cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Revisiting an educator's dilemma: using natural language processing to analyze the needs of employers and inform curriculum development

Employers in technology are constantly changing their job advertisements and it is a challenge for academic programs to produce graduates who can meet these job requirements and employer expectations. The Information Systems (IS)/Information Technology (IT) educators have been facing the conundrum of whether an emerging technology is a "game-changing" development or something more transient so as to avoid "bloating" the curriculum. This study examines the body of knowledge as represented in our IT/IS program course syllabi and the recent job postings in five of our specialization areas including data science, computer science, healthcare IT, information systems and cybersecurity using natural language processing techniques. One of our goals is to identify the major overlaps and gaps between the two entities systematically by employing quantitative methods. The major contributions of this study lie in that it demonstrates how such data-driven analysis and mining approach informs clarifications to the wording of existing course syllabi, modifications to existing course contents, or the introduction of new courses into the curriculum. Lastly, the future research directions are delineated which this knowledge base can be applied to enhance university graduates' employability by analyzing students' resumes and presenting which jobs most closely match their knowledge, skills, and abilities.
The Hopf algebra of skew shapes, torsion sheaves on A/F1n, and ideals in Hall algebras of monoid representations

Abstract We study ideals in Hall algebras of monoid representations on pointed sets corresponding to certain conditions on the representations. These conditions include the property that the monoid act via partial permutations, that the representation possess a compatible grading, and conditions on the support of the module. Quotients by these ideals lead to combinatorial Hopf algebras which can be interpreted as Hall algebras of certain sub-categories of modules. In the case of the free commutative monoid on n generators, we obtain a co-commutative Hopf algebra structure on n-dimensional skew shapes, whose underlying associative product amounts to a “stacking” operation on the skew shapes. The primitive elements of this Hopf algebra correspond to connected skew shapes, and form a graded Lie algebra by anti-symmetrizing the associative product. We interpret this Hopf algebra as the Hall algebra of a certain category of coherent torsion sheaves on A / F 1 n supported at the origin, where F 1 denotes the field of one element. This Hopf algebra may be viewed as an n-dimensional generalization of the Hopf algebra of symmetric functions, which corresponds to the case n = 1 .
Ceramic coating for delayed degradation of Mg-1.2Zn-0.5Ca-0.5Mn bone fixation and instrumentation

Abstract Mg and its alloys possess a biodegradable nature that has recently made them attractive for potential applications in biomedical devices that are expected to degrade and bioresorb completely in-vivo after the healing of the body tissue. We have developed an Mg-Zn-Ca-Mn alloy containing biocompatible alloying elements, and a heat treatment process that is likely to improve mechanical stability and absorption properties during bone healing and reliably resorb following the healing of a reconstructed skeletal segment. Our objective in this work is to investigate the use of a composite ceramic-based coating to delay the degradation (weakening) of our strengthened alloy for several months to avoid loss of mechanical properties during the healing process. The heat-treated alloy samples were coated using plasma electrolytic oxidation (PEO) and a sol-gel (layer-by-layer) coating techniques to achieve improved corrosion resistance. The coated samples were characterized for their morphological and corrosion characteristics using scanning electron microscope (SEM), X-ray diffraction analysis (XRD), and in vitro corrosion testing methods. These in vitro corrosion studies showed a significant improvement in the corrosion resistance of the PEO/sol-gel coated alloy. The PEO/sol-gel coated alloy samples lost only approx. 3% of their strength, after 8 weeks of immersion in a corrosive environment, compared to 30% loss for the uncoated alloy samples under the same conditions. The results of this study suggest that it should be possible to maintain the mechanical integrity of Mg-based implants inside the body for the desired 6–9 month period and longer if that becomes useful.
Self-Explanation and Metacognition: The Dynamics of Reading

What is the relation between metacognition, or metacomprehension, and self-explanation? This is a question that has haunted our research for over a decade. One of our guiding research goals is to better understand the processes involved in reading comprehension. To that end, we have spent the bulk of our careers studying reading processes and strategies as revealed in verbal protocols. These verbal protocols are produced under instructions to “think aloud” (Magliano, Trabasso, & Graesser, 1999; Magliano & Millis, 2003; Trabasso & Magliano, 1996a, 1996b) or to self-explain while reading (McNamara, 2004). Thinking aloud is a process of reporting whatever thoughts are available to a reader while reading a text (e.g., readers report these thoughts after reading each sentence). Selfexplanation is the process of explaining text to oneself either orally or in writing. Both think aloud and self-explanation are composed of natural speech, including incomplete and ungrammatical sentences. To contrast the two, think aloud is assumed to reflect unaltered processes that would occur regardless of the think aloud process, whereas selfexplanation is generally assumed to modify comprehension and learning processes. The two also differ in intended audience. Whereas during a think aloud, the audience is clearly the experimenter, the audience during a self-explanation is more ambiguous. That is, the intent of self-explanation is that the reader explains challenging information to himself or herself. Thus, the audience is the reader. However, in experimental situations, there is often someone present (a person or a computer that is providing feedback); thus, the participant may regard a listener as the audience.
Handling Stuck-at-Fault Defects Using Matrix Transformation for Robust Inference of DNNs

