cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Comparative investigation of diode pumping for continuous-wave and mode-locked Cr 3+ :LiCAF lasers

Cr3+ doped colquiriites are promising solid-state gain media for developing inexpensive and highly efficient tunable continuous-wave (cw) and femtosecond lasers. Among Cr3+ doped colquiriites, Cr3+:LiCAF has superior thermal properties enabling high-power operation with standard laser cavities. In this study we present detailed laser experiments with Cr3+:LiCAF, which achieve laser performance approaching that of the much more expensive Ti:sapphire laser technology. Inexpensive, new, multimode (~1.5 W) and single-mode (~150 mW) diode lasers were used as pump sources. With multimode diode pumping, cw output powers exceeding 1 W and mode-locked pulse energies as high as 2.8 nJ were obtained. Using single-mode diode pumping, up to 280 mW of cw output power with 54% slope efficiency and continuous tuning between 765 and 865 nm were demonstrated. In cw mode-locking, 72 fs, 1.4 nJ pulses were obtained, and an electrical-to-optical conversion efficiency of 7.8% was demonstrated.
Identification of chlorinated naphthalenes in halowaxes 1031, 1000, 1001 and 1099

Abstract The identities of the chlorinated naphthalenes in the commercial mixtures of Halowaxes 1031, 1000, 1001 and 1099 have been established. These preparations contain 22, 26, 50 and 52% of chlorine, respectively. Both monochloronaphthalenes were found to be present. All of the disubstituted isomers, with the exception of 2,6-dichloronaphthalene, together with several of the possible tri- and tetrachloronaphthalenes, were detected in the mixtures. At least three components did not seem to be chlorinated naphthalenes. Other commercial preparations of chlorinated naphthalenes appear to be of similar composition, i.e. , isomers that have been identified in Nibren D88 are also present in Halowax 1001.
Isotherms for the He-N2 system at −190°C, −170°C and −160°C up to 700 ATM

Abstract A Burnett apparatus was employed to obtain compressibility factors and virial coefficients for He, N2 and four mixtures at −190, −170 and −160°C. Pressures ranged from 2 to 700 atm for He and from 2 atm to slightly below saturation pressure for N2 and the mixtures.
Ischemic proctosigmoiditis: report of a case.

The case reported emphasizes the need for awareness of the possibility of ischemic proctocolitis in the patient of middle age or beyond, even when the ulcerative process is predominantly rectal and the clinical and radiographic findings are atypical. Ischemic proctocolitis may resemble ulcerative colitis radiographically, clinically, and sigmoidoscopically, especially in the early stages. A biopsy made early in the course of the disease which samples damaged mucosa should permit an easy distinction between the two processes. Farmanet al. 13 suggest that ischemic proctocolitis may be much more common than previously believed, particularly in the elderly, in whom underlying cardiovascular disease is common.
Misregistration in Adaptive Optics Systems

An adaptive optics (AO) system is most effective when there is a known alignment between the wave front sensor (WFS) and the deformable mirror (DM). Misregistration is the term for the unknown alignment between the WFS and DM. Misregistration degrades system performance and can make the system unstable. An AO system uses a reconstruction matrix to transform WFS measurements into DM commands. A standard AO system uses a model reconstruction matrix that assumes perfect registration between the WFS and DM. The object of this research is to mitigate the negative effects of misregistration by using offline WFS measurements to create the reconstruction matrix. To build the reconstruction matrix, each actuator on the DM is poked to a fixed amount, and then the resulting measurement on the WFS is recorded. Analytic studies of the model and measured matrices show that the measured matrix yields a more stable AO system. Additional simulations indicate that applying the measured matrix improves the overall system performance compared to that of the model reconstruction matrix.
Parameterized dominating set problem in chordal graphs: complexity and lower bound

In this paper, we study the parameterized dominating set problem in chordal graphs. The goal of the problem is to determine whether a given chordal graph G=(V,E) contains a dominating set of size k or not, where k is an integer parameter. We show that the problem is W[1]-hard and it cannot be solved in time \(|V|^{o({\sqrt{k}})}\) unless 3SAT can be solved in subexponential time. In addition, we show that the upper bound of this problem can be improved to \(O(2^{\sqrt{k}}|V|^{2\sqrt{k}})\) when the underlying graph G is an interval graph.
Active Tera Hertz (THz) spoof surface plasmon polariton (SSPP) switch comprising the perfect conductor meta-material

The feasibility of realizing an active Tera Hertz (THz) switch by utilizing artificially corrugated perfect conductor meta-materials is reported in this paper by demonstrating that the strongly localized THz spoof surface plasmon polariton (SSPP) modes can be easily controlled by changing the refractive index of dielectrics inside a longitudinal metallic structure with a periodic array of grooves. Specifically, the paper shows that incorporation of electro-optical (EO) material such as a nematic liquid crystal (N-LC) into the plasmonic gap leads to a highly compact and efficient THz switch that is activated by a low voltage control-signal.
Optoelectronic region of interest detection: an application in automated cytology.

