cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Generalized model for the optical absorption edge in a -Si:H

We have reanalyzed the published optical absorption coefficient data for a-Si:H and introduced a divergence temperature, a new concept in the physics of these materials.
Short pelvic floor EMG lag time II: Use in management and follow-up of children treated for detrusor overactivity

Abstract Objective To determine utility of short pelvic floor electromyography (EMG) lag time in monitoring therapeutic response in children with idiopathic detrusor overactivity (DO) and quiet EMG during voiding (idiopathic detrusor overactivity disorder, IDOD). Patients and methods 162 consecutive normal children (77M, 85F) diagnosed with IDOD and short EMG lag time were reviewed. All were treated with combined standard urotherapy and anticholinergics. Pre-treatment uroflow/EMG parameters were compared with on-treatment parameters. Results Median age at evaluation was 6.8 years and median EMG lag time was 0 s; 110 children had repeat uroflow/EMG studies while on anticholinergic therapy. With a median follow-up of 18.7 months, mean EMG lag time increased from 0.7 to 2.2 s and % expected bladder capacity for age (EBC) increased from 0.68 to 0.98 (both p Conclusion A short EMG lag time on noninvasive uroflow/EMG in a patient with urgency can be a surrogate for urodynamics study (UDS) in diagnosing DO and objectively monitoring response to therapy. When effectively treated, children with DO have amelioration of their lower urinary tract symptoms (LUTS) and normalization of both EMG lag time and bladder capacity.
Metrics of nasal tip rotation: a comparative analysis.

Objective: We introduce a new metric for measuring nasal tip rotation, the “columellar facial angle.” The present study aimed to determine the degree of correlation of the nasolabial angle, the nostril axis, and the columellar–facial angle as metrics of nasal tip rotation in healthy volunteers. The study also aimed to identify any nasal or facial features unrelated to tip position, which consistently altered these values. Methods: Lateral photographs in the Frankfort horizontal plane were taken of 100 volunteers. Measurements of tip rotation were then calculated for each model using three different methods: nasolabial angle, nostril axis, and columellar–facial angle. Data were analyzed for degree of correlation of the three values for all models. Facial features in those subjects with low correlation between measurement methods were analyzed. Results: For all grouped data, both the nasolabial angle and the nostril axis showed moderate correlations with columellar facial angle but no correlation with each other. Individual subjects whose measurements did not correlate tended to display certain anatomic features: premaxillary deficiency, premaxillary excess, sloped upper lips, or vertical malposition of the nostrils. Conclusions: No one method of measurement of nasal tip rotation is reliable for all patients. Certain nasal and facial features are likely to alter these values. Of the three measurement methods presented, the columellar–facial angle is most likely to yield consistent measurements of nasal tip rotation. Key Words: Nasolabial angle, facial analysis, nostril axis, facial columellar angle. Laryngoscope, 116:872–877, 2006
Herbivore effects on plant species density at varying productivity levels

Artificially increasing primary productivity decreases plant species richness in many habitats; herbivory may affect this outcome, but it has rarely been directly addressed in fertilization studies. This experiment was conducted in two Louisiana coastal marshes to examine the effects of nutrient enrichment and sediment addition on herbaceous plant communities with and without vertebrate herbivory. After three growing seasons, fertilization increased community biomass in all plots, but decreased species density (the number of species per unit area) only in plots protected from herbivory. Herbivory alone did not alter species density at either site. At the brackish marsh, herbivory caused a shift in dominance in the fertilized plots from a species that is considered the competitive dominant, but is selectively eaten, to another less palatable species. At the fresh marsh, increased dead biomass in the absence of herbivory and in the fertilized plots probably contributed to the decrease in species density, perhaps by limiting germination of annuals. Our results support those of other fertilization studies in which plant species density decreases with increased biomass, but only in those plots protected from herbivory.
Studies of physiology and the morphology of the cat LGN following proton irradiation.

Abstract Purpose: We have examined the effects of proton irradiation on the histologic and receptive field properties of thalamic relay cells in the cat visual system. The cat lateral geniculate nucleus (LGN) is a large structure with well–defined anatomical boundaries, and well–described afferent, efferent, and receptive field properties. Methods and Materials: A 1.0-mm proton microbeam was used on the cat LGN to determine short-term (3 months) and long-term (9 months) receptive field effects of irradiation on LGN relay cells. The doses used were 16-, 40-, and 60-gray (Gy). Results: Following irradiation, abnormalities in receptive field organization were found in 40- and 60-Gy short-term animals, and in all of the long-term animals. The abnormalities included “silent” areas of the LGN where a visual response could not be evoked and other regions that had unusually large or small compound receptive fields. Histologic analysis failed to identify cellular necrosis or vascular damage in the irradiated LGN, but revealed a disruption in retinal afferents to areas of the LGN. Conclusions: These results indicate that microbeam proton irradiation can disrupt cellular function in the absence of obvious cellular necrosis. Moreover, the area and extent of this disruption increased with time, having larger affect with longer post-irradiation periods.
Contrasting the Dimensions of Information Quality in Their Effects on Healthcare Quality in Hospitals

