cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Ehlers-Danlos syndrome type VIII

The Ehlers-Danlos syndrome (EDS) is a group of inherited disorders of connective tissue characterized by joint hypermobility, cutaneous hyperextensibility, and tissue fragility. At least nine subgroups of the disease have been described, each with a characteristic clinical pattern or unique biochemical defect. We describe three members of a family with the constellation of findings diagnostic of EDS type VIII. The trait first manifests in childhood, when minor trauma produces ecchymoses, which resolve normally except on the shins. The pretibial skin heals with distinct hyperpigmented atrophic scars. There is no hyperextensibility of the skin, nor evidence of visceral involvement. Minimal joint hypermobility was noted in one patient. Early onset of periodontal disease, with loss of the permanent teeth, is characteristic. EDS type VIII is inherited as an autosomal dominant trait.
We talk of AIDS because we love life: A stakeholder assessment of HIV / AIDS organizations in Buenos Aires Argentina.

This stakeholder assessment of HIV/AIDS service providing institutions in Argentina offers insights into the HIV/AIDS crisis in Spanish-speaking Latin America from an institutional level and makes recommendations for strengthening the work and functioning of these institutions. This stakeholder assessment was conducted to determine how HIV/AIDS prevention and management in Argentina affects and is affected by relevant HIV/AIDS institutions. Semi-structured qualitative interviews were conducted with 13 key leaders of organizations working in HIV/AIDS prevention in Buenos Aires including non-governmental governmental and academic institutions. Analyses of interviewee comments are presented according to four major themes: network connections program resources perceptions of success and challenges. Key findings include the need for strengthening formal networks increasing the involvement of other non-AIDS related social institutions in promoting HIV prevention finding more sustainable funding options working more effectively with the public sector to create policies and regulations favorable to the HIV/AIDS field and addressing the lack of perceived susceptibility to HIV/AIDS in Argentine culture. From leaders comments recommendations are made for strengthening the HIV/AIDS network among key institutions including adapting the UNAIDS "Three Ones" principal to create one crosssector office responsible for coordinating HIV/AIDS work formalizing agreements with institutions outside of Buenos Aires increasing the role of schools in HIV/AIDS awareness and designing programs that address lack of perceived susceptibility to HIV/AIDS among Argentines. (authors)
Chronic alcohol consumption increases the sensitivity of rat liver mitochondrial respiration to inhibition by nitric oxide

Chronic alcohol consumption is a well-known risk factor for hepatic injury, and mitochondrial damage plays a significant role in this process. Nitric oxide (NO) is an important modulator of mitochondrial function and is known to inhibit mitochondrial respiration. However, the impact of chronic alcohol consumption on NO-dependent control of liver mitochondrial function is unknown. This study examines the effect of alcohol exposure on liver mitochondria in a rat model and explores the interaction of NO and mitochondrial respiration in this context. Mitochondria were isolated from the liver of both control and ethanol-fed rats after 5 to 6 weeks of alcohol consumption. Mitochondria isolated from ethanol-treated rats showed a significant decrease in state 3 respiration and respiratory control ratio that was accompanied by an increased sensitivity to NO-dependent inhibition of respiration. In conclusion, we show that chronic alcohol consumption leads to increased sensitivity to the inhibition of respiration by NO. We propose that this results in a greater vulnerability to hypoxia and the development of alcohol-induced hepatotoxicity.
Giant right atrial LeVeen shunt pseudocyst

Abstract Two-dimensional echocardiography is the procedure of choice for the detection of intracardiac cystic masses. Previously described cystic atrial masses detected by M-mode and 2-dimensional echocardiography have included degenerating left and (less commonly) right atrial myxomata, 1 infected intracardiac thrombi 2 and cardiac echinococcosis. 3 This report describes an unusual complication and presentation of a patient with a right atrial pseudocyst arising from a peritoneovenous shunt and its accompanying 2-dimensional echocardiographic features.
Solution-Processable Crystalline Platinum-Acetylide Oligomers with Broadband Absorption for Photovoltaic Cells

A series of solution-processable and crystalline platinum−acetylide oligomers containing a thienyl−benzothiadiazole−thienyl core and oligothiophene alkynyl ligands are synthesized and characterized. X-ray crystallography analysis indicates a two-dimensional arrangement of oligomers through CH−π interactions in single crystals. These oligomers show two intense and broad absorption bands in the visible spectral region, with the short-wavelength absorption band being strongly dependent on the oligothiophene length. In neat films, all the oligomers form large crystalline domains of several hundred nanometers in size upon thermal treatment and exhibit space-charge limited current (SCLC) mobilities on the order of 10−5−10−4 cm2 V−1 s−1. The photovoltaic properties of these oligomers were evaluated by fabricating bulk heterojunction devices with fullerene derivatives (PC61BM and PC71BM) and some of these devices showed high-power conversion efficiencies (PCEs) of up to 3% and a peak external quantum efficiency (...
The effect of surface-evaporation kinetics on sublimation near the leading edge

