cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Morphological development of polypropylene in immiscible blends with cellulose acetate butyrate

Isotactic polypropylenes (iPP) with different melt flow indexes were melt blended with cellulose acetate butyrate (CAB) and then prepared into microspheres or nanofibers following a novel process of producing well dispersed CAB/iPP immiscible blends and subsequent removal of the CAB matrix. The morphologies of iPP microspheres were investigated by a scanning electron microscopy, and the dimensions of iPP microspheres were evaluated. The melt viscosities of iPP, CAB, and CAB/iPP blends were measured by using a capillary rheometer. The influences of the viscosity, viscosity ratio, and composition ratio of iPP/CAB on the morphology formation of iPP in CAB matrix were studied.
Tectonic significance of early Oligocene plutonism on Adak Island, central Aleutian Islands, Alaska

Six biotite and two hornblende separates from the Hidden Bay pluton, Adak Island, yielded K-Ar dates that cluster about an average of 33.13 ± 0.41 m.y. B.P. This average is interpreted as the time of intrusion of the pluton and provides the first documentation of an early Oligocene magmatic event in the central Aleutian island arc. Biotite and hornblende from the nearby Kagalaska pluton on Adak Island yielded nearly concordant K-Ar dates that have an average of 13.15 ± 0.55 m.y. B.P., in good agreement with published dates of about 13 to 14 m.y. B.P.
Analysis of Certain Meat Characteristics of Eight-Week Old Broiler Chickens Representing Two Commercial Lines and Four Mating Types Derived from Them

Abstract Three hundred and forty-two 8-week old broiler chickens, representing two commercial strains of chickens and four mating types derived from them, were analyzed for eviscerated weight, cooking losses, Allo-Kramer shear values, color, and total moisture content. Estimates of the parameters studied were obtained on raw and cooked samples of the breast and thigh from each bird. Mean values obtained for the traits studied agreed well with previous reports in the literature. In several instances, however, unduly high coefficients of variation were obtained which suggested that environmental biases of an unknown nature had been encountered. Cooking resulted in a highly significant (P Breast moisture averaged lower than thigh moisture in the raw state (72.607 versus 73.697), but breast moisture exceeded that of thigh moisture in the cooked state (67.557 versus 66.457).
Angle stability predictive indices

The variance of phase angle differences over the grid is a good indicator of overall stress and angle stability. The integral square generator angle (ISGA) difference had previously been proposed to judge the severity of stable and unstable transient events in simulation. This paper proposes its extension to bus voltage angles (ISBA) which could be measured over a wide area using synchronized phasor measurement units (PMUs). The discontinuity of bus angles at plus and minus 180 degrees is handled by reconstructing continuous trajectories that go outside the range between plus and minus 180 degrees before calculating the index. The paper also addresses the issue of finding the best threshold for an angle stability index using simulation data. This task is complicated by the fact that large databases are somewhat likely to contain a few events that experience loss of synchronism around the end of the simulation window.
Emission line regions and stellar associations in extended extragalactic radio sources

Recent observations of two radio galaxies, 3C277.3 and Centaurus A, reveal the coexistence of emission line filaments and the extended radio-emitting regions. Coincident associations of young stars are also found in Cen A. A model is proposed here that can account for the presence of both emission line regions and young stars as arising from the entrainment of interstellar matter by the outflowing gas which powers the radio source. Late evolution of the young stars may provide a significant fraction of the in situ energy injection required for the radio sources.
Novel approach for efficient mid-infrared coherent emitters based on continuously phase-matched 'W' optical waveguide

ABSTRACT A novel W optical waveguide using AlGaAs-GaAs semiconductor material systems is presented and analyzed for achieving a continuously-phase-matched difference frequency generation (DFG) nonlinear process. Our approach utilizes two near-IR lasers to obtain an efficient generation of coherent mid-IR radiation. By maintaining a continuous phase matching condition in our W-waveguide, our studies show that nonlinear DFG process obtained from 920-nm and 1140-nm lasers with input powers at 0.5 Watts (with interaction length of 5-mm) results in coherent continuous-wave (CW) power of ~ 0.13 mW at wavelength of 4.77-µm. The normalized conversion efficiency ( nor ) of the DFG process is ~ 40 W -1 m -2 , as a result of low spatial mode overlap. An optimized W waveguide consisting of large index contrast core region structure, with an improved spatial mode overlap of the near and mid-IR modes, allows a significant improvement in the normalized conversion efficiency by up to approximately two orders of magnitude ( 
Incidence and likelihood risk and safety indices

Logarithmic risk and safety incidence indices for application in the risk assessment for a large population that is subjected to some forms of common hazards such as disease or natural disasters, are introduced.
Drug-induced depression of gamma efferent activity—III. Viscero-somatic reflex action of phenyldiguanide, veratridine and 5-hydroxytryptamine