This study examines the relationships between the dimensions of information quality and healthcare quality. Past studies have confirmed a positive relationship between these two constructs, however, the relationships among the underlying dimensions of the constructs have not been explored. One of the primary purposes of this study is to show that different dimensions of information quality have different relationships with dimensions of healthcare quality. As the paper indicates, this development has implications for researchers and practitioners interested in these two constructs.
Hierarchical Concurrent Engineering in a Multiagent Framework

Our experience indicates coordination in concurrent engineering (CE) requires support for two types of relationships among decision makers supervisor/subordinate and peer-to-peer Supervisor/subordinate relationships are created by the standard hierarchical decomposition process that is required to solve any large design problem Peer-to-peer relationships arise when teams of decision makers must interact, without direct guidance, to achieve individual and common goals In this paper, we describe a general decision-making methodology, which we call hierarchical CE The emphasis of hierarchical CE is to provide support for both supervisor/subordinate and peer-to-peer relationships In addition to the concept of hierarchical CE, we present a supporting agent-based framework in which the preferences and constraints of a design supervi sor are distributed to design subordinates, who are expected to exploit their local expertise within the context provided by this global information A distinct separation between fe...
Mineralogical Transformations and Microstructure After Disposal of Cementitious Advanced Coaltechnologyby-Product

By-products from two advanced coal technologies, Fluidized Bed Combustion (FBC) and Limestone Injection Multistage Burner (LIMB), were found to be cementitious when mixed with water and compacted. However, exposure to natural conditions in test cells resulted in losses of strength and increases in permeability over a period of years. Changes in mineralogy and microstructure with time in recovered core samples have been characterized by powder X-ray diffraction (XRD) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Up to 80 wt% of the core materials had converted to crystalline hydrate phases by the end of two years. Ettringite, gypsum and portlandite were the initial hydration products. In the LIMB materials, formation of thaumasite in microfractures, channels and voids was detected after one year, and in the FBC material after two years. Thaumasite formation was accompanied by reductions in gypsum and portlandite; it did not appear to be forming at the expense of ettringite. EDS examination of many ettringite and thaumasite crystals showed that the former always contained some Si and the latter some Al, which is evidence for ettringite-thaumasite solid solution. Thaumasite formation accompanied marked losses in strength and increases in permeability.
A new method of acetonation. Synthesis of 4,6-O-isopropylidene-D-glucopyranose☆

Abstract Ethyl isopropenyl ether reacts with D -glucose in N,N-dimethylformamide containing a trace of p-toluenesulfonic acid to give crystalline 4,6-O-isopropylidene-α,β- D -glucopyranose (2) in near-quantitative yield. The structure of 2 was established by n.m.r. spectroscopy of it and of its β-triacetate 3, and by conversion of 3 through deacetonation and subsequent acetylation into β- D -glucopyranose pentaacetate (5). The acetonation reagent operates under kinetic control, with favored attack at primary hydroxyl groups, instead of by the thermodynamic control associated with conventional acetonation methods. The reagents converts methyl α- D -glucopyranoside (7) into the 4,6-isopropylidene acetal 8, and D -mannitol (9) into a 2:1 mixture of the 1,2:5,6-di-isopropylidene acetal 10 and the 1,2:3,4:5,6-tri-isopropylidene acetal 11.
Grating pitch measurements with the molecular measuring machine

At the National Institute of Standards and Technology, we are building a metrology instrument called the Molecular Measuring Machine (M3) with the goal of performing nanometer- accuracy two-dimensional feature placement measurements over a 50 mm by 50 mm area. The instrument uses a scanning tunneling microscope to probe the surface and an interferometer system to measure the lateral probe movement, both having sub-nanometer resolution. The continuous vertical measurement range is 5 micrometer, and up to 2 mm can be covered by stitching overlapping ranges. The instrument includes temperature control with millikelvin stability, an ultra-high vacuum environment with a base pressure below 10-5 Pa, and seismic and acoustic vibration isolation. Pitch measurements were performed on gratings made by holographic exposure of photoresist and on gratings made by laser-focused atomic deposition of Cr. The line pitch for these gratings ranged from 200 nm to 400 nm with an estimated standard uncertainty of the average pitch of 25 X 10-6. This fractional uncertainty is derived from an analysis of the sources of uncertainty for a 1 mm point-to- point measurement, including the effects of alignment, Abbe offset, motion cross-coupling, and temperature variations. These grating pitch measurements are uniquely accomplished on M3 because of the combination of probe resolution and long-range interferometer-controlled stage. This instrument could uniquely address certain dimensional metrology needs in the data storage industry.© (1999) COPYRIGHT SPIE--The International Society for Optical Engineering. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.
Thoracic epidural anesthesia in the perioperative period

