cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
New quench-resistant fluors for liquid scintillation counting

Abstract Several new fluors of the oligophenylene type were synthesized and compared with the most commonly used fluors in liquid scintillation cocktails. These new fluors, which are diaryl derivatives of fluorene or 2,2′-bifluorene, provided the most efficient fluor systems studied to date, particularly when chemically quenched in a non-aqueous system, or quenched with water in an emulsifier-containing system.
Grice-Representability of Response Time Distribution Families.

Any family of simple response time distributions that correspond to different values of stimulation variables can be modeled by a deterministic stimulation-dependent process that terminates when it crosses a randomly preset criterion. The criterion distribution function is stimulation-independent and can be chosen arbitrarily, provided it is continuous and strictly increasing. Any family ofN-alternative choice response time distributions can be modeled byN such process-criterion pairs, with response choice and response time being determined by the process that reaches its criterion first. The joint distribution of theN criteria can be chosen arbitrarily, provided it satisfies certain unrestrictive conditions. In particular, the criteria can be chosen to be stochastically independent. This modeling scheme, therefore, is a descriptive theoretical language rather than an empirically falsifiable model. The only role of the criteria in this theoretical language is to numerically calibrate the ordinal-scale axes for the deterministic response processes.
Treatment of turkey processing wastewater with sand filtration.

Abstract This research investigated the feasibility of coarse/fine sand filtration for removing organic materials from turkey processing wastewater. Sand filtration was tested with three organic and hydraulic loadings. Six two-layer sand bioreactors were in three groups, each with 5 cm layer of pea gravel at the bottom to support layers of fine sand (46 cm) and coarse sand (15 cm) to a height of 66 cm. The bioreactors were inoculated with a mixture of 20% (vol/vol) of wastewater lagoon sludge, 40% (vol/vol) of turkey processing wastewater, and 40% (vol/vol) of BOD5 dilution water before starting the column operation with turkey processing wastewater. The wastewater contained 1270 ± 730 mg COD/L and was applied to each sand bioreactor at hydraulic loading rates of 264, 132 and 66 L/m2/day. Each group comprised duplicate columns with the identical hydraulic loading. A commercially available detergent, IvoryTM, was added to the wastewater at 0.04% (wt/vol). Maximum treatment efficiencies were reached within a week. The removal of TOC and BOD5 was >94% during 80 days of column operation at low and medium hydraulic loading rates (⩽132 L/m2/day). The removal at the highest hydraulic loading rate (264 L/m2/day) declined after the appearance of a black zone in the top layer of fine sand on day 30 for one reactor and day 50 for the other. The sand filtration in this study represents a feasible treatment for turkey processing wastewater and its efficiency and the life span of the process are associated with the extent of hydraulic loading of the sand bioreactors.
Inorganic Geochemistry of the Trenton Limestone-Utica Shale Contact Based on XRF Data

The contact of the Upper Ordovician Utica Shale and underlying Trenton Limestone is normally recognized as a sharp increase in gamma ray (GR) response, apparently reflecting the increased abundance of organic matter from the carbonate to overlying shale. Though conventional wisdom holds that organic–rich black shales can be identified by characteristic GR log signature, this may not be the case for the Utica Shale. Chemostratigraphic analysis of the Utica Shale core 75-NY2 using handheld XRF technology in tandem with a suite TOC data indicates that the Trenton–Utica contact based on GR response actually falls within the Utica Shale. Gamma–ray response principally reflects the abundance of K, Th, and especially U. Indeed, it is enrichment of the latter above crustal levels in the presence of abundant organic matter and related bacterial sulfate reduction typical of those environments in which black shale accumulates. However, U values of the lower carbonaceous interval of the Utica Shale remain close to or even depleted relative to crustal values, essentially unchanged from those concentrations of the underlying Trenton Limestone. Of particular interest is the roughly 6m thick interval of calcareous dark black shale devoid of graptolites containing > 10% TOC at the bottom of the Utica Shale. The apparent dichotomy of elevated TOC and minimal U concentration is obvious from an artificial GR log generated from our chemostratigraphic data that displays a profile similar to GR signatures documented from Utica wells. These results suggest that the sharp increase in GR response normally recognized as the Trenton/Utica contact actually delimits the top of the organic–rich interval within the bottom of the Utica. The level at which the GR increases is observed to be the boundary of organic–rich shale and overlying organic-lean (TOC ∼ 1%) grayish black shale. The contact of the organic–rich and organic– lean shale correlates with an increase of U somewhat in excess of crustal levels. Although authigenic U concentrations can be diluted by increased clastic flux, measured abundances of detrital proxies, including Al, Si, Ti, and Zr, are inconsistent with such an explanation. The U–depleted nature of the most organic–rich deposits of the Utica Shale may reflect the impress of Middle Ordovician global anoxia and consequent of drawdown of the global aqueous U inventory.
Ultrasonographic evaluation in the differential diagnosis of biliary atresia and infantile hepatitis syndrome

