cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Experiments concerning infrared diffuse reflectance standards in the range 0.8 to 20.0 microns

Goniometric measurements of the diffuse reflectance of infrared radiation have been made on 32 samples of 20 different materials. For the most part the materials were finely divided powders of metallic and semimetallic elements and compounds, with a firmly packed surface presented to the radiation. A globar source operating at 1330°K was used, and the reflectance characteristics of the materials to radiation of wavelengths greater or less than 4.0 microns were studied by means of a quartz filter.Arbitrary comparison factors have been developed by means of which the diffuse reflectance of the materials can be rated with respect to cosine law distribution and spectral reflectivity. The measurements show that of the materials tested, sulfur, sodium chloride, selenium, and aluminum have the most favorable characteristics. Several other interesting phenomena of more academic interest which were observed in the experimentation are discussed.
Origin of the sediments and submarine geomorphology of the inner continental shelf off Choctawhatchee bay, Florida

Abstract A portion of the inner continental shelf in the northern Gulf of Mexico exhibits sinusoidal, submarine ridges and troughs oriented roughly 70° to the strand line. Almost perpendicular to the ridges and troughs are two linear sand bodies lying at 70 and 90 ft. (21 and 27 m) depths. A thin lamina of clayey silt covers the coarse, clean sands forming this topography. Sediments comprising the sand bodies are distinguishable from surrounding sediments by their larger grain size and higher heavy mineral content. The ridges display coarser, better sorted sediments with higher heavy mineral percentages than the troughs. It is proposed that the sand bodies originated as barrier islands and/or spits during the Late Wisconsin regression. Fluvial action cut the ridge and trough topography into the terrace and the recent, Wisconsin sea level rise modified the topography to its present form. Radiocarbon dates the youngest aspects of the 70 ft. deep sand body as at least 5,000 years B.P.
National healthcare initiatives and pursuit of wrist surgery innovations: a report of the 2011-2012 Sterling Bunnell Traveling Fellow.

Every year since 1982, the American Society for Surgery of the Hand has sponsored a young member as its Bunnell Traveling Fellow. Named eponymously for the late physician and father of hand surgery, the Sterling Bunnell Traveling Fellowship enables young hand surgeons to foster national and international relationships that contribute to their higher learning and advance the principles of scholarship by improving treatment of hand and upper extremity disorders. This report is an account of the experiences and insights I gained while exploring national health care initiatives and wrist surgery innovations.
Comparison theorems on moduli of continuity

Abstract Some comparison results are presented here for the first, second, and L p -moduli of continuity of a continuously differentiable function and its higher order derivatives. The multivariate case is also discussed.
Inexpensive advanced graphics applications for the C.S. majors graphics class

To demonstrate more advanced topics we have changed the focus of our graphics assignments in our upper division C.S. majors course from strictly programming basic algorithms to working in existing software packages. In addition to three standard programming assignments in Pascal or C the students perform experiments and develop designs with L-grammar, fractal generator, morph, ray-tracing, and animation packages. Excellent and inexpensive versions of all these systems are available through shareware or freeware. The student response has been overwhelmingly positive.
Cigarette smoking and lung cancer: A study of cognitive dissonance

(1962). Cigarette smoking and lung cancer: A study of cognitive dissonance. Australian Journal of Psychology: Vol. 14, No. 1, pp. 55-64.
Pathway Analysis Approaches for Rare and Common Variants: Insights From Genetic Analysis Workshop 18

Pathway analysis, broadly defined as a group of methods incorporating a priori biological information from public databases, has emerged as a promising approach for analyzing high-dimensional genomic data. As part of Genetic Analysis Workshop 18, seven research groups applied pathway analysis techniques to whole-genome sequence data from the San Antonio Family Study. Overall, the groups found that the potential of pathway analysis to improve detection of causal variants by lowering the multiple-testing burden and incorporating biologic insight remains largely unrealized. Specifically, there is a lack of best practices at each stage of the pathway approach: annotation, analysis, interpretation, and follow-up. Annotation of genetic variants is inconsistent across databases, incomplete, and biased toward known genes. At the analysis stage insufficient statistical power remains a major challenge. Analyses combining rare and common variants may have an inflated type I error rate and may not improve detection of causal genes. Inclusion of known causal genes may not improve statistical power, although the fraction of explained phenotypic variance may be a more appropriate metric. Interpretation of findings is further complicated by evidence in support of interactions between pathways and by the lack of consensus on how to best incorporate functional information. Finally, all presented approaches warranted follow-up studies, both to reduce the likelihood of false-positive findings and to identify specific causal variants within a given pathway. Despite the initial promise of pathway analysis for modeling biological complexity of disease phenotypes, many methodological challenges currently remain to be addressed.
Sulfur Oxide Reactions: Radioactive Sulfur and Microprobe Studies of Corrosion and Deposits

