cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Provider Perceptions of a Humanizing Intervention for Health Care Workers-A Survey Study of PPE Portraits.

Abstract Context Reports from patients and health care workers dealing with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) underscore experiences of isolation and fear. Some of this experience results from the distancing effect of masks, gloves, and gowns known as personal protective equipment (PPE). One approach to bridging the divide created by PPE is the use of PPE portraits, postcard-sized pictures affixed to PPE. Objectives Our confidential electronic mail-based survey aimed to quantify provider attitudes toward PPE portraits. Methods PPE portraits were piloted at an academic safety-net health system experiencing a COVID-19 patient surge during April–May 2020, necessitating use of full PPE for COVID-positive patients and surgical masks in all hospital settings. Our survey assessed staff exposure to PPE portraits, attitudes toward PPE portraits, and potential program expansion. For staff wearing PPE portraits, we also assessed perceptions of interactions with other staff and patients/families and impact on personal well-being. The University of Massachusetts Medical School's Institutional Review Board designated this as a quality improvement project (#H00020279). Results More than half of survey respondents (n = 111 of 173; 64%) reported exposure to PPE portraits. Attitudes toward PPE portraits were positive overall, with agreement that PPE portraits were a good idea (89%), improved provider mood (79%), enhanced perception of team connection (72%), and more positive among those who reported exposure. Open-ended responses (n = 41) reinforced positive survey data and also raised concerns about infection control (n = 6), cost/logistics (n = 5), and provider vulnerability (n = 3). Conclusion Providers report that PPE portraits may represent a positive patient-centered idea that helps reassure patients, is well received by interdisciplinary staff, and may enhance patient and team interactions. Potential adaptations to address concerns include photo pins and donor/patient and family experience department support for costs.
Stillbirth and fetal anomalies: secondary analysis of a case–control study

Objective Approximately 10% of stillbirths are attributed to fetal anomalies, but anomalies are also common in live births. We aimed to assess the relationship between anomalies, by system and stillbirth. Design Secondary analysis of a prospective, case-control study. Setting Multicentre, 59 hospitals in five regional catchment areas in the USA. Population or sample All stillbirths and representative live birth controls. Methods Standardised postmortem examinations performed in stillbirths, medical record abstraction for stillbirths and live births. Main outcome measures Incidence of major anomalies, by type, compared between stillbirths and live births with univariable and multivariable analyses using weighted analysis to account for study design and differential consent. Results Of 465 singleton stillbirths included, 23.4% had one or more major anomalies compared with 4.3% of 1871 live births. Having an anomaly increased the odds of stillbirth; an increasing number of anomalies was more highly associated with stillbirth. Regardless of organ system affected, the presence of an anomaly increased the odds of stillbirth. These relationships remained significant if stillbirths with known genetic abnormalities were excluded. After multivariable analyses, the adjusted odds ratio (aOR) of stillbirth for any anomaly was 4.33 (95% CI 2.80-6.70) and the systems most strongly associated with stillbirth were cystic hygroma (aOR 29.97, 95% CI 5.85-153.57), and thoracic (aOR16.18, 95% CI 4.30-60.94) and craniofacial (aOR 35.25, 95% CI 9.22-134.68) systems. Conclusions In pregnancies affected by anomalies, the odds of stillbirth are higher with increasing numbers of anomalies. Anomalies of nearly any organ system increased the odds of stillbirth even when adjusting for gestational age and maternal race. Tweetable abstract Stillbirth risk increases with anomalies of nearly any organ system and with number of anomalies seen.
Growing Old Before Their Time: Measuring Aging.

In this issue of Pediatrics , Raffington et al1 describe an association between early childhood disadvantage and a measure of aging based on DNA methylation. Pediatricians will be intrigued by the concept that a genome-based measure can quantify and perhaps partially explain the well-known link between social equality and remote health effects, including obesity, hypertension, and cardiovascular disease, as well as an easily measured early predictor of whether an initiative to mitigate these morbidities is likely to be successful. Because some of the underlying biological concepts may not be familiar, it will be helpful to discuss DNA methylation and “methylation age.” The genetic code is embedded in the DNA sequence of the 4 canonical nucleobases: adenine, guanine, thymine, and cytosine. This sequence specifies the messenger RNA that codes proteins, several types of functionally active non–messenger RNAs, and diverse control and structural regions. DNA bases are also subject to chemical modification. The most relevant modification for this discussion is methylation of some cytosines (addition of CH3) to form 5-methylcytosine. Methylation of cytosine regulates the rate of RNA transcription and therefore regulates which proteins a cell expresses. During development, patterns of methylation change in a tissue-specific and age-dependent manner.2 … Address correspondence to Daniel A. Notterman, MD, MA, FAAP, Department of Molecular Biology, Princeton University, 219 Lewis Thomas Laboratory, Princeton, NJ 08544. E-mail: dan1{at}princeton.edu
Examining academic success among African American high school students

We aimed to identify individual (family) and school protective factors that are critical to academic success among African American students, using Bronfenbrenner’s ecological systems theory. A tot...
The Negative Impact of Deviant Imagery on Consumers’ Intentions to Visit a Tourist Destination

