cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Neutron diffraction investigation of ordered oxygen vacancies in the defect pyrochlores, Pb2Ru2O6.5 and PbT1Nb2O6.5

Abstract Powder neutron diffraction has been used to investigate the structure of the defect pyrochlores Pb2Ru2O6.5 and PbT1Nb2O6.5. Both materials show evidence for oxygen vacancy ordering that is accompanied byA-site cation displacement. The diffraction data for Pb2Ru2O6.5 have been successfully fit in the cubic space groupF¯43m. The results confirm half occupancy of the defect site, demonstrate oxygen vacancy ordering, and show that each Pb atom is displaced by 0.040(4)A˚toward its associated vacancy. The diffraction data for PbT1Nb2O6.5 have been fit in the tetragonal space groupP¯4m2 using a model that allows ordering of Pb and T1 on theA site in concert with oxygen vacancy ordering. The fitting results specify a stoichiometry PbT10.90Nb2O6.45 for this material; the slight T1 deficiency is probably associated with some T1 loss to the vessel walls during the sealed tube synthesis at 600°C. The Rietveld structural refinement also shows that Pb is displaced slightly away from its associated vacancy while T1 is displaced significantly toward its associated vacancy with resulting T1 T1 separations similar to those found in T1 metal. It is suggested that theA-site cation ordering observed in each of these materials is a consequence ofA cation-oxygen bonding rather than the formation ofA Abonds through the oxygen vacancy despite the closeA Aseparations observed. These results are believed to provide the first examples of anion/vacancy ordering in a defect pyrochlore of the typeA2B2O7−y.
Surface segmentation mechanisms and motion perception

Two studies are presented which explore how depth information is determined from conditions of transparency and whether this information combines with other depth information to determine the segmenting of motion information on the basis of likely surface boundaries. The first study explored how binocular disparity combines with monocular depth cues associated with transparency to determine whether subjects see one or multiple surfaces in depth in static displays. When transparency provided a depth cue that was consistent with binocular disparity, depth discrimination thresholds were at normal levels. However, if transparency was inconsistent with the binocular disparity, depth discrimination thresholds were elevated, indicating that subjects had difficulty seeing distinct surfaces lying in separate depth planes. Moreover, threshold elevations were found to correspond to the reductions in contrast between the intersecting contours of the stimulus, suggesting that the strength of perceived depth from transparency is the result of attenuated responses from competing contrast sensitive T-junction mechanisms responsible for the detection of opaque occlusion. A second experiment explored whether the grouping of local motion signals relied on surface interpretations that result from the interaction of transparency and disparity. Surface interpretations were manipulated in moving plaids by combining transparent layering and binocular disparity to show that the motion arising from contours is grouped together (pattern motion) when these cues support the existence of a single surface, and is segregated (component motion) when they support separate surfaces. When these cues were consistent, only small disparity differences were required for the gratings to appear as separately moving surfaces. However, when they were inconsistent, greater disparities were required (about a factor of 2 greater). Taken together, these studies demonstrate that the grouping of local motion information is not resolved within the motion system alone. Information seemingly unrelated to motion processing, namely surface segmentation cues, is used to determine whether or not motion information arising from various contours is pooled together to determine a single motion.
Willingness of dialysis patients to participate in a randomized controlled trial of daily dialysis.

Willingness of dialysis patients to participate in a randomized controlled trial of daily dialysis. Background. The National Institutes of Health (NIH) has proposed conducting randomized controlled trials comparing short, daily, in-center hemodialysis with conventional hemodial- ysis. However, there is concern that difficulties recruiting pa- tients may prevent the successful completion of such trials if patients believe the inconveniences of daily dialysis outweigh any potential health benefits. Methods. To gauge willingness to participate in a daily dialysis trial, we described a hypothetical, randomized controlled trial comparing conventional to daily hemodialysis to 209 chronic hemodialysis patients, and assessed their motivations for and concerns about participating. Results. We found that 85 patients (41%) of 209 patients who agreed to be interviewed expressed some willingness to partic- ipate in the hypothetical trial. Patients who expressed greater willingness to participate were younger (OR for participating = 0.96 per year, 95% CI = 0.94 to 0.98, P = 0.001), less likely to smoke (OR = 0.38, 95% CI = 0.17 to 0.84, P = 0.017), more likely to have been hospitalized during the last 12 months (OR = 2.8, 95% CI = 1.5 to 5.5, P = 0.002), less likely to have reactive airway disease (OR = 0.21, 95% CI = 0.06 to 0.69, P = 0.01) or coronary artery disease (OR = 0.20, 95% CI = 0.08 to 0.53, P = 0.001), and less likely to be on the waiting list for a kidney transplant (OR = 0.23, 95% CI = 0.10 to 0.50, P < 0.0001). Conclusion. The study suggests that less than half of eligible patients would be willing to participate in the randomized con- trolled trial. Differing willingness to participate across patient subgroups suggests that certain subgroups (i.e., older patients and those with coronary artery disease) will need to be targeted to ensure that results are generalizable to most hemodialysis patients.
Partial Molar Volumes of Cobalt(III) Complexes. Part 3: Homologous Series of Aminopentaamminecobalt(III) Complexes

