cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Wear of ultrananocrystalline diamond AFM tips during mechanical nanomanufacturing by nanomilling

Abstract The wear of the AFM tips has significant implications on the accuracy and throughput of the tip-based nanomanufacturing processes. Ultrananocrystalline diamond (UNCD) atomic force microscopy (AFM) tips that exhibit significantly lower wear rates compared to silicon and silicon nitride tips during the AFM application carry a strong potential to be effectively used during tip-based nanomanufacturing. In this paper, we present an experimental analysis of the wear of UNCD AFM tips during rotating tip-based mechanical nanomanufacturing (nanomilling). The diamond AFM tips are used as the nanotools to mechanically remove material from silicon and copper surfaces. The geometry of the tips is directly measured through non-contact AFM at various time points of the process. The acquired AFM images are then processed to quantify the progression of the tip wear in terms of wear volume, wear area, and change in tip radius and in tip height. The results of the analysis showed that the tips undergo two-phase wear process that consists of an early rapid break-in phase followed by a gradual steady-state phase. The wear rates experienced during nanomilling of silicon are shown to be more than an order of magnitude higher than those of copper. The analysis of the repeatability of the tip wear indicates that, for nominally identical process conditions and tip geometries, the tips could exhibit considerable variation in wear rates, particularly during the break-in phase. Without making any attempt on optimizing the process conditions, a cutting length of more than 240 mm is nanomilled at a constant depth of 150 nm on copper surfaces, within the life of a single nanotool.
The spread of the comparative negligence rule in the United States

In the sixteen years following 1968, thirty-seven states joined seven other states and most of the common law and statute law world in replacing the tort law principle of contributory negligence with comparative negligence. Contributory negligence absolves a negligent defendant of any financial responsibility for injuries occurring to a plaintiff if the plaintiff contributed in any manner to causing the accident. While there are exceptions to the rule, in general, under comparative negligence the courts use the degree of negligence of the parties to an accident to determine the percentage of the costs of the accidents each party will pay. Thus, a plaintiff whose actions are found to have contributed 25 percent of the cause of an accident will have his award reduced by 25 percent. Under the contributory negligence rule, he would receive nothing from the defendant. This rapid change in the kind of rule applied in tort law has not attracted much attention from researchers in law and economics. A majority of the literature has analyzed the relative efficiency of the various forms of tort law.’ Alternative questions
Rebuttal to Assessment of Physical Disability Commentaries

I am delighted that my focus article" generated such vigorous and thoughtful commentary. The remarks by Drs. Rudy and Stacey" and Matheson" were particularly illuminating and underscored, in a more comprehensive way than I was able to, the complexities involved in disability determination. I was, however, astonished to see that I had left the reviewers with the perception that I had advocated abandoning physical measures; castigated all independent medical examiners; and done anything to help perpetuate the myth of Cartesian duality between mind and body (Dr. Haldeman' did a nice job of that for me in his commentary).
α-Tocopherol counteracts ritonavir-induced proinflammatory cytokines expression in differentiated THP-1 cells

Treatment of HIV-infected individuals with HIV protease inhibitor (HPI) drugs has significantly increased their life span. However, one of the side effects of HPI drugs is the development of premature atherosclerosis, whose molecular pathogenesis remains unclear. Previously we have reported that alpha-tocopherol (alpha-T) normalizes CD36 overexpression induced by ritonavir treatment and reduces oxLDL uptake in THP-1 cells. Since inflammation is a major player in the pathogenesis of atherosclerosis, we hypothesized that HPI drugs, such as ritonavir, increase proinflammatory cytokines synthesis and that alpha-T supplementation counteracts this effect by suppressing proinflammatory cytokines levels. Here, we report that after differentiating THP-1 cells to macrophages, ritonavir treatment (10 microg/mL) significantly increases expression of proinflammatory cytokines, IL-6, MCP-1 and IL-8, at both mRNA and protein levels. This ritonavir-induced effect is significantly suppressed by treatment of THP-1/macrophages with 50 muM alpha-T. We conclude that ritonavir can induce proinflammatory cytokines synthesis in THP-1/macrophages, which might be associated with the development of premature atherosclerosis in ritonavir-treated patients and that this effect is prevented by alpha-T.
Treatment Decisions for Critically Ill Infants: The Abrogation of the Best Interests Standard

The issue of withholding or withdrawing medical treatment from seriously ill newborns first gained the attention of the American public in 1982 when Baby Doe was allowed to die without surgery. Since that time, the predominant ethical, medical, and legal approach has been one that allows informed parents to make a reasonable medical treatment decision in the best interests of their infant with the concurrence of the health care providers. There has always been a minority that believes every infant should receive full medical treatment without regard to pain and suffering, until that infant dies a natural death. This viewpoint is reflected in recent judicial and legislative proceedings that have either already drastically changed the prevailing standard of care or threaten do so. This article reviews the significance of these changes.
Global Images of the Upper 200 km in the Earth by Short-Period Surface Waves

