cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Nitroxide-mediated polymerization to form symmetrical ABA triblock copolymers from a bidirectional alkoxyamine initiator

Abstract Bidirectional alkoxyamine 2 was synthesized and used as the initiator in the polymerization of styrene (S), n-butyl acrylate (nBA), t-butyl acrylate (tBA), isoprene (I), and dimethylacrylamide (DMA). A variety of symmetrical ABA triblock copolymers were prepared, ranging in size from 5 to 59 kDa. Kinetics studies and gel permeation chromatography (GPC) confirmed the “living” nature of these polymerizations. Trifluoroacetic acid was used to convert the PtBA blocks of these polymers into poly(acrylic acid) (PAA) blocks, forming ABA amphiphilic triblock copolymers. AFM images of PAA-b-PnBA-b-PAA and PAA-b-PS-b-PAA triblock copolymers ionized by the addition of 2,2′-(ethylenedioxy)bis(ethylamine) show evidence of self-assembly.
American Public Opinion and the Palestine Question

With the resurgence of the campaign to associate all Palestinians with terrorism, there is a tendency to exaggerate the possible shift in public opinion on the question of the Palestine-Israel conflict. Some public opinion surveys will almost certainly surface indicating the usual results and reinforcing the official line of the U.S. and Israeli governments-that sympathy for Israel is at an all-time high and that the majority condemn terrorism. Such conclusions, however, are not new. For several decades, the typical headlines in the media proclaimed the fact that more Americans sympathize with Israel than with the Arab countries. Pro-Israel sympathy among the U.S. public has, therefore, appeared as a central maxim of American political life. The media presented Israel in a favorable light and treated the Arab side in a negative manner. 1 Beginning in 1973, this generally gloomy and rather simplistic picture began to change, corresponding to complex changes in the Middle East and in the intemational situation. Propositions that had been taken for granted no longer appeared viable: the old pro-Israel/pro-Arab dichotomy began to change; the American public began to seek more information about foreign policy issues and to become somewhat more active. The standard cliches about the supposed ignorance of large portions of the public, their disinterest in foreign affairs, their willingness to let the foreign policy professionals handle affairs, and their alleged nonchalance about developments in third world countries have all come under increasing scrutiny.2
Realizing the full potential of PSM using proxying

The WiFi radio in smartphones consumes a significant portion of energy when active. To reduce the energy consumption, the Power Saving Mode was standardized in IEEE 802.11 and two major implementations, Static PSM and Dynamic PSM, have been widely used in mobile devices. Unfortunately, both PSMs have inherent drawbacks: Static PSM is energy efficient but imposes considerable extra delays on data transfers; Dynamic PSM incurs little extra delay but misses energy saving opportunities. In this paper, we first analyze a one-week trace from 10 users and show that more than 80% of all traffic are Web 2.0 flows, which are of very small sizes and short durations. Targeting these short but dominant flows, we propose a system called Percy, to achieve the best of both worlds (Static and Dynamic PSM), i.e., to maximize the energy saving while minimizing the delay of flow completion time. Percy works by deploying a web proxy at the AP and suitably configuring the PSM parameters, and is designed to work with unchanged clients running Dynamic PSM, and unchanged APs and Internet servers. We evaluate our system via trace-driven testbed experiments. Our results show that Percy saves 40–70% energy compared to Dynamic PSM configurations of Nokia, iPhone and Android, while imposing low extra delay that can hardly be perceived by users.
Sex Ratios of Bluegill in Four Populations

(1967). Sex Ratios of Bluegill in Four Populations. Transactions of the American Fisheries Society: Vol. 96, No. 4, pp. 420-421.
The relation between magnesium sulfate therapy and fetal heart rate variability

Objective To determine the relation between magnesium sulfate therapy and fetal heart rate (FHR) variability. Methods Twelve women diagnosed with preeclampsia who were to receive magnesium sulfate for seizure prophylaxis were recruited. Exclusion criteria included delivery anticipated within 2 hours, gestational age less than 28 weeks, abnormal fetal testing, fetal growth retardation, and use of illicit drugs or medications. Six grams of magnesium sulfate in 100 mL 0.9% saline was administered intravenously over 20 minutes, followed by a continuous infusion of 2 g/hour. A cardiotocogram analysis computer system was used to analyze various elements of the FHR pattern before, during, immediately after, and 60 minutes following magnesium sulfate loading. For each time interval, the basal heart rate, number of accelerations and decelerations, number of minutes of high and low variability, mean minute range variation, and the short-term (3.75-second interval) variability were measured. Results There was a statistically significant decrease in short-term variability 60 minutes after initiation of therapy (6.7 +/- 2.0 versus 9.8 +/- 3.3 milliseconds; P = .003). Long- and medium-term variability did not change significantly after magnesium sulfate was administered. Conclusion Although magnesium sulfate therapy was associated with an objectively measured, statistically significant decrease in short-term variability, the decrease was not clinically significant; furthermore, it was not associated with a decrease in long-term variability or in the number of accelerations measured.
Energy dependence for Ne*(2p53s3P) + Ar ionization total cross sections

Abstract The ionization (Penning and associative) total cross sections for Ne * (2p 5 3s 3 P) + Ar are calculated semiclassically in the energy range of 0.001 to 1000 eV and compared with recent experimental results of Micha et al.
Jumma insurgency in Chittagong Hills Tracts: how serious is the threat to Bangladesh's national integration and what can be done?

