cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Pro-GnRH processing.

Publisher Summary An inspection of the deduced amino acid sequences from the nine complementary pro-GnRH forms demonstrates several points. All pro-gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH) proteins contain GnRH at their N-termini and the peptide is separated by a putative processing site from GnRH-associated peptide (GAP). The organization and spatial arrangement of these sequences suggest that the enzymes that process the pro-GnRH in a given cell are similar across all species. In addition, excision of the GnRH peptide from the precursor is performed by an endopeptidase. Because most peptide precursors appear to be processed at monobasic or dibasic residues, the endopeptidase could cleave the pro-GnRH after the Lys or Arg residues. The regulation of peptide bioactivity is a complex process. Cells have devised ingenious mechanisms to control the amounts of peptides available for release. Some of these processes include gene transcription, pre-RNA splicing, protein biosynthesis, trafficking of the precursor to the regulated secretory pathway, conversion of the pro-peptide to fully processed product, secretion, and degradation. There is considerable controversy regarding the regulation of GnRH transcription in vivo , and in many cases, control appears to occur posttranscriptionally.
Studies in char gasification-V: Ash recirculation model

Abstract The fundamental idea behind processes that eliminate the need for an oxygen plant is to couple a gasifier and a combustor by means of circulating solids. In this paper, the simplest possible reactor unit that retains this fundamental idea is analysed. Two nonslagging fluidized beds of char, a gasifier and a combustor, are connected by standpipes to introduce circulation. Analysis shows that this may be a viable process, at least theoretically. More theoretical work as well as experimental studies need to be done before a conclusion can be drawn.
Performance federalism and local democracy: : Theory and evidence from school tax referenda

Federal governments are increasingly employing empirical measures of lower-level government performance to ensure that provincial and local jurisdictions pursue national policy goals. We call this burgeoning phenomenon “performance federalism” and argue that it can distort democratic accountability in lower-level elections. We estimate the impact of a widely publicized federal indicator of local school district performance—one that we show does not allow voters to draw valid inferences about the quality of local educational institutions—on voter support for school tax levies in a U.S. state uniquely appropriate for this analysis. The results indicate that a signal of poor district performance increases the probability of levy failure, a substantively large and robust effect that disproportionately affects impoverished communities. The analysis employs a number of identification strategies and tests for multiple behavioral mechanisms to support the causal interpretation of these findings.
Representa el programa de maquiladoras mexicanas una verdadera estrategia de desarrollo

El cuestionamiento con que se presenta este articulo propone un esquema evaluativo para la estrategia de la industrializacion via maquiladoras en el caso de Mexico. Parte de senalar que la estrategia de crecimiento basada en la inversion y tecnologia extranjera ha adquirido una popularidad inusitada entre los tomadores de decisiones en paises del Tercer Mundo. El concepto de dependencia ha sido sometido ya a rigurosas criticas teoricas, sin embargo, lo realmente importante es "establecer el potencial del desarrollo dependiente para ser revertido". El panorama que se ofrece es diverso y abarca aspectos que resultan polemicos e inagotables, y las conclusiones a las que se puede llegar despues de reflexionar en el tema, con seguridad no tendran la misma validez hoy que manana.
Radiation Analysis of a Lecanoid Genetic System.

In the lecanoid chromosomal system, as exemplified by the mealy bug, Planococcus citri (Risso), one chromosome set becomes heterochromatic during embryogeny of the male and is maintained as such during development. At spermatogenesis, the first division is equational for both the euchromatic and heterochromatic chromosomes which are segregated from each other in the second; only the euchromatic derivatives form sperm. After paternal irradiation, the induced aberrations appear in the heterochromatic set of the male embryos while they occur in the euchromatic set after maternal treatment. After paternal irradiation of doses up to 30000 rep, dominant lethality is induced in daughters but not in sons. There is thus a clear picture of the failure of damage to the heterochromatic set to produce a detectable genetic effect. These results do not rule out a secondary genetic or physiological function of the heterochromatic set. No breakage-fusion-bridge cycles, which would complicate the results whether the heterochromatic set were inert or not, were observed in the cytological studies after low-dosage treatments. After maternal treatment, both sexes diminish with increasing dosage but the results are complicated by the effect of maternal age on the sequence in which the two sexes of offspring occur during oviposition (sexualmore » dichronism) as well as on total progeny. At high-dosage paternal treatments, 60, 90, and 120,000 rep, the number of sons is drastically reduced while the number of daughters is about 40% of the controls. (P.C.H.)« less
Fast bounds checking using debug register

