cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Correlation of structural defects and magnetic properties in CoCrPt/Cr and CoCrTaPt/Cr thin films for ultra high density magnetic recording media

Abstract Microstructures of high and low coercivity CoCrPt/Cr and CoCrPtTa/Cr were examined. High-coercivity samples were deposited either at high temperatures or with high substrate bias. Low-coercivity samples were deposited at room temperature and at low substrate bias. It was demonstrated that high coercivity films had significantly increased amount of planar faults compared to low-coercivity samples. The faults were identified as densely spaced stacking faults which apparently resulted from the film deformation either during or just after film deposition and they might contribute to higher coercivity due to local changes in crystal anisotropy. An increase in the amount of structural defects by either thermal or impact stress was associated in low-coercivity CoCrPt/Cr films with a profound change of magnetic properties.
Differential Associations between Sensory Response Patterns and Language, Social, and Communication Measures in Children with Autism or Other Developmental Disabilities

Purpose To examine patterns of sensory responsiveness (i.e., hyperresponsiveness, hyporesponsiveness, and sensory seeking) as factors that may account for variability in social-communicative sympto...
Observation of a structural transition from cubic to monoclinic in UMn2

Abstract X-ray and neutron experiments have established that UMn 2 distorts from cubic to monoclinic at 211.7 K. No evidence for magnetic ordering has been found. The β angle (90° in cubic phase) becomes 94.9° at 5 K, and large strain effects and an internal rearrangement of the uranium atoms occur. We propose that the transition is caused by the formation of strong 5 f bonds.
Flight Measurements of the Aero-Optical Environment Around a Flat-Windowed Turret

This paper discusses the aero-optical environment for a flat-window hemisphere-on-cylinder turret over a wide range of viewing angles during flight tests in the Airborne Aero-Optics Laboratory. Aero-optical aberrations around the turret were measured using a high-speed Shack–Hartmann wave-front sensor providing an extensive aero-optical mapping. The primary data were acquired at Mach 0.5 at an altitude of 15,000 ft, with a subset of the data collected at Mach 0.4 for verification of scaling relationships. Data were acquired holding the relative position between two aircrafts constant. Additional data sets were acquired allowing two aircrafts to change their relative positions so that slewing data could be acquired; this provided statistical data over a large range of viewing angles between looking-forward to looking-back angles. Results were analyzed, and the aero-optical contribution from different flow features over the turret was identified and discussed. Cross-correlation functions and convective spee...
Intermediate Coupling in the 1 p -Shell

The region between ${\mathrm{He}}^{4}$ and ${\mathrm{O}}^{16}$ is treated for the case of intermediate strength of spin-orbit coupling and central two-body interaction. Energy levels are presented as a function of the relative coupling strength parameter, $\frac{a}{K}$. Static electromagnetic moments are also computed as functions of $\frac{a}{K}$. Comparison with experimental results gives a fairly good picture, and determines a definite behavior for $\frac{a}{K}$ as a function of mass number. A possible interpretation of this behavior is suggested.
The effect of the resistance loading of inspiration and expiration on pulmonary stretch receptor discharge

Abstract Anesthetized, spontaneously breathing cats were used to examine the hypothesized role of slowly adapting pulmonary stretch receptors (PSR) in the control of breath duration. Initially, graded inspiratory and expiratory resistance loads were added to elucidate the inspiratory volume-time relationship with both vagi intanct. Unilateral vagotomy increased the slope of the V i -T i relationship indicating a reduction of the volume related modulation of T i .PSR frequency (f psr ) at end-inspiration also progressively decreased resulting in a f prs -T i rlationship qualitatively similar to the V i T i curve. Expiratory resistive loading also produced an increased slope for the V e -T e relationship when the right vagus nerve was severed. The prolongation of T e was associaated with a progressive increase in the number of PSR discharges during the loaded expiration. These results support the hypothesized role of PRS in the vagally mediated prolongation of T i and T e during resistive loading. In a subsequent series of experiments, the changes in f psr were correlated with the volume transpulmonary pressure (P tp ) changes. The f sr was lineraly related to P tp during both eupnic and loaded breathing. When f psr was plotted against volume, a clockwise hysteresis was observed. These results suggest that in the spontaneously breathing cat, intrathoracic PSR frequency varies as a function of the transmural pressure across the airways.
Sampling Larval Fish in the Littoral Zone of Western Lake Erie