Diagnostic cytology, which is used to screen for cervical cancer, involves characterizing cellular features such as shape, size, and texture. Automated screening of cervical smear slides is desirable but computationally challenging since each slide requires processing 2 × 109 pixels at a resolution of 0.8 μm per pixel. We demonstrate that the throughput of optical processors can be exploited in automated cervical smear-screening systems. In particular, we identify a morphological shape detector to perform the initial region of interest (ROI) detection and to demonstrate experimentally its optoelectronic implementation. The ROI detector is tested on 200 images, and its performance is characterized as a receiver operating characteristic (ROC). The area under the ROC curve is as high as 96.4% of the total area. The simulation and the experimental results are found comparable, and the discrepancy between the two results is determined to be a function of the number of bits represented in the filter plane device.
Daily cigarette consumption in early adulthood: age of smoking initiation and duration of smoking

This study considers the extent to which daily consumption of cigarettes in young adults varies by age at first cigarette and duration of smoking. Data come from a random sample of 21- to 30-year-old members of a large HMO in the Detroit area. Daily cigarette consumption by current smokers varied by duration of daily smoking: the longer the duration, the higher the number of cigarettes smoked. Duration from first cigarette to daily smoking bore no relationship to cigarette consumption. When duration of daily smoking was statistically controlled, the association between cigarette consumption and age at first cigarette was not statistically significant. The findings suggest that public health efforts to delay daily smoking among adolescents might reduce cigarette consumption in early adulthood.
Extending sequence-class membership with matching to sample.

Three normal adults were first trained to point sequentially to each member of several pairs of visual stimuli. This baseline training established one class of stimuli to which subjects responded first, and another class of stimuli to which they responded second. Then, in a matching-to-sample procedure, baseline-sequence stimuli served as samples and new visual stimuli served as comparisons. Subjects were trained to choose one group of new comparisons when the sample was a “first” stimulus from the sequence baseline, and to choose the other new comparison stimuli when the sample was a “second” from the sequence baseline. When the new stimuli were then presented as pairs in the posttest, two subjects pointed to them in sequences predictable on the basis of the stimulus-class membership established during matching to sample. The failure of one subject to demonstrate sequential transfer was shown to be a consequence of the failure of the matching-to-sample procedure to establish stimulus classes. The production of sequences that were not directly trained suggested an empirical approach to the analysis of simple grammatical behavior.
Conformational changes within the cytosolic portion of phospholamban upon release of Ca-ATPase inhibition.

Phospholamban (PLB) is a major target of the β-adrenergic cascade in the heart, functioning to modulate contractile force by altering the rate of calcium re-sequestration by the Ca-ATPase. Function...
Space charge and high intensity beam issues in the design and comissioning of the SNS accelerator

Abstract The spallation neutron source will deliver a 1 GeV, 1.44 MW beam to a liquid mercury target for neutron spallation. The accelerator consists of a 1 GeV, H − linac and a proton accumulator ring for bunch length compression. Due to the unprecedented beam intensity, collective effects, particularly space charge effects, are expected to be primary source of beam loss throughout the accelerator. The staged commissioning of the accelerator has allowed first observations of these effects in the linac. Here, we present the challenges of the high-intensity beam commissioning, and include preliminary results of halo formation studies in the warm linac. Additionally, anticipated space charge effects in the accumulator ring and the design philosophy adopted to mitigate these effects are presented.
Taxonomic identification of appendicularians collected in the epipelagic waters off northern Chile (Tunicata, Appendicularia)

El presente trabajo proporciona una primera descripcion taxonomica de las apendicularias colectadas durante septiembre y agosto de 1995 en la costa norte de Chile (18o23'-31o00' S). Se identificaron 15 especies de apendicularias pertenecientes a las familias Oikopleuridae (Oikopleura longicauda, O. cophocerca, O. dioica, O. rufescens, O. fusiformis, O. albicans, O. gracilis and Megalocercus abyssorum) y Fritillariidae (Fritillaria pellucida typica, F. pellucida omani, F. haplostoma F. tenella, F. formica digitata, F. venusta and F. fraudax). Todas las especies identificadas se registran por primera vez para aguas del norte de Chile y se amplia su distribucion en esta area del Pacifico Suroriental. Las especies mas abundantes fueron Oikopleura longicauda (56,1 %), O. gracilis (10,4 %), Fritillaria pellucida typica (6,7 %); O. albicans (5,0 %); F. pellucida omani (4,7 %); O. cophocerca (4,4 %) y F. venusta (4,1 %), mientras que las ocho especies restantes constituyeron el 8,6 % del total de apendicularias colectadas
Mechanical perturbation of T cell actin retrograde flow

The interplay between the plasma membane morphology and the actin network at cell-cell interfaces is believed to play an important role in various signaling pathways. Here, we manipulate the curvature of the membrane and the conforming actin at hybrid cell-supported membrane junctions. We demonstrate that the micron scale protein patterns in the T cell immunological synapse are altered merely by the curvature imposed by the supporting substrate. The radial symmetry of actin and other signaling proteins breaks, and the shape of the cell junction elongates up to three fold across one-dimensional (1-D) grooves. Cell aspect ratio is dependent on groove frequency and curvature. Our observations show that geometrical perturbations at membrane junctions can remodel actin retrograde flow.
Tentative identification of a lipid mobilizing substance from the calf mid-brain

Abstract An earlier report described the isolation and some properties of a lipid mobilizing factor (LMF) from the calf mid-brain, (1968). This factor has been tentatively identified as a hypoxanthine-like compound. LMF was indistinguishable from the purine base, hypoxanthine by paper electrophoretic and paper chromatographic techniques, and in u.v. absorption spectra.
Liver transplantation for hepatocellular carcinoma: how far have we come and what is the future?

