cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
On sum rules of special form for Jacobi matrices

Abstract We use sum rules of a special form to study spectral properties of Jacobi matrices. As a consequence of the main theorem, we obtain a discrete counterpart of a result by Molchanov, Novitskii and Vainberg (Comm. Math. Phys. 216 (2001) 195–213). To cite this article: S. Kupin, C. R. Acad. Sci. Paris, Ser. I 336 (2003).
Effect of scouring and enzyme treatment on moisture regain percentage of naturally colored cottons

The objective of this study was to determine whether enzymatic treatment can improve low moisture regain of three naturally colored cottons. There was an increase in weight of colored cottons after enzyme treatment. Moisture regain test was implemented to determine the cause of this increase. The result showed that moisture regain of three naturally colored cottons increased after scouring and increased further after enzyme treatment. Statistical results indicated that lipase was the least effective enzyme for brown cottons and the most effective enzyme for green cotton. For multiple enzyme treatment, treatments including amylase were most effective for brown cottons and for treatments including lipase were most effective for green cotton. Treatments with all four enzymes resulted in the lowest increase in moisture regain for all colored cottons.
Complications of nonopiate pharmacotherapy

The intention of this article is to review complications associated with the more commonly used nonopioid medications prescribed for pain control. The medications discussed are limited to those commonly prescribed to the adult patient in the outpatient setting and include nonsteroidal antiinflammatory drugs, acetaminophen, anticonvulsants, tricyclic antidepressants, and topical agents. Only limited discussion is given to medication administered intravenously, intramuscularly, epidurally, intrathecally, or injected. Emphasis is placed on common reactions, life-threatening reactions, drug interactions, and safety in pregnancy.
Stratigraphic framework of the ∼ 3.0 Ga Buhwa Greenstone Belt: a unique stable-shelf succession in the Zimbabwe Archean Craton

Abstract The ∼ 3.0 Ga Buhwa Greenstone Belt is the least understood major greenstone belt in the Archean Zimbabwe Craton, despite occupying a critical position adjacent to the Limpopo Belt. The cover succession at Buhwa consists of greenschist-facies sedimentary and subordinate volcanic rocks and is divisible into western shelf and eastern deeper-water basinal associations connected by a belt of transitional deposits. The western association is ∼ 4 km thick and consists of, in ascending stratigraphic order, quartzarenite, interbedded quartzarenite and shale, shale, and iron-formation. Nested sets of trough cross-stratification are the most common sedimentary structure in the quartzarenites, with less common oscillatory and interference ripples. Shales have isolated trains of sand-starved ripples. Iron-formation consists of laterally persistent, mm-thick, alternating bands of white chert, red chert, and hematite. This association formed in inner-shelf through below-wave-base shelf settings. Transitional deposits are dominated by green, tan, and locally black shale (now phyllite), with less abundant iron-formation and muddy sandstone, and represent more basinward lateral equivalents to the western association. The eastern association has been subjected to ductile strain, which has obliterated primary textures. The association comprises metamorphosed mafic-ultramafic lavas (including spinifex-textured lavas), possible carbonate, recrystallized metachert, and iron-formation. The Buhwa cover succession has no equivalents elsewhere on the Archean Zimbabwe Craton. However, time and lithologic correlatives in the central zone of the Limpopo Belt and on the Kaapvaal Craton suggest a period of tectonic stability between 3.0 and 2.9 Ga in southern Africa.
Précis of Persons and Bodies: A Constitution View

Persons and Bodies develops and defends an account of persons and of the relation between human persons and their bodies. Human persons are constituted by bodies, without being identical to the bodies that constitute them—just as, I argue, statues are constituted by pieces of bronze, say, without being identical to the pieces of bronze that constitute them. The relation of constitution, therefore, is not peculiar to persons and their bodies, but is pervasive in the natural world.
Partial purification and characterization of the maturation-promoting factor from eggs of Xenopus laevis.

Abstract Maturation-promoting factor (MPF) was purified 20- to 30-fold from unfertilized eggs of Xenopus laevis, by ammonium sulfate precipitation and chromatography on pentyl-agarose and arginine-agarose. The final material induces maturation in 50% of the recipient oocytes when 5 ng of protein is injected in a volume of 20 ml. The maturation response includes precocious germinal vesical breakdown, elevated protein phosphorylation, amplification of cytoplasmic MPF, and formation of an activatable egg blocked at second meiotic metaphase. These eggs are capable of cleavage and, in some cases, of gastrulation. A quantitative in vivo assay of MPF is described and a unit of MPF activity is defined as that amount causing a 50% maturation frequency when oocytes are injected each with a 20-nl test volume. Maturation frequency has a very high-order dependence on MPF concentration. The purification procedure selects simultaneously for endogenous protein phosphorylation systems containing kinases, protein substrates, and phosphatases. This fact, as well as the finding that ATP enhances MPF activity at least twofold when included in the dilution medium for assay, is discussed in terms of the possible involvement of protein phosphorylation in MPF activation and inactivation.
Spectrophotometric tests using a dye-laser-based radiometric characterization facility.