The reactions of SO2 and SO3 with catalytic surfaces containing iron oxides, alone and in combination with various sodium salts, have been investigated. The SO3 concentration gradients above the surfaces were measured using a microprobe technique, showing that, as much as 2000 ppm SO3 can exist in a slowly flowing gas stream immediately next to a surface. Radioactive sulfur was employed as a tracer to determine the roles of SO2 and SO3 in reactions with these surfaces leading to formation of alkali iron trisulfates. These measurements indicated that on a molar basis, SO3 is 30,000 times more reactive than SO2 + O2 in forming complex sulfates with a mixture of sodium sulfate and iron oxide.
Geometrical-optics approximation for the electromagnetic fields in layered-inhomogeneous liquid-crystalline structures

A general formalism for finding the electromagnetic fields in layered-inhomogeneous liquid-crystalline planar-anisotropic structures using the geometrical-optics approximation is presented. Explicit expressions for the fields in the zeroth-order geometrical-optics approximation are obtained. The criterion for the zeroth-order approximation to be valid is given. The results are applied to a wave propagation in a periodically bent nematic liquid crystal, and excellent agreement between the geometrical-optics approximation and the exact solution is demonstrated.
Perception and practice of writing for publication by faculty at a doctoral-granting university

Of a faculty of 685 at a doctoral-granting university, 400 completed a questionnaire (the Writing Habits Survey) indicating the patterns and conditions under which they write for publication, the techniques they employ to facilitate their writing, and the factors that inhibit their writing. Overall, faculty seemed to devote substantial efforts to writing, they reported using rather unsystematic methods of writing, and they cited a lack of time as the chief constraint on their writing. The most productive writers seemed to work at writing in a regular (as opposed to sporadic) fashion, to have little anxiety about writing, and to minimize negative attitudes about the editorial process.
Waist-to-Hip Ratio, Anthropometrics and Metabolic Rate in Normal-Weight Asian Women

Abstract LEARNING OUTCOME: To describe the relationship between body fat distribution, anthropometric variables, and metabolic rate. People with central obesity tend to have a higher resting energy expenditure (REE) compared to lower-body obese individuals since intra-abdominal fat is more metabolically active than peripheral fat. This study was conducted to analyze the relationship bewteen REE and waist-to-hip ratio (WHR), an indicator of body fat distribution, in normal-weight Asian women. Twenty-three healthy normal-weight Asian women (27.6±6.8y) participated in this study. REE was measured in the morning after an overnight fast using open-circuit indirect calorimetry. Waist and hip circumferences, height, weight, and skinfold thicknesses were determined. Descriptive statistics were performed and Pearson's correlation was used to determine the association between REE and anthropometric variables. There was no correlation between WHR and REE; however, there was a positive correlation between WHR and percent body fat (r=0.45; p
Fragmentation of a nonisothermal protostellar cloud

The collapse of a very low thermal energy, rotating cloud results in fragmentation to a binary protostellar system even in the nonisothermal regime. The solar system therefore probably did not form from a fragmentation hierarchy involving ejection of the presolar nebula from a multiple system.
Management of Acute Conjunctivitis

Acute conjunctivitis can be caused by viral, bacterial, and allergic sources. There is growing need for rapid diagnostics and effective therapies given the significant economic burden and pervasive nature of the disease. Additionally, with growing microbial resistance, practice guidelines should encourage appropriate use of antibiotics, limited to clinical situations with proven benefit. New in-office detectors may enable rapid definitive diagnosis among clinically similar entities. Development of and studies examining steroid-sparing immunomodulators for conjunctivitis are warranted.
Intramolecular excimer formation and energy migration in head-to-head polystyrene

Abstract Head-to-head polystyrene (HH-PS), in which the phenyl rings are separated by either two or four carbon atoms, displays predominantly fluorescence from monomeric units. No excimer emission is observable even when the polymer is dissolved in increasingly thermodynamically poorer solvents. This is strongly suggestive that excimer formation in normal head-to-tail polystyrene (HT-PS) occurs primarily between nearest-neighbouring chromophores. Intramolecular energy migration is shown to be negligible in both fluid and solid solutions of HH-PS. This is in direct contrast to the case with HT-PS in fluid solutions in which an energy migration coefficient of 7.5 × 10−5 cm2s−1 and an energy migration frequency of 4.1 × 1011s−1 were determined.
Marine Cretaceous-Tertiary boundary section in southwestern South Dakota

A distinctive zone of disrupted strata, which we interpret as a distal manifestation of the end-Cretaceous Chicxulub impact event, occurs over 300 km 2 in southwestern South Dakota. This disrupted zone is within the Fox Hills Formation, ranges from 0.5 to 5 m in thickness, and contains large-scale slump-roll structures, clastic dikes, flame structures, and massive, homogenized beds. The zone is ∼0.5 m above a belemnite fauna Sr dated as 67.6 ± 0.5 Ma, contains scaphitid ammonites characteristic of the Jeletzkytes nebrascensis ammonite zone of the Fox Hills Formation, and is capped by a 0.5–4-cm-thick brownish-black mudstone that contains spherules. Pollen of the late Maastrichtian Wodehouseia spinata palynostratigraphic zone occurs immediately above and below the disrupted zone. The disrupted zone is overlain by an additional 25 m of marine Fox Hills Formation. These stratigraphic relationships suggest that the upper part of the Fox Hills Formation in this part of South Dakota is Paleocene; that the Western Interior Seaway was locally present well into the Paleocene; and that scaphitid ammonites may range the Cretaceous-Tertiary (K-T) boundary.
Mind over matter