Partial molar volumes (V 2°) have been determined at infinite dilution in aqueous solution at 20 °C for a series of octahedral N6-coordinated cobalt(III) species having five-coordinated ammonia ligands along with an N-coordinated linear alkyl amine whose alkyl chain was varied from ethylamine to octylamine. The experimental values for V 2° are consistent with the relative sizes of the ligands but show increasing deviations from those predicted by computer modeling, as the size of the cation increases, presumably due to the void space of the cation that increases with the size of the amine ligand. The value of the partial molar volume at infinite dilution increased by about 16 mL⋅mol−1 with each added methylene group.
Electromagnetic imaging of circular–cylindrical conductors and tunnels using a differential evolution algorithm

A technique is developed for the electromagnetic reconstruction of the location and radius of buried circular–cylindrical conductors or tunnels based on a differential evolution (DE) algorithm. Simulation results are presented which demonstrate that DE can offer a simple, yet efficient and robust method for the imaging of buried objects. © 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. Microwave Opt Technol Lett 27: 330–334, 2000.
Enhancement of dissociation by metal-support interaction: reaction of NO on Rh supported by ceria films of controlled oxidation state

Abstract Highly oriented thin films of cerium oxide with variable ratio of Ce 3+ /Ce 4+ were grown on Ru(0 0 0 1) single crystal surface and loaded with a fixed, low coverage of Rh. The chemisorption of NO on the resulting model catalyst was studied by soft X-ray photoemission which yielded the relative quantities of N containing species on the surface as a function of temperature, and by thermal desorption which yielded the relative yields of NO and N 2 desorbed. It is found that the ability of the reduced Rh clusters to dissociate NO depends upon the oxidation state of the ceria upon which it is deposited, and for highly reduced ceria surfaces effectively 100% of Rh-adsorbed NO dissociates by 350 K. Possible causes of this surprising behavior are discussed.
Composing first-class transactions

We describe the design of a transaction facility for a language that supports higher-order functions. We factor transactions into four separable features: persistence, undoability, locking, and threads. Then, relying on function composition, we show how we can put them together again. Our modular approach toward building transactions enables us to construct a model of concurrent, nested, multithreaded transactions, as well as other nontraditional models where not all features of traditional transactions are present. Key to our approach is the use of higher-order functions to make transactions first-class. Not only do we get clean composability of transactional features, but also we avoid the need to introduce special control and block-structured constructs as done in more traditional transactional systems. We implemented our design in Standard ML of New Jersey.
Backup generator control and monitoring system for KSL TV

Summary form only given, as follows. This is a backup generator monitoring and control system designed to meet the demands stipulated by KSL Television in Salt Lake City, Utah. The system must monitor 28 (up to 32) inputs including, but not limited to, voltages, currents, and frequency of all three phases at three different points, as well as engine conditions, and enunciate any problems. Analog normalization, A/D conversion and processing occurs at the generator site. The system uses an interactive remote display with "softkeys" and a simple back-lit LCD readout through use of an EIA-422 transmission line. Control is simple, and hardware-based in order to ensure absolute functionality and reliability. It is important to make the design of the monitoring station robust, but its operation must be simple to accommodate all skill levels of operators.
An Expanded Set of Amino Acid Analogs for the Ribosomal Translation of Unnatural Peptides

Background. The application of in vitro translation to the synthesis of unnatural peptides may allow the production of extremely large libraries of highly modified peptides, which are a potential source of lead compounds in the search for new pharmaceutical agents. The specificity of the translation apparatus, however, limits the diversity of unnatural amino acids that can be incorporated into peptides by ribosomal translation. We have previously shown that over 90 unnatural amino acids can be enzymatically loaded onto tRNA. Methodology/Principal Findings. We have now used a competition assay to assess the efficiency of tRNA-aminoacylation of these analogs. We have also used a series of peptide translation assays to measure the efficiency with which these analogs are incorporated into peptides. The translation apparatus tolerates most side chain derivatives, a few a,a disubstituted, N-methyl and a-hydroxy derivatives, but no b-amino acids. We show that over 50 unnatural amino acids can be incorporated into peptides by ribosomal translation. Using a set of analogs that are efficiently charged and translated we were able to prepare individual peptides containing up to 13 different unnatural amino acids. Conclusions/Significance. Our results demonstrate that a diverse array of unnatural building blocks can be translationally incorporated into peptides. These building blocks provide new opportunities for in vitro selections with highly modified druglike peptides.
ADENOVIRUS TYPE 2 PREFERENTIALLY STIMULATES POLYMERASE III TRANSCRIPTION OF ALU ELEMENTS BY RELIEVING REPRESSION : A POTENTIAL ROLE FOR CHROMATIN

