cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Speleothems as high-resolution paleoenvironment archives: Records from northeastern China

The isotopic compositions of oxygen and carbon and trace concentrations of magnesium and strontium in speleothems formed in limestone caves respond to climate changes outside the caves. Measurements of these properties on a stalagmite from Shihua Cave near Beijing, China, allowed reconstruction of the regional changes in precipitation, temperature and nature of vegetation. Over the last ∼ 500 years, there were fourteen precipitation cycles with a periodicity of 30–40 years, which may well reflect fluctuations in the strength of the East Asian summer monsoons reaching northeastern China. Relative to the mean temperature of this time interval, the period 1620–1900 AD was cold and periods 1520–1620 and 1900–1994 were warm. Over the last ∼ 3000-years, about eight wet/cool-dry/warm climatic cycles of 300–400 years duration occurred, the latest wet/cool half cycle corresponding to the Little Ice Age. The δ13C record registers the anthropogenic activities of fossil fuel CO2 combustion in recent decades and regional deforestation between 13 and 16 centuries when Beijing was bustling with palatial constructions and being developed into the world’s most populated city.
Application of scanning acoustic microscopy to advanced structural ceramics

A review is presented on research investigations of several acoustic microscopy techniques for application to structural ceramics for advanced heat engines. Results obtained with scanning acoustic microscopy (SAM), scanning laser acoustic microscopy (SLAM), scanning electron acoustic microscopy (SEAM), and photo-acoustic microscopy (PAM) are compared. The techniques were evaluated on research samples of green and sintered monolithic silicon nitrides and silicon carbides in the form of modulus-of rupture bars containing deliberately introduced flaws. Strengths and limitations of the techniques are described with emphasis on statistics of detectability of flaws that constitute potential fracture origins.
Ionization and excitation yields in liquid water due to the primary irradiation: Relationship of radiolysis with far UV-photolysisPresented at the Symposium on Recent Trends in Photochemical Sciences, Trivandrum, January 8-10, 2000.

First collision yields of ionization and dissociation in liquid water, due to incident electrons of energy 500 eV to 1 MeV, have been calculated in the optical approximation by using the experimental dipole oscillator strength distribution (DOSD) and the recently determined photoionization and photodissociation quantum efficiencies in the far UV. From these the G value of ionization for the complete absorption of these radiations is estimated employing a heuristic method based on energy balance. It is found that ca. 25% of total ionization and <5% of total dissociation originate from primary interactions alone; the rest are due to the action of the secondary electrons. Incorporation of dissociative electron attachment (DEA) is necessary to account for the total radiolytic dissociation yield. A new definition of ionization potential in liquid water is provided depending on the mechanism and a tentative value of 11.7 eV is assigned to it.
Developmental differences in the ability to inhibit the initial misinterpretation of garden path passages.

The Hamm and Hasher (1992) procedure was used to examine whether children abandon their initial misinterpretation of garden path passages. Children (mean ages: 9 years-2 months and 12 years-4 months) and young adults (22 years-11 months) listened to either expected or unexpected (garden path) versions of passages that differed in the degree to which they provided contextual support for the final, correct interpretation. The first half of garden path passages initially led the listener to generate an incorrect interpretation. The second half of the passage provided information that clearly supported the correct inference and required the abandonment of the previous misinterpretation. Correct target inferences were formed and were equally available to all age groups. However, both groups of children were more likely than adults to accept competing inferences as being consistent with their understanding at the conclusion of garden path passages. The results suggest that developmental differences exist in the ability to inhibit thoughts that are no longer relevant in a listening comprehension and memory task.
A programming model for industrial energy conservation policy

Abstract The paper describes the use of a process optimization characterization of the U.S. Iron and Steel Industry to determine the optimal mix of ‘Technology Push’ and ‘Policy Pul’ strategies to encourage energy conservation. Major results are: (a) Technology Push strategies are complicated by the fact that R&D projects can be either too good or too bad to warrant government support, (b) Policy Pull strategies which are self financing (i.e., investment tax credits for conservation equipment being financed by Btu taxes) tend to dominate pure tax or subsidy policies taken alone.
In vitro processing of B. mori transfer RNA precursor molecules

Ribonuclease P and 3'-5' nuclease, two enzymatic activities necessary for tRNA synthesis in E. coli, are also found in the silkgland cells of Bombyx mori. B. mori subcellular extracts containing RNAase P activity can cleave the E. coli tRNA precursor molecule endonucleolytically at the same site as the E. coli enzyme, and will also cleave in vitro all E. coli tRNA precursors (pre-tRNAs) which the bacterial enzyme recognizes. B. mori RNAase P will not cleave two E. coli RNAase P substrates that are structurally unrelated to tRNA. Pre-tRNAs from B. mori contain extra 5' and 3' nucleotides as judged by RNA fingerprinting and 5' terminal phosphate analysis. Crude silkgland extracts containing both RNAase P and 3'-5' nuclease can remove the 5' and 3' extra nucleotides from B. mori pre-tRNAs, whereas purified fractions containing RNAase P remove only 5' extra nucleotides. Only large silkworm pre-tRNAs were found to be susceptible to cleavage by B. mori RNAase P. This observation and sequence analysis of intermediates of in vitro processing reactions indicate a two-step process of pre-tRNA maturation in which extra 5' nucleotides are first removed by RNAase P and extra 3' nucleotides are then trimmed off by a 3'-5' nuclease.
The prevalence of bell clapper anomaly in the solitary testis in cases of prior perinatal torsion.