The Large, the Small and the Human Mind by Roger Penrose Cambridge University Press: 1997. Pp. 185. £14.95, $19.95
The migration of a Si atom adsorbed on the Si(100)-2 × 1 surface

Abstract We use the Stillinger-Weber potential to examine the migration of a Si atom adsorbed on Si(100)-2 × 1 surface. The adsorption sites and the barriers between them are determined by energy minimization and used to estimate the rates of the site to site hopping. A stochastic kinetic simulation uses these rates to determine how the adsorbed atom migrates on the surface. We find that the mobility is highly anisotropic and that the motion is quasi one-dimensional. The particle diffuses along the dimer row and then it gets trapped on sites located between the dimers. The activation energy for the diffusion constant is a complicated function of the energy barriers separating the surface sites and the pre-exponential factor may have unusual values.
Experimentally Simulating Wind Driven Firebrand Showers in Wildland-urban Interface (WUI) Fires: Overview of the NIST Firebrand Generator (NIST Dragon) Technology

Abstract Evidence suggests that wind driven firebrand showers are a major cause of structural ignition in Wildland-Urban Interface (WUI) fires. While firebrands have been researched for over four decades, prior studies have focused mainly on how far firebrands fly and are of limited use to design firebrand resistant structures. The NIST Firebrand Generator (NIST Dragon) is an experimental device that can generate a firebrand shower in a safe and repeatable fashion. Since wind plays a critical role in the spread of WUI fires in the USA and urban fires in Japan, NIST has established collaboration with the Building Research Institute (BRI) in Japan. BRI maintains one of the only full scale wind tunnel facilities in the world designed specifically for fire experimentation; the Fire Research Wind Tunnel Facility (FRWTF). The coupling of the NIST Firebrand Generator and BRI's FRWTF is leading to progress in assessing vulnerabilities of structures to a firebrand attack. A brief summary of key results to date using the NIST Dragon installed in the FRWTF are provided in this paper as well as a description of the NIST Dragon's LAIR (Lofting and Ignition Research) facility. The Dragon's LAIR is the only experimental facility capable of simulating continuous wind driven firebrand showers at bench scale. In addition, a detailed description of a new experimental apparatus is presented here for the first time. This device is known as the NIST full scale continuous feed Firebrand Generator (the NIST continuous feed Dragon).When installed inside BRI's FRWTF, the full scale continuous feed Dragon, an improvement of the NIST Dragon, is the first and only experimental apparatus capable of generating, continuous wind driven, controlled firebrand showers that may be directed onto full scale building elements. This paper closes with a discussion of future research needs and opportunities for collaboration.
The role of initial fabric on strain determination from deformed ellipsoidal objects

Abstract Twenty-one samples of undeformed conglomerates, sandstones, tuffs, oolites, and pisolites from Precambrian to Pleistocene in age were collected from a variety of geologic environments. Each sample was sectioned on three mutually-perpendicular faces with one face parallel to bedding. Selected samples were also sectioned at 60 and 30 degrees to the bedding plane. The shape and orientation of at least 100 particles were measured on each section. Particle shape ranges from nearly circular in some samples to highly eccentric in others. Sections parallel with bedding have essentially random fabrics (no preferred orientation of particles). Sections not parallel with bedding have a preferred orientation of particles along the bedding trace but particles with all orientations do exist. The fabric distributions on the polar plot (Elliott, 1970) are often irregular in shape and the initial circle point lies well within the distribution in all cases. Transformation equations for the final shape and orientation of an individual particle using known shapes and orientations of the initial particle and the strain ellipse are used to construct the resultant fabrics after homogeneous simulated strains of several directions and magnitudes. The resultant fabrics can be used as a test of utility and accuracy of strain determination methods. A simple algebraic method of strain determination is found to be fairly accurate. If the initial fabrics measured in this study are representative, the accuracy of the method can be increased with the use of an error function, introduced herein.
A discussion of ‘corporate disclosure by family firms’

Abstract Using a unique empirical setting, family firms in the S&P 500, Ali et al. [Ali, A., Chen, T.-Y., Radhakrishnan, S., 2007. Corporate disclosures by family firms. Journal of Accounting and Economics, doi:10.1016/j.jacceco.2007.01.006 ] contribute to a growing body of research on the relation between corporate governance and corporate disclosure quality. Using an indicator variable for sub-sample membership as an instrument for differing agency costs, the authors interpret their findings as consistent with family firms facing lower overall agency costs and providing higher quality corporate disclosures. However, their empirical findings are open to alternative interpretations and in totality present relatively weak, indirect evidence of a relation between corporate governance and the quality of corporate disclosure.
Individual differences in valence weighting: When, how, and why they matter

