cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
The determinants and consequences of reverse factoring: Early evidence from the UK

Our study examines the determinants and consequences of reverse factoring. Despite the increasing popularity of reverse factoring, neither US GAAP nor IFRS offers any guidance for the financial reporting of obligations owed under reverse factoring. Using a sample of UK firms from 2018 to 2020, we find that a buyer is more likely to adopt reverse factoring if it is larger, uses more trade credit, depends more on external financing, and has lower return volatility. In our tests of consequences, we find that, compared to firms that do not use reverse factoring, the average firm that adopts reverse factoring takes 10.5 days longer to pay its invoices, pays 12.2% fewer invoices within 30 days, and pays 13.6% more of its invoices later than 60 days. We also document several favorable accounting outcomes for firms that have adopted reverse factoring, such as reporting a higher ROA, higher profit margins, lower ROA volatility, and lower return volatility than firms that have not adopted reverse factoring. Our study contributes to the nascent literature on reverse factoring by empirically building a profile of the type of firm that adopts reverse factoring.
Using electrical resistivity to determine the efficiency of supplementary cementitious materials to prevent alkali-silica reaction in concrete

Abstract In this study, the miniature concrete prism test (MCPT) was used to evaluate expansion due to alkali-silica reaction (ASR) in concrete mixtures with very highly reactive fine aggregates and supplementary cementitious materials (SCMs). The concrete pore solution alkalinity and transport properties of concrete measured through bulk electrical resistivity were determined to investigate their correlation to the MCPT expansions. The findings showed that the concrete mixtures with SCM combinations that resulted in higher bulk electrical resistivity and lower pore solution alkalinity had less ASR expansion in the MCPT conditions. A potential new approach to determine the efficiency of SCM combinations to prevent ASR was proposed by combining the hydroxide concentration of pore solution and electrical resistivity of concrete.
Entropic Independence I: Modified Log-Sobolev Inequalities for Fractionally Log-Concave Distributions and High-Temperature Ising Models

We introduce a notion called entropic independence that is an entropic analog of spectral notions of high-dimensional expansion. Informally, entropic independence of a background distribution $\mu$ on $k$-sized subsets of a ground set of elements says that for any (possibly randomly chosen) set $S$, the relative entropy of a single element of $S$ drawn uniformly at random carries at most $O(1/k)$ fraction of the relative entropy of $S$. Entropic independence is the analog of the notion of spectral independence, if one replaces variance by entropy. We use entropic independence to derive tight mixing time bounds, overcoming the lossy nature of spectral analysis of Markov chains on exponential-sized state spaces. In our main technical result, we show a general way of deriving entropy contraction, a.k.a. modified log-Sobolev inequalities, for down-up random walks from spectral notions. We show that spectral independence of a distribution under arbitrary external fields automatically implies entropic independence. To derive our results, we relate entropic independence to properties of polynomials: $\mu$ is entropically independent exactly when a transformed version of the generating polynomial of $\mu$ is upper bounded by its linear tangent; this property is implied by concavity of the said transformation, which was shown by prior work to be locally equivalent to spectral independence. We apply our results to obtain tight modified log-Sobolev inequalities and mixing times for multi-step down-up walks on fractionally log-concave distributions. As our flagship application, we establish the tight mixing time of $O(n\log n)$ for Glauber dynamics on Ising models whose interaction matrix has eigenspectrum lying within an interval of length smaller than $1$, improving upon the prior quadratic dependence on $n$.
Cognitive Algebra: Integration Theory Applied to Social Attribution

Publisher Summary This chapter presents the theoretical overview of cognitive algebra. It considers some of the interrelations between attribution theory and theory of information integration. Both integration theory and attribution theory have been much concerned with person perception, but there has been little interaction between them. One reason has been their orientation toward different aspects of the judgment process. Attribution theory has been concerned primarily with questions of valuation, and integration itself has received little attention. In contrast, the first concern of integration theory is how information is combined or integrated. Three main types of algebraic models have been used in the study of information integration: adding, averaging, and multiplying models. The chapter explores a few relevant results of these models. In certain experiments, a stimulus person is portrayed subject to two or more forces. These forces may be internal or external, and they may be parallel or opposed in direction. The judgments required of the subject typically involve the mediation of a force model imputed by the subject to account for the behavior of the stimulus person.
Observation and simulation of the radial evolution and stream structure of solar wind turbulence

This paper presents a brief overview of the observed evolution in a variety of quantities describing the turbulent evolution of the interplanetary plasma and describes simulation results consistent with many features of the evolution. The turbulence is manifested through a dissipation at small scales in the inner heliosphere with a corresponding evolution in the breakpoint between a relatively flat and a Kolmogoroff spectrum; an evolution from kinetically to (slightly) magnetically dominated energy of the plasma fluctuations; a general decrease in the cross helicity or 'Alfvenicity'; changes in the anisotropy of the fluctuations; and the increasing predominance of quasi-pressure-balanced structures in the compressive component of the fluctuations. MHD simulations with shear layers either side of a central current sheet show that even in the absence of compressibility the lack of a mean field along the direction of the main flow in the current sheet leads to rapid nonlinear evolution and the observed characteristics of 'Elsasser spectra' of the fields in the inner heliosphere. Adding compressibility to the simulations does not greatly change the 'incompressive' quantities but leads in addition to observed correlations between a measure of compression and other quantities.
XatA, an AT-1 autotransporter important for the virulence of Xylella fastidiosa Temecula1