Purpose: Bell clapper anomaly is associated with an increased risk of intravaginal testicular torsion. However, perinatal torsion is thought to be secondary to an extravaginal process. We quantified the contralateral prevalence of bell clapper anomaly in children found to have atrophic testicular nubbins secondary to presumed torsion during gestation to better define the subsequent risk of metachronous testicular torsion.Materials and Methods: Inspection results for the presence of contralateral bell clapper anomaly was recorded by a single surgeon in 50 consecutive cases in which exploration for nonpalpable testes revealed a testicular nubbin. For comparison data were collected in 27 consecutive cases of acute testicular torsion. Anatomy of the normal contralateral testis was compared between the 2 groups.Results: Average age at surgery in the perinatal torsion group was 15 months vs 12.7 years in the acute torsion group. One case of partial contralateral bell clapper anomaly was discovered in the perina...
Efficient sorption of polyphenols to soybean flour enables natural fortification of foods

Abstract The present study demonstrated that defatted soybean flour (DSF) can sorb polyphenols from blueberry and cranberry juices while separating them from sugars. Depending on DSF concentration and juice dilution, the concentration of blueberry anthocyanins and total polyphenols sorbed to DSF ranged from 2–22 mg/g and 10–95 mg/g, respectively while the concentration of anthocyanins and proanthocyanidins in cranberry polyphenol-enriched DSF ranged from 2.5–17 mg/g and 21–101 mg/g, respectively. Blueberry polyphenols present in one serving of fresh blueberries (73 g) were delivered in just 1.4 g of blueberry polyphenol-enriched DSF. Similarly, one gram of cranberry polyphenol-enriched DSF delivered the amount of proanthocyanidins available in three 240 ml servings of cranberry juice cocktail. The concentration of blueberry anthocyanins and total polyphenols eluted from DSF remained constant after 22 weeks of incubation at 37 °C, demonstrating the high stability of the polyphenol–DSF matrix. LC–MS analysis of eluates confirmed that DSF retained major cranberry and blueberry polyphenols intact. Blueberry polyphenol-enriched DSF exhibited significant hypoglycaemic activities in C57bl/6J mice, and cranberry polyphenol-enriched DSF showed antimicrobial and anti-UTI activities in vitro , confirming its efficacy. The described sorption process provides a means to create protein-rich food ingredients containing concentrated plant bioactives without excess sugars, fats and water that can be incorporated in a variety of scientifically validated functional foods and dietary supplements.
Noninvasive measurement of cardiac output during surgery using a new continuous-wave Doppler esophageal probe

The ability of a new continuous-wave Doppler esophageal probe to measure cardiac output noninvasively during surgery under general anesthesia was tested and compared with simultaneously measured thermodilution cardiac output. A Doppler computer, calibrated for the aortic diameter and the transcutaneously measured cardiac output from the suprasternal notch, computed the Doppler cardiac output from the descending aortic blood flow velocity signal. A total of 246 paired Doppler cardiac output and thermodilution cardiac output measurements were made in 14 patients during surgery. The average thermodilution cardiac output was 5.90 +/- 3.27 (standard deviation) liters/min (range 1.20 to 19.18); the average Doppler cardiac output was 6.21 +/- 4.0 liters/min (range 2.30 to 28.20). The difference between the cardiac output measured by the 2 techniques was 1.38 +/- 2.2 liters/min (range 0.04 to 16.8). Two to 5 cardiac output measurements were averaged and arranged into "time periods." The average standard deviations for thermodilution and Doppler cardiac outputs within each time period were 0.64 and 0.47 liters/min, respectively. There was a correlation between the 2 measurements over a range of cardiac output values (r = 0.76, Doppler cardiac output = 0.93 x thermodilution cardiac output +0.7, standard error of the estimate = 1.76). Reproducible measurements of Doppler cardiac output were obtained during intraobserver (mean difference 0.64 +/- 0.52 liter/min) and interobserver (mean difference 0.41 +/- 0.36 liter/min) studies (n = 8). Cardiac output measurement by the Doppler esophageal probe could be used for hemodynamic monitoring during surgery in selected patients with cardiopulmonary disease.
Computer simulation of brain cooling during cardiopulmonary bypass

Abstract A mathematical model of heat transport was used to analyze the effects of convection, metabolism, and conduction on the rate of brain cooling and the final brain temperature during cardiopulmonary bypass. Convection, a function of cerebral blood flow and arterial blood temperature, is by far the most important process to determine the rate of brain cooling. Arterial blood temperature almost entirely determines the final brain temperature. Although conduction (head surface cooling) has little effect on the rate of brain cooling or final brain temperature in adults, it may have moderate effects in Infants. Brain metabolic heat production has insignificant direct effects on the rate of brain cooling and final brain temperature in both adults or infants. Computer simulation of convective cooling of the adult brain to 27 °C shows that, with routine perfusion techniques, brain temperature equilibration is rapid (16 minutes) and small brain-blood temperature gradients are achieved. Simulation of infant brain cooling to 17 °C shows that, to avoid excessive brain-blood temperature gradients, 22 to 26 minutes may be required to achieve brain temperature equilibration.
Felbamate relieved trigeminal neuralgia.