Abstract Recent research has shown that individuals vary in the extent to which they weight positive versus negative information during attitude generalization, i.e., their valence weighting bias (Pietri, Fazio, & Shook, 2013). As of yet, little is known about the conditions under which such valence weighting is likely to affect behavior and the consequences of that behavior. Experiments 1 and 2 tested the idea that the relative weight individuals give to positives versus negatives may influence their formation of an initial evaluative response, which will serve as a default provided that they do not have the motivation and opportunity to deliberate further. When opportunity was restricted by the requirement to respond quickly, participants showed greater correspondence between their weighting bias and their approach–avoidance behavior toward objects in a novel environment (Experiment 1). When an experimental manipulation motivated them to mistrust their initial responses, participants showed less correspondence between their weighting bias and risk-taking behavior than when they were motivated to trust their initial responses (Experiment 2). Experiment 3 investigated the downstream consequences of this valence weighting bias for attitude maintenance versus change. Those with a more negative weighting bias gave greater weight to negative information that was actually false, avoided testing the associated stimuli, and hence did not discover their true value. Those with a more positive weighting bias gave less weight to the negative information, tested the associated stimuli more fully, and overcame the false negative information. Implications for exploration, attitude maintenance, and prejudice are discussed.
The relative roles of external taurine concentration and medium osmolality in the regulation of taurine transport in LLC-PK1 and MDCK cells.

Taurine is a β-sulfonic amino acid that serves as a nutrient important for developing brain and retina and as an osmolyte in the medullary collecting duct. The activity of the taurine transport system is regulated by substrate supply and by the external osmolality; these two stimuli induce changes in taurine transport. Increased medium osmolality (500 mosmol) stimulates taurine uptake into MDCK cells but not LLC-PK1 cells. The enhanced taurine uptake that occurs in response to hyperosmolality is localized primarily to the basolateral surface of MDCK cells, whereas the adaptive response to medium taurine concentration is expressed on both the apical and the basolateral surfaces of both cell lines. The response of MDCK cells to medium osmolality requires protein synthesis and RNA transcription and is expressed in the presence of microtubular toxins. When cell monolayers were loaded with taurine by incubation in high-taurine medium before increasing medium osmolality, the expected increase in taurine uptake was blunted. Similarly, increased external β-alanine (500 μM) also prevented the anticipated increase in taurine accumulation in response to hypertonicity; aminoisobutyric acid and betaine (500 μM) partially prevented the increase in taurine transport after hypertonicity, whereas L-alanine had no effect. The concentration of taurine or structurally similar analogs in the external medium might modify the response of taurine accumulation after exposure to hypertonic medium, in that taurine-replete cells behave differently than taurine-depleted cells. These studies indicate that there are at least two distinct mechanisms involved in the regulation of taurine transport: external taurine concentration and medium osmolality, with taurine concentration seeming to be the predominant stimulus. Thus, the changes in cell taurine transport depend on the physiologic stimulus as well as the cell studied, a phenomenon that might be related to the renal tubular site of origin.
Symmetric stereographic orientation parameters applied to constrained spacecraft attitude control

The full kinematic properties of a minimal set of rigid body attitude coordinates called Symmetric Stereographic Orientation Parameters (SSOPs) are developed. These coordinates result from a stereographic projection of the Euler parameter constraint hypersphere onto a three-dimensional hyper-plane. As discussed in previous work [5], this family contains the well-known classical and modified Rodrigues parameters. Considering general SSOP projection points, transformations to the Euler parameters and the direction cosine matrix are discussed. The set of three SSOP coordinates have the unique feature that the associated singularity can be placed at a desired principal rotation angle by adjusting the projection point. In contrast to the Rodrigues parameters, the SSOP coordinates do not represent a unique orientation. The impact of this non-uniqueness on the constrained spacecraft attitude control problem is discussed. An attitude feedback control law in terms of SSOPs will inherently avoid reaching this singular attitude description, and thus constrain the attitude error response to be within a well-defined cone. Lyapunov’s direct method is used to illustrate how a SSOP-based control law can be derived to drive the spacecraft attitude away from the singularity and towards a desired orientation. This control law generalizes the previously developed classical and modified Rodrigues parameter-based attitude control laws for general stereographic projection points.
Redefinition of cutaneous lymphatic drainage with the use of lymphoscintigraphy for malignant melanoma.

Abstract Lymphoscintigraphy was performed on 82 patients with melanoma registered at the University Melanoma Clinic. From these data, precise lymphatic drainage basins could be drawn for the head, neck, shoulder, and trunk. These drawings differed significantly from the classic anatomic studies, providing a functional look at the cutaneous lymphatic drainage. This new method correlates much better with clinical experiences and demonstrates much larger areas of ambiguous drainage than previously reported. Data from the lymphoscintigrams also emphasize the individuality of cutaneous lymphatic flow. The implications of these data in planning elective node dissections for intermediate thickness melanomas are obvious, since it is estimated that up to 59% of the dissections for trunk and head and neck primary melanomas may be misdirected if based on classic anatomic studies. The data indicate that all patients with head, neck, and shoulder lesions should undergo lymphoscintigraphy to define possible drainage basins at risk for metastatic disease. Similarly, truncal lesions require scintigrams except when they are within four well-defined areas with an extremely low probability of ambiguous drainage. Lesions in these areas show very reliable and predictable drainage to a single nodal group.
Respiratory syncytial virus reverses airway hyperresponsiveness to methacholine in ovalbumin-sensitized mice.