SUMMARY: Liver transplantation is the best treatment for hepatocellular carcinoma in the setting of chronic liver disease, completely removing malignancy and underlying diseased liver tissue. Technical aspects of liver transplantation have improved over the years, along with outcomes. But challenges continue in the areas of expanding existing indications for transplant with limited organ supply, calling for optimization of patient selection and the development of alternative or adjunctive treatment options. Expansion of existing transplant criteria will help identify patients most likely to have good outcomes. Locoregional and systemic treatments showing therapeutic promise are being investigated for use in achieving acceptable oncologic effect. Improvements in post-transplant treatment and continued attempts to enlarge the donor pool will continue to provide avenues for further improvements in outcomes.
Elastic scattering of intermediate-energy electrons by Ar and Kr

Using the relative-flow technique elastic differential cross sections ${\ensuremath{\sigma}}_{\ensuremath{\theta}}(\mathrm{Ar}\mathrm{or}\mathrm{Kr})$ for Ar and Kr relative to ${\ensuremath{\sigma}}_{\ensuremath{\theta}}(\mathrm{He})$ have been measured at impact energies of 3, 5, 7.5, 10, 15, 20, 30, 50, 75, and 100 eV. The angular range covered is from 20\ifmmode^\circ\else\textdegree\fi{} to 135\ifmmode^\circ\else\textdegree\fi{}. These ratios have been multiplied by the recently measured values of ${\ensuremath{\sigma}}_{\ensuremath{\theta}}(\mathrm{He})$ to obtain ${\ensuremath{\sigma}}_{\ensuremath{\theta}}(\mathrm{Ar}\mathrm{or}\mathrm{Kr})$. The differential cross section curves for both Ar and Kr show deep minima. The positions of these minima have been obtained with an accuracy of \ifmmode\pm\else\textpm\fi{}2\ifmmode^\circ\else\textdegree\fi{}. The cross sections in the angular regions lying between 0\ifmmode^\circ\else\textdegree\fi{} and 20\ifmmode^\circ\else\textdegree\fi{} and 135\ifmmode^\circ\else\textdegree\fi{} and 180\ifmmode^\circ\else\textdegree\fi{} could not be measured owing to instrumental limitations. In these regions estimates of the shapes of differential cross section (DCS) curves have been made by fitting the data obtained from 20\ifmmode^\circ\else\textdegree\fi{} to 135\ifmmode^\circ\else\textdegree\fi{} with a phase-shift analysis, while the normalization to the absolute scale was obtained by normalizing these fits to the relative flow measurements. From these estimates and the measured values of the differential cross section, integral and momentum-transfer cross sections have been obtained. The error limits for the differential, integral, and momentum-transfer cross sections have been estimated as 20, 30, and 30%, respectively.
Nuptiality and Rural Industry: Families and Labor in the French Countryside:

This essay examines the impact of rural industry on nuptiality from several perspectives. First, aggregate data on marriage behavior during the sec ond half of the eighteenth century are considered for one of the major proto- industrial regions of France, the departments along the northern border. No clear relationship is found between nuptiality and the presence of rural industry. The essay then examines the composition of the proto-industrial labor force in the department of the Loire during the nineteenth century and suggests some clarifi cations of this relationship. Two different models of proto-industrial family economy emerge. It is the combination of these two kinds of family economy in the same area that produced the ambiguous results found in the aggregate data. Thus, while in some parts of Europe proto-industrialization may have influenced age at marriage and proportions ever-marrying, this was by no means a universal effect. The household context of proto-industry played a major role in determ...
Anelastic relaxation of protonic defects in Nd-DOPED BaCeO3

Abstract The internal friction technique has been employed to study the interaction of protons with other defects in 2, 3 and 5% Nd-doped BaCeO 3 . The compounds, after saturation with protons, give rise to two broad anelastic relaxation peaks near 340 K and 273 K at 5800 Hz, with activation energies centered at 0.63 and 0.51 eV, respectively. Using defect symmetry arguments, it will be established that the 273 K peak results from the reorientation of NdOH pairs, while the 340 K peak is probably due to the relaxation of higher order NdOH clusters. These results show for the first time that protons are associated with dopants in BaCeO 3 . The relaxation strength is found to depend on the square of dopant concentration. Thermodynamic analysis reveals that the amount of associated protons which produce the relaxation peaks makes up only less than 10% of total proton concentration. In contrast, no anelastic relaxation peak has been detected in off-stoichiometric A 3 (Ca 1 + xNb 2 − x )O 9 − δ Therefore, creating negative charges by off-stoichiometry produces a different defect structure for protons than when dopants are introduced. In other words, the presence of dopants is essential for protons to produce anelastic relaxation in perovskite-type oxides.
Proportional and non-proportional hardening behavior of dual-phase steels

