cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Dynamic and Thermodynamic Stability of Black Holes and Black Branes

I describe recent work with Stefan Hollands that establishes a new criterion for the dynamical stability of black holes in \(D \ge 4\) spacetime dimensions in general relativity with respect to axisymmetric perturbations: Dynamical stability is equivalent to the positivity of the canonical energy, \(\fancyscript{E}\), on a subspace of linearized solutions that have vanishing linearized ADM mass, momentum, and angular momentum at infinity and satisfy certain gauge conditions at the horizon. We further show that \(\fancyscript{E}\) is related to the second order variations of mass, angular momentum, and horizon area by \(\fancyscript{E} = \delta ^2 M - \sum _i \varOmega _i \delta ^2 J_i - (\kappa /8\pi ) \delta ^2 A\), thereby establishing a close connection between dynamical stability and thermodynamic stability. Thermodynamic instability of a family of black holes need not imply dynamical instability because the perturbations towards other members of the family will not, in general, have vanishing linearized ADM mass and/or angular momentum. However, we prove that all black branes corresponding to thermodynamically unstable black holes are dynamically unstable, as conjectured by Gubser and Mitra. We also prove that positivity of \(\fancyscript{E}\) is equivalent to the satisfaction of a “local Penrose inequality,” thus showing that satisfaction of this local Penrose inequality is necessary and sufficient for dynamical stability.
Human Retroviruses and Anti-Viral Therapies

At least four types of human retroviruses are currently identified. They are causally involved in several different kinds of diseases in humans, including leukemia and lymphoma immunodeficiency diseases and neurologic and central nervous system diseases. Their identification has led to the ability to easily detect them and to a basic understanding of their life cycle. This knowledge makes possible various strategies for prevention and treatment of diseases due to infection by these viruses.
The Nobel Effect: Nobel Peace Prize Laureates as International Norm Entrepreneurs

For the first time in scholarly literature, this article traces the history of modern international law from the perspective of the constructivist theory of international relations. Constructivism is one of the leadings schools of thought in international relations today. This theory posits that state preferences emerge from social construction and that state interests are evolving rather than fixed. Constructivism further argues that international norms have a life cycle composed of three stages: norm emergence, norm acceptance (or "norm cascades"), and norm internalization. As such, constructivism treats international law as a dynamic process in which "norm entrepreneurs" interact with state actors to advance new norms with the objective of states adopting and ultimately internalizing those norms. Given the importance of this school of thought, it is surprising that scholars have yet to map the history of modern international law from the constructivist perspective. This article is the first part of a larger project that attempts to do just that, applying the constructivist theory of international relations to argue that Nobel Peace Prize Laureates have been profoundly instrumental as norm entrepreneurs in the emergence, cascading and internalization of international law norms. Examining the history of modern international law through a constructivist lens reveals that international law has had several distinct periods, each with its own particular narrative. The Pacifist Period (1901-1913) began with a vision of the abolition of war and the peaceful settlement of international disputes. The Statesman Period (1917-1938) built on that foundation with fragile institutions, imperfectly constructed to secure and maintain international peace and security. It also saw the emergence of more lasting international norms combating the unlawful use of force. The Humanitarian Period (1944-1959) established a more effective international architecture and crystallized international humanitarian norms regarding the use of force. The Human Rights Period (1960-1986) emphasized protection of the individual as one of the central pillars of international law. Finally, the Democracy Period (1987-Present) witnessed the triumph of democracy at the end of the Cold War, with widespread recognition that only the democratic form of government was suitable for realizing deeper yearnings of international peace and justice.
ISOMERIC GRAFT COPOLYMERS AND INTERPENETRATING POLYMER NETWORKS. CURRENT STATUS OF NOMENCLATURE SCHEMES

There are literally hundreds of distinguishable multipolymer combinations in the scientific and patent literature. For the most part, these materials are now designated as “blends”, “grafts”, or IPN'S. Two possible nomenclature schemes based on group and ring theory are presented and reviewed, along with examples. While neither of the nomenclature schemes fit the exact format of formal group and ring theory, sufficient analogy exists to make use of existing theorems and concepts. Both of these schemes offer a general way to name the many now existing polymer blend, graft, or IPN combinations.
Malignant mixed Mullerian neoplasms (mixed mesodermal tumors).

