cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Product family-based assembly sequence design methodology

Efforts taken by manufacturing companies to meet the increasing demand for product variety often lead to a proliferation of subassemblies. In this paper, we show that careful design of the product assembly sequence helps to create generic subassemblies that reduce subassembly proliferation and the cost of offering product variety. This approach of designing the assembly sequence to maximize the benefit from commonality of components and assembly operations, referred to as product family-based assembly sequence design, is the focus of this paper. After introducing the approach with a simple example, we formalize the notion of generic subassemblies, and present an algorithmic approach to identify generic subassemblies. We illustrate the algorithm with an example from the literature of an assembly from industry, and provide computational test results of the complexity and benefits of product family-based assembly sequence design.
Computational Studies of the Molecular Mechanisms Responsible for Ca2+ Permeation and Mg2+ Block of NMDA Receptors

Glutamate receptors are membrane proteins activated by the neurotransmitter glutamate that mediate fast synaptic excitation in the mammalian brain. NMDA receptors constitute a glutamate receptor subfamily specifically activated by N-methyl-d-aspartate. Due to their high Ca2+ permeability and voltage-dependent channel block by Mg2+, NMDA receptors play a central role in development through stabilization of synaptic connections, as well as in learning and memory by mediating many forms of synaptic plasticity. The mechanisms by which the ion channel of NMDA receptors selects Ca2+ for permeation over all other physiological ions, while binding Mg2+ and restricting its permeation, are not well understood. We hypothesize that the slightly different radii and electronic properties of Mg2+ and Ca2+ ions result in drastically different free energy barriers for transition of the ions from a binding site in the selectivity filter toward the intracellular solution. We are applying quantitative theoretical “bottom up” approaches to this complex system by combining methods of computational chemistry, molecular mechanics (MM), and bioinformatics. The structure of the NMDA receptor channel is constructed and refined using experimental information, homology modeling and extensive molecular dynamics simulations. We are performing quantum chemical calculations to determine the energy of the transition state of model ligand exchange reactions that mimic divalent ion transition from the selectivity filter of NMDA receptors to water. Quantum calculations are used to parameterize a polarizable molecular mechanics force field for these divalent ion interactions with organic ligands with the further goal to perform MM simulations. Umbrella sampling and thermodynamic integration simulations are used to compute free energies of transfer of divalent ions between water and a model of the NMDA ion selectivity filter as well as free energy barriers for these transitions.
A note on common methods used to estimate foreign exchange exposure

Understanding the impact of foreign exchange risk is a critical element for purposes of firm valuation and risk management. In this study, we review the benefits of capital market and cash flow foreign exchange exposure estimation methods, and using a sample of large U.S. banks, we conduct a comparison of the frequency with which each method detects exposure. We find some evidence of the relative strength of the capital market-based method in expectations formation, since about 25% of the sample that does not show significant cash flow sensitivity to the pound has significant stock price sensitivity. We also find evidence of the relative strength of cash flows to detect exposure. Across all five currencies examined, when cash flows have exposure, the capital market regularly (70–100% of the time) does not find the exposure to be significant.
Laser‐induced fluorescence spectroscopy of NCS in a free jet expansion

Laser‐induced fluorescence excitation spectra have been recorded for many vibronic transitions of the A(2Π)–X(2Π) and B(2Σ+)–X(2Π) systems of NCS under supersonic free jet expansion conditions. New assignments have been made for many of these bands and several of the assignments from previous work have been revised. Vibronic energies have been determined for levels involving excitation of all three vibrational modes in the ground electronic state and both excited electronic states. A detailed rotational and vibrational analysis has been carried out for levels involving excitations of the two stretching modes and the many rotational and potential function constants have been determined for the A and X states. The variation of the spin–orbit constant with vibrational level has also been investigated. Results of this paper provide the ground work for a detailed analysis of the Renner–Teller effect in the bending vibrational mode of this radical for both the X2(Π) and A(2Π) states to appear in a forthcoming p...
Mannosyl transferases of the retina: Mannolipid and complex glycan biosynthesis II. Activity in different species; Subcellular distribution; During development☆

Abstract The activities of the mannosyl transferases which catalyze the transfer of mannose from the sugar nucleotide, GDP-[ 14 C]mannose to endogenous lipid and glycan acceptors were determined in homogenates of the retinas of the embryonic chick, dogfish, squid, cattle and adult chickens. The embryonic chick retina, in contrast to the others, incorporated relatively greater radioactivity into the complex glycan compared to that into the mannolipid. These mannosyl transferases were also examined during the development of the embryo. These reactions were unaffected by conditions of light or dark, or by exposure of the embryo, in ovo, to hydrocortisone. Most of the activity for both the lipid and complex glycan mannosyl transferases were located in the low-speed pellet (nuclei+cell debris) obtained after differential centrifugation.
The crystal structure of Rb2UF6

Abstract The structure of Rb2UF6 has been determined using 3-dimensional X-ray data. The structure is orthorhombic (space group Cmcm) with the following cell constants: a 0 = 6·958, b 0 = 12·042 and c 0 = 7·605 A . The structure consists of infinite chains of UF8 polyhedra which can be described as dodecahedra with triangular faces (ideal symmetry D2d.
Personality and the location of identity1