A global shallow Earth structure is retrieved from short-period surface wave data (40-200 s) using a data set assembled from global digital networks. Phase velocity maps for both Love and Rayleigh waves are retrieved by spherical harmonic inversion. A comparison with results by block inversion is also presented, and the similarity of the results by the two different methods supports the belief that the data are capable of resolving most details in final velocity maps. Strong effects of crustal structure are evident in the patterns of short-period Love wave phase velocity variations, although depth resolution kernels show that the complete resolution of crustal structure is not possible from this period range of data. Two models of S-wave velocity maps are presented, one with an assumed crustal structure and topography and the other without such an assumption. Major differences between the two models occur just below the moho; the one with an assumed crustal structure shows the beginning of tectosphere-like structure immediately below the moho under cratons, while the model without it shows the beginning depths of tectosphere-like structure between 50 and 80 km. It is obvious that the short-period cut-off in this study (40 s) is not sufficiently short to resolve shallow structures in detail. A few interesting tectonic features in the models include: 1) S-wave velocity under ridge axes is slow in the upper 200 km and is very slow in the upper 100-120 km, due possibly to partial melting at shallow depths; and 2) depth slices under the Himalaya-Tibet region show fast velocity anomaly extending from India to the underside of Tibet. While it is difficult to distinguish between a subducted oceanic lithosphere and a thickened continental lid, the shape of the contour lines seems to favor the interpretation that this fast velocity anomaly is the underthrusting Indian ocean lithosphere.
Dynamics of the intergenerational transmission of welfare receipt in the United States

Using data from the Panel Study of Income Dynamics, this article expands upon earlier empirical efforts to understand intergenerational welfare participation in the United States. Empirical studies have suggested that growing up in a household that receives Aid to Families with Dependent Children (AFDC) increases the probability that a child will receive AFDC, although little insight exists on the dynamics of this relationship. In particular, no one has formally examined how the time a daughter spends on AFDC varies from the time her parents receive welfare. By observing the behavior of parents and their daughters for five years, this study examines the length of participation in AFDC across generations. The results imply that growing up in a household that receives AFDC increases the amount of time that a daughter will also receive aid, although the time a daughter receives AFDC is not affected by the length of time parents receive AFDC.
Local-scale turnpike roads in nineteenth-century Kentucky

Abstract This essay will examine, through a Kentucky case study, the process whereby states, county-level localities, and individuals undertook for themselves the responsibility for internal improvements, especially the construction of comprehensive road networks in the nineteenth century. Before the Kentucky legislature authorized state-funded road construction in the twentieth century, the state's best roads were a few toll turnpikes. Following other eastern states, Kentucky approved turnpike construction charters and subscribed to turnpike stock to underwrite construction. State statutes, based upon directives from trained engineers hired by the Board of Internal Improvement, required that turnpike construction follow complex procedures. A change in the state constitution in 1850 forced the state to withdraw from turnpike road investment and road construction oversight and finance devolved to counties and private investors. Local county road networks were largely the product of neighborhood turnpike companies chartered by the state. Primary documents record the local road-building process for a five-mile turnpike in a Bourbon County. With little direction or assistance from state engineers, the neighborhood residents, led by farmer John W. Jones, surveyed a route, arranged for right-of-way access through adjacent farms, hired Irish turnpike construction crews, built a tollhouse, and collected tolls. Formal state law and engineering directives became attenuated as amateur turnpike builders constructed a simplified version of the state's ideal road.
Explorations in teaching inspiration: A seminar for students beginning dissertations

"This course is as much about inspiration as about research methods and theories of history," I told the eleven students around the seminar table on the first day of class. I had created the course to fulfill a new departmental requirement, and together we would be traveling freshly mapped territory. While the formal course objectives were spelled out on the syllabus, I now noted that the particular point at which the students stood -they had passed the general exams in United States history and were preparing to write the dissertation prospectus (equal in length to a seminar paper) -was one of expansive possibilities. Our weekly two-hour meetings would be devoted less to rehearsing and criticizing arguments and more to exploration, including attention to the purposes of our chosen profession. Figuring out how to become inspired, I emphasized, is part of methodology. I selected readings that defied conventional boundaries. I invited James Goodman and David Farber as guest speakers to lead our discussions of the successful books that had emerged from their experimental dissertations. The sessions with Goodman and Farber "rocked," wrote one student in the course evaluation. Students were also especially stirred by the week devoted to writing.' The inaugural semester was a success, though not without room for fine-tuning. At the end of each class I asked the students what had worked and what had not and recorded suggestions for other possible readings; interested colleagues also proposed books and articles. Many of these will appear on the syllabus for next year's cohort of prospectus writers.2 I also learned from the responses to the detailed eval-
Prevalence of cpb2, encoding beta2 toxin, in Clostridium perfringens field isolates: correlation of genotype with phenotype

