cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Conformational analysis of poly(tetrahydrofurandiyls)

The stereoisomeric configurations of poly(2,5-tetraliydrofurandiyl), 1, and poly(2,3-tetrahydrofurandiyl), 2, have been investigated by conformational analysis. Similar results were obtained for 1 and 2, Threodiisotactic (tit) and erythrodisyndiotactic (est) configurations could form low energy helical conformations, whereas erythrodiisotactic (eit) and threodisyndiotactic (tst) configurations generally formed low energy linear conformations. Helical conformations of I placed oxygen atoms at the interior of the helices, but helical conformations of 2 placed oxygen atoms more toward the periphery. The results of ion-binding experiments are interpreted in terms of the results of conformational analysis. Ion-binding experiments are consistent with the suggestion that configurations that can form low energy, helical conformations with oxygen atoms at the interior of the helices could bind cations efficiently. Configurations that can form only low energy linear conformations, or that form helices with oxygen atoms toward the periphery of the helices, should be inefficient in binding cations.
Perseveration in Schizophrenia

Perseveration in schizophrenia may take a variety of forms, which can be conceptualized as varying manifestations of an underlying neurocognitive deficit. Comparative studies have demonstrated higher than normal levels of perseverative responding among schizophrenia patients on capacity-demanding tasks, including prompted discourse, reversal learning, and the generation of guessing sequences. There is little evidence that perseveration is associated with deficit signs of schizophrenia. However, perseveration appears to covary with both positive thought disorder and voluntary motor disturbance. Perseveration in schizophrenia thus appears to be a productive sign elicited by a failure to mobilize cognitive resources in situations requiring controlled information processing and the concomitant inhibition of activated but task-inappropriate responses. An information-processing model proposed by Shallice (1988) attributes perseveration to a failure of a higher level executive control system to modulate a lower level response selection system under a requirement for novel response generation. This model suggests that perseveration is the consequence of a failure of frontal specification of striatal outputs during controlled processing, resulting in the continued reselection of previously activated outputs.
Opportunity model for e-commerce recommendation: right product; right time

Most of existing e-commerce recommender systems aim to recommend the right product to a user, based on whether the user is likely to purchase or like a product. On the other hand, the effectiveness of recommendations also depends on the time of the recommendation. Let us take a user who just purchased a laptop as an example. She may purchase a replacement battery in 2 years (assuming that the laptop's original battery often fails to work around that time) and purchase a new laptop in another 2 years. In this case, it is not a good idea to recommend a new laptop or a replacement battery right after the user purchased the new laptop. It could hurt the user's satisfaction of the recommender system if she receives a potentially right product recommendation at the wrong time. We argue that a system should not only recommend the most relevant item, but also recommend at the right time. This paper studies the new problem: how to recommend the right product at the right time? We adapt the proportional hazards modeling approach in survival analysis to the recommendation research field and propose a new opportunity model to explicitly incorporate time in an e-commerce recommender system. The new model estimates the joint probability of a user making a follow-up purchase of a particular product at a particular time. This joint purchase probability can be leveraged by recommender systems in various scenarios, including the zero-query pull-based recommendation scenario (e.g. recommendation on an e-commerce web site) and a proactive push-based promotion scenario (e.g. email or text message based marketing). We evaluate the opportunity modeling approach with multiple metrics. Experimental results on a data collected by a real-world e-commerce website(shop.com) show that it can predict a user's follow-up purchase behavior at a particular time with descent accuracy. In addition, the opportunity model significantly improves the conversion rate in pull-based systems and the user satisfaction/utility in push-based systems.
Empowerment is key

A plan to pull millions out of poverty while addressing climate change fails to acknowledge the importance of dispersing power to the people, explains Iqbal Quadir.
On the Solution of Singular Systems by Krylov Subspace Methods

Krylov subspace methods are popular iterative methods to solve large sparse linear systems in the real-world computations due to their cheap memory requirement and computational cost. In this paper, we discuss the solution of singular systems. We will show that the consistency of a singular linear system is not a sufficient condition for a Krylov subspace method to successfully find a solution to the system. The choice of initial guess is a crucial step. If the initial guess is properly chosen, a Krylov method almost surely converges to find a solution from the point of view of probability, otherwise a Krylov subspace method surely diverges. Moreover, our algorithm applied to parallel calculation is discussed in the paper.
Two-year clinical evaluation of a pit and fissure sealant. Part II: Caries initiation and progression