Summary 1. Fifty-one cases of malignant mixed Mullerian neoplasms are reviewed. 2. The clinical picture is reviewed in detail. 3. Methods of therapy with survival times are presented. 4. Suggestions for therapy are made.
On the Time between Successive Multi-path Discoveries and Hop Count Per Multi-path for Zone-Disjoint Routing in Mobile Ad Hoc Networks

We propose an algorithm to compute zone-disjoint multi-paths for mobile ad hoc networks and compare its performance with that of the single-path minimum-hop routing algorithm as well as with the node-disjoint multi-path routing algorithm proposed in our earlier work. Simulation results indicate that the number of zone-disjoint paths per multi-path set can be at most 2, which is far lower than the number of node-disjoint paths per multi-path set. Also, the time between zone-disjoint multi-path discoveries is far lower than the time between node-disjoint multi-path route discoveries and can be at most 10% more than the time between single minimum-hop path route discoveries. However, there is no appreciable difference in the average hop counts per zone-disjoint multi-path set and node-disjoint multi-path set and they can be only at most 12% more than the average minimum hop count determined using single-path routing.
Validation of tumor infiltrating lymphocytes (TIL) and tumor budding as predictors of prognosis in patients with stage III colon cancers treated in a FOLFOX-based adjuvant trial: NCCTG N0147 (Alliance).

3583Background: TIL density reflects the anti-tumor immune response; tumor budding indicates an epithelial to mesenchymal transition (EMT). We determined if these features are prognostic in a singl...
Automatic Assessment of Hoarding Clutter from Images Using Convolutional Neural Networks

Hoarding is a mental and public health problem stemming from difficulty associated with discarding one’s possessions and resulting clutter. In the last decade, a visual method, called "Clutter Image Rating" (CIR), has been developed for the assessment of hoarding severity. It involves rating clutter in patient’s home on the CIR scale from 1 to 9 using a set of reference images. Such assessment, however, is time-consuming, subjective, and may be non-repeatable. In this paper, we propose a new automatic clutter assessment method from images, according to the CIR scale, based on deep learning. While, ideally, the goal is to perfectly classify clutter, trained professionals admit assigning CIR values within ±1. Therefore, we study two loss functions for our network: one that aims to precisely assign a CIR value and one that aims to do so within ±1. We also propose a weighted combination of these loss functions that, as a byproduct, allows us to control the CIR mean absolute error (MAE). On a recently-collected dataset, we achieved ±1 accuracy of 82% and MAE of 0.88, significantly outperforming our previous results of 60% and 1.58, respectively.
An Empirical Study on Identifying Sentences with Salient Factual Statements

In this paper, we show that by using a relatively simple neural network architecture and including edge (i.e., nonsensical) cases into a dataset we can more reliably identify factual claims than predecessor SVM models. Doping the dataset with these nonsensical example results in a more robust model overall that is resistant to being tricked into classifying sentences into a certain category based on easily met criteria. Furthermore, we show that the use of multiple word-embeddings makes little difference to the overall accuracy of the model, but particular embeddings perform differently on text that contains digits (i.e., 0–9) which can be leveraged by using multiple models to come to a conclusion on the score for a particular piece of text. Our results also show, that for our particular dataset trying to differentiate sentences into more than two categories might hurt the overall accuracy of the models, or at least not provide any substantial benefits compared to the binary classification scenario.
Biomimetic colloidal photonic crystals by coassembly of polystyrene nanoparticles and graphene quantum dots

Biomimetic nanostructured materials with iridescent structural colors have attracted great attention due to their potential in photonic devices, materials science, and biomedical engineering. The technological applications of artificial photonic crystals (PCs), however, are often hindered by their low color visibility. Herein, we report colloidal PCs with enhanced color visibility through the coassembly of thioglycerol-modified graphene quantum dots (GQDs) into the close-packed array of polystyrene (PS) nanospheres. The enhanced polystyrene PCs were fabricated by both centrifugal sedimentation and drop-casting methods. The color visibility of the resulting PCs was found to be strongly dependent on the hydrothermal time (i.e., carbonization) and the doping concentrations of GQDs. The PCs with brilliant reflection colors with red, green and blue (RGB) regions have been achieved by controlling the size of the constituent PS nanoparticles. As a proof of concept for photonic ink applications, we demonstrated a number of photonic images with RGB colors on multiple substrates including paper, silicon wafer and glass. This work is expected to provide new insight into the development of emerging advanced photonic crystals with high color visibility for applications such as colloidal paints, textile fabrics, and wearable displays.
Soren Bisgaard’s Contributions to Quality Engineering

I was lucky enough to attend the 2018 Stu Hunter conference during which there was a special session in honor of Soren Bisgaard’s contributions to quality engineering. At the end of the special ses...
Convergence of Learning Dynamics in Stackelberg Games.

This paper investigates the convergence of learning dynamics in Stackelberg games. In the class of games we consider, there is a hierarchical game being played between a leader and a follower with continuous action spaces. We establish a number of connections between the Nash and Stackelberg equilibrium concepts and characterize conditions under which attracting critical points of simultaneous gradient descent are Stackelberg equilibria in zero-sum games. Moreover, we show that the only stable critical points of the Stackelberg gradient dynamics are Stackelberg equilibria in zero-sum games. Using this insight, we develop a gradient-based update for the leader while the follower employs a best response strategy for which each stable critical point is guaranteed to be a Stackelberg equilibrium in zero-sum games. As a result, the learning rule provably converges to a Stackelberg equilibria given an initialization in the region of attraction of a stable critical point. We then consider a follower employing a gradient-play update rule instead of a best response strategy and propose a two-timescale algorithm with similar asymptotic convergence guarantees. For this algorithm, we also provide finite-time high probability bounds for local convergence to a neighborhood of a stable Stackelberg equilibrium in general-sum games. Finally, we present extensive numerical results that validate our theory, provide insights into the optimization landscape of generative adversarial networks, and demonstrate that the learning dynamics we propose can effectively train generative adversarial networks.
Pregnancy loss after amniocentesis in monochorionic and dichorionic twin pregnancies: Results from a large population-based dataset.

