cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Test and Measurement of Optically Based High-Speed Digital Communications Systems and Components

Gauging the performance of a communications system can be accomplished in a number of ways and with a variety of parameters. We begin with a section on measuring bit error ratio, and then discuss waveform analysis. Keywords: test; measurement; optically based; high-speed digital communications systems; components; bit error ratio (BER) measuring; waveform analysis
Improving Monte-Carlo tree search in Havannah

Havannah is a game played on an hexagonal board of hexagons where the base of the board typically ranges from four to ten hexagons. The game is known to be difficult to program. We study an MCTS-based approach to programming Havannah using our program named WANDERER. We experiment with five techniques of the basic MCTS algorithms and demonstrate that at normal time controls of approximately 30 seconds per move WANDERER can make quite strong moves with bases of size four or five, and play a reasonable game with bases of size six or seven. At longer time controls (ten minutes per move) WANDERER (1) appears to play nearly perfectly with base four, (2) is difficult for most humans to beat at base five, and (3) gives a good game at bases six and seven. Future research focuses on larger board sizes.
A Implantação do Acolhimento na Abordagem Sistêmica em uma Clínica-Escola: possibilidades e desafios

Este artigo apresenta o relato da experiencia de implantacao do servico de acolhimento, com base na abordagem sistemica, na clinica-escola do curso de Psicologia da Universidade Regional Integrada do Alto Uruguai e das Missoes da URI - Campus de Erechim. O objetivo e refletir sobre as possibilidades e os desafios vinculados a pratica do acolhimento nesta abordagem. Para tanto, o estudo apresenta a clinica-escola e o modo como os acolhimentos sao realizados de um modo geral, focando-se em seguida nas especificidades, possibilidades e desafios encontrados na implantacao desta pratica segundo a epistemologia sistemica. Entre as principais possibilidades, esta o atendimento de familias e casais, e entre os desafios, a modificacao de uma cultura de atendimento psicologico individual em detrimento de outras modalidades de tratamento, a qual ainda vigora em nosso contexto.
QCD instantons at finite temperature (I). Gluonic interactions and the fermion determinant

Abstract This is the first in a series of papers devoted to instanton-induced effects at non-zero temperatures. The main points will be the restoration of the chiral symmetry and the modification of the various correlation functions with increasing temperature. In this paper we investigate the temperature dependence of the gluonic and the quark-induced pseudo-particle interaction. We find that the gluonic interaction becomes much more long ranged, whereas the quark-induced interaction becomes exponentially short ranged.
Negative creep in an amorphous metallic alloy

Abstract Negative creep, defined as a contraction of the sample length on the application of a tensile stress at elevated temperatures, was observed in the Metglas® alloys 2826B (Ni49- Fe29P14B6Si2) and MBF 20/20A (Ni68.8Cr6.6- Fe2.6B14.1Si7.9). Thermal annealing of the sample prior to testing was necessary for the phenomenon to occur. For the MBF 20/20A material, heat treatments at 213 and 268°C for 500 min maximized the degree of contraction on testing at 123°C and 570 MPa. A creep treatment before annealing enhanced the peak contraction at 268°C and reduced that at 213°C. Samples predeformed and then annealed at 258°C for 500 min showed maximum negative creep at testing temperatures of 123, 143 and 162°C for a stress of 570 MPa and exhibited an overall maximum at a stress of 570 MPa for a testing temperature of 127.7°C. The contraction recurred for repeated testings of the same sample although, beyond the first test, the maximum negative creep usually decreased in magnitude. Analysis of the strain-time curves in terms of the Johnson-Mehl equation yielded time exponents of either 0.7–0.8 or 1.0–1.2, the latter range describing a majority of the data.
Modeling of transconductance degradation and extraction of threshold voltage in thin oxide MOSFET's

Abstract In this paper, we discuss the low-drain voltage transconductance behavior of the MOSFET due to surface mobility variation, interface states and small geometry, and its application in threshold voltage determination. We modify the Pao-Sah drain current model to incorporate a mobility model and obtain 3% accuracy from subthreshold to very strong inversion for a wide range of substrate biases. The effects of non-ideal scaling, finite inversion layer thickness, surface roughness mobility degradation under high normal electric fields and interface states on the transconductance behavior are discussed. We observe the peak transconductance increases with substrate bias in short-channel devices and decreases with substrate bias in long-channel devices. Finally, we show the threshold voltage can be determined from the gate voltage at which the rate of transconductance change ( ∂g m ∂V GS ) is a maximum. This threshold voltage is identifiable with a known band-bending (surface potential) of the substrate (φ s ⋍ 2φ F + V SB ) , from which the band-bending at all gate biases can be calculated. The transconductance change (TC) method is insensitive to device degradations (e.g. mobility, series resistance, hot-carrier) in contrast to the conventional method of linear extrapolation to zero drain current.
A clinical scale to communicate surgical urgency for traumatic brain injury: A preliminary study