Bangladesh, otherwise a homogeneous society, confronts a serious tribal insurgency in its southeastern Chittagong Hill Tracts region. Before signing a Peace Accord in 1997, the tribal groups, known as Jummas, who constitute 1% of the nation's population but occupy about 10% of its territory, fought insurgency battles for over two decades demanding recognition of their ethnic identities and autonomy of their region. The highly controversial Accord, however, still remains largely unimplemented, and often it evokes fears of secession. This article argues that a probable secession of the Chittagong Hill Tracts (CHT) may not be in the best interests of the Jummas or the people of Bangladesh; and a pragmatic resolution of the issue may lie with granting full functional autonomy to the Jummas in a constitutionally protected reservation area.
Estimating the Returns to Insider Trading: A Performance-Evaluation Perspective

This paper uses performance-evaluation methodology to estimate the returns earned by insiders when they trade their company's stock. Our methods are designed to estimate the returns earned by insiders themselves and thereby differ from the previous insider-trading literature, which focuses on the informativeness of insider trades for other investors. We find that insider purchases earn abnormal returns of more than 6 percent per year, and insider sales do not earn significant abnormal returns. We compute that the expected costs of insider trading to non-insiders are about 10 cents for a $10,000 transaction.
Plasma cytokine profiles in Fragile X subjects: Is there a role for cytokines in the pathogenesis?

Background Fragile X syndrome (FXS) is a single-gene disorder with a broad spectrum of involvement and a strong association with autism. Altered immune responses have been described in autism and there is potential that in children with FXS and autism, an abnormal immune response may play a role.
Aggression in Sport: Its Implications for Character-Building

The premise that “sport builds character” is often heard but is rarely subjected to careful scrutiny. When the role of aggression at the highest levels of sport in North America is considered, serious doubt is cast upon the sporting process's ability to build character in the sense of enhancing moral excellence; this seems to be the case, at least, in the contact sports of boxing, hockey, and football. Prevailing attitudes within the entire North American sporting milieu regarding aggression need to be further investigated and delineated; once these are more definitively ascertained, more can then be hypothesized about sport and character-building.
Macrosomia has its roots in early placental development

Introduction We sought to determine if early placental size, as measured by 3-dimensional ultrasonography, is associated with an increased risk of delivering a macrosomic or large-for-gestational age (LGA) infant.
Quasiclassical trajectory study of colinear Cl− + HBr → HCl + Br−

Abstract Energy distributions in the products of the ion-molecule reaction Cl − + HBr → HC1 + Br − have been studied using quasiclassical trajectories on a semi-empirical collinear potential energy surface. Vibrational energy is favored in the products. While some trajectories are long-lived, the kinematic factor of the light central atom prevents effective energy redistribution.
A stochastic simulation model of brown shrimp (Penaeus aztecus ives) growth, movement, and survival in Galveston Bay, Texas

A stochastic simulation model of brown shrimp (Penaeus aztecus Ives) population dynamics in Galveston Bay, Texas, is described, validated, and used to evaluate the effects of management alternatives and changing environmental conditions on shrimp dynamics. The model is composed of submodels representing: (1) recruitment, (2) growth, (3) natural mortality, (4) fishing mortality, and (5) emigration of brown shrimp. The model predicts significant changes in total annual harvest from the food shrimp, bait, and recreational fisheries resulting from (1) closure of the bay system to all fishing except during the spring and fall open seasons, (2) two-week postponement of the opening and closing of the open seasons for the food shrimp fishery, (3) a 2.5°C increase and (4) a 2.5°C decrease in mean water temperature, (5) an 80% increase and (6) an 80% decrease in fishing effort. No significant change in the total annual harvest is predicted when the food shrimp fishing season is extended from May 15 through December 15. Sensitivity analysis suggests that field experimentation designed specifically to test the hypothesis of a 60-day time lag between brown shrimp recruitment into the bays and exposure to the fishery should receive high priority. Simulation results are discussed within a management framework.
Comparative Assessment of tyrannosaurid interrelationships

Synopsis We employ a new comparative method to four cladistic analyses of tyrannosaurid dinosaurs to identify root causes for differences between phylogenetic results. The comparative method is a three‐step procedure that (1) adjusts competing hypotheses so they share equivalent taxonomic scope, (2) isolates the character data relevant to the common problem, and (3) divides relevant character data into shared and novel partitions. It is then possible to quantify the degree of similarity between character data using three indices (ancestor similarity index, character similarity index and character state similarity index). The most parsimonious cladograms generated by the four analyses of tyrannosaurids appear fairly congruent, with two subclades present in all four analyses (Albertosaurus and Gorgosaurus versus Daspletosaurus, Tarbosaurus and Tyrannosaurus). A comparative examination of the underlying character data, however, highlights striking differences in character selection and significant difference...
What is meta for