The number of Alu transcripts that accumulate in HeLa and other human cells is normally very low; however, infection with adenovirus type 5 increases the expression of Alu elements dramatically, indicating that the potential for polymerase III (pol III)-dependent Alu transcription in vivo is far greater than generally observed (B. Panning and J.R. Smiley, Mol. Cell. Biol. 13:3231-3244, 1993). In this study, we employed nuclear run-on in combination with a novel RNase H-based assay to investigate transcription from uninfected and adenovirus type 2-infected nuclei, as well as genomic DNAs from uninfected and infected cells. When performed in the presence of excess uninfected nuclear extract, such assays revealed that (i) the vast majority of transcriptionally competent Alu elements in nuclei are masked from the pol III transcriptional machinery and (ii) the induction of Alu expression upon adenovirus infection can be largely accounted for by an increased availability of these elements to the pol III transcription machinery. We also investigated the role of H1 histone for silencing of Alu genes and, in comparison, mouse B2 repetitive elements. Depletion of H1 led to an approximately 17-fold activation of B2 repetitive elements but did not change Alu transcription relative to that of constitutively expressed 5S rRNA genes. These results are consistent with the view that Alu repeats are efficiently sequestered by chromatin proteins, that such masking cannot be accounted for by nonspecific H1-dependent repression, and that adenovirus infection at least partially overrides the repressive mechanism(s).
Lessons From the Balkans for American Foreign Policy: Building Civil Society within a Multilateral

This essay, drawing on the author's involvement in the Balkans, suggests a strategy of engagement for U.S. foreign policy, below and beyond the nation state level. The United States must build civil society, rule of law, democracy and open markets in countries that now breed terrorism, and develop a military capability to meet actual threats within a multilateral context.
Microbial deterioration of historic stone

Environmental science has traditionally focused on conservation of natural resources. However, there is a second, little known, branch of environmental science that deals with the conservation of cultural resources. Many historic stone structures, archeological sites, and objects are at risk, and in need of protection, as a result of physical, chemical, and biological weathering. Because these structures are often large and located outdoors, they pose particular conservation challenges that require collaborative efforts between conservators and scientists. Historic stone supports large and diverse communities of microorganisms that colonize both the stone surface and the porous interior. In many cases, microbial processes have been implicated in the deterioration of the stone. The study of the role of microorganisms in this process is in its infancy, but recent findings have important implications for the preservation of cultural resources and for our understanding of weathering in natural systems.
Presence of Cross-Reactions with Other Viral Encephalitides in the Indirect Fluorescent-Antibody Test for Diagnosis of Rabies

The antemortem diagnosis of rabies in humans employs techniques that require accuracy, speed, and sensitivity. A combination of histochemical analysis, in vitro virus isolation, immunological methods, and molecular amplification procedures are utilized in efforts to diagnose the disease. Modern medicine now offers potentially life-saving treatment for a disease that was considered invariably fatal once clinical signs develop. However, medical intervention efforts require a rapid and accurate diagnosis as early in the course of clinical disease as possible. Indirect fluorescent-antibody (IFA) testing on cerebrospinal fluid and serum specimens provides rapid results, but the specificity of the assay has not been well studied. Because false-positive IFA results could significantly affect patient treatment and outcomes, it is critical to understand the specificity of this assay. In this study, IFA testing was performed on 135 cerebrospinal fluid and serum specimens taken from patients with viral encephalitis or a presumed viral infection involving an agent other than rabies virus. Results indicate that false-positive results can occur in interpreting the rabies IFA test. Staining patterns morphologically similar to antirabies staining were observed in 7 of the 135 cerebrospinal fluid specimens examined. In addition, a majority of the cerebrospinal fluid specimens tested from patients with encephalitis presented immunoglobulin that bound to antigens present in the cell culture substrate. Of marked concern was the frequent presence of cross-reactive antibodies in encephalitis cases associated with West Nile and Powassan flaviviruses. Because IFA testing for rabies on human specimens may result in false-positive results, it should not be used as the sole basis for initiating antirabies treatment.
Forward Scattering at Grazing Incidence on Flat Plates

Two formulas are evaluated for predicting forward scattering from conducting plates illuminated at grazing incidence with vertical polarization. Radar cross section depends upon the product of area and height. Versatility is demonstrated for infinitely thin circular, rectangular and triangular flat plates. Predictions are compared with numerical results from the method of moments for objects between 2 and 32 wavelengths on a side. Accuracy depends upon the form factor of the plate (ratio of height-to-width). The formulas provide very good agreement provided the form factor is close to one or greater. However, the accuracy of the formulas degrades as the form factor becomes much less than one.
Androgen Deprivation With or Without Radiation Therapy for Clinically Node-Positive Prostate Cancer