The ability to check memory references against their associated array/buffer bounds helps programmers to detect programming errors involving address overruns early on and thus avoid many difficult bugs down the line. This paper proposes a novel approach called Boud to the array bounds checking problem that exploits the debug register hardware in modern CPUs. Boud allocates a debug register to monitor accesses to an array or buffer within a loop so that accesses stepping outside the array's or buffer's bound will trigger a breakpoint exeption. Because the number of debug registers is typically small, in cases when hardware bounds checking is not possible, Boud falls back to software bounds checking. Although Boud can effectively eliminate per-array-reference software checking overhead in most cases, it still incurs a fixed set-up overhead for each use of an array within a loop. This paper presents the detailed design and implementation of the Boud compiler, and a comprehensive evaluation of various performance tradeoffs associated with the proposed array bounds checking technique. For the set of real-world network applications we tested, including Apache, Sendmail, Bind, etc., the latency penalty of Boud's bounds checking mechanism is between 2.2% to 8.8%, respectively, when compared with the vanilla GCC compiler, which does not perform any bounds checking.
Monitoring the enrichment and isolation of sulfate-reducing bacteria by using oligonucleotide hybridization probes designed from environmentally derived 16S rRNA sequences.

Abstract A fluorescently labeled version of a population-specific oligonucleotide hybridization probe was used to monitor the enrichment and isolation of a sulfate-reducing bacterium from a multispecies anaerobic bioreactor. The organism was originally identified as a molecular isolate that was phylogenetically related to Desulfovibrio vulgaris by amplification and sequencing of part of its 16S rRNA sequence. The sequence, in turn, was used to design a population-specific probe. The anaerobic medium used for the organism's enrichment and isolation was based on the physiological properties of the its closest relatives as identified by sequence comparisons. Of 30 isolates examined, only 3 hybridized with the probe. Nearly complete 16S rRNA sequences determined for each of these three isolates (i) had no mismatches with the probe target site, (ii) were identical to the amplified partial sequence of about 500 nucleotides and to one another in all other positions, and (iii) were 93.9% similar to that of D. vulgaris. In addition, one isolate chosen for further study (strain PT-2) had a substrate specificity comparable to that of D. vulgaris. These results confirmed that polymerase chain reaction amplification of 16S rRNA sequences from environmental samples can be accurate and can also provide phylogenetic information from which aspects of a population's physiology can be inferred.
Coparental Affect, Children's Emotion Dysregulation, and Parent and Child Depressive Symptoms.

Children's emotion dysregulation and depressive symptoms are known to be affected by a range of individual (parent, child) and systemic (parent-child, marital, and family) characteristics. The current study builds on this literature by examining the unique role of coparental affect in children's emotion dysregulation, and whether this association mediates the link between parent and child depressive symptoms. Participants were 51 mother-father-child triads with children aged 7 to 12 (M age = 9.24 years). Triads discussed a time when the child felt sad and a time when the child felt happy. Maternal and paternal displays of positive affect were coded, and sequential analyses examined the extent to which parents were congruent in their displays of positive affect during the emotion discussions. RESULTS indicated that interparental positive affect congruity (IPAC) during the sadness discussion, but not the happiness discussion, uniquely predicted parent-reported child emotion dysregulation, above and beyond the contributions of child negative affect and parental punitive reactions. The degree of IPAC during the sadness discussion and child emotion dysregulation mediated the association between maternal, but not paternal, depressive symptoms and child depressive symptoms. FINDINGS highlight the unique role of coparental affect in the socialization of sadness in youth and offer initial support for low levels of IPAC as a risk factor for the transmission of depressive symptoms in youth. Language: en
The incidence of corneal abnormalities in the Silicone Study. Silicone Study Report 7.

Objective: To determine factors that were prognostic of corneal abnormalities in eyes following surgery for severe proliferative vitreoretinopathy. Design: Subgroup analysis of the Silicone Study. Settings: Community and university-based ophthalmology clinics. Materials: Eyes with attached maculae at the 24-month follow-up examination that did not have a preexisting corneal abnormality. Interventions: Vitrectomy surgery with long-acting gas or silicone oil. Outcome Measures: Epithelial and/or stromal edema, corneal opacity and/or previous corneal transplant. Results: The incidence of corneal abnormalities at 24 months was 27% and did not differ significantly between treatment groups. Prognostic factors were preoperative aphakia or pseudophakia (P=.003), preoperative iris neovascularization (P=.006), reoperation (P=.001), the absence of a fluid/gas exchange (P=.03), corneal touch by silicone oil (P=.02), and the presence of aqueous cells (P=.009) or aqueous flare (P=.08). In a multivariate analysis, independent prognostic factors were iris neovascularization (relative risk [RR]=13.1), aphakia or pseudophakia (RR=3.0), postoperative aqueous flare (RR=5.4), and reoperations (RR=3.4). Corneal abnormalities were correlated with poor visual acuity and hypotony (P Conclusions: To our knowledge, this is the first study to document that the incidence rates of corneal abnormalities are equivalent between oil and gas. The incidence of corneal abnormalities in gas-filled eyes was higher than expected, and remained high in oil-filled eyes, despite the use of an inferior iridectomy. Successful surgical repair of the retinal detachment with a single operation, and prevention and early management of corneal touch by silicone oil should help to prevent corneal abnormalities. If rubeosis iridis or severe aqueous flare is present, preoperative treatment with intense topical and possibly periocular steroids might reduce inflammation, which might mediate corneal damage.
Report on a new and effective cast material

