cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Solar irradiance variability: progress in measurement and empirical analysis

Abstract Here we report the progress in both measurements and analysis of total solar irradiance (TSI) during the last 24 years. Recent TSI measurements made by ACRIM III and VIRGO in the last two years agree to within 0.5 W m−2 and show the same pattern of short-term variability. A 24-year composite record of TSI measurements gives estimates of its variation for two solar cycles. Such composites give the first estimates of secular variation of the solar output. Our analysis of TSI data from solar minimum to maximum for cycles 22 and 23 gives nearly identical regression equations because of improvement in VIRGO degradation corrections, thus, resolving the empirical issue raised by de Toma et al. [Astrophys. J. Lett. 549 (2001) L131]. This agreement occurs despite a decrease in cycle 23 of sunspot number by ≈33% below solar maximum values for cycles 21 and 22.
Test-Particle Transport in Stochastic Magnetic Fields: A Fluid Representation

The enhancement of diffusion perpendicular to a strong magnetic field, induced by low-amplitude field fluctuations, is calculated. A novel fluid representation of a model Fokker-Planck transport equation is used to show the equivalence of the above problem to that of a passive scalar advected by a prescribed fluctuating velocity field.
Polygenic analysis of pattern formation in Drosophila: Specification of campaniform sensilla positions on the wing

This study was designed to measure the degree of correlation between vein formation and the specification of campaniform sensillae positions in the wing of Drosophila melanogaster. The campaniform sensillae are sensory organs placed at various locations on the wing. Those on the third longitudinal vein (L3) were the focus of this analysis. The system of polygenic modifiers of vein length is comparatively simple, as shown in whole chromosome assays of selected lines. This variability provides a sensitive method of altering vein-forming ability and of assessing correlated changes in other parts of the vein pattern. In selection lines of veinlet, sensillae were displaced toward the base of the wing as vein length decreased by distal loss of vein material. Changes in the amount of vein were, however, not directly proportional to changes in sensillae positions. The more distal sensillae were shifted the largest amount. In the mutant tilt, in which reduced L3 vein-forming competence results in subterminal gaps, distal campaniform sensillae were almost completely eliminated. The remaining sensillae were shifted toward the base of the wing where vein formation is normal. The placement of sensillae therefore appears to be sensitive to the same underlying determinants involved in vein-forming competence.
German Cockroach Resistance. 1. Resistance to Diazinon Includes Cross-Resistance to DDT, Pyrethrins, and Propoxur in a Laboratory Colony

A normal laboratory colony of Blatella germanica (L.) was selected for diazinon resistance. The selected colony developed resistance lo topical diazinon (26×) and malathion (27×), and became cross resistant to 3 other major classes of organic insecticides represented by DDT (>40×), propoxur (18×), and pyrethrins (23×). When injected, diazinon resistance decreased to 6× and DDT to 2×; resistance to injected propoxur (14×) or pyrethrins (34×) was not very different from their topical values, Reduced penetration of insecticide may be a resistance mechanism against some insecticides in this strain.
Identification of C5Hx isomers in fuel-rich flames by photoionization mass spectrometry and electronic structure calculations.

The isomeric composition of C5Hx (x = 2−6, 8) flame species is analyzed for rich flames fueled by allene, propyne, cyclopentene, or benzene. Different isomers are identified by their known ionization energies and/or by comparison of the observed photoionization efficiencies with theoretical simulations based on calculated ionization energies and Franck−Condon factors. The experiments combine flame-sampling molecular-beam mass spectrometry with photoionization by tunable vacuum-UV synchrotron radiation. The theoretical simulations employ the rovibrational properties obtained with B3LYP/6-311++G(d,p) density functional theory and electronic energies obtained from QCISD(T) electronic structure calculations extrapolated to the complete basis set limit. For C5H3, the comparison reveals the presence of both the H2CCCCCH (i-C5H3) and the HCCCHCCH (n-C5H3) isomer. The simulations also suggest a modest amount of cyclo-CCHCHCCH−, which is consistent with a minor signal for C5H2 that is apparently due to cyclo-CCHCC...
Normal cerebrospinal fluid protein, increased intracranial pressure, and the guillain-barré syndrome

A patient who had the Guillain-Barre syndrome (GBS) with associated increased intracranial pressure (ICP) and papilledema is described. The cerebrospinal fluid protein level and electrophoretic pattern were normal. This indicates that abnormal or excessive CSF protein is not the cause of the ICP and papilledema associated with GBS.
Upregulation of γ-aminobutyric acid transporter expression: role of alkylated γ-aminobutyric acid derivatives

