cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Age Constraints on Gulf of Mexico Deep Water Ventilation as Determined by 14C Measurements

While the exchange of water through Yucatan Strait is reasonably well known, the age of the deep water in both the Caribbean Sea and Gulf of Mexico is not. We recently measured the radiocarbon (14C) concentrations in deep water in the Gulf of Mexico from a line of stations along 90°30′W. The mean apparent age of water below 900 m, the depth of the Florida Strait sill, was found to be about 740 yr relative to the 1950 14C standard. Depending on how the corrections for biological activity in the upper water are applied, this converts to a “true” age of between 231 ± 28 and 293 ± 74 yr. These ages agree with a previous estimate of the age of the deep water in the Gulf of Mexico based on heat flows, put upper limits on the age of the deep water in the Caribbean Sea, and provide constraints on modelers for the return of deep water from the Gulf of Mexico to the Caribbean. This might be important in the event of a future deep water oil or other chemical spill in the region.
Speed-Dial: A Surrogate Mouse for Non-Visual Web Browsing

Sighted people can browse the Web almost exclusively using a mouse. This is because web browsing mostly entails pointing and clicking on some element in the web page, and these two operations can be done almost instantaneously with a computer mouse. Unfortunately, people with vision impairments cannot use a mouse as it only provides visual feedback through a cursor. Instead, they are forced to go through a slow and tedious process of building a mental map of the web page, relying primarily on a screen reader's keyboard shortcuts and its serial audio readout of the textual content of the page, including metadata. This can often cause content and cognitive overload. This paper describes our Speed-Dial system which uses an off-the-shelf physical Dial as a surrogate for the mouse for non-visual web browsing. Speed-Dial interfaces the physical Dial with the semantic model of a web page, and provides an intuitive and rapid access to the entities and their content in the model, thereby bringing blind people's browsing experience closer to how sighted people perceive and interact with the Web. A user study with blind participants suggests that with Speed-Dial they can quickly move around the web page to select content of interest, akin to pointing and clicking with a mouse.
Platform Ecosystems and Technological Innovation: The Complementor’s View

Rather than focus on a single technology or subsystem, recent research examines innovation from the perspective of an entire ecosystem. Within platform ecosystems in particular, the literature sugg...
Effect of plant protein-polysaccharide complexes produced by mano-thermo-sonication and pH-shifting on the structure and stability of oil-in-water emulsions

Abstract This study was performed to develop a protein-polysaccharide complex system with protein nano-aggregates produced by a new MTS + pH shifting method to address the low solubility problem of the protein near pI, to examine the functional properties of the complexes, and to investigate the properties of emulsions produced by the protein-polysaccharide complexes. The physicochemical (e.g., solubility, surface hydrophobicity, free sulfhydryl, and disulfide bond (S S) content), interfacial (e.g., rheology), and emulsifying properties (e.g., droplet size, turbidity, emulsion stability, and emulsion activity indexes) of the protein-polysaccharide complexes were examined. The protein-polysaccharide complexes exhibited improved solubility around pI. Among all the treatments, the PPI & modified starch complexes showed better functional properties than the others. The emulsions from the protein-polysaccharide complex were shown to be stable during a 40-day storage. The emulsions also provided good protection of oil droplets against oxidation. Industrial relevance The new protein-polysaccharide complex system and the microemulsions produced by the complexes may provide a good delivery system for the protection and delivery of hydrophobic bioactive compounds for the production of liquid food products, including acidic products, with enhanced nutritional values.
Self-Assembly, Catalysis and Electron Transfer with Metalloporphyrins in Phospholipid Membranes

The design and assembly of synthetic hemes in a model membrane is described. A synthetic porphyrin with four steroidal appendages has been designed to bind to phospholipid membranes. The iron and manganese derivatives of this porphyrin are selective catalysts for the epoxidation of olefins and the hydroxylation of saturated carbon centers. Regioselectivity is imposed by the restricted motion of the substrates and catalyst in the lipid environment. Electron transfer reactions to and from this membrane-embedded porphyrin have also been explored. It is shown that ferricytochrome c is recruited to the membrane surface through ionic interactions with the anionic zinc porphyrin to form a protein-molecule complex. Electron transfer among various components in this membrane ensemble suggest a medium-mediated process through multiple pathways over a distance of ca. 23 A.
A Sweep-Frequency Electromagnetic Exploration Method

A prototype sweep-frequency electromagnetic system has been developed and field-tested. The system, housed in a moving ground vehicle, operates in transit with a loop-loop transmitter and receiver configuration. The transmitter produces logarithmically sweeping harmonic waves between 500 Hz and 100 kHz lasting a few seconds at a maximum output of about 2kW. Secondary field amplitude and phase spectra are measured, digitised and stacked several times to enhance the signal-to-noise ratio before being transcribed on a disk storage. The entire operational cycle is automated and controlled by an on-board microcomputer. The resultant data are displayed as continuous spectral profiles as a function of distance which may be interpreted as a cross-sectional conductivity structure of the earth in the survey area. Theoretical studies involving several simple models, including a conductive circular cylinder in a conductive half-space, and a horizontally layered earth, suggest that there exist many intuitive correlations between a given geological model and its spectral profile. Laboratory-scale model experiments using a sweep-frequency source also support theoretical predictions of the spectral behaviours.
High Performance Computing Trends and Self Adapting Numerical Software