A new high-accuracy dye-laser-based system useful for measuring the spectral transmittance of filters or the spectral response of optical detectors has recently been developed at NBS. This paper describes the system and discusses the results of measurements made for purposes of comparison with a high-accuracy spectrophotometer also developed at NBS.
Optimal Innovation of Futures Contracts

This article presents a simple model of the innovation of new futures contracts by transaction volume-maximizing futures exchanges in incomplete markets under uncertainty, with mean-variance preferences and proportional transactions costs. We characterize the set of Nash equilibria for a number of exchanges simultaneously or sequentially choosing contracts. the optimal monopolistic contract design is shown to be Pareto-optimal. An example shows the failure of Pareto optimality for aparticularNash equilibrium. Likewise, in a monopolistic multiperiod setting an example shows the failure of Pareto optimality given an incentive for the exchange to induce turnover.
An Exploratory Factor Analysis of the URICA Among Couple Therapy Participants

Assessing and measuring client motivation to change has been of great interest to therapists and researchers in a variety of fields. This article presents the results of an exploratory factor analy...
Dissolution of Cerium From Cerium-based Conversion Coatings on Al 7075-T6 in 0.1M NaCl Solutions

Abstract Cerium-based conversion coatings (CeCCs) were immersed in 0.1 M NaCl for ∼500 h over a range of pH (2.0–5.7) to investigate the dissolution of cerium species. Dissolution was detected by UV–vis spectroscopy only in the pH 2 solution. Similar cerium concentrations were detected from the dissolution of as-deposited and phosphate post-treated CeCCs. Solubility diagrams for Ce(OH) 3 , Ce(OH) 4 , CeO 2 , and CePO 4 showed that only Ce(OH) 3 was soluble in acidic conditions. Although p K sp (CePO 4 ) ≈ p K sp (Ce(OH) 3 ), the dissolution of the post-treated CeCCs was slightly higher than the as-deposited CeCCs. Thus, corrosion protection of CeCCs is not provided solely by dissolution of cerium species.
THE LATIN AMERICANIZATION OF RACE RELATIONS IN THE UNITED STATES

Much has been written lately in both the popular and academic press about the “Browning” of America and the changing nature of race and ethnic relations in the United States. This has been largely the result of the precipitous increase in the Latino population and its profound change on the demographic landscape in the United States. For example, the U.S. Bureau of the Census (2010) has shown the Latino population grew from 35.3 million in 2000 to over 50 million in 2010 (p. 3). The Latino population now represents 16% of the total U.S. population and has surpassed African Americans as the largest racial-ethnic population at the turn of the century. Recent demographic projections calculate that by 2050 the Latino population will increase to an estimated 128 million or 29% of the national total. As Rumbaut (2009) writes, in that year it will exceed the combined total of all other racial minorities (primarily African American and Asian) in the United States (p. 17).
The Big Deal about Blades: Laminar Technologies and Human Evolution

Despite the rapid expansion of archaeological knowledge of the Paleolithic over the past several decades, some generalized interpretive frameworks inherited from previous generations of researchers are remarkably tenacious. One of the most persistent of these is the assumed correlation between blade technologies, Upper Paleolithic industries, and anatomically (and behaviorally) modern humans. In this paper, we review some of the evidence for the production of early blade technologies in Eurasia and Africa dating to the late Lower and the Middle Paleolithic. The basic techniques for blade production appeared thousands of years before the Upper Paleolithic, and there is no justification for linking blades per se to any particular aspect of hominid anatomy or to any major change in the behavioral capacities of hominids. It is true that blades came to dominate the archaeological records of western Eurasia and Africa after 40,000 years ago, perhaps as a consequence of increasing reliance on complex composite tools during the Upper Paleolithic. At the same time, evidence from other regions of the world demonstrates that evolutionary trends in Pleistocene Eurasia were historically contingent and not universal. [Middle Paleolithic, Upper Paleolithic, blade technology, human evolution, hominid behavior and capacities]
A NEWLY DEFINED HYPEROSTOTIC DWARFING SYNDROME

A distinct dysmorphic dwarfing syndrome has been delineated from studies of a patient observed by the authors and from description of three other cases, previously published under different diagnostic labels. The syndrome combines characteristic congenital malformations, a distinct facies, cutis laxa and mental retardation with failure to thrive, severe growth retardation and a progressive skeletal hyperostosis. Marked elevation of alkaline phosphatase has been the only abnormal laboratory finding. Chromosome studies have been normal. Advanced paternal age suggests an autosomal dominant mutation as the cause. In the author's case the evolution of the skeletal disorder has been documented by repeated radiographic surveys from soon after birth to age 5 years. The diagnosis of this syndrome can now be made in the neonatal period.
Backlog Control Design for a Closed Loop PPC System

Abstract In this paper a discrete dynamic model of a single workstation is used to design and analyse control algorithms for closed-loop PPC that improve performance, especially response to disturbances such as rush orders and periodic fluctuations in capacity, while ensuring that dynamic behavior remains favorable and robust. The presence of delays in adjusting capacity presents challenges in both dynamic analysis and control algorithm design that are addressed in the paper. Methods of control engineering, such as transfer function and frequency response analysis, are used to make analysis of fundamental system properties tractable and to improve control of dynamic behavior.
Children's health care use: a prospective investigation of factors related to care-seeking.