Pregabalin [( S )-(+)-3-isobutylgaba] and gabapentin [1-(aminomethyl)cyclohexane acetic acid] are γ-aminobutyric acid (GABA) derivatives that are effective in the treatment of behavioural disorders, convulsions, epilepsy and hyperalgesia. The mechanisms underlying the diverse actions of these compounds in the brain have not been well elucidated. To test the hypothesis that these compounds exert some of their effects on GABA-ergic systems in the brain, we examined their role in regulating the rat brain GABA transporter GAT1, a plasma membrane protein involved in regulating synaptic transmitter levels. Prolonged incubation of hippocampal cultures, which endogenously express GAT1, with gabapentin and pregabalin caused a 2-fold increase in subsequent GABA uptake, which was concentration- and time-dependent. This increase in uptake was correlated with a redistribution of GAT1 protein from intracellular locations to the plasma membrane. Further experiments also suggested that the signal transduction cascade that modulates pregabalin-mediated GAT1 redistribution may involve pathways activated by specific GAT1 substrates and antagonists but does not involve protein kinase C and tyrosine kinases, two other pathways known to regulate GAT1 redistribution. These data suggest that pregabalin and gabapentin may exert some of their actions in the brain by altering GABAergic signalling.
Costing adult male circumcision in high HIV prevalence low circumcision rate countries.

The dramatic evidence that male circumcision has a substantial effect in preventing HIV infection might be the most important medical finding in the course of the AIDS epidemic since the introduction of highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART). The transition from clinical trails to implementation of a general adult male circumcision (AMC) program is beginning, and this paper uses an AMC cost model (in Microsoft Excel) to estimate the cost of a rapid scale-up of an AMC program in Mozambique, a country with a generalized epidemic and low rate of male circumcision. There are three major findings: (1) Even the most modest of AMC programs would place great stress on human resources, and task-shifting might lead to more accidents or adverse events that would increase the cost per AMC. (2) The fiscal burden of AMC is surprisingly low, but a rapid scale-up of AMC poses additional fiscal stress for Mozambique's already under-funded public health system. (3) AMC as an HIV prevention tool is very robust in terms of its cost-effectiveness in Mozambique, even at a high AMC accident or complication rate. Any AMC roll-out in Mozambique would face severe constraints in the health system (namely human resources) that would likely limit the scale of an AMC program and perhaps its effectiveness against its generalized epidemic.
THE IMPERTINENCE OF FRANKFURT-STYLE ARGUMENT

Discussions of the principle of alternative possibilities have largely ignored the limits of what Frankfurt-style counter-examples can show. Rather than challenging the coherence of the cases, I argue that even if they are taken to demonstrate the falsity of the principle, they cannot advance the compatibilist cause. For a forceful incompatibilist argument can be constructed from the Frankfurtian premise that agents in Frankfurtian circumstances would have done what they did even if they could have done something else. This ‘counterfactual stability’ meets the same fate under determinism as does the ability to do otherwise. Thus the cases are irrelevant to the compatibility debate.
Visualizing results from infection transmission models: a case against "confidence intervals"

Stochastic transmission models are highly important in infectious disease epidemiology. The quantity of data produced by these models is challenging to display and communicate. A common approach is to display the model results in the familiar form of a mean or median and 95% interval, plotted over time. This approach has drawbacks, however, including the potential for ambiguity and misinterpretation of model results. Instead, we propose 2 alternative approaches for visualizing results from stochastic models. These proposed approaches convey the information provided by the median and 95% interval, as well as information about unexpected outcomes that may be of particular interest for stochastic epidemic models.
Chemisorption and catalytic oxidation of CO on palladium

Abstract The adsorption of CO on clean, low index crystal faces of palladium is analyzed in terms of the fixed site and mobile models. Isotherms give evidence of adsorbed molecule interaction or heterogeneity, although in the case of Pd(111) the Clausius-Clapeyron heats do not, and partial mobility is indicated. The oxidation mechanism in the mixed-Langmuir formulation is analyzed in terms of the absolute rate theory, and in terms of the isolated domain or island model for mixed adsorption. The data, which are qualitatively similar on all crystal faces can be adequately accounted for on the basis of a non-equilibrium mixed-Langmuir adsorption on a surface with long-range heterogeneity.
Finding predictors of field defects for open source software systems in commonly available data sources: a case study of OpenBSD

Open source software systems are important components of many business software applications. Field defect predictions for open source software systems may allow organizations to make informed decisions regarding open source software components. In this paper, we remotely measure and analyze predictors (metrics available before release) mined from established data sources (the code repository and the request tracking system) as well as a novel source of data (mailing list archives) for nine releases of OpenBSD. First, we attempt to predict field defects by extending a software reliability model fitted to development defects. We find this approach to be infeasible, which motivates examining metrics-based field defect prediction. Then, we evaluate 139 predictors using established statistical methods: Kendall's rank correlation, Pearson's rank correlation, and forward AIC model selection. The metrics we collect include product metrics, development metrics, deployment and usage metrics, and software and hardware configurations metrics. We find the number of messages to the technical discussion mailing list during the development period (a deployment and usage metric captured from mailing list archives) to be the best predictor of field defects. Our work identifies predictors of field defects in commonly available data sources for open source software systems and is a step towards metrics-based field defect prediction for quantitatively-based decision making regarding open source software components
Mapping Scientometrics (1981 -2001)