Beta2 toxin, encoded by the cpb2 gene, has been implicated in the pathogenesis of porcine, equine and bovine enteritis by type A Clostridium perfringens. By incorporating primers to cpb2 into a multiplex genotyping PCR, we screened 3270 field isolates of C. perfringens. Of these, 37.2% were PCR positive for the cpb2 gene. The majority of isolates from cases of porcine enteritis were positive for cpb2 (>85%), and this was even more true for C. perfringens isolated from cases of porcine neonatal enteritis (91.8%). In contrast, isolates from normal pigs only contained cpb2 in 11.1% of cases. The correlation between enteritis in other animal species and the presence of cpb2 was not so strong. cpb2 was found in 21.4% of C. perfringens isolates from cattle with enteritis, and in 47.3% of isolates from calves with enteritis or abomastitis. The prevalence of cpb2 varied with genotype, with type A isolates being positive for this gene in 35.1% of cases. Furthermore, enterotoxigenic type D or type E strains almost always carried cpb2. We cloned a 6xHIS-tagged beta2 (HIS-beta2) and used this protein to raise antiserum against beta2. Culture supernatants from 68 cpb2-positive and 13 cpb2-negative strains were tested for the presence of beta2 by Western blotting. In cpb2-positive isolates of porcine origin, beta2 was almost always detected (96.9%). However, in cpb2-positive isolates from other animal species, only 50.0% expressed beta2 protein. The high rate of cpb2-positivity among strains from neonatal pigs with enteritis and the high correlation of genotype with phenotype, supports the contention that beta2 toxin plays a role in the pathogenesis of these infections. However, it may be important to consider the use of an additional method for the detection of beta2 toxin in non-porcine cpb2-positive isolates when making claims about the role of beta2 in enteritis in non-porcine species.
The Telephone Answering Service A Survey of Use by General Practitioners and Pediatricians in Massachusetts

A survey of Massachusetts pediatricians and general practitioners and of telephone answering services indicated widespread use of the telephone answering service by physicians, but with some important differences between what physicians expect and what the services said they do. The importance of telephone communication is of such importance to practitioners that they should be as critical of their utilization of the answering service as of any other therapeutic tool.
Subpixel canopy cover estimation of coniferous forests in Oregon using SWIR imaging spectrometry

The percent cover of vegetation canopies is an important variable for many land-surface biophysical and biogeochemical models and serves as a useful measure of land cover change. Remote sensing methods to estimate the subpixel fraction of vegetation canopies with spectral mixture analysis (SMA) require knowledge of the reflectance properties of major land cover units, called endmembers. However, variability in endmember reflectance across space and time has limited the interpretation and general applicability of SMA approaches. In this study, a subpixel vegetation cover of coniferous forests in Oregon, United States, was successfully estimated by employing shortwave infrared reflectance measurements (SWIR2 region, 2080–2280 nm) collected by the NASA Airborne Visible Infrared Imaging Spectrometer (AVIRIS). The approach presented here, referred to as AutoSWIR [Asner and Lobell, 2000], was originally developed for semiarid and arid environments and exploits the low SWIR2 variability of materials found in most ecosystems. SWIR2 field spectra from Oregon were compared with spectra from an arid systems database, revealing significant differences only for soil reflectance. However, SWIR2 variability remained low, as indicated by field spectra and principal component analysis, and AutoSWIR was then modified to use coniferous forest spectra collected in Oregon. Subsequent high spatial resolution estimates of forest canopy cover agreed well with estimates from low-altitude air photos (rms = 3%), demonstrating the successful extension of AutoSWIR to a coniferous forest ecosystem. The generality of AutoSWIR facilitates accurate estimates of vegetation cover that can be automatically retrieved from SWIR2 spectral measurements collected by forthcoming spaceborne imaging spectrometers such as NASA's New Millenium Program EO-1 Hyperion. These estimates can then be used to characterize landscape heterogeneity important for land-surface, atmospheric, and biogeochemical research.
Isomerization of olefin carboxylic esters catalyzed by nickel and palladium compounds

Abstract The Group 10 complex trans -Pd(C 6 H 5 CN) 2 Cl 2 and acidic solutions of Ni[P(OEt) 3 ] 4 effectively catalyze the stereoselective isomerization of CC double bonds in olefinic esters. With acidic solutions of Ni[P(OEt) 3 ] 4 , only 4-pentenoate is produced from 3-pentenoate at early times. However, in the presence of excess phosphite, 2-pentenoate is the only positional isomer produced (61% yield). In the absence of excess phosphite, a kinetically controlled process is proposed to explain the initial formation of 4-pentenoate. With the Pd catalyst, no 4-pentenoate is observed. For example, trans -Pd(C 6 H 5 CN) 2 Cl 2 selectively produces 2-pentenoate from 3-pentenoate (58%).
The proximal region of the 3'-untranslated region of cyclooxygenase-2 is recognized by a multimeric protein complex containing HuR, TIA-1, TIAR, and the heterogeneous nuclear ribonucleoprotein U.

Cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) is an early response gene induced in renal mesangial cells by interleukin-1β (IL-1β). The 3′-untranslated region (3′-UTR) of COX-2 mRNA plays an important role in IL-1β induction by regulating message stability and translational efficiency. The first 60 nucleotides of the 3′-UTR of COX-2 are highly conserved and contain multiple copies of the regulatory sequence AUUUA. Introduction of the 60-nucleotide sequence into the 3′-UTR of a heterologous reporter gene resulted in a 70% decrease in reporter gene expression. Electrophoretic mobility shift assays (EMSAs) demonstrated that mesangial cell nuclear fractions contain a multimeric protein complex that bound this region of COX-2 mRNA in a sequence-specific manner. We identified four members of the protein-RNA complex as HuR, TIA-1, TIAR, and the heterogeneous nuclear ribonucleoprotein U (hnRNP U). Treatment of mesangial cells with IL-1β caused an increase in cytosolic HuR, which was accompanied by an increase in COX-2 mRNA that co-immunoprecipitated with cytosolic HuR. Therefore, we propose that HuR binds to the proximal region of the 3′-UTR of COX-2 following stimulation by IL-1β and increases the expression of COX-2 mRNA by facilitating its transport out of the nucleus.
Axis II comorbidity of borderline personality disorder

The purpose of this study was to assess the prevalence of a full range of DSM-III-R axis II disorders in a sample of criteria-defined borderline patients and axis II controls. The axis II comorbidity of 504 personality-disordered inpatients was assessed blind to clinical diagnosis using a semistructured research interview. Odd, anxious, and dramatic cluster disorders were each common among borderline patients. However, only odd and anxious cluster disorders were significantly more common among borderline patients (N = 379) than axis II controls (N = 125). Paranoid, avoidant, and dependent personality disorders were the most highly discriminating disorders between borderline patients and controls. In addition, male and female borderline patients exhibited somewhat different patterns of comorbidity. Although the rates of avoidant and dependent personality disorders were similar, male borderlines were significantly more likely than female borderlines to meet DSM-III-R criteria for paranoid, passive-aggressive, narcissistic, sadistic, and antisocial personality disorders. These results suggest that there is a particularly strong relationship between anxious cluster disorders and borderline personality disorder (BPD). They also suggest that gender plays an important role in the expression of axis II comorbidity, particularly with respect to dramatic cluster disorders.
Fixing America's Broken Immigration System: Introduction

In January 2008, at the meeting of the American Historical Association, I had coffee with two colleagues, Gary Gerstle and George Sanchez, with whom I share an abiding interest in labor and immigration history, as well as current politics. We hatched an idea to hold a conference on immigration policy reform, which we believed would potentially be back on Congress's agenda after the new administration—we did not know at the time who would be the next president—took office. Ours certainly would not be the first conference on immigration policy. But we wanted to bring two perspectives that are not commonly aired in policy debates today: the historical perspective and the international perspective. We decided to bring together historians, social scientists, advocates, policy analysts, and journalists for a gathering in Washington, D.C., where we hoped to get the attention of those on Capitol Hill. We were fortunate that the Woodrow Wilson Center for International Studies agreed to host and cosponsor the event and that we were able to work with historian Sonya Michel, the center's new director for United States studies. Additional cosponsors included Columbia University, the University of Southern California, and Vanderbilt University.
Correlation of lymphangiography, computed tomography, and laparotomy in the staging of Hodgkin's disease

Abstract Purpose : To determine the predictive value of lymphangiography and computed tomography of the abdomen and pelvis for infradiaphragmatic involvement of Hodgkin's disease. Methods and Methods : We retrospectively reviewed the findings on 125 patients with Hodgkin's disease treated at the University of Florida who underwent lymphangiography and staging laparotomy; 33 patients also underwent computed tomography of the abdomen and pelvis. The positive predictive value and negative predictive value were calculated for both studies. Results : The positive predictive value of lymphaniography for paraaortic or pelvic disease was 35%, while the negative predictive value was 95%. The positive predictive value of computed tomography of the abdomen and pelvis for paraaortic or pelvic disease was 20%; the negative predictive value was 93%. There was no advantage in predicting paraaortic or pelvic disease when both studies were obtained as compared to either study alone. For splenic disease, the positive predictive value of computed tomography was 43%; the negative predictive value was 77%. Of the patients with a positive lymphangiography, 57% were found at laparotomy to have either no abdominal disease or upper abdominal disease only, with or without minimal splenic disease, making them reasonable candidates for radiotherapy alone. Of the patients with a negative lymphangiogram, 14% were found at laparotomy to have either lower abdominal disease or extensive splenic disease, and so were not good candidates for radiotherapy alone. Conclusion : We recommend laparotomy for patients who may be candidates for radiotherapy alone or combined modality therapy with limited chemotherapy.
Lectrons or lectures - which is the best for whom?

The immediate goal of this study was to compare a section of 27 students learning by a CD-ROM-Web-self-paced method against a section of 52 students learning by the traditional lecture method. Statistical results are presented comparing achievement of learning objectives, motivation, learning styles, and student characteristics. The experimental students demonstrated strong self-paced learning attributes. Students electing the experimental section had a need for freedom in learning. There was no preference in learning styles between the two groups for the data that was statistically reliable (sensing, active and sequential styles). The experimental class was identically successful in achieving the learning objectives as the traditional class.
Murine hemopoietic colonies in culture containing normoblasts, macrophages, and megakaryocytes.