Matrix-vector multiplication is the dominating computational workload in the inference phase of deep neural networks (DNNs). Memristor crossbar arrays (MCAs) can efficiently perform matrix-vector multiplication in the analog domain. A key challenge is that memristor devices may suffer stuck-at-fault defects, which can severely degrade the classification accuracy. Earlier studies have shown that the accuracy loss can be recovered by utilizing additional hardware or hardware aware training. In this article, we propose a framework that handles stuck-at-faults using matrix transformations, which is called the MT framework. The framework is based on introducing a cost metric that captures the negative impact of the stuck-at-fault defects. Next, the cost metric is minimized by applying matrix transformations $T$ . A transformation $T$ changes a weight matrix $W$ into a new weight matrix $\widetilde {W}= T(W)$ . In particular, a row flipping transformation, a permutation transformation, and a value range transformation are proposed. The row flipping transformation results in that stuck-off (stuck-on) faults are translated into stuck-on (stuck-off) faults. The permutation transformation maps small (large) weights to memristors stuck-off (stuck-on). The value range transformation is based on reducing the magnitude of the smallest and largest elements in the weight matrices, which results in that the stuck-at-faults introduce smaller errors. The experimental results demonstrate that the MT framework is capable of recovering 99% of the accuracy loss on both the MNIST and CIFAR-10 datasets without utilizing hardware aware training. The accuracy improvements come at the expense of an $8.19\times $ and $9.23\times $ overhead in power and area, respectively. Nevertheless, the overhead can be reduced with up to 50% by leveraging hardware aware training.
Problems with So-Called “Direct” Scaling

It was once thought that magnitude estimation was a better method for the measurement of subjective value than the method of category rating. However, recent research shows that magnitude estimations do not have advantages over category ratings and are in fact no more than ordinal scales of subjective value. When subjects are asked to judge "differences" and "ratios" of subjective value, it appears that subjects compute subjective intervals for both tasks. Magnitude estimations of "ratios" appear to be an approximate exponential function of subjective differences, and category ratings appear to be an approximate linear function of subjective differences, though the exact form of these functions depends on the stimulus and response distributions. Scales of subjective value that are derived from the subtractive model of within-mode stimulus comparison appear to be largely independent of the stimulus spacing and the response procedure. Measurements of subjective value should be derived from a theory of empirical relationships, and should show generality across contexts and across empirical domains. So-called "direct" scales have not been successful in predicting empirical relationships, whereas subtractive model scale values have shown promise.
Endovascular management of iatrogenic dissection into the petrous segment of the internal carotid artery during mechanical thrombectomy for acute stroke

Iatrogenic dissection of the internal carotid artery is a well-known complication that can occur during mechanical thrombectomy for acute stroke. The vast majority of these injuries are limited to the cervical segment, and only in exceptional circumstances do they require surgical intervention. In the present case, extension of the lesion into the petrous segment of the carotid artery resulted in an acute neurologic decline necessitating emergent endovascular repair. We discuss the nuances of managing an exceptionally rare presentation of this complication.
Improving Inquiry Questions to Foster Critical Thinking and Reflective Practice in a Journalism Capstone

Education researchers have long been interested in helping students develop effective inquiry questions to guide research projects. In this study, students in a journalism senior capstone used writ...
Hemoglobin Monitoring in Acute Gastrointestinal Bleeding: Are We Monitoring Blood Counts Too Frequently?

Abstract Background Gastrointestinal hemorrhage is a common cause of hospital admission. However, there are little data to inform practice around blood count monitoring—a cornerstone of management. We hypothesized that more frequent testing leads to increased resource utilization without improvement in patient outcomes. Methods This retrospective observational cohort study examined all patients admitted to a large academic medical institution primarily for gastrointestinal bleeding between July 10, 2014, and January 1, 2018. We identified 1150 patients admitted for gastrointestinal hemorrhage. Patients under 18, who developed bleeding while hospitalized, or who were transferred were excluded. The primary outcome was the number of complete blood counts collected in the first 48 hours of admission. Propensity matched analysis was performed to assess blood transfusion, units of blood transfused, time-to-endoscopy, mortality, and 30-day readmission rate. Results On average, 5.6 complete blood counts were collected in the first 48 hours; 67% of the cohort was transfused (average of 2.6 units of packed red blood cells). When matched for comorbidity, anticoagulant use, location (ward vs. intensive care unit), vital signs, hemoglobin level, and international normalized ratio, patients having more frequent monitoring had similar hospital length of stay and mortality rates, but were more likely to receive a blood transfusion (0.93 vs 0.76, P Conclusions Blood count monitoring occurs more frequently than is likely necessary, is associated with a higher likelihood of blood transfusion, and does not affect patient outcomes, suggesting patient care may be improved by less frequent monitoring.
The Composition of Data Capital