Xylella fastidiosa Temecula1 is the causative agent of Pierce's disease of grapevine, which is spread by xylem-feeding insects. An important feature of the infection cycle is the ability of X. fastidiosa to colonize and interact with two distinct environments, the xylem of susceptible plants and the insect foregut. Here, we describe our characterization of XatA, the X. fastidiosa autotransporter protein encoded by PD0528. XatA, which is classified as an AT-1 (classical) autotransporter, has a C-terminal β-barrel domain and a passenger domain composed of six tandem repeats of approximately 50 amino acids. Localization studies indicate that XatA is present in both the outer membrane and membrane vesicles and its passenger domain can be found in the supernatant. Moreover, XatA is important for X. fastidiosa autoaggregation and biofilm formation based on mutational analysis and the discovery that Escherichia coli expressing XatA acquire these traits. The xatA mutant also shows a significant decrease in Pierce's disease symptoms when inoculated into grapevines. Finally, X. fastidiosa homologs to XatA, which can be divided into three distinct groups based on synteny, form a single, well-supported clade, suggesting that they arose from a common ancestor.
Effect Of Ph And Imidazole On Protein C Purification From Cohn Fraction Iv-1 By Imac

Cohn Fraction IV-1 (CFIV-1) is a by-product (often discarded) of a plasma fractionation process. It retains 90% of Protein C (PC) of plasma but contains several coagulants structurally homologous to PC. Of these coagulants, Factor II (FII) has the longest half-life (12 times of PC) and largest quantity (9 times of PC) in CFIV-1. Current purification process for PC is by immunoaffinity chromatography using monoclonal antibodies, which is very expensive. Immobilized metal affinity chromatography (IMAC) is an inexpensive process that uses metal ions to adsorb proteins via their surface histidines. Affinity of PC to the metal ions in IMAC is higher than that of FII because PC has 15 surface histidines and FII has 5. Two important factors in an IMAC process are pH and imidazole concentration. PH controls protonation of histidine, and imidazole, a histidine analog, competitively reacts with metal ions. The effects of pH and imidazole on adsorption and elution of PC and FII during IMAC process were studied. The effect of pH on PC and FII adsorption was similar within the range of 6.0 and 8.0. At concentrations below 15 mM imidazole, little PC or FII eluted. At 15 and 20 mM imidazole 2.5% of PC was eluted, while 20-30% of FII was eluted.
Einstein-Schrodinger theory in the presence of zero-point fluctuations

The Einstein-Schrodinger theory is modified by adding a cosmological constant contribution caused by zero-point fluctuations. This cosmological constant which multiplies the symmetric metric is assumed to be nearly cancelled by Schrodinger's ``bare'' cosmological constant which multiplies the nonsymmetric fundamental tensor, such that the total ``physical'' cosmological constant matches measurement. We first derive the field equations of the theory from a Lagrangian density. We show that the divergence of the Einstein equations vanishes using the Christoffel connection formed from the symmetric metric, allowing additional fields to be included in the same manner as with ordinary general relativity. We show that the field equations match the ordinary electro-vac Einstein and Maxwell equations except for additional terms which are $<10^{-16}$ of the usual terms for worst-case field strengths and rates-of-change accessible to measurement. We also show that the theory avoids ghosts in an unusual way. We show that the Einstein-Infeld-Hoffmann (EIH) equations of motion for this theory match the equations of motion for Einstein-Maxwell theory to Newtonian/Coulombian order, which proves the existence of a Lorentz force. We derive an exact electric monopole solution, and show that it matches the Reissner-Nordstrom solution except for additional terms which are $\sim10^{-66}$ of the usual terms for worst-case radii accessible to measurement. Finally, we show that the theory becomes exactly electro-vac Einstein-Maxwell theory in the limit as the cosmological constant from zero-point fluctuations goes to infinity.
R-curve modeling of rate and size effects in quasibrittle fracture

The equivalent linear elastic fracture model based on an R-curve (a curve characterizing the variation of the critical energy release rate with the crack propagation length) is generalized to describe both the rate effect and size effect observed in concrete, rock or other quasibrittle materials. It is assumed that the crack propagation velocity depends on the ratio of the stress intensity factor to its critical value based on the R-curve and that this dependence has the form of a power function with an exponent much larger than 1. The shape of the R-curve is determined as the envelope of the fracture equilibrium curves corresponding to the maximum load values for geometrically similar specimens of different sizes. The creep in the bulk of a concrete specimen must be taken into account, which is done by replacing the elastic constants in the linear elastic fracture mechanics (LEFM) formulas with a linear viscoelastic operator in time (for rocks, which do not creep, this is omitted). The experimental observation that the brittleness of concrete increases as the loading rate decreases (i.e. the response shifts in the size effect plot closer to LEFM) can be approximately described by assuming that stress relaxation causes the effective process zone lenght in the R-curve expression to decrease with a decreasing loading rate. Another power function is used to describe this. Good fits of test data for which the times to peak range from 1 sec to 250000 sec are demonstrated. Furthermore, the theory also describes the recently conducted relaxation tests, as well as the recently observed response to a sudden change of loading rate (both increase and decrease), and particularly the fact that a sufficient rate increase in the post-peak range can produce a load-displacement response of positive slope leading to a second peak.
Comparison of the in vitro storage properties of Amicus apheresis platelets collected using single‐ and double‐needle procedures from the same donors

