cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Long-base free electron laser resonant cavity

A 65-meter resonant cavity has been constructed in order to experimentally determine the characteristics of long resonant cavities as would be required for a free electron laser1 (FEL). A version using normal incidence mirrors is reported here, and another that includes a grazing incidence mirror is forthcoming. Either version is designed to simulate a FEL operating at 0.5 micron wavelength and is near-concentric with a stability parameter of 0.98. Argon-ion plasma tubes simulate the laser gain that would be provided by a wiggler in an actual FEL. The cavity was constructed on a seismic slab and air turbulence effects were reduced by surrounding the beam with helium in 6" diameter tubes. AlignTept sensitivities are reported and compared to geometrical and diffraction predic-tions3' with good agreement.
On the Momentum Distribution of the Decay Electrons from Negative Mesons

The momentum distribution of decay electrons from negative mesons bound in $K$-orbits is calculated assuming a two-particle disintegration of the meson into an electron and a neutrino or neutretto. The resultant momentum distribution has a spread $\ensuremath{\cong}\frac{Z}{137p_{e}^{}{}_{}{}^{(0)}}$, where $p_{e}^{}{}_{}{}^{(0)}$ is the momentum of the decay electron from a free and stationary meson. The effect of the meson's binding on its mean life for decay is also considered and a small decrease in the mean life, $\ensuremath{\cong}{(\frac{Z}{137})}^{2}\ifmmode\times\else\texttimes\fi{}100$ percent, is found.
Differences in head and neck cancer risk perception between smoking and nonsmoking NASCAR attendees.

ObjectiveAlthough research has documented a difference in cancer risk perception between smokers and nonsmokers, this has not been specifically documented for head and neck cancer. The aim of this study was to determine differences in risk perception for head and neck cancer between smokers and nonsmokers in an at-risk population.Study DesignA cross-sectional survey was administered.SettingCommunity-based head and neck cancer screenings.Subjects and MethodsParticipants completed a 28-item questionnaire assessing sociodemographic information, smoking status, and risk perception of head and neck cancer.ResultsIn total, 507 participants completed the questionnaire. Multivariate analysis of variance (MANCOVA) using dependent variables related to risk perception of head and neck cancer evidenced a significant main effect that smokers (mean [SD], 1.10 [0.07]) worried about head and neck cancer significantly more than nonsmokers (0.64 [0.06]), F(1, 459) = 26.97, P < .001, η2 = .06, and nonsmokers (2.70 [0.05]) b...
The behavioral teratogenic potential of fenbendazole: a medication for pinworm infestation.

Fenbendazole (FBZ) is a benzimidazole currently used for anthelmintic treatment of pinworm populations in numerous animal species although it is not currently approved for laboratory rodents in the U.S. It has received considerable interest for treating rodent populations due to its low toxicity, wide safety margin and apparent absence of gross teratogenic effects. The purpose of this study was to assess the behavioral teratogenic potential of FBZ. Pregnant rats were administered either FBZ-medicated feed at a therapeutic level or normal rat chow throughout pregnancy and gestation. FBZ had no effect on pregnancy indicators such as maternal weight gain or water consumption, number of pups born or pup birth weights. Offspring were examined in a variety of paradigms including righting reflex, negative geotaxis, running wheel activity, Morris water maze (MWM) performance and digging maze performance. FBZ offspring did show delayed righting reflex, some modest changes in locomotor activity in a running wheel and minor alterations in performance during the probe session of the MWM relative to controls. However, the effects of FBZ on behavior were subtle and many of the behaviors examined were unaffected. These results suggest that FBZ may be an effective and relatively safe anthelmintic treatment for use in breeding colonies.
RECENT PROGRESS ON THE WHITE NOISE APPROACH TO THE LÉVY LAPLACIAN

where {en; n ≥ 1} is an orthonormal basis for L2(0, 1). This Laplacian, called the Levy Laplacian, has no finite dimensional analogue. It is intrinsically infinite dimensional and possesses peculiar properties. In 1975 T. Hida introduced white noise theory which can be used to study Levy’s functional analysis. In this paper we study recent progress on some properties of the Levy Laplacian from the white noise viewpoint, e.g., its relationships to the Levy group, the spherical mean, Wiener processes, Gross Laplacian, and the Fourier transform. More significantly, we discuss K. Saito’s novel idea on the diagonalization of the Levy Laplacian operator to construct a domain of this operator and to find semigroups and stochastic processes generated by the Levy Laplacian. We present some of recent results due to Saito and his collaborators.
Effects of Different Wetting Layers on the Growth of Smooth Ultra-thin Silver Thin Films

