cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Rotational velocities of low mass stars in intermediate age open clusters

Most previous observational studies of pre-main sequence (PMS) evolution have concentrated on very young, relatively high mass stars. The advantage of that choice is that the program stars are easily identifiable as young via various type of "activity". That characteristic is also a disadvantage, however, since the IR and UV excesses, emission lines, "blue-veiling", and variability make placement of those stars in an HR diagram difficult. In an effort to avoid those difficulties and to extend the observational study of PMS stars to a different portion of parameter space, I have begun a program of study of intermediate age, relatively low mass PMS stars. The primary goals of that program are: (i) to determine the rotational velocity history of low mass stars; (2) to determine the time spread of star formation in open clusters; (3) to derive empirical PMS isochrones for low mass stars. In this paper, I shall emphasize the rotational velocity portion of that program. My collaborators in that work are Lee Hartman, Dave Soderblom, and Neal Burnham.
Maximizing environmental validity: remote recording of desktop videoconferencing

This paper discusses the development of the technical methodology for remote recording to maximize environmental validity for a project on how novices develop familiarity with desktop videoconferencing (DVC). It is also a discussion of how the technical setup, as well as the resulting data, was useful for finding usability issues for the company that provided the DVC software.
Paradise is a Walled Garden? Trust, Antitrust and User Dynamism

In the worlds of technology and cyberlaw, the term “walled garden” has become an epithet to epitomize a proprietary, controlled – and likely sterile – platform, community, or standard. This dystopian view of closed, proprietary communities is presented most clearly by Zittrain (2008), who casts the choice facing society as between sterile but safe examples of “information appliances” such as the iPhone and “networks of control” such as Facebook – and on the other hand, vulnerable but malleable personal computers (PCs) and a “generative” Internet, that is, information technology that fosters greater creativity among users. But can a “walled garden” in fact be a kind of creative paradise? If so, what sort of policy steps would foster such a result? The platforms in question, that is networks, devices and online communities, often find themselves at the intersection of network effects, standard-setting and user-generated content and innovation. Commentators suggest a variety of approaches, including antitrust intervention, direct government regulation, or taking no action based on the perceived strength of market solutions.This Article makes several claims. First, that we cannot yet appreciate the potential importance of user-created content and innovation. This Article is the first to apply the EVLN (exit-voice-loyalty-neglect) model introduced by Albert Hirschmann (and since extended and broadened) to understand the economic considerations of user choices. Second, the error-cost framework developed in antitrust over the past several decades can help inform policy choices aimed at promoting user dynamism within walled gardens. Perhaps counterintuitively, this Article explains how the error costs argue for action rather than passivity. In fact, the Federal Trade Commission’s recent patent-ambush standard setting cases implicate concerns that are analogous to those surrounding user dynamism in walled gardens. Finally, while neither antitrust nor regulation may offer a perfect solution, this Article proposes consumer protection-style enforcement of hosts’ ex ante commitments to users in order to foster trust and thereby stimulate user creation and innovation.
Comprehending scaling effects on plasma damage

The dependence of the gate oxide current (during plasma processes) on the antenna ratio determines the significance of plasma damage for the product. This relationship is shown to be linear in the plasma-current limited regime and sub-linear in the plasma-voltage limited regime. The implication of this sub-linear dependence is that the fail fraction at high antenna ratio is not a reliable indicator of susceptibility to charging damage, and a complete model incorporating plasma and oxide current-voltage characteristics is necessary for accurate assessment of charging damage.
Chapter 14. Antineoplastic Agents

Publisher Summary This chapter focuses on studies analyzing antineoplastic agents. Studies with 2-chloro-4′, 4″-bis(2-imidazolin-2-yl)terephthalanilide, one of a series of compounds highly active against leukemia, L1210 was shown to completely inhibit DNA and lipid syntheses at therapeutic levels, but not RNA and protein syntheses. Despite its marked activity against leukemia L1210, 2-amino-4′,4″-bis(4-methyl-2-imidazolin-2-yl)terephthalanilide was found to be inactive in clinical trials, as was the case with other phthalanilides. Studies on the transport and uptake of methorexate and 2,4-diamino-5-(3,4-dichlorophenyl)-6-methylpyrimidine indicated that clinical response is related to cellular uptake of drug, and the resistance of certain cells to methotrexate appears to be due to lack of transport into these cells. Work on other resistant cell lines indicated that resistance can also be due to an increase in cellular content of folate reductase, but no correlation was observed between resistance and the level of other enzymes involved in folate metabolism. Despite these results, there was evidence that the ability of methotrexate to kill cells cannot be entirely explained by its inhibition of folate reductase.
El brillo era crepuscular

Una luz en la colina de San Antonio. Henry Valencia (prologo de William Ospina). Hombre Nuevo Editores, Mede llin, 2003, 65 pags.
Competition ruins the good life