The caries-protective efficacy of a pit and fissure sealant after two years of clinical service was studied. Pit and fissure sealant was 62% effective in stopping the initiation of occlusal caries at 12 months and 55% effective at 24 months. Caries protection was greater for premolars than for molars and was least for maxillary second molars. The caries-protective efficacy of a pit and fissure sealant was evaluated in relation to its clinical retention. After 24 months, 38% of all paired permanent control teeth judged caries free at the baseline examination were found to be carious, where as only 17% of thet reated teeth examined were carious. The corresponding relative reduction in caries rates was, there fore, 55%. The net gain, or number of teeth estimated to have been saved from caries by sealant application, was 83 teeth, or 21 teeth for every 100 treated. To determine what proportion of children received positive benefits from sealant application, the net gain per child was calculated. It was estimated that at least one tooth in 70% of the children was saved after 24 months. When the sealant remained completely intact, there was apronounced effect on caries initiation—the percent effectiveness being 91%. However, no appreciable gain or loss in caries protection was evident when the sealant was partially or completely missing.
CW, single-frequency 229nm laser source for Cd-cooling by harmonic conversion

harmonic of a single-frequency optically pumped semiconductor laser using a 10-mm long, Brewster-cut BBO crystal in an external cavity. With 650mW of 458nm input, 216mW of 229nm power was observed. Conversion efficiency from 458nm to 229nm was more than 33%. Keywords: harmonic generation, ultraviolet, optical lattice clock, optically pumped semiconductor lasers
REACTIONS TO THE FATE OF ONE'S BRAIN-CHILD AFTER ITS DISCLOSURE

After generating an idea we believe is original, we want it to be credited as original and receive recognition for it. So, we would be upset if its originality were questioned, or if our link to that intellectual self-extension were threatened, and we would cope with self-protective strategies. This rationale prompted an experiment with seventy-five female undergraduates. They (P) were to imagine drafting a paper for submission to a national creativity fair proposing a novel method for determining the structure of things, but then decided against submitting it. Fellow-participant, O, learning of P's decision to withdraw, borrows P’s draft. Later, P submits a revised, retitled draft that, unfortunately, goes astray. Still later P discovers that O, without P's knowledge and consent, submitted a copy of P’s original draft to the fair, listing O’s name, both names, or P’s name as author(s), and that the idea was or was not judged as original. Origination and recognition credit allocation had predicted effects on P’s emotional reaction, evaluation of the judges’competence, and of O’s trustworthiness. Unexpect-edly low self-evaluated creativity and sociability, and low desire for future collabora-tion, were obtained when recognition went to P and O jointly. We discuss the applica-bility of belief agreement-attraction and cognitive balance models, of imitation as flattery, of self-esteem as a moderator, and whether our results are culture-bound. Finally, we note how the reactions hint at conflict between inclinations toward altru-ism versus narcissistic self-interest when it comes to sharing one’s self-generated intellectual products with others.
Computed tomography in childhood bacterial meningitis

Computed tomography has been applied to childhood bacterial meningitis in an attempt to analyze the structural basis for neurologic complications. The CT findings in meningitis patients include acute cerebral swelling; moderate widening of basal cisterns, interhemispheric fissure, and subarachnoid convexity space; ventricular widening; subdural collection; focal cortical necrosis; cerebral infarcts; contrast enhancing basal meninges, ependymitis, and generalized cerebral atrophy. Bacterial meningitis in childhood is more than an inflammation of the subarachnoid space. It is a disease process which often exerts a profound effect on the brain parenchyma.
Age-Related Changes in Cognitive and Sensory Processing: Focus on Middle-Aged Adults

Purpose The purpose of this article was to examine the effects of age on (a) various psychophysical measures of threshold sensitivity and temporal processing in hearing, vision, and touch and (b) measures of cognitive processing as assessed by the Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale–Third Edition (Wechsler, 1997). Method Age group differences and correlations with age were examined, as were associations among age, sensory processing, and cognition. Results The group analyses showed significant differences on most sensory and cognitive measures such that middle-aged adults performed significantly worse than young adults and significantly better than older adults. Correlations of performance with age were also significant when analyses were restricted to just the young and middle-aged adults. Last, sensory processing, but not age, was significantly correlated with cognitive processing when analyses were restricted to just the young and middle-aged adults. Conclusion Middle-aged adults experienced declines in ...
A model for fission-gas-bubble behavior in amorphous uranium silicide compounds

Abstract A model for the behavior of fission gas in irradiated amorphous materials is developed. The model proposes that gas bubble nucleation occurs within shear bands initiated around free volume regions. Small gas–atom clusters that form within these regions are susceptible to dissolution by forces generated by the plastic flow of material around the cluster. The bubble coarsening process depends on the materials viscosity and on irradiation-induced re-solution. The bubble distribution eventually reaches a point where larger bubbles from the tail of the evolving lognormal size distribution begin to contact the more numerous nanometer-sized bubbles from the peak region. This condition defines the knee in the swelling curve. The fission density at which the knee occurs is a function of fission rate. Calculations for the behavior of the knee, swelling, and the fraction of gas in bubbles in irradiated U3Si2 intermetallic compounds are compared to measured quantities.
THE LOCUS OF COHERENCE