Abstract The elastic–plastic response of sheet materials during non-proportional paths is seldom incorporated in constitutive equations used for routine sheet forming simulation, but can have a significant effect on formability and springback. Monotonic tension and compression, coaxial tension–compression (T–C), coaxial compression–tension (C–T), and two-stage/non-coaxial tensile tests were performed for three grades of dual phase steels: DP590, DP780, and DP980. The reverse flow curves have three characteristics: reduced yield stress (Bauschinger effect), rapid transient strain hardening over a few percent strain, and long-term or “permanent” softening. The departure of the reverse hardening curves from monotonic ones is larger than with other typical sheet forming alloys, presumably because of the effects of large second-phase martensite particles in dual-phase steels. A Modified Chaboche type model was applied in this paper to simulate the elastic–plastic behavior of DP steels. In addition to one or more standard nonlinear components of the back stress, a linear term was added to represent the “permanent” offset of hardening following a stress reversal. The parameters for the model were fit using the monotonic and reverse tensile test results only, and the model predictions were then compared with large-strain balanced biaxial bulge test, non-coaxial, two-stage tensile tests, and draw-bend springback tests. The Modified Chaboche model captured the response following a path change much better than isotropic hardening models, but there is a fundamental difference between large-strain hardening after a path change that occurs between path reversals and changes of principal strain axis. The Chaboche model can reproduce either behaviors, but not both simultaneously.
Postoperative Anisocoria in a Patient Undergoing Endoscopic Sinus Surgery

Objective Anisocoria after sinus surgery can be related to serious complications such as intraorbital hematoma or increased intracranial pressure secondary to an expanding hematoma. Case report A 51-year-old man underwent endoscopic surgery of sinuses, and developed anisocoria; likely a result of the local spread of cocaine used to provide local anesthesia and vasoconstriction. The localized effect of this anesthetic agent produced a typical picture of nasociliary ganglion block that subsided in a few hours. In the results, the nasociliary nerve block was noticed on recovery from anesthesia with no other neurologic deficit. Ophthalmologic examination demonstrated a short-lasting anisocoria with loss of accommodation and sensory block over the tip of the nose. Conclusion The central spread of the local anesthetics should be considered as a differential diagnosis of unexplained anisocoria, especially when it is associated with loss of corneal reflex.
Isolation and characterization of human actin genes cloned in phage lambda vectors.

Abstract Using Drosophila and chicken actin probes, we have selected 14 human actin λ recombinants from a genomic library. We present a restriction maps indicating the positions of the sequences homologous to actin and to an Alu probe. Restriction mapping has revealed that nine out of ten of these clones are distinct, indicating that actin is a multigene family. Hybrid elution of HeLa cell mRNA from filters containing the recombinant DNA, followed by in vitro translation and immunoprecipitation, as well as one- or two-dimensional protein analysis, shows that these recombinants code for actin. Hybridization back to human DNA digested with restriction enzymes shows that the EcoRI fragments of at least one of the λ recombinants (λHA-5) result in similar-sized human DNA fragments in the intact genome. In nuclei, a 4.5-kb mRNA precursor to the cytoplasmic 1.9-kb mRNA can be detected by hybridization with genomic or cDNA probes, indicating the presence of additional sequences and RNA processing.
Effect of gravity on lung exhaled nitric oxide at rest and during exercise

Exhaled nitric oxide (NO) from the lungs (VNO) in nose-clipped subjects increases during exercise. This may be due to endothelial shear stress secondary to changes in pulmonary blood flow. We measured VNO after modifying pulmonary blood flow with head-out water immersion (WI) or increased gravity (2 Gz) at rest and during exercise. Ten sedentary males were studied during exercise performed in air and WI. Nine subjects were studied at 1 and 2 Gz. Resting NO concentrations in exhaled air ([NO]) were 16.3 +/- 8.2 ppb (air). 15 +/- 8.2 ppb (WI) and 17.4 +/- 5 ppb (2 Gz). VNO (ppb/min) was calculated as [NO]VE and was unchanged at rest by either WI or 2 Gz. VNO increased linearly with Vo2, VE and fii during exercise in air, WI and at 2 Gz. These relationships did not differ among the experimental conditions. Therefore, changes in pulmonary blood flow failed to alter the output of NO exhaled from the lungs at rest or during exercise.
Critical Measurement Issues/Challenges in Assessing Aerobic Capacity in Youth

We discuss current measurement issues related to tests of aerobic capacity in the FITNESSGRAM®. Interpretation of tests of aerobic capacity is difficult because the criterion measure of aerobic capacity, maximal rate of oxygen uptake (V˙O2max) expressed relative to body weight, is inversely related to body fatness and body mass index (BMI). This association cannot be easily be eliminated in a way that maintains the units commonly used to express aerobic capacity (i.e., mL·kg − 1·min − 1) and is understandable to typical test users. Requiring the measurement of BMI to predict V˙O2max creates practical problems for users by: (a) uncoupling the relation of predicted V˙O2max to physical performance on the 1-mile run/walk (MRW) and the Progressive Aerobic Cardiovascular Endurance Run (PACER) tests, (b) making explicit the influence of body composition on the ability of children to achieve the aerobic capacity healthy fitness zone, and (c) creating a barrier for users who cannot measure height and weight. The u...
Rho GTPase and cAMP/protein kinase A signaling mediates myocilin-induced alterations in cultured human trabecular meshwork cells.