BACKGROUND Clinically lymph node-positive (cN+) prostate cancer (PCa) is an often-fatal disease. Its optimal management remains largely undefined given a lack of prospective, randomized data to inform practice. We sought to describe modern practice patterns in the management of cN+ PCa and assess the effect of adding radiation therapy (RT) to androgen deprivation therapy (ADT) on survival using the National Cancer Data Base. METHODS Patients with cN+ PCa and without distant metastases diagnosed between 2004 and 2011 were included. Five-year overall survival for patients diagnosed between 2004 and 2006 and treated with ADT alone or ADT+RT were compared. Propensity score (PS) matching was used to balance baseline characteristics, and Cox multivariate regression analysis was used to estimate hazard ratios (HRs) for all-cause mortality. RESULTS Of 3540 total patients, 32.2% were treated with ADT alone and 51.4% received ADT+RT. Compared with ADT alone, patients treated with ADT+RT were younger and more likely to have private insurance, lower comorbidity scores, higher Gleason scores, and lower PSA values. After PS matching, 318 patients remained in each group. Compared with ADT alone, ADT+RT was associated with a 50% decreased risk of five-year all-cause mortality (HR = 0.50, 95% CI = 0.37 to 0.67, two-sided P < .001; crude OS rate: 71.5% vs 53.2%). CONCLUSIONS Using a large national database, we have identified a statistically significant survival benefit for patients with cN+ PCa treated with ADT+RT. These data, if appropriately validated by randomized trials, suggest that a substantial proportion of such patients at high risk for prostate cancer death may be undertreated, warranting a reevaluation of current practice guidelines.
Counterdoping of MOS channel (CDC)-a new technique of improving suppression of latching in insulated gate bipolar transistors

A novel technique of improving suppression of latching in insulated-gate bipolar transistors (IGBTs) is proposed and experimentally verified. By counterdoping the channel of the DMOS cell, the doping of the p-base can be increased up to a factor of two. Dynamic latching improvement of 40-80%, corresponding to the p-base doping increase, has been obtained. The degradation in forward blocking voltage was observed when the counterdoping dosage exceeds about 2*10/sup 12/ cm/sup -2/ for 600-V devices. >
IN VITRO EVALUATION OF THE EFFECT OF OPIOID ANTAGONIST, N-METHYLNALTREXONE ON MOTILITY IN THE EQUINE JEJUNUM AND PELVIC FLEXURE

While potent analgesic agents, opioids reduce intestinal transport in the intestine, thereby increasing transit times and the potential for impaction colic. Methylnaltrexone is an opioid receptor antagonist which does not cross the blood-brain barrier, does not reverse the analgesic effects of morphine, and directly stimulates isolated smooth muscle strips in humans. Objective: To determine if N-methynaltrexone has an effect on contractile activity of the equine jejunum and pelvic flexure. Study Design: In vitro investigation using isolated circular smooth muscle strips. Animals: 8 adult horses (n=200 muscle strips). Methods: Increasing concentrations of N-methylnaltrexone were added to tissue baths in the range of 1×10−9 M to 1×10−5 M, and contractile responses were recorded for 3 minutes. Data was analyzed using a repeated measures ANOVA with statistical significance as P<0.05. Results: The administration of N-methylnaltrexone significantly increased the contractile frequency and amplitude at all concentrations relative to baseline (P <0.0001) for the jejunum. The response was greatest at 1×10−7 M (P=0.0005) with a mean difference from baseline of 0.341 mg/cm2. The highest concentration evaluated (1×10−5 M) had a mean contractile strength of 0.206 mg/cm2 which was significantly greater than baseline activity (P=0.04). A significant increase in contractile activity for the colon was detected at 3×10−6 M (P=0.027) and 1×10−5 M (P=0.002). Clinical Relevance: Potentially, this agent could be used in conjunction with morphine to provide more potent and effective analgesia without compromising intestinal function.
Snake-Like Units Using Flexible Backbones and Actuation Redundancy for Enhanced Miniaturization

This paper reports some recent analysis and modeling results obtained while developing a tele-robotic system for minimally invasive surgery of the throat. One of the main enabling components of this system is a Distal Dexterity Unit that implements a novel design using a flexible multi-backbone snake-like unit with actuation redundancy and push-pull actuation. The design of this snake-like unit is compared to other alternative designs that use a single flexible-backbone and wire-actuation. A unified kinematic and virtual work model is used to perform this comparison between a multi-backbone snake like unit with an equal-diameter snake-like unit using a single flexible backbone and wire actuation. The comparison is presented for several actuation redundancy resolutions that minimize the load on the flexible backbones. The results show that the multi-backbone design is superior to the alternative wire-actuated designs using a single flexible backbone. The advantages manifest in smaller required actuation forces on the backbones and, as a result, a reduced risk of buckling of the backbones and enhanced potential downsize scalability.
Genome-wide expression assay comparison across frozen and fixed postmortem brain tissue samples

Gene expression assays have been shown to yield high quality genome-wide data from partially degraded RNA samples. However, these methods have not yet been applied to postmortem human brain tissue, despite their potential to overcome poor RNA quality and other technical limitations inherent in many assays. We compared cDNA-mediated annealing, selection, and ligation (DASL)- and in vitro transcription (IVT)-based genome-wide expression profiling assays on RNA samples from artificially degraded reference pools, frozen brain tissue, and formalin-fixed brain tissue. The DASL-based platform produced expression results of greater reliability than the IVT-based platform in artificially degraded reference brain RNA and RNA from frozen tissue-based samples. Although data associated with a small sample of formalin-fixed RNA samples were poor when obtained from both assays, the DASL-based platform exhibited greater reliability in a subset of probes and samples. Our results suggest that the DASL-based gene expression-profiling platform may confer some advantages on mRNA assays of the brain over traditional IVT-based methods. We ultimately consider the implications of these results on investigations of neuropsychiatric disorders.
Comparison of Near-Surface Air Temperatures and MODIS Ice-Surface Temperatures at Summit, Greenland (2008-13)