Ultrathin silver films (thickness below 10 nm) are of great interest as optical coatings on windows and plasmonic devices. However, producing these films has been a continuing challenge because of their tendency to form clusters or islands rather than smooth contiguous thin films. In this work we have studied the effect of Cu, Ge and ZnS as wetting layers (1.0 nm) to achieve ultrasmooth thin silver films. The silver films (5 nm) were grown by RF sputter deposition on silicon and glass substrates using a few monolayers of the different wetting materials. SEM imaging was used to characterize the surface properties such as island formation and roughness. Also the optical properties were measured to identify the optical impact of the different wetting layers. Finally, a multi-layer silver based structure is designed and fabricated, and its performance is evaluated. The comparison between the samples with different wetting layers show that the designs with wetting layers which have similar optical properties to silver produce the best overall performance. In the absence of a wetting layer, the measured optical spectra show a significant departure from the model predictions, which we attribute primarily to the formation of clusters.
Does France's Two-Ballot Presidential Election System Alter Candidates’ Policy Strategies? A Spatial Analysis of Office-Seeking Candidates in the 1988 Presidential Election1

With rare exceptions, spatial models of candidate strategies under plurality rule have analyzed single-stage plurality elections. In this paper, we explore whether the two-stage French presidential election system plausibly changes the major candidates’ policy incentives, compared to what their incentives would be in a single-stage plurality contest. We report the results of counterfactual simulations on survey data from the 1988 presidential election, which suggest that the office-seeking candidates’ strategies would be similar under two-stage and single-stage plurality rules.
The sex chromatin of interphase nuclei in platyrrhine monkeys.

The tissues of 31 platyrrhine monkeys were studied for sex markers. A typical sex chromatin body analogous to other primates, was found in the females of all animals. The size, position, frequency, number and shape of the sex chromatin mass is essentially analogous to human tissues. Embryos of 8 and 14 weeks and full term gestation were also studied. The sex chromatin was easily recognized in the female embryos of all ages.The finding of two distinct sex chromatin masses present in cerebellar Purkinje cells of immature animals is recorded and theories as to the reasons for duplication of the sex chromatin mass, and its origin are discussed.
High-velocity Impact Fragmentation of Brittle, Granular Aluminum Spheres☆

Abstract We present ballistic and fragmentation data for brittle, granular aluminum spheres following high- velocity impact (0.5-2.0 km/s) on thin steel plates. These spheres, formed from isostatically pressed alu- minum powder, are representative of a wide variety of metallic reactive materials currently being studied. Simple analytic theories are introduced which provide a reasonable description of the residual velocity and hole diameter following impact. With increasing velocity there is an intriguing transition to a power-law fragment distribution, which we have interpreted as arising from extensive microbranching of fast-running cracks. The key equations of an analytic theory describing the fragment distributions are also presented.
In Vivo and in Vitro Studies of a Functional Peroxisome Proliferator-activated Receptor γ Response Element in the Mouse pdx-1 Promoter

We reported that peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor γ (PPARγ) transcriptionally regulates the β-cell differentiation factor pancreatic duodenal homeobox (PDX)-1 based on in vitro RNA interference studies. We have now studied mice depleted of PPARγ within the pancreas (PANC PPARγ-/-) created by a Cre/loxP recombinase system, with Cre driven by the pdx-1 promoter. Male PANC PPARγ-/- mice were hyperglycemic at 8 weeks of age (8.1 ± 0.2 mm versus 6.4 ± 0.3 mm, p = 0.009) with islet cytoarchitecture and pancreatic mass of islet β-cells that were indistinguishable from the controls. Islet PDX-1 mRNA (p = 0.001) and protein levels (p = 0.003) were lowered 60 and 40%, respectively, in tandem with impaired glucose-induced insulin secretion and loss of thiazolidinedione-induced increase in PDX-1 expression. We next identified a putative PPAR-response element (PPRE) in the mouse pdx-1 promoter with substantial homology to the corresponding region of the human PDX-1 promoter. Electrophoretic mobility supershift assays with nuclear extracts from β-cell lines and mouse islets, also in vitro translated PPARγ and retinoid X receptor, and chromatin immunoprecipitation analysis demonstrated specific binding of PPARγ and retinoid X receptor to the human and mouse pdx-1 × PPREs. Transient transfection assays of β-cells with reporter constructs of mutated PPREs showed dramatically reduced pdx-1 promoter activity. In summary, we have presented in vivo and in vitro evidence showing PPARγ regulation of pdx-1 transcription in β-cells, plus our results support an important regulatory role for PPARγ in β-cell physiology and thiazolidinedione pharmacology of type 2 diabetes.
Uncertainty minimization in NMR measurements of dynamic nuclear polarization of a proton target for nuclear physics experiments

Abstract A comprehensive investigation into the measurement uncertainty in polarization produced by Dynamic Nuclear Polarization is outlined. The polarization data taken during Jefferson Lab experiment E08-007 is used to obtain error estimates and to develop an algorithm to minimize uncertainty of the measurement of polarization in irradiated NH 3 14 targets, which is readily applied to other materials. The target polarization and corresponding uncertainties for E08-007 are reported. The resulting relative uncertainty found in the target polarization is determined to be less than or equal to 3.9%.
Adsorption of thymine and uracil on 1 : 1 clay mineral surfaces: comprehensive ab initio study on influence of sodium cation and water

