cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Application of reaction calorimetry toward understanding the large scale chemistry of ethyl diazoacetate

Ethyl diazoacetate is an important organic chemistry synthon, but its use as an industrial intermediate is limited due in part to the safety concerns associated with its instability and high reactivity. Reported are the reaction calorimetry results obtained from a new ethyl diazoacetate preparative method, the results from its use in a novel, exothermic reaction and the application of this data toward process development, a successful pilot plant campaign and full-scale reactor design. The results indicate that, given the proper engineering design, in situ preparation and use of ethyl diazoacetate solutions can be used at production scale without significant risk.
Aortic allografts: Reconstruction of right ventricle-pulmonary artery continuity

The use of aortic allografts in the repair of congenital cardiac lesions has increased as a result of both the advent of cryopreservation and the effects of increased donor availability secondary to infant transplantation. During the period 1986 through 1987, 38 cryopreserved aortic allografts were placed for right ventricle-pulmonary artery discontinuity. Size of the allografts ranged from 11 to 26 mm (mean size, 19 mm), and age of the patients ranged from 6 weeks to 26 years (mean age, 5 years). Twenty-one patients had primary placement of aortic allografts, and 17 underwent replacement of previous conduits. There were 5 hospital deaths (13%) overall, only 1 among the 10 patients younger than 6 months of age with truncus arteriosus, and none among the 17 patients having conduit replacement. A large conduit could be placed with a low incidence (10.5%) of postoperative hemorrhage related to the conduit. The aortic allograft is our conduit of choice for both conduit replacement and primary repair of right ventricle-pulmonary artery discontinuity.
Adomian decomposition method for a reliable treatment of the Emden-Fowler equation

In this paper, we present a reliable algorithm to determine new exact and new approximate solutions of the generalized Emden-Fowler equation. The algorithm rests mainly on Adomian decomposition method with an alternative framework designed to overcome the difficulty of the singular point at x=0. The proposed framework reveals quite a number of remarkable features of the scheme used here.
The nonaxisymmetric baroclinic instability in thin accretion disks

The instability of linear, nonaxisymmetric baroclinic waves in the radiative regions of a thin accretion disk is investigated with simplifying assumptions used in the representation of the structure of the basic state. As in stars with rotation laws deviating from rotation on cylinders, the departure from barotropy ('baroclinicity') resulting from such rotation feeds potential energy from the basic state into the kinetic energy of the baroclinic motions. The baroclinic instability is considered as a possible mechanism for driving turbulence in disks. Estimations of the Reynolds stress from baroclinic waves indicate that the degree of baroclinicity in stationary disk models is insufficient to account for the large viscosity inferred from observations of, e.g., cataclysmic variables.
Modeling fuel NOx formation from combustion of biomass-derived producer gas in a large-scale burner

Abstract This study investigates the characteristics of fuel NOx formation resulting from the combustion of producer gas derived from biomass gasification using different feedstocks. Common industrial burners are optimized for using natural gas or coal-derived syngas. With the increasing demand in using biomass for power generation, it is important to develop burners that can mitigate fuel NOx emissions due to the combustion of ammonia, which is the major nitrogen-containing species in biomass-derived gas. In this study, the combustion process inside the burner is modeled using computational fluid dynamics (CFD) with detailed chemistry. A reduced mechanism (36 species and 198 reactions) is developed from GRI 3.0 in order to reduce the computation time. Combustion simulations are performed for producer gas arising from different feedstocks such as wood gas, wood + 13% DDGS (dried distiller grain soluble) gas and wood + 40% DDGS gas and also at different air equivalence ratios ranging from 1.2 to 2.5. The predicted NOx emissions are compared with the experimental data and good levels of agreement are obtained. It is found out that NOx is very sensitive to the ammonia content in the producer gas. Results show that although NO–NO2 interchanges are the most prominent reactions involving NO, the major NO producing reactions are the oxidation of NH and N at slightly fuel rich conditions and high temperature. Further analysis of results is conducted to determine the conditions favorable for NOx reduction. The results indicate that NOx can be reduced by designing combustion conditions which have fuel rich zones in most of the regions. The results of this study can be used to design low NOx burners for combustion of gas mixtures derived from gasification of biomass. One suggestion to reduce NOx is to produce a diverging flame using a bluff body in the flame region such that NO generated upstream will pass through the fuel rich flame and be reduced.
A SIMPLE THREE-DIMENSIONAL MODEL FOR THE STUDY OF LARGE-SCALE EXTRATROPICAL FLOW PATTERNS

Abstract A study is made of the hydrostatic and quasi-geostrophic motion of two superimposed layers of homogeneous and incompressible fluids of different densities, these fluids being contained between two rigid, horizontal plates. It is found that the local time derivatives of the pressure heights in the two layers and the height of their interface can be determined from partial differential equations similar to those developed by Charney for the equivalent-barotropic model. The possibility of using this two-layer model to represent motions of a continuously stratified, baroclinic troposphere is explored by comparing the behavior of small perturbations superimposed on a zonal current in the two-layer model with the results of the continuous baroclinic perturbation theories of Eady and Fjortoft. The remarkable similarity of behavior of the two-layer and the continuous perturbation models, which appears from this comparison, suggests that if the initial flow patterns of the two-layer model are determined f...
Black and White Together: A Reconsideration