We have investigated the stability of the MODerate resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) infrared-derived ice surface temperature (IST) data from Terra for use as a climate quality data record. The availability of climate quality air temperature data (TA) from a NOAA Global Monitoring Division observatory at Greenlands Summit station has enabled this high temporal resolution study of MODIS ISTs. During a 5 year period (July 2008 to August 2013), more than 2500 IST values were compared with 3-minute average TA values derived from the 1-minute data from NOAAs primary 2 m air temperature sensor. These data enabled an expected small offset between air and surface temperatures at this the ice sheet location to be investigated over multiple annual cycles.
Multiple Star Formation to the Bottom of the Initial Mass Function

The frequency and properties of multiple star systems offer powerful tests of star formation models. Multiplicity surveys over the past decade have shown that binary properties vary strongly with mass, but the functional forms and the interplay between frequency and semimajor axis remain largely unconstrained. We present the results of a large-scale survey of multiplicity at the bottom of the initial mass function in several nearby young associations, encompassing 78 very low mass members observed with Keck laser guide star adaptive optics. Our survey confirms the overall trend observed in the field for lower-mass binary systems to be less frequent and more compact, including a null detection for any substellar binary systems with separations wider than ~7 AU. Combined with a Bayesian re-analysis of existing surveys, our results demonstrate that the binary frequency and binary separations decline smoothly between masses of 0.5 M_☉ and 0.02 M_☉, though we cannot distinguish the functional form of this decline due to a degeneracy between the total binary frequency and the mean binary separation. We also show that the mass ratio distribution becomes progressively more concentrated at q ~ 1 for declining masses, though a small number of systems appear to have unusually wide separations and low-mass ratios for their mass. Finally, we compare our results to synthetic binary populations generated by smoothed particle hydrodynamic simulations, noting the similarities and discussing possible explanations for the differences.
Measurement of the temporal and spatial phase variations of a pulsed free electron laser amplifier

We report temporal and spatial phase measurements of a pulsed free electron laser amplifier (FEL) operating in combined wiggler and axial guide magnetic fields. The system uses a mildly relativistic electron beam (750 kV, 90-300 A, 30 ns), and is excited by a high power 33.39 GHz magnetron source. The phase during the voltage pulse is measured by an interferometric technique from which frequency chirping is determined. >
Microcomputers: Basic Choice Factors

In the last few years a computing revolution has been started. We have arrived at a point where an individual can have access to a persona/l computer that has real advantages over larger minicomputers and mainframes for a number of significant applications. When the further step is taken of providing a communications link between that personal computer and those larger systems, the overall result is a combination of capabilities of unprecedented potential.
Arsenic sedimentation along the slope of a lake basin

Lake Lansing, Michigan was treated with sodium arsenite for macrophyte control in 1957. Seven 1.5-m sediment cores were taken along a line through the littoral zone to the deepest portion of the lake and analyzed for arsenic. In each core, arsenic concentrations going from the surface downward increased to some maximum and then receded to background. Depth of peak concentrations followed two patterns: three littoral cores showed peak arsenic at 0.13 m from the sediment surface, and four cores from progressively deeper portions of the lake showed a regular decrease in peak depth from 0.32 m to 0.17 m. Sediment accumulation rates were calculated along this transect. Particle-size sorting of sediments along this slope was also measured. This work suggested that sediments originated from wetland vegetation at the edge of the lake. Turbulent movement of water in the shallows caused suspension and down-slope movement of small particles. Fewer particles of wetland origin were available for sedimentation beyond the region of highest fallout (3.75 m), thus accounting for progressively lower sedimentation rates in deeper portions of the basin. A model was developed to predict the time it would take for surface sediments to reach pretreatment concentrations of arsenic levels; for Lake Lansing it would be more than 100 years.
A uniform projection-based unsupervised classification for hyperspectral imagery

Orthogonal subspace projection (OSP) has received considerable interest in hyperspectral image classification. It performs well when the complete knowledge of image endmembers is available. In reality, obtaining such prior knowledge is very difficult, if not impossible. This work investigates a variant of OSP, called uniform projection (UP) and presents a UP-based unsupervised algorithm for hyperspectral image classification. It first implements a uniform target detector (UTD) to find a set of interfering signatures, I, then another uniform I-annihilated detector (UIAD) to find desired target signatures. The signatures in I are combined with the UIAD found desired signatures to form a target signatures matrix M which can be used for supervised image classification. In this case, OSP can be used for this purpose. In order to demonstrate the utility of the proposed unsupervised classification technique for hyperspectral imagery, a series of computer simulations and experiments are conducted for analysis.
Super water absorbing and shape memory nanocellulose aerogels from TEMPO-oxidized cellulose nanofibrils via cyclic freezing–thawing