The data is simple and yet complex. While just consisting of two components: memories and time, data represents not only everything that exists in realistic nature but something unknown. As natural resources cannot be calculated to natural capital, data resources in data nature, considered as whatever safe “new oil” or dangerous “new nuclear power,” are not equivalent to data capital. By annotating two components of the data, this chapter suggests only taking data capital to be a factor of data production.
LIPOPHILICITY, AQUEOUS SOLUBILITY, AND DEGREE OF IONIZATION OF ATRACTYLODIN AND β-EUDESMOL, THE BIOACTIVE COMPOUNDS ISOLATED FROM ATRACTYLODES LANCEA

Objective: The study aimed to evaluate the critical physicochemical properties (lipophilicity, aqueous solubility, and degree of ionization) of atractylodin and β-eudesmol using in vitro testing. Methods: Lipophilicity (Log P and Log D) was determined using the shake-flask method (n-octanol/water partition). Aqueous solubility was determined using kinetic solubility assay in media with pH ranging from 1.2 to 7.4. The degree of ionization (pKa) was determined using the potentiometric titration method. Results: Log P and Log D values of 3.0-5.0 suggested moderate lipophilicity of both compounds. Both exhibited low aqueous solubility over the investigated pH range (0.08-0.93 and 1.97-32.48 μg/ml for atractylodin and β-eudesmol, respectively). Based on the pKa values of 9.63 (atractylodin) and 9.12 (b-eudesmol), both are classified as basidic compounds. Conclusion: Atractylodin and β-eudesmol are classified as BCS class II drugs. The physicochemical parameters of both compounds obtained from the current study will be further applied for in silico prediction of their ADME (absorption, distribution, metabolism, and excretion) properties. In addition, PBPK modeling will be used for the prediction of optimal dose regimens of the capsule formulation of the standardized extract of Atractylodes lancea for first-in-human (FIH) and phase II studies in patients with cholangiocarcinoma.
Inferences about the Population Mean: Empirical Likelihood versus Bootstrap-t

The problem of making inferences about the population mean, μ, is considered. Known theoretical results suggest that a Bartlett corrected empirical likelihood method is preferable to two basic bootstrap techniques: a symmetric two-sided bootstrap-t and an equal-tailed bootstrap-t. However, simulations in this study indicate that, when the sample size is small, these two bootstrap methods are generally better in terms of Type I errors and probability coverage. As the sample size increases, situations are found where the Bartlett corrected empirical likelihood method performs better than the equal-tailed bootstrap-t, but the symmetric bootstrap-t gives the best results. None of the four methods considered are always satisfactory in terms of probability coverage or Type I errors, particularly when dealing with skewed distributions where the expected proportion of points flagged as outliers is somewhat high. If this proportion is 0.14, for example, all four methods can be unsatisfactory even with n=300, but if sampling from a symmetric distribution or a skewed distribution with relatively light tails the results suggest using a symmetric two-sided bootstrap-t method.
Chapter 14 A Standardized Method of Peripheral Blood Culture for Cytogenetical Studies and Its Modification by Cold Temperature Treatment1

Publisher Summary This chapter describes a standardized method of peripheral blood culture for cytogenetical studies and its modification by cold temperature treatment. Phytohemagglutinin (PHA)-stimulated short-term primary cultures of peripheral blood cells are in common use in cytogenetical work. PHA selectively provokes small lymphocytes into multiplication. In long-term cultures of solid tissues there is considerable evolution of karyotypic character over time. These will include local and subclinical infections, ingestion of acceptable toxins, and extremes of hydrogen ion concentration or osmotic gradients, as well as the local agents of morphotasis and homeostasis in specialized tissues. All these influences must contribute to a minimum variability in karyotypic character over time, and one in which lymphocytes participate very generally. Hence, lymphocytes may serve as a useful index of inevitable exogenous and endogenous modifications in chromosomal behavior in all tissues. These are important because they compose a background against which significant divergences must be detected. The method of peripheral blood culture is described, where previously developed techniques of growing lymphocytes and preparing metaphase spreads are standardized
Markov and Hidden Markov Models

In this article we give an overview of Markov models that are used for describing dynamics of operating environments in reliability analysis. We present both continuous- and discrete-time Markov chains as well as diffusion processes. We also consider Markov modulated stochastic processes that are known as hidden Markov models and discuss their properties. More specifically, we give an overview of Markov modulated Poisson and Markov modulated Bernoulli processes. Keywords: reliability assessment; random environment; Markov chains; Markov modulated Poisson process; Markov modulated Bernoulli process
The Frequency of Mutual Fund Portfolio Disclosure

The costs and benefits of frequent mutual fund portfolio disclosure have been a strong subject for debate. This study investigates both the determinants and potential effects of portfolio disclosure frequency by comparing funds providing voluntary quarterly disclosure to funds providing only mandatory semiannual disclosure. We find that funds with higher turnover, higher expense ratios, and higher likelihood of committing fraud, tend to disclose their holdings less frequently. These characteristics are likely proxies for a fund's informational advantage and/or agency problems. To differentiate between the information effect (i.e. the potential costs of frequent disclosure are higher for funds with informational advantage) and the agency effect (i.e. the potential benefits of frequent disclosure to investors are higher for funds with agency problems), we examine the relation between disclosure frequency and future fund performance conditioned upon fund investment skills. We use past performance as a proxy for fund investment skills. We expect the information effect to outweigh the agency effect for skilled funds and vice versa for unskilled funds. Our findings show a significant asymmetric relation between disclosure frequency and future fund performance for past winners and losers. Consistent with the information effect, past winners who disclose less frequently outperform past winners who disclose more frequently. Consistent with the agency effect, past losers who disclose less frequently underperform past losers who disclose more frequently. These findings are robust to various performance measures. Finally, we analyze the relation between disclosure frequency and fund new money to examine whether investors reward frequent disclosure. Controlling for other fund characteristics, we find higher new money growth for funds providing more frequent disclosure among poorly performing funds.
Domain-Specific Language for HW/SW Co-design for FPGAs