Abstract Phenyldiguanide and veratridine given i.v. in doses of 25–60 and 12–30 μg/kg, respectively, were found to produce depression preceded by brief acceleration of spontaneous γ efferent and attendant spindle afferent discharge in cats under chloralose-urethane anesthesia. This effect resembles that described earlier for nicotine. The depressant action of phenyldiguanide and veratridine, which occurred in both extensor and flexor γ fibers, was abolished by bilateral cervical vagotomy or spinal transection, suggesting that it was caused by a reflex action arising from sensory receptors in the cardiopulmonary region. The γ acceleratory effect, on the other hand, which was not entirely prevented by vagotomy, is likely to originate from more widely distributed sensory receptors including cutaneous endings. Excitation of cardiopulmonary receptors causes the autonomic effects of phenyldiguanide and veratridine (bradycardia, hypotension and apnea). The simultaneous onset of hypotension and γ depression, as well as other observations, indicate that the γ depression cannot be due to the fall in blood pressure and that, for a given drug, both effects may be due to excitation of the same sensory ending. Since receptors in different portions of the cardiopulmonary region have been implicated in the autonomic reflex effects of phenyldiguanide, veratridine and nicotine, the same would then hold true for the γ depressant action of these drugs. The γ depression elicited by phenyldiguanide was abolished by naphthylguanidine, sparing the effects of veratridine and nicotine; the γ depression elicited by nicotine was blocked by hexamethonium, sparing the effects of phenyldiguanide and veratridine. This selective antagonism suggests the existence of distinct pharmacological receptor sites situated on the sensory endings excited by the drugs, γ Acceleration, rather than depression, was the predominant effect of i.v. injection of 5-hydroxytryptamine. This effect also was probably due to stimulation of sensory endings, since it was abolished by blockade of the neuronal M receptors with morphine.
Dynamical Model for the Detachment of Descending Lithosphere

Summary The concept of gravity tectonics is applied to reveal the major clue as to the conditions which result in the correspondence of seismic and tectonic gaps in the mantle. An asymptotic theory is developed for the calculation of the thrust and moment when a descending lithospheric plate encounters resistance to its downward motion in the mesosphere. Dynamic analysis falls into two parts: (1) deriving equations for forces in the descending lithosphere, (2) deducing moment distribution which causes the detachment of lithosphere. For the analysis of forces a mathematical theory of shells is given. In order to determine the detachment mechanism, solutions of equations are obtained by asymptotic integration. It is found that a thrust No coupled with a moment Mo due to gravitational forces generated by density contrast may play a key role in the initial detachment of a piece of descending lithosphere. The results are in agreement with the observed seismic gaps beneath South America, Tonga-Fiji, New Zealand and New Hebrides regions.
Extension of the Linear Chromodynamics Model for Spectral Change Detection in the Presence of Residual Spatial Misregistration

A generalized likelihood ratio test (GLRT) statistic for spectral change detection based on the linear chromodynamics model is extended to accommodate unknown residual misregistration between imagery described by a prior probability density function for the spatial misregistration. Using a normal prior distribution leads to a fourth-order polynomial that can be numerically minimized over the unknown misregistration parameters. A more computationally efficient closed-form solution is developed based on a quadratic approximation and provides comparable results to the numerical minimization for the investigated test cases while running 30 times faster. The results applying the method to hyperspectral imagery indicate up to an order of magnitude reduction in false alarms at the same detection rate relative to baseline change detection methods for synthetically misregistered test data particularly in image regions containing edges and fine spatial features. Sensitivity to model parameters is assessed, and the method is compared with a previously published misregistration compensation approach yielding comparable results. Although the GLRT approach appears to exhibit comparable change detection performance, it offers the possibility of tailoring the algorithm to a priori knowledge of expected misregistration errors or to compensate structured misregistration as would occur due to parallax errors due to perspective variations (e.g., image parallax).
Efficient implementation of bipartite nonlocal unitary gates using prior entanglement and classical communication

Any bipartite nonlocal unitary operation can be carried out by teleporting a quantum state from one party to the other, performing the unitary gate locally, and teleporting a state back again. This paper investigates unitaries which can be carried out using less prior entanglement and classical communication than are needed for teleportation. Large families of such unitaries are constructed using (projective) representations of finite groups. Among the tools employed are: a diagrammatic approach for representing entangled states, a theorem on the necessary absence of information at certain times and locations, and a representation of bipartite unitaries based on a group Fourier transform.
Health and cost-benefits of chlamydia screening in young women.