This computational study performed using the density functional theory shows that hydrated and non-hydrated tetrahedral and octahedral kaolinite mineral surfaces in the presence of a cation adsorb the nucleic acid bases thymine and uracil well. Differences in the structure and chemistry of specific clay mineral surfaces led to a variety of DNA bases adsorption mechanisms. The energetically most predisposed positions for an adsorbate molecule on the mineral surface were revealed. The target molecule binding with the surface can be characterized as physisorption, which occurs mainly due to a cation–molecular oxygen interaction, with hydrogen bonds providing an additional stabilization. The adsorption strength is proportional to the number of intermolecular interactions formed between the target molecule and the surface. From the Atoms in Molecules analysis and comparison of binding energy values of studied systems it is concluded that the sorption activity of kaolinite minerals for thymine and uracil depends on various factors, among which are the structure and accessibility of the organic compounds. The adsorption is governed mostly by the surface type, its properties and presence of cation, which cause a selective binding of the nucleobase. Adsorbate stabilization on the mineral surface increases only slightly with explicit addition of water. Comparison of activity of different studied kaolinite mineral models reveals the following order for stabilization: octahedral-Na-water > octahedral-Na > tetrahedral-Na > tetrahedral-Na-water. Further investigation of the electrostatic potentials helps understanding of the adsorption process and confirmation of the active sites on the kaolinite mineral surfaces. Based on the conclusions that clay mineral affinity for DNA and RNA bases can vary due to different structural and chemical properties of the surface, a hypothesis on possible role of clays in the origin of life was made.
Intramolecular catalysi's. vii. The nature of side chain shielding of the 12α-Hydroxyl group of steroids ☆

Abstract A series of 12α-hydroxy steroids with varying side chains was prepared, and their 24-hour acetylation yields were compared, l2α-Hydroxy-5β-pregnan-20-one ( lb ) was prepared from 3α, 12α-diacetoxy-5β~pregnan-20-one ( 2 ) and also by side chain degradation of 12α-acetoxy-5β-cholanoic acid ( 5d ). 21-Benzyl-5β-pregnan-12α-ol ( 1g ) was synthesized by hydrogenation of the 21-benzylidine derivative of ketone 1b . 23-Pheny1-5β-norcholan-12α-ol ( 1k ) was obtained by the Grignard reaction of 2-phenyl-ethylmagnesium bromide and ketone 1b , dehydration, hydrogenation and hydride reduction; a similar sequence produced 20-methyl-5β-pregnan-12α-ol ( lm ). The acetylation results (Table 11) imply that branching at C-20 may be more significant for 12α-hydroxyl reactivity than side chain length or type. An additional compound with an unbranched side chain, 21-nor-5β-cholan-12α-ol ( 14 ), was synthesized by a Grignard reaction on the 21-bromo intermediate 11b . Acetylation rates determined by glc indicate (Table 111) That compounds with unbranched side chains have 12α-hydroxyl groups about ten times as reactive as their analogs with 20-methyl groups.
Nicotine: Effect on nerve membrane conductances

Abstract D.T. FRAZIER, C. SEVCIK and T. NARAHASHI, Nicotine: effect on nerve membrane conductances . European J. Pharmacol, 22 (1973) 217–220. Giant squid axons were perfused both internally and externally with solutions containing nicotine (10 −3 , 10 −2 M). Nicotine was much more potent in blocking membrane ionic conductances when applied from inside the membrane than from outside. Steady-state potassium conductance appears to be more sensitive to nicotine than peak sodium conductance. The results support the not n that the nicotine receptor is on the inner surface of the membrane.
Managers' variance investigation decisions: an experimental examination of probabilistic and outcome ambiguity

Information ambiguity is prevalent in organizations and may influence management decisions. This study examines, given imprecise probabilities or outcomes, how managers decide which department's performance to investigate further when they are provided with performance benchmarks expressed in numerical intervals. Seventy-nine MBA students participated in two experiments involving investigation decisions. We presented participants with interval benchmarks of a firm's expenses. Being below or above the benchmark should have been seen as equally negative. We found that, when facing outcome ambiguity, our participants consistently preferred to investigate further those departments whose performance was described as having an ambiguous outcome (when the outcome's range was centered either below or above the interval benchmark). However, when facing probabilistic ambiguity, there were two predominant choice patterns: consistently choosing to investigate the department whose performance is described with an ambiguous probability, or consistently choosing to investigate the department with unambiguous performance. To gain further insight, we conducted a follow-up study collecting written protocols of participants' reasons for making choices involving ambiguous performance information. The results show that our participants displayed similar decision-making processes when facing outcome ambiguity and probabilistic ambiguity. Copyright © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Pyarthrosis in patients with rheumatoid arthritis: a report of 13 cases and a review of the literature from the past 40 years.