In last 50 years, the field of scientific computing has undergone rapid change – we have experienced a remarkable turnover of technologies, architectures, vendors, and the usage of systems. Despite all these changes, the long-term evolution of performance seems to be steady and continuous, following Moore’s Law rather closely. In 1965 Gordon Moore one of the founders of Intel, conjectured that the number of transistors per square inch on integrated circuits would roughly double every year. It turns out that the frequency of doubling is not 12 months, but roughly 18 months [8]. Moore predicted that this trend would continue for the foreseeable future. In Figure 1, we plot the peak performance over the last five decades of computers that have been called “supercomputers.” A broad definition for a supercomputer is that it is one of the fastest computers currently available. They are systems that provide significantly greater sustained performance than that available from mainstream computer systems. The value of supercomputers derives from the value of the problems they solve, not from the innovative technology they showcase. By performance we mean the rate of execution for floating point operations. Here we chart KFlop/s (Kilo-flop/s, thousands of floating point operations per second), MFlop/s (Maga-flop/s, millions of floating point operations per second), GFlop/s (Gega-flop/s, billions of floating point operations per second), TFlop/s (Tera-flop/s, trillions of floating point operations per second), and PFlop/s (Peta-flop/s, 1000 trillions of floating point operations per second). This chart shows clearly how well this Moore’s Law has held over almost the complete lifespan of modern computing – we see an increase in performance averaging two orders of magnitude every decade.
Correction: Identification of 613 new loci associated with heel bone mineral density and a polygenic risk score for bone mineral density, osteoporosis and fracture.

Low bone mineral density (BMD) leads to osteoporosis, and is a risk factor for bone fractures, including stress fractures. Using data from UK Biobank, a genome-wide association study identified 1,362 independent SNPs that clustered into 899 loci of which 613 are new. These data were used to train a genetic algorithm using 22,886 SNPs as predictors and showing a correlation with heel bone mineral density of 0.415. Combining this genetic algorithm with height, weight, age and sex resulted in a correlation with heel bone mineral density of 0.496. Individuals with low scores (2.2% of total) showed a change in BMD of -1.16 T-score units, an increase in risk for osteoporosis of 17.4 fold and an increase in risk for fracture of 1.87 fold. Genetic predictors could assist in the identification of individuals at risk for osteoporosis or fractures.
Unraveling Pattern-Based Mechanics Defining Self-Organized Recurrent Behaviors in a Complex System: A Zebrafish's Calcium Brain-Wide Imaging Example

Data-driven computational methodologies are developed to encode a system's spatiotemporal recording video into a global system-state trajectory, and extract a patterned signature that mechanistically defines recurrent events exhibited by a large complex system. Our developments begin by selecting informative units from various spatial regions, among which we compute mutual conditional entropy to map out an organization of communities. Each community is taken as a potential mechanism operating across several different regions. Unsupervised machine learning algorithms are employed on each community to identify a functional collection of local system-states, and then its corresponding local system-state trajectory is used as a mechanistic representation of the community. We further synthesize all local system-states trajectories to identify global dependency and global system-states. Such a spatiotemporal structural dependency points out which communities are main driving forces underlying the recurrent dynamics, and at the same time offers a patterned signature that prescribes a mechanics driving all recurrent events along the global system-state trajectory. We illustrate our data-driven computing through a brain-wide calcium imaging video of a PTZ-induced epileptic Zebrafish, and explicitly show the system-wise patterned signature as a mechanics that characteristically defines epileptic seizures.
Dual-Polarity SiPM Readout Electronics Based on 1-bit Sigma-Delta Modulation Circuit for PET Detector Applications

We investigated a simple and effective method to extend 1-bit sigma-delta modulation (SDM) circuit-based charge-to-digital converter (QDC) to read dual-polarity silicon photomultiplier (SiPM) output signals. With the same QDC circuit but different voltage biases to the circuit components, the new circuit can read and process both positive and negative polarity signals. We conducted experimental studies to validate its ability to read and process dual-polarity signals and evaluated its performance for Positron Emission Tomography (PET) detector applications. The results, based on energy, coincidence timing, and crystal identification measurements, show that the circuit provides equal electronics capability for readout of both polarity signals and good performance for SiPM array-based PET imaging detector applications. Overall, the dual-polarity QDC readout electronics can be easily implemented to extend the range of signal polarity and to provide effective and flexible detector frontend electronics for reading single- or dual-polarity SiPM output signals.
Early sexual debut and risky sex in young adults: the role of low self-control