Murine marrow cells, when incubated in methylcellulose culture in the presence of erythropoietin and conditioned medium for two weeks, produced large macroscopic bursts containing normoblasts, macrophages, and often megakaryocytes. The clonal nature of these mixed colonies was supported by linearity studies and analyses of the percentages of constituent cells in different plating conditions. Time course observations and studies of the effects of L-cell-conditioned medium revealed that colony-forming cells for the mixed colonies (CFU-mix) are at earlier stages of hemopoietic development than burst-forming units (BFU-E). The mean of the modal sedimentation velocities of CFU-mix was 3.4 mm/hr and was in close agreement with that reported for the spleen colony-forming units. Almost none of the CFU-mix was in a DNA synthetic phase as measured by short-term exposure to tritiated thymidine. These results strongly indicate that CFU-mix represent a population of pluripotent hemopoietic stem cells in murine marrow.
Impact of Dietary Fat and Fiber Intake on Nutrient Intake of Adolescents

Objective. To evaluate the impact of fat and fiber intake on energy and nutrient intake of 15-year-old adolescents. Study Design. Twenty-four-hour dietary recalls were collected on a random sample of 15-year-olds. Subjects were then categorized into groups based on fat and fiber intake, with 319 students meeting criteria for 1 of 4 dietary intake quadrants: low fat, low fiber; low fat, high fiber; high fat, low fiber; and high fat, high fiber. Students with medium fat or fiber intakes were excluded from the study. Low-fat and high-fat intake were defined as 40% of total energy intake, respectively. Low- and high-fiber intake were defined as 20 g/day, respectively. Results. Low-fat and high-fiber intake had a minimal impact on energy intake and did not adversely affect nutrient intake. High-fiber intake was associated with greater likelihood of adequate intake of vitamins A, B6, B12, and C; niacin; thiamin; riboflavin; folacin; magnesium; iron; zinc; phosphorus; and calcium. High-fat intake was associated with greater likelihood of adequate vitamin B12 intake. Significant differences in fat and fiber intake distributions were found for ethnic background and gender, with more non-white than white students in the high-fat groups and more males than females in the high-fiber groups. Conclusions. A low-fat and high-fiber diet meeting current nutrition recommendations does not adversely affect energy or nutrient intake, increases nutrient density of the diet, and increases the likelihood of adequate intake for several key nutrients.
Simultaneous indoor localization and detection with multi-carrier radar

This paper discusses an advancement in indoor navigation and target detection due to novel ultra-wideband (UWB) radar configuration and signal processing. We present the method of autonomous doorway identification and parameter estimation along with experimental data obtained using UWB OFDM software-defined radar. Simultaneous detection is carried out using return profiles of expected scenes in frequency domain. It is demonstrated that this method, when performed using multi-carrier OFDM signals, can be advantageous both in terms of target detection (PD/PFA) and in terms of radar-aided indoor positioning.
Validation of Sensitivity of Sulfate-Bearing Soils to Ettringite Growth by Differential Scanning Calorimetry

Considerable attention has been given to sulfate-induced heave in soils stabilized with calcium-based stabilizers over the past two decades. Empirical evidence has supported threshold values of water-soluble sulfates that are used as guidelines to define the risk of distress. This study uses two approaches to evaluate these sulfate threshold values as well as to compare the sensitivity of soils with different mineralogies to sulfate-induced damage. Five soils, each belonging to a different soil series and with significantly different chemistries and mineralogies, are evaluated. Differential scanning calorimeter and stoichiometric mass balance calculations based on a thermodynamics-based phase diagram approach are used to evaluate the influence of mineralogy on soil behavior. The variation in sensitivity of different soils to ettringite formation was substantiated and was found to be dependent on reactive clay content in the soil. Although the sensitivity of soils to ettringite formation was observed to change with the availability of reactive clay fractions, no definitive relationship was established between clay content and weight percentage of ettringite formed. The empirical threshold of about 3,000 ppm is generally substantiated as is the efficacy of the concept of extended mellowing periods with homogeneous mixing while adding as much mixing water as possible. Finally, a general agreement between the mass balance predictive approach and the direct measurement by using the differential scanning calorimeter was established.
Efficient detection in hyperspectral imagery

Hyperspectral sensors collect hundreds of narrow and contiguously spaced spectral bands of data. Such sensors provide fully registered high resolution spatial and spectral images that are invaluable in discriminating between man-made objects and natural clutter backgrounds. The price paid for this high resolution data is extremely large data sets, several hundred of Mbytes for a single scene, that make storage and transmission difficult, thus requiring fast onboard processing techniques to reduce the data being transmitted. Attempts to apply traditional maximum likelihood detection techniques for in-flight processing of these massive amounts of hyperspectral data suffer from two limitations: first, they neglect the spatial correlation of the clutter by treating it as spatially white noise; second, their computational cost renders them prohibitive without significant data reduction like by grouping the spectral bands into clusters, with a consequent loss of spectral resolution. This paper presents a maximum likelihood detector that successfully confronts both problems: rather than ignoring the spatial and spectral correlations, our detector exploits them to its advantage; and it is computationally expedient, its complexity increasing only linearly with the number of spectral bands available. Our approach is based on a Gauss-Markov random field (GMRF) modeling of the clutter, which has the advantage of providing a direct parameterization of the inverse of the clutter covariance, the quantity of interest in the test statistic. We discuss in detail two alternative GMRF detectors: one based on a binary hypothesis approach, and the other on a "single" hypothesis formulation. We analyze extensively with real hyperspectral imagery data (HYDICE and SEBASS) the performance of the detectors, comparing them to a benchmark detector, the RX-algorithm. Our results show that the GMRF "single" hypothesis detector outperforms significantly in computational cost the RX-algorithm, while delivering noticeable detection performance improvement.
Minimalist Representations and the Importance of Nearest Neighbor Effects in Protein Folding Simulations

