with less than 20 variables. I discuss limitations of this solution and propose future directions for this research. This work can be considered a generalization of Nilsson's “probabilistic logic” to intervals and experimental observations.
Time dependence of cell voltage during electrolysis of K2SiF6-KF-LiF melts

Abstract When silicon was electrodeposited at constant current from solutions of K2SiF6 in the KF-LiF eutectic at 750 °C, an initial inflection and plateau at 1.5 ± 0.1 V was followed by a sudden increase in cell voltage with time to 2.6 ± 0.1 V. This increase is attributed to a change in the anodic process from predominantly CO2 to CF4 evolution, and is caused by traces of moisture in the fluoride baths. The significance of these results, with reference to molten salt purification and improvement in the morphology of the silicon electrodeposit, is discussed.
On Simultaneous Diophantine Approximation in the Vector Space Q+Qα☆

Abstract Beginning with an improvement to Dirichlet's Theorem on simultaneous approximation, in this paper we introduce an alogrithm, in sympathy with the classical continued fraction algorithm, to generate the sequence of best approximates to the system max{‖ α 0 n ‖, ‖ α 1 n ‖, …, ‖ α L n ‖} in the case when α 0 , α 1 , …, α L are elements of the vector space Q + Q α . We then produce best possible upper bounds for the associated diophantine inequality. In addition, we consider implications within the geometry of numbers and investigate the converse of the sharpened version of Dirichlet's result. Finally, we close with some remarks on the Littlewood Conjecture in this context.
MIMO capacity and multipath scaling in ultra-wideband channels

Generalising previous results for narrowband multiple-antenna channels, a quadratic growth in multipath with the array size is reported for ultra-wideband indoor channels, based on experimental analysis. It is shown that the observed increase in multipath is sufficient to guarantee multiple-antenna capacity growth linearly with the array size, facilitating multi-gigabit future wireless systems.
Patency following microsurgical vasoepididymostomy and vasovasostomy : temporal considerations

AbstractPurpose: We evaluate the temporal parameters of patency following vasoepididymostomy and vasovasostomy.Materials and Methods: A series of consecutive and concurrent vasoepididymostomies (100) and vasovasostomies (100) performed by a single surgeon (M. G.) was reviewed.Results: Patency rates following vasoepididymostomy and vasovasostomy were 65 percent and 99 percent, respectively (p less than 0.001). Motile sperm were observed at a mean of 5.8 plus/minus 0.8 months (standard error) following vasoepididymostomy and 2.1 plus/minus 0.2 months following vasovasostomy (p less than 0.01). Late failure rates were 21 percent for vasoepididymostomy and 12 percent for vasovasostomy. Pregnancy rates following vasoepididymostomy and vasovasostomy were 21 percent and 52 percent, respectively.Conclusions: Patency is rapid following vasovasostomy but requires 12 or more months following vasoepididymostomy. Intervention for azoospermia is appropriate 6 months after vasovasostomy and 1 year after vasoepididymosto...
Effect of tranexamic acid incorporated in fibrin sealant clots on the cell behavior of neuronal and nonneuronal cells.

Fibrin sealants are commonly used for hemostasis following surgery on various types of tissues. Aprotinin, an effective fibrinolysis inhibitor, is one of the components in some fibrin sealant products currently available. Tranexamic acid (tAMCHA) is another fibrinolysis inhibitor and is used as an alternative to aprotinin. Recent studies on fibrin sealant products containing tAMCHA indicate that it may be responsible for various adverse reactions when used in neurological applications. To determine a possible mechanism for such adverse reactions, we examined the effect of tAMCHA on the behavior of neuronal and nonneuronal cells using in vitro assays. The data indicate that different concentrations of tAMCHA incorporated in fibrin clots had no effect on the initial cell adhesion of either proliferative cells (glial cells and fibroblasts) or nonproliferative cells (neuronal cells) to the fibrin clots. Moreover, a high concentration of tAMCHA (300–450 mM) incorporated in the fibrin clots increased glial and fibroblast proliferation on fibrin clots. However, because tAMCHA is known to leach out of the fibrin clots, we have also examined the effect of solubilized tAMCHA in a growth medium on cells seeded on matrix-coated surfaces. A high concentration (300–450 mM) of tAMCHA detached all cell types from matrix-coated dishes. Our model suggests that tAMCHA in fibrin clots has no adverse effect on cells bound to the fibrin clots; however, tAMCHA leaching out from the fibrin clots reduces adhesion of adjacent cells bound to their natural extracellular matrix. Thus, a high concentration of tAMCHA should not be used as a fibrinolysis inhibitor in fibrin sealant products, especially in neurosurgery. © 2003 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
A critique of the present and proposed strategies for redistributing resources in the health sector and a discussion of alternatives.

