cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Resisting Displacement: Interpersonal Ties as Shield and Deterrent in Medellín, Colombia

Although civilians across the globe are fleeing conflict in record numbers, the reality is that far more remain behind. Threatened by deadly violence, many people stay in their homes and communities. Who remains despite conflict? And how might individuals threatened with displacement by an armed group manage to resist? Drawing on intensive participant observation and interviews in marginal neighborhoods of Medellin, Colombia, I argue that urban residents most likely to remain despite being at risk of displacement are the “well connected.” Despite threats, they leverage ties to a community figure or member of the armed group to stay. I test a number of related hypotheses using an original survey and survey experiment. Unlike other work asserting that residents are trapped by scant resources or remain only by joining organizations or belligerents, my theory reveals civilians’ agency and neutrality as they navigate conflict to stay in their homes.
Ultra-wide Band Microwave Chemical Sensing with Time-domain Measurement Systems

Three time-domain ultra-wide band (UWB) microwave sensing systems for detecting chemicals are studied in this work. They are impulse-radio (IR) UWB, chirped-pulse Fourier transform microwave (CP-FTMW), and dual comb spectroscopy (DCS) techniques implemented by instrument including a high speed arbitrary waveform generator, a microwave network analyzer, and a real-time oscilloscope to detect ethanol, methanol and their mixtures inside a microstrip sensor. Ethanol-methanol mixtures are successfully detected with the accuracy of %5 in the mixing ratio by using IR-UWB system. The results suggest that the CP-FTMW technique is fast with large signal-to-noise ratio and the DCS needs the simplest receiver being cost-effective.
The Effectiveness and Safety of Platelet-Rich Plasma for Chronic Wounds: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis.

Abstract Objective To evaluate the effectiveness and adverse events of autologous platelet-rich plasma (PRP) in individuals with lower-extremity diabetic ulcers, lower-extremity venous ulcers, and pressure ulcers. Patients and Methods We searched multiple databases from database inception to June 11, 2020, for randomized controlled trials and observational studies that compared PRP to any other wound care without PRP in adults with lower-extremity diabetic ulcers, lower-extremity venous ulcers, and pressure ulcers. Results We included 20 randomized controlled trials and five observational studies. Compared with management without PRP, PRP therapy significantly increased complete wound closure in lower-extremity diabetic ulcers (relative risk, 1.20; 95% CI, 1.09 to 1.32, moderate strength of evidence [SOE]), shortened time to complete wound closure, and reduced wound area and depth (low SOE). No significant changes were found in terms of wound infection, amputation, wound recurrence, or hospitalization. In patients with lower-extremity venous ulcers or pressure ulcers, the SOE was insufficient to estimate an effect on critical outcomes, such as complete wound closure or time to complete wound closure. There was no statistically significant difference in adverse events. Conclusion Autologous PRP may increase complete wound closure, shorten healing time, and reduce wound size in individuals with lower-extremity diabetic ulcers. The evidence is insufficient to estimate an effect on wound healing in individuals with lower-extremity venous ulcers or pressure ulcers. Trial Registration PROSPERO Identifier: CRD42020172817
Analysis of Available Nutrition Recommendations to Combat COVID-19: A Scoping Review

The current COVID-19 pandemic remains severe. There is no doubt that the COVID-19 pandemic is affecting every aspect of our lives. Currently, the spread of inaccurate information or fake news on the internet to the public is causing the community to panic. Thus, this study aims to obtain available information on food and nutrition related to the prevention and treatment of COVID-19 from various sources. A scoping review framework was used to chart the evidence on nutritional recommendations to prevent COVID-19 based on the preferred method in reporting systematic review and meta-analysis extension for scoping reviews (PRISMA-ScR). The articles were categorised into three main groups: i) general dietary recommendations; ii) supplementation with specific micronutrients and iii) their mixtures and supplementation with traditional herbs and miscellaneous foods. A total of 60 articles met the inclusion criteria and were used in the review. This scoping review demonstrates that there is no miracle cure, food or supplement that can cure or prevent COVID-19. Currently, there is no confirmed treatment or vaccine for the disease. Practicing healthy eating habits is the best nutritional recommendation during the pandemic. Hence, this review hopefully will provide evidence-based nutrition recommendations that are available for current COVID-19 treatment. We hope that the authorities can inform the public and media to stop the spread of nutrition pseudoscience in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Digital Image Correlation at Long Working Distances: The Influence of Diffraction Limits

Abstract Digital Image Correlation (DIC) is an optical measurement technique that can easily be adapted for high magnification applications. These high magnifications involve competing phenomena which must be balanced to produce the highest quality measurements. When out-of-plane displacements cause the specimen under investigation to move out of the depth of field, poor focus negatively affects the measurement. As a result, it is often recommended to reduce aperture size to improve the depth of field. However, smaller aperture sizes can also cause poor focus as the diffraction limit of light causes larger Airy disks, particularly at longer working distances. This work investigates the competing effects of both depth of field and Airy disk size in three test cases: higher magnification and shorter working distance, lower magnification and shorter working distance, and lower magnification and longer working distance. Different aperture sizes are found to change which effect dominates, and a recommendation for selecting the aperture setting to minimize measurement error from both phenomena is made.
Iron Deficiency in Long-Term Parenteral Nutrition Therapy.