Objectives.To determine the best predictors of the amount of children’s health care use.Research Design. Child health, psychosocial, and family status variables were collected. Families were then followed prospectively for 2 years to gather health care use data. Multivariate regression analysis was
Fish and Amphibian Tolerance Values and an Assemblage Tolerance Index for Streams and Rivers in the Western USA

Abstract Aquatic species' tolerances to overall human disturbance are key components of biological assessments of aquatic ecosystems. These tolerance classifications enable development of metrics for use in multimetric indexes, such as the index of biotic integrity (IBI). Usually, species are classified as being tolerant, moderately tolerant, or intolerant (sensitive) to human disturbance. Traditionally, for fish-based IBIs, these assignments are based on a combination of professional judgment and information from state fish books. We used fish and amphibian species data in conjunction with chemical, physical, and landscape indicators of human disturbance collected at 1,001 stream and river sites in 12 western states (USA) sampled by the Environmental Monitoring and Assessment Program in 2000–2004. Using principal components analyses, we created synthetic disturbance variables for water nutrients, site-scale physical habitat, catchment-scale land use, and overall human disturbance. We calculated species' ...
Raman scattering studies of ferroelectric transitions induced by lithium and niobium in KTaO3

Abstract The low temperature phases produced by Nb and Li in K1-x Lix Ta1-y NbyO3 have been studied using Raman scattering and optical depolarization for x≲0.06 and y≲0.06. When x=0 and 0.008<y0.06, the low temperature phase has been shown to be rhombohedral and the phase transition is predominantly a soft mode transition. This behavior contrasts with the order-disorder transition to a tetragonal phase seen when y=O and 0.01≲x≲0.06. The unique feature of K1-x Lix TaO3 is that small ferroelectric domains lead to Raman spectra with no evidence of the anisotropy of the mixed mode phonon energy expected in a polar lattice. K1-xLixTaO3 cannot be poled after the temperature is reduced below Tc, but it is poled if the sample is cooled with an applied electric field along a cubic axis. In poled samples, the anisotropy of the energy of the mixed mode can be demonstrated directly in the Raman spectra by changing the experimental geometry so that the scattered phonons have different components of k along the polar a...
Low Temperature Crystallization of Metastable Nickel Manganite Spinel Thin Films

Single-phase metastable cubic spinel nickel manganite films, 0.5 ≤ Mn/(Mn+Ni) ≤ 0.8, were produced using chemical solution deposition. Of these, the sample with Mn/(Mn+Ni) = 0.80 showed the lowest electrical resistivity. Films annealed in Argon at 400°C for 5 h exhibit temperature coefficient of resistance values ranging from −3.81 to −3.93%/K and electrical resistivities of ~10 kΩ-cm. It was found by transmission electron microscopy that the metastable spinel phase appeared in both pyrolyzed and post-deposition annealed films. Spectroscopic ellipsometry measurements over the spectral range from 0.75 to 6.0 eV showed that the complex dielectric function spectra (e = e1 + ie2) varied as a function of the annealing conditions, due at least in part to changes in film density. Aging experiments have been used to identify variations in resistivity and temperature coefficient of resistance as functions of time to assess material stability. As a result, the aging coefficient was 6.5% for a film with Mn/(Ni+Mn) = 0.80 after aging at 150°C for 500 h.
Structural and mechanistic implications of incorporating naturally occurring aberrant mutations of human dihydropteridine reductase into a rat model

Phenylketonuria (PKU) is a debilitating hereditary disorder related to an individual's inability to convert phenylalanine to its usual tyrosine product. The genetic errors occur in three regions: in the cooperative enzymes phenylalanine hydroxylase (PAH) and dihydropteridine reductase (DHPR), and in the biosynthetic pathway from GTP to the hydroxylation cofactor, tetrahydrobiopterin (BH4). Many instances of naturally occurring defects in DHPR metabolism have been identified, and in most cases the error has been equated with an altered enzyme gene sequence. Using computer graphics, this report analyses the altered structural characteristics of eight of the enzymes encoded by mutant gene sequence and provides logical explanations for their diminished enzyme activities. In one instance, that of a threonine insertion, a mutant construct of the rat analog has been expressed in Escherichia coli and the DHPR isolated and characterised, confirming the marked changes this insert can create.
Sports, war, and ideological imperialism

The so‐called “American” century is about to close. Despite the ethnocentric terminology, one cannot deny the power and influence the U.S. has wielded over the last 100 years. That hegemony has been achieved largely through military victories but also less overtly and perhaps more effectively through ideological conquest. Capitalism and American popular culture intrude pervasively around the globe, and Michael Jordan has become the earth's most recognizable figure. Since an alternative, oppositional ideology, communism, also existed for much of this century, how did capitalism prevail?
Nonimpact unified theory of four-wave mixing and two-photon processes