. Leadership practices in political parties reflect the necessity of delegation as well as the desire by the rank-and-file to control their leaders. Norwegian political parties have traditionally divided their leadership functions between two or even three offices, whose powers have varied between as well as within parties. Non-socialist parties have vested more power in their parliamentary leaders, and socialist parties more in their organizational chairs. The electoral process is in principle open, but contested elections have traditionally been rare. In recent years, however, contested elections have become more common, parliamentary leaders have lost much of their autonomy, and leadership tenure, at least in some parties, has gone down. Heightened electoral competitiveness seems to be driving many of these changes.
EVOLUTIONARY STUDIES OF ATRIPLEX: ADAPTIVE PRODUCTS FROM THE NATURAL HYBRID, 6N A. TRIDENTATA x 4N A. CANESCENS

Much of the variation in hexaploid Atriplex tridletntuita appears to have come from tetraploid A. caniescens by introgression. Among the recombinations, three types appear to have become established as new, adaptive, hexaploid derivatives. One of these is a robust, woody form near Knolls, Utah, another is a widespread, low-growing, shrubby form in Lander County, Nevada, the other is an upright bushy, canescenis-like form near Grantsville, Utah. ATRIPLEX TRIDENTATA (Kuntze) H. and C.
Lateral ocellar nerve projections in the dragonfly brain.

The central projections of the lateral ocellar neurons of the dragonfly were examined using whole nerve cobalt iontophoresis, supplemented by sectioning of the nerve and brain for inspection in the light and electron microscopes. At E.M. level the presence of cobalt in filled axon profiles and cell bodies was confirmed by analysis of X-ray energy spectra in the microscope.
Fluoroquinolones, tuberculosis, and resistance

Although the fluoroquinolones are presently used to treat tuberculosis primarily in cases involving resistance or intolerance to first-line antituberculosis therapy, these drugs are potential first-line agents and are under study for this indication. However, there is concern about the development of fluoroquinolone resistance in Mycobacterium tuberculosis, particularly when administered as monotherapy or as the only active agent in a failing multidrug regimen. Treatment failures as well as relapses have been documented under such conditions. With increasing numbers of fluoroquinolone prescriptions and the expanded use of these broad-spectrum agents for many infections, the selective pressure of fluoroquinolone use results in the ready emergence of fluoroquinolone resistance in a diversity of organisms, including M tuberculosis. Among M tuberculosis, resistance is emerging and may herald a significant future threat to the long-term clinical utility of fluoroquinolones. Discussion and education regarding appropriate use are necessary to preserve the effectiveness of this antibiotic class against the hazard of growing resistance.
Harmonic balance methods and the theory of generalized Padé approximants

The appropriateness of the theory of generalized Pade approximants is demonstrated for some of the aspects of the harmonic balance method, as discussed in recent work by R. E. Mickens.
Gravitational field of vacuumless defects

It has been recently shown that topological defects can arise in symmetry breaking models where the scalar field potential $V(\ensuremath{\varphi})$ has no minima and is a monotonically decreasing function of |\ensuremath{\varphi}|. Here we study the gravitational fields produced by such vacuumless defects in the cases of both global and gauge symmetry breaking. We find that a global monopole has a strongly repulsive gravitational field, and its spacetime has an event horizon similar to that in de Sitter space. A gauge monopole spacetime is essentially that of a magnetically charged black hole. The gravitational field of a global string is repulsive and that of a gauge string is attractive at small distances and repulsive at large distances. Both gauge and global string spacetimes have singularities at a finite distance from the string core.
Coccidioidomycosis of the Central Nervous System: Neuropathological and Vasculopathic Manifestations and Clinical Correlates

Infection due to the fungus Coccidioides immitis, which is endemic to the southwestern United States, is currently occurring in epidemic proportions. Although it usually presents as a subclinical infection or a mild, self-limited pulmonary infection, disseminated infection can occur, especially in immunosuppressed patients. In patients with disseminated coccidioidomycosis, CNS spread is commonly responsible for significant morbidity and mortality. The neurological presentations of C. immitis infection of the CNS are variable. The spectrum of neuropathological change ranges from meningitis to meningoencephalitis and meningomyelitis with extensive parenchymal destruction, sometimes as a result of an associated endarteritis obliterans. We describe a patient with AIDS who developed CNS coccidioidomycosis, and we report the findings of a clinicopathological analysis of eight patients with fatal CNS coccidioidomycosis who were autopsied at UCLA Medical Center. CNS coccidioidomycosis should be considered in the differential diagnosis of patients with neurological symptoms, especially when they are immunosuppressed and live in regions where the disease is endemic.
Coadsorption and exchange of lysozyme/β-casein mixtures at the air/water interface

The coadsorption and exchange of lysozyme and β-casein at the air/water interface have been studied using the radiotracer technique. The amount of protein adsorbed from mixtures containing 1.1–1.5 μg/ml of each protein in 0.1 M NaCl, pH 7.0 phosphate buffer exceeded the amount expected if the proteins adsorbed in a simple competitive fashion. The β-casein surface concentration was approximately twice the value expected for simple competitive adsorption while the lysozyme coverage was 50–60% of the expected value. Adsorption experiments performed with sequential addition of the two proteins show that β-casein cannot displace adsorbed lysozyme and lysozyme cannot displace adsorbed β-casein. β-casein that is coadsorbed with lysozyme can exchange with β-casein in solution, but lysozyme coadsorbed with β-casein cannot exchange with lysozyme in solution. Also, coadsorption of lysozyme and β-casein does not enable β-casein to displace lysozyme or lysozyme to displace β-casein. While β-casein was able to exchange at 0.1 and 1.0 M NaCl, lysozyme was not able to exchange at either salt concentration. The experiments performed at 1.0 M NaCl suggest that electrostatic interactions do not play a major role in determining the exchange behavior. Apparently, the flexible, rod-like struture of β-casein allows it to exchange with itself, while the rigid, globular structure of lysozyme prevents it from exchanging. These physical traits of the two proteins also seem to allow β-casein to adsorb in intermolecular spaces which lysozyme cannot access when both proteins are present. A kinetic analysis reflecting this proposed mechanism was able to model the final surface coverages for coadsorption experiments quantitatively and the kinetic data for coadsorption qualitatively.
A heat pulse method of measuring water flux in woody plant stems