Principled discussions of civil rights became inherently less likely as a direct result of the observation by Earl Warren, in Brown v. Board of Education, that, respecting freedmen, “Education of Negroes was almost non-existent, and practically all of the race were illiterate,” and in proportion as that observation increasingly became the foundation of common opinion on the subject. Warren's observation was not true in any meaningful or non-trivial sense. Nevertheless, it served to perpetuate the myth of a backward people needing help to catch up instead of the truth of a people being held back. That is the perspective – the disadvantaged group perspective – that ultimately infected all discussion of civil rights, even after the designation of so-called “disadvantaged groups” had been extended beyond American blacks.To define civil rights, we may well begin with what all mankind would likely recognize. Thus the dictionary definition of “civil rights” stands: “the rights that belong to all individuals in a nation or community touching property, marriage, and the like.” In that definition the term “rights” may be further expanded to mean “legitimate claims,” following the definition of right as law – as “a claim or title or interest in anything whatever that is enforceable by law.” This definition applies with minimal distinction of regimes intruding and, therefore, without the host of recent complications in the United States that create the impression that civil rights have something to do with pluralism. Previously, the generic definition was thought to exhaust the meaning of the term in the United States.
Throughput-dissipation tradeoff in partially reversible nanocomputing: A case study

Partial reversibility is an underexplored avenue for balancing high computational throughput and low power dissipation in nanocomputing systems. In this work we study the throughput-dissipation tradeoff in a partially reversible 32-bit MIPS ALU implemented in quantum cellular automata and clocked via the “pipelined Bennett clocking” strategy recently introduced by Ottavi and co-workers. Fundamental upper bounds on the computational power efficiency (operations per Watt second) - as limited by dissipation from logical irreversibility - are evaluated as a function of the number of pipeline zones used in the ALU clocking, and are compared to corresponding results for pure Bennett clocking (which maximizes reversibility) and standard Landauer clocking (which maximizes throughput). Pipelined Bennett clocking is shown to offer both significant power efficiency advantages over Landauer clocking and throughput advantages over pure Bennett clocking for ALUs with small numbers of pipeline zones. These efficiency advantages are, however, lost for larger numbers of pipeline zones, where Landauer clocking provides superior efficiency and throughput. The observed throughput-dissipation tradeoff is explained in terms of relative communication and computation costs in pipelined Bennett clocking. Implications for partially reversible circuit design are briefly discussed.
The NK1 receptor antagonist L822429 reduces heroin reinforcement.

Genetic deletion of the neurokinin 1 receptor (NK1R) has been shown to decrease the reinforcing properties of opioids, but it is unknown whether pharmacological NK1R blockade has the same effect. Here, we examined the effect of L822429, a rat-specific NK1R antagonist, on the reinforcing properties of heroin in rats on short (1 h: ShA) or long (12 h: LgA) access to intravenous heroin self-administration. ShA produces heroin self-administration rates that are stable over time, whereas LgA leads to an escalation of heroin intake thought to model important dependence-related aspects of addiction. L822429 reduced heroin self-administration and the motivation to consume heroin, measured using a progressive-ratio schedule, in both ShA and LgA rats. L822429 also decreased anxiety-like behavior in both groups, measured on the elevated plus maze, but did not affect mechanical hypersensitivity observed in LgA rats. Expression of TacR1 (the gene encoding NK1R) was decreased in reward- and stress-related brain areas both in ShA and LgA rats compared with heroin-naive rats, but did not differ between the two heroin-experienced groups. In contrast, passive exposure to heroin produced increases in TacR1 expression in the prefrontal cortex and nucleus accumbens. Taken together, these results show that pharmacological NK1R blockade attenuates heroin reinforcement. The observation that animals with ShA and LgA to heroin were similarly affected by L822429 indicates that the SP/NK1R system is not specifically involved in neuroadaptations that underlie escalation resulting from LgA self-administration. Instead, the NK1R antagonist appears to attenuate acute, positively reinforcing properties of heroin and may be useful as an adjunct to relapse prevention in detoxified opioid-dependent subjects.
9-anthryl and 1-pyrenyl groups as reporters of local environments and diffusion of two N, N-dialkylanilines in polyethylene films. Excited state lifetimes determine spatial information

Abstract Changes in the static and dynamic fluorescence from two covalently attached lumophores, 1-pyrenyl and 9-anthrylmethyl, induced by the diffusion of two N , N -dialkylanilines, N , N -dimethylaniline and N , N -dioctadecylaniline, within polyethylene films of 42% crystallinity have been examined. The longer lived excited singlet state of 1-pyrenyl is found to report on events occurring within a larger surrounding volume than the much shorter lived excited singlet state of 9-anthylmethyl. In addition, diffusion of N , N -dioctadecylaniline is found to be more rapid than expected on the basis of simple molecular volume considerations and to occur through two parallel pathways. The results suggest that lumophore lifetimes can be ‘tuned’ to interrogate different volumes of host space in polymers.
Highlights in acute myeloid leukemia from the 2012 meeting of the American Society of Hematology.

