cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
The effect of platinum oxide films on reaction kinetics at platinum electrodes

Abstract It has been known for some time that the pre-treatment of platinum electrodes often effects subsequent electrochemical reactions. Part of the effect of pre-treatment is due to the fact that anodized or chemically oxidized platinum electrodes become coated to some degree with a film of platinum oxide. This work was concerned with quantitative measurement of kinetic parameters as a function of the extent of oxide film formation. Whenever possible, variations in reaction mechanisms are proposed. Most of the experimental evidence has been taken from current-potential curves but the techniques of chronopotentiometry and microscopy were also used. The reduction of vanadiumV chromiumVI, arsenicV, iodate and oxygen were investigated as well as the oxidation of vanadiumIV, arsenicIII, oxalic acid, and formic acid. The presence of the platinum oxide film effected the reactions studied in a variety of ways but in every case some variation in the kinetic parameters of the reactions studied was recorded. For a number of cases, a modified oxygen bridge theory was found useful.
Correlations of patch test reactivity and the repeated open application test (ROAT)/provocative use test (PUT)

The clinical relevance of patch test reactions is often difficult to determine. Use tests have been developed to further evaluate the significance of patch test results. We review studies that have defined correlations between the threshold concentrations at patch testing and the outcome of use tests for particular chemical allergens. Results of patch testing with serial dilutions of colophony, cinnamic aldehyde, and isoeugenol have shown concordance with the outcome of use tests. On the other hand, poor correlations between patch test reactivity and the use test were demonstrated in another study on isoeugenol and on studies on hydroxycitronellal, formaldehyde and chromium. These studies shed light on some factors that may influence the outcome of use tests. Individual factors such as patch test sensitivity, regional variations in reactivity and percutaneous penetration appear to play significant roles. Exposure dose, length of time of exposure, and other factors yet to be determined also affect degree of reactivity. Because patients with low thresholds in serial dilution patch testing are known to react to lower concentrations of products at use testing, results of these studies may be used to help identify subjects with a high risk of developing clinical disease. From the public health standpoint, data obtained may be used as a guide in limiting exposure concentrations in consumer products.
Does parenteral volume expansion improve outcomes in children infected with Escherichia coli O157:H7?

Does parenteral volume expansion improve outcomes in children infected with Escherichia coli O157:H7?
Microemulsion-Templated Synthesis of Carbon Nanotube-Supported Pd and Rh Nanoparticles for Catalytic Applications

Palladium, rhodium, and bimetallic Pd/Rh nanoparticles synthesized in a water-in-hexane microemulsion can be deposited directly on surfaces of functionalized multiwalled carbon nanotubes with high yields. The CNT-supported Pd nanoparticles are active catalysts for hydrogenation of olefins, for carbon-carbon bond formation, and for carbon-oxygen bond cleavage reactions. The CNT-supported Rh nanoparticles are active catalysts for hydrogenation of arenes, and the CNT-supported bimetallic Pd/Rh nanoparticles show an unusually high catalytic activity for hydrogenation of anthracene. This simple and novel synthetic technique for making CNT-supported monometallic and bimetallic nanoparticles may have a wide range of catalytic applications for chemical syntheses.
Models for Homogeneous Deep Hydrodesulfurization. Intramolecular CO Substitution by the Sulfur in [(η6-2-methylbenzothiophene)Mn(CO)3]+ and [(η6-dibenzothiophene)Mn(CO)3]+ after Regiospecific Insertion of Platinum into a C−S Bond

Coordination of Mn(CO)3+ to a carbocyclic ring of sterically congested thiophenes activates a C−S bond to regiospecific insertion of platinum. The resulting metallathiacycles contain a nucleophilic sulfur atom that undergoes spontaneous intramolecular CO substitution at the manganese center.
Wavenumber-Domain Theory of Terahertz Single-Walled Carbon Nanotube Antenna

A theoretical study is presented on the characteristics of terahertz antennas formed by metallic single-walled carbon nanotube (SWCNT) dipoles. The Boltzmann transport equation and Maxwell's equations are combined with boundary conditions of the electron distribution function, in order to formulate a wavenumber-domain integral equation for the current, which considers the spatial dispersion and provides higher level of accuracy and generality than existing approaches. Through proper approximations of that equation, the same spatial integral equations from several other studies can be drawn. The radiation properties of the SWCNT antenna are derived from the wavenumber-domain current. Numerical results are given for short dipole antennas and those with length close to the half wavelength in free space. They are compared to the results calculated by other methods. We also investigate the frequency dependence of conductance under different values of relaxation frequency and find the increase of relaxation frequency leads to strong attenuation of surface-wave resonances.
Introduction: Developing-Country Firms as Agents of Environmental Sustainability?