Sampling techniques for larval fish were evaluated in the littoral zone (1- to 6-m deep) of western Lake Erie in 1975 and 1976. Catch rates were compared using slow-speed, 1-m-diameter plankton nets in daytime and nighttime oblique and stratified tows above bottom and in daytime epibenthic tows with an aluminum sled. Sampling efficiency also was compared using nets of 363-, 571-, 760-, and 1,000-μm mesh towed from 1 to 5 min. The most abundant larvae captured were clupeids (Alosa pseudoharengus and Dorosoma cepedianum), yellow perch (Perca flavescens), rainbow smelt (Osmerus mordax), and white bass (Morone chrysops) Larvae did not consistently occur in one stratum over another in water above bottom, but concentrated near bottom during the day. Oblique, nighttime tows above bottom caught at least 20 times the larvae caught in daylight tows above bottom. Post-yolk-sac larvae were most efficiently captured in nighttime oblique or stratified tows, while yolk-sac larvae were more efficiently captured by epibenthic, daytime tows. The 363-μm-mesh net retained more yolk-sac larvae than nets of larger mesh sizes and was at least as effective as the larger nets at capturing post-yolk-sac larvae. Nets with 571-μm mesh towed for 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5 min had similar catch rates so mesh plugging was not a problem under conditions sampled. Filtering rates of 363- and 760-μm mesh were similar to the filtering rate of 571-μm mesh when towed for 3 min. Precision (number of larvae caught per minute) and number of species caught were similar in tows more than 1-min long up to 5 min.
Optimal beam steering using time-delayed wavefront measurements in Airborne Laser target engagements

In Airborne Laser (ABL) target engagements, beam steering should account for the effects of turbulence-induced wavefront tilt. Due to the finite temporal response of adaptive-optical systems, steering commands must be based upon time-delayed wavefront measurements. The dynamics of the ABL target engagement scenario and turbulence-induced anisoplanatism cause the time-delayed wavefront measurements to be decorrelated from the required wavefront tilt correction. This decorrelation leads to suboptimal beam steering when time-delayed wavefront measurements are used directly in the control loop. To assess beam steering performance, we calculate the aperture-averaged mean square residual phase error after tilt correction, as a function of measurement time delay, and show that this quantity is minimized by the minimum mean square error (MMSE) estimate of tilt given a set of time-delayed wavefront measurements. Therefore, a temporal MMSE tilt estimator is constructed using time-delayed tilt plus higher-order aberration measurements. We define the tilt correction interval (tau) c as the time delay at which the residual phase error is 1% larger than its value at zero time delay. Our results show that (tau) c using the MMSE tilt estimator with modal measurements through Zernike 15 is over 3 times larger than (tau) c using time-delayed tilt measurements only. Accordingly, the beam steering bandwidth for ABL target engagements is reduced by more than 70% when higher order modal measurements are used in optimal tilt correction.© (1998) COPYRIGHT SPIE--The International Society for Optical Engineering. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.
The interaction between the iron-responsive element binding protein and its cognate RNA is highly dependent upon both RNA sequence and structure

To assess the influence of RNA sequence/structure on the interaction RNAs with the iron-responsive element binding protein (IRE-BP), twenty eight altered RNAs were tested as competitors for an RNA corresponding to the ferritin H chain IRE. All changes in the loop of the predicted IRE hairpin and in the unpaired cytosine residue characteristically found in IRE stems significantly decreased the apparent affinity of the RNA for the IRE-BP. Similarly, alteration in the spacing and/or orientation of the loop and the unpaired cytosine of the stem by either increasing or decreasing the number of base pairs separating them significantly reduced efficacy as a competitor. It is inferred that the IRE-BP forms multiple contacts with its cognate RNA, and that these contacts, acting in concert, provide the basis for the high affinity of this interaction.
Isolation of a chinese hamster ovary (CHO) cDNA encoding phosphatidylglycerophosphate (PGP) synthase, expression of which corrects the mitochondrial abnormalities of a PGP synthase-defective mutant of CHO-K1 cells.

Phosphatidylglycerophosphate (PGP) synthase catalyzes the first step in the cardiolipin (CL) branch of phospholipid biosynthesis in mammalian cells. In this study, we isolated a Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) cDNA encoding a putative protein similar in sequence to the yeast PGS1 gene product, PGP synthase. The gene for the isolated CHO cDNA was namedPGS1. Expression of the CHO PGS1 cDNA in CHO-K1 cells and production of a recombinant CHO PGS1protein with a N-terminal extension in Escherichia coliresulted in 15-fold and 90-fold increases of PGP synthase specific activity, respectively, establishing that CHO PGS1 encodes PGP synthase. A PGP synthase-defective CHO mutant, PGS-S, isolated previously (Ohtsuka, T., Nishijima, M., and Akamatsu, Y. (1993)J. Biol. Chem. 268, 22908–22913) exhibits striking reductions in biosynthetic rate and cellular content of phosphatidylglycerol (PG) and CL and shows mitochondrial morphological and functional abnormalities. The CHO PGS-S mutant transfected with the CHO PGS1 cDNA exhibited 620-fold and 7-fold higher PGP synthase activity than mutant PGS-S and wild type CHO-K1 cells, respectively, and had a normal cellular content and rate of biosynthesis of PG and CL. In contrast to mutant PGS-S, the transfectant had morphologically normal mitochondria. When the transfectant and mutant PGS-S cells were cultivated in a glucose-depleted medium, in which cellular energy production mainly depends on mitochondrial function, the transformant but not mutant PGS-S was capable of growth. These results demonstrated that the morphological and functional defects displayed by the PGS-S mutant are due directly to the reduced ability to make normal levels of PG and/or CL.
Introduction: The intellectual roots of media ecology