To evaluate the ultrasonographic (US) features distinguishing biliary atresia (BA) from infantile hepatitis syndrome (IHS). The US results of infants with obstructive jaundice investigated between 2004 and 2009 were analyzed retrospectively and compared with the clinical and surgical findings, looking for features that distinguished between BA and IHS. US was used to obtain information about the gallbladder shape and the structures of hepatic portal system. A total of 182 infants were confirmed with intraoperative cholangiogram as having BA (151 cases), HIS (29 cases), or bile duct hypogenesis (2 cases). The gallbladder was visualized by US in 64.24% of BA cases (97/151) and 82.76% of HIS cases (24/29), a difference that was significant (P < 0.05). At US, the mean length of gallbladder was 1.28 cm in BA case and 2.03 cm in HIS cases. The mean volume of the gallbladder was 0.27 mL in BA babies and 0.61 mL in IHS babies, a significant difference (P < 0.05). The diagnostic sensitivity, specificity, and validity of combined visualization of the gallbladder and evaluation of the hepatic portal system were 99.34, 83.87, and 96.7%, respectively. The ultrasonographic features useful in the differential diagnosis of obstructive jaundice cases are measurement of the gallbladder size, observation of its form, investigations of the triangular cord, and the presence of biliary lake in the area of the hepatic portal system. The validity of a BA diagnosis with these combined ultrasound parameters can, however, be improved effectively.
(TAML)FeIV═O Complex in Aqueous Solution: Synthesis and Spectroscopic and Computational Characterization

Recently, we reported the characterization of the S = 1/2 complex [FeV(O)B*]−, where B* belongs to a family of tetraamido macrocyclic ligands (TAMLs) whose iron complexes activate peroxides for env...
Accumulation and retention of no. 2 fuel oil compounds in the blue crab, Callinectes sapidus rathbun

In order to determine if blue crabs (Callinectes sapidus) can bioaccumulate and retain complex mixtures of petroleum hydrocarbons, adult crabs were exposed for 14 days or 30–35 days in continuous flow-through seawater systems to three sublethal concentrations, nominally 0·00 (control), 0·01, or 1·0 ppm (mg/liter), of the water-accommodated fraction (WAF) of No. 2 fuel oil. Crabs exposed for 14 days were subsequently exposed to clean running seawater for 7 days whereas crabs exposed for 30–35 days, were placed into clean running seawater for a 30 day ‘depuration’ period. Gill, hepatopancreas, and muscle tissue samples were collected from control, WAF exposed, and ‘depurated’ crabs and analyzed by gas chromatography and/or gas chromatography-mass spectrometry. Number 2 fuel oil compounds were not detected in any of the tissues collected from control crabs. Trace amounts of fuel oil compounds were detected in gill and hepatopancreas tissues collected from crabs exposed to the 0·01 ppm WAF and no fuel oil compounds were detected in muscle tissues. All tissues of crabs exposed to the 1·0 ppm WAF accumulated No. 2 fuel oil compounds and considerable amounts remained in hepatopancreas and gill tissues following depuration for 30 days in clean seawater.
Creation Of Thin, Highly Doped Layers For Ohmic Contact Formation On N-Type GAAS And SI

Ohmic contacts to semiconductors are usually formed between a metal and a highly doped semiconductor layer. A number of techniques are used to produce such layers: alloying of multilayer contact-metal structures containing a dopant, growth of epitaxial layers, shallow diffusion, and shallow ion implantation. All of these methods require the application of elevated temperatures, usually done by furnace annealing. The trends towards very large scale integration (VLSI) and very high speed integrated circuits (VHSIC) have put more stringent requirements on structural and chemical uniformity, on dimensional accuracy, and on specific contact resistance of Ohmic contacts than can be met easily and routinely with standard methods. Substantial improvements of Ohmic-contact properties have been achieved during the past years by employing novel processing techniques such as molecular beam epitaxy, laser or electron-beam annealing.
Homage to Freemasonry or Indictment? The Cremaster Cycle

