cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Processes contributing to cloud dissipation and formation events on the North Slope of Alaska

Abstract. Clear-sky periods across the high latitudes have profound impacts on the surface energy budget and lower atmospheric stratification; however an understanding of the atmospheric processes leading to low-level cloud dissipation and formation events is limited. A method to identify clear periods at Utqiaġvik (formerly Barrow), Alaska, during a 5-year period (2014–2018) is developed. A suite of remote sensing and in situ measurements from the high-latitude observatory are analyzed; we focus on comparing and contrasting atmospheric properties during low-level (below 2 km ) cloud dissipation and formation events to understand the processes controlling clear-sky periods. Vertical profiles of lidar backscatter suggest that aerosol presence across the lower atmosphere is relatively invariant during the periods bookending clear conditions, which suggests that a sparsity of aerosol is not frequently a cause for cloud dissipation on the North Slope of Alaska. Further, meteorological analysis indicates two active processes ongoing that appear to support the formation of low clouds after a clear-sky period: namely, horizontal advection, which was dominant in winter and early spring, and quiescent air mass modification, which was dominant in the summer. During summer, the dominant mode of cloud formation is a low cloud or fog layer developing near the surface. This low cloud formation is driven largely by air mass modification under relatively quiescent synoptic conditions. Near-surface aerosol particles concentrations changed by a factor of 2 around summer formation events. Thermodynamic adjustment and increased aerosol presence under quiescent atmospheric conditions are hypothesized as important mechanisms for fog formation.
Formalism and Hilbert’s understanding of consistency problems

Formalism in the philosophy of mathematics has taken a variety of forms and has been advocated for widely divergent reasons. In Sects. 1 and 2, I briefly introduce the major formalist doctrines of the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. These are what I call empirico-semantic formalism (advocated by Heine), game formalism (advocated by Thomae) and instrumental formalism (advocated by Hilbert). After describing these views, I note some basic points of similarity and difference between them. In the remainder of the paper, I turn my attention to Hilbert’s instrumental formalism. My primary aim there will be to develop its formalist elements more fully. These are, in the main, (i) its rejection of the axiom-centric focus of traditional model-construction approaches to consistency problems, (ii) its departure from the traditional understanding of the basic nature of proof and (iii) its distinctively descriptive or observational orientation with regard to the consistency problem for arithmetic. More specifically, I will highlight what I see as the salient points of connection between Hilbert’s formalist attitude and his finitist standard for the consistency proof for arithmetic. I will also note what I see as a significant tension between Hilbert’s observational approach to the consistency problem for arithmetic and his expressed hope that his solution of that problem would dispense with certain epistemological concerns regarding arithmetic once and for all.
Study of the Substrate Influence in ZnO Nanowires Oriented Growth

Abstract A solution growth approach for zinc oxide (ZnO) nanowires is highly appealing because of the low growth temperature and possibility for large area synthesis. In our work, ZnO nanowires were obtained from thin films prepared on silica glass, Si (100) and Si (111) from a single and five layers spin-coating deposition of a sol–gel prepared with dehydrate zinc acetate, monoethanolamine and isopropanol. Crystallization annealing was performed at 450 °C. These films were used as seed layer to prepare ZnO nanowires/nanorods from a zinc nitrate and hexamethylenetetramine solution. X-ray diffraction analysis showed that nanowires/nanorods grown on Si (111) were preferentially orientated along the [002] direction.
Detecting and Simulating Pilot Errors for Safety Enhancement

This paper presents research on computational models of pilot activities for detecting and simulating pilot errors, and discusses how these techniques may be used to enhance aviation safety. The discussion addresses improved feedback about pilot errors to support training, and the use of actual and simulated error data to understand how errors may impact new air traffic management concepts and flight deck automation. The research is supported by the System-Wide Accident Prevention project of the NASA Aviation Safety Program.
Catalysis by Design - Theoretical and Experimental Studies of Model Catalysts

The development of new catalytic materials is still dominated by trial and error methods, even though the experimental and theoretical bases for their characterization have improved dramatically in recent years. Although it has been successful, the empirical development of catalytic materials is time consuming and expensive with no guarantee of success. We have been exploring computationally complex but experimentally simple systems to establish a 'catalysis by design' protocol that combines the power of theory and experiment. We hope to translate the fundamental insights directly into a complete catalyst system that is technologically relevant. The essential component of this approach is that the catalysts are iteratively examined by both theoretical and experimental methods. This approach involves state-of-the-art first principle density functional theory calculations, experimental design of catalyst sites, and sub-Angstrom resolution imaging with an aberration-corrected electron microscope to characterize the microstructure. We are employing this approach to understand the catalytic sites in oxidation and lean NOx catalysts. The model material for the oxidation catalyst system is Pt/Al2O3 and that for lean NOx catalysis is Ag/Al2O3. We present our initial results on theoretical and experimental studies of the oxidation and reactivity of catalyst clusters towards O, CO, and NOx. Our theoretical studiesmore » indicate that the reaction energetics are strongly dependent on the size of the clusters as well as the extent of oxidation of the clusters. We speculate that the energetics of CO and NO oxidation may be more favorable on the oxidized clusters than on the pure Pt clusters because of the weakened adsorption of the reactants. Experimentally, we have synthesized supported catalysts that contain small metal particles that mimic the theoretical models. We have also synthesized various supported catalysts with larger metal particles. We have studied CO oxidations on these catalysts and the results (including microstructural changes in Pt particles) will also be presented. In addition, we will summarize the results of our study of microstructural changes in supported catalysts, especially Ag/Al2O3, exposed to simulated lean NOx exhaust via the ORNL ex situ reactor in order to determine the impact of operating conditions on the catalyst.« less
Stereochemistry of the Elimination of Norcamphor- and Apocamphor Tosylhydrazone with Methyllithium†