Objective To determine the loss rate after amniocentesis in twins. Methods This cohort study evaluated twin pregnancies with serum screening through the California Prenatal Screening Program. The primary outcome was loss of one or both twins at any gestational age. Exclusions were chromosomal/structural abnormalities, selective fetal reduction, terminations, neonatal deaths, ovum donation, and incomplete data. Loss rates were compared between three groups: (a) screen negative and no amniocentesis, (b) screen positive and accepted, or (c) declined amniocentesis. Multivariate logistic analysis generated adjusted odds ratios (aOR). Results Thirty-six thousand eight hundred twenty-one twin pregnancies had screening: 2698 (7.3%) were screen positive for aneuploidy or neural tube defects (NTD). Among screen-positive women, 861 (31.9%) were offered amniocentesis and 274 (31.8%) accepted. The post-procedure loss rate among screen-negative women was lower than among screen-positive women (3.0% vs 7.4%; P Conclusion Twins that are screen positive for aneuploidy or NTD have an increased risk of pregnancy loss. Those who are screen positive and undergo amniocentesis do not have an increased loss rate.
Review and Interpretation of Trends in DNA Barcoding

Interpretations and analytical practices surrounding DNA barcoding are reviewed from a compilation of 3,756 papers (as of December 31, 2018) with “DNA Barcode” in the title since 2004. By examining the practice of DNA barcoding in natural history and biodiversity science over this period, we explore the extent to which its purposes, premises, rationale and application have evolved. The number of studies involving identification, taxonomic decisions and the discovery of cryptic species has driven the publication of DNA barcode studies overall. Forensic studies and papers on biological conservation involving DNA barcodes have tracked the ensemble number of studies but rose sharply in 2017. Although neighbor-joining and graphic (tree-based) criteria for species delimitation have been preeminent, analytical paradigms have diversified slightly following the growing availability of tools in the Barcode of Life Database (BoLD). We conclude that the paradigms of DNA barcoding data are likely to persist and, in groups such as Lepidoptera, DNA barcoding has become a widely used tool in taxonomic science. The degree to which systematists will avail themselves of tools for extracting diagnostic data from barcodes remains to be seen.
The Impact of Epidural Analgesia on Perioperative Morbidity or Mortality after Open Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm Repair.

Background Epidural analgesia (EA) is frequently used as an adjuvant to general anesthesia (GA) for improved postoperative analgesia and reduced rates of cardiac, pulmonary, and renal complications. However, only a few studies have examined EA-GA specifically during open abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) repair. The effects of EA-GA specifically during open AAA repair regarding postoperative outcomes are unknown. This study was performed to evaluate postoperative outcomes in patients undergoing open AAA repair with EA-GA versus GA alone. Methods We performed a retrospective analysis for patients undergoing surgery between January 1, 2014 and December 31, 2016 using the National Surgical Quality Improvement Program (NSQIP) database. Propensity score matching was used to establish cohorts for analysis. Multivariable logistic regression was performed to determine significant perioperative outcomes for each anesthesia type. A total of 2,171 patients underwent open AAA repair in our date range; we excluded emergent and ruptured AAA. A total of 2,145 patients were included in our analysis, of whom 653 patients received EA-GA and 1,492 patients received GA only. Results Major postoperative outcomes included mortality, pulmonary cardiac and renal complications, infections, thrombosis, and blood transfusion requirement (including Cell-Saver usage). Additional overall outcomes included hospital length of stay, return to the operating room, and readmission. Patients in EA + GA and GA alone groups were comparable regarding demographics, functional status, and comorbidities. Decreased odds of readmission was observed in EA + GA compared with GA (0.49, 95% CI [0.28–0.86]; P = 0.014); and increased odds of receiving a blood transfusion was observed in those who underwent EA + GA (1.63, 95% CI [1.23–2.14]; P = 0.001). No difference was observed between patients who had an AAA repair with EA + GA versus GA alone with regard to mortality, return to operating room, major pulmonary, cardiac, renal, or infectious complications. Conclusions EA + GA was not associated with decreased mortality or decreased rates of major postoperative pulmonary, cardiac, or renal complications. EA + GA was associated with increased transfusion requirements and decreased rates of hospital readmission.
Mechanisms of antibody binding revealed by asymmetric Fab-virus complexes