Abstract “Castex” a new and effective cast material has the following advantages: 1. 1. The material itself is 70 per cent lighter and four to five times stronger than plaster of Paris. 2. 2. It has a remarkable resilience factor. 3. 3. It is permeable to x -ray, and therefore allows for much better bone detail. 4. 4. It is easy to apply.
Axisymmetric large eddy simulation of a circular source of buoyancy

Abstract Axisymmetric large-eddy simulations (LES) of published experiments on vertical mixing above a circular source of buoyancy are performed. Numerical results confirm the existence of a mixing boundary layer just above the buoyancy source (freshwater injected into saline water). As experiments suggested, the calculated normalized shape of the boundary layer seems independent of source size, freshwater injection rate and background solute concentration. This validates a restrictive but numerically efficient assumption of axisymmetric turbulence for the LES calculations. It also lends additional credibility to the theoretical boundary-layer analysis of Epstein and Burelbach [Epstein, M., Burelbach, J.P., 2001. Vertical mixing above a steady circular source of buoyancy. Int. J. Heat Mass Trans. 44, 525–536], even at marginally high Froude numbers.
Development of on-fiber optical sensors utilizing chromogenic materials

On-fiber optical sensors, designed with chromogenic materials used as the fiber modified cladding, were developed for sensing environmental conditions. The design was based on the previously developed on-fiber devices. It is known that the light propagation characteristics in optical fibers are strongly influenced by the refractive index of the cladding materials. Thus, the idea of the on- fiber devices is based on replacing the passive optical fiber cladding with active or sensitive materials. For example, temperature sensors can be developed by replacing the fiber clad material with thermochromic materials. In this paper, segmented polyurethane-diacetylene copolymer (SPU), was selected as the thermochromic material for temperature sensors applications. This material has unique chromogenic properties as well as the required mechanical behaviors. During UV exposure and heat treatment, the color of the SPU copolymer varies with its refractive index. The boundary condition between core and cladding changes due to the change of the refractive index of the modified cladding material. The method used for the sensor development presented involves three steps: (a) removing the fiber jacket and cladding from a small region, (b) coating the chromogenic materials onto the modified region, and (c) integrating the optical fiber sensor components. The experimental set-up was established to detect the changes of the output signal based on the temperature variations. For the sensor evaluation, real-time measurements were performed under different heating-cooling cycles. Abrupt irreversible changes of the sensor output power were detected during the first heating-cooling cycle. At the same time, color changes of the SPU copolymer were observed in the modified region of the optical fiber. For the next heating-cooling cycles, however, the observed changes were almost completely reversible. This result demonstrates that a low-temperature sensor can be built by utilizing the chromogenic SPU copolymer as the modified cladding material.
Occurrence of Far-Red Light Photoacclimation (FaRLiP) in Diverse Cyanobacteria

Cyanobacteria have evolved a number of acclimation strategies to sense and respond to changing nutrient and light conditions. Leptolyngbya sp. JSC-1 was recently shown to photoacclimate to far-red light by extensively remodeling its photosystem (PS) I, PS II and phycobilisome complexes, thereby gaining the ability to grow in far-red light. A 21-gene photosynthetic gene cluster (rfpA/B/C, apcA2/B2/D2/E2/D3, psbA3/D3/C2/B2/ H2/A4, psaA2/B2/L2/I2/F2/J2) that is specifically expressed in far-red light encodes the core subunits of the three major photosynthetic complexes. The growth responses to far-red light were studied here for five additional cyanobacterial strains, each of which has a gene cluster similar to that in Leptolyngbya sp. JSC-1. After acclimation all five strains could grow continuously in far-red light. Under these growth conditions each strain synthesizes chlorophylls d, f and a after photoacclimation, and each strain produces modified forms of PS I, PS II (and phycobiliproteins) that absorb light between 700 and 800 nm. We conclude that these photosynthetic gene clusters are diagnostic of the capacity to photoacclimate to and grow in far-red light. Given the diversity of terrestrial environments from which these cyanobacteria were isolated, it is likely that FaRLiP plays an important role in optimizing photosynthesis in terrestrial environments.
Nucleotide sequence of the mitochondrial cytochrome oxidase subunit II gene in the yeast Hansenula saturnus