Each year, approximately 20% of asthmatics in the United States experience acute symptom exacerbations, which commonly result from pulmonary viral infections. The majority of asthma exacerbations in very young children follow infection with respiratory syncytial virus (RSV). However, pathogenic mechanisms underlying induction of asthma exacerbations by RSV are not well understood. We therefore investigated the effect of post-sensitization RSV infection on lung function in ovalbumin (OVA)-sensitized BALB/c mice as a model of RSV asthma exacerbations. OVA sensitization of uninfected female BALB/c mice increased bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF) eosinophil levels and induced airway hyperresponsiveness to the muscarinic agonist methacholine, as measured by the forced-oscillation technique. In contrast, intranasal infection with replication-competent RSV strain A2 for 2–8 days reduced BALF eosinophil counts and reversed airway hyperresponsiveness in a pertussis toxin-sensitive manner. BALF levels of the chemokine keratinocyte cytokine (KC; a murine homolog of interleukin-8) were elevated in OVA-sensitized, RSV-infected mice and reversal of methacholine hyperresponsiveness in these animals was rapidly inhibited by KC neutralization. Hyporesponsiveness could be induced in OVA-sensitized, uninfected mice by recombinant KC or the Gαi agonist melittin. These data suggest that respiratory syncytial virus induces KC-mediated activation of Gαi, resulting in cross-inhibition of Gαq-mediated M3-muscarinic receptor signaling and reversal of airway hyperresponsiveness. As in unsensitized mice, KC therefore appears to play a significant role in induction of airway dysfunction by respiratory syncytial virus. Hence, interleukin-8 may be a promising therapeutic target to normalize lung function in both asthmatics and non-asthmatics with bronchiolitis. However, the OVA-sensitized, RSV-infected mouse may not be an appropriate model for investigating the pathogenesis of viral asthma exacerbations.
Modeling of fixed bed heat storage units utilizing phase change materials

A computer model has been developed for the calculation of the heat exchanged and temperature profiles in a packed bed containing a phase change material. The packed bed is intended as a heat storage unit in which an inert fluid flowing through the bed exchanges heat with an encapsulated spherical shot of the phase change (melting and freezing) material. Examples of predicted bed temperature profiles during heat storage and utilization cycles are given. For A1-12 wt pct Si and Al-30 wt pct Si shot, a sequence of storage and utilization cycles with cyclic cocurrent fluid flow was found to utilize the high latent heat of fusion of the shot efficiently and permit the utilization of the bed as a near isothermal (577°C) heat recuperator.
Significance arithmetic on a digital computer

The 7090 at NYU has been modified to include a “Significance Mode” of operation which is intended to facilitate the identification of significant bits in the results of floating-point arithmetic operations. The manner in which floating-point arithmetic is handled in this mode is discussed. Several numerical experiments using this mode are described and comparisons are made with the ordinary “normalized mode.” Examples include power series evaluation, linear equations solution, determinant evaluation and matrix inversion.
Immunization of mice with polysaccharides of Histoplasma capsulatum.

SummaryH. capsulatum strain G17 (M) polysaccharide was capable of producing active resistance against intravenously induced histoplasmosis in mice. However, mice immunized with a H. capsulatum whole yeast cell antigen showed greater resistance when the H. capsulatum polysaccharide immunized, whole cell immunized and nonimmunized control mice were challenged by the intravenous injection of known numbers of viable H. capsulatum yeast phase organism.
Effect of Reinforcement on the Strength of Junctions Between Cylindrical and Conical Shells

Two failure modes are addressed for cylinder-cone junctions under internal or external pressure : axisymmetric yielding and low-cycle fatigue. If the junction fails to meet the failure criterion of any one of the two modes, then it must be strengthened by reinforcement. It is shown in the paper that the degree to which a junction is strengthened depends on the distribution of the reinforcement. A placement of reinforcement on the cylinder alone, leaving the actual connection between the cylinder and cone unreinforced, adds strength with regard to azisymmetric yielding but may not strengthen the junction sufficiently with regard to low-cycle fatigue. This means that the junction may appear reinforced, but is not strengthened. It is pointed out that the design rules of Section VIII, Div. I of the ASME B&PV Code (1992) set the need for reinforcement according to the failure criterion of low-cycle fatigue, while the distribution of the reinforcement is guided by the criterion of axisymmetric yielding. There is no assurance that the reinforced junction will meet the failure criterion of low-cycle fatigue. This means that the safety margin on the number of allowed cycles is less than that which is expected and that the junction may be unfit for cyclic service. It is also shown in the paper that a reinforcement distribution that requires minimum thicknesses for sections of both the cylinder and cone near the junction can satisfy criteria for both failure modes. This approach is already used in Code Case 2150 of Section VIII, Div. 1, for half-apex cone angles from 30 to 60 deg, and required in Div. 2 for cone angles from 0 to 30 deg. Its extension to angles from 0 to 60 deg for both internal and external pressure is recommended.
The dissolution of copper in common solvents used for low dielectric polymers