It was hypothesized that individuals vary in their general environmental orientation: some are oriented to the internal and some to the external environment. We next predicted that this difference would be reflected in the location of those characteristics by which such persons define their identity. A sample of 150 persons judged the location of a set of 22 identity characteristics. These characteristics were rated on importance for self and then correlated with personality tests assumed to assess individual differences in environmental orientation. Authoritarianism, Snyder's self–monitoring, and Rotter's external locus of control were taken as measures of an external environmental orientation; Laird's locus of causal attribution and Sampson's measure of internal orientation (IO) were taken as measures of an internal environmental orientation. With all scales but Rotter's, strong support for the predictions was found: i.e., authoritarianism and self–monitoring were positively correlated with externally located identity characteristics; a dispositional attributional bias and the IO were positively correlated with internally located identity characteristics. These findings were discussed in terms of a process of identity mastery.
Chinese Communist Policy Toward the United States and the Myth of the ‘Lost Chance’ 1948–1950

In the late 1960s and early 1970s, the Sino-Soviet conflict intensified and at the same time the Sino-American rapprochement was well under way. When the Americans began to search for an answer to the question of ‘Why Vietnam’, some US foreign relation documents in the later 1940s were released, which indicated that the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) had made certain friendly overtures toward the United States. Since then, it has become a widely-accepted interpretation among scholars that Washington ‘lost a chance’ to win over the CCP from Moscow in the late 1940s. The fundamental premise of this interpretation is that the CCP earnestly bid for American friendship and support as a counterweight to pressure from the Soviet Union. It is argued that the CCP sincerely sought the US recognition right up to the middle of and that it was only after their bids for American support were rejected by Washington that the Communists had to choose the ‘lean-to-one-side’ policy. In short, Washington's shortsighted policy in 1949 ‘forced Beijing into Moscow's embrace’, and therefore set in motion a train of disastrous events: the Korean War and the Vietnam War. A promising postwar Asian balance in favour of the US was ruined.
Effective Identification of Akt Interacting Proteins by Two-Step Chemical Crosslinking, Co-Immunoprecipitation and Mass Spectrometry

Akt is a critical protein for cell survival and known to interact with various proteins. However, Akt binding partners that modulate or regulate Akt activation have not been fully elucidated. Identification of Akt-interacting proteins has been customarily achieved by co-immunoprecipitation combined with western blot and/or MS analysis. An intrinsic problem of the method is loss of interacting proteins during procedures to remove non-specific proteins. Moreover, antibody contamination often interferes with the detection of less abundant proteins. Here, we developed a novel two-step chemical crosslinking strategy to overcome these problems which resulted in a dramatic improvement in identifying Akt interacting partners. Akt antibody was first immobilized on protein A/G beads using disuccinimidyl suberate and allowed to bind to cellular Akt along with its interacting proteins. Subsequently, dithiobis[succinimidylpropionate], a cleavable crosslinker, was introduced to produce stable complexes between Akt and binding partners prior to the SDS-PAGE and nanoLC-MS/MS analysis. This approach enabled identification of ten Akt partners from cell lysates containing as low as 1.5 mg proteins, including two new potential Akt interacting partners. None of these but one protein was detectable without crosslinking procedures. The present method provides a sensitive and effective tool to probe Akt-interacting proteins. This strategy should also prove useful for other protein interactions, particularly those involving less abundant or weakly associating partners.
Elementary motion detectors.

A quick guide to the elementary motion detector— a model of how a simple neural circuit can detect visual motion, developed from work on insect vision but which seems also to be relevant to vertebrate visual systems.
Lack of mood changes following sucrose loading

Abstract This controlled study was designed to test the popular idea that ostensibly lowered blood sugar following excessive sugar intake adversely affects mood. Fifty-three normal subjects divided into three groups received respectively a sucrose solution, a saccharin solution, or water. Results from a self-reported mood scale, the serial sevens test for cognitive efficiency, and a self-report neuroticism scale, all administered before the solutions were taken and 20 minutes and four hours later, did not indicate that sugar ingestion noticeably affects mood more than ingestion of saccharin or water.
3D Numerical Simulation of a Deepwater EM Exploration Survey

An analysis of a current offshore prospect has been carried out using three-dimensional numerical modeling of a controlled source electromagnetic (CSEM) exploration system. The analysis considers the sensitivity of data presentations to assumptions about the background model. The numerical simulations show that false anomalies and significant distortion to anomaly magnitude can be caused by normalization of the observed electric fields by fields calculated from an incorrect or oversimplified background model. Bathymetry effects on the measured electric fields can, if not accounted for, produce anomalies as large as those of target sands. Good background models can be constructed by taking advantage of the magnetotelluric data recorded by marine receivers during times when the CSEM transmitter is not in operation.
Training myths: False beliefs that limit the efficiency and effectiveness of training solutions, part 1