Abstract Thoracic epidural anesthesia and analgesia is a valuable tool in the perioperative period. Successful thoracic epidural catheter placement requires a thorough knowledge of anatomy and its role in the performance of thoracic epidural block. The paramedian approach in the mid-thoracic region (T5-8) makes use of definitive bony landmarks to facilitate successful thoracic epidural space identification. In properly trained hands using carefully defined endpoints, potential risks and complications of thoracic epidural placement are minimized. The physiologic response produced by thoracic epidural drug administration differs from lumbar epidural administration. This must be taken into consideration when dosing the catheter with opioids or local anesthetics. When used appropriately, thoracic epidural drug administration provides high quality anesthesia and postoperative analgesia, and has favorable effects on postoperative outcome. Copyright 2002, Elsevier Science (USA). All rights reserved.
On crystallization of polypropylene on atomically flat silicate substrate and relationship to mechanical properties

Abstract Phyllosilicates including mica offer one of the easiest methods to obtain atomically flat surface of macroscopic size by cleavage. Thus, thin films of polypropylene crystallized at different pressure and as a function of polypropylene concentration were investigated. The objective was to probe the nucleation and chain organization in thin films on basal plane surface from the view point of relating the nucleation and growth process to the intergallery space between the clay layers. The crystal morphology was altered from leaf-like structure at high undercooling to fully developed spherulites at low undercooling. Furthermore, the lamellae structure change from well-oriented to cross-hatched with increase in the crystallization pressure was indicative of epitaxial growth between polymer matrix and mica surface. The possible epitaxial mechanism is discussed here. The study provides a method to explore the macro- and microstructure of polymer and epitaxy between polymer matrix and inorganic particle surface. The good interfacial bonding favored by epitaxial crystallization is beneficial for toughness.
Dynamics of living and dead bacterial cells within a mixed-species biofilm during toluene degradation in a biotrickling filter.

Aims: To study the accumulation of the bacterial living cells (LC) and dead cells (DC) in a mixed-species biofilm developed in a 3 l biotrickling filter (BTF) challenged with toluene. Methods and Results: The bacterial LC and DC within the biofilm developed on polypropylene Pall rings in a toluene-degrading BTF were enumerated as fluoro-microscopic counts during a 62-operating day period using nucleic acid staining and the direct epifluorescence filter technique. The biofilm development could be separated into three distinct phases: (i) cell attachment, (ii) biofilm establishment and (iii) biofilm maturation. The LC were always dominant (≥72%) in the biofilm during the establishment phase whereas the average LC fraction decreased to 51% of the total cells in the maturation phase. The concentration of LC and DC was observed to level off after 41 days at 1010 cells per ring. The biofilm thickness and the dry weight increased independently of the cell number during the maturation phase. Conclusions: After the LC reached a maximum concentration in the biofilm, the biofilm proliferation was only characterized by the accumulation of DC and organic matter. Significance and Impact of the Study: The results obtained in the present study are of particular relevance for biofilm mathematical modelling and numerical simulations. They will also be useful to estimate the contribution of the living bacteria within the biofilm in bioprocesses.
Condensates in the Cosmos: Quantum Stabilization of the Collapse of Relativistic Degenerate Stars to Black Holes

According to prevailing theory, relativistic degenerate stars with masses beyond the Chandrasekhar and Oppenheimer–Volkoff (OV) limits cannot achieve hydrostatic equilibrium through either electron or neutron degeneracy pressure and must collapse to form stellar black holes. In such end states, all matter and energy within the Schwarzschild horizon descend into a central singularity. Avoidance of this fate is a hoped-for outcome of the quantization of gravity, an as-yet incomplete undertaking. Recent studies, however, suggest the possibility that known quantum processes may intervene to arrest complete collapse, thereby leading to equilibrium states of macroscopic size and finite density. I describe here one such process which entails pairing (or other even-numbered association) of neutrons (or constituent quarks in the event of nucleon disruption) to form a condensate of composite bosons in equilibrium with a core of degenerate fermions. This process is analogous to, but not identical with, the formation of hadron Cooper pairs that give rise to neutron superfluidity and proton superconductivity in neutron stars. Fermion condensation to composite bosons in a star otherwise destined to collapse to a black hole facilitates hydrostatic equilibrium in at least two ways: (1) removal of fermions results in a decrease in the Fermi level which stiffens the dependence of degeneracy pressure on fermion density, and (2) phase separation into a fermionic core surrounded by a self-gravitating condensate diminishes the weight which must be balanced by fermion degeneracy pressure. The outcome is neither a black hole nor a neutron star, but a novel end state, a “fermicon star,” with unusual physical properties.
Constructing Confidence Sets Using Rank Statistics

