cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Low-level water vapor fields from the VISSR Atmospheric Sounder (VAS) 'split window' channels

A simple physical algorithm is presented which calculates the water vapor content of the lower troposphere from the 11 and 12 micron (split window) channels on the VISSR Atmospheric Sounder (VAS) on the Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellites. The algorithm is used to analyze a time series of VAS split window radiances observed at 15 km horizontal resolution over eastern North America during a 12 hr period on 13 July 1981. Results of the color coded images of the derived precipitable water fields are found to show vivid water vapor features whose broad structure and evolution are verified by the radiosonde and surface networks. The satellite moisture fields also show significant mesoscale features and rapid developments which are not resolved by the conventional networks. The VAS split window is determined to clearly differentiate those areas in which water vapor extends over a deep layer and is more able to support convective cells from those areas in which water vapor is confined to a shallow layer and is therefore less able to support convection. It is concluded that the VAS split windows can be used operationally to monitor mesoscale developments in the low-level moisture fields over relatively cloud-free areas of the United States.
Lightswitch-2002: a model for manual and automated control of electric lighting and blinds

Abstract A simulation algorithm is proposed that predicts the lighting energy performance of manually and automatically controlled electric lighting and blind systems in private and two-person offices. Algorithm inputs are annual profiles of user occupancy and work plane illuminances. These two inputs are combined with probabilistic switching patterns, which have been derived from field data, in order to predict the status of the electric lighting and blinds throughout the year. The model features four different user types to mimic variation in control behavior between different occupants. An example application in a private office with a southern facade yields that––depending on the user type––the electric lighting energy demand for a manually controlled electric lighting and blind system ranges from 10 to 39 kW h/m2 yr. The predicted mean energy savings of a switch-off occupancy sensor in the example office are 20%. Depending on how reliably occupants switch off a dimmed lighting system, mean electric lighting energy savings due to a daylight-linked photocell control range from 60% to zero.
Thermodynamics for Coulomb systems: A problem at vanishing particle densities

In this paper I combine techniques recently developed by Charles Fefferman with the well-known methods of Joel Lebowitz and Elliott Lieb to resolve some technical problems left unsettled by Lebowitz and Lieb's fundamental 1972 paper “The constitution of matter: Existence of thermodynamics for systems composed of electrons and nuclei.”
Isolation of lymphocytopathic retroviruses from San Francisco patients with AIDS

Infectious retroviruses have been detected in 22 of 45 randomly selected patients with acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS) and in other individuals from San Francisco. The AIDS-associated retroviruses (ARV) studied in detail had a type D morphology, Mg2+-dependent reverse transcriptase, and cytopathic effects on lymphocytes. The viruses can be propagated in an established adult human T cell line, HUT-78. They cross-react with antiserum to the lymphadenopathy-associated retrovirus isolated from AIDS patients in France. Antibodies to ARV were found in all 86 AIDS patients and in a high percentage of 88 other homosexual men in San Francisco. This observation indicates the widespread presence of these lymphocytopathic retroviruses and their close association with AIDS.
Nutrient remobilisation processes at the Tiber River mouth (Italy)

The processes affecting the in-sea diffusion of nutrients at the Tiber River mouth are strongly dependent on seasonal conditions. In summer, during the low-flow period, a two-layer structure is established and it is then possible to detect the occurrence of biological processes in the lower layer, at the sediment level. During these conditions, the mean concentrations of dissolved organic carbon, inorganic phosphorus and nitrogen increase in the lower saline layer above the theoretical dilution values and, in some cases, the concentrations are double those in the upper layer.
High Performance Computing Modeling Advances Accelerator Science for High-Energy Physics

The development and optimization of particle accelerators are essential for advancing our understanding of the properties of matter, energy, space, and time. Particle accelerators are complex devices whose behavior involves many physical effects on multiple scales. Therefore, advanced computational tools utilizing high-performance computing are essential for accurately modeling them. In the past decade, the US Department of Energy's SciDAC program has produced accelerator-modeling tools that have been employed to tackle some of the most difficult accelerator science problems. Here, the authors discuss the Synergia framework and its applications to high-intensity particle accelerator physics. Synergia is an accelerator simulation package capable of handling the entire spectrum of beam dynamics simulations. The authors present Synergia's design principles and its performance on HPC platforms.
Dynamical influences on the moment of inertia tensor from lateral viscosity variations inferred from seismic tomographic models