This article questions commonly held beliefs about training as a component of performance improvement solutions. Rather than being based on theoretical and empirical support, many beliefs about training are based on little more than myth. Part 1 of this article presents myths about the relationship of training and performance and myths about determining training content. Training fails when the performance problem is caused by something other than a lack of knowledge or skill. And it is compromised when we fail to include only the essential content.
Modeling diamond chemical vapor deposition in a rotating disk reactor

Abstract A theoretical model for diamond chemical vapor deposition has been developed by combining mass, momentum and energy balance equations for the gas flow with detailed chemical mechanisms for the appropriate gas phase and surface chemistry. The model equations were solved numerically to determine the gas phase composition profile for representative hot filament and d.c. arc jet conditions. The model was then used to investigate the potential benefits of activating the gas phase chemically with chlorine atoms and injecting methane through the substrate. Combining the two modifications may allow growth of a porous diamond film at 1200 μm h−1, using an order of magnititude less energy per carat than a conventional d.c. arc jet reactor.
Interoperability Checklist for decision-makers

In April 2007 the GridWise® Architecture Council published the “Introduction to Interoperability and Decision-Maker's Interoperability Checklist Version 1.0” as a tool to be used by policy makers and executives making smart grid policy or investment decisions. Subsequently there has been a significant amount of additional work on smart grid interoperability by the council and others. This paper summarizes the current efforts of the council to update the checklist to incorporate this subsequent work.
Judges' attitudes toward the public accounting profession: An update

Abstract This study examines U.S. judges' attitudes toward the public accounting profession and the extent to which they have changed over the last 16 years: (a) early in the decade of the 1990's (1993), (b) late in the decade of the 1990's, but before the Enron and subsequent corporate accounting debacles (1997), (c) three years after the Enron debacle (2003), and (d) following the recent market collapse related to the failures of our financial institutions (2009). As previously reported (Reckers et al., 2004) attitudes of judges toward the public accounting profession are known to be representative of the views of other stakeholders (lawyers, jurors and MBAs) and would be expected, and have been found, to be relatively stable over time. Nonetheless attitudes are subject to change if given a substantial stimulus and the corporate debacles at the beginning of this decade, the corresponding CPA firm litigation and the demise of Arthur Andersen arguably constituted such a stimulus. It was reported that a significant erosion of judges' attitudes toward the public accounting profession could be measured in 2003 (Reckers et al, 2004). Given that judicial attitudes have been found to be significantly correlated with judgments rendered in a laboratory experiments, sharp erosion of attitudes is a concern. Judges were re-examined in 2009 to determine if attitudes had potentially rebounded. Reasons to expect attitudes may have rebounded include (a) expectations related to federal reforms of the auditing profession (e.g., SOX, PCAOB), (b) lack of recent accounting scandals, and (c) the financial institutions debacles of 2008. In comparison to the perceived abuses of the financial industry revealed in 2008, the earlier accounting abuses may have faded away.
Development and Validation of a ReaxFF Reactive Force Field for Cu Cation/Water Interactions and Copper Metal/Metal Oxide/Metal Hydroxide Condensed Phases

To enable large-scale reactive dynamic simulations of copper oxide/water and copper ion/water interactions we have extended the ReaxFF reactive force field framework to Cu/O/H interactions. To this end, we employed a multistage force field development strategy, where the initial training set (containing metal/metal oxide/metal hydroxide condensed phase data and [Cu(H2O)n]2+ cluster structures and energies) is augmented by single-point quantum mechanices (QM) energies from [Cu(H2O)n]2+ clusters abstracted from a ReaxFF molecular dynamics simulation. This provides a convenient strategy to both enrich the training set and to validate the final force field. To further validate the force field description we performed molecular dynamics simulations on Cu2+/water systems. We found good agreement between our results and earlier experimental and QM-based molecular dynamics work for the average Cu/water coordination, Jahn−Teller distortion, and inversion in [Cu(H2O)6]2+ clusters and first- and second-shell O−Cu−O ...
Pilot diversity channel estimation in power controlled CDMA systems

In this paper, we consider a channel estimator in code-division multiple-access (CDMA) systems, where both the common pilot channel (CPICH), which is not power controlled, and the dedicated physical channel (DPCH), which is power controlled, exist. The proposed channel estimator estimates the channel gain by combining the common pilot symbols in CPICH symbols and the dedicated pilot symbols, which are inserted in DPCH. We derive the maximum likelihood (ML) estimator and present the approximate ML estimator, which can be readily used for fast and accurate online channel estimation. We also derive the Cramer-Rao lower bound (CRLB) of the proposed method and compare it with the CRLB of the method using the CPICH symbols only. End-to-end full-downlink signal-processing worksystem-based simulations have been run and the results confirm that significant gains can be achieved in power-controlled CDMA systems. The resulting estimator can be applied to open- and closed-loop transmit diversity cases as well as the single-antenna case. A similar concept can be applied to other wireless communication systems, where the pilot symbols are used as a reference signal, such as frequency offset estimation.
Inhibition of Adenoma Progression to Adenocarcinoma in a 4-(Methylnitrosamino)-1-(3-Pyridyl)-1-Butanone–Induced Lung Tumorigenesis Model in A/J Mice by Tea Polyphenols and Caffeine

