cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Behavioral Work Outcomes of a Strategic Performance Measurement System-Based Incentive Plan

ABSTRACT: Strategic performance measurement systems (SPMS) that translate a firm's strategy to its employees are increasingly used. We examine whether the extent to which an SPMS is coupled with strategy affects employee performance indirectly through motivational characteristics including perceived self-efficacy and perceived psychological contract. Using data from 242 employees, we find evidence that the extent to which an SPMS is tightly coupled with strategy affects employee performance through perceived self-efficacy and perceived psychological contract. Self-efficacy is a critical dimension of intrinsic motivation. Thus, an implication of our findings is that tightly coupling an SPMS-based incentive plan with strategy facilitates internalized motivated behaviors. We also find that our hypothesized results hold across varying levels of two types of employee climate. However, the workforce's age and education levels serve as boundary conditions since we find that the relation between self-efficacy and...
A decision analysis view of Six Sigma

We present a decision analytic model for the decision to incorporate a Six Sigma quality process. We investigate the effects of some key elements on the Six Sigma decision. These elements include implementation cost; attitude towards risk; defect costs, and firm size (number of production or service stages). The optimal solution reveals several managerial insights regarding the impact of the various factors related to the Six Sigma decision. Naturally, implementation cost makes Six Sigma less attractive while attitude towards risk plays a role in determining the optimal sigma (quality) level. In addition, the best decision alternative for small and middle sized firms is not necessarily to have the highest quality standard or highest sigma level. In some instances, as we shall see, it may be more important to consider other profit generating alternatives before taking the Six Sigma route.
Optimal time-dependent operation of seawater reverse osmosis

The operation of seawater reverse osmosis (SWRO) plants is systematically optimized with the objective to reduce the electricity charges, which constitute the largest portion of the operation costs. Variable operating conditions and a time-of-use electricity tariff rate schedule are considered. A well-established model is extended to model a reverse osmosis (RO) system equipped with highly efficient pressure exchangers (PXs) and variable frequency drives (VFDs). All major performance factors are considered, including membrane's permeability, concentration polarization, temperature effects, membrane fouling, and efficiency dependency of the VFD on the loading conditions. The proposed formulation minimizes the electricity cost per day, given a desired daily production rate. The problem is formulated as a mixed-integer nonlinear program (MINLP), allowing for periods without operation. The time domain (24 h) is discretized into 0.5 h increments, and a pseudo steady-state assumption is used. The optimal operation plan resulting in maximum electricity cost-savings is established with standard global optimization tools. The results show significant electricity and production cost-saving potentials. More savings in electricity can be achieved by oversizing the plant, thus allowing shutting-off at periods of high electricity cost. The cost-saving potentials are particularly promising in electricity markets in which the electricity rate schedule is widely distributed.
Chlorine-Induced Pulmonary Function Changes in Rabbits

Sixteen rabbits were divided into four groups and exposed to 0 (control), 50, 100, and 200 ppm chlorine gas for 30-minute periods. One animal from each group was sacrificed 30 minutes after the termination of exposure, and the rest after 3, 14, and 60 days, respectively. Lung function was determined by capacitance respirometry, a technique for measuring volume-related surface area changes. Volume-pressure relationships (CV-P) and inspiratory-expiratory flow rate ratios (VI:VE) were measured prior to exposure and at each post-exposure time interval. Results show that VI:VE ratios are quantitatively related to the degree of lung impairment due to pulmonary edema, while VV-P changes indicate the severity of anatomical emphysema, distortion of alveolar architecture and loss of elastic properties. These lung anomalies show a relationship to the magnitude of chlorine concentration and length of time allowed for recovery after exposure.
F-18 FDG PET imaging of disseminated sarcoidosis.

Abstract:Sarcoidosis is a chronic systemic inflammatory disease of unknown origin preferentially involving the lungs with associated hilar and mediastinal adenopathy. Characteristic radiologic and PET features of thoracic sarcoidosis are well recognized by clinicians and imagers. Disseminated and ex
Nanostructures Enabled by On-Wire Lithography (OWL).

Nanostructures fabricated by a novel technique, termed On-Wire Lithography (OWL), can be combined with organic and biological molecules to create systems with emergent and highly functional properties. OWL is a template-based, electrochemical process for forming gapped cylindrical structures on a solid support, with feature sizes (both gap and segment length) that can be controlled on the sub-100 nm length scale. Structures prepared by this method have provided valuable insight into the plasmonic properties of noble metal nanomaterials and have formed the basis for novel molecular electronic, encoding, and biological detection devices.
Feasibility Trial of Partial Breast Irradiation With Concurrent Dose-Dense Doxorubicin and Cyclophosphamide in Early-Stage Breast Cancer