BACKGROUND: While the Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS) provides a tool for evaluating traumatic brain injury (TBI) patients, there is no widely used scale that provides guidance for surgical management. This study introduces a scoring system that physicians potentially could use to determine and communicate the need for surgical decompression in TBI patients. The proposed system is designed to be both comprehensive and easy to use. METHODS: The Surgical Intervention for Traumatic Injury (SITI) scale uses radiographic and clinical findings. Patients were graded based on their GCS: GCS >12 received 0 points, GCS 9-12 received 1 point, and GCS 10 mm received 4 points. The presence of temporal pathology added 1 point, and epidural hematoma (EDH) ≥10 mm added 2 points. Retrospective analysis of 48 patients was then performed using the SITI scale. RESULTS: Of the 48 patients reviewed, 24 patients underwent craniotomy and the other 24 were treated non-operatively. The mean SITI score was 5.7 (range 3-10) for operative patients and 2.5 (range 1-4) for non-operative patients. CONCLUSIONS: The proposed SITI scale is designed to be a simple, objective system for assisting in communication between clinical services and for suggesting the need for surgical decompression for TBI. Based upon our initial review, a SITI score of 3 or less correlated with non-operative management and a score of 5 or greater correlated with operative management. Given the results of this study, we believe that further development and research of the SITI scale are warranted. Language: en
Successful management of pregnancy in a patient with Eisenmenger syndrome with epoprostenol

Pregnancy in the setting of pulmonary hypertension and Eisenmenger physiology is associated with a substantial maternal and fetal risk. Such patients are advised against pregnancy. We report a case of a woman with an Eisenmenger atrial septal defect diagnosed during the last trimester of pregnancy. On presentation, she was critically ill and there was evidence of fetal distress. She was emergently treated with IV epoprostenol, and her status improved. She underwent cesarean section and delivered a male infant with Apgar scores of 8 and 9. Her dyspnea improved, and she was characterized as World Health Organization functional class II on a subsequent clinical visit. Although pregnancy should be discouraged in women with Eisenmenger syndrome, we have demonstrated that IV epoprostenol successfully treated a woman with Eisenmenger syndrome diagnosed in the third trimester.
A simulation study on SPSS ridge regression and ordinary least squares regression procedures for multicollinearity data

Abstract This study compares the SPSS ordinary least squares (OLS) regression and ridge regression procedures in dealing with multicollinearity data. The LS regression method is one of the most frequently applied statistical procedures in application. It is well documented that the LS method is extremely unreliable in parameter estimation while the independent variables are dependent (multicollinearity problem). The Ridge Regression procedure deals with the multicollinearity problem by introducing a small bias in the parameter estimation. The application of Ridge Regression involves the selection of a bias parameter and it is not clear if it works better in applications. This study uses a Monte Carlo method to compare the results of OLS procedure with the Ridge Regression procedure in SPSS.
Brother, can you paradigm? Quantum mechanics and the first grade reading test

(1992). Brother, can you paradigm? Quantum mechanics and the first grade reading test. Theory Into Practice: Vol. 31, Qualitative Issues in Educational Research, pp. 107-115.
Laser–plasma interaction and plasma enhancement by ultrashort double-pulse ablation

In this study, the laser–plasma interaction and the resultant plasma enhancement by ultrashort double-pulse ablation of silicon are investigated. It is found that by carefully selecting inter-pulse delay, the plasma temperature and electron number density can be effectively increased, compared to the case of single-pulse ablation. The strong plasma enhancement is observed at long-pulse delay (above 20 ps), companied by the ablation rate suppression. At short-pulse delay (below 20 ps), strong ablation rate enhancement is observed, with no plasma enhancement. The spatial analysis of plasma temperature shows that the second pulse energy is mainly absorbed by the front portion of the plasma, where the temperature is increased the most. The plasma reheating leads to a faster expansion of the plasma.
Ethanol Relaxes Pulmonary Artery by Release of Prostaglandin and Nitric Oxide

Acute-intake of ethanol is associated with vasodilation of vascular smooth muscle (VSM). Relaxation of VSM is dependent, in part, on the actions of nitric oxide (NO) and prostaglandin (PG) produced by endothelial cells (EC) lining the VSM. We examined the effects of endothelium rubbing and inhibition of EC synthesis of NO and PG on ethanol-induced relaxation of bovine pulmonary artery (BPA) and pulmonary vein (BPV) in vitro. Rings of isolated BPA and BPV were mounted in muscle chambers for the isometric recording of force development. Blood vessels were precontracted with an EC50 concentration of the thromboxane receptor mimetic U46619. Ethanol (0.01, 0.02, 0.04, 0.08, 0.16, 0.32, 0.64, and 1.28% (w/v) produced concentration-dependent relaxation of BPA and BPV. Ethanol-induced relaxation was attenuated in BPA with rubbed EC and by the NO synthase inhibitors, L-NG monomethylarginine (LNMMA, 50 microM) and L-nitroarginine (NOLA, 10 microM), and the prostaglandin cyclooxygenase inhibitor, ibuprofen (10 microM). In contrast, ethanol-induced relaxation of BPV was not affected by endothelium rubbing or by NOLA or LNMMA, but was partially attenuated by ibuprofen. Nitric oxide was measured with the chemiluminescence technique. Ethanol increased the content of NO released under basal conditions by the BPA but did not effect basal NO release from BPV. However, ethanol enhanced bradykinin-induced release of NO from BPA and BPV and, at low concentrations, augmented bradykinin-induced relaxation of both BPA and BPV.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
Comparative study of the effectiveness of dimethyl sulfoxide and polyvinylpyrrolidone in the preservation of human leukemic blood cells at −80°C