2012 American Society of Hematology Annual MeetingAtlanta, GA, USA, 8–11 December 2012The American Society of Hematology Annual Meeting includes physicians, scientists, administrators, medical students, graduate students, allied health professionals and exhibitors. This year’s meeting was held in Atlanta, GA, USA. Presentations included a wide variety of topics in benign and malignant hematology.
Milestones of Lynch syndrome: 1895-2015

Lynch syndrome, which is now recognized as the most common hereditary colorectal cancer condition, is characterized by the predisposition to a spectrum of cancers, primarily colorectal cancer and endometrial cancer. We chronicle over a century of discoveries that revolutionized the diagnosis and clinical management of Lynch syndrome, beginning in 1895 with Warthin's observations of familial cancer clusters, through the clinical era led by Lynch and the genetic era heralded by the discovery of causative mutations in mismatch repair (MMR) genes, to ongoing challenges.
Comparing the ability of a genetic algorithm based clustering analysis and a physically based dynamic vegetation model to predict vegetation distribution

This study explores the applicability of data-driven clustering analysis in predictingvegetation distribution over two continents where water is an important controlling factorfor vegetation growth, South America and Africa, and compares the ability ofclustering analysis with that of a physically based dynamic vegetation model to predictvegetation distribution. A clustering analysis algorithm based on the genetic-algorithm-based K-means is tested, with the number of clusters determined a priori according tothe primary plant functional types observed to exist in the study domain. The mostimportant variables upon which the clustering analysis is based include available water, itsseasonality, and evaporative demand. The dynamic vegetation model used is theCommunity Land Model version 3 coupled with a Dynamic Global Vegetation Model(CLM3-DGVM) with modifications targeted to address some known biases of the model.Results from both the clustering analysis and the modified CLM3-DGVM are comparedagainst observations derived from the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer(MODIS). Both methods reasonably reproduced the general pattern of dominant plantfunctional type distribution. There is no clear winner between the two methods, asthe DGVM outperforms the clustering analysis approach in some aspects and isoutperformed in others. It is therefore suggested that clustering analysis can be a usefultool in biogeography estimation, although it cannot be used in mechanistic studies asthe process-based DGVMs are.
A deterministic algorithm for global optimization

We present an algorithm for finding the global maximum of a multimodal, multivariate function for which derivatives are available. The algorithm assumes a bound on the second derivatives of the function and uses this to construct an upper envelope. Successive function evaluations lower this envelope until the value of the global maximum is known to the required degree of accuracy. The algorithm has been implemented in RATFOR and execution times for standard test functions are presented at the end of the paper.
Nuclear and mitochondrial DNA evidence of polyphyly in the avian superfamily Muscicapoidea

Nucleotide sequences of the nuclear c-mos gene and the mitochondrial cytochrome b and ND2 genes were used to assess the monophyly of Sibley and Monroe's [Distribution and Taxonomy of Birds of the World, Yale University Press, New Haven, 1990] Muscicapoidea superfamily. The relationships and monophyly of major lineages within the superfamily, as well as genera membership in major lineages was also assessed. Analyses suggest that Bombycillidae is not a part of Muscicapoidea, and there is strongly supported evidence to suggest that Turdinae is not part of the Muscicapidae, but is instead sister to a Sturnidae+Cinclidae clade. This clade is in turn sister to Muscicapidae (Muscicapini+Saxicolini). Of the 49 Turdinae and Muscicapidae genera that we included in our analyses, 10 (20%) are shown to be misclassified to subfamily or tribe. Our results place one current Saxicolini genus in Turdinae, two Saxicolini genera in Muscicapini, and five Turdinae and two Muscicapini genera in Saxicolini; these relationships are supported with 100% Bayesian support. Our analyses suggest that c-mos was only marginally useful in resolving these "deep" phylogenetic relationships.
Dynamics of Embedded Solitons in the Extended Korteweg–de Vries Equations

Embedded solitons are solitary waves residing inside the continuous spectrum of a wave system. They have been discovered in a wide array of physical situations recently. In this article, we present the first comprehensive theory on the dynamics of embedded solitons and nonlocal solitary waves in the framework of the perturbed fifth-order Korteweg-de Vries (KdV) hierarchy equation. Our method is based on the development of a soliton perturbation theory. By obtaining the analytical formula for the tail amplitudes of nonlocal solitary waves, we demonstrate the existence of single-hump embedded solitons for both Hamiltonian and non-Hamiltonian perturbations. These embedded solitons can be isolated (existing at a unique wave speed) or continuous (existing at all wave speeds). Under small wave speed limit, our results show that the tail amplitudes of nonlocal waves are exponentially small, and the product of the amplitude and cosine of the phase is a constant to leading order. This qualitatively reproduces the previous results on the fifth-order KdV equation obtained by exponential asymptotics techniques. We further study the dynamics of embedded solitons and prove that, under Hamiltonian perturbations, a localized wave initially moving faster than the embedded soliton will asymptotically approach this embedded soliton, whereas a localized wave moving slower than the embedded soliton will decay into radiation. Thus, the embedded soliton is semistable. Under non-Hamiltonian perturbations, stable embedded solitons are found for the first time.
Evaluation of segregation profiles in multicomponent systems from the regular solution model