Mechanically robust cellulose nanofibril (CNF) aerogels with ultralow density (8 mg cm−3), superior porosity (99.5%), super water absorbency (104 g g−1 water/dried mass), high crystallinity (68.5%) as well as exceptional wet resilience and water activated shape recovery were facilely fabricated for the first time by ice-crystal templated self-assembly of TEMPO oxidized CNFs via cyclic freezing–thawing. With ultrathin widths (1–2 nm), high aspect ratios (several hundreds) and numerous surface polar hydroxyls and carboxyls, TEMPO oxidized CNFs behaved similar to aqueous soluble polymers to form strong freestanding hydrogels by repetitive freezing (−20 °C, 15 h) and thawing (room temperature, 9 h). The spaces occupied by the several hundred microns wide ice crystals were well preserved upon freeze-drying, deriving macroporous CNF aerogels with over 99% porosity of interconnected pores. The freezing induced self-assembling of CNFs was observed at a low concentration of 0.05%, whilst more ordered macroporous honeycomb structures were observed at and above 0.2%. Exchanging water in the CNF hydrogel with tert-butanol generated hierarchical CNF aerogels containing several hundred microns sized macroscopic as well as mesoscopic pores ranging from 2 to 90 nm with further improved specific surface area (117.8 m2 g−1), pore volume (1.19 cm3 g−1) and water absorption (116 g g−1). All CNF aerogels demonstrated super water absorbency, fast water-activated shape recovery in 4 s and reusability for at least 20 times.
Social policy and the role of the behavior analyst in the prevention of delinquent behavior.

The purpose of this article is to encourage behavior analysts to expand their domain of interest and application to include the “social/political” contingencies that are developed and implemented by policymakers and lawmakers. Using the Vermont juvenile justice system as a prototype, examples are provided that focus on the tertiary, secondary, and primary prevention of delinquent behavior.
Cardiovascular Risk Factor Status Of An Old Order Mennonite Community

Background: The Old Order Mennonites are members of rural farming communities whose religious and cultural traditions pervade their dietary and health practices. These cloistered Christian communities often present special challenges to primary care physicians unfamiliar with the Mennonite way of life. Anecdotal descriptions of Mennonite customs suggest heightened risk for cardiovascular disease because of a dairy and meat-based diet and a lack of utilization of the traditional health care system. Methods: With approval from the church bishop, households from a New York State Mennonite community were interviewed about personal and family history of cardiovascular disease, knowledge of dietary cardiovascular risk factors, and personal awareness of their cardiovascular risk factor status. A standardized Saturated Fat/Cholesterol Avoidance Scale was used to assess qualitatively the community’s traditional diet. Blood pressures and total serum cholesterol levels were measured in all willing participants. Results: Two hundred fifty interviews were completed. A significant difference was found between the cholesterol level of the men (181 mg/dL) and the women (192 mg/dL). When compared with the general population, the Mennonite men had significantly lower total serum cholesterol levels and systolic and diastolic blood pressures. Only 8 percent of the study population had been previously screened for serum cholesterol. One-third of the population older than 55 years had a personal history of either myocardial infarction or stroke. The study population’s score on the Saturated Fat/Cholesterol Avoidance Scale indicated a diet higher in saturated fat and cholesterol than that of other study populations. Conclusions: Our findings indicate a significant lack of preventive health care practices, minimal avoidance of dietary cardiovascular risk factors, and a significant difference between men’s and women’s cardiovascular risk factor status in this Old Order Mennonite population.
A Justification of Alimony in the Public Interest

The continuing need for alimony awards has come under debate. Given that a majority of women with children under eighteen work outside the home, the justification of awarding alimony may seem suspect, and in fact, alimony has become less common. However, it should not be forgotten that homemaking responsibilities are a source of productive labor in society and should be recognized as such and duly compensated. Homemaking saves the public treasury significant costs, and it directly generates valuable social capital. Because of its valuable contributions to society, it is justifiable to award alimony in order to protect the many women who dedicate time to homemaking, whatever the percentage. However, it is the individual woman’s choice, in consultation with her family, to decide how much time to dedicate to homemaking.
Fatigue behavior and failure mechanisms of direct laser deposited Ti–6Al–4V

Abstract In order for additive-manufactured parts to become more widely utilized and trusted in application, it is important to have their mechanical properties well-characterized and certified. The fatigue behavior and failure mechanisms of Ti–6Al–4V specimens fabricated using Laser Engineered Net Shaping (LENS), a Direct Laser Deposition (DLD) additive manufacturing (AM) process, are investigated in this study. A series of fully-reversed strain-controlled fatigue tests is conducted on Ti–6Al–4V specimens manufactured via LENS in their as-built and heat-treated conditions. Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) is used to examine the fracture surfaces of fatigue specimens to qualify the failure mechanism, crack initiation sites, and defects such as porosity. Due to the relatively high localized heating and cooling rates experienced during DLD, fabricated parts are observed to possess anisotropic microstructures, and thus, different mechanical properties than those of their traditionally-manufactured wrought counterparts. The fatigue lives of the investigated LENS specimens were found to be shorter than those of wrought specimens, and porosity was found to be the primary contributor to these shorter fatigue lives, with the exception of the heat-treated LENS samples. The presence of pores promotes more unpredictable fatigue behavior, as evidenced by data scatter. Pore shape, size, location, and number were found to impact the fatigue behavior of the as-built and annealed DLD parts. As porosity seems to be the main contributor to the fatigue behavior of DLD parts, it is important to optimize the manufacturing process and design parameters to minimize and control pore generation during the build.
Weighted stacking of seismic AVO data using hybrid AB semblance and local similarity