Background: Iron is not routinely added to parenteral nutrition (PN) formulations in the United States because of the risk of anaphylaxis and concerns about incompatibilities. Studies have shown that iron dextran in non-lipid-containing PN solutions is safe. Data are limited on iron status, prevalence of iron deficiency anemia (IDA), and efficacy of intravenous iron infusion in long-term home PN (HPN). We aimed to determine the incidence of IDA and to examine the effectiveness of parenteral iron replacement in patients receiving HPN. Methods: Medical records of patients receiving HPN at the Mayo Clinic from 1977 to 2010 were reviewed. Diagnoses, time to IDA development, and hemoglobin, ferritin, and mean corpuscular volume (MCV) values were extracted. Response of iron indices to intravenous iron replacement was investigated. Results: Of 185 patients (122 women), 60 (32.4%) were iron deficient. Five patients were iron deficient, and 18 had unknown iron status before HPN. Of 93 patients who had sufficient i...
Investigation of modulation-capable silicon waveguides for efficient on-wafer terahertz interconnects

In this paper, silicon-based waveguides are investigated for on-wafer THz interconnect applications. A silicon based dielectric ribbon and ridge waveguide are both shown through HFSS modeling and simulation to have very low-loss transmission characteristics as low as .3dB/mm in the THz frequency spectrum. In addition, the modulation properties of both waveguides are investigated through a Drude model analysis as well as EM simulation. Several silicon ridge waveguide samples are fabricated using a simple silicon wet-etching technique. These waveguides are shown to efficiently transmit THz radiation, especially when the ridge is narrow. The low-loss nature of these waveguides shows the potential of silicon-based interconnects with built-in modulation capabilities for THz integrated circuit applications.
RADIATION EFFECTS IN POLYPROPYLENE AND ETHYLENE--PROPYLENE COPOLYMERS.

The effect of radiation on various propylene and ethylene–propylene copolymers has been followed by observing the gel fraction as a function of radiation dose. The G (crosslink) and β/α values were calculated from the solubility data and are discussed in terms of the polymer composition. Allyl methacrylate was found to greatly increase the efficiency of radiation crosslinking of both polypropylene and an ethylene–propylene copolymer.
A Composition for Perfect Graphs

We describe a method, introduced by Cunningham and Edmonds, for composing two graphs, and show that this composition preserves perfection. The proof is based on a method for converting efficient covering algorithms on the component graphs into an efficient covering algorithm for the composed graph.
The Effects of Practice Distribution on the Acquisition of Three Discrete Motor Skills

Abstract Eighty male college students were divided into two experimental groups practicing three criterion tasks: the floor kip, the front hip circle mount on the low horizontal bar, and the glide kip on the low horizontal bar. These tasks were practiced under different conditions of massed or distributed practice and an ANCOVA was used to test for significant mean differences in the rates of learning between the experimental groups on each task. The subjects' performance on the Metheny-Johnson test served as the control variable in the analysis and the .05 level of significance was selected. All observed differences in mean rates of acquisition between groups were within the limits of chance on all tasks, regardless of the method of practice. This apparent lack of effect of distribution of practice was attributed to factors such as the pacing of the task, the discrete and complex, rather than continuous, nature of the task, and the learning-performance distinction.
The Impact of College Admissions Policies on The Performance of High School Students

This paper empirically evaluates the effects of college admissions policies on high school student performance. To this end, I build a model where high school students decide their level of effort and whether to take the college admissions test, taking into consideration how those decisions may affect their future university admission chances. Using Chilean data for the 2009 college admissions process, I structurally estimate the parameters of the model in order to study the implications of two types of counterfactual experiments: (a) a SES-Quota system, which imposes the population’s SES distribution for each university; (b) increasing the high school GPA weight. The results from these exercises support the claim that increasing the level of equal college opportunities may boost the amount of effort exerted by high school students. Specifically, I find that: (1) average effort significantly increases as opportunities are equalized across different socioeconomic groups. (2) There is a moderate improvement in high school student performance, which is relatively important for certain groups. (3) The highest reactions in terms of exerted effort come from those students who also change their decision about taking the college admissions test. (4) Neither of these policies increases the percentage of students taking the national test for college admission, which is consistent with the fact that in this policy implementation there are winners and losers. However, there are relevant variations in who is taking such a test; in particular, this percentage increases for low-income students and those who have higher level of learning skills. (5) Because the SES-Quota system uses the existing information more efficiently, it implies a more efficient student allocation to equalize opportunities.
Normative Validity, Deliberative Politics, and the Distinction between Good and Right