This paper is divided into three parts. The first contains a brief description of the past and present distribution of physicians in the United States 1) by levels of care in the four United States census regions, 2) by community size in the nation, 3) by areas, according to the median income of the population in areas within an Eastern state, and 4) by the four main sections of a metropolitan region in that Eastern state, i.e., the business district, the inner city, the middle city, and the suburbs. Past and present distribution of physicians is analyzed, and it is shown that there is an increase in secondary and tertiary care physicians and a decline in primary care ones, with a growing concentration of physicians in the larger communities, in the wealthier areas, and in the suburbs. In part two, it is postulated that the present strategies for change based on the “market” ideology implicit in most types of health legislation (CHP, RMP, PSRO, HMO, COLC, HCRC, and others) will not correct, but may strengthen, the maldistribution. Indeed, these pieces of legislation respond to different constituencies that make up the main loci of economic and political power in the health sector. It is postulated that it is precisely these loci of power that are the cause (rather than merely a symptom) of the maldistribution of resources. In part three, alternative strategies for change are presented, with recommendations for 1) shifting the planning and regulatory powers over the health sector from the private to the public sector, and 2) democratization of health institutions, with control of these institutions by elected representatives of both those who work in them and those in the communities who are served by them. The possibilities of adopting these strategies in this country are discussed in the light of some international experience, and with consideration of the present economic and political realities of the United States.
Improved constraints on an axion-mediated force.

Low mass pseudoscalars, such as the axion, can mediate macroscopic parity and time-reversal symmetry-violating forces. We searched for such a force between polarized electrons and unpolarized atoms using a novel, magnetically unshielded torsion pendulum. We improved the laboratory bounds on this force by more than 10 orders of magnitude for pseudoscalars heavier than 1 meV and have constrained this force over a broad range of astrophysically interesting masses ($10\text{ }\text{ }\ensuremath{\mu}\mathrm{eV}$ to 10 meV).
A Manned Systems Simulator for Design and Research

This paper describes the Integrated Manned Systems Simulator (IMSS), which is a Convair division laboratory tool for optimizing displays, controls, and vehicle dynamics in manned aerospacecraft. The focus of the simulator is a psychologically acceptable replica of a spacecraft's flight deck, complete with instruments, controls, and out-of-the-window view. The simulator can also be used to check out control and display hardware as it becomes available during the development of a manned-flight project, to check out the operation of the various vehicle subsystems which have interfaces with the crew, and to study man's role in aerospace flight. The IMSS, capable of simulating most space-vehicle operations, is company-owned and is housed in a 5,000-square-foot building of its own. Principal elements are a modular flight deck, a unique visual environment generation system (using fine-line monochrome TV), a data station for recording and displaying test results in real time, and computing facilities (analog, hybrid, and digital), which are available as needed by means of a set of land lines. The flight deck may be enclosed in nearby or remote, speciallybuilt enclosures or in the simulator's quiet room. Intended to be a design and research tool, IMSS is not a trainer, though it could be so used. Consequently, flight deck configurations for different studies are expected to draw heavily on the simulator's kit of modular parts. The flight deck is of the fixed-base type.
A versatile apparatus to study the vapor pressures and heats of vaporization of carbazole, 9-fluorenone and 9-hydroxyfluorene at elevated temperatures