Abstract A major issue with copper metallization is the diffusion and/or dissolution of copper into polymers used as insulating dielectric layers in microelectronic devices. Polymers are typically deposited by spin-coating. But when substrate-polymer interactions are studied, the process by which the polymer is deposited must be carefully considered. For example, what roles do the solvent or the curing conditions play in bringing copper into the polymer film? In this study, we focus on a frequently neglected aspect of the problem – that of solvent interactions with the copper. We have examined the ability of commonly used solvents to dissolve copper under oxygen atmospheres. For this study, copper turnings were stirred with the pure solvent under O 2 . The presence of copper in solution was determined with spot tests, and solid reaction products were characterized with X-ray powder diffraction. Copper was found to dissolve in 1-methyl-2-pyrrolidinone, anisole, methylisobutylketone, propylene glycol methyl ether acetate, γ -butyrolactone, dimethylacetamide, water, methylmethacrylate, m -cresol, and sulfolane in the presence of oxygen, but not in toluene, chlorobenzene, 0-dichlorobenzene, chloroform, acetone, ethylacetate and tetrahydrofuran.
Intraoperative Surgical Margin Re-resection for Colorectal Liver Metastasis: Is It Worth the Effort?

This study was conducted to evaluate recurrence and survival among patients who underwent intraoperative margin re-resection for colorectal cancer liver metastases (CRLM). Among patients who receive intraoperative margin re-resection, the relation between final margin status, pattern of recurrence, and survival is largely unknown. Three hundred thirty-two patients who underwent hepatic resection for CRLM between 2000 and 2013 were identified. Demographics, operative data, pathologic margin status, site of recurrence, and long-term survival data were collected and analyzed. Patients were stratified in three groups based on their margin status: R0, R1, and R1 → R0. R0 resections were achieved in 247 (74.4 %) patients, 61 (18.4 %) patients had an R1 resection, whereas 24 (7.2 %) had an R1 → R0. Median survival for patients undergoing R0 resections was 50.2 (95 % confidence interval (CI) 49.2–66.2) months versus 63.0 (95 % CI 50.3–70.5) months for patients undergoing R1 resections versus 49.2 (95 % CI 29.9—NA) months for patients undergoing intraoperative margin re-resection (P > 0.05). Differences in recurrence rate and pattern were not significant between the three groups (P > 0.05). In the era of modern systemic chemotherapy, it seems that the impact of margin status on outcomes may be minimal compared to that of patient and tumor factors. In this scenario, margin re-resection to achieve R0 status does not improve long-term outcomes.
Characterization and Enhancement of High-Voltage Cascode GaN Devices

Gallium nitride (GaN) devices are gathering momentum, with a number of recent market introductions for a wide range of applications such as point-of-load converters, OFF-line switching power supplies, battery chargers, and motor drives. This paper studies the basic characteristics of a 600 V cascode GaN switch, such as voltage distribution during the turn-ON and turn-OFF transition. The switching loss mechanism of the cascode GaN switch is analyzed in detail, including the impact of the package parasitic inductance in both hard- and soft-switching modes. A soft-switching 5 MHz boost converter is developed and shows the advantages and the potential of the cascode GaN.
Isozyme variation and population structure in Podostemum ceratophyllum Michx (Podostemaceae): implications for colonization of glaciated North America

Abstract Podostemum ceratophyllum Michx is the only New World member of the primarily tropical Podostemaceae to reach into temperate regions. Isoenzyme studies of 11 populations from eastern North America indicate that genetic diversity is partitioned differently within and among populations north (genetically uniform) vs. south (genetically diverse) of the glacial boundary. Colonization by few genotypes subsequent to glacial retreat is suggested as an explanation for the occurrence of few genotypes among northern populations. Allozyme diversity within southern populations suggests a significant level of outcrossing, contrary to prior reports.
Abstract 1247: Development of GRP78 scFv-Subtilase fusion proteins for sensitization of melanoma to chemotherapeutics.