The second sector, which is typical of a Southern economy, is directed toward the domestic markets, and has a much thinner capital base, which results in the downwards business spiral of poor training and poor technology leading to poor profit margins….It comes as little surprise that this sector is also frequently the more polluting and resource inefficient (Wehrmeyer and Mulugetta 1999:5). Most evaluations of the potential of developing-country firms as agents of environmental sustainability are pessimistic. Developing-country firms are assumed to be environmental laggards, particularly in comparison to their industrialized country counterparts. They are assumed to be trapped in structures that dictate polluting practices as the only viable business model. And it is assumed that greatest potential for improving firm environmental practice in developing countries lies with the local subsidiaries of foreign multinationals and not with developing-country firms. These assumptions reflect empirical realities. Developing-country economies are polluting. However, they can also be misleading. The articles in this special issue of Studies in Comparative International Development offer competing characterizations of developing-country firms as potential agents in processes of sustainable development. Ranging across the globe from Ecuador to China, they each profile cases of developing-country firms embracing aspects of environmental protection, and even emerging as global leaders in the manufacturing and dissemination of clean technologies.
Earthquake mechanism and predictability shown by a laboratory fault

Slip events generated in a laboratory fault model consisting of a circulinear chain of eight spring-connected blocks of approximately equal weight elastically driven to slide on a frictional surface are studied. It is found that most of the input strain energy is released by a relatively few large events, which are approximately time predictable. A large event tends to roughen stress distribution along the fault, whereas the subsequent smaller events tend to smooth the stress distribution and prepare a condition of simultaneous criticality for the occurrence of the next large event. The frequency-size distribution resembles the Gutenberg-Richter relation for earthquakes, except for a falloff for the largest events due to the finite energy-storage capacity of the fault system. Slip distributions, in different events are commonly dissimilar. Stress drop, slip velocity, and rupture velocity all tend to increase with event size. Rupture-initiation locations are usually not close to the maximum-slip locations.
Technology Transfer and the Spillover Effect to Local Firms: Evidence from India

The article discusses research by Vinish Kathuria, who tested the spillover effect in a study examining whether domestic Indian firms have indirectly benefited from foreign direct investment because of the transfer of technology from multinational corporations (MNC) to local firms. Implications of technology transfer on productivity are looked at. The effect of MNC presence on technology spillover was examined using 14 years of data from 1975-76 to 1988-89, from 368 firms across 26 manufacturing industries. It was concluded that indirect gains or spillovers should not be assumed to be an automatic consequence of foreign firms' presence in developing economies. Kathuria suggests that spillover is most likely an outcome of the efforts of local firms to invest in learning or research and development activities.
A new family of gaseous sensors utilizing catalyst-adsorptive oxide-semiconductor MIS structure

Summary form only given. A new family of gaseous sensors utilizing catalyst-adsorptive oxide-semiconductor MIS structures fabricated on silicon has been developed for gas detection. Devices with Pd, Pt, or Ag as catalyst layer deposited on highly sensitive SnO/sub x/ or ZnO adsorptive oxide incorporated in the MIS capacitor have been studied for the detection of O/sub 2/, H/sub 2/, and CO gases. The operating principle of the devices is based on the change in ionic charge density and/or charge redistribution in the adsorptive oxide, SnO/sub x/, or ZnO of the MIS capacitor upon gas adsorption. This leads to a shift in the flatband voltage of the device. The mechanism of O/sub 2/ detection is attributed to the dissociation of O/sub 2/ molecules on the metal catalyst and the subsequent chemisorption at extrinsic surface states in the adsorptive oxide as negatively charged ions. The detection of H/sub 2/ and CO in air ambient is through a reaction with the extrinsic states associated with the chemisorbed oxygen ions. >
Conversion to complete resection and/or ablation using hepatic artery infusional chemotherapy in patients with unresectable liver metastases from colorectal cancer: a decade of experience at a single institution.

When feasible, surgical treatment of colorectal liver metastases (CRLM) is the treatment of choice. Regional hepatic artery infusional (HAI) chemotherapy effectively treats CRLM. The combination of HAI and systemic chemotherapy may downsize tumors and allow for complete resection and/or ablation (R/A). This study analyzes the combination of HAI and systemic chemotherapy for treating unresectable CRLM, focusing on conversion to complete R/A. All patients with unresectable CRLM treated with HAI and systemic chemotherapy from 2000 to 2009 were included. Patients who responded sufficiently to undergo complete R/A were compared to those who did not convert. Survival was compared using a landmark analysis to account for bias. A total of 373 patients were included; 93 patients (25 %) subsequently underwent complete R/A. The percentage of patients submitted to complete R/A increased from 16 % during 2000–2003 to 30 % during 2004–2009. Factors associated with conversion on multivariate analysis were more recent treatment (2004–2009), no prior chemotherapy, clinical risk score <3, treatment on clinical protocol, and younger age. Median and predicted 5-year survival from the time of HAI pump placement was 59 months and 47 %, respectively, in the patients who converted to complete R/A, compared with 16 months and 6 %, respectively in those who did not (p < 0.001). Despite extensive disease, 25 % of patients with unresectable CRLM responded sufficiently to undergo complete R/A following HAI plus systemic chemotherapy. Combination HAI and systemic chemotherapy is an effective strategy to convert patients to complete resection with an associated excellent long-term survival.
DOUBLE‐STRANDED RNA AND THE ENZYMOLOGY OF INTERFERON ACTION*