Myocilin is a gene linked to the most common form of glaucoma, a major blinding disease. The trabecular meshwork (TM), a specialized eye tissue, is believed to be involved, at least in part, in the development of glaucoma. The myocilin expression is known to be up-regulated by glucocorticoids in TM cells, and an altered myocilin level may be the culprit in conditions such as corticosteroid glaucoma. Wild type myocilin, when transfected into cultured human TM cells, induced a dramatic loss of actin stress fibers and focal adhesions. Myocilin transfectants displayed a heightened sensitivity to trypsin. Adhesion to fibronectin, collagens, and vitronectin was compromised. The fibronectin deposition and the levels of fibronectin protein and mRNA were also reduced in myocilin transfectants. The fibronectin deposition could be restored by treatment with lysophosphatidic acid, a Rho stimulator. Assays further revealed that upon myocilin overexpression, the activity of RhoA was diminished, whereas the cAMP level and the protein kinase A (PKA) activity were augmented. Myocilin protein did not affect actin polymerization. The collapse of actin stress fibers and increased trypsin sensitivity from myocilin transfection could be reverted by co-expression of constitutively active RhoA or by treatment with PKA inhibitor H-89. The PKA activity, however, was not modified by co-expression of either constitutively active or dominant negative RhoA. These results demonstrate that myocilin has a deadhesive activity and triggers signaling events. cAMP/PKA activation and the downstream Rho inhibition are possible mechanisms by which myocilin in overabundance may lead to TM cell or tissue damage.
Ubiquitination is involved in secondary growth, not initial formation of polyglutamine protein aggregates in C. elegans

Background Protein misfolding and subsequent aggregation are hallmarks of several human diseases. The cell has a variety of mechanisms for coping with misfolded protein stress, including ubiquitin-mediated protein degradation. In fact, the presence of ubiquitin at protein aggregates is a common feature of protein misfolding diseases. Ubiquitin conjugating enzymes (UBCs) are part of the cascade of enzymes responsible for the regulated attachment of ubiquitin to protein substrates. The specific UBC used during ubiquitination can determine the type of polyubiquitin chain linkage, which in turn plays an important role in determining the fate of the ubiquitinated protein. Thus, UBCs may serve an important role in the cellular response to misfolded proteins and the fate of protein aggregates.
Integration of molecular and enzymatic catalysts on graphene for biomimetic generation of antithrombotic species

Enzymatic mimics, capable of catalysing cascading reactions under physiological conditions, can be formed from integrating multiple components. Here, the authors report a graphene–haemin–glucose oxidase system capable of biomimetic generation of antithrombotic species from abundant glucose and L-arginine.
Morphogenesis of the cerebellum of the frog tadpole during spontaneous metamorphosis

The cerebellum of the frog tadpole remains in an immature state throughout the premetamorphic (growth) phase. An external granular layer is absent except for a few scattered cells. A well defined Purkinje cell zone is also lacking. Large cells, which presumably are the immature Purkinje cells, are found in the subventricular zone. During the prometamorphic period (accelerated hind leg growth) an external granular layer, several cells thick, becomes established by a migration of cells from the base of the cerebellum. A second migration involving the movement of the external granule cells toward the ventricular region begins at this time. However, the most active period of this latter migration is at the end of the prometamorphic period and during the days following fore leg emergence, viz., metamorphic climax. Concomitantly, a well defined Purkinje cell stratum is established.
Analysis of Nonfarm Equity Forms of Investment Applicable to Agriculture

U.S. agriculture has an "on-again, off-again" relationship with nonfarm equity capital. On the one hand, investor capital enables entry and expansion, while on the other hand it is characterized as threatening owner-operator control and encouraging large-scale farms to dominate production and marketing. The mid-1980s find U.S. farmers in a mixed scramble both to scale down and to expand. However, debt capital is unusually tight as traditional lenders are balking at loan applications that would have been readily approved in the 1970s. The purpose of this article is to examine legal business forms and ownership mechanisms that would enable nonfarm investors to contribute toward the current capital needs of U.S. agriculture. One typically thinks of investment as a capital contribution to an already existing farm business, yet the large number of farm foreclosures and bankruptcy liquidations in the mid1980s suggests that equity capital may be equally important as substitute equity, allowing farmers with untenable financial positions to exit or moving large creditor inventories of repossessed collateral. But additional equity can be brought into agriculture without old equity selling out entirely. Farming mentality traditionally responds to a capital shortage as answerable only by additional borrowing or selling of assets. Equity capital can be made directly available to the farm operation by investors who want to participate in gains in exchange for risk sharing as well as by farm asset owners who make their income-producing assets available to farmers through leasing. In both cases, the farm operator would participate in, if not control, decision making. The investment forms selected for discussion include financial leases and leasebacks, limited partnerships, and corporations. Other investment business forms or mechanisms include general partnerships, co-ownership, agency contracts, condominia, trusts, and production contracts. Before describing these alternative investment forms, it may be useful to examine the reasons for using various legal entities.
Influence of Precipitation Assimilation on a Regional Climate Model’s Surface Water and Energy Budgets

