cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Study on catalytic performance and attrition strength of the Ruhrchemie catalyst for the Fischer–Tropsch synthesis in a stirred tank slurry reactor

Abstract Activity and selectivity of H2, CO, syngas pretreated and non-pretreated Ruhrchemie catalyst (100 Fe/5 Cu/4.2 K/25 SiO2 on mass basis) used for the Fischer–Tropsch synthesis (FTS) were studied in a stirred tank slurry reactor (STSR). Catalyst activity was the highest after the CO and H2 pretreatments, whereas the non-pretreated catalyst was the least active. Methane selectivities on the CO, syngas reduced and unreduced catalysts were similar (3.9–4.3 wt.%), and lower than that on the H2 reduced catalyst (5.3%). Liquid plus wax (C5+ hydrocarbons) selectivity was high in all four tests (∼80%). The H2 reduced catalyst produced less olefins and had the highest 2-olefin selectivity, whereas the non-pretreated and CO pretreated catalysts had the highest olefin content and the lowest 2-olefin selectivity. Attrition strength of the Ruhrchemie catalyst after 429 h of FTS was found to be adequate under severe hydrodynamic conditions encountered in the STSR. Reduction in the volume moment diameter was 14.3%, whereas, increase in fraction of particles smaller than 10 μm was only 2.6%.
Fiberoptic endoscopy: the singular transformative event of our time.

Thousands of manuscripts are published each week, and there continues to be a vast wave of new journals becoming available almost daily for the dissemination of new knowledge. Yet, almost all advances in medicine are incremental. By contrast, revolutionary advances, which change the natural history of disease or alter clinical practice, are quite rare. One such event was the development and widespread adoption of fiberoptic endoscopy, which forever altered the science, and practice of gastroenterology. In this issue of the Journal, Dr. Kaunitz [1] chronicles the timeline of the development of the endoscope from the rigid instruments to the early flexible fiberoptic endoscope, highlighting the major milestones and contributions from legends such as Rudolph Schindler and Basil Hirschowitz and the skills and ingenuity that they possessed. Building upon this historical background, I will review fiberoptic endoscopy in the context of its impact on current clinical practice and societal health. Several common themes throughout this journey are that we had to wait for technology to catch up with our interventional dreams, and the profound effect endoscopy has had not only on our practice but also on other specialties, especially surgery. I will make the case that fiberoptic endoscopy was the singular transformative event of the last century for our specialty. From Inspection to Palpation
Rates of labor induction without medical indication are overestimated when derived from birth certificate data.

Objective The purpose of this study was to determine the rates of late preterm inductions without a medical indication from birth certificate data and to compare them with rates that were obtained from medical charts. Study Design The Ohio Perinatal Quality Collaborative, which comprises 20 hospitals in Ohio that came together in 2008 for the purpose of decreasing nonmedically indicated scheduled deliveries, abstracted data on all scheduled births between 36 weeks and 38 weeks 6 days of gestation. We compared labor inductions with “elective” documented or no indication documented in charts to birth certificate data for inductions with no maternal or fetal complications recorded. Results Birth certificates overestimate rates of induction without medical indication compared with chart abstraction (11% vs 1%; P Conclusion Birth certificates overestimate nonmedically indicated inductions by 11-fold. Until birth certificate data improve, nonmedically indicated induction rates that are calculated from birth certificates should be interpreted with caution.
The promise of quantum-dot infrared photodetectors

Engineered semiconductor quantum structures that enforce carrier confinement in all three spatial dimensions have recently become of interest for potential applications in the sensing of infrared radiation via intersub-level transitions. These structures, most often called quantum dots, may offer a viable alternative to the mercury cadmium telluride semiconductor and GaAs/(Al,Ga)As quantum-well structures for infrared detection. Their major advantages for detection include (i) operation under normal-incidence illumination, (ii) a predicted high responsivity due to a long electron lifetime in the excited states, and (iii) a potential for high-temperature operation. This paper will review the current-state-of-development of (In,Ga)As/GaAs quantum-dot infrared detectors that are sensitive to light in the middle wavelength infrared (3-5 μm) region of the electromagnetic spectrum. The paper will also discuss some of the leading edge experimental results that suggest that quantum-dot active regions may offer a route to elevated device operating temperatures (> 150 K).© (2006) COPYRIGHT SPIE--The International Society for Optical Engineering. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.
Erythema multiforme: clinical, histopathologic, and immunologic study.