The events of the world necessarily cohere, in the elementary sense that whatever is actual is possible and whatever is co-occurrent is compossible. But their occurrence need not seem coherent, in the equally elementary sense that we may be unable to provide a coherent history O r explanation or description of their occurrence. It is only among creatures that speak a language, therefore, that problems of incoherence or non-coherence arise: that is, among creatures that can report or state what they believe, what they take to be the case, what they conjecture or claim accounts for matters of fact, or justifies or recommends policies or commitments or actions, or forms the continuous career or history of some life or persistent entity or system, or fits a practice or the like. This is why the consistent or self-consistent is said to be the coherent or at least a necessary but minimal condition of the coherent - though that claim must be clarified. But it is fair to say that only speech is coherent, or thought linguistically rendered, or behavior relative to speech or thought, or behavior informed by the capacity to speak, or the plans, projects, representations, theories, work, activity, intentions, beliefs, and the like of creatures capable of speech. Incoherence is a disorder among creatures capable of speech, since speech is the sine qua non of coherence. A man babbling out of fright is said to be utterly incoherent, being unable to speak at all. More seriously, incoherence is a :relative discrepancy of some sort in the speech, thought, behavior, or work of human beings (contingently: human beings only), both in terms of their productive activity and, derivatively, of what they produce or perform or enact or simply do (their products or acts or deeds). But even reflecting impressionistically about coherence, it seems that mere inconsistency or contradiction cannot always be a mark or form of incoherence. One may for example coherently illustrate what an inconsistency or contradiction is; and one can even deliberately construct a formally valid argument based on inconsistent premisses. There is, therefore, something not quite accurate about a recent proposal of Richard Rudner's. Rudner says, in a pertinent account, that he will "use the term incoherence to cover, in general, various dissonance relations ranging from logical incompatibility through nomological incompatibility and beyond".1 The weakness of Rudner's proposal is an important one, not a mere quibble at all. It cannot be a mere inconsistency, contradiction, or incompatibility
Methyl methacrylate in sulfur dioxide: Solvated radical polymerization

Methyl methacrylate may be polymerized by free-radical initiators in liquid sulfur dioxide without incorporating sulfur dioxide in the polymer chain, even though methacrylate radicals and sulfur dioxide readily as indicated by electron spin resonance studies. An explanation for this anomalous result is advanced, and evidence for the participation of sulfur dioxide in the transition state of the addition reaction is presented.
Acetate incorporation into the lipids of the anemone Anthopleura elegantissima and its associated zooxanthellae

Anthopleura elegantissima containing zooxanthellae, as well as isolated zooxanthellae, incubated with acetate-1-14C under both light and dark conditions readily incorporate radioactivity into their total lipid pools. In both cases, the specific activity was greatly increased in the light. Dark-incubated anemones and isolated zooxanthellae incorporate activity predominantly into polar lipid; the remainder being present principally in the triglyceride moiety. Light-incubated organisms, however, show a dramatic redistribution of isotope towards greatly increased triglyceride and was ester incorporation, with a concomitant drop in polar lipid. onder light conditions, 70 to 75% of the radioactivity found in the fatty acids of the total zooxanthellae lipid was present in hexadecanoic (16:0) and octadecenoic (18:1) fatty acids. These are also the two major fatty acids by mass. Octadecanoic acid (18:0) is less than 5% by mass. Isotope incorporation patterns suggest that octadecenoic acids arise by elongation of hexadecenoic acids and that this conversion is blocked in the dark. Isotope incorporation patterns for anemones suggest that fatty acids, primarily in the form of saturated or monoenoic fatty acids, are translocated from algal to animal cells. No activity was found in either octadecadienoic (18:2) or octadecatrienoic (18:3) acids. The significance of these data is discussed.
Structural simplification of a feed-forward, multilayer perceptron artificial neural network

Several methods to reduce the excessive number of neurons and synaptic weights in a feedforward, multilayer perceptron artificial neural network (ANN) are presented. To reduce the synaptic weights, the authors replace the original weight matrix by a product of two smaller matrices so that the number of multiplications required can be reduced. To reduce the hidden units, they exploit the correlation among the outputs of the hidden neurons in the same layer. A method to identify and remove redundant hidden units and update the weights of the remaining neurons is proposed. This approach offers potentially good performance without retraining. When retraining is applied to fine-tune the reduced network, the updated weights become very good initial conditions enabling much faster training compared with training with random initial conditions. >
Historical trends of mercury deposition in Adirondack lakes

There is interest in historical patterns of total mercury (HgT) deposition because of concern over contamination to remote lakes by atmospheric Hg deposition. Sediment cores were collected from eig...
Yield and deformation of metallic glasses strengthened by post-extrusion addition of second phase particles