The Cremaster Cycle (1994–2002) is a series of five films that comprise the major work of performance artist and filmmaker Matthew Barney. Barney’s work follows a trajectory in contemporary art of performance-based enactments that involve the artist’s own body in space and include acts of extreme physicality, as well as ritualistic themes and settings. Critics have regularly noted the relationship between performance art and ritual practices. As early as 1974, in response to the bizarre enactments of performance artists, Lea Vergine in Body Art and Performance: The Body as Language tendered the possibility that the artists’ actions were in some way related to religious themes or cult practices. In The Cremaster Cycle Barney has highlighted this connection by drawing attention to the role of Freemasonry, asking questions about its influence and relating it to the artistic process. The Cremaster Cycle is, in fact, littered throughout with both overt and cryptic references to Freemasonry, its history, rituals, and symbolism. My concern is the degree to which Barney references Freemasonry in The Cremaster Cycle, and to question whether this is simply an act of pure homage, or something else. In 1997, in an exhibition catalogue entitled Scene of the Crime, Ralph Rugoff suggested that it might be useful to examine certain types of contemporary art from a forensic perspective, that is, as evidence and traces of a crime. The Cremaster Cycle could be a deep and convoluted struggle with a profound sense of trauma, even an aesthetically expressed accusation of a serious crime, enacted on a grand scale, which can tell us something about systems of control in the contemporary Western world. Freemasonry is a secret fraternal order, the largest worldwide secret society, spread by the advance of the British Empire and remaining most popular in the British Isles and other countries originally within the empire. Among Freemasons themselves it is known as a “science of morality, veiled in allegory and illustrated by symbols,” and its motto is audi, vide, tace—hear, see, and be silent. As a product of the eighteenth century, Masonic ritual is an eclectic mix of mythological symbolism from both classical and biblical sources as well as from the operative practices of the medieval cathedral builders. It includes mystical elements that draw on the tradition of gnosticism and the classical mystery cults. In American contemporary culture, as Jasper Ridley noted in 1999, “the Masons in America, self-made businessmen, entrepreneurs, and their descendents, are as much an organization of the Establishment as their
1979J2: The Discovery of a Previously Unknown Jovian Satellite.

Detailed examination of imaging data of Jupiter taken by Voyager 1 reveals a previously unknown satellite 1979J2. Analysis of the image on the Jovian disk indicates that it is not an atmospheric feature or the shadow of any known satellite. The orbital period is calculated at 16 hours 11 minutes 21.25 seconds + or - 0.5 second and the semimajor axis is 3.1054 Jupiter radii. The observed profile is roughly circular with a diameter of 80 kilometers. An albedo of approximately 0.05 is reported, which is similar to Amalthea's. The geometry of the observational situation is illustrated.
Diet texture, moisture and starch type in dietary obesity

Abstract A series of experiments demonstrated that the texture of a diet has less effect on growth than does the water content. Rats fed diets containing 50–71% water become obese. On the other hand, diets containing as little as 30% or as much as 75% water failed to increase growth. Varying the concentration of the suspending agent (xanthan gum) from 0.5% to 2% greatly altered the viscosity of liquid diets but had no reliable effect on growth. Diets containing gelatinized starch became semi-solid when water was added but the rats still grew faster when fed the moist rather than the dry gelatinized starch diets. However, feeding a diet containing a very high level of gelatinized starch reduced growth independently of the moisture content. Rats fed a dry powdered diet gained weight at about the same rate as rats fed a pelleted diet. These results indicate that the moisture content of a diet has a major influence on its ability to induce obesity. The type of starch fed to the rats also seems to be an important determinant of growth rate.
Image reconstruction via truncated lambda tomography

This paper investigates the feasibility of reconstructing a Computed Tomography (CT) image from truncated Lambda Tomography (LT), a gradient-like image of it's original. An LT image can be regarded as a convolution of the object image and the point spread function (PSF) of the Calderon operator. The PSF's infinite support provides the LT image infinite support; even the original CT image is of compact support. When the support of a truncated LT image fully covers the compact support of the corresponding CT image, we develop an extrapolation method to recover the CT image more precisely. When the support of the CT image fully covers the support of the truncated LT image, we design a template-based scheme to compensate the cupping effects and reconstruct a satisfactory image. Our algorithms are evaluated in numerical simulations and the results demonstrate the feasibilities of our methods. Our approaches provide a new way to reconstruct high-quality CT images.
Transformation by simian virus 40 does not involve the mutational activation of p53 to an oncogenic form.

Abstract We investigated whether the p53 protein of SV40-transformed mouse cells reacted with the conformation-dependent monoclonal antibody pAb246. This antibody can usually distinguish between a p53 with anti-proliferative activity like the wild-type protein (pAb246 + ) and a mutated form of p53 with oncogenic activity (pAb246 − ). Of the 13 cell lines that were screened, 12 contained the pAb246 + form of p53 and one had the pAb246 − form. We showed that SV40 did not induce an activating mutation in the p53 of this latter cell line, because the cells from which it was derived were also pAb246 − . Cascade immunoprecipitation experiments demonstrated that in three SV40-transformed cell lines that were examined, all of the p53 was of the pAb246 + form making it unlikely that small amounts of pAb246 − p53 were responsible for the transformation properties of these cells. We therefore concluded that SV40-mediated transformation of murine cells is not dependent on the activation of their p53 to an oncogenic form, and that, in all probability, transformation is allowed to occur in part because the anti-proliferative activity of p53 is blocked by SV40 T antigen.
The Effect of Providing Breakfast in Class on Student Performance.