Summary The cryoprotective effectiveness of PVP K-15 was found to be optimal for WBC when used at a concentration of 20%. The toxicity of DMSO for WBC is more pronounced at room temperature (20–22°C) than at 4°C, whereas these temperatures did not seem to affect the toxicity of PVP K-15. DMSO at a concentration of 12.5% is more toxic to leukemic cells than 20% PVP K-15. The ideal rate of cooling is −2 to −3°C per min. The rate of cooling is more critical when DMSO is used as the preservative, as compared with PVP K-15. When DMSO and PVP K-15 are used as preservatives, under optimal conditions, DMSO proved to be more effective than PVP K-15 in the preservation of human leukemic blood cells.
Setting new tracks: not just creating another pretty picture

Diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) has the lure that functional MRI had in the 1980s; it often yields beautiful pictures, whether or not it confirms your beautiful hypotheses. It is not that we haven't learned much from both, indeed, functional MRI has revealed substantial insights into the networks of brain regions that work together to support cognitive functions; how these networks change to support recovery of function over time after stroke (Saur et al ., 2006); and how these networks are altered in disease states—for example, Alzheimer's disease, frontotemporal dementia (Zhou et al ., 2010) and developmental disabilities such as dyslexia (e.g. Hu et al ., 2010). Similarly, DTI, and particularly tractography, have provided important new information, for example, about the various connections of the superior longitudinal fasciculus, and how lesions affecting the separate connections might explain various types of language disorder (Catani and ffytche, 2005) or neglect (Bartolomeo et al ., 2007). It has also helped in monitoring disease progression in diseases such as multiple sclerosis; and proved useful in evaluating recovery in a variety of neurological contexts. But the lure to be avoided is to use DTI merely to localize a previously well described behaviour. That is, the field is already full of voxel-based morphometry studies of the precise voxels most associated with performance on a particular published test. Adding another layer of localization—the white matter tracts where disruption is associated with impaired performance on that particular test—is not a sufficient advance unless the behaviour itself is interesting, or a specific hypothesis about the white matter tract or the disease of interest is being tested. This issue of Brain remembers John Hughlings Jackson. In the 1860s Dr Hughlings Jackson wrote a large number of influential observations on …
Generating cylindrical vector beams with subwavelength concentric metallic gratings fabricated on optical fibers

We report the generation of cylindrical vector beams using a concentric metallic grating fabricated on optical fibers with a period smaller than the wavelength of the incident light. Similar to the wiregrid linear polarizer, such a subwavelength metallic annular structure strongly reflects azimuthal polarization and allows radial polarization to transmit through. Due to the polarization selectivity of the concentric metallic grating, a cylindrical vector beam is obtained when a circularly polarized light is launched into the fiber. Such a device is suitable for the end mirror coupler in an all-fiber laser design to produce radially polarized modes.
THOMAS HOBBES AND THE BLACKLOIST CONSPIRACY OF 1649

In a jarring passage toward the conclusion of Leviathan, Thomas Hobbes endorsed the abolition of episcopacy and the establishment of an Independent religious settlement within England. Most historians have ignored this feature of Leviathan, or have dismissed it as an off-hand aside of no consequence. Others, more plausibly, have construed it as part of a royalist scheme (encouraged by Queen Henrietta Maria and her supporters) to secure a Stuart Restoration by allying with the English Independents. This article offers an alternative theory. It argues that Hobbes's attentions were probably drawn to Independency by the political machinations of a group of idiosyncratic Catholics gathered around the philosopher-priest, Thomas White (alias Blacklo). In 1649, White and his ‘Blackloist’ followers engaged in secret negotiations with Oliver Cromwell. In exchange for religious toleration for Catholics, the Blackloists promised allegiance to the Commonwealth and conformity to a Congregationalist religious settlement. This article examines Hobbes's close personal links with the leading Blackloists, documents similarities in their reactions to Independency, establishes the strong intellectual influence Leviathan had on Blackloist tracts, and demonstrates that royalists consistently linked Hobbes with the Blackloist treason. The article concludes that the Blackloist plot to betray the Stuart cause, rather than any royalist scheme to strike a deal with the Independents, provides the most compelling contextual explanation for Thomas Hobbes's endorsement of Independency.
Adoption of Internet resource-based value-added processes by faculty in LIS education

In response to the proliferation of digital information accessible over networks, significant changes have taken place in library and information science (LIS) education during the last decade. To understand the changes, the study examined LIS faculty members' innovative behavior toward the end of the decade by applying a model of adoption that purports that material resources, experiential resources, value attributed to the innovation, and communication with adopters influence adoption of an innovation. The particular innovation examined was a complex, digital information-related innovation. It was termed collectively as Internet resource-based value-added processes and included the following set of processes that add value to Internet resources: (1) selection of Internet resources, (2) organization of Internet resources, (3) Internet reference services, (4) interface design in digital libraries, and (5) user analysis in digital libraries. Survey results indicated that the value LIS faculty attached to the innovation was the most influential variable in their decisions in favor of early adoption. However, communication between early adopters and late adopters in LIS education was found to be weak and not influential in the late adopters' decisions.
Control of Self-Assembly of DNA Tubules Through Integration of Gold Nanoparticles