In order to investigate the level of representation required to simulate folding and predict structure, we test the ability of a variety of reduced representations to identify native states in decoy libraries and to recover the native structure given the advanced knowledge of the very broad native Ramachandran basin assignments. Simplifications include the removal of the entire side-chain or the retention of only the C β atoms. Scoring functions are derived from an all-atom statistical potential that distinguishes between atoms and different residue types. Structures are obtained by minimizing the scoring function with a computationally rapid simulated annealing algorithm. Results are compared for simulations in which backbone conformations are sampled from a Protein Data Bankbased backbone rotamer library generated by either ignoring or including a dependence on the identity and conformation of the neighboring residues. Only when the C β atoms and nearest neighbor effects are included do the lowest energy structures generally fall within 4 A of the native backbone root-mean square deviation (RMSD), despite the initial configuration being highly expanded with an average RMSD ≥10 A. The side-chains are reinserted into the C β models with minimal steric clash. Therefore, the detailed, all-atom information lost in descending to a C β level representation is recaptured to a large measure using backbone dihedral angle sampling that includes nearest neighbor effects and an appropriate scoring function.
Diffusion tractography of the fornix in schizophrenia.

Background White matter fiber tracts, especially those interconnecting the frontal and temporal lobes, are likely implicated in pathophysiology of schizophrenia. Very few studies, however, have focused on the fornix, a compact bundle of white matter fibers, projecting from the hippocampus to the septum, anterior nucleus of the thalamus and the mamillary bodies. Diffusion Tensor Imaging (DTI), and a new post-processing method, fiber tractography, provides a unique opportunity to visualize and to quantify entire trajectories of fiber bundles, such as the fornix, in vivo. We applied these techniques to quantify fornix diffusion anisotropy in schizophrenia.
La0.8Sr0.2Cr1 − xRuxO3 − δ–Gd0.1Ce0.9O1.95 solid oxide fuel cell anodes: Ru precipitation and electrochemical performance

Abstract Composites containing La0.8Sr0.2Cr1 − xRuxO3 − δ (LSCrRu) with x = 0–0.25 and Gd0.1Ce0.9O1.95 (GDC) were studied as anodes in solid oxide fuel cells (SOFCs) with La0.9Sr0.1Ga0.8Mg0.2O3 − δ (LSGM) electrolytes. Electrode polarization resistance RP decreased during initial SOFC operation before reaching a minimum. The decrease was more rapid, and the ultimate RP value reached was generally lower, with increasing temperature and Ru content x. RP was stable at longer times except for x = 0.25 where it increased slightly. SOFCs with x = 0.18 anodes at 800 °C yielded power densities as high as 0.53 W/cm2 with an RP value, including the (La,Sr)(Co,Fe)O3–GDC cathode, of
Weighted jackknife-after-bootstrap: a heuristic approach

We investigate the problem of deriving precision estimates for bootstrap quantities. The one major stipulation is that no further bootstrapping will be allowed. In 1992, Efron derived the method of jackknife-after-bootstrap (JAB) and showed how this problem can potentially be solved. However, the applicability of JAB was questioned in situations where the number of bootstrap samples was not large. The JAB estimates were inflated and performed poorly. We provide a simple correction to the JAB method using a weighted form where the weights are derived from the original bootstrap samples. Our Monte Carlo experiments show that the weighted jackknifeafter-bootstrap (WJAB) performs very well.
S-Adenosylhomocysteine—a better indicator of vascular disease than homocysteine?

It is widely accepted that elevated plasma total homocysteine is an independent risk factor for vascular disease. The relation is believed to be causal, but there is no generally accepted mechanism for the pathophysiology involved. The metabolic precursor of homocysteine in all tissues is S-adenosylhomocysteine (AdoHcy). AdoHcy is present in normal human plasma at concentrations approximately 1-500th of those of homocysteine, a fact that presents difficulties in measurement. The requirement for specialized equipment, complicated time-consuming methodology, or both is a reason that measurement of plasma AdoHcy has not generally been carried out in large studies. A recently published rapid immunoassay for AdoHcy in human plasma should make measurement of this important metabolite available for general use. Advantages of the measurement of plasma AdoHcy include 1) a smaller overlap of values between control subjects and patients, and thus the possibility of observing significant differences in fewer samples, 2) an accepted mechanism of metabolic activity as an inhibitor of all S-adenosylmethionine-mediated methyltransferases, and 3) evidence (from recent studies) that a higher plasma concentration of AdoHcy is a more sensitive indicator of vascular disease than is a higher plasma concentration of homocysteine.
Rapid temperature acclimation of leaf respiration rates in Quercus alba and Quercus rubra.