Abstract Systematic procedures for constructing confidence bounds and point estimates based on rank statistics are given for the two sample location parameter, two sample scale parameter and one sample location parameter problems.
Outer planets satellites

The present investigation takes into account the published literature on outer planet satellites for 1979-1982. It is pointed out that all but three (the moon and the two Martian satellites) of the known planetary satellites are found in the outer solar system. Most of these are associated with the three regular satellite systems of Jupiter, Saturn, and Uranus. The largest satellites are Titan in the Saturn system and Ganymede and Callisto in the Jupiter system. Intermediate in size between Mercury and Mars, each has a diameter of about 5000 km. Presumably each has an internal composition about 60 percent rock and 40 ice, and each is differentiated with a dense core extending out about 75 percent of the distance to the surface, with a mantle of high-pressure ice and a crust of ordinary ice perhaps 100 km thick. Attention is also given to Io, Europa, the icy satellites of Saturn, the satellites of Uranus, the small satellites of Jupiter and Saturn, Triton and the Pluto system, and plans for future studies.
Advanced Dielectrics for Capacitors

The demand for smaller and lighter capacitors with higher temperature capability is increasing in the power electronic industry and military arena. This article reviews existing capacitor technologies and the potential new capacitor technologies toward realizing these goals. Various dielectric materials beneficial to high dielectric constant and breakdown strength potentially meeting the high requirements are discussed. The importance of dielectric composites including selection of nanofillers and matrix is discussed. The successful implementation of these dielectric materials for high energy density purpose requires a detailed understanding of both materials engineering and processing.
Estimation of elongational viscosity of polymers from entrance loss data using individual parameter optimization

The elongational viscosity model proposed by Sarkar and Gupta (Journal of Reinforced Plastics and Composites 2001, 20, 1473), along with the Carreau model for shear viscosity is used for a finite element simulation of the flow in a capillary rheometer. The entrance pressure loss predicted by the finite element flow simulation is matched with the corresponding experimental data to predict the parameters in the elongational viscosity model. To improve the computational efficiency, various elongational viscosity parameters are optimized individually. Estimated elongational viscosity for a Low Density Polyethylene (Dow 132i) is reported for two different temperatures. © 2002 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Adv Polym Techn 21: 98–107, 2002; Published online in Wiley Interscience (www.interscience.wiley.com). DOI 10.1002/adv.10017
Middle School Boys' Perspectives on Social Relationships With Peers With Disabilities

Factors that contribute to the development of positive peer relationships between middle-school students with and without disabilities are investigated. Eight typically developing, seventh-grade boys participate in semi-structured interviews to discern their perspectives of the personal benefits or challenges associated with having social relationships with classmates who have disabilities. Data coding reveal five themes that relate to the formation of positive peer relationships: (a) perceived similarity in interests and ability, (b) the role of the adolescent without disabilities in the relationship, (c) amount of time spent together, (d) peer reactions towards students with disabilities, and (e) adult behavior towards students with disabilities. A theory of congruence and mutuality in peer relationships emerges from the data analysis to explain middle school relationships between students with and without disabilities.
Adaptive geometric tessellation for 3D reconstruction of anisotropically developing cells in multilayer tissues from sparse volumetric microscopy images.

The need for quantification of cell growth patterns in a multilayer, multi-cellular tissue necessitates the development of a 3D reconstruction technique that can estimate 3D shapes and sizes of individual cells from Confocal Microscopy (CLSM) image slices. However, the current methods of 3D reconstruction using CLSM imaging require large number of image slices per cell. But, in case of Live Cell Imaging of an actively developing tissue, large depth resolution is not feasible in order to avoid damage to cells from prolonged exposure to laser radiation. In the present work, we have proposed an anisotropic Voronoi tessellation based 3D reconstruction framework for a tightly packed multilayer tissue with extreme z-sparsity (2–4 slices/cell) and wide range of cell shapes and sizes. The proposed method, named as the ‘Adaptive Quadratic Voronoi Tessellation’ (AQVT), is capable of handling both the sparsity problem and the non-uniformity in cell shapes by estimating the tessellation parameters for each cell from the sparse data-points on its boundaries. We have tested the proposed 3D reconstruction method on time-lapse CLSM image stacks of the Arabidopsis Shoot Apical Meristem (SAM) and have shown that the AQVT based reconstruction method can correctly estimate the 3D shapes of a large number of SAM cells.
zAAPs and zIIPs: increasing the strategic value of System z

With the addition of IBM System zTM application assist processors (zAAPs) and integrated information processors (zIIPs) to the portfolio of special-purpose IBM System z processors, the reinvention of the IBM mainframe continues. Jointly, zAAPs and zIIPs provide significant IBM System z9TM integrated and cost-effective processing cycles for today's strategic JavaTM and DB2® for z/OS® programming platforms which are increasingly fundamental to enterprise-class business environments. Overviews of zAAPs and zIIPs are presented that describe their functionality, design, and use by the z/OS operating system to achieve the execution of both Java and z/OS DB2 programming, functions.
Software Engineering Java Curriculum with Alice and Cloud Computing