The gene for subunit II of cytochrome oxidase in the yeast Hansenula saturnus was previously shown to be located on a 1.7 kb HindIII-BamHI fragment of mitochondrial DNA (Lawson and Deters, accompanying paper). In this paper, we report the nucleotide sequence of a large part of this fragment, covering the coding region of the subunit II gene, designated coxII, and its 5′ and 3′ flanking regions. The coding region of the coxII gene consists of a continuous open reading frame, 744 nucleotides long, containing 6 in frame TGA codons. Examination of the sequence and alignment with known homologous gene sequences of other organisms indicates that TGA codes for tryptophan in H. saturnus mitochondria as it does in several other mitochondria. Despite considerable homology to subunit II of Saccharomyces cerevisiae, there are 9 codons used in coxII that are not used in the corresponding S. cerevisiae gene. CTT, which is believed to code for threonine in S. cerevisiae mitochondria, appears 3 times in coxII and probably codes for leucine. While the CGN family is rarely, if ever, used in S. cerevisiae mitochondria, CGT appears 4 times in coxII and probably codes for arginine. The deduced amino acid sequence, excluding the first ten amino acids at the N-terminus, is 81% homologous to the amino acid sequence of the S. cerevisiae subunit II protein. The first ten amino acids at the N-terminus are not homologous to the N-terminus of the S. cerevisiae protein but are highly homologous to the first ten amino acids of the deduced amino acid sequence of subunit II of Neurospora crassa. Minor variations of a transcription initiation signal and an end of message or processing signal reported in S. cerevisiae are found in the regions flanking the H. saturnus coxII gene. The subunit II gene contains numerous symmetrical elements, i.e. palindromes, inverted repeats, and direct repeats. Some of these have conserved counterparts in the S. cerevisiae subunit II gene, suggesting that they may be functionally or structurally important.
Implementation of an Animal Model for Genetic Evaluation of Dairy Cattle in the United States

Abstract Procedures were developed for animal model evaluation of dairy cattle for milk, fat, and protein yields as well as evaluation for fat and protein percentages as a function of yield evaluations. Data available for January and July 1987 Modified Contemporary Comparison evaluations were used to compute animal model evaluations. For each cow, records from her first five lactations are included. Cows without a first lactation record are evaluated separately. Relationships with all known male and female relatives influence evaluations. Solutions are computed by iteration on data for fixed management and random herd-sire, permanent environment, and breeding value effects. Iteration is by second-order Jacobi for breeding value and by Gauss-Seidel for other effects. Accuracy (expressed as repeatability) is computed as in Modified Contemporary Comparison procedures except that sire repeatability includes contributions from parents and dam repeatability is adjusted for number of daughters. A genetic base is imposed by subtracting average evaluation of cows born in 1984 from all evaluations. Results include predicted transmitting ability (one-half breeding value), predicted producing ability (sum of herd-sire, permanent environmental, and breeding value effects), parent average (average transmitting ability of parents), and average effect of management groups containing a cow's records.
Aquatic contaminants alter genes involved in neurotransmitter synthesis and gonadotropin release in largemouth bass.

Abstract Many aquatic contaminants potentially affect the central nervous system, however the underlying mechanisms of how toxicants alter normal brain function are not well understood. The objectives of this study were to compare the effects of emerging and prevalent environmental contaminants on the expression of brain transcripts with a role in neurotransmitter synthesis and reproduction. Adult male largemouth bass ( Micropterus salmoides ) were injected once for a 96 h duration with control (water or oil) or with one of two doses of a single chemical to achieve the following body burdens (μg/g): atrazine (0.3 and 3.0), toxaphene (10 and 100), cadmium (CdCl 2 ) (0.000067 and 0.00067), polychlorinated biphenyl (PCB) 126 (0.25 and 2.5), and phenanthrene (5 and 50). Partial largemouth bass gene segments were cloned for enzymes involved in neurotransmitter (glutamic acid decarboxylase 65, GAD65; tyrosine hydroxylase) and estrogen (brain aromatase; CYP19b) synthesis for real-time PCR assays. In addition, neuropeptides regulating feeding (neuropeptide Y) and reproduction (chicken GnRH-II, cGnRH-II; salmon GnRH, sGnRH) were also investigated. Of the chemicals tested, only cadmium, PCB 126, and phenanthrene showed any significant effects on the genes tested, while atrazine and toxaphene did not. Cadmium (0.000067 μg/g) significantly increased cGnRH-II mRNA while PCB 126 (0.25 μg/g) decreased GAD65 mRNA. Phenanthrene decreased GAD65 and tyrosine hydroxylase mRNA levels at the highest dose (50 μg/g) but increased cGnRH-II mRNA at the lowest dose (5 μg/g). CYP19b, NPY, and sGnRH mRNA levels were unaffected by any of the treatments. A hierarchical clustering dendrogram grouped PCB 126 and phenanthrene more closely than other chemicals with respect to the genes tested. This study demonstrates that brain transcripts important for neurotransmitter synthesis neuroendocrine function are potential targets for emerging and prevalent aquatic contaminants.
Multi-step predictive power control in CDMA systems

A multi-step predictive CLPC that has an LCPF to effectively compensate multiple PCG delays d (ges 2) in the fast Rayleigh fading is presented. The proposed multi-step predictive CLPC improves its BER performance over conventional non-predictive or single-step predictive CLPCs
Prospective, randomized trial of autotransfusion after routine cardiac operations