Extracts from interferon-treated, not virus-infected Ehrlich ascites tumor cells differ in various biochemical characteristics from extracts of control cells. We studied three enzymes whose level is enhanced in cells upon treatment with IF and which are causing some of the differences. (2'-5')(A)n synthetase, an enzyme converting ATP into a series of (2'-5') linked oligoadenylates ((2'-5')(An)) in the presence of dsRNA was purified to homogeneity and characterized. The second enzyme, RNase L, a latent endonuclease, which can be activated by (2'-5')(A)n to cleave single-stranded RNAs, was purified several hundredfold. The activation of this enzyme is reversible and is lost upon removal of (2'-5')(A)n. The activation is not accompanied by a large change in shape of conformation of the enzyme. The third enzyme is a protein kinase which if activated by dsRNA can phosphorylate the peptide chain initiation factor eIF-2 and a protein designated P1 of 67,000 daltons. This enzyme was purified several thousandfold. The most highly purified preparation consists of three proteins with P1 as the most abundant component.
Learnability of Technical Vocabulary Depends upon Familiarity, Comprehensibility and Imagery

Preliminary findings indicate that undergraduates' retention of the meanings of technical vocabulary items depends upon at least three attributes associated with the items themselves. The “learnability” of 46 low-frequency relatively technical vocabulary words and their definitions, assessed as percentage of correct responses on a randomly ordered multiple-choice comprehension test, was significantly correlated .45 with familiarity, .32 with comprehensibility and .28 with imagery ratings obtained for the items from two other groups of raters. Comprehensibility and imagery were significant predictors independent of familiarity (partial r = .30 and .26, respectively) and familiarity was a significant predictor independent of the other two (partial r = .44 for both). Learnability of unfamiliar technical terms might be improved by providing some acquaintance with them before explicit instruction, by defining them in simple understandable terms and by using concrete terms high in visual, pictorial or sensory c...
Hormonal contraception, sickle cell trait, and risk for venous thromboembolism among African American women.

Objective We evaluated the effect of oral and other hormonal contraceptive (HC) use on venous thromboembolism risk among African American women and investigated whether the association was modified by the sickle cell trait. Study Design We report the findings of a case-control study that included 60 African American women with an idiopathic, first episode of venous thromboembolism and 196 African American controls. Results The odds of current HC use compared with noncurrent use contrasting cases and controls is 3.8 (95% confidence interval [CI], 1.7-8.1; P Conclusion This study provides persuasive evidence that hormonal contraceptive use increases venous thromboembolism risk among African American women and that the increase in risk may be larger among women with sickle cell trait.
Firm‐level performance impact of IS support for product innovation

Purpose – This paper seeks to assess the bottom‐line (profitability) impact of information systems support for product innovation at the firm level, based on the current resource‐based view of the competitive role of information systems (IS). The paper also explores the role of firm‐specific information and knowledge that complement IS support for product innovation in moderating the performance impact of the IS support.Design/methodology/approach – Both survey and archival data were used to assess the profitability impact of IS support for product innovation. Data tapping IS support for product innovation and firm‐specific, complementary information and knowledge were collected from a survey of senior IS executives from 760 large companies operating in different industries in the United States. The profitability data were obtained from the Research Insight database. Hierarchical regression analyses were employed to test the research hypotheses.Findings – Providing IS support for product innovation alone ...
Comparison of cardiorespiratory and EEG abnormalities with seizures in adults and children

Cardiopulmonary dysfunction and postictal generalized EEG suppression (PGES) are proposed as possible risk factors for the occurrence of SUDEP. The evolution of cardiorespiratory abnormalities with seizures has not been systematically studied for any age-related findings. Additionally, not many studies have looked into the possible effect of age-related brain maturation on PGES. The purpose of this study was to compare these SUDEP risk factors in adults versus children. We prospectively recorded cardiopulmonary abnormalities during seizures using pulse oximetry, EKG, and respiratory inductance plethysmography. Linear and logistic regression models adjusting for multiple seizures in a single patient were used to compare the cardiorespiratory and EEG findings between adults and children. We recorded 101 seizures in 26 children and 55 seizures in 22 adults. Ictal central apnea and bradycardia occurred more often in children than in adults (p=0.02 and p=0.008, respectively), while ictal tachycardia occurred more often in adults (p=0.001) than in children. Postictal generalized EEG suppression of longer duration occurred more often in adults (p=0.003) than in children. Minimum O2 saturation and seizure duration/generalization/lateralization did not significantly differ between adults and children (p>0.1). Children had more frontal lobe seizures, and adults had more temporal lobe seizures recorded (p=0.01). There may be an age-related effect on cardiorespiratory and EEG abnormalities associated with seizures, with higher rates of apnea and bradycardia in children and a much higher prevalence of PGES of longer duration in adults. This may indicate why, despite lower rates of cardiopulmonary dysfunction, adults die more frequently from SUDEP than children.
Effect of an inhaled corticosteroid on methacholine airway reactivity

Methacholine airway reactivity was studied in seven asthmatic patients before and at the end of 4 mo of beclomethasone dipropionate therapy, as well as in a control group. There was no statistically significant change in reactivity in either group, suggesting that a change in airway cholinergic receptor activity is not part of the mechanism of action of corticosteroids in asthma.
German records from 1920s show long‐term ocean warming