In a prospective study of erythema multiforme, forty-two cases were selected with the use of defined criteria In thirty-three cases (79%), the erythema multiforme occurred following a lesion of recurrent herpes simplex, in four cases (10%), it was related to administration of a sulfonamide drug Herpes-associated erythema multtforme (HEM) was largely recurrent erythema multiforme minor and was characterized htstopathologically by inflammatory changes, such as spongtosts and exocytosis and by focal liquefaction degeneration of the basal cell zone of the epidermis Sulfa-associated erythema multiforme (SEM) was a nonrecurrent illness with widespread cutaneous and mucosal damage associated with prominent histologic necrosis of epidermal cells The deposition of C3 and fibrin along the dermoepidermal junction and the deposition of IgM, C3, and fibrin around dermal blood vessels by immunofluorescence microscopy were similar an both groups Although HEM and SEM may have somewhat different clinical and histologic features, there is significant overlap in the pattern of tissue damage
Who Is Willing to Use Complementary and Alternative Medicine

Objective The aim of this study was to identify individual differences associated with the willingness to use complementary and alternative medicine (CAM). Design A questionnaire was administered and the relationship between individual differences and the willingness to use CAM was examined using correlation and multiple regression analyses. Participants The sample consisted of 276 undergraduate students (64% female) of diverse ethnicity (43% white, 33% Hispanic, 8% Native American, 16% other) and a wide range of incomes. Measures The willingness to use 16 types of CAM was assessed for six categories: whole medical systems, mind-body medicine, biologically based practices, manipulative and body-based practices, energy medicine, and spiritually based practices. The individual differences assessed included age, gender, income, ethnicity, the Big Five personality characteristics, optimism, spirituality, religiosity, and three aspects of emotional intelligence: mood attention, mood clarity, and mood repair. Results The individual differences accounted for approximately one fifth of the variance in overall willingness to use CAM. Openness to experience, spirituality, and mood attention were the strongest predictors of overall willingness to use CAM and were related to the willingness to use most of the individual types of CAM. Older age or female gender was related to greater willingness to use most of the mind-body medicines. Hispanic ethnicity was related to greater willingness to use curanderismo , and Native American ethnicity was related to greater willingness to use Native American medicine and a spiritual/faith healer.
A Brief Introduction to Web-Based Note Capture

We have used this space to discuss some of the ways to organize research, in terms of both bibliographic management and bookmarks (Ovadia, 2011, 2012). Perhaps just as important is the need to capt...
Luminescent/paramagnetic xanthane probes in the study of labeled biological assemblies

The techniques for specifying the angular distribution of luminescent and paramagnetic probes on biological assemblies have been combined in the investigation of probe orientation and order of labeled myosin cross-bridges muscle fibers. This combination has been accomplished on two levels involving: (1) a mathematical formalism that permits the combination of data from individual luminescent and paramagnetic probes, and (2) the introduction of a family of specific extrinsic probes that are capable of producing an interpretable luminescent and paramagnetic signal when attached to a muscle fiber. The mathematical formalism has been applied to several probes of the myosin cross-bridge in muscle fibers to establish that the cross-bridge rotates during muscle contraction to produce muscle shortening (Burghardt & Ajtai, 1992 Biochemistry 31, 200; Ajtai et al., 1992 Biochemistry 31, 207). The luminescent/paramagnetic probes have also been employed in the investigation of order and orientation of cross-bridge in muscle fibers (Ajtai & Burghardt, 1992 Biochemistry 31, 4265). The properties of these dual nature probes invites further development of experimental techniques exploiting the high orientation sensitivity of paramagnetic probes with the ability of the probe to absorb and emit light. Flash-photolysis electron paramagnetic resonance is one such technique that may prove useful in the investigation of probe order in biological assemblies.© (1993) COPYRIGHT SPIE--The International Society for Optical Engineering. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.
Time series analysis of Monte Carlo fission sources-I: Dominance ratio computation

In the nuclear engineering community, the error propagation of the Monte Carlo fission source distribution through cycles is known to be a linear Markov process when the number of histories per cycle is sufficiently large. In the statistics community, linear Markov processes with linear observation functions are known to have an autoregressive moving average (ARMA) representation of orders p and p - 1. Therefore, one can perform ARMA fitting of the binned Monte Carlo fission source in order to compute physical and statistical quantities relevant to nuclear criticality analysis. In this work, the ARMA fitting of a binary Monte Carlo fission source has been successfully developed as a method to compute the dominance ratio, i.e., the ratio of the second-largest to the largest eigenvalues. The method is free of binning mesh refinement and does not require the alteration of the basic source iteration cycle algorithm. Numerical results are presented for problems with one-group isotropic, two-group linearly anisotropic, and continuous-energy cross sections. Also, a strategy for the analysis of eigenmodes higher than the second-largest eigenvalue is demonstrated numerically.
Distinct functions for HS1 in chemosensory versus adhesive signaling.

Host immunity requires cytotoxic lymphocytes that are able to move toward their targets but are also able to stop after identifying target cells and then establish stable cell-cell contact. A new study shows that separate phosphorylation sites in HS1, an actin cytoskeleton–remodeling factor, can regulate both processes.
Yablo’s Paradox and Russellian Propositions

Is self-reference necessary for the production of Liar paradoxes? Yablo has given an argument that self-reference is not necessary. He hopes to show that the indexical apparatus of self-reference of the traditional Liar paradox can be avoided by appealing to a list, a consecutive sequence, of sentences correlated one-one with natural numbers. Yablo opens his “Paradox without Self-Reference” ( Analysis , 1993) with the assumption that there is a sequence such that: S n : “(∀ k )( k > n . → . ¬True ⌈ S k ⌉)” Each sentence on Yablo’s list is supposed to be correlated one-one with number n . Each sentence is supposed to say that for every natural number k greater than n , the k -th sentence on the list is not true. By comparing Yablo’s construction to an analogous construction with early Russellian propositions, we show that Yablo has failed to generate a paradox.
Direct observation of substitutional-atom trapping on a metal surface.