A microscopic correlation-function theory for coherent, parametric, four-photon processes (four-wave mixing) and for single-absorber two-photon processes (two-photon absorption, Raman, and fluorescence spectra) is developed. Both types of experimental observables are expressed in terms of four-point correlation functions of the dipole operator. The latter are then evaluated semiclassically or within the factorization approximation in which they are expressed in terms of ordinary single-photon line-shape functions. The common results of the Bloch equations are shown to be the outcome of two successive approximations: the factorization approximation and the impact limit whereby the single-photon line-shape functions are taken to be Lorentzian. Effects of fluctuations in the radiation fields are easily incorporated within the present approach.
Pulmonary vein isolation using a compliant endoscopic laser balloon ablation system in a swine model

Introduction The incidence of pulmonary vein reconnection and recurrent atrial fibrillation after a single catheter ablation procedure is unacceptably high. We studied the ability of a novel endoscopic laser balloon ablation system (EAS) to achieve acute and chronic pulmonary vein (PV) isolation in a swine model.
Defect-enhanced solid-state reaction behavior of shock-modified Ti+C powder mixture compacts

Abstract In this study, the reaction behavior of shock-densified Ti and C elemental powder mixtures was investigated. The recovered shock-modified compacts (∼88–90% TMD) were reaction-sintered in an induction-heated hot press at temperatures of 1100–1400°C, with holding times between 30 and 180 min. The reaction mechanism of shock-modified Ti and C powder mixtures involved defect-enhanced solid-state diffusion, with an activation energy four to six times lower than that of diffusion couples. The resulting reacted compacts had ∼85% density and highly refined microstructures with ∼5 μm grain size.
Steady-state Coupling of Plasma Membrane Calcium Entry to Extrusion Revealed by Novel L-type Calcium Channel Block

The L-type Ca2+ channel (Ca(v)1.2) is the main pathway for trans-sarcolemmal (SL) Ca2+ influx in cardiac myocytes. To maintain Ca2+ homeostasis, chronic SL Ca(2+)-influx must be matched by chronic SL efflux. In this study we tested the hypothesis that chronic downregulation of SL Ca2+ entry regulates SL extrusion. We studied mRNA and Ca2+ handling responses to chronic down-regulation of Ca2+ channel current induced by over-expression of the small GTPase Rem. Rem lowered net SL diastolic Ca2+ entry, and reduced the twitch Ca2+ amplitude. Rem also significantly slowed Ca2+ transient decay kinetics (p < 10(-3)). Rem reduced NCX1.1 protein level and function. To measure Na-Ca2+ exchange (NCX) function and sarcoplasmic reticulum (SR) store load we perfused Ca(2+)-free bath for 25s followed by rapid application of 50 mM caffeine. In control, caffeine transient relaxations were described by a bi-exponential decay with a fast phase that was 10 mM Ni(2+)-sensitive. Rem significantly slowed caffeine-induced relaxation time course (Rem versus control, p < 10(-6)). To test whether extrusion slowing was mediated by insufficient basal Ca2+ for allosteric NCX activation we measured the effect of increasing bath Ca2+ from 1.8 to 6 mM on caffeine-induced relaxation kinetics. 6 mM Ca2+ did not alter kinetics of control cells, but in Rem-over-expressed cells 6 mM Ca2+ sped kinetics. We conclude that chronic block of Ca(v)1.2 channel-mediated SL entry alters NCX expression, and coincidentally controls SR Ca loading and SL Ca2+ efflux.
Super-resolution ISAR imaging using polarimetric techniques for subspace dimensionality

This paper demonstrates a technique for super-resolution ISAR imaging using polarimetry to determine the signal subspace dimensionality for the MUSIC algorithm. By creating a feature vector, polarimetric information from the target is used to accurately determine the number of primary scatterers in a simple target geometry with added noise. This information is used to determine the signal subspace dimension, which is used in the MUSIC super-resolution imaging algorithm, resulting in high resolution target images in the presence of additive noise.
The state of the art in parallel production systems

Abstract The production system paradigm occupies a prominent place in artificial intelligence. Production systems have not yet been widely accepted in industry mainly due to their slow performance. Continuing research in knowledge processing requires larger and larger production systems, which would only exacerbate the performance problem. For this reason, it is important to apply parallel processing technology to production systems because it may provide the speed improvement necessary for future production systems. This paper examines recent research efforts in production systems. It begins by discussing the architecture of production systems and the cause of their slow performance. It groups the research efforts into three categories, faster sequential match algorithms, parallel match production systems, and multiple rule firing production systems, and analyzes the strength and weakness of each approach. A uniform terminology is used throughout the paper. By considering each category individually and comparing them collectively, a clear picture of recent research efforts in production systems is obtained.
Thrombospondins: from structure to therapeutics.

Thrombospondin-1 is a secreted protein that modulates vascular cell behavior via several cell surface receptors. In vitro, nanomolar concentrations of thrombospondin-1 are required to alter endothelial and vascular smooth muscle cell adhesion, proliferation, motility, and survival. Yet, much lower levels of thrombospondin-1 are clearly functional in vivo. This discrepancy was explained with the discovery that the potency of thrombospondin-1 increases more than 100-fold in the presence of physiological levels of nitric oxide (NO). Thrombospondin-1 binding to CD47 inhibits NO signaling by preventing cGMP synthesis and activation of its target cGMP-dependent protein kinase. This potent antagonism of NO signaling allows thrombospondin-1 to acutely constrict blood vessels, accelerate platelet aggregation, and if sustained, inhibit angiogenic responses. Acute antagonism of NO signaling by thrombospondin-1 is important for hemostasis but becomes detrimental for tissue survival of ischemic injuries. New therapeutic approaches targeting thrombospondin-1 or CD47 can improve recovery from ischemic injuries and overcome a deficit in NO-responsiveness in aging. (Part of a Multi-author Review)
A serologic comparison of bat complements.

