cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Determination of Donor Gradients Within Surface Barriers Formed on Dense Cd-Doped Barium Titanates

Surface barriers were formed on dense Gd-doped barium titanates by a reduction-reoxidation process. The distribution of donors within the partially reoxidized barriers was determined from capacitance measurements using blocking contacts and from resistance measurements using ohmic contacts. The incremental barrier capacitance behaved as a depletion-layer capacitance when measured as a function of bias voltage. A donor gradient αc was determined from the capacitance-voltage behavior of the depletion layers by using a linear-graded model to describe the donor distribution through the depletion layers. A donor gradient ar was indirectly determined from resistance profiles of the surface barriers formed on the reduced titanates by a second reoxidation. The donor gradients ac and ar were in good agreement, with both gradients decreasing for the higher reoxidation temperatures and/or the longer times used in forming the barriers. This behavior is explained by assuming that the reoxidation process is diffusion-controlled and by qualitatively relating the gradients to assumed oxygen profiles within the barriers.
Anomaly in the Photodisintegration of Ni 58 and Ni 60 in the Giant-Dipole Resonance Region

The photoneutron cross sections for ${\mathrm{Ni}}^{58}$, ${\mathrm{Ni}}^{60}$, and natural nickel from threshold up to 25 MeV have been measured. The integrated ($\ensuremath{\gamma},n$) cross section for ${\mathrm{Ni}}^{60}$ is 2.6 times as large as the value for ${\mathrm{Ni}}^{58}$, and the two cross-section curves exhibit markedly different structure over the giant-dipole resonance region. The results suggest that it is important to include the shell effects explicitly in the theoretical treatment of the giant-dipole states in the medium nuclei such as nickel isotopes.
Nitrogen Nutrition, But Not Potassium, Affects Powdery Mildew Development in Hiemalis Begonia

Abstract For obligate parasites like Erysiphe cichoracearum, manipulation of nitrogen (N) and potassium (K) nutrition may provide an alternative control method for powdery mildew in greenhouse crops. Subsequently, Hiemalis begonias “Hilda” and “Renaissance” were grown in separate experiments with a factorial combination of three N (30, 120, 240 mg L−1) and three K (30, 120, 240 mg L−1) rates applied at each irrigation. One‐half the plants in each treatment were inoculated with E. cichoracearum, while the remaining plants were sprayed regularly with the fungicide triadimefon to prevent disease development. Plant growth and powdery mildew incidence in both cultivars were significantly influenced by N fertilization and pathogen inoculation, but relatively unaffected by K fertility. Shoot dry mass in both cultivars increased with increasing N rate up to 120 mg N/L, but decreased from pathogen inoculation. This latter response increased in magnitude with increasing N rate in “Hilda”, but not in “Renaissance”. ...
Iatrogenic parasystole and interpolated premature ventricular beats.

Abstract 1. 1. Electrocardiograms from two patients with implanted pacemakers are described which illustrate iatrogenic parasystole and interpolated premature ventricular beats. 2. 2. The mechanisms of their formations are discussed.
Oracally efficient spline smoothing of nonlinear additive autoregression models with simultaneous confidence band

Under weak conditions of smoothness and mixing, we propose spline-backfitted spline (SBS) estimators of the component functions for a nonlinear additive autoregression model that is both computationally expedient for analyzing high dimensional large time series data, and theoretically reliable as the estimator is oracally efficient and comes with asymptotically simultaneous confidence band. Simulation evidence strongly corroborates with the asymptotic theory.
An Introduction to the Augmented Inverse Propensity Weighted Estimator

In this paper, we discuss an estimator for average treatment effects (ATEs) known as the augmented inverse propensity weighted (AIPW) estimator. This estimator has attractive theoretical properties and only requires practitioners to do two things they are already comfortable with: (1) specify a binary regression model for the propensity score, and (2) specify a regression model for the outcome variable. Perhaps the most interesting property of this estimator is its so-called “double robustness.” Put simply, the estimator remains consistent for the ATE if either the propensity score model or the outcome regression is misspecified but the other is properly specified. After explaining the AIPW estimator, we conduct a Monte Carlo experiment that compares the finite sample performance of the AIPW estimator to three common competitors: a regression estimator, an inverse propensity weighted (IPW) estimator, and a propensity score matching estimator. The Monte Carlo results show that the AIPW estimator has comparable or lower mean square error than the competing estimators when the propensity score and outcome models are both properly specified and, when one of the models is misspecified, the AIPW estimator is superior.
Arrival Times of 100 to 400 keV Pulses from NP0532

THE observation of electromagnetic radiation from the pulsar in the Crab Nebula (NP0532) has been reported over at least 16 decades in energy from the radio band to the high energy γ-ray band1–8. In general, a double pulse structure is evident over this range in energy, although variations in the relative intensities and widths of the two pulses are found. In the optical, X-ray and γ-ray bands the pulsed emission is also seen to spread out into the region between the primary and secondary pulses.
Global Positioning System Integrated with Personalized Real-Time Transit Information from Automatic Vehicle Location