Abstract The stress-strain behavior of metallic glasses with second phase particles was studied using a combination of scanning electron microscopy and bending tests on hairpin configurated specimens. Young's modulus and the friction stress in shear bands were derived from an analysis of the force on the platens as a function of platen distance. The addition of second phase particles of WC or TiC to the NI75Si8B17 matrix increased Young's modulus and yield stress, and extended the range of plastic deformation. Young's modulus increased with the volume fraction of second phase particles in good agreement with the rule of mixture. Dispersions of WC of about 7%, almost doubled the yield strength. The increase in yield stress was analyzed with the one parameter work hardening theory of Ashby. The value derived for the friction stress agreed well with the value derived from analysis of bending in the plastic hinge regime and with previous measurements of the slip distribution in shear bands. It is argued that the friction stress is closely linked to the proportional limit; i.e. the stress level at which local rearrangements first take place in a metallic glass.
Clinical trials in pediatrics : The drug delivery dimension

The medical and drug delivery devices needs of children are quite different and unique when compared to that of adults. The practice of off label use and modification of adult devices for pediatric use is widespread. Attendant risk and adverse effects of such practices are poorly documented. Lack of pediatric age appropriate drug formulations constitutes a major impediment to pediatric drug labeling. While novel drug delivery system can help circumvent some of the pediatric formulations issues, the inherent high cost of development, the small size of the pediatric market, and the ethical dilemma of enrolling children in non-therapeutic clinical trials continue to militate against pediatric drug labeling as well medical devices development. Over the past four decades, major breakthroughs and achievements in basic biomedical science have supplied unprecedented potential information for improving human health. The need for properly designed and conducted pediatric clinical trials along with new drug delivery devices has never been greater. However major issues, like slow transition of promising basic scientific discovery into clinical applications, heavy regulatory burden, limited pediatric pharmacology research infrastructure, spiraling costs of health care, disproportionate governmental funding of basic science research over clinical research, conflicts of interest, and shortage of properly trained clinical investigators and willing study subjects continue to constitute major impediments to pediatric clinical trials clinical trials. This paper will seek to review among other things, the current state of affairs and the structure of the pediatric academic research enterprise along with their relationship with the pharmaceutical industry. Impediments to successful implementation of clinical trials in the academic setting will also be closely examined.
Multiresolution Equivalence and Path Connectedness

An equivalence relation between multiresolution analyses was first introduced in 1996; an analogous definition for generalized multiresolution analyses was given in 2010. This article describes the relationship between the two notions and shows that both types of equivalence classes are path connected in an operator-theoretic sense. The GMRA paths are restricted to canonical GMRAs, and it is shown that whenever two MRAs in L 2(ℝ) are equivalent, the GMRA path construction between their corresponding canonical GMRAs yields the natural analog of the MRA path. Examples are provided of GMRA paths that are distinct from MRA paths.
Spin-orbit coupling and spirals in doped La2CuO4.

Spin-orbit coupling in doped ${\mathrm{La}}_{2}$${\mathrm{CuO}}_{4}$ can result in (1) a novel electron-phonon coupling involving soft oxygen ``tilting'' phonons, and (2) stabilization of a commensurate antiferromagnetic state over a spiral state in the presence of a sufficiently large tilt distortion. This second effect may be responsible for the unusual electronic properties of ${\mathrm{La}}_{1.88}$${\mathrm{Ba}}_{0.12}$${\mathrm{CuO}}_{4}$.
Cardiovascular effects of propranolol in intact puppies and adult dogs.

Extract: The cardiovascular effects of propranolol (Inderal) [24] were compared in 13 adult dogs and 14 puppies. Left ventricular (LV) pressure was measured with a catheter tip manometer and myocardial contractility was assessed by LV measurements of peak rate of pressure development (LV dp/dt), LV dp/dt at 40 mm Hg LV pressure (P40 dp/dt), and peak LV (dp/dt)/P. Cardiac output was measured by indocyanine green dye dilution. Measurements were made before and 5 min after intravenous propranolol (0.5 g/kg) administered over a period of 1 min. In the adult dog, propranolol produced a significant depression of cardiac index and peak LV systolic pressure, significant elevation of systemic resistance index and LV end-diastolic pressure, and a significant fall in indices of myocardial contractility. The changes in heart rate, cardiac index, peak LV systolic pressure, and contractility indices produced by propranolol were 2–4 times greater, on a percentage basis, in the puppies as in the adult dogs. The systemic resistance index and LV end-diastolic pressure changed similarly in both groups. The increased sensitivity of the puppies to propranolol appears to reflect a greater dependence on circulating catecholamines in the immature circulation. Speculation: A greater depression of the cardiovascular function, induced by propranolol, is shown in puppies as compared with adult dogs. This is thought to reflect either an increased dependence of the puppy circulation on circulating catecholamines, or an increased sensitivity to the known myocardial depressant effects of propranolol.
Activated partial thromboplastin time after heparin removal (aPTT/HR) in a new scheme of anticoagulant monitoring