Abstract purpose: The purpose of this study is to report 13 cases and review the literature for pyarthrosis occurring in the setting of rheumatoid arthritis (RA). Special emphasis is placed on evaluating both the changing, as well as the constant, features of this complication and on assessing diagnostic and therapeutic aspects that have a bearing upon outcome. patients and methods: A retrospective review of records from our institution revealed 13 cases of pyarthrosis in patients with RA over the past 14 years. Information obtained included patient demographics, RA history, concomitant illnesses and medications, length of symptoms prior to the diagnosis of pyarthrosis, peri-articular manifestations, probable source of infection, joint(s) involved, relevant laboratory data, and information on treatment and outcome based on initial surgical therapy versus closed needle drainage. In addition, 213 cases from 45 citations were reviewed for similar information. results: Our series was notable for a high percentage of associated serious medical illnesses and peri-articular manifestations of the pyarthrosis (i.e., sinus tract formation, concomitant septic bursitis, or infected synovial cyst). The erythrocyte sedimentation rate was a useful monitor of adequate therapy and was often a signal of recurrent infection. In all patients, the skin was the major source of infection. The mortality from pyarthrosis has declined over the past 40 years but is still unacceptably high, especially in patients with polyarticular involvement. Preliminary observations suggest that an initial surgical approach to joint drainage may be preferable to closed needle drainage in order to improve joint outcome in patients with RA and pyarthrosis. conclusion: Pyarthrosis occurring in patients with RA continues to produce unacceptable morbidity and mortality despite 40 years' experience. Earlier recognition (which may include peri-articular features) and perhaps an aggressive surgical approach to drainage may improve the prognosis.
Consequences of alternative dispersal strategies in a putatively amphidromous fish

Successful dispersal can enhance both individual fitness and population persistence, but the process of dispersal is often inherently risky. The interplay between the costs and benefits of dispersal are poorly documented for species with complex life histories due to the difficulty of tracking dispersing individuals. Here we investigate variability in dispersal histories of a freshwater fish, Awaous stamineus, across the species' entire geographic range in the Hawaiian archipelago. Like many animals endemic to tropical island streams, these gobies have an amphidromous life cycle in which a brief marine larval phase enables dispersal among isolated freshwater habitats. Using otolith microchemistry, we document three distinct marine dispersal pathways, all of which are observed on every island. Surprisingly, we also find that 62% of individuals complete their life cycle entirely within freshwater, in contrast to the assumption that amphidromy is obligate in Hawaiian stream gobies. Comparing early life history outcomes based on daily otolith growth rings, we find that individuals with marine dispersal have shorter larval durations and faster larval growth, and their growth advantage over purely freshwater counterparts continues to some degree into adult life. These individual benefits of maintaining a marine dispersal phase presumably balance against the challenge of finding and reentering an island stream from the ocean. The facultative nature of amphidromy in this species highlights the selective balance between costs and benefits of dispersal in life history evolution. Accounting for alternative dispersal strategies will be essential for conservation of the amphidromous species that often dominate tropical island streams, many of which are at risk of extinction.
Duration of visible persistence in relation to stimulus complexity.

Visible persistence refers to the phenomenal impression that a stimulus is still present after its offset. A dispute exists whether visible persistence is due to temporal sluggishness in the visual pathway (neural hypothesis) or whether it is a byproduct of information-extraction processes under cognitive control (process hypothesis). This was investigated by manipulating stimulus complexity in five temporal integration experiments and one recognition memory experiment. According to the process hypothesis, complex stimuli should persist longer than simple stimuli because they require more information extraction. This prediction was not confirmed; in all six experiments, complexity was found to have no reliable effect on the duration of visible persistence. By contrast, and in accordance with earlier findings, complexity was shown to have a significant effect on a short-lived, nonvisible form of memory known as schematic persistence. This pattern of results supports two major conclusions: First, that the effects of complexity reported in earlier research were probably on schematic—rather than visible—persistence; and second, that visible persistence must be regarded as a residual neural trace of an extinguished stimulus, rather than as a byproduct of information-extraction processes.
Verbal indices of conceptual complexity: Manipulation by instructions

A critique of one prearranged “response” changed Ss’ scores on two measures of conceptual complexity. The modifiability of these scores, not tested directly before, has implications for researchers in the area.
Theory of the screening of impurity ions in semiconductors with spatially-variable dielectric constants

In this paper, Dingle's theory of the screening of impurity ions in semiconductors is generalized. This is accomplished by inserting in the theory of screening the spatial dielectric function of the medium. Poisson's equation for the potential of an impurity ion follows from one of Maxwell's equations. With the analytical form for the spatial dielectric function for Si and Ge, obtained for these materials by Azuma and Shindo and by Okuro and Azuma, Poisson's equation assumes a specific form. The asymptotic form of this differential equation, the region where the theory is expected to be valid, is solved approximately by an equivalent variational principle. The end result of the present theory is an impurity-ion potential which is represented by a linear combination of two exponentially screened Coulomb potentials scaled by the static dielectric constant of the medium. Each of the screening lengths appearing in the screened Coulomb potentials is related to Dingle's screening length. Numerical data, as functions of charge carrier concentration, are given both for the screening lengths, and for the coefficients involved in the linear combination of the two screened Coloumb potentials. It is concluded that the form obtained in the present paper for the potential of an impurity ion leads to modifications in theories of ionized-impurity scattering in semiconductors.
Nucleotide metabolism in Drosophila melanogaster salivary glands during temperature- and dinitrophenol-induced puffing