The assembly of nanoparticles into three-dimensional (3D) architectures could allow for greater control of the interactions between these particles or with molecules. DNA tubes are known to form through either self-association of multi-helix DNA bundle structures or closing up of 2D DNA tile lattices. By the attachment of single-stranded DNA to gold nanoparticles, nanotubes of various 3D architectures can form, ranging in shape from stacked rings to single spirals, double spirals, and nested spirals. The nanoparticles are active elements that control the preference for specific tube conformations through size-dependent steric repulsion effects. For example, we can control the tube assembly to favor stacked-ring structures using 10-nanometer gold nanoparticles. Electron tomography revealed a left-handed chirality in the spiral tubes, double-wall tube features, and conformational transitions between tubes.
Storage characteristics of some vegetables and soft fruits

SUMMARY Rates of carbon dioxide production, in air and in 3 % 02, over a range of temperatures, were measured for over thirty commodities, and rates of evaporation, under known water vapour pressure deficit, measured for most of them. Optimum storage conditions in air for each commodity were determined. Storage life under these optimum conditions, and under the nearest practical approximation to them, was estimated. In most cases the optimum temperature is ooC, examples of exceptions being runner beans, cucumbers, potatoes, green peppers and tomatoes. The humidity should usually be high, 100 % r.h. often being optimal, particularly for leafy vegetables, provided the temperature is low. Commodities resistant to evaporation, however, such as the onion, may with advantage be stored at lower humidities, thus reducing the microbial hazards.
Impact and Management of Late-Season Populations of the Colorado Potato Beetle (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae) on Potato in Connecticut

Experiments were conducted during three seasons to quantify the relationship between yields of late-maturing potato variety and variation in densities of second-generation larvae of the Colorado potato beetle (COB), Leptinotarsa decemlineata (Say), in Connecticut and to develop alternative strategies to regular insecticide applications for maintaining commercially acceptable second-generation COB densities. In the most extreme case, after first-generation CPB densities were reduced ≤6 per stem, the second CPB generation attained a density of nearly 20 per stem without affecting yields. A pest management program, including different treatment guidelines for first- and second-generation larvae in conjunction with antioxidant fungicides, allowed full yield production without the need for any insecticide applications during the second larval generation. Antioxidant fungicides alone suppressed second-generation larvae well below densities necessary to cause yield reductions.
Global Anisotropies in TeV Cosmic Rays Related to the Sun's Local Galactic Environment from IBEX

Observations with the Interstellar Boundary Explorer (IBEX) have shown enhanced energetic neutral atom (ENA) emission from a narrow, circular ribbon likely centered on the direction of the local interstellar medium (LISM) magnetic field. Here, we show that recent determinations of the local interstellar velocity, based on interstellar atom measurements with IBEX, are consistent with the interstellar modulation of high-energy (tera-electron volts, TeV) cosmic rays and diffusive propagation from supernova sources revealed in global anisotropy maps of ground-based high-energy cosmic-ray observatories (Milagro, Asg, and IceCube). Establishing a consistent local interstellar magnetic field direction using IBEX ENAs at hundreds to thousands of eV and galactic cosmic rays at tens of TeV has wide-ranging implications for the structure of our heliosphere and its interactions with the LISM, which is particularly important at the time when the Voyager spacecraft are leaving our heliosphere.
Openness to Experience and stress regulation

Abstract The current study examined the association between Openness to Experience and stress regulation (i.e., stress exposure, reactivity, recovery, and restoration). Seventy-three young adults underwent a laboratory stressor, and physiological and affective reactivity and recovery were examined. Openness was positively associated with reports of greater stress exposure during childhood, but was unrelated to the number of stressors in the past year. Higher Openness was associated with less blood pressure reactivity, increases in respiratory sinus arrhythmia, and a modest increase in positive affect during the laboratory stressor. Life stress was associated with poor sleep quality for low-, but not high-, Open individuals. These findings suggest greater stress resilience among high-Open persons and greater vulnerability to adverse effects of stress among low-Open individuals.
Dehumidification over Tropical Continents Reduces Climate Sensitivity and Inhibits Snowball Earth Initiation

AbstractThe enigmatic Neoproterozoic geological record suggests the potential for a fully glaciated “snowball Earth.” Low-latitude continental position has been invoked as a potential snowball Earth trigger by increasing surface albedo and decreasing atmospheric CO2 concentrations through increased silicate weathering. Herein, climate response to the reduction of total solar irradiance (TSI) and CO2 concentration is tested using four different land configurations (aquaplanet, modern, Neoproterozoic, and low-latitude supercontinent) with uniform topography in the NCAR Community Atmosphere Model, version 3.1 (CAM3.1), GCM with a mixed layer ocean. Despite a lower surface albedo at 100% TSI, the threshold for global glaciation decreases from 92% TSI in the aquaplanet configuration to 85% TSI with a low-latitude supercontinent. The difference in thresholds is principally because of the partitioning of local longwave cooling relative to poleward energy transport. Additionally, dehumidification of the troposphe...
World Hegemony and the United Nations

