cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Longitudinal Data Analysis

Longitudinal data is in fact a special type of multi-level data where repeated longitudinal data points can be observed for each individual. In this situation, the repeated longitudinal data points can be viewed as nested within each individual, and subsequently, the individuals can be nested within classrooms, and classrooms can be further nested within schools, etc. With the nested structure, longitudinal data is just to add another level to the existing multi-level data structure.
Sound Induced Changes in Electrically Evoked Cochlear Emissions

We have previously proposed that the outer hair cells (OHC) interact with the hydromechanical elements of the cochlea to form a series of active filters which provide the high sensitivity and frequency selectivity observed in the responses of inner hair cells (IHC) and auditory nerve fibers (Mountain et ai, 1983). The active filtering is the result of a feedback loop consisting of the mechanical-to-electrical (forward) transduction process driving an electrical-to-mechanical (reverse) transduction process located in the OHC. The reverse transduction response may be due to haircell length changes or stereociliary motion, both of which have been demonstrated in vitro using injected current (Brownell et al.,1985; Ashmore, 1985; Crawford and Fettiplace, 1985). For acoustic frequencies well below the characteristic frequency of a given cochlear location the feedback is negative. This negative feedback serves to increase the apparent stiffness of the basilar membrane for low frequency stimuli. Support for this active-stiffness hypothesis has come from experiments in which we have injected sinusoidal current into scala media and measured acoustic response (emissions) in the ear canal of experimental animals (Mountain et al, 1983; Hubbard and Mountain, 1983; Mountain and Hubbard, 1989; Hubbard and Mountain, 1990).
Decellularized skeletal muscle as an in vitro model for studying drug-extracellular matrix interactions

Several factors can affect drug absorption after intramuscular (IM) injection: drug solubility, drug transport across cell membranes, and drug metabolism at the injection site. We found that potential interactions between the drug and the extracellular matrix (ECM) at the injection site can also affect the rate of absorption post-injection. Using decellularized skeletal muscle, we developed a simple method to model drug absorption after IM injection, and showed that the nature of the drug-ECM interaction could be investigated by adding compounds that alter binding. We validated the model using the vitamin B12 analog cobinamide with different bound ligands. Cobinamide is being developed as an IM injectable treatment for cyanide poisoning, and we found that the in vitro binding data correlated with previously published in vivo drug absorption in animals. Commercially available ECM products, such as collagen and GelTrex, did not recapitulate drug binding behavior. While decellularized ECM has been widely studied in fields such as tissue engineering, this work establishes a novel use of skeletal muscle ECM as a potential in vitro model to study drug-ECM interactions during drug development.
Understanding the Electronic Structure Properties of Bare Silver Clusters as Models for Plasmonic Excitation

We present a detailed study of the optical properties of tetrahedral silver clusters ranging from Ag10 to Ag220 using frequency domain (FD) and real-time (RT) time-dependent density functional theory . We compare the electronic structure and optical properties of the clusters calculated with different exchange-correlation functionals, different basis sets, and different DFT software packages. We also present an analysis of the orbital contributions to the density of states, which for the larger clusters can be decomposed into surface and bulk contributions. We find that the description of optical properties is nearly insensitive to the choice of exchange-correleation functional and results are consistent for FD and RT implementations. Optical properties are sensitive to basis set selection however, and it is critical that the basis set correctly describes d-orbitals. We show that FD-TDDFT provides insights into the collective excitation nature of a plasmonic nanoparticle allowing us to investigate the hot electron distribution produced immediately after plasmonic excitation. This analysis shows that the electron distribution is largely a flat function of electron energy in the range between zero and the photon energy for a plasmonic transition whereas it is strongly peaked close to zero for an interband transition.
Employing the Ninth Amendment to Supplement Substantive Due Process: Recognizing the History of the Ninth Amendment and the Existense of Nonfundamental Unenumerated Rights

Asserted liberty rights not enumerated in the U.S. Constitution are generally considered under the substantive due process doctrine. Courts look only at narrowly defined interests and their history and traditions, and recognize only fundamental rights. This approach, however, fails to acknowledge the existence of nonfundamental rights that deserve recognition and a level of protection from improper legislation. As a supplement to its incomplete substantive clue process jurisprudence, the Supreme Court should examine the Ninth Amendment's history and traditions. Looking to this history and tradition will provide better guideposts for what types of rights should be protected. Employing the Ninth Amendment_ in this way will also help alleviate three primary reasons for the Amendment's disuse: the Ninth Amendment was not meant to apply against states, judges have no power to protect unenumerated rights, and the Ninth Amendment was only relevant under the now-disfavored penumbras and emanations test.
The Second Extreme Ultraviolet Explorer Right Angle Program Catalog