Background Amicus apheresis platelets (PLTs) can be collected using either a single- (SN) or a double-needle (DN) procedure. To investigate whether the method of PLT collection using the same instrument influences PLT quality, the in vitro storage properties of Amicus PLTs were evaluated in the same donors collected by SN and DN procedures. Study design and methods Single apheresis PLT collections with concurrent plasma were performed on donors using the Amicus with a target yield of 4 × 10(11). A PLT unit was collected from a donor assigned to either a SN or a DN procedure; a subsequent donation from the same individual was collected by the other procedure (n = 10). Units were stored at 20 to 24°C with continuous agitation, assayed for 19 PLT storage variables, and analyzed by paired t test, with differences between values obtained with SN and DN collections considered significant with p values of less than 0.001. Results PLT units collected by SN procedure had contents and concentrations similar to those collected by DN procedures (4.1 × 10(11) ± 0.3 × 10(11) vs. 4.0 × 10(11) ± 0.3 × 10(11) and 1396 × 10(9) ± 131 × 10(9) vs. 1367 × 10(9) ± 110 × 10(9) PLTs/L). On Day 7, SN and DN PLTs had comparable pH values (7.07 ± 0.09 vs. 6.99 ± 0.17), morphology (52.4 ± 18.7% vs. 56.0 ± 13.3% discoid), aggregation (87.1 ± 11.5% vs. 91.3 ± 5.4%), and activation (45. ± 11.9% vs. 48.2 ± 8.7% CD62P), as well as all other variables (p > 0.05; Day 7 CO(2) , p = 0.0304). Conclusion The in vitro storage properties of apheresis PLTs collected from the same donors using a SN and DN procedure with the Amicus instrument were maintained through 7 days of storage and yielded comparable results.
Reasons for under-use of prescribed opioid medications by patients in pain.

Background. With the growth in opioid therapy for the treatment of chronic pain, health care providers have focused their attention on avoiding over-use of opioid medications, specifically to avoid addiction, dependency, and other misuse. Qualitative and quantitative reviews of medication adherence, in contrast, focus primarily on why patients under-use or do not take their medications as prescribed and find nonadherence rates of approximately 25%. Objective. To identify the prevalence of under-use of opioid medications and the reasons and implications of under-use. Design. As part of a variety of structured assessments, subjects were asked detailed questions about how they used their opioid medication in their daily lives. Participants. One hundred ninety-one veterans who received an opioid prescription for any pain problem within the 12 months before the interview. Measures. We defined a patient who under-used his/her medication as one who took less than their prescribed dose of medication and reported that pain impaired their ability to engage in normal daily activities. Results. Under-use of opioids (20%) was more common than over-use (9%), consistent with research on medication adherence. Patients who under-used their opioids offered the same reasons for under-use that patients report for other medications. However, while under-users reported more pain than other opioid users they filled only slightly fewer opioid prescriptions. Communication problems between patients and providers about opioids were common. Conclusions. Improved communication between patients and providers and shared decision-making regarding opioid prescriptions may improve pain management and minimize the problems associated with over-prescription of opioids (i.e., diversion).
A Program to Improve Elementary Teacher Preparation in Science at Rollins College.

The goals of this project were to design and implement a series of courses that would better prepare elementary school teachers to teach science and would promote positive attitudes toward science and science teaching. The initial offering of the first series of courses met with moderate success. Although the courses fostered an increase in cognitive knowledge, the magnitude of the improvement was not what we had anticipated. There was no significant improvement in the attitudes of the students toward science or science teaching.
Gender-related effects of chronic ethanol ingestion on rat hepatic acyl-CoA: cholesterol acyltransferase

The influence of chronic ethanol ingestion on hepatic acyl-CoA: cholesterol acyltransferase activity was investigated to determine the relationship between alcohol intake and cholesterol ester accumulation. Rats were given nutritionally complete liquid diets supplemented with 6.3% ethanol or an isocaloric equivalent of dextrin-maltose for 5 weeks. During this period, the hepatic acyl-CoA: cholesterol acyltransferase activity of ethanol-fed male rats remained constant, whereas the same activity in pair-fed controls as well as chow-fed rats exhibited a 30% decrease in activity. Unlike alcohol-fed male rats, the hepatic acyl-CoA: cholesterol acyltransferase activity of female rats decreased by approximately 30% by the fifth week of ethanol ingestion. Despite the fact that the gender of the animals led to disparate levels of acyl-CoA: cholesterol acyltransferase activity in response to ethanol ingestion, similar levels of cholesteryl ester accumulation were observed. The altered levels of acyl-CoA: cholesterol acyltransferase activity caused no significant change in the cholesterol concentration, cholesterol/phospholipid ratio, phospholipid fatty acid composition, or the membrane fluidity of the hepatic microsomes. We conclude that the altered hepatic acyl-CoA: cholesterol acyltransferase activity of ethanol-fed female rats cannot be directly responsible for ethanol-induced accumulation of cholesteryl esters.
Gravity waves on water of variable depth