Habermas has rightly emphasized the importance of a cognitivist account of normative validity for the coherence of deliberative politics. Such an account makes sense of the exchange of reasons characteristic of democratic deliberation. However, I argue that Habermas unduly limits the scope of his cognitivism by wedding it to a rigid Kantian dichotomy between right and good, where only the former counts as fully rational. I offer several "Habermasian" considerations drawn from other aspects of Habermas's thought that cast doubt on the right/good dichotomy as Habermas has construed it. In conclusion, I offer some preliminary sketches for how discourse ethics might proceed without these Kantian assumptions.
Echogenic Foci in the Ovary Are They Predictive of Endometriosis

Objectives The purpose of this study was to determine whether sonographically depicted echogenic foci are more common in the ovaries of women with endometriosis when compared to the ovaries of women who do not have endometriosis. Methods Two radiologists blinded to the pathologic results reviewed the preoperative pelvic sonograms of consecutive women with a surgical diagnosis of endometriosis between June 2006 and October 2007. Results were compared with the preoperative sonograms of a control group of women without surgical evidence of endometriosis. The presence of echogenic foci in the ovaries and ovarian masses was recorded. Results Echogenic foci were present in the ovaries of 33 of 70 women (47%) with endometriosis and in the ovaries of 21 of 76 women (28%) without endometriosis (P = 0.015). When only patients with sonographically normal ovaries were evaluated by excluding endometriomas and other ovarian masses, echogenic foci were present in 8 of 23 women (35%) with endometriosis and in 10 of 42 women (24%) without endometriosis (P = .344). Conclusions Echogenic foci are more commonly seen on sonography in the ovaries of women with endometriosis than in those without endometriosis, but this result seems largely due to ovarian endometriomas with echogenic foci in the walls. Echogenic foci are not predictive of endometriosis in women with otherwise sonographically normal ovaries.
Screening healthcare workers for Mycobacterium TB: Is QFT-G now the test of choice?

Introduction Quantiferon-Gold (QFT-G) is FDA approved for the diagnosis of infection with Mycobacterium tuberculosis. CDC guidelines have supported the use of QFT-G in all cases where Tuberculin Skin Test (TST) is used, including screening of healthcare workers (HCWs). We sought to establish the benefits of QFT-G in HCW screening within our own hospital practice. Methods In June 2010 we consecutively screened, by TST all newly employed HCWs. 41 patients over the period had full data for analysis. Country of origin and evidence of prior distant history of BCG vaccination on examination, were also documented. A TST of ≥10mm was considered a positive result and was followed by a QFT-G. Results 41 TST were performed, 35/41 (85.4%) had a BCG scar. TST was positive in 23/41 (56.1%). QFT-G was positive in 15/23 (65.2%). Significantly 8/23 (34.8%) TST proved to be false positives on the basis of a subsequent negative QFT-G. Conclusion HCWs are identified as a cohort at risk of Mycobacterium TB infection. As a lab based assay QFT-G is not subject to biases or the errors of TST placement or reading. It also negates the need for a return visit in 48-72 hours for interpretation. 34.8% of our cohort had a false positive TST leading us to question the sensitivity of the test in this cohort. QFT-G has proved itself to approach 98% sensitivity1 and 89% specificity1 and is a suitable replacement for TST in HCW screening. References 1. Mori T, Sakatani M, Yamagishi F, et al. Specific detection of tuberculosis infection: an interferon-g--based assay using new antigens. Am J Respir Crit Care Med 2004;170:59--64.
A new closed-form information metric for shape analysis

Shape matching plays a prominent role in the analysis of medical and biological structures. Recently, a unifying framework was introduced for shape matching that uses mixture-models to couple both the shape representation and deformation. Essentially, shape distances were defined as geodesics induced by the Fisher-Rao metric on the manifold of mixture-model represented shapes. A fundamental drawback of the Fisher-Rao metric is that it is NOT available in closed-form for the mixture model. Consequently, shape comparisons are computationally very expensive. Here, we propose a new Riemannian metric based on generalized φ- entropy measures. In sharp contrast to the Fisher-Rao metric, our new metric is available in closed-form. Geodesic computations using the new metric are considerably more efficient. Discriminative capabilities of this new metric are studied by pairwise matching of corpus callosum shapes. Comparisons are conducted with the Fisher-Rao metric and the thin-plate spline bending energy.
Loss of Voice at Oneida Indian Nation: Traditional Methods of Social Control in a Contemporary Native Community

This ethnographic study explores how contemporary Oneida people are using traditional beliefs and practices that are prescribed and enshrined in Haudenosaunee oral traditions to further their political ends. The current tribal government seeks to engender control over its citizens, affairs, and properties by using traditions of oral history to claim legitimacy. An overarching contention is over the process of governance as engendered by the process of consensus. This traditional Haudenosaunee practice is at the heart of the matter of the legitimacy of modern tribal government as it is used by the Oneida Nation of New York, including the use of banishment as a form of social control to ground its authority. "Loss of voice" has resulted in the disenrollment of those Oneida people who have been banished after questioning the current tribal government's legitimacy and practices. This essay reviews the actions of the Oneida Indian Nation as an evolving tribal authority as it attempts to reconcile the role of t...
SPECTROSCOPY OF THE ORION MOLECULAR CLOUD CORE