Metaphors provide bold, rich and distintive windows on the world. They offer dynamic and dramatic views beyond the surface of things into their deeper significance. This paper offers guidelines for discovering and developing metaphors in clinical practice with individuals and families. It also demonstrates how dramatization techniques are used to extend, enlarge and shape metaphors for effective diagnosis and treatment. It builds upon real case material of active metaphorical work with individuals and families for illustrative exposition.
Management of hypertension in private practice: A randomized controlled trial in continuing medical education

A randomized controlled trial was used to evaluate a physician education program designed to improve physician management of patients' hypertension, patient hypertension-related behaviors, and patient diastolic blood pressure. One hundred eleven private-practice physicians received medication education, behavioral education, both kinds of education, or no education. The educational program, which had either a medication or behavioral focus, consisted of individualized feedback reports based on medical record reviews and patient surveys, an educational syllabus, and a one-hour telephone conference call. Patient diastolic blood pressure improved significantly in all four groups, but there were no differences between the control group and the three groups receiving education. Educated physicians improved their response to abnormal laboratory tests and increased counseling about medication regimen, side effects, and sodium reduction, but conservative probability levels adjusting for the number of analyses rendered all these results nonsignificant. It was suggested that because both physicians and patients have longstanding habits, more intensive CME programs are required to improve physician performance and patient outcome.
Clasms of an Iconoclast

Author's summary.— Foreign language teachers should re-examine certain current assumptions whose uncritical acceptance impedes complete effectiveness.
Biomimetic Synthesis of Water Soluble Conductive Polypyrrole and Poly(3,4‐Ethylenedioxythiophene)

Abstract A novel biomimetic method for the synthesis of conducting molecular complexes of polypyrrole (PPYR) and poly(3,4‐ethylenedioxythiophene) (PEDOT) in the presence of a polyelectrolyte, such as polystyrene sulfonate (SPS) is presented. A poly(ethylene glycol) modified hematin (PEG‐Hematin) was used to catalyze the polymerization of pyrrole (PYR) and 3,4‐ethylenedioxythiophene (EDOT) in the presence of SPS to form PPYR/SPS and PEDOT/SPS complexes. UV‐VIS, FT‐IR, and electrical conductivity studies for all complexes indicated the presence of a stable and electrically conductive form of these polymers. Furthermore, the presence of SPS in this complex provides a unique combination of properties such as processability and water‐solubility.
Genetic control of flagellar activity in Chlamydomonas moewusii (Chlorophyta, Volvocales)

Abstract Twenty-three Chlamydomonas moewusii mutants defective in flagellar activity were isolated following ultraviolet irradiation. (Other mutant types, with motility impaired in various ways, were also obtained, but were not studied genetically.) In most cases, flagellar paralysis could be attributed to mutations of single genes. Three non-motile clones proved each to have sustained two independent mutations affecting the activity of the flagella. The genetic behaviour of sixteen paralysis genes was studied in crosses. A total of about 3000 zygospores yielded tetrads suitable for genetic analysis. One mutation proved completely sex-linked, being genetically inseparable from the mt + locus. None of the others showed any evidence for sex-linkage. There was evidence for at least one locus-specific suppressor, originally present in one wild-type parent. Three mutations mapped at a single locus. Each of three other loci had sustained two mutations. At least eleven gene loci appear to be responsible for flag...
Erfolgreiche ERP-Einführungen — eine kulturvergleichende Betrachtung

Auf Basis einer komparativen Fallstudie wird die Bedeutung kultureller Besonderheiten fur erfolgreiche ERP-Einfuhrungen untersucht. Am Beispiel eines indischen und eines US-amerikanischen Unternehmens wird gezeigt, dass die Erfolgsfaktoren kulturspezifisch variieren, z. B. im Bereich des Fuhrungsstils oder bei Einbindung externer Expertise. Allerdings lassen sich auch Faktoren identifizieren, wie z. B. ein professionelles Projektmanagement, die kulturubergreifend wirken. Fur ein erfolgreiches Einfuhrungsprojekt ist eine simultane und aufeinander abgestimmte Berucksichtigung sowohl der kulturspezifischen als auch der kulturubergreifenden Erfolgsfaktoren notwendig.
Improving the health and well-being of adolescent boys