We have investigated the influences of lateral variations of viscosity on the moment of inertia tensor from viscous flows due to the density anomalies in the mantle inferred from seismic tomographic models. The scaling relations between the density and the seismic anomalies is taken as either a constant or a function increasing with depth in accord with the recent high-pressure experimental studies. The viscosity is taken as an exponential function of the 3D density anomaly. In models with an isoviscous background, the effects on the perturbed moment of inertia tensor from the lateral viscosity variations are smaller than those due to variations in the radial viscosity profiles. In mantle models with a background viscosity increasing with depth, the influences of the lateral viscosity variations are significant. The most striking feature in the latter case is that the two off-diagonal elements delta I(sub xz) and delta I(sub yz) in the inertia tensor exhibit greatest sensitivity to lateral variations of the viscosity. While the other elements of the inertia change by only about a few tens of percent in the range of lateral viscosity contrast considered (less than 300), delta I(sub xz) and delta I(sub yz) can vary up to 40 times even with a change in sign, depending on the radial viscosity stratification and the location of the strongest lateral variations. The increase in the velocity-density scaling relation with depth can reduce the influences of the lateral viscosity variations, but it does not change the overall sensitive nature of delta I(sub xz) and delta I(sub yz). This study demonstrates clearly that the lateral viscosity variations, especially in the upper mantle, must be considered in the determination of long-term polar wander, since the variations in the delta I(sub xz) and delta I(sub yz) terms are directly responsible for exciting rotational movements.
Lanthanide(III) complexes of amide derivatives of DOTA exhibit an unusual variation in stability across the lanthanide series

Abstract Luminescence excitation spectroscopy of the 7F0→5D0 transition of the Eu(III) complex of 1,4,7,10-tetrakis(carbamoylmethyl)-1,4,7,10-tetraazacyclododecane (TCMC, an amide derivative of DOTA) is used to measure the stability constant of the complex (K). A log K value of 10.6 is obtained for [Eu(TCMC)]3+ at 25 °C and an ionic strength of 0.1 M. Competition experiments with eleven other members of the lanthanide(III) series give stability constants for their complexes with TCMC. An unusual variation in stability is observed for complexes of [Ln(TCMC)]3+ across the lanthanide series with a pronounced optimum for the Sm(III) complex. This variation is quite different from that observed for other Ln(III) macrocyclic complexes, suggesting that the TCMC ligand is uniquely sensitive to Ln(III) ion radius.
Reductive elimination of aryl halides upon addition of hindered alkylphosphines to dimeric arylpalladium(II) halide complexes

We report the reductive elimination of haloarene from {Pd[P(o-tol)3](Ar)(μ-X)}2 (X = Cl, Br, I) upon addition of the strongly electron-donating, but sterically hindered, phosphine P(t-Bu)3 and related ligands. Reductive elimination of aryl chlorides, bromides, and iodides from these dimeric arylpalladium(II) halide complexes was observed upon the addition of P(t-Bu)3. Conditions to observe the elimination and addition equilibria were established for all three halides, and values for these equilibrium constants were measured. Reductive elimination of aryl chlorides was most favored thermodynamically, and elimination of aryl iodide was the least favored. However, reactions of the aryl chloride complexes were the slowest. Detailed mechanistic data revealed that cleavage of the starting dimer, accompanied by ligand substitution either before or after cleavage, led to the formation of a three-coordinate arylpalladium(II) halide monomer that reductively eliminated haloarene.
Saturation spectroscopy of NH2 using a CW dye laser

Abstract Hyperfine structure in the electronic spectrum of NH 2 has been resolved using the technique of intermodulated fluorescence with CW dye laser excitation. From the observed spacings values for the 14 N Fermi contact and dipole-dipole coupling terms have been estimated for both the ground state and the Π(0,10,0) vibrational level of the A 2 A 1 excited electronic state.
Efficient synthesis of network updates

Software-defined networking (SDN) is revolutionizing the networking industry, but current SDN programming platforms do not provide automated mechanisms for updating global configurations on the fly. Implementing updates by hand is challenging for SDN programmers because networks are distributed systems with hundreds or thousands of interacting nodes. Even if initial and final configurations are correct, naively updating individual nodes can lead to incorrect transient behaviors, including loops, black holes, and access control violations. This paper presents an approach for automatically synthesizing updates that are guaranteed to preserve specified properties. We formalize network updates as a distributed programming problem and develop a synthesis algorithm based on counterexample-guided search and incremental model checking. We describe a prototype implementation, and present results from experiments on real-world topologies and properties demonstrating that our tool scales to updates involving over one-thousand nodes.
Traumatic hand fracture in a patient with osteogenesis imperfecta

Objective This article presents a case of osteogenesis imperfecta and reviews the clinical and radiographic features of this condition.
Intergenerational pattern of interference and internally-motivated changes in Cajun French

We examine the variable use of locative prepositions in Cajun French, adding two dimensions to existing studies: real-time evidence, adding a diachronic descriptive perspective, and a methodological tool, measuring the degree of exposure to French (MDI). The goal of this paper is to determine the origins and the directions of language change within the system of locative prepositions. The majority of the interviews are taken from the Cajun French/English corpus, conducted by Dubois in 1997. Our results indicate that the restricted speakers use an array of innovative forms in all locative categories. Systemic and extralinguistic evidence show that some of these forms represent interference-induced innovations, while others are internally-motivated innovations stimulated in an indirect way by language contact. A model of change emerges where the older restricted speakers introduce changes that are gradually adopted by the following generations, regardless of the extent to which their linguistic ability in Cajun French is diminished.
Alternative management options to microsurgical treatment of basilar perforator aneurysms