The purpose of this study was to examine the role of low self-control as a mediator or moderator between early age at sexual debut and risky sexual behavior in young adulthood. Data on 5734 male and female Add Health participants were used. Self-control (waves 1 & 3), age at sexual debut (wave 3) and risky sexual behavior (wave 4) were used in a structural equation modeling framework to assess the relationships of interest. Approximately 17% of respondents were < 15 years at first sexual intercourse. Among females only, both early age at first intercourse (Parent-report: z = 5.08, p < .001; Self-report: z = 2.05, p < .05) and low self-control at wave 3 (Parent-report: z = 2.30, p < .05; Self-report: z = 2.31, p < .05) mediated the relationship between low self-control at wave 1 and risky sexual behaviors in young adulthood. Similarly in the male-only model, both early age at first intercourse (Parent-report: z = 2.92, p < .01; Self-report: z = 3.04, p < .01) and low self-control at wave 3 (Parent-report: z = 1.99, p < .05; Self-report: z = 3.15, p < .01) mediated the relationship between low self-control and risky sexual behaviors in young adulthood. There was evidence of moderation in the male-only model (− 0.26, p < .01), such that lower impulsivity strengthened the relationship between early sex and risky sex. This study confirms the role of executive functions in sexual behaviors and suggests that interventions aimed at improving self-control may be beneficial in reducing risky sexual behavior.
“Your Body Must Be Heard”: Uncovering a New Language through Female Pain and Bodily Empowerment

“I went to bed crying, woke in the night crying, sat on the edge of the bed in the morning and cried – from sheer continuous pain. Not physical, the doctors examined me and found nothing the matter...
A population based survey of young children with behavior problems: Are parents reading with them?

A population based survey of young children with behavior problems: Are parents reading with them? Christie Babson, DO, Annie Gjelsvik, PhD, Siraj Amanullah, MD, MPH, Pamela High, MD Background: Children with behavior problems fair poorly in academics. Reading has been shown to offer many cognitive benefits including improved language development and literacy. Objective: This study examines the relationship between caregiver reading …
Coupling of store-operated calcium entry to vasoconstriction is acid-sensing ion channel 1a dependent in pulmonary but not mesenteric arteries

Although voltage-gated Ca2+ channels (VGCC) are a major Ca2+ entry pathway in vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMCs), several other Ca2+-influx mechanisms exist and play important roles in vasoreactivity. One of these is store-operated Ca2+ entry (SOCE), mediated by an interaction between STIM1 and Orai1. Although SOCE is an important mechanism of Ca2+ influx in non-excitable cells (cells that lack VGCC); there is debate regarding the contribution of SOCE to regulate VSMC contractility and the molecular components involved. Our previous data suggest acid-sensing ion channel 1a (ASIC1a) is a necessary component of SOCE and vasoconstriction in small pulmonary arteries. However, it is unclear if ASIC1a similarly contributes to SOCE and vascular reactivity in systemic arteries. Considering the established role of Orai1 in mediating SOCE in the systemic circulation, we hypothesize the involvement of ASIC1a in SOCE and resultant vasoconstriction is unique to the pulmonary circulation. To test this hypothesis, we examined the roles of Orai1 and ASIC1a in SOCE- and endothelin-1 (ET-1)-induced vasoconstriction in small pulmonary and mesenteric arteries. We found SOCE is coupled to vasoconstriction in pulmonary arteries but not mesenteric arteries. In pulmonary arteries, inhibition of ASIC1a but not Orai1 attenuated SOCE- and ET-1-induced vasoconstriction. However, neither inhibition of ASIC1a nor Orai1 altered ET-1-induced vasoconstriction in mesenteric arteries. We conclude that SOCE plays an important role in pulmonary, but not mesenteric, vascular reactivity. Furthermore, in contrast to the established role of Orai1 in SOCE in non-excitable cells, the SOCE response in pulmonary VSMCs is largely mediated by ASIC1a.
Re-operative parathyroidectomy: How many positive localization studies are required?

Abstract Background Re-operative parathyroidectomy in patients with recurrent or persistent hyperparathyroidism can be challenging. We review our experience to determine the optimal number of localization studies prior to re-operation. Methods From 2001 to 2019, 251 patients underwent re-operative parathyroidectomy. Parathyroidectomies were stratified to 4 groups based upon the number of positive localization studies obtained: A) ZERO, B) 1-positive, C) 2-positive, D) 3-positive. Results The overall cure rate was 97%, where 201 single gland resections, 23 two-gland resections, 22 subtotal/total, and 5 forearm autograft resections were performed. Thirty-two patients had no positive studies (A), 172 patients had 1-positive (B), 42 patients had 2-positive (C), and 5 patients had 3-positive studies (D). There was no difference in surgical cure rates between groups (p = 0.71). The majority of patients had one or no positive imaging studies yet almost all still achieved cure. Conclusion Successful re-operative parathyroidectomy can be performed with minimal pre-operative scans in certain clinical contexts.
The Sense and Nonsense of Risk Budgeting