Field ion microscope observations show that individual Rh adatoms on the Rh (100) surface are trapped in the four lattice sites adjacent to an Ir substitutional atom intentionally embedded into the surface. The activation barrier for the Rh adatom to escape from the impurity trap is 0.95 eV, considerably higher than the self-diffusion barrier on the defect-free surface (0.83 eV). The activation barrier to move between the four equivalent trap sites is 0.76 eV. The increased binding along with a higher Rh desorption field at the trap sites imply a stronger Ir-Rh bond compared to Rh-Rh.
The reducer-augmenter scale, the revised reducer-augmenter scale, and predicting late adolescent substance use

Abstract Clapper's Revised Reducer-Augmenter Scale (RRAS) and Vando's Reducer-Augmenter Scale (RAS) were compared to explore the relationship and psychometric properties of the two scales. The two scales, age of initiation of alcohol, marijuana and cigarette use, and age of onset of regular use were entered into a regression model to predict the level of current use of the three substances. As expected, age of onset of regular use was the best predictor for all three substances, with the RRAS playing an important role in alcohol and cigarette use. The RRAS and RAS correlated r = -0.69, suggesting that the scales overlap in their measurement of a single construct, but also display independence.
Developing Education for Children with Asthma Through Study of Self-Management Behavior

Bronchial asthma is the major cause of disability in childhood. Among its effects are impaired levels of physical activity and self-esteem, reduced school attendance and performance, and increased utilization of emergency health services. This paper describes the development of a health education program designed to test the hypothesis that better family self-management of asthma can reduce the negative impact of the disease. Three hundred low income Black and Hispanic families were enrolled in the study. Children and primary caretakers were interviewed separately to obtain baseline data on current levels of self-management and to assess needs for educational intervention. Data have been accumulated on a variety of topics concerning asthma self-management, including health practices and beliefs, coping skills, asthma knowledge, and locus of control. An Asthma Self-Management Index was developed to measure positive management behaviors by the family. The needs assessment indicated that six core themes were priorities for these families in terms of relevant skills and behaviors. These topics were incorporated as lesson plans in the intervention.
Generalizing Laplacian of Gaussian Filters for Vanishing-Point Detection

We propose a framework for road-vanishing-point detection based on a new generalized Laplacian of Gaussian (gLoG) filter. In the first part, the gLoG filter can be applied to estimate the texture orientation at each pixel of an image, and the road vanishing point can be detected based on the estimated texture orientations. However, such a texture-based road-vanishing-point detection scheme suffers from high computational complexity. In the second part, an efficient gLoG-based road-vanishing-point detection method is proposed by only using the dominant texture orientations estimated at a sparse set of salient microblob road regions, where the gLoG filter is used to detect these salient microblob areas and simultaneously estimate their dominant texture orientations. Experimental results on 1003 general road images show that the efficient gLoG-based method is significantly faster than a Gabor-filter-based method, whereas the detection accuracy is comparable. The nonefficient gLoG-based method is more accurate in detecting the vanishing point than the Gabor-based approach.
The composition of external lipids from adult whiteflies, Bemisia tabaci and Trialeurodes vaporariorum

Abstract The total surface lipids, including the wax particles, of the adult whiteflies of Bemisia tabaci and Trialeurodes vaporariorum were characterized. At eclosion, there were similar amounts of long-chain hydrocarbons, aldehydes, alcohols and wax esters. Within a few hours post-eclosion, long-chain aldehydes and long-chain alcohols were the dominant surface lipid components, C 34 on B. tabaci and C 32 on T. vaporariorum . Hydrocarbons, mainly n -alkanes, were minor components of the surface lipids. The major wax esters were C 46 on B. tabaci and C 42 on T. vaporariorum . The major acid and alcohol moieties in the wax esters of B. tabaci were C 20 and C 26 , respectively, and of T. vaporariorum were C 20 and C 22 , respectively. Both B. tabaci and T. vaporariorum had a minor wax ester composed of the fatty acid C 18:1 esterified to the major alcohols, C 34 and C 32 , respectively. Bemisia were readily distinguished from Trialeurodes based on the composition of their wax particles and/or their wax esters; however, no differentiating surface lipid components were detected between biotypes A and B of B. tabaci .
Application of chemical-mechanical polishing for planarizing of silicon nitride passivation layers used in high power III-V laser devices

Chemical-mechanical polishing (CMP) allows the planarization of wafers with thin layer at its surface. Subject of this investigation was to apply CMP for planarizing silicon nitride (Si3N4) passivation layer in high power III-V laser devices, which remained in the structure as the insulation and planarization layer. For planarizing a nitride layer, oxide CMP slurry was used in conjunction with standard CMP polishing pads. Since III-V materials, such as GaAs and InP, are very soft and fragile, the CMP process must be well controlled to avoid the ridge crack. The optimum CMP conditions have been presented in the paper, which gave the desirable surface quality. (© 2006 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)
Women's Paths in Science: A Critical Feminist Analysis.