Background:The Health Plan Employer Data and Information Set (HEDIS) is a set of performance measures used to assess the quality of care delivered in managed care plans. New measures that address unevaluated areas of care are continuously being developed. Chlamydia screening among young women is one
Modeling of multilayer amorphous thin film SixGe1−x single and tandem solar cells

A computer simulation model of amorphous silicon thin film solar cells has been developed. Shockley-Read-Hall occupancy statistics are used for the band tail states, and multilevel statistics for the dangling bonds, taking into account their amphoteric character. Model parameters have been defined and checked by modeling a standard a-Si:H pin solar cell (with an a-SiC:H p-layer), both before and after light-induced degradation. The latter is assumed to raise the defect density of the i-layer. The results are in good agreement with experimental data. In order to find the potential of solar cells incorporating high quality SiGe layers with 1.55 eV band gap, we modeled three different types of such devices, a standard pin-solar cell with low band gap, a tandem cell with an a-Si:H-front cell and an a-SiGe:H back cell, and a solar cell with graded material composition, having a band gap profile of the form of a bottle-neck.
Transmutation of MO, Re, W, Hf, and V in various irradiation test facilities and STARFIRE

Abstract With the exception of V and Cu alloys, the formation of solid transmutants has not been thought to play a large role in the response of metals to irradiation. For a number of refractory elements, however, it appears that very large levels of solid transmutation can occur both in fission and fusion spectra. The phase stability and other properties of alloys can be strong functions of the changing composition. The spectral sensitivity of transmutation also poses some difficulty in correlating data from various neutron spectra. Transmutation of Mo, Re, W, Hf and V have been calculated for the Fast Flux Test Facility (FFTF), the High Flux Isotope Reactor (HFIR), and the STARFIRE fusion reactor. Results show that Re and W undergo sizeable transmutation in these spectra, and may limit the use of these elements in fusion reactor materials. Vanadium and hafnium have high transmutation rates in HFIR and may require spectral tailoring.
Temporal and Spatial Expressions of Type XII Collagen in the Remodeling Periodontal Ligament during Experimental Tooth Movement

This study tested the hypothesis that the remodeling processes of adult periodontal ligament (PDL) reiterate the cellular and molecular events that occur sequentially during development. Type XII collagen has been implicated in the three-dimensional organization of the PDL extracellular matrix, and its expression has been restricted to the terminally differentiated stages. This study focused on the examination of the temporal and spatial expression of type XII collagen during experimental PDL remodeling in the rat. The temporal expressions of types I and XII collagen mRNAs were examined by RNA transfer blot and RNase protection assays, respectively, and were found to be relatively stable in the control group throughout the experimental period. In the tooth movement group, the expression of type I collagen increased at 72 hours and sustained the high level of expression at one week, while an increase in the expression of type XII collagen was first noted at the one-week period. The temporal activation of types I and XII collagen expression in the remodeling occurred in a pattern similar to that found during the development of the PDL. The spatial expression of type XII collagen mRNA was examined by in situ hybridization in the one-week-tooth-movement specimens. Labeled cells, which were more evident in the tension side, typically exhibited a spindle shape and were surrounded by the mature PDL matrix. Our data suggest that the type XII collagen expression may be closely associated with the functional regeneration of the PDL.
Marketing to Hispanics

ABSTRACT We examine the problems and dilemmas in marketing to Hispanics, provide conclusions and make recommendations on how one can better market to Hispanics.
Deaquation kinetics at the boiling point of water: BaCl2·2H2O and BaBr2·2H2O

Abstract An equation is derived which describes the non-isothermal mass-loss kinetics of a deaquation reaction which occurs near the boiling point of water. The equation is tested using published experimental mass-loss data for the deaquation of BaCl 2 ·2H 2 O and BaBr 2 ·2H 2 O.
High linearity PVT tolerant 100MS/s rail-to-rail ADC driver with built-in sampler in 65nm CMOS

A novel completely inverter-based ADC driver is proposed that relaxes the gain and unity gain bandwidth requirements of the negative feedback loop by making it not see the closed loop gain. This ADC driver has a built-in first order anti alias filter and uses a passive amplifier to provide a rail-to-rail sampled output signal. This design exploits the linearity of current mirrors and achieves 65dB of linearity at the Nyquist rate for a rail-to-rail output. A semi-constant current biasing circuit for inverters has been proposed to minimizing PVT variations in lower technologies. As a proof of concept an ADC driver is designed and implemented in TSMC's 65nm GP CMOS technology. The measured design operates at 100MS/s and has an OIP 3 of 40dBm at the Nyquist rate, provides a gain of 8, and samples the signal onto a 1pF output capacitance while drawing 2mA from a 1V supply.
Implementing Context-Aware Performance Management in Intelligent SOA Middleware

Service-Oriented Architecture (SOA) is a software paradigm with a uniform means to offer, discover, compose services' capabilities to meet desired effects with measurable performance expectations. While most of today's SOA tools support service process compositions by considering only functional attributes, additional support for composing service processes by non-functional attribute is needed. In this paper, we present an approach to improve the performance of a business process by introducing context as a non-functional attribute. During normal service executions, each service's actual performance is collected and used to build service performance profile under a context tree. We then use the K-means clustering algorithm to classify and record context dependency on the observed service performance. We also study algorithms to decide the clustering unit of context attribute values and to distinguish those context attributes that may or may not significantly affect service performance. Simulation result shows that our methodologies are effective for context aware management.
New single-mode fiber measurement: techniques and issues

The commercial success of single-mode fiber communication systems has created an increased need to focus clearly on those measurements required for functional product specification. Table I summarizes these needs for current product types and includes some process control parameters as well as the common functional measurements. These measurements have continued to undergo development to increase accuracy and reproducibility and to decrease cost through rate improvements and sampling plans. The methods that have previously been discussed appear fairly suitable for factor requirements, but several trends and future requirements are becoming clear and must be addressed.
Transplant cost-report tracking at Henry Ford Transplant Institute and other centers nationwide.