Upon treatment with three equivalents of methyllithium in ether at room temperature exo-3-d-norcamphor tosylhydrazone gave norbornene which retained 21% of the deuterium and exo-3-d-apocamphor tosylhydrazone gave apobornylene which retained 50% of the deuterium based on nmr and mass spectral analysis. In both cases exo-elimination is favored when the primary isotope effect is considered. The relatively low selectivity between exo-and endo-elimination as compared with that observed in solvolytic studies was tentatively rationalized by the carbarion character of the transition state leading to proton abstraction by the base.
Measurement and characterization of shielding effectiveness between cavities in a multicavity printed circuit board (PCB) shielded enclosure

This paper details the conception, methodology, and results from an empirical evaluation of a multicavity circuit board shielded enclosure (MCBS).
Motifs and modules in cellular signal processing: applications to microbial stress response pathways

Bacterial and animal cells are dynamic machines whose internal chemical networks perform hundreds of complex control and signal processing tasks to govern cellular development over time and in response to deterministic and stochastic signals from the environment. A central challenge in post-genomic biology is to discover the complete physical nature of these networks and to determine if there are principles of control and signal processing by which these cell operate and evolve. If such principles exist then they are handles by which cellular engineers can determine the best placement of external signals (such as Pharmaceuticals) to cause a cell to move from an undesired state to a desired state. Here, initial attempts at determining the principles of control, the possible modular structure and the nature of signal flow in cellular networks are briefly introduced. We use examples from bacterial stress response pathways and yeast deletion viability studies to illustrate the principles and approaches.
Introduction and Front Matter: The Globalization of Health Care: Legal and Ethical Issues

The Globalization of Health Care: Legal and Ethical Issues (I. Glenn Cohen, ed. Oxford University Press 2013) is the first book to offer a comprehensive legal and ethical analysis of the most interesting and broadest reaching development in health care of the last twenty years: its globalization. It ties together the manifestation of this globalization in four related subject areas - medical tourism, medical migration (the physician "brain drain"), telemedicine, and pharmaceutical research and development, and integrates them in a philosophical discussion of issues of justice and equity relating to the globalization of health care.The time for such an examination is right. Medical tourism and telemedicine are growing multi-billion-dollar industries affecting large numbers of patients. The U.S. heavily depends on foreign-trained doctors to staff its health care system, and nearly forty percent of clinical trials are now run in the developing world, with indications of as much of a 10-fold increase in the past 20 years. NGOs across the world are agitating for increased access to necessary pharmaceuticals in the developing world, claiming that better access to medicine would save millions from early death at a relatively low cost. Coming on the heels of the most expansive reform to U.S. health care in fifty years, this book plots the ways in which this globalization will develop as the reform is implemented.This document contains the front matter and introduction to the book. The complete book can be ordered online at Amazon and OUP.
Badminton Skills and Strategy

(1955). Badminton Skills and Strategy. Journal of Health, Physical Education, Recreation: Vol. 26, No. 5, pp. 21-43.
MOVING BEYOND GENERALIZATIONS AND STEREOTYPES TO DEVELOP INDIVIDUALIZED APPROACHES FOR WORKING WITH FAMILIES AFFECTED BY PARENTAL INCARCERATION

Competing narratives about incarcerated parents and their children are provided by the Adoption and Safe Families Act (“ASFA”) and the Children of Incarcerated Parents Bill of Rights (“Bill of Rights”). Both the “child-at-risk” narrative of ASFA and the “good mother” narrative of the Bill of Rights are stereotyped and oversimplified and contribute, in opposite ways, to misperceptions about incarcerated parents and their children by suggesting a uniformity of situations and appropriate responses that does not actually exist. The time-driven approach of ASFA—and many state termination of parental rights statutes—is overly rigid, while the Bill of Rights overlooks important differences among families, as well as tensions and trade-offs among policy choices. In actuality, the situations of the parents and children involved vary widely and defy easy analysis and solutions. We should therefore be taking an individualized, qualitative approach that is nuanced and based on actual information about incarcerated parents and their children, rather than a quantitative, categorical approach based on generalized and simplistic assumptions. Only if we recognize and grapple with the complexities of parental incarceration can we develop sound legal and social policy to meet the needs of these families.
Specific inactivation of the fourth complement component. II. In vitro studies.