Project Expression is a course designed to attract students into the field of computing. Participants are trained in Java programming and the art of multimedia production. By implementing a wide range of apps they learn cloud communication techniques in a software environment. The course focuses on a digital film project and participants are challenged with creating a movie that expresses an idea, opinion, or belief relative to society. The film project is a landscape for learning cloud-computer-programming and reaches across the computer spectrum with engaging activities that stimulate creative design. This study examines the curriculum's approach and measures its effectiveness to teach the cloud-computing mentality. It emphasizes the importance of empathy in a technology-based society. Furthermore, it investigates whether or not such a course is an effective method for attracting students into the field of computing.
CFO resignations: their underlying performance and behavioural context

CFO turnover has been accelerating since the enactment of Sarbanes-Oxley: 2002. CFO resignations provide signals to the market and to the external auditors; unfortunately, the behavioural context underlying CFO mobility creates information signals that make it difficult to discern departures from dismissals. The results of this obfuscation are: 1) CFOs are unsure of the performance profile that underlies their dismissal-risk; 2) the market may over- or under-react to the mobility event and in so doing fail to correctly calibrate the future value of the firm; 3) the external auditor may have to assume a conservative assessment of the business risk of the firm leading to increased audit fees. We find that CFO resignations occur more frequently in the case where firms have large negative DA and low ROA than in the case where firms have large negative DA and high ROA. We offer this information as a way to better understand the likely drivers of CFO mobility. Also, distinct financial characteristics between these two subgroups are documented and we find that these results are likely to be invariant to firm size.
Toward a Theory of Problem Solving Based on Resource Bounded Computation and Process Algebras

In 1995 Russell and Norvig presented a unified approach to AI as the area based on bounded rational agents using utilities to direct search for problem solving under bounded resources. This paper extends this work further in the direction of the computational theory targeting intractable and undecidable problems and based on resource bounded computation and process algebras.
NCLB's Transfer Policy and Court-Ordered Desegregation: The Conflict Between Two Federal Mandates in Richmond County, Georgia, and Pinellas County, Florida

The present article, a cross-case analysis, analyzes one aspect of the implementation of the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB) that has generated conflict between the U.S. Department of Education and the federal court system. The conflicts arose between the courts' oversight of desegregation and the implementation of the public school choice mandates of NCLB in two south-eastern school systems, Richmond County, Georgia, and Pinellas County, Florida. The sources used are interviews by the author with each system's school superintendent and school board attorney, as well as official documents, including court orders and correspondence between county and federal officials. The conflicts not only raise constitutional legal issues but highlight the problem of local consent and bargaining in the implementation of federal education policy and illustrate the changing nature of federal authority with respect to desegregation. The two cases contribute to the knowledge base about the judicial implementation of federal...
Turn‐Allocation in Lessons with North American and Puerto Rican Students: A Comparative Study

This article presents an analysis and comparison of the same participation structure, teacher-directed whole group lessons, in two third-grade classrooms with linguistically and culturally different students. Mehan's (1979) model of lesson structure was used to analyze the turn-allocation procedure in lessons constructed by an Anglo-American teacher and students in Chicago, Illinois, and those of a Puerto Rican teacher and students in Rio Piedras, Puerto Rico. While the model very accurately explained the turn-allocation process that operated in the classroom where English was spoken, it was less precise in explaining how the Puerto Rican teacher and students allocated turns during lessons. The results of this study, which demonstrate that the participation structures in the two classes were different, are discussed in terms of their implications for the education of Puerto Rican students in classrooms on the mainland where their classroom discourse patterns might not be understood.
Economic considerations of privately owned parks

Abstract Privately owned parks continue to proliferate worldwide. Their rapid expansion represents an important yet little understood private sector incursion into an activity long dominated by governments. This paper examines economic issues surrounding establishment and operation of privately owned natural areas. We interviewed owners of 68 private parks in Costa Rica to learn more about reserves’ underlying economics. Key findings include: (1) private parks require an expanded definition of optimal reserve size — one in which quality of protection takes precedence over quantity of land protected; (2) profit was a powerful motivator behind private reserve operation, even though many owners did not rely on their reserves for revenue generation; and (3) an important non-market value of private parks was the high bequest value owners placed on them. Last, we identify key information gaps that resource economists can help fill regarding this increasingly popular conservation tool. The analysis contributes to our understanding of private reserves on both theoretical and empirical levels. It should be of interest wherever biodiversity remains threatened, wherever new conservation partners are being sought, and wherever private reserves are being established, which includes most of the industrialized and developing world.
A comparison of several broadband loaded monopoles for pulse radiation