Objective The analgesic efficacy of the novel anticonvulsant felbamate was evaluated in trigeminal neuralgia. Patients and setting This trial was offered in a tertiary referral center to three outpatients with severe pain who had exhausted other medical options, yet did not wish to undergo surgery. Interventions Felbamate was prescribed as the sole analgesic for approximately 1 month. Outcome measures A visual analogue scale was utilized. Results Felbamate potently diminished the severe pain of trigeminal neuralgia and was well tolerated. The drug was withdrawn because of subsequent reports elsewhere of aplastic anemia and hepatic failure associated with it when used for epilepsy. Conclusions Preliminary evidence suggested that felbamate was effective in relieving trigeminal neuralgia. Stabilization of neuronal membrane depolarization was the most likely mechanism of action. However, significant potential risks preclude further use of felbamate in the management of nonmalignant pain. Principles that have proven useful in screening for new anticonvulsant drugs might be relevant to the development of methods by which to search for new analgesic drugs.
Structural characterization of the myoglobin active site using infrared crystallography.

We use polarized IR absorption on single crystals to determine the orientation of carbon monoxide bound at the active site of myoglobin, and conclude that the C-O bond lies approximately 7 degrees from the normal to the mean plane of the heme. This result disagrees with much larger angular displacements reported in structural models derived from X-ray and neutron diffraction measurements. The insensitivity of the IR-derived orientation to changes in pH or crystal packing contrasts with the wide variations in CO orientation among diffraction-based models and suggests that the latter are in error. The small energies required to displace the C-O bond 7 degrees from its energetically preferred upright geometry suggest that distortion of the surrounding protein, rather than the relatively undeformable Fe-C-O unit, is the main steric mechanism inhibiting CO binding to myoglobin.
Precocious appearance of the gray crescent in heat-shocked axolotl eggs.

When freshly spawned axolotol eggs are heated at 35–36°C for 10 min, a very distinct gray crescent forms immediately in the equatorial region of the egg. In control embryos the crescent does not appear until 4–6 hr after insemination, and remains very faint. Vital staining of 21 precociously induced crescents demonstrated that, in all cases but one, the midpoint of the dorsal lip of the blastopore fell within the crescent's borders.
Intracellular penetration and antimicrobial activity of antibiotics

Delayed response or recurrence of clinical infections may, in part, be due to the inability of certain antibiotics to penetrate human polymorphonuclear leukocytes (PMN) and exert intracellular antibacterial activity. We determined the penetration of PMN by certain hydrophilic and certain lipophilic antibiotics, and assessed their activity against intracellular Haemophilus influenzae, type b or Staphylococcus aureus. We found that penicillin G was excluded from human PMN while chloramphenicol was concentrated within these cells; chloramphenicol killed significantly more intracellular H. influenzae than did penicillin or ampicillin. Clindamycin and trimethoprim penetrated into normal and chronic granulomatous disease (CGD) PMN equally and were at least transiently concentrated in the cells. Clindamycin and the combinations trimethoprim/sulphamethoxazole and trimethoprim/rifampicin were most effective in killing intracellular Staph. aureus in vitro; these antibiotics reduced the bacterial density in CGD PMN to values comparable to those in normal PMN. The mechanism by which clindamycin and rifampicin killed intracellular Staph. aureus appeared to be due to direct antimicrobial activity. Antibiotics that penetrate into phagocytes may be more effective in infections due to pathogens capable of intracellular survival.
Sucrose and Non-nutritive Sweeteners Can Suppress the Bitterness of Vegetables Independent of PTC Taster Phenotype

The unpleasant bitter taste found in many nutritious vegetables may deter their consumption. While bitterness suppression by sweeteners is well-studied in the chemical and pharmacological fields (Ley Chem Percept, 1:58–77, 2008), less is known about the interaction of sweeteners with the bitterness of functional foods such as vegetables. We investigated whether sweeteners decreased the bitterness of vegetables as a step toward increasing consumption. Our secondary aim was to determine whether this effect was influenced by individual variation in bitterness perception, as assessed by phenylthiocarbamide (PTC) tasting ability. In Experiment 1, 111 college students tasted and rated plain broccoli and cauliflower, then received one with the addition of sucrose. In Experiment 2, we replaced broccoli with Brussels sprouts, which are generally perceived as highly bitter (Tepper Am J Hum Genet, 63:1271–1276, 1998), and replicated the study with 76 new participants. In Experiment 3, 224 participants tasted Brussels sprouts plain and with the addition of sucrose, saccharin, aspartame, or sucralose. In all experiments, sensitivity to PTC was also measured using suprathreshold scaling with an updated generalized labeled magnitude scale. The reported bitterness of the vegetables was significantly decreased by the addition of sweeteners in each study, all p values of <0.001. In Experiment 3, the non-nutritive sweeteners (NNS) functioned identically to sucrose in suppressing bitterness and increasing palatability. The effect of the sweeteners did not vary by the participants’ PTC taster phenotype, which was treated as a continuous variable in a linear regression analysis (all R2 < 0.05). The addition of sweeteners to vegetables reduces the bitterness that many consumers find objectionable. This robust effect was found for vegetables that varied in their perceived bitterness and regardless of individual differences in bitterness sensitivity. Importantly, the finding that NNS are as effective as sucrose at suppressing bitterness implies that sweeteners can be incorporated into the diet without the addition of calories. Furthermore, by the principles of flavor–flavor learning sweeteners will come to condition a preference for vegetables plain.
Vibrational spectra of N-chloroaziridine and N-bromoaziridine