Summary We conducted controlled (chamber) and natural (field) environment experiments on the acclimation of respiration in Quercus alba L. and Quercus rubra L. Three-year-old Louisiana, Indiana and Wisconsin populations of Q. alba were placed in growth chambers and exposed to alternating 5-week periods of cool (20 °C mean) and warm (26 °C mean) temperatures. We measured respiration rates on fully expanded leaves immediately before and approximately every 2 days after a switch in mean temperature. In a second chamber experiment, 3-year-old potted Q. alba seedlings were exposed to alternating warm (26 °C mean) and cool (16 °C mean) temperatures at 4-day intervals. Leaf dark respiration rates were measured on days 2, 3 and 4 after each change in temperature. In a third, field-based study, we measured leaf respiration rates in the same three sources of Q. alba and in Arkansas, Indiana and Minnesota sources of Q. rubra before and after a natural 16 °C change in mean daily ambient temperature.
PARDAXIN PRODUCES SODIUM INFLUX IN THE TELEOST GILL-LIKE OPERCULAR EPITHELIA

1.Transport by the gill-like opercular epithelium of the teleost, Fundulus heteroclitus , was affected by pardaxin, a protein that is toxic to fish, isolated from the Red Sea flatfish Pardachirus marmoratus . 2.Administration of pardaxin to the mucosal (seawater) side of the isolated short-circuited opercular epithelium, caused a transient stimulation of the active transport of ions (Isc), followed by an inhibition. The Isc stimulation was abolished by ouabain or/and in Na + -free Ringer but not in Cl − -or HCO 3 − -Ringer. When applied to the serosal (blood) side, pardaxin did not affect the Isc. 3.Pardaxin produced a net transient Na + current from the mucosal side to the serosal side of 2.2 μequiv cm −2 h −1 . It is concluded that this Na + influx caused the Isc stimulation. The influx is suggested to be the mechanism of pardaxin9s toxicity in fish.
An efficient high-order algorithm for solving systems of reaction-diffusion equations

An efficient higher-order finite difference algorithm is presented in this article for solving systems of two-dimensional reaction-diffusion equations with nonlinear reaction terms. The method is fourth-order accurate in both the temporal and spatial dimensions. It requires only a regular five-point difference stencil similar to that used in the standard second-order algorithm, such as the Crank-Nicolson algorithm. The Pade approximation and Richardson extrapolation are used to achieve high-order accuracy in the spatial and temporal dimensions, respectively. Numerical examples are presented to demonstrate the efficiency and accuracy of the new algorithm. © 2002 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Numer Methods Partial Differential Eq 18: 340–354, 2002; Published online in Wiley InterScience (www.interscience.wiley.com). DOI 10.1002/num.10012
A vacuum-tube voltage regulator

A device has been developed which not only provides voltage regulation for alternators, but short-circuit protection as well. Saturation current from the filament of a thermionic tube forms the control element, while stabilization is accomplished by a feed-back system.
Simple modeling allows prediction of steady-state glucose disposal rate from early data in hyperinsulinemic glucose clamps.

After a constant insulin infusion is initiated, determination of steady-state conditions for glucose infusion rates (GIR) typically requires ≥3 h. The glucose infusion follows a simple time-depende...
Si / TiN Nanocomposites Novel Anode Materials for Li ‐ Ion Batteries

Nanocomposites containing silicon and titanium nitride were synthesized by high‐energy mechanical milling. The process results in very fine particles distributed homogeneously inside the matrix. nanocomposites synthesized using different experimental conditions were evaluated for their electrochemical properties. Results indicate that in the composite alloys and dealloys with lithium during cycling, while remains inactive providing structural stability. A composite containing obtained after milling exhibited a stable capacity of , suggesting its promising nature. Preliminary cycling data show good capacity retention reflective of good phase and microstructural stability as verified by X‐ray diffraction and scanning electron microscopy analyses. ©2000 The Electrochemical Society
Developmental Expression of Two Spore Wall Proteins during Maturation of the Microsporidian Encephalitozoon intestinalis

Microsporidia are intracellular eukaryotes that infect many animals and cause opportunistic infections in AIDS patients. The disease is transmitted via environmentally resistant spores. Two spore wall constituents from the microsporidian Encephalitozoon intestinalis were characterized. Spore wall protein 1 (SWP1), a 50-kDa glycoprotein recognized by monoclonal antibody (MAb) 11B2, was detected in developing sporonts and at low levels on the surfaces of mature spores. In contrast, SWP2, a 150-kDa glycoprotein recognized by MAb 7G7, was detected on fully formed sporonts and was more abundant on mature spores than SWP1. Nevertheless, the SWPs appeared to be complexed on the surfaces of mature spores. SWP1 and SWP2 are similar at the DNA and protein levels and have 10 conserved cysteines in the N-terminal domain, suggesting similar secondary structures. The C-terminal domain of SWP2 has a unique region containing 50 repeating 12- or 15-amino-acid units that lacks homology to known protein motifs. Antibodies from mice infected with E. intestinalis recognized SWP1 and SWP2. The characterization of two immunogenic SWPs from E. intestinalis will allow the study of exospore structure and function and may lead to the development of useful tools in the diagnosis and treatment of microsporidiosis.
Anionic synthesis of dimethylamino‐functionalized polystyrenes and poly (methyl methacrylates) using 1 ‐ (4‐dimethylaminophenyl) ‐ 1 ‐ phenylethylene