We have read, with great interest, a recently published manuscript in the British Journal of Neurosurgery entitled ‘An unusual aneurysm of a basilar perforating artery presenting with a subarachnoi...
Hyphenated techniques for the analysis of heparin and heparan sulfate

The elucidation of the structure of glycosaminoglycan has proven to be challenging for analytical chemists. Molecules of glycosaminoglycan have a high negative charge and are polydisperse and microheterogeneous, thus requiring the application of multiple analytical techniques and methods. Heparin and heparan sulfate are the most structurally complex of the glycosaminoglycans and are widely distributed in nature. They play critical roles in physiological and pathophysiological processes through their interaction with heparin-binding proteins. Moreover, heparin and low-molecular weight heparin are currently used as pharmaceutical drugs to control blood coagulation. In 2008, the health crisis resulting from the contamination of pharmaceutical heparin led to considerable attention regarding their analysis and structural characterization. Modern analytical techniques, including high-performance liquid chromatography, capillary electrophoresis, mass spectrometry, and nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy, played critical roles in this effort. A successful combination of separation and spectral techniques will clearly provide a critical advantage in the future analysis of heparin and heparan sulfate. This review focuses on recent efforts to develop hyphenated techniques for the analysis of heparin and heparan sulfate.
Change and Continuity in the Concept of Civil Rights: Thurgood Marshall and Affirmative Action

In analyzing the development of the concept of civil rights since the adoption of the Fourteenth Amendment, two historical accounts seem available. According to the first account, the concept initially encompassed a relatively limited set of rights, associated with the ability of all citizens to engage in the productive activities of the economy and avail themselves of the protection of the legal system. Then the concept gradually expanded to include what had initially been thought of as political rights, such as the right to vote, and then to identify the entire set of rights to equal treatment in all domains of life outside a relatively narrowly-defined private sphere. According to the second account, the concept of civil rights was fuzzy from the outset; although political actors spoke as if they had a clear understanding of distinctions among civil, political, and social rights, close examination of their language shows that the distinctions tended to collapse under slight pressure.
Resolution and identification of O-phosphoserine, O-phosphothreonine, O-phosphotyrosine, and γ-carboxyglutamic acid as their fluorescent o-phthalaldehyde derivatives by high performance liquid chromatography

High performance liquid chromatography was used to resolve O-phosphoserine, O-phosphothreonine, and O-phosphotyrosine as their fluorescent o-phthalaldehyde derivatives. By adjusting the buffer system, very small amounts of O-phosphothreonine could be detected and quantitated in the presence of very large amounts of O-phosphoserine. In addition, γ-carboxyglutamic acid and glutamic acid were also separated and quantitated. Depending on the buffer used, various combinations of these amino acids could be resolved in a single run.
Toxicity of endogenous and environmental estrogens: what is the role of elemental interactions?

Many naturally occurring and man-made chemicals present in the environment possess estrogenic activity. Examples include plant and fungal products, pesticides, plasticizers, and other agricultural ...
Age and propranolol stereoselective disposition in humans.

The apparent oral clearance of S(−)- and R(+)-propranolol as a function of age was evaluated in 53 healthy male volunteers (age range, 21 to 84 years) after a single 40 mg oral dose of the racemic mixture. No significant age-associated change in the total (bound plus unbound) and unbound S(−) and R(+) apparent oral clearance was observed (p > 0.05). Stereoselectivity in apparent oral clearance (both total and unbound) remained unaffected by advancing age (p > 0.05). The relationship between age and propranolol enantiomer plasma protein binding was also evaluated in 70 subjects, 53 of whom were from this study (age range, 21 to 89 years). Plasma free fractions for S(−)- and R(+)-propranolol were unchanged with increasing age (p > 0.05), even though the binding was stereoselective (plasma free fractions for R(+) > plasma free fractions for S(−); p < 0.05). The findings from this relatively large and extensive study indicate that age does not influence the stereoselective disposition of propranolol. Clinical Pharmacology and Therapeutics (1992) 51, 489–494; doi:10.1038/clpt.1992.52
Signal antonymy unique to myelodysplastic marrows correlates with altered expression of E2F1

Myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS) have previously been reported to show competitively high rates of apoptosis and proliferation in the bone marrow (BM). Using a double-labelling technique in the present study, we demonstrated that a significantly high number of S-phase cells were simultaneously apoptotic (signal antonymy; SA) in MDS (mean ± s.e.m. 53·5 ± 6·7%, n = 24, P < 0·001). In contrast, SA was negligible in all other specimens studied, including normal control BM (n = 13) from non-Hodgkin's lymphoma (NHL) patients, BM from patients with de novo acute myelogenous leukaemia (1′AML; n = 5), or secondary AML that had transformed from MDS (2′AML; n = 10), or the solid tumours from patients with NHL (n = 9) or head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC; n = 10). Subsequently, the expression of a transcription factor, E2F1, was studied in density-separated BM aspirate mononuclear cells from MDS patients (n = 9) and a normal control. Two separate sets of primers were used that recognized the regulatory retinoblastoma (Rb) protein-binding region and the functional DNA-binding region of E2F1. Interestingly, although the latter manifested the expected band (280 bp) in all samples, the Rb-specific primers showed the expected band (380 bp) in the normal and in 4/9 MDS specimens. Two other MDS specimens also showed a smaller band (∼ 325 bp), whereas 3/9 MDS patients showed exclusively the smaller band. The levels of SA were significantly higher in those MDS cases that showed the smaller Rb-specific band either alone or in addition to the expected band (median 19·5%, n = 4, P = 0·037) than in those showing exclusively the expected band (median 0·4%, n = 3). Our present studies show SA as a characteristic feature of MDS and, importantly, demonstrate its link with an altered expression of E2F1 in some MDS patients.
Methanol in Normal Human Breath

Free methanol has been detected and measured, by gas-liquid chromatography, in the breath of several normal, healthy humans. It is suggested that this is a metabolic product rather than the result of diet or intestinal bacterial decomposition although there seems to be no biochemical reason for its presence.
Multiscale wavelet feature detection applied to Landsat images

of many classes of signals [BGG98]. De-noising was developed by D. L. Donohoand has been successfully applied to 1-D signals and 2-D images [BDGM94].Landsat images [Sco82], [BCA82] have been the objects of many investigationsto achieve image classification of crops in images made from radiometric measure-ments from Landsat satellites. Wavelet image classification has been reported onAVIRIS (Airborne Visible Infrared Imaging Spectrometer) images [5R94] which isan expanded version of Landsat.In the investigation to be reported here, Discontinuity Detection and Multiscale
Methodological differences in projected potential evapotranspiration

There is growing concern that the higher temperatures expected with climate change will exacerbate drought extent, duration and severity by enhancing evaporative demand. Temperature-based estimates of potential evapotranspiration (PET) are popular for many eminently practical reasons and have served well in many research and management settings. However, a number of recent publications have questioned whether it is appropriate to use temperature-based PET estimates for long-term evaporative demand and drought projections, demonstrating that PET does not always track temperature. Where precipitation changes are modest, methodologically driven differences in the magnitude or direction of PET trends could lead to contrasting drought projections. Here I calculate PET by three methods (Hamon, Priestley-Taylor and Penman) and evaluate whether different techniques introduce disparities in the sign of PET change, the degree of model agreement, or the magnitude of those changes. Changes in temperature-based Hamon PET were more significantly and consistently positive than trends in PET estimated by other methods, and where methods agreed that summer PET would increase, trends in temperature-based PET were often larger in magnitude. The discrepancies in PET trends appear to derive from regional changes in incoming shortwave radiation, wind speed and humidity -- phenomena simpler equations cannot capture. Because multiple variables can influence trends in PET, it may be more justifiable to use data-intensive methods, where the source(s) of uncertainty can be identified, rather than using simpler methods that could mask important trends.
Prolonged exercise induces structural changes in SR Ca2+-ATPase of rat muscle

Abstract Sarcoplasmic reticulum (SR) isolated from the deep red portion of the gastrocnemius muscle of Sprague-Dawley rats after a single bout of prolonged exercise was shown to have depressed Ca2+-stimulated Mg2+-dependent ATPase activity over a temperature range of 15 to 42.5°C when compared to SR obtained from control muscle. Inclusion of the calcium ionophore, A23187, failed to restore the depressed ATPase activity from SR of exercised muscle to control values, but it did normalize the stimulatory effect of temperature on ATPase activity. This depression was also manifested as an increased activation energy when the data were converted to an Arrhenius plot. SR vesicles from both groups showed no differences or discontinuities in plots of steady-state fluorescence anisotropy. When the binding characteristics of the fluorescent probe, fluorescein isothiocyanate (FITC), were analyzed, SR vesicles prepared from exercised muscle displayed a 40% reduction in binding capacity with no apparent change in Kd. These findings support the conclusion that a single bout of exercise induces a structural change in the Ca2+-ATPase protein of rat red gastrocnemius muscle that is not a direct result of gross lipid alterations or increased muscle temperature.
The Unintended Effect of Corporate Social Responsibility Performance on Investors’ Estimates of Fundamental Value

This paper reports the results of a study designed to investigate the existence of an unintended causal relation between firm corporate social responsibility (CSR) performance and investors' assess...
Control of Carbene Reactivity by Crystals. A Highly Selective 1,2-H Shift in the Solid-to-Solid Reaction of 1-(4‘-Biphenylyl)-2-phenyldiazopropane to (Z)-1-(4‘-Biphenylyl)-2-phenylpropene