A framework is described for the optimal allocation of active risk among broad asset classes or external asset managers. Unlike most risk allocation models used by practitioners, this framework does not assume that cross-correlations are zero. An analytical expression for the optimal allocation of tracking error among investment decision areas (assets and external managers) in the presence of correlations is provided. The key to understanding optimal risk allocation is the correlation-adjusted information ratio, a novel concept introduced in this article. Also discussed are various approaches to setting realistic input assumptions, such as the expected IR, for deriving optimal risk allocation.
The solubility product extends the buffering concept to heterotypic biomolecular condensates

Biomolecular condensates are formed by liquid-liquid phase separation (LLPS) of multivalent molecules. LLPS from a single ("homotypic") constituent is governed by buffering: above a threshold, free monomer concentration is clamped, with all added molecules entering the condensed phase. However, both experiment and theory demonstrate that buffering fails for the concentration dependence of multicomponent ("heterotypic") LLPS. Using network-free stochastic modeling, we demonstrate that LLPS can be described by the solubility product constant (Ksp): the product of free monomer concentrations, accounting for the ideal stoichiometries governed by the valencies, displays a threshold above which additional monomers are funneled into large clusters; this reduces to simple buffering for homotypic systems. The Ksp regulates the composition of the dilute phase for a wide range of valencies and stoichiometries. The role of Ksp is further supported by coarse-grained spatial particle simulations. Thus, the solubility product offers a general formulation for the concentration dependence of LLPS.
Learning network for laser absorption imaging in flames using mid-fidelity simulations

A deep neural network is trained using mid-fidelity reacting flow simulations to assist laser absorption imaging of species and temperature in flames with sparse view angles. The method is compared to linear tomography.
Indications for Plan Adaptation in Patients with Adrenal Metastases Treated With Stereotactic MR-Guided Adaptive Radiation Therapy (SMART)

Purpose/objective(s) Stereotactic body radiation therapy (SBRT) is increasingly utilized in patients with oligometastatic and oligoprogressive disease; however, concerns about interfractional changes in gastrointestinal (GI) anatomy limit broad adoption and dose-escalation in the context of adrenal metastases. The objective of this study is to evaluate the need and indications for daily adaptive replanning in this patient population. Materials/methods Consecutive patients with adrenal metastases treated using respiratory-gated stereotactic magnetic resonance (MR)-guided adaptive radiation therapy (SMART) at a single institution were evaluated. Breath-hold 3D-MRI was acquired prior to each fraction to visualize the anatomy-of-the-day. To quantify the indication for adaptation, dose prediction (i.e., calculation of initial plan on the anatomy of the day) was performed. If adaptation was indicated (i.e., critical organ at risk [OAR] dose constraints were exceeded and/or desired target coverage was not achieved), the plan was reoptimized using the original beam parameters with adjustment of individual beam fluence. Comparisons between the predictive and adaptive dose were performed to evaluate adaptive replanning decision-making based on pre-defined institutional criteria. Dose differences between the predictive and adaptive doses were compared by paired sample t test. Results 16 patients with adrenal metastases underwent a total of 80 SMART fractions to a median dose of 50 Gy in 5 fractions. The median PTV was 58.9 cc (Range: 16.1 - 377.4 cc). Plan adaptation was performed in 15/16 patients at least once during the treatment course due to predefined GI OAR dose constraints being exceeded, after accounting for the anatomy of the day. The indications for adaptation were to improve target coverage in 19/80 fractions (24%), or reduce dose to at least one critical GI OAR in 33 fractions (41%), and for both conditions in 9 fractions (11%). The most commonly affected GI OAR for plan adaptation was the stomach for left-sided metastases (6/7 patients, 86 %) and duodenum for right-sided metastases (3/9 patients, 33 %). Plan adaptation allowed for dose-escalation to the GTV with statistically significant increase in the minimum dose (42 Gy vs. 34 Gy, P Conclusion SMART enabled dose-escalation with simultaneous OAR sparing in response to changes in the anatomy-of-the-day for patients with adrenal metastases. SMART using an ablative prescription dose should be explored in future prospective studies for targets in proximity to historically dose-limiting GI OARs.
Role of climate and geography in arsenic mobility and risk at an artisanal mining site in an urbanized semi-arid environment

Abstract Ultra-enriched arsenic (As) concentrations >30% occur at an abandoned artisanal mine in an urban park in San Diego, California, presenting a complex risk to the public. This study uses geochemistry in consideration with climate and geography to evaluate As transport away from the mine. Sediment As concentrations reach 2320 mg/kg (483 times background crustal concentrations; n = 73) along drainage pathways and sequential extraction experiments indicate As overwhelmingly partitions into the least mobile phase (mean 83% As in residual fraction; n = 30); there is little redistribution of As from primary minerals into secondary or dissolved phases – a potentially positive outcome for managing the risk - despite the sediments being exposed to a century of weathering. Dissolved As transport does occur, with intermittent rain events producing As up to 272 μg/L in runoff. Both sediment and water As decrease to background concentrations within 1,000 m of the mines, influenced by the encroaching urbanization, and the semi-arid climate which limits weathering and transport. Similar patterns of As migration downgradient of abandoned mines occur at other mining sites in arid and semi-arid regions; however, off-site As transport at other sites extends far greater distances. This study indicates that a combination of geochemistry, geomorphology, climate, and urbanization can work together to retard the surface transport of As from artisanal and un-remediated mine sites; and helps inform environmental management at this site and others like it.
Foreign Investment and Political Regimes: The Oil Sector in Azerbaijan, Russia, and Norway