We investigate an integrated approach to scientometric studies with emphasis to the use of information visualization and animation techniques. This study draws upon citation and co-citation patterns derived from articles published in the journal Scientornetrics (19812001). The modeling and visualization takes an evolutionary and historical perspective. The design of the visualization model adapts a virtual landscape metaphor with document cocitation networks as the base map and annual citation rates as the thematic overlay. The growth of citation rates is presented through an animation sequence of the landscape model. Issues concerning the visual-spatial design are discussed from a citation analysis point of view.
Environmental Conditions Affect Sperm Competition Risk in Japanese Beetles (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae)

Males of many species guard their mates to prevent rivals from usurping paternity of the potential offspring. Environmental conditions, such as temperature, may affect a male's ability to guard a female effectively and consequently the amount of sperm competition that occurs. We tested whether temperature and light affected mating behavior in laboratory experiments on the Japanese beetle, Popillia japonica Newman, a species in which males guard females for minutes to many hours after mating. When tested in groups, under conditions of high temperature and high light, males guarded females for shorter periods of time and males and females both mated with more different individuals. The number of mating pairs observed at any one time, however, was lower under conditions of relatively high temperature and light, which agrees with field data and is likely due to a combination of shorter pair durations and a period of time between successive mates. Contests for females were rare, which indicates that these patterns were due to changes in the behavior of the male and/or female of the pair. To tease apart male versus female roles in these patterns, single males were given dead females for copulation and guarding. When single males mated with the dead female, light and temperature still affected guarding behavior (e.g., the shortest durations were under conditions of relatively high temperature and light), indicating that males play a major part in determining the duration of mate guarding, probably due to a change in the costs the males are incurring. However, the patterns in the dead female experiment were not identical to the patterns in the group experiment, implying that female behavior also plays a role in guarding time. Our results demonstrate that environmental conditions can have a major effect on sperm competition risk and suggest that males would benefit greatly from being able to mitigate, either morphologically, physiologically, or behaviorally, the impact of those conditions.
The War of Ideas and the Battle of Narratives: A Comparison of Extremist Storytelling Structures:

In this essay, we examine the core narratives and rhetorical techniques that extremist groups use to explain their worldview. We show that extremists in North America as well as throughout the world, regardless of their political or religious background, demonstrate great similarities in their construction and deployment of narratives. We also identify key features of what we call “the root war metaphor” that characterizes extremist narratives and apply a schema for analyzing “narrative trajectories” to suggest a relationship between these extremist narratives and acts of violence. What we can learn from shared narrative elements among extremist groups may help answer questions about the relationship of words to violence as well as speculate about how core narratives may be used to construct more compelling stories to promote social justice.
Adolescent and young adult women's use of emergency contraception.

STUDY OBJECTIVE: To determine differences in the use of emergency contraception (EC) between adolescent (11-17 years old) and young adult women (18-24 years old) in an insured population based cohort. DESIGN AND PARTICIPANTS: Females 11-24 years old were divided into two groups: adolescents (11-17) and young adults (18-24) at their first captured EC prescription fill. A medical record review followed. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: The main outcomes of our study were reason for EC use timing of EC use and repeat use. Chi-square tests were used to compare dichotomous variables between groups by age and for ever vs repeat use. An independent t-test was used to compare continuous variables. A person-time analysis was used to compare rates of repeat use. RESULTS: 344 women were identified as having filled at least one prescription for an EC drug. Among ever users adolescents were more likely than young adults to cite no contraception as their reason for seeking EC (30% for 11-17 and 24% for 18-24 year olds; P = 0.38). For both ever and repeat users young adults reported condom failure as their main reason for seeking EC. We calculated t-tests on the hours since unprotected sex. For adolescents the mean was 42 hours and for young adults the mean was 34 hours (P = 0.13). Both are within the recommended 72-hour window for administration and were not significantly different. The rate of repeat use was essentially the same for both age groups. CONCLUSIONS: We found that adolescent use of EC was similar to young adult use and support the recommendation that 17-year-olds have behind-the-counter access to EC. Copyright 2010 North American Society for Pediatric and Adolescent Gynecology. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Aggrecan: Unusual Polyelectrolyte Biophysics and Interactions Conferred by the Bottlebrush Structure

Aggrecan is a negatively-charged proteoglycan with a bottlebrush structure present in the cartilage matrix. Its chief function is to maintain a self-repelling charged atmosphere within the cartilage matrix that attracts waters and exerts a swelling pressure (Chandran and Horkay, 2011). In this study we use Atomic Force Spectroscopy and Dynamic Light Scattering in complementary ways to study the polyelectrolyte biophysics of the aggrecan bottlebrush. We describe how the bottlebrush dynamics and interactions depart from that of linear polyelectrolytes, and discuss the implications for cartilage diseases and tissue-engineering solutions.
Necker cube reversibility and perspective dominance as a function of rotation and retinal disparity