Adolescent men are at risk of having significant unmet health care needs. Like adolescent girls, they have complex health care needs and are more likely than younger children to be to be uninsured. They are less likely than women and other age groups to seek medical attention from traditional sources of care. Because of inadequate youth-oriented services, as well as teens' developmental stage, they have a tendency to receive care that is brief and problem oriented [20]. Such care is not likely to address complex problems that may be related to risk behaviors. Adolescent boys are also more concerned with the skills of the provider offering services than with the system in which the provider functions. Opportunities for outreach to adolescent men exist within many institutions. Nurses as advocates, educators, counselors, and providers of preventive health care have a creative opportunity for enhancing services to the teenage boy. The school is a natural place to begin as adolescents spend a significant part of each day there. Family planning and STI clinics are a source of care that are not well used by adolescent males, but when they do attend it is an opportunity to identify problems, provide counseling and referrals, and offer continuity. These health care institutions are not often welcoming or comfortable for the male youth. Use of these clinics will be enhanced by providers demonstrating increased acceptance of the adolescent when he attends as well as actively requesting that he attend with his partner. The most unusual but sorely needed outreach must be made to incarcerated and delinquent adolescent male. Residential facilities for delinquent youth need to be encouraged to provide a multidisciplinary comprehensive medical, mental health, and social services model. This approach will not only benefit the adolescent but the youth's community as well. Emergency rooms represent another crucial, missed opportunity to connect with young men. With some forethought and follow-up, emergency departments must become connected to appropriate and accessible adolescent primary care resources in the community. Finally, adolescent men are an underinsured population. Nurses can be important advocates of available state insurance funds, sliding scale or free services to youth, and must be a voice in youth policy-making.
CO2 laser myringoplasty using handheld waveguide.

Eustachian tube dysfunction is very common and is the predominant cause of otitis media with effusion. Negative middle ear pressure generated by Eustachian tube dysfunction can cause deformation of the collagen layer in the ear drum. Collagen becomes stretched and looses its orderly array. Over time, deep retraction pockets form. If left untreated, the tympanic membrane becomes prone to cholesteatoma formation. CO2 laser energy interacts with collagen and causes it to return to its natural configuration.
A Quantitative Analysis of Distant Open Clusters

The oldest open star clusters are important for tracing the history of the Galactic disk, but many of the more distant clusters are heavily reddened and projected against the rich stellar background of the Galaxy. We have undertaken an investigation of several distant clusters (Berkeley 19, Berkeley 44, King 25, NGC 6802, NGC 6827, Berkeley 52, Berkeley 56, NGC 7142, NGC 7245, and King 9) to develop procedures for separating probable cluster members from the background field. We next created a simple quantitative approach for finding approximate cluster distances, reddenings, and ages. We first conclude that with the possible exception of King 25 they are probably all physical clusters. We also find that for these distant clusters our typical errors are about {+-}0.07 in E(B - V), {+-}0.15 in log(age), and {+-}0.25 in (m - M){sub o}. The clusters range in age from 470 Myr to 7 Gyr and range from 7.1 to 16.4 kpc from the Galactic center.
Widespread expression of olfactory cyclic nucleotide‐gated channel genes in rat brain: Implications for neuronal signalling

The cyclic nucleotides cAMP and cGMP are important intracellular messengers involved in a wide variety of signal transduction events in the nervous system. It has been proposed that cAMP/cGMP elicit some of their effects through direct gating of a novel class of Ca2+ -permeable ion channels that are termed cyclic nucleotide-gated (CNG) channels. Previous studies have identified the expression of a gene encoding one major CNG channel subtype, the olfactory receptor neuron alpha subunit, in the brain [El-Husseini et al. (1995) NeuroReport 6:1331-1335; Kingston et al. (1996a) Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A. 93:10440-10445; Bradley et al. (1997) J. Neurosci. 17:1993-2085]. We, therefore, proposed that the actions of cAMP/cGMP on neurons in the brain might occur through the activation of these CNG channels. To determine how widespread such a function might be, the regional and cellular distribution of the olfactory CNG channel alpha subunit has been examined in detail. Primers for multiple portions of the olfactory CNG channel were used in polymerase chain reaction (PCR) to amplify cDNA reverse-transcribed from several brain regions. The identities of PCR products were confirmed with Southern blots and by sequencing. In situ hybridization experiments demonstrated localization of CNG channel mRNA in discrete neuronal populations throughout the brain. In agreement with previous work, relatively strong hybridization signals are present in neuronal cell bodies of the cerebellum, olfactory bulb, cerebral cortex, and brainstem. Additionally, somewhat lesser signals are found in thalamus, hypothalamus, midbrain, and spinal cord while no hybridization signal was detectable in the caudate nucleus. This surprisingly wide distribution throughout the rat brain strengthens the hypothesis that CNG channels may influence numerous processes as downstream effectors of cyclic nucleotide cascades. Interestingly, the distribution of CNG channels is very similar to that of the nitric oxide/cGMP system, suggesting that one function of CNG channels in the brain could be to link diffusible messengers to elevated Ca2+ entry into neurons.
The Western Regional Undersea Laboratory: A New Research Facility For Temperate Water Marine Scientists

In late 1984 the University of Southern California plans to conduct its first science mission from a new saturation diving-habitat complex at Santa Catalina Island, California. The Western Regional Undersea Laboratory Program will consist of a 9-foot diameter, 40-foot long habitat attacbed to a baseplate in 70 feet of water, and will allow aquanauts access to a variety of substrates and habitats including large kelp beds, rocky reefs, and a highly productive soft-bottom area. Typical missions will include studies on algae physiology, animal behavior, physical/ biological interactions, resource development, pollution, human physiology, gear development and archaeological survey methods. Emphasis will be placed on long- and short-term experimental work, and will be oriented toward making maximum use of the available study sites and the need for saturation capability.
Effect of nerve growth factor on regeneration of spinal neurons in the cat