Over past centuries the crews of ships regularly measured some basic properties of the waters through which they sailed, such as temperature and salinity. These historical observations have proven to be important for climate modelers who are trying to validate their work. In recent years the importance of the deep ocean as a sink for the extra energy trapped by anthropogenic climate change has come to the fore. Unfortunately, the vast majority of deep-ocean observations do not start until the 1980s. From 1925 to 1927, however, the German research vessel Meteor crisscrossed the Atlantic Ocean on an expedition that collected a uniquely thorough record of oceanographic properties for the full depth of the ocean basin. The ship made 13 coast-to-coast sweeps from the Southern Ocean to the tropical North Atlantic, providing a set of observations that were largely unmatched until the 1990s.
Synthesis and Characterization of Surface-Grafted, Hyperbranched Polymer Films Containing Fluorescent, Hydrophobic, Ion-Binding, Biocompatible, and Electroactive Groups

We report the derivatization of hyperbranched poly(acrylic acid) (PAA) films with a wide range of amino- or alcohol-terminated molecules. These molecules can include moieties such as pyrene, ferrocene, poly(ethylene glycol), 15-crown-5, and a dye. To derivatize PAA films, we activate their carboxylic acid groups with isobutyl chloroformate and allow them to react with amine- or alcohol-containing molecules. Infrared spectroscopy demonstrates the formation of amide and ester bonds upon coupling as well as the presence of the derivative functional groups. Excimer fluorescence from pyrene-containing films implies a high density of pyrene groups. However, we can control the amount of pyrene in the film (and obtain monomer fluorescence) by varying the concentration of Py(CH2)3CONH(CH2)2NH2 in the derivatization solution. Cyclic voltammetry of ferrocene-containing films shows an electrochemically addressable ferrocenyl surface coverage of (6 ± 3) × 10-9 mol/cm2 in three-layer PAA films. PAA films and their deri...
User Attitudes and Management Information System Use

A study of an industrial sales force shows several specific attitudes to be positively related to use of a computer based information system. The results support and extend previous findings and su...
A survey of the binary systems of technetium with group VIII transition elements

Abstract A preliminary survey has been made of the phases, present in the binary systems of Co- and Ni-group elements with Tc at 1050°C. It was found that these elements have extensive solid solubility in Tc and that intermediate phases are not present at the temperature of this investigation. In most of the systems investigated, the elements of the Co and Ni groups appear to have a higher solubility in Tc than in Re.
Cones and Segre Classes

If X is a proper subvariety of a variety Y, the Segre class (s X, Y) of X in Y is the class in A * X defined as follows: let C = C x Y be the normal cone to X in Y, P (C) the projectivized normal cone, p the projection from P (C) to X. Then $$ s\left( {X,Y} \right) = {\sum\limits_{i \geqslant 0} {{p_*}\left({{c_1}\left( \theta \right)\left( 1 \right)} \right)} ^i} \cap \left[ {p\left( C \right)} \right] $$ When Xis regularly imbedded in Y, C = N is a vector bundle, and $$ s\left( {X,Y} \right) = c{\left( N \right)^{ - 1}} \cap \left[ X \right] $$ These Segre classes have a fundamental birational invariance: if f: Y’ → Y is a birational proper morphism, and X’= f -1 (X), then s (X’, Y’) pushes forward to s (X, Y).
Effects of seasonal drought on net carbon dioxide exchange from a woody-plant-encroached semiarid grassland

[1] Annual precipitation in the central and southern warm-desert region of North America is distributed climatologically between summer and winter periods with two prominent dry periods between them. We used energy and carbon dioxide (CO2) fluxes from eddy covariance along with standard meteorological and soil moisture measurements at a semiarid savanna in southern Arizona, United States, to better understand the consequences of warm or cool season drought on ecosystem CO2 exchange in these bimodally forced water-limited regions. Over the last 100 years, this historic grassland has converted to a savanna by the encroachment of the native mesquite tree (Prosopis velutina Woot.). During each of the 4 years of observation (2004–2007), annual precipitation (P) was below average, but monsoon (July–September) P was both above and below average while cool-season (December–March) P was always less than average by varying degrees. The ecosystem was a net source of CO2 to the atmosphere, ranging from 14 to 95 g C m � 2 yr � 1 with the strength of the source increasing with decreasing precipitation. When the rainfall was closest to the long-term average in its distribution and amount, the ecosystem was essentially carbon neutral. Summer drought resulted in increased carbon losses due mainly to a shortening of the growing season and the length of time later in the season when photosynthetic gain exceeds respiration loss. Severe cool season drought led to decreased spring carbon uptake and seemingly enhanced summer respiration, resulting in conditions that led to the greatest annual net carbon loss.
Traumatic stress, affect dysregulation, and dysfunctional avoidance: A structural equation model