We present the detection of 235 extreme ultraviolet sources, of which 169 are new detections, using the Extreme Ultraviolet Explorer's (EUVE) Right Angle Program (RAP) data. This catalog includes observations since the first EUVE RAP catalog (1994 January) and covers 17% of the sky. The EUVE RAP uses the all-sky survey telescopes (also known as "scanners"), mounted at right angles to the Deep Survey and spectrometer instruments, to obtain photometric data in four wavelength bands centered at ~100 A (Lexan/B), ~200 A (Al/Ti/C), ~400 A (Ti/Sb/Al), and ~550 A (Sn/SiO). This allows the RAP to accumulate data serendipitously during pointed spectroscopic observations. The long exposure times possible with RAP observations provide much greater sensitivity than the all-sky survey. We present EUVE source count rates and probable source identifications from the available catalogs and literature. The source distribution is similar to previous extreme ultraviolet (EUV) catalogs with 2% early-type stars, 45% late-type stars, 8% white dwarfs, 6% extragalactic, 24% with no firm classification, and 15% with no optical identification. We also present 36 detections of early-type stars that are probably the result of non-EUV radiation. We have detected stellar flares from approximately 12 sources, including: EUVE J0008+208, M4 star G32-6 (EUVE J0016+198), a new source EUVE J0202+105, EUVE J0213+368, RS CVn V711 Tau (EUVE J0336+005), BY Draconis type variable V837 Tau (EUVE J0336+259), the new K5 binary EUVE J0725-004, EUVE J1147+050, EUVE J1148-374, EUVE J1334-083 (EQ Vir), EUVE J1438-432 (WT 486/487), EUVE J1808+297, and the M5.5e star G208-45 (EUVE J1953+444). We present sample light curves for the brighter sources.
Enhanced decoding for the Galileo low-gain antenna mission

Due to a malfunctioning high-gain antenna, the Galileo spacecraft is transmitting all its data through a low-gain antenna, and the data rate will seldom exceed 100 bits per second during its two-year tour of Jupiter's satellites. To offset some of the performance loss, the spacecraft's computer will be extensively reprogrammed to include new data compression and coding algorithms. The baseline coding system for the low gain antenna mission uses a Reed-Solomon (RS) outercode of block length 255 concatenated with a (14, 1/4) convolutional inner code, and interleaves the RS symbols to depth eight. The convolutionally encoded symbols are decoded by a maximum likelihood (Viterbi) decoder, and each RS codeword is decoded algebraically. Two types of decoding enhancements were proposed as feasible due to the low data rate. The first type of redecoding is confined to the RS decoder and utilizes information from neighboring codewords within the same interleaved block to erase unreliable symbols in undecoded words. The second type involves redecoding by the Viterbi decoder, using information fed back from codewords successfully decoded by the RS decoder. >
Essay in the Style of Douglas Hofstadter

The following article was written in the style of my good friend the writer and cognitive scientist Doug Hofstadter. It was written not by a human being, but by my computer program "EWI" (an acronym for "Experiments in Writing Intelligence"). EWI was fed the texts of two of Hofstadter's books — namely, Godel, Escher, Bach (winner of the Pulitzer Prize for General Nonfiction in 1980) and Metamagical Themas — and then, following its code, EWI carefully analyzed these two books for their uniquely Hofstadterian stylistic elements and features, after which it recombined these stylistic elements in new fashions. EWI thereby came up with some 25 new and highly diverse "Hofstadter articles", one of which is given below, and at the very end the article is followed by a brief commentary about EWI and its output, by Hofstadter himself.
Maturation of Xenopus oocytes: I. Facilitation by ouabain

Abstract Ouabain, at a concentration which effectively suppresses Rb + uptake into isolated, full-grown oocytes, facilitates progesterone-stimulated maturation; germinal vesicle breakdown occurs several hours sooner in maximally stimulated oocytes or occurs with increased frequency in marginally stimulated oocytes. A similar facilitation is observed with strophanthidin and in K + -deficient media. Ouabain acts directly on the oocyte rather than the investing layer of follicle cells. Oocytes, removed from their follicles, begin to accumulate K + and lose Na + , a process which is blocked by ouabain. This process, or the altered intracellular environment which results, is apparently antagonistic to progesterone-stimulated oocyte maturation.
Seasonal Anomalies in Financial Markets: A Survey

Investigation into the patterns of returns in the stock market is extensive. This paper reviews and integrates much of the published research in this broad area. Some concern for data snooping and the reporting of noise exists over empirical anomaly research. Yet this does not account for the careful research findings of many authors. The over reaction and negative first-order serial correlation in annual returns is discussed. The January effect is reviewed along with the tax-loss and performance incentive hypotheses as rationale. The day-of-the-week anomaly and other anomalies such as the holiday effect are also presented and various possible explanations are discussed.
Effect of plateau iris configuration on effective lens position and intraocular lens power calculation: Report of 3 cases

We report the cases of 3 patients with plateau iris configuration who had bilateral phacoemulsification with posterior chamber intraocular lens (IOL) implantation. A standard IOL power formula—Holladay 2 or Hoffer Q—was used to select IOL power preoperatively to achieve emmetropic refractive outcomes. The surgeries were uneventful, but the postoperative outcomes were more myopic than calculated, deviating from the preoperative targets by −0.550 to −1.175 diopters. To counteract this effect in 2 of the eyes, the IOL power was adjusted to a more hyperopic target, resulting in the desired emmetropic outcome. Financial Disclosure No author has a financial or proprietary interest in any material or method mentioned.
Homework, Practice, and Performance in Principles of Microeconomics