Abstract The effect of Nerve Growth Factor (NGF) on regeneration of axons in the spinal cord of kittens was studied because others have previously demonstrated growth enhancement of neurons, both in tissue culture and in intact mice, produced by this material. The test lesion was produced by crushing fibers in the dorsal funiculus following which NGF was administered. Daily dosage by systemic injection and duration of treatment were varied in three kittens. The results were evaluated by the evoked potential method and histological sections. Treatment resulted in growth of regenerating axons through the site of the lesion and for distances up to 19 mm beyond. Regenerative enhancement was produced by daily dosage in excess of 1000 BU per gm per day. The abundance of fibers found to have regenerated beyond the lesion was in proportion to the dosage while the distance beyond the lesion that such fibers had grown was in proportion to the number of days of treatment.
Reproducibility of motor unit number estimation in individual subjects.

Although the reproducibility of motor unit number estimation (MUNE) for groups of subjects has been studied, there is little such data for individuals. Prediction intervals represent a tool to study individual MUNE reproducibility and represent the range of values expected for a future MUNE if the true number of motor units remains unchanged. MUNE was performed using the statistical method on 48 normal individuals. The prediction interval was found to be a function of the intrasubject coefficient of variation. Using a commercial manufacturer's recommended technique and software, prediction intervals were found to be so broad as to be of uncertain value. We found that by averaging two MUNE observations for each determination, and using the method of weighted averages for calculating the size of an average single motor unit potential, the intrasubject coefficient of variation was reduced from 16.48% to 8.77%, and the 90% prediction interval became sufficiently narrow to be clinically useful. False-negative rates were also lowered substantially using these techniques. Thus, simple modifications of an existing MUNE program improved the clinical utility of this program for the longitudinal study of patients in whom changes in motor unit number over time are of importance, such as those with motor neuron diseases.
Guinea pigs show post-natal stability in frequency mapping at the basal turn

Others have shown that in animals born with immature cochleae the basal turn undergoes changes in function during the early days of postnatal life. We examined whether similar changes could be detected in the guinea pig, an animal born with a functionally mature cochlea. Our results indicate that no changes occur in the function of the basal turn of the guinea pig cochlea immediately after birth.
Per-oral immunization with antigen-conjugated nanoparticles followed by sub-cutaneous boosting immunization induces long-lasting mucosal and systemic antibody responses in mice.

Food or water-borne enteric pathogens invade their hosts via intestinal mucosal surfaces, thus developing effective oral vaccines would greatly reduce the burden of infectious diseases. The nature of the antigen, as well as the mode of its internalization in the intestinal mucosa affects the ensuing immune response. We show that model protein antigen ovalbumin (Ova) given per-orally (p.o.) induces oral tolerance (OT), characterized by systemic IgG1—dominated antibody response, which cannot be boosted by sub-cutaneous (s.c.) immunization with Ova in complete Freund’s adjuvant (CFA). Intestinal IgA generated in response to Ova feeding diminished over time and was abrogated by s.c. immunization with Ova+CFA. Humoral response to Ova was altered by administering Ova conjugated to 20 nm nanoparticles (NP-Ova). P.o. administration of NP-Ova induced systemic IgG1/IgG2c, and primed the intestinal mucosa for secretion of IgA. These responses were boosted by secondary s.c. immunization with Ova+CFA or p.o. immunization with NP-Ova. However, only in s.c.-boosted mice serum and mucosal antibody titers remained elevated for 6 months after priming. In contrast, s.c. priming with NP-Ova induced IgG1-dominated serum antibodies, but did not prime the intestinal mucosa for secretion of IgA, even after secondary p.o. immunization with NP-Ova. These results indicate that Ova conjugated to NPs reaches the internal milieu in an immunogenic form and that mucosal immunization with NP-Ova is necessary for induction of a polarized Th1/Th2 immune response, as well as intestinal IgA response. In addition, mucosal priming with NP-Ova, followed by s.c. boosting induces superior systemic and mucosal memory responses. These findings are important for the development of efficacious mucosal vaccines.
Effect of pH on the water and electrolyte content of rat diaphragm.