Intravascular injection of guinea pigs with the fourth complement component (C4) inactivator from shark serum resulted in severe serum C4 depletion that lasted for several hours. Active and direct passive Arthus reactions did not develop or were extremely mild in such C4 inactivator-treated animals as judged by gross and histological observation. In consideration of the specificity of the C4 inactivator, its independence of cofactors, and its failure to generate biologically active materials in the process of C4 inactivation, it is concluded that complement-dependent immune injury can be suppressed or avoided by interruption of the complement cascade at a single early step. The depression of the Arthus reaction beyond the time of C4 recovery prompted quantitative speculations concerning (i) the in vivo rate of C5a generation under conditions of limited C4 supply and (ii) the "saturation" of immune complexes. This view is supported by in vitro demonstration of functional inactivation or "saturation" of immune precipitates by repeated incubation with fresh guinea pig complement. It seems therefore conceivable that even temporary complement inactivation may have a profound beneficial effect on complement-dependent immune injuries.
Edge Buckling of Imperfectly Guided Webs

Web handling is germane to a diverse set of industries, including paper, polymer, textile, and sheet metal processing. Angular misalignment of the guides used to position a web in its transport system generates non-uniform in-plane forces that can result in transverse buckling of the web, even for misalignments as small as a fraction of a degree. In this paper, the state of stress, the associated in-plane deformation, out-of-plane vibration, and stability of webs with misaligned guides are investigated experimentally and theoretically. The onset of edge buckling, in which transverse corrugations are present along an entire free edge or are localized near a guide, is governed by the stability of a relatively high mode of the nominally aligned web. Two models of common web transport components—termed “free sliding” and “edge guided” —are developed and discussed in the light of laboratory measurements for predicting and bounding critical buckling angles.
Intrathecal pump implantation techniques

Perioperative complications associated with the implantation of intrathecal pumps can be significantly decreased through the use of a preoperative, intraoperative and postoperative protocols. This article describes the steps to be followed to limit the side effects and complications that may be associated with this procedure.
Register allocation in structured programs

In this article we look at the register allocation problem. In the literature this problem is frequently reduced to the general graph coloring problem and the solutions to the problem are obtained from graph coloring heuristics. Hence, no algorithm with a good performance guarantee is known. Here we show that when attention is restricted tostructured programswhich we define to be programs whose control-flow graphs are series-parallel, there is an efficient algorithm that produces a solution which is within a factor of 2 of the optimal solution. We note that even with the previous restriction the resulting coloring problem is NP-complete.We also consider how to delete a minimum number of edges from arbitrary control-flow graphs to make them series-parallel and to apply our algorithm. We show that this problem is MaxSNP hard. However, we define the notion of anapproximate articulation pointand we give efficient algorithms to find approximate articulation points. We present a heuristic for the edge deletion problem based on this notion which seems to work well when the given graph is close to series-parallel.
The deleterious effects of fungicides and herbicides on Xenopus laevis embryos

Groups of 30 Xenopus laevis embryos, at "tail-bud" stage (Nieukoop-Faber stages 22-24) were exposed to 0.1-2 ppm concentrations of various pesticides for 1 to 10 days. The pesticides used were chloranil and dichlone (both are fungicidal and herbicidal); diquat (herbicide); and nabam (fungicide). The parameters examined were mortality, gross morphology, histology, and behavior. Chloranil (1.25 to 1.75 ppm) treated embryos showed abnormalities of the otolith, optic cup, and general pigmentation. Their movement was sporadically convulsive and they were unable to maintain proper balance. Dichlone (0.1 to 0.15 ppm) disrupted the development of the cephalic end of the embryo. Many of these embryos developed a slightly retarded trunk and tail only. These headless embryos lived for a time and were relatively lethargic. Diquat (0.75 to 2.0 ppm) administration reduced body size and pigmentation, and altered body shape. When embryos were treated with both 1.0 ppm of diquat and 2.0 ppm of nabam the integrity of myomeres and myocommata of the musculature was disrupted. The histological bases of these morphological and behavioral changes are discussed.
HIV virological suppression influences response to the AS03-adjuvanted monovalent pandemic influenza A H1N1 vaccine in HIV-infected children.