Abstract The behavior of the laminar binary boundary layer with blowing is coupled with the kinetic-evaporation-rate law of the surface material. It is found that the solution of this combined problem exhibits an asymptotic behavior at large Reynolds numbers which is identified with the usual near-equilibrium solution in which the vapor near the wall is very nearly in thermodynamic phase-change equilibrium. However, the near-equilibrium solution is invalid in a region near the origin of the boundary layer, which is characterized by a length formed with physical parameters describing the basic flow and the surface properties. In this region, which is treated here approximately, the blowing parameter decreases to zero, the wall temperature increases, and the sublimation rate tends to an upper limit as the origin of the boundary layer is approached. The principal result of the analysis is the estimation of the length of the region of transition to the near-equilibrium solution. This length is an independent characteristic of the problem and does not scale as do the boundary-layer properties (that is, with the Reynolds number). This implies that while the transitional length on typical re-entry vehicles is small and probably negligible unless the leading edge is very sharp, practical wind-tunnel test models can easily be affected over most of their chord.
Global gene expression changes induced by prolonged cold ischemic stress and preservation method of breast cancer tissue

Background Tissue handling can alter global gene expression potentially affecting the analytical performance of genomic signatures, but such effects have not been systematically evaluated.
DoD Space Test Program multi-payload launch mission management

The DoD Space Test Program (STP) objective is to provide access to space for the experiments listed on the annual Space Experiments Review Board (SERB) list. In order to maximize the number of SERB experiments manifested and flown each year, STP has learned to efficiently optimize the capability of any launch to include as many space vehicles, or “payloads,” as possible. As a result, STP has documented a substantial number of management and technical lessons learned directly related to the execution of multi-payload missions. The management lessons stem from the fact that STP multi-payload missions always include a number of different government and contractor organizations that need to be managed from manifest to launch by a very limited number of STP personnel. The technical lessons span multiple launch vehicles including the STP-1 multi-payload mission on an Atlas V in 2007 and the STP-S26 multi-payload mission on a Minotaur IV in 2010. STP found that single-payload mission processes were stressed when applied to multi-payload missions, and established STP processes had to evolve to encompass the multi-payload case. Based on the experiences encountered in the execution of STP-1 and mission partner feedback, STP developed a set of tools, processes, and guidelines to manage multi-payload launch missions that were effectively demonstrated and further refined during the execution of the STP-S26 mission. This paper describes these tools, processes, and guidelines and provides discussion on the experiences behind each. Specifically addressed are: the mission toolkit, meeting and review processes, risk management methods, and the lessons learned process.1 2
Determination of Acoustic Scattering From a Two-Dimensional Finite Phononic Crystal Using Bloch Wave Expansion

In this study the acoustic scattering is determined from a finite phononic crystal through an implementation of the Helmholtz-Kirchhoff integral theorem. The approach employs the Bloch theorem applied to a semi-infinite phononic crystal (PC) half-space. The internal pressure field of the half-space, subject to an incident acoustic monochromatic plane wave, is formulated as an expansion of the Bloch wave modes. Modal coefficients of reflected (diffracted) plane waves are arrived at via boundary condition considerations on the PC interface. Next, the PC inter-facial pressure, as determined by the Bloch wave expansion (BWE), is employed along with the Helmholtz-Kirchhoff integral equation to compute the scattered pressure from a large finite PC. Under a short wavelength limit approximation (wavelength much smaller than finite PC dimensions), the integral approach is employed to calculate the scattered pressure field for a large PC subject to an incident wave with two distinct incident angles. In two dimensions we demonstrate good agreement of scattered pressure results of large finite PC when compared against detailed finite element calculations. The work here demonstrates an efficient and accurate uniform computational framework for modeling the scattered and internal pressure fields of a large finite phononic crystal.Copyright © 2014 by ASME
Acculturation status, birth outcomes, and family planning compliance among Hispanic teens.