Ruby red polycrystalline samples of 1-(4‘-biphenylyl)-2-phenyldiazopropane (1a) efficiently transform into colorless (Z)-1-(4‘-biphenylyl)-2-phenylpropene [(Z)-3a] in up to 96% yield in a highly selective photochemical solid-to-solid reaction. The solid state reaction was shown to proceed via a carbene intermediate, and it was formulated as a 1,2-H shift with unprecedented stereoselectivity. It was shown that irradiation of 1a in inert solvents gives products via 1,2-H shifts [(Z)-3a and (E)-3a] and 1,2-Ph migrations [(Z)-4a and (E)-4a] in yields that vary strongly with the polarity of solvent. Irradiation of 1a in ethanol gave similar products along with ethers 5a from insertion of the carbene into the EtO−H bond.
A Comparison of the Music Aptitude, Scholastic Aptitude, and Academic Achievement of Young Children

In this study, analyses were undertaken to assess correlations (1) between music aptitude and scholastic aptitude scores, and (2) between music aptitude and academic achievement scores in first-, s...
Navy Operations Research

This paper emphasizes OR's utility to the U.S. Navy, as seen by its customers. Like many naval officers who subspecialized in operations research, the author was both producer and consumer of analysis toward improving fleet operations, Pentagon planning, and training effectiveness. Many of OR's unnoticed heroes are officers and Navy civilians who, then and now, could put operations analysis to best practical use. The paper reaches three conclusions, which (briefly) are: (1) The U.S. Navy could shift much analytical talent to improve fleet readiness and scarcely notice a loss of quality in Washington, (2) the benefit of Navy OR in the Pentagon was not so much in formal decision making as it was in educating a stream of future leaders about the state of the Navy and cost-constrained possible future states, and (3) the distinguishing contribution of all OR has been and still is in helping executives make better, timely decisions by applying our special art of quantitative analysis, and only incidentally in the fidelity or complexity of the models and other tools we employ.
A counterexample to a uniqueness result

A counterexample is given to the uniqueness result given in the article by Cox and Thompson (1970), "Note on the uniqueness of the solution of an equation of interest in inverse scattering problem." J. Math. Phys ., 11 , N3, 815-817.
Kinetics of toluene degradation by toluene-oxidizing bacteria as a function of oxygen concentration, and the effect of nitrate

The kinetics of toluene degradation as a function of oxygen concentration were compared for six strains of toluene-oxidizing bacteria using initial rate assays. The effect of nitrate was also examined. Rates of degradation and the relative effect of oxygen on the degradation rate were correlated with the pathway for toluene oxidation. Strains which synthesize toluene dioxygenases, Pseudomonas putida F1, P. fluorescens CFS215, and Pseudomonas sp. strain W31, degraded toluene at significantly higher rates (151–166 nmol/mg per min) than strains synthesizing toluene monooxygenases, Burkholderia cepacia G4 (23 nmol/mg per min) and B. pickettii PKO1 (14 nmol/mg per min), or a methylmonooxygenase, P. putida PaW1 (12 nmol/mg per min). Rates declined 30–48% for the dioxygenase strains and 25% for PaW1 as the oxygen concentration was decreased from 240 to 50 μM, but declined less than 10% for G4 and PKO1. Nitrate enhanced toluene degradation by the denitrifying strains PKO1 and W31 at oxygen concentrations below 30 μM, but had no significant effect on any of the other strains. Biphasic kinetics were observed for all of the strains, with double-reciprocal plots of the data exhibiting an inflection point at a ‘critical oxygen concentration’ between 20 and 30 μM. Below this concentration, the rate of toluene degradation was inhibited to a greater extent than predicted by the kinetic data for higher oxygen concentrations. For the denitrifying strains PKO1 and W31, however, monophasic kinetics were observed when nitrate was provided as an alternative electron acceptor. These observations suggest that biphasic kinetics result when rates of toluene degradation are limited by the availability of electron acceptor at the critical oxygen concentration, and that this limitation is overcome by denitrifying strains able to respire nitrate. Taken together, our findings suggest that the synthesis of monooxygenases and the ability to denitrify represent independent adaptations for toluene utilization in low oxygen environments. Moreover, these data support the use of nitrate in mixed electron acceptor strategies for the bioremediation of contaminated aquifers, as well as the targeted use of monooxygenase and dioxygenase strains in settings in which their physiological traits can be best exploited.
Influence of treatments with heat, chlorine dioxide, or ethylene oxide on microbiological load and parthenolide content in feverfew leaves.