The multivariate relationship between interpersonal trauma, posttraumatic stress, affect dysregulation, and various avoidance behaviors was examined in a sample of 418 trauma-exposed participants from the general population. Structural equation modeling indicated that (a) suicidality, substance abuse, dissociation, and problematic activities such as self-injury and dysfunctional sexual behaviors were all indicators of a robust latent variable, named dysfunctional avoidance, (b) accumulated exposure to various types of interpersonal trauma was associated with this avoidance factor, and (c) the relationship between trauma and dysfunctional avoidance was independently mediated by both posttraumatic stress and diminished affect regulation capacity.
Distribution and Age of High-Grade Blueschists, Associated Eclogites, and Amphibolites from Oregon and California

Isolated blocks of high-grade blueschist and amphibolite facies metamorphic rocks occur within the Jurassic and Cretaceous eugeosynclinal deposits of the Coast Ranges of southwestern Oregon and California. The blocks range in size from individual rock masses commonly 5 to 1,000 ft in diameter to a few larger masses as much as 7 mi long and 2 mi wide. The high-grade blocks are predominantly basaltic in composition and include glaucophane schists, eclogites, and gneissic rocks of the amphibolite facies. Field relationships indicate that the blocks are closely associated with serpentine, that high-grade blueschist and amphibolite blocks, lower grade blueschists, volcanic rocks, and cherts occupy disturbed zones that may be related to thrusting, and that there is no exposed in situ provenance for the high-grade blueschists, eclogites, and amphibolites. Potassium-argon mineral ages of white mica and actinolite from the blueschists and of hornblende from the amphibolites indicate that these minerals crystallized approximately 150 m.y. ago, but the ages measured on glaucophane from the blueschist blocks are commonly younger. These data suggest that the high-grade blue-schist and amphibolite blocks represent fragments of a cryptic metamorphic terrane of pre-Tithonian age that have been tectonically mixed with younger rocks of the Franciscan Formation in California and Otter Point Formation in Oregon. The younger ages for glaucophane probably reflect metamorphic episodes in which lower grade in situ blueschist facies mineral assemblages were developed in the blocks after their emplacement within the Franciscan Formation. This pre-Tithonian cryptic metamorphic terrane probably developed as a result of interaction between oceanic and continental plates. The occurrence of tectonic blocks of this terrane within melange zones in Oregon and California may be related to later plate interaction.
Phase I Study of the Safety and Pharmacokinetics of Plerixafor in Children Undergoing a Second Allogeneic Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation for Relapsed or Refractory Leukemia

Abstract The safety, pharmacokinetics, and biological effect of plerixafor in children as part of a conditioning regimen for chemo-sensitization in allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) have not been studied. This is a phase I study of plerixafor designed to evaluate its tolerability at dose of .24 mg/kg given intravenously on day −4 (level 1); day −4 and day −3 (level 2); or day −4, day −3, and day −2 (level 3) in combination with fludarabine, thiotepa, melphalan, and rabbit antithymocytic globulin for a second allogeneic HSCT in children with refractory or relapsed leukemia. Immunophenotype analysis was performed on blood and bone marrow before and after plerixafor administration. Twelve patients were enrolled. Plerixafor at all 3 levels was well tolerated without dose-limiting toxicity. Transient gastrointestinal side effects of National Cancer Institute–grade 1 or 2 in severity were the most common adverse events. The area under the concentration-time curve increased proportionally to the dose level. Plerixafor clearance was higher in males and increased linearly with body weight and glomerular filtration rate. The clearance decreased and the elimination half-life increased significantly from dose level 1 to 3 (P
Intergovernmental Revenue Estimation: Evidence from New York State School Districts

This study develops a model of school budget decision making and examines the nature of state aid estimation. Revenue estimation can be divided into three distinct components: strategy-driven difference, uncertainty-triggered difference, and true error term. Underestimation of state aid revenues is the dominant budgetary behavior, but a significant number of districts end up with undesired overestimation. Overestimation is more prevalent among high aid dependent, rural, and urban districts. Institutional constraints, such as local budget vote, tend to reduce the size of state aid estimation difference. The uncertainty-triggered difference tends to increase as a response to compounded negative signals (low levels of Governor's proposal on state aid and late state budgets). Although there is evidence that state aid estimation differences ultimately end up in the fund balance, this study could not confirm that lower levels of prior year fund balances would trigger districts into a more aggressive underestima...
P-glycoprotein does not actively transport nicotine and cotinine.

The ABCB1 gene transporter P-glycoprotein (P-gp) exists in the blood – brain barrier (BBB) and placenta and limits many drugs passing through the BBB and placenta. Several recent studies have raised confounding results regarding the roles of P-gp in nicotine disposition. To ascertain this question, we examined the effects of nicotine and its major oxidative metabolite, cotinine, on ATPase activity using P-gp containing membranes, in which nicotine and cotinine-stimulated inorganic P i was used as a marker of the binding affinity of nicotine and cotinine to P-gp. At concentrations ranging from 5 to 1000 ?μm, both nicotine and cotinine produced modest stimulative effects on ATPase activity in the P-gp containing membrane. The Clint values of nicotine and cotinine were 0.01 and 0.007 minute − 1 × 10 − 3, respectively. The positive control, verapamil, at concentrations ranging from 1 to 100?μ m, created apparent stimulative effects on ATPase activity, with a Clint value of 1.7 minute − 1 × 10 − 3, consistent with previously reported results. The results of the current study suggest that nicotine and cotinine were not actively transported by P-gp out of the cells. The observed carrier-mediated nicotine transport in various cell lines may be mediated by other transporter proteins but not P-gp.
Fire-and-Forget: Load/Store Scheduling with No Store Queue at All