Abstract The problem of measuring total sap flux in a woody stem by a heat pulse technique is considered for the especially simple case of a pulse which approximates a simple increasing exponential. It is shown that, for such a pulse, the total sap flux can be measured in the limits of ideal ring or ideal diffuse porosity; but it is also shown that to come sufficiently close to these limits is exceedingly difficult. It is concluded that the quantitative measurement of total sap flux by heat pulse techniques is probably too hard to be of widespread practical utility.
Pediatric pedicle screw placement using intraoperative computed tomography and 3-dimensional image-guided navigation

Study Design. A retrospective cohort study reporting the use of intraoperative computed tomography (CT) and image-guided navigation system for the placement of pedicle screws in pediatric compared with adult patients. Objective. To evaluate the accuracy of open pedicle screw placement in pediatric patients using intraoperative CT and 3-dimensional (3D) image-guided navigation. Summary of Background Data. Pedicle screws are widely used in children for the correction of spinal deformity. Navigation systems and intraoperative CT are now available as an adjunct to fluoroscopy and anatomic techniques for placing pedicle screws and verifying screw position. Methods. From 2007 to 2010, 984 pedicle screws were placed in a consecutive series cohort of 50 pediatric patients for spinal deformity correction with the use of intraoperative CT (O-arm, Medtronic, Inc, Louisville, CO) and a computerized navigation system (Stealth, Medtronic, Inc, Louisville, CO). The primary outcome measure for this study is redirection or removal of screw on the basis of the intraoperative CT imaging. During the study period, 1511 screws were placed in adult patients using the same image guidance system. Results. A total of 984 pedicle screws were implanted using real-time navigation, with a mean of 20 screws per patient (range: 2–34). On the basis of intraoperative CT, 35 screws (3.6%) were revised (27 redirected and 8 removed), representing a 96.4% accuracy rate. No patients returned to the operating room because of screw malposition. Results. Of the 1511 screws placed in adult patients, 28 (1.8%) were revised intraoperatively for malposition on CT imaging, for an overall 98.2% accuracy rate. Screw revision thus was more common in the pediatric population (P = 0.008). However, the pediatric screw accuracy rate is significantly higher than the findings from a recent meta-analysis of predominantly nonnavigated screws in children, reporting a 94.9% accuracy rate (P = 0.03). Conclusion. We report 96.4% accuracy in pediatric pedicle screw placement using intraoperative CT and a 3D navigation system. This is similar to other reports and has better accuracy than a recent meta-analysis of nonnavigated screws in children.
Symmetrical bis(fulvene) chromophores: model compounds for acceptor–donor–acceptor dye architectures

Four model bis(pentafulvene) chromophores have been prepared with a (fulvene)A–D–A(fulvene) architecture. Conjugation of the central donor group with the pendant fulvene rings was apparent from a single crystal X-ray study of the bis(pentafulvene) with 2,5-dihexyloxyphenyl as the central donor group. UV-Vis results indicated a tunable bandgap in the range of 400–700 nm by varying the nature of the central donor in this series of dyes.
Comparison of procedural outcomes after lower extremity reversed vein grafting and secondary surgical revision.

Abstract Objective Many lower extremity vein graft procedures require revision. Although morbidity associated with revision procedures is assumed minimal, this has not been previously quantified and may be underestimated. In this study, patient outcome after initial vein graft procedures and revisions are compared. Methods Records for all patients undergoing vein graft revision from January 1995 to August 2002 were reviewed for operation time, estimated blood loss, blood transfusion, hospital length of stay, perioperative complications, and functional status at discharge and at 2-month follow-up. Revisions were compared with the original operation and by revision type. Results One hundred sixty-five vein graft revisions were performed in 137 patients. In comparison with the initial bypass procedure, mean operation time (3.35 ± 1.41 hours vs 2.58 ± 1.04 hours; P P P P = .015) were significantly less for revision procedures. Revision of more than one site on the graft resulted in longer operation time ( P = .003) and estimated blood loss ( P P = NS), compared with revision at only one site. Revisions that involved only the graft resulted in decreased hospital length of stay compared with revisions involving extension to native inflow or outflow vessels ( P P P Conclusions Operative revisions were better tolerated than initial vein graft procedures, but are still major procedures. Hospital length of stay is longer for patients undergoing proximal or distal extension of the graft to native vessels and in patients who are not ambulatory and living independently at discharge. Patients undergoing vein graft revision should be counseled about potential morbidity.
Deep brain stimulation of globus pallidus interna, subthalamic nucleus, and pedunculopontine nucleus for Parkinson's disease: Which target?