Overlap on the surface of parvovirus capsids between the antigenic epitope and the receptor binding site contributes to species jumping. Mab 14 strongly binds and neutralizes canine, but not feline parvovirus. The high resolution map of the canine parvovirus capsid complexed with Fab 14 was used to solve local structures of the Fab-bound and -unbound antigenic sites extracted from the same complex. The subsequent analysis includes a new method for using cryo EM to investigate complementarity of antibody binding.
Temporary Urbanism in a Public Park: The Case of Postman Square, Milwaukee, Wisconsin

Postman Square is a 1361 ft2 triangular-shaped park in downtown Milwaukee. It contains a statue that was dedicated in 1989 to commemorate the establishment of the National Association of Letter Carriers in 1889, founded in a meeting hall close to the park. This pocket park has generally gone unnoticed and unused because it is so small and dwarfed by the three streets that surround it. With permanent park improvements planned by the City of Milwaukee, NEWaukee, a social architecture organisation, was permitted to undertake a temporary urbanism experiment. NEWaukee’s website defines social architecture as conscious design of an environment to encourage desired social behaviours associated with how people work, live, and play, with the goal of better public spaces and cities. NEWaukee used volunteers and lighter, quicker, cheaper interventions to temporarily transform the park. The goal was to encourage community engagement in this space and gain insights into people’s use of the park before its upgrade. The bright blue furniture and a letterbox for people’s love letters to Milwaukee attracted attention, but community reactions were mixed. This case study investigates NEWaukee’s temporary urbanism in Postman Square, while problematising it within the context of the theoretical and empirical literature.
Experience of Sonic Echo/Impulse Response Testing Difficulties in Timber Piles of Bridge Foundations

Sonic Echo/Impulse response (SE/IR) is an economical nondestructive method to collect information pertaining to the unknown bridge foundations. Studies have shown that factors such as the pile-to-soil stiffness ratio, the length-to-diameter ratio of the pile, the presence of the defects, the anomalies near the pile head, the quality of the sensor attachment, the striking method, and the hammer type affect the success of the SE/IR tests. In the current study, numerous SE/IR tests were performed on three known and unknown bridge foundations and the superiority of the time domain analysis to the frequency domain analysis is concluded as an outcome helping engineers conduct SE/IR tests efficiently. In addition, more affecting factors and difficulties specific to timber foundations are identified and discussed. The results presented in this study shows that factors such as the foundation condition, the environmental conditions, and the improper pile-pile cap attachment can also be the sources of difficulties in determining the depth of timber piles.
Fewer tracheal intubation attempts are associated with improved neurologically intact survival following out-of-hospital cardiac arrest.

BACKGROUND International guidelines emphasize advanced airway management during out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA). We hypothesized that increasing endotracheal intubation attempts during OHCA were associated with a lower likelihood of favorable neurologic survival at discharge. METHODS This retrospective, observational cohort evaluated the relationship between number of intubation attempts and favorable neurologic survival among non-traumatic OHCA patients receiving cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) from January 1, 2015-June 30, 2019 in a large urban emergency medical services (EMS) system. Favorable neurologic status at hospital discharge was defined as a Cerebral Performance Category score of 1 or 2. Multivariable logistic regression, adjusted for age, sex, witness status, bystander CPR, initial rhythm, and time of EMS arrival, was performed using the number of attempts as a continuous variable. RESULTS Over 54 months, 1205 patients were included. Intubation attempts per case were 1 = 757(63%), 2 = 279(23%), 3 = 116(10%), ≥4 = 49(4%), and missing/unknown in 4(<1%). The mean (SD) time interval from paramedic arrival to intubation increased with the number of attempts: 1 = 4.9(2.4) min, 2 = 8.0(2.9) min, 3 = 10.9(3.3) min, and ≥4 = 15.5(4.4) min. Final advanced airway techniques employed were endotracheal intubation (97%), supraglottic devices (3%), and cricothyrotomy (<1%). Favorable neurologic outcome declined with each additional attempt: 11% with 1 attempt, 4% with 2 attempts, 3% with 3 attempts, and 2% with 4 or more attempts (AOR = 0.41, 95% CI 0.25-0.68). CONCLUSIONS Increasing number of intubation attempts during OHCA resuscitation was associated with lower likelihood of favorable neurologic outcome.
Spin-Dependent Transport in Magnetic Multilayers

It has long been known that electrons in metals have two spin states and that when an electric field is applied to a metal, two approximately independent currents flow. In non-magnetic metals such as copper, these two spin channels are equivalent, in the sense that they have the same Fermi energy density of states (DOS) and the same electron velocities, but in the ferromagnetic transition metals they are usually quite different. Until recently, however, it was only the total conductivity resulting from these two parallel currents or spin channels that was important for most physically observable phenomena. This situation changed dramatically with the discovery of the giant magnetoresistance effect1,2 and the advent of reliable and reproducible observations of spin-dependent tunneling.3, 4, 5 These technologically important effects exist only because of the differences in electron transport between the two spin channels.
Empirical Evidence on FSLIC’s Cost of Solution