Distributed resistive and/or discrete capacitive loading have been used to extend the bandwidth of cylindrical monopole antennas. These designs have generally been concerned with improving the match and pattern over a range of frequencies. We use the FDTD numerical method to evaluate the performance of five of these designs for pulse radiation. For a successful design, the reflected voltage in the feeding coaxial line should be small, the radiated field at broadside should resemble the exciting pulse, and the radiating efficiency should be high.
Childhood Bullous Dermatitis Herpetiformis: Negative Immunofluorescent Tests

Indirect immunofluorescent (IF) staining revealed that the sera of six patients with active childhood bullous dermatitis herpetiformis (also referred to as childhood bullous pemphigoid) were negative for basement-membrane zone or "pemphigoid" antibodies. Direct IF studies of skin lesions from three of these patients also yielded normal results, in contrast to that noted in adult bullous pemphigoid. Bullous dermatitis herpetiformis or bullous pemphigoid of childhood, therefore, appears to be immunologically distinct from bullous pemphigoid as it occurs in the adult. "Benign chronic bullous dermatosis of childhood" may be a more appropriate name for this disease.
Optimal Polarized Waveform Design for Active Target Parameter Estimation Using Electromagnetic Vector Sensors

We develop optimal design methods of polarimetric radar signals that improve the estimation accuracy of the target parameters. A weighted sum of the Cramer-Rao bound (CRB) of the parameters of interest is used as the cost function of the optimization. We employ an array of electromagnetic vector sensors to fully recover the polarization information from the target returns. Simulation examples illustrate the improved system performance.
Polymers from vinyl esters of perhydrogenated rosin

Vinyl esters of tetrahydro acids from perhydrogenated rosin have been homopolymerized; copolymerized with vinyl chloride, vinyl acetate, butadiene; and terpolymerized with styrene and acrylonitrile. Materials containing such vinyl esters of tetrahydro acids can be readily crosslinked with peroxide.
Analysis of crash parameters and driver characteristics associated with lower limb injury

This study aims to investigate changes in frequency, risk, and patterns of lower limb injuries due to vehicle and occupant parameters as a function of vehicle model year. From the National Automotive Sampling System-Crashworthiness Data System, 10,988 observations were sampled and analyzed, representing 4.7 million belted drivers involved in frontal crashes for the years 1998-2010. A logistic regression model was developed to understand the association of sustaining knee and below knee lower limb injuries of moderate or greater severity with motor vehicle crash characteristics such as vehicle type and model years, toepan and instrument panel intrusions in addition to the occupant's age, gender, height and weight. Toepan intrusion greater than 2cm was significantly associated with an increased likelihood of injury (odds ratio: 9.10, 95% confidence interval 1.82-45.42). Females sustained a higher likelihood of distal lower limb injuries (OR: 6.83, 1.56-29.93) as compared to males. Increased mass of the driver was also found to have a positive association with injury (OR: 1.04, 1.02-1.06), while age and height were not associated with injury likelihood. Relative to passenger cars, vans exhibited a protective effect against sustaining lower limb injury (OR: 0.24, 0.07-0.78), whereas no association was shown for light trucks (OR: 1.31, 0.69-2.49) or SUVs (OR: 0.76, 0.28-2.02). To examine whether current crash testing results are representative of real-world NASS-CDS findings, data from frontal offset crash tests performed by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) were examined. IIHS data indicated a decreasing trend in vehicle foot well and toepan intrusion, foot accelerations, tibia axial forces and tibia index in relation to increasing vehicle model year between the year 1995 and 2013. Over 90% of vehicles received the highest IIHS rating, with steady improvement from the upper and lower tibia index, tibia axial force and the resultant foot acceleration considering both left and right extremities. Passenger cars received the highest rating followed by SUVs and light trucks, while vans attained the lowest rating. These results demonstrate that while there has been steady improvement in vehicle crash test performance, below-knee lower extremity injuries remain the most common AIS 2+ injury in real-world frontal crashes.
On a Bioethical Challenge to Disability Rights

Tensions exist between the disability rights movement and the work of many bioethicists. These reveal themselves in a major recent book on bioethics and genetics, From Chance to Choice: Genetics and Justice. This book defends certain genetic policies against criticisms from disability rights advocates, in part by arguing that it is possible to accept both the genetic policies and the rights of people with impairments. However, a close reading of the book reveals a series of direct moral criticisms of the disability rights movement. The criticisms go beyond a defense of genetic policies from the criticisms of disability rights advocates. The disability rights movement is said not to have the same moral legitimacy as other civil rights movements, such as those for women or “racial” minorities. This paper documents, and in some cases shows the flaws within, these challenges to the disability rights movement.
Differential corrosion rates of carbon steel by combinations of Bacillus sp., Hafnia alvei and Desulfovibrio gigas established by phospholipid analysis of electrode biofilm