In response to low take-up, many schools have experimented with moving breakfast from the cafeteria to the classroom. We examine whether such a program increases performance as measured by standardized test scores, grades and attendance rates. We exploit quasi-random timing of program implementation that allows for a difference-in-differences identification strategy. Our main identification assumption is that schools where the program was introduced earlier would have evolved similarly to those where the program was introduced later. We find that providing breakfast in-class relative to the cafeteria raises both math and reading achievement by about one-tenth of a standard deviation. Moreover, we find that these effects are most pronounced for low performing, free-lunch eligible, Hispanic, and low BMI students. However, a lack of differential impacts by time of exposure and no change in course grades suggest that these improvements in test performance do not translate into increased learning.
RFLP analysis of SLA haplotypes in Swiss large white and American Hampshire pigs using SLA class I and class II probes

Summary Restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP) analyses of swine leukocyte antigen (SLA) class I and class II genes from Swiss Large White and American Hampshire families were performed using porcine DNA probes. Class I and class II RFLPs associated with the serologically‐defined haplotypes SLA H1, H8, H16 and H24 and with serotypes SLA 15, 16; SLA 14; and SLA 6, SB 19, were identified. Seven allelic class I RFLP patterns were observed. For genes in the SLA class II region, six allelic RFLP patterns of DQA and DQB; five allelic RFLP patterns of DRA; and seven allelic RFLP patterns of DRB were observed. The serologically‐defined H8 haplotype was subtyped based on differences in class II RFLPs.
A comparative analysis of the greenhouse gas emissions intensity of wheat and beef in the United States

The US food system utilizes large quantities of liquid fuels, electricity, and chemicals yielding significant greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions that are not considered in current retail prices, especially when the contribution of biogenic emissions is considered. However, because GHG emissions might be assigned a price in prospective climate policy frameworks, it would be useful to know the extent to which those policies would increase the incremental production costs to food within the US food system. This analysis uses lifecycle assessment (LCA) to (1)?estimate the magnitude of carbon dioxide equivalent (CO2e) emissions from typical US food production practices, using wheat and beef as examples, and (2)?quantify the cost of those emissions in the context of a GHG-pricing regime over a range of policy constructs. Wheat and beef were chosen as benchmark staples to provide a representative range of less intensive and more intensive agricultural goods, respectively. Results suggest that 1.1???0.13 and 31???8.1?kg of lifecycle CO2e emissions are embedded in 1?kg of wheat and beef production, respectively. Consequently, the cost of lifecycle CO2e emissions for wheat (i.e. cultivation, processing, transportation, storage, and end-use preparation) over an emissions price range of?$10 and $85 per tonne CO2e is estimated to be between $0.01 and $0.09 per kg of wheat, respectively, which would increase total wheat production costs by approximately 0.3?2% per kg. By comparison, the estimated lifecycle CO2e price of beef over the same range of CO2e prices is between?$0.31 and $2.60 per kg of beef, representing a total production cost increase of approximately 5?40% per kg based on average 2010 food prices. This range indicates that the incremental cost to total US food production might be anywhere between?$0.63?5.4?Billion per year for grain and $3.70 and $32?Billion per year for beef based on CO2e emissions assuming that total production volumes stay the same.
Helicopter-borne scatterometer measurements at L, C, and X bands during the 1994 BOREAS field campaigns

During the late summer and early fall of 1994, radar backscatter measurements were taken using a three-band helicopter-borne radar as part of the BOREAS experiment. The radar is an FM-CW scatterometer that operates at L (1.5 GHz), C (5.5 GHz) and X (10 GHz) bands with all four linear polarizations and incidence angles ranging from 5/spl deg/ to 40/spl deg/. Ground-based canopy architecture measurements were also taken at the jack pine sites. In this paper, the authors present the results of the radar measurements taken during the 1994 field campaigns. Plots of the backscattering coefficient as a function of incidence angle for the L-band and C-band data are presented. At L-band, the backscattering decreases by 15 dB from an incidence angle of 5/spl deg/ to 20/spl deg/. The decrease over this range of angles at C-band is 3 dB. These results suggest that the low angle returns at L-band are dominated by scattering from the ground while the low angle returns at C-band are a combination of scattering from the ground and the canopy. Relative backscattered power versus range curves for L-band and C-band at incidence angles of 5/spl deg/ and 30/spl deg/ are also presented to support this conclusion.
A simple technique to passively gravity-balance articulated mechanisms

A simple method to counter the effects of gravity in articulated mechanisms is proposed. The scheme uses kinematics and linear springs to produce a nonlinear restoring force to oppose the gravitational moment. The method equilibrates a rotational mechanism for all postures. A solution for one link is obtained then general equations for n links are derived. The method is simpler than previous schemes and has applications in robotics, orthotics and a host of everyday mechanisms.
Differentiation of Solutions of Nonlocal Boundary Value Problems with Respect to Boundary Data

In this paper, we investigate boundary data smoothness for solutions of the nonlocal boundary X p=1 ripy(� ip) = yik: Essentially, we show under certain conditions that partial derivatives of the solution to the problem above exist with respect to boundary conditions and solve the associated variational equation. Lastly, we provide a corollary and nontrivial example.
Distribution of Grain Boundaries in SrTiO3 as a Function of Five Macroscopic Parameters