The present study investigated the inhibitory effects of Polyphenon E [a standardized green tea polyphenol preparation containing 65% (-)-epigallocatechin-3-gallate] and caffeine on 4-(methylnitrosamino)-1-(3-pyridyl)-1-butanone (NNK)-induced lung tumor progression from adenoma to adenocarcinoma. Female A/J mice were treated with a single dose of NNK (103 mg/kg body weight, i.p.) and kept for 20 weeks for the mice to develop lung adenomas. The mice were then given a solution of 0.5% Polyphenon E or 0.044% caffeine as the sole source of drinking fluid until week 52. Both treatments significantly decreased the number of visible lung tumors. Histopathologic analysis indicated that Polyphenon E administration significantly reduced the incidence (by 52%) and multiplicity (by 63%) of lung adenocarcinoma. Caffeine also showed marginal inhibitory effects in incidence and multiplicity of adenocarcinoma (by 48% and 49%, respectively). Markers of cell proliferation, apoptosis, and related cell signaling were studied by immunohistochemistry, and the labeling index and staining intensity were quantified by the Image-Pro system. Polyphenon E and caffeine treatment inhibited cell proliferation (by 57% and 50%, respectively) in adenocarcinomas, enhanced apoptosis in adenocarcinomas (by 2.6- and 4-fold, respectively) and adenomas (both by 2.5-fold), and lowered levels of c-Jun and extracellular signal-regulated kinase (Erk) 1/2 phosphorylation. In the normal lung tissues, neither agent had a significant effect on cell proliferation or apoptosis. The results show that tea polyphenols (and perhaps caffeine) inhibit the progression of NNK-induced lung adenoma to adenocarcinoma. This effect is closely associated with decreased cell proliferation, enhanced apoptosis, and lowered levels of c-Jun and Erk1/2 phosphorylation.
DESOXYRIBONUCLEIC ACID (DNA) SYNTHESIS IN THE RADIATED AND STIMULATED THYROID GLAND.

Nuclear changes and DNA synthesis of thyroid cells of rats in early and late post 131I radiation were explored. Tritiated thymidine and radioautography were used to identify nuclei which were synthesizing DNA, and Feulgen staining and microspectrophotometry were used to measure amounts of DNA in individual nuclei. Thiouracil was used as a stimulus. Although obvious destruction of cells with rapid loss of function may not occur, subtle damage is demonstrable by newer methods. Thyroids which retained 1.5–2 μc of a dose of 13lI (2640 rads), when stimulated early after radiation, displayed some transient impairment in capacity for DNA synthesis, followed by a supramaximal response at 2 months. A stimulus at 8 months produced DNA synthesis and increased thyroidal weight comparable to nonradiated glands, but unusual variations in nuclear DNA and volume persisted. Large and sometimes bizarre nuclear forms were usually synthesizing DNA. In contrast, thyroids which retained 15–20 μc (26,400 rads), without obvious ...
Dynamic nuclear polarization with an inhomogeneously broadened ESR line. II. Experiment

Results of proton dynamic nuclear polarization (DNP), nuclear spin-lattice relaxation, and ESR experiments in six YES: $^{168}\mathrm{Er}$ ($^{168}\mathrm{Er}$-doped yttrium ethyl sulphate) single crystals at 4.15 K and 9.1 GHz are reported here. This material approximates an inhomogeneously broadened (IHB) ESR line for certain crystal orientations relative to the applied magnetic field ${\stackrel{\ensuremath{\rightarrow}}{\mathrm{H}}}_{0}$. DNP peak enhancements ${E}_{\mathrm{ss}}^{\mathrm{peak}}\ensuremath{\approx}120$ are obtained for crystals 1-3 having $^{168}\mathrm{Er}$ dilutions of 0.2%-0.01% (mole%). The steady-state enhancement ${E}_{\mathrm{ss}}$ vs ${H}_{0}$ curves are proportional to the ESR absorption derivative at low powers (\ensuremath{\cong} 0.3 mW), but change shape in the wings of the ESR line at high microwave powers (\ensuremath{\cong} 300 mW). Essentially idential ${E}_{\mathrm{ss}}$ data are obtained for all three crystals. Extensive DNP pump time ${\ensuremath{\tau}}_{\mathrm{DNP}}$ and ESR data for crystals 2-4, as well as limited data for the other crystals, are also given. There is no ${E}_{\mathrm{ss}}$ or ${\ensuremath{\tau}}_{\mathrm{DNP}}$ evidence in these experiments (i) for the traditional strict-shell-of-influence model of IHB SE (solid effect) DNP, (ii) for non-negligible CE (cross effect) DNP processes, or (iii) for decreases in ${E}_{\mathrm{ss}}$ due to moderate spectral diffusion in an IHB ESR line, as proposed by Buishvili et al. The DNP and ESR data of crystals 1-3 have been fit by the least-squares technique to a muffin-tin model of IHB SE DNP which incorporates rapid nuclear spin diffusion. Moderate agreement with theory is obtained, especially if the data are interpreted with a three-spectral-region model for wide IHB ESR lines. These data have also been analyzed in terms of EDDR (electron dipole-dipole reservoir) DNP theory for an IHB ESR line with fast spectral diffusion throughout the line. There is qualitative and some quantitative agreement between this theory and the data. It is thus difficult to discriminate EDDR DNP theory from IHB SE DNP with the three-spectral-region model in these experiments. The only clearcut evidence for the latter is an order-of-magnitude theoretical calculation of the electron magnetic dipole-dipole contribution to the ESR intrinsic spin-packet width, which gives non-negligible spectral diffusion in the centers of the crystal 1 and 2 ESR lines, and negligible spectral diffusion in the wings of crystals 3 and (perhaps) 2. Conclusive evidence would require further experiments at $^{168}\mathrm{Er}$ dilutions lower than 0.01% and higher than 0.2%. Experiments are proposed for YES: $^{168}\mathrm{Er}$ to test further the three-spectral-region model, and to find high DNP by IHB SE with possible applications to polarized nuclear targets in other, more hydrogenous materials.
Patterned bilayer plate microstructures subjected to thermal loading: Deformation and stresses