Abstract The effect of variations of external pH (pH 6.2–8.2) on the water and ionic composition of rat diaphragm was studied. Tissue water, Na + and Cl − were barely affected by increasing external pH whereas tissue K + increased linearly; the pH-dependent cellular uptake of K + was abolished by ouabain. Ouabain (1 m m ) produced a cellular swelling at pH 8.2 whereas at lower saline pH the control of cell volume was not affected by the cardiac glycoside. In Ca 2+ -free salines (3 m m EDTA present) a marked cellular swelling was observed only at pH 8.2; 1 m m ouabain induced a swelling at both pH 7.2 and 8.2. The cellular swelling produced by ouabain or absence of Ca 2+ was associated with a net uptake of Na + and Cl − . At pH 6.2 and 7.2, a regulation of cell volume was found also in the absence of Na + (Li or Tris salines). The characteristics of the ouabain-insensitive (and Na + -independent) mechanism of volume control in diaphragm cells, i.e., dependence on pH and Ca 2+ , are identical with those reported for renal tubular cells.
Kinetic parameters for step and flash imprint lithography photopolymerization

Step and Flash Imprint Lithography (SFIL) is a high-resolution, yet low-cost nanopatterning technique that employs an acrylate-based, free-radical photo-polymerization to replicate a patterned template onto a substrate. Modeling the photo-polymerization requires knowledge of the values of several reaction parameters, which are unique to the acrylate formulation used in SFIL. The values of these parameters were experimentally determined for use in a previously described kinetic model. The rate coefficient for initiation, kI, was determined by measuring the absorbance spectrum of the initiator, Darocur® 1173, and convolving it with the intensity spectrum from the irradiation source. The reaction coefficients kp and kt were measured using the dark polymerization method. The experimental values of both parameters were then mathematically modeled to reflect the changes that occur as a function of conversion. Measuring the kinetic parameters provides insight into the fundamental steps involved in the polymerization. © 2005 American Institute of Chemical Engineers AIChE J, 2006
Crystal Engineering with the Uranyl Cation II. Mixed Aliphatic Carboxylate/Aromatic Pyridyl Coordination Polymers: Synthesis, Crystal Structures, and Sensitized Luminescence

Eleven novel U(VI)-containing coordination polymers have been synthesized under hydrothermal conditions and characterized via single-crystal X-ray diffraction and fluorescence spectroscopy. These inorganic/organic hybrid materials represent an important advance in the synthesis of polymeric materials in that multiple organic species have been employed in an effort to influence topology and properties. This family of materials is thus the result of a systematic pairing of the uranyl cation, UO22+, with aliphatic dicarboxylates (see part I, this issue) and the dipyridyl species, 4,4‘-dipyridyl and 1,2-bis(4-pyridyl)ethane. This second organic component assumes a number of roles in these structures, including direct coordination, charge balance, and structure direction. Distinction between which role(s) the dipyridyl species will assume appears to be correlated to the size (length) matching between it and the dicarboxylate linker used. Further, polymerization of primary building units (i.e., monomeric uranyl...
JET: exception checking in the Java native interface

Java's type system enforces exception-checking rules that stipulate a checked exception thrown by a method must be declared in the throws clause of the method. Software written in Java often invokes native methods through the use of the Java Native Interface (JNI). Java's type system, however, cannot enforce the same exception-checking rules on Java exceptions raised in native methods. This gap makes Java software potentially buggy and often difficult to debug when an exception is raised in native code. In this paper, we propose a complete static-analysis framework called JET to extend exception-checking rules even on native code. The framework has a two-stage design where the first stage throws away a large portion of irrelevant code so that the second stage, a fine-grained analysis, can concentrate on a small set of code for accurate bug finding. This design achieves both high efficiency and accuracy. We have applied JET on a set of benchmark programs with a total over 227K lines of source code and identified 12 inconsistent native-method exception declarations.
History of tomotherapy

Tomotherapy is the delivery of intensity modulated radiation therapy using rotational delivery of a fan beam in the manner of a CT scanner. In helical tomotherapy the couch and gantry are in continuous motion akin to a helical CT scanner. Helical tomotherapy is inherently capable of acquiring CT images of the patient in treatment position and using this information for image guidance. This review documents technological advancements of the field concentrating on the conceptual beginnings through to its first clinical implementation. The history of helical tomotherapy is also a story of technology migration from academic research to a university–industrial partnership, and finally to commercialization and widespread clinical use.
Quark lepton unification and lepton flavor nonconservation from a TeV scale seesaw neutrino mass texture

In a recent paper, we pointed out that mixing of the light neutrinos with heavy gauge singlet states could reconcile the Z-pole data from e + e − colliders and the �� (¯�� ) scattering data from the NuTeV experiment at Fermilab. We further noted that the mixing angle required to fit the data is much larger than what would be expected from the conventional seesaw mechanism. In this paper, we show how such mixings can be arranged by a judicious choice of the neutrino mass texture. We also argue that by invoking the unification of the Dirac mass matrix for the up-type quarks and the neutrinos, the mass of the heavy states can naturally be expected to lie in the few TeV range. The model is strongly constrained by the lepton flavor changing process µ → e which requires lepton universality to be violated in the charged channel.
Flotilla: The Patuxent Naval Campaign in the War of 1812 – By Donald G. Shomette

Originally published in 1981 as Flotilla: Battle for the Patuxent, this is a well‐researched study, which helped establish the author, a marine archaeologist long involved with the Chesapeake Floti...
Stochastic simulation methodology for resilience assessment of water distribution networks