Context—The lack of uniformity in the reporting of direct and indirect costs by organ acquisition cost centers, diagnosis-related groups, and in physician reimbursement often results in Medicare overpayment and findings of unjustified charges in audits conducted by the Office of the Inspector General. Although it is true that organ transplantation costs vary widely, uniform cost-report accounting is needed.Objective—Henry Ford Transplant Institute has developed systematic auditing protocols that result in acceptable compliance with Medicare. The differences between those protocols and the methods used elsewhere are illustrated by the results of a national survey of transplant centers.Design—The survey addresses 10 crucial questions, drawn from the cost-reporting model used at Henry Ford Transplant Institute.Setting—Surveys were distributed via the United Network for Organ Sharing list-serv, with replies from 43 centers.Patients or Other Participants—The participants were transplant administrators.Results—...
Experimental aortic disease in albino rats following renal operations.

SummaryThe development and incidence of medial calcific disease of the aorta following operations on the kidneys of male albino rats is described.
Preliminary Validation of Handheld X-Ray Fluorescence Spectrometry: Distinguishing Osseous and Dental Tissue from Nonbone Material of Similar Chemical Composition†

One of the tasks of a forensic anthropologist is to sort human bone fragments from other materials, which can be difficult when dealing with highly fragmented and taphonomically modified material. The purpose of this research is to develop a method using handheld X-ray fluorescence (HHXRF) spectrometry to distinguish human and nonhuman bone/teeth from nonbone materials of similar chemical composition using multivariate statistical analyses. The sample materials were derived primarily from previous studies: human bone and teeth, nonhuman bone, nonbiological materials, nonbone biological materials, and taphonomically modified materials. The testing included two phases, testing both the reliability of the instrument and the accuracy of the technique. The results indicate that osseous and dental tissue can be distinguished from nonbone material of similar chemical composition with a high degree of accuracy (94%). While it was not possible to discriminate rock apatite and synthetic hydroxyapatite from bone/teeth, this technique successfully discriminated ivory and octocoral.
The Structure and Propagation of Intraseasonal Oscillations Appearing in a GFDL General Circulation Model

The 12-year output of a 15-wavenumber GCM experiment is analyzed, with the objective of describing the spatial and temporal behavior of dominant intraseasonal variations. The parameters analyzed include five-day averages of wind, geopotential height, sea level pressure, and precipitation. It is demonstrated that the spatial structure, propagation characteristics, and seasonal dependence of the model features are consistent with observations reported in the literature. The model findings are interpreted in terms of the current theoretical understanding of tropical and extratropical motions.
Pulsed heating of surfaces: Comparison between numerical simulation, analytical models, and experiments

Abstract A general numerical solution and two approximate analytical solutions of the one-dimensional heat diffusion equation are used to calculate the temperature of a surface exposed to pulsed heating. The calculations simulate the case of pulsed CO 2 laser heating of fused quartz. The numerical solution (based on a finite difference model) includes explicitly the temperature dependence of thermal parameters and is in excellent agreement with experimental measurements on the same system. The analytical solutions are unable to reproduce the temperature history of the sample, and their limitations are discussed.
Just-in-space: Certified rural products, labor of quality, and regulatory spaces

Abstract Since the mid-1990s, the number and diversity of ‘quality-certified’ products has increased dramatically. This article examines labor practices and regulatory spaces within 3rd party quality certification and suggests that this distinct configuration be termed ‘just-in-space’ production. A privileging of space derives, on the one hand, from the character of qualities certified. ‘Extrinsic’ qualities, such as biodiversity conservation or fair-trade labor practices, may only be introduced into the commodity through monitoring of labor at the point of production and along the commodity chain to retailer venues. This monitoring, accomplished via inspections and document production on a track that parallels the commodity movement, occurs within a semi-public space and results in an uneasy tension between a social interest in open inspections of ecological and socially-just production and retailer interest in controlling certification information about ‘green’ products. At the same time, transnational institutional regulation of certification (e.g., ISO), together with popular support for quality certification, limits the power of retailers and activists to alter certification practices and sustains the semi-public character of this space. Using a literature review and research on certified organic coffee, this paper examines practical and theoretical implications of just-in-space production, and concludes that while this configuration facilitates public action in support of social-justice and environmental conservation, it is also susceptible to manipulation by large retail firms that chose to evade 3rd party certification by setting up private certifications.
The melting temperature of uranium at high pressures