Complement levels of four species of bats were much lower than in guinea pigs when measured by immune hemolysis, bactericidal and immune adherence procedures. Serum pools from three species of Microchiroptera showed somewhat higher levels of complement activity by the immune hemolysis procedure than the megachiropteran species, but not by the immune adherence procedure. Kinetic studies indicated that activities of P. vampyrus and E. fuscus complements were similarly affected by changes in ionic strength of the buffer, but not by changes in pH or in concentrations of divalent ions (Ca++ and Mg++). Eptesicus species of bat complement also gave maximum rates of lysis over a wider range of incubation temperatures than did P. vampyrus and guinea pig complements. Guinea pig complement mediated lysis equally well with rabbit, guinea pig, and bat antibodies. E. fuscus complement showed maximum lytic activity with guinea pig and rabbit antibodies, and P. vampyrus complement with guinea pig antibodies. Minimal lysis occurred when mammalian complements and antibodies were combined with chicken antibodies and complement, respectively. Functionally purified C1 components of guinea pig, chicken, and P. vampyrus and E. fuscus bat complements mediated immune lysis with guinea pig C2–9, but demonstrated little lytic activity in the presence of E. fuscus and chicken C2–9. No significant immunologic correspondence was shown between any of the four species of C1 components by immunodiffusion or turbidimetric procedures. Similar patterns of naturally occurring hemolytic activity present in P. vampyrus and E. fuscus sera for erythrocytes from a wide variety of animals were distinct from patterns obtained with guinea pig and chicken sera. Occurrence of agglutination with some species of cells in addition to or in the absence of hemolysis, however, suggested variations in the specificity of these species of complement for different cell surfaces.
Cavity-ringdown molecular spectroscopy based on an optical frequency comb at 1.45-1.65 μm

Optical frequency comb-based cavity-ringdown spectroscopy has recently enabled high-sensitivity absorption detection of molecules over a broad spectral range. We demonstrate an improved system based on a mode-locked erbium-doped fiber laser source centered at 1.5 μm, resulting in a spectrometer that is inexpensive, simple, and robust. It provides a very large spectral bandwidth (1.45-1.65 μm) for investigation of a wide variety of molecular absorptions. Strong molecular absorptions at 1.5 μm allow for detection at sensitivities approaching the 1 part in 109 volume level. We provide a detailed description of our spectrometer and present measurements of the rovibrational spectra for CO, NH3, and C2H2 with an absorption sensitivity of 2×10−8 cm−1Hz−1/2 per detection channel.
A Numerical Model of a Diurnally Varying Tropical Cloud Cluster Disturbance

Abstract A numerical model of the tropical cloud cluster disturbance is presented. The model is constructed and verified from the detailed results obtained by compositing many radiosonde reports from the tropical west Pacific. The model is based on the so-called “primitive equations” in the axisymmetric form. The top and bottom model layers simulate the relevant characteristics of the stratosphere and boundary layer. Warming by diabatic processes is determined diagnostically for a quasi-steady disturbance. Differences in convective and radiative heating between the disturbance and its environment emphasize the equal role of convective and radiative heating in maintaining the disturbance. Divergence profiles and rainfall rates obtained by specifying the radiative heating with a time-dependent analytic expression compare very well with available data. The physical link between the time-dependent radiative heating and the resulting atmospheric response is discussed.
Studies on human platelet proteins.

Abstract Proteins from normal human platelets have been extracted and characterized by different physico-chemical methods. 1. 1. Starch gel electrophoresis in borate buffer pH 8.6, showed seven bands. The resolution was much higher with acrylamide gel and twelve distinct bands were observed. 2. 2. Analytical sedimentation showed two major boundaries with sedimentation coefficients of 4.69 S and 6.28 S. Two smaller peaks were also noted. 3. 3. Starch gel immunoelectrophoresis and immunodiffusion studies showed the presence of albumin, plasminogen and fibrinogen in the platelet extract. 4. 4. Spectrophotometric studies showed strong nucleotide type absorption at 260 mμ. This nucleotide material was dialyzable. After dialysis a single absorption maximum was observed at 280 mμ. 5. 5. Gel filtration on Sephadex G-200 demonstrated that the platelet extract could be successfully fractionated into four groups. 6. 6. Platelet fibrinogen is not the sole substrate of the action of thrombin on platelets. An additional thrombin-sensitive component has been detected by electrophoresis and sedimentation.
Effect of surface functional groups on the flotation of coal