This is a study of the propagation of gravity waves over a basin in which the propagation distance is large compared with the scale of the bottom topography, which, in turn, is large compared with the depth. Special emphasis is given to the low-frequency part of the spectrum and to geometries containing a beach (see figure 1) because of their importance in tidal wave phenomena. Both reflexion phenomena and the dispersive character of the propagation are accounted for and the non-linear aspects of the large amplification associated with the beach climbing are also included. However, the analysis of problems in which the waves break is valid only up to the inception of breaking; post-breaking phenomena are not treated.
Electronic structure of BAs and boride III-V alloys

Boron arsenide, the typically ignored member of the Group-III--V arsenide series BAs-AlAs-GaAs-InAs is found to resemble silicon electronically: its $\ensuremath{\Gamma}$ conduction-band minimum is p-like $({\ensuremath{\Gamma}}_{15}),$ not s-like $({\ensuremath{\Gamma}}_{1\mathrm{c}}),$ it has an ${X}_{1\mathrm{c}}$-like indirect band gap, and its bond charge is distributed almost equally on the two atoms in the unit cell, exhibiting nearly perfect covalency. The reasons for these are tracked down to the anomalously low atomic $p$ orbital energy in the boron and to the unusually strong $s--s$ repulsion in BAs relative to most other Group-III--V compounds. We find unexpected valence-band offsets of BAs with respect to GaAs and AlAs. The valence-band maximum (VBM) of BAs is significantly higher than that of AlAs, despite the much smaller bond length of BAs, and the VBM of GaAs is only slightly higher than in BAs. These effects result from the unusually strong mixing of the cation and anion states at the VBM. For the BAs-GaAs alloys, we find (i) a relatively small $(\ensuremath{\sim}3.5 \mathrm{eV})$ and composition-independent band-gap bowing. This means that while addition of small amounts of nitrogen to GaAs lowers the gap, addition of small amounts of boron to GaAs raises the gap; (ii) boron ``semilocalized'' states in the conduction band (similar to those in GaN-GaAs alloys); and (iii) bulk mixing enthalpies that are smaller than in GaN-GaAs alloys. The unique features of boride Group-III--V alloys offer new opportunities in band-gap engineering.
Characterizing detection thresholds using extreme value theory in compressive noise radar imaging

An important outcome of radar signal processing is the detection of the presence or absence of target reflections at each pixel location in a radar image. In this paper, we propose a technique based on extreme value theory for characterizing target detection in the context of compressive sensing. In order to accurately characterize target detection in radar systems, we need to relate detection thresholds and probabilities of false alarm. However, when convex optimization algorithms are used for compressive radar imaging, the recovered signal may have unknown and arbitrary probability distributions. In such cases, we resort to Monte Carlo simulations to construct empirical distributions. Computationally, this approach is impractical for computing thresholds for low probabilities of false alarm. We propose to circumvent this problem by using results from extreme-value theory.
Re: Radical Prostatectomy Versus Watchful Waiting in Early Prostate Cancer

EUROPEAN UROLOGY 60 (2011) 867–871 Re: Association of Statin Use with Pathological Tumor Characteristics and Prostate Cancer Recurrence After Surgery Mondul AM, Han M, Humphreys EB, et al J Urol 2011;185:1268–73 Expert’s summary: In this retrospective study of 2399 patients who underwent radical prostatectomy between 1993 and 2006, the primary and secondary preventive use of statins was evaluated. Using a retrospective cohort design, the outcome was calculated using Cox proportional hazard regression including recurrence. Covariates were intake of aspirin, angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors, and diabetic medications. Mondul et al found that 16.1% of patients on statins at prostatectomy were 34% less likely to harbor a locally advanced cancer. Statin intake reduced the risk of a Gleason score 4 + 3 by 65% when the prostate-specific antigen (PSA) level was 10 ng/ml, but not at PSA 10 ng/ml, independent of the PSA level with non-organ-confined disease and the postoperative PSA level. Among statin users, age was unrelated to the Re: Radical Prostatectomy Versus Watchful Waiting in Early Prostate Cancer Bill-Axelson A, Holmberg L, Ruutu M, et al N Engl J Med 2011;364:1708–17 Expert’s summary: This article presents long-term (median: 12.8 yr) follow-up of the Scandinavian Prostate Cancer Group 4 (SPCG-4) trial, which randomized 695 men aged 60% were Gleason 6 and only 5% were Gleason 8. Mean age at diagnosis was 65, mean PSA was 12.9 ng/ml, and most tumors were clinically detected. By the end of 2009, 367 (53%) of the 695 men had died, 136 (37%) from prostate cancer. The absolute and relative risk reductions for cancer-specific mortality for prostatec- tomy relative to watchful waiting were 6.1% and 38%, respectively. For all-cause mortality, these reductions were 6.6% and 25%, respectively, again, in favor of surgery. Subgroup analysis found that these differences were
Microderivatization of peptides by placing a fixed positive charge at the N-terminus to modify high energy collision fragmentation