An investigation is reported into the effect of pressure on the melting temperature of uranium. The uranium was encapsulated in tantalum and nllowance was made for the slight alloying effects of tantalum and uranium oxide. The experiments were carried out in a piston-cylinder apparatus essentially similar to that described by Cohen et al., (J. Phys. Chem. Solids; 27: 179(1966)). The estimated, corrected melting curve for pure uranium is presented for pressures from 9 to 41.4 kbar. (UK)
Differential expression and regulation of estrogen receptors (ERs) in rat pituitary and cell lines: estrogen decreases ERalpha protein and estrogen responsiveness

Estrogen (E) regulates the synthesis and secretion of several pituitary hormones during the reproductive cycle in a cell- and promoter-specific manner. One mechanism underlying cell specificity is the differential expression of estrogen receptor (ER) isoforms. We used in vivo and in vitro rodent pituitary cell models to examine the expression and regulation of ERalpha, ERbeta, and the pituitary-specific ERalpha isoform, truncated estrogen receptor product-1 (TERP-1). In cycling female rat pituitaries, ERbeta messenger RNA (mRNA) levels fell 40% on the morning of proestrus and were suppressed by E or dihydrotestosterone in ovariectomized females. In lactotrope and gonadotrope cell lines (GH3, RC4B, LbetaT2), progesterone (P) or P plus E also suppressed ERbeta. TERP-1 mRNA increased 3-fold at proestrus and in response to E treatment in vivo and in cell lines. ERalpha mRNA levels were not regulated significantly by any treatment in vivo or in cell lines. However, E suppressed ERalpha protein levels in vivo and in cell lines, and reduction of ERalpha protein levels by E or the antiestrogen ICI182,780 reduced E-stimulated transcriptional activation of the PRL promoter in GH3 cells. TERP-1 and ERbeta protein levels were low to undetectable in cell lines, but E stimulated TERP-1. Because E treatment decreases ERbeta mRNA and ERalpha protein and increases levels of TERP-1 (which can suppress ERalpha/beta activity), the dynamic steroid-induced changes in ER expression in the rat pituitary during the midcycle gondaotropin/PRL surge may provide a means for ovarian steroids to limit positive feedback.
TU-C-213CD-06: Patient Lung Tumor Trajectory Based Modified-XCAT and Its Applications

Purpose: To modify the digital XCAT phantom to include patient‐specific 3D lungtumor trajectories and demonstrate potential applications. Methods: An algorithm is developed to program the existing XCAT phantom to move according to recorded patient 3D lung trajectory data. The algorithm works in a two‐step manner. First, we incorporate a tumor into the existing digital phantom. Introduction of tumor trajectory at this stage would result in an asynchronous motion between tumor and the chest‐wall and diaphragm. In the second step, an image processing based methodology is developed to synchronize tumor trajectory with lung motion. Tumor location is calculated and a scale factor is derived based on the distance of the tumor from chest wall and diaphragm. The distances are calculated by extracting the contours of lungs using the Canny edge detection method and then fitting the edges to a quadratic polynomial. This step synchronizes tumor trajectory with lung motion. The internal motion data from 10 patients are used to verify the accuracy between actual tumor location and the location obtained from a modified XCAT phantom. The modified XCAT phantom is then used to simulate a 4DCT data acquisition and rebinning with a phase sorting algorithm. Results: The accuracy of the tumor locations in the modified XCAT phantom are found to be 0.29, 0.54, and 0.39 mm (RMS) with corresponding standard deviation values of 0.04, 0.17, and 0.06. The sorted 4DCT simulation algorithm produces volume data comparable to ground‐truth data. The image artifacts in the simulated 4DCT are similar to those that are seen clinically. Conclusion: We have developed an algorithm to modify the XCAT digital phantom to realistically account for independent tumor motion. The modified phantom can be used for studies of CT reconstruction, tumor tracking and dose reconstruction.
Effects of Free Goods on Market Sustainability

Various types of 'bubbles', e.g. stock market, housing, dot.com, high-tech, historically, are commonly-observed phenomena in complex systems. Yet, their emergence often surprises people who remain unaware of history or their systemic roots. Bubbles are often considered to be simply the product of unwise speculative investments or social mania. Alternatively, conventional economic theories often consider factors, such as interest rates, to be the trigger. However, economic theories rarely account for the systemic structure of markets or for non-linear dynamics. The authors propose that special cases may emerge in some markets to trigger instability. Specifically, when minimal interest rates and capital requirements down payments are become extremely low a perceptual shift occurs among consumers such that they become viewed as approximate free goods. This paper proposes that unwise economic policies may activate a free goods scenario initiating a cascading series of destabilizing events leading to market collapse. The authors propose hypothesize that such incendiary policies caused both the 1929 stock market crash and the 2008 subprime housing crisis in the United States. To more deeply examine this claim, these policies were tested using a system dynamics model based on data from both the 1929 and 2008 crises. The model simulated and tested the effects of alternative rate policies on market dynamics. Some of the rates and down payments used in both crises set off tsunami-like shock waves through markets leading to their sudden collapse in these simulations. Based on the findings of this study, found that economic policies lessened market stability. The authors propose several revisions to these policies to foster greater market sustainability.
Measurement of proteins and free and bound carbohydrates in human submandibular saliva.