1. Introduction 2. Political risks in oil investments: a history of antagonistic interdependence 3. With or without democracy?: the political economy of FDI 4. Curse or blessing?: effects of FDI on development 5. Azerbaijan: one-stop shopping 6. Russia: two-steps forward, one-step back 7. Norway: icon of stability 8. Beyond three cases and oil 9. Conclusion.
Measurement of Fluoride Generated from Fluoropolymer Wire Insulations

• ETFE insulated wires have been prone to corrosion issues.• As early as 1998, some projects noticed corrosion of pre -wired connectors.• These connectors were attached to wires with ethylene tetrafluoroethylene (ETFE) insulation.• Corrosion was noticed in wires and connectors that were bagged or in a confined area.
Dithizone as a Microcrystalline Test for the Confirmation of Projectile Lead Wipes

The dithizone test is frequently used as a color test for lead in the confirmation of projectile wipes. An adjustment of test conditions will also allow the dithizone reaction to be conducted as a microcrystalline test, thereby increasing the specificity of the reaction. The color resulting from the formation of the inner salt complex between dithizone and the lead cation is maintained, and may be observed on the characteristic crystals obtained.
Does Conceivability Entail Metaphysical Possibility

In this paper, we argue that ‘Weak Modal Rationalism’, which is the view that ideal primary positive conceivability entails primary metaphysical possibility, is self-defeating. To this end, we outline two reductio arguments against ‘Weak Modal Rationalism’. The first reductio shows that, from supposing that ‘Weak Modal Rationalism’ is true, it follows that conceivability both is and is not conclusive evidence for possibility. The second reductio shows that, from supposing that ‘Weak Modal Rationalism’ is true, it follows that it is possible that ‘Weak Modal Rationalism’ is necessarily false, and hence that ‘Weak Modal Rationalism’ is false. We then argue that adopting a weaker position according to which conceivability is merely prima facie evidence for possibility provides limited protection from our criticism of conceivability arguments.1
It's a Small(er) World: The Role of Geography in Biotechnology Innovation

Using patent citation data for the U.S., we test whether knowledge spillovers in biotechnology are sensitive to distance, and whether that sensitivity has changed over time. Controlling for self-citation by inventor, assignee and examiner, cohort-based regression analysis shows that physical distance is becoming less important for spillovers with time.
Transformational Leadership Characteristics Necessary For Todays Leaders In Higher Education

This study is concerned with the traits and characteristics of presidents of institutions of higher education who are considered transformational leaders.The study adds current data to the published and perceived characterization of leaders in higher education and their approaches to changing the learning environment at their institutions.This study addresses the significance and current widespread appeal of transformational leadership and its practical application to higher education; but equally important, it profiles the group and individual qualities that are necessary for individuals to have, as their acumen, in order to introduce a climate of change utilizing transformational leadership.
Molecular Weight Effects on the Glass Transition and Confinement Behavior of Polymer Thin Films

Nanoscale polymer thin films exhibit strong confinement effects on Tg arising from free surfaces. However, the coupled influence of molecular weight (MW) and surface effects on Tg is not well understood for low MW film systems below the entanglement length. Utilizing atomistically informed coarse-grained molecular dynamics simulations for poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA), it is demonstrated that the decrease in free-standing film Tg with respect to bulk is more significant for low MW compared to high MW systems. Investigation of the local interfacial properties reveals that the increase in the local free volume near the free surface is greater for low MW, explaining the MW dependence of Tg -confinement behaviors. These findings corroborate recent experiments on low MW films, and highlight the relationship between nanoconfinement phenomena and local free volume effects arising from free surfaces.
Religion and Role-Identity: A Structural Symbolic Interactionist Conceptualization of Religiosity

This article presents a reconceptualization of individual religiosity based largely on a structural variant of symbolic interactionism and incorporating “religious salience,” the importance of reli...
Derrida, Friendship and Responsible Teaching in Contrast to Effective Teaching