Design Children with HIV are especially susceptible to complications from influenza infection, and effective vaccines are central to reducing disease burden in this population. We undertook a prospective, observational study to investigate the safety and immunogenicity of the inactivated split-virion AS03-adjuvanted pandemic H1N1(2009) vaccine in children with HIV. Setting National referral centre for Paediatric HIV in Ireland. Sample Twenty four children with HIV were recruited consecutively and received two doses of the vaccine. The serological response was measured before each vaccine dose (Day 0 and Day 28) and 2 months after the booster dose. Antibody titres were measured using a haemagglutination inhibition (HAI) assay. Seroprotection was defined as a HAI titre ≥ 1:40; seroconversion was defined as a ≥ fourfold increase in antibody titre and a postvaccination titre ≥ 1:40. Main outcome measures The seroconversion rates after prime and booster doses were 75% and 71%, respectively. HIV virological suppression at the time of immunization was associated with a significantly increased seroconversion rate (P = 0·009), magnitude of serological response (P = 0·02) and presence of seroprotective HAI titres (P = 0·017) two months after the booster dose. No other factor was significantly associated with the seroconversion/seroprotection rate. No serious adverse effects were reported. Vaccination had no impact on HIV disease progression. The AS03-adjuvanted pandemic H1N1 vaccine appears to be safe and immunogenic among HIV-infected children. A robust serological response appears to be optimized by adherence to a HAART regimen delivering virological suppression.
Flow cytometry-based biosensor for detection of multivalent proteins.

Microsphere-based flow cytometric detection of cholera toxin (CT) through distance-dependent fluorescence resonant energy transfer (FRET) has been developed. Simultaneous double-fluorescence changes induced by multivalent interactions between CT and fluorophore (both fluorescence donor and acceptor)-labeled ganglioside GM1 on a biomimetic membrane surface (supported bilayers of phospholipids) can be measured by a commercial flow cytometer, providing a convenient and sensitive detection method for CT. The flow cytometry-based biosensor is capable of detecting less than 10 pM CT within 30 min. The signal generation strategy coupled with flow cytometry also provides a convenient method for kinetic studies of multivalent interactions. The surface density and the ratio of donor/acceptor-labeled GM1 on the surfaces of phospholipid bilayers are optimized to achieve high sensitivity.
Cholesterol Modification of Hedgehog Signaling Proteins in Animal Development

Hedgehog (Hh) proteins comprise a family of secreted signaling molecules essential for patterning a variety of structures in animal embryogenesis. During biosynthesis, Hh undergoes an autocleavage reaction, mediated by its carboxyl-terminal domain, that produces a lipid-modified amino-terminal fragment responsible for all known Hh signaling activity. Here it is reported that cholesterol is the lipophilic moiety covalently attached to the amino-terminal signaling domain during autoprocessing and that the carboxyl-terminal domain acts as an intramolecular cholesterol transferase. This use of cholesterol to modify embryonic signaling proteins may account for some of the effects of perturbed cholesterol biosynthesis on animal development.
Antifungal Drug Resistance: Clinical Relevance and Impact of Antifungal Drug Use

Antifungal drug resistance significantly impacts treatment outcomes in patients with invasive fungal infections (IFIs). Although primary (intrinsic) resistance may occur independent of previous therapy, prior concomitant antifungal exposure increases the risk for secondary (acquired) resistance and subsequent colonization or infection with less-susceptible pathogens. Among various pathogen-antifungal combinations, this effect has been best studied clinically with azole exposure and the risk of Candida spp. with reduced susceptibility. The rapid development of secondary resistance to flucytosine in Candida spp. has limited its use as monotherapy. Secondary resistance to amphotericin B is infrequent. In contrast, secondary resistance in Aspergillus spp. is less of a concern. Recent reports of secondary resistance in patients receiving fluconazole for cryptococcal infections may justify susceptibility testing in the setting of prior therapy or treatment failure. Despite numerous patient-focused, drug-focused, and disease-focused strategies to improve treatment outcomes, clinical resistance (manifesting as treatment failures despite adequate antifungal therapy) continues to be problematic in patients with serious IFIs.
Clonal Dissemination of Vancomycin-Resistant Enterococci and Comparison of Susceptibility Testing Methods

Abstract One hundred fifty clinical isolates of Enterococcus faecalis (88 isolates) and Enterococcus faecium (62 isolates) were tested in vitro for their susceptibility to vancomycin and high-level aminoglycosides (HLA). Remel's Synergy Quad Plates (RSQ) were used as the reference method and compared to Kirby-Bauer disc diffusion test, Vitek® GPS-TA card, MicroScan® Panel (GP-6), and Etest®. Streptomycin susceptibility results for MicroScan GP-6 and RSQ were recorded at 24 and 48 h and all other methods and antibiotics were read at 24 h or less. When compared with the agar screen method, all of the methods demonstrated >99% agreement. One isolate was falsely sensitive to gentamicin at 24 h, but resistant at 48 h, when tested on both MicroScan and RSQ agar screen. Thirty-nine isolates showed resistance to vancomycin with all methods. These isolates were from three different local hospitals and were identified as E. faecium. Pulse-field gel electrophoresis demonstrated that all of the vancomycin-resistant isolates were derived from the same clone. Of interest is the observation that high-level resistance to aminoglycosides varied between the clonally related isolates.
Decorin interacts with fibrillar collagen of embryonic and adult human skin.