Recent infrared and radio spectroscopic data pertaining to the Orion BN-KL infrared cluster are reviewed. A new, high resolution CO map shows that the thermal structure over the central 10′(1.5 pc) in the Orion molecular cloud is dominated by energy sources in the infrared cluster and M42. Peak CO brightness temperatures of 90 K occur on KL and near the bar at the southern edge of M42. Within the central 45″ of the infrared cluster, both radio and IR data reveal a highly energetic environment. Millimeter lines of several molecules (e.g. CO, HCN, and SiO) show emission over a full velocity range of 100 km s −1 . These supersonic flows can be modeled as a differentially expanding envelope containing a total of ~5 M ⊙ of gas within an outer radius of r ≃ 1.3 × 10 17 cm. Over the same area emission is seen from vibrationally excited molecular hydrogen at an excitation temperature of 2000 K. The high velocity mm-line emission and the NIR H 2 lines are clearly related since they exhibit similar spatial extents and line widths. Comparison of the total cooling rate for all the H 2 lines with the estimated kinetic energy and expansion time for the mm-emission region indicates that the H 2 emission probably arises from shock fronts where the expanding envelope impinges on the outer cloud. Near IR spectroscopy also probes ionized and neutral gas closely associated with BN. Br α and Br γ emission is detected from an ultracompact HII region of mass M HII ≲ 10 −4 M ⊙ . Full widths for the HII lines are ~400 km s −1 . CO bandhead emission detected in BN at λ ≃ 2.3 μm is probably collisionally pumped in a high excitation zone (n H+H2 > 10 10 cm −3 and T K ≃ 3000 K) at only a few AU from the star. The velocity of both the HII and CO emission is V LSR ≃ + 20 km s −1 ; thus BN appears to be redshifted by 11 km s −1 with respect to OMC-1.
The Strengths Perspective: Putting Possibility and Hope to Work in Our Practice

The core assumption of the Strengths Perspective is that every human being has—within or around—resources, capacities, and assets that can be mobilized to overcome adversity or to inspire a better quality of life. There are no exceptions to this fundamental belief. Keywords: strengths; heroism; capacities; resources; hope
The Effect of Oil on Foam Stability: Mechanisms and Implications for Oil Displacement by Foam in Porous Media

Foam stability in the presence of Salem crude oil and pure hydrocarbons is investigated as a function of chain length of ..cap alpha..-olefin sulfonates and electrolyte concentration. Interactions between aqueous foam films and emulsified oil droplets are observed using transmitted light, incident light inteferometric and differential interferometric microscopic techniques. Foam destabilization factors are identified including the pseudoemulsion film tension and the surface and interfacial tension gradients. Results from foam-enhanced oil recovery experiments in Berea Sandstone cores are presented using the combined gamma ray/microwave absorption technique to measure dynamic fluid saturation profiles.
Renewed interest in cancer immunotherapy with the tumor necrosis factor superfamily molecules

Molecules belonging to the Tumor Necrosis Factor (TNF) and TNF receptor superfamilies have explosively expanded through the era of genomics and bioinformatics. Biological investigations of these molecules have explored their potency as attractive targets for cancer therapy. Anti-tumor mechanisms mediated by TNF superfamily molecules (TNFSF) could be classified into direct actions onto tumor cells and indirect effects through immune or non-immune components of tumor-bearing host. In this review, we focus on TRAIL, CD40, 4-1BB (CD137), and LIGHT as promising molecules to mediate powerful and selective anti-tumor responses, and summarize their unique effector mechanisms. In addition, optimal approaches to manipulate these molecules for cancer therapy are also discussed. We try to provide an insight into a role of TNFSF in cancer therapeutics and highlight each of their potency to be an important player in anti-cancer strategies.
Metabolism of 2-chloro-N-isopropylacetanilide in chickens

Abstract 2-Chloro- N -isopropylacetanilide was quantitatively metabolized in chickens in the mercapturic acid pathway (MAP). The MAP metabolites (cysteine conjugate, S -carboxymethyl- N -acetyl cysteine, N -acetyl cysteine conjugate, and N -acetyl cysteine sulfoxide conjugate) were excreted mainly with the urine with minor amounts (less than 7% of the dose) excreted with bile. The cysteine conjugate was precursor for all the MAP metabolites, as well as, for N -isopropyloxanilic acid and N -isopropylacetanilide. Cysteine conjugate β-lyase activity was detected in the intestinal contents in vitro but was not manifested in vivo when the cysteine conjugate was injected intracecally.
Adaptive sampling for output device characterization

We develop a method of adaptive sampling for use with image output devices, e.g., displays and projectors, that can produce improved results over sampling the input space with a fixed rectangular grid in a multidimensional space. Fixed sampling requires knowledge of the function shape to be effective. Even then the sampling can be grossly inefficient in some regions and grossly undersampled in others. Our method produces a more efficient sampling over the whole gamut of the device output of oddly shaped gamuts, while producing good results for more usual functions. This increased efficiency is important, since measuring samples is the most time-consuming part of the characterization process.
Forwarding state scalability for multicast provisioning in IP networks