Abstract We studied the deformation of a series of gold/polysilicon patterned plate microstructures fabricated by surface micromachining. The patterned plate microstructures were subjected to a uniform temperature change from 100 °C to room temperature that was intended to induce linear and geometrically nonlinear deformation. We used interferometry to measure full-field deformed shapes of the microstructures. From these measurements we determined the spatially-averaged curvature of the deformed microstructures within individual lines and across the entire plate. The deformation response of the patterned plates can be broadly characterized in terms of the average curvature as a function of temperature change and exhibits linear and geometrically nonlinear behavior. We modeled the deformation response of the patterned plates using geometrically nonlinear plate theory with the finite element method. Good agreement was obtained between predictions and measurements for both local curvature variations across lines and for the evolution of curvature of the entire plate with temperature change. Using a generalized plane strain approach with the finite element method we also modeled the spatial dependence of the stress distribution in the lines and substrate. For thick plates, our results agree with those of previous studies, showing a decrease in the von Mises stress in the metal lines with decreasing linewidth. For thinner substrates, though, we find the behavior with linewidth is opposite and there is a critical substrate thickness (about 10 μm for the system in our study) where the behavior with linewidth changes. These results have important implications in the design of patterned structures for micro-electro-mechanical systems (MEMS) applications where films are of comparable thickness to the underlying substrate.
Case-Control Study of Idiopathic Retinal Detachment

A case-control study of idiopathic, rhegmatogenous retinal detachment (IRD) was conducted to investigate potential risk factors for developing IRD. These included some factors reported previously, such as cardiovascular disease, and some not under suspicion, such as cigarette smoking and iris colour. Cases (n = 198) were incident cases of IRD who were hospitalized for surgical repair of their detachments. Controls (n = 655) were patients hospitalized for conditions unrelated to suspected risk factors for IRD. The risk of IRD appeared to increase with increasing age, and the relative risk for self-reported myopes, compared with non-myopes, was elevated (RR = 3.4, 95% CI = 2.3 - 5.0). The relative risk of IRD was decreased in current smokers (RR = 0.5, 95% CI = 0.3 - 0.8); although there was not a significant trend of decreasing relative risk with increasing amount smoked, the estimate was lowest in those who smoked most heavily. Risk did not appear to be related to gender, eye colour, history of myocardial infarction, or history of hypertension.
Strategies for College Student Stalking Victims: Examining the Information and Recommendations Available

The college population is at a heightened risk for stalking victimization; yet it is suggested that college administrators have ignored stalking while focusing on other types of crimes, such as rape. Therefore, the present study seeks to examine the amount of attention universities are giving stalking as a crime that is a risk for their students. Additionally, this paper considers what types of information, recommendations, and strategies for effective responses to this type of victimization (if any) universities are providing to their students. In order examine university responses to stalking, a sample of Florida universities were observed by searching each university’s web page on the Internet. The data obtained from the university websites were analyzed through content analysis. Overall, it does in fact appear that Florida universities are addressing stalking in some manner, and the information they are providing to students is consistent with the current academic research.
Combinatorial methods in the theory of Cohen-Macaulay rings

Abstract Characterizations of Cohen-Macaulay posets are given in terms of the nonsingularity of certain incidence matrices. These results are applied to derive a purely combinatorial construction of basic systems for Stanley-Reisner rings of shellable posets. A procedure for transferring identities from one polynomial ring to another is then used to obtain basic systems for partition rings.
Grain boundary modifications of manganese ferrites