The author introduces her critical and feminist perspective, elaborates on her critical approach, and discusses how this influenced the development of her research questions, methodology, data analysis, interpretation, and presentation of findings.
Synthesis and structure of lithium amides and solvated derivatives containing bulky bis(silylamide) ligands

Abstract Dimeric, non-solvated lithium amides containing the sterically crowded silylamide ligands {Li[N(SiMe3)(SiPh2tBu)]}2 (1) and {Li[N(SiMe3)(SiPh3)]}2 (2) have been synthesized by the reaction of the secondary amines with n-butyl lithium in hexane. Addition of excess donor solvents to hydrocarbon solutions of 1 yields Li[N(SiMe3)(SiPh2tBu)](L)2, where L = thf (3), py (4), and hmpa (5), while pyridine addition to 2 produces Li[N(SiMe3)(SiPh3)](py)2 (6). A related lithium amide, Li{N(SiMe3)[Si(SiMe3)3]}(py)2 (7), was prepared from the treatment of the in situ generated dimeric compound with excessive pyridine. In a less-obvious synthesis, reaction of the lithium amide LiN(ad)(SiMe3) (ad = adamantyl) with 0.5 equiv CaI2 in thf did not yield the expected calcium bis(amide), but rather the unexpected product [(ad)(SiMe3)N]2Li3(μ3-I)(thf)2 (8) was produced. All of the complexes have been fully characterized by 1H and 13C NMR spectra, infrared spectroscopy, elemental analyses, and single crystal X-ray diffraction. The structures of 1 and 2 were comprised of four-membered rings with amido ligands bridging two lithium atoms. The structures of 3–7 feature monomeric molecules with three-coordinate lithium centers. Compound 8 exhibited an unusual structure with two four-membered rings fused by a Li–I bond edge. The μ3-I atom bridged three lithium atoms with two significantly different I–Li bond lengths of 2.742(9) (average) and 3.12(1) A.
ON THE LENGTHS OF MAXIMAL CHAINS OF INTERMEDIATE FIELDS IN A FIELD EXTENSION

We study two invariants, ν(L/K) and λ(L/K), arising from a field extension L/K. By definition, ν(L/K) is the cardinality of the set of fields F such that K ⊆ F ⊆ L; and λ(L/K) is the supremum of the set of cardinal numbers arising as lengths of chains {Fi } of fields such that K ⊆ Fi ⊆ L. If L can be generated by one element over an infinite field K and 2 ≤ [L : K] = n < ∞, then ν(L/K) ≤ 2 n−2 + 1, with equality if L/K is Galois with the Klein four-group as Galois group. Despite positive results in the case of Abelian Galois groups, λ is not generally additive for finite-dimensional towers; moreover, maximal chains of intermediate fields can exhibit noncatenarian behavior if [L : K] = 12. The theory for infinite-dimensional algebraic extensions is strikingly different. For instance, for each infinite cardinal number N, there exists a field K of cardinality N and a chain of cardinality 2 N consisting of algebraic field extensions of K; in other words, if denotes an algebraic closure of K, then and, a forti...
A quantum mechanical treatment of low frequency noise in high-K NMOS transistors with ultra-thin gate dielectrics

Abstract Our paper presents a quantum mechanical treatment of low-frequency noise in scaled NMOS transistors to extend the “unified” noise model and includes remote Coulomb scattering and surface roughness – the latter is a new consideration in the theory. Our experimental work focuses on scaled NMOS devices with a composite dielectric consisting of a 0.5 nm SiO2 covered with a high-K, 1.6 nm HfO2 with a metal gate. In the past, Coulomb scattering was assumed to arise from trapping centers located at the Si–SiO2 interface; however, this cannot give rise to a 1/f noise spectrum. We model remote Coulomb scattering into the dielectric film as traps in these films easily lie within a tunneling distance from the interface. This approach explains the decrease in the Coulomb scattering parameter (α) as a function of gate voltage. In addition, we introduce surface roughness scattering through fluctuations in the normal electric field due to fluctuations in the free carrier density with a surface scattering parameter (β) proportional to the SPICE surface roughness parameter, θS. Good agreement is obtained between our model and experimental results for both IDS–VGS and the power spectral density, SId, characteristics in very strong inversion region where surface quantization of the 2D subbands is strong.
The Aurora RAM Compiler

This paper describes a RAM compiler for generating and characterizing highly manufacturable optimized SRAMs using GaAs E/D MESFET technology. The compiler uses a constraint-driven design flow to achieve process tolerant RAMs. This compiler was built using a flexible design framework that can be easily adapted to optimize and characterize memories in different MESFET processes.
Relationships among experiential marketing, experiential value, and customer satisfaction.