Abstract To study the effectiveness of autotransfusion of shed mediastinal blood in decreasing the need for homolo gous blood transfusion in the routine cardiac surgical patient, we prospectively randomized 35 consecutive patients into two groups. The experimental group (n = 18) received autotransfusion for 12 hours after completion of the operative procedure. The control group (n = 17) was treated with standard chest drainage and fluid replacement. Both groups received homologous blood transfusion when the hemoglobin level fell to less than 8.0 g/dL. Student's t test, χ 2 analysis, and multivariate logistic regression analysis were used where appropriate. Packed red blood cells were required postoperatively in 6 of the 17 control and 6 of the 18 autotransfusion patients ( p = not significant). Postoperative colloid fluid replacement (excluding autotransfusion fluid) in the autotransfusion group (333 ± 78 mL; 95% confidence bounds, 168 to 498 mL) was less than in the control group (615 ± 114 mL; 95% confidence bounds, 372 to 857 mL; p = 0.048). Total homologous blood product exposure tended to be higher in autotransfusion patients (83%) than in control patients (47%) ( p = 0.057). Fibrin split products were elevated only in the serum of the autotransfusion patients ( p
On Horwitz (2006), "forty years of group psychotherapy at the Menninger Clinic".

Group psychotherapy at Menninger, a small psychiatric universe dominated by dyadic therapeutic concepts, was initially something somewhere between an interloper and a step–child. Brought to the Clinic by junior members of the staff in the 1960s, it came from outside with virtually no psychoanalytic bona fides. As Horwitz (2006) so well describes, it lacked legitimacy in the eyes of practitioners long committed to the 2–person relationship of psychoanalysis. Group therapy was seen by these senior practitioners
ASTM E57 3D imaging systems committee: an update on the standards development effort

In June 2006, a new ASTM committee (E57) was established to develop standards for 3D imaging systems. This committee is the result of a 4-year effort at the National Institute of Standards and Technology to develop performance evaluation and characterization methods for such systems. The initial focus for the committee will be on standards for 3D imaging systems typically used for applications including, but not limited to, construction and maintenance, surveying, mapping and terrain characterization, manufacturing (e.g., aerospace, shipbuilding), transportation, mining, mobility, historic preservation, and forensics. This paper reports the status of current efforts of the ASTM E57 3D Imaging Systems committee.
Photopolymerization of Organic Molecular Crystal Nanorods

The dianthracene molecule 9-anthracenecarboxylic acid, methylene ester (9AC-ME) was synthesized and used to form molecular crystal nanorods using anodized aluminum oxide templates. A high-temperature solvent annealing process generated a crystal polymorph where neighboring monomers had overlapping anthracene moieties. Subsequent exposure to ultraviolet light caused the monomers to undergo a [4 + 4] photocycloaddition reaction, forming highly crystalline polymer nanorods of poly(9AC-ME). The polymer nanorods are flexible, resistant to breakage, and insoluble in organic solvents and strong acid/base solutions. Their molecular structure is characterized by powder X-ray diffraction, solid-state NMR, and UV−vis spectroscopy. Different diameter crystalline polymer nanorods could be fabricated using alumina templates of variable pore diameter.
The properties of damaged and undamaged suture used in metal and bioabsorbable anchors: an in vitro study.

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to determine the mechanical properties of undamaged and damaged sutures in metal and bioabsorbable suture anchors. Methods: Undamaged and damaged FiberWire (Arthrex, Naples, FL), Tevdek (Deknatel, Mansfield, MA), and PDS (Ethicon, Somerville, NJ) sutures were tested by a single pull to failure while being pulled parallel to the axis of either a metal or bioabsorbable suture anchor. Sutures were damaged by use of a razor blade incorporated into a custom-designed jig. The friction of the sutures through the anchor eyelets was also tested. Results: For both anchor types, FiberWire was the strongest suture studied. Undamaged PDS had a significantly greater load to failure than Tevdek. Although all sutures lost significant strength when damaged, PDS lost the most, with damaged PDS becoming significantly weaker than damaged Tevdek. Damaged FiberWire was significantly stronger in metal anchors compared with bioabsorbable anchors, with failure of the bioabsorbable suture eyelet preventing testing of undamaged FiberWire. Neither undamaged nor damaged PDS or Tevdek had a significant difference in strength between metal and bioabsorbable anchors. However, in metal anchors the mechanical properties of undamaged Tevdek were inferior to those of the other undamaged sutures tested. For undamaged or damaged sutures through either anchor type, PDS suture had the highest coefficient of friction, significantly higher than FiberWire and Tevdek. All sutures, undamaged or damaged, had significantly less friction in bioabsorbable anchors compared with metal anchors. Conclusions: The FiberWire-anchor construct is significantly weaker when bioabsorbable anchors are used instead of metal anchors. For Tevdek and PDS sutures, the anchor type does not affect the strength of the construct, as the suture is the limiting factor. When used with suture anchors, PDS has the most friction of the sutures tested, potentially leading to suture damage, which disproportionately weakens PDS compared with the other sutures tested. For both undamaged and damaged sutures, bioabsorbable anchors lead to less friction than do metal anchors, which may lessen suture damage in vivo. Clinical Relevance: The mechanical properties of damaged suture are important to all surgeons who use suture arthroscopically.
Path integral Liouville dynamics for thermal equilibrium systems