Abstract For the differentiation of leucine and isoleucine in a peptide by high energy collision-induced dissociation (CID), it is generally required that there is a basic amino acid present at or near either the C-terminus or the N-terminus of the peptide. In these cases, fragmentation or the β,γ bond of the side chain occurs, generating ions designated w n or d n that permit the differentiation of these isomeric amino acids. While trypsin and Endo Lys-C generate peptides with a basic C-terminal amino acid, other enzymes cleave at neutral or acidic amino acids and may thus produce proteolytic peptides that do not contain any basic amino acids. For these, a microderivatization method has been developed that places a fixed positive charge at the C-terminus. It involves exposure of the peptide(s) deposited on the inner wall of a capillary tube, first to chloroacetyl chloride vapor and then to trimethylamine and water vapors. This two-step reaction attaches a trimethylammonium acetyl (TMA) moiety to the N-terminal amino group of the peptide. The CID spectra of these derivatives are very simple, exhibit the same characteristics (including abundant d n ions) as peptides bearing the strongly basic arginine at the N-terminus, and thus permit the differentiation of leucine from isoleucine. The reaction can be carried out at the sub-nanomole level.
‘I Am Not a Decorator’: Florence Knoll, the Knoll Planning Unit and the Making of the Modern Office

The Knoll Planning Unit (1943-71), the interior design service of Knoll Associates, was responsible for some of the most innovative corporate interior design of the post-war period. The Planning Unit was directed by Florence Knoll (born 1917), who trained as an architect and designed buildings, interiors, furniture and textiles over the course of her career. Florence Knoll was part of a movement to professionalize interior design in America and played a key role in defining the new field of interior design. The offices she designed for the Planning Unit were distinguished by a humanized modernism which combined spare form with rich textures and vivid colour. They showcased the Knoll look, a recognizable combination of furniture, colours and fabrics that became the trademark of Knoll design. Through a combination of prestigious clients, astute promotion and skilled staff, Florence Knoll and the Knoll Planning Unit turned this corporate humanized modernism into a ubiquitous reality.
Measuring the flow experience of gamers: An evaluation of the DFS-2

One element of growing interest in the video gaming literature is the flow state, which is a pleasing and engaging experience commonly reported by players of games. As such, there are many different measures and methods that seek to quantify the flow experience. The present work examined whether a common measure of flow, the Dispositional Flow Scale-2 (DFS-2), was valid to use in the gamer population. We initially collected data from 762 undergraduate students. Of these, 314 qualified as ''gamers'' and were included in our analysis. Participants completed the DFS-2 based on their personal gaming experiences and the data was subjected to factor analysis. We did not find the DFS-2 to be an adequate measure of flow for the game experience and that continued examination of the construct and measure refinement is necessary.
An arteriovenous malformation in pregnancy: A case report and review of the literature

A case is described of a young woman with progression of a macrofistulous arteriovenous malformation during pregnancy. This resulted in severe symptoms necessitating cesarean section, following which there was a dramatic postpartum recovery. The arteriovenous malformation was confirmed by angiography. The literature related to arteriovenous malformations in pregnancy is reviewed.
A gene pattern mining algorithm using interchangeable gene sets for prokaryotes

Background Mining gene patterns that are common to multiple genomes is an important biological problem, which can lead us to novel biological insights. When family classification of genes is available, this problem is similar to the pattern mining problem in the data mining community. However, when family classification information is not available, mining gene patterns is a challenging problem. There are several well developed algorithms for predicting gene patterns in a pair of genomes, such as FISH and DAGchainer. These algorithms use the optimization problem formulation which is solved using the dynamic programming technique. Unfortunately, extending these algorithms to multiple genome cases is not trivial due to the rapid increase in time and space complexity.
Polymerase Chain Reaction Detection of Kaposi's Sarcoma-Associated Herpesvirus-Optimized Protocols and Their Application to Myeloma

Since its discovery in 1994, KSHV (also called human herpesvirus-8 or HHV8) has been implicated in a variety of disorders. Although the association of KSHV with Kaposi's sarcoma (KS), primary effusion lymphoma (PEL), and multicentric Castleman's disease has been well established, its presence in some other diseases, such as multiple myeloma, remains controversial. Because most KSHV studies are based on polymerase chain reaction (PCR) analysis, the conflicting data may be attributable to variations in the methods, primer sets, and target sequences selected. To establish an efficient and reliable PCR approach for KSHV detection we designed eight sets of primers to six regions (ORFK1, ORFK2, ORFK9, ORK26, ORF72, and ORF74) of the KSHV genome using appropriate database and software. The detection sensitivity of these primers was carefully assessed and their reliability was strictly validated in a series of positive (15 KS and PEL samples) and negative (16 lymphoid tissues) controls. We found that primer sets to the ORFK9 region showed the highest sensitivity, whereas primer sets to ORFK1 and ORF74 showed the lowest sensitivity. Primer sets to ORFK9, ORF26 and ORF72 regions detected all of the positive cases, whereas other primer sets showed varying detection rates or nonspecific bands. All 16 negative controls were negative with all primer sets. However, six of 16 negative controls became positive when we used nested PCR targeting ORF26. Therefore, multiple target KSHV sequences increase the detection efficiency, while nested PCR protocols are likely to introduce false positivity. Using ORFK9, ORF26 and ORF72 primer sets, we screened bone marrow biopsies from 18 cases of multiple myeloma, and failed to detect any KSHV sequences. This finding supports the conclusion that KSHV is not associated with multiple myeloma. Indeed, our results further confirm that although KSHV is universally present in Kaposi's sarcoma and primary effusion lymphoma, it is not ubiquitous.
Systematic Oxidation of Polystyrene by Ultraviolet-Ozone, Characterized by Near-Edge X-ray Absorption Fine Structure and Contact Angle