Although experience is recognized as a major benefit the hospitality and tourism industry offers, the use of experiential marketing in this industry is not well documented. Therefore, this study aims to examine experiential marketing in regard to hospitality and tourism operations. Ten hypotheses were developed to examine relationships among experiential marketing, experiential value, and customer satisfaction. Self-reported questionnaires were distributed at four Starbucks in different districts in Taipei, Taiwan, in January 2003. Results of the linear structural relation analyses (LISREL 8.5) indicate that both the measurement and structural equation models have good overall model fit. Moreover, the overall outcome suggests that experiential marketing should induce customer satisfaction through emotional and functional values provided by feel perception, think perception, and service quality. Hospitality managers can use the outcome of this study to gain in-depth understanding of customer experiences, d...
Finite Rank Perturbations of Toeplitz Operators

We study finite rank perturbations of the Brown-Halmos type results involving products of Toeplitz operators acting on the Bergman space.
Picosecond Studies of Intramolecular Vibrational Redistribution in S1p-Difluorobenzene Vapor

Para-difluorobenzene (pDFB) is being used as a model aromatic molecule for detailed study of the picosecond dynamics of collision-free intramolecular vibrational redistribution (IVR). Three experimental methods allow the redistribution to be seen rather directly in the S1 electronic state.
Plug and play full-dimensional ab initio potential energy and dipole moment surfaces and anharmonic vibrational analysis for CH4-H2O

The potential energy surface of the methane–water dimer is represented as the sum of a new intrinsic two-body potential energy surface and pre-existing intramolecular potentials for the monomers. Different fits of the CH4–H2O intrinsic two-body energy are reported. All these fits are based on 30467 ab initio interaction energies computed at CCSD(T)-F12b/haTZ (aug-cc-pVTZ for C and O, cc-pVTZ for H) level of theory. The benchmark fit is a full-dimensional, permutationally-invariant analytical representation with root-mean-square (rms) fitting error of 3.5 cm−1. Two other computationally more efficient two-body potentials are also reported, albeit with larger rms fitting errors. Of these a compact permutationally invariant fit is shown to be the best one in combining precision and speed of evaluation. An intrinsic two-body dipole moment surface is also obtained, based on MP2/haTZ expectation values, with an rms fitting error of 0.002 au. As with the potential, this dipole moment surface is combined with existing monomer ones to obtain the full surface. The vibrational ground state of the dimer and dissociation energy, D0, are determined by diffusion Monte Carlo calculations, and MULTIMODE calculations are performed for the IR spectrum of the intramolecular modes. The relative accuracy of the different intrinsic two-body potentials is analyzed by comparing the energetics and the harmonic frequencies of the global minimum well, and the maximum impact parameter employed in a sample methane–water scattering calculation.
CUE: a preprocessor system for restricted, natural English

CUE, an input interface system which permits the computer to utilize natural but restricted English as input, is presented. In addition, an experimental model for CUE, Proto-RELADES, which can "understand" and execute English sentences about the content of the library at IBM's Boston Programming Center is described. These sentences can be query, command, or conditional sentences. The linguistic component of the system is based on a transformational grammar of English that performs a full syntactic and semantic analysis of each input sentence and translates it into relevant computer operations. The capabilities and limitations of this system are described.
A short history of heavy ion beam probing

The author describes some aspects of research on controlled thermonuclear fusion as an energy source, starting in the late 1950s. There was a need for new diagnostic techniques for studying high temperature plasmas. The author proposed a diagnostic for measuring plasma density by probing a deuterium plasma with a deuterium beam and measuring the proton production from the D-D nuclear reaction. By the mid 1960s, it was possible to do so. After carrying out a D-D measurement, the author suggested switching over to an H/sub 2//sup +/ beam and looking for an H/sup +/ signal. The H+ was loud and clear and that was the last of the nuclear measurements. One of the first things done using the molecular break-up of the H/sub 2//sup +/ to measure the density of the hollow cathode arc plasma was a study of a coherent instability. The frequency response wasn't sufficient to measure the instability directly, so a Langmuir probe was used to detect the instability. The Langmuir probe gave a signal from a fixed spatial location but the beam probe signal was swept across the plasma giving 2D spatial resolution. This was the first detailed mapping of a plasma instability. Attempts to apply the ion beam probe to measuring the plasma current density in the ST Tokamak are described. Heavy ion beam probing measurements using hollow cathode arcs as target plasmas made it possible to measure T/sub e/ at low temperatures and to identify space potential fluctuations. Installation of a beam probe on the Laser Initiated Target Experiment are described, along with work on the ELMO Bumpy Torus, the VERSATOR Tokamak, TMX, TEXT, ISX-B, the Ergodic Magnetic Limiter and ATF. >
Cross-language search: The case of Google Language Tools

This paper presents a case study of Google Language Tools, especially its cross-language search service. Cross-language search integrates machine translation (MT) and cross-language information retrieval (CLIR) technologies and allows Web users to search and read pages written in languages different from their search terms. In addition to cross-language search, Google Language Tools provides various language support services to multilingual information access. Our study examines the functions of Google Language Tools and the performance of its cross-language search. The results and analysis show that Google Language Tools are useful for Web users. Its cross-language search service provides quality query translation while the automatic translation of result pages needs further improvement. The paper suggests that cross-language search could be used by different types of Web users. The authors also discuss the strategies and important issues with regard to implementing multilingual information access services for information systems.
A comparison of two phage coat protein-RNA interactions