When the well meaning “man from Mars” arrived at the headquarters of the United Nations in New York City and asked to be taken to that organization's leader, personnel at the security desk assumed that the Secretary-General was being sought. They, thus, proceeded to direct the visitor to the 38th floor. But diplomats encountered in the corridors promptly suggested to the misdirected Martian that he was in the wrong building. “Cross First Avenue,” they instructed. “The leader of the United Nations is in the US mission.” The United States, however, denied this statement and assured the by now very confused Martian that, far from leading the United Nations, they were not even very interested in the organization. “Go and talk to the Cubans, the Algerians, the Indians, or others from the Group of 77. They are leading the United Nations, and that is precisely why we Americans are not very interested.” But the leaders of the Group of 77 explained to the alien visitor that their hold even on their own Third World group was at best tenuous. “The United Nations,” they rather ruefully acknowledged, “is economically dominated by the North and politically controlled by the West,” who, the bewildered Martian discovered, are essentially the same people, although they have no address. Among the pieces of advice given in this parable to the peripatetic Martian, the guidance offered by the Third World leadership was probably the most reliable. The United Nations Organization—in New York and Geneva—as well as most, and certainly the most important, of the UN specialized agencies are Northern or Western creations, as are the world's institutions of economic management: the World Bank, the International Monetary Fund, and the World Trade Organization. These institutions establish, monitor, maintain, and enforce global regimes that further Northern and Western goals. Moreover, …
Suppression of the endoplasmic reticulum calcium pump during zebrafish gastrulation affects left–right asymmetry of the heart and brain

Vertebrate embryos generate striking Ca(2+) patterns, which are unique regulators of dynamic developmental events. In the present study, we used zebrafish embryos as a model system to examine the developmental roles of Ca(2+) during gastrulation. We found that gastrula stage embryos maintain a distinct pattern of cytosolic Ca(2+) along the dorsal-ventral axis, with higher Ca(2+) concentrations in the ventral margin and lower Ca(2+) concentrations in the dorsal margin and dorsal forerunner cells. Suppression of the endoplasmic reticulum Ca(2+) pump with 0.5 microM thapsigargin elevates cytosolic Ca(2+) in all embryonic regions and induces a randomization of laterality in the heart and brain. Affected hearts, visualized in living embryos by a subtractive imaging technique, displayed either a reversal or loss of left-right asymmetry. Brain defects include a left-right reversal of pitx2 expression in the dorsal diencephalon and a left-right reversal of the prominent habenular nucleus in the brain. Embryos are sensitive to inhibition of the endoplasmic reticulum Ca(2+) pump during early and mid gastrulation and lose their sensitivity during late gastrulation and early segmentation. Suppression of the endoplasmic reticulum Ca(2+) pump during gastrulation inhibits expression of no tail (ntl) and left-right dynein related (lrdr) in the dorsal forerunner cells and affects development of Kupffer's vesicle, a ciliated organ that generates a counter-clockwise flow of fluid. Previous studies have shown that Ca(2+) plays a role in Kupffer's vesicle function, influencing ciliary motility and translating the vesicle's counter-clockwise flow into asymmetric patterns of gene expression. The present results suggest that Ca(2+) plays an additional role in the formation of Kupffer's vesicle.
Microcraters formed in glass by low density projectiles

Microcraters were produced in soda-lime glass by the impact of low density projectiles of polystyrene with masses between 0.7 and 62 picograms and velocities between 2 and 14 kilometers per second. The morphology of the craters depends on the velocity and angle of incidence of the projectiles. The transitions in morphology of the craters formed by polystyrene spheres occur at higher velocities than they do for more dense projectiles. For oblique impact, the craters are elongated and shallow with the spallation threshold occuring at higher velocity. For normal incidence, the total displaced mass of the target material per unit of projectile kinetic energy increases slowly with the energy.
Effects of birefringence in phase conjugation by four-wave mixing in a ruby crystal

Abstract The study of phase conjugation by four-wave mixing (FWM) as a function of orientation of a uniaxial crystal is presented. Physical situations related with the formation and reading of the holograms responsible for the phase conjugate signal are defined theoretically and demonstrated experimentally.
Long-time semiclassical dynamics of chaos: The stadium billiard.