Purpose Anthracyclines and concurrent whole-breast irradiation result in prohibitive cutaneous toxicity. We hypothesized that anthracycline-based chemotherapy and concurrent partial breast irradiation (PBI) is safe and conducted a single-arm feasibility trial testing this hypothesis with dose-dense doxorubicin and cyclophosphamide (ddAC). Patients and Methods Women with T1-2, N0-1 breast cancer with ≥ 3 mm lumpectomy margins received PBI (40.5 Gy, 15 daily 2.7-Gy fractions) concurrently with the first two of four cycles of ddAC (60 and 600 mg/m2 of doxorubicin and cyclophosphamide, respectively, every 14 days with colony-stimulating support). Primary end points were local and systemic toxicity. Additional systemic therapy was given at the physician's discretion. Results Twenty-seven patients enrolled between November 2004 and January 2007, but two patients did not receive protocol therapy (one found with additional local disease and one withdrew consent). Twenty-five women completed all planned PBI. Four ...
Epidemiologic association between Gonorrhea and prostatic carcinoma.

Abstract The curves for death rates from prostatic cancer and gonorrhea incidence rates in Denmark, over a span of thirty years, matched well with a lag period of forty five years. Moreover, a retrospective study conducted in the United States involving 75 cancer patients and 75 age-matched controls demonstrated a statistically significant association between gonorrheal infection and subsequent development of prostatic carcinoma. Two postulates are presented: the viral-venereal and the chronic infection theories. The recent increase in incidence of prostatic cancer in the United States could be the beginning of an epidemic in which astronomically high rates may be reached.
Models for the combined logical and physical design of databases

Given the set of intended transactions, the authors model the problem of choosing the most efficient decomposition of the universal set of attributes. Unlike other models which neglect the logical structure developed in database theory, the model developed incorporates it as part of a mathematical program. This provides a comprehensive and an integrated formulation for the combined logical and physical database design problem. The integrated problem and its epsilon -approximation schemes are shown to be NP-complete. An example shows the benefit of such an approach over more conventional ones. >
Male chimpanzees form enduring and equitable social bonds

Controversy exists regarding the nature of primate social relationships. While individual primates are frequently hypothesized to form enduring social bonds with conspecifics, recent studies suggest that relationships are labile, with animals interacting only over short periods to satisfy their immediate needs. Here I use data collected over 10 years on a community of chimpanzees, Pan troglodytes, at Ngogo, Kibale National Park, Uganda, to investigate whether male chimpanzees establish long-term social relationships and to determine the factors that affect variation in relationship quality and the stability of social bonds. Kinship and dominance rank influenced the quality of relationships. Maternal brothers and males of the same dominance rank class groomed each other more equitably than did unrelated males and males that were dissimilar in rank. In addition, males that formed strong social bonds groomed more equitably than did males that displayed weaker bonds. Social bonds were stable over time, with relationships in one year predicting those in subsequent years. Kinship and the quality of social relationships affected bond stability. Maternal half siblings and males that groomed each other equitably maintained longer-lasting bonds than did nonkin and males that groomed each other unevenly. Virtually all of the males established at least one enduring relationship with another individual. The most enduring bonds formed between a few pairs of maternal brothers and dyads that maintained balanced grooming interactions. These results indicate that male chimpanzees maintain long-lasting and equitable social bonds whose formation is affected by maternal kinship and the quality of social relationships.
Evidence Supporting a Role for Immune Complex-Mediated Inflammation in the Pathogenesis of Bullous Lesions of Systemic Lupus Erythematosus

Evidence supporting an immune complex pathogenesis of bullous lesions in systemic lupus erythematosus includes immune deposits, acute inflammation, and blister formation at the cutaneous basement membrane zone. Since cutaneous immune deposits are a general feature of lupus, an attempt has been made to determine whether deposits in lupus patients with blisters are functionally different from those in patients without blisters. Skin was obtained from 4 consecutive patients with blisters and 14 controls. The groups were matched for clinical and serologic features, duration and activity of disease, and treatment. Skin was examined by direct immunofluorescence for immune deposits and by the leukocyte attachment assay for quantification of complement-activating immune complexes. Clinically normal, viable skin from 1 patient with blisters and 1 patient without blisters was incubated in organ culture with normal human leukocytes and serum complement. All patients in both groups had immune deposits at the basement membrane zone with an equivalent incidence of the major Ig classes. Deposits in patients with blisters were slightly more intense and a linear pattern of fluorescence seen in 75% of these patients was not seen in controls. The leukocyte attachment assay showed significantly greater ( p
Iterations on an instructional method for utilizing the computer in the classroom

The recent advent of reasonably priced semiportable and portable computer systems has opened up a fascinating array of opportunities for bringing the computer into the classroom. This article reports on two approaches that have been used with considerable success at the University of West Florida in the Introduction to Data Processing course. These two approaches are considered to be iterations on the instructional methods reported by Richard Cheng in the February 76 Joint Bulletin of SIGCUE and SIGCSE, where he presented the use of an on-line large screen display system.
Automatic clustering of wafer spatial signatures