There has been considerable public controversy and speculation surrounding several aspects of FSLIC’s 1988 assisted acquisitions. In particular, people have questioned whether the “December deals” and “Texas deals” were as cost-effective as other deals, and whether deals involving large tax considerations added to the total cost of resolving cases through acquisition. Precisely because of all the controversy, it is important to begin the process of confronting the speculation with empirical evidence.
The Impact of Visibility on Trade: Evidence from the World Cup

Success in the FIFA World Cup provides countries with substantial international visibility. This paper uses this information shock associated with the World Cup to show that visibility has a significant impact on trade flows. In isolating the visibility effect, two identification problems are solved. Match outcomes in the World Cup are subject to significant uncertainty. This uncertainty, when combined with controls for economic development, makes World Cup success exogenous to exports. By contrast, hosting the World Cup is potentially endogenous owing to self-selection issues. The paper exploits FIFA's host selection policy to construct exogenous instruments for hosting. The results show that success in the World Cup raises exports temporarily by around 5%.
Reasoning About Synchronic Groups

Swarm is a computational model which extends the UNITY model in three important ways: (1) UNITY'S fixed set of variables is replaced by an unbounded set of tuples which are addressed by content rather than by name; (2) UNITY's static set of statements is replaced by a dynamic set of transactions; and (3) UNITY's static ∥-composition is augmented by dynamic coupling of transactions into synchronic groups. This last feature, unique to Swarm, facilitates formal specification of the mode of execution (synchronous or asynchronous) associated with portions of a concurrent program and enables computations to restructure themselves so as to accommodate the nature of the data being processed and to respond to changes in processing objectives. This paper overviews the Swarm model, introduces the synchronic group concept, and illustrates its use in the expression of dynamically structured programs. A UNITY-style programming logic is given for Swarm, the first axiomatic proof system for a shared dataspace language.
Pulmonary hypertension: III. Physiologic studies in three cases of carbon dioxide narcosis treated by artificial respiration☆

Abstract 1.1. Three patients with severe pulmonary insufficiency who developed coma following the administration of oxygen have been presented. Coma was associated with severe hypercapnia and respiratory acidosis. 2.2. Mechanical ventilation in the Drinker respirator resulted in recovery in two instances. 3.3. The course of each patient was followed by serial arterial blood gas analyses and pH determination. 4.4. Cardiac catheterization in one case prior to therapy revealed severe pulmonary hypertension associated with marked hypoxemia, hypercapnia and respiratory acidosis. Cardiac catheterization following treatment in each case demonstrated moderate pulmonary hypertension and increased total pulmonary resistance associated with a normal cardiac index.
Judging Presidents: Evaluative Types as Presidential Citizens

Judging presidents is the central citizen duty in American representative democracy. Citizen competence at this task is more important to the political system, and the work of judging presidents is more daunting, than is generally recognized. Using a novel benchmark - the demands of “presidential citizenship” - as its test, this paper employs unique interview evidence of citizens’ evaluative tendencies to assess the extent of their potential to meet these demands. The strategy is to disaggregate the mass public into groups based on their distinctive approaches to judging presidents. The questions: which groups are best suited to this work; which are less well suited, and why? The tool of choice for this analysis is a validated typology first tested and confirmed in 2007. It is tested and confirmed again here; this time using new data -- the most recent 470 of 649 archived interviews of ordinary Americans recruited to “match and mimic” random national samples. A second hypothesis concerning the distribution of types in the population was not confirmed. There were more low information Delegators and fewer high information Instrumentals in the latest sample than predicted. Nevertheless, the Instrumental group remains the second largest. And it is potentially expandable because some Delegators (though less involved and informed as a group) evince improvement potential. This suggests that “majority competence” at presidential citizenship is theoretically possible. But it is likely only if some shock to the political system proved strong enough to spark an upgrade in the civic status quo.
Preparation and Use of Interphase Xenopus Egg Extracts

In this unit, Xenopus eggs are isolated from hormonally primed female frogs, and then the extract is treated with cyclohexamide so it remains in interphase of the cell cycle. In the presence of sperm chromatin and ATP, membrane vesicles in the extract fuse to assemble nuclei, making the extract suitable for studies of DNA replication and nuclear transport.
Directory to neutron cross-section data: December 1973

Abstract Presented here is an annotated list of sources of information in the neutron cross-section field.
Raman labeled nanoparticles: characterization of variability and improved method for unmixing