Proceedings: AACR 104th Annual Meeting 2013; Apr 6-10, 2013; Washington, DC GRP78 is an important molecular chaperone in the endoplasmic reticulum (ER). However, GRP78 is aberrantly expressed on the surface of melanoma cells. Our objective is to characterize cell-surface GRP78 in melanoma and determine whether immunoconjugates against GRP78 are a viable treatment strategy. We have demonstrated that cleavage of ER GRP78 by Subtilase (SubAB), a GRP78-specific protease, sensitizes melanoma cell lines of different genotypes to melphalan, vemurafenib, and temozolomide. Our data indicate that SubAB cleavage of GRP78 sensitizes melanoma cells to melphalan and vemurafenib. We then coupled the catalytic domain of SubAB, SubA, to GRP78-single chain variable fragments derived from anti-GRP78 mouse monoclonal antibodies. We have previously published that these antibodies target GRP78+ mouse melanomas in a syngeneic mouse melanoma model. These GRP78 scFv-SubA fusion proteins are internalized by cell-surface GRP78 and the SubA moiety cleaves ER GRP78 inside the cell, leading to tumor cell sensitization to chemotherapeutics, and in some instances, tumor cell death. To determine the mechanism by which ER GRP78 cleavage sensitizes melanoma cells to chemotherapeutics, the NH2-terminal 28 kDa and COOH-terminal 50 kDa SubA cleavage products were overexpressed in melanoma cells, and pull-down experiments were performed to identify binding partners. Microarray analyses were also performed on chemotherapy-treated and GRP78 scFv-SubA fusion protein-treated melanoma cells to obtain a broad view of cellular events that occurred subsequent to ER GRP78 cleavage by SubAB or GRP78 scFv-SubA fusion proteins. These fusion proteins will then be tested in mouse melanoma models to determine whether they sensitize cancer cells to chemotherapeutics in vivo. These results of these studies may lead to the development of novel melanoma therapeutics. Citation Format: Rupa Ray, Gustaaf de Ridder, Salvatore V. Pizzo. Development of GRP78 scFv-Subtilase fusion proteins for sensitization of melanoma to chemotherapeutics. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 104th Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2013 Apr 6-10; Washington, DC. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2013;73(8 Suppl):Abstract nr 1247. doi:10.1158/1538-7445.AM2013-1247
The sizer-dissector for aneurysm clip selection: technical note.

Objective Appropriate clip selection frequently becomes a matter of trial and error because of inadequate dissection of the pathway for each clip blade. To facilitate selection of the proper clip size, a series of dissectors have been designed that mimic the exact caliber of each category of Sugita clips. Methods Three lines of sizer-dissectors reflecting the wire size of the most commonly used Sugita clips were developed by attaching a single aneurysm clip blade to a rounded microdissector handle. Each sizer-dissector is scaled in millimeters and is available in straight and angled configurations. Once dissection is presumed to be complete, the device is passed through the pathway of the intended aneurysm clip blades, and the clip with the appropriate caliber and length for permanent occlusion is selected. Results During dissection and clip ligation of 83 aneurysms, the sizer-dissector was used to select the blade length in 16 lesions and the blade caliber in 5 lesions. There were no complications associated with deployment of the device. Conclusion By use of the sizer-dissector before attempting clip placement, clip selection is facilitated, safety is enhanced, and clip wastage is reduced.
Providing, withholding, and withdrawing treatment.

o t w q s s h p p w c m i One of the most challenging ethical issues in medicine concerns providing, withholding, and withdrawing care. It raises many fundamental questions concerning the goals and methods of medicine. For example, if the prolongation of life is not always patients’ and physicians’ overriding objective, under what circumstances might it be appropriate for physicians to stand by and take no action to delay a patient’s death [1]? All physicians and health professionals, not just those typically positioned at the bedside, need to understand the implications of their work for decisions about providing, withholding, and withdrawing care. The field of medicine has diverse goals. These include, through cardiopulmonary resuscitation and other techniques, resuscitating patients whose vital functions have failed; curing diseases such as bacterial pneumonia; preventing the development of diseases such as cancer and stroke (primary prevention); diagnosing and treating diseases, such as breast cancer, before they cause substantial morbidity (secondary prevention); managing the symptoms of disease, such as pain and nausea; rehabilitating patients who are recovering from diseases such as stroke; slowing the progression of diseases such as Alzheimer’s dementia; and compensating for the failure of an organ or organ system, such as hemodialysis for renal failure; and there are others. Because medicine’s goals are diverse, it is not always possible to align them neatly. In some cases, pursuing one may interfere with or even directly oppose the pursuit of another. For example, many medical and surgical treatments carry the risk for significant morbidity. To f
Polynomial Solutions of Poisson and Polyharmonic Equations in Rn

Abstract We give an inductive existence proof for a polynomial solution of the Poisson equation Δu = q where q is a polynomial. We then find all the polynomial solutions of the polyharmonic equation Δmu = 0 for m ≥ 2 in terms of harmonic polynomials. Based on the harmonic polynomials computed by a recently found algorithm we obtain generating polyharmonic polynomials in Rn for n ≥ 2. Some examples of polyharmonic polynomials are considered at the end.
α1-Antitrypsin Polymerization: A Fluorescence Correlation Spectroscopic Study†

α1-Antitrypsin (AT) is the most abundantly circulating human proteinase inhibitor in the serpin family. The polymerization of AT, leading to α1-antitrypsin deficiency, has been studied extensively in vitro by a variety of ensemble methods. Here we report the use of fluorescence correlation spectroscopy to gain further insight into this process. Measurements of the distributions of diffusion times of polymerizing AT, carried out at 45, 50, and 55 °C, clearly show the existence of a kinetic lag phase, during which short oligomers are formed, prior to the formation of heterogeneous mixtures of longer polymers, and suggest that long polymers, which appear to be metastable, are produced through the condensation of shorter oligomers.
The bound state of weakly coupled Schrödinger operators in one and two dimensions