In this paper, we propose a methodology based on unsupervised learning for automatic clustering of wafer spatial signatures to aid yield improvement. Our proposed methodology is based on three steps. First, we apply sparse regression to automatically capture wafer spatial signatures by a small number of features. Next, we apply an unsupervised hierarchical clustering algorithm to divide wafers into a few clusters where all wafers within the same cluster are similar. Finally, we develop a modified L-method to determine the appropriate number of clusters from the hierarchical clustering result. The accuracy of the proposed methodology is demonstrated by several industrial data sets of silicon measurements.
Resolving the Complications Induced by the Side Chain Carbonyl of Glutamine

IR spectroscopy is a widely used technique for structural studies of proteins which focuses on the amide I mode, an efficient marker of secondary structure. However, the use of IR for studying the glutamine based proteins associated with diseases such as Huntington's disease and Spinobulbar muscular atrophy is limited due to the additional complications introduced by the side chain carbonyl of glutamine. The two carbonyls will both vibrate in the amide I region, giving rise to multiple amide I modes; these must be resolved and unequivocally assigned if one is to understand the IR spectra of proteins containing glutamine. Furthermore, there is the opportunity for coupling between the two carbonyls through an electrostatic interaction known as transition dipole coupling (TDC). TDC causes a delocalization of the amide I vibrational wavefunction across oscillators that vibrate at similar frequencies (e.g. the backbone carbonyls of a protein or the two carbonyls of glutamine) and affects the frequency and transition strengths of the observed IR bands. TDC is dependent on the proximity and alignment of the carbonyls and thus is affected by the secondary structure of the protein as well as the side chain arrangement.Here we report a fundamental study of the IR spectra of glutamine that will ultimately guide the spectral assignment of the many amide I bands observed in the IR spectra of long stretches of polyglutamine residues (pQ32 and pQ43). We explore the hypothesis that the side chain of glutamine can form a hydrogen bond with the backbone, resulting in a cyclic conformation with a fixed alignment of the two carbonyls. The amidated form of glutamine has been studied at varying pH and temperature; data has been compared to that obtained for amidated alanine, amidated asparagine and non-amidated glutamine.
Comparative Advertising and Brand Evaluation: Toward Developing a Categorization Approach

Abstract A categorization model was proposed to account for the effects of direct, indirect, and no comparison advertising on aspects of new brand evaluation. Direct comparisons were hypothesized to promote exemplar-based processing, and indirect comparisons were hypothesized to promote prototype-based processing. Evaluation of attributes of the new brand were hypothesized to depend on the type of processing promoted by the comparative ads. Subjects used comparative response scales to evaluate attributes of the new brands relative to a leading brand or "other brands." Results supported the utility of developing a more formal categorization model. Indirect comparisons resulted in more favorable evaluation of the new brands relative to "other brands" than to the leading brand, whereas direct comparisons resulted in more favorable evaluation relative to both leading and "other brands." Both kinds of comparative advertising were more effective than noncomparative advertising in promoting favorable evaluations. I concluded that the categorization model may be useful for accounting for effects of different types of comparative advertising, including association of the new brand with positive category attributes and differentiation of the new brand from competitors on evaluative dimensions.
Dephosphorylation of β-Arrestin 1 in Glioblastomas

β-Arrestins act as signal terminators for G protein-coupled receptors; they have also been implicated as scaffolding proteins for Src and mitogen-activated protein kinase signaling pathways and transactivators of receptor tyrosine kinases, suggesting their possible role in development and oncogenic signaling. Dephosphorylation of serine 412 is necessary for Src and mitogen-activated protein kinase transactivation. We hypothesized that altered β-arrestin 1 phosphorylation and activation status could play a role in gliomagenesis. Using monoclonal anti-phospho-(serine 412)- and total β-arrestin 1 antibodies, we performed immunohistochemistry on 126 human glioma samples and 7 nonneoplastic controls and Western blot analysis on 5 glioblastomas and 5 nonneoplastic controls. We found high constitutive β-arrestin 1 phosphorylation in nonneoplastic brain tissue, particularly in neurons and neuropil. Most Grade II and III gliomas retained high β-arrestin 1 phosphorylation. By contrast, most of the glioblastoma samples (58/81) showed nearly complete β-arrestin 1 dephosphorylation by immunohistochemistry and decreased relative phosphorylation by Western blot. Expression of constitutively activated epidermal growth factor receptor vIII in U251 cells caused decreased β-arrestin 1 phosphorylation without altering total β-arrestin 1 levels. These results suggest that β-arrestin 1 dephosphorylation/inactivation is associated with aspects of the malignant behavior of glioblastomas.
Measuring abdominal aortic aneurysms on digital subtraction arteriograms

Digital intravenous subtraction angiography (DISA) has provided an additional method of imaging abdominal aortic aneurysms. DISA has the advantage of depicting an aneurysm in the same projection as standard arteriography but without the risks of arterial puncture and catheterization. With conventional angiography, the more constant focal spot-object-film distances both minimize magnification and reduce the variation among patients of differing size. However, with digital systems, the variations in height of the image intensifier and patient size result in wide differences in magnification. The authors have devised a simple technique to measure the size of aneurysms on digital images.
Determination of nitrate and nitrite in milk and dry milk products.