In a recent Letter [Phys. Rev. Lett. 67, 664 (1991)] we found semiclassical propagation to be remarkably accurate in the chaotic stadium billiard long after classical fine structure had developed on a scale much smaller than \ensuremath{\Elzxh}. We give a complete account of that work and derive an approximate time scale for the validity of the semiclassical approximation as a function of \ensuremath{\Elzxh}.
A validation of back trajectories of air masses by principal component analysis of ion concentrations in cloud water

Abstract The chemical characteristics of polluted marine, polluted continental, and highly polluted air masses were studied by applying principal component analysis (PCA) to the cloud water data collected during field studies at a site located in Mt. Mitchell (2038 m msl, 35°44'05″N, 82°17'15″W) State Park, NC. The site intercepts air masses arriving from the East (polluted marine), the West (polluted continental), and the Northwest (highly polluted). The PCA was used to study the relationship between the ionic constituents of the cloud water and the type of air mass in which the cloud formed. By applying PCA to the cloud water chemistry, a set of highly intercorrelated variables (ions) was replaced with a set of uncorrelated principal components. Using PCA, we can identify the most significant acids and salts dissolved in the cloud water. For instance, sulfuric acid was found to be most influential in clouds formed in highly polluted air masses. Sea salt particles were present in the majority of the polluted marine cloud events. Calcium was found to be the most important ion in the polluted continental cloud events. The type of the air mass was determined by 48-h back trajectory analysis using Hybrid Single-Particle Lagrangian Integrated Trajectories (HYSPLIT) model. The results of the HYSPLIT model were confirmed by the PCA of the ionic composition of cloud water collected at the mountain top site.
Petrolisthes Armatus (Gibbes, 1850) : the Development Under Laboratory Conditions of Larvae From a Pacific Specimen (Decapoda, Porcellanidae 1)

[Larven, welche von einem Pazifischen Exemplar von Petrolisthes armatus stammen, wurden unter Laboratoriums-Bedingungen aufgezogen. Diese Larvenentwicklung wird beschrieben und voll abgebildet. Zoea- und Megalopa-Stadien unterscheiden sich in verschiedener Hinsicht konstant von solchen, welche fruher von einem atlantischen Exemplar derselben Art aufgezogen wurden. Die Unterschiede zwischen diesen Larven, werden mit solchen von anderen Porcellanidenarten, welche ebenfalls an den beiden Kusten von Panama vorkommen, verglichen. Der taxonomische Status dieser Krebse wird diskutiert., Larven, welche von einem Pazifischen Exemplar von Petrolisthes armatus stammen, wurden unter Laboratoriums-Bedingungen aufgezogen. Diese Larvenentwicklung wird beschrieben und voll abgebildet. Zoea- und Megalopa-Stadien unterscheiden sich in verschiedener Hinsicht konstant von solchen, welche fruher von einem atlantischen Exemplar derselben Art aufgezogen wurden. Die Unterschiede zwischen diesen Larven, werden mit solchen von anderen Porcellanidenarten, welche ebenfalls an den beiden Kusten von Panama vorkommen, verglichen. Der taxonomische Status dieser Krebse wird diskutiert.]
Predictors of attrition in HIV-positive subjects with peripheral neuropathic pain

The objective of this paper was to identify predictors of attrition in a study designed to assess whether cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) was more helpful than supportive therapy (SP) in reducing pain associated with peripheral neuropathy in HIV-positive patients. Sixty-one subjects were randomized into either CBT or SP for six weekly one-hour sessions. Twenty-eight subjects dropped out before week six. Demographic variables such as age, gender, ethnicity, socioeconomic status and level of education were not predictive of attrition. However, higher scores on the Hamilton Depression Inventory (HAM-D, 17-item) (t (59) = - 0.09, p<0.05) were predictive. These findings suggest that while dropouts were not more physically ill (e.g. CD4 counts, viral loads and opportunistic infections were not statistically higher), they reported greater psychological distress.
Changes in fetal plasma corticotropin-releasing hormone during androstenedione-induced labor in the rhesus monkey: lack of an effect on the fetal hypothalamo-pituitary-adrenal axis.

Androstenedione infusion to pregnant monkeys leads to premature labor and live delivery. Androstenedione-induced labor also increased placental CRH messenger RNA and peptide to concentrations observed at term in pregnant monkeys. Placental CRH may modulate fetal pituitary-adrenal function during pregnancy in primates. This study tested the hypothesis that androstenedione-induced premature delivery in pregnant monkeys results from androstenedione-induced increases in placental CRH, which stimulate premature activation of the fetal pituitary-adrenal axis. The hypothesis was tested by comparing fetal umbilical vein (FUV) plasma CRH, ACTH, dehydroepiandrosterone sulfate, and cortisol concentrations at cesarean section in fetuses from mothers undergoing spontaneous, term labor (group I), with those in fetuses from mothers undergoing androstenedione-induced, premature labor (group II) and with those from mothers not in labor (group III). In addition, gestation-related changes in maternal plasma CRH concentratio...
(CdSe)ZnS Core-Shell Quantum Dots - Synthesis and Characterization of a Size Series of Highly Luminescent Nanocrystallites

We report a synthesis of highly luminescent (CdSe)ZnS composite quantum dots with CdSe cores ranging in diameter from 23 to 55 A. The narrow photoluminescence (fwhm ≤ 40 nm) from these composite dots spans most of the visible spectrum from blue through red with quantum yields of 30−50% at room temperature. We characterize these materials using a range of optical and structural techniques. Optical absorption and photoluminescence spectroscopies probe the effect of ZnS passivation on the electronic structure of the dots. We use a combination of wavelength dispersive X-ray spectroscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, small and wide angle X-ray scattering, and transmission electron microscopy to analyze the composite dots and determine their chemical composition, average size, size distribution, shape, and internal structure. Using a simple effective mass theory, we model the energy shift for the first excited state for (CdSe)ZnS and (CdSe)CdS dots with varying shell thickness. Finally, we characterize the...
The roaring 50s: acute renal failure and dialysis of drugs, poisons, and nephrotoxins.