Forwarding state scalability is one of the critical issues that delay the multicast deployment in IP networks. With traditional multicast routing protocols, a forwarding tree is built for each multicast session, and each router is required to maintain a forwarding entry for each multicast session whose distribution tree passes through the router. This poses the multicast forwarding state scalability issue when the number of concurrent multicast sessions is very large. We first present a survey of existing work addressing this scalability issue for providing scalable IP multicast. Then we extend an existing multicast routing protocol, Multicast Extension to OSPF (MOSPF), to scale well with respect to the number of concurrent multicast sessions by introducing tunnel support. This extension aims to reduce the protocol overhead associated with MOSPF. Simulation results show that the extension can significantly reduce multicast forwarding state and computational overhead at routers without affecting the per-destination shortest path characteristic of a resulting tree or introducing extra control overhead.
Simplifications for single-route transit-ridership forecasting models

The growth in popularity of microcomputers has reemphasized the need for simplified transit-planning techniques. This paper describes and evaluates a single-route ridership forecasting model which is designed to fit within a modest-sized microcomputer. The model is based upon the traditional four-step urban transportation modeling process, but it is simplified by removing the possibility of multiple transfers and by eliminating the highway network. An analysis of model error shows that these simplifications do not appreciably affect the accuracy of the forecasts. A particular advantage of implementing the model on a microcomputer is the user-friendliness that can be achieved by employing interactive color graphics for data input.
Adjustment of Russian defence‐related enterprises in 1992–94: Macroeconomic implications

(1994). Adjustment of Russian defence‐related enterprises in 1992–94: Macroeconomic implications. Communist Economies and Economic Transformation: Vol. 6, No. 4, pp. 473-513.
The Viscous Behavior of Polymer Modified Lubricating Oils Over a Broad Range of Temperature and Shear Rate

A high-shear capillary viscometer was used to determine the viscosity of mineral oil lubricants containing an olefin copolymer up to shear rates of a million reciprocal seconds. Comprehensive measurements were conducted for a range of polymer concentrations from 1-3 wt percent polymer and a temperature range of 38-120°C
Model checking linear temporal logic of rewriting formulas under localized fairness

This paper presents the linear temporal logic of rewriting (LTLR) model checker under localized fairness assumptions for the Maude system. The linear temporal logic of rewriting extends linear temporal logic (LTL) with spatial action patterns that describe patterns of rewriting events. Since LTLR generalizes and extends various state-based and event-based logics, mixed properties involving both state propositions and actions, such as fairness properties, can be naturally expressed in LTLR. However, often the needed fairness assumptions cannot even be expressed as propositional temporal logic formulas because they are parametric, that is, they correspond to universally quantified temporal logic formulas. Such universal quantification is succinctly captured by the notion of localized fairness; for example, fairness is localized to the object name parameter in object fairness conditions. We summarize the foundations, and present the language design and implementation of the Maude Fair LTLR model checker, developed at the C++ level within the Maude system by extending the existing Maude LTL model checker. Our tool provides not only an efficient LTLR model checking algorithm under parameterized fairness assumptions but also suitable specification languages as part of its user interface. The expressiveness and effectiveness of the Maude Fair LTLR model checker are illustrated by five case studies. This is the first tool we are aware of that can model check temporal logic properties under parameterized fairness assumptions. We develop the LTLR model checker under localized fairness assumptions.The linear temporal logic of rewriting (LTLR) extends LTL with action patterns.Localized fairness specifies parameterized fairness over generic system entities.We present the foundations, the language design, and the implementation of our tool.We illustrate the expressiveness and effectiveness of our tool with case studies.
Outstanding Customer Satisfaction: The Key to a Talented Workforce?

This article explores the connection between employee attitudes and customer satisfaction with regard to both a firm and its products. The author ponders the question of whether satisfied customers can influence employees' feelings about the companies for which they work. The results of a study suggest that marketing efforts to enhance customer satisfaction make employees feel good and may even improve future performance. While marketers have long understood the importance of satisfied customers on brand loyalty and profitability, human resource managers have also come to understand that satisfied employees have a great deal of influence on customer satisfaction.
A Device to Facilitate the Operation of an Ekman Bottom Grab

Abstract An easily constructed device was designed to suspend an Ekman bottom grab by its jaws. The device makes cocking the grab and collecting samples easier, safer, and more efficient.
A Radioassay for Dopamine-Beta-Hydroxylase Activity

Es wurde eine Isotopenmethode zur Bestimmung der Dopamine-β-hydroxylase-Aktivitat beschrieben, die auch zur Bestimmung der enzymatischenβ-Hydroxylierung samtlicher Substrate der Dopamine-β-hydroxylase verwendet werden kann. Die Methode bewahrte sich fur Aktivitatsbestimmungen in Neuroblastoma-und Pheochromocytoma-Tumoren.
Strongly Nonlinear Optical Glass Fibers from Noncentrosymmetric Phase-Change Chalcogenide Materials