Activated partial thromboplastin time after heparin removal (aPTT/HR), a test employing anion exchange chromatography, was devised as an alternative to the prothrombin time after heparin removal (PT/HR) to monitor simultaneous anticoagulation with heparin and coumarins. The potential utility of the aPTT/HR was assessed by performing parallel PTs and aPTTs on 62 consecutive plasmas from coumarin-treated outpatients. All samples had 0.2 units/ml of heparin added and then removed to see if the maneuver influenced therapeutic group assignment. In no instance did reassignment occur. A conditional Irwin-Fisher test (P = 0.000604) and a special multinomial trial analysis (P = 0.002) indicated that the aPTT would be at least comparable to the PT for following coumarin antithrombotic prophylaxis. Since the heparin removal procedure had no influence on therapeutic categorization, the same statistical proof could be applied to the relationship between aPTT/HR and PT/HR. This study indicates that the aPTT can be used to monitor all stages of heparin and /or coumarin anticoagulation.
The Pavlovian power of palatable food: lessons for weight-loss adherence from a new rodent model of cue-induced overeating.

The Pavlovian power of palatable food: lessons for weight-loss adherence from a new rodent model of cue-induced overeating
Phenylbutyrate induces apoptosis and lipid accumulations via a peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma-dependent pathway.

The effects of the selective peroxisome proliferator activated receptor-gamma (PPAR-γ) inhibitor GW9662 on phenylbutyrate (PB)-induced NMR-detectable lipid metabolites was investigated on DU145 prostate cancer cells. DU145 cells were perfused with 10 mM PB in the presence or absence of 1 µM of GW9662 and the results monitored by 31P and diffusion-weighted 1H NMR spectroscopy. GW9662 completely reversed PB-induced NMR-visible lipid and total choline accumulation in 1H spectra and glycerophosphocholine and β-NTP in 31P spectra. In addition, pre-incubation with GW9662 significantly reduced PB-induced caspase-3 activation, reversed the G1 block as measured by flow cytometry, and otherwise had little effect on cell survival as measured by MTT assay. These results suggest that the NMR visible lipid accumulation and apoptosis induced by PB treatment occurs through a mechanism that is mediated by PPAR-γ.
Monte Carlo particle-based simulations of deep-submicron n-MOSFETs with real-space treatment of electron–electron and electron–impurity interactions

Abstract In modern deep-submicron devices, for achieving optimum device performance, the doping densities must be quite high. This necessitates a careful treatment of the short- and long-range electron–electron and electron–impurity interactions. We have shown before that by using a corrected Coulomb force, in conjunction with a proper cutoff range, one can properly account for the short-range portion of the force. Our approach naturally incorporates multi-ion contributions, local distortions in the scattering potential due to the movement of the free charges, and carrier-density fluctuations. The doping dependence of the low-field electron mobility obtained from 3D resistor simulations closely followed the experimental results, thus proving the correctness of our approach. Here, we discuss how discrete impurity effects affect the threshold voltage of ultra-small n-channel MOSFETs with gate lengths ranging from 50 to 100 nm. We find that the fluctuations in the threshold voltage increase with increasing the oxide thickness and substrate doping. The averaging effect over the width of the device leads to significantly smaller fluctuations in the threshold voltage for devices with larger gate width. The observed trends are in agreement with the experimental findings.
In vitro Wear of Microfilled and Visible Light-cured Composites

Wear of microfilled composites, a visible light-cured composite, and a conventional composite were characterized by two-body abrasion and single-pass sliding. There were differences in abrasion rates among the materials. Tangential forces, wear track widths, and surface failure modes were different among materials. Wear characteristics are combinations of these properties.
Sciatin is a transferrin-like polypeptide.

: Sciatin, an acidic glycoprotein from chicken sciatic nerve, has myotrophic effects on avian skeletal muscle cells in culture. As sciatin was found to have certain structural similarities to transferrin, we further investigated the physicochemical characteristics of sciatin in order to determine the relationship between these two proteins. Sciatin was found to be strikingly similar to ovotransferrin in amino acid composition. In addition, amino acid sequence analysis revealed that sciatin and ovotransferrin had identical amino-terminal sequences for at least the first 20 amino acid residues. Chicken ovotransferrin, but not human serum transferrin, cross-reacted with rabbit antisciatin antibodies upon rocket immunoelectrophoresis and double immunodiffusion in agar. In addition, in the presence of bicarbonate, sciatin bound approximately 2 mol ferrous iron/mol protein. Using the purification procedure developed for sciatin, we purified a protein from chicken serum that cross-reacted with antisciatin serum, migrated at a position identical to that of sciatin or ovotransferrin on two-dimensional gel electrophoresis, had an amino composition very similar to ovotransferrin and sciatin, and had myotrophic effects on cultured muscle cells. From these data, we conclude that sciatin is a growth-promoting polypeptide closely related in structure to transferrin.
Changes in total amount of stage four sleep as a function of partial sleep deprivation.