Abstract Biglycan (PG-I, BGN) and decorin (PG-II, DCN) are small proteoglycans that have been isolated in cartilage, skin, and bone. Although the function of biglycan is unknown, there is biochemical evidence that decorin interacts with fibrillar collagens (type I, type II). The purpose of this study was to perform immunofluorescence and immunoelectron microscopy and immunoblotting of human embryonic and adult skin with antibodies directed against biglycan and decorin. These antibodies were developed against synthetic peptides of the core proteins of biglycan (amino acid sequence 11–24) and decorin (amino acid sequence 5–17). Immunofluorescence microscopy showed that decorin stained embryonic and adult collagen fibrils. Biglycan did not stain collagen, but it appeared to stain the pericellular matrix of embryonic mesenchymal cells. Immunoelectron microscopy revealed labeling of all collagen fibrils with decorin antibodies regardless of their diameter, often at 60-nm periodicity. Positive stains suggest that most of the labeling was in the gap of the D-period (d and e bands) and also in one of the steps (c band). Decorin was identified by immunoblotting in fetal and adult skin. Also, significant amounts of core protein was identified lacking the dermatan sulfate chain. This study suggests that the core protein of decorin interacts with collagen fibrils although its specific function remains unknown.
When do we need a trend model in kriging

Under usual estimation practice with local search windows for data and for interpolation situations, universal kriging and ordinary kriging yield the same estimates, using a data set with apparent trend, for both the unknown attribute and its trend component. Modeling the trend matters only in extrapolation situations. Because conditions of the case study presented arise most frequently in practice, the simpler ordinary kriging is the preferred option.
Expression of glial fibrillary acidic protein by neoplastic cells of müllerian origin.

Immunocytochemical studies of malignant mixed Mullerian tumors revealed the presence of neoplastic cells showing strong immunoreactivity for glial fibrillary acidic protein, a protein specific for astrocytes, in 9 of 13 cases. Undifferentiated malignant tumor cells of endometrial stromal sarcoma and astrocytes in glioma of the uterus also demonstrate GFAP immunoreactivity. GFAP immunostaining in these neoplastic cells is highly specific and shows no cross-reactivity with cytokeratin, actin, myoglobin, epithelial membrane antigen or factor VIII. It is postulated that the GFAP immunostaining within neoplastic cells of Mullerian origin may be (a) a reflection of the phenotypic diversity of intermediate filament proteins that can be expressed by malignant neoplastic cells, (b) that the polypeptides of GFAP may be heterogeneous, (c) that there may be an ontogenic relationship between the cells of Mullerian origin and neuroectodermal cells, or (d) that this may represent neometaplasia of Mullerian cells.
Curvature Sensing by the Epsin N-Terminal Homology Domain Measured on Cylindrical Lipid Membrane Tethers

The protein epsin is believed to play important roles in clathrin-mediated endocytosis, including generation of the high membrane curvature necessary for vesicle formation. Here we assess the basis for this hypothesis by systematically quantifying the curvature dependence of the area density of epsin N-terminal homology (ENTH) domain on cylindrical membranes of controlled curvature. In cylindrical tethers pulled from micropipet-aspirated giant unilamellar vesicles, repartitioning of membrane-bound ENTH from vesicles onto highly curved membranes was observed by fluorescence microscopy. First-order thermodynamic theory used to analyze our data yielded the first measurement of Leibler’s thermodynamic curvature−composition coupling coefficient to be reported for an endocytic accessory protein. Our results highlight the possibility that epsin contributes to cellular membrane curvature sensing and generation, and we believe that our method will provide useful contributions toward the goal of relating molecular ...
Synthesis of dilactone bridged terphenyls with crankshaft architectures

Abstract Three highly fluorescent dilactone bridged terphenyls with crankshaft architectures have been synthesized. This general class of compounds is relatively unexplored. These compounds have been characterized by fluorescence and UV–vis spectroscopy. For all three compounds, a direct correlation between the rigidity of the terphenyl system and the strength of absorption and emission of light has been observed. Preliminary studies have indicated that compounds with this architecture have the potential to be useful as pH-driven molecular switches and/or sensors with instant fluorescence attenuation at high pH values.
The Relationship of Finger Counting to Certain Pupil Factors

AbstractThis study identified from among 148 fourth grade pupils those who solved computations by a counting technique and compared them with noncounters. It was found that the habit is evenly distributed between boys and girls and that speed and accuracy are about the same for counters as for non-counters. Non-counters had significantly higher intelligence quotients and arithmetic achievement test grade equivalents.
The development of a sapphire cell for neutron scattering experiments at high temperature and high pressure