Abstract The infrared spectra of N-chloroaziridine, N-chloroaziridine- d 4 , and N-bromoaziridine were determined along with the Raman spectra of all but N-chloroaziridine- d 4 . A complete vibrational assignment has been made for N-chloroaziridine; all but one fundamental assigned for N-bromoaziridine, and a partial assignment proposed for N-chloroaziridine- d 4 . Correlation of the vibrational frequencies of the haloaziridines with aziridine strongly supports the Potts assignment for aziridine with one minor revision.
Flow velocity measurements by image processing of optically activated tracers

A computerized flow visualization technique capable of quantifying the flow field automatically has been developed. This technique uses afterglowing effect of optically activated phosphorescent particles to retrieve vectorial information on each trace. By using this information, in conjunction with computer image processing, the flow field of a free surface transient vortex was investigated.
Thermal characterization of softwood lignin modification by termite Coptotermes formosanus (Shiraki)

Abstract Wood-feeding termites (WFT) pretreat wood cell walls to achieve efficient cellulose utilization by modifying the protecting lignin polymers. An analytical protocol consisting of three-stage-pyrolysis-gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (Py-GC/MS) and thermogravimetry (TG/DTG) was employed along with attenuated total reflectance fourier transform infrared (ATR-FTIR) spectroscopy to investigate softwood degradation by the lower termite Coptotermes formosanus . The results revealed that softwood-lignin moieties were altered during termite digestion. This was characterized by preferential ring demethoxylation, dehydroxylation, and methylation, side chain carboxylation and oxidation, methylation, and oxidation on the ring hydroxyl group, as well as depolymerization and ring destruction. The TG/DTG data demonstrated remarkable changes in the thermal behavior of the processed softwood and also in termite feces, showing decreased activation energy and pre-exponential factor at the second stage (330–400 °C) of lignin pyrolysis. Meanwhile, ATR-FTIR analysis suggested aromatic ring destruction, methoxyl and hydroxyl group modification, C–H deformations in –CH 3 and –CH 2 groups, splitting/modification of aliphatic side chains in lignin, and conformation changes of lignin. Such modifications induced changes in pyrolysis products and bond energies in lignin, and provided information on softwood digestion by termite.
EXPERIMENTAL INVESTIGATION OF THE RBCC ROCKET-EJECTOR MODE

The experimental results from the study of the rocket-ejector mode of a Rocket Based Combined Cycle (RBCC) engine are presented and discussed. The experiments involved systematic flowfield measurements in a two-dimensional variable geometry rocket-ejector system. The rocket-ejector system utilizes a single two-dimensional gaseous oxygen/gaseous hydrogen rocket as the ejector. To gain a thorough understanding of the rocket-ejector's internal fluid mechanic/combustion phenomena, experiments were conducted with both direct-connect and sea-level static configurations for a range of rocket operating conditions. Overall system performance was obtained through global measurements of wall static pressure profiles, heat flux profiles and engine thrust, whereas detailed mixing and combustion information was obtained through Raman spectroscopy measurements of major species (oxygen, hydrogen, nitrogen and water vapor). Rocket-ejector experimental results for both the Diffusion and Afterburning (DAB) and Simultaneous Mixing and Combustion (SMC) geometries are presented here. For the DAB configuration, experiments were conducted for both direct-connect and sea-level static configurations, whereas SMC
Radiative capture above the giant resonance in C13

Abstract Excitation functions for the radiative capture reaction, B 11 (p, γ)C 12 , to the ground and first excited states of C 12 have been measured in the region above the giant resonance ( E p = 15 to 25 MeV. A component of the dipole state, predicted at an excitation energy of 34.3 MeV in C 12 by the particle-hole calculations of Vinh-Mau and Brown, has been found at an energy of 34.4±0.5 MeV. However, the ratio of proton capture at the 34.4 MeV state to that at the main dipole component at 22 MeV is an order of magnitude less than that implied by the Vinh-Mau and Brown model. Some data have been obtained for the reaction Li 7 (p, γ)Be 8 . Both experiments suggest giant dipole resonances built on the first excited states of Be 8 and C 12 .
A nanoscale-modified LaMer model for particle synthesis from inorganic tin–platinum complexes