ω-Dimethylaminopolystyrenes can be synthesized in quantitative yields by reacting poly(styryl)lithium with 1-(4-dimethylaminophenyl)-1 -phenylethylene (1). The resulting polymeric dimethylamino-substituted 1,1-diphenylalkyllithium was terminated with methanol or reacted with butadiene to form a diblock copolymer, poly(styrene-b-butadiene), with the dimethylamino group at the interface between the blocks. α-Dimethylaminopolystyrene and α-dimethylaminopoly-(methyl methacrylate) were synthesized by using the adduct of 1 with sec-butyllithium as initiator, α,ω-Bis(dimethylamino)polystyrene was prepared by using the functionalized initiator and then terminating the resulting dimethylaminopoly-(styryl)lithium with 1. The amine-functionalized polymers were characterized by end-group titration, size exclusion chromatography, thin-layer chromatography, vapor phase osmometry, elemental analysis and both 1H and 13C NMR spectroscopy. All experimental evidence is consistent with quantitative functionalization via the 1,1-diphenylethylene derivative.
Velocity-permeability relations within hydraulic units

Relationships between seismic velocity and permeability have been difficult to establish. I show that by grouping and sorting rocks into hydraulic units, we can establish relationships between velocity and permeability. The hydraulic units are calculated from measured porosity and permeability values. Correlation between velocity and permeability is significant within each hydraulic unit (the correlation coefficient, R2, lies in the range 0.65–0.87). This correlation is an extension of the match between porosity and permeability within a hydraulic unit. I show how the compaction and cementation history of a sediment can have effects on its physical properties such as porosity and permeability and on its seismic properties. The measured velocity data are further approximated with the Biot model. The velocity‐permeability relation and modeling results are demonstrated for a large data set of laboratory measurements. The good match between calculated and measured data demonstrates that this relation can be u...
Succession Planning in SMEs: An Empirical Analysis

This study reports the results from a survey of 368 family-owned small to medium size enterprises (SMEs) with regard to the importance, nature, and extent of succession planning. By categorizing SMEs according to their annual revenues, total number of employees, and number of family members employed within the firm, significant differences were found between larger and smaller firms. Consistent with extant literature, the findings reveal that most family members join the firm for altruistic reasons. Issues related to family relationships were rated as significantly more important in firms in which more family members were employed within the firm. Moreover, for firms with less than US$1m in revenues, a high priority is placed on selecting a successor who possesses strong sales and marketing skills. The findings show that regardless of their size, it is important for family-owned businesses to develop a formal plan for succession, communicate the identity of the successor, and provide training/mentoring to...
Changes and Challenges in Crime and Criminal Justice After Disaster

While prosocial behavior is widely observable after disaster, there is undeniable evidence that antisocial behavior also occurs in the immediate and longer term aftermath of disaster. We begin by examining the crime that occurred in New Orleans in the immediate wake of Katrina and the circumstances that facilitated it. We also take a longer term look at one of New Orleans’ most intractable crime problems, that of murder. We explore Katrina’s direct and indirect effect on murder rates in New Orleans, including innovative law enforcement responses to this crime. We conclude with a discussion of policies and practices relevant to reducing crime in the immediate and longer term wake of disaster that incorporate law enforcement and other initiatives.
Water Supply Planning Model for West Africa

A model is formulated for use in the arid, underdeveloped Sahel-Sudan region, West Africa. Its purpose is to determine either the least cost set of sources to meet fixed demands or the sources and water uses that maximize the net benefits of water use. Since for planning purposes the model is designed to apply to the entire region and some subareas have only small-scale development options, both large and small-scale development of a wide variety of demands and supplies are modelled. The model is a mixed integer programming (MIP) optimization model. The objective function can be expressed either as the minimization of supply costs or as the maximization of the net benefits of water use. The major constraints are that in each planning subarea and in each season hydrologic continuity must exist, and demand must be met. The major decision variables are the capacities of supply sources, and in the net benefit maximization case, the water demand quantities. MIP is used to model the possibility of different reservoir operating at a site.
Method to represent the distribution of QTL additive and dominance effects associated with quantitative traits in computer simulation

Background Computer simulation is a resource which can be employed to identify optimal breeding strategies to effectively and efficiently achieve specific goals in developing improved cultivars. In some instances, it is crucial to assess in silico the options as well as the impact of various crossing schemes and breeding approaches on performance for traits of interest such as grain yield. For this, a means by which gene effects can be represented in the genome model is critical.