This research examines deviant tourist behaviors that are posted online. Such behaviors result in value co-destruction as tourists who negatively interact with a service offering reduce value for p...
Modelling peer-to-peer data networks under complex system theory

A Peer-to-peer Data Network (PDN) is an open and evolving society of peer nodes that assemble into a network to pool and share their data (or more generally, their resources represented by data) for mutual benefit. By an interesting analogy to a democratic human society, when nodes join the PDN society, while they agree to follow a restricted set of common rules in interaction with their peers (i.e., the social rules governing the PDN society), they preserve their autonomy as individuals. For example, as part of their social obligations all PDN nodes (or at least those who are good PDN citizens) create and maintain connection with a set of neighbor nodes and participate in cooperative query processing (e.g., forwarding search queries for data discovery). Aside from the social rules, the PDN leaves the behavior of the individual nodes unregulated and flexible, to be managed by their users based on their individual preferences and/or to allow for natural uncertainties and constraints. For instance, nodes may join and leave the PDN society as they decide (by user decision or due to unwanted node/link failure), they control their own resources, and they select their neighbors according to their own administrative policy or physical constraints (e.g., connecting to the nodes that are both accessible and physically close as neighbors). In this sense, individual nodes are self-governed, autonomous, and independent. There is a trade-off between the extent of the social rules and the autonomy of the individual PDN nodes; the more extensive and interfering the social rules, the autonomy of the nodes is more restricted.
Wide Temperature Magnetization Characteristics of Transverse Magnetically Annealed Amorphous Tapes for High Frequency Aerospace Magnetics

100 kHz magnetization properties of sample transverse magnetically annealed, cobalt-based amorphous and iron-based nanocrystalline tape wound magnetic cores are presented over the temperature range of -150 C to 150 C, at selected values of B(sub peak). Frequency resolved characteristics are given over the range of 50 kHz to 1 MHz, but at B(sub peak) = 0.1 T and 50 C only. Basic exciting winding current and induced voltage data were taken on bare toroidal cores, in a standard type measurement setup. A linear permeability model, which represents the core by a parallel L-R circuit, is used to interpret and present the magnetization characteristics and several figures of merit applicable to inductor materials are reviewed. The 100 kHz permeability thus derived decreases with increasing temperature for the Fe-based, nanocrystalline material, but increases roughly linearly with temperature for the two Co-based materials, as long as B(sub peak) is sufficiently low to avoid saturation effects. Due to the high permeabilities, rather low values of the 'quality factor' Q, from about 20 to below unity, were obtained over the frequency range of 50 kHz to 1 MHz (50 C, B(sub peak) = 0.1 T). Therefore these cores must be gapped in order to make up high Q or high current inductors. However, being rugged, low core loss materials with flat B-H loop characteristics, they may provide new solutions to specialty inductor applications.
A Synthesis Algorithm for Modular Design of Pipelined Circuits

This paper presents a synthesis algorithm for pipelined circuits. The circuit is specified as a collection of independent, loosely-coupled modules connected by queues. The synthesis algorithm transforms this asynchronous, modular specification into a synchronous, tightly-coupled, and fully pipelined circuit in which queues are implemented as finite buffers. Data is read from the buffers at the begining of each clock cycle, new values are computed, then the new results are written back into the buffers at the end of each clock cycle.
Pertussis Toxin‐Sensitive G Protein α‐Subunits: Production of Monoclonal Antibodies and Detection of Differential Increases on Differentiation of PC12 and LA‐N‐5 Cells

Monoclonal antibodies were produced that are specific for the three major pertussis toxin-sensitive G protein alpha-subunits present in mammalian brain--alpha o, alpha i1, and alpha i2--using purified bovine brain G proteins, purified rat brain G proteins, and purified recombinant alpha i2, respectively. These monoclonal antibodies were used to monitor changes in the concentrations of the three G protein alpha-subunits during differentiation of PC12 cells and human neuroblastoma LA-N-5 cells. In PC12 cells, levels of alpha i1 but not alpha i2 increased during nerve growth factor-induced differentiation. In contrast, alpha i2 but not alpha i1 increased when LA-N-5 cells were differentiated with retinoic acid. The concentration of alpha o increased in both cell lines during differentiation. Electrophoretic resolution of alpha o subtypes revealed that although alpha o2 was the major subtype in undifferentiated cells, only the concentration of alpha o1 increased during differentiation of both PC12 and LA-N-5 cells. The level of 43-kDa growth-associated protein, a protein known to associate with alpha o, increased similarly to that of alpha o1. ADP-ribosylation of alpha o, alpha i1, and alpha i2 with pertussis toxin did not alter the reactivities of the monoclonal antibodies, but toxin treatment of cells reduced the concentrations of each protein after 24 h. There was no change in the concentration of alpha q, which is not ADP-ribosylated by pertussis toxin. Thus, these new monoclonal antibodies enabled the detection of differential increases in subtypes of alpha i and alpha o associated with neuronal differentiation.
Infrared radio-frequency double resonance of (13)CH(3)OH.