Deep brain stimulation (DBS) is an accepted therapy for people with Parkinson's disease (PD) motor symptoms that are refractory to pharmacologic therapy. Standard DBS targets are globus pallidus interna (GPi) and subthalamic nucleus (STN). The pedunculopontine nucleus (PPN) is being investigated as a novel target. Which target provides the best outcomes is unknown. The utility of GPi and STN as targets has been confirmed in numerous studies, including randomized comparisons of GPi DBS and STN DBS that demonstrated no difference in motor outcomes. DBS at either site improves appendicular motor symptoms, but beneficial effects on axial manifestations of PD such as postural instability or gait dysfunction (PIGD) are less apparent. PPN has been introduced as a DBS target due to failure of GPi and STN DBS to improve PIGD. Small observational studies indicate improved PIGD with PPN DBS, but small blinded trials show only subjective reduction in falls with no other impact on PIGD or other PD manifestations. No single DBS target is superior to the others. Each target offers relative advantages. Further studies are needed to better define the roles of each target, particularly PPN. Choice of target should be individualized according to providers' preferences and patients' needs.
Validation of bioimpedance estimates of cardiac output in preeclampsia

Abstract Objective: We sought to evaluate the capacity of a new thoracic electric bioimpedance system to estimate cardiac output in patients with preeclampsia. Study Design: We performed a prospective comparison of thoracic electric bioimpedance and echocardiographic M-mode volumetric estimates of cardiac output (in liters per minute) in preeclampsia. Subjects with preeclampsia who were chosen by means of strict criteria (either a systolic blood pressure ≥140 mm Hg or a diastolic blood pressure 90 mm Hg, or both, and proteinuria ≥300 mg in 24 hours or ≥+1 on repeat dipstick measurement 6 hours apart) were asked to participate in an institutional review board–approved study. Thoracic electric bioimpedance and echocardiography were performed with the patients in the left lateral recumbent position. Thoracic electric bioimpedance estimates were recorded at bedside; investigators were blinded to 3 simultaneously obtained echocardiographic M-mode estimates of cardiac output. Means were entered as the estimate for each patient. To satisfy the assumption of independent samples, only 1 estimate from each technique was used for each patient. Data were analyzed by Bland-Altman comparison. Hemodynamic and demographic variables are presented as mean ± SD. Results: Fifteen patients were enrolled. Mean maternal age was 25.9 ± 4.8 years, and mean gestational age was 34.0 ± 3.5 weeks. Mean arterial pressure was 112 ± 14 mm Hg. There was good agreement of thoracic electric bioimpedance–derived and M-mode–derived cardiac output estimates. Conclusions: In patients with preeclampsia, thoracic electric bioimpedance estimates of cardiac output compare well with echocardiographic M-mode estimates. (Am J Obstet Gynecol 2000;183:911-3.)
Accounting Education Lags CPE Ethics Requirements: Implications for the Profession and a Call to Action

Abstract The accounting profession in the USA has experienced a crisis of legitimacy in the aftermath of a barrage of business scandals. Recent legislation has forced reforms reinforcing the need for additional ethics education. At the same time, the external pressure on university accounting degree programs has been to maintain the status quo of inadequate ethics in the curriculum, even while ethics courses in state CPE programs have grown dramatically. This creates a problem of bad pedagogy in that these new CPE ethics courses, focused on rote delivery of professional codes of conduct, are not grounded in conceptual frameworks which should be provided by university accounting programs. This state of affairs is circular in that it perpetuates inadequate ethics education for the profession. We propose that this deficiency be remedied by the requirement of a stand-alone ethics course delivered early in the accounting curriculum as a foundation for other degree requirements and subsequent CPE courses. The f...
Legal and institutional arrangements for managing water resources in the Nile Basin

This article firstly reviews the legal arrangements drawn up over the last century between two or more of the nine states which share the Nile Basin to govern efforts to control or alter the flow of the river. Secondly, existing institutions intended to promote basinwide cooperation in water use are surveyed. Finally, the interests of the various states with regard to the hydraulic development of the basin are analysed, and the probability of a basinwide accord being reached is assessed.
Solvent-Responsive Metalloporphyrins: Binding and Catalysis

A cholate-functionalized tetraphenylporphyrin (H2CFTPP) was obtained by attaching eight cholate units at the meta positions of the phenyl rings. Zn(CFTPP) favored binding a hydrophilic pyridyl ligand over a hydrophobic analogue in nonpolar solvents such as 20% MeOH/CCl4 but had the reverse selectivity in 95% MeOH/CCl4. Tunability of the ligand binding resulted from the cholates that aggregated intramolecularly to form either unimolecular micelle-like or reversed micelle-like structures, depending on solvent polarity. The micelle-like structures appear to be less well organized than the reversed micelle-like conformations and might be induced by hydrophobic guests. The solvent-dependent intramolecular aggregation of cholates was used to tune the catalytic activity of an iron porphyrin derivative. Epoxidation catalyzed by Fe(CFTPP)Cl gave a selectivity of up to 10:1 for alkene substrates differing by only one or two hydroxyl groups.
DYNAMICS OF A TIRE–WHEEL–SUSPENSION ASSEMBLY