Abstract Initialization of the moisture profiles has been used to overcome the imbalance between analysis schemes and prediction models that generates the so-called spinup problem seen in the hydrological fields. Here precipitation assimilation through moisture adjustment has been proposed as a technique to reduce this problem in regional climate simulations by adjusting the specific humidity according to 3-hourly North American Regional Reanalysis rain rates during two simulated years: 1988 and 1993. A control regional simulation provided the initial condition fields for both simulations. The precipitation assimilation simulation was then compared to the control regional climate simulation, reanalyses, and observations to determine whether assimilation of precipitation had a positive influence on modeled surface water and energy budget terms. In general, rainfall assimilation improved the regional model surface water and energy budget terms over the conterminous United States. Precipitation and runoff co...
Degradation behavior of covalently cross-linked poly(aldehyde guluronate) hydrogels

There is a significant need in the biomedical field for hydrogels with controllable mechanical and degradative properties. We now report the degradation behavior of novel hydrogels formed by the cr...
Metal foams as flow field and gas diffusion layer in direct methanol fuel cells

Metal foams are routinely used in structures to enhance stiffness and reduce weight over a range of platforms. In direct methanol fuel cells, the controlled porosity and high electrical conductivity of metal foams provide additional benefits. Performance studies were conducted with direct methanol fuel cells incorporating metal foams as the flow field. The influence of the foam pore size and density on cell performance was investigated. The performance of similar density metal foams but with different pore sizes was non-monotonic due to the opposing trends of electrical contact and CO2 removal with pore size. In contrast, for metal foams with the same in-plane pore size, the performance improved with increasing density. Because the cell operates in a diffusion-dominated regime, its performance showed a strong dependence on methanol concentration and a moderate dependence on methanol flow rate. The feasibility of using metal foams as a gas diffusion layer (GDL) was also explored.
Comparison of Markov Chain and Stochastic Differential Equation Population Models Under Higher-Order Moment Closure Approximations

Continuous time Markov chain (CTMC) and It stochastic differential equation (SDE) models are derived for a population with births, immigration and deaths (BID model). Differential equations are derived for the moments of the distribution for each stochastic model. Each moment differential equation depends on higher-order moments. Assumptions are made regarding higher-order moments to form a finite, solvable system. Conditions are given under which the CTMC and SDE BID models have the same moment solution or the same stationary solution. The close agreement between the CTMC and SDE models is illustrated in three numerical examples based on normal or log-normal moment closure assumptions.
Non-equilibrium in plant distribution models - only an issue for introduced or dispersal limited species?

Species distribution models rely on the assumption that species' distributions are at equilibrium with environmental conditions within a region – i.e. they occur in all suitable habitats. If this assumption holds, species occurrence should be predictable from measures of the environment. Introduced species may be poor candidates for distribution models due to their presumed lack of equilibrium within the landscapes they occupy, although predicting their potential distributions is often of critical importance to natural resource managers. We determined if the accuracy of species distribution models differed between 17 native and 17 introduced riparian plant species in the western United States. We also assessed if model accuracy was associated with both environmental and biological factors that can influence dispersal. We used Random Forests to model species distributions and linear regression to determine if model accuracy was associated with dispersal-related traits. Model accuracy for introduced species was higher than that for native species. Dispersal-related traits did not affect model accuracy or improvement, though two other traits, family affiliation and rarity on the landscape, did have an effect. Distance-based measures of dispersal potential improved model fit equally for both native and introduced species and for species with a variety of dispersal traits, suggesting that the importance of regional propagule pressure is relatively constant across species with different dispersal opportunities. Several lines of future questioning are suggested by our results, including why introduced species may in some cases produce more accurate distribution models than native species and how species dispersal traits relate to distribution model accuracy at different spatial scales.
Timing recovery for echo-cancelled discrete multitone systems

We present a novel technique for timing recovery in an echo-cancelled multicarrier system. In this scheme, both the transmit and receive clocks on a transceiver are derived from the same stable crystal oscillator. In this way, the high degree of echo rejection required by the echo canceller is affected by neither timing jitter nor sampling phase offset. The receiver compensates for the time-domain phase offset with the use of frequency-domain adaptive equalization on the echo-cancelled demodulated symbols. Cycle slips are handled by a simple rob/stuff protocol that is reflected in the operation of the frame-synchronous echo canceller. An efficient method for multicarrier echo cancellation has been proposed for ADSL. We analyze the performance of our timing recovery scheme in the context of this system. >
The Handicapped Can Dance Too

(1978). The Handicapped Can Dance Too! Journal of Physical Education and Recreation: Vol. 49, No. 5, pp. 52-54.
Improved small-signal analysis of the quantum-well injection transit time diode