When Drosophila melanogaster salivary glands are exposed to temperature or dinitrophenol (DNP) treatments, their nucleotide metabolism is altered such that the amount of cellular ATP decreases, whereas the amount of ADP increases. Since both treatments also elicit specific puffing patterns on the salivary gland chromosome, it is suggested that specific loci on the chromosome are activated to form puffs when the efficiency of respiration decreases. The possible relationship between the formation of these puffs and the intramitochondrial metabolism is discussed.
Dural sinus thrombosis with abnormalities of protein S and fibrinogen.

Dural sinus thrombosis (DST) may cause elevated intracranial pressure that produces a syndrome similar to pseudotumor cerebri. When DST occurs without obvious cause, the search for a prothrombotic state is indicated. Defects in the proteins of the coagulation or fibrinolytic system have been associated with hypercoagulable states. We describe a patient with possible protein S deficiency and dysfibrinogenemia who presented with increased intracranial pressure from sagittal sinus thrombosis. Report of a Case. —A 24-year-old previously healthy man presented with headaches and tonic-clonic seizures. He denied transient visual obscurations, diplopia, or other neurologic symptoms. The patient's visual acuity was 20/20 OU and his color vision was normal. External examination results, pupils, motility, and anterior segments were normal, but funduscopy revealed swollen papillae. The Humphrey visual field revealed blind spot enlargement bilaterally. Neurological examination results were normal. Neuroimaging studies showed a frontal lobe abnormality that was confirmed on cerebral angiography to be
Interface properties of ZnO nanotips grown on Si substrates

ZnO nanotips have been grown on Si (100) using metalorganic chemical vapor deposition (MOCVD). The growth temperature is optimized for good crystallinity, morphology, and optical properties. ZnO nanotips exhibit a strong near band edge emission of ∼376 nm at room temperature with negligible green band emission. Pregrowth substrate treatment using diluted hydrofluoric acid (HF) and minimized oxygen exposure before the initial growth significantly reduces the interfacial SiO2 thickness, while maintaining good morphology. An n-ZnO nanotips/p-Si diode is fabricated and its I–V characteristic is measured. The threshold voltage of the diode is found to be below 2.0 V with small reverse leakage current. The ZnO/p-Si diodes provide the possibility of integrating the ZnO nanotips with Si-based electronic devices.
Data modeling for data mining

Data mining has been treated as a set of added operations to the classical data model. So data mining uses the same terms as database. This is an incorrect or confusing approach; though the syntax is the same, their semantics are very different. This paper presents a series of critique, and analyzes the current status and proposes a data model for data mining in both traditional relational and semantically richer databases.
Rates and patterns of death after surgery in the United States, 1996 and 2006

Background Nationwide rates and patterns of death after surgery are unknown. Methods Using the Nationwide Inpatient Sample, we compared deaths within 30 days of admission for patients undergoing surgery in 1996 and 2006. International Classification of Diseases codes were used to identify 2,520 procedures for analysis. We examined the inpatient 30-day death rate for all procedures, procedures with the most deaths, high-risk cardiovascular and cancer procedures, and patients who suffered a recorded complication. We used logistic regression modeling to adjust 1996 mortality rates to the age and gender distributions for patients undergoing surgery in 2006. Results In 1996, there were 12,573,331 admissions with a surgical procedure (95% confidence interval [CI], 12,560,171–12,586,491) and 224,111 inpatient deaths within 30 days of admission (95% CI, 221,912–226,310). In 2006, there were 14,333,993 admissions with a surgical procedure (95% CI, 14,320,983–14,347,002) and 189,690 deaths (95% CI, 187,802–191,578). Inpatient 30-day mortality declined from 1.68% in 1996 to 1.32% in 2006 ( P P Conclusion Nationwide reporting on surgical mortality suggests that the number of inpatient deaths within 30 days of surgery has declined. Additional research to determine the underlying causes for decreased mortality is warranted.
Stabilization of Poultry Processing By-Products and Waste and Poultry Carcasses Through Lactic Acid Fermentation

Abstract Laboratory and field experiments were conducted to evaluate lactic acid fermentation, with industrial carbohydrate by-products as fermentation substrates, in the stabilization of broiler processing offal, blood, and dissolved air flotation wastewater (DAF) sludge, and poultry carcasses. Additions of 15% brewer's solubles, 15% dry molasses, 10% liquid molasses, 6% can sugar, 6% whey product, or higher proportions to ground fresh carcasses or offal produced acidic silage (ph≤4.2) at 30°C or 37°C over eight days. Carcasses fermented with corn meal at 15% or less putrefied. Reduced temperature (21°C) slowed fermentation. Adding a commercial silage culture of lactic acid bacteria did not enhance fermentation. Offal mixed with DAF sludge at 12% and 24% was preserved as well as offal alone. Fermentation with 15% brewer's solubles was the most cost-effective stabilization method for preserving both poultry processing by-products and waste and poultry carcasses for subsequent nutrient recovery.
Toward a simple molecular understanding of sum frequency generation at air-water interfaces.