Abstract The corrosion rates of carbon steel by monocultures and various combinations of aerobic ( Bacillus sp.), fermentative ( Hafnia alvei ) and sulfate-reducing ( Desulfovibrio gigas ) bacterial biofilms in an aerobic, continuously flowing freshwater reactor containing 0.4 mM sulfate showed marked differences. Biofilm formation and electrode colonization resulted in decreases in the open circuit potential (OCP). The corrosion rate was measured non-destructively as the admittance (1/ R ct ) by electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) on a four sided working electrode which allowed estimates of the reproducibility. The monocultures each induced greater corrosion initially but with time the rates of corrosion decreased to that of the sterile control. The D. gigas was unable to grow in the bulk phase but formed an apparently non-living biofilm. The admittance (the measure of corrosion) was greatest when the sulfate-reducing bacterium, D. gigas , was present in a consortium. The consortia containing D. gigas + H. alvei showed a significantly higher corrosion rate than the triculture or the other dicultures. The microbial biomass and the bacterial community structure actually on the electrode surfaces were examined by viable counts, most probable number (MPN) estimations and phospholipid fatty acid (PLFA) profiles determined after extraction and gas chromatographic analysis. The rate of corrosion was not directly related to the total microbial biomass or the number of species on the coupon. The rate of corrosion did not depend on the ratio of heterotrophic to sulfate-reducing bacteria (SRB) or absolute number of SRB. The PLFA analysis showed the organisms on the working electrodes were more stressed/starved than when grown in the bulk phase for inocula. This study demonstrates that different combinations of bacteria growing on the same substrata (electrode) in the same bulk phase induce very different corrosion rates. The maximum corrosion rate with the isolate combinations was within 70% of an enrichment with a community composition (determined by PLFA analysis) like that of the native corrosion tubercules.
A Primer on Psychotherapy Process Research: A Review of Cognitive Therapy of Depression

Researchers conducting psychotherapy process research aim to understand the process by which efficacious psychotherapies achieve therapeutic benefits. A key challenge in this research is how to max...
On the relationship between niche and distribution

Applications of Hutchinson’s n-dimensional niche concept are often focused on the role of interspecific competition in shaping species distribution patterns. In this paper, I discuss a variety of factors, in addition to competition, that influence the observed relationship between species distribution and the availability of suitable habitat. In particular, I show that Hutchinson’s niche concept can be modified to incorporate the influences of niche width, habitat availability and dispersal, as well as interspecific competition per se. I introduce a simulation model called NICHE that embodies many of Hutchinson’s original niche concepts and use this model to predict patterns of species distribution. The model may help to clarify how dispersal, niche size and competition interact, and under what conditions species might be common in unsuitable habitat or absent from suitable habitat. A brief review of the pertinent literature suggests that species are often absent from suitable habitat and present in unsuitable habitat, in ways predicted by theory. However, most tests of niche theory are hampered by inadequate consideration of what does and does not constitute suitable habitat. More conclusive evidence for these predictions will require rigorous determination of habitat suitability under field conditions. I suggest that to do this, ecologists must measure habitat specific demography and quantify how demographic parameters vary in response to temporal and spatial variation in measurable niche dimensions.
Hepatitis B Virus HBx Protein Interactions with the Ubiquitin Proteasome System

The hepatitis B virus (HBV) causes acute and chronic hepatitis, and the latter is a major risk factor for the development of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). HBV encodes a 17-kDa regulatory protein, HBx, which is required for virus replication. Although the precise contribution(s) of HBx to virus replication is unknown, many viruses target cellular pathways to create an environment favorable for virus replication. The ubiquitin proteasome system (UPS) is a major conserved cellular pathway that controls several critical processes in the cell by regulating the levels of proteins involved in cell cycle, DNA repair, innate immunity, and other processes. We summarize here the interactions of HBx with components of the UPS, including the CUL4 adaptor DDB1, the cullin regulatory complex CSN, and the 26S proteasome. Understanding how these protein interactions benefit virus replication remains a challenge due to limited models in which to study HBV replication. However, studies from other viral systems that similarly target the UPS provide insight into possible strategies used by HBV.
How do people organize their desks?: Implications for the design of office information systems

This paper describes a series of interviews focusing on the way professional and clerical office workers organize the information in their desks and offices. A number of implications for designing "natural" and convenient computer-based information systems are discussed. Two principal claims are made: (1) A very important function of desk organization is to remind the user of things to do, not just to help the user find desired information. Failing to support this function may seriously impair the usefulness of electronic office systems, and explicitly facilitating it may provide an important advantage for automated office systems over their nonautomated predecessors. (2) The cognitive difficulty of categorizing information is an important factor in explaining how people organize their desks. Computer-based systems may help with this difficulty by (a) doing as much automatic classification as possible (e.g., based on access dates}, and (b) including untitled "piles" of information arranged by physical location as well as explicitly titled and logically arranged "files." Several other implications for the design of electronic office systems are discussed, and some differences in how people organize their desks are described.
Pheromonsynthesen ‐ Modellreaktionen zur Synthese von Polyether‐Antibiotika