The size-tunable structure and properties of Pt nanoparticles at the atomic length scale have attracted significant attention across a wide variety of fields including magnetics, electrocatalysis, optics, and gas-phase synthesis. Mechanisms responsible for the formation Pt nanoparticles remain unclear because of the difficulty generating in situ data for the time-evolution of size, shape, distribution, volume fraction, particle number density, and oxidation state from the starting complexes. We here demonstrate the use of simultaneous small- and wide-angle X-ray scattering combined with UV-vis spectroscopy to measure these key synthesis metrics for the reduction of Pt(IV) by Sn(II) in aqueous solution. This synthesis approach has been previously shown to permit continuous control over Pt nanoparticle size from 0.9 to 2.6 nm to within 10% standard deviation. Such fine control led to the discovery of densely packed amorphous structures at ca. 1.7 nm with substantially enhanced electrocatalytic oxygen reduction relative to nanocrystals and commercial electrocatalysts. Ex situ UV-vis and in situ X-ray scattering are here shown to reveal four distinct stages during synthesis: (1) autoreduction of a ligand/noble metal complex with a unique structure that depends on the Sn(II)/Pt(II) ratio, (2) generation of Pt primary particles and the formation of Pt nuclei at a rate that depends on the structure of the initial complex, (3) nanoparticle growth via LaMer's diffusion of these primary particles to the nuclei, and (4) growth termination due to capping from a stabilizing, two-layer ligand shell. We derive a set of consecutive rate equations and associated kinetic parameters that describe each step. The kinetics of ligand rearrangement has been previously found to limit the rate of nanoparticle growth. We incorporate this phenomenon into LaMer's classic diffusion-limited growth scheme to extend it to the nanoscale regime. This new model provides detailed understanding of how metal ligands serve as both reducing and stabilizing agents and allow for unprecedented, continuous control over both size and distribution. Systematic variation of temperature permits detailed time resolution at the very onset of Pt primary particle formation, as well as a means to determine temperature sensitivity of nanoparticle growth.
Does investment risk tolerance predict emotional and behavioural reactions to market turmoil

To assess if risk attitudes play a role in individual investors' reactions to adverse events in financial markets, members of a university community (N = 102) were administered a risk tolerance instrument. Additional survey items asked about financial, emotional and behavioural effects of the market downturn that began in Fall 2008. Attitudes towards risk and towards uncertainty, and investor experience, were positively correlated with riskiness of the individuals' self–reported investment portfolio. Causal modelling confirmed that investment risk tolerance predicts actual risk in the investor's portfolio; which predicted losses in portfolio value during the recent market disruptions. Portfolio losses correlated with negative emotional reactions, which together with risk tolerance predicted self–reported changes in investment strategy. In sum, investors' emotional reactions to losses may be mitigated by higher levels of risk tolerance, yet higher levels of risk tolerance are associated with riskier portfolios, and thus to larger losses in a market downturn.
New method for designing smart antenna downlink weighting vectors based on the filter bank concept

Smart antenna techniques have been proposed to increase channel capacity and enhance system performance of a base station in cellular and PCS applications. To date, most of the smart antenna research is focused on the development and analysis of smart antenna systems for uplink applications, i.e., the receive part of a smart antenna system. Not much research is done on developing smart antenna algorithms for downlink applications. In this paper, we shall present a new systematic technique for designing downlink weighting vectors for improving the downlink performance of a smart antenna system. The new method draws on the filter bank concept and provides a suboptimal solution to the difficult downlink weight design problem. With the computation complexity comparable to the so-called pseudo-inverse approach, our method always outperforms its counterpart, sometimes by a significant margin.
Anterior cruciate ligament injuries in the young athlete with open physes

From 1980 to 1985, 40 patients under the age of 14 with open physes were treated for midsubstance tears of the ACL at the Methodist Sports Medicine Center. In this series, 16 were treated conservatively with re habilitation, bracing, and counseling on activity modifi cation. The remaining 24 patients underwent arthros copic examination and either an extraarticular or intra articular reconstruction based on growth potential.The average followup was 27 months for the con servative group and 26 months for the surgical group. In the conservative group, six patients underwent ar throscopy for meniscal tears, four medial and two lat eral. Only seven patients returned to sports, all experi encing recurrent episodes of giving way, effusions, and pain.In the surgical group, 12 medial and 6 lateral meniscal tears were found at arthroscopy. There were 10 ex traarticular reconstructions and 14 intraarticular recon structions. All 24 returned to sports activity, and 22 of the 24 are still competing. The two remaining ...
Non-mycobacterial adjuvant which mediates experimental aspermatogenesis.

EXPERIMENTALLY induced “allergic” aspermatogenesis is being accorded increasing attention as a model for autoimmune disorders. Considerable effort has been spent on characterizing the aspermatogenic antigens1, but the contribution of adjuvants has received less attention. Certain plant oils can replace the paraffin oil of Freund's adjuvant2, but the bacterial component of Freund's adjuvant (M. tuberculosis, M. butyricum) is not effectively substituted3.
Social Structural Contingencies in the Decisions of Criminal Courts to Commit Defendants as Incompetent to Stand Trial and Criminally Insane