A high pressure, high temperature sapphire cell has been designed to provide users at the Spallation Neutron Source with the ability to perform in-situ supercritical bulk water studies. The design criteria for the cell required the achievement of a maximum pressure of 150 MPa at the maximum temperature of 500°C. Other conceptual constraints, such as a 360° viewing angle and top loading integration further complicated and limited available cell models. The sapphire cell was tested and modified due to pre-mature failure. Due to convenient geometry and ease of operation, interest in the cell for more moderate operating requirements has increased.
What is the prevalence and prognostic significance of esophageal varices in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma

What is the prevalence and prognostic significance of esophageal varices in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma?
Voltammetric investigation of a solid in the absence of a solution phase: Electrochemical reduction of air-dry molybdenum oxide powders

Abstract A 1.2 mm layer of air-dry MoO3 between two glassy carbon electrodes is electrochemically reduced to hydrogen molybdenum bronze (HMB). The reduction is accomplished by either cyclic voltammetry or constant applied potential electrolysis in a solid matrix biamperometric cell. Initiation of the reduction requires application of a large enough potential, ca 3.0 V, across the cell to cause oxidation of water vapor adsorbed at the anode. Because the HMB is electrochemically oxidized, the development of subsequent cyclic voltammograms is observed in a lower potential range, ± 1.5 V. A small amount of water, which is presumably adsorbed from the atmosphere to the MoO3, is required for the following reasons: it is the source of the proton needed to form the HxMoO3, it is oxidized in the anodic reaction that initiates the bronze formation; and it provides a charge transport path across the otherwise non-conducting MoO3.
Distributed and Consensus Optimization for Non-smooth Image Reconstruction

We present a primal-dual algorithm with consensus constraints that can effectively handle large-scale and complex data in a variety of non-smooth image reconstruction problems. In particular, we focus on the case that the data fidelity term can be decomposed into multiple relatively simple functions and deployed to parallel computing units to cooperatively solve for a consensual solution of the original problem. In this case, the subproblems usually have closed form solution or can be solved efficiently at local computing units, and hence the per-iteration computation complexity is very low. A comprehensive convergence analysis of the algorithm, including convergence rate, is established.
Safety Standards for High-Speed Rail Transportation:

As China, including Taiwan, moves into a new age of high-speed rail (HSR) transportation, it is essential that an infrastructure of safety organizations and regulations be established to ensure the safe operation of such systems when they are ready. Various organizations and safety standards that regulate safety of HSR operations in Europe, Japan, and the United States are described so that the government of China, as it moves into private and regional entities, can establish a regulatory structure to plan, develop, and monitor the safety of future HSR operations, regardless of the system built. Some operational experience and issues will be used to illustrate the problems associated with current practices in the United States.
Reactivity between acetone and single-stranded DNA containing a 5′-capped 2′-fluoro-N7-methyl guanine

Abstract DNA-mediated catalysis is an emerging field in bioorganic chemistry and chemical biology. However, the functional group diversity and known reactivity of DNA (A, T, C, and G) is relatively limited in scope. This relatively defined reactivity can limit the utility of DNA as a catalyst. In an effort to expand the functional group diversity and chemical reactivity of DNA, we sought to explore reactions involving single-stranded DNA equipped with a stabilized variant of N7-methyl guanine (2′-fluoro-5′-N7-methyl guanine). Here, we show that 5′-capped 2′-fluoro-N7-methyl guanine-labeled single-stranded DNA reacts with a ketone to afford a ketone-labeled DNA. This reaction likely proceeds through a reactive ylide or N-heterocyclic carbene. Taken together, our findings suggest that 2′-fluoro-5′-N7-methyl guanine is a stable adduct that can be selectively incorporated into ssDNA and functionalized with a ketone moiety by reaction with a simple ketone. Incorporation of this nucleoside into ssDNA may be useful for the evolution of novel deoxyribozymes that catalyze new reactions, including those which proceed via a reactive ylide or N-heterocyclic carbene-mediated chemistry.
Near-field optics : light for the world of nano-scale science

Abstract The wealth of optical phenomena offers various new opportunities for selective interaction with the world of nanometer dimensions if the relevant radiation fields can be sufficiently confined, for instance by small apertures in an opaque screen. Many optical effects manifest themselves in a novel way, having strong similarities to microwave antennas and waveguides. Scanning near-field optical microscopy, which dwells on these principles, allows the diffraction limit to be broken and optical images with a resolution of 10–100 nm to be obtained.
Withholding and withdrawing dialysis from elderly ESRD patients: part 2 -- ethical and policy issues.