Abstract A regular solution approach based on nearest-neighbor pair interactions is employed to develop a general theoretical treatment of surface segregation applicable to the multi-component multilayer case. The model is used to predict layer-by-layer equilibrium concentration changes from the surface to the bulk for each component in the general binary and ternary cases as defined in Meijering's classification scheme. Analysis of these cases allows the identification of the basic factor which contribute to segregation in real systems. The model is applied to the FeNiSb system where reliable experimentally determined surface concentrations for various bulk compositions are available for comparison.
Retardation of dibenzo polyether‐formaldehyde resin formation by alkali‐metal cations

Macrocyclic polyethers are well-known complexing agents for alkali-metal and alkaline earth-metal cations. The influence of alkali-metal cations upon the polycondensation rate of acyclic and cyclic dibenzo polyethers with formaldehyde in formic acid and alkali-metal cation sorption by some of the resultant resins have been investigated. For certain dibenzo polyether and alkali-metal cation combinations, polymer formation is markedly reduced. The alkali-metal cation that provides the best fit for the macrocyclic polyether cavity produces the greatest retardation of polymer formation. It is proposed that metal ion complexation renders the dibenzo polyether monomer inert to polymerization under the reaction conditions. No template effect for alkali-metal cation sorption by dibenzo polyether carboxylic acid resins was observed. © 1995 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
Antagonists for group I mGluRs attenuate excitotoxic neuronal death in cortical cultures.

Activation of ion channel-linked glutamate receptors, especially N-methyl-d-aspartate (NMDA) receptors, mediates the excitotoxic effects of glutamate upon central neurons. We examined the hypothesis that activation of group I metabotropic glutamate receptors (mGluRs) would increase NMDA receptor-mediated cortical neuronal death. Addition of the selective group I mGluR agonists, dihydroxyphenylglycine (DHPG) or trans-azetidine-2,4-dicarboxylic acid (t-ADA) potentiated NMDA-induced neuronal death, and application of the group I mGluR-selective antagonist, aminoindan-1,5-dicarboxylic acid (AIDA), as well as the non-selective antagonists methyl-4-carboxyphenylglycine (MCPG) or 4-carboxyphenylglycine (4CPG) reduced NMDA- and kainate-induced neuronal death in murine cortical cultures. The pro-excitotoxic effect of group I mGluR activation may be mediated largely by enhancement of glutamate release, as DHPG potentiated high potassium-stimulated glutamate release, and the protective effects of both AIDA and MCPG were abolished when NMDA and alpha-amino-3-hydroxy-5-methyl-4-isoxazole proprionic acid (AMPA) receptors were blocked immediately after toxic NMDA receptor overstimulation. The present data support the possibility that antagonizing group I mGluRs may be a useful strategy for attenuating excitotoxic neuronal death in certain disease states.
The role of water and surface acidity on the reactive adsorption of ammonia on modified activated carbons

Abstract Commercial carbons were modified by incipient wetness impregnation with aqueous solutions of metal salts (Fe, Co, Cr), followed by calcinations at low temperature (300 °C). The materials were characterized using adsorption of nitrogen, potentiometric titration, thermal analysis, XRF, SEM and FTIR. Their performance for ammonia removal was evaluated in dynamic conditions at room temperature. The results indicate that activated carbons with supported metals on the surface can be used for the removal of ammonia pollution and their capacity depends on the nature of the metal deposit and its acidity. Moreover the capacity is also affected by the presence of moisture and surface functional groups. The latter, when strongly acidic, significantly enhance the adsorption capacity. On the surface of modified activated carbons reactive adsorption of ammonia takes place via the formation of NH 4 + ions, which bind to surface acidic groups. Thus the removal process is essentially governed by acid–base interactions.
Structure-guided design of substituted aza-benzimidazoles as potent hypoxia inducible factor-1α prolyl hydroxylase-2 inhibitors

We report the structure-based design and synthesis of a novel series of aza-benzimidazoles as PHD2 inhibitors. These efforts resulted in compound 22, which displayed highly potent inhibition of PHD2 function in vitro.
A siderophore from a marine bacterium with an exceptional ferric ion affinity constant