Abstract A method is presented for the dynamic analysis of a tire–wheel–suspension assembly. The suspension, modelled by linear spring and dashpot elements, is connected to the center of a rigid wheel rotating at a constant angular rate. The tire is modelled as an inextensible circular ring on a foundation connected to the wheel. A distinguishing feature of the method is that tire deformations are expressed as functions of a fixed-frame rather than a rotating-frame co-ordinate. With such an approach, the equations of motion are expressed as a linear, time-invariant system. This is in stark contrast to previously published results in which a parametrically excited system with periodic coefficients is obtained. Advantages of the method include: (1) stability can be determined from an eigenvalue analysis rather than from Floquet analysis which requires numerical time integration, and (2) modal characteristics of the system in rolling contact can be readily determined. Results are presented which show the effects of rotation and damping on the static response of a tire in rolling contact with a flat, frictionless surface. The effects of rotation on the frequencies and damping ratios of the system are also presented.
The limitations of predictability of success of femoral-popliteal bypass grafts.

Abstract This study was carried out to determine whether we could develop a model to identify predictive factors for success of femoral-popliteal (FP) bypass grafts. In a retrospective review of 199 operations, 24 factors influencing outcome were selected by stepwise logistic regression analysis, a sophisticated, multifactorial computer program. The top five indicators (excluding intraoperative technical problems) were runoff status, previous ipsilateral FP bypass, preoperative prediction of potential amputation level, concurrent proximal vascular reconstruction, and site of the distal anastomosis. We chose to validate the predictive model developed before applying it clinically. Data from 67 subsequent cases were presented to the computer without the known outcome, and the probability of 30-day patency was calculated. The model predicted 11 failures; there were actually eight thromboses in the 67 grafts. However, only three of the failures were predicted correctly, and eight cases of computer-anticipated thromboses were patent at 30 days. The high false positive rate makes the clinical application of the predictive model inappropriate. The success of FP bypass grafts appears to be related to factors that cannot be assessed preoperatively, such as technical problems during surgery. Even those which seem to have a poor runoff and other high-risk factors may succeed; thus an aggressive approach is justified in lower extremity reconstructions. (J VASC SURG 1984;1:617-22.)
Decision Analysis of Dutasteride Use for Patients With Negative Prostate Biopsy

Objective To determine whether the additional benefits of improved prostate cancer detection associated with 5α-reductase inhibitors are sufficient to warrant chemoprevention in the case where the degree of prostate cancer risk reduction is deemed inadequate. Methods We reanalyzed data from REDUCE, a randomized trial of dutasteride for prostate cancer chemoprevention in men with prior negative biopsy. We evaluated whether statistical models using prostate-specific antigen (PSA) and PSA velocity could help predict the result of repeat prostate biopsy separately for dutasteride and placebo groups. Area under the curve was evaluated by 10-fold cross-validation. Results PSA velocity improved discrimination at 4 years in the dutasteride group but not at 2 years nor in the placebo group. At 2 years, dutasteride improved discrimination of PSA slightly (0.616 vs 0.603 for any grade cancer; 0.681 vs 0.676 for high-grade disease). Between-group differences in cancer rates at 4 years were small. Conclusion Clinicians who are willing to treat at least 23 patients with dutasteride for 2 years to avoid 1 prostate cancer diagnosis should offer dutasteride after initial negative biopsy. Clinicians not willing to do so might consider dutasteride for its additional benefit of reducing unnecessary biopsy, although this benefit is apparent only under very restrictive conditions. It is difficult to justify extending treatment with dutasteride for >2 years.
Preparation of Tungsten‐Based Olefin Metathesis Catalysts Supported on Alumina

A new tungsten alkylidene complex, W(NAr)(CHCMe2Ph)(OHIPT-NMe2)(pyrrolide) {Ar=2,6-(i-Pr)2C6H3; HIPT-NMe2=2,6-[2,4,6-(i-Pr)3C6H2]2-4-NMe2-C6H2}, has been synthesized and shown to be highly selective for Z homocoupling metathesis of selected terminal olefins in pentane, as is W(NAr)(CH2CH2CH2)(OHIPT)(pyrrolide) (5). Both 5 and W(NAr)(CHCMe2Ph)(OHIPT-NMe2)(pyrrolide) (6) are adsorbed onto calcined alumina. Control experiments and metathesis homocoupling of four substrates lead to the conclusions that 5 is largely adsorbed in a reaction that liberates HIPTOH, while 6 is adsorbed largely through an interaction between the dimethylamino group and an acidic site on the surface. There is no evidence that any adsorbed catalyst can give rise to Z selectivity of a magnitude equal to that found in a homogeneous reaction involving 5 or 6.
Ising-model, spin-spin correlations on the hypercubical lattices