Reversal rate and dominance of one phenomenal orientation of the shadow of a von Hornbostel (skeletal) cube were measured for 15 Ss under four conditions: stationary without retinal disparity (conventional Necker cube), stationary with retinal disparity, rotating about the vertical axis without disparity (conventional kineticdepth display), and rotation with retinal disparity. Rotation decreased reversal rate but did not produce dominance of either phenomenal orientation. Retinal disparity led to dominance of the phenomenal orientation compatible with the disparity depth cue and a decrease in reversal rate. The effect of disparity on the dominance of one phenomenal orientation was enhanced by rotation.
P-022 Flow Diversion in the Posterior Circulation: A Single Center Experience and Literature Review

Introduction Flow diverters have been increasingly utilised for the treatment of large intracranial aneurysms, predominantly in the anterior circulation. There is limited data available on the safety and efficacy of this treatment approach for posterior circulation aneurysms, which often times have limited therapeutic options and unfavorable natural history. Objective The goal of this study is to present our posterior circulation flow diverter experience in comparison with recent studies. We also discuss the potential role of platelet inhibition testing, adjunctive coiling and the relevance of aneurysm type in clinical outcome. Methods This is a retrospective review of 6 patients with 7 aneurysms (5 saccular, 2 fusiform) in posterior circulation vessels, treated with flow diverter technology. We compare our results to available studies in the current literature. Results Pre-procedure platelet inhibition testing was routinely utilised. The average largest aneurysm diameter was 19.5 mm, and aneurysm length was up to 52 mm. None of the aneurysms were acutely ruptured, but one patient had a history of prior subarachnoid haemorrhage. Locations included 3 basilar artery, 3 distal vertebral artery and 1 posterior cerebral artery aneurysms. An average of 2 flow diverters were placed successfully in all patients. Adjunctive coiling was utilised in 3 (42.9%) cases. Imaging and clinical follow up was available in all 7 cases, ranging from 3.5 to 25 months (mean 10.1 months). Complete angiographic occlusion was seen in 3 out of 7 cases (42.9%), and another 3 aneurysms 42.9%) had decreased residual filling on follow-up. The one remaining patient had no clinical complications and no change in aneurysm filling initially after the procedure, but developed in-stent thrombosis with large brainstem stroke at 4.5 months, a week after he self-discontinued his dual antiplatelet therapy. Other clinical events included one patient with a periprocedural stroke with moderate residual deficits, and 2 other patients with a small periprocedural stroke with complete recovery. One of the latter 2 patients developed acute intraprocedural in-stent thrombosis with transient symptoms, which was rapidly treated, and had no significant long-term clinical consequences. There was no death, distal parenchymal haemorrhage or delayed aneurysm rupture. Overall 4 out of 6 patients, or 5 of 7 cases (71%), had good clinical outcome (mRS 0–1), all with saccular type aneurysms. Conclusion Posterior circulation flow diversion carries risks, but may represent a reasonable treatment option in carefully selected patients with high-risk aneurysms, which otherwise have and poor natural history and no optimal treatment strategy. Further data is necessary to assess the role of flow diversion in the posterior circulation. Disclosures G. Toth: None. M. Bain: None. S. Hussain: None. S. Moskowitz: None. P. Rasmussen: 1; C; ev3/Codman. 2; C; Codman. 4; C; Penumbra. 6; C; Blockade Medical. T. Masaryk: None. F. Hui: None.
Zygosity at the major histocompatibility class IIB locus predicts susceptibility to Renibacterium salmoninarum in Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar L.)

Summary Major histocompatibility (MH) class II genes play an important role in the vertebrate immune response. Here, we investigate the relationship between Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar) MH class IIB zygosity and susceptibility to Renibacterium salmoninarum, the causal agent of bacterial kidney disease. By combining DNA sequences from the salmon MH class IIB gene with quantitative ELISA data on R. salmoninarum antigen levels, we found that MH class IIB homozygotes were significantly more susceptible to R. salmoninarum than heterozygotes. These findings are discussed in the context of current evolutionary theory.
ECONOMIC-BASED DISTRIBUTED OPTIMAL DESIGN

Spacecraft * and launch systems are examples of complex products which require a careful balance between competing concerns, such as performance, weight, and reliability, to serve their mission. Complexity requires design by large engineering organizations, so this balance must be achieved across many teams of people working on various components. This paper uses optimization theory to derive a method for distributed optimal design. Each component design team is provided with a separate optimization problem such that, as each team finds the best design solution to their problem, the teams together design the best system. To date, distributed optimal design has been difficult because complex system design spaces have extremely high dimensions over which design objectives are poorly correlated. Instead, the paper proposes that design objectives be expressed as functions in property spaces, which have few dimensions and are much smoother than design spaces. Property spaces are generated from design spaces by traditional engineering analysis processes. Economic analysis of all parties to the spacecraft launch and operation is used to construct a top-level value function on the system property space. This function is linearly decomposed into value functions for component property spaces. This provides the needed objective functions for distributed optimal design.
Remote measurement of wind speed using a dual beam backscatter laser Doppler velocimeter.