Abstract A versatile, high-temperature static vapor-pressure apparatus to measure the vapor pressures of both normally liquid and normally solid condensed-ring hydrocarbons of high-molecular-weight is described. This apparatus has been used to study the vapor pressures and heats of vaporization of three polynuclear aromatic compounds (carbazole, 9-fluorenone and 9-hydroxyfluorene) with vapor pressures in the range 1–1000 mm H g over the elevated temperature range 425–645 K. The above-mentioned three compounds are the homomorphic compounds of fluorene, a familiar coal-derived liquid component. The measured vapor pressures have been fitted to Chebyshev polynomials. The Clapeyron equation has been used to evaluate the heats of vaporization of all three compounds from their respective detailed values of d P /d T , the compressibility factors for the saturated vapors and liquids, the acentric factors and the estimated critical constants.
Genome-wide linkage study of atopic dermatitis in West Highland White Terriers

Canine atopic dermatitis (AD) is a common, heritable, chronic allergic skin condition prevalent in the West Highland White Terrier (WHWT). In canine AD, environmental allergens trigger an inflammatory response causing visible skin lesions and chronic pruritus that can lead to secondary bacterial and yeast infections. The disorder shares many of the clinical and histopathological characteristics of human AD and represents an animal model of this disorder that could be used to further elucidate genetic causes of human AD. Microsatellite markers genotyped in families of WHWTs affected with AD were used to perform a genome-wide linkage study in order to isolate chromosomal regions associated with the disorder. Blood samples and health questionnaires were collected from 108 WHWTs spanning three families. A linkage simulation using these 108 dogs showed high power to detect a highly penetrant mutation. Ninety WHWTs were genotyped using markers from the Minimal Screening Set 2 (MSS-2). Two hundred and fifty six markers were informative and were used for linkage analysis. Using a LOD score of 2.7 as a significance threshold, no chromosomal regions were identified with significant linkage to AD. LOD scores greater than 1.0 were located in a 56 cM region of chromosome 7. The study was unable to detect any chromosomal regions significantly linked to canine AD. This could be a result of factors such as environmental modification of phenotype, incorrect assignment of phenotype, a mutation of low penetrance, or incomplete genome coverage. A genome-wide SNP association study in a larger cohort of WHWTs may prove more successful by providing higher density coverage and higher statistical power.
The energy–water nexus: are there tradeoffs between residential energy and water consumption in arid cities?

Water scarcity, energy consumption, and air temperature regulation are three critical resource and environmental challenges linked to urban population growth. While appliance efficiency continues to increase, today’s homes are larger and residents are using more energy-consuming devices. Recent research has often described the energy–water nexus as a “tradeoff” between energy and water due to reduced temperatures resulting from irrigated vegetation. Accordingly, some arid cities have implemented landscape-conversion programs that encourage homeowners to convert their yards from grass (mesic) to drought-tolerant (xeric) landscapes to help conserve water resources. We investigated these relationships in Phoenix, Arizona by examining energy and water data for the summer months of June–September 2005 while temperature variability was analyzed from a local heat wave. Results show parallel consumption patterns with energy and water use strongly correlated and newer homes using more of both. The counterintuitive findings show that “drought-resistant” models may not be beneficial for community health, environment, or economics and that this issue is further complicated by socio-economic variables.
DETERMINATION OF CARBONATE SATURATION OF SEAWATER WITH A CARBONATE SATUROMETER1

A mathematical model has been established for the implementation of the Weyl saturometcr, to obtain quantitative data on the degree of saturation (IP: K’sp) of calcite an d aragonite to within &2% when the chlorinity and pH of the measured seawater arc known. The method also enables carbonate alkalinity to be estimated to within &lo% of values obtained by titration. Nomograms are given for the determination of degree saturation and total CO, for seawater of known pH, where a change in potential has been measured after exposing a calibrated glass electrode to a slurry of calcium carbonate in the original seawater.
Age and deformation of Early Proterozoic quartzites in the southern Lake Superior region: Implications for extent of foreland deformation during final assembly of Laurentia