Two improved methods for calculating the small-signal impedance of the quantum-well injection transit time diode are discussed. The first extends the traditional analysis to include carrier velocity transient effects, producing an analytical expression from which optimum injection conductance and drift angle can be found. The second method includes the effects of both nonuniform carrier velocity and diffusion, casting the expression for impedance in terms of a double integration that is evaluated numerically. A lumped-element model that closely duplicates the impedance found by the numerical method is developed. A graphical means that allows the generation of the lumped-element model from the DC negative resistance and knowledge of the diode structure is provided. The more sophisticated models developed should be useful in device design, in evaluation of mounting and packaging schemes, and for suppression of unwanted oscillations. >
EPR of a carbon‐oxygen‐divacancy complex in irradiated silicon

Additional EPR experiments on the Si-G15 spectrum, previously observed in p-type, pulled silicon after electron irradiation, are described. The hyperfine interaction with the 29Si nuclei and the quenched-in defect alignment under uniaxial stress are newly observed. A correlation is made between the G15 spectrum and the C(3) infrared absorption band at λ = 11.6 μm via the defect symmetry, stress response and their dependence on irradiation temperature and electron-fluence. Based on the new experimental results as well as existing results from the infrared and EPR studies, the G15 spectrum is identified as arising from a positive charge state of a defect which may be viewed as a carbon-oxygen molecule bonded within a divacancy. The trapping of a mobile interstitial carbon by a [vacancy ± oxygen] pair results in the formation of the [CO ± V2] complex and the liberation of a selfinterstitial at room temperature. The electrical level of G15 is determined to be (Ev ± 0.32) eV. Tentatively the G16 spectrum is identified as being due to the negative charge state of this defect and having an electrical level at (Ec — 0.43) eV. Es werden weitere EPR-Experimente am Si-G15-Spektrum durchgefuhrt, das fruher schon an nach dem Czochralski-Verfahren hergestelltem, p-leitendem Silizium nach Elektronenbestrahlung beobachtet wurde. Die Hyperfeinwechselwirkung mit 29Si-Kernen und die Ausrichtung der durch Abschrecken eingefrorenen Fehlstellen unter axialer Spannung werden erneut beobachtet. Uber die Symmetrie der Fehlstelle, die Reaktion auf Spannung und deren Abhangigkeit von der Bestrah-lungstemperatur und der Elektronendosis wird das G15 Spektrum mit der C(3)-Infrarot-Absorptionsbande bei λ = 11,6 μm korreliert. Mit diesen neuen experimentellen Ergebnissen und den schon bestehenden Ergebnissen von Infrarot- und EPR-Untersuchungen wird angenommen, das das G15-Spektrum von einem positiv geladenen Zustand einer Fehlstelle kommt, die man als ein in einer Doppel-Leerstelle gebundenes CO-Molekul ansehen kann. Ein bewegliches Kohlenstoff-Zwischengitteratom wird von einem (Leerstelle ± Sauerstoffatom)-Paar eingefangen; das ergibt den [CO ± V2] Komplex, wahrend eine Eigen-Zwischengitterfehlstelle gebildet wird. Das Energie-niveau von G15 wird zu (Ev ± 0,32) eV bestimmt. Auserdem wird vermutet, das das G16-Spektrum von einem negativ geladenen Zustand dieser Fehlstelle stammt und ein Energieniveau von (Ec — 0,43) eV hat.
Real-Time Measurement of Eccentric Motion With Low-Cost Capacitive Sensor

In the operation of rotating machinery, the axial tilt of a rotor is an inevitable phenomenon and often as important as its radial error motion. The cylindrical capacitive sensors (CCSs) have been developed and applied to measure such kind of errors in the past two decades. Compared with other competing sensors, such as optical, inductive, and piezoresistive transducers, CCSs have many advantages, such as low cost and power usage, and good stability, resolution, and speed, etc. In this paper, a new approach that measures the eccentric motions of a hydraulic pump by using a CCS is presented. With this proposed method, the eccentric motion can be acquired in real time with a carrier signal by a circuit of low-cost capacitance-to-digital converter. The analytical results are compared and verified with experiments.
Partitioning the multi-scale effects of human activity on the occurrence of riparian forest birds

Conservationists, managers, and land planners are faced with the difficult task of balancing many issues regarding humans impacts on natural systems. Many of these potential impacts arise from local-scale and landscape-scale changes, but such changes often covary, which makes it difficult to isolate and compare independent effects arising from humans. We partition multi-scale impacts on riparian forest bird distribution in 105 patches along approximately 500 km of the Madison and Missouri Rivers, Montana, USA. To do so, we coupled environmental information from local (within-patch), patch, and landscape scales reflecting potential human impacts from grazing, invasive plant species, habitat loss and fragmentation, and human development with the distribution of 28 terrestrial breeding bird species in 2004 and 2005. Variation partitioning of the influence of different spatial scales suggested that local-scale vegetation gradients explained more unique variation in bird distribution than did information from patch and landscape scales. Partitioning potential human impacts revealed, however, that riparian habitat loss and fragmentation at the patch and landscape scales explained more unique variation than did local disturbances or landscape-scale development (i.e., building density in the surrounding landscape). When distribution was correlated with human disturbance, local-scale disturbance had more consistent impacts than other scales, with species showing consistent negative correlations with grazing but positive correlations with invasives. We conclude that while local vegetation structure best explains bird distribution, managers concerned with ongoing human influences in this system need to focus more on mitigating the effects of large-scale disturbances than on more local land use issues.
Record fragmentation due to transfusion at multiple health care facilities: a risk factor for delayed hemolytic transfusion reactions