Abstract A modified spectrophotometric method based on the selective diazotization-coupling reaction has been developed capable of detecting 1ppm nitrite in dry milk products. Nitrate can be determined by the same reaction following quantitative reduction to nitrite with a cadmium column. Zinc hydroxide satisfactorily precipitated the milk fat and protein. Nitrate and nitrite levels have been determined in nonfat dry milk samples prepared on a single pilot plant dryer designed for either indirect (steam) heating or direct (gas) firing with natural gas. Slight increases in nitrate content attributable to gas firing were detected, whereas increases in nitrite were nil. A survey of 30 dry milk samples from 13 commercial plants revealed that products produced by direct-firing contained 1 to 3ppm more nitrate-nitrogen than those produced by indirect heating designs.
A nuclear magnetic resonance investigation of the upper airways in ferrets. II. Contrast-enhanced imaging to distinguish vascular from other nasal fluids.

Proton magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), used in conjunction with the intravascular contrast agent albumin-(Gd-DTPA), provides a means to distinguish vascular fluids from other nasal fluids in the upper airways. Ferrets were given an intravenous dose of albumin-(Gd-DTPA) followed by an intranasal challenge with either histamine (HS) or methacholine (MC). An observed increase in image intensity indicates that HS and MC both cause an accumulation of fluids in the nasal turbinate region. The MRI data are also influenced by the presence of blood, which contains the contrast agent, and a clear distinction can be made between vascular fluids and other nasal fluids (i.e., cellular and glandular secretions). The results show that HS causes an increase in vascular fluids in the nasal turbinates while MC does not. This methodology represents a new means to investigate airway pharmacology and the pathophysiology associated with various pharmacological agents, allergens, or viral infections.
From baby birds to feathered dinosaurs: incipient wings and the evolution of flight

Reconstructing the tree of life requires deciphering major evolutionary transformations and the functional capacities of fossils with “transitional” morphologies. Some of the most iconic, well-studied fossils with transitional features are theropod dinosaurs, whose skeletons and feathered forelimbs record the origin and evolution of bird flight. However, in spite of over a century of discussion, the functions of forelimb feathers during the evolution of flight remain enigmatic. Both aerodynamic and non-aerodynamic roles have been proposed, but few of the form-function relationships assumed by these scenarios have been tested. Here, we use the developing wings of a typical extant ground bird (Chukar Partridge) as possible analogues/homologues of historical wing forms to provide the first empirical evaluation of aerodynamic potential in flapping theropod “protowings.” Immature ground birds with underdeveloped, rudimentary wings generate useful aerodynamic forces for a variety of locomotor tasks. Feather development in these birds resembles feather evolution in theropod dinosaurs, and reveals a predictable relationship between wing morphology and aerodynamic performance that can be used to infer performance in extinct theropods. By spinning an ontogenetic series of spread-wing preparations on a rotating propeller apparatus across a range of flow conditions and measuring aerodynamic force, we explored how changes in wing size, feather structure, and angular velocity might have affected aerodynamic performance in dinosaurs choosing to flap their incipient wings. At slow angular velocities, wings produced aerodynamic forces similar in magnitude to those produced by immature birds during behaviors like wing-assisted incline running. At fast angular velocities, wings produced forces sufficient to support body weight during flight. These findings provide a quantitative, biologically relevant bracket for theropod performance and suggest that protowings could have provided useful aerodynamic function early in maniraptoran history, with improvements in aerodynamic performance attending the evolution of larger wings, more effective feather morphologies, and faster angular velocities.
Building an efficient RDF store over a relational database

Efficient storage and querying of RDF data is of increasing importance, due to the increased popularity and widespread acceptance of RDF on the web and in the enterprise. In this paper, we describe a novel storage and query mechanism for RDF which works on top of existing relational representations. Reliance on relational representations of RDF means that one can take advantage of 35+ years of research on efficient storage and querying, industrial-strength transaction support, locking, security, etc. However, there are significant challenges in storing RDF in relational, which include data sparsity and schema variability. We describe novel mechanisms to shred RDF into relational, and novel query translation techniques to maximize the advantages of this shredded representation. We show that these mechanisms result in consistently good performance across multiple RDF benchmarks, even when compared with current state-of-the-art stores. This work provides the basis for RDF support in DB2 v.10.1.
Substituent effects on degradation rates and pathways of cytosine nucleosides