(2000). Introduction: The intellectual roots of media ecology. New Jersey Journal of Communication: Vol. 8, The intellectual roots of Media ecology, pp. 1-7.
The bhopalator: a molecular model of the living cell based on the concepts of conformons and dissipative structures

A molecular model of the living cell has been formulated based on a new theory of enzymic catalysis which takes into account the complementary roles of free energy and genetic information. The elementary units of free energy and genetic information that are necessary and sufficient for effectuating molecular mechanisms responsible for the life of the cell are called conformons. Conformons are visualized as a collection of a small number of catalytic residues of enzymes or segments of nucleic acids that are arranged in space and time with appropriate force vectors so as to cause chemical transformations or physical changes of a substrate or a bound ligand. So defined, conformons provide a plausible molecular means to link the genetic information stored in DNA and its ultimate expression, namely networks of coupled intracellular biochemical reactions and physical processes maintained by a continuous dissipation of free energy--dissipative structures of Prigogine. The proposed model of the living cell appears to possess the potential for bridging the gap between molecular biology and the biology of multicellular systems.
Frequency-dependence of neuromuscular blockade in the presence of d-tubocurarine

Abstract The frequency-dependence of neuromuscular blockade in the presence of d-tubocurarine (dTC) was studied in the vascular perfused rat phrenic nerve-hemidiaphragm preparation by intracellular recording. Endplate potential (EPP) amplitude decreased as the frequency of stimulation increased (2.5–40 Hz). Additionally, the slopes of the regression lines of EPP amplitude versus the log of stimulation frequency decreased when the dTC concentration was increased. Since the dependence of neuromuscular blockade on frequency was not enhanced by higher concentrations of dTC, the postjunctional channel-blocking hypothesis does not sufficiently explain frequency-dependent neuromuscular blockade in the presence of dTC. However, the present results are compatible with the hypothesis that dTC influences neuromuscular blockade via a prejunctional action, affecting acetylcholine release.
Fluoromethylene Cyanate Ester Resins. Synthesis, Characterization, and Fluoromethylene Chain Length Effects

Fluoromethylene cyanate ester resins derived from the monomer series N⋮CO−CH2(CF2)nCH2−OC⋮N (where n = 3, 4, 6, 8, and 10) have been synthesized and characterized. Monomer melting points range from −8 to 181 °C, and characterization includes 1H, 13C, and 19F NMR and IR spectroscopy and DSC. Purification is a critical requirement for melt processing. The thermal curing reaction is a cyclotrimerization reaction of the cyanate functional group to the cyanurate heterocycle. Physical properties of resin castings and their variation with an increase in fluoromethylene sequence length from 3 to 10 CF2 units include density, 1.77−1.91 g/cm3; critical surface tension, 40−23 dyn/cm; refractive index, 1.447−1.382; dielectric constant, 2.7−2.3; 100 °C immersion water absorption, 1.67−0.68%; Tg, 84−101 °C; glass/rubber thermal expansion coefficient, (109/238−152/275 ppm/ °C; and gravimetric thermal stability, 0.0196−0.0064% weight loss/min at 300 °C). Compared with aromatic cyanate ester resins, the fluoromethylene cy...
Interface absorption versus film absorption in HfO2 SiO2 thin-film pairs in the near-ultraviolet and the relation to pulsed-laser damage

Near-ultraviolet absorption in hafnium oxide and silica oxide thin-film pairs in a configuration strongly departing from the regular quarter-wave–thickness approach has been studied with the goal of separating film and interfacial contributions to absorption and pulsed laser damage. For this purpose, we manufactured a model HfO 2 SiO 2 thin-film coating containing seven HfO 2 layers separated by narrow SiO 2 layers and a single-layer HfO 2 film in one coating run. The two coatings were characterized by a one-wave total optical thickness for the HfO 2 material and similar E-field peak intensity inside the film. Absorption in the electron-beam–deposited films was measured using photothermal heterodyne imaging. By comparing absorption for the seven-layer and single-layer films, one can estimate the partial HfO 2 SiO 2 interface contribution. Relevance of obtained data to the thin-film pulsed-laser damage was verified by conducting 351-nm, nanosecond-laser–damage measurements and damage-morphology characterization using atomic force microscopy.
Effects of functional transection of the spinal cord on task performance under varied motivational conditions.