Navigation of a transit system can be a major obstacle to new riders, especially special-needs populations and tourists. For those with cognitive disabilities (approximately 14.3 million Americans, or 6% of the population), it is challenging to plan and execute a trip without assistance. A travel assistance device (TAD) software prototype for Global Positioning System-enabled phones was developed to aid new transit riders, especially those who are cognitively disabled. When riders approach their stops, the TAD vibrates and delivers audio and visual messages to the riders to request a stop and exit the vehicle. This paper reports the results of a study that integrated communication with an automatic vehicle location (AVL) system on transit vehicles into TAD, with new features, including personalized notices of estimated vehicle arrival time and of vehicle arrival. Implementation issues addressed include the limitations of accessing AVL data for real-time consumer use, integration of different transit agenc...
Community Resilience in Southern Appalachia: A Theoretical Framework and Three Case Studies

A fundamental assumption in nearly all research on social adaptation to environmental change is that there is a concomitant and inverse relationship between human communities’ dependence upon particular natural resources affected by environmental change and those communities or societies’ resilience to disturbances. However, recent theoretical and empirical developments suggest resilience is a dynamic social process determined, in part, by the ability of communities to act collectively and solve common problems. The interactional approach to community is utilized to develop a framework whereby various patterns of social interaction define the process of social resilience. Data come from multiple mixed methods case studies of forest dependent communities within Southern Appalachia. The findings reveal varied processes of social resilience can occur in communities with similar levels of resource dependence; a community’s composition of internal social ties and their cross-scale linkages to external agencies and organizations define these processes.
THE DISTRIBUTION AND TAXONOMIC SIGNIFICANCE OF LIGNIN IN THE LEMNACEAE

A B S T R A C T Lignification characteristics of 14 species of Lemnaceae were studied by the alkaline oxidation technique in an attempt to resolve conflicting reports of the presence of lignin and to provide chemotaxonomic data for supplementing previous systematic treatments. Four species of Spirodela, eight of Lemna, Wolifiella oblonga, and Wolfflia microscopica were clonally subcultured, homogenized, exhaustively extracted and the insoluble residue oxidized in alkaline cupric hydroxide. Barley (Hordeum vulgare), Elodea densa and Spirogyra sp. were examined to validate the technique. The benzaldehydes were extracted, separated by thin-layer chromatography, and quantitated spectrophotometrically. Recovery of syringaldehyde, vanillin, and to a lesser extent p-hydroxybenzaldehyde, was accepted as evidence that these plants are lignified. The highest yields of syringaldehyde and vanillin were recovered from S. intermedia, the largest member of the Lemnaceae. Lesser amounts were obtained from S. polyrhiza and S. oligorhiza. Spirodela biperforata yielded no syringaldehyde which substantiates its distinctiveness from the morphologically similar S. polyrhiza. All Lemna species are nerved, yet vanillin (but not syringaldehyde) was recovered only from L. trinervis, L. perpusilla, L. minor, and L. minima. The species L. trisulca, L. gibba, L. obscura, and L. valdiviana yielded only p-hydroxybenzaldehyde. Thus the presence of nerves is not evidence for lignification within the genus Lemna, and the relationships suiggested by their gross morphology are not supported by their lignin chemistry. Wolffiella is non-lignified by these criteria. WolfJia microscopica is the smallest flowernig plant and it has no nerves; vanillin was unexpectedly recovered and microscopic examination showed highly lignified anther walls.
Multiple ways to die: Delineation of the unfolded protein response and apoptosis induced by Surfactant Protein C BRICHOS mutants

Abstract Epithelial cell dysfunction is now recognized as an important mechanism in the pathogenesis of interstitial lung diseases. Surfactant Protein C (SP-C), an alveolar type II cell specific protein, has contributed to this concept with the observation that heterozygous expression of SFTPC gene mutations are associated with chronic interstitial lung disease. We have shown that transient expression of aggregation prone mutant SP-C isoforms (SP-C BRICHOS) destabilize ER quality control mechanisms resulting in the intracellular accumulation of aggregating propeptide, inhibition of the ubiquitin/proteasome system, and activation of apoptosis. The goal of the present study was to define signaling pathways linking the unfolded protein response (UPR) and subsequent ER stress with intrinsic apoptosis events observed following mutant SP-C expression. In vitro expression of the SP-C BRICHOS mutant, SP-CΔexon4, was used as a model system. Here we show stimulation of a broad ER stress response in both transfected A549 and HEK293 cells with activation of all 3 canonical sensing pathways, IRE1/XBP-1, ATF6, and PERK/eIF2α. SP-CΔexon4 expression also resulted in activation of caspase 3, but failed to stimulate expression of the apoptosis mediating transcription factors ATF4/CHOP. However, inhibition of either caspase 4 or c-jun kinase (JNK) each blocked caspase 3 mediated cell death. Taken together, these results suggest that expression of SP-C BRICHOS mutants induce apoptosis through multiple UPR signaling pathways, and provide new therapeutic targets for the amelioration of ER stress induced cytotoxicity observed in fibrotic lung remodeling.
Pilot quantitative analyses of rem sleep without atonia in children and adolescents with rem sleep behavior disorder