Abstract The effect of minor additions ( 2 and CaCO 3 to manganese ferrites was investigated. Complex impedance analysis showed that the resistivity was modified by altering the electrical response of the grain boundaries. The measured resistivity of the grain boundaries went through a maximum at between 0·2 and 0·4 wt% additions. DC conductivity measurements showed a shift from grain boundary to bulk control of the conductivity at fields >10 3 V/m. An equivalent circuit model was used to calculate the coefficient of non-ohmic response for Mn ferrites which were less than 3·0 for all compositions investigated. Differential thermal analysis in a magnetic field showed that Mn ferrite decomposed when subjected to post sintering thermal anneals at temperatures >600°C in air. The addition of less than 1 wt% SiO 2 and CaCO 3 inhibited this phase decomposition, by preventing the rapid diffusion of oxygen at the grain boundaries. The control of oxidation in ferrites by dopants is in addition to the previously recognized role in the control of the electrical and magnetic properties.
A new method for determining the isotopic composition of lithium

Abstract We have developed a new method for determining the isotopic composition of lithium that makes use of the reactions 6Li(d, σ)4He, 7Li(d, σ)5He∗(n)4He and 7Li(d, n)8Be∗ (σ)4He. The σ-particles from these reactions are observed with surface barrier detectors placed 135° relative to the incident 1.37 MeV deuteron beam. The isotopic ratio is directly proportional to the ratio of σ-particle yields. With detectors of 100μm depletion depth and proper bias one can eliminate the products of various (d, p) reactions that would otherwise seriously interfere with counting the σ-particles from 7Li. Elastically scattered deuterons are removed by 2.6 mg/cm2 mylar absorbers. The lithium is extracted by conventional cation exchange techniques, and targets are prepared in the form of LiClO4 deposited on a thick metal backing. The evaluation or minimization of errors resulting from effects of finite target thickness, finite angular acceptance of the detectors, count rate and contaminant elements its discussed. From measurements on a large number of calibration standards we conclude that at the 1% level the errors result primarily from counting statistics.
The Efficacy of Humor in Sherman Alexie's Flight: Violence, Vulnerability, and the Post-9/11 World

Sherman Alexie’s novel Flight (2007) explores the origins, contexts, and consequences of violence and terrorism in the post-9/11 world. Narrated by a fifteen-year-old foster child who calls himself Zits, Flight invites readers into the mind of a disaffected youth who uses both humor and violence to cope with an unjust world. When Zits opens fire in a bank lobby, he becomes unstuck in time— like Kurt Vonnegut’s character Billy Pilgrim in Slaughterhouse-Five (1969)—and is transported into the minds of other people also caught in violent circumstances at different historical moments. Alexie uses this body-jumping tactic to widen the social and political framework for understanding the attacks of September 11, 2001, as well as to examine Zits’s personal effort to cope with the violence that threatens to envelop him. Flight juxtaposes individualized and historical parallels to 9/11 in order to challenge simplistic responses to terrorist attacks—responses more likely to escalate than to prevent violence. As in so many of his narratives, Alexie infuses Flight with humor. Zits uses humor in a variety of ways, primarily to protect and define himself in a dangerous world. For Zits, humor serves as a defense strategy against an onslaught of physical, emotional, and rhetorical threats exacerbated by his marginal status as an “unofficial” Indian (he is not tribally enrolled) and his mistreatment within a broken foster care system. In this respect, Alexie conforms to a common treatment of humor by Native American writers: humor as a sign of strength and survival. In Custer Died for Your Sins (1969), for example, Vine Deloria, Jr., argues that humor allows individual and group survival (167). Kenneth Lincoln describes “the ethnic glue of Indi’n humor” (23), asserting that laughter is good for “exorcising the pain, redirecting their suffering, [and] drawing together against the common enemy” (5). Native American humor is often employed to unify resistance to intercultural violence. In Flight, however, Alexie departs from the notion that humor primarily demonstrates solidarity and strength in the face of racism, signaling a significant shift from his previous uses of humor. In a 2006 interview,
Participation, Due Process, and Responsive Administration: Handler's The Conditions of Discretion

Joel Handler in The Conditions of Discretion argues for the adoption of citizen participation in discretionary decision making for certain administrative contexts. The contexts are those in which conflicts between citizens and the program are not divisive and the administration is receptive to incorporating citizen energies. In these contexts, better programs and actions can result when administrative discretion is conditioned by the participation of the affected interests. To reach these results, as well as better realize our commitments to due process, Handler describes how to organize an effective participatory administration. The mainstream of current administrative law teaching and scholar-
Abundance and phenology of earth mites (Acari: Penthaleidae) and predatory mites in pesticide-treated and pesticide-free grassland habitats in southern new South Wales, Australia

Abstract Earth mites (Halotydeus destructor and Penthaleus spp.) and predatory mite (Bdellidae, Anystidae, Erythraeidae, Parasitidae) populations were sampled at six pesticide-free grassland sites and three pesticide-treated, improved pasture sites during autumn-spring 1998 in the Leeton district of southern New South Wales, Australia. Overall, earth mite populations were significantly larger at nonirrigated, pesticide-treated sites (12,366/m2/week) than in nonirrigated, pesticide-free sites (6,212/m2/week). Mean populations at pesticide-free sites remained fairly stable (<8,000/m2/week) until September (spring) when they peaked at 22,434/m2/week. Populations at pesticide-treated sites increased significantly during July-August (winter), peaking at 39,282/m2/week in October. Earth mite population densities reached 100,000/m2/week at a single, irrigated, pesticide-treated pasture site during autumn. Predatory mite populations were significantly larger at pesticide-free sites (176.8/m2/week) than at pestici...
Lawrence Katz (1956–2005)