BACKGROUND: Patients transfused at more than one health care facility face safety risks, because their transfusion record is fragmented. Blood group antibodies documented at one facility may be unknown to others. Because many antibodies are evanescent, access to prior antibody records is important for preventing incompatible transfusions and delayed hemolytic reactions. The study goal was to quantify multisite transfusion activity and its impact on antibody record accuracy. STUDY DESIGN AND METHODS: Patients (n = 100) undergoing hospital transfusion testing were surveyed to determine the locations and dates of any prior trans
Optimal Unified Data Allocation and Task Scheduling for Real-Time Multi-Tasking Systems

Many real-time (RT) embedded systems can benefit from a memory hierarchy to bridge the processor/memory speed gap. These RT embedded systems usually utilize a cacheless architecture to avoid the time variability which complicates the timing analysis essential for RT systems. In the absence of a cache the burden of allocating the data objects to the memory hierarchy is on the programmer/compiler. There has been much research into allocating data objects into the memory hierarchy for efficient execution. However, existing methods have limited scope and ignore some aspects of RT multitasking embedded systems. In this paper we propose a synergistic, optimal approach to allocating data objects and scheduling real-time tasks for embedded systems. We allocate data using integer linear programming (ILP) to minimize each task's worst-case execution time (WCET), then perform preemption threshold scheduling (PTS) on the tasks to reduce stack memory requirements while still meeting hard RT deadlines. The memory reduction of PTS allows these steps to be repeated. The data objects now require less memory, so more can fit into faster memory, further reducing WCET. The increased slack time can be used by PTS to reduce preemptions further, until a fixed point is reached. We evaluate the technique with several levels of data object granularity using both synthetic workloads and a real-time benchmark and find it to be highly effective
Cell division, ciliary regeneration and cyclic AMP in a unicellular system.

It is possible, by direct measurements, to demonstrate the presence of cyclic AMP in Tetrahymena. Its presence in a unicellular eukaryote suggests a fundamental role in cellular metabolism independent of its function as a “second messenger.” Caffeine, an inhibitor of phosphodiesterase, raises the intracellular concentration of cyclic AMP and causes an inhibition of cellular division. Dibutyryl cyclic AMP also causes a partial inhibition of proliferation and is potentiated by caffeine. Inhibited cells do not recover spontaneously during continued exposure to caffeine but the inhibition is reversible resulting in a synchronous wave of division peaking one generation time after return to fresh medium. Synchronous cells subjected to pulses of caffeine at various intervals of the cell cycle are set back in time as measured by the excess division delay. There is a linear relationship between the age of the cells at the pulse and the duration of the excess division delay such that the older the cells are the greater is the setback. Caffeine and dibutyryl cyclic AMP inhibit ciliary regeneration as does also deuterium oxide.
Investigation of effects of varying model inputs on mercury deposition estimates in the Southwest US

Abstract. The Community Multiscale Air Quality (CMAQ) model version 4.7.1 was used to simulate mercury wet and dry deposition for a domain covering the continental United States (US). The simulations used MM5-derived meteorological input fields and the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Clear Air Mercury Rule (CAMR) emissions inventory. Using sensitivity simulations with different boundary conditions and tracer simulations, this investigation focuses on the contributions of boundary concentrations to deposited mercury in the Southwest (SW) US. Concentrations of oxidized mercury species along the boundaries of the domain, in particular the upper layers of the domain, can make significant contributions to the simulated wet and dry deposition of mercury in the SW US. In order to better understand the contributions of boundary conditions to deposition, inert tracer simulations were conducted to quantify the relative amount of an atmospheric constituent transported across the boundaries of the domain at various altitudes and to quantify the amount that reaches and potentially deposits to the land surface in the SW US. Simulations using alternate sets of boundary concentrations, including estimates from global models (Goddard Earth Observing System-Chem (GEOS-Chem) and the Global/Regional Atmospheric Heavy Metals (GRAHM) model), and alternate meteorological input fields (for different years) are analyzed in this paper. CMAQ dry deposition in the SW US is sensitive to differences in the atmospheric dynamics and atmospheric mercury chemistry parameterizations between the global models used for boundary conditions.
Data path tradeoffs using MABAL

This paper describes a set of novel tradeoff experiments using MABAL, a Module And Bus ALlocation program. MABAL uses a simple heuristic algorithm to concurrently perform functional unit allocation, register allocation, interconnect allocation and module binding, while minimising overall cost. MABAL was used to produce over 3000 RTL designs from a specification which had been previously scheduled. Tradeoffs between buses and multiplexers and between data steering logic and functional logic were investigated. The results indicate data path tradeoffs are sensitive to the characteristics of the module library used, and illustrate the difficulty of integrating module generation or logic synthesis with high-level synthesis. This tradeoff study has also highlighted MABAL's capabilities and is unlike any other reported in the literature.