This article describes FSMLanguage, a domain-specific language for HW/SW co-design targeting platform FPGAs. Modern platform FPGAs provide a wealth of configurable logic in addition to embedded processors, distributed RAM blocks, and DSP slices in order to help facilitate building HW/SW co-designed systems. A technical challenge in building such systems is that the practice of designing software and hardware requires different areas of expertise and different description domains, i.e. languages and vocabulary. FSMLanguage attempts to unify these domains by defining a way to describe HW/SW co-designed systems in terms of sets of finite-state machines --- a concept that is reasonably familiar to both software programmers and hardware designers. FSMLanguage is a domain-specific language for describing the functionality of a finite-state machine in such a way that its implementation can be re-targeted to software or hardware in an efficient manner. The efficiency is achieved by exploiting the resources found within modern platform FPGAs --- namely the distributed RAM blocks, soft-core processors, and the ability to construct dedicated communication channels between FSMs in the reconfigurable fabric. The language and its compiler promote uniformity in the description of a HW/SW co-designed system, which allows a system designer to make partitioning and implementation strategy decisions later in the design cycle.
Low-rank minimum variance CDMA receiver in multipath channels

The minimum variance receiver has been previously proposed to suppress the multiple-access interference (MAI) blindly in CDMA channels by minimizing the receiver's output variance based on constrained optimization. In this paper, we propose a low-complexity minimum variance receiver that achieves almost the same performance as the high-complexity one with the optimal constraint vector. The proposed receiver is a RAKE receiver followed by an equal gain combiner. The impulse response of the filter in each finger is obtained by the minimum variance criterion. The low-rank minimum variance receiver uses a reduced-rank approximation of the estimated data covariance matrix. Its performance is better than the full-rank version of the receiver. The receiver is implemented adaptively with the same structure as a generalized sidelobe canceler.
Acquired senile retinoschisis of the peripheral retina imaged by spectral domain optical coherence tomography: a case report.

PurposeWe report spectral domain optical coherence tomography findings of the peripheral retina in a patient with senile (acquired) retinoschisis.MethodsThis is an observational case report. Spectr...
Mapping Boundaries in Diplomacy’s Public Dimension

Radical changes in diplomacy’s global environment challenge traditional categories in diplomacy’s study and practice. The “foreign” and “domestic” divide is blurred beyond easy recognition. Public diplomacy is no longer a separate instrument of diplomacy. The term marginalizes a public dimension that is now central in diplomatic practice. This article examines four boundaries that both separate and connect: (1) a distinction between diplomacy and foreign policy that benefits diplomacy studies and clarifies choices in practice; (2) a framework for diplomacy’s public dimension that connects types of diplomatic actors with process variables; (3) a separation between diplomacy and civil society that distinguishes diplomacy from other relationships between groups; and (4) characteristics of diplomacy and governance that explain how they differ from other political and social categories. Diplomatic and governance actors are categorized in trans-governmental and polylateral networks. Civil society and private sector actors are categorized in cosmopolitan and private governance networks.
The Nature of Personality: Genes, Culture, and National Character

Personality traits have a strong genetic foundation, are highly stable over time, and predict important societal outcomes, including health and occupational success. In his Perspective, Robins discusses Terracciano et al.'s finding that cultures differ somewhat in aggregate personality levels but those differences are not accurately reflected in stereotypes about national character. Robins discusses reasons why national stereotypes are inaccurate, as well as broader issues concerning individual and cultural sources of variation in personality.
Effect of Magnetic Fields Upon Thermal Conductivity of Iron, Copper, Gold, Silver and Zinc

A "bar method" was used to measure thermal conductivity and electrical resistivity for iron, copper, gold, silver and zinc in and out of a longitudinal field of 10,000 gauss, and transverse fields of 8,000 and 4,000 gauss. Copper-constantan thermo-couples "spot" welded to the bars were used to measure the temperatures. For iron, the 10,000 gauss longitudinal field caused a 1.14 percent decrease in heat conductivity and the transverse field of 4,000 gauss caused a 0.4 percent decrease. Electrical resistivity was increased 0.2 percent by the 10,000 gauss field. For copper, the thermal conductivity was decreased 0.23 percent by the 10,000 gauss field. In all the other cases the fields were shown to produce no effects large enough to detect, although the method would readily show any change as great as 0.04 percent. Zinc was used in the ordinary cast form, and in the slowly grown crystal bars. The values of electrical and thermal conductivity were higher in the crystal bar, but the magnetic fields produced no change in either bar. Thus, contrary to theories of Livens and others, these metals failed to show an increase in thermal conductivity in strong fields.
Seizures and magnetic resonance imaging-detected brain injury in newborns cooled for hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy.