We report that the one-dimensional polar selenophosphate compounds APSe6 (A = K, Rb), which show crystal−glass phase-change behavior, exhibit strong second harmonic generation (SHG) response in both crystal and glassy forms. The crystalline materials are type-I phase-matchable with SHG coefficients χ(2) of 151.3 and 149.4 pm V−1 for K+ and Rb+ salts, respectively, which is the highest among phase-matchable nonlinear optical (NLO) materials with band gaps over 1.0 eV. The glass of APSe6 exhibits comparable SHG intensities to the top infrared NLO material AgGaSe2 without any poling treatments. APSe6 exhibit excellent mid-IR transparency. We demonstrate that starting from noncentrosymmetric phase-change materials such as APSe6 (A = K, Rb), we can obtain optical glass fibers with strong, intrinsic, and temporally stable second-order nonlinear optical (NLO) response. The as-prepared glass fibers exhibit SHG and difference frequency generation (DFG) responses over a wide range of wavelengths. Raman spectroscopy...
EXOGENOUS NITRIC OXIDE (NO) ENHANCES APOPTOTIC NEUTROPHIL CELL DEATH.|[utrif]| 266

Inhaled NO may modulate immune response at clinically relevant concentrations (20 ppm) by depressing neutrophil (PMN) oxidative function1. NO could affect function by causing cell necrosis or by inducing apoptosis, an “anti-inflammatory” form of programmed cell death by which aging PMNs are terminated2. We hypothesize that NO exposure hastens PMN death by enhancing apoptosis.
Optical Multi-Level Logic on a Silicon Chip

We demonstrate all-optical multi-level logic using a system of symmetric ring resonators in parallel. The device can form the basis of an on-chip optical digital to analog converter (ODAC).
The molecular cloning of the immunity gene of phage Mu

Abstract The 1000 base pair left-end Hin dIII fragment of phage Mu DNA was cloned in the Eco RI cleavage site of plasmid pMB9, using poly(dA·dT) linkers added with terminal transferase. These plasmids conferred a high level of Mu immunity on their hosts. When the plasmids were segregated into minicells, a 25 000 molecular weight protein correlated with immunity could be identified by labeling and gel electrophoresis.
Feeding responses to particle-bound cues by a deposit-feeding spionid polychaete, Dipolydora quadrilobata (Jacobi 1883)

In marine soft-sediment habitats, chemical sensing by deposit-feeding organisms most likely plays a critical role in feeding behavior, yet, few specifics about this role and its ecological implications are known. We show that several particle-bound chemical cues stimulate feeding activity of a spionid polychaete Dipolydora quadrilobata (Jacobi 1883). Using glass beads as a proxy for sediment, we tested for feeding responses to a selected number of potential cues that might be used to indicate food availability or quality. We presented two sets of beads to individual intact worms: one with and one without covalently bound compounds such as single amino acids, mixtures of amino acids, and single simple sugars. Worms were exposed to the beads under slow flowing seawater so that any dissolved cues were flushed from the test chamber. Each worm was videotaped for 15 min immediately following the addition of beads, and these records were scored for the time the worm spent in a variety of behaviors. Responses to beads with and without cues were compared to identify compounds as stimulatory, inhibitory, or inactive. Five of the seven particle-bound cues tested significantly increased feeding activity, and none of those tested were found to be inhibitory.
The Perioperative Surgical Home: how can it make the case so everyone wins?

Varied and fragmented care plans undertaken by different practitioners currently expose surgical patients to lapses in expected care, increase the chance for operational mistakes and accidents, and often result in unnecessary care. The Perioperative Surgical Home has thus been proposed by the American Society of Anesthesiologists and other stakeholders as an innovative, patient-centered, surgical continuity of care model that incorporates shared decision making. Topics central to the debate about an anesthesiology-based Perioperative Surgical Home include: holding the gains made in anesthesia-related patient safety; impacting surgical morbidity and mortality, including failure-to-rescue; achieving healthcare outcome metrics; assimilating comparative effectiveness research into the model; establishing necessary audit and data collection; a comparison with the hospitalist model of perioperative care; the perspective of the surgeon; the benefits of the Perioperative Surgical Home to the specialty of anesthesiology; and its associated healthcare economic advantages. Improving surgical morbidity and mortality mandates a more comprehensive and integrated approach to the management of surgical patients. In their expanded capacity as the surgical patient’s “perioperativist,” anesthesiologists can play a key role in compliance with broader set of process measures, thus becoming a more vital and valuable provider from the patient, administrator, and payer perspective. The robust perioperative databases created within the Perioperative Surgical Home present new opportunities for health services and population-level research. The Perioperative Surgical Home is not intended to replace the surgeon’s patient care responsibility, but rather leverage the abilities of the entire perioperative care team in the service of the patient. To achieve this goal, it will be necessary to expand the core knowledge, skills, and experience of anesthesiologists. Anesthesiologists will need to view becoming perioperative physicians as an expansion of the specialty, rather than an abdication of their traditional intraoperative role. The Perioperative Surgical Home will need to create strategic added value for a health system and payers. This added value will strengthen the position of anesthesiologists as they navigate and negotiate in the face of finite, if not decreasing fiscal resources. Broadening the anesthesiologist’s scope of practice via the Perioperative Surgical Home may promote standardization and improve clinical outcomes and decrease resource utilization by providing greater patient-centered continuity of care throughout the preoperative, intraoperative, and postoperative periods.
Calcium and the electrocardiogram