Abstract Educational theorists working within the tradition of Jacques Derrida and Emmanuel Levinas’s thought, posit teaching to be a site of implied ethics, that is, a realm in which non-violent or less violent relations to the other are possible. Derrida links ethics to the realm of friendship, enabling one to understand teaching as a site of the ethics of friendship. I clarify how friendship, as a re-metaphorization of differance, opens us up to a conception of teaching that provides a counterpoint to the current discourse of ‘effective’ teaching. I draw out the implications of the Derridean conception of friendship for the educator in his or her philosophical orientation towards teaching and attempt to show that friendship points the educator towards an orientation that enables a ‘fine tuning’ and opening up of one’s sense of obligation and responsibility to one’s students in ways that cannot be circumscribed to current or institutionally sanctioned ways of understanding the activity of teaching, espe...
Synthesis of Thermosensitive Water-Soluble Polystyrenics with Pendant Methoxyoligo(ethylene glycol) Groups by Nitroxide-Mediated Radical Polymerization

Nitroxide-mediated radical polymerizations of 4-vinylbenzyl methoxytris(oxyethylene) ether (TEGSt), 4-vinylbenzyl methoxytetrakis(oxyethylene) ether (TrEGSt), and 4-vinylbenzyl methoxypentakis(oxyethylene) ether (PEGSt) were carried out at 120 °C using 2,2,5-trimethyl-3-(1-phenylethoxy)-4-phenyl-3-azahexane as initiator. Kinetics study and gel permeation chromatography analysis showed that the polymerizations were living processes yielding polymers with controlled molecular weights and narrow molecular weight distributions. The polymers can be dissolved in water forming transparent solutions and undergo phase transitions when the temperature is above a critical point. The cloud points of the homopolymers of TEGSt, TrEGSt, and PEGSt were around 13, 39, and 55 °C, respectively, which were also supported by variable temperature 1H NMR spectroscopy analysis. The high level of alkoxyamine chain end retention allowed the synthesis of diblock copolymers with low polydispersities (<1.15). Cloud point measurements...
Wavelet domain correlation between the futures prices of natural gas and oil

Abstract This paper studies the relationship between futures prices of natural gas and oil. Using wavelet analysis, our research reveals that, throughout the sampled period: (1) the prices of natural gas futures and oil futures have high covariance at high frequencies but not so much at low frequencies; (2) an increase in financialization of commodities commensurate with investors search for yield results in higher covariance between the futures prices of natural gas and oil; and (3) the volatility of neither time series consistently leads the other even at high frequencies.
On neuronal homologies within the central nervous system of leeches

Abstract 1. 1. We investigated the electrophysiological properties of 18 identifiable neurons in three leeches: Haemopis marmorata, Hirudo medicinalis and Macrobdella decora . 2. 2. The paired serotonergic Retzius cells are indistinguishable among the species in terms of somata positions, branching patterns, electrophysiological parameters and muco-effector functions. 3. 3. The T, P and N mechanosensory cells in these three species are virtually identical by virtue of their sizes, locations, axonal branching, electrophysiological properties, responses to dermal stimulation and receptive fields. 4. 4. The L motor neurons of all the leeches are electrotonically coupled, have equivalent cell positions and axonal branches, and control the longitudinal muscles. 5. 5. We have investigated several properties of 12 neurons in Hirudo and Haemopis and found no differences between their S interneuron, heart excitor motor neurons and their monoamine-containing neurons. 6. 6. We found no differences between 30 homologous neurons in the C.N.S. of these leeches at any level of organization: membrane properties, central connectivity, morphology and axonal branching, peripheral connectivity or functional roles. The extremely conservative stereotypy of these cells is impressive.
Sublimation growth and characterization of bulk aluminum nitride single crystals

Single crystalline platelets of aluminum nitride (AlN) ⩽ 1 mm thick have been grown within the temperature range of 1950–2250°C on 10 × 10 mm2 α(6H)-silicon carbide (SiC) substrates via sublimation-recondensation in a resistively heated graphite furnace. The source material was sintered AlN. A maximum growth rate of 500 μm/h was achieved at 2150°C and a source-to-seed separation of 4 mm. Growth rates below 2000°C were approximately one order of magnitude lower. Crystals grown at high temperatures ranged in color from blue to green due to the incorporation of Si and C from the SiC substrates; those grown at lower temperatures were colorless and transparent. Secondary-ion mass spectroscopy (SIMS) results showed almost a two order of magnitude decrease in the concentrations of these two impurities in the transparent crystals. Plan view transmission electron microscopy (TEM) of these crystals showed no line or planar defects. Raman spectroscopy and X-ray diffraction (XRD) studies indicated a strain free material.
Direct on-strip analysis of size- and time-resolved aerosol impactor samples using laser induced fluorescence spectra excited at 263 and 351 nm.