The common-midpoint (CMP) stacking technique plays an important role in enhancing the signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) in seismic data processing and imaging. Weighted stacking is often used to improve the performance of conventional equal-weight stacking in further attenuating random noise and handling the amplitude variations in real seismic data. In this study, we propose to use a hybrid framework of combining AB semblance and a local-similarity-weighted stacking scheme. The objective is to achieve an optimal stacking of the CMP gathers with class II amplitude-variation-with-offset (AVO) polarity-reversal anomaly. The selection of high-quality near-offset reference trace is another innovation of this work because of its better preservation of useful energy. Applications to synthetic and field seismic data demonstrate a great improvement using our method to capture the true locations of weak reflections, distinguish thin-bed tuning artifacts, and effectively attenuate random noise.
Student-Led Development of an Interactive and Free Biochemical Methods eBook

An approach to create an interactive and inexpensive electronic book (eBook) for an undergraduate biochemistry laboratory course is presented. This approach featured the involvement of an undergraduate student in the lead role of designing and developing the eBook using Apple’s iBooks Author application. The eBook, entitled Introduction to Biochemical Methods, contains original, interactive course content, including laboratory protocols, lecture slides, images, videos, figures, and quizzes. Access to the book content was expanded through the creation of a Web-based version of the book. User access analytics on both the eBook and the Web site, along with student survey data related to the usage of and attitudes toward the eBook, also are presented. Although the Introduction to Biochemical Methods eBook was developed specifically for use in a particular course, adaptation of its content for use in other classrooms is invited, and educators are encouraged to adopt a similar approach (i.e., involving their st...
Wristband Errors in Small Hospitals: A College of American Pathologists’ Q-Probes Study of Quality Issues in Patient Identification

We compared wristband errors for 204 small hospitals. Phlebotomists examined wristbands on 451,436 occasions and identified 25,800 errors (total error rate, 5.7%). The absence of a wristband accounted for 64.6% of all errors reported; wristbands with missing information, 12.4%; multiple wristbands with different information, 12.1%; wristbands with erroneous information, 6.7%; illegible wristbands, 3.5%; and patients wearing another patient’s wristband, 0.7%. Factors found to correlate with lower error rates were the practice of sending written correspondence to the nursing service involved for each error detected, the practice of having nursing staff monitor wristbands on patient transfer, and laboratory accreditation from the College of American Pathologists (CAP). Factors found to correlate with higher error rates were the practice of allowing wristbands to be placed on objects that may become separated from the patient (eg, chart, beds, wall) and the practice of having nurses responsible for initial wristband placement.
In vitro insulin-like actions of the growth factor from the tapeworm, Spirometra mansonoides.

AbstractIn vitro actions of purified plerocercoid growth factor (PGF) were compared with those of insulin and human growth hormone (hGH) in adipose tissue from normal male rats. Insulin-like effects were measured by the ability of PGF, insulin, or hGH to stimulate oxidation of [U-14C]glucose to 14CO2, to stimulate lipogenesis, and to inhibit epinephrine-induced lipolysis. PGF and insulin stimulated significant increases in glucose oxidation and lipogenesis in adipose tissue that had not been preincubated as well as in tissue that had been preincubated. hGH stimulated insulin-like effects only in tissue that had been preincubated for 3 hr. Insulin, hGH, and PGF inhibited epinephrine-induced lipolysis of preincubated (3 hr) adipose tissue. hGH produced a dramatic lipolytic response in tissue freshly removed from normal rats but no dose of PGF was lipolytic. PGF did not displace 125I-insulin from its receptors on adipocytes but did competively inhibit 125I-hGH binding to adipocytes. These results suggest tha...
Monte Carlo Transition Dynamics and Variance Reduction

For Metropolis Monte Carlo simulations in statistical physics, efficient, easy- to-implement, and unbiased statistical estimators of thermodynamic properties are based on the transition dynamics. Using an Ising model example, we demonstrate (problem-specific) variance reductions compared to conventional histogram estimators. A proof of variance reduction in a microstate limit is presented.
Preparation and Characterization of Pt–Ru Bimetallic Catalysts Synthesized by Electroless Deposition Methods