Virtually all microorganisms require iron for growth. The paucity of iron in surface ocean water (approximately 0.02-1.0 nM (refs 1, 2)) has spurred a lively debate concerning iron limitation of primary productivity, yet little is known about the molecular mechanisms used by marine microorganisms to sequester iron. Terrestrial bacteria use a siderophore-mediated ferric uptake system. A siderophore is a low-molecular-mass compound with a high affinity for ferric ion which is secreted by microorganisms is response to low-iron environments; siderophore biosynthesis is regulated by iron levels, with repression by high iron. Although open-ocean marine microorganisms (such as phytoplankton and bacteria) produce siderophores, the nature of these siderophores has not been investigated. We report here the first structure determination, to our knowledge, of the siderophores from an open-ocean bacterium, alterobactin A and B from Alteromonas luteoviolacea. A. luteoviolacea is found in oligotrophic and coastal waters. Alterobactin A has an exceptionally high affinity constant for ferric ion. We suggest that at least some marine microorganisms may have developed higher-affinity iron chelators as part of an efficient iron-uptake mechanism which is more effective than that of their terrestrial counterparts.
Oxygen consumption in the water column and sediments of the northern Gulf of Mexico hypoxic zone

Abstract Hypoxia is a global problem resulting from excessive nutrient inputs to coastal regions, but the biogeochemical mechanisms of hypoxia development are not well understood. The primary location of oxygen consumption (i.e., sediments versus water column) is still debated and may depend on the analytical approach used. In this study, oxygen respiration was measured using incubations combined with membrane inlet mass spectrometry in sediments, water overlying sediments, and the water column in the Gulf of Mexico hypoxic zone. Water column respiration ranged from 0.09 to 4.42 μmol O 2 l −1 h −1 (mean = 0.77 ± 0.07 (standard error)) and was significantly higher shortly after two hurricanes. Overlying water respiration ranged from 0.31 to 2.46 μmol O 2 l −1 h −1 (mean = 0.70 ± 0.09) and accounted for 3.7 ± 0.8% of total below-pycnocline respiration. Sediment oxygen consumption, measured using a continuous-flow incubation technique, was lowest after the two hurricanes and ranged from 408 to 1800 μmol O 2 m −2 h −1 (mean = 834 ± 83.8 μmol O 2 m −2 h −1 ). Sediments accounted for 25 ± 5.3% of total below-pycnocline respiration, and sediment oxygen consumption was related negatively to ambient bottom-water oxygen concentration. This negative relationship contradicts previous literature and suggests that high sediment oxygen consumption is driven by abundant, fresh organic material and regulates bottom-water oxygen concentration, rather than the common assumption that bottom-water oxygen concentration determines sediment oxygen consumption. The results from this study suggest that storms and mixing events may lead to conditions suitable for hypoxia redevelopment in as little as two days after disturbances, with the water column playing a critical role in system hypoxia development and maintenance.
On central difference Approximations to general second order elliptic equations

Abstract Consider the second order elliptic equation Lu ≔ − au xx − 2 bu xy − cu yy + d ( x , y ) u = f ( x , y ) in [0, 1] × [0, 1], with periodic boundary conditions, and b 2 ac , a > 0, c > 0, d ( x, y ) ⩾ 0. Finite difference discretizations require a much stronger condition than ellipticity to give a scheme of positive type. In this paper, it is shown that the standard central difference discretization of (1) is of monotone type although it is not positive type. Specifically, the inverse matrix arising from it has one sign.
Return to Play for Neurosurgical Patients

Background Concussion and sports-related cranial and spine injuries recently have garnered increased attention from the media, public, and sports' governing bodies. Although concussion has been well-studied, there are minimal data on return to play for structural neurosurgical lesions. Objective We aimed to study current neurosurgical practice on return to play for structural neurosurgical lesions in order to eventually establish guidelines for these athletes. Methods A survey was sent to all American Association of Neurological Surgeons members inviting them to submit information on athletes who presented with structural neurosurgical lesions. These included both operative and nonoperative lesions. Ten examples of relevant clinical scenarios were included. Neurosurgeons were surveyed about their practice of clearing these patients for return to play and about patient outcomes afterwards, including any clinical sequelae. Responses were tabulated and studied to search for trends in current practice. Nonstructural cases, such as concussion and cervical strain cases, were excluded. The Mann-Whitney U test was used to test for statistical difference in the time to return for spine versus cranial, instrumented versus noninstrumented spine, and pediatric versus adult cases. Results Ninety-eight respondents entered data on a total of 189 patients (118 surgical and 71 nonoperative/incidental). In the surgical category, 109 cases (41 cranial, 67 spine, and 1 peripheral nerve lesions) met inclusion criteria. There was a significant difference in time to return between spine (88% returned ≤6 months) versus cranial (50% returned >6 months, P 3 months, P = 0.001), and adult (78% returned ≤6 months) versus pediatric cases (52% returned >6 months, P = 0.021). Fifty nonoperative/incidental cases met inclusion criteria; 94% of athletes returning to play with nonoperative lesions had no reported clinical sequelae. All nonsurgical and 81% of surgical respondents required deficit resolution before return to play. Conclusions The results presented here are the first effort to study current practice on return to play for structural neurosurgical lesions. They establish an early foundation for neurosurgical guidelines on these patients.
Half-metallic graphene nanoribbons