The process of implanting oxygen in polystyrene (PS) via exposure to ultraviolet-ozone (UV-O) was systematically investigated using the characterization technique of near-edge X-ray absorption fine structure (NEXAFS). Samples of PS exposed to UV-O for 10-300 s and washed with isopropanol were analyzed using the carbon and oxygen K-edge NEXAFS partial electron yields, using various retarding bias voltages to depth-profile the oxygen penetration into the surface. Evaluation of reference polymers provided a scale to quantify the oxygen concentration implanted by UV-O treatment. We find that ozone initially reacts with the double bonds on the phenyl rings, forming carbonyl groups, but within 1 min of exposure, the ratio of double to single oxygen bonds stabilizes at a lower value. Oxygen penetrates the film with relative ease, creating a fairly uniform distribution of oxygen within at least the first 4 nm (the effective depth probed by NEXAFS here). Before oxygen accumulates in large concentrations, however, it preferentially degrades the uppermost layer of the film by removing oxygenated low-molecular-weight oligomers. The failure to accumulate high concentrations of oxygen is seen in the nearly constant carbon edge jump, the low concentration of oxygen even at 5 min exposure (58% of that in poly(4-acetoxystyrene), the polymer with the most similarities to UV-O-treated PS), and the relatively high contact angles. At 5 min exposure the oxygen concentration contains ca. 7 atomic % oxygen. The oxygen species that are implanted consist predominantly of single O-C bonds and double O=C bonds but also include a small fraction of O-H. UV-O treatment leads a plateau after 2 min exposure in the water contact angle hysteresis, at a value of 67 +/- 2 degrees , due primarily to chemical heterogeneity. Annealing above T(g) allows oxygenated species to move short distances away from the surface but not diffuse further than 1-2 nm.
Physics of contact angle measurement

Abstract Contact angles can be of great value; however, making meaningful contact angle measurements and interpreting those measurements is complex. For years, researchers have addressed a wide variety of issues concerning contact angles. Some questions have been qualitatively answered; others remain open. In this paper, we focus on three issues which are particularly important for the measurement and use of contact angles: the appropriate definitions and use of macroscopic and microscopic contact angles, a brief survey of the length scales relevant to phenomena controlling contact angles, and the role of vibrations in determining contact angles. We emphasize contact angle issues relevant to heterogeneous surfaces, specifically, ambient surfaces prevalent in nature and industry.
Coverage discounting: A generalized approach for testbench qualification

In simulation-based validation, the detection of design errors requires both stimulus capable of activating the errors and checkers capable of detecting the behavior as erroneous. Validation coverage metrics tend to address only the sufficiency of a testbench's stimulus component, whereas fault insertion techniques focus on the testbench's checker component. In this paper we introduce “coverage discounting”, an analytical technique that combines the benefits of each approach, overcomes their respective shortcomings, and provides significantly more information than performing both tasks separately. The proposed approach can be used with any functional coverage metric (including, and ideally, user defined covergroups and bins), and a variety of fault models and insertion mechanisms. We present an experimental case study where the proposed approach is used to evaluate functional and pseudofunctional tests for a microprocessor. The simulation efficiency is improved through the use of an instruction set simulator, which has been instrumented to record functional coverage information as well as insert faults according to an ad-hoc fault model. The results demonstrate the benefits of coverage discounting: it is able to correctly distinguish high and low-quality tests with similar coverage scores as well as expose checker insufficiencies.
Multivariate composite distributions for coefficients in synthetic optimization problems

Abstract In most cases, coefficients in synthetic optimization problems are randomly generated based on specified univariate marginal distributions. Additionally, the various types of coefficients are assumed to be mutually independent, even though coefficients in practical problems may be correlated. In this paper, multivariate composite distributions with specified marginal distributions and a specified Pearson product–moment population correlation structure are characterized. The generation of synthetic optimization problems is the principal motivation for characterizing these composite distributions, but they are also useful for many other simulation applications. Type L composite distributions are composed of the extreme-correlation distributions for a multivariate random variable only, while Type U composite distributions are based on the extreme-correlation distributions and the joint distribution under independence. Closed-form composition probabilities for distributions of trivariate random variables are presented. Methods for identifying correlation structures that are amenable to representation by composite distributions are discussed.
Self-Transmissible Antibiotic Resistance to Ampicillin, Streptomycin, and Tetracyclin Found in Escherichia coli Isolates from Contaminated Drinking Water