Abstract The flotation behavior of a series of coals is described in terms of the predominant oxygen-containing functional groups. These groups control not only the thermodynamics, but also the kinetics of coal flotation. It is shown that the maximum flotation response occurs close to the isoelectric point of the demineralized coal. The correlation between content of phenolic and carboxylic groups and the flotation response of a range of coals was found to be excellent. Functional groups control coal wettability through the balance of hydrophobic/hydrophilic sites, and control flotation kinetics by their influence on surface charge.
PageRank and Random Walks on Graphs

We examine the relationship between PageRank and several invariants occurring in the study of random walks and electrical networks. We consider a generalized version of hitting time and effective resistance with an additional parameter which controls the ‘speed’ of diffusion. We will establish their connection with PageRank. Through these connections, a combinatorial interpretation of Page-Rank is given in terms of rooted spanning forests by using a generalized version of the matrix-tree theorem. Using PageRank, we will illustrate that the generalized hitting time leads to finding sparse cuts and efficient approximation algorithms for PageRank can be used for approximating hitting time and effective resistance.
The Protonation of MoO3during the Partial Oxidation of Alcohols

Atomic force microscopy and X-ray diffraction have been used to characterize the structural evolution of the MoO3(010) surface during gas phase reactions with nitrogen-alcohol (methanol, ethanol, and 2-propanol) mixtures between 200 and 400 ‐ C. Our results demonstrate that MoO3 intercalates H during these reactions (T‚ 300 ‐ C) and that protonation leads to the precipitation of a well known hydrogen molybdenum bronze, HxMoO3, where 0.23• x• 0.4. The acicular precipitates of HxMoO3 form topotactically and are aligned along theh203i directions of the MoO3(010) surface plane. Identical HxMoO3 precipitates form when MoO3 (010) surfaces are reacted with atomic H produced by “spill over” from supported Pt particles. The mechanism by which MoO3 oxidizes alcohols, and the potential role of the protonated phase in this reaction, is reexamined in the context of these new observations. c ∞ 1998 Academic Press
Structural, expression, and evolutionary analysis of mouse CIAS1.

Mutations in the human CIAS1 (hCIAS1) gene have been identified in a continuum of inflammatory disorders including familial cold autoinflammatory syndrome (FCAS), Muckle–Wells syndrome (MWS), and neonatal onset multisystem inflammatory disease (NOMID). CIAS1 codes for the protein Cryopyrin, which appears to play a role in innate immune function by regulating the production of proinflammatory cytokines. Human and mouse Cryopyrin are highly conserved and consist of three functional domains including a pyrin domain, an NACHT domain, and a leucine-rich repeat (LRR) domain that are characteristics of the NALP family of proteins. The pyrin and NACHT domains of Cryopyrin and other NALP proteins are highly conserved among primate and nonprimate mammals, suggesting purifying selection throughout mammalian evolution. Cryopyrin expression is also very similar in human and mouse with mouse CIAS1 mRNA expression found primarily in peripheral blood leukocytes consistent with the postulated inflammatory function. We also detected significant expression in mouse eye and skin tissue, which is consistent with symptoms observed in human Cryopyrin-associated diseases.
Genetic and Serologic Properties of Zika Virus Associated with an Epidemic, Yap State, Micronesia, 2007

Zika virus (ZIKV) is a mosquito-borne flavivirus first isolated in Uganda from a sentinel monkey in 1947. Mosquito and sentinel animal surveillance studies have demonstrated that ZIKV is endemic to Africa and Southeast Asia, yet reported human cases are rare, with <10 cases reported in the literature. In June 2007, an epidemic of fever and rash associated with ZIKV was detected in Yap State, Federated States of Micronesia. We report the genetic and serologic properties of the ZIKV associated with this epidemic.
Sensor-based construction of a retract-like structure for a planar rod robot

Sensor-based planning for rod-shaped robots is necessary for the realistic deployment of noncircularly symmetric robots into unknown environments. Whereas circularly symmetric robots have two-dimensional Euclidean configuration spaces, planar rod robots posses three degrees-of-freedom, two for position and one for orientation, and hence have a three-dimensional configuration space, SE(2). In this work, we define the rod hierarchical generalized Voronoi graph (rod-HGVG) which is a roadmap of the rod's configuration space. Prior work in Voronoi-based roadmaps use a retraction of the robot's free space to define the roadmap; here, we break apart the robot's free space into regions where fragments of the roadmap are defined and then connect the fragments. The primary advantage of the rod-HGVG is that it is defined in terms of workspace distance measurements, which makes it amenable to sensor-based planning. This paper also includes a numerical procedure that generates the rod-HGVG edge fragments using only information that is within line of sight of the rod robot. It is worth noting that this procedure does not require an explicit definition of configuration space, i.e., this procedure constructs a roadmap of rod configuration space without ever constructing the configuration space itself.
Estimating diluted bitumen entrained by suspended sediments in river rapids using O2 absorption rate