Abstract We report a novel atmospheric aerosol characterization technique, in which dual wavelength UV laser induced fluorescence (LIF) spectrometry marries an eight-stage rotating drum impactor (RDI), namely UV-LIF-RDI, to achieve size- and time-resolved analysis of aerosol particles on-strip. The UV-LIF-RDI technique measured LIF spectra via direct laser beam illumination onto the particles that were impacted on a RDI strip with a spatial resolution of 1.2 mm, equivalent to an averaged time resolution in the aerosol sampling of 3.6 h. Excited by a 263 nm or 351 nm laser, more than 2000 LIF spectra within a 3-week aerosol collection time period were obtained from the eight individual RDI strips that collected particles in eight different sizes ranging from 0.09 to 10 μm in Djibouti. Based on the known fluorescence database from atmospheric aerosols in the US, the LIF spectra obtained from the Djibouti aerosol samples were found to be dominated by fluorescence clusters 2, 5, and 8 (peaked at 330, 370, and 475 nm) when excited at 263 nm and by fluorescence clusters 1, 2, 5, and 6 (peaked at 390 and 460 nm) when excited at 351 nm. Size- and time-dependent variations of the fluorescence spectra revealed some size and time evolution behavior of organic and biological aerosols from the atmosphere in Djibouti. Moreover, this analytical technique could locate the possible sources and chemical compositions contributing to these fluorescence clusters. Advantages, limitations, and future developments of this new aerosol analysis technique are also discussed.
Algebraic fields, signal processing, and error control

This survey paper is intended to integrate the subjects of digital signal processing and error control codes by studying their common dependence on the properties of the discrete Fourier transform. The two subjects are traditionally studied in different algebraic fields. Usually, the computations of digital signal processing are done using the complex number system, while the computations of error control codes are done using the arithmetic of Galois fields. We will argue that this dichotomy may be partly a historical accident. By viewing the two problems in the opposite number system, we shall find that there are parallels and that many techniques can be shared by the two subjects. The new material included within the paper is introduced in order to extend known techniques used in one algebraic field into another algebraic field where those techniques are not yet used.
Is Conservation Biology a Paleontological Pursuit

Human society is fascinated with secrets of the past. “Escape into an ancient world,” proclaim the museum exhibits. “Let us show you the marvelous record we have of an extinct lineage that dominated Earth and has left nothing but these fossils behind! An evolutionary dead-end,” paleontological displays bark like a circus sideshow. In spite of such appeals to our most faithful audiences, a paleontologist represents the quintessential natural historian. The careful documentation of the history and biota of natural areas whose record is preserved only in rocks provides context to the more lurid views of the terrors of the past. For unified reconstructions, the focus is on specimens or communities with the highest quality preservation, in time or space. Special avenues of opportunity lead us into multi-species interactions (epibiota, predation, parasitism, mutualisms) or into physical controls on biological processes (growth modification in altered atmospheres, for example). A paleontological focus on species other than humans seemingly removes paleontologists from the arena of Conservation Biology, in which the behavior of humans directly affects the maintenance, loss, and restoration of biological diversity. But are we removed? How often are paleontological insights and inspiration about communities of the past derived from what we see beyond the backyard fence today? That fence, representing the distance we place between ourselves and the natural world today, may be far more important to our interpretations than we recognize. Paleontology depends on modern analogs to reign-in the unbridled speculation that the record invites. Does that depositional environment exist? Would that tissue deform to leave such a pattern? Does a scavenger leave marks like that? How far could that wing carry that seed? What range of morphologies is typical for such a peculiar environment today? Do geographic ranges of species in a single clade shrink or expand as climates warm? …
Perchlorate reduction by autotrophic bacteria in the presence of zero-valent iron.

A series of batch experiments were performed to study the combination of zero-valent iron (ZVI) with perchlorate-reducing microorganisms (PRMs) to remove perchlorate from groundwater. In this method, H2 produced during the process of iron corrosion by water is used by PRMs as an electron donor to reduce perchlorate to chloride. Perchlorate degradation rates followed Monod kinetics, with a normalized maximum utilization rate (rmax) of 9200 μg g-1 (dry wt) h-1 and a half-velocity constant (Ks) of 8900 μg L-1. The overall rate of perchlorate reduction was affected by the biomass density within the system. An increase in the OD600 from 0.025 to 0.08 led to a corresponding 4-fold increase of perchlorate reduction rate. PRM adaptation to the local environment and initiation of perchlorate reduction was rapid under neutral pH conditions. At the initial OD600 of 0.015, perchlorate reduction followed pseudo-first-order reaction rates with constants of 0.059 and 0.033 h-1 at initial pH 7 and 8, respectively. Once p...
On the strong-coupling effects in jet bremsstrahlung in the heavy flavor decays

Abstract We address the strong-coupling regime effects in the light-like quark jets where the radiated gluons are hard but highly collinear. These may lead to additional contributions in the invariant mass (or recoil energy) spectra, on top of the Fermi motion of the initial heavy quark in decays like b → s + γ . It is shown that the integer moments are nevertheless free from such effects; perturbation theory corrections for the moments are driven by α s in the small coupling regime. They are modified nonperturbatively by the soft modes but not by the collinear modes.
Symptom management: Loss of concentration