Infrared radio-frequency double-resonance spectroscopy has been carried out for 13CH3OH. Four K-type doublet transitions have been observed below 1 GHz, using the 9P(10) and 9P(12) CO2 laser lines. The results confirm previously proposed assignments of infrared absorption transitions and far-infrared laser emission lines observed in this molecule. Measurements of the A-state splittings have permitted the determination of the asymmetry splitting parameters SO(K) and SCO(K) for (n, K) = (0, 4) and (1, 3).
Staying fit and staying well: Physical fitness as a moderator of life stress.

Previous research suggests that physical fitness moderates the adverse effects of stressful life events. However, a reliance on self-reports of fitness and health may limit the validity of prior investigations. The present research tested the stress-buffering effect of fitness with subjective and objective indicators of exercise, fitness, and physical well-being. For self-reports of health, both self-reports of exercise and objective measures of fitness showed the buffering effect; however, only objective fitness levels buffered stress when visits to a health facility were considered. Additional evidence indicated that this effect was largely independent of measures of psychological distress. Implications for understanding the link between fitness, stress, and health status are discussed.
Surface tension anisotropy and cell-like structure formation in free solidification

Abstract This work addresses the role of a surface tension anisotropy during solidification of a pure material from a supercooled melt. We study the formation of a pre-dendritic cell-like structure using fully time-dependent nonlinear numerical solutions of the thermodiffusion model avoiding simplifications of mathematical nature. The introduction of surface tension anisotropy to the model results in changes of cell tip radii as well as in some variations in the morphology of the solid-liquid interface. Time dependent mechanisms lead to the establishment of near constancy of cell tip radii and the restoration of cell tip radii following induced tip perturbations; both phenomenon are found for zero and nonzero surface tension anisotropy parameter values.
The promise of humanistic policing: Is higher education living up to societal expectation?

More police agencies require incoming personnel to have a college education background. The hope is that collegeeducated officers will be more rounded thinkers and exhibit a greater humanistic bent. This study attempts to evaluate the efficacy of that line of reasoning. Students from three southern colleges read vignettes and sentenced a murder defendant and an automobile theft defendant to a term of imprisonment. Three hypotheses are tested. First, it is expected that policeoriented criminal justice majors will not issue more severe sentences. Second, it is anticipated that greater exposure to college from the freshman to the senior years will be accompanied by less severe sentences. Third, sentencing will be independent of social characteristics. The results provide little evidence supporting a more authoritarian and more punitive stereotype of criminal justice majors interested in pursuing police careers.
Theory of strongly correlated charged-particle systems: Plasma turbulence and high-density electron liquids

A unified theory is developed for describing dynamic and static properties of strongly correlated charged-particle systems, such as a high-density electron liquid and a strongly turbulent plasma, for which the correlation (or fluctuation) energy is comparable in magnitude to the kinetic energy. Based on the microscopic Klimontovich formalism, a systematic renormalization of the single-particle propagators is carried out and vertex corrections arising from strong correlations are taken account of. The resulting theory is examined, and found to be satisfactory, in the light of a number of rigorous criteria, such as explicit inclusion of statistical modification effects in the single-particle orbits, dynamic modification of effective particle interactions brought about by strong correlations, frequency-moment sum rules of the dielectric response function, and reproduction of exact results known in the static properties of the electron liquid; the theory is thus valid for all wave numbers and frequencies. With the aid of a velocity-average approximation, we show that the result can be expressed in a simplified form which still satisfies those criteria. Its relation with the polarization potential model in the theory of condensed matter is thereby noted; explicit expressions for the scalar and vector polarization potentials, the wave-number-dependent effective mass, and the collisional contribution to the response function are obtained.
Base controlled polydiazeniumdiolation of 4-heptanone and a new water layer structure.

In a stoichiometry-controlled reaction, nitric oxide adds to the enolate of 4-heptanone at ca. −23 °C to give mono-, bis-, or tris-diazeniumdiolate (−N2O2−) products: potassium 4-heptanone-3,3,5-tris(diazeniumdiolate) (1), potassium butanoate 2,2-bis(diazeniumdiolate) (2), and potassium butanoate 2-diazeniumdiolate (3). The diazeniumdiolate products are stable crystalline solids under ambient conditions and as solids exothermally decompose at high temperatures. Single-crystal X-ray data measured for the dihydrate 3 reveal a new layer aggregation, L4(4)8(8), as octameric water aggregates in a stair conformation which interacts minimally with the cation of the salt.
A technique for cervical laminoplasty using mini plates

Accepted laminoplasty techniques may limit one's ability to decompress cervical nerve roots and the constructs may fail leading to restenosis of the cervical spinal canal. A simple laminoplasty technique has been developed using titanium miniplates that permits adequate decompression of the cervical spinal cord and bilateral cervical nerve roots, and successfully reconstructs an enlarged rigid spinal canal.
Combining Expert Systems and Hypertext: Opportunities and Obstacles