We show a new imaginary time path integral based method--path integral Liouville dynamics (PILD), which can be derived from the equilibrium Liouville dynamics [J. Liu and W. H. Miller, J. Chem. Phys. 134, 104101 (2011)] in the Wigner phase space. Numerical tests of PILD with the simple (white noise) Langevin thermostat have been made for two strongly anharmonic model problems. Since implementation of PILD does not request any specific form of the potential energy surface, the results suggest that PILD offers a potentially useful approach for general condensed phase molecular systems to have the two important properties: conserves the quantum canonical distribution and recovers exact thermal correlation functions (of even nonlinear operators, i.e., nonlinear functions of position or momentum operators) in the classical, high temperature, and harmonic limits.
Snapshot Mueller matrix spectropolarimetry

We present a snapshot technique for performing spectrally-resolved Mueller matrix polarimetry, based on channeled spectropolarimetry. After discussing the measurement theory in detail, we present a simulated measurement of a polymer achromatic retarder. Finally, we review some methods for modifying the technique to achieve improved performance.
Deformation-Processed Copper-Chromium Alloys: Role of Age Hardening

A processing technique was developed previously to optimize strength and electrical conductivity in deformation-processed copper-chromium -wires. It consists of deformation treatments alternated with a solution plus quench treatment and then with an aging treatment. In the present study, samples were examined by transmission electron microscopy at each stage of the optimized process to follow the evolution of microstructure. It was shown that this type of processing develops maximum reduction in size of the chromium dendrite phase without breakage and that the deformation produces a strong precipitation of the chromium from solid solution. The aging treatment does not produce an age-hardening effect. Rather, it produces precipitation of chromium on the existing chromium filaments and relieves the strain in them so that additional reduction by deformation is possible. Additional experiments on copper-niobium alloys, which are not expected to show age hardening, also support these conclusions.
Mission-system planning: an application of multiresolution, multiperspective modeling, and exploratory analysis

This paper describes mission-system planning (MSP) and mission-system analysis (MSA). It relate their needs to two frontier subjects: multi resolution, multi perspective modeling (MRMPM) and exploratory analysis. After a brief explanation of mission-system planning, I describe an application: the mission of halting a mechanized invasion force with long-range fires such as fighter and bomber aircraft. The application involves defining the relevant system, decomposing it analytically, and assessing overall system effectiveness over a relevant scenario space. The appropriate decomposition depends on one's point of view and responsibilities, and may have both hierarchical and network aspects. The result is a need for multiple levels of resolution in each of several perspectives. Evaluation of system capabilities then requires models. Strategically useful mission-system evaluation requires low-resolution (highly abstracted models), but the validity and credibility of those evaluations depends on deeper work and is enhanced by the ability to zoom in on components of the system problem-to explore underlying mechanisms and related capabilities in more detail. Given success in such matters, the remaining challenge is to find reductionist ways in which to display and explain analysis conclusions and motivate decisions. This also requires abstraction, the soundness of which can be enhanced with appropriate tools for data analysis of results from the exploratory work across scenario space.
X-Ray Sources From Picosecond Laser Plasma Excitation

Ultrashort (<10ps at lkeV) high-brightness (1022 photons/sec-mm2-eV into 2π steradians at lkeV) x-ray pulses are generated by exciting a preformed laser-produced plasma using a 1GW picosecond laser pulse. Time-integrated spectra and time-integrated spatially resolved emission yields are presented for various materials. Time-resolved measurements of the XUV and x-ray emission from a solid Au target are presented, as well as the dependence of radiation yield on the laser energy, angle of incidence and polarization. The production and short time duration of the x-ray emission is attributed to resonance absorption followed by rapid plasma cooling via thermal conduction.© (1988) COPYRIGHT SPIE--The International Society for Optical Engineering. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.
The formation kinetics of some lanthanide oxalate complexes

Abstract The kinetics of formation and dissociation were determined for the one-to-one lanthanide oxalate complexes by a pressure jump technique. The rates were determined as a function of temperature and the activation parameters calculated. The results suggest that the rate-determining step is the loss of a water molecule from the inner co-ordination sphere of the lanthanide metal ion. The trend in the rate of formation within the lanthanide series indicates a decrease in coordination number in the lanthanide series occurring in the region from europium to holmium. The results correlate well with other rate data, conductivity data and thermodynamic studies on lanthanide complex formation in solution.
The reactivity of substrate functionalized surfactant vesicles

Abstract The hydrolysis and thiolysis of active ester-functionalized cationic surfactant vesicles proceed without kinetic resolution of distinct exovesicular and endovesicular reactions.
PRIMADONNA: a system for automated defect disposition of production masks using wafer lithography simulation