This investigation represented an effort to apply an activation theory of motivation to analyzing the performance capabilities of spinal-cord injured patients. The specific hypothesis was that the reduction of peripheral inputs to the brain resulting from functional spinal-cord transection affects both cognitive and non-cognitive task performance under specified motivational conditions. A verbal, serial-coding task was chosen for study since it requires sustained attention, yet its performance is not prejudiced by the specific sensory and motor losses resulting from spinal-cord injury. The performance of 20 patients with functionally complete transections of the cervical or upper thoracic cord was compared with that of 20 normal Ss matched with the patients for age, educational attainment, and verbal I.Q. All Ss performed the task under low, medium, and high incentive conditions so that the effects of different motivational levels could be assessed. The two groups were also compared on a non-cognitive, reaction time task involving EMG recordings of the frontalis muscle. Quantitative analysis of the results indicated that functional spinal-cord transection does not substantially affect serial-coding performance under varied incentive conditions or the speed of motor responses.
Polarizer-surface-analyzer null ellipsometry for film-substrate systems*

Single-pass polarizer–surface-analyzer null ellipsometry (PSA-NE) can be used to characterize film–substrate systems, provided that the film thickness lies within one of a set of permissible-thickness bands (PTB). For a transparent film on a transparent or absorbing substrate, the PTB structure consists of a small number of finite-bandwidth bands followed by a continuum band that extends from a film thickness of about half the wavelength of light to infinity. We show that this band structure is a direct consequence of the periodicity of the ellipsometric function ρ (the ratio Rp/Rs of the complex amplitude-reflection coefficients for the p and s polarizations) with film thickness. The PTB for the SiO2-Si film–substrate system at He–Ne laser and mercury spectral lines are calculated. The angles of incidence for PSA-NE on a film-substrate system with known film thickness are easily predicted with the help of a graphical construction in the angle of incidence-vs-thickness ϕd plane. PSA-NE is generally applicable to the determination of both film thickness and optical properties of a film-substrate system. The procedure for its application to the special, but important, case of film-thickness measurement alone, when the optical properties are known, is given and is checked experimentally by the determination of the oxide-film thickness on Si wafers. In an automated form, PSA-NE can be a serious competitor for interferometric reflectance methods.
Effect of Total Solids Level on Heat Inactivation of Pectinesterase in Orange Juice

Pectinesterase (PE) heat inactivation at various Brix did not obey first order reaction kinetics. Inactivation of PE at 10 - 35° Brix did follow straight line semilogarithm plots of enzyme activity versus time. However, at 40° Brix and above the semi-log graph between PE activity versus time was unclear. At high Brix levels a protective effect seemed to occur because the rate of enzyme inactivation declined. Increasing enzyme concentration in the 40° Brix sample showed that the curve was S-shaped or sigmoidal. Increasing pH from 4 to 7 decreased the “Thermal Death Time” from 18 set to 4 sec.
A multivariate contrast enhancement technique for multispectral images

Multispectral and true-color images are often enhanced using histogram-based methods, usually by adjustment of color components after transformation to a selected secondary color system. Enhancement aimed toward the preservation of certain important perceptual qualities generally calls for the secondary coordinate system to be perceptually based. However, independent modification of the secondary components seldom uses the full extent of the RGB gamut unless some color values are clipped at the RGB boundaries. Preserving perceptual attributes is sometimes less important than obtaining the greatest possible color contrast improvement. This is especially true for color composites derived from multispectral images, which have no significant basis in human perception. A new multivariate enhancement technique the authors have named "histogram explosion" is able to exploit nearly the full RGB extent without clipping. While not generally based upon a perceptual model, the method can preserve original hue values when parameters are chosen properly. Experimental results of histogram explosion are presented, along with an analysis of its computational complexity. >
Infliximab treatment reduces the serum levels of interleukin-23 in patients with rheumatoid arthritis

In this study, we investigated the effect of the antitumor necrosis factor alpha (anti-TNF-alpha) antibody, infliximab, combined with methotrexate (MTX) and MTX alone on the serum levels of interleukin (IL)-23 and IL-17 in rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients. Infliximab combined with MTX was administered to 26 patients with RA (infliximab group), and MTX alone was given to 20 patients with RA (MTX group). We evaluated clinical and laboratory parameters, including the Disease Activity Scores of 28 joints (DAS28) and serum levels of IL-23 and IL-17 at baseline and at 14 and 30 weeks after the initial treatment with these drugs. Single regression analysis was performed between the levels of serum IL-23 and other clinical and laboratory parameters at baseline before the initial treatment with infliximab or MTX. A significant reduction of DAS28 scores was observed in both the infliximab and the MTX group at 14 and 30 weeks after the initial treatment. A significant decrease in serum levels of IL-23 was observed in the infliximab group but not in the MTX group at 14 and 30 weeks after the initial treatment. Serum IL-17 levels did not show a significant change during the follow-up period. At baseline, before the initial treatment with infliximab or MTX, serum IL-23 levels showed a significant correlation with DAS28 and the number of swollen joints. This study indicated that the reduction of serum IL-23 levels in RA patients was a novel action of infliximab.
Reduced extracellular dopamine and increased responsiveness to novelty: neurochemical and behavioral sequelae of intermittent hypoxia.