Two series of Pt@Ru/C and Ru@Pt/C bimetallic catalysts have been prepared by an electroless deposition (ED) method. For Pt@Ru/C compositions, a new ED bath was developed using Ru(NH3)6Cl3 as the Ru precursor and HCOOH as the reducing agent. For Ru@Pt/C preparations, a standard bath using H2PtCl6 and DMAB as the Pt precursor and reducing agent, respectively, was employed. The Pt@Ru/C and Ru@Pt/C bimetallic catalysts have been characterized by temperature-programmed reduction (TPR), selective chemisorption, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), and scanning transmission electron microscopy (STEM) with X-ray energy dispersive spectroscopy (XEDS). TPR and selective chemisorption (H2 titration of oxygen-precovered surfaces) experiments have confirmed the existence of strong surface interactions between Pt and Ru, as evidenced by hydrogen spillover of Pt to Ru (Pt-assisted reduction of oxygen precovered Ru). XPS analyses also showed e– transfer from Pt to Ru on the bimetallic surface, again indicating strong ...
A stochastic based approach to model acoustic propagation in pipes with laterals

Newly developed applications for condition monitoring of piping networks (e.g. sewer pipes) depend on measuring acoustic signal attenuation through tests in the field. In many cases, the exact layout of the installed pipelines is not accessible or actual installation differs from documented layout. This lack of exact knowledge of numbers and lengths of side branches (laterals) introduces a random variable error between measured attenuation and that predicted from theory. As the sources of this random variable error can be considered independent and arbitrarily distributed, it is reasonable to assume that the error also follows an approximately normal probability distribution in accordance with Central Limit Theorem. Using an analytical approach to model signal attenuation due to random variable sources can be complex and may be intractable. A tractable approach is to develop an empirical model of attenuation with a stochastic component to account for random variable sources of attenuation. This approach forms the crux of work reported in this paper. Extensive field and laboratory measurements were made in pipes to measure acoustic attenuation with change in numbers and lengths of side branches. Results show that an empirical model of signal attenuation, that includes a stochastic component, gives a better prediction of received sound pressure level in a pipe with side branches compared to the existing theoretical models.
REASSESSING THE ZIMBABWEAN CHIPENDANI

The Shona chipendani (pl. zvipendani) is among dozens of musical bows found throughout southern Africa. An understanding of where the chipendani fits into the larger space of Zimbabweâ€™s musical and social life is markedly thin. Other than Brennerâ€™s observation that the chipendani may occasionally be played by adult men while socializing over beer, descriptions of the chipendani seldom go further than remarking on theinstrumentâ€™s associations with cattle herding, and reducing it to the status of childâ€™s play. In this article, I argue that conceptions of the musical and social identity of the chipendani must be expanded beyond its conventional portrayal as a herdboy instrument, since other groups of people have been actively involved in performing the instrument. I further maintain that the social role of the chipendani extends beyond providing accompaniment for a singular activityâ€”that of cattle herdingâ€”into other contexts. By challenging Traceyâ€™s conception of solo bow playing as â€œself-delectative,â€ my account of chipendani music opens up space for new readings of other musical bows throughout southern Africa.
Cholesterol Management in the Era of PCSK9 Inhibitors

Cholesterol management in the current era is discussed. Aggressive reduction of low density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol plays a key role in primary and secondary prevention of heart disease. Statins are the recommended first-line therapy in patients with hyperlipidemia; however, additional complementary approaches are frequently needed for patients who fail to reach their target LDL. Proprotein convertase subtilisin/kexin type 9 (PCSK9) inhibitors are novel drugs that provide dramatic lowering of LDL and promise outcome benefit. Despite great enthusiasm about their cardiovascular benefit, concerns have been raised regarding their cost and added value to the healthcare system. Although cost-effectiveness studies have yielded inconclusive results, analyses suggest that the current cost of PCSK9 inhibitors is disproportionately high and must be significantly reduced to add positive net benefit to healthcare system. PCSK9 inhibitors significantly lower LDL cholesterol. Further outcome data and cost-effectiveness analyses are needed to overcome the current barriers with PCSK9 inhibitors that patients, physicians, and payers face.
E-Cigarettes: A 1-Way Street to Traditional Smoking and Nicotine Addiction for Youth.

* Abbreviation: E-cigarette — : electronic cigarette In a longitudinal study in this month’s issue of Pediatrics , Bold et al1 examined past-month cigarette and electronic cigarette (e-cigarette) use in high school students from 2013 to 2015 in Connecticut. They found that having used an e-cigarette in the past month significantly and strongly predicted combustible cigarette use. The odds of e-cigarette use at each wave predicting future cigarette use was 7.08 from wave 1 to 2 and 3.87 from wave 2 to 3. Not surprisingly, e-cigarette use leads to traditional product use. In contrast, traditional combustible cigarette use did not predict future e-cigarette use. And a substantial proportion of both cigarette and e-cigarette users progressed to heavy use, reporting that they smoked 21 to 30 days in the past month at the 2-year follow-up. This is consistent with patterns of use seen with young people’s increasing addiction to nicotine in numerous studies.2 E-cigarette products were not part of … Address correspondence to Jonathan D. Klein, MD, MPH, Pediatrics, University of Illinois at Chicago, 820 S. Wood St, Chicago, IL 60612. E-mail: jonklein{at}uic.edu