Second-order vibrational spectroscopies successfully isolate signals from interfaces, but they report on intermolecular structure in a complicated and indirect way. Here, we adapt a perspective on vibrational response developed for bulk spectroscopies to explore the microscopic fluctuations to which sum frequency generation (SFG), a popular surface-specific measurement, is most sensitive. We focus exclusively on inhomogeneous broadening of spectral susceptibilities for OH stretching of HOD as a dilute solute in D2O. Exploiting a simple connection between vibrational frequency shifts and an electric field variable, we identify several functions of molecular orientation whose averages govern SFG. The frequency dependence of these quantities is well captured by a pair of averages, involving alignment of OH and OD bonds with the surface normal at corresponding values of the electric field. The approximate form we obtain for SFG susceptibility highlights a dramatic sensitivity to the way a simulated liquid sla...
Clinical Management of Kidney Allograft Dysfunction

Allograft dysfunction is a common problem after kidney transplant. Allograft rejection is an important entity, and timely diagnosis and appropriate treatment are essential for caring transplant recipients. Hyperacute rejection is mediated by the preformed donor specific antibody, while accelerated acute rejection represents an anamnestic response by memory B and T cells. They occur early after transplant. Acute cellular rejection is relatively common and usually responds to pulse corticosteroids or antithymocyte globulin (ATG). The complexity of antibody-mediated rejection (AMR) as well as its detrimental effect has been increasingly recognized. The treatment of acute AMR requires a combination of several modalities, such as plasmapheresis or immunoadsorption, IVIG, corticosteroids, rituximab and ATG. After treatment of rejection episode, the maintenance immunosuppressive drugs should be adjusted to prevent further acute rejection and/or evolution into chronic active rejection. Chronic rejection is not reversible and it has been recognized as the most important cause of chronic graft dysfunction and failure.
The use of mammals as sentinels for human exposure to toxic contaminants in the environment

The use of sentinel species shows the potential to bridge the gap between animal-based and human-based environmental health research. With regard to the assessment of environmental contamination, t...
The nature of the systematic radiometric error in the MGS TES spectra

Abstract Several systematic radiometric errors are known to affect the data collected by the Thermal Emission Spectrometer (TES) onboard Mars Global Surveyor (MGS). The time-varying wavenumber dependent error that significantly increased in magnitude as the MGS mission progressed is discussed in detail. This error mostly affects spectra of cold (nighttime and polar caps) surfaces and atmospheric spectra in limb viewing geometry. It is proposed here that the source of the radiometric error is a periodic sampling error of the TES interferograms. A simple model of the error is developed that allows predicting its spectral shape for any viewing geometry based on the observed uncalibrated spectrum. Comparison of the radiometric errors observed in the TES spaceviews and those predicted by the model shows an excellent agreement. Spectral shapes of the errors for nadir and limb spectra are simulated based on representative TES spectra. In nighttime and limb spectra, and in spectra of cold polar regions, these radiometric errors can result in an error of ±3–5 K in the retrieved atmospheric and surface temperatures, and significant errors in retrieved opacities of atmospheric aerosols. The model of the TES radiometric error presented here can be used to improve the accuracy of the TES retrievals and increase scientific return from the MGS mission.
A new approach to automated peak detection

Abstract Spectral peak detection algorithms are often difficult to automate because they either rely on somewhat arbitrary rules, or are tuned to specific spectral peak properties. One popular approach detects peaks where signal intensities exceed some threshold. This threshold is typically set arbitrarily above the noise level or manually by the user. Intensity threshold-based methods can be sensitive to baseline variations and signal intensity. Another popular peak detection approach relies on matching the spectral intensities to a reference peak shape. This approach can be very sensitive to baseline changes and deviations from the reference peak shape. Such methods can be significantly challenged by modern analytical instrumentation where the baseline tends to drift, peaks of interest may have a low signal to noise (S/N) ratio, and no well-defined reference peak shape is available. We present a new approach for spectral peak detection that is designed to be generic and easily automated. Employing a histogram-based model for spectral intensity, peaks are detected by comparing the estimated variance of observations (the x-axis of the spectrum) to the expected variance when no peak is present inside some window of interest. We compare an implementation of this approach to two existing peak detection algorithms using a series of simulated spectra.
Month 2 Culture Status and Treatment Duration as Predictors of Tuberculosis Relapse Risk in a Meta-Regression Model