Abstract The interaction between the coat protein of the group I bacteriophage fr with its translational operator site is compared with the previously studied R17 interaction. The sequence of the two RNA binding sites differ by 2 of 20 nucleotides and two coat proteins by 17 of 129 amino acids. An analysis of the binding of fr coat protein to 24 operator variants revealed that the two proteins recognize operator sequences in virtually the same way. However, fr coat protein binds to nearly every RNA 6 to 14-fold tighter than R17 coat protein. Since the fr operator is a weaker binding variant and the fr coat protein shows a different temperature dependence of binding, it is unlikely that the two systems have different Kas in vivo. RNA fragments containing the operator sequences can initiate the capsid assembly with both fr and R17 coat protein. Surprisingly, the two coat proteins can form a mixed capsid in vitro.
HIV risk behaviors and sociodemographic features of HIV-infected Latinos residing in a new Latino settlement area in the Southeastern United States

The Southeastern United States (US) has a rapidly growing Latino population, yet little is known about HIV-infected Latinos in the region. To help inform future prevention studies, we compared sociodemographic, clinical, and behavioral characteristics between immigrant and US-born HIV-infected Latinos using face-to-face interviews conducted at three clinics in North Carolina. Questions encompassed HIV testing, acculturation, sexual- and substance-related behaviors, and migration history. Behavioral data were compared with 451 black and white clinic patients. Differences were tested using Pearson's and Kruskal-Wallis tests. Participants (n = 127) were primarily male (74%) and immigrants (82%). Most immigrants were Mexican (67%), had low acculturation scores (92%), and were diagnosed a median of 8 years (IQR 0-12) following immigration. Compared with US-born Latinos, immigrants had lower CD4 counts at clinic entry (median 187 vs. 371 cells/mm(3)) and were less likely to have graduated high school (49% vs. 78%) or have insurance (9% vs. 52%; all P 90% of participants were receiving antiretroviral therapy (ART) and most had achieved HIV RNA <50 copies/mL (62% immigrants vs. 76% US-born; P = 0.32). In conclusion, Latino immigrants were more likely to present with advanced disease, identify as heterosexual, and report different risk behaviors than US-born Latinos, yet receipt and response to ART were similar between the two groups. Prevention strategies should prioritize finding innovative methods to reach Latino immigrants for routine early testing regardless of risk stratification and include programs targeted toward the different needs of immigrant and US-born Latinos.
Cigarette Smoking in Renal Transplant Recipients

Cigarette smoking increases the risk for cancer and cardiovascular disease in the general population, but the effects of smoking in renal transplant recipients are unknown. The effects of smoking were investigated among patients transplanted at Hennepin County Medical Center between 1963 and 1997. Information on smoking was available in 1334 patients. The 24.7% prevalence of smoking at the time of transplantation was similar to that in the general population. After adjusting for multiple predictors of graft failure, smoking more than 25 pack-years at transplantation (compared to smoking less than 25 pack-years or never having smoked) was associated with a 30% higher risk of graft failure (relative risk 1.30; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.04 to 1.63; P = 0.021). Having quit smoking more than 5 yr before transplantation reduced the relative risk of graft failure by 34% (relative risk 0.66; 95% CI, 0.52 to 0.85; P < 0.001). The increase in graft failure was due to an increase in deaths (adjusted relative risk 1.42; 95% CI, 1.08 to 1.87; P = 0.012). The relative risk for major cardiovascular disease events with smoking 11 to 25 pack-years at transplant was 1.56 (95% CI, 1.06 to 2.31; P = 0.024), whereas that of smoking more than 25 pack-years was 2.14 (95% CI, 1.49 to 3.08; P < 0.001). The relative risk of invasive malignancies was 1.91 (95% CI, 1.05 to 3.48; P = 0.032). Smoking had no discernible effect on the rate of return to dialysis or on serum creatinine during the first year after transplantation. Thus, cigarette smoking is associated with an increased risk of death after renal transplantation. The effects of smoking appear to dissipate 5 yr after quitting. These results indirectly suggest that greater efforts to encourage patients to quit smoking before transplantation may decrease morbidity and mortality.
Energy dependence of π+ induced two- and four-nucleon removal

Abstract De-excitation γ-rays have been detected from nuclear states following positive pion induced two-nucleon removal from 12 C and four-nucleon removal from 16 O. Excitation functions for population of discrete states were obtained for positive pions of 75, 125, 150, 200, 225, 250 and 290 MeV. The pion-nucleon (3, 3) resonance is not reflected in the cross sections for either reaction. Implications of the observed energy dependence are discussed.
Neuropsychological-EEG Activation in Genetic Generalized Epilepsy

Investigators from Lithuanian University of Health Sciences, Kaunas, evaluated the effects of neuropsychological activation (NPA) tasks on epileptiform discharges (ED) in adolescents with idiopathic generalized epilepsy (IGE) and in comparison with hyperventilation and photic stimulation.
LONG-TERM STUDY OF APPARENT SURVIVAL IN PACIFIC GOLDEN-PLOVERS AT A WINTERING GROUND ON OAHU, HAWAIIAN ISLANDS