Hypertext discussions are occurring more frequently at expert systems conferences. Hypertext is not an expert system language or expert system shell, but instead it is simultaneously a method of storing and retrieving data. The growing interest in hypertext in the expert system domain is because the combination of hypertext capabilities and expert systems creates a compelling synergistic relationship Oren, 1987. During a panel discussion at the Second International Symposium on Expert Systems in Business, Finance and Accounting, Bill Swartout compared traditional expert systems to hypertext by saying that the knowledge base e.g. the production rules of an expert system can be thought of as formal knowledge and hypertext can be thought of as informal knowledge. This article will demonstrate how this informal knowledge can add power to traditional expert systems by increasing the flexibility of the explanation facilities and thereby the appeal of the system to a broader range of users. The article also will discuss how expert systems can improve the functionality of hypertext systems by adding intelligence to traditional hypertext systems.
The Role of Surface Mixing in the Seasonal Variation of the Ocean Thermal Structure

Abstract The role of surface-generated mixing in determining the seasonal variation of the ocean thermal structure is investigated using a one-dimensional numerical model. The model contains vertical eddy diffusion with a constant coefficient KH = 0.5 cm2 s−1, an instantaneous convective adjustment mechanism as commonly used in oceanic general circulation models, and a simple parameterization of surface-generated wind and convective mixing based on recent mixed-layer theories. Forcing on the seasonal time scale is accomplished by prescribing the atmospheric solar radiation, longwave radiation, wind speed, temperature and dew point to vary sinusoidally with the annual period. Results of model integrations show that surface-generated wind and convective mixing are responsible for producing many features which are observed in the real ocean including the occurrence of two sea surface temperature maxima—one in summer and another in early fall.
Measurement of heteronuclear dipolar coupling by transferred-echo double-resonance NMR

Abstract A magic-angle spinning experiment called transferred-echo double resonance (TEDOR) has been introduced recently to measure the I-S dipolar coupling of heteronuclear I-S pairs of spin- 1 2 nuclei while eliminating unwanted background signals from uncoupled I and S spins via a coherence-transfer process. In this paper, a quantitative description of the TEDOR experiment is given in terms of the evolution of the density matrix for a pair of heteronuclear spins. The resulting equations provide a theoretical basis for evaluating the selectivity and sensitivity of TEDOR and suggest strategies for determining dipolar coupling constants directly from TEDOR data. Experimental examples illustrating these aspects of TEDOR are provided by studies performed on a range of 13C-15N dipolar couplings found in double-labeled asparagine, alanine, glycine, and the linear peptide antibiotic, gramicidin.
Oxidation of evaporated magnesium films

Abstract The oxidation at low pressures and temperatures of evaporated magnesium films was studied by the Wagener flow method. In the initial period of the oxidation the sticking probability usually increased with the uptake of oxygen, suggesting a nucleation effect. In the second period of the oxidation the sticking probability fell rapidly; an average total oxide thickness of 27 A was reached. A remarkable independence of the sticking probability to temperature and pressure changes was observed in this second period. The oxidized magnesium surfaces were studied by electron diffraction and electron microscopy.
Decrease of chrome residue on MoSiON in embedded attenuated-PSM processing

In Embedded Attenuated PSMs(Phase Shift Masks), chrome residues on MoSiON, especially at the edge of a pattern, should be decreasing the phase-shift effect and it must be also causing CD(critical dimension) variations in a wafer-process. Chrome residues on MoSiON are well known being generated at second level lithography or according to performance of cleaning process before it. In this paper, we investgated the influence of treatment on Cr surface during MoSiON etch process using CF4 plasma and proposed the optimum treatment procedure to reduce the Cr residues originated form re-deposition of carbon-contained polymers in CF4 plasma.
N-acetyl-β-hexosaminidase activity in human breast milk☆

1. The lysosomal enzyme, N-acetyl-beta-hexosaminidase (HEX) is present in human breast milk. It is composed predominantly of "A" (heat-labile) and "B" (heat-stable) isozymes which coelute with the corresponding major serum isozymes on DE-52 ion-exchange chromatography. 2. Total HEX activity in "early" milk obtained at 2.8 +/- 1.4 weeks post partum, is approx. 2.5-fold higher (87 +/- 29 nmol/60'/mg protein. n = 10) than that of pregnancy serum (35.7 nmol/60'/mg protein) prior to delivery. 3. These levels increase to greater than 3-fold (110 +/- 20 nmol/60'/mg protein, n = 13) as the milk matures (10.3 +/- 4.2 weeks). 4. The specific activity of HEX A in the milk changes little with time post partum, because absolute 5. In contrast, HEX B specific activity is increased, as absolute levels (per volume) remain constant in the face of decreasing milk protein content, 5. These changes result in a high degree of correlation (r = 0.81) between time of lactation and % HEX A observed.
Volumetric monochromatic x-ray tomography of the lungs

Monochromatic x-rays were produced by inverse Compton scattering resolution from counter-propagation of a tunable free electron laser electron beam and its own infrared photon beam. In a manner analogous to electron beam CT, a mechanism was developed here for obtaining multiple projection views with monochromatic x-rays by deflecting x- rays off of mosaic crystals mounted on rotating stages. These crystals are both energy and angle selective. X-rays are detected digitally when they strike a phosphorescent screen mounted in front of a CCD camera. Using this system, multiple projection images of a 3D phantom and of rat lungs ex vivo were obtained. In an alternate micro-CT arrangement, rat lungs in situ were imaged by rotating the rat in front of both a polychromatic beam from a molybdenum target x-ray tube and the same beam monochromatized with a mosaic crystal. In the first arrangement, depth information was revealed by relative position changes of features seen in each projection and the approximately 0.16 mm thick walls of a catheter were visible in the images. Using conventional tomography, the projections were reconstructed into slice images. Overall, these monochromatic x-ray imaging methods offer reduced x-ray dose, the potential for improved contrast resolution, and now 3D information.
Temporomandibular joint cyst as a preauricular mass.