Modern processors use CAM-based load and store queues (LQ/SQ) to support out-of-order memory scheduling and store-to-load forwarding. However, the LQ and SQ scale poorly for the sizes required for large-window, high- ILP processors. Past research has proposed ways to make the SQ more scalable by reorganizing the CAMs or using non-associative structures. In particular, the Store Queue Index Prediction (SQIP) approach allows for load instructions to predict the exact SQ index of a sourcing store and access the SQ in a much simpler and more scalable RAMbased fashion. The reason why SQIP works is that loads that receive data directly from stores will usually receive the data from the same store each time. In our work, we take a slightly different view on the underlying observation used by SQIP: a store that forwards data to a load usually forwards to the same load each time. This subtle change in perspective leads to our "Fire-and- Forget" (FnF) scheme for load/store scheduling and forwarding that results in the complete elimination of the store queue. The idea is that stores issue out of the reservation stations like regular instructions, and any store that forwards data to a load will use a predicted LQ index to directly write the value to the LQ entry without any associative logic. Any mispredictions/misforwardings are detected by a low-overhead pre-commit re-execution mechanism. Our original goal for FnF was to design a more scalable memory scheduling microarchitecture than the previously proposed approaches without degrading performance. The relative infrequency of store-to-load forwarding, accurate LQ index prediction, and speculative cloaking actually combine to enable FnF to slightly out-perform the competition. Specifically, our simulation results show that our SQless Fire-and-Forget provides a 3.3% speedup over a processor using a conventional fully-associative SQ.
Handling interdependent values in an auction mechanism for bandwidth allocation in tactical data networks

We consider a tactical data network with limited bandwidth, in which each agent is tracking objects and may have value for receiving data from other agents. The agents are self-interested and would prefer to receive data than share data. Each agent has private information about the quality of its data and can misreport this quality and degrade or otherwise decline to share its data. The problem is one of interdependent value mechanism design because the value to one agent for the broadcast of data on an object depends on the quality of the data, which is privately known to the sender. A recent two-stage mechanism due to Mezzetti (2004) can be modified to our setting. Our mechanism achieves efficient bandwidth allocation and provides incentive compatibility by conditioning payments on the realized value for data shared between agents.
Lane boundary and curb estimation with lateral uncertainties

This paper describes an algorithm for estimating lane boundaries and curbs from a moving vehicle using noisy observations and a probabilistic model of curvature. The primary contribution of this paper is a curve model we call lateral uncertainty, which describes the uncertainty of a curve estimate along the lateral direction at various points on the curve, and does not attempt to capture uncertainty along the longitudinal direction of the curve. Additionally, our method incorporates expected road curvature information derived from an empirical study of a real road network. Our method is notable in that it accurately captures the geometry of arbitrarily complex lane boundary curves that are not well approximated by straight lines or low-order polynomial curves. Our method operates independently of the direction of travel of the vehicle, and incorporates sensor uncertainty associated with individual observations. We analyze the benefits and drawbacks of the approach, and show results of our algorithm applied to real world data sets
The Use of Cystathionine γ-Synthase in the Production of α and Chiral β Deuterated Amino Acids

Abstract Chiral exchange at the α hydrogen position can be carried out on gram scale in 2 H 2 O for all of the standard amino acids utilizing Eschericha coli cystathionine γ-synthase. The α hydrogen exchange of glycine is highly stereoselective. The amino acids fall into four classes with respect to the selectivity of exchange at the β position: β′/β rate ∼50 (arginine, glutamine, histidine, homoserine, and lysine), β′/β rate ∼8 (asparagine, glutamate, methionine, ornithine, and S -methyl cysteine), β′/β ∼1 (leucine, aspartate, and alanine), and those seemingly too slow for large-scale exchange (isoleucine, phenylalanine, O -methyl tyrosine, serine, threonine, tryptophan, and valine). The stereochemistry of selective β exchange is the same for all cases studied.
Functional morphology of burrowing in the mayflies Hexagenia limbata and Pentagenia vittigera

A video system, consisting of a high-resolution, infrared-sensitive, surveillance television camera, time-date generator, video recorder and high-resolution monitor, was developed for naturalistic observation of the subaquatic activities of larval mayflies. Exemplars were isolated from light, sound and mechanical disturbance, and their burrowing behaviour was recorded for subsequent slow-motion analysis. Larvae of silt-inhabiting Hexagenia limbata were observed to be ploughers that displaced and compacted soft substrate in the excavation of an open tunnel. The head and prothoracic legs had the principal roles in substrate displacement, while the mesothoracic and metathoracic legs drove the body forward. Five stereotyped burrowing cycles were distinguished, although one, termed the Alternate Undercut because of the motions of the prothoracic legs, predominated. Larvae of clay-inhabiting Pentagenia vittigera were observed to chisel and gouge out compacted substrates, also creating an open burrow. Their mandibular tusks were used to dislodge substrate, while the prothoracic legs displaced loosened substrate and widened the opening. The body was driven forward either by strong abdominal flexions or by activity of the mesothoracic and metathoracic legs. Four burrowing cycles were distinguished, two of which, the Tusk Gouge and the Chisel and Sweep, predominated. Differences in proportion and armature of the head and appendages correlated with the different substrate types excavated.
Metro sports columnists’ sources for writing controversy