This paper contributes to the growing literature examining how students' grades on in-class exams are affected by their scores on out-of-class homework assignments. Our major finding, that exam grades and homework scores are positively related, is what educators might have anticipated, yet surprisingly there is little published research that has documented a link between student learning and out-of-class exercises. Our study's results justify the suggestions of Grove and Wasserman (2006) and Hansen, Salemi, and Siegfried (2002) that principles students be given more opportunity to practice economic analysis.
Model atmospheres for cool stars

This report contains an extensive series of model atmospheres for cool stars having a wide range in chemical composition. Model atmospheres (temperature, pressure, density, etc.) are tabulated, along with emergent energy flux distributions, limb darkening, and information on convection for selected models. The models are calculated under the usual assumptions of hydrostatic equilibrium, constancy of total energy flux (including transport both by radiation and convection) and local thermodynamic equilibrium. Some molecular and atomic line opacity is accounted for as a straight mean. While cool star atmospheres are regimes of complicated physical conditions, and these atmospheres are necessarily approximate, they should be useful for a number of kinds of spectral and atmospheric analysis.
El régimen informativo del terrorismo. Propuesta de un modelo hermenéutico

This article studies the specific type of relationship that establishes terrorism as journalism to build its own reporting system in order to target the information on terrorism. The aim of the regime is to complete classical purposes of terrorism through information. This paper proposes an exegetical model built from the information-propagandistic elements of the concept of terrorism, which aims to develop a practical guide to interpret the reporting relationships of terrorism, no guidelines for journalists covering terrorism. The model helps to detect whether they are terrorists who manage information, rather than journalists, and the procedures used to achieve it.
Arachidonate-containing triacylglycerols: biosynthesis and a lipolytic mechanism for the release and transfer of arachidonate to phospholipids in HL-60 cells

Abstract When HL-60 cells are incubated in media containing 10 μM [3H]arachidonic acid the label is immediately incorporated into both triacylglycerols and phospholipids. About one-half of the cellular tritium was associated with triacylglycerols after 2 h of incubation and this [3H]arachidonate was then transferred to phospholipids as soon as the labeled cells were placed in arachidonate-free media. A technique was devised to analyze the stereospecific distribution of [3H]arachidonate at the three sn-positions of glycerol in order to identify the mechanism(s) responsible for the biosynthesis of the labeled triacylglycerols. [3H]Arachidonate was found to be distributed in nearly equal amounts among all three glycerol positions of the triacylglycerols. In addition, analysis of intact triacylglycerols containing [3H]arachidonate revealed that 24% of the tritium eluted from reverse-phase HPLC with triarachidonoylglycerol. Both of these findings would be expected if a significant portion of the arachidonate-containing triacylglycerols were synthesized de novo. Homogenates prepared from [3H]arachidonate prelabeled HL-60 cells were capable of hydrolyzing the endogenous [3H]arachidonate-containing triacylglycerols to produce mainly free fatty acids and smaller amounts of monoacylglycerols. The relatively small amount of monoacyl- and diacylglycerols produced by the lipolytic activity of the homogenates indicated that [3H]arachidonate was hydrolyzed from all three sn-positions of the [3H]triacylglycerols. This lipase activity had a pH optimum of 4.5 and was associated to a greater extent with the soluble fraction than in the total membrane fraction. Although it is not known whether this lipolytic activity is the same as that expressed in the intact cells, the activity of the cell-free triacylglycerol lipase was of sufficient magnitude to have easily accounted for the decrease in [3H]triacylglycerols that was observed after transfer of the intact HL-60 cells (prelabeled with [3H]arachidonate) to fresh media. The data suggest that transfer of arachidonate from triacylglycerols to phospholipids probably occurs through an acyltransferase utilizing a lysophospholipid and arachidonoyl-CoA.
Serotonin stimulates adenosine 3',5'-monophosphate accumulation in parathyroid adenoma.

The effect of serotonin on cAMP accumulation in parathyroid adenoma tissue from patients with primary hyperparathyroidism was studied in vitro. Incubation with 1CT5 M serotonin elicited a marked increase (of 90–150%) in cAMP content in slices of parathyroid adenoma tissue. This stimulatory effect of serotonin was already apparent after 2 min of incubation; stimulation by serotonin was dose dependent, with the highest stimulation being achieved at 10−4 M serotonin. The serotonin antagonists, methylsergide and cinanserin, in concentrations equimolar to serotonin completely blocked the stimulatory effect of serotonin on cAMP increase. The serotonin content in surgically removed parathyroid adenoma tissue, as determined by fluorometric assay, was 6.4 ± 1.2 pmol/mg wet wt (∽0.8 × 10−5 M). The present observations demonstrate that parathyroid adenoma tissue has a high content of serotonin, and serotonin stimulates cAMP accumulation in this tissue. Since cAMP acts as a mediator of parathyroid hormone (PTH) relea...
Habitat, dispersal and propagule pressure control exotic plant infilling within an invaded range