(Editorial Comment: The authors describe a rare entity that may mimic a common benign parotid neoplasm. The clinical presentation, work-up, and treatment are summarized.) Preauricular masses are usually parotid tumors. Rarely, they are temporomandibular joint cysts. These cysts are divided between ganglion cysts and synovial cysts. Twelve temporomandibular joint cysts have been reported. Eight have been ganglion cysts and 4 have been synovial cysts. 1 This is the 5th synovial cyst reported as a temporomandibular joint cyst. Treatment is uncertain; however, surgical excision of the temporomandibular joint cyst has the highest success rate. CASE REPORT A 47-year-old woman presented to the Ear, Nose, and Throat Clinic with a preauricular mass. She admitted to the mass growing slowly and being present for approximately 1 year. She had left preauricular pain and discomfort when chewing. The pain had become worse before her visit. She had a history of temporomandibular joint dysfunction and was being treated by her dentist. Her past medical history was basically unremarkable. Her physical examination showed a 2-cm mass in the left preauricular region. The mass was tender to the touch and mobile. There was no facial nerve paralysis or paresis. The rest of her head and neck examination was unremarkable. A fine-needle aspiration was performed. The results were nondiagnostic. Epithelial cells were obtained, but we could not make a diagnosis. She was offered an additional fine-needle aspiration, even with the use of ultrasound needle-guided aspiration, but she refused. Therefore, a computed tomography (CT) scan was obtained, which showed a cystic lesion near the parotid gland but did not involve the parotid gland (Fig 1). Because the pain was becoming unbearable and there was no diagnosis of this cystic lesion, she was offered surgery. She was taken to the operating room where a superficial parotidectomy was performed for exposure. The cystic lesion involved the left temporomandibular joint. The cystic lesion was removed, and the entire joint and capsule of the temporomandibular joint was reconstructed at the time of surgery. Pathological examination showed that this was a synovial ganglion cyst of the left temporomandibular joint. She was followed up in 1 week with no complications. She admitted her pain was gone. Postoperatively, she had no pain on chewing. Six months postoperatively, she only complained of occasional temporomandibular joint problems, which were very mild compared with her past history.
Configuration space Faddeev calculations. IV. Trinucleon charge density

The charge densities of $^{3}\mathrm{H}$ and $^{3}\mathrm{He}$ are computed for several potential models. These densities are further broken down into isospin components and into components from the $S$, ${S}^{\ensuremath{'}}$, and $D$ states. Wave functions for these states are plotted in order to illustrate the structure seen in the densities. Inclusion of nucleon finite size eliminates the fine structure seen in the point nucleon cases. Form factors corresponding to those densities are also calculated. The inclusion of a Coulomb interaction between the two protons in $^{3}\mathrm{He}$ is seen to produce a small but nonnegligible change in the density. The theoretical $^{3}\mathrm{He}$ densities for the Reid soft core model are compared to the "experimental" one obtained by fitting the experimental form factor data after having approximately removed the effect of nucleon finite size. The central depression seen in the experimental density is not present in the theoretical ones, and we speculate on this and other discrepancies.[NUCLEAR STRUCTURE Trinucleon system, charge density, wave function components, Coulomb interaction.]
Mechanisms of wrinkle formation during the processing of composite laminates

Two mechanisms of wrinkle formation during the processing of continuous-fiber polymeric composites are analyzed. The first method assumes that the wrinkle length is very small and the pre-wrinkled state of the wrinkling layer is straight. During the forming process, each layer in the laminate is assumed to be under in-plane load as a consequence of the global bending of the laminate. The analysis shows that there are a set of loads under which the top layer may undergo wrinkling. The minimum of this load is the critical load, and there is a wrinkle length associated with this load. The wrinkling would take place only if the applied load is larger than the critical load. The second method is based upon the hypothesis that the wrinkling is triggered by the buckling of one layer experiencing maximum compression; remaining layers simply provide support to the unwrinkled part of the wrinkling layer. The analysis is performed using large-deflection theory and a variation in the potential energy of the wrinkle layer as a function of its perturbed states is used for predicting the formation of wrinkles.
Exponential lower bounds for depth 3 Boolean circuits

We consider the class \( \sum^{k}_{3} \) of unbounded fan-in depth three Boolean circuits, for which the bottom fan-in is limited by k and the top gate is an OR. It is known that the smallest such circuit computing the parity function has \( \Omega(2^{\varepsilon n/k}) \) gates (for k = O(n1/2)) for some \( \varepsilon > 0 \), and this was the best lower bound known for explicit (P-time computable) functions. In this paper, for k = 2, we exhibit functions in uniform NC1 that require \( 2^{n-o(n)} \) size depth 3 circuits. The main tool is a theorem that shows that any \( \sum {2\over3} \) circuit on n variables that accepts a inputs and has size s must be constant on a projection (subset defined by equations of the form xi = 0, xi = 1, xi = xj or xi = \( \bar{x}_i \)) of dimension at least log(a/s)log n.
Price Competition and Compatibility in the Presence of Positive Demand Externalities