Raman spectroscopy can differentiate the spectral fingerprints of many molecules, resulting in potentially high multiplexing capabilities of Raman-tagged nanoparticles. However, an accurate quantitative unmixing of Raman spectra is challenging because of potential overlaps between Raman peaks from each molecule, as well as slight variations in the location, height, and width of very narrow peaks. If not accounted for properly, even minor fluctuations in the spectra may produce significant error that will ultimately result in poor unmixing accuracy. The objective of our study was to develop and validate a mathematical model of the Raman spectra of nanoparticles to unmix the contributions from each nanoparticle allowing simultaneous quantitation of several nanoparticle concentrations during sample characterization. We developed and evaluated an algorithm for quantitative unmixing of the spectra called narrow peak spectral algorithm (NPSA). Using NPSA, we were able to successfully unmix Raman spectra of up to seven Raman nanoparticles after correcting for spectral variations of 30% intensity and shifts in peak locations of up to 10 cm−1, which is equivalent to 50% of the full width at half maximum (FWHM). We compared the performance of NPSA to the conventional least squares (LS) analysis. Error in the NPSA is approximately 50% lower than in the LS. The error in estimating the relative contributions of each nanoparticle with the use of the NPSA are in the range of 10–16% for equal ratios and 13–19% for unequal ratios for the unmixing of seven composite organic–inorganic nanoparticles (COINs); whereas, the errors from using the traditional LS approach were in the range of 25–38% for equal ratios and 45–68% for unequal ratios. Here, we report for the first time the quantitative unmixing of seven nanoparticles with a maximum root mean square of the percentage error (RMS%) error of less than 20%. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
A Simplified Procedure for the Routine Determination of Uric Acid

1. A method for the colorimetric determination of serum uric acid is described which involves the adsorption of uric acid by an ionexchange resin and the addition of N-ethylmaleimide to remove interfering chromogens. 2. The procedure is simple, accurate, and suitable for routine clinical use. 3. The clinical significance of serum uric acid levels is discussed.
Expression of endogenous and foreign ribulose 1,5-bisphosphate carboxylase-oxygenase (RubisCO) genes in a RubisCO deletion mutant of Rhodobacter sphaeroides.

Abstract A Rhodobacter sphaeroides ribulose 1,5-bisphosphate carboxylase-oxygenase (RubisCO) deletion strain was constructed that was complemented by plasmids containing either the form I or form II CO2 fixation gene cluster. This strain was also complemented by genes encoding foreign RubisCO enzymes expressed from a Rhodospirillum rubrum RubisCO promoter. In R. sphaeroides, the R. rubrum promoter was regulated, resulting in variable levels of disparate RubisCO molecules under different growth conditions. Photosynthetic growth of the R. sphaeroides deletion strain complemented with cyanobacterial RubisCO revealed physiological properties reflective of the unique cellular environment of the cyanobacterial enzyme. The R. sphaeroides RubisCO deletion strain and R. rubrum promoter system may be used to assess the properties of mutagenized proteins in vivo, as well as provide a potential means to select for altered RubisCO molecules after random mutagenesis of entire genes or gene regions encoding RubisCO enzymes.
The analysis of amino acids in fruit juices by high‐performance liquid chromatography

A method is described for the rapid determination of amino acids in liquid foods by high-performance liquid chromatography (h.p.l.c.). The method has proved itself simple and reliable in use and is intended to provide amino acid profiles within 30–40 min of receipt of sample. Method assessment is discussed and the results obtained on typical processed foods are presented.
The super-Poincaré algebra and the scalar superfield in ten dimensions

The super-Poincare algebra in 10 dimensions is examined. The differences with respect to the other cases are pointed out. In particular, the scalar superfield is considered in detail as an example.
Interstellar Abundances in the Magellanic Clouds. I. GHRS Observations of the Small Magellanic Cloud Star Sk 108

We present HST GHRS echelle-B and G160M spectra of the Wolf-Rayet binary Sk 108, located in the northeastern part of the main "bar" of the Small Magellanic Cloud. The spectra show interstellar absorption from C I, O I, Si II, Si II*, S II, P II, Cr II, Mn II, Fe II, Ni II, and Zn II. We find at least 25 interstellar components, which may be grouped via similar kinematics and/or similar relative heavy element abundances into two sets arising in the Galactic disk and halo, plus three sets located in the SMC. The SMC component groups may correspond to large-scale SMC gas complexes identified in H I 21 cm emission surveys. The relative gas phase abundances for Si II, Cr II, Mn II, Fe II, Ni II, and Zn II found for the SMC interstellar components are similar to those found for interstellar clouds in the Galactic halo. Since the relative total abundances for those elements found for F-G supergiants and gaseous nebulae in the SMC are similar to those present in comparable Galactic objects, we conclude that the interstellar depletion patterns are also similar in the SMC and in the Galactic halo clouds, despite the significantly lower metallicity and dust-to-gas ratio in the SMC. We do not see the distinctive depletion patterns commonly found for cold and warm clouds in the Galactic disk for any of the SMC components along the line of sight to Sk 108. We discuss some implications of these results for understanding the abundances found for QSO absorption-line systems and conclude that both nucleosynthetic and depletion effects contribute to the observed abundances—to different degrees for different systems.
Orchestrating transcription with the Pol II CTD