In Part 1 of this article (Ger Nephr Urol Vol. 2, page 109), the historical and current patterns of using age as a selection criterion for distributing dialysis were reviewed, using published data from the US, Europe generally, and the UK. The history of national funding for the treatment of end-stage renal disease patients in the US was explored in considerable depth. Also, special attention was paid to the UK experience because of the allegations, from both within and outside the country, that the United Kingdom has the most rigorously-applied age-specific criteria for dialysis in the world. While there may be legitimate health policy reasons for limiting access to dialysis, the literature suggests that these need to be publicly-discussed and sanctioned policies, rather than secretive, and that even under the best circumstances in terms of the process of developing such policies, they place physicians and nurses in a very difficult position vis-a-vis their ethical obligations to individual patients. The actual clinical data for the medical and psychosocial effects of dialysis on elderly patients was also examined in great detail for the purpose of demonstrating not only the very mixed picture of prognosis, but also the absence of a scientific basis for the horror stories often advanced for not treating elderly patients. Indeed, some studies have shown that older patients may have lower mortality ratios and higher self-assessed quality of life statistics than younger patients, and that exclusion of older patients as a group, rather than as individuals with contraindications or personal objections to dialysis, may be unjustified on purely clinical evidence. The economic and resource allocation aspects of unlimited access to dialysis in aging populations are real, however, and need to be addressed.
Standardization, requirements uncertainty and software project performance

Abstract A risk-based model of software project management was developed to explain the effect of software development standards on a software process and product performance in the presence of uncertainty in requirements. Residual performance risk , defined as the extent of difficulty in estimating performance outcomes during the later stages of the project, was modeled as a mediating variable. Based on a prior theory, six hypotheses were derived and empirically tested using a survey design. Data from 64 projects suggested support for the model, in general, and five of the six hypotheses, in particular. Increases in the standardization were directly associated with decreases in the residual performance risk which, in turn, led to increases in both process and product performance.
Private information in monopoly with random participation

Abstract In a setting with random participation the seller achieves higher expected profits under intermediate private information when the heterogeneity in reservation utilities is not too small or too great.
Spontaneous mutations in dry spores of Neurospora crassa.

Atwood'S method was used for scoring recessive lethals in aNeurospora heterokaryon with an amycelial component. Conidia were stored dry at 30° and 4°C, and samples were tested for lethals every few weeks over a period of 7 months. At 30°, lethals accumulated in strictly linear proportion with time, at a rate of 0.3% lethals per week. At 4°, the rate of accumulation was much slower; the data are not sufficient to decide whether it was linear. When conidia that had spent 24 weeks at 4° were transferred to 30°, the proportion of lethals increased steeply to the level that had meanwhile been reached in the warm series. This points to the possibility of resolving the mutational process into successive steps with different temperature coefficients. Reasons are given for presuming that none of the lethals had been present in the culture of origin and for excluding their occurrence through errors of gene replication during storage or on the plates.
Teambotica: a robotic framework for integrated teaming, tasking, networking, and control

Teambotica is a research environment for the exploration of theories, designs and implementations of team-based robotics. In developing Teambotica, we found that many of the simplifying assumptions that are often taken in both multiagent systems and behavior-based robotics had to be discarded. Central to our approach is a multilevel agent architecture which is adaptive along a number of dimensions and which is based on a vertically integrated design that spans a wide range of operations, from team-level reasoning to low-level control. The design addresses a number of pertinent issues: the proper mix of deliberation and action, flexible networking support including planning for communications, adaptive task level control, team-based monitoring, and an open systems modularity that takes form-factor considerations seriously. We also describe simulation tools for development and discuss several robotic teams that we have demonstrated.
In vivo toxicity of concanavalin A.

SummaryCon A administered intravenously in doses of 200-800 μg produced atrophy of lymphoid tissues, vascular endothelial damage and focal hepatic necrosis. At the highest dose given, up to 30% of the mice died within two days of what appeared to be acute hepatic failure. The injection of up to 2000 μg Con A ip produced only local inflammatory changes. The exact mechanism of Con A toxicity remains unclear.
A statistical theory of grain growth

Abstract By extending the theory of Kurtz and Carpay, a detailed statistical theory of normal grain growth has been developed. The theory utilizes their concept of multiple distributions, i.e. the division of grains into topological classes (14 planar, 34 spatial) but unlike their treatment it does not require the individual distributions of each class to be lognormal. An alternate multiple distribution of grain sizes, where the grains are classified according to a given value of size, rather than a given value of sides, or faces is also proposed. The overall distributions (both in grain shapes and sizes) are then obtained by summing the individual distributions, and are shown to be approximately lognormal. Alternate origins of lognormality are also discussed.
From Commodity Chains to Value Chains: Interdisciplinary theory building in an age of globalization