Abstract We monitored the apparent survival of territorial and nonterritorial Pacific Golden-Plovers (Pluvialis fulva) for 20 consecutive nonbreeding seasons at a wintering ground within Bellows Air Force Station (BAFS) on the eastern shore of Oahu, Hawaii. Territorial birds were especially site-faithful from season to season, and each surviving individual reoccupied the same territory held in previous seasons. On average, territorial birds were resighted for about twice as many postbanding seasons (4.2) as nonterritorial birds (1.8). Open-population modeling indicated that apparent survival varied by age and territorial status. Our most parsimonious model estimated apparent annual survival rates in territorial plovers as 0.90 for young birds (age determined from retained juvenal primaries) from their first through their second wintering season, and 0.80 for adults over numerous seasons. For nonterritorial plovers, the corresponding values were 0.82 and 0.67, respectively. Despite lower apparent survival ...
Diagnostic localization of malignant bladder pheochromocytoma using 6-18F fluorodopamine positron emission tomography.

Paraganglioma of the bladder is a rare disease that accounts for less than 0.05% of all bladder neoplasms. Due to variable clinical presentations and nonspecific physical findings, a high index of suspicion is required for proper diagnosis. We report a case of lymph node metastasis from a malignant bladder pheochromocytoma that was not evident on conventional imaging modalities but was accurately staged by positron emission tomography (PET) using 6-[F]fluorodopamine.
Finite Element Solution of Optimal Control Problems Arising in Semiconductor Modeling

Optimal design, parameter estimation, and inverse problems arising in the modeling of semiconductor devices lead to optimization problems constrained by systems of PDEs. We study the impact of different state equation discretizations on optimization problems whose objective functionals involve flux terms. Galerkin methods, in which the flux is a derived quantity, are compared with mixed Galerkin discretizations where the flux is approximated directly. Our results show that the latter approach leads to more robust and accurate solutions of the optimization problem, especially for highly heterogeneous materials with large jumps in material properties.
Population automation: An interview with Wikipedia bot pioneer Ram-Man

Software robots (“bots”) play a major role across the Internet today, including on Wikipedia, the world’s largest online encyclopedia. Bots complete over 20 percent of all edits to the project, yet often their work goes unnoticed by other users. Their initial integration onto Wikipedia was not uncontested and highlighted the opposing philosophies of “inclusionists” and “deletionists” who influenced the early years of the project. This paper presents an in-depth interview with Wikipedia user Ram-Man, an early bot operator on the site and creator or the rambot, the first mass-editing bot. Topics discussed include the social and technical climate of early Wikipedia, the creation of bot policies and bureaucracy, and the legacy of rambot and Ram-Man’s work.
Solution Properties of Architecturally Complex Multiarm Star Diblock Copolymers in a Nonselective and Selective Solvent for the Inner Block

In comparison to the behavior of linear block copolymers, much less is known about the structure and properties of highly branched polymeric materials. Motivated by this, the solution properties of a series of 26- and 40-arm polystyrene–poly(2-vinylpyridine) (PS–PVP) star diblock copolymers of different weight-average molecular weight (Mw) and styrene to 2-vinylpyridine (S/V) ratios are studied. These stars are investigated in tetrahydrofuran (THF), a thermodynamically good solvent for both blocks, and in toluene, a solvent that is selective for the inner PS blocks. It is found that in both THF and toluene, the 26- and 40-arm stars remain dispersed as unimolecular star block copolymers across the concentration range studied, 0.001< c < 10.0 mg/mL. The hydrodynamic radius, Rh, increases with PS Mw and number of arms, with the stars of highest Mw and number of arms having the largest Rh. The characteristic ρ ratio, Rg/Rh, is ∼1.0, suggesting that these stars do not behave as homogeneous hard spheres, but ra...
Submission to House Ways & Means Committee in Connection with June 13, 2013 Hearing on Tax Reform: Tax Havens, Base Erosion and Profit-Shifting

This submission to the House Ways & Means Committee following its June 13, 2013 "Hearing on Tax Reform: Tax Havens, Base Erosion and Profit-Shifting" adds some practical points to supplement what Professor Kleinbard presented at the hearing regarding his recommended worldwide tax consolidation approach to international tax reform as compared to the alternatively proposed territorial system. It also provides comments on Option C, which Professor Kleinbard said was absolutely impossible to administer, concerns that Mr. Oosterhuis, another speaker, merely dismissed. Finally, it suggests an approach regarding taxation of the accumulated overseas earnings that is now reportedly approaching $2 trillion.
Experimental measurement of 4D Ambiguity functions of 2D signals

We present a windowed-Fourier-transform-based technique for measuring the 4D Wigner distribution function and Ambiguity function of 2D signals. Experimental results agree very well with numerical simulation.
Heat Stability and Serologic Activity of Toxic Extracts of the Typhoid Bacillus