Water distribution systems enable social and economic development and sustain people quality of life. However, these systems face significant performance challenges including ageing, natural disruptive events, and man-made disruptions. Physical protection of networked infrastructure distributed over large geographical areas is unfeasible. A cost-effective alternative is to enhance the water distribution system resilience: ensuring reduced system damage in case of disruption, and enhancing system capacity to recover lost performance within acceptable time and cost limits. This paper presents a novel network-based methodology to evaluate resilience of water distribution systems. This methodology utilises stochastic simulation on a network model to generate statistical data on the resilience probability of the actual water infrastructure system. The methodology is a management decision support tool for enhancing system preparedness, enabling acceptable recovery parameters, and improving the evaluation of capital investment alternatives. The network-based approach can be extended to complex networks integrating physical and non-physical assets.
Impact of Growing Environment on Chickasaw Blackberry (Rubus L.) Aroma Evaluated by Gas Chromatography Olfactometry Dilution Analysis

The aroma extract of Chickasaw blackberry (Rubus L.) was separated with silica gel normal phase chromatography into six fractions. Gas chromatography-olfactometry (GCO) was performed on each fraction to identify aroma active compounds. Aroma extraction dilution analysis (AEDA) was employed to characterize the aroma profile of Chickasaw blackberries from two growing regions of the United States: Oregon and Arkansas. Comparative AEDA analysis showed that the berries grown in the two regions had similar aroma compositions; however, those odorants had various aroma impacts in each region. The compounds with high flavor dilution factors in Oregon's Chickasaw were ethyl butanoate, linalool, methional, trans,cis-2,6-nonadienal, cis-1,5-octadien-3-one, and 2,5-dimethyl-4-hydroxy-3(2H)-furanone, whereas in the Chickasaw grown in Arkansas, they were ethyl butanoate, linalool, methional, ethyl 2-methylbutanoate, beta-damascenone, and geraniol.
Wavelet transform image coding using trellis coded vector quantization

A combination of trellis coded quantization (TCQ) and its vector alphabet generalization TCVQ is used to code the coefficients resulting from a biorthogonal wavelet transform in an image. TCVQ is a vector trellis coder with fixed rate, very good rate-distortion performance, and yet reasonable implementation complexity. The experimental results show that the Lena image can be coded by this coding system at the rate of 0.265 bpp to yield a peak signal-to-noise ratio (PSNR) of about 29 dB. This PSNR is about 3 dB larger than that obtained by a coding system of the same rate that uses VQ to obtain the wavelet transform coefficients. Naturally, the performance of the TCQ/TCVQ wavelet transform coder can be improved if entropy-coded TCQ and TCVQ coders are employed. >
Persistent Social Patterning of Cardiovascular Risk Rethinking the Familiar

There is abundant evidence that cardiovascular disease is strongly patterned by socioeconomic position.1 Contrary to the stereotypical image of the wealthy but stressed executive who dies of a heart attack, people in the lowest socioeconomic strata, whether defined by income, education, or occupation, are consistently at greater risk of cardiovascular disease, at least in industrialized countries. Interestingly, the increased risk is not limited to the very poor but appears to decrease in quite a remarkable graded fashion, as socioeconomic resources increase.2,3 This graded relationship, which is observed for virtually all indicators of socioeconomic position, is striking given the crudeness with which social factors are usually measured in epidemiological and clinical studies, and the fact that these factors are necessarily very distal to the biological processes that lead to the development of atherosclerosis and the precipitation of clinical events. The strength and persistence of these patterns suggest a pervasive influence of social context on the body and on the cardiovascular system in particular. However, like many things that we are used to seeing over and over again, with time they become invisible and their significance is forgotten. See p 3063 In this issue of Circulation , Tonne et al4 report a graded, inverse association between neighborhood deprivation and long-term survival after an acute myocardial infarction (AMI). Although there have been numerous reports of the socioeconomic patterning of cardiovascular mortality, few have investigated whether these mortality differences result from differences in the incidence of disease or from differences in survival of individuals after a clinical event. A great strength of the article by Tonne et al is the large sample size of relatively well-characterized events with complete follow-up information. A limitation discussed by the authors is exclusion of sudden deaths and in-hospital deaths. The most likely scenario is that …
Human T lymphotropic virus type-1 p30II alters cellular gene expression to selectively enhance signaling pathways that activate T lymphocytes.