Ein allgemeines, konvergentes Schema zur Synthese von Spiroketalen wird vorgestellt. Die Hetero-Diels-Alder-Reaktion zwischen einem exocyclischen Enolether 5 und einer α,β-ungesattigten Carbonylverbindung fuhrt zu Spiroalkenen 6. Diese lassen sich durch oxidative Ringkontraktion oder Reduktion zu 7 oder 8, den gemeinsamen Strukturelementen verschiedener Polyether-Antibiotika und Insekteninhaltsstoffe, umsetzen. Modellreaktionen zu dieser Sequenz, ausgehend von 2-Methylentetrahydropyran (14) und -furan (22), sowie die Synthesen der racem. Pheromone 2, 4 und 27 werden beschrieben.
THE DIFFUSIVE SPREAD OF ALLELES IN HETEROGENEOUS POPULATIONS

Abstract The spread of genes and individuals through space in populations is relevant in many biological contexts. I study, via systems of reaction-diffusion equations, the spatial spread of advantageous alleles through structured populations. The results show that the temporally asymptotic rate of spread of an advantageous allele, a kind of invasion speed, can be approximated for a class of linear partial differential equations via a relatively simple formula, c = 2rD, that is reminiscent of a classic formula attributed to R. A. Fisher. The parameters r and D represent an asymptotic growth rate and an average diffusion rate, respectively, and can be interpreted in terms of eigenvalues and eigenvectors that depend on the population's demographic structure. The results can be applied, under certain conditions, to a wide class of nonlinear partial differential equations that are relevant to a variety of ecological and evolutionary scenarios in population biology. I illustrate the approach for computing in...
Hyperplasia in glands with hormone excess

Five syndromes share predominantly hyperplastic glands with a primary excess of hormones: neonatal severe primary hyperparathyroidism, from homozygous mutated CASR, begins severely in utero; congenital non-autoimmune thyrotoxicosis, from mutated TSHR, varies from severe with fetal onset to mild with adult onset; familial male-limited precocious puberty, from mutated LHR, expresses testosterone oversecretion in young boys; hereditary ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome, from mutated FSHR, expresses symptomatic systemic vascular permeabilities during pregnancy; and familial hyperaldosteronism type IIIA, from mutated KCNJ5, presents in young children with hypertension and hypokalemia. The grouping of these five syndromes highlights predominant hyperplasia as a stable tissue endpoint and as their tissue stage for all of the hormone excess. Comparisons were made among this and two other groups of syndromes, forming a continuum of gland staging: predominant oversecretions express little or no hyperplasia; predominant hyperplasias express little or no neoplasia; and predominant neoplasias express nodules, adenomas, or cancers. Hyperplasias may progress (5 of 5) to neoplastic stages while predominant oversecretions rarely do (1 of 6; frequencies differ P<0.02). Hyperplasias do not show tumor multiplicity (0 of 5) unlike neoplasias that do (13 of 19; P<0.02). Hyperplasias express mutation of a plasma membrane-bound sensor (5 of 5), while neoplasias rarely do (3 of 14; P<0.002). In conclusion, the multiple distinguishing themes within the hyperplasias establish a robust pathophysiology. It has the shared and novel feature of mutant sensors in the plasma membrane, suggesting that these are major contributors to hyperplasia.
Giardia lamblia: Molecular Studies of an Early Branching Eukaryote

This chapter provides an update on Giardia genome research and highlights studies that utilized genomics and functional genomics to understand the phylogeny, biochemistry, molecular biology, and epidemiology of Giardia lamblia. Earlier observations of a highly compact G. lamblia genome containing a disproportionate number of genes coding for variant surface proteins (VSPs), structural proteins, and ribosomal RNA have been confirmed by genomewide sequence analysis. Many cellular processes of G. lamblia (e.g., DNA replication, transcription, and RNA processing), as well as metabolic pathways, are simple compared to higher eukaryotes. To ensure its survival inside and outside its host, G. lamblia must exert precise control over the transcription of genes involved in encystation, excystation, and trophozoite replication. RNA polymerases and transcription initiation factors are similar in some respects to those in eukaryotes but also contain peptides unique to Giardia. G. lamblia is of special interest to those attempting to understand eukaryotic evolution. Transfection of CHO cells with a second cyst wall protein (cwp2) promoter region fused to the gene for firefly luciferase was used to study regulation of cwp2 transcription by sterol regulatory element binding proteins (SREBPs). This study showed that, in the absence of cholesterol, cwp2 transcription was increased and that SREBP binds to the cwp2 promoter to activate transcription of this cyst wall protein. A third cyst wall protein (cwp3) was identified by searching the G. lamblia database with amino acid sequence of a first cyst wall protein (cwp1) and cwp2 leucinerich repeat regions.