Abstract Acetone: glacial acetic acid (97:3) is effective in precipitating 93 per cent of the total submandibular salivary proteins as estimated by the biuret reaction. Only 73 per cent of the total submandibular salivary proteins were non-dialysable. The amount of protein-bound carbohydrate recovered by precipitation was 86 per cent of the total anthrone-positive carbohydrate, representing a mean of 15.0 mg carbohydrate per 100 mg precipitable protein. These findings, when compared with data on parotid saliva assayed by the same methods, indicate significant differences in the two types of salivary secretions.
Determinants of self-care arrangements among school-age children

Abstract This study investigates determinants of self-care arrangements among school-aged children. The study finds that mothers'hours of work increase the likelihood of self-care arrangements. However, accompanying results suggest that maternal work and use of self-care does not imply school children are unsupervised. Effects of kin, older siblings, the cost of care and use of only maternal care previously suggest that self-care is chosen only when special conditions are satisfied. When those stipulations are meet, self-care has a higher likelihood of use.
SU-FF-T-138: Designing a Multiple Spin-Echo Pulse Sequence Optimized for Polymer Gel Dosimetry

Purpose: To formulate a systematic method to establish an optimized MRI pulse sequence using an experimental MRI scanner as an example for polymergeldosimetry (PGD). Methods and Materials: 3D dosimetry for clinical applications needs 2×2×2mm3spatial resolution with dose uncertainty lower than 3%. Fundamentals of MRI physics lead to optimized imaging parameters for R2 measurements. We chose a multiple spin‐echo technique of CMPG with variable crusher pulses. The 2D imaging technique was supplemented with interleaved slice acquisition for higher efficiency. The optimized parameters were implemented in a 1.5T MR system (Magnex Scientific, Oxfordshire, UK) using the Apollo pulse programming/data acquisition system (Tecmag Inc., Houston, TX). Measurements were carried out for a phantom containing varying R2 values. Results and Discussion: The signal‐to‐noise ratio (SNR) of baseline signals of our scanner was low; thereby, acquisitions had to be repeated for 25 times to raise SNR to a value greater than 50. The spin echo time was determined to be 22 ms based on the available gradient field strength. Since TR should be longer than 3 times of the longest T1, TR was set to 3 sec. The number of spin echoes (NSE) has to be sufficiently large since the uncertainty of the estimated R2 value decreases with increasing NSE. The number is limited because the signal noise departs from Gaussian as the signal decays. For SNR=50, NSE should be between 15 and 20 for R2 ranging from 2 to 10 s−1. For these imaging parameters the total scan takes 21.3 hours to obtain 48 2‐mm slices. We showed that increasing SNR broadens the measurable range of the R2 value and reduces NSE. Conclusion:A key requirement of high resolution and high precision MRI for PGD is to achieve SNR larger than 50.
Effect of gonadotropin treatment on size, number, and cell proliferation of antral follicles in cows

To determine the effects of gonadotropins on the size, number, and cell proliferation of antral ovarian follicles, cows received FSH-P or vehicle beginning on Day 2 after estrus, and ovaries were collected 6, 12, 24, or 48 hr after the initiation of FSH-P treatment or 24 or 48 hr after the initiation of vehicle treatment. Ovaries also were collected from untreated cows on Day 2 after estrus (pretreatment). Before fixation, all visible antral follicles were counted and their surface diameters were recorded. Proliferating cells were immunolocalized in fixed follicles by using a specific primary antibody against proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA), and the labeling index (LI; percentage of cells staining positively for PCNA) was determined for granulosa and thecal cells. After 48 hr of treatment, FSH-P-treated cows had fewer (P < 0.01) small antral follicles and more medium and large antral follicles (P < 0.01 and P < 0.05, respectively) compared with vehicle-treated cows. Granulosa cell LI was negatively correlated (P < 0.05) with follicular diameter for vehicle-treated but not for FSH-P-treated cows. Analysis of covariance using follicular diameter as a covariate to adjust to a common diameter indicated that granulosa cell LI was greater (P < 0.05) at 24 and 48 hr in FSH-P-treated than in vehicle-treated cows; conversely, thecal cell LI was greater (P < 0.01) at 48 hr in FSH-P-treated compared with vehicle-treated cows but did not differ at 24 hr. Across all groups, the LI of cells located within the antral half of the granulosa cell layer was greater (P < 0.01) than that of cells located within the basal half. In conclusion, the stimulation of follicular development by exogenous gonadotropins increased or maintained the proliferation of granulosa and thecal cells concomitant with continued follicular growth. Therefore, enhanced follicular cell proliferation may be an important mechanism by which FSH-P superinduces the growth of antral follicles in cows.
Telephone precepting: the development of a curriculum.