Presence and survival of cultivable bacteria in drinking water can act as a vehicle to disseminate virulence genes (adherence, enterotoxigenic and antibiotic resistance) to other bacteria. This can result in high morbidity and mortality, and the failure of the treatment of life threatening bacterial infections in humans and animals. In this study, antibiotic resistance (ABR) patterns and transferability of the ABR markers was investigated in Escherichia coli isolates obtained from drinking water and human urine samples. The ABR in E. coli isolates was determined against 15 antibiotics commonly used in human and veterinary medicine. A high frequency of ABR to carbenicillin (56%), tetracycline (53%) and streptomycin (49%) and a low frequency of cefizoxime (5%), amikacin (8%), cefazidine, (5%), chloramphenicol (9%), and kanamycin (18%) was found in the tested E. coli isolates. ABR to kanamycin (0% vs. 35%) and moxalactam (4% vs. 30%) was higher in drinking water isolates whereas resistance to streptomycin (92% vs. 15%), ampicillin (24% vs. 10%), and nalidixic acid (12% vs. 0%) was higher in human urine isolates. A large number of E. coli isolates (93%) exhibited resistance to two or more antibiotics. Two of E. coli isolates from drinking water showed resistances to six (Cb Cm Cx Ip Mx Tc and An Cb Km Mx Sm Tc) and one was resistant to seven antibiotics (Am An Cb Km Mx Sm Tc). A majority of the multiple antibiotic resistant E. coli isolates contained one or more plasmids (size ranged approximately 1.4 Kb to approximately 40 Kb). The ABR traits (Am and Tc) were transferable to other bacteria via conjugation. These data raise an important question about the impact of E. coli containing self-transmissible R-plasmids as a potential reservoir of virulence genes in drinking water.
Why and how should we assess occupational health impacts in integrated product policy

Integrated product policy (IPP) and life cycle assessment (LCA), one of the analytic tools used in IPP, focus traditionally on environmental impacts. However, in an attempt to consider other sustainability criteria and to avoid a shift from environmental health impacts to occupational health impacts one may want to include occupational health in IPP. Should and can occupational health impacts be included in LCA and IPP? Using published and unpublished occupational health data for injuries and illnesses and an economic input-output model of the United States, we provide attributional occupational health impacts measured in disability adjusted life years per dollars output for 491 industry sectors including supply chain impacts. Estimates for the "true" number of United States occupational health impacts suggest that this initial analysis underestimates the total impact 3-7-fold. A comparison suggests that United States occupational health impacts are about 10 times smaller than environmental health impacts and are, relatively speaking, important only for sectors with hazardous working environments but low environmental impacts. A consequential rather than attributional view suggests that a method to assess true consequences on long-term health impacts by product policies needs to be able to predict effects from present-day work place exposure and to account for likely changes in the labor market, including changes in unemployment rates and other substitution mechanisms.
Variations in normal color vision. I. Cone-opponent axes

Early postreceptoral color vision is thought to be organized in terms of two principal axes corresponding to opposing L- and M-cone signals (LvsM) or to S-cone signals opposed by a combination of L- and M-cone signals (SvsLM). These cone-opponent axes are now widely used in studies of color vision, but in most cases the corresponding stimulus variations are defined only theoretically, based on a standard observer. We examined the range and implications of interobserver variations in the cone-opponent axes. We used chromatic adaptation to empirically define the LvsM and SvsLM axes and used both thresholds and color contrast adaptation to determine sensitivity to the axes. We also examined the axis variations implied by individual differences in the color matching data of Stiles and Burch [Opt. Acta6, 1 (1959)]. The axes estimated for individuals can differ measurably from the nominal standard-observer axes and can influence the interpretation of postreceptoral color organization (e.g., regarding interactions between the two axes). Thus, like luminance sensitivity, individual differences in chromatic sensitivity may be important to consider in studies of the cone-opponent axes.
Binocular summation of equal-energy flashes of unequal duration

To determine if binocular summation occurs when increment flashes are of equal energy (Bloch’s law) but unequal in luminance-duration parameters, three Ss made temporal forced-choice judgments: (1) monocularly, (2) binocularly when the flashes to each eye were identical, (3) binocularly when the flashes to each eye were of equal energy but different in terms of their luminance and duration parameters, and (4) binocularly when flashes to each eye were separated by 100 msec. Binocular detection rates were consistently superior to monocular detection rates. Similarity in performance between Conditions 2 and 3 indicates that the binocular visual system responds only to the total energy of each monocular flash. The data from two Ss reveal that binocular performance was greater than that predicted on the basis of probability summation.
Progress towards laser spectroscopy of atomic and molecular positronium

The production of molecular positronium and the existence of excited states of this molecule make it natural to consider performing laser spectroscopy on this four-particle matter-antimatter system. We report here progress towards this goal, including the production of a more intense positron beam and the development and testing of laser systems suitable for spectroscopy of atomic and molecular positronium.
Interleaved Sparse Arrays for Polarization Control of Electronically Steered Phased Arrays for Meteorological Applications