This 2004 metro newspaper study on N = 53 sports columnists writing for metro newspapers with circulations in excess of 100,000, identifies and discusses their sources for writing controversial opi...
Diffusion tensor imaging of normal-appearing white matter as biomarker for radiation-induced late delayed cognitive decline.

Purpose: To determine whether early assessment of cerebral white matter degradation can predict late delayed cognitive decline after radiotherapy (RT). Methods and Materials: Ten patients undergoing conformal fractionated brain RT participated in a prospective diffusion tensor magnetic resonance imaging study. Magnetic resonance imaging studies were acquired before RT, at 3 and 6 weeks during RT, and 10, 30, and 78 weeks after starting RT. The diffusivity variables in the parahippocampal cingulum bundle and temporal lobe white matter were computed. A quality-of-life survey and neuro-cognitive function tests were administered before and after RT at the magnetic resonance imaging follow-up visits. Results: In both structures, longitudinal diffusivity (lambda(parallel to)) decreased and perpendicular diffusivity (lambda(perpendicular to)) increased after RT, with early changes correlating to later changes (p 50% of cingula volume receiving >12 Gy had a greater increase in lambda(perpendicular to) at 3 and 6 weeks (p < .05). The post-RT changes in verbal recall scores correlated linearly with the late changes in cingulum lambda(parallel to) (30 weeks, p < .02). Using receiver operating characteristic curves, early cingulum lambda(parallel to) changes predicted for post-RT changes in verbal recall scores (3 and 6 weeks, p < .05). The neurocognitive test scores correlated significantly with the quality-of-life survey results. Conclusions: The correlation between early diffusivity changes in the parahippocampal cingulum and the late decline in verbal recall suggests that diffusion tensor imaging might be useful as a biomarker for predicting late delayed cognitive decline. (C) 2012 Elsevier Inc. (Less)
Who's who? Identifying concepts and entities across multiple documents

A number of research and software development groups have developed technology for identifying terms and names in documents and associating them with concepts and named entries, but few have addressed coreference of concepts and entities across multiple documents in a collection. Cross-document coreference is challenging, since a collection of documents consists of multiple discourse contexts, with a many-to-many correspondence between terms and names on one hand and the concepts and entities they refer to on the other. In this paper we describe extensions to our intra-document term and name identification for coreferencing concepts and entities across documents.
Population structure in the roundtail chub (gila robusta complex) of the gila river basin as determined by microsatellites: Evolutionary and conservation implications

Ten microsatellite loci were characterized for 34 locations from roundtail chub (Gila robusta complex) to better resolve patterns of genetic variation among local populations in the lower Colorado River basin. This group has had a complex taxonomic history and previous molecular analyses failed to identify species diagnostic molecular markers. Our results supported previous molecular studies based on allozymes and DNA sequences, which found that most genetic variance was explained by differences among local populations. Samples from most localities were so divergent species-level diagnostic markers were not found. Some geographic samples were discordant with current taxonomy due to admixture or misidentification; therefore, additional morphological studies are necessary. Differences in spatial genetic structure were consistent with differences in connectivity of stream habitats, with the typically mainstem species, G. robusta, exhibiting greater genetic connectedness within the Gila River drainage. No species exhibited strong isolation by distance over the entire stream network, but the two species typically found in headwaters, G. nigra and G. intermedia, exhibited greater than expected genetic similarity between geographically proximate populations, and usually clustered with individuals from the same geographic location and/or sub-basin. These results highlight the significance of microevolutionary processes and importance of maintaining local populations to maximize evolutionary potential for this complex. Augmentation stocking as a conservation management strategy should only occur under extreme circumstances, and potential source populations should be geographically proximate stocks of the same species, especially for the headwater forms.
Estimating Off-Road Ground Contact Forces for a Real Time Motion Simulator

Researchers at the US Army Engineer Research and Development Center (ERDC), working in the field of vehicle mobility, have developed methods to predict the physical interactions of vehicles with soil surfaces. This set of methods use research conducted at the ERDC over the last 40 years to predict the physical interactions of vehicles and terrain surfaces under all seasons. Methodologies to measure pertinent terrain properties and assess vehicle performance have also been developed. Much of the work focused on practical applications and is the result of extensive vehicle performance testing and the subsequent analysis of the test results. While there have been attempts to identify and characterize soil media properties using standard soil classification techniques and to assess their effects on vehicle mobility using classical soil mechanics and other theoretical approaches, the current state-of-the-art is such that these approaches have limited practical application. The ERDC's approach has been to quantify and relate a set of fundamental vehicle traction element performances to easily obtainable terrain properties. This empirical and lumped parameter approach has provided relevant and verifiable results for decades, but due to its nature, is difficult to extrapolate and manipulate mathematically. Nevertheless, the ease of obtaining suitable terrain properties, its historical success in vehicle performance predictions, and its maturity and broad validation database have made it an attractive choice for implementation into a simulated terrain mechanics model for real time dynamics vehicle simulators. This paper describes the algorithms selected for estimating longitudinal force coefficients for soils (frozen and non-frozen), snow, and ice, and the underlying assumptions.
Point spread function engineering with multiphoton SPIFI