Measurements of the grain boundary population as a function of misorientation and boundary plane orientation show that the distribution is inversely correlated to the sum of the energies of the surfaces comprising each boundary. The observed correlation suggests that the difference between the energy of a high-angle grain boundary and the two component surfaces is relatively constant as a function of misorientation. Two exceptions to this correlation were identified: low-misorientation-angle boundaries and the coherent twin boundary, where the (111) planes in the adjoining crystals are parallel to each other, but rotated by 60° around the [111] axis. In these cases, the high degree of coincidence across this interface probably lowers the boundary energy with respect to that of the component surfaces. For all other boundaries, the anisotropy of the population is accurately predicted by the surface energy anisotropy, and in general, boundaries display a preference for {100} orientations, the planes of minimum surface energy.
A fully complementary BiCMOS technology for 10 V mixed-signal circuit applications

A 10 V fully complementary BiCMOS technology, HBC-10, has been developed for high speed, low noise and high precision mixed signal system integration applications. In this technology, two varieties of CMOS transistors have been implemented for 10 V analog and 5 V digital applications. A gate oxide thickness of 30 nm is utilized for the 10 V CMOS transistors with a lightly doped drain extension added to the NMOS structure to achieve device lifetime in excess of 10 years. A gate oxide thickness of 18 nm is used for 5 V CMOS logic circuits. These transistors are specially architected so that they may also serve as analog transistors in 5 V circuit applications. The 5 V NMOS transistor lifetime is guaranteed by use of a double diffused drain structure. The active devices are isolated by a fully recessed 1.5 /spl mu/m oxide grown under high pressure conditions. Use of high pressure steam, plus combining diffusion operations where possible, results in a low overall thermal budget. This allows the up-diffusion of buried layers to be minimized so that a thin, 1.6 /spl mu/m epitaxial silicon layer is sufficient to support 10 V bipolar transistors. The resultant vertical PNP and NPN transistors are characterized with cut-off frequencies of more than 1.3 GHz and 5 GHz, respectively. Likewise, the associated products of the current gain and Early voltage of PNP and NPN bipolar transistors are more than 1000 and 6000 V, respectively. A precision, buried Zener diode (for voltage reference applications), PtSi Schottky diode, polysilicon-oxide-polysilicon capacitor and trimmable thin film resistor are integrated into this process. This wide variety of passive and active components is essential for system integration and has been carefully designed for precision analog applications. The total number of masking operations is 23, which includes double layer metallization. >
Light Rail Lite or Cost-Effective Improvements to Bus Service?: Evaluating Costs of Implementing Bus Rapid Transit

Bus rapid transit (BRT) is growing rapidly in popularity because it is viewed widely as an efficient and effective means to improve both transit service and patronage. This paper argues that two distinct views of BRT are emerging: (a) BRT as a new form of high-speed, rubber-tired, rail-like rapid transit and (b) BRT as a cost-effective way to upgrade both the quality and image of traditional fixed-route bus service. These two views carry different price tags because the cost of planning, constructing, and operating BRT depends on the complexity of new service features and on rises for BRT that offer service characteristics approaching those of light rail. This study fills a gap in the literature on the costs of BRT by examining in detail component costs-actual costs for recently implemented services and projected costs for planned new services-for a sample of BRT systems in North American cities. The study examined BRT costs of 14 planned and recently opened BRT systems to determine how the wide range of ...
The Role of the Critic in Learning Systems

Buchanan, Mitchell, Smith, and Johnson (1978) described a general model of learning systems that included a component called the Critic. The task of the Critic was described as threefold: evaluation of the past actions of the performance element of the learning system, localization of credit and blame to particular portions of that performance element, and recommendation of possible improvements and modifications in the performance element. This article analyzes these three tasks in detail and surveys the methods that have been employed in existing learning systems to accomplish them. The principle method used to evaluate the performance element is to develop a global performance standard by (a) consulting an external source of knowledge, (b) consulting an internal source of knowledge, or (c) conducting deep search. Credit and blame have been localized by (a) asking an external knowledge source to do the localization, (b) factoring the global performance standard to produce a local performance standard, and (c) conducting controlled experiments on the performance element. Recommendations have been conmiunicated to the learning element using (a) local training instances, (b) correlation coefficients, and (c) partially-instantiated schemata.
Microstructural evaluation of dross formation on Mg- and non-Mg-containing Al alloys from industrial furnaces

AbstractThe microstructural aspects of dross formation in industrial Al re-melt furnaces for several different alloy compositions have been evaluated. The Al alloys used in this study included 1350 (no Mg), 3004 (low Mg), and 5182 (high Mg). Dross specimens were collected directly from the different Al alloy melts in industrial furnaces using a consistent sampling protocol in order to compare the microstructure and phase development of the dross as a function of melt temperature and composition. The results showed that the sequence of phases formed during the re-melt process was the same for all the alloys examined; amorphous-Al2O3 forms first followed by either α-Al2O3+AlN (for non-Mg-containing alloys) or cubic MgO, then MgAl2O4, and lastly α-Al2O3 (for low- or high-Mg content). The formation of MgAl2O4 is associated with accelerated oxidation rates (known as breakaway oxidation) and this reaction proceeds until the Mg is depleted at the molten surface. At this point, aluminum oxidation is predominant a...
Incidence of Peritonitis in Chronic Peritoneal Dialysis Patients Infused with Intravenous Iron Dextran