Deep in the heart of a longstanding invasion, an exotic grass is still invading. Range infilling potentially has the greatest impact on native communities and ecosystem processes, but receives much less attention than range expansion. ‘Snapshot' studies of invasive plant dispersal, habitat and propagule limitations cannot determine whether a landscape is saturated or whether a species is actively infilling empty patches. We investigate the mechanisms underlying invasive plant infilling by tracking the localized movement and expansion of Microstegium vimineum populations from 2009 to 2011 at sites along a 100-km regional gradient in eastern U.S. deciduous forests. We find that infilling proceeds most rapidly where the invasive plants occur in warm, moist habitats adjacent to roads: under these conditions they produce copious seed, the dispersal distances of which increase exponentially with proximity to roadway. Invasion then appears limited where conditions are generally dry and cool as propagule pressure tapers off. Invasion also is limited in habitats >1 m from road corridors, where dispersal distances decline precipitously. In contrast to propagule and dispersal limitations, we find little evidence that infilling is habitat limited, meaning that as long as M. vimineum seeds are available and transported, the plant generally invades quite vigorously. Our results suggest an invasive species continues to spread, in a stratified manner, within the invaded landscape long after first arriving. These dynamics conflict with traditional invasion models that emphasize an invasive edge with distinct boundaries. We find that propagule pressure and dispersal regulate infilling, providing the basis for projecting spread and landscape coverage, ecological effects and the efficacy of containment strategies.
Reactivity of one thiol group in the dimeric protein, 4-aminobutyrate aminotransferase

The enzyme 4-aminobutyrate aminotransferase (4-aminobutyrate:2-oxoglutarate aminotransferase, EC 2.6.1.19) from pig brain is inactivated by incubation with 5-5'-dithiobis-2-nitrobenzoic acid at pH 7.4. The reaction of one SH group per dimer brings about 95% loss of aminotransferase activity. The reaction with 5-5'-dithiobis-2-nitrobenzoic acid under pseudo-first-order conditions proceeds at a slow rate (Kobs = 0.05 min-1) and the substrate 4-aminobutyrate has no effect on the rate of inactivation. The inactivation of the enzyme cannot be related to dissociation of the cofactor (pyridoxal-P and pyridoxamine-P) from the catalytic site. One thiol group of the enzyme reacts with N-iodoacetylaminoethyl-5-naphthylamine-1-sulfonic acid at pH 7.4. The reaction of approximately one SH group per dimer causes 95% loss of aminotransferase activity. The absorption and fluorescence properties of the enzyme tagged with the chromophore were used to gain information on the microenvironment of the reactive SH group critically connected with catalytic activity. The fluorescent properties, emission maximum (470 nm), fluorescence lifetime (19 ns) and degree of exposure to the collisional quencher acrylamide (Kq = 1.8 . 10(8) M-1 . s-1) indicate that the chromophore is shielded by the protein matrix.
The adsorption of xenon by W(111), and its interaction with preadsorbed oxygen

Abstract The physisorption of Xe on W(111) and of Xe on partial layers of oxygen chemisorbed on W(111) has been studied using flash desorption and work function methods. It has been found that xenon adsorbs up to monolayer coverages at 104K. Xenon desorbs from W(111) as a single binding state following first order kinetics. At low coverages (θ Xe Xe > 0.07 the desorption data fit a first order rate expression with a desorption energy of 9.3 kcal/mol and preexponential ν = 10 15 s −1 . The observed work function change of −1.1 ± 0.1 eV is consistent with monolayer estimates reported in field emission studies of physisorbed xenon on tungsten. The effect of preadsorbed oxygen layers on the physisorption of xenon on this surface is very striking. The energy of desorption shifts as much as 50% higher for a moderate exposure of oxygen. Several physisorption models are explored along with estimates of dispersion and electrostatic interaction contributions.
Density of Complex Critical Points of a Real Random SO( m+1) Polynomial

We study the density of complex critical points of a real random SO(m+1) polynomial in m variables. In a previous paper (Macdonald in J. Stat. Phys. 136(5):807, 2009), the author used the Poincare-Lelong formula to show that the density of complex zeros of a system of these real random polynomials rapidly approaches the density of complex zeros of a system of the corresponding complex random polynomials, the SU(m+1) polynomials. In this paper, we use the Kac-Rice formula to prove an analogous result: the density of complex critical points of one of these real random polynomials rapidly approaches the density of complex critical points of the corresponding complex random polynomial. In one variable, we give an exact formula and a scaling limit formula for the density of critical points of the real random SO(2) polynomial as well as for the density of critical points of the corresponding complex random SU(2) polynomial.
Coordinate control of host DNA synthesis and measles virus production in persistently infected BHK-21 cells