Study Objectives: Vesicular monoamine transporter and dopamine D1receptor protein expression are upregulated within the striatum of adults rats exposed to intermittent hypoxic insults as neonates. These observations prompted us to test the hypothesis that intermittent hypoxic insults, occurring during this period of critical brain development, lead to persistent reductions in extracellular levels of dopamine within the striatum. We also tested the hypothesis that post-hypoxic rats exhibit increased novelty-induced behavioral activation and increased basal levels of locomotor activity, two indexes of impaired dopaminergic functioning. Study Design: Extracellular levels of dopamine were measured over a 50-hour interval via in-vivo microdialysis. Responsivity to novelty and basal levels of locomotor activity were measured via cubicles equipped with infrared transmitters and photosensors. Interventions: Between postnatal days 7 and 11, rat pups were exposed to intermittent hypoxia (20-second bursts of hypoxic gas consisting of 10% oxygen balance nitrogen; 60 events/hour) or compressed air for 6 hours during their major sleep period. On postnatal day 35, locomotor activity was continuously recorded over a 72-hour period. On postnatal day 42, extracellular levels of dopamine were determined in microdialysis samples collected at 30-minute intervals continuously for 50 hours. Measurements and Results: Post-hypoxic rats exhibited heightened behavioral activation when placed into the novel environment of locomotor-recording cubicles. Following 24 hours of adaptation to the cubicles, post-hypoxic rats exhibited locomotor hyperactivity during each dark phase of the circadian cycle, their typical waking period. These same rats also demonstrated reduced levels of extracellular dopamine during both the dark and light phases of the circadian cycle. Conclusions: We demonstrate increased responsivity to novelty, locomotor hyperactivity, and reduced levels of extracellular dopamine within the striata of juvenile rats exposed to intermittent hypoxic insults between postnatal days 7 and 11. These data, in conjunction with our previous observations, support our hypothesis that intermittent hypoxic insults occurring during a period of critical brain development lead to sequestration of dopamine presynaptically within nigrostriatal axons. We postulate that neonatally occurring hypoxic insults are one potential pathogenic mechanism underlying disorders of minimal brain dysfunction, such as attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder, characterized by executive dysfunction and hyper responsiveness to novel stimuli, which is responsive to agents promoting enhanced extracellular levels of
Educational theory and the social vision of the Scottish Enlightenment

The Scottish Enlightenment is celebrated for its many contributions to the natural sciences, the social sciences and the moral sciences. But for all this attention, one aspect of the Scottish Enlightenment has been almost entirely neglected: its educational theory. This paper aims to illuminate the relationship between the educational theory of the Scottish Enlightenment and the moral psychology and political theory of commerce, corruption and the civilising process that have long been recognised as distinguishing features of Scottish thought in the 18th century, giving special attention to the educational treatises of George Turnbull, David Fordyce and Henry Home, Lord Kames.
DFSS for shift quality using full-vehicle ADAMS model

Automatic transmission shift quality is a high-leverage attribute for customer satisfaction. Full-vehicle CAE models have been developed to enable prediction of shift quality before the availability of physical prototypes. The four phases of the Design for Six Sigma (DFSS) process: Define, Characterise, Optimise and Verify (DCOV) are used in conjunction with ADAMS full-vehicle models. Two candidate meta-models are developed, each of which represents a transfer function between automatic transmission torque output and a customer-correlated engineering metric, Vibration Dose Value (VDV).
Developing an Instrument to Measure Physical Activity Related Self-Worth in Women: Rasch Analysis of the Women's Physical Activity Self-Worth Inventory (WPASWI)

Abstract Objectives The objective of this study is to report on the development of an instrument to assess non-physical aspects of physical activity (PA)-related self-worth (SW). Methods Three hundred thirty five women (mean age = 36.69 ± 15.94 yrs, BMI = 24.87 ± 4.56) completed the Women's Physical Activity Self-Worth Inventory (WPASWI), General SW Scale, and a PA Questionnaire. Rasch analysis was used to evaluate the WPASWI. Results Three PA-related SW subscales were identified: PA Knowledge (16 items), PA Emotional (13 items), and PA Social (8 items). Rasch analysis supported construct validity, and items demonstrated acceptable internal consistency (Cronbach's alpha = 0.90, 0.87 and 0.72) and test-re-test reliability ( r = 0.79, 0.70, 0.81). Women who reported regular PA participation had higher PA Knowledge, PA Emotional, PA Social, and General SW than those who reported some or no PA ( p r = 0.344, 0.273, respectively) than did General SW ( r = 0.133). Conclusions The WPASWI demonstrated good internal consistency, reliability, construct validity and a stronger relationship with PA than a General SW instrument.
The Farm System Under Duress: Agricultural Adaptations on the Cape Verde Islands

The Cape Verde Islands have suffered periodic drought since their occupation in the 15th century. On Santiago, the largest agricultural island, farmers have developed two alternative adaptive strategies to survive in a stressful environment. One such strategy involves the employment of modern technology, primarily in the form of irrigation. This response to drought leads to commercial farms responsive to market and price signals. The second strategy is a subsistence rainfed farm system that relies heavily on the "sharing of scarcity." Social institutions assure that the maximum number of farmers have access to both land and labor, the critical (and scarce) resources in agriculture. Also, agricultural output from the rainfed farm is shared among households in the community. In contrast to the more modern irrigated farm, the subsistence system has little need for purchased inputs, and little output enters the market. This paper relates these distinct strategies to Farming Systems Research and Extension (FSR...
Well‐defined epoxide‐containing styrenic polymers and their functionalization with alcohols