Ronald and Joan Conaway highlight studies that established the role of phosphorylation of the RNA polymerase II carboxy-terminal domain (CTD) in the transition from transcription initiation to elongation, which paved the ground for following work on the CTD in regulating co-transcriptional processes.
The effect of cytoskeletal disrupting agents on the morphological response of a clonedManduca sexta cell line to 20-hydroxy-ecdysone

The embryonicManduca sexta cell line, MRRL-CH1 was cloned by dilution and single cell plating into conditioned medium, resulting in 6 cell clones with differing responses to the insect steroid hormone, 20-hydroxy-ecdysone. One of these clones, designated GV1, was studied with respect to cytoskeletal elements. Electron microscopic examination revealed that the microtubule networks became more extensive and organized increasingly parallel following exposure to the insect hormone 20-hydroxy-ecdysone, while inhibitors of microtubules were found to reverse the elongation response in the cells within 2.5 h. Agents affecting microfilaments (cytochalasins B and D) did not specifically alter the elongation response, but treatment with these agents did reveal increased cellular junctions as shown by increased cell aggregate size in hormone-treated cultures exposed to the cytochalasins.
Identification and restriction endonuclease mapping of the threonine operon regulatory region

A DNA fragment carrying the thrP region of Escherichia coli has been identified and characterized. Starting from a secondary site lysogen of bacteriophage λ, where the position of the prophage is either within thrP or between thrP and thrP structural genes (Gardner et al., 1974; Gardner & Smith, 1975) it has been possible to isolate transducing phages which carry bacterial DNA from either side of the prophage. By Int-Xis mediated site-specific recombination we have generated recombinant transducing phages which carry an intact thrP region. A phage carrying a regulatory mutation, which maps in the thrP region, has also been constructed. Mapping with several restriction endonucleases has allowed us to construct a map of the cleavage sites of the thrP region. A 1700 base-pair HaeIII fragment carrying the secondary attachment site (attΔOΔ′) was isolated and its position was localized within a 180 base-pair TaqI-HhaI restriction fragment. The location of attΔOΔ′ in the HaeIII fragment suggests that the entire thrP region is carried by this fragment.
Embedded control synthesis using one-step methods in discrete mechanics

Low bandwidth control and estimation for nonlinear systems presents a challenging problem that is often encountered when dealing with implementation on an embedded platform. Discrete mechanics techniques for system modeling are well-suited to low-bandwidth applications because they possess desirable numerical properties over a large range of timesteps including exact constraint conservation, and excellent Hamiltonian and momentum behaviors. We present an overview of a variational integrator based discrete mechanics system representation and corresponding state choice that allows the discrete flow to be expressed as a one-step map as required by classical digital control design tools. This modeling paradigm is used to experimentally control an underactuated, nonlinear system with low frequency control. Simulations of the experimental system demonstrate significantly better extended Kalman filter performance using the present framework over a traditional one-step Euler approximation.
Lexical Activation Produces Potent Phonemic Percepts

Theorists disagree about whether auditory word recognition is a fully bottom-up, autonomous process, or whether there is top-down processing within a more interactive architecture. The current study provides evidence for top-down lexical to phonemic activation. In several experiments, listeners labeled members of a /bI/-/dI/ test series, before and after listening to repeated presentations of various adapting sounds. Real English words (containing either a /b/ or a /d/) produced reliable adaptation shifts in labeling of the /bI/-/dI/ syllables. Critically, so did words in which the /b/ or /d/ was perceptually restored (when noise replaced the /b/ or /d/). Several control conditions demonstrated that no adaptation occurred when no phonemic restoration occurred. Similarly, no independent role in adaptation was found for lexical representations themselves. Thus, the results indicate that lexical activation can cause the perceptual process to synthesize a highly functional phonemic code. This result provides strong evidence for interactive models of word recognition.
Improving dietary behavior in African Americans: the Parents As Teachers High 5, Low Fat Program.

Abstract Background The High 5, Low Fat Program (H5LF) for African American parents was developed in partnership with the Parents As Teachers program, and was designed to test a dietary intervention appropriate for national adoption. Methods H5LF used a group randomized, nested cohort design with 738 parents. Consistent with organizational goals and methods, parent educators delivered a dietary change program via personal visits, newsletters, and group meetings. Primary outcomes were reducing percentage calories from fat and increasing fruit and vegetable consumption among participating parents; intermediate aims included improving in nutrition-related skills and parental modeling of dietary behaviors. Results H5LF parents achieved a 0.53 increase in fruit and vegetable consumption ( P = 0.03), and a higher proportion of H5LF parents reduced their intake to less than 30% calories from fat (χ 2 = 4.8, P F = 14.2, P = 0.004). Improvements in parental modeling were not statistically significant. Conclusions H5LF is an effective intervention that is appropriate for national adoption by over 2000 Parents As Teachers sites with the potential to impact dietary intake of African American parents nationwide.
Effects of microcrystallinity and morphology on physical aging and its associated effects on tensile mechanical and environmental stress cracking properties of poly(ethylene terephthalate)