Objective To describe the association between electrographically detected seizures and brain injury evaluated by magnetic resonance imaging in newborns treated with hypothermia. Study design A total of 56 newborns treated with hypothermia were monitored using video electroencephalography through cooling and rewarming, and then imaged at a median of 5 days. The electroencephalograms were reviewed for indications of seizure and status epilepticus. Moderate-severe injury detected on magnetic resonance imaging was measured using a classification scheme similar to one predicting abnormal outcome in an analogous population. Results Seizures were recorded in 17 newborns (30%), 5 with status epilepticus. Moderate-severe injury was more common in newborns with seizures (relative risk, 2.9; 95% CI, 1.2-4.5; P =.02), and was present in all 5 newborns with status epilepticus. Newborns with moderate-severe injury had seizures that were multifocal and of later onset, and they were more likely to experience recurrent seizures after treatment with 20 mg/kg phenobarbital. Newborns with only subclinical seizures were as likely to have injury as those with seizures with a clinical correlate (57% vs 60%). Conclusion Seizures represent a risk factor for brain injury in the setting of therapeutic hypothermia, especially in neonates with status epilepticus, multifocal-onset seizures, and a need for multiple medications. However, 40% of our neonates were spared from brain injury, suggesting that the outcome after seizures is not uniformly poor in children treated with therapeutic hypothermia.
Minimizing risk in clinical research.

The paper by Mello and colleagues in this issue describes the growth of litigation about protection of participants in research trials, and a letter by Humphreys and associates reports on the costs...
Mixing on function spaces

We prove that a probability measure over a space of functions induces a measure over the product space of the image and range of these functions. As an application, we show that the equilibrium of large anonymous games with uncertainty completely describes the behavior of players. In the second part of the paper we prove that mixed strategies over function spaces are equivalent to behavioral and distributional strategies.
Hidden models in two degrees of freedom design: {R;G,H} controller

The stable and unstable hidden modes of the {R; G, H} controlled system are characterized by considering cancellations in products of transfer matrices. This characterization is complete because of the assumption that the plant description is controllable and observable, and that R, G and H are implemented via irreducible realizations. Under these assumptions the hidden modes of the controlled system are due exclusively to the system interconnection. The characterizations given show how hidden modes are introduced in the controlled system. This information can be used by the control systems designer to avoid hidden modes if possible; otherwise, the effect of the hidden modes on the system performance can be determined.
Genetic determination of variation and covariation of peak bone mass at the hip and spine

Abstract The likelihood of low trauma fracture in the elderly is highly predictable by peak bone mass (PBM) at age ∼25–50 yr. We estimated the magnitude of genetic determination of the variation and covariation of PBM of the spine and hip (adjusted by age, gender, and ethnicity) in 47 independent healthy full-sib pairs and 27 healthy mother-offspring pairs. For the spine and hip, the narrow-sense heritabilities ( h 2 ) (mean ± SE) were 0.76 ± 0.34 and 0.84 ± 0.36, respectively, when estimated from full sibs, and 0.86 ± 0.38 and 0.84 ± 0.39, respectively, when estimated from parent-offspring. Some genetic loci underlying PBM variation at the hip and spine are the same or closely linked, as is reflected by the high genetic correlation of 0.95 ± 0.05 between them when estimated from full sibs, and 0.57 ± 0.27 when estimated from parent-offspring, respectively. Generally, common familial environmental effects shared by relatives may bias these estimates. However, these effects may be small, since our results reported herein and those in other earlier studies indicate that common familial environmental effects are probably negligible in causing similarity of bone mass among family members. The correlation of bone mass among randomly sampled couples living in the same household is small and nonsignificant as measured either by densitometry at the radius and ulna or by quantitative ultrasound at the patella. The problem of shared environmental effects notwithstanding, we conclude that much of the PBM variation and covariation at the hip and spine is determined genetically.
Clearance of treatment doses of surfactant. Effect of lipid extraction and aggregate sizes.

Three-day-old rabbits were given intratracheal injections with a variety of surfactants at doses of about 100 mg lipid/kg, doses commonly used in clinical trials of surfactant for respiratory distress
A reinforcement learning trained fuzzy neural network controller for maintaining wireless communication connections in multi-robot systems

This paper presents a decentralized multi-robot motion control strategy to facilitate a multi-robot system, comprised of collaborative mobile robots coordinated through wireless communications, to form and maintain desired wireless communication coverage in a realistic environment with unstable wireless signaling condition. A fuzzy neural network controller is proposed for each robot to maintain the wireless link quality with its neighbors. The controller is trained through reinforcement learning to establish the relationship between the wireless link quality and robot motion decision, via consecutive interactions between the controller and environment. The tuned fuzzy neural network controller is applied to a multi-robot deployment process to form and maintain desired wireless communication coverage. The effectiveness of the proposed control scheme is verified through simulations under different wireless signal propagation conditions.
Fabrication and in situ X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy of granular metal thin films