We study the unique bound state which (-d/sup 2//dx/sup 2/)+lambdaV and -..delta..+lambdaV (in two dimensions) have when lambda is small and V is suitable. Our main results give necessary and sufficient conditions for there to be a bound state when lambda is small and we prove analyticity (resp. nonanalyticity) of the energy eigenvalue at lambda=0 in one (resp. two) dimensions. (AIP)
New species of Cheilolejeunea and Otolejeunea (Hepaticae; Lejeuneaceae) from Australia

Two new species belonging to Lejeuneaceae subfamily Lejeuneoideae have been found in northern Queensland, Australia: Cheilolejeunea hallingii and Otolejeunea australiensis. Both are described and illustrated, and keys to related species in the paleotropics are included.
Plasmon-induced Lorentz forces of nanowire chiral hybrid modes

The mechanical forces associated with surface currents are widely overlooked and point to a new family of plasmonically-driven processes. Here, we investigate the Lorentz forces acting on a free electron gas that is bound to the surface of a nanowire. We demonstrate that appreciable mechanical forces are produced by longer illumination wavelengths between longitudinal and transverse absorption resonances via the excitation of chiral hybrid plasmon modes. We are the first to associate plasmonic activity as the underlying mechanism for nanowire rotation, which explains prior experimental results. The presence of chiral hybrid plasmon modes yields the greatest net translation and torque forces. The asymmetric plasmon behavior subsequently affects the complex nonlinear dynamics of plasmonic nonspherical nanoparticles in fluids.
What Can Automation Tell Us About Agency

Computerized systems for automated assessment of writing and speaking create a situation in which Burkean symbolic action confronts nonsymbolic motion. What is at stake in such confrontations is rhetorical agency. In this article, an informal survey that asked teachers of writing and speaking about automated assessment informs an analysis of agency that contrasts writing and speaking along the dimensions of performance, audience, and interaction. The analysis suggests that agency can be understood as the kinetic energy of performance that is generated through a process of mutual attribution between rhetor and audience. Agency is thus a property of the rhetorical event, not of agents, and can best be located between the two traditional ways of defining agency: as rhetorical capacity and as rhetorical effectivity. Unwillingness to attribute agency to automated assessment systems makes them rhetorically ineffective and morally problematic.
Characterization of a macromolecular aggregate of ovine pituitary corticotropin-β-lipotropin common precursor

Abstract A macromolecular aggregate of corticotropin-β-lipotropin common precursor had been observed in ovine pituitary preparations as an excluded fraction of Sephadex G-200 gel filtration. This fraction could not penetrate a 10% gel during sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis, when 2-mercaptoethanol or other disulfide-cleaving agents were not present in the buffer used to solubilize the protein preparation prior to the electrophoresis. On a 4.6% gel (acrylamide:bisacrylamide, 20 : 1), the material migrated as a diffuse band to a position between those of β-galactosidase ( M r 130 000) and myosin ( M r 200 000). Both observations were consistent with an apparent M r greatly in excess of that of the corticotropin-β-lipotropin common precursor reported by many investigators. Neither 5% SDS nor 1% Triton X-100 could dissociate the macromolecular aggregate, but 2-mercaptoethanol and urea, either alone or in combination, were able to dissociate it to two main protein components, one of which was identified as corticotropin-β-lipotropin with an apparent M r of 34 000. The fact that urea alone could dissociate this macromolecular aggregate led us to believe that it might be a non-covalent aggregate and that 2-mercaptoethanol probably did not achieve the dissociation through the cleavage of an interchain disulfide bond but by bringing about conformational changes as a result of reduction of intrachain disulfide bonds so that aggregation became unfavorable. Moreover, the dissociation by urea or by 2-mercaptoethanol was found to be irreversible. The origin of the macromolecular aggregate of corticotropin-β-lipotropin common precursor remains obscure.
Financial liberalization, private investment and portfolio choice: Financialization of real sectors in emerging markets

Abstract Using firm level panel data, we analyze the impacts of rates of return gap between financial and fixed investments under uncertainty on real investment performance in three emerging markets, Argentina, Mexico and Turkey. Employing a portfolio choice model to explain the low fixed investment rates in developing countries during the 1990s, we suggest that rather than investing in irreversible long-term fixed investments, firms may choose to invest in reversible short-term financial investments depending on respective rates of returns and the overall uncertainty in the economy. The empirical results show that increasing rates of return gap and uncertainty have an economically and statistically significant fixed investment reducing effect while the opposite is true with respect to financial investments.
Striking Civilian Targets During the Lebanon War—A Social Psychological Analysis of Israeli Decision Makers

This article examines the socio-psychological mechanisms that guided decisions of the Israeli leadership to attack the civilian infrastructure during the Lebanon war in 2006. Based on reports by the Israeli governmental commission for the war, known as the Winograd Committee, a correlation between the de-legitimization of Hezbollah and the willingness to deploy military tactics and strategies that resulted in civilian devastation was found. Relying on a new model of the sources of protracted violent conflicts advanced by Rothbart and Korostelina (2006) and content analysis tools relating to ingroup–outgroup positioning theory, this article offers three distinct narrative patterns exhibited by Israeli decision makers. Such patterns reveal and solidify normative boundaries between Israel and Lebanese civilians in ways that justified in Israeli minds the attacks against the Lebanese infrastructure.