Introduction Growing evidence suggests that idiopathic REM sleep behavior disorder (RBD) may be a forme fruste of synucleinopathy neurodegeneration in older adults. The clinical significance of REM sleep without atonia (RSWA) and overt RBD in children and adolescents remains unclear. Furthermore, the lower age bound for occurrence of RSWA, the neurophysiologic substrate for RBD, is not well established. This pilot quantitative analysis of RSWA in pediatric patients with clinical RBD or RSWA – to our knowledge the first such data available in children – aims to determine the relationship between age, RBD symptoms, and RSWA. Materials and methods We analyzed phasic and tonic RSWA according to established methods in 12 RBD/RSWA patients and 12 age-gender matched controls with primary snoring who underwent polysomnography (PSG) at Mayo Clinic between 2008 and 2013, and reviewed medical records to determine RSWA or RBD diagnosis. We then measured phasic muscle activity durations and made group comparisons of phasic, tonic, and “any” muscle activity percentage densities as well as phasic muscle activity burst durations with non-parametric statistical tests. Multiple regression models were fit to explore potential associations between clinical and muscle activity dependent variables. Results Among the 12 RSWA/RBD cases, 7 were male, with a mean (range) age of 8.6 (1–17) years when PSG was performed. One RBD patient received clomipramine; no others were on medications associated with RSWA. Phasic and tonic densities were no different between cases and controls, although there appeared to be a subgroup of RSWA/RBD cases with higher phasic densities. Univariate regression analyses demonstrated that higher phasic density was associated with increasing age (p = 0.009 for chin and p = .004 for “any” muscle activity). Anterior tibialis phasic burst duration was significantly longer in the RSWA/RBD group compared to controls (p = 0.02), prolonged to a degree similar to that of adult RBD subjects. Multivariate regression demonstrated an independent association of anterior tibialis phasic burst duration with RBD/RSWA diagnosis, controlling for age. Conclusion In our pilot study, the earliest detectable manifestation of RSWA appears to be increased phasic burst duration in anterior tibialis. We also found that phasic muscle activity density increases with age in pediatric patients. We plan continued analysis in an expanded group of pediatric subjects to better elucidate the influences of age and RBD symptoms on quantitative RSWA metrics. Acknowledgements The project described was supported by the National Center for Research Resources and the National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences, National Institutes of Health , through Grant No. 1 UL1 RR024150-01 . The content is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent the official views of the NIH.
An analysis of atmospheric carbon dioxide content and impacts of global generation supply changes

The purpose of this study is to develop a hypothesis that models Earth's likely carbon dioxide content for the future and the impacts that global electricity generation supply conversion could have on mitigating or adding emissions. The goal of the study is to clarify the changes necessary to bring anthropogenic CO 2 emissions to stable levels and to decrease the possibility of triggering global CO 2 positive feedback mechanisms by 2050. This study shows the environmental results that would be induced by changing generation emissions in a quantifiable manner and suggests the steps that need to be taken to insure environmental stability going forward.
Subjective, psychomotor, and analgesic effects of oral codeine and morphine in healthy volunteers.

The subjective, psychomotor, and physiological effects of analgesic doses of oral codeine and morphine were examined in 12 healthy volunteers. Subjects ingested placebo, morphine 20 or 40 mg, or codeine 60 or 120 mg in a randomized, double-blind, crossover design. The smaller and larger doses of each drug were putatively equianalgesic, and the cold-pressor test was included to test this assumption. Codeine and morphine increased ratings of “feel drug effect” but had little effect on other subjective measures, including the Addiction Research Center Inventory, visual analog scales, and adjective checklists. The few subjective effects that were observed were modest and were dose-related for morphine but not for codeine. The drugs did not affect performance on Maddox-Wing, digit-symbol substitution, coordination, auditory reaction, reasoning, and memory tests. Dose-related decreases in pupil size (miosis) were observed following codeine and morphine. Ratings of pain intensity decreased in a dose-related manner for morphine but not for codeine. Plasma codeine and morphine levels varied as an orderly function of dose. These results suggest that oral codeine and morphine are appropriate drugs for outpatient pain relief because they are effective analgesics at doses that have only modest effects on mood, produce few side effects, and do not impair performance. The results also suggest a possible ceiling effect of codeine on analgesia and subjective effects.
Theoretical modeling of microwave absorption by water vapor.

A line shape model has been developed to study the continuum absorption of microwave radiation by water vapor. The model was tested in the spectral region below 30 cm−1 by comparison with an experimental spectrum [ Zhevakin , Radiophysical Research Institute Report ( Gorky, U.S.S.R., 1978]. The model includes effects of finite duration of collisions and the far line contribution. The far line contribution is found to be the dominant factor for continuum absorption. Other contributions to the continuum absorption are also studied.
Expression of OB receptor splice variants during prenatal development of the mouse.