This paper reports the findings of structural level research into the process of commitment of criminal defendants as incompetent to stand trial because of insanty in Louisiana. Conceptualizing criminal courts as open systems, it was predicted their structural environments would operate as contingencies in the perception and labeling of defendants as being (or having been at the time of the offense) mentally incompetent. Several structural-cultural features were predicted to have contingency effects on forensic commitment. (1) mileage of parish seat to the state s single forensic facility, (2) ruralness, (3) metropolitanism (SAISA status), (4) religious and cultural ethnicity, (5) relative power of the parish population to influence criminal court outcomes, and (6) community climate of repressiveness. These varibles' effects on parish commitment rates were analyzed using path analysis techniques, and results did indicate that the probability of incompetency and criminal insanity labels being applied were ...
Isotopic Spin Selection Rule for Electric Dipole Transitions

The validity of the isotopic spin quantum number in nuclei provides a selection rule on electric dipole transitions. The extent to which this selection rule is violated provides a means of experimentally determining the isotopic spin impurity of nuclear states providing that the radiation widths for uninhibited $E1$ radiation can be predicted. The sources of possible variations of $E1$ matrix elements are discussed with reference to the reliability of predicted $E1$ radiation widths in nuclei for $A\ensuremath{\le}20$ and excitation energy \ensuremath{\sim}15 Mev. Higher order corrections to the $E1$ selection rules are determined and found to be negligible compared to the effects of isotopic spin impurity. It is concluded that the isotopic spin selection rule on $E1$ transitions provides a sensitive test of charge independence. Isotopic spin impurity determined in this way can be attributed solely to the Coulomb potential.
Role of season and interval of prescribed burning on ponderosa pine growth in relation to soil inorganic N and P and moisture

Abstract Fire exclusion over the past 100 years has changed the vegetative community and led to an increase in the propensity for large catastrophic wildfires of ponderosa pine forests. Prescribed burning is used to reduce fuel loads and achieve desired stand conditions while the impact caused by this restoration process is primarily dependent on the severity of the fire, which is managed by burning in either fall or spring. The objectives of this study were to assess the effect of season and interval of burn on soil and tree productivity in a ponderosa pine forest in Malheur National Forest of the southern Blue Mountains of eastern Oregon. Prescribed burning was initiated in the spring of 1997 and fall of 1997 at 5- and 15-year intervals. This study was initiated in 2004 so that the 5-year interval plots had burned twice with 1–2 years of recovery while the 15-year interval plots had burned only once with 6–7 years of recovery since the last fire. Soils were sampled by major genetic horizon and A horizon samples were analyzed for soil available nitrogen (KCl extractable NH 4 + and NO 3 - ) and phosphorous (Bray 1 extract). Soil temperature (2 cm) and moisture (7.5, 25, 50, and 100 cm) were monitored for 24 months. Observations and previous studies indicated that fall burns were more severe than spring burns consuming more fuel and leading to higher rates of tree mortality. Extractable NH 4 + and phosphate increased with multiple burns relative to the single burn treatments, but were statistically similar to the control. Soil temperatures were found to be highest in the more severe fall burn treatments, particularly the 5-year interval burns. Soil moisture was also slightly higher with the 5-year interval burns, possibly due to reduced transpiration from understory vegetation and/or reduced interception by the O horizon. These changes to the soil did not significantly affect ponderosa pine growth relative to the control and may have caused a slight increase in tree growth with the spring burns applied at a 5-year interval relative to the other burn treatments. We hypothesize that low severity spring burning improved the soil growing environment without injuring trees. Combined with results from previous studies spring burns appear to preserve stand productivity, soil carbon and nitrogen, and understory vegetative communities. However, more research is necessary to examine the long-term consequences of repeated burning in these forest types.
Acetylcholine regulation of synoviocyte cytokine expression by the alpha7 nicotinic receptor.

Objective The central nervous system can regulate peripheral inflammation, but the efferent neuronal routes and the mediators remain poorly defined. One candidate is the cholinergic pathway, which releases acetylcholine (ACh). This neurotransmitter can bind to the α7 cholinergic receptor (α7R) expressed by nonneuronal cells and reduce inflammation. To test this possibility, we evaluated the expression of α7R and its potential role as a target in rheumatoid arthritis (RA). Methods The expression of α7R in human synovium and fibroblast-like synoviocytes (FLS) was determined using immunohistochemical, Western blot, and quantitative polymerase chain reaction (PCR) analyses. The effects of ACh in vitro were determined in interleukin-1 (IL-1)–stimulated FLS using immunoassays for protein, quantitative PCR for messenger RNA (mRNA), luciferase reporter constructs for IL-6 and NF-κB promoter activity, and electrophoretic mobility shift assays. Expression of α7R was knocked down with small interfering RNA (siRNA) or was inhibited with the selective α7R antagonist methyllycaconitine (MLA). Results Protein and mRNA for α7R were demonstrated in RA and osteoarthritis synovium and cultured synoviocytes. Expression in synovium was mainly in the intimal lining. ACh significantly reduced the production of IL-6, CXCL8, CCL2, CCL3, CCL5, and granulocyte colony-stimulating factor by IL-1–stimulated FLS. This effect was blocked by the α7R antagonist MLA or by using α7R siRNA to knock down receptor expression. The selective α7R agonist PNU-282,987 decreased the production of IL-6 by IL-1–stimulated FLS. ACh did not reduce IL-6 transcription, but it decreased IL-6 mRNA half-life and reduced IL-6 mRNA steady-state levels. Conclusion The α7 receptor is expressed in the synovium and by synoviocytes. Receptor ligation inhibits cytokine expression in FLS through a posttranscriptional mechanism. Therefore, α7R is a potential therapeutic target for inflammatory diseases.
Modeling Nanoscale Thermal Transport via the Boltzmann Transport Equation