Measles virus, upon infection, caused cytopathic effects in BHK-21 cells while it readily established persistent infection in a mutant strain of BHK-21 cells which possessed a temperature sensitive defect in DNA synthesis (BN2). This finding demonstrated that host function can be involved in allowing the establishment of persistent infection. When BN2 and infected BN2 cells were incubated at the non-permissive temperature (39.5° C), DNA synthesis was inhibited in a similar manner in both cells types, suggesting that viral functions do not interfere with the expression of the host mutation. Thets mutation which blocked the DNA synthesis also caused inhibition of viral yield, viral antigen expression and viral RNA synthesis at 39.5° C. The results suggest that continued DNA synthesis is necessary for the expression of measles functions.
Bob Hayes: Forty Years of Leading Operations Management Into Uncharted Waters

The enormous contributions of Bob Hayes to Operations Management (OM) are reviewed. His early work made innovative contributions to probability theory and utility estimation that enabled existing Operations Research theory to be applicable to real problems. Later, inspired by field trips to Japanese and German manufacturers, he joined Kim Clark to conduct an ambitious study of 12 plants in three companies, establishing the impact on productivity of factors such as reject rate, work-in-process, and production rate variation. In the 1980s, when adoption of advanced manufacturing automation was in vogue, Bob joined Jai Jaikumar to offer a caution, that new manufacturing technologies required new ways of managing and that advanced technology coupled with obsolete management would produce poorer, not better, results. Perhaps Bob's greatest contribution was to raise OM to a more strategic level. With numerous coauthors, notably Steve Wheelwright, he provided a framework for corporate and manufacturing strategy and showed how to achieve alignment between the two, particularly in the choice of production processes. Recent papers articulated a vision for OM in which a focus on the issues of operating managers provides a consistent framework, but enables our research agenda to evolve as the world's economy changes.
Linking cognitive learning theory to instructional prescriptions

This article presents an initial model of instructional design which directly links cognitive learning theory and instructional prescriptions. The major constructs of the model include components of the memory system, allocation of learning times by objectives and specific instructional methods. The model proposes that instructional time be divided so as to reach the educational goals of improvements in higher-order learning and thinking as well as knowledge acquisition. Integrating current methods of instructional strategies provides the framework for bridging the gap between cognitive learning theory and instructional design.
Methods of optimizing the design of multilayer furnace linings

A method has been developed for selecting the economically optimum furnace building materials for use in thermal equipment. A solution was obtained for the problem of optimization of the design of multilayer furnace linings in the absence and presence of limitations on thickness.
Modification of thymic cell subsets induced by long-term cocaine administration during a murine retroviral infection producing AIDS.

Abstract LP-BM5 murine leukemia virus (MuLV) infection and cocaine administration are known to impair the murine immune system. We have developed a murine model to study the effect of daily cocaine administration and retrovirus infection on the lymphoid cell populations of the thymus. C57BL/6 female mice were studied following chronic cocaine administration for 11 weeks with simultaneous LPBM5 MuLV infection. Cocaine administration reduced body and thymus weight, significantly reduced the number of CD8 + cells in the thymus, and partially prevented thymus enlargement due to lymphoid cell proliferation induced by LP-BM5 MuLV infection. Retrovirus infection was associated with a decrease in the percentage and absolute number of Thy 1.2 + , CD4 + , and CD8 + cells in the thymus, an effect potentiated by cocaine administration. Therefore cocaine impairs thymic function by altering the number of cells expressing T cell differentiation markers in MAIDS.
Zinc pennies in the esophagus.

To the Editor. — We read with interest the case report of a child with a penny lodged in the esophagus by Bothwell et al.1 In our pediatric otolaryngology and anesthesia practice, we see a number of such patients annually. Before diagnosis of chronic esophageal foreign bodies, it is not unusual for some of these children to have been treated for new-onset asthma for several weeks to months. Most often, the “asthma” resolves following removal of the foreign body. Although reactions as severe as that described by the authors in their case report have not been seen, almost all have some esophageal mucosal and/or muscular reaction to the presence of the penny, especially if it has been present for more than a few days. Our concern with this report and discussion is the emphasis on zinc toxicity in this patient despite neither a documented zinc blood level measurement nor explicit, distinct signs of toxicity. It is only …
Laboratory and Clinical Effects of the Infusion of ACD Solution During Plateletpheresis

. Transfusion of massive amounts of citrate anticoagulated blood during plateletpheresis with the intermittent flow centrifuge can produce symptoms and electrocardiographic changes suggestive of hypocalcemia. Following 15 procedures the ionized calcium decreased by an average of 32.4%, the average postpheresis serum citrate was 26.7 mg/dl and the QT interval was prolonged by 0.08 sec. Twelve plateletphereses performed with half-strength ACD solution caused an average decrease in ionized calcium of 16%, serum citrate levels of 12.5 mg/dl and QT prolongation of 0.04 sec. No donors experienced significant clinical symptoms with citrate infusion rates of less than 65 mg/kg/h. Solutions with citrate concentrations lower than ACD-A should be developed for use in plateletpheresis procedures involving citrate infusion rates greater than this.
The synthesis and characterization of new [(BiSe)1.10]m[NbSe2]n, [(PbSe)1.10]m[NbSe2]n, [(CeSe)1.14]m[NbSe2]n and [(PbSe)1.12]m[TaSe2]n misfit layered compounds ☆