Suspended sediments and river rapids can cause oil slicks to fragment and sink, greatly complicating the cleanup process of a spill. Responders need methods for estimating the severity of spilled oil entrainment in rivers in order to properly plan resource allocation. This work presents a novel technique for predicting the amount of oil entrained by suspended sediments in rivers, using the atmospheric oxygen absorption rate of rivers as a way to estimate the surface turbulence. The technique may be used by measuring the gas transfer velocity or by using parametric equations for gas transfer velocity based on river parameters such as slope, depth, and discharge rate. In very turbulent rapids, 13 % of a diluted bitumen slick could be brought down by clay-sized sediments in about 10 min if the sediment concentration is high enough, and 80 % would be brought down in 2 h.
Compose & conquer: modularity for end-users

Users have vast amounts of information at their disposal and access to many tools that can compute on that data. Often, no particular program can fulfill a user's needs; or, when such a program exists, it may be too obscure for the user to find. When users encounter this problem, they resort to ad-hoc approaches, such as importing and exporting data to different file formats, as a way to piece together disparate features from several different programs. As a result, users end up manually entering and manipulating data, defeating the purpose of automatic computing machines. In this paper, we introduce the concept of a Creativity Engine, which is like a search engine over the possible links between software libraries. A Creativity Engine can be used to bring together libraries that were never intended to work together, in way that can bring within users' reach the almost infinite flexibility their machines have to transform data.
The application of data from photochemical assessment monitoring stations to the observation-based model

Abstract The observation-based model – a diagnostic model designed to estimate ozone sensitivity to changes in the concentration of volatile organic compounds, nitrogen oxides, and CO – was used to analyze data gathered during the summer of 1995 at three photochemical assessment monitoring sites (PAMS). The sites were located in Washington DC, Bronx, New York, and Houston, Texas, with the first two being categorized as urban/cental city commercial and the latter as industrial/suburban. Our analysis indicated that: (i) natural hydrocarbons (primarily isoprene) represented a significant fraction of the total hydrocarbon reactivity at all three sites and significantly degraded the efficacy of VOC emission reductions as an O3 mitigation strategy; and (ii) afternoon NO concentrations at all three sites typically fell to levels at or below the limit of detection of the PAMS instrumentation and, as a result, it was not possible to determine whether O3 at the sites was more sensitive to reductions in anthropogenic hydrocarbons or nitrogen oxides.
Photocrosslinked hydrogels based on copolymers of poly(ethylene glycol) and lysine

A group of new, water-soluble poly(ether-urethane)s, derived from poly(ethylene glycol) and the amino acid L-lysine, provide pendent carboxylic acid groups along the polymer backbone at regular intervals. The carboxylic acid groups were utilized for the attachment of acrylate and methacrylate pendent chains (hydroxyethyl acrylate, hydroxyethyl methacrylate, aminoethyl methacrylate, and aminoethyl methacrylamide), leading to functionalized polymers. The pendent chains were attached via ester and/or amide bonds having different degrees of hydrolytic stability. The attachment reactions proceeded with high yields (up to 95%). The functionalized polymers were subsequently photopolymerized (UV irradiation) to obtain crosslinked hydrogels. Crosslinked membranes with the highest degree of mechanical strength were obtained when the crosslinking reaction was performed in dioxane with benzoin methyl ether (0.1 wt %) as the initiator. the crystallinity, thermomechanical properties, and hydrolytic stability of the crosslinked membranes were studied. All membranes were transparent and highly swellable (equilibrium water content: 64–88%). The tensile strength in the swollen state ranged from 0.15 to 1.09 MPa. Under physiological conditions (phosphate buffered water, 0.1M, pH 7.4, 37°C) the hydrolytic stability of the hydrogels varied depending on the bonds used in the attachment of the acrylate pendent chains: Hydrogels with hydroxyethyl acrylate pendent chains dissolved within 30 days, while hydrogels containing aminoethyl methacrylamide pendent chains remained unchanged throughout a 30 day period. Using high molecular weight FITC-dextrans as model compounds, complete release from the swollen hydrogels required between 60 and 150 h. Overall, the evaluation of poly(ethylene glycol)-lysine derived, photocrosslinked hydrogels indicated that these materials provide a range of potentially useful properties. © 1994 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
Decreasing frequency of anesthetic cardiac arrests

Abstract Study Objective: To determine whether the anesthetic cardiac arrest rate decreased following the introduction of enhanced respiratory monitoring and increased safety awareness during the past decade. Design: Epidemiologic study of surgical anesthetic morbidity as represented by intraoperative cardiac arrests. Setting: Operating room suite of a large university hospital. Patients: 241,934 patients undergoing surgery over a period of 20 years. Interventions: Anesthetic cardiac arrest rates from two decades were compared. The first decade (1969 to 1978) predated safety initiatives, while the second (1979 to 1988) included them. Measurements and Main Results: Anesthetic cardiac arrests were identified, and their causes (respiratory vs nonrespiratory) and preventability (identifiable error) were determined shortly after their occurrence, as part of an ongoing study initiated in 1969. They provided numerators for rate calculations; total surgical anesthetics provided the denominators. The anesthetic cardiac arrest rate decreased by one-half from the first decade (2.1 arrests/10,000 anesthetics) to the second (1.0/10,000), a significant difference ( p = 0.032, Fisher's Exact Test). The rate for preventable arrests due to respiratory causes declined significantly from 0.8/10,000 to 0.1 /10,000 (p = 0.013) and accounted for most of the observed decrease in the overall anesthetic cardiac arrest rate. The rates for preventable nonrespiratory arrests and nonpreventable arrests did not change significantly. Conclusions: The results support the hypothesis that improved respiratory monitoring was effective in decreasing anesthetic morbidity.
Retinoic acid respecifies limb bud cells in vitro.