A series of Fex(SiO2)1−x, Co0.5(SiO2)0.5, and Ni0.5(SiO2)0.5 transition metal based granular films were prepared by r.f. sputter deposition. Owing to their novel magnetic properties, and possible application as magnetic storage media, the iron based granular films were studied over a range of compositions from x = 0.3 to x = 0.9 atomic fraction. X-ray diffraction and transmission electron microscopy measurements indicated that these films consist of small metal particles embedded in an amorphous SiO2 matrix. In the case of the Fex(SiO2)1−x films, mean particle sizes from several nanometers to about 10 nm could be obtained by varying the relative metal composition. The mean particle size was also observed to decrease, and the particle size distribution to become more uniform, with decreasing metal composition. In situ X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy measurements were carried out to determine the kind and relative composition of metal oxides associated with the metal particles. The metal oxides FeO, Fe2O3, Fe3O4, CoO, NiO, and Ni2O3 were identified in the case of the iron, cobalt and nickel particles respectively.
Rathke Cleft Cyst: Diagnostic and Therapeutic Considerations

Objective To highlight diagnostic and therapeutic issues about Rathke cleft cysts for otorhinolaryngologists. Study Design Retrospective. Methods We retrospectively reviewed data collected on Rathke cleft cysts between 1978 and 1998: presenting symptoms, visual acuity, surgical treatment, complications, recurrences, and effect on daily activity. Results Twenty-nine patients were diagnosed with a Rathke cleft cyst (11 male and 18 female patients; mean age, 46 y). The most common presenting symptom was head pain (55%). The majority (59%) of cases demonstrated suprasellar extension on preoperative imaging, with pituitary dysfunction identified in 66%. Recurrence occurred in eight patients (28%). Postoperative visual function improved or remained stable in all patients. Persistent pituitary dysfunction required hormonal supplementation in seven patients (24%). Only one patient with an astrocytoma in addition to a Rathke cleft cyst did not maintain the ability to perform normally on an assessment of activities of daily living, a striking contrast to patients with craniopharyngioma. Conclusions Conclusions were as follows: 1) Rathke cleft cysts must be considered as sources of head pain and pituitary dysfunction. 2) Persistent or recurrent cyst formation occurs in approximately one-third of the patients. Recurrence may take many years, and follow-up imaging is recommended for at least a decade. 3) Maintenance of the ability to perform the activities of normal daily living can be expected after surgical management. 4) Most Rathke cleft cysts can be managed through transnasal exposure of the sella. 5) Packing the sella may result in predisposition to recurrent cyst formation.
Precision measurement of the hyperfine structure of the 133Cs 6P3/2 state

We report measurements of the hyperfine structure of the 6${P}_{3/2}$ state of atomic $^{133}\mathrm{Cs}$(I=7/2). A frequency-stabilized laser diode is used to perform crossed-beam laser spectroscopy of the Cs 6${S}_{1/2}$(F=3,4)\ensuremath{\rightarrow}6${P}_{3/2}$(F') transitions. From the measured hyperfine splittings, we determine the coefficients of the magnetic dipole (A) and electric quadrupole (B) contributions to the hyperfine structure. Our results are A=50.275(3) MHz and B=-0.53(2) MHz.
Infrared Spectra of the CH3-MX, CH2MHX, and CH⋮MH2X-Complexes Formed by Reaction of Methyl Halides with Laser-ablated Group 5 Metal Atoms

Reactions of group 5 metal atoms and methyl halides give carbon−metal single, double, and triple bonded complexes that are identified from matrix IR spectra and vibrational frequencies computed by DFT. Two different pairs of complexes are prepared in reactions of methyl fluoride with laser-ablated vanadium and tantalum atoms. The two vanadium complexes (CH3−VF and CH2VHF) are persistently photoreversible and show a kinetic isotope effect on the yield of CD2VDF. Identification of CH2TaHF and CH⋮TaH2F-, along with the similar anionic Nb complex, suggests that the anionic methylidyne complex is a general property of the heavy group 5 metals. Reactions of Nb and Ta with CH3Cl and CH3Br have also been carried out to understand the ligand effects on the calculated structures and the vibrational characteristics. The methylidene complexes become more distorted with increasing halogen size, while the calculated CM bond lengths and stretching frequencies decrease and increase, respectively. The anionic methylidyne ...
Gyro Evaluation for the Mission to Jupiter

As an important component in NASA's new frontiers program, the Jupiter polar orbiter (Juno) mission is designed to investigate in-depth physical properties of Jupiter. It will include the giant planet's ice-rock core and atmospheric studies as well as exploration of its polar magnetosphere. It will also provide the opportunity to understand the origin of the Jovian magnetic field. Due to severe radiation environment of the Jovian system, this mission inherently presents a significant technical challenge to attitude control system (ACS) design since the ACS sensors must survive and function properly to reliably maneuver the spacecraft throughout the mission. Different gyro technologies and their critical performance characteristics are discussed, compared and evaluated to facilitate a choice of appropriate gyro-based inertial measurement unit to operate in a harsh Jovian environment to assure mission success.
NUTRITIONAL SECONDARY HYPERPARATHYROIDISM IN ALASKAN RED FOX KITS