Studies were conducted to determine the effects of heat treatments or fumigation with either chlorine dioxide (ClO2) or ethylene oxide (EO) gas on microbiological load and parthenolide content in feverfew (Tanacetum parthenium L. Schultz Bip) leaves. Treatments were applied postharvest in three separate studies. Heat treatments included dry heat (60°C for 48 h), steam heat (121°C for 20 min), or microwave heat (100%, 1200 W, 3 min). The ClO2 study included three concentrations: 2.2, 5, or 50 mg ClO2 L−1. The EO study included two concentrations: 4% or 12% v/v. Before and after each treatment, leaf powder was used to enumerate aerobic, coliform, and Escherichia coli counts using 3M Petrifilm count plates. Steam heat effectively eliminated microbiological contamination but reduced parthenolide content by 50%. Dry heat and microwave heat treatments both reduced microbiological load by 40%. Parthenolide content was reduced 10% by dry heat but was not affected by the microwave heat treatment. The ClO2 gas conc...
“Three sheets to the wind”: Substance use in teen-centered film from 1980 to 2007

The issue of substance use in America is a serious public health concern, and while some substances show downward trends, current levels of adolescent use and abuse are alarming. Film has become a popular form of entertainment among teenagers and provides images from which teens model behaviors and form attitudes. This study examines substance use among adult and teen characters in the top grossing teen-centered films from 1980 to 2007. This content analysis examines the frequency and nature of substance portrayals and the consequences of use. The results show that substance use is largely consequence free and socially approved. No gender differences exist in the percent of users to nonusers. While users and nonusers do not differ in social status, users were portrayed as more attractive than nonusers. A higher percentage of users are Caucasian and adults. The vast majority of characters were not even given the choice to accept or refuse substances, and of those offered, few rejected. Finally, this study ...
Time-Resolved Studies of Surface Melting During Laser-Induced Chemical Vapor Deposition with Laser Intensity Modulation

Thermal laser-induced chemical vapor deposition of gold deposits has been studied using a modulated Ar + laser. Deposition of gold from dimethylgold hexafluoroacetylacetonate is accompanied by surface melting of the deposit when laser source is modulated. Time-resolved reflectance measurements have been used to study the surface reflectance during growth with modulated and unmodulated laser source. The reflectance measurements indicated that surface melting does not occur under unmodulated cw irradiation at equivalent laser intensities. Variation in the modulation duty cycle indicates that there is a minimum laser-off cycle time length required for surface melting to be observed. Evidence is presented which suggests that surface melting is due to the heat released by the exothermic decomposition of reactant adsorbed during the time that the laser intensity is off.
Distribution of hydrocarbons in recent marine sediments off the coast of Baja California

Abstract Concentrations of linear or n-hydrocarbons, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and unresolved complex mixture (UCM), were measured in recent marine sediments in 24 stations off the coastal region at the Mexico-USA border. The average concentration found for n-hydrocarbons was 15 μg g−1, with a maximum of 70.6 μg g−1 and minimum of 0.8 μg g−1. The average concentration for UCM was 37 μg g−1 with a maximum of 220.5 μg g−1 and a minimum below detection levels. For the PAHs, the average concentration was 0.4 μg g−1, with a maximum of 1.93 μg g−1. Maxima and minima are consistent with previous studies in northern stations. A North to South gradient distribution is reported. Cluster analysis supports the hypothesis of a North to South transport. The sources of hydrocarbons appeared to be mainly anthropogenic. No significant correlation was found between particle size and hydrocarbon content, PAHs or UCM. Deposition of the n-hydrocarbons and UCM was apparently dictated by closeness to point sources as a poor correlation was found with organic content (r = 0.27–0.32 α = 0.05) and with grain size of sediments (r = 0.019–0.079 α = 0.05). Distribution of PAHs was found to decrease toward the coast. Possible sources of these materials are discussed. Grain size distribution suggest the general direction of main flow of material for the area studied.
An on-road study involving two vehicles: observed differences between an auditory and haptic lane departure warning system

This research examined, as an exploratory secondary analysis, the frequency of lane departure warnings in two commercially available vehicles and users' behavioral and physiological responses to the alarms. The two lane departure systems used different alerting mechanisms. One provided an auditory alert, while the other activated haptic stimulation through the steering wheel. Results show that both systems trigger an increase of steering wheel movement following an alert, with some evidence for, on average, a faster response to the system with the haptic alert. There was also a significant difference in the frequency of alerts between the systems. Results suggest the need for further work focused on developing a more comprehensive understanding of the effectiveness of various implementations of these potentially lifesaving warning systems under field conditions.
Bayesian Network Modeling of Acoustic Sensor Measurements

Control and optimization of acoustic sensors can significantly impact the effectiveness of sonar deployment in variable and uncertain underwater environments. On the other hand, the design of optimal control systems requires tractable models of system dynamics, which in this case include acoustic-wave propagation phenomena. High-fidelity acoustic models that capture the influence of environmental conditions on wave propagation involve partial differential equations (PDEs), and are computationally intensive. Also, by relying on the numerical solution of PDEs for given boundary and initial conditions, they do not provide closed-form functional forms for the propagation loss or other output variables. In this paper, a simple Bayesian network (BN) model of acoustic propagation is presented for use in sonar control. The performance of the BN model compares favorably to that of a radial basis function neural network. Additionally, the sensor range dependency on spatial and temporal coordinates can be estimated and utilized to compute optimal sonar control strategies.
Nomenclatural status of the 'pocketknife fly': Stomoxoides Schaeffer, 1766 (Diptera: Conopidae).