A previous report on the influence of a 6-methyl substituent on cytosine nucleoside degradation proposed that N-glycosyl hydrolysis predominated over the deamination pathway which was characteristic of the unsubstituted parent compounds. The UV absorption data which led to this hypothesis were not conclusive. Evidence for N-glycosyl hydrolysis was indirect and the product concentration was not quantitated. In the present study, specific HPLC methods were employed to assay four cytosine nucleosides and their corresponding bases, thus allowing comparison of the N-glycosyl hydrolysis rate to the overall rate of loss for each nucleoside. These data indicated that the 6-methyl nucleosides underwent partial or complete hydrolysis to yield their corresponding sugars and 6-methylcytosine, which then deaminated to 6-methyluracil. An increase in the reactivity and a change in the reaction products of the 6-methyl nucleosides were attributed to an alteration in conformation. In addition, the 6-methyl arabinosyl nucleoside reacted much faster than the 6-methyl ribosyl nucleoside, presumably due to 2'-OH participation. Degradation of 5-methyl deoxycytidine was also re-examined since its degradation was previously attributed solely to N-glycosyl hydrolysis. In the present study, simultaneous deamination and hydrolysis were measured, although N-glycosyl hydrolysis was found to predominate.
The presence of a dehydroepiandrosterone-specific receptor binding complex in murine T cells

We have investigated the ability of dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA) to alter the production of interleukin-2 (IL-2) and to bind to a specific binding complex in antiCD3 epsilon activated T cells. Binding activity correlated with the presence of a specific DHEA binding complex in the cytosol and nuclei of DHEA-responsive T-cell hybridomas, as well as in CD4+ and CD8+ cells isolated from peripheral lymph nodes of normal mice. Scatchard analysis determined that intact lymphocytes and cytosolic fractions contained high affinity binding for [3H]DHEA (approx. 2.6 nM) with 1000-7000 binding sites existing per cell. Five of the T-cell hybridomas tested both responded to DHEA treatment with increased production of IL-2 and also contained specific high affinity [3H]DHEA binding. Four additional T-cell hybridomas were found to contain no specific [3H]DHEA binding and were also unresponsive to DHEA influences on IL-2 production. Sucrose density gradients demonstrated a 3-4s [3H]DHEA binding complex in high salt and a 7-8s binding complex in low salt. Specific binding was inhibited by preincubation of the cytosol fractions with either trypsin or chymotrypsin, or by heating to 60 degrees C for 1 h (less than 15% of control). [3H]DHEA binding was unaffected by preincubation of the cytosol fractions with ribonuclease, deoxyribonuclease, or phospholipase A. The DHEA-protein complexes bound to DNA-cellulose with the amount of binding being slightly increased by preincubation at 25 degrees C as compared to 4 degrees C. As expected, [3H]DHEA binding was inhibited by the addition of unlabeled DHEA, but was also modestly inhibited by dihydrotestosterone and cortisol. Binding of DHEA was unaffected by progesterone, dexamethasone, estradiol, androsterone, DHEAS, and beta-etiocholanolone at all concentrations tested. DHEA was incapable of inhibiting the binding of [3H]DHT to the androgen receptor or [3H]dexamethasone to the glucocorticoid receptor. Collectively, these findings suggest that murine T cells contain a specific DHEA receptor. We believe that DHEA is a steroid hormone that is directly involved in the regulation of IL-2 production by both normal and some T-cell hybridomas.
Recurrent hepatitis C after retransplantation: Factors affecting graft and patient outcome

Retransplantation (re-LT) of patients with recurrent hepatitis C virus (HCV) carries significant morbidity and mortality, negatively impacting on an already scarce donor allograft pool. In this study, we investigated the outcome of allografts and patients after re-LT due to recurrent HCV. Between 1989 and 2002, 47 patients were retransplanted at our institution due to HCV-related graft failure. Clinical HCV recurrence after re-LT was diagnosed when patients had acute liver enzyme elevation correlated with histological recurrence. The independent influence of these variables on survival was tested using Cox regression model. Chi-squared tests were used to examine the influence of individual demographic and pre/perioperative variables on recurrence. Thirty-one (66%) patients died after re-LT (median 2.2 months). Donor age >60, clinical HCV recurrence, and graft failure due to cirrhosis were significant risk factors for mortality (risk ratios of 3.6, 3.3, and 2.4, respectively). Pre-LT MELD score was lower among survivors (22± 5 vs. 27± 8). Following re-LT, 38 patients had at least one biopsy due to acute liver dysfunction; 19 of them (50%) had recurrence within the first 3 months. High-dose solumedrol was correlated with early recurrence. No association was found between time of recurrence after the first LT and time of recurrence after re-LT. In conclusion, patients with cirrhosis due to recurrent HCV undergoing re-LT have an extremely high mortality rate; older allografts should be avoided in retransplanting these patients. The timing of clinical recurrence after initial liver transplantation is not predictive of the timing of recurrence after re-LT. Patients experiencing early graft failure due to accelerated forms of HCV should not be denied re-LT with the expectation that a similar disease course will occur after re-LT. (Liver Transpl 2005;11:1567–1573.)
Genetic loci modulating amyloid-beta levels in a mouse model of Alzheimer's disease