Lawrence C. Katz died of melanoma on November 26, 2005, at the age of 48. He was amongst the most creative and influential neuroscientists of his time. His contributions were both scientific and personal, providing as much to the development of people as to scientific discovery. These affections were always inextricably intertwined, his love of scientific beauty and discovery, and his caring for those around him.
Mpi detection of singlet → triplet transitions in a supersonic jet: Evidence for T1 potential energy distortion in pyrazine and related molecules

Abstract One-color multiphoton ionisation in a supersonic jet has been used to detect S 0 → T 1 transitions of pyrazine, 2-methylpyrazine, and their van der Waals complexes with argon. Unlike pyrazine, which displays a rich vibronic structure, 2-methylpyrazine and pyrazine-argon exhibit only a few intense vibronic bands, suggesting rapid IVR and/or vibrational predissodation to a distorted T 1 geometry.
Synthesis of polycrystalline diamond with new non-metallic catalyst under high pressure and high temperature

Abstract Some oxide or double oxide compounds of iron family elements, such as FeTiO3, Fe2SiO4, Y3Fe5O12 and so on, were found to have a catalyst effect on the formation of diamond under high pressure and high temperature. They were also determined to act as an effective sintering agent for producing a polycrystalline diamond. By using Y3Fe5O12 as the sintering agent a homogeneous and strongly bonded polycrystalline diamond, having high hardness and superior heat resistance, was obtained even at 1850°C.
Proteins from nuclear extracts of two lepidopteran cell lines recognize the ends of TTAA-specific transposons piggyBac and tagalong

The transposons piggyBac and tagalong are Lepidopteran transposons that exhibit extreme site-specificity for the tetranucleotide TTAA upon insertion and excise in a characteristic precise fashion, regenerating a single TTAA target site. The precise excision of both piggyBac and tagalong can occur in the absence of factors encoded by either transposon, possibly through the recruitment of host proteins and/or cross-mobilizing transposons. In this report, we utilize mobility shift assays and exonuclease III protection analyses to identify DNA binding activities from IPLB-SF21AE and TN-368 cells that are specific for piggyBac and tagalong-terminal repeats.
Crossover from BCS to Bose superconductivity: Transition temperature and time-dependent Ginzburg-Landau theory

We use a functional integral formulation to study the finite temperature crossover from cooperative Cooper pairing to independent bound state formation and condensation. We show the inadequacy of mean field results for normal state properties obtained at the saddle point level as the coupling increases. The importance of quantum (temporal) fluctuations is pointed out and an interpolation scheme for ${\mathit{T}}_{\mathit{c}}$ is derived from this point of view. The time-dependent Ginzburg-Landau (TDGL) equation near ${\mathit{T}}_{\mathit{c}}$ is shown to describe a damped mode in the BCS limit, and a propagating one in the Bose limit. A singular point is identified at intermediate coupling where a simple TDGL description fails.
Dependence of yield strain of human trabecular bone on anatomic site

Understanding the dependence of human trabecular bone strength behavior on anatomic site provides insight into structure-function relationships and is essential to the increased success of site-specific finite element models of whole bones. To investigate the hypothesis that the yield strains of human trabecular bone depend on anatomic site, the uniaxial tensile and compressive yield properties were compared for cylindrical specimens from the vertebra (n=61), proximal tibia (n=31), femoral greater trochanter (n=23), and femoral neck (n=27) taken from 61 donors (67+/-15years). Test protocols were used that minimized end artifacts and loaded specimens along the main trabecular orientation. Yield strains by site (mean+/-S.D.) ranged from 0.70+/-0.05% for the trochanter to 0.85+/-0.10% for the femoral neck in compression, from 0.61+/-0.05% for the trochanter to 0.70+/-0.05% for the vertebra in tension, and were always higher in compression than tension (p<0.001). The compressive yield strain was higher for the femoral neck than for all other sites (p<0.001), as was the tensile yield strain for the vertebra (p<0.007). Analysis of covariance, with apparent density as the covariate, indicated that inter-site differences existed in yield stress even after adjusting statistically for density (p<0.035). Coefficients of variation in yield strain within each site ranged from only 5-12%, consistent with the strong linear correlations (r(2)=0.94-0.98) found between yield stress and modulus. These results establish that the yield strains of human trabecular bone can differ across sites, but that yield strain may be considered uniform within a given site despite substantial variation in elastic modulus and yield stress.
Immunocytochemical, Golgi and electron microscopic characterization of putative dendrites in the ventral glial lamina of the rat supraoptic nucleus