In many cases, the benefit to a consumer of a product increases with the number of other users of the same product. These demand interdependencies are referred to in the literature as positive demand externalities or network externalities. This paper examines the dynamic pricing behaviors of an incumbent and a later entrant, with special attention to the impacts of demand externalities, compatibility, and competition on prices and profits. Defining market power as the ability to price above a competitor without losing market share, we show how demand externalities and installed base combine to confer market power. We model optimal pricing as a differential game with the optimal price trajectory established as Nash open-loop controls. For a duopoly durable goods market with strong demand externalities, the results show an increasing price trajectory can be optimal. As expected, a new entrant is better off if its products are compatible with those of the incumbent, especially when demand externalities are strong and the installed base of the incumbent is large. Less intuitively, the incumbent as well may be better off agreeing on common standards. The comparison of monopoly and duopoly shows that under strong demand externalities and a small installed base, the incumbent profits from compatible entry.
Predicting Phosphorus Desorption from Mid-Atlantic Coastal Plain Soils

Pollution of surface waters by P from agricultural areas is a water quality issue in Delaware. The FHANTM 2.0 computer model can help identify areas with a high potential for P loss, but the model's representation of P desorption from soils to runoff waters needs re-evaluation. The equation, P d = K P o t α W β , has been proposed to predict such P desorption, but equations originally proposed to predict values for the constants K, a, and β from the ratio of soil clay content/ soil organic C content may not be accurate for Delaware soils. Therefore, we measured P desorption for 23 sandy Delaware soils for times of 5 to 180 min, water/soil ratios of 10 to 1000 L kg 1 , and three initial levels of soil desorbable P. Values for the constants K, a, and β were calculated and related to soil properties. We found that K, a, and β values were not well related to clay/OC, but were better related to the ratio of oxalate-extractable Fe/OC content (a) or the sum of oxalate extractable Fe and Al (β and K). These results can be used to help refine the FHANTM 2.0 model in predicting P loss from agricultural areas in Delaware and similar landscapes in the Mid-Atlantic Coastal Plain.
Interactions between ionizing radiation and chemical mutagens.

1. X-rays in combination with urethane or mustard gas exhibit an additive effect as regards the formation of sex-linked recessive lethal mutations and chromosome breaks when applied toDrosophila melanogaster spermatozoa. 2. Their action in combination on the formation of translocations is synergistic. 3. The ends of chromosomes broken by X-rays, mustard gas, and urethane are as capable of rejoining with those produced by the same agent as the X-ray produced-ones are of rejoining with those produced by either mustard gas or urethane to form chromosomal disarrangements.
Laser‐induced fluorescence of CN(X2 Σ+) produced by photolysis of C2N2 at 160 nm

The paper reports laser-induced fluorescence measurements of the initial product state distributions of CN(X2 Sigma +) produced during the photolysis of C2N2 at a wavelength of 160 nm. The parent molecules were photodissociated by an argon flash lamp, and saturated solutions of BBD in p-dioxane were used as a laser dye to produce radiation that excited CN radicals in the (upsilon-double-prime, N-prime) vibrational-rotational sublevels of the X state to the B-state sublevels. Spectral-line identification is discussed along with the observed rotational, electronic, and vibrational energy partitionings. The effect of added buffer gas (N2 or He) on the observed product state distributions is examined in order to monitor collisional energy transfer from CN(A2 Pi, upsilon = 0) to CN(X2 Sigma +, upsilon-double-prime = 4). It is found that both buffer gases produce population inversion between the upsilon-double-prime = 4 and upsilon-double-prime = 3 levels of the X state.
Terrorism and the financial sector: are the right prosecutorial tools being used?

Discusses the range of tools that US prosecutors have available to track down people financing terrorism and confiscating their money. Proposes a basic approach that focuses on more pedestrian offences than those specifically targeted at terrorism. Points out that traditional forensic techniques do not work well in tracking terrorist money, especially as even the attack of September 11 did not involve huge amounts of money (about $500,000). Summarises the statutory tools in the Patriot Act: Section 981(a)(1)(G), Section 2339A, and Section 2339B. Argues that the international money laundering statute 18 USC Section 1956 (a)(2)(A), which makes it a crime simply to send money out the USA in order to promote another crime, is much easier to use: this is attacking reverse money laundering, because it is the destination of the money rather than its origin which is relevant. Mentions also 18 USC Section 1960, which covers domestic as well as international money laundering, and illustrates use of this statute in the case of Yehuda Abraham, who was prosecuted simply for not having a money remitter’s licence in a case involving procurement of missiles.
Moral realism and moral judgments

For moral realists moral judgments will be a kind of factual judgment that involves the basically reliable apprehension of an objective moral reality. I argue that factual judgments display at least some degree of conceptual sensitivity to error, while moral judgments do not. Therefore moral judgments are not a kind of factual judgment.
An evaluation of major element heterogeneity in the mantle sources of basalts