Measurements of atmospheric wind speeds at distances up to 60 m using a dual beam laser Doppler velocimeter with digital autocorrelation analysis, an unfocused argon ion laser (0.10–0.35 W) at 5145 A, and a 20-cm collecting telescope are reported. Criteria affecting the field performance of this system and an expression giving the power and range dependence of the data accumulation rate are presented. Major improvement of the system’s performance can be made by focusing the laser beams and properly restricting the field of the collecting telescope. The potential of this technique for remote wind measurement at ranges of several hundred meters is discussed.
Forces between nanorods with end-adsorbed chains in a homopolymer melt

Adsorbed or grafted polymers are often used to provide steric stabilization of colloidal particles. When the particle size approaches the nanoscale, the curvature of the particles becomes relevant. To investigate this effect for the case of cylindrical symmetry, I use a classical fluids density functional theory applied to a coarse-grained model to study the polymer-mediated interactions between two nanorods. The rods are coated with end-adsorbing chains and immersed in a polymer melt of chemically identical, nonadsorbing chains. The force between the nanorods is found to be nonmonotonic, with an attractive well when the two brushes come into contact with each other, followed by a steep repulsion at shorter distances. The attraction is due to the entropic phenomenon of autophobic dewetting, in which there is a surface tension between the brush and the matrix chains. These results are similar to previous results for planar and spherical polymer brushes in melts of the same polymer. The depth of the attractive well increases with matrix chain molecular weight and with the surface coverage. The attraction is very weak when the matrix chain molecular weight is similar to or smaller than the brush molecular weight, but for longer matrix chains the magnitude of the attraction can become large enough to cause aggregation of the nanorods.
Paired Transform Slice Theorem of 2-D Image Reconstruction from Projections

This paper discusses the paired transform-based method of reconstruction of 2-D images from their projections. The complete set of basic functions of the 2-D discrete paired transform are defined by specific directions, i.e. the transform is directional and can be calculated from the projection data. A simple formula is presented for image reconstruction without calculating the 2-D discrete Fourier transform in the case, when the size of image is Lr × Lr, when L is prime. The image reconstruction is described by the discrete model that is used in the series expansion methods of image reconstruction. The proposed method of reconstruction has been implemented and successfully applied for modeled images on Cartesian grid of sizes up to 256×256.
The zebrafish gene cloche acts upstream of a flk-1 homologue to regulate endothelial cell differentiation

The zebrafish cloche mutation affects both the endothelial and hematopoietic lineages at a very early stage (Stainier, D. Y. R., Weinstein, B. M., Detrich, H. W., Zon, L. I. and Fishman, M. C. (1995). Development 121, 3141-3150). The most striking vascular phenotype is the absence of endocardial cells from the heart. Microscopic examination of mutant embryos reveals the presence of endothelial-like cells in the lower trunk and tail regions while head vessels appear to be missing, indicating a molecular diversification of the endothelial lineage. Cell transplantation experiments show that cloche acts cell-autonomously within the endothelial lineage. To analyze further the role of cloche in regulating endothelial cell differentiation, we have examined the expression of flk-1 and tie, two receptor tyrosine kinase genes expressed early and sequentially in the endothelial lineage. In wild-type fish, flk-1-positive cells are found throughout the embryo and differentiate to form the nascent vasculature. In cloche mutants, flk-1-positive cells are found only in the lower trunk and tail regions, and this expression is delayed as compared to wild-type. Unlike the flk-1-positive cells in wild-type embryos, those in cloche mutants do not go on to express tie, suggesting that their differentiation is halted at an early stage. We also find that the cloche mutation is not linked to flk-1. These data indicate that cloche affects the differentiation of all endothelial cells and that it acts at a very early stage, either by directly regulating flk-1 expression or by controlling the differentiation of cells that normally develop to express flk-1. cloche mutants also have a blood deficit and their hematopoietic tissues show no expression of the hematopoietic transcription factor genes GATA-1 or GATA-2 at early stages. Because the appearance of distinct levels of flk-1 expression is delayed in cloche mutants, we examined GATA-1 expression at late embryonic stages and found some blood cell differentiation that appears to be limited to the region lined by the flk-1-expressing cells. The spatial restriction of blood in the ventroposterior-most region of cloche mutant embryos may be indicative of a ventral source of signal(s) controlling hematopoietic differentiation. In addition, the restricted colocalization of blood and endothelium in cloche mutants suggests that important interactions occur between these two lineages during normal development.
Learning retention in online versus F2F instruction