MultiPhoton SPatIal Frequency modulated Imaging (MP-SPIFI) has recently demonstrated the ability to simultaneously obtain super-resolved images in both coherent and incoherent scattering processes — namely, second harmonic generation and two-photon fluorescence, respectively. 1 In our previous analysis, we considered image formation produced by the zero and first diffracted orders from the SPIFI modulator. However, the modulator is a binary amplitude mask, and therefore produces multiple diffracted orders. In this work, we extend our analysis to image formation in the presence of higher diffracted orders. We find that tuning the mask duty cycle offers a measure of control over the shape of super-resolved point spread functions in an MP-SPIFI microscope.
Resonant plasmon-axion excitations induced by charge density wave order in a Weyl semimetal

We investigate the charge excitations of a Weyl semimetal in the axionic charge density wave (axionic CDW) state. While it has been shown that the topological response (anomalous Hall conductivity) is protected against the CDW state, we find that the long-wavelength plasmon excitation is radically influenced by the dynamics of the CDW order parameter. In the normal state, we show that an undamped collective mode should exist at $\stackrel{P\vec}{q}\ensuremath{\approx}{\stackrel{P\vec}{Q}}_{\text{CDW}}$ if there is an attractive interaction favoring the formation of the CDW state. The undamped nature of this collective mode is attributed to a gaplike feature in the particle-hole continuum at $\stackrel{P\vec}{q}\ensuremath{\approx}{\stackrel{P\vec}{Q}}_{\text{CDW}}$ due to the chirality of the Weyl nodes, which is not seen in other materials with CDW instability. In the CDW state, the long-wavelength plasmon excitations become more dispersive due to the additional interband scattering not allowed in the normal state. Moreover, because the translational symmetry is spontaneously broken, umklapp scattering, the process conserving the total momentum only up to $n{\stackrel{P\vec}{Q}}_{\text{CDW}}$, with $n$ an integer and ${\stackrel{P\vec}{Q}}_{\text{CDW}}$ the ordering wave vector, emerges in the CDW state. We find that the plasmon excitation couples to the phonon mode of the CDW order via the umklapp scattering, leading to two branches of resonant collective modes observable in the density-density correlation function at $\stackrel{P\vec}{q}\ensuremath{\approx}0$ and $\stackrel{P\vec}{q}\ensuremath{\approx}{\stackrel{P\vec}{Q}}_{\text{CDW}}$. Based on our analysis, we propose that measuring these resonant plasmon-axion excitations around $\stackrel{P\vec}{q}\ensuremath{\approx}0$ and $\stackrel{P\vec}{q}\ensuremath{\approx}{\stackrel{P\vec}{Q}}_{\text{CDW}}$ by momentum-resolved electron energy loss spectroscopy could serve as a reliable way to detect the axionic CDW state in Weyl semimetals.
Apolipoprotein E ε4 genotype status is not associated with neuroimaging outcomes in a large cohort of HIV+ individuals.

Previous neuroimaging studies suggest a negative relationship between the apolipoprotein (ApoE) e4 allele and brain integrity in human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-infected (HIV+) individuals, although the presence of this relationship across adulthood remains unclear. The purpose of this study is to clarify the discrepancies using a large, diverse group of HIV+ individuals and multiple imaging modalities sensitive to HIV. The association of ApoE e4 with structural neuroimaging and magnetic resonance spectroscopy (MRS) was examined in 237 HIV+ individuals in the CNS HIV Anti-Retroviral Therapy Effects Research (CHARTER) study. Cortical and subcortical gray matter, abnormal and total white matter, ventricles, sulcal cerebrospinal fluid (CSF), and cerebellar gray matter, white matter, and CSF volumes, and MRS concentrations of myo-inositol, creatine, N-acetyl-aspartate, and choline in the frontal white matter (FWM), frontal gray matter (FGM), and basal ganglia were examined. Secondary analyses explored this relationship separately in individuals ≥50 years old (n = 173) and <50 years old (n = 63). No significant differences were observed between ApoE e4+ (ApoE e3/e4 and ApoE e4/e4) individuals (n = 69) and ApoE e4- (ApoE e2/e3 and ApoE e3/e3) individuals (n = 167). When individuals were further divided by age, no significant genotype group differences were identified in individuals <50 or ≥50 years of age on any neuroimaging outcome. The ApoE e4 allele did not affect brain integrity in this large, diverse sample of HIV+ individuals. The effects of ApoE e4 may not be apparent until more advanced ages and may be more prominent when present along with other risk factors for neuronal damage.