Today's reticle inspection tools can provide a wealth of information about defects. We introduce here a system called DIVAS : Defect Inspection Viewing, Archiving, and Simulation that fully uses and efficiently manages this wealth of defect information. In this paper, we summarize the features of DIVAS and describe in more detail PRIMADONNA, one of its components. Current reticle defect specifications are based, primarily, on defect size. Shrinking design rules, increasing MEEF and use of Optical Enhancement Techniques cause size to be an inadequate criterion for disposition. Furthermore, visual disposition of defects is not automated, strictly reproducible, or directly tied to wafer lithography. To compensate for these inadequacies, reticle specifications are set conservatively adding direct and hidden costs to the manufacturing process. PRIMADONNA, utilizing Prolith as the simulation engine, retrieves all defect and reference images saved from a KLA SLF77 inspection tool and processes them through a series of increasingly rigorous simulation stages. These include pre-filtering, aerial image formation, and post filtration. Difference metrics are used to quantify a defect's wafer impact. We will report results comparing PRIMADONNA decisions to manual classifications for a significant volume of inspections. Correlation between PRIMADONNA results and AIMS metrology will be presented.
Design and noniterative learning of multiple pattern storage in a modified Hopfield net

A Hopfield net is a feed-back neural network (FBNN) consisting of one layer of binary neurons. Its main function is its ability to associatively store multiple binary patterns (or accurate binary patterns) in its connection matrix, and to associatively recall on any of these stored patterns by a nosie affected triggering pattern applied to the input. If the noise of this input pattern falls within a certain range, (called the domain of convergence or the domain of attraction in the terminology of nonlinear system analysis), of a certain accurately stored pattern, then that accurate pattern will be recalled and will appear permanently in the output of the FBNN even when the triggering input pattern is removed. This being so is due to the self-sustained feedback action and the domain of convergence properties existing in the FBNN. However, if the stored patterns and the noisy, triggering patterns violate some PLI (positive, linear, independency) condition, then it is impossible for the FBNN to learn the mapping relations of these accurate patterns to be triggered by the triggering patterns with the designated noisy range. In this case we have to design a "UNIVERSAL" two-layered feed-back neural network that will accomplish this learning task. This paper dervies from the principle of the NONITERATIVE LEARNING, the design of a universal, parallel-cascaded two-layered perceptron (PCTLP), and the reconnection of it to form a universal FBNN, (which may be called the generalized Hopfield net,) that will accomplish this associative-storage and associative-recall learning task.
Automated design of multiple-class piecewise linear classifiers

A new method and a supporting theorem for designing multiple-class piecewise linear classifiers are described. The method involves the cutting of straight line segments joining pairs of opposed points (i.e., points from distinct classes) ind-dimensional space. We refer to such straight line segments aslinks. We show how nearly to minimize the number of hyperplanes required to cut all of these links, thereby yielding a near-Bayes-optimal decision surface regardless of the number of classes, and we describe the underlying theory. This method does not require parameters to be specified by users — an improvement over earlier methods. Experiments on multiple-class data obtained from ship images show that classifiers designed by this method yield approximately the same error rate as the bestk-nearest neighbor rule, while providing faster decisions.
Lymphatic spread among women with primary peritoneal carcinoma.

Background and Objectives Our knowledge regarding the pathologic lymphatic spread pattern of primary peritoneal carcinoma (PPC) is limited. The aim of this study was to compare the incidence and the pathologic patterns of pelvic and para-aortic lymph node metastases among women with PPC and those with papillary serous ovarian carcinoma (PSOC). Methods We conducted a prospective study over the last 4 years among women with FIGO stage III and IV PPC and PSOC who had optimal primary cytoreductive surgery (<1 cm residual). The same surgeon performed pelvic and para-aortic lymphadenectomy on all the patients using a similar technique. The same pathologist reviewed all lymph nodes and recorded nodal involvement with cancer, diameter of the largest nodal tumor, capsular integrity, and pattern of immune response (lymphocyte predominant, germinal cell predominant, unstimulated, or lymphocyte depletion). Both groups were compared in their characteristics, FIGO stage, tumor grade, number of lymph nodes, proportion of lymph nodes with metastases, and the pathologic characteristics of the positive lymph nodes. Results Eleven women had PPC and 27 had PSOC. Patients with PPC were older than those with PSOC (mean age: 63.2 years ± 11.0 vs. 57.4 ± 13.4, P = 0.181). There was no difference in FIGO stage or tumor grade between both groups. There was no difference among the mean numbers of pelvic and para-aortic lymph nodes between women with PPC and those with PSOC (10.8 ± 7.3 vs. 11.0 ± 6.7 and 3.0 ± 3.3 vs. 3.4 ± 2.1, P = 0.768 and 0.706, respectively). The incidences of pelvic, para-aortic, and pelvic and/or para-aortic lymph node metastases were similar among women with PPC and those with PSOC (72.7% vs. 66.6%, P = 0.701, 72.7% vs. 48.1%, P = 0.172, and 72.7% vs. 77.8%, P = 0.736, respectively). Similarly, pelvic and para-aortic nodal tumor size, capsular integrity, and immune response were similar in both groups. The incidence of significant complications related to lymphadenectomy was low among women with PPC and those with PSOC (9.1% vs. 7.4%, respectively). Conclusions PPC and PSOC exhibit similar pathologic lymphatic spread patterns. Pelvic and para-aortic lymphadenectomy should be considered among women with PPC in whom the tumor could be optimally cytoreduced. J. Surg. Oncol. 2002;81:126–131. © 2002 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
Tables for Determining the Minimum Incremental Significance of the Multiple Correlation Coefficient.