Understanding the evolution of the mantle requires a knowledge of the relative variations of the major elements, trace elements and isotopes in the mantle. Most of the evidence for mantle heterogeneity is based on variations in the trace element and isotopic ratios of basaltic rocks. These ratios are presumed to reflect variations in the mantle sources. To compare major element heterogeneities with trace element and isotopic heterogeneities, it is necessary that the major element abundances in basalts also reflect variations in the mantle sources. Probably the only major element for which this is so is iron. If a basalt has only undergone fractional crystallization of olivine, then the abundance of FeO in the basalt reflects the FeO/MgO ratio of the mantle source, the degree of melting, and the pressure at which melting occurs. Relative pressures and degrees of melting can often be constrained, so that variations in the abundances of FeO can be used to obtain information about variations in the FeO/MgO ratio of the mantle sources of basalts. Comparison of FeO contents with trace element and isotopic contents of basalts shows some striking correlations and leads to the following conclusions. 1. Parental magmas for Kilauean basalts from Hawaii may be related by different degrees of melting of a homogeneous, garnet-bearing source. 2. Mid-ocean ridge basalts from the North Atlantic show a negative correlation of La/Sm with FeO, suggesting that the sources that are most enriched in incompatible trace elements are most depleted in FeO relative to MgO, and are probably also depleted in the other components of basalt. This correlation does not apply to the entire suboceanic mantle. 3. A comparison of tholeiites from near the Azores and from Hawaii shows that sources with similar Nd and Sr isotope ratios may have undergone distinctly different histories in the development of their major and trace element abundances. 4. Ocean island tholeiites tend to be more enriched in FeO than ocean floor tholeiites. Either the ocean island sources have greater FeO/MgO ratios, or melting begins at significantly greater pressures beneath ocean islands than beneath ocean ridges. 5. Major element variations in the mantle are controlled mainly by tectonics and the addition or removal of silicate melts. Trace element variations, however, may be controlled by the addition or removal of fluids as well. Thus major elements, trace elements and isotopes may each give a different perspective important to the understanding of the evolution of the mantle.
An established spleen cell line fromBairdiella chrysura

A cell line, SP-2, was established from spleen tissue ofBairdiella chrysura (the silver perch). The line is susceptible to lymphocystis virus and the amphibian LT-1 virus but refractory to six additional viruses. The modal chromosome number of primary silver perch cells is 48, but SP-2 cells are heteroploid. For growth, Leibovitz L-15 medium supplemented with fetal bovine serum and sodium chloride (to 0.150m) was employed. Cells replicated best at 25° to 28° C.
Computational Geometry Column 60

This column is devoted to maximal empty axis-parallel rectangles amidst a point set. In particular, among these, maximum-area rectangles are of interest.
The significance of intra-molecular hydrogen bonding in the ß-O-4 linkage of lignin

Abstract During our molecular mechanics investigation of the three-dimensional structure of lignin, the need for a more accurate model chemistry became apparent. Selected conformers of 2-phenoxy-1,3-propanediol, a simplified p-coumaryl s-O-4 model structure, were analyzed with both MM3(92) and ab initio (HF/6–31G∗) calculations. The poor agreement between these computational methods led to the proposal that hydrogen bonding to the aromatic ether oxygen changes the C AR O bond order which, in turn, is predicted to change the bond's rotational characteristics. Ab initio computations on methoxybenzene indicate a significant lowering of the rotation barrier due to an inter-molecular hydrogen-bonded water molecule. We suggest that, in the p-coumaryl s-O-4 linkage, intra-molecular hydrogen bonds from the α- and γ-hydroxyl groups to the ether oxygen effect the rotational characteristics, and thus the preferred orientation, of the aromatic ring.
Time, again, for control

Professionally, the author has narrowed his search for admirable traits to a short list, at the top of which is an ability to see the "golden nugget". This is the talent some people have that, when exposed to a barrage of technical information and data, enables them to drill through it like a laser and succinctly articulate the very core idea or question at hand. Various examples are described.
High concentration leveling effect on 1:2 stoichiometry complexation between 1,3-alternate calix[4]arene-bis-benzocrown-6 and Cs+

Abstract The fluorescence enhancement of 1,3-calix[4]bis-(10-cyano-9-anthrylmethyl)-o-benzo-crown-6 ( AnCN2 ) and of 1,3-calix[4]-25,27-bis(allyloxy)-26,28-(10-cyano-9-anthrylmethyl)-o-benzo-crown-6 ( AnCN1 ) upon complexation of Cs+ have been studied. The fluorescence intensity vs. [Cs+] profiles suggests the 1:1 stoichiometry for host AnCN1 with Cs+ but 1:2 stiochiometry for AnCN2 with Cs+. The 1:2 stiochiometry complexations of AnCN2 with Cs+ under low and high AnCN2 concentrations are also studied. A stepwise two cesium ions complexation occurs in the fluorescence intensity vs. [Cs+] profiles of AnCN2 at low concentrations ( 10 −5 mol/l ). But such stepwise complexation cannot be observed at higher ligand concentration. A high concentration leveling effect is proposed to explain this phenomenon.
Coronary Angiography, Lesion Classification and Severity Assessment