The nomenclatural status of the genus Stomoxoides Schaeffer, 1766 is discussed and a timeline of usage is given. The name is shown to be available and date from Schaeffer’s 1766 work, and by invoking Article 70.3 of the ICZN Code, the type species of Stomoxoides is fixed as Conops ferrugineus Linnaeus, 1761, misidentified as Conops testacea Linnaeus, 1767 in the fixation by subsequent monotypy as proposed by Linnaeus in 1767. Stomoxoides is thereby synonymous with Sicus Scopoli, 1763 as originally proposed by Yeats in 1773.
The prolactin and growth hormone families: Pregnancy-specific hormones/cytokines at the maternal-fetal interface

The prolactin (PRL) and growth hormone (GH) gene families represent species-specific expansions of pregnancy-associated hormones/cytokines. In this review we examine the structure, expression patterns, and biological actions of the pregnancy-specific PRL and GH families.
Development of the tectorial membrane

During development, the organization of the stereociliary bundles undergoes drastic changes from the microvilli-like nascent stereocilia to the 'W' formation of the step-like arrangement of the adult form. During this period the developing tectorial membrane (TM) establishes prescribed attachments with various substructures of the developing sensory ciliary bundles and supporting cells. The TM detaches from the supporting cells and inner hair cell stereociliary bundles as Kolliker's organ matures. The inter-connecting linkage system develops postnatally, and the 'tip-linkages' are already found in one-week-old mice, suggesting that the critical organization of the micromechanics of the stereocilia matures rapidly during the postnatal period. The TM develops in stages, and its development parallels that of the organ of Corti. The major TM is initially secreted by the greater epithelial ridge cells, and the minor TM is produced by the lesser epithelial ridge cells. The substructures of the TM are formed by the participation of a number of different supporting cells. During the active stage of production of the substructures by the supporting cells, these cells are intensely Alcian blue-PAS stained, indicating that the glycoconjugates are locally produced by these cells.
The user's view of SunPict, an extensible visual environment for intermediate-scale procedural programming

The SunPict environment supports interactive graphical composition and execution of procedural programs. It is able to effectively handle larger user programs than its predecessors, thanks to a combination of efficient algorithms which underlie the implementation, and careful use of traditional visual elements such as color and animation in conjunction with many novel features (including, for example, supplementing textual variable names with simple icons that convey type information, and allowing the runtime action associated with an icon to be specified by means of either an iconic SunPict subprogram or textual code written in a simple Lisp-like dialect). The authors concentrate on the user's view of SunPict. An overview of the environment within the context of previous work is followed by several detailed examples which illustrate what it is like to work in the system. Plans for future enhancements are discussed. >
Building bug-tolerant routers with virtualization

Implementation bugs are a highly critical problem in wide-area networks. The software running on core routers is subject to vulnerabilities, coding mistakes, and misconfiguration. Unfortunately, these problems are often found after deployment in live networks, where they lead to outages, make networks prone to attack, and involve a challenging process to localize and debug. In this work, we propose a bug-tolerant router that runs multiple diverse copies of router software in parallel, such that each copy is unlikely to fail at the same time as the others. Diversity is achieved by varying the ordering and timing of routing messages, running different routing protocols, running code written by different implementers, etc. Because each copy is different, each copy will likely have a different output during an error, and hence a simple voting procedure is then used to decide which copy's output will "drive" packet forwarding and control-plane communication with other routers. In this paper we motivate our design, describe some design decisions and tradeoffs, and then conclude with a description of our ongoing work in building a prototype of this architecture.
Dispersed lignin in tracheary elements treated with cellulose synthesis inhibitors provides evidence that molecules of the secondary cell wall mediate wall patterning

Summary Mesophyll cells of Zinnia elegans var. Envy that had been induced to differentiate into tracheary elements (TEs) in suspension culture were treated with the cellulose synthesis inhibitor 2,6-dichlorobenzonitrile (DCB). The deposition of cellulose into the patterned secondary cell wall thickenings typical of TEs was inhibited as demonstrated by reduced incorporation of [14C]glucose into acetic/nitric insoluble material and absence of cellulose detectable by fluorescence after staining with Tinopal LPW, polarization optics, or labeling with a specific cellulase. Respiration as indicated by release of 14CO2 was inhibited to a much lesser extent, supporting a selective mechanism of action of DCB on the cellulose biosynthetic pathway. Patterned secondary cell wall thickenings were deposited in DCB-treated TEs, but these were smaller and less regularly shaped than those of control TEs. These cellulose-depleted thickenings lacked another abundant component of normal thickenings, the hemicellulose xylan, as indicated by absence of labeling with a specific xylanase or an antibody to xylan. DCB-treated TEs also showed dispersed lignin after staining with phloroglucinol, whereas control TEs contained lignin specifically localized to the secondary cell wall thickenings. Isoxaben, another recently described inhibitor of synthesis of acetic/nitric insoluble cell wall material (putatively cellulose), caused the same absence of detectable cellulose and xylan in the thickenings and dispersed lignin. These data suggest that: (i) the localization of lignin is ultimately dependent on the localization of cellulose; (ii) normal patterned wall assembly in TEs occurs in a self-perpetuating cascade in which some molecules of the secondary cell wall mediate patterning of others.
Three-dimensional Hilbert space-filling-curve plasmonics