Electrical current can be completely spin polarized in a class of materials known as half-metals, as a result of the coexistence of metallic nature for electrons with one spin orientation and insulating nature for electrons with the other. Such asymmetric electronic states for the different spins have been predicted for some ferromagnetic metals--for example, the Heusler compounds--and were first observed in a manganese perovskite. In view of the potential for use of this property in realizing spin-based electronics, substantial efforts have been made to search for half-metallic materials. However, organic materials have hardly been investigated in this context even though carbon-based nanostructures hold significant promise for future electronic devices. Here we predict half-metallicity in nanometre-scale graphene ribbons by using first-principles calculations. We show that this phenomenon is realizable if in-plane homogeneous electric fields are applied across the zigzag-shaped edges of the graphene nanoribbons, and that their magnetic properties can be controlled by the external electric fields. The results are not only of scientific interest in the interplay between electric fields and electronic spin degree of freedom in solids but may also open a new path to explore spintronics at the nanometre scale, based on graphene.
Optimal Mass Flexible Tethers for Aerobraking Maneuvers

Previous results using a rigid tether model indicate that tether mass in aerobraking maneuvers is much lower than the propellant mass required for a similar maneuver. In this work the effects of e exibility on the optimum maneuvers are studied. The results indicate that tether e exibility produces a small increase in tether mass but it remains signie cantly lower than propellant mass. The effects of e exibility are greater in maneuvers where the tether remains nearly vertical during e ythrough. However, bending on the tether in the optimum maneuvers is small and the tether aerobraking maneuver remains feasible when tether e exibility is included in the analysis.
Further Evidence for the Role of Psychosocial Factors in Depression Chronicity

Joiner (this issue) discusses a number of interpersonal factors involved in depression maintenance. I provide further evidence that psychosocial factors contribute to depression maintenance from my work on ruminative coping styles. I propose developmental issues that may affect the search for erosive processes in depression. Finally, I suggest a focus for future research.
Acyl‐CoA Binding Protein Gene Ablation Induces Pre‐implantation Embryonic Lethality in Mice

Unique among the intracellular lipid binding proteins, acyl-CoA binding protein (ACBP) exclusively binds long-chain fatty acyl-CoAs (LCFA-CoAs). To test if ACBP is an essential protein in mammals, the ACBP gene was ablated by homologous recombination in mice. While ACBP heterozygotes appeared phenotypically normal, intercrossing of the heterozygotes did not produce any live homozygous deficient (null) ACBP(−/−) pups. Heterozygous and wild type embryos were detected at all post-implantation stages, but no homozygous ACBP-null embryos were obtained—suggesting that an embryonic lethality occurred at a pre-implantation stage of development, or that embryos never formed. While ACBP-null embryos were not detected at any blastocyst stage, ACBP-null embryos were detected at the morula (8-cell), cleavage (2-cell), and zygote (1-cell) pre-implantation stages. Two other LCFA-CoA binding proteins, sterol carrier protein-2 (SCP-2) and sterol carrier protein-x (SCP-x) were significantly upregulated at these stages. These findings demonstrate for the first time that ACBP is an essential protein required for embryonic development and its loss of function may be initially compensated by concomitant upregulation of two other LCFA-CoA binding proteins, but only at the earliest pre-implantation stages. The fact that ACBP is the first known intracellular lipid binding protein whose deletion results in embryonic lethality suggests its vital importance in mammals.
Influence of aqueous solution chemistry on the surface charge, viscosity and stability of concentrated alumina dispersions in water

This study examines the effects of pH, electrolyte concentration and solids concentration on the surface charge characteristics, viscosity and stability of concentrated alumina dispersions, and the relationships between these properties of the dispersions. The surface charge properties of various concentrated alumina dispersions were investigated using acid-base titrations. Suspension viscosity and stability were also investigated for selected dispersion concentrations, electrolyte concentrations, and pH values. The initial rate of mass removal from a sedimenting alumina suspension was used as a measure of suspension stability. Results indicated that an increase in solid concentration caused a decrease in the surface charge at pH values below the point of zero net proton charge (PZNPC), possibly reflecting diffuse layer overlap between particles. The dispersion viscosity was observed to depend greatly on the aggregated state of the dispersion; maximum viscosity was observed near the PZNPC where the stability was at a minimum. Viscosity was decreased and stability was increased at pH values away from the PZNPC, where an increased surface charge causes electrostatic repulsion between particles. Away from the PZNPC, higher electrolyte concentrations yielded slightly higher suspension viscosity than lower electrolyte concentrations due to increased aggregation. This study indicates that control of stability via solution chemistry is critical to the control of the viscosity of concentrated dispersions of alumina in water.
Plasma epinephrine concentration in healthy men: Correlation with systolic pressure and rate-pressure product