~MERICANS begin their decades with zero, so ftthe decade of the 50s began in 1950, with only the first rumblings of nephrology present in the academic world. A surprising amount of the research developments in this area came directly or indirectly out of military medicine. It is fitting that the Editor asked me to emphasize acute renal failure and poisons in the 1950s. Table 1 is a slide I used in a lecture in the 50s entitled "Indications for Artificial Kidney." Acute renal failure got attention under the term lower nephron nephrosis from the hundreds of crush syndrome cases produced by the rubble of London during the bomb and missile attacks of late World War II. These were collated in the elegant pathologic studies of Col Baldwin Lucke. Of course, the true research roots go back much further. George Haas of Giezen, Germany had done a human dialysis in 1911, and Abel, Roundtree, and Thrner first demonstrated vividiffusion at Johns Hopkins on November 10, 1912 and again, in 1913 in London and at the Congress of Physiology in Groningen, The Netherlands. Abel wrote in 1913, "there are numerous toxic states in which the eliminating organs of the body, more especially the kidneys, are incapable of removing from the body at an adequate rate the autochthonous or the foreign substances whose presence in excessive amount is detrimental to life processes." Eleven years later, in 1924, he wrote in a letter to Heinrich Necheles, "I personally started out quite contrary apparently, to your conception of my purpose, with a view of relieving the kidney of human beings in certain pathological conditions." Thus, from the very beginnings, investigators in this field had coupled in their own mind the potential usefulness of an artificial kidney in removing both the uremic toxin(s?) and exogenous toxins important in accidental poisonings,
Erosion/redeposition analysis of the DIII-D divertor☆

Abstract Carbon and tungsten sputtering and transport in the DIII-D divertor is analyzed with the impurity transport codes REDEP and WBC. Analysis is carried out for a recent DiMES experiment in which a carbon sample with a tungsten marker in the center was exposed to six well controlled ELM-free plasma discharges. WBC analysis predicts a high rate of ionization of tungsten neutrals within the sheath and subsequent redeposition on the DiMES sample. Qualitative comparison of the tungsten redeposited flux agrees well with measurements. REDEP analysis of net carbon erosion shows good agreement with measured data on the outboard side of DiMES and poor agreement on the inboard side.
Surface Specific Adsorption of Saccharin on Iodine-Modified Pt(111) Electrodes

Saccharin (o-benzoic sulfimide) preferentially adsorbs onto platinum (111) electrodes modified with the (3x3) iodine adlayers (θ I = 0.44). This is in contrast to platinum (111) electrodes modified with the (√7x√7)R19.1° iodine adlayer (θ I = 0.43) where no adsorption is detected. Saccharin adsorption was monitored through changes in the voltammograms associated with the oxidative desorption of the strongly bound iodine adlayer and Ag underpotential deposition on the iodine-modified electrode surfaces in acidic solutions. Simple modeling calculations support the experimental observation and suggest that the preferential adsorptive behavior of saccharin is due to the enhanced van der Waals interactions associated with the symmetric Pt(111)(3x3)-I adlayer structure. The Pt(111)(3x3)-I adlayer structure is one of two (3x3)iodine adlayer structures found to a comparable extent of coverage on flame-annealed Pt(111)electrodes exposed to iodine for a longer duration than that leading to the formation of the Pt(111)(√7x√7)R19.1°-I adlattice.
Prospective Pilot Investigation: Presurgical Depressive Symptom Severity and Anesthesia Response in Women Undergoing Surgery for Gynecologic Mass Removal

Background Anesthesia depth has been associated with mortality. The association between anesthesia depth and presurgery physical and health status, however, is currently debated. Depression is one comorbid condition that warrants investigation given its association to reduced frontal lobe activity and high prevalence in known surgery samples (e.g., gynecologic mass removal).
Facile Routes to Alkyl-BIAN ligands

The Alkyl-BIAN ligands tert-Butyl-BIAN and 1-Adamantyl-BIAN have been synthesized and their structures have been determined by single-crystal X-ray diffraction along with that of the ZnCl2 complex of tert-Butyl-BIAN.
Recognition of IgG by Fcgamma receptor. The role of Fc glycosylation and the binding of peptide inhibitors.