Polymers containing electrophilic moieties, such as activated esters, epoxides, and alkyl halides, can be readily modified with a variety of nucleophiles to produce useful functional materials. The modification of epoxide-containing polymers with amines and other strong nucleophiles is well-documented, but there are no reports on the modification of such polymers with alcohols. Using phenyloxirane and glycidyl butyrate as low molecular weight model compounds, it was determined that the acid-catalyzed ring-opening of aryl-substituted epoxides by alcohols to form β-hydroxy ether products was significantly more efficient than that of alkyl-substituted epoxides. An aryl epoxide-type styrenic monomer, 4-vinylphenyloxirane (4VPO), was synthesized in high yield using an improved procedure and then polymerized in a controlled manner under reversible addition-fragmentation chain-transfer (RAFT) polymerization conditions. A successful chain extension with styrene proved the high degree of chain-end functionalization of the poly4VPO-based macro chain transfer agent. Poly4VPO was modified with a library of alcohols and phenols, some of which contained reactive functionalities, e.g., azide, alkyne, allyl, etc., using either CBr4 (in PhCN at 90 °C for 2–3 days) or BF3 (in CH2Cl2 at ambient temperature over 30 min) as the catalyst. The resulting β-hydroxy ether-functionalized homopolymers were characterized using size exclusion chromatography, 1H NMR and IR spectroscopy, and thermal gravimetric analysis. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Polym. Sci., Part A: Polym. Chem. 2015
Padding the Revolving Door: An Initial Assessment of the Uniform Alcoholism and Intoxication Treatment Act in Practice

The widespread adoption of the Uniform Alcoholism and Intoxication Treatment Act raises important questions of theory and of policy. Because the Act is partly a move toward official medicalization and decriminalization of public drunkenness, it raises a theoretical question about the applicability of the “sick role” to public inebriates. It also raises policy questions about the differential efficacy of a medical vs. a criminal approach to the social control of public drunkenness. We draw upon both police records and public detoxification treatment records in a before-and-after study of the impact of the adoption of the new Act in the Seattle area. We find that many of the intentions of the Act seem to have been realized: (1) basically the same “clientele” that used to be processed through “the drunk tank” is now being processed through the public detoxification center, and (2) this clientele continues to be predominantly of the “skidroad” type; (3) the clientele is being handled primarily by civilian patrols, rather than by the police, although (4) the overall level of social control activity on skidroad, from both sources, remains about the same, a finding consistent with the Durkheim-Erikson “constancy dictum.” However, the most important expectation of the new Act, a decline in the classical “revolving door” pattern, is not being realized. In fact, the transition from drunktank to detox-center processing has been accompanied by a four-fold increase in recidivism, and only a small proportion of detox clients are accepting referral to treatment programs. Both theoretical and policy implications of these findings are discussed
Advancement on techniques for the separation and maintenance of the red imported fire ant colonies

Advancement has recently been made on the techniques for separating and maintaining colonies of red imported fire ants, Solenopsis invicta Buren. A new brood rescue method significantly improved the efficiency in separating colony from mound soil. Furthermore, a new method was developed to separate brood from the colony using fire ant repellants. Finally, a cost-effective method was developed to coat containers with diluted Fluon ® (AGC Chemicals America, Inc, Moorestown, NJ, USA), an aqueous polytetrafluoroethylene, to prevent housed ants from escaping a container. Usually the original Fluon ® solution is directly applied to the wall of the containers. Reduced concen- trations of Fluon ® were found to be equally effective in preventing ant escape. The use of diluted Fluon ® solutions to coat the containers was recommended because of environmental and cost-saving benefits. Application of these new techniques can significantly reduce labor, cost and environmental contamination. This review paper collates all the new techniques in one reference which readers can use as a manual.
The emergence of competing modules in bilingualism

How does the brain manage to store and process multiple languages without encountering massive interference and transfer? Unless we believe that bilinguals live in two totally unconnected cognitive worlds, we would expect far more transfer than actually occurs. However, imaging and lesion studies have not provided consistent evidence for the strict neuronal separation predicted by the theory of modularity. We suggest that emergentist theory offers a promising alternative. It emphasizes the competitive interplay between multiple languages during childhood and by focusing on the dual action of competition and entrenchment, avoids the need to invoke a critical period to account for age of acquisition effects in second-language learning. This view instantiates the motto formulated by Elizabeth Bates that‘modules are made, not born.’
1.5-photons/bit photon-counting optical communications using Geiger-mode avalanche photodiodes

We demonstrate a photon-counting communications link using Geiger-mode avalanche photodiodes. High-efficiency pulse-position modulation and forward error correcting codes are used to demonstrate a receiver sensitivity of 1.5 incident photons/bit.
Unraveling intestinal malrotation with 3-dimensional computed tomography.