The first seven terms of the high-temperature series expansion for the true range of correlation are derived for general dimension on the family of hypercubical lattices. Analysis of this series shows that a cross-over phenomenon occurs at high dimension so that for $d=\ensuremath{\infty}$ one obtains for the correlation-length critical index $\ensuremath{\nu}=1$ instead of the classical value $\ensuremath{\nu}=\frac{1}{2}$. This behavior is also illustrated by a more tractable, analogous, random-walk problem. The behavior of the critical temperature as a function of dimension is discussed. All present evidence is consistent with an essential singularity at $d=4$.
Simulation-Based Parametric Reliability Modeling Using Covariate Theory

Proceedings of the ASME International Engineering Congress and RDandD Exposition, Washington, DC, November 15-21, 2003.
Technology-Supported Art as a "Way to Participation"

Brianna Vitale provided the painting featured on the cover of the Spring 2014 issue of The Open Journal of Occupational Therapy. Brianna completed the painting, titled “Flamingo,” using a mouth joystick (joust) to draw the image on her computer and an assistive device to translate her computer artwork into the watercolor painting. At 12 years old, Brianna has been living for the past 9 years with tetraplegia, the result of a spinal cord injury (SCI). Through technology and with the support of family, friends, and health care professionals, Brianna energetically engages in a variety of creative, social, and philanthropic activities.
The reaction center profile structure derived from neutron diffraction

Both reaction center protein from the photosynthetic bacteria Rhodopseudomonas sphaeroides and egg phosphatidylcholine can be deuterium labelled; the reaction center protein can be incorporated into the phosphatidylcholine bilayers forming a homogeneous population of unilamellar vesicles. The lipid profile and the reaction center profile within these reconstituted membrane profiles were directly determined to 32 A resolution using lamellar neutron diffraction from oriented membrane multilayers containing either deuterated or protonated reaction centers, and either deuterated or protonated phosphatidylcholine. The 32 A resolution reaction center profile shows that the protein spans the membranes, and has an asymmetric mass distribution along the perpendicular to the membrane plane. These results were combined with previously described X-ray diffraction results in order to extend the resolution of the derived reaction center profile to 9 A.
PCR-Based Restriction Fragment Length Polymorphism And Haplotype of The Most Common Mutation L176F in The β-Glucuronidase Gene

Mucopolysaccharidosis type VII or Sly syndrome is an autosomal recessive disorder of glycosaminoglycan storage leading to variable clinical symptoms, such as hepatosplenomegaly, bone deformities, h...
Computing probability of instability for stability constrained electric power systems

Abstract Prevention of instability can be costly as it typically requires that system operation be constrained in a manner that increases the cost of providing electric energy. Developing a reasonable balance between economy and risk of insecurity requires accounting for the random nature of disturbances which can result in security violations. In this paper we present two methods for calculating the probability of instability due to transient instability. The methods are illustrated using a model of the Arizona portion of the WSCC system where, under weakened system conditions and no remedial actions, there are two separate contingencies which could result in a transient instability problem.
Optimal design of laminated composite structures using coarse-grain parallel genetic algorithms

Abstract A new coarse-grain parallel architecture for genetic algorithms, called island injection genetic algorithms, is implemented for the optimal design of laminated composite structures. This approach represents the design at various levels of refinement in subpopulations on separate computational nodes, then seeks good designs at each level of resolution and injects these good solutions into a population (node) with higher resolution to “fine-tune” the design. Numerical results are presented for the optimal design of a laminated composite beam to maximize its capacity to absorb mechanical energy without fracture. It is shown that super linear speedup can be achieved by using the injection algorithm.
Dislocations and the critical endpoint of the melting line of vortex line lattices

We develop a theory for dislocation-mediated structural transitions in the vortex lattice which allows for a unified description of phase transitions between the three phases, the elastic vortex glass, the amorphous vortex glass, and the vortex liquid, in terms of a free-energy functional for the dislocation density. In the presence of point defects, the existence of a critical endpoint of the first-order melting line at high magnetic fields, which has been recently observed experimentally, is explained.
Intrinsic Information in the Making of Public Space A Case Example of the Museum Space

Our lived experience is acted out in space. One of the significant things about our existence in physical space is that we fragment space into meaningful “chunks.” In the process, an inevitable dia...
Development of novel sorbents for mercury control at elevated temperatures in coal-derived syngas: results of initial screening of candidate materials

Abstract For next-generation coal-fired power plants such as the integrated gasification combined cycle (IGCC), controlling mercury emissions from the flue gas (turbine exhaust) may not be the most cost-effective option. Rather, it may be more advantageous to remove mercury from the fuel gas (syngas) before its combustion in a gas turbine. This approach aims to maintain the thermodynamic advantages of the IGCC while achieving the desired mercury control. Supported by U.S. Department of Energy's National Energy Technology Laboratory, RTI is screening chemically reactive solid sorbents to remove mercury. The concept of using reactive solid sorbents is analogous to technology RTI has developed for elevated-temperature syngas desulfurization. The goal is a sorbent tailored to remove mercury at the conditions of the syngas produced in a gasifier fed with carbonaceous feedstocks such as coal and petroleum coke. For the sorbent screening program, RTI has assembled a mercury vapor exposure apparatus and is evaluating selected sorbents for mercury removal at high temperatures (400 to 600 °F) in the simulated syngas. The initial testing has identified several effective candidate sorbents, while confirming the expected failure of conventional sorbents under high-temperature conditions. Mercury uptake by each sorbent was measured by analyzing the exposed material. The experimental protocol includes breakthrough testing and additional quality control runs without a sorbent present.
Fighting, nonagonistic social behavior, and exploration in isolation-reared rats