Abstract Following a series of baseline nights, four adult subjects slept a series of nights in which the time allowed for sleep was reduced by approximately 2.5–3 h. The amount of time during which a stage 4 EEG was present showed a substantial elevation although the procedure resulted in no prior reduction of the total nightly amount of stage 4. This was most apparent on the final (“recovery”) night in the series which could be treated as a “short sleep” night by simply not considering the final hours of recording.
Radiometric dating of time of thrusting in the disturbed belt of Montana

Mesozoic sedimentary rocks overridden by thrust plates in the disturbed belt of northwestern Montana have been metamorphosed by burial beneath these plates. Bentonite in the Cretaceous section has been converted to potash bentonite by this metamorphism, allowing radiometric dating of the emplacement of the thrust plates by the K-Ar method. Ages determined thus far range from 72 to 56 m.y. B.P. The oldest ages coincide with estimates for the beginning of thrusting from stratigraphic and structural evidence. Field evidence does not allow a reliable estimate for the end of thrusting. Thus, the younger ages, which indicate completion of thrusting at the end of Paleocene time, represent additional data of interest to the structural history of the disturbed belt.
Lubricant migration in particulate magnetic recording media

Migration of lubricant from the porous magnetic coating and underlayer to the surface in particulate magnetic recording media is studied by dynamic secondary ion mass spectrometry. The lubricant thickness on the surface of particulate media is evaluated as a function of lubricant areal density. The surface area of the porous coating is found to be about ten times the apparent surface area. Migration rates are determined by matching the sputter removal rate with the lubricant replenishment to the surface. They are typically 15 nm/sec for polyperfluoroether with CF/sub 3/ side groups and molecular weight of 9000. The time constant of the lubricant recovery is measured by interrupting the lubricant sputter removal for selected periods. Above crucial lubrication area density, these time constants are in the 100 msec range, while in very depleted conditions they are on the order of 100 sec. >
Feed Forward Bandwidth Indication (FFBI): Cooperation for an accurate bandwidth forecast

Video bandwidth forecasts can empower video transport mechanisms with a new intelligence that can increase the efficiency of Dynamic Bandwidth Allocation. We exploit the fact that for pre-recorded video, the size of every video frame is known prior to the video being delivered. We propose Feed-Forward Bandwidth Indication (FFBI) which feeds video frame sizes forward in a sequence of video frames. We extend FFBI to live video by introducing a delay at the source equivalent to the forecast window. We compare FFBI to the most accurate forecast methods found in the literature. With network transport of video projected to supplant other transport mechanisms over the next few years, we conduct a performance analysis of FFBI within Ethernet Passive Optical Networks (EPONs). We find that the use of FFBI can provide a 50% reduction in queueing delay compared to the use of no forecasting and a 35% reduction in queueing delay compared to other forecasting methods. In addition, we find that FFBI can provide a very significant reduction in queueing delay variation compared to the use of no forecasting or other forecasting methods.
The repugnant cultural other speaks back Christian identity as ethnographic `standpoint'

Looking at Christian identity in terms of standpoint theory, this article takes up the argument introduced by Susan Friend Harding more than 10 years ago that Christianity and Christians are stigmatized within anthropology as a `repugnant cultural other'. Drawing from my own fieldwork in the Philippines and other recent work on Christianity, I argue that Christianity is a subject position analogous to other committed subject positions outside androcentric, enlightenment modernity (e.g. feminism). As such, the Christian voice should be welcomed and encouraged in the academy as a valuable ethnographic perspective.
Smooth muscle sarcolemma‐associated phospholipase C‐β2; agonist‐evoked translocation

About 25% of the total cellular PLC beta 2 content was found to be associated with a sarcolemmal fraction (SARC) isolated from unstimulated porcine trachealis smooth muscle. SARC-associated PLC beta 2 was located within two compartments, a detergent-extractable compartment and a nondetergent extractable compartment. SARC PLC beta 2 was measured after extraction with 0.6 M KCI; therefore, PLC beta 2 was not bound solely by electrostatic forces within either of these compartments. PLC beta 2 was shown to translocate from cytosol to SARC during a 20-sec activation of intact muscle with a muscarinic agonist, carbachol (CARB); i.e., cytosolic total PLC beta 2 content decreased significantly to 73 +/- 7% of control and SARC total PLC beta 2 content increased to 180 +/- 15% of control value. This translocation was maintained at 5 min of CARB. CARB-evoked translocation occurred into the detergent-extractable SARC fraction, and PLC beta 2 content in this fraction increased 300% compared with that in unstimulated muscle. After CARB, SARC PLC beta 2 content accounted for > 50% of total cellular PLC beta 2 content. CARB-evoked increase in PLC activity in SARC paralleled the increase in PLC beta 2 content. CARB-induced translocations of PLC beta 2 from the cytosol to SARC were of a similar magnitude as occurred with phorbol ester-induced translocations of PKC alpha.
Effect of vacuum on the occurrence of UV-induced surface photoluminescence, transmission loss, and catastrophic surface damage