In modern microelectronics, where extreme miniaturization has led to feature sizes in the sub-micron and nanoscale range, Fourier diffusion has been found to be inadequate for the prediction of heat conduction. Over the past decade, the phonon Boltzmann transport equation (BTE) in the relaxation time approximation has been employed to make thermal predictions in dielectrics and semiconductors at micron and nanoscales. This paper presents a review of the BTE-based solution methods widely employed in the literature. Particular attention is given to the problem of self-heating (hotspot) in sub-micron transistors. First, the solution approaches based on the gray formulation of the BTE are presented. In this class of solution methods, phonons are characterized by one single group velocity and relaxation time. Phonon dispersion is not accounted for in any detail. This is the most widely employed approach in the literature. The semi-gray BTE approach, moments of the Boltzmann equation, the lattice Boltzmann approach, and the ballistic-diffusive approximation are presented. Models which incorporate greater details of phonon dispersion are also discussed. This includes a full phonon dispersion model developed recently by the authors. This full phonon dispersion model satisfies energy conservation, incorporates the different phonon modes, and well as the interactions between the different modes, and accounts for the frequency dependence for both the phonon group velocity and relaxation times. Results which illustrate the differences between some of these models reveal the importance of developing models that incorporate substantial details of phonon physics.Copyright © 2004 by ASME
Autogenic incision-backfilling cycles and lobe formation during the growth of alluvial fans with supercritical distributaries

Autogenic cycles of channelization, terminal deposit formation, channel backfilling and channel abandonment have been observed in the formation of fans and deltas. In subcritical flow, these terminal deposits are characterized as mouth bars that lead to flow bifurcation, backwater and eventual channel backfilling. Similar, although less well characterized, cycles also take place on supercritical subaerial and submarine fans. This study investigates the hydraulics and morphodynamics of autogenic incision and backfilling cycles associated with supercritical distributive channel flow in alluvial fans. The research questions of the study are: (i) how are supercritical autogenic cycles on alluvial fans different from the subcritical cycles; (ii) what are the hydraulic and sediment transport characteristics at the various stages of autogenic feedback cycles; and (iii) what role do the cycles play in the overall fan evolution? These questions are investigated in the laboratory, and emphasis is placed on measuring the hydraulic and topographic evolution of the systems during the cycles. The cycles arise quasi-periodically under constant water and sediment discharge. Periods of sheet-like flow are competent to move sediment () but not competent enough to carry the full imposed load. The net result is preferential deposition near the inlet, resulting in fan steepening and an increase in flow competency with time. At a sediment supply to capacity ratio of , the sheet-like flow is unstable to small erosional events near the inlet, resulting in the collapse of the distributed flow to a strong channelized state. During channelization, a graded () supercritical (Fr > 1) channel develops and transports eroded and fed sediment up to and through the fan front – extending the fan, initiating a lobe shaped deposit and reducing the local slope. The slopes defined by a sheet-like flow with and channelized flow with set the maximum and minimum slopes on the fan, respectively. Once formed, graded channels act as bypass conduits linking the inlet with the terminal deposit. On average, deposits are up to six channel depths in thickness and have volumes approximately five times that of the excavated channel. The main distinctive characteristics of the supercritical cycles relate to how the flow interacts with the terminal deposit. At the channel to deposit transition, the flow undergoes a weak hydraulic jump, resulting in rapid sedimentation, dechannelization and lateral expansion of the flow, and deposition of any remaining sediment on top of the channel fill and floodplain. This process often caps the channel as the deposit propagates up channel erasing memory of the excavated channel.
Anyons and Chern-Simons Lagrangians.

We first analyze the Chern-Simons theory for a plasma of anyons. By a dynamical effect the Lorentz force vanishes exactly. Considering the quantization of Chern-Simons theories for anyons we show that the Hamiltonian differential operator contains an important electric term proportional to the curl of the matter current. This term suppresses circular currents and has not been discussed in the literature. We point out its consequences for the ground-state structure and the experimental signals for anyonic superconductors.
Structure and luminescence of discrete and polymeric Ag(I) complexes formed by the multidentate pyridylphosphine (PPh2CH2)2N(3-CH2C5H4N)