Sixty hooded Long-Evans rats were assigned to one of three conditions: isolation-rearing (from 14–30 days of age), brief isolation (from 28–30 days of age), and normal (no isolation). From day 14 to day 21, the isolation-reared animals were maintained in an incubator set at 35°C to prevent hypothermia and were separated from each other by Plexiglas. They learned to nourish themselves by lapping milk that continuously flowed down one side of the enclosure. Thereafter, they were housed in standard hanging wire cages. Unlike previous studies of isolation at this age, there were no significant weight differences between the isolation-reared group and the two control groups. At 30 days of age, the three groups were compared on fighting (serious and play), nonagonistic social behaviors (following and crawling under), and exploratory behavior (open-field ambulation). The isolation-reared group was significantly different from the normal group on all measures (isolates were higher on all measures except exploration). The isolation-reared animals showed significantly more serious fighting (aggression) than the brief isolation animals, whereas these two groups did not differ on other behaviors. This methodology allows for the study of isolation-rearing without the nutritional confounds found in previous research and shows an effect on aggression that is not accounted for by recent isolation. Aggr. Behav. 25:211–223, 1999. © 1999 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
PKC-β1 isoform activation is required for EGF-induced NF-κB inactivation and IκBα stabilization and protection of F-actin assembly and barrier function in enterocyte monolayers

Using monolayers of intestinal Caco-2 cells, we reported that activation of NF-κB is required for oxidative disruption and that EGF protects against this injury but the mechanism remains unclear. A...
Viewing the molecular display: Hints from the artificial intelligence of vision

Abstract In this paper I describe a number of “depth cues” which permit the viewer of computer graphics displays to deduce three-dimensional information from the two-dimensional display. These may be divided into “bottom-up” and “top-down” aids to interpretation. These depth cues can be emphasized in the computer graphics displays to assist the novice viewer, with an expert system adapted to the purpose. I provide a brief and general description of expert systems, including a caricature which deals with some of the problems encountered in molecular modeling with computer graphics. The central construct of the expert system DOCENT is its capacity to represent a macromolecule by “generalized cylinders”, and to permit manipulation of the cylinders directly, instead of the usual internal coordinates or space-fixed axes.
On the crowding of parameters associated with Schwarz-Christoffel transformations

We study the relationship between the normalization of Schwarz-Christoffel maps and the crowding of various accessory parameters. We present a priori estimates for accessory parameters and briefly review methods of solving the parameter problem for the Schwarz-Christoffel mapping.
Body and Soul: Oskar Kokoschka’s The Warrior, truth, and the interchangeability of the physical and psychological in fin‐de‐siècle Vienna

This essay examines the interpretive issues raised by Oskar Kokoschka’s sculpted bust The Warrior, in light of Kokoschka’s rejection of Gustav Klimt’s decorative use of ornament in favour of an Expressionist visual language of formal distortion and physiognomic exaggeration. Among the most salient properties introduced by Kokoschka’s mode of Expressionist portraiture is the depiction of human flesh as if it were transparent, with veins, arteries and nerve endings left visible on the surface of the skin. The essay also focuses on how Kokoschka’s experiments were patronized by the architect Adolf Loos, and how Loos and Kokoschka could have construed this new idiom as an evocation of psychological ‘truth’, an evocation consistent with the architect’s own obsession with truth to materials in architectural structures. The essay further argues that the association of Kokoschka’s suggestion of physical decay with psychological truth was essentially rhetorical; that this association could only have been made against time-bound and culturally specific assumptions about the interchangeability of the physical and psychological; and that this association was culled from a broad panoply of ideas prominent in nineteenth-century philosophy, medicine and psychiatry.
Fontan operation: Influence of modifications on morbidity and mortality

The mortality rate of the Fontan operation for heart malformations with a single or dominant ventricle has been reduced by dividing the procedure into two stages. The hemi-Fontan procedure allows early reduction of the volume work of the single ventricle and remodeling of ventricular geometry before a completion Fontan operation. Despite the improvement of survival with this strategy (8% mortality for completion Fontan versus 16% mortality for primary Fontan operation), morbidity related to serous effusions remains substantial. Further technical modifications have been undertaken in an effort to reduce morbidity and further reduce mortality. From January 1990 through June 1993, 200 patients underwent completion Fontan procedures after previous hemi-Fontan operations. Mean age was 23 months, and 157 patients were less than 24 months of age. Diagnoses were hypoplastic left heart syndrome (127 patients), tricuspid atresia (19 patients), single left ventricle (17 patients), complex double-outlet right ventricle (16 patients), pulmonary atresia with intact ventricular septum (8 patients), and other (13 patients). Overall, early mortality rate was 8% (16 patients). In the last 112 patients, the procedure was modified technically by creating one or more fenestrations in the baffle used to separate systemic venous blood from pulmonary venous blood (36 patients), or by excluding one or more hepatic veins from the systemic venous pathway (76 patients). Early mortality for these 112 patients was reduced to 4.5% (5 patients). Substantial morbidity from serous effusions occurred at a rate of 45% (35 of 78 patients) among survivors who had received neither technical modification.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
Use of a simple light absorbance assay to measure lymphocyte proliferation.