Vacuum degrades the transmittance and catastrophic damage performance of fused-silica surfaces, both bare and silica-sol anti-reflective coated. These effects may be important in certain space application of photonics devices. When exposed to hundreds of 355-nm, 10-ns laser pulses with fluences in the 2 - 15 J/cm2 range, transmittance loss is due to both increased reflectance and absorption at the surface. Spectroscopic measurements show that the absorbed light induces broadband fluorescence from the visible to infrared and that the peak photoluminescence wavelength depends cumulative fluence. The effect appears to be consistent with the formation of surface SiOx4/ (x < 2 with progressively lower x as cumulative fluence increases. Conversely, low fluence CW UV irradiation of fluorescent sites in air reduces the fluorescence signal, which suggests a photochemical oxidation reaction back to SiO2. The occurrence of catastrophic damage (craters that grow on each subsequent pulse) also increases in a vacuum relative to air for both coated and uncoated samples.
Recombinant human parathyroid hormone (1-34) [teriparatide] improves both cortical and cancellous bone structure.

Histomorphometry and CT of 51 paired iliac crest biopsy specimens from women treated with teriparatide revealed significant increases in cancellous bone volume, cancellous bone connectivity density, cancellous bone plate-like structure, and cortical thickness, and a reduction in marrow star volume. Introduction: We studied the ability of teriparatide (rDNA origin) injection (rhPTH(1-34), TPTD) to improve both cancellous and cortical bone in a subset of women enrolled in the Fracture Prevention Trial of postmenopausal women with osteoporosis after a mean treatment time of 19 months. This is the first report of a biopsy study after treatment with teriparatide having a sufficient number of paired biopsy samples to provide quantitative structural data. Methods: Fifty-one paired iliac crest bone biopsy specimens (placebo (n 19), 20 g teriparatide (n 18), and 40 g teriparatide (n 14)) were analyzed using both two-dimensional (2D) histomorphometry and three-dimensional (3D) microcomputed tomography (CT). Data for both teriparatide treatment groups were pooled for analysis. Results and Conclusions: By 2D histomorphometric analyses, teriparatide significantly increased cancellous bone volume (median percent change: teriparatide, 14%; placebo, 24%; p 0.001) and reduced marrow star volume (teriparatide, 16%; placebo, 112%; p 0.004). Teriparatide administration was not associated with osteomalacia or woven bone, and there were no significant changes in mineral appositional rate or wall thickness. By 3D cancellous and cortical bone structural analyses, teriparatide significantly decreased the cancellous structure model index (teriparatide, 12%; placebo, 7%; p 0.025), increased cancellous connectivity density (teriparatide, 19%; placebo, 14%; p 0.034), and increased cortical thickness (teriparatide, 22%; placebo, 3%; p 0.012). These data show that teriparatide treatment of postmenopausal women with osteoporosis significantly increased cancellous bone volume and connectivity, improved trabecular morphology with a shift toward a more plate-like structure, and increased cortical bone thickness. These changes in cancellous and cortical bone morphology should improve biomechanical competence and are consistent with the substantially reduced incidences of vertebral and nonvertebral fractures during administration of teriparatide. J Bone Miner Res 2003;18:1932-1941
Comparison of Efficacy of Ginger with Various Antimotion Sickness Drugs

AbstractGinger and several other medications were compared with scopolamine and d-amphetamine for effectiveness in prevention of motion sickness. Methods: Double-blind techniques were used. The subjects were given the medications two hours before they were rotated in a chair making head movements until a synptun total short of vomiting was reached. Standardized N.A.S.A. techniques were used for speed of rotation and end-point of motion sickness. Results: The three doses of ginger were all at the placebo level of efficacy. Amitriptyline, ethopropazine and trihexyphenidyl increased the tolerated head movements but the increase was not statistically significant. Significant levels of protection were produced by dimenhydrinate, promethazine, scopolmine and d-amphetamine. Protection was further increased by combination of these latter drugs with d-amphetamine. Efficacy was greatest as the dose was increased. Conclusions: The medication of choice in this study was scopolamine 0.6 mg with d-amphetamine 10 mg. Th...
Electrospray Ionization–Fourier Transform Ion Cyclotron Resonance Mass Spectrometry at 11.5 Tesla: Instrument Design and Initial Results