AbstractIn adult animals, signaling through the leptin receptor (OB-R) has been shown to play a critical role in fat metabolism. However, it is not known when these receptors are first expressed and what their role may be during embryonic development. to date, at least 6 splice variants of the OB-R have been identified. Although the function of each of these individual splice variants are unknown, only one of them, ob-rL, encodes a receptor with a long intracellular domain that is implicated in OB-R signaling. in this study we have used in situ hybridization to examine the localization of OB-R splice variants during embryonic development of C57B1/6J mice. Using a probe, ob-r, that recognizes all of the splice variants, ob-r mRNA was found to be distributed in developing bone, mesenchyme, notochord and liver. in addition, epithelial structures including leptomeninges, choroid plexi and hair follicles also expressed ob-r No ob-r mRNA was detected in the CNS. ob-rL, expression was only detected in notochord,...
Early Adolescents' Performance on the WRAT Compared to their WISC-R IQs, Reading Achievement Score, and Selected Demographic Variables

The relationship between the Wide Range Achievement Test (WRAT) subtest scores and WISC-R IQs, performance on the Gates MacGinitie Reading Test (GMRT), age, grade placement, and parents' educational and occupational levels were examined for a sample of 120 middle-school students. Performance on the GMRT Vocabulary subtest accounted for a significant amount of variance in the WRAT Reading subtest scores, while the GMRT Vocabulary subtest score, subject's grade-achievement level, and the primary occupation in the family contributed significantly to the amount of variance in the WRAT Spelling subtest scores. Results of the data analyses indicated that the WRAT is an effective quick measure for classroom teachers to use with middle-school students who are experiencing learning difficulties in reading and spelling. In contrast with previous findings, WRAT subtest scores were not affected by subjects' WISC-R IQs.
Postnatal development of dendrodendritic inhibition in the Mammalian olfactory bulb.

The mitral-granule cell (MC-GC) reciprocal synapse is an important source of auto- and lateral inhibition in the olfactory bulb (OB), and this local inhibition is critical for odor discrimination. We may gain insight into the role of MC autoinhibition in olfaction by correlating the functional development of the autoinhibition with the postnatal development of olfactory function. We have studied the functional development of the MC-GC reciprocal synapse using whole-cell patch-clamp recordings from MCs and GCs in acute olfactory bulb slices from 3- to 30-day old rats. The magnitude of dendrodendritic inhibition (DDI) measured by depolarizing a single MC and recording recurrent inhibition in the same cell increased up to the fifteenth day of life (P15), but dropped between P15 and P30. The initial increase and later decrease in DDI was echoed by a similar increase and decrease in the frequency of miniature inhibitory postsynaptic currents (mIPSCs), suggesting an accompanying modulation in the number of synapses available to participate in DDI. The late decrease in DDI could also result, in part, from a decrease in GC excitability as well as an increase in relative contribution of N-methyl D-aspartate (NMDA) receptors to gamma-amino butyric acid (GABA) release from GC synapses. Changes in release probability of GABAergic synapses are unlikely to account for the late reduction in DDI, although they might contribute to the early increase during development. Our results demonstrate that the functional MC-GC circuit evolves over development in a complex manner that may include both construction and elimination of synapses.
Imaging of Mercury and Venus from a flyby

Study of an imaging experiment planned for the 1973 Mariner Venus/Mercury flyby mission. Scientific objectives are presented together with mission constraints, analysis of alternative systems, and the rationale for the final choice. The final selection was a vidicon camera quite similar to that used for Mariner Mars 1971, but with the capability of real time transmission during the Venus and Mercury flybys. Systematic high resolution UV photography of Venus is planned after encounter in an attempt to understand the nature of the mysterious UV markings and their apparent 4- to 5-day rotation period.
Role of woodsmoke in N-nitrosothiazolidine formation in bacon

The role of woodsmoke in N-nitrosothizaolidine (NTHZ) formation in bacon was investigated in model systems in which woodsmoke condensate was reacted with combinations of nitrite and cysteamine, cysteine, or cystine. NTHZ formation was most pronounced in those systems containing nitrite and cysteamine. When the smoke condenstate was treated initially with sodium bisulfite before reaction with nitrite and cysteamine, only trace amounts of the N-nitrosamine were obtained. Pork bellies at various stages of processing and cooking were also analyzed for NTHZ. Higher levels of NTHZ were found in raw nork belly which had been cured and smoked than in the fried counterpart.
Mutations in the p53 gene: An early marker of neoplastic progression in ulcerative colitis

Abstract Background/Aims: In long-term extensive ulcerative colitis, aneuploidy occurs earlier and loss of heterozygosity for p53 ( p53 LOH) later during histological progression towards carcinoma. This study determined the time of onset of p53 mutation in this progression. Methods: We developed a rapid, sensitive screening assay for p53 mutations at codon 248. The geographic distribution of this p53 mutation was mapped in two fresh colectomy specimens with mutations of codon 248 (1 cancer, 1 dysplasia) and correlated with patterns of clonal expansion, histological progression, and allelic loss. Numerous samples from throughout both colons were analyzed (216 for histology, 142 for DNA content, 104 for mutation, and 41 for p53 LOH). Results: p53 mutation correlated highly with histological grade and was distributed more extensively than p53 LOH. Mutation, but not LOH, was also found in diploid, nondysplastic colonic mucosa adjacent to dysplastic areas. Conclusions: These findings suggest that p53 mutation appears to be an early genetic event that precedes p53 LOH. The very close correlation of p53 mutation with aneuploidy ( P > 0.0001) emphasizes the role of normal p53 at the G 1 checkpoint to help prevent entry of genetically damaged cells into the cell cycle.
Multiple Choices Regulation of Memory CD8 T Cell Generation and Homeostasis by Interleukin (IL)-7 and IL-15