Genetic studies have demonstrated very high heritability for Alzheimer's disease (AD) risk in humans; however, these genetic contributions have proven extremely challenging to map in large studies of AD patients. Processing of the amyloid precursor protein (APP) to produce amyloid-beta (Abeta) peptide is increasingly believed to be of central importance in AD pathogenesis. Intriguingly, mice from the C57BL/6J and DBA2/J inbred strains carrying the R1.40 APP transgene produce identical levels of unprocessed APP, but demonstrate significant, heritable differences in Abeta levels. To identify specific loci responsible for the observed genetic control of Abeta metabolism in this model system, we have performed a whole-genome quantitative trait locus (QTL) mapping experiment on a total of 516 animals from a C57BL/6JxDBA/2J intercross using a dense set of SNP genetic markers. Our studies have identified three loci on mouse chromosomes 1, 2, and 7 showing significant or suggestive associations with brain Abeta levels, several of which contain regions syntenic to previous reports of linkage in human AD.
IR and Optical Cloaking with Metamaterials with Plasmonic Implants: Theory and Simulations

In our recent works, we suggested that plasmonic layers may provide cloaking for an object. Here we discuss how such plasmonic covers may be designed at terahertz, infrared and optical frequencies using metallic implants.
Mri measurements of T1, T2 and D for gels undergoing volume phase transition.

Abstract Gels consist of crosslinked polymer network swollen in solvent. The network of flexible long-chain molecules traps the liquid medium they are immersed in. Some gels undergo abrupt volume change, a phase transition process, by swelling-shrinking in response to external stimuli changes in solvent composition, temperature, pH, electric field, etc. We report that during volume phase transition changes of NMR longitudinal relaxation time T 1 , NMR transverse relaxation time T 2 , and diffusion coefficient D of the PMMA gel, and D of the NIPA gel. We describe how the gels were synthesized and the reason of using the snapshot FLASH imaging sequence to measure T 1 , T 2 , and D. Since T 1 , T 2 and D maps have identical field of view and data are extracted from identical areas from their respective maps, these values can be correlated quantitatively on a pixel-by-pixel basis. Thus a complete set of NMR parameters is measured in-situ: the gels are in their natural state, immersed in the liquid, during the phase transition. The results of spectroscopic method agree with that of snapshot FLASH imaging method. For the PMMA gel T 1 , T 2 and D decrease when gels undergo volume phase transition between deuterated acetone concentration of 30% and 40%. At its contracted state, T 1 is reduced to a little less than one order of magnitude, T 2 over two orders of magnitude, and D over one order of magnitude, smaller from values of PMMA gel at the swollen state. At an elevated temperature of 54°C the thermosensitive NIPA gel is at a contracted state, with its D reduced to almost one order of magnitude smaller from that of the swollen NIPA at room temperature.
Asymptotic properties of a nonlinear diffusion process arising in articular cartilage

Stress relaxation experiments in articular cartilage studies give rise to a nonlinear diffusion process. The paper demonstrates that the nonlinear model admits a solution which possesses certain salient features that are observed experimentally. A relaxation constant is defined for the nonlinear model in order to examine the asymptotic behavior of solutions as time approaches infinity. An explicit formula relating the relaxation constant to the nonlinear permeability function, and the displacement at the ''motor cutoff time'' is derived. Finally, upper and lower bounds to the solution and certain of its derivatives are provided.
SURGEON EXPERIENCE WITH PENILE FRACTURE

Purpose: The experience of a single surgeon with a series of 34 penile fractures, including 29 corrected surgically and 5 managed conservatively, at 3 large inner city medical centers in an 11-year period is presented. Standard diagnostic and therapeutic modalities are described that have evolved with time.Materials and Methods: Between 1989 and 1999, 34 patients 18 to 38 years old (mean age 27 at presentation) were evaluated after blunt trauma to the erect penis. The interval from injury to presentation was between 6 and 72 hours. Of these patients 32 and 2 had been injured during sexual intercourse and masturbation, respectively. Surgery in 29 cases involved a degloving incision, and intraoperative evaluation of the corpora and urethra by radiography or saline injection. Five patients were treated conservatively for presumed penile fracture after they refused diagnostic confirmation and/or surgery.Results: Injury involved unilateral and bilateral corporeal rupture in 25 and 3 cases, respectively, and ur...
Bilateral trade in a monetized pure exchange economy

Abstract A model is constructed having n traders and m commodities, one of which is money and must be used in every trade. Exchange rates are flexible. If bilateral exchange takes place whenever utility increasing trade is possible, the allocation matrix converges to the Pareto locus.
A Sampling Study of the Properties of Estimators of Transition Probabilities

In this paper, the sampling experiment approach is used to evaluate the performance of alternative estimators that may be employed to estimate the transition matrix for a Markov probability model when only the aggregated data, reflecting the proportion of the sample in each state over a sequence of trials, are known. In addition, the experiments provide some initial information relative to the sampling properties of restricted estimators when time series data are used.
Mass distribution of chemical species in a polydisperse aerosol: Measurement of sodium chloride in particles by mass spectrometry