Retinoic acid (RA) is known to have dramatic effects on limb pattern formation and has been shown to exert its effects on limbs by converting anterior limb bud cells into cells with posterior positional properties. In this study we find that dissociated posterior limb bud cells from chick and mouse embryos cultured at high density (micromass cultures) are able to stimulate the formation of supernumerary digits when grafted into developing wing buds and that the positional identity of both chick and mouse limb bud cells can be maintained for finite periods of time in vitro. Furthermore, using this assay system we have tested whether anterior cells from mouse and chick limb buds can be converted into cells with posterior identity by exposure to RA in vitro. We find that anterior limb bud cells acquire posterior properties after culture in the presence of RA. © 1992 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
The contribution of marine organics to the air quality of the western United States

Abstract. The contribution of marine organic emissions to the air quality in coastal areas of the western United States is studied using the latest version of the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) regional-scale Community Multiscale Air Quality (CMAQv4.7) modeling system. Emissions of marine isoprene, monoterpenes, and primary organic matter (POM) from the ocean are implemented into the model to provide a comprehensive view of the connection between ocean biology and atmospheric chemistry and air pollution. Model simulations show that marine organics can increase the concentration of PM2.5 by 0.1–0.3 μg m−3 (up to 5%) in some coastal cities such as San Francisco, CA. This increase in the PM2.5 concentration is primarily attributed to the POM emissions, with small contributions from the marine isoprene and monoterpenes. When marine organic emissions are included, organic carbon (OC) concentrations over the remote ocean are increased by up to 50% (25% in coastal areas), values consistent with recent observational findings. This study is the first to quantify the air quality impacts from marine POM and monoterpenes for the United States, and it highlights the need for inclusion of marine organic emissions in air quality models.
Toxins for toe-walking: should they be used?

Nothing confounds a parent or grandparent more than watching their young child walk “abnormally.” Whether the concern is flat feet, in-toeing, or bowed legs, most of our orthopaedic care of these children consists of education and reassurance. However, when the family complains that their child is walking on his or her toes, red flags go up in the clinician’s mind. Does the child have cerebral palsy that has not been diagnosed, does the patient have muscular dystrophy, or is this a case of idiopathic or habitual toe-walking? The first two questions can be answered by means of a careful history and physical examination and treated appropriately, but idiopathic toe-walking is a conundrum. What are its causes and what are the best ways to treat this perplexing and relatively common condition1? It is clear to me that idiopathic toe-walking is a neurologically based diagnosis. Many of the children are on the autism spectrum2, and many have speech and language delays3. There is the hypothesis that this condition may be a sensory processing dysfunction4 or even a form of dyspraxia. Regardless of the etiology, the treating physician is faced with many different options: night splinting, serial casts, chemodenervation, and, …
“Embodied Risk: ‘Framing,’ Consumption Style and the Deterrence of Crimes of Passion”

In the author’s, “Consumption Style as Choice Under Risk: Static Choice, Dynamic Irrationality and Crimes of Passion,” a novel concept of “embodied risk” was developed, and it was argued there that in circumstances which favored the appearance of “embodied risk,” consumer behavior could well systematically differ from what it would be if the same quantitative probability prospects were present in the conventional disembodied, or “abstract” risk context. These behavioral differences occurred in both a static and dynamic setting, and rather unusual dynamic anomalies could emerge in the “embodied” context. Finally, the paper demonstrated how the phenomenon of “crime of passion” could be straightforwardly rationalized in terms of “embodied risk” processes.
Conflict of Laws: Review of New York Law

In 1963 the New York Court of Appeals made history by breaking from the place-of-the-injury rule in tort conflicts cases. Ten years later New York's high court again made history, this time for attempting to craft new and narrower rules in tort conflicts. However, the new and narrower rules essentially amount to a common domicile exception to the old place-of-the-injury rule.
Foreign Hard Look Review

For decades, courts and scholars have been engaged in a protracted and largely polarized debate over a seemingly simple question: how should courts address cases that implicate foreign affairs? On the one hand are those who seek expansive deference to the Executive’s conduct of foreign affairs. On the other are those who argue that the courts must enforce the rule of law in foreign affairs cases lest they abdicate their responsibility to keep the Executive in check. This Article provides an alternative approach to the judicial role in foreign relations cases — one that navigates between judicial abdication and judicial entanglement. It argues that administrative law’s doctrine of hard look review can be usefully applied to many situations of executive foreign policymaking. Foreign hard look review would allow the courts to exercise their duty to prevent arbitrary and capricious decisionmaking while still preserving the Executive’s expertise in foreign affairs. In areas of foreign relations law as diverse as the political question doctrine, the President’s completion power, national security deference, the Executive’s power to violate customary international law, and the making of executive agreements and other international obligations, foreign hard look review provides a way for courts to fulfill their constitutional role without encumbering the Executive’s making of foreign policy.