The generation of memory T cells in immune responses has been extensively studied over recent years, yet the requirements for production and persistence of a functional memory pool are still unclear. For example, while there is compelling evidence that survival of memory cells does not require TCR–MHC engagements (1, 2), recent evidence indicates that such interactions may be needed to maintain functional activity of these cells (3, 4). Furthermore, there is growing evidence that cytokines play a major role in deciding the fate of CD8 memory cells, although the precise mechanisms by which these effects are mediated remain unknown.
The endocrine effects of dopamine and dobutamine in hypotensive preterm infants

UENPS.311 The endocrine effects of dopamine and dobutamine in hypotensive preterm infants Huiqing Sun⁎, Hong Xiong, Wenqing Kang Department of Pediatrics, Zhengzhou Children's Hospital, Zhengzhou, China
Catch-up: a data aggregation scheme for vanets

In-network data aggregation is a useful technique to reduce redundant data and improve communication efficiency. One challenge in data aggregation is how reports can be routed to the same node so that the reports can be merged. Most of existing approaches rely on maintaining a routing structure to achieve this purpose. However, these approaches are not applicable to the mobile environment of Vehicular Ad hoc Networks (VANETs). In this paper, we design a cooperative model to facilitate the aggregation of adjacent traffic reports. The basic idea behind this work is that we can adaptively change the forwarding delay of individual reports in a manner that a report can have a better chance to meet other reports. The decision is made distributedly by each vehicle based on local observations. Actually, our scheme is also a tradeoff between communication overhead and propagation delay. Simulation results based on realistic map data and traffic models demonstrate that our scheme can effectively reduce communication overhead with acceptable delay.
Dempster-Shafer theory for intrusion detection in ad hoc networks

Without a fixed security infrastructure, mobile ad hoc networks must distribute intrusion detection among their nodes. But even though a distributed intrusion-detection system can combine data from multiple nodes to estimate the likelihood of an intrusion, the observing nodes-might not be reliable. The Dempster-Shafer theory of evidence is well suited for this type of problem because it reflects uncertainty. Moreover, Dempster's rule for combination gives a numerical procedure, for fusing together multiple pieces of evidence from unreliable observers. The authors review the Dempster-Shafer theory in the context of distributed intrusion detection and demonstrate the theory's usefulness.
Constitutional dialogue and judicial supremacy

This paper analyzes constitutional dialogue by comparing a constitutional system that (almost) entrenches judicial supremacy - the United States - with a constitutional system that seeks to reconcile a judicial and legislative role in constitutional interpretation - Canada. The argument has three parts. The second part critically examines the scholarship on constitutional dialogue in Canada and the United States. Dialogue theory in the United States focuses on how societal actors respond to judicial decisions whereas Canadian dialogue theorists emphasize legislative sequels to judicial review. The question is why did dialogue take a different path in Canada than in the United States. The third part analyzes this question. The American Supreme Court enjoys a greater degree of autonomy in interpreting the constitution than does the Canadian Supreme Court. Constitutional politics, not constitutional text, however, decisively shaped the tools available to political actors to respond to judicial decisions both in Canada and in the United States. The fourth part argues that weakening judicial supremacy, as has occurred in Canada, has a democratic pay-off. Constitutional systems that empower legislatures to share in the task of judicial review are more likely to engender trust between competing political factions; judicial supremacy, on the other hand, is more likely to facilitate political polarization.
Olfactory Cues in Host Finding by Melittobia digitata (Hymenoptera: Eulophidae)

Abstract Chemical signals used by parasitoids to find hosts often originate from the host, its habitat, or both, providing critical cues for locating hosts that are often cryptic or highly dispersed. Melittobia Westwood are gregarious ectoparasitoids, which primarily attack Trypoxylon politum Say prepupae. How Melittobia locates its host is unknown, but it may involve host-related chemical signals. Therefore, this study focused on whether host location by Melittobia digitata Dahms is mediated by olfactory stimuli. In a small arena, which contained a choice of potential hosts [T. politum prepupa, Megachile rotundata (F.) prepupa, or Sarcophaga bullata (Parker) puparium], empty host pupal cases, or nest mud—all of which were visually and physically isolated from the parasitoid—Mel. digitata successfully located host patches and spent significantly more time on those than on control (blank and dummy) patches. Results suggest that Mel. digitata females may be arrested by host-related chemicals.
Validation of the born approximation in 2-D weakly-scattering biological random media using the FDTD method