Bedrock mineral cooling dates in the southern Lake Superior region establish a sharp ca. 1630 Ma thermal front that separates basement having typical post-Penokean (1750–1700 Ma) cooling ages to the north from basement having thermally reset (≤ 1630 Ma) ages to the south. The thermal front coincides spatially with an apparent deformational front in overlying post-Penokean quartzites. Subhorizontal quartzite north (Barron, northwest Wisconsin) and west (Sioux, Minnesota) of the front and highly folded quartzite south of the front (Flambeau, northwest Wisconsin) all yield ion microprobe (single-grain, single-spot) 207 Pb/ 206 Pb detrital zircon ages as young as 1750 Ma (but none younger than 1714 Ma). The new detrital zircon dates and the thermal-deformational front together with other geologic information suggest that these quartzites were all deposited between 1750 Ma and 1630 Ma. This study provides the first good structural evidence that deformation accompanied the long-recognized but enigmatic 1630 Ma low-grade, thermal-metamorphic event in the southern Lake Superior region. We interpret the strong compressional deformation exhibited in the Early Proterozoic quartzite bodies throughout much of Wisconsin to reflect foreland deformation associated with the assembly of southern Laurentia during the ca. 1650 Ma Mazatzal orogeny.
Simulation input modeling: a flexible automated procedure for modeling complex arrival processes

To automate the multiresolution procedure of Kuhl and Wilson for modeling and simulating arrival processes that exhibit long-term trends and nested periodic effects (such as daily, weekly, and monthly cycles), we present a statistical-estimation method that involves the following steps at each resolution level corresponding to a basic cycle: (a) transforming the cumulative relative frequency of arrivals within the cycle (for example, the percentage of all arrivals as a function of the day of the week within the weekly cycle) to obtain a statistical model with normal, constant-variance responses; (b) fitting a specially formulated polynomial to the transformed responses; (c) performing a likelihood ratio test to determine the degree of the fitted polynomial; and (d) fitting a polynomial of the degree determined in (c) to the original (untransformed) responses. An example demonstrates web-based software that implements this flexible approach to handling complex arrival processes.
Maintenance of a Phloem-Inhabiting Guild

A guild composed of bark beetles (Coleoptera: Scolytidae) and the southern pine sawyer, Monochamus titillator (F.) (Coleoptera: Cerambycidae), occurring in pine phloem was studied. The goal of this study was to examine interactions between bark beetles and M. titillator that may be involved in maintaining guild structure. M. titillator potentially can cause significant bark beetle mortality. Mortality to the bark beetles was low because the bark beetles had little direct contact with M. titillator. Dendroctonus frontalis Zimmermann larvae avoided M. titillator by migrating to the outer bark, whereas Ips avulsus (Eichhoff) and I. calligraphus (Germar) developed rapidly and emerged from the tree before the phloem was foraged heavily by M. titillator . The fact that the bark beetles have little direct contact with M. titillator is enough to maintain the bark beetles' presence in this guild. In contrast, commensalism, through the expansion of M. titillator's resource base caused by bark beetle activity, seems to be important in maintaining M. titillator's place.
Pretreatment with Δ9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) increases cocaine-stimulated activity in adolescent but not adult male rats

Marijuana (Cannabis sativa) remains one of the most widely used illegal drugs, with adolescents being particularly vulnerable to its use and abuse. In spite of this, most studies are conducted in adult animals even though the effects might be quite different in adolescents. Additionally, the use of marijuana often precedes the use of other psychoactive drugs including cocaine, especially when marijuana exposure begins during early adolescence. The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of repeated Δ9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), the major active ingredient in marijuana, in adolescents compared to adults and to determine its subsequent effects on cocaine-stimulated activity. To this end, adolescent (postnatal day PND 34) and adult (PND 66) rats were administered 3 mg/kg/day THC for 8 days and locomotor activity was measured on days 1, 2, 7 and 8 after dosing. On day 12 (4 days after the last dose of THC), rats were injected with escalating doses of cocaine and behavior was recorded. Results show that THC depressed locomotor activity in adult rats but not in adolescents. However, following a cocaine challenge, adolescents exposed to THC showed increased locomotor responses to cocaine compared to chronic vehicle-injected controls. This was not seen in adults. These results show that the effects of cocaine are enhanced after THC in adolescents, but not adults, and that this might account for the greater transition to cocaine after early, as opposed to later, marijuana use.