Abstract The new ligand (PPh 2 CH 2 ) 2 N(3-CH 2 C 5 H 4 N), BPMP-3, has been shown to exhibit a variety of coordination modes including bridging ( syn - and anti -) and chelation. The multifunctional ligand facilitates the formation of discrete, as well as polymeric, complexes with various Ag(I) salts. A discrete structure with a 4-coordinate silver is isolated from the 1:2 reaction of AgBF 4 with BPMP-3 ( 1 ), while the 2:1 reactions of AgX ( 2 : X = CF 3 CO 2 − , 3 : X = BF 4 − , and 4 : X = OTf − ) with BPMP-3 result in 1-dimensional polymers with 2- to 5-coordinate silver atoms. Mixed ligand complexes ( 5 , 6 , and S1 ) are formed by the addition of 5,5′-dimethyl-2,2′-dipyridyl (5,5′-dmbpy). The 4:2:4 reactions of AgBF 4 ( 5 ) and AgOTf ( S1 ) with BPMP-3 and 5,5′-dmbpy results in a discrete structure with a box-like core. Demonstrative of the counterion effect, a 2:1:2 molecular structure was isolated from the 4:2:4 reaction with the tfa − derivative ( 6 ). Characterization of these coordination complexes includes multi-nuclear NMR spectroscopy, elemental analysis, single-crystal X-ray diffraction, and fluorometric studies.
Development of early behaviors in neonatal squirrel monkeys and cotton-top tamarins.

The development of simple, nonsocial behaviors was observed in neonatal squirrel monkeys and cotton-top tamarins. One group of observed behaviors included rooting, orienting up, clasping, and grasping, and was assumed to be more directly related to maintenance of maternal contact and nursing than others such as visual and auditory orienting, crawling, walking, and climbing down. Comparison of the results with previously reported data from rhesus monkeys and galagos supported the hypothesis that neonatal behaviors related to maternal contact and nursing persist longer in species with relatively passive maternal behaviors than in species with relatively active maternal behaviors. In contrast, the development of neonatal behaviors not directly related to maternal contact and nursing was not found to vary reliably as a function of species.
Community Economic Development and Commercial Bank Performance: A Mutually Dependent Relationship

This study tests the circular relationship between bank lending practices and community economic development in North Dakota counties. A seven-equation, two-stage, simultaneous regression model was constructed using pooled, cross-sectional, timeseries data from 1972 to 1986. Results of the study show that economic activity at the retail, wholesale, and farm levels in North Dakota is strongly influenced by commercial bank lending policies. Each dollar of consumer lending was associated with $4.54 of retail sales. At the wholesale and farm levels, the corresponding values were $.007 and $2.80, respectively. In turn, increases in community economic activity result in greater loan demand and bank profitability.
Export concentration and export performance in developing countries, 1954–67

The relationship between export concentration and various aspects of the export performance of 31 developing nations during the period 1954–67 is considered in this paper.1 Estimates of the magnitude, instability and time‐trend of both the geographic concentration of exports and export earnings are utilised to estimate the direction and strength of association between these aspects of export concentration, instability and growth.2 The analysis reveals diverse patterns of geographic export concentration among the countries, but offers little support for conventional views of an important direct relationship between export concentration and the instability or growth rate of export earnings.3
Influenza: fatal immunity and the 1918 virus.

Innate immune defences are our first line of protection against infection by viruses and are essential in limiting viral disease. But their reaction to the 1918 influenza virus could have been deadly.
Growth factor-like effects of placental alkaline phosphatase in human fetus and mouse embryo fibroblasts.

Human placental alkaline phosphatase (PALP) is synthesized in the placenta during pregnancy and is also expressed in many cancer patients; however, its physiological role is unknown. Here we show that in human fetus fibroblasts as well as normal and H-ras-transformed mouse embryo fibroblasts PALP stimulates DNA synthesis and cell proliferation in synergism with insulin, zinc and calcium. The mitogenic effects of PALP are associated with the activation of c-Raf-1, p42/p44 mitogen-activated protein kinases, p70 S6 kinase, Akt/PKB kinase and phosphatidylinositol 3′-kinase. The results suggest that in vivo PALP may promote fetus development as well as the growth of cancer cells which express oncogenic Ras.
Numerical simulation of two-phase free surface flows

Free surface flows are of most interest in many engineering or mathematical problems and many methods have been developed for their numerical resolution in various fields of the physics or the engineering. In this work, the volume-of-fluid method is used for the numerical simulation of two-phase free surface flows involving an incompressible liquid and a compressible gas and taking into account the surface tension effects. The incompressible Navier-Stokes equations are assumed to hold in the liquid domain, while the dynamical effects in the ideal gas are disregarded. A time splitting scheme is used together with a two-grids method for the space discretization. An original algorithm is introduced to track the bubbles of gas trapped in the liquid. Numerical results are presented in the frame of mold filling and bubbles and droplets flows. Some theoretical results concerning free boundary problems are also summarized.
The declining demand for hospital care as a rationale for duty hour reform.

The regulation of duty hours of physicians in training remains among the most hotly debated subjects in medical education. Although recent duty hour reforms have been chiefly motivated by concerns about resident well-being and medical errors attributable to resident fatigue, the debate surrounding duty hour reform has infrequently involved discussion of one of the most important secular changes in hospital care that has affected nearly all developed countries over the last 3 decades: the declining demand for hospital care. For example, in 1980, we show that resident physicians in US teaching hospitals provided, on average, 1,302 inpatient days of care per resident physician compared to 593 inpatient days in 2011, a decline of 54 %. This decline in the demand for hospital care by residents provides an under-recognized economic rationale for reducing residency duty hours, a rationale based solely on supply and demand considerations. Work hour reductions and growing requirements for outpatient training can be seen as an appropriate response to the shrinking demand for hospital care across the health-care sector.