Poly(ethylene terephthalate) samples with volume fraction levels of crystallinity up to 27% have been evaluated in terms of physical aging, tensile mechanical properties, and environmental stress cracking failures. Specific enthalpy recovery values were found to correspond with transitions from ductile to brittle modes of tensile mechanical failures, exhibited by samples with each level of crystallinity. For samples exposed to aging temperatures from 45 to 60°C, these critical enthalpies decrease linearly with increased crystallinity. The environmental stress cracking behavior of semicrystalline PET was found to depend on both crystallinity levels and physical aging. Samples with higher levels of crystallinity undergo stress cracking failures at lower critical stresses than their less crystalline counterparts. Physical aging, before environmental stress cracking exposure, further decreases these critical stress values and leads to much shorter critical times for failures. It has been shown that the interspherulitic amorphous portion of the material is primarily responsible for the differences in tensile mechanical and environmental stress cracking behaviors, observed as a result of aging and exposure. This amorphous region becomes progressively more restricted with increasing crystallinity as well as with increased aging. It, therefore, requires shorter exposure times to exhibit brittle tensile mechanical failure and environmental stress cracking rupture. © 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2009
Mode of Reproduction in Cytotypes of Lehmann Lovegrass

All known sources of lehmann lovegrass, Eragrostis lehmanniana Nees, reproduce by apomixis, which precludes hybridization and conventional genetic research. This study was conducted to locate sexual germplasm and describe the reproductive process in lehmann lovegrass. Purported diploid germplasm was grown in pots in a greenhouse. Chromosome number was determined and embryo sac development was studied and compared with another lehmann lovegrass accession. Self fertility, open-pollinated seed set, and mode of reproduction by progeny test were evaluated. Three accessions were diploid (2n = 2x = 20) and two were tetraploid (2n = 4x = 40). Triploid plants (2n = 3x = 30), discovered in the primarily diploid accessions, probably resulted either from the union of reduced and unreduced gametes or from fertilization of diploid plants by pollen from nearby tetraploid lehmann lovegrass. Diploid plants were sexual (i.e., megaspores were produced) and required cross pollination for seed set. Triploid and tetraploid plants were facultative diplosporous apomicts. Progeny tests were not conclusive. Although some diploid plants were clearly different from others, morphological differences were not sufficient to clearly and easily differentiate genetic from environmental variation. This is the first report of sexual reproduction in E. lehmanniana. This sexual germplasm will be essential to future genetic research with lehmann lovegrass.
Luenberger and Malmquist productivity indices in Japan, 1955–1995

The Luenberger productivity index can simultaneously contract inputs and expand outputs, and is dual to profit maximization. The index is a generalization of the Malmquist productivity index, which is commonly used in productivity studies. Both the Luenberger and Malmquist productivity indices are applied to the prefectural level data in Japan over 1955–1995. If profit maximization assumption is more appropriate than revenue maximization, Malmquist productivity index overestimates productivity changes, since it provides nearly twice growth rate compared to the rate given by the Luenberger productivity index.
Caspase-3 and the regulation of hypoxic neuronal death by vascular endothelial growth factor.

Vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) has neurotrophic and neuroprotective as well as angiogenic properties, but the pathways involved in VEGF-mediated neuronal survival have not been identified. We found previously that VEGF protects cultured neural cells from death induced by serum withdrawal or hypoxia via the activation of VEGF-2/fetal liver kinase-1 receptors, phosphatidylinositol 3′-kinase, Akt and nuclear factor-κB. We now report that in mouse cortical neuron cultures subjected to hypoxia, the neuroprotective effect of VEGF involves suppression of cell-death pathways mediated by caspase-3. Exposure to hypoxia for 24 h caused the death of 71±4% of cultured neurons; this was reduced to 40±1% by VEGF (n=3, P<0.005) and to 44±1% by the caspase-3 inhibitor benzyloxycarbonyl-DEVD-fluoromethyl ketone (n=3, P<0.005). VEGF inhibited the activation of caspase-3 as measured by the 17–20-kDa caspase-3 cleavage product, and immunolocalization of VEGF and activated caspase-3 showed segregated expression in separate neuronal populations. An antisense, but not sense, oligodeoxyribonucleotide directed against VEGF increased the proportion of neurons expressing activated caspase-3, and correspondingly reduced the viability of hypoxic neurons by 37±2% (n=3, P<0.005). These findings suggest that VEGF protects neurons from hypoxic injury by inhibiting the activation of caspase-3, and could therefore act as an endogenous neuroprotective factor in cerebral ischemia.