Abstract Fifty-three new misfit layered compounds within the [(BiSe) 1.10 ] m [NbSe 2 ] n , [(PbSe) 1.10 ] m [NbSe 2 ] n , [(CeSe) 1.14 ] m [NbSe 2 ] n , and [(PbSe) 1.12 ] m [TaSe 2 ] n families of compounds were successfully synthesized. This is the first report of compounds with n and m larger than 3, as self-assembly from designed precursors allows compounds with particular n and m values to be selectively prepared. The compounds form as crystallographically aligned films, with the c -axis perpendicular to the substrate. The compounds are well ordered along the c -axis and in the ab plane, with shorter coherence lengths between the constituent layers. All 18 compounds that were measured were found to be metallic.
Bipartite graphs without a skew star

A skew star is a tree with exactly three vertices of degree one being at distance 1, 2, 3 from the only vertex of degree three. In the present paper, we propose a structural characterization for the class of bipartite graphs containing no skew star as an induced subgraph and discuss some applications of the obtained result.
Molas and Associated Formations in San Juan Basin-Needle Mountains Area, Southwestern Colorado

A review of some of the literature dealing with the Molas formation and its equivalents in the Four Corners area reveals differences of opinion about its age and historical significance. The writers studied and sampled exposures along the northern rim of the San Juan basin and in the Needle Mountains, southwestern Colorado, and made petrographic, insoluble-residue, heavy-mineral, and clay-mineral (x-ray diffractometer) analyses of the samples. Units examined include the Upper Devonian Ouray limestone, Lower Mississippian Leadville limestone, and Mississippian-Pennsylvanian Molas formation. Insoluble residues from the Ouray and Leadville are distinctive; boulders from each were identified in the basal Coalbank Hill member (named herein) of the Molas formation. The boulders are packed in a red clay and silt matrix which overlies the limestones and has sifted down into joints, pits, and caverns in them. Overlying the Coalbank Hill is the Middle member of the Molas, a poorly stratified unit of stream-deposited red clastics. The upper Molas member is made up of well stratified clastics, largely red, and contains marine fossils in its upper part. The upper Molas grades into the overlying green and gray clastics and interbedded li estones of the Pinkerton Trail or Hermosa formation. Illite is the chief clay mineral in residues from the Ouray, the Leadville, limestone boulders in the Coalbank Hill member, and in the Upper member of the Molas. Kaolinite is the chief clay mineral in the matrix of the Coalbank Hill and Middle member of the Molas. The interpretation presented is that a residual deposit accumulated in southwestern Colorado as solution of Mississippian and Devonian limestones took place during post-Osage, pre-Pennsylvanian erosion. The upper part of the old regolith was eroded and deposited elsewhere by streams; some of it was finally deposited in and reworked by the advancing early Pennsylvanian sea. In some areas, deposition of the Molas red clastics continued into early Des Moines time.
Disulfiram use at hospital-based and free-standing alcoholism treatment centers

Abstract Disulfiram (Antabuse) is one method for treating alcoholism, despite controversy over its clinical effectiveness. This study examines the hypothesis that hospital-based alcoholism treatment centers would use disulfiram more frequently than free-standing centers in the New York City metropolitan area. A large variation in percentage of patients receiving disulfiram was observed (0%–97%) in both settings. The use of disulfiram at hospital-based centers (27%) was not statistically different from that at free-standing centers (34%). Demography, alternate types of alcoholism treatment offered, and number of physicians on staff did not significantly affect disulfiram use. Personal views of disulfiram by the program director or treating physician were more important determinants of disulfiram use than type of treatment facility. Further study of factors influencing the use of disulfiram by type of alcoholism center may facilitate appropriate referral of patients who may benefit from disulfiram treatment.
Angiodysplasia as the cause of massive lower gastrointestinal hemorrhage in a young adult: Report of a case

PURPOSE: This study was undertaken to clarify the importance of bleeding vascular ectasia of the colon as the etiology of massive lower gastrointestinal hemorrhage in patients 40 years of age or younger. METHODS: An otherwise healthy 21-year-old male was admitted to a tertiary medical center with massive lower gastrointestinal hemorrhage. Technetium-labeled red blood cell scan, selective visceral angiography, and colonoscopy identified the source of bleeding as vascular abnormality of the descending colon. Segmental colonic resection was performed. RESULTS: Histologic review of the specimen demonstrated a vascular ectasia. The patient recovered uneventfully and has had no further stigmata of hemorrhage. A review of the literature was undertaken to make clear the significance of vascular ectasia as the source for massive colonic hemorrhage in the young adult. CONCLUSION: This is the first report that documents histologically a vascular ectasia as the source of massive lower gastrointestinal hemorrhage in an otherwise healthy patient less than 40 years of age. Vascular ectasia is an uncommon cause of lower gastrointestinal hemorrhage in the young adult.
Oxidized Flavor in Milk. X. The Effect of Feeding Potassium Iodide Supplements to Dairy Cows on the Carotene Content of the Butter Fat and on the Ascorbic Acid Content of the Milk and the Relationship to Metal–Induced Oxidized Flavor