Initial results obtained using a new electrospray ionization (ESI) Fourier transform ion cyclotron resonance (FTICR) mass spectrometer operated at a magnetic field 11.5 tesla are presented. The new instrument utilized an electrostatic ion guide between the ESI source and FTICR trap that provided up to 5% overall transmission efficiency for light ions and up to 30% efficiency for heavier biomolecules. The higher magnetic field in combination with an enlarged FTICR ion trap made it possible to substantially improve resolving power and operate in a more robust fashion for large biopolymers compared to lower field instruments. Mass resolution up to 106 has been achieved for intermediate size biopolymers such as bovine ubiquitin (8.6 kDa) and bovine cytochrome c (12.4 kDa) without the use of frequency drift correction methods. A mass resolution of 370,000 has been demonstrated for isotopically resolved molecular ions of bovine serum albumin (66.5 kDa). Comparative measurements were made with the same spectrometer using a lower field 3.5-tesla magnet allowing the performance gains to be more readily quantified. Further improvements in pumping capacity of the vacuum system and efficiency of ion transmission from the source are expected to lead to further substantial sensitivity gains.
A steady presence in the midst of change: Nonkin natural mentors in the lives of older youth exiting foster care.

The purpose of this study was to explore the nature of the non-kin natural mentoring relationships among 19-year-old youths (N=189) in the process of “aging out” of the foster care system. Data for the present study are from the final interview of a longitudinal study of older youth exiting the foster care system in Missouri. Participants that reported a natural mentoring relationship at age 19 were asked a series of qualitative questions about their reported relationship. The sample in this study was 65% female and 58% youth of color. Thematic analysis, informed by relational-cultural theory (Miller & Stiver, 1997), was utilized to explore the nature of the relationships from the youth’s perspective. These youth reported having natural mentors who served in a range of roles in their lives, including youth service professionals and friends of their families. These older youth also described the (a) qualities of their natural mentors that were important to them, (b) specific features of their natural mentoring relationships that they perceived to be especially helpful, and (c) the various kinds of support these relationships had offered to them. Implications for social work policy, practice, and research are discussed.
Safety and effectiveness of vasectomy

Objective: To recommend further research on vasectomy based on a systematic review of the effectiveness and safety of vasectomy. Design: A systematic MEDLINE review of the literature on the safety and effectiveness of vasectomy between 1964 and 1998. Main Outcome Measure(s): Early failure rates are ,1%; however, effectiveness and complications vary with experience of surgeons and surgical technique. Early complications, including hematoma, infection, sperm granulomas, epididymitis-orchitis, and congestive epididymitis, occur in 1%‐ 6% of men undergoing vasectomy. Incidence of epididymal pain is poorly documented. Animal and human data indicate that vasectomy does not increase atherosclerosis and that increases in circulating immune complexes after vasectomy are transient in men with vasectomies. The weight of the evidence regarding prostate and testicular cancer suggests that men with vasectomy are not at increased risk of these cancers. Conclusion(s): Publications to date continue to support the conclusion that vasectomy is a highly effective form of contraception. Future studies should include evaluations of the long-term effectiveness of vasectomy, evaluating criteria for postvasectomy discontinuation of alternative contraception for use in settings where semen analysis is not practical, and characterizing complications including chronic epididymal pain syndrome. (Fertil Sterilt 2000;73:923‐36. ©2000 by American Society for Reproductive Medicine.)
Linking habitat selection, emigration and population dynamics of freshwater fishes: a synthesis of ideas and approaches

Abstract – The consequences of individual behaviour to dynamics of populations has been a critical question in fish ecology, but linking the two has proven difficult. A modification of Sale's habitat selection model provides a conceptual linkage for relating resource availability and individual habitat selection to exploratory behaviour, emigration and population-level responses. Whole-population experiments with pupfish Cyprinodon macularius that linked all factors along this resource to population continuum lend support to this conceptual model, and illustrate that emigration may be much more common in fish populations than considered in most individual- or population-based models. Accommodating emigration can enhance the ecological appropriateness of behavioural experiments and increase confidence in extrapolation of experimental observations to population-level effects. New experimental designs and advancing technologies offer avenues for assessing population consequences of habitat selection and emigration by individual fish. Emigration often is the key linkage between individual behaviour and population responses, and greater understanding of the underlying factors affecting this often-overlooked demographic parameter could offer new approaches for management and conservation of fishes.
An improved model for collector currents in lateral PNP transistors

A physically based analytical model for collector current in lateral PNP transistors is derived by solving the two-dimensional diffusion equation. Comparison with computer simulations and existing models demonstrates improvements in accuracy realized by the model. This analytical model relates circuit model parameters to physical process parameters and should therefore find application in circuit design optimization and in statistical analyses. >