3 27-year-old woman presented with transient episodes of acute-onset colicky abdominal pain accomanied by irregular bowel habits. An abdominal comuted tomography (CT) at another facility suggested idgut volvulus and malrotation. Subsequent CT entergraphy performed at our institution showed the classic igns of malrotation complicated by midgut volvulus. In igure A the cecum (asterisk) is seen in the left midabomen anteriorly, with the duodenum and small bowel o the right of the midline. The superior mesenteric vein ies to the left of the superior mesenteric artery origin, nd makes 3 helical turns around the axis of the superior esenteric artery (Figure B). Because many people proceed through life asymptomtically and without diagnosis of their intestinal anomaies, the true incidence of malrotation is hard to deterine. Barium enema series and autopsy series suggest hat upwards of .2% to 1% of the population may harbor uch variations. The adults who go on to become sympomatic may present with a spectrum of symptoms, from ague recurrent abdominal pain to acute bowel obstrucion and ischemia. Vertical or reversed relationships of he superior mesenteric vein and artery are suggestive, ut neither sensitive nor specific, for malrotation. With he increasing use of CT, the incidental finding of malotation may become the most common presentation of alrotation in adulthood. Controversy still exists as to whether surgical interention is warranted in all patients, or only in those who re symptomatic. Attempts have been made to identify rognostic features in asymptomatic patients, but no niversal standards exist yet.
Excedances of affine permutations

We introduce an excedance statistic for the group of affine permutations S?n and determine the generating function of its distribution. The proof involves working with enumerating lattice points in a skew version of the root polytope of type A. We also show that the left coset representatives of the quotient S?n/Sn correspond to increasing juggling sequences and determine their Poincare series.
Unsolved Problems in Prominence Research

Understanding the magnetic, field structure of prominences is a challenge to both observers and theorists. A model for the magnetic field of a prominence must be able to fulfill several basic functions. The model must explain why prominences erupt and prescribe the conditions that lead to eruption. Additionally, the pre-emption field configuration must be consistent with the observed structure of quiescent prominences and account for their gravitational and thermal stability. So far, there are no models which can satisfy all these conditions.
Designing Effective Documents for Destination Information Systems

This article summarizes the results of research into cognitive and usability issues related to the design of online documents such as those used in destination information systems. The literature reveals that several topics are consistently found important: expectations, metaphors, consistency and coherence, performance, context, feedback, and controls. The article goes on to suggest an empirically supported set of guidelines for the design of online documents in destination information systems.
An efficient logic fault diagnosis framework based on effect-cause approach

Fault diagnosis plays an important role in improving the circuit design process and the manufacturing yield. With the increasing number of gates in modern circuits, determining the source of failure in a defective circuit is becoming more and more challenging. In this research, we present an efficient effect-cause diagnosis framework for combinational VLSI circuits. The framework consists of three stages to obtain an accurate and reasonably precise diagnosis. First, an improved critical path tracing algorithm is proposed to identify an initial suspect list by backtracing from faulty primary outputs toward primary inputs. Compared to the traditional critical path tracing approach, our algorithm is faster and exact. Second, a novel probabilistic ranking model is applied to rank the suspects so that the most suspicious one will be ranked at or near the top. Several fast filtering methods are used to prune unrelated suspects. Finally, to refine the diagnosis, fault simulation is performed on the top suspect nets using several common fault models. The difference between the observed faulty behavior and the simulated behavior is used to rank each suspect. Experimental results on ISCAS85 benchmark circuits show that this diagnosis approach is efficient both in terms of memory space and CPU time and the diagnosis results are accurate and reasonably precise.
Model Risk: Lessons from Past Catastrophes

Financial engineers should study past crises and model breakdowns rather than simply extrapolate from recent successes. The first part of this chapter reviews the 2008 disaster in convertible bonds and convertible arbitrage. Next, activity in nineteenth century option markets is examined to explore the importance of modern theory in pricing derivatives. The final section reviews the linkage between theory and practice in bridge building. The particularly interesting analogy is the constructive direction taken by engineers after the highly visible, catastrophic failure of the Tacoma Narrows Bridge in 1940. Engineers were reminded that highly realistic models may increase the likelihood of failure if they reduce the buffer against factors ignored by the model. Afterward, they focused efforts on making bridges robust enough to withstand eventualities they did not fully understand and could not forecast with accuracy.
Super Coumadin-Induced Hemorrhagic and Thrombotic Coagulopathy: A Case Report

An unusual presentation of brodifacoum toxicity involving both clinically significant hemorrhage and thrombosis is discussed. The effect of super Coumadin compounds on vitamin K-dependent factors in the coagulation cascade and on proteins C and S is evaluated. Exposure to the rodenticide caused the patient to experience hemorrhage, …
Robust packaging solutions through innovative designs in clip-QFN