Objective: To review the loss of the ability to concentrate in individuals with cancer, the risk factors, and nursing approaches to support and improve attentional functioning. Data sources: Published articles and books pertaining to concentration, central nervous system toxicity, attentional fatigue, and cognitive dysfunction. Conclusions: Multiple factors related to cancer, its treatment, and the demands of a life-threatening illness increase the risk for loss of concentration and attentional fatigue. Implications for nursing practice: Nurses can assess potential loss of concentration by observation and objective and subjective measures. Attention can be conserved by reducing environmental demands and applying attention-restoring strategies.
Aftereffect of inspection of a perspectival stimulus for slant depth: A new normalization effect

The Ss made judgments of the frontoparallel plane monocularly and binocularly by adjusting the position of a rotatable thin luminous line viewed in darkness. The judgments were made before and after a 10-min period of monocular inspection of a luminous outline frontoparallel trapezoid which was the projection of a rectangle rotated in depth. Verbal reports indicated normalization of perspectival slant depth, i.e., the inspection figure appeared less rotated, and the line settings exhibited an aftereffect bf normalization. These findings may contribute toward an account of certain previously unexplained observations reported in an earlier study by Epstein and Morgan-Paap (1974) dealing with adaptation to uniocular image magnification.
Clinical Subjectivation: Anthropologies of Contemporary Biomedical Training

Throughout the 1970s and 1980s, medical anthropologists increasingly turned their attention to the examination of biomedicine as a sociocultural system (see Gordon 1988 and reviews by Gaines and Hahn 1985; Hafferty 2000; Hahn and Kleinman 1983). A significant portion of this study focused on medical education, exploring the ways in which biomedical practitioners—primarily physicians but also nurses and other members of biomedical health care teams—learn both the ‘‘art and science’’ of medicine. These early studies recognized the central role that clinicians can play not just in care and healing (Kleinman 1980), but also in social control (Fineman 1991; Navarro 1989; Foucault 1980) and the mystification and reproduction of social inequality (Taussig 1980; Singer and Baer 1995; Waitzkin 1986; Scheper-Hughes and Lock 1986). Given the important role of clinicians in navigating interrelationships among uncertainty, suffering, the body, and society, it is essential to understand their roles, actions, motivations, and ethics (cf., Fox 1957, 1980; Kleinman et al. 1997; Foucault 1994). One key way to understand clinicians is to study the process by which they become biomedical professionals.
Successful treatment of a bowel perforation after chemotherapy for Burkitt lymphoma

Chemotherapy-induced intestinal perforation after treatment for Burkitt lymphoma is a known potential complication. However, there are very few reports in the pediatric literature that discuss this complication in any detail, and most incidents are secondary to surgical complications such as anastomotic leaks. Furthermore, there are no reports of children that have survived chemotherapy-induced perforation, and thus, guidelines for the diagnosis and treatment of this complication or for the continuation of chemotherapy are lacking. We present a case of a 5-year-old boy who survived jejunal perforation after treatment for his Burkitt lymphoma, and the critical aspects of his care are discussed.
Orientational epitaxy—the orientational ordering of incommensurate structures

A new class of structures is predicted to exist for monolayer films on solid surfaces. These structures involve two incommensurate lattices---the monolayer lattice and the surface lattice--- which have a preferred relative orientation. The precise orientation depends upon the lattice constant and symmetry of each lattice. We believe this orientationally ordered incommensurate phase to be present in many physisorbed films. In particular, the existence of this phase appears to explain recent low-energy electron diffraction data for rare gases adsorbed homogeneous substrates.
Computer Processed Electroencephalogram Signals Compared to Conventional EEG Signals in Preeclamptics

Monitors that use computer processed EEG signals have been developed to simplify recognition and interpretation of EEG changes. The information from one of these monitors was compared with signals obtained by simultaneous conventional EEG recordings in eight awake preeclamptics. All eight of the processed tracings were read as abnormal, while only one of the 16 channel conventional EEG recordings was abnormal. We conclude that this particular monitor will not be beneficial for assessing continuous brainwave activity in awake/drowsy preeclamptic women.
Origins of the cholesterol in milk.

Studies were conducted to investigate the origin of milk cholesterol in the ruminant. In the first experiment, [1-14C] sodium acetate was infused into one side of the udder of a lactating goat via the teat canal whereas in the second, [1,2-3H] cholesterol was injected intravenously and concurrently with a [14C] acetate intrammamary infusion. In both experiments, blood and milk samples were collected at intervals for 6 days postinjection. Maximum unesterified cholesterol specific activity (sp act) in whole milk appeared at 78 hr after intravenous injections of3H cholesterol and within 3–7 hr after infusion of [14C]acetate. Virtually all the tritium in milk was associated with unesterified cholesterol. The sp act of14C-labeled cholesterol was only 20% of gland-synthesized decanoic acid. Decanoic acid is known to be completely synthesized in the mammary gland, and, like cholesterol, acetate is its precursor. The results indicate that, although some milk cholesterol is synthesized in the mammary gland, it is derived principally from serum cholesterol. The data show also that serum cholesterol equilibrates with membrane cholesterol of the lactating cell prior to its secretion in milk.