Background New drugs and regimens with the potential to transform tuberculosis treatment are presently in early stage clinical trials. Objective The goal of the present study was to infer the required duration of these treatments. Method A meta-regression model was developed to predict relapse risk using treatment duration and month 2 sputum culture positive rate as predictors, based on published historical data from 24 studies describing 58 regimens in 7793 patients. Regimens in which rifampin was administered for the first 2 months but not subsequently were excluded. The model treated study as a random effect. Results The model predicted that new regimens of 4 or 5 months duration with rates of culture positivity after 2 months of 1% or 3%, would yield relapse rates of 4.0% or 4.1%, respectively. In both cases, the upper limit of the 2-sided 80% prediction interval for relapse for a hypothetical trial with 680 subjects per arm was <10%. Analysis using this model of published month 2 data for moxifloxacin-containing regimens indicated they would result in relapse rates similar to standard therapy only if administered for ≥5 months. Conclusions This model is proposed to inform the required duration of treatment of new TB regimens, potentially hastening their accelerated approval by several years.
The corpus luteum of the rhesus monkey (Macaca mulatta) during Late pregnancy. An electron microscopic study

Fine structural observations on the corpus luteum of late pregnancy in rhesus monkeys (Macaca mulatta) are described. Ovariectomy was performed between 141 and 146 days of pregnancy. Granulosa lutein cells measured 25 to 30 μ and were supplied by fenestrated capillaries. The plasma membranes of neighboring cells formed intercellular canaliculi which were bordered by microvilli. The nuclei were large and contained a nucleolus and peripheral heterochromatin. The central region of the cytoplasm contained a high concentration of: (1) rod-shaped mitochondria with tubular cristae and some electron-opaque inclusions in their matrices, (2) elaborate Golgi complexes and associated large tubular cisternae, and (3) tubular as well as cisternal agranular endoplasmic reticulum. The more peripheral region of the cytoplasm was filled with: (1) well developed parallel arrays of granular endoplasmic reticulum, (2) bundles of 50 A filaments with dense areas, and (3) dispersed lipid droplets. Membrane-bound granules of various types were observed in most cells. Large lacunae were present in the cytoplasm which were not confluent with the intercellular canaliculi or the perivascular spaces. Microvilli projected into the empty-appearing lumen of the lacunae. It was concluded that the morphological features of the granulosa lutein cells of late pregnancy were consistent with those considered to be necessary for steroidogenic function.
Backstepping-based direct adaptive fuzzy control for SISO nonlinear systems

In this paper, adaptive fuzzy control scheme is proposed for a class of uncertain single-input and single-output (SISO) nonlinear systems with lower triangular form. The backstepping technique is applied to construct an adaptive fuzzy tracking controller which guarantees the output of system to follow the reference signal, and ensures uniform ultimate boundedness of all signals in the closed-loop system. The tracking error dynamics are proved to converge to small neighborhood of the origin. The control performance of the closed -loop system is guaranteed by properly choosing the design parameters. The proposed scheme offers systematic design procedure for the control of the uncertain nonlinear systems with lower triangular form. A main advantage of the suggested design scheme is that the adaptive mechanism with minimal learning parameterizations is obtained. To solve tracking control problems for an n - th order nonlinear system, there are at most n parameters needed to be adapted online. Finally, two simulation examples are used to demonstrate the effectiveness of the approaches presented in this paper.
SAR ATR performance using a conditionally Gaussian model

A family of conditionally Gaussian signal models for synthetic aperture radar (SAR) imagery is presented, extending a related class of models developed for high resolution radar range profiles. This signal model is robust with respect to the variations of the complex-valued radar signals due to the coherent combination of returns from scatterers as those scatterers move through relative distances on the order of a wavelength of the transmitted signal (target speckle). The target type and the relative orientations of the sensor, target, and ground plane parameterize the conditionally Gaussian model. Based upon this model, algorithms to jointly estimate both the target type and pose are developed. Performance results for both target pose estimation and target recognition are presented for publicly released data from the MSTAR program.
Twenty-five years of end-user searching, Part 2: Future research directions

This is the second part of a two-part article that examines 25 years of published research findings on end-user searching of online information retrieval (IR) systems. In Part 1 [Markey, 2007], it was learned that people enter a few short search statements into online IR systems. Their searches do not resemble the systematic approach of expert searchers who use the full range of IR-system functionality. Part 2 picks up the discussion of research findings about end-user searching in the context of current information retrieval models. These models demonstrate that information retrieval is a complex event, involving changes in cognition, feelings, andsor events during the information seeking process. The author challenges IR researchers to design new studies of end-user searching, collecting data not only on system-feature use, but on multiple search sessions and controlling for variables such as domain knowledge expertise and expert system knowledge. Because future IR systems designers are likely to improve the functionality of online IR systems in response to answers to the new research questions posed here, the author concludes with advice to these designers about retaining the simplicity of online IR system interfaces. © 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Recurrent metastatic anal cancer treated with modified paclitaxel, ifosfamide, and cisplatin and third-line mitomycin/cetuximab