Abstract The electrocardiograms of twenty-two patients with hypoparathyroidism were examined during hypocalcemia and compared to those obtained when normocalcemia was restored. Prolongation of the Q-oTc segment causing, thereby, prolongation of the Q-Tc interval was observed in almost all cases and the degree of prolongation was inversely proportional to the level of serum calcium. The duration of the T wave segment in general was unchanged. Changes in the contour of the T waves were observed in all patients. In nine patients these were slight and consisted only of slight elevation, peaking and displacement of the apex to the end of the Q-T interval; in nine patients the T waves showed sharp, late inversions; in one, the T waves were flattened; and in three, tall, peaked T waves were observed. These changes were most pronounced in the right precordial leads. They were observed in all forms of both acute and chronic tetany due to hypoparathyroidism. Upon gradual restoration of the normal serum calcium level by appropriate antitetanic therapy, all electrocardiographic abnormalities were eliminated. Acute infusions of intravenous calcium during the hypocalcemie period, however, achieved only shortening of the Q-oTc and hence the Q-Tc intervals, but had only minor effects on abnormalities of the T wave. This suggests that hypoparathyroid hypocalcemia may produce two distinct effects on the myocardium. One, related to ionic calcium and the permeability of the cell membrane, is responsible for the increased duration of the repolarization phase of the ventricular complex. The other, perhaps related to organic calcium and the contractile substance of the myocardium, inconstantly affects the configuration of the T wave, often causing variations in its polarity.
Influence of mask substrate materials on resist sidewall roughness in deep X-ray lithography

Absorption of X-rays in deep X-ray lithography masks can significantly increase exposure time, harden the X-ray spectrum and lead to heating and distortion of the mask. To reduce the impact of such absorption, we have evaluated low atomic mass (low-z) materials that allow the utilization of thick substrates (>100 μm) for reliable mask fabrication. Various forms of graphite, vitreous carbon (VC), boron nitride and beryllium were chosen for testing. Transmission tests were conducted to evaluate resulting surface roughness in the X-ray resist sidewalls. We found that VC, beryllium and pyrolytic graphite all have minimal effect on the resist sidewall surface roughness; however, graphite and boron nitride both significantly increase the roughness to about 300 nm RMS. We could show that this increase in surface roughness is directly related to the crystal structure of these materials. From the tests conducted, VC proves a promising mask substrate, superior to the more expensive and hazardous beryllium that is commonly used for thick high precision masks. VC has been successfully employed as a mask substrate and corresponding resist structures are introduced.
The role of tryptophan residues in heparin-antithrombin interactions.

Abstract A single tryptophan residue on antithrombin has been modified with dimethyl-(2-hydroxy-5-nitrobenzyl)sulfonium bromide. This alteration led to a 500-fold reduction in the heparin-dependent acceleration of thrombin-modified antithrombin interactions, as well as a 10-fold decrease in the avidity of the modified protease inhibitor for mucopolysaccharide. Preincubation of antithrombin with the octasaccharide binding domain of heparin prior to treatment with dimethyl-(2-hydroxy-5-nitrobenzyl)sulfonium bromide was able to suppress modification of the critical tryptophan and preserve the functional capacities of the protease inhibitor. Fluorescence quenching experiments indicated that the modifiable tryptophan groups of antithrombin were exposed to the solvent environment. Based upon these data, it was proposed that the loss of “heparin cofactor” activity of antithrombin must be predominantly due to an inability of the modified protease inhibitor to undergo a conformational transition required for mucopolysaccharide-dependent “activation” of the macromolecule.
The mechanism of crystallization of linear polyethylene, and its copolymers with octene, over a wide range of supercoolings