In this paper, we present a validation of the Born (or single-scattering) approximation [1] in the electromagnetic scattering analysis of two-dimensional (2-D) weakly-scattering biological random media. We base our validation mostly on data regarding the single biological cell, mainly because of its ubiquity and the amount of previously available data regarding its refractive index properties. We first construct a statistical model for the refractive-index distribution of the biological medium. We then derive an analytical formula for the expected value of the total scattering cross-section of the medium under the Born approximation, and demonstrate that the results are in good agreement with the data obtained from the 2-D finite-difference-time-domain (FDTD) [2] simulation of media with refractive index values based on previous reports for biological cells. This agreement constitutes a proof-of-concept for the use of the Born approximation in weakly-scattering biological media, and suggests future work on its validation in 3-D.
Machine learning based lithographic hotspot detection with critical-feature extraction and classification

In this paper, we present a fast and accurate lithographic hotspot detection flow with a novel MLK (Machine Learning Kernel), based on critical feature extraction and classification. In our flow, layout binary image patterns are decomposed/analyzed and critical lithographic hotspot related features are defined and employed for low noise MLK supervised training. Combining novel critical feature extraction and MLK supervised training procedure, our proposed hotspot detection flow achieves over 90% detection accuracy on average and much smaller false alarms (10% of actual hotspots) compared with some previous work [9, 13], without CPU time overhead.
The Importance of a Single Methyl Group in Determining the Reaction Chemistry of Pentamethylcyclopentadienyl Cyclooctatetraenyl Uranium Metallocenes

The steric factors that allow trivalent [(C(5)Me(5))(3)U] (1) to function as a three-electron reductant with C(8)H(8) to form tetravalent [{(C(5)Me(5))(C(8)H(8))U}(2)(μ-C(8)H(8))] (2) have been explored by examining the synthesis and reactivity of the intermediate, "[(C(5)Me(5))(2)(C(8)H(8))U]" (3), and the slightly less crowded analogues, [(C(5)Me(5))(C(5)Me(4)H)(C(8)H(8))U] and [(C(5)Me(4)H)(2)(C(8)H(8))U], that have, successively one less methyl group. The reaction of [{(C(5)Me(5))(C(8)H(8))U(μ-OTf)}(2)] (4; OTf=OSO(2) CF(3)) with two equivalents of KC(5)Me(5) in THF gave ring-opening to "[(C(5)Me(5))(C(8)H(8))U{O(CH(2))(4)(C(5) Me(5))}]" consistent with in situ formation of 3. Reaction of 4 with two and four equivalents of KC(5)Me(4)H generates two equivalents of [(C(5)Me(5))(C(5)Me(4)H)(C(8)H(8))U] (5) and [(C(5)Me(4)H)(2)(C(8)H(8))U] (6), respectively, which in contrast to 3 were isolable. Tetravalent 5 reduces phenazine and PhEEPh (E=S, Se, and Te) to form the tetravalent uranium reduction products, [{(C(5)Me(5))(C(8)H(8))U}(2)(μ-C(12)H(8)N(2))] (7), [{(C(5)Me(5))(C(8)H(8))U}(2)(μ-SPh)(2)] (8), [{(C(5)Me(5))(C(8)H(8))U}(2)(μ-SePh)(2)] (9), and [{(C(5)Me(5))(C(8)H(8))U}(2)(μ-TePh)(2)] (10), consistent with sterically induced reduction. In contrast, the less sterically crowded 6 does not react with these substrates.
In vitro and in vivo radiosensitization by 2-nitroimidazoles more electron-affinic than misonidazole

Abstract A series of 5-substituted-methyl-2 nitroimidazoles, more electron-affinic than misonidazole (MISO), has been studied as potential hypoxic cell radiosensitizers. In vitro radiosensitization studies of these compounds showed equivalent or greater radiosensitization than MISO, while LD 50 studies of the compounds found them to be, in general, more toxic to Balb/c mice than MISO. Radiosensitization experiments in vivo with compounds SR-2537, SR-2515 and SR-2553 of acceptable toxicity were not able to sensitize the EMT6 tumor to x-irradiation after a single intraperitoneal injection. However, moderate sensitization was achieved when SR-2537 was administered i.v. Rapid metabolism of these more electron-affinic compounds was suggested as a possible cause of the poor sensitization. However, when multiple i.v. injections of SR-2537 were given to maintain a constant drug level in the tumor, radiosensitization by this compound did not improve, suggesting that intact drug was either not reaching or was not penetrating the hypoxic cells.
Environmental Risk Factors for Autism: Do They Help Cause De Novo Genetic Mutations That Contribute to the Disorder?