Abstract The proliferative response of human lymphocytes to stimuli such as foreign histocompatibility antigens or mitogens is generally assessed by measuring the amount of tritiated thymidine which the cells incorporate in culture. In this paper, the possibility of assessing lymphocyte proliferation and viability by an empirical assay, using measurement of light absorbance on ELISA reader in the yellow wave length (450 nm/air-550 nm/air), has been studied. The correlation of these measurements with a colormetric viability assay using MTS/PMS, with tritiated thymidine incorporation and with trypan blue exclusion viability counting, was determined. The results showed that the light absorbance assay correlate well with cell proliferation during 48–120 hours culture period and with cell viability after a 72 hours culture period. The MTS/PMS colormetric assay as well as trypan blue exclusion cell counting confirmed that the light absorbance assay was not merely caused by dead cells. This data confirm that the...
Comparison of peptidoglycan-polysaccharide and lipopolysaccharide stimulation of Kupffer cells to produce tumor necrosis factor and interleukin-1

Endotoxin (lipopolysaccharide) is a cell wall polymer from gram-negative bacteria that stimulates Kupffer cell release of cytokines such as tumor necrosis factor-alpha and interleukin-1. Another bacterial cell wall polymer in both gram-negative and gram-positive organisms is peptidoglycan-polysaccharide. Lipopolysaccharide and peptidoglycan-polysaccharide exist together in the intestinal lumen and can cross the intestinal mucosa, enter the portal vein and activate Kupffer cells. The purpose of this study was to compare the effects of lipopolysaccharide stimulation and peptidoglycan-polysaccharide stimulation of Kupffer cells on release of tumor necrosis factor-alpha and interleukin-1. Both bacterial polymers caused maximum tumor necrosis factor-alpha release from Kupffer cells after incubation for 4 to 8 hr. Maximum tumor necrosis factor-alpha release induced by 400 ng/ml lipopolysaccharide was 704 +/- 258 pg/ml, compared with 329 +/- 91 pg/ml tumor necrosis factor-alpha after 100 micrograms/ml peptidoglycan-polysaccharide (p < 0.001). Polymyxin B blocked lipopolysaccharide stimulation of tumor necrosis factor-alpha by 95% +/- 5% but blocked peptidoglycan-polysaccharide-stimulated tumor necrosis factor-alpha by 30% +/- 14% (p < 0.001). Repeat incubation of Kupffer cells with lipopolysaccharide after prior lipopolysaccharide incubation induced low tumor necrosis factor-alpha release (tolerance). Repeat incubation with peptidoglycan-polysaccharide induced no tolerance to tumor necrosis factor-alpha release. Incubation of lipopolysaccharide plus peptidoglycan-polysaccharide released less tumor necrosis factor-alpha than did each polymer used alone, but this inhibition was prevented by indomethacin. Dibutyryl cyclic AMP, prostaglandin E1, prostaglandin E2 and the adenosine A2-receptor agonist N-ethylcarboxyamideadenosine inhibited lipopolysaccharide-stimulated tumor necrosis factor-alpha release by 83%, 97%, 90% and 94%, respectively, but inhibited peptidoglycan-polysaccharide-stimulated tumor necrosis factor-alpha release by 52%, 60%, 45% and 51%, respectively (p < 0.001 for each). This indicates that intracellular signaling pathways differ for lipopolysaccharide-stimulated and peptidoglycan-polysaccharide-stimulated tumor necrosis factor-alpha release. After incubation for 8 and 24 hr, 100 micrograms/ml peptidoglycan-polysaccharide had induced significantly more interleukin-1 release from cultured Kupffer cells than had 400 ng/ml lipopolysaccharide (p < 0.001). Lipopolysaccharide induced tolerance to interleukin-1 release after repeat incubation, but peptidoglycan-polysaccharide caused no tolerance. These studies show that peptidoglycan-polysaccharide, a ubiquitous bacterial cell wall polymer, shares several proinflammatory properties with lipopolysaccharide but that there are differences that may have pathophysiological significance.
Comparing Reanalyses Using Analysis Increment Statistics

Abstract Reanalysis data are an important source of information for hydrometeorology applications, which use data assimilation to combine an imperfect atmospheric model with uncertain observations. However, uncertainty estimates are not normally provided with reanalyses. The model “first guess” (6-h forecast) is sometimes saved along with reanalysis estimates, which allows the calculation of the analysis increment (AI), defined as the analysis minus the model first guess. Analysis increment statistics could provide a quantitative index for comparing models in regions with sufficient observations. Monthly analysis increment statistics for the NCEP–NCAR Global Reanalysis 1 (NCEP-R1) and the NCEP/Department of Energy Global Reanalysis 2 (NCEP-R2) are computed for a North American and South American location for zonal and meridional wind and specific humidity at three atmospheric levels for 1998–2001. NCEP-R2 specific humidity was found to have a smaller mean monthly standard deviation of the analysis increme...