Abstract A continuous, real-time method for measurement of the mass distribution of chemical species in aerosol particles by mass spectrometry is described. Individual particles of sodium chloride from a polydisperse aerosol are introduced in the form of a beam into a miniature oven (∼28 mm 3 volume) placed in the ion source of a quadrupole mass spectrometer. The oven is made from rhenium metal sheet (0.018 mm thick) and maintained at 1600 K. The intensities of sodium ions resulting from individual particles by thermal volatilization and surface ionization inside the oven are measured with the quadrupole mass spectrometer. Masses of sodium chloride particles are obtained from these intensities using a predetermined calibration curve of the mass spectrometer signal with mass. The results are corrected for the particle transmission efficiency of the beam generator used for sample introduction into the ion source, and also for inhomogeneity im radial distribution of different size particles across the beam. The number versus mass distribution is in good agreement with the distribution determined from electron microscopy of the aerosol sample collected on a nucleopore filter. The application of mass distribution measurements to the design of nebulizers and other spray devices for the dispersion of drugs and diagnostic agents is discussed.
True aneurysmal disease in the hand and upper extremity

Ten patients with true aneurysmal disease of the hand and forearm vessels were treated at our institution between 1981 and 1990. Pseudoaneurysms resulting from penetrating trauma or mycotic aneurysms were specifically excluded. Eight patients were male, two were female; mean patient age was 38 years (range 26 to 72 years). A history of repetitive occupational or recreational trauma was elicited in five patients. All patients presented with painful masses or neurologic symptoms due to nerve compression. Ischemic changes were evident in five patients due to thrombosis or distal embolization. Arteriography and transcutaneous Doppler ultrasound aided in documentation of flow characteristics and planning for operative intervention. Three patients underwent excision and ligation once collateral flow was demonstrated to be adequate and reconstruction was not felt to be feasible. Seven patients underwent resection with vein graft reconstruction. Immediate postoperative and interval patency rates were 100%. No digital amputations were required even in those patients presenting with severe distal ischemia.
The sliding singlet

Abstract Supersymmetric grand unified models with a sliding singlet are considered. We review the argument that the sliding does not work in models with large supersymmetry breaking. Then we consider the possibility of using a sliding singlet with low-energy supersymmetry breaking. A number of problems with such a program are noted and illustrated in simple examples. Using the experience gained from these examples a realistic model is constructed and analyzed.
Spam Classification Based on E-Mail Path Analysis

Email spam is the most effective form of online advertising. Unlike telephone marketing, email spamming does not require huge human or financial resources investment. Most existing spam filtering techniques concentrate on the emailsâ€™ content. However, most spammers obfuscate their emailsâ€™ content to circumvent content-based spam filters. An integrated solution for restricting spam emails is needed as content analyses alone might not provide a solution for filtering unsolicited emails. Here we present a new method for isolating unsolicited emails. Though spammers obfuscate their emailsâ€™ content, they do not have access to all the fields in the email header. Our classification method is based on the path an email traverses instead of content. Overall, our classifier produced fewer false positives when compared to current filters such as SpamAssassin. We achieved a precision of 98.65% which compares well with the precisions achieved by SPF, DNSRBL blacklists.
Functional binding of cardiolipin to cytochrome c oxidase.

Bovine cytochrome c oxidase usually contains 3-4 mol of tightly bound cardiolipin per cytochrome aa3 complex. At least two of these cardiolipins are required for full electron transport activity. Without the tightly bound cardiolipin, cytochrome c oxidase has only 40-50% of its original activity when assayed in detergents that support activity, e.g., dodecyl maltoside. By measuring the restoration of electron transport activity, functional binding constants for cardiolipin and a number of cardiolipin analogues have been evaluated (Kd,app = 1 microM for cardiolipin). These binding constants agree reasonably well with direct measurement of the binding using [14C]-acetyl-cardiolipin (Kd < 0.1 microM) when the enzyme is solubilized with Triton X-100. These data are discussed in relationship to the wealth of data that is known about the association of cardiolipin with cytochrome c oxidase and the other mitochondrial electron transport complexes and transporters.
Bayesian Multiscale Models for Poisson Processes

Abstract I introduce a class of Bayesian multiscale models (BMSM's) for one-dimensional inhomogeneous Poisson processes. The focus is on estimating the (discretized) intensity function underlying the process. Unlike the usual transform-based approach at the heart of most wavelet-based methods for Gaussian data, these BMSM's are constructed using recursive dyadic partitions (RDP's) within an entirely likelihood-based framework. Each RDP may be associated with a binary tree, and a new multiscale prior distribution is introduced for the unknown intensity through the placement of mixture distributions at each of the nodes of the tree. The concept of model mixing is then applied to a complete collection of such trees. In addition to allowing for the inclusion of full location/scale information in the model, this last step also is fundamental both in inducing stationarity in the prior distribution and in enabling a given intensity function to be approximated at the resolution of the data. Under squared-error lo...
The influence of magnetic ordering on the superconducting properties of amorphous (Zr1−xErx)3Rh alloys☆