Recent research has discovered that a number of genetic risk factors for autism are de novo mutations. Advanced parental age at the time of conception is associated with increased risk for both autism and de novo mutations. We investigated the hypothesis that other environmental factors associated with increased risk for autism might also be mutagenic and contribute to autism by causing de novo mutations. A survey of the research literature identified 9 environmental factors for which increased pre-conceptual exposure appears to be associated with increased risk for autism. Five of these factors – mercury, cadmium, nickel, trichloroethylene, and vinyl chloride – are established mutagens. Another four – including residence in regions that are urbanized, located at higher latitudes, or experience high levels of precipitation – are associated with decreased sun exposure and increased risk for vitamin D deficiency. Vitamin D plays important roles in repairing DNA damage and protecting against oxidative stress – a key cause of DNA damage. Factors associated with vitamin D deficiency will thus contribute to higher mutation rates and impaired repair of DNA. We note how de novo mutations may also help explain why the concordance rate for autism is so markedly higher in monozygotic than dizygotic twins. De novo mutations may also explain in part why the prevalence of autism is so remarkably high, given the evidence for a strong role of genetic factors and the low fertility of individuals with autism – and resultant selection pressure against autism susceptibility genes. These several lines of evidence provide support for the hypothesis, and warrant new research approaches – which we suggest – to address limitations in existing studies. The hypothesis has implications for understanding possible etiologic roles of de novo mutations in autism, and it suggests possible approaches to primary prevention of the disorder, such as addressing widespread vitamin D deficiency and exposure to known mutagens.
Origins of an Urban Crisis: The Restructuring of the San Francisco Bay Area and the Geography of Foreclosure

Communities on the fringes of the American metropolis have recently garnered attention as the centers of the foreclosure crisis and its aftermath. On the one hand, this attention to the urban nature of the crisis is welcome, as the metamorphosis of the mortgage fiasco into a financial crisis-cum-global economic meltdown turned popular attention away from the urban roots of this calamity. But this emphasis on the exurbs as the site of crisis lends itself to the misconception that they, rather than the restructuring of the metropolis as a whole, are the sole source of the crisis. This article works across multiple scales to examine how three interwoven factors - demographics, policy and capital - each reacted to the San Francisco Bay Area landscape inherited at the end of the 1970s, affecting the region in new ways, leaving some places thriving and others struggling with foreclosure, which leads to plummeting property values and the deep uncertainty of the current American metropolis. This restructuring can be seen as the convergence between the unresolved urban crisis of the postwar era and the various reactions in the neoliberal era. It demands a reimagining of both planning and geography, especially from the left.
Transaction cost economics and business administration

Abstract This paper traces the origins of transaction cost economics to three seminal people who had an intense interest in business: Ronald Coase, Chester Barnard, and Herbert Simon. By contrast with the neoclassical theory of the firm, which is a top-down construction, the transaction cost economics theory of the firm is a bottom-up construction—which is to say that it is much more microanalytic (the transaction is made the basic unit of analysis) and is comparative in its mode of analysis. Several top-down maxims that have their origins in economic theory are examined in a bottom-up way, which serves to uncover conceptual and/or implementation problems with each. I furthermore examine growing applications of transaction cost reasoning to business administration and within the social sciences.
Veto Players and Institutional Analysis

The veto players theory can be used to analyze all political systems regardless of regime (presidential or parliamentary), party system (one-, two-, or multiparty), and type of parliament (unicameral or multicameral). This paper develops the veto players theory to account for a series of important political phenomena: the difference between majoritarian and supermajoritarian institutions; the importance of absenteeism, or of political marginalization; the importance of agenda control and referendums; the reasons for government stability (parliamentary systems) and regime stability (presidential systems); the reasons for independence of bureaucracies, and judicial independence. All these phenomena are analyzed in a coherent way, on the basis of the same framework. Empirical evidence from existing literature corroborating the theory is provided.
Patterns of Database Use in Academic Libraries

Database usage data from a random sample of academic libraries in the United States and Canada reveal patterns of use in selected types of libraries. Library users tend to use commercial online databases most frequently early in the week, at midday, and at times that correspond to the academic calendar (November in this six-month sample). On average, relatively low numbers of users are simultaneously logged on to research databases at any size of library. A questionnaire sent to these same libraries identified many other factors that might influence database use, including level of instruction, availability of remote log-in, and placement of a database on the library’s home page, although none of these factors was found to be statistically significant.
Gendered Opportunities for Work Effects on Employment in Later Life

Gender differences in employment rates in later life, although still substantial, have narrowed dramatically in the past four decades. The authors hypothesize that some of the gender variation in employment rates results from gendered differences in the demand for labor independent of individuals’ characteristics. The authors use multilevel models to investigate variation across local-area labor markets in gender differences in employment among 56- to 66-year-olds. The demand for female labor is measured as the degree to which the occupational structure of a local labor market is skewed toward typically female occupations. Areas with relatively more female occupations have lower gender differentials in full-time employment than areas where occupations are overwhelmingly male. This would suggest that some of the convergence in employment rates among the elderly in the past half century might be traced to the larger historical shift from traditionally male industrial employment to more typically female serv...
Hydrogen permeation in metals as a function of stress, temperature and dissolved hydrogen concentration