In this work we investigate the possibility of utilizing electrically small volumetric inclusions, in the form of 3-dimensional Hilbert space-filling curves, to provide designable scattering characteristics comparable with that of plasmonic spheres, in the microwave regime. The 3-dimensional Hilbert space-filling curves offer relatively narrowband resonant structures along with strong dipolar scattering characteristics, at frequencies where the volume which encloses the curve can be considered as electrically small. When utilized as a scatterer, these curves can offer comparable scattering characteristics with that of electrically small dielectric spheres, operating near the resonant frequencies.
Fishing up the Food Web?: 12,000 Years of Maritime Subsistence and Adaptive Adjustments on California's Channel Islands

Abstract: Archaeologists working on California's northern Channel Islands have produced an essentially continuous record of Native American fishing and nearshore ecological changes spanning the last 12,000 years. To search for evidence of Pauly's “fishing down the foodweb” pattern typical of recent historical fisheries, we analyzed variation in the dietary importance of major marine faunal classes (shellfish, fish, marine mammals) on the islands through time. Faunal data suggest that the Island Chumash and their predecessors focused primarily on low-trophic-level shellfish during the Early and Middle Holocene, before shifting their economic focus to finfish and pinnipeds during the Late Holocene. Replicated in faunal sequences from the adjacent mainland, this trans-Holocene pattern suggests that Native Americans fished up the food web, a strategy that may have been more sustainable and had fewer ecological repercussions. Emerging technological data suggest, however, that some of the earliest Channel Islan...
A Variational Technique for Dealiasing Doppler Radial Velocity Data

Velocity folding, or aliasing, is one of most significant impediments to the use of radial winds from Doppler weather radar. In this note, a variational algorithm is developed in which dealiasing is performed using wind gradient information. The key to the proposed method is that, by operating on gradients of velocity rather than on the velocity itself, aliasing ambiguities are readily identified and eliminated. The viability of the method is demonstrated by applying it to Weather Surveillance Radar-1988 Doppler (WSR-88D) observations from a winter-weather event and a tornadic supercell storm.
Traumatic brain injury does not alter cerebral artery contractility

Previous studies have shown that traumatic brain injury (TBI) significantly reduces cerebral blood flow determined in vivo and reduces vascular reactivity in the pial circulation measured with cran...
Probing the Limits of Silicon-Based Nanoelectronics

The ability to reduce device features to increasingly smaller dimensions offers the potential for remarkable circuit performance and low power consumption. CMOS (Complementary Metal-Oxide-Semiconductor) devices with 100 nm channel lengths offer a 2X performance gain over 0.25 μm technology at a reduced power supply as well as the potential for a 20X reduction in active power at comparable performance levels. Continued scaling of devices beyond 100 nm dimensions faces various fundamental limitations. Overcoming these limitations will require technological innovation in both device design and fabrication.
Results from two sampling techniques for carabid beetles (Coleoptera: Carabidae) in temporarily flooded and terra firme rainforest of western Amazonia

Carabidae beetles (Coleoptera) were sampled by flight intercept traps (FITs) and hand sampling in the understory of a lowland rainforest in eastern Ecuador. Sampling occurred in June and July of 2011 and 2012 at 24 sites within temporarily flooded forest (FP) and non-flooded terra firme (TF) forest. A total of 674 Carabidae (excluding Cicindelinae) individuals, representing 18 tribes, 50 genera and 133 morphospecies, were collected. Significantly more individuals were collected by hand compared to FITs, particularly by hand in FP forests. After correction through sample-based rarefaction there are no significant differences in species richness between sampling methods and forest types. Ordination and dissimilarity analysis show FITs and hand sampling target different portions of the Carabidae community. Understanding sampling biases for various sampling methods and how it may be affected by forest type will result in more accurate and efficient surveys in tropical forests.
Rapidly deployed communication nodes using self-righting antennas

Within RF contested or degraded environments it is often necessary to establish a communication link using quickly deployable nodes. The need for a rapid set-up time can be accommodated if the node's antenna establishes itself upon deployment without the need for manual adjustment. One class of antenna that minimizes set up time is the self-righting antenna. This antenna is housed within the electronics of the deployable node. Once the node is placed, the antenna automatically uprights itself and establishes a link to other nodes in the communication link.