A joint task force of the American College of Cardiology and the American Heart Association established criteria in 1988 to estimate procedural success and complication rates after balloon angioplasty, based on the presence or absence of specific lesion characteristics. Advances in the technique of coronary intervention over the years have changed the management of patients who have coronary artery disease, resulting in safer and more effective percutaneous revascularization in patients previously deemed at high risk for nonsurgical approaches. Coronary angiography (visual or quantitative) is a simple,easy, and mostly reliable tool in the assessment of lesion severity, but it may be inconclusive in the borderline lesions (40% to 60% diameter obstruction). Anatomical (using intravascular ultrasound) and physiological (using coronary flow reserve or fractional flow reserve) lesion assessment may be required for adequate lesion evaluation, before and after percutaneous coronary intervention.
A biopotential amplifier with improved common mode gain

In this paper, a technique is proposed for improving the Common Mode Rejection Ratio (CMRR) of opamp based Instrumentation Amplifiers in resistor-capacitor (RC) feedback configurations by dynamically matching input and feedback capacitor pairs. A fully differential biopotential amplifier is designed with the proposed dynamic element-matching scheme and its performance is compared with the case where dynamic element matching is switched off. Experimental results show that the proposed dynamic element matching technique improves CMRR by over 40 dB over the conventional case. The proposed technique also reduces average power consumption. The biopotential amplifier draws an average of 20uA of quiescent current from a 1.5V dual power supply source. The input referred noise is less than 3uV/sqrt (Hz).
Nerve endings in the human endocardium.

The endocardium of 12 human hearts was studied following methylene blue perfusion and immersion within eight hours after death. Photomicrographs presented show two major types of endings: complex unencapsulated endings, and end-nets. Complex unencapsulated endings are discrete, much branched, highly variable “bush-like” endings, which originate from myelinated fibers. These structures were found only in the atria, and particularly at atrio-venous junctions. The close resemblance of complex unencapsulated endings to stretch receptors seen in other tissues suggests that they serve as “baroreceptors” in the heart. End-nets are composed of repeatedly branching and anastomosing fine beaded fibers. The fine, beaded fibers originate from myelinated fibers, but the number and origin of the parent fibers is not known. In this study, end-nets were found in the atria, on the atrioventricular valves, and in the ventricular endocardium. The function of the end-net is unknown, and while most evidence suggests that it is sensory, motor function cannot be ruled out.
To Catch a Fish

Malignant mesothelioma—the most dreaded complication of asbestos exposure—is an aggressive cancer of the pleura (the external lining of the lung). It has a very poor prognosis and is difficult to detect early, when intervention may be most likely to prolong life. As such, scientists have been searching for years for a biomarker—particularly one that could be measured in plasma—that could be used to screen apparently healthy patients at risk for this disease. With a new study of the extracellular matrix protein fibulin-3, Pass and colleagues have now taken an important step toward identifying such a biomarker. The authors began their hunt for a useful biomarker by analyzing gene expression in 37 mesothelioma tissue samples taken from patients during surgery and comparing these with corresponding samples from the (unaffected) lining of the abdomen in the same patients. This analysis led to identification of fibulin-3 as a gene with elevated expression in the mesothelioma samples, suggesting that it might be a useful biomarker of disease. The authors then went on to measure fibulin-3 protein levels in plasma and pleural effusions (abnormal fluid accumulations surrounding the lung) from patients with mesothelioma, patients with benign effusions, patients with malignant effusions from other types of cancer, and healthy controls with and without asbestos exposure. Plasma fibulin-3 concentrations were significantly higher in patients with malignant mesothelioma than in asbestos-exposed patients without mesothelioma; likewise, fibulin-3 concentrations in effusion fluid were significantly greater in malignant mesothelioma effusions than benign effusions. Fibulin-3’s association with disease was somewhat less robust in a validation cohort, but it still showed an area under the curve (plasma) of 0.87. Fibulin-3 is not a perfect stand-alone biomarker for mesothelioma; that is, it does not discriminate between benign and malignant disease with 100% sensitivity and specificity. In addition, it remains to be seen whether screening for elevated plasma fibulin-3 concentrations in high-risk populations would increase early detection of mesothelioma or improve outcomes. Nevertheless, this study moves us toward early detection of this terrible disease. In addition, these results strengthen the argument that discovery genomic and proteomic analyses are more than just expensive fishing expeditions. Indeed, as demonstrated by Pass et al ., they can facilitate the identification of much-needed new diagnostic biomarkers. H. I. Pass, S. M. Levin, M. R. Harbut, J. Melamed, L. Chiriboga, J. Donington, M. Huflejt, M. Carbone, D. Chia, L. Goodglick, G. E. Goodman, M. D. Thornquist, G. Liu, M. de Perrot, M.-S. Tsao, C. Goparaju, Fibulin-3 as a blood and effusion biomarker for pleural mesothelioma. N. Engl. J. Med. 367 , 1417–1427 (2012). [[Abstract]][1] [1]: http://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMoa1115050