Nutritional secondary hyperparathyroidism occurred in 16 red fox kits (Vulpes vulpes) ranging in age from 8 to 10 weeks. The kits were thin and unthrifty. The canine teeth varied in appearance from dull-pink to dull-gray. Most kits were affected with a mild bilateral conjunctivitis and some degree of kyphosis. There were palpable bilateral enlargements of the distal epiphyses of the radius, ulna, and femur, and the costochondral junctions of the ribs. Two kits examined by necropsy had lesions of progressive fibrous osteodystrophy. In four of the kits, mean plasma calcium levels (8.3 mg/100 ml) were reduced in conjunction with a concomitant rise in the mean phosphorous level (7.4 mg/100 ml). The mean plasma urea nitrogen level (24.7 mg/100 ml) was elevated and the mean total protein content (4.6 gm/100 ml) was reduced. Mean plasma activity values for alkaline phosphatase (107.8 mU/ml), lactic dehydrogenase (355.5 mU/ml), and glutamic oxalaoacetic transaminase (896.8 mU/ml) were markedly elevated.
Effects of Optically Imposed Astigmatism on Emmetropization in Infant Monkeys

PURPOSE. Although astigmatism is prevalent during early infancy, the influence of astigmatism on early refractive development is unclear. This study was undertaken to determine the effects of astigmatism on emmetropization in monkeys. METHODS. Infant rhesus monkeys (n 39) were exposed to optically simulated astigmatism in one or both eyes from approximately 1 to 4 months of age. With-the-rule, against-therule, and oblique astigmatisms were optically simulated by appropriately orienting the principal meridians of the spherocylindrical treatment lenses (1.50 3.00 D 90°, 180°, 45°, or 135°; i.e., 1.50 and 1.50 D powers in the two principal meridians). Refractive development was assessed every 2 to 3 weeks by cycloplegic retinoscopy, keratometry and corneal videotopography, and A-scan ultrasonography. Data from 19 control monkeys, including 3 animals that were reared with binocular plano lenses, were used for comparison purposes. RESULTS. Most of the cylinder-lens‐reared monkeys, regardless of the orientation of the imposed astigmatism, showed clear signs of either hyperopic or myopic growth compared with control monkeys. The distributions of refractive error and vitreous chamber depth both showed bimodal patterns that differed from normal by amounts equivalent to the optical powers of the principal meridians of the treatment lenses. More frequently, refractive development was biased toward the eye’s least-hyperopic focal plane. The refractive changes were mainly axial. After lens removal, the lensreared monkeys recovered and as a group exhibited refractive errors and axial dimensions similar to those in control monkeys. CONCLUSIONS. In the presence of significant amounts of astigmatism, emmetropization is directed toward one of the two focal planes associated with the astigmatic principal meridians and not the circle of least confusion. These results suggest that the mechanisms responsible for emmetropization are insensitive to stimulus orientation and the global form of the retinal image. It appears that emmetropization seeks out the image plane that contains the maximum effective contrast integrated across spatial frequency and stimulus orientation. (Invest Oph
RELATIVE EFFICACY OF PICTURES AND WORDS IN ELICITING SENSE-IMPRESSION RESPONSES

St~mma~y.-30 nouns representing science-related concepts were presented to 60 Ss in each of three grades (2, 7, and 12) in 5 different verbal and/or pictorial conditions: (1) word only, (2) picture only, (3) word-picture, (4) color-picture, (5) color-picture-word. The expected hierarchy of sense-impression responses was found but only two homogeneous subsets, Conditions 5, 4, and 3 and Conditions 1 and 2 were determined. The greater the input information, the higher was the proportion of sense impressions. A curvilinear relation with increase from Grade 2 to Grade 7 and decrease from 7 to 12 was interpreted ar an increase in use of connotation by 12th grade Ss. Grade-by-mode interaction showed that the expected hierarchy was most apparent at Grade 2. When 30 nouns were ranked by responses in sensory categories, 18 nouns found in nature evoked higher proportions than 12 artificial objects. Many researchers have studied the relative merits of words and pictures in simple learning tasks. Most of this research has used the method of pairedassociate learning. Rohwer, et al. ( 1967), Jenkins, Neale, and Deno ( 1967), and Jenkins (1968) found pictures superior to words. Other studies (Nickerson, 1965; Shepard, 1967; Haber, 1970; Scanding, et al., 1970) have found memory for pictures to be remarkably accurate, medians correctly recalled ranging from 85 to more than 98%. Paivio, Rogers, and Smythe (1968) hypothesized that the superiority of pictures over words in paired-associate learning is due to the possibility that pictures are encoded in both verbal and nonverbal storage and retrieval from both stores is possible. Sampson ( 1969) and Wicker (1970) have provided evidence to support this explanation. Gropper ( 1963) observed that visual displays are normally available for longer periods than words and allow for greater practice. A related body of research has been generated by an evaluation scheme described by Underwood and Richardson (1956), in which responses are judged as either sense or non-sense-impression responses. Forty adjective categories are identified as sense-impression responses; these include various colors and categories referring ro size, texture, weight, taste, sound, temperature, sharpness, erc. Using the scheme described by Underwood and Richardson, Otto ( 1963) and Bourisseau, Davis, and Yamamoto (1965) sought to clarify the role of pictures in concept attainment. In their research, pictures and words did not evoke identical responses, nor did they elicit responses of the same type (sensory or nonsensory). In some instances they found pictorial stimuli inferior to verbal stimuli in terms of number of Ss making sensory responses and the total number of sensory responses evoked.
Additionen von Isocyanaten an N-substituierte Amidine bei erhöhter Temperatur