BackgroundThe Dialysis Outcomes Quality Initiative (DOQI) guidelines, published in 1997, emphasize the need for careful monitoring of iron stores and for provision of adequate iron replacement ther...
Measurement Issues in the Proxy Access Debate

Recent empirical data indicate that the Commission’s proxy access proposals reduce shareholder wealth and are inimical to the best interests of the shareholder community at large. Cross-sectional variation in stock price response data further suggest that the Commission should reject a ‘one-size-fits-all’ approach, and that an opt-in rule is less likely to destroy shareholder wealth than an opt-out rule. None of the studies cited by the Commission in its request for further comment support a competing conclusion. The studies cited by the Commission instead suggest a rational basis for the market’s concern that the proxy access process can be captured by a small number of institutions with idiosyncratic objectives that conflict with the best interests of the larger shareholder community.
Exploiting Domain and Program Structure to Synthesize Efficient and Precise Data Flow Analyses (T)

A key challenge in implementing an efficient and precise1 data flow analysis is determining how to abstract the domain of values that a program variable can take on and how to update abstracted values to reflect program semantics. Such updates are performed by a transfer function and recent work by Thakur, Elder and Reps [26] defined the bilateral algorithm for computing the most precise transfer function for a given abstract domain. In this paper, we identify and exploit the special case where abstract domains are comprised of disjoint subsets. For such domains, transfer functions computed using a customized algorithm can improve performance and in combination with symbolic modeling of block-level transfer functions improve precision as well. We implemented these algorithms in Soot and used them to perform data flow analysis on more than 100 non-trivial Java methods drawn from open source projects. Our experimental data are promising as they demonstrate that a 25-fold reduction in analysis time can be achieved and precision can be increased relative to existing methods.
The Tax Treatment of Contingent Options

Ascertaining whether a particular financial instrument is an option is important not only for determining the tax treatment of payments made under that instrument, but also for determining the tax consequences of other transactions in which the taxpayer may have engaged. This article discusses the tax treatment of financial instruments that take the form of options but prohibit the exercise of the option unless a specified event occurs. While a number of cases and rulings have dealt with the taxation of contingent options in the contexts of particular transactions, the existing authorities have not set forth a comprehensive theory for analyzing these instruments. In this article, the author proposes a framework for determining the tax treatment of contingent options. To that end, the article first gives several examples of contingent options. Second, the article analyzes the cases and rulings that govern the treatment of contingent options. Third, the article applies the principles of the cases and rulings to the examples of contingent options referred to above. Finally, the article concludes that whether a particular contingent option would be treated as an option for tax purposes would depend largely on the policy considerations that are relevant to the code provision for which the determination was being made.
Undetectable Alanine Aminotransferase during Hospitalization

A 58-year-old man with chronic systolic heart failure and type 2 diabetes mellitus presented with bacteremia, acute exacerbation of chronic heart failure, and acute renal failure. He described poor appetite and drinking beer for several days. Alanine aminotransferase (ALT)2 was 16 U/L initially but decreased until it became undetectable (<6 U/L) on the Architect 16200 (Table 1). ALT was …
The Curiously Confounding Curt Flood Act

This article provides a novel textualist interpretation of the Curt Flood Act of 1998, a relatively little known statutory provision that partially repealed professional baseball’s controversial, judicially created antitrust exemption in only a single limited respect. Aside from allowing major league baseball players to file antitrust lawsuits against Major League Baseball, the Flood Act was intended — as Congress went to great lengths to emphasize throughout the legislative process — to remain neutral regarding the continued vitality and scope of baseball’s exemption in all other respects.Despite these clear expressions of Congressional intent, however, most subsequent courts and commentators have surprisingly interpreted the CFA quite differently, concluding that the Flood Act in fact either expressly or implicitly endorsed broad antitrust immunity for professional baseball based on a single, imprecise passage in the statute. The implication of these analyses is that the judiciary now lacks the power to modify or repeal baseball’s antitrust immunity, with the exemption instead having effectively been codified by Congress.This article contends that future courts should reject the majority interpretation of the Flood Act and instead construe the statute neutrally in most respects, as Congress intended. While other commentators have previously argued that the CFA should be read narrowly in light of its legislative history, this article advances a novel textualist interpretation of the Flood Act. In particular, it asserts that when properly read, the Flood Act neither codifies baseball’s antitrust exemption nor reflects Congressional acquiescence in most aspects of the sport’s immunity. Therefore, the article concludes that the judiciary retains the power to reconsider baseball’s antitrust status, should a future court wish to do so.
Sensory processing and corollary discharge effects in posterior caudal lobe Purkinje cells in a weakly electric mormyrid fish