This research explores the long-term effect of online learning by evaluating learning achievement in a subsequent, related course. A prior study indicated online learning was inferior to face-to-face learning. This study expands that research by following the same students, both online and face-to-face, from the prerequisite class through a subsequent course. The results indicate that if online instruction is inferior to face-to-face in learning complex content, reduced learning achievement does not have an adverse effect on learning achievement in a related, subsequent course. The results of this research are an important step towards understanding the long-term impact of online learning.
Limits on Gaussian fluctuations in the cosmic microwave background at 19.2 GHz

The Northern Hemisphere data from the 19.2 GHz full sky survey are analyzed to place limits on the magnitude of Gaussian fluctuations in the cosmic microwave background implied by a variety of correlation functions. Included among the models tested are the monochromatic and Gaussian-shaped families, and those with power law spectra for n from -2 to 1. We place an upper bound on the quadrupole anisotropy of DeltaT/T less than 3.2 x 10 exp -5 rms, and an upper bound on scale-invariant (n = 1) fluctuations of a2 less than 4.5 x 10 exp -5 (95 percent confidence level). There is significant contamination of these data from Galactic emission, and improvement of our modeling of the Galaxy could yield a significant reduction of these upper bounds.
Monte-Carlo simulation of the DC characteristics of microwave MESFET power devices

Measured data from various GaAs materials and device evaluation programs are analyzed and correlated. The approach taken is to compare correlation plots of certain active-layer and DC data to simulated plots based on an approximate idealized MESFET model. The measurement data wee obtained from devices processed on substrates grown by low-pressure and high-pressure Czochralski techniques. The purpose of the correlation is to assess the merits of GaAs materials grown by the two methods and to establish the uniformity of ion implantation, annealing, and processing of full 3-in.-diameter substrates. Since the characteristics of the devices seemed to be process and device related, correlation plots of measured data are compared with correlation plots of Monte Carlo simulations to help identify what process or device parameters were causing the observed variations in DC characteristics. >
Identification and Characterization of Two Internal Cleavage and Polyadenylation Sites of Parvovirus B19 RNA

Polyadenylation of B19 pre-mRNAs at the major internal site, (pA)p1, is programmed by the nonconsensus core cleavage and polyadenylation specificity factor-binding hexanucleotide AUUAAA. Efficient use of this element requires both downstream and upstream cis-acting elements and is further influenced by an adjacent AAUAAC motif. The primary hexanucleotide element must be nonconsensus to allow efficient readthrough of P6-generated pre-mRNAs into the capsid-coding region. An additional cleavage and polyadenylation site, (pA)p2, 296 nucleotides downstream of (pA)p1 was shown to be used following both B19 infection and transfection of a genomic clone. RNAs polyadenylated at (pA)p2 comprise approximately 10% of B19 RNAs that are polyadenylated internally.
Child-Parent Psychotherapy with Infants and Very Young Children

Child-parent Psychotherapy (CPP) for traumatized infants and young children is based on the principles that relationships are central to healthy development, and that children organize their responses to threat and danger, and therefore to trauma, around their attachment relationships. These earliest relational experiences also provide templates from which the developing young child predicts how others will behave, shaping the child’s earliest understanding of relationships. Secure relationships lay the foundations for resilience by shaping young children’s capacities in three critical domains: (1) regulating strong emotions, (2) forming sustaining relationships, and (3) developing the ability to process information about the world, using that information to solve problems. This chapter provides an overview of CPP, examples of the process of treatment and a description of progress toward treatment success. A case is presented that documents the progression of a maltreated child in CPP, and describes its value as a mental health treatment.
AMNIOTIC FLUID EVALUATION AND INTRAUTERINE TRANSFUSIONS FOR ERYTHROBLASTOSIS FETALIS.

Abstract Amniotic fluid samples were evaluated by the method of Bevis, as modified by Liley, 166 times on 105 women suspected of bearing infants afflicted with erythroblastosis. The accuracy of prediction is 83 per cent. Eight patients were selected for intrauterine intraperitoneal transfusion because a prediction of imminent fetal death was made prior to the thirty-third week of pregnancy. Five of these infants proved to have hydrops fetalis and were stillborn. The remaining 3 cases were successful, as judged not only by survival, but by the high levels of adult hemoglobin present in the infant's circulation at birth.
Recombination Kinetics and Effects of Superacid Treatment in Sulfur- and Selenium-Based Transition Metal Dichalcogenides.