The quality and success of a product starts from a right design. Geometry of lead frames and clips are crucial components in manufacturability and long term reliability of clip-QFN packages. Every product has a unique set of component lay-out and configuration; and this doesn't mean outright BOM (bill of material) compatibility for new product built on similar qualified package. Die dimension and component stack up for instance require careful considerations. During design stage, features such as stress relief and geometry should be comprehended. Clip design also indicates the assembly manufacturability of the product. Clip frames must maintain a robust design in adapting to the specific packaging requirement while maintaining the mechanical integrity to withstand multiple assembly operations. Poor designs can lead to reliability issues most notable during thermal cycle testing. This paper will cover the entire clip-QFN design journey, the clip-QFN top defects reduction and elimination that TI Clark is aspiring toward.
Investor attention and the expected returns of reits

Abstract This study investigates the effect of retail investor attention on the expected returns of REITs. The attention-induced price pressure hypothesis of Barber and Odean (2008) suggests that increased attention leads to increased buying, which temporarily pushes prices and returns higher. This upward trend in prices and returns is followed by a reversal. We test the attention hypothesis on REITs from 2004 to 2012 using Search Volume Index (SVI) data in Google Trends. We find that REITs that generate high retail investor attention, as measured by SVI, earn higher returns compared to REITs that generate no retail investor attention. The results are driven by small stocks and stocks with high book to market ratio. We report that the SVI effect is not due to impediments to trade and conjecture that SVI increases retail investor recognition among REITs that are characterized by information incompleteness, leading to higher returns. Over time, this increase in returns is followed by a reversal.
The Use of Video Recording and Standardized Patient Feedback to Improve Communication Performance in Undergraduate Nursing Students

Abstract Background This study assessed the effectiveness of reviewing video recordings of simulations with standardized patients (SPs) on communication performance. Method A total of 94 undergraduate nursing students consented to be part of the study. A prospective, repeated measures survey design was used. Participants were randomized into video-recording and non–video-recording groups. SPs rated students' performance, and students used the same tool to rate their own performance. Results There was no significant difference between the groups over time. However, both groups improved significantly over time. There was a moderately strong, significant correlation between students' self-rating scores and the ratings by SPs. Conclusions Intentional communication training using SP feedback improved communication skill performance. More evidence is needed to support video review.
Analysis and Valuation of Insurance Companies

During 2008 and 2009, the insurance industry experienced unprecedented volatility. The large swings in insurers’ market valuations, and the significant role that financial reporting played in the uncertainty surrounding insurance companies during that period, highlight the importance of understanding insurers’ financial information and its implications for the risk and value of insurance companies. To facilitate an informed use of insurers’ financial reports, this manuscript reviews the accounting practices of insurance companies, discusses the financial analysis and valuation of insurers, summarizes relevant insights from academic research, and provides related empirical evidence. The paper contains three sections. The first section describes the insurance business, including activities and organization of insurance companies, products and services, distribution channels, competition, regulation, taxation, and risks and risk management. The second section discusses how insurance activities are reflected in financial reports. Specifically, for each key line item from insurers’ financial statements, the study provides evidence on the economic significance of the item, reviews the related US accounting principles, discusses earnings quality issues, describes analyses and red flags that inform on the item’s quality, reviews selected research findings, and describes the primary differences between International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS) and US GAAP. Building on the discussion and analyses in the previous two sections, the third section addresses the valuation of insurance companies. The section starts by discussing the primary drivers of insurers’ intrinsic value, including profitability, growth prospects and cost of equity capital, as well as accounting quality indicators that inform on the reliability of the measured drivers. It then describes relative and fundamental valuation models that translate those fundamentals into value estimates. Finally, in the context of fundamental valuation models, the study presents a template for forecasting the key financial statement line items of insurance companies.
The Oratory of Ronald Reagan

In the aftermath of Watergate and the ‘malaise’ that characterised the Carter administration, Ronald Reagan defined the 1980s and the larger conservative movement by crafting a narrative that called for what he delineated as the rediscovery of American greatness. This narrative astutely combined the traditional conservative theme of preservation of the past with an optimistic view of the future more commonly associated with liberalism. In order to understand the power of Reagan’s narrative, this chapter examines key moments in his presidency that exemplify three themes: morality, strength, and patriotism. He communicated those themes, we argue, through deft use of narrative and metaphor. Starting with his acceptance speech in 1980, we look to his State of the Union speeches, the Challenger address, his speech at Brandenburg Gate, and his farewell address in 1989. These speeches cover the scope of Reagan’s presidency and encapsulate the main components of his vision for American national identity. This chapter proceeds in four parts. First, we examine the historical context of the election and presidency of Ronald Reagan. Second, we detail Reagan’s domestic agenda, which focused on rediscovering American values at home. Next, we turn to Reagan’s rhetoric as it centred on reasserting American values and spreading American democracy. We conclude with a discussion of the ways in which Reagan’s rhetoric crafted contemporary conservative political discourse and culture.