Recently determined crystal structures of the complex between immunoglobulin constant regions (Fc) and their Fc-respective receptors (FcR) have revealed the detailed molecular interactions of this receptor-ligand pair. Of particular interest is the contribution of a glycosylation at Asn297 of the CH2 domain of IgG to receptor recognition. The carbohydrate moieties are found outside the receptor·Fc interface in all receptor·Fc complex structures. To understand the role of glycosylation in FcR recognition, the receptor affinities of a deglycosylated IgG1 and its Fc fragment were determined by solution binding studies using surface plasmon resonance. The removal of carbohydrates resulted in a non-detectable receptor binding to the Fc alone and a 15- to 20-fold reduction of the receptor binding to IgG1, suggesting that the carbohydrates are important in the function of the FcγRIII. Structurally, the carbohydrates attached to Asn297 fill the cavity between the CH2 domains of Fc functioning equivalently as a hydrophobic core. This may stabilize a favorable lower hinge conformation for the receptor binding. The structure of the complex also revealed the dominance of the lower hinge region in receptor·Fc recognition. To evaluate the potential of designing small molecular ligands to inhibit the receptor function, four lower hinge peptides were investigated for their ability to bind to the receptor FcγRIII. These peptides bind specifically to FcγRIII with affinities 20- to 100-fold lower than IgG1 and are able to compete with Fc in receptor binding. The results of peptide binding illustrate new ways of designing therapeutic compounds to block Fc receptor activation.
A Predator-Prey Viewpoint of a Single Species Population

Abstract The growth of a single species mammalian population in an environment with unlimited food, water, and nesting materials is modeled. The model provides for crowding effects by considering the population divided into a “young” group and an “old” group, with menopausal age the dividing criterion. The old group is viewed as a predator on the young prey and the classical predator-prey coupled differential equation system is used as the basic mathematical description. It is modified by introducting an Allee effect in the predator death rate to account for an observed decrease in predator death rate as predator density rises. The five year history of an experimental colony of mice is used to evaluate five parameters of the model. The evaluated model exhibits excellent correspondence with its experimental data, in particular the instability which led to rapid growth and subsequent collapse of the experimental population. Each mathematical expression in the differential equation system is discussed in terms of its biological and/or social significance. The potential of considering non-linear interactions between age groups of a single species as a predator-prey effect is also discussed.
Enhancement of intravascular sclerotherapy by tissue engineering: short-term results.

Abstract Background/Purpose Treatment of vascular malformations with sclerotherapy is often complicated by reexpansion secondary to endothelial recanalization. This study examined the use of an autologous fibroblast construct to enhance intraluminal scar formation after sclerotherapy. Methods New Zealand rabbits (n = 15) underwent ethanol sclerotherapy of a segment of the facial vein. After intraluminal saline flush, animals were equally divided into 3 groups. In group I, no further manipulations were performed. In groups II and III, collagen hydrogel was injected into the sclerosed vein, respectively, without and seeded with autologous green fluorescent protein–labeled fibroblasts. One week postoperatively, the vein segments were examined for patency and resected for histology. Results The sclerosed vein segments remained occluded in all animals. Histological examination of luminal thrombi demonstrated numerous viable fibroblasts in group III, whereas there were none in the control specimens from groups I and II. The presence of the injected autologous green fluorescent protein–labeled fibroblasts within thrombi of group III was confirmed by immunohistochemistry. Conclusions An injectable tissue-engineered construct enhances sclerotherapy of the jugular vein in a leporine model by reliably delivering fibroblasts that populate the resultant thrombus. Further analysis of this novel therapeutic concept as a means to augment permanent scar formation and reduce luminal recanalization is warranted.
Structured Imagination and the Writing of Creative Stories.

This study examined the relationship between structured imagination and creativity in story writing. Subjects produced phrases or paragraphs (image descriptions) that were meaningful/original, meaningful/nonoriginal, or nonmeaningful/nonoriginal. Then they wrote stories incorporating these phrases and paragraphs. Results showed that subjects in groups 1 and 2 wrote psychologically meaningful stories significantly more than subjects in group 3, and that subjects in group 2 wrote original stories significantly more than subjects in group 3. Also, these differences were moderately related to the qualities of meaning and originality of early ideas. In addition, the perceived emotional importance of story phrases was moderately related to psychological meaning. This suggests that the reader's perception of meaningful portrayal of characters may be necessary to produce emotionally important ideas.
Roles of Hydrogen and Oxygen in the Direct Nitridation of Silicon

The role of hydrogen in the direct nitridation of silicon was studied in conjunction with the role of oxygen contained in both the gas and solid phases at temperatures ranging from 1150 to 1350 °C in nitrogen containing hydrogen from 0 to 10 vol %. Hydrogen prevented a protective layer, being composed of silicon dioxide, silicon oxynitride, or a mixture of these two, from forming via the reaction of silicon with impurity oxygen contained in the nitrogen. The protective layer which had once formed in the absence of hydrogen hindered the subsequent nitridation even in the presence of hydrogen. The native oxide covering the silicon surface not only inhibited the nitridation of silicon but also kept the protective layer from forming. Silicon could react with nitrogen only after the removal of native oxide and in the presence of hydrogen at a concentration as low as 0.3 vol %.
Estimation of steady-state central moments by the regenerative method of simulation

Let X be a possible recurrent regenerative process on state space S with steady-state distribution @p. Given a function @?: S -> R, we consider the problem of estimating the steady-state central moments @m"k(@?) = @?"s(@?(x)-r)^k@p(dx) where r is the steady-state mean of @?(X(.)). We obtain laws, central limit theorems, and confidence for our estimators, and present numerical results.