Optoelectronic devices based on two-dimensional (2D) materials have shown tremendous promise over the past few years; however, there are still numerous challenges that need to be overcome to enable their application in devices. These include improving their poor photoluminescence (PL) quantum yield (QY) as well as better understanding of exciton-based recombination kinetics. Recently, we developed a chemical treatment technique using an organic superacid, bis(trifluoromethane)sulfonimide (TFSI), which was shown to improve the quantum yield in MoS2 from less than 1% to over 95%. Here, we perform detailed steady-state and transient optical characterization on some of the most heavily studied direct bandgap 2D materials, specifically WS2, MoS2, WSe2, and MoSe2, over a large pump dynamic range to study the recombination mechanisms present in these materials. We then explore the effects of TFSI treatment on the PL QY and recombination kinetics for each case. Our results suggest that sulfur-based 2D materials a...
Preparation and Properties of PDLLA-PCL Blend

PDLLA-PCL blends were prepared by melt process with poly(D,L-lactic acid)(PDLLA)and poly(e-caprolactone)(PCL).The mechanical properties,thermal properties,rheological properties and surface morphology of the blends were analyzed and characterized with tensile testing machine,Differential Scanning Calorimetry(DSC),capillary rheometer and atomic force microscopy respectively.Results showed that the flexibility increased,the tensile strength decreased,the melting peak temperature moved to high temperature,melting enthalpy and enthalpy of crystallization increased,the apparent viscosity increased with the increasing of PCL content.The surface flatness of film prepared with PDLLA-PCL blends were better than that of PDLLA.The film prepared by blend with 30% PCL mass fraction was the best.
Raphael the Savior: Tobit's Adaptation of the Angel of the Lord Tradition

Attention has been given in recent scholarship to Tobit's use of Israel's angel tradition in its depiction of Raphael, but the exodus account and the role of the angel of the Lord has been overlooked. This article argues that Tobit adapts that account to depict a ‘micro’ exodus with a ground-breaking portrayal of the angel of the Lord who condescends as an Israelite to deliver suffering exiles. In doing so, Tobit bears witness to a belief in a condescending heavenly savior that is found in several other texts of Second Temple Judaism.
Comparing the validity of informant and self-reports of personality using laboratory indices of emotional responding as criterion variables.

Personality traits relate to risk for psychopathology and can inform predictions about treatment outcome. In an effort to obtain a comprehensive index of personality, informant reports of personality are sometimes obtained in addition to self-reports of personality. However, there is limited research comparing the validity of self- and informant reports of personality, particularly among those with internalizing psychopathology. This is important given that informants may provide an additional (and perhaps different) perspective on individuals' personality. The present study therefore compared how both reports of positive affectivity (PA) and negative affectivity (NA) relate to psychophysiological and subjective measures of emotional responding to positive and negative stimuli. Given that our sample (n = 117) included individuals with no history of psychopathology, as well as individuals with major depressive disorder (MDD) and/or panic disorder (PD), we were also able to explore whether these internalizing diagnoses moderated the association between personality reports and measures of emotional responding. Informant-reported PA predicted physiological responses to positive stimuli (but not negative). Informant-reported NA predicted physiological responses to negative stimuli (but not positive). Self-reported personality did not predict physiological responding, but did predict subjectively measured emotional responding (NA for negative responding, PA for positive responding). Diagnoses of internalizing psychopathology (PD or MDD) did not moderate these associations. Results suggest self- and informant reports of personality may each provide valid indices of an individual's emotional response tendencies, but predict different aspects of those tendencies.
Size-matched recognition of large anions by cyanostar macrocycles is saved when solvent-bias is avoided

The size-dependent recognition of large anions by shape-persistent macrocycles is poorly understood. To address this shortcoming, we created a bulky cyanostar that only forms 1 : 1 complexes and show the affinities best follow the expectations of size matching but only when solvent bias is removed.
Big Game, Small Game: Why It Matters

Though today the assumption that “bigger equals better” when it comes to animal prey is often equated with optimal foraging theory, this expectation has long been present in archaeolology. In this chapter, I explore the history of the bigger is better concept and its relationship to the Broad Spectrum Revolution hypothesis. I review initial approaches to the Broad Spectrum Revolution and then turn to more recent studies, including both prey choice and niche construction perspectives on the transition to broad spectrum diets.
From the Soviet Bloc to the European Union: Recuperation and growth: the role of foreign direct investment

During the first transformation years of the 1990s, in spite of serious mistakes and avoidable decline, the introduction of a market and private economy progressed well in Central and Eastern Europe. It was strongly assisted by the European Union. As a result of political and economic consolidation and adjustment to the Union's requirements, transformation was essentially accomplished in most of the countries of the region over the decade beginning in the mid-1990s. In a clear sign of political stability and security, virtually the entire region became part of the Western military alliance system, the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO). As early as 1990, countries of the region were invited to the NATO Parliamentary Assembly as associate members. In the summer of 1997, Poland, Hungary, and the Czech Republic were invited to join NATO, which they did in 1999. Seven other countries from the region – Bulgaria, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Romania, Slovakia, and Slovenia – were invited to join at the November 2002 Prague summit. They joined in 2004. Article 5 of the NATO treaty, the collective security clause, guaranteed security to the members: “The Parties agree that an armed attack against one or more of them in Europe or North America shall be considered an attack against them all.” Behind the Western military shield, integration into the West became easier.
On the role of values clarification and committed actions in enhancing the engagement of direct care workers with clients with severe developmental disorders