Summary and Conclusions 1.The feeding of 5 grams daily of potassium iodide for fourteen days lowered to a marked degree the percentage of ascorbic acid secreted in the milk, but had no noticeable effect on the level of the carotene content of the milk. 2.The decrease in the ascorbic acid content of the milk did not produce a corresponding increase in the intensity of the metal-induced oxidized flavor. 3.From these results it appears that the level of the ascorbic acid in the milk may not be as great a factor in the production of milk with low susceptibility to oxidized flavor as was formerly believed.
Interleaflet Coupling and Domain Registry in Phase-Separated Lipid Bilayers

There is clear evidence of an interleaflet coupling in model lipid/cholesterol membranes exhibiting liquid-liquid phase separation. The strength of this coupling is quantified by the mismatch free energy, γ. We calculate it using a molecular mean-field model of a phase-separated lipid/cholesterol bilayer and obtain values that increase as the concentration of saturated lipids in the coexisting phases is increased. These values lie in the range 0.01–0.03 kBT/nm2. We clarify the relationship between the interleaflet coupling and the extent of interleaflet alignment of liquid domains by analyzing a statistical mechanical model of coupled fluctuating domain interfaces. The model is solved exactly using the correspondence between statistical mechanics and quantum mechanics, yielding an expression for the characteristic size of fluctuations out of domain registry. This length scale depends only weakly on the strength of the interleaflet coupling and inevitably is only of the order of nanometers, which explains the experimental result that fluctuations out of domain registry have not been observed by optical microscopy.
The effect of pH on inactivation of pathogenic bacteria on fresh-cut lettuce by dipping treatment with electrolyzed water

: Fresh-cut lettuce samples inoculated with S. Typhimurium, E. coli O157:H7 or L. monocytogenes were dipped into 300 ppm electrolyzed water (EW) at pH 4 to 9 and 30 °C for 5 min. The effects of treatment pH on bacterial reduction and visual quality of the lettuce were determined. The treatments at pH 4 and 8 resulted in the most effective inactivation of E. coli O157:H7, but the effect of pH was not significant (P > 0.05) for S. Typhimurium and L. monocytogenes. The treatment at pH 7 retained the best visual quality of lettuce, and achieved a reduction of approximately 2 log CFU/g for above 3 bacteria.
Security and Privacy Issues in Secure E-Mail Standards and Services

Secure e-mail standards, such as Pretty Good Privacy (PGP) and Secure / Multipurpose Internet Mail Extension (S/MIME), apply cryptographic algorithms to provide secure and private e-mail services over the public Internet. In this article, we first review a number of cryptographic ciphers, trust and certificate systems, and key management systems and infrastructures widely used in secure e-mail standards and services. We then focus on the discussion of several essential security and privacy issues, such as cryptographic cipher selection and operation sequences, in both PGP and S/MIME. This work tries to provide readers a comprehensive impression of the security and privacy provided in the current secure e-mail services.
Correlation and local feature based cloud motion estimation

Short-term changes in atmospheric transmissivity caused by clouds can engender more severe fluctuations in photovoltaic (PV) outputs than those from traditional power plants. As PV energy continues to penetrate the U. S. National Energy Grid, such volatility increasingly lowers its reliability, efficiency, and value-added contribution. Therefore a model that can accurately predict the cloud motion and its affect on PV system's production is in a pressing demands. It can be used to mitigate the undesired behavior beforehand. In this paper we explore the use of Total Sky Images and the cloud estimation techniques based on such images. To further improve estimation quality of motion vector, we propose a novel hybrid algorithm taking the advantages of both correlation based and local feature based approaches. Our proposed hybrid approach significantly reduces the cloud motion prediction error rate by 25% on average, which can help to predict short term solar energy frustration in our later work.
Posterior transverse plication technique for treatment of redundant internal carotid artery during endarterectomy