Background Human T-lymphotropic virus type-1 (HTLV-1) is a deltaretrovirus that causes adult T-cell leukemia/lymphoma and is implicated in a variety of lymphocyte-mediated disorders. HTLV-1 contains both regulatory and accessory genes in four pX open reading frames. pX ORF-II encodes two proteins, p13II and p30II, which are incompletely defined in the virus life cycle or HTLV-1 pathogenesis. Proviral clones of the virus with pX ORF-II mutations diminish the ability of the virus to maintain viral loads in vivo. Exogenous expression of p30II differentially modulates CREB and Tax-responsive element-mediated transcription through its interaction with CREB-binding protein/p300 and represses tax/rex RNA nuclear export.
Sample Size Tables for Computer-Aided Detection Studies

OBJECTIVE. Calculating the sample size for a multireader, multicase study of readers’ diagnostic accuracy is complicated. Studies in which patients can have multiple findings, as is common in many computer-aided detection (CAD) studies, are particularly challenging to design. MATERIALS AND METHODS. We modified existing methods for sample size estimation for multireader, multicase studies to accommodate multiple findings on the same case. We use data from two large multireader, multicase CAD studies as ballpark estimates of parameter values. RESULTS. Sample size tables are presented to provide an estimate of the number of patients and readers required for a multireader, multicase study with multiple findings per case; these estimates may be conservative for many CAD studies. Two figures can be used to adjust the number of readers when there is some data on the between-reader variability. CONCLUSION. The sample size tables are useful in determining whether a proposed study is feasible with the available res...
Snake-driven development: Culture, nature and religious conflict in neoliberal Kenya

This article examines how different groups of Luo people living in a village in western Kenya fought over, publicized, and sought to harness the power of a returned python-spirit referred to as Omieri. The alleged return of Omieri catalyzed the local imagination concerning a range of issues, and mobilized all of the major social groups and dominant cosmological-ideological perspectives in the region, while also becoming a source of cooperation and local autonomy against the control of the national state and regional elites. In addition to generating conflict, Omieri became a possible means of manufacturing an improved Luo future through appropriate historical remembrance and sacrifice, and reflected the sense of unprecedented but ambiguous potential that permeated Luoland in the months following the epochal presidential elections of December 2002. The case demonstrates how local social preoccupations-including those related to ecological deterioration, religious transformation, gendered and generational c...
Channel estimation and blind equalization using minimum state per-survivor processing

Per-survivor processing (PSP) is an adaptive form of sequence estimation which jointly estimates the data and the unknown parameters of a signal affected by memory such as a communications waveform corrupted by intersymbol interference (ISI). PSP maintains a corresponding channel estimate for each data sequence it retains and the Viterbi algorithm is used to select candidate sequences through the use of a standard trellis-based signal representation. Unfortunately, PSP exhibits an M/sup L-1/ processing complexity, where M is the size of the transmitted symbol set and L corresponds to the finite impulse response channel length. Minimum-state PSP ("mini-PSP") lowers the required computational burden for channel estimation by substituting a smaller value of M to create a "minimum state" receiver trellis. Data detection, is performed by inverting the channel estimate and linearly equalizing the received waveform prior to symbol by symbol decisions.
Efficient scalable mesh algorithms for merging, sorting and selection

Efficient scalable algorithms are developed for a mesh with fixed buses. The problems considered are merging, sorting and selection. The size of the input is fixed at n, and the mesh size is varied from /spl radic/n/spl times//spl radic/n to n/spl times/n. The merging algorithm is optimal for all the mesh sizes, whereas the sorting and selection algorithms are within factors of i/(1-/spl epsiv/) and log/sup 4/3/ n respectively, of the optimal. >
ON THE NATURE OF THE CHILL-PRODUCING PRINCIPLE IN ANTIPNEUMOCOCCUS SERUM

1. By means of a test method, which is described, the presence or absence of the chill-producing principle in antipneumococcus serum may be determined. 2. This principle may be present in normal blood or serum, homologous as well as heterologous, and the measures employed to obtain an antibody solution are not essential factors in its formation. 3. The chill reaction may be mitigated by the administration of nitrites and by opium and antipyretics. It is doubtful whether this fact offers any practical therapeutic application. 4. The reaction has no relationship to anaphylaxis or to certain toxic effects of drawn blood which have been studied by Freund, Starling and others. 5. The chill-principle appears to be formed only in blood which has been allowed to stand. Our experiments do not show that the reaction is dependent on formed elements, fibrinogen, or lipoids. 6. Anticoagulants, filtration, dialysis and moderate heating are without effect in removing the principle from the solution containing it. 7. By changes in the sodium chloride and hydrogen ion concentration in antibody solutions an acid globulin and an alkaline globulin fraction may be obtained. The acid globulin fraction, whether or not phospholipin is present, contains the greater part of the chill-principle and a small part of the antibody substance; the alkaline globulin fraction contains the greater part of the antibody substance and a smaller part of the chill-principle. The acid globulin fraction is not itself the chill-principle but serves as a carrier of this, probably through an adsorptive process.
Virtue’s Turn and Return

Virtue theorizing, long in eclipse, has revived strongly in recent times. However, virtue-type approaches predominate in non-Western cultures and dominated Western thought before the modern period. So the revival can make one wonder whether modern epistemology and ethics do not represent a kind a medieval period relative to these other historical/sociological facts. Why did virtue ethics and epistemology go into eclipse in the West during the modern period? The emerging importance of the individual (something that never occurred in China) may represent a kind of shock of modernity that left Western virtue approaches decimated in its wake. Both Cartesian epistemology and modern rights theory represent emergent individualism, but the revival of virtue approaches recently may indicate that the shock of modernity is starting to wear off.