Processes of magnocellular neurosecretory cells in the rat supraoptic nucleus which project along the pial surface in the ventral glial lamina were investigated using immunocytochemistry, Golgi stains and electron microscopy. Immunocytochemical studies revealed that although both oxytocin- and vasopressin-containing processes were evident in the ventral glial lamina, vasopressin-containing processes predominated. Ventral processes were thicker and of a different morphology than dorsal axon-like processes which joined the hypothalamo-neurohypophysial tract and exhibited large varicosities along their length or at their apparent termination. Golgi stains revealed that classically defined dendrites of supraoptic neurons projected primarily ventrally and often invaded the ventral glial lamina. No axons were traced to the lamina. Ultrastructurally, processes within the ventral glial lamina characterized as dendrites could be stained immunocytochemically for neurophysin and were post-synaptic to a variety of presynaptic elements. The results suggest that many dendrites from magnocellular neurosecretory cells in the supraoptic nucleus project to the ventral glial lamina and form a restricted, receptive plexus. The previously demonstrated coexistence of catecholamine-containing varicosities and other axon types with these processes in the lamina indicates an important role for supraoptic dendrites in integrating a wide variety of information relevant to neurohypophysial hormone release.
Assessment of HgCdTe and GaAs/GaAlAs technologies for LWIR infrared imagers

Imagery of long wavelength infrared HgCdTe and GaAs quantum well staring arrays in size 128 X 128 has been demonstrated. In this paper, we compare detector array performance characteristics, discuss the natural and technological limitations of both technologies and identify the improvements likely to be made in the near future. At this stage of feasibility demonstration in the spectral band 8 - 10 micrometers , the effective quantum efficiency in GaAs FPAs is 4% compared to 60% for HgCdTe and the responsivity is 0.08 A/W compared to 4.5 A/W. This value of 0.08 A/W is significantly below the value 2 A/W reported for single quantum well infrared photodetectors (QWIP) detectors. The peak detectivities and NE(Delta) T at 78 K are (5 X 109 cm (root)Hz/W, 0.037 K) and (2 X 1011, 0.005 K) for QWIP and HgCdTe, respectively. The residual nonuniformities after two-point correction are < 0.01% for QWIP arrays and 0.012% for HgCdTe. Crosstalk is currently unsatisfactory in QWIP detector arrays, but design concepts can be used to reduce this effect. For terrestrial imaging, GaAs quantum well detector arrays most likely will need to operate at temperatures below 80 K from fundamental considerations; HgCdTe detector arrays are background limited at operating temperatures <EQ 90 K. Since cooling can drive cost and reliability, and since significant progress has been made in producing high quality HgCdTe detector arrays with good yield, it is unlikely that HgCdTe will be displaced by this technology for terrestrial applications. For low background space applications at (phi) b <EQ 1012 ph/cm2-sec, QWIP detectors at 40 K are background limited. This observation plus their radiation hard characteristics suggest a possible niche in strategic applications.
The statistical analysis of a thurstonian model for rating chess players

Abstract This paper formalizes and provides static and dynamic estimators for a scaling model for rating chess players. The model was suggested by the work of Arpad Elo, the inventor of the chess rating system in current use by both the United States and international chess federations. The model can be viewed as a Thurstone Case V model that permits draws (ties). A related model based on a linear approximation is also analyzed. In the chess application, possibly changing ability parameters are estimated sequentially from sparse data structures that often involve many fewer than M(M − 1) 2 observations on the M players to the rated. In contrast, psychological applications of paired-comparison scaling generally use models with no draw provision to estimate static parameters from a systematically obtained data structure such as a replicated “round robin” involving all M entities to be scaled. In the paper, both static and sequential estimators are provided and evaluated for a number of different data structures. Sampling theory for the estimators is developed. The application of rating systems to track temporally changing ability parameters may prove useful in many areas of psychology.
Evidence from small-subunit ribosomal RNA sequences for a fungal origin of Microsporidia

The phylum Microsporidia comprises a species-rich group of minute, single-celled, and intra-cellular parasites. Lacking normal mitochondria and with unique cytology, microsporidians have sometimes been thought to be a lineage of ancient eukaryotes. Although phylogenetic analyses using small-subunit ribosomal RNA (SSU-rRNA) genes almost invariably place the Microsporidia among the earliest branches on the eukaryotic tree, many other molecules suggest instead a relationship with fungi. Using maximum likelihood methods and a diverse SSU-rRNA data set, we have re-evaluated the phylogenetic affiliations of Microsporidia. We demonstrate that tree topologies used to estimate likelihood model parameters can materially affect phylogenetic searches. We present a procedure for reducing this bias: "tree-based site partitioning," in which a comprehensive set of alternative topologies is used to estimate sequence data partitions based on inferred evolutionary rates. This hypothesis-driven approach appears to be capable of utilizing phylogenetic information that is not available to standard likelihood implementations (e.g., approximation to a gamma distribution); we have employed it in maximum likelihood and Bayesian analysis. Applying our method to a phylogenetically diverse SSU-rRNA data set revealed that the early diverging ("deep") placement of Microsporidia typically found in SSU-rRNA trees is no better than a fungal placement, and that the likeliest placement of Microsporidia among non-long-branch eukaryotic taxa is actually within fungi. These results illustrate the importance of hypothesis testing in parameter estimation, provide a way to address certain problems in difficult data sets, and support a fungal origin for the Microsporidia.