Although it has been suggested that the cerebellum functions to predict the sensory consequences of motor commands, how such predictions are implemented in cerebellar circuitry remains largely unknown. A detailed and relatively complete account of predictive mechanisms has emerged from studies of cerebellum-like sensory structures in fish, suggesting that comparisons of the cerebellum and cerebellum-like structures may be useful. Here we characterize electrophysiological response properties of Purkinje cells in a region of the cerebellum proper of weakly electric mormyrid fish, the posterior caudal lobe (LCp), which receives the same mossy fiber inputs and projects to the same target structures as the electrosensory lobe (ELL), a well-studied cerebellum-like structure. We describe patterns of simple spike and climbing fiber activation in LCp Purkinje cells in response to motor corollary discharge, electrosensory, and proprioceptive inputs and provide evidence for two functionally distinct Purkinje cell subtypes within LCp. Protocols that induce rapid associative plasticity in ELL fail to induce plasticity in LCp, suggesting differences in the adaptive functions of the two structures. Similarities and differences between LCp and ELL are discussed in light of these results.
Modeling Field-Induced Quenching in Poly(p-phenylene vinylene) Polymers and Oligomers.

Field-induced fluorescence quenching of poly(p-phenylene vinylene) (PPV) oligomers due to nonradiative relaxation through free electron–hole pair (FEHP) states is modeled using singles configuration interaction computations with the intermediate neglect of differential overlap Hamiltonian. The computations find FEHP states with energies that drop linearly with applied field and undergo avoided crossings with the fluorescent state. The coupling between the FEHP and fluorescent state, computed for multiple FEHP states on a variety of oligomer lengths, is found to depend primarily on the field strength required for the state to cross the fluorescent state. The rate of decay to these dark FEHP states is then calculated from Marcus theory, which is modified to take into account dielectric in addition to other bulk measurement considerations. The results predict that individual molecules go from being emissive to fully quenched over a small range of applied field strengths. Phenomenological introduction of inho...
De novo intraepidermal epithelioid melano- cytic dysplasia as a marker of the atypical mole phenotype- A clinical and pathological study of 75 patients

Background: We encountered a distinctive pattern of dysplastic intraepidermal melanocytic proliferation, which defies classification as a dysplastic melanocytic nevus, but in which the morphologic features fall short of a diagnosis of melanoma in situ. We designate such lesions as de novo intraepidermal epithelioid melanocytic dysplasia. Methods: From 75 patients, 82 skin biopsies were encountered that showed this distinctive morphology. Hematoxylin- and eosin- stained histologic sections were studied and the features were correlated with personal and family histories of dysplastic nevi and melanoma. Results: The diagnosis of de novo melanocytic dysplasia was made in 27 male patients and 48 female patients (mean age: 44 years). The histologic hallmark was a pagetoid (single- cell) array of moderately to severely atypical epithelioid melanocytes within the epidermis. Seventy- three lesions were located on sun- exposed skin and nine on sun- protected skin. In 41 patients, there was an atypical mole phenotype, whereas 20 patients had a prior or subsequent diagnosis of melanoma with five of 16 patients questioned revealing a family history of melanoma. Conclusions: De novointraepidermal epithelioid melanocytic dysplasia is a distinct entity associated with an atypical mole phenotype and a personal and/or family history of melanoma.
GPS-DENIED GEO-LOCALISATION USING VISUAL ODOMETRY

Abstract. The primary method for geo-localization is based on GPS which has issues of localization accuracy, power consumption, and unavailability. This paper proposes a novel approach to geo-localization in a GPS-denied environment for a mobile platform. Our approach has two principal components: public domain transport network data available in GIS databases or OpenStreetMap; and a trajectory of a mobile platform. This trajectory is estimated using visual odometry and 3D view geometry. The transport map information is abstracted as a graph data structure, where various types of roads are modelled as graph edges and typically intersections are modelled as graph nodes. A search for the trajectory in real time in the graph yields the geo-location of the mobile platform. Our approach uses a simple visual sensor and it has a low memory and computational footprint. In this paper, we demonstrate our method for trajectory estimation and provide examples of geolocalization using public-domain map data. With the rapid proliferation of visual sensors as part of automated driving technology and continuous growth in public domain map data, our approach has the potential to completely augment, or even supplant, GPS based navigation since it functions in all environments.
Ecosystem Water Availability in Juniper Versus Sagebrush Snow-Dominated Rangelands☆