A method is described for adjusting the far-field polarization of an electronically steered phased-array antenna. In this method, the polarization of a small subset of array elements is switched in order to reduce far-field cross-polarization of the overall array. The technique is intended for antennas used in polarimetric radars that measure quantities such as differential reflectivity (Zdr) and specific differential phase (KDP). In particular, it is appropriate for lower cost arrays where only one transmit or receive polarization is active at a time. In such arrays, it will reduce the number of measurements needed by one-third. Analysis of the tradeoffs in the technique is presented as well as examples in hypothetical large arrays. Measured results are presented for a small 4×4 array.
EFFECTS OF HIGH FREQUENCY JET VENTILATION ON PULMONARY AND HEMODYNAMIC PARAMETERS IN A RABBIT MODEL

In order to assess the effects of high frequency jet ventilation (HFJV) on pulmonary and hemodynamic parameters, 10 anesthetized adult rabbits (1.8-2.2 kg) were studied while receiving HFJV and conventional mechanical ventilation (CMV). Each rabbit received two hours of one ventilatory mode, then two hours of the other. HFJV was delivered by a Sechrist 990 HFJ ventilator while CMV was delivered by a Sechrist IV-100 B infant ventilator. Prior to data collection ventilation in both modes was adjusted to maintain the PaCO2 between 35 and 45 Torr. CMV was accomplished using a peak inspiratory pressure of 12 cm H2O and 4 cm H2O end expiratory pressure. Ventilatory rates of 300 (six rabbits) and 600 (four rabbits) breaths per minute were used during HFJV. In both modes FiO2 was 0.5 and flow rate was 10 L/min. Pulmonary gas exchange (A-a DO2), venous saturation (SvO2), mean airway pressure (MAP), heart rate (HR), mean arterial blood pressure (BP), and central venous pressure (CVP) were recorded every 30 minutes (Table). The results suggest no impedance to pulmonary gas exchange, a lower MAP, and improved hemodynamic stability with HFJV compared to CMV in the adult rabbit.
“Inverse-Electron-Demand” Ligand Substitution: Experimental and Computational Insights into Olefin Exchange at Palladium(0)

The mechanism of olefin substitution at palladium(0) has been studied, and the results provide unique insights into the fundamental reactivity of electron-rich late transition metals. A systematic series of bathocuproine−palladium(0) complexes bearing trans-β-nitrostyrene ligands (nsX = XC6H4CHCHNO2; X = OCH3, CH3, H, Br, CF3), (bc)Pd0nsX (3X), was prepared and characterized, and olefin-substitution reactions of these complexes were found to proceed by an associative mechanism. In cross-reactions between (bc)Pd(nsCH3) and nsX (X = OCH3, H, Br, CF3), more-electron-deficient olefins react more rapidly (relative rate: nsCF3 > nsBr > nsH > nsOCH3). Density functional theory calculations of model alkene-substitution reactions at a diimine−palladium(0) center reveal that the palladium center reacts as a nucleophile via attack of a metal-based lone pair on the empty π* orbital of the incoming olefin. This orbital picture contrasts that of traditional ligand-substitution reactions, in which the incoming ligand d...
Self-persuasion, social approval, and task success as determinants of self-esteem following impression management

Abstract Subjects were instructed to present themselves in the best or worst possible light in response to an “objective” personality inventory. Half of the subjects received a socially desirable profile in return, and half a socially undesirable profile. Subsequently, self-esteem was assessed. Three hypotheses derived from the literature on ingratiation were tested: self-persuasion, direct approval, and task success. The data support the task-success hypothesis which relates self-esteem in the “managed impression” situation to success in creating a false impression.
High voltage photoconductive switches of amorphous silicon for electroactive polymer actuators

Abstract Dielectric elastomers exhibit remarkable elastic and electroactive properties. Upon kilovolt range electrical stimulation, the polymeric actuator deforms with very large mechanical strain. We made thin film amorphous silicon (a-Si:H) photoconductive switches on 50-μm thick flexible polyimide films to control the polymer actuation. 155–310-nm thick a-Si:H films were grown by plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition at 150 °C substrate temperature. The photoconductive switches were made with 250-, 500- or 1000-μm gaps formed by electrodes of evaporated aluminum. When properly passivated, the switches have a dielectric breakdown strength of ∼10 kV/mm across the gap. We present optical and electrical characteristics of these a-Si:H switches in the 1–10 kV range. The integration of a nine-element a-Si:H high voltage photoconductor switch array with a nine-element electroactive polymer actuator array is demonstrated. The time constants measured on this array agree well with the values modeled using the a-Si:H photoconductor characteristics.
Optical and calorimetric evaluation of Z-93-P and other thermal control coatings

Abstract The hemispherical total emissivity of two thermal control coatings, Z-93-P and black anodized aluminum, was calculated from hemispherical total reflectivity measured in the wavelength range of 2 to 40 μm. These data were compared to hemispherical total emissivity values obtained on the same samples measured in a thermal vacuum chamber with a calorimetric technique. The comparison showed close agreement in the vicinity of room temperature and above, with differing trends at lower temperatures.