The production of toxic filtrates from various members of the enteric group of organisms has been reported frequently since Pfeiffer1 postulated the theory that an endotoxic substance existed preformed in the cells of this group. Many methods have been used and results have been varied and inconclusive. Chase2 comparing products obtained by various methods, concluded that as toxic filtrates as any resulted from the simplest?that of heating water suspensions of fresh agar cultures at 60 C. for 4 hours and filtering through Berkefeld candles. The present work follows this method. I was particularly interested in comparing filtrates made from cultures with and without the additional "Vi" antigen described by Felix and Pitt3 and in studying their heat stability and immunologic activities.
Food Preference and Patterns of Foraging Activity of the Southern Fire Ant (Hymenoptera: Formicidae)

We investigated foraging patterns of the southern fire ant, Solenopsis xyloni (McCook), using combinations of readily available foods that might be incorporated into a bait mixture. Choice tests conducted to determine the most attractive diet for S. xyloni included preference tests for each of 4 particle sizes. Freeze-dried diets were more attractive than oven-baked diets, and diets made with freeze-dried chicken eggs and anchovies were the most attractive. A particle size of diet of 11-20 mesh (840-2,000µn) resulted in the largest amount of diet removed by the colony. The smallest particle size, 40 mesh (420-590µm), had the most particles removed by workers but yielded the least amount of diet brought into the ant colony. S. xyloni is primarily a nocturnal forager, whose foraging begins ≈4 h before sunset and whose maximal foraging occurs between 2 and 7 h after sunset. There was considerable seasonal intracolony variation, but the maximal amount of diet was taken in June, August, and October.
Analysis of a gas-phase Br 2 –H 2 redox flow battery

The operation of a gas-phase Br2–H2 flow battery is analyzed via a mathematical model and compared to experimental data. The model predicts the operating conditions of the cell in both fuel-cell (i.e., discharge) and electrolysis (i.e., charge) mode as a function of current, inlet gas composition, flow rate, and pressure differential across the membrane. The analysis reveals that gas-phase Br2/HBr reactants significantly enhance mass transfer, which enables higher currents densities to be achieved compared to a liquid-fed system. A key feature of the model is water transport across the membrane, which determines membrane conductivity, reactant concentration and undesired condensation. The model is used to provide insight into cell operation, including operating conditions needed to avoid water condensation.
Creation, Order and Violence in Thomas Aquinas

One of the constant themes of Adorno’s work, running from his early essay ‘The Idea of Natural History’, through his unfinished Aesthetic Theory, is the notion of the experience of power within the natural realm and the relation of rational ‘enlightenment’ to this experience. On the one hand, ‘Enlightenment is mythic fear turned radical’ (DE 16/32);* on the other hand, ‘Myth turns into enlightenment, and nature into mere objectivity’ (DE 9/25). What concerns Adorno is precisely the dialectic that enlightenment itself is. As the attempt to free humanity from fear of the force of nature, enlightenment is an attempt to demythologize nature, to strip nature of its power. Yet in this very activity, enlightenment becomes that power itself. If reason is the answer to the force of nature, then reason itself has to be force as well: ‘Myth is already enlightenment; and enlightenment reverts to mythology’ (DE xvi/16).
Habitat Use of Fish Communities in A Virginia Stream System

Fish habitat use during summer was examined at micro- and meso-levels, to determine species associations in the upper Roanoke River watershed, Virginia. Based on multivariate-mesohabitat analysis and examination of mean microhabitat use, seven habitat-use guilds were apparent. These included four rheophilic (fast-riffle, riffle/run, fast-generalist, and shallow-rheophilic) and three limnophilic guilds (pool/run, open-pool, and pool-cover) that were reasonably robust across two river segments and two years. Although simple-hydraulic, bottom-topographic, and turbulence variables all segregated fish habitat-use guilds, turbulence variables were redundant with simple-hydraulic variables, substratum use by limnophilic fishes was related to availability, and only one guild consistently selected high cover levels. At the family level, suckers, darters, and especially minnows were notable for occupying several habitat-use guilds, because of species differences in habitat preferences. Such formulation of guilds can simplify habitat-impact analyses in biodiverse, warmwater streams, via focus on habitat needs of guilds rather than on individual species.
Transient materials from thermally-sensitive polycarbonates and polycarbonate nanocomposites

Abstract Transient materials, or materials with designed short lifetimes, are of great interest in many fields of research. This work describes the development of polycarbonates as a thermally-triggered vaporizable substrate platform. Good mechanical properties over operational temperature ranges in combination with fast and clean decomposition at slightly higher temperatures create an effective transient substrate. Therefore, characterization of the thermal and mechanical properties of vaporizable polycarbonates (VPC) and their composites are indispensable for creating such materials systems. A tailor-made VPC and its blends with a commercially available poly(propylene carbonate) were investigated. Both polycarbonates have acid sensitive backbones; therefore, when combined with an acid source, catalyzed decomposition was observed within minutes, achieving a range of decomposition temperatures between 160 °C and 250 °C. Polymer with organo-modified montmorillonite nanocomposites were investigated to provide structural support. These nanocomposites resulted in Young's moduli ranging from 4 MPa to ∼2 GPa. Their tunable nature allows for designer control over the substrate's properties based on application needs.