Relations among plasma epinephrine, norepinephrine and renin activity and systolic pressure, diastolic pressure, heart rate and the product of heart rate and systolic pressure (rate-pressure product) were evaluated in 31 healthy men whose arterial pressure spanned the range from normal to mildly elevated. Measurements were made during 60 minutes with the patient in the supine position and during 10 minutes of quiet standing. In the supine position, highly significant regressions were found between systolic pressure or rate-pressure product and plasma epinephrine, but not between these variables and norepinephrine or renin activity. A weakly significant correlation was also found between heart rate and norepinephrine. On standing, norepinephrine and epinephrine increased significantly. In this position, rate-pressure product was significantly related by regression analysis only with plasma epinephrine. Weakly significant correlations between systolic pressure and epinephrine and between heart rate and norepinephrine and epinephrine were also found. Plasma renin activity was not significantly correlated with arterial pressure, heart rate or rate-pressure product in either position. These results suggest that plasma epinephrine is a determinant of systolic pressure when postural reflexes are minimized and that epinephrine may participate in control of cardiac work load, as reflected by rate-pressure product in the absence of exercise or definable stress.
Improved observations of Earth and space weather from GOES-R

The next-generation Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellites (GOES), designated the GOES-R Series, will provide continuity and improvement of remotely-sensed environmental data from a geosynchronous orbit in the 2015- 2028 era. The GOES-R Ground Segment (GS) Project will acquire the integrated, distributed GS that will conduct satellite operations and product generation and distribution. This paper describes improvements in GOES-R sensors and measurements over previous GOES satellites and facets of the product generation subsystem capabilities. The GS will be capable of producing several key environmental products at low latency on a continuous basis.
A Meta-Heuristic Based Weight Optimisation for Composite Wing Structural Analysis

This paper presents a two-stage meta-heuristic approach to producing weight-optimised solutions needed prior to the detailed finite element analysis of composite wing. Composite wing covers are assumed to take the form of a group of stiffened sub-panels with varying skin and stiffener geometries according to the wing layout and loads. A population of limited solutions satisfying various design constraints was created using layout (skin and stiffener geometry), selected lay-ups, rule based stacking sequence and various assumed loads. The closed form analytical solutions of flat stiffened orthotropic plates are used for calculating buckling reserve factors and strength margins. For each sub-panel, a meta-heuristic rule was imposed to search for a suitable combination of skin and stiffener geometry. The criterion used was minimum weight satisfying laminate continuity accounting for manufacturability. Later, the optimised solutions for each sub-panel are converted into a format supported by the conventional finite element tool (NASTRAN). The use of meta-heuristic approach and their automation in Visual Basic for Applications resulted in fast convergence and potential time-saving compared to genetic algorithms.
Is there consensus among American labor economists? Survey results on forty propositions

I examine whether consensus exists among American labor economists on forty propositions by analyzing responses to a questionnaire mailed to 193 randomly selected labor economists who are members of the American Economic Association. The questions address many of the important debates in labor economics. The answers show consensus on a number of issues, including the belief that minimum wage laws decrease employment, and a rejection of comparable worth’s merits. However, there is substantial disagreement about the impact of unions, the amount of discrimination in the labor market, the trend of average real wages, and several other topics.
The adsorption and decomposition of methanol on copper overlayers on the Rh(100) surface

Abstract The adsorption and decomposition of methanol on copper overlayers on the Rh(100) surface have been studied using thermal desorption mass spectrometry (TDMS) and high-resolution electron energy loss spectroscopy (HREELS). The reaction scheme of methanol on this model bimetallic catalyst is similar to that on the clean Rh(100) surface, but with a number of important differences. First, the presence of a monolayer or more of copper on the Rh(100) surface greatly inhibits methanol decomposition and also reduces the binding energy of molecularly adsorbed methanol. That portion of the methanol monolayer that desorbs reversibly desorbs near 200 K on a Rh(100) surface with a pseudomorphic copper monolayer and at ~ 180 K when two or more monolayers of copper are present, compared with approximately 210 K on clean Rh(100). Second, formation of methoxy via OH bond cleavage of the adsorbed methanol occurs on the copper overlayer as on the clean surface, but to a reduced extent. Compared with methoxy formed on clean Rh(100), which decomposes completely by 320 K, methoxy formed on the copper overlayers is substantially more stable. On a pseudomorphic copper monolayer, the methoxy is stable up to ~ 370 K; when two or more monolayers of copper are present, the methoxy decomposition is complete only near 400 K. Unlike the case of methoxy on clean Rh(100), decomposition of methoxy on the copper overlayers is accompanied by formaldehyde evolution. Third, the methoxy on the copper overlayers exhibits a metal-oxygen stretching frequency that is substantially reduced compared with the frequency of this mode on clean Rh(100). These observations are discussed in relation to the chemistry of methanol on various copper surfaces, and in terms of the electronic and structural effects which may lead to such changes.
Work in progress — Use-value and functionality versus aesthetics and experience: Inculcation of design ideologies in engineering and industrial design students