Assuming a multiple linear regression model with q independent variables, a procedure is developed for determining the minimum statistically significant increase in the multiple correlation coefficient when an additional independent variable is considered for regression. The procedure is presented analytically as well as in table form. Examples are used to illustrate the process and describe table utilization.
A new rice rat (genus Oryzomys) from Florida's lower Keys.

A new species, Oryzomys (Oryzomys) argentatus , is described from the lower Florida Keys. It is distinguished from all other members of the subgenus by long, slender nasal bones, a narrow skull, and silvery gray pelage. The habitat is cattail ( Typha sp.) marsh interspersed with mangrove; the marsh water is fresh. The new form is rare and endangered because of fresh-water marsh destruction.
The Effects of Harmonic Accompaniment on the Tonal Improvisations of Students in First Through Sixth Grade

The purpose of this research was to examine the effects of harmonic accompaniment on the tonal improvisations of elementary school students. Specifically, this study was designed to (a) determine i...
An Exploratory Investigation of the Development and Evaluation of a Novel Selenium Containing Bioactive glass

The objective of this work was to evaluate the possibility of adding Selenium to a Bioactive glass. The subsequent glass along with a Selenium free bioactive glass underwent standard characterization techniques. The results showed that the Selenium containing glass had similar characteristics as the selenium free glass and thus will be considered for future testing including in vitro and in vivo testing.
Derivation from first principles of belief values generated in networks by message passing

Some basic assumptions about the propagation of belief in the normal mode operation of system components in an arithmetic network are identified. They lead naturally to a message passing paradigm that propagates local computations throughout the system, and they are applicable to the quantification of reasoning in the presence of uncertainty in other contexts.
Osteocyte Shape Is Dependent on Actin Filaments and Osteocyte Processes Are Unique Actin‐Rich Projections

Osteocytes are derived from a select group of osteoblasts that have undergone a final differentiation. Due to their inaccessibility when embedded in the bone matrix, very little is known about the osteocyte cytoskeleton. This study provides an extensive analysis of the osteocyte cytoskeleton, based on the successful isolation of osteocytes from 16-day embryonic chick calvariae. We used OB7.3, a chicken osteocyte-specific monoclonal antibody, to confirm the osteocytic phenotype of the isolated cells and established culture conditions to promote growth of cells that most resemble osteocytes in vivo. Immunofluorescence staining with antitubulin, antivimentin, and antiactin showed the relative distribution of the microtubules, intermediate filaments, and actin filaments in both osteocyte cell body and processes. Field emission scanning electron microscopy revealed the three-dimensional relationships of the cytoskeletal elements and a unique organization of actin bundles that spanned the cell body and osteocyte processes. When combined with drug studies, these experiments demonstrate that actin filaments are crucial for the maintenance of osteocyte shape. Furthermore, we identified two actin-bundling proteins, alpha-actinin and fimbrin, in osteocyte processes. The prominence and unique distribution of fimbrin in osteocyte processes provides the possibility of its use as an intracellular marker to distinguish osteocytes from osteoblasts.
Organocopper-mediated two-component S N2′-substitution cascade towards N-fused heterocycles

Organocuprates efficiently undergo reaction with heterocyclic propargyl mesylates at low temperature to produce N-fused heterocycles. The copper reagent plays a “double duty” in this cascade transformation, which proceeds through an S N2′-substitution followed by a consequent cycloisomerization step.
A Cognitive Framework for the Analysis of Online Chemistry Courses

Many students now are receiving instruction in online environments created by universities, museums, corporations, and even students. What features of a given online course contribute to its effectiveness? This paper addresses that query by proposing and applying an analytic framework to five online introductory chemistry courses. Introductory chemistry was chosen because, as the central science, chemistry is a core component of scientific literacy as well as a long-established prerequisite for science, engineering, and medical fields. An online instructional delivery system has the potential to overcome the limitations of the traditionally large and passive lecture format characteristic of an introductory chemistry course by providing students with opportunities for active engagement and support in the learning process via self-pacing, dynamic expositions, interactive problem solving, and open ended or scaffolded explorations of new information. The proposed framework for addressing the effectiveness of online chemistry courses is informed by both cognitive and chemistry education research on examples, tasks, and explorations and includes a catalog of possible online resources. As a demonstration of the framework, an analysis was conducted on each course’s instruction in stoichiometry, a tool that is both challenging to students and fundamental to the solution-chemistry topics addressed during subsequent coursework. The application of this framework revealed characteristics of the courses that could affect their instructional effectiveness as well as students’ impressions of what it means to “do chemistry.”