Abstract Purpose: Posterior transverse plication (PTP) has gained popularity as a technique to correct redundancy of the internal carotid artery during endarterectomy. The safety of this technique in large series of patients has not been extensively studied. We investigated 876 primary carotid endarterectomies (CEAs) performed at our institution over the last six years to determine the safety of this technique. Methods: Indication for surgery was carotid stenosis ≥70% in 341 (39%) symptomatic and 535 (61%) asymptomatic cases. Preoperative imaging consisted of duplex ultrasound alone or combined with magnetic resonance angiography. Patients were divided into four groups related to surgical technique: CEA+PTP+8 mm patch (group Ia), CEA+PTP+10 mm patch (group Ib), CEA+patch (group II) and CEA+primary closure (group III). There were 43, 39, 581 and 213 patients in groups Ia, Ib, II and III, respectively. No statistical differences in age, sex or risk factors for atherosclerotic disease were noted among the groups. Postoperative duplex ultrasonography was used at 2 weeks and every 6 months thereafter to evaluate the adequacy of the repair and presence of complications such as pseudoaneurysm formation and extrinsic compression by the excluded carotid segment. Results: The 30-day mortality was 1.2%, 0.6% and 0.3% for groups I, II and III, respectively. Stroke rates for the same period were 0%, 0.6% and 0.8% for groups I, II and III, respectively. Duplex ultrasonography demonstrated significant stenosis (≥50%) in two (5%) patients in group Ia at 12 months. No restenosis was observed in group Ib. For groups II and III the rates of restenosis were 1.5% and 0.8%. One patient in group II developed a pseudoaneurysm after 7 months. Conclusion: Posterior transverse plication safely corrects redundancy of the internal carotid artery during endarterectomy without causing early significant restenosis. Continued follow-up in a larger group of patients to determine long-term efficacy and correlation between patch size and restenosis rate is warranted.
Triggers or aggravators of symptoms

This study attempts to replicate and extend the associations reported by Verbrugge among negative events, bad mood and symptoms. Employing the same symptomatology measure used in that study, but with more comprehensive event and mood questionnaires, we essentially replicated the same-day and lagged relationships reported by Verbrugge. One difference, however, was that undesirable events were a stronger predictor of symptom days than negative mood, whereas the opposite was true in Verbrugge's study. To further investigate the causal role of events and mood on symptoms, analyses were performed looking only at onset days of symptom episodes. This procedure greatly reduced same day event-symptom associations and eliminated event and mood's lagged relationships with symptoms. Our results do not, then, corroborate the triggering effect of events and mood for the onset of symptoms, although these variables may have a role in maintaining the duration of symptom episodes.
Progressive assignment in CS1

This paper proposes a simple graphics programming project, Java Target project that follows the Spiral Model of teaching three different components of the introductory programming course: fundamentals, object-oriented, and event-driven programming. Especially important in this project is the progressive nature that introduces one concept and reviews others. The project consists of following progressive tasks: draw a circle (target); user defines radius, and center of a circle; report number of shots; randomize shots; select color, select shape, resize target; define user class Circle (Target); define number of circles in target; keep scores and find the best score.
Overweight and components of the metabolic syndrome in college students.

There is very little information on, and hence an urgent need to better understand, obesity and metabolic dysfunctions among U.S. college students, particularly as obesity rates have increased most rapidly among 18- to 29-year-old individuals and those with some college education (1,2). The National College Health Risk Behavior Survey suggests that as many as 35% of college students may be overweight or obese (3). We previously reported that 21.6% of a predominantly white student sample was overweight or obese (4). In addition to obesity, the metabolic syndrome affects >20% of U.S. adults (5). Dyslipidemia and hypertension, both part of the metabolic syndrome, have been reported as significant problems in the college population (6,7). However, other metabolic parameters, such as hyperinsulinemia and glucose tolerance, and their associations with adiposity have not been well studied in this group. Thus, we aimed to examine, in a sample of college students, the relationships between weight status and components of the metabolic syndrome. In addition, we examined clinical correlates of percent body fat and total fat mass. As part of an ongoing study at the Watkins Memorial Health Center at the University of Kansas (Lawrence, KS), 163 students (18–24 years) provided data on anthropometry, body composition, blood pressure, fasting blood chemistries, and an oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT). Anthropometric variables included weight, height, …
Concentrations of Polychlorinated Biphenyls in the Water Column of the Laurentian Great Lakes: Spring 1993

Abstract PCB concentrations were measured in the Laurentian Great Lakes of North America in the Spring of 1993. Quality control criteria were met for 97% of the dissolved phase samples and 90% of the particulate phase samples. Data are reported as total PCBs and as homolog groups for both of the operationally-defined phases at a 0.7 μM cutoff. Detection limit estimates were 21 pg/L for dissolved phase and 23 pg/L for particulate phase total PCBs, based on a sample volume of 190 L. Total PCB concentrations ranged from 100 pg/L in Lake Superior to 1.6 ng/L in the western basin of Lake Erie. Lakes Michigan and Ontario had the highest lakewide average total PCB concentrations, followed by Lake Huron, and then Lake Superior. Lakewide averaging across the three basins of Lake Erie was too variable to be useful.
The effects of nitrogen incorporation on the properties of RF sputtered a-Six Ge1 − x alloys

RF sputtered a-Si x Ge 1 − x ( x = 0.70) films have been deposited in an atmosphere of a mixture of Ar/NH 3 or Ar/NH 3 /H 2 at a constant substrate temperature of 200 °C. The IR spectra show the characteristic bands assigned to Si-N and Si-H vibrational modes. The N-H modes are present only for the samples prepared at high partial pressures of ammonia, and a shift of the Si-N and Si-H stretching bonds to higher frequencies is observed. The optical gap and absorption edge are also strongly dependent on nitrogen incorporation and the results are reported. Conductivity measurements are presented and they are seen to reflect the widening of the gap observed with nitrogen incorporation.