Western Juniper (Juniperus occidentalis Hook.) has greatly expanded in the past 150 years and now dominates over 3.6 million ha of rangeland in the Intermountain Western United States. The impacts of juniper encroachment on critical ecohydrological relationships among snowdistribution, water budgets, plant community transitions, and habitat requirements for wildlife, such as the greater sage grouse (Centrocercus urophasianus), remain poorly understood. The goal of this study is to better understand how juniper encroachment affects water availability for ecohydrologic processes and associatedwildlife habitat in snow-dominated sagebrush (Artemisia spp.) steppe ecosystems. A 6-yr combined measurement and modeling study is conducted to explore differences in snow distribution, water availability, and annual water balances between juniper-dominated and sagebrushdominated catchments. Although there is large interannual variability in both measured weather data and modeled hydrologic fluxes during the study, results indicate that juniper-dominated catchments have greater peak accumulations of snow water equivalent, earlier snow melt, and less streamflow relative to sagebrushdominated catchments. Water delivery is delayed by an average of 9 days in the sagebrush-dominated scenario comparedwith the juniper-dominated scenario as a result of increasedwater storage in snow drifts. The delayed water input to sagebrush-dominated ecosystems in typical water years has wide-ranging implications for available surface water, soil water, and vegetation dynamics associated with wildlife habitat for sagebrush obligates such as sage grouse. Results from this study imply that the retention of high-elevation, sagebrush-dominated landscapes may become crucial for sage grouse habitat management if mid- and low-elevation precipitation continues to transition from snow to rain dominated.
188 GHz doped-channel In0.8Ga0.2P/In0.53Ga0.47As/InP HFETs

The authors have fabricated 0.14 /spl mu/m T-gate, doped-channel In/sub 0.8/Ga/sub 0.2/P/In/sub 0.53/Ga/sub 0.47/As/InP HFETs. An extrinsic peak transconductance of 722 mS/mm and a maximum current density of 761 mA/mm were obtained. The doped-channel HFET exhibits excellent RF performance with f/sub T/=188 GHz and f/sub max/=225 GHz at V/sub ds/=1.5 V. These are state-of-the-art results for doped-channel HFETs and are comparable to the best reported performance of InP p-HEMTs with similar gate length.
The PeptideAtlas of the Domestic Laying Hen

Proteomics-based biological research is greatly expanded by high-quality mass spectrometry studies, which are themselves enabled by access to quality mass spectrometry resources, such as high-quality curated proteome data repositories. We present a PeptideAtlas for the domestic chicken, containing an extensive and robust collection of chicken tissue and plasma samples with substantial value for the chicken proteomics community for protein validation and design of downstream targeted proteome quantitation. The chicken PeptideAtlas contains 6646 canonical proteins at a protein FDR of 1.3%, derived from ∼100 000 peptides at a peptide level FDR of 0.1%. The rich collection of readily accessible data is easily mined for the purposes of data validation and experimental planning, particularly in the realm of developing proteome quantitation workflows. Herein we demonstrate the use of the atlas to mine information on common chicken acute-phase proteins and biomarkers for cancer detection research, as well as thei...
Hurricane Harvey and pharmacy's call to action.

We signed our names and credentials on a piece of masking tape we wore over our chests. Pharm.D., M.D., RN, NP, PA—we were all in the George R. Brown Convention Center for the same reason: to serve the people devastated by Hurricane Harvey. Over the past week, images of the effects of the storm
Stapled intestinal anastomoses with endoscopic staplers in premature infants.

Abstract Purpose The safety and effectiveness of a stapled intestinal anastomosis in adults, children, and infants is well documented. However, in neonates it is not well validated. We hypothesized that premature infants who received a stapled bowel anastomosis utilizing endoscopic staplers had similar outcomes compared to patients with a handsewn anastomosis. Methods A retrospective study was performed reviewing premature infants who underwent an intestinal anastomosis over a 4-year period. Patients greater than 36weeks gestational age at birth or a weight greater than 5kg at surgery were excluded. Patient demographics, type of intestinal anastomosis, and anastomotic related complications within 3months were collected and analyzed. Results Sixty-five patients underwent 71 operations involving an intestinal anastomosis: 33 cases were handsewn, and 38 cases were stapled. Groups were noted to have differences in age, weight, and diagnosis. Complications including leak and anastomotic stricture did not differ between groups. Reports of blood per rectum after surgery were more common in the stapled group (24% versus 6%, p=0.0522), but this did not reach statistical significance. Conclusion There were no significant differences in anastomotic complications when comparing the handsewn and stapled intestinal anastomosis techniques in premature infants weighting less than 5kg. Type of study Treatment Study. Level of evidence III.
Testing a Novel Method for Initializing Air Parcel Back Trajectories in Precipitating Clouds Using Reanalysis Data

AbstractLagrangian air parcel tracking is a powerful tool for estimating vapor source locations, particularly for isotope hydrology applications. Identified vapor source regions may be sensitive to the distribution of altitudes at which back trajectories are initiated. Ideally, those initial altitudes should reflect the altitudes where precipitation forms. This paper introduces a novel method for estimating these heights from reanalysis data and an air parcel lofting routine, which is referred to as the “Reanalysis” method. Using Barrow, Alaska (now known as Utqiaġvik), as a test site, the study compares the distribution of air parcel initiation heights and vapor source conditions from back trajectories initiated at 1) heights determined by the Reanalysis method and 2) heights acquired from 35-GHz vertically resolved cloud radar, termed the “Cloud Radar” method. Only 2 of the 70 events failed to produce condensation at any elevation. The distribution of air parcels generated by each method was compared on...