Background: Telephone precepting is a major tool in residency training that has not been evaluated or specifically taught. Description: Residents and attendings of 2 family practice residency programs were surveyed for their experiences and needs with telephone precepting. Evaluation: Residents and attendings each felt that the other could improve their role in a phone precepting encounter. After considering various options, a workshop was developed that involves residents and attendings learning together. The workshop was tested at residency sites and national meetings. It involves playing taped simulated phone encounters followed by group discussion of the replayed tapes. The tapes recount tested examples of various phone preceptor encounters. Conclusion: Participants agreed that telephone precepting is an area of residency training that has not been explored and that discussing the tapes was helpful.
Advancements in nanoelectronic sonos nonvolatile semiconductor memory (NVSM) devices and technology

This paper describes the recent advancements in the development of nanoelectronic SONOS nonvolatile semiconductor memory (NVSM) devices and technology, which are employed in both embedded applications, such as microcontrollers, and 'stand-alone', high-density, memory applications, such as cell phones and memory 'sticks'. Multi-dielectric devices, such as the MNOS devices, were among the first NVSM; however, over the ensuing years the double polysilicon, floating-gate device has become the dominant semiconductor NVSM technology. Today, however, questions arise as to future scaling and cost effectiveness of floating gate technology – questions, which have sparked renewed interest in SONOS technology. The latter offers a single polysilicon device structure with reduced lithography steps together with compact cell layouts - compatible with 'standard' CMOS technology for cost effectiveness. In addition, SONOS technology offers performance features, such as reduced erase and write voltage levels to ease the design of peripheral memory circuits with a decrease in electric fields and localized charge storage for improved reliability and multi-bit storage, and ease of memory testing. A special feature of SONOS technology is radiation hardness, which makes this technology ideal for advanced Space and Military systems. SONOS devices use ultra-thin tunnel oxides (2nm) and operate with 'modified' Fowler-Nordheim and 'direct' tunneling in both erase and write (program) modes. A thicker tunnel oxide SONOS device (5nm), called the NROM™ device, uses 'hot electron injection for programming and 'hot hole band-to-band tunneling' for erase. The NROM™ device provides spatially isolated, two-bit storage with the possibility of multi-level charge (MLC) storage at each bit location. This paper describes the physical electronics for these device structures and their erase/write, retention and endurance characteristics. In addition, several novel SONOS device structures are discussed as potential candidates for future NVSM.
Transmission of NPV in uniform- and mixed-age populations of Heliothis zea [Lep: Noctuidae] on caged soybean

Transmission of a nuclear polyhedrosis virus (NPV) was examined in uniformaged and uniform- vs mixed-age populations ofHeliothis zea (Boddie) on caged soybean. Larval collections revealed viral disease outbreaks occurred in all treatments following release of infected larvae (Primary infected larvae). Transmission of NPV in uniform-aged populations was related to the density of primary infected larvae released in the population but not to the size at death of primary infected larvae (P<0.05). In mixed-age populations horizontal transmission in the oldest larvae in the population was equal to that in uniform-aged populations, providing that primary infected larvae in the mixed-aged population were all the age of the oldest noninfected cohorts. As the mixed-age population aged, transmission increased and was generally higher than that in the uniform-aged populations. Transmission was also higher when primary infected larvae were medium sized at death than when small or large at death. The concentration of virus deposited on foliage and in soil after all larvae had died on plants was related to density of primary infected larvae released. In soil, but not on foliage, the virus concentration was related to the size at death of primary infected larvae released.
Identifying Effective and Ineffective Retrofits for Fatigue Cracking in Steel Bridges using Field Instrumentation

It is estimated that nearly 90% of all fatigue cracking is the result of out-of-plane distortion or other unanticipated secondary stresses at fatigue sensitive details. Interestingly, neither design nor evaluation specifications provide any guidance on how to evaluate the in-service potential for fatigue cracking at these details. Furthermore, the causes and driving forces producing these cracks are typically difficult to accurately characterize using simple design tools. Often, as a result, the effectiveness of various retrofit procedures is often questionable and ill fated. There are many examples where implemented retrofit procedures did not work and fatigue cracking continued. In such cases, details must be re-retrofitted and additional corrective actions taken to ensure a safe structure. Implementation of one or two prototype retrofits is an attractive alternative approach to ensuring effective retrofits are developed. In situations where several dozen or even hundreds of details have to be retrofitted due to a common problem, this approach is most practical. The prototypes should be instrumented and the performance evaluated. Field instrumentation and testing has consistently been demonstrated as the most effective means to confidently determining the effectiveness of a given retrofit strategy. Unanticipated effects, due to modification of the detail, are also revealed thereby reducing the chance for future problems. Monitoring for a few weeks to months can also be conducted at little cost to help ensure the longevity of the retrofit and to identify how the retrofitted detail performs when subjected to the variable-amplitude load spectrum. This paper examines examples of where effective prototype retrofit strategies were shown to be effective as demonstrated through performance and field instrumentation.
Islet hormonal regulation of glucose turnover during exercise in type 1 diabetes.