This paper compares how different student teams with engineering and industrial design backgrounds approach design problems and create design solutions. We collected data by observing team meetings throughout the design process. While students in both disciplines were essentially designing solutions for clients' future needs, the design prompts were vastly different as was their subsequent approach. Preliminary results show engineering teams designed solutions based on the project requirements, issues of ultimate functionality, and client needs or interpretations of client needs while industrial designers focused on positive user reaction and aesthetics, working around ideas that incorporated unique or creative components to enhance the overall appearance's appeal. In this study we found preliminary evidence that innovation occurs when the designer also takes on the role of the user; here the designer incorporates personal experience with cognitive tools to search the solution space for creative solutions.
“Explaining Your Results” as Access-Biased Memory

Abstract This article presents an inference-cum-memory model with uncertain parameter p and binomial data. The model is intended to represent the phenomenon especially common in the social sciences of explaining the results of a statistical calculation. The principal assumptions of the model are that experiments, not sufficient statistics, are stored in memory, and that the experiments are categorized by and accessed according to their implications for inference. The nonsample information thereby generated is weaker than it appears. In the context of this model, optimal memory interrogation involves search for previous experiments that slightly contradict the current evidence.
CMB 3-point functions generated by nonlinearities at recombination

We study the 3-point functions generated at recombination in the squeezed triangle limit, when one mode has a wavelength much larger than the other two and is outside the horizon. The presence of the long-wavelength mode cannot change the physics inside the horizon but modifies how a late time observer sees the anisotropies. The effect of the long-wavelength mode can be divided into a redefinition of time and spatial scales, a Shapiro time delay and gravitational lensing. The separation is gauge dependent but helps develop intuition. We show that the resulting 3-point function corresponds to an ${f}_{\mathrm{N}\mathrm{L}}l1$ and that its shape is different from that created by the ${f}_{\mathrm{N}\mathrm{L}}$ (or local) model.
What drugs are best for bipolar depression

Bipolar depression is a severe, potentially lethal disorder for which there are no specific, FDA-indicated pharmacotherapies. Research in this area has been limited, and most treatments are based on unsupported extrapolation from the treatment of unipolar depression, or follow guidelines derived largely from the clinical practice experience of experts in this field. There is clearly a medical need for new and more effective treatments for bipolar depression. Recently, the newer antiepileptic drugs, and atypical antipsychotics, have been studied to evaluate their role in bridging this gap in the psychopharmacologic armamentarium. Drugs in these classes will be reviewed, in addition to serotonin reuptake inhibitors, monoamine oxidase inhibitors, and electroconvulsive therapy. In this paper, current trends in the acute and long-term medication treatment of bipolar depression will be described, with particular focus on evidence from the existing literature. Additional factors, such as side effects, risk/benefit issues, and drug-drug interactions, will be considered in an attempt to make overall recommendations for medication selection.
Tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin in baby food made from chicken produced before and after the termination of ball clay use in chicken feed in the United States.

Abstract Polychlorodibenzo- p -dioxin/furans were determined in chicken-containing baby foods collected from an annually conducted total diet survey by the US FDA during the last half of fiscal year (FY) 1997 through the first half of FY 1998. 2,3,7,8-Tetrachlorodibenzo- p -dioxin (TCDD) was found in 8 of 11 baby food samples. The levels were between 0.025 and 0.28 ng kg −1 wet wt (0.25–5 ng kg −1 lipid). The mean TCDD value for chicken-containing baby food with “nondetects” equal to 0 was 1.2 ng kg −1 lipid, eight times higher than the average level found during a previous survey of chicken lipid TCDD levels in 1996. All other 2,3,7,8-chlorine-substituted dibenzo- p -dioxin congeners were also found with a profile consistent with the use of ball clay in chicken feed. TCDD was not detected in any FY 2000 baby foods made with chicken, with an average limit of detection (LOD) of 0.025 ng kg −1 wet wt. Whole eggs collected in 1997 from producers that never used ball clay in feed revealed TCDD measurements that were nearly all nondetects and none above the median LOD of 0.015 ng kg −1 wet wt. The percentage of chickens fed ball clay in their feed was estimated to be between 2.6% and 3.5% of all chickens produced in the United States in 1997.
Ageing in American Comic Strips: 1972-1992

A comparison between humour and ageing from the 1970s to the 1990s and findings from a historical study of how American artists portray older adults showed what appears to be little change in stereotypical representations of older people in one of the most widely read forms of humour in American popular culture, the comic strip. Variables were age, gender, and roles of people 56 years and over in strips published in the Washington Post during April of 1972, 1977, 1982, 1987, and 1992.The number of older characters in American comic strips declined in the last ten years of the study. Men were more frequently represented than women. Women were almost equal to men in strong, positive roles despite the fact that they were represented 870 times and men 1511 times. Most women were portrayed in either positive or negative roles while a quarter of men were portrayed in indeterminate roles. The negative roles of women were double those of positive or strong roles, while the number of negative roles for men was three times the number of positive roles.