An investigation of the diffusion of electrolytic hydrogen through membranes of: (1) polycrystalline Armco iron; (2) single crystal Armcoiron; (3) zone refined iron; and (4) A.I.S.I. 4340 has been made. The temperature and stress dependence of the permeation rate through (1) and (4) was investigated, while (1) to (3) have been investigated under varying concentrations of hydrogen in the metal. From the results concerning Armco iron polycrystals and single crystals, and zone-refined iron it has been concluded that trace impurities and grain boundaries have negligible effects on the hydrogen permeation rate. Stress has been shown not to affect D , but it increases the solubility of hydrogen in the lattice. The D 0 and Δ H p value for α-iron and the stress dependence of the hydrogen solubility indicate that the rate-determining step in diffusion is the formation of a cavity (a dilated octahedral hole) to accommodate the diffusion hydrogen. Maxima observed in the relation of the rate of permeation to time were explained in terms of ‘blister´ formation; the temperature dependence of the critical hydrogen concentration necessary to form these blisters is in concordance with this hypothesis. The nucleation sites for such blisters are aggregates of dislocations. The mechanism proposed to explain the maxima in the permeation transients was used to rationalize the existing discrepancies in diffusion data found in the literature. It is suggested that the crack initiation site for stress corrosion cracking may be a highly localized density of dislocations, on a metal surface, generated by blister formation due to hydrogen.
Assessing the potential for AAV vector genotoxicity in a murine model

Gene transfer using adeno-associated virus (AAV) vectors has great potential for treating human disease. Recently, questions have arisen about the safety of AAV vectors, specifically, whether integration of vector DNA in transduced cell genomes promotes tumor formation. This study addresses these questions with high-dose liver-directed AAV-mediated gene transfer in the adult mouse as a model (80 AAV-injected mice and 52 controls). After 18 months of follow-up, AAV-injected mice did not show a significantly higher rate of hepatocellular carcinoma compared with controls. Tumors in mice treated with AAV vectors did not have significantly different amounts of vector DNA compared with adjacent normal tissue. A novel high-throughput method for identifying AAV vector integration sites was developed and used to clone 1029 integrants. Integration patterns in tumor tissue and adjacent normal tissue were similar to each other, showing preferences for active genes, cytosine-phosphate-guanosine islands, and guanosine/cysteine-rich regions. Gene expression data showed that genes near integration sites did not show significant changes in expression patterns compared with genes more distal to integration sites. No integration events were identified as causing increased oncogene expression. Thus, we did not find evidence that AAV vectors cause insertional activation of oncogenes and subsequent tumor formation.
Building Microsoft? SQL Server? 7 Applications with COM

QUICK START Getting Started Learning the Basics of N-Tier Applications and COM Primer for Building an Application: Part A Primer for Building an Application: Part B Leveraging the Project Life Cycle for Build N-TIER, COM Database Applications BUILDING THE APPLICATION FRAMEWORK Getting Physical Defining and Validating Your Data Using the Data Definition Language Using the Data Manipulation Language Using the Data Control Language Controlling Access to SQL Server INCORPORATING ADVANCED FEATURES Writing Stored Procedures (Transact-SQL Programs) Leveraging SQL Server Functions Triggering Events Using Advanced Data Manipulation Techniques BUILD ADVANCED APPLICATION USING COM, INTERNET/INTRANET, VISUAL BASIC, AND MTS Building a COM-Based, N-Tier Application Developing the User Interface Connecting SQL Server to the Internet DEPLOYING PRODUCTION-READY N-TIER APPLICATIONS AND SYSTEM ADMINISTRATION Testing, Optimization, Debugging, and Implementation System Administration Through the Visual Tools and Wizards Maintaining Your N-Tier COM Applications Appendix Bibliography Index.
A Hospital-Based Advance Care Planning Intervention for Patients with Heart Failure: A Feasibility Study

Abstract Background: Early discussions about advance care planning (ACP) have been associated with improved patient and caregiver outcomes for patients with serious illness. Many patients with heart failure (HF) may benefit from more timely ACP, in part due to the unpredictable trajectory of the disease. Objectives: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the feasibility of implementing a multiple-component hospital-based intervention on completion of ACP forms among HF patients. Methods: A brief hospital-based ACP intervention was led by a nonclinician health educator that included (1) an educational video about shared decision making and (2) a protocol to engage HF providers in patients' ACP decision making after the hospitalization. We surveyed patients regarding attitudes toward the ACP intervention and studied completion rates of advance directives (ADs) or physician orders for life sustaining treatment (POLST) forms six months following discharge. Results: The educational video component of this i...
A Neoteric Neodymium Model: Ground and Excited Electronic State Analysis of NdF2+

Neodymium monofluoride dication was studied as a model of the Nd-F bond in NdFx. Multiconfigurational self-consistent field (MCSCF) and second order multireference quasi-degenerate perturbation theory (MCQDPT2) methods were used with a variety of active spaces to elucidate the roles of the Nd 4f, 5d, and 6s orbitals. Spin-orbit coupling calculations were performed at the SO-MCQDPT2 level, and potential energy curves were obtained for the four lowest energy quartet states as well as for the four lowest doublet states and the lowest sextet state. Inclusion of spin-orbit coupling splits these states into 30 levels. Equilibrium bond lengths, dissociation energies, transition energies, and crossing points were determined.