Abstract The effect of Er impurities on the superconducting properties of an amorphous Zr 3 Rh alloy has been studied. The Er impurities are found to exhibit magnetic behavior characteristic of a free Er 3+ ion in a weak crystal field. Magnetic ordering of the Er moments is observed to occur at a temperature T M which is proportional to the Er concentration. This ordering strongly influences superconductivity as evidenced by anomalous behavior in the concentration dependence of T c . For concentrations near the critical Abrikosov-Gor'kov value, superconductivity appears to be induced by magnetic ordering. The superconducting critical field H c2 (T) is strongly effected by magnetic ordering and can be used to deduce information concerning the nature of the ordering. The results are analyzed in terms of theoretical models.
In vitro enamel fluoride uptake from topical fluoride agents

Abstract The F acquired by enamel from APF, Duraphat and Fluor Protector was evaluated in this in vitro study. The topical F agents were applied to the tooth surfaces for 4 min, the teeth were suspended in synthetic saliva and the topical F agents removed after 2 h or 4 h. The teeth were resuspended in synthetic saliva for 1, 3 and 6 months, respectively. Three successive enamel biopsies were done on the control and experimental tooth halves and the F and P content of the etching solutions determined. The fluoride concentrations were adjusted to standardized depths of 3.0, 6.0 and 9.0 μm, respectively. Enamel acquired significantly more F from Fluor Protector and Duraphat than from APF. The fluoride acquired by enamel from the topical F agents was inversely related to the enamel F concentration prior to topical F application.
Implications of Amyloid Precursor Protein and Subsequent β‐Amyloid Production to the Pharmacotherapy of Alzheimer's Disease

Alzheimer's disease is the most common type of dementia in older people. It is highly prevalent, affecting 35-45% of those aged 85 years or older. This disease has devastating consequences to patients, their families, caregivers, and the health care system. Much has been learned about its pathobiology, which has led to the beta-amyloid (Abeta) hypothesis. This hypothesis continues to be the predominant postulate of the pathobiology of Alzheimer's disease. Under this hypothesis, abnormal accumulation of Abeta is followed by a cascade of neurotoxic effects, which eventually result in neurodegeneration and development of Alzheimer's disease. This is thought to be the result of altered processing of the amyloid precursor protein (APP), preferentially by beta- and gamma-secretase enzymes rather than nonamyloidogenic processing by alpha-secretase. The growing body of knowledge regarding the processing of APP to various forms of Abeta has resulted in new approaches to the investigation of putative anti-Alzheimer's disease compounds, including immune-based therapies and various agents that can positively affect APP processing.
Proposal for continuous white-light cooling of an atomic beam.

Deceleration and cooling of an atomic beam by a counterpropagating beam of white light is studied by numerically integrating the classical equations of motion. It is shown that nonresonant scattering limits the cooling, but this limitation can be overcome by the addition of a monochromatic, copropagating light beam. Such a scheme can continuously cool about 70% of a thermal atomic beam to a temperature of the order of 50 mK.
Volcanic hazard warning system: Persistence and transferability

This study examines the normative functioning of the volcano warning system on the Island of Hawaii. The research seeks to identify the combination of factors, both environmental and social, which allows the system to operate with success. On the basis of the findings, several recommendations are offered for improving environmental hazard warning systems.
Self-Immolative Aryl Phthalate Esters

We report that aryl phthalate esters are robust self-immolative linkers. This linker is easy to conjugate and releases output phenols upon cleaving a fluoride-sensitive mask to yield a benign phthalic acid byproduct, making these linkers potentially useful as fluoride sensors and promising for use in biological and materials applications.
Imaging Air Pollutants In The Near Ultraviolet

This paper discusses a program for remote sensing of air pollutants called Multispectral Observation of Pollutants System (MOPS). The broad objective of the program is to photograph 'invisible' gaseous pollutants by combining ultraviolet imaging in several spectral bands with portable data processing equipment. Electronic cameras using solid state imaging arrays of large dynamic range will permit very low contrast images to be electronically ratioed and contrast enhanced, thus bringing out pollutant images which are below the contrast threshold of film. Such photographs will allow synoptic coverage of geographic areas providing source, sink, and flow data on pollutants, and will provide reconnaissance and pointing information for other remote sensors. The principle gases to be mapped by MOPS will be ozone, sulfur dioxide, and nitrogen dioxide.
Geometrical optimization of longitudinally pumped solid-state lasers

Abstract We use a simplified analysis of gain saturation in longitudinally pumped lasers or amplifiers to study the effect of the relative pump and laser beam size. We derive a simple rule of thumb allowing one to optimize the efficiency.