Este articulo situa, elabora y busca profundizar una explicacion sobre la teoria de gobernanza de las cadenas de valor globales (CDV) desarrollada por Gereffi, Humphrey y Sturgeon (2005). La teoria sobre la gobernanza de las cadenas de valor al centro de este trabajo forma parte de un esfuerzo de larga data, que apunta a hacer generalizaciones a partir de la investigacion comparada y observada de una variedad de industrias globales. Primero, discutire la motivacion de complementar el enfoque de cadenas conducidas por el comprador y el productor dentro del marco de cadenas de commodities globales desarrollado por Gary Gereffi en los anos 1990 con un marco que sea neutro y no empiricista para poder analizar las industrias globales. Segundo, presento los principales componentes del marco de analisis de las cadenas de commodities desarrollado en el articulo citado del 2005. Tercero, discuto las bases teoricas interdisciplinarias que sostienen el enfoque a mas profundidad de lo que se hace en el articulo original. Cuarto, se discute el problema de las variaciones en el marco de CDV y gobernanza. Quinto, situo el marco de gobernanza de las CDV dentro de la teoria mas amplia de cadenas de valor, incluido, pero no limitado al analisis de relaciones de poder e instituciones.
Analysis of self-consistent extended Hückel theory (SC-EHT): a new look at the old method

We present an extensive analysis of the self-consistent extended Huckel theory (SC-EHT) and discuss the possibilities of constructing accurate and efficient semiempirical methods on its basis. We describe the mapping approach to derive a self-consistency correction to the effective 1-electron Hamiltonian (Fock) operator that is utilized in electronic structure calculations and that variationally minimizes the total energy in the SC-EHT method. We show that the SC-EHT Hamiltonian can play the role of the 1-electron operator by definition, in which case no self-consistency correction is needed. Then, the SC-EHT method can be derived from the Hartree–Fock theory by approximation of the Fock matrix. Therefore, the SC-EHT based methods have rigorous foundations that may be utilized to develop a family of successively accurate model Hamiltonians. We analyze the underlying approximation and discuss it in the light of existing formulations of the EHT method. We indicate two major deficiencies of the existing formulations of the EHT method—neglect of exchange integrals and incorrect asymptotic behavior of the Coulomb integrals. The SC-EHT is compared to the charge equilibration scheme and to the DFTB family of approximations. We show that an improved version of the SC-EHT method can be connected to both of them, indicating relation of the SC-EHT derived approximations to the fundamental DFT origins and their potential for efficient computations on large-scale systems.
Citizen participation in rural health: a promising resource.

The role of consumers in rural health care is explored in this review of the literature. A brief history of public, private, and grassroots efforts to involve consumers in health care is presented. A more in-depth analysis of two primary areas where consumers can be useful resources for addressing rural health care problems—personnel shortages and improving community acceptance of health care innovations—is discussed. Emergency medical services, care for medically disabled persons, and prenatal care are specifically addressed. Barriers to effective citizen participation and policy recommendations are also presented.
A comparison of static bending, compression and tension parallel to grain and toughness properties of compression wood and normal wood of a giant sequoia

Compression wood (CW) of the giant sequoia studied had higher values than normal wood (NW) in crushing strength and ultimate stress in tension parallel to grain, in toughness, in modulus of rupture, and in work to maximum load and total work in static bending. In the green condition CW had higher values than NW in stress at the proportional limit and work to the proportional limit, and about the same modulus of elasticity in static bending. In the dry condition CW was about equivalent to NW in work to the proportional limit, but was slightly weaker in stress at proportional limit and modulus of elasticity in static bending. The compression wood of this giant sequoia, even though formed when the tree was suppressed and having relatively narrow rings, can therefore be said to be essentially equivalent to normal wood so far as the mechanical properties tested in this study are concerned.
COGNITIVE, ATTITUDINAL, AND AFFECTIVE ASPECTS OF DEATH AND DYING IN ADULTHOOD: IMPLICATIONS FOR CARE PROVIDERS

Relationships among general anxiety, age, and measures of conscious and unconscious death anxiety were assessed in three groups of adult subjects varying in age and extent of contact with elderly persons. Data suggested that these relationships are complex, but that some degree of overlap exists among these factors both within and across groups. Knowledge and attitudinal data relating to death and aging suggested that similarities rather than differences should be emphasized in comparing these groups of students and care and service providers, and that there is less reason to assume a perceived conscious association between death and aging than previously believed based on current literature. These data are discussed from an applied developmental perspective.
Guided wave spatially multiplexed true-time delay lines for phased array antennae applications

A compact and affordable photonic true-time-delay lines for phased-array antenna applications using multiplexed substrate guided wave propagation is reported. Optical signals are fed into the device through surface normal to substrate holographic grating couplers recorded on DuPont HRF-600 photopolymer films. Various optical delays are obtained through optical fanouts at consecutive substrate bouncing positions through holographic output couplers. Design issues on the TTD architecture and the making of slanted holographic grating couplers with controllable diffraction efficiencies are discussed. The non-uniform intensity fanout problem, which is common for substrate guided approach due to cascaded propagations, is addressed and an 1D 8 delay lines with fanout intensity fluctuation within 10% is demonstrated. As a test for ultra-wideband operation, 25 GHz microwave signals, generated through optical heterodyne technique, are made to transmit through the device and subsequently detected with a signal-to-noise ratio of 20 dB.© (1996) COPYRIGHT SPIE--The International Society for Optical Engineering. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.