PurposeSquamous cell carcinoma represents approximately 75% of all anal cancers. Squamous cell carcinoma of the anal canal is a rare malignancy often curable in the early stages with the combined m...
Difluoromethylornithine is effective as both a preventive and therapeutic agent against the development of UV carcinogenesis in SKH hairless mice

Targeting specific events associated with tumor development represents a rational approach to chemoprevention as well as therapeutic intervention. In this study the ability of difluoromethylornithine (DFMO) to inhibit UV-induced skin carcinogenesis when administered before or after the appearance of tumors was examined. SKH hairless mice were irradiated 3 times per week with 90 mJ/cm 2 ; this dose was increased by 10% weekly to a maximum of 175 mJ/cm 2 . Mice supplied 0.4% DFMO in the drinking water continuously throughout the experiment had an average of 2.0 tumors/mouse (72% incidence) at 30 weeks while controls had an average of 8.2 tumors/mouse (100% incidence). DFMO started after 12 weeks of UV, a time prior to tumor appearance, yielded 3.6 tumors and 100% incidence at 30 weeks. Starting DFMO at 22 weeks, when an average of 2.5 tumors were present, caused regression of tumors for several weeks, followed by a slight rebound. The final tumor number at 30 weeks was 3.0 (96% incidence). Thus, DFMO has strong chemopreventive efficacy, as well as therapeutic activity, against UV-induced skin tumors. Histological and proliferative markers support this conclusion.
HASS: Highly Available, Scalable and Secure Distributed Data Storage Systems

As computers become pervasive and data size increases dramatically, data management systems' security, scalability and availability features turn into major design issues, especially in distributed computingenvironments. This paper proposes a Highly Available, Scalable and Secure distributed data storage system (HASS) for high performance and secure data management. Distributed and parallel data storage or file systems such as Object-based Storage Devices (OSD) and flexible key distribution schemes such as stateless Identity Based Encryption (IBE) are integrated to achieve scalability in terms of performance and key management. OSD provides high performance parallel I/O whereas IBE eliminates pre-shared secrete/symmetric keys and simplifies key distribution. Data at rest (static) and in transit (dynamic) are protected with different encryption strategies for privacy and integrity. With IBE, public keys are not stored whereas private and session keys are generated dynamically for data in transit protection/encryption. SecretSharing is used for data at rest protection. Replication on OSD sites duplicates data shares for high availability. Overall, the proposed HASS system delivers high performance data management with security, scalability and high availability features.
Manganese mineralogy and diagenesis in the sedimentary rock record

Oxidation of manganese(II) to manganese(III,IV) demands oxidants with very high redox potentials; consequently, manganese oxides are both excellent proxies for molecular oxygen and highly favorable electron acceptors when oxygen is absent. The first of these features results in manganese-enriched sedimentary rocks (manganese deposits, commonly Mn ore deposits), which generally correspond to the availability of molecular oxygen in Earth surface environments. And yet because manganese reduction is promoted by a variety of chemical species, these ancient manganese deposits are often significantly more reduced than modern environmental manganese-rich sediments. We document the impacts of manganese reduction and the mineral phases that form stable manganese deposits from seven sedimentary examples spanning from modern surface environments to rocks over 2 billion years old. Integrating redox and coordination information from synchrotron X-ray absorption spectroscopy and X-ray microprobe imaging with scanning electron microscopy and energy and wavelength-dispersive spectroscopy, we find that unlike the Mn(IV)-dominated modern manganese deposits, three manganese minerals dominate these representative ancient deposits: kutnohorite (CaMn(CO_3)_2), rhodochrosite (MnCO_3), and braunite (Mn(III)_6Mn(II)O_8SiO_4). Pairing these mineral and textural observations with previous studies of manganese geochemistry, we develop a paragenetic model of post-depositional manganese mineralization with kutnohorite and calcian rhodochrosite as the earliest diagenetic mineral phases, rhodochrosite and braunite forming secondarily, and later alteration forming Mn-silicates.
Interesting things come in small packages

Population metagenomics reveals the reduced metabolic capacities of a marine nitrogen-fixing cyanobacterium that lacks many of the signature features of typical cyanobacteria.
Towards accountable management of identity and privacy: sticky policies and enforceable tracing services

Digital identities and profiles are precious assets. On one hand they enable users to engage in transactions and interactions on the Internet. On the other hand, abuses and leakages of this information could violate the privacy of their owners, sometimes with serious consequences. Nowadays most of the people have limited understanding of security and privacy policies when applied to their confidential information and little control over the destiny of this information since it has been disclosed to third parties. In most cases this is a matter of trust. This document describes an innovative approach and related mechanisms to enforce users' privacy by putting users in control and making organizations more accountable. As part of our ongoing research activity, we introduce a technical solution based on sticky policies and tracing services that leverages identity-based encryption (IBE) and TCPA technologies. Work is in progress to build a full working prototype and deploy it in a real-life environment.