A decline in plasma insulin and an increase in glucagon are known to occur during intense and/or prolonged exercise. However, it is not established whether changes in insulin and glucagon secretion are involved in the precise matching of hepatic glucose production to the enhanced glucose uptake by muscle during brief, low intensity exercise. We studied the effects of 30-min cycle exercise at 40% of maximal aerobic capacity in healthy subjects and C-peptide-deficient subjects with type 1 diabetes (IDDM) using [3-3H]glucose to estimate glucose turnover. Diabetic subjects were studied during continuous iv insulin infusion, which normalized glucose kinetics before experimental perturbations. In control (saline-infused) experiments, endogenous glucose appearance (Ra) increased by 80–90% above baseline to match the increase in glucose disappearance in both normal and IDDM subjects, even though the latter exercised at fixed levels of plasma free insulin, averaging 203 ± 19 pmol/L. In other experiments, somatosta...
Building theoretical underpinnings for digital forensics research

In order for technical research in digital forensics to progress a cohesive set of electronic forensics characteristics must be specified. To date, although the need for such a framework has been expressed, with a few exceptions, clear unifying characteristics have not been well laid out. We begin the process of formulating a framework for digital forensics research by identifying fundamental properties and abstractions.
Consequences Associated with the Recent Range Expansion of Nonnative Feral Swine

) have been repeatedly introduced to locations around the world. Aided by both an adaptable biology and deliberate introductions by people, the range of invasive feral swine in the United States has expanded from 17 to 38 states over the past 30 years. The swine’s generalist diet combined with high population densities can complicate efforts to conserve
OS/2 LAN Server Ultimedia performance on the Token-Ring

Multimedia file server performance is evaluated in terms of the number of multimedia streams that can be supported and the quality of multimedia stream delivery. Providing high-quality stream delivery over a shared media network such as Ethernet or Token-Ring at a significant fraction of the network's maximum throughput is a major problem for a practical multimedia sever. This paper describes how the IEEE 802.5 Token-Ring priority mechanism is used by OS/2 LAN Server Ultimedia to reserve bandwidth for multimedia file server streams. Results of experiments measuring LAN Server's ability to deliver high-quality multimedia streams over a Token-Ring are presented. The question of extending high-quality multimedia onto larger networks is discussed. >
Regulation of upp Expression in Escherichia coli by UTP-Sensitive Selection of Transcriptional Start Sites Coupled with UTP-Dependent Reiterative Transcription

Expression of the upp gene of Escherichia coli, which encodes the pyrimidine salvage enzyme uracil phosphoribosyltransferase, is negatively regulated by pyrimidine availability. In this study, we demonstrate that this regulation occurs mainly by UTP-sensitive selection of alternative transcriptional start sites, which produces transcripts that differ in the ability to be productively elongated. The upp initially transcribed region contains the sequence GATTTTTTTTG (nontemplate strand). Transcription is initiated primarily at the first two bases in this sequence, designated G6 and A7 (counting from the promoter -10 region). High intracellular levels of UTP favor initiation at position A7; however, the resulting transcripts are subject to reiterative transcription (i.e., repetitive nucleotide addition) within the run of T residues in the initially transcribed region. The resulting AUUUUn (where n = 1 to >50) transcripts are not extended to include downstream upp sequences. In contrast, low intracellular levels of UTP strongly favor initiation at position G6, which results in transcripts that generally do not engage in reiterative transcription and thus can be normally elongated. This mechanism ensures that high levels of uracil phosphoribosyltransferase are produced only under conditions of pyrimidine limitation. The mechanisms that account for UTP-sensitive start site selection and different fates of upp transcripts, as well as the general use of UTP-dependent reiterative transcription in gene regulation, are discussed in detail.
Elastic and viscoelastic characterization of agar

Agar is a biological polymer, frequently used in tissue engineering research; due to its consistency, controllable size, and concentration-based properties, it often serves as a representative material for actual biological tissues. In this study, nanoindentation was used to characterize both the time-independent and time-dependent response of agar samples having various concentrations (0.5%-5.0% by weight). Quasi-static indentation was performed at different loads and depths using both open- and closed-loop controls. Reduced modulus (Er) values change with agar concentration, ranging from ∼30 kPa for 0.5% samples to ∼700 kPa for 5.0% samples, which is the same modulus range as usually encountered in soft biological materials. Dynamic indentation was performed to assess the effects of load, dynamic frequency and amplitude. Storage modulus values ranged from approximately 30 to 2300 kPa depending on agar concentration. Loss modulus remained consistently less than 30 kPa at all conditions, indicating a diminished damping response in agar.
Surface Treatment and Its Influence on Contact Angles of Water Drops Residing on Polymers and Metals

Abstract Studies have been made to identify concise polishing, pressing and surface cleaning procedures for producing standard surfaces for contact angle determinations using copper and polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE). A review of previous workers' methods and their efficacies is also reported.