Abstract The purpose of the present study was to evaluate the effects of values clarification and committed action on the engagement of direct care staff with their clients with severe developmental disabilities. Participants participated in several workshops in which values exercises pertinent to their job and direct work with clients were completed and discussed. Committed actions were also established by each participant. Results from a multiple baseline across participants design showed that staff emitted 11–16 more instances of engagement with clients following the values workshops relative to their baseline levels. Implications of values clarification plus committed action workshops as a regular component of staff training for human services staff are discussed.
Surgical Management of Adolescents and Young Adults With Gastrointestinal Stromal Tumors: A US Population-Based Analysis.

Importance There is a dearth of population-based evidence regarding outcomes of the adolescent and young adult (AYA) population with gastrointestinal stromal tumors (GISTs). Objectives To describe a large cohort of AYA patients with GISTs and investigate the effect of surgery on GIST-specific survival (GSS) and overall survival (OS). Design, Setting, and Participants This retrospective cohort study of 392 AYA patients and 5373 older adult (OA) patients in the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) database with GISTs histologically diagnosed from January 1, 2001, through December 31, 2013, with follow-up through December 31, 2015, compared the baseline characteristics of AYA (13-39 years old) and OA (≥40 years old) patients and among AYA patients stratified by operative management. Kaplan-Meier estimates were used for OS analyses. Cumulative incidence functions were used for GSS analysis. The effect of surgery on survival was evaluated with a multivariable Fine-Gray regression model. Exposure Tumor resection. Main Outcomes and Measures GIST-specific survival and OS. Results This study included 392 AYA and 5373 OA patients diagnosed with GISTs (207 [52.8%] male AYA patients, 2767 [51.5%] male OA patients, 277 [70.7%] white AYA patients, and 3661 [68.1%] white OA patients). Compared with the OA patients, more AYA patients had small-intestine GISTs (139 [35.5%] vs 1465 [27.3%], P = .008) and were managed operatively (332 [84.7%] vs 4212 [78.4%], P = .003). Multivariable analysis of AYA patients found that nonoperative management was associated with a more than 2-fold increased risk of death from GISTs (subdistribution hazard ratio, 2.27; 95% CI, 1.21-2.25; P = .01). On subset analysis of 349 AYA patients with tumors of the stomach and small intestine, small-intestine location was associated with improved survival (OS: 91.1% vs 77.2%, P = .01; GSS: 91.8% vs 78.0%, P = .008). On subset analysis of 91 AYA patients with metastatic disease, operative management was associated with improved survival (OS: 69.5% vs 53.7%, P = .04; GSS: 71.5% vs 56.7%, P = .03). Conclusions and Relevance This study found that AYA patients are more likely to undergo surgical management than OA patients. Operative management is associated with improved OS and GSS in AYA patients, including those with metastatic disease.
Disturbance-Field Decomposition in a Transversely Forced Swirl Flow and Flame

High-amplitude combustion instabilities are a destructive and pervasive problem in gas-turbine combustors. Although much research has focused on measuring the characteristics of these instabilities, there are still many remaining questions about the fluid-mechanic mechanisms that drive the flame oscillations. In particular, a variety of complex disturbance mechanisms arise during velocity-coupled instabilities excited by transverse acoustic modes. The resulting disturbance field has two components: the acoustic-velocity fluctuation from both the incident transverse acoustic field and the excited longitudinal field near the nozzle, and the vortical-velocity fluctuations arising from acoustic excitation of hydrodynamic instabilities in the flow. In this research, the relative contribution of these two components had been explored using proper orthogonal decomposition as a methodology for decomposing the velocity-disturbance field. Although proper orthogonal decomposition is successful at decomposing these t...
Localized fertigation with stressing solutions and growth-quality responses in potted greenhouse roses

The production of cut roses is a highly intensive cropping system that relies on very high water and nutrient applications that are forcing the industry to look into the capture and re-utilization of drainage and the use of alternative, poor-quality irrigation waters. This preliminary study evaluates the effects of water-quality related stresses (salinity, high pH, high boron, high urea) applied to partial (localized) sections of the root system in roses. Results to date indicate that greenhouse rose plants, particularly those grafted on 'Natal Briar', remain fairly sensitive to rootzone salinity and high pH conditions even when afflicting only a partial section of the root system. Further information is needed on rose plant performance on other rootstocks, the identification of maximum tolerance thresholds for rootzone chemical-physical stresses, and the most adequate management practices needed to deal with them in commercial production conditions.