Das cyclische Amidin 1 mit semicyclischer Doppelbindung reagiert mit Methylisocyanat intermediar zum 1.4-Dipol 8, der im zweiten Reaktionsschritt mit Arylisocyanaten als Dipolarophil zu substituierten Hexahydro-s-triazinen cyclisiert. Bei der Umsetzung des cyclischen Amidins 10 mit endocyclischer Doppelbindung mit Arylisocyanaten entstehen bei hohen Temperaturen 2-Dimethylamino-3-arylcarbamoyl-Δ1-pyrroline. Die Reaktionen werden durch eine vorausgehende Umlagerung des Amidins zum Ketenaminal erklart.
A.U and G.C base pairs in synthetic RNAS have characteristic vacuum UV CD bands.

The vacuum UV CD spectra of GpC, GpC, GpG, poly[r(A)], poly[r(C)], poly[r(U)], poly[r(A-U)], poly[r(G) · r(C)], poly[r(A) · r(U)], and poly[r(A-U) · r(A-U)] were measured down to at least 174 nm. These spectra, together with the published spectra of poly[r(G-C) · r(G-C)], CMP, and GMP, were sufficient to estimate the CD changes upon base pairing for four double-stranded RNAs. The vacuum UV CD bands of poly[r(A)], poly[r(C)], and the dinucleotides GpC and CpG were temperature dependent, suggesting that they were due to intrastrand base stacking. The dinucleotide sequence isomers GpC and CpG had very different vacuum UV CD bands, indicating that the sequence can play a role in the vacuum UV CD of single-straded RNA. The vacuum UV CD bands of the double-stranded (G · C)-containing RNAs, poly[r(G) · r(C)] and poly[r(G-C) · r(G-C)], were larger than the measured or estimated vacuum UV CD bands of their constituent single-stranded RNAs and were similar in having an exceptionally large positive band at about 185 nm and negative bands near 176 and 209 nm. These similarities were enhanced in difference-CD spectra, obtained by subtracting the CD spectra of the single strands from the CD spectra of the corresponding double strands. The (A · U)-containing double-stranded RNAs poly[r(A) · r(U)] and poly[r(A-U) · r(A-U)] were similar only in that their vacuum UV CD spectra had a large positive band at 177 nm. The spectrum of poly[r(A) · r(U)] had a shoulder at 188 nm and a negative band at 206 nm, whereas the specturm of poly[r(A-U) · r(A-U)] had a positive band at 201 nm. On the other hand, difference spectra of both of the (A · U)-containing polymers had positive bands at about 177 and 201 nm. Thus, the difference-CD spectra revealed CD bands characteristic of A · U and G · C base pairing. A · U base pairs induced two positive bands at about 177 and 201 nm, whereas G · C base pair induced a large positive band at 186 nm and negative bands at about 175 and 202 nm.
The influence of population density on outcrossing rates in Mimulus ringens

The influence of population density on pollinator movements and outcrossing rates was studied in experimental arrays of Mimulus ringens (square-stemmed monkeyflower), a wetland perennial species with a mixed-mating system. Each population was composed of genets with unique multi-locus combinations of homozygous genotypes, facilitating determination of outcrossing rates through paternity exclusion. Replicate arrays were cloned from the same set of genets to minimize differences in floral and vegetative morphology among density treatments. Two arrays were planted at each of three spacings typical of the range of densities found in natural M. ringens populations. Both the proportion of pollinator flights between plants and the frequency of outcrossing were significantly greater at high density. These results suggest that ecological and demographic factors, such as population density, can significantly influence levels of inbreeding in species with mixed-mating systems.
Developing consistent data and methods to measure the public health impacts of ambient air quality for Environmental Public Health Tracking: progress to date and future directions

Environmental Public Health Tracking (EPHT) staff at the state and national levels are developing nationally consistent data and methods to estimate the impact of ozone and fine particulate matter on hospitalizations for asthma and myocardial infarction. Pilot projects have demonstrated the feasibility of pooling state hospitalization data and linking these data to The United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) statistically based ambient air estimates for ozone and fine particulates. Tools were developed to perform case-crossover analyses to estimate concentration–response (C-R) functions. A weakness of analyzing one state at a time is that the effects are relatively small compared to their confidence intervals. The EPHT program will explore ways to statistically combine the results of peer-reviewed analyses from across the country to provide more robust C-R functions and health impact estimates at the local level. One challenge will be to routinely share data for these types of analyses at fine geographic and temporal scales without disclosing confidential information. Another challenge will be to develop C-R estimates which take into account time, space, or other relevant effect modifiers.