Abstract The crystallization behavior of a linear polyethylene has been studied using conventional isothermal hot stage microscopy and with the Ding–Spruiell method of rapid cooling. When studied at rapid cooling rates the polymer generates its own pseudo-isothermal crystallization temperatures, in agreement with Ding–Spruiell's studies on other systems, permitting experiments to be carried out isothermally at a temperature as low as 90°C, thus extending the range of supercooling available from the 9°C (120–129°C) typical of conventional experimentation to 29°C (90–129°C). The points generated using both the isothermal and the rapid cooling techniques form a single consistent trend, as in polypropylene. In conventional crystallization experiments it was found, as expected, that the spherulite growth rates conformed to the regime I–regime II scheme, already well established for this polymer. When analyzed using a secondary nucleation approach all three regimes are found to exist and to adequately describe the data. The regime II–regime III transition temperature was found to occur at 120.6°C. The crystallization behavior of a series of ethylene-octene copolymers synthesized using metallocene catalysts has also been studied using the same experimental methodologies. In conventional crystallization experiments it was found, as expected, that the spherulite growth rates varied with octene content and molecular weight. When studied at rapid cooling rates, at the lowest temperatures of crystallization, the spherulite growth rates of all of the copolymers studied merge with the growth rate curve of the linear polyethylene and are virtually indistinguishable. The results indicate a major breakdown of all current theories of polymer crystallization, in that the overriding equation involving the relation between crystallization rate, lamellar thickness, surface free energy and supercooling appears to be superceded in the copolymers by some hitherto unrecognized process or law. The underlying physics behind this conclusion needs to be elucidated, but appears to be consistent with the formation of a partially ordered intermediate of 3–4 stems in size on the growth face under all conditions of growth in linear polyethylene and its copolymers. The degree of disorder in the cluster is believed to be strongly dependent on supercooling, permitting incorporation of hexyl groups into the intermediate. Subsequent ordering of the cluster produces the ultimate crystal packing and ejection of hexyl groups and other impurities. The rate of formation of the cluster is suggested to be the rate controlling step in secondary nucleus formation.
Experimental and clinical studies on the reproductive toxicology of 2,3,7,8‐tetrachlorodibenzo‐p‐dioxin

The reproductive toxicology of 2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin (TCDD) has been studied in animal models and in human populations. In animals, TCDD has a range of toxic effects on organs of the reproductive system in males and females, on hormone biochemistry, and on embryo-fetal development. These effects may involve in part an identified intracellular TCDD receptor and its association with the induction of microsomal cytochrome P-450-dependent monooxygenases in many organs. TCDD treatment increases activity of monooxygenase enzyme in liver and gonads of treated animals, but unlike other polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons that are monooxygenase inducers, TCDD is not cytotoxic to any population of oocytes in the mature female mouse. Epidemiological studies of TCDD reproductive toxicity have been limited in design. There are some reports of adverse effects in the Seveso population and in children born to American veterans presumed to have been exposed to TCDD in Agent Orange during the Vietnam war. Occupational cohorts have not been found to show such paternally mediated effects of TCDD exposure.
Spins of the isomeric states of Hf178 and Hf180

Abstract The 4.8 sec state of Hf 178 and the 5.5 h state of Hf 180 are shown by angular correlation measurements to have spin J = 8.
Mutational analysis of the fusion peptide of the human immunodeficiency virus type 1: identification of critical glycine residues.

Abstract The ability of human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) to fuse its membrane with the membrane of the target cell is a function of a ∼23-amino-acid amino-terminal segment of the gp41 subunit of the envelope glycoprotein complex, known as the fusion peptide. The sequence of the fusion peptide is highly conserved among different variants of HIV-1 and is also very similar to that of HIV-2 and SIV. The fusion peptide is very hydrophobic and has a high content of glycine and alanine residues. Representation of the fusion peptide of HIV-1 as an α-helix predicts that most glycine residues would be found on one face of the α-helix. To assess the importance of the glycine residues for the fusogenic activity of the envelope glycoprotein complex, we mutagenized each glycine residue in the fusion peptide individually to a valine residue. The mutant envelope constructs were tested for their ability to induce syncytia (cell/cell fusion) and to mediate infection (virus/cell fusion) of CD4-positive cells. The results of our analyses show that two glycine residues (G 10 and G 13 ) located within the sequence FLGFLG in the middle of the fusion peptide are critical for syncytium formation and for the establishment of a productive infection, whereas other glycine residues (G 3 , G 5 , and G 20 ) are more permissive to substitutions. Mutation of each of the two phenylalanines (F 8 and F 11 ) of the FLGFLG sequence to valine also decreased fusion, although to a lesser extent than mutation of G 10 and G 13 . These observations demonstrate that G 10 and G 13 are critical elements of the fusion peptide and suggest that, in addition to hydrophobicity, the exact amino acid composition and structure of the fusion peptide are critical for function.
Pulsed Power Capacitors

The U.S. Army Research Laboratory has sponsored a capacitor development program for film-dielectric capacitors. The program has evaluated dielectric materials for high energy density capacitors from industrial and academic research programs. High-performance capacitors have been developed that meet the needs of today's military applications. The performance of recently developed capacitors will be discussed.
High-strength low-alloy, weathering, steel as reinforcement in the presence of chloride ions

Abstract The chloride induced corrosion of both conventional reinforcing and high-strength, low-alloy, weathering, steel bars was studied. The bars were inbeded in concrete and the latter was salted with dosages typical for bridge decks. After five years, all samples containing conventional reinforcing were severely cracked. All of the samples containing the high-strength, low-alloy steel were completely free of cracks.
Improve general contextual slim recommendation algorithms by factorizing contexts

Context-aware recommender systems (CARS) emerged during recent years in order to adapt to users' preferences in different contextual situations. For example, users may choose different movies if they are going to see movies with their partners rather than with kids. The motivation behind is that users' preferences on items are always changing from contexts to contexts.