This study examined acculturation status, selected demographic and pregnancy indices, and the relationship to birth outcomes and family planning patterns among a convenience sample of 63 Hispanic adolescents aged 13 to 19 years and attending community-based prenatal clinics. Findings suggest that Hispanic teenagers who are the first generation in the United States and traditional in their world view are compliant with prenatal and postpartum care and have healthy babies and birth outcomes. Gravidity and gestational age of the infant were significant predictors of birth weight, accounting for 30% of the variability in birth weight. Generation in the United States accounted for 8% of the variance in family planning compliance. Higher gravidity was associated with increased infant birth weight and a decreased likelihood for return for family planning visits during the 1st year postbirth. Teens who were first generation in the United States were more likely to return for family planning visits during the 1st ...
Seasonal monitoring of Drosophila suzukii (Diptera: Drosophilidae) in a mixed fruit production system

Abstract Drosophila suzukii Matsumura (Diptera: Drosophilidae), an invasive pest native to Southeast Asia, is now reported throughout North America and Europe. We used traps baited with apple cider vinegar to monitor D. suzukii adult presence in multiple crops and associated fruiting plants at the Wolfskill USDA Germplasm Repository in Winters, CA, USA from 2011 to 2013. Traps were placed in small (~ 160 m × 40 m on average) almond, apricot, cherry, fig, grape, mulberry, peach, persimmon, plum, and pomegranate deciduous fruit orchard blocks as well as a citrus block and evergreen trees located near a house at the repository. D. suzukii was present in all blocks with the greatest monthly deciduous fruit captures in the cherry and fig blocks. Few D. suzukii were captured in almond, apricot, pomegranate and grape blocks. Deciduous fruit blocks had two distinct periods of trap capture: spring through midsummer and again in fall. Most deciduous fruit blocks had low trap captures during the hottest summer months (August to September) and the coldest winter months (December to April). However, from late December through mid-January, high trap captures were associated with the citrus and house sites. This study provides seasonal trapping data of D. suzukii adults in an unsprayed multi-crop mosaic, and may serve as a model of adult capture patterns across smaller mixed-crop commercial orchards and associated urban landscapes.
Thermal conductivity of UO2+x and U4O9−y

Abstract Stoichiometries of UO 2 specimens ranging from 2.000 to 2.210 were prepared in situ at 1673 K within thermoanalytical equipment. Thermal conductivities were analyzed according to Klemens–Callaway defect model. Analysis of the data sets allows for extraction of the fundamental phonon–phonon and phonon-defect scattering contributions for the materials investigated. Low temperature thermal conductivity data was modeled using sigmoidal averaging to calculate the dual phase field UO 2+ x –U 4 O 9− y . This allowed the thermal conductivity of U 4 O 9− y to be calculated as a function of temperature up to 873 K. This fundamental dataset provides a key contribution to ongoing efforts in the modeling and simulation communities in the areas of both light water reactor fuel performance and accident evolution.
Nanostructures and electronic properties of a high-efficiency electron-donating polymer.

The development of organic photovoltaic (OPV) solar cells has seeded a bright hope of achieving low-cost solar energy harvesting. Practical realization and successful commercialization require enhancing the efficiency of solar energy harvesting, which, in turn, relies on the core understanding of structure–property relationships in OPV materials. Here, we report the first large-scale density functional calculations of the nanoconformational and electronic properties of the thieno[3,4-b]thiophene-alt-benzodithiophene copolymer (PTB7), a high-efficiency OPV material. These first-principles results include the chain length dependence of the torsional potential, the nearest-neighbor torsional coupling, the band gap, and the electronic conjugation length. Importantly, PTB7 was found to have a torsional potential almost independent of chain length, very weak nearest-neighbor torsional coupling, a low band gap (∼1.8 eV), and a very long conjugation length (∼147 A) compared to the other conjugated polymers like p...
Survival of Archytas marmoratus (Diptera: Tachinidae) from Superparasitized Corn Earworm Larvae (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae)

We investigated the survival of Archytas marmoratus (Townsend) from superparasitized Helicoverpa zea (Boddie) larvae. About half of the planidia of A. marmoratus brushed on larvae of the corn earworm, H. zea, became established. Fourth instars were more susceptible to parasitization than other instars, but parasitoid eclosion from superparasitized hosts was greatest in fifth instars. The number of hosts producing A. marmoratus adults declined linearly with the number of maggots per host, with no eclosion of A. marmoratus from hosts with >10 maggots. When third-instar corn earworm were collected from artificially infested, whorl-stage corn after the release of A. marmoratus, 75% of the parasitized larvae were superparasitized. Superparasitism reduced parasitoid eclosion more severely in field plots than in the laboratory. As in laboratory studies, the number of hosts producing A. marmoratus adults declined linearly with an increased number of maggots, but no parasitoid eclosed if hosts had more than four maggots. The number of maggots per corn earworm larva was highly correlated with percentage parasitism. Consequently, the release rate of A. marmoratus might need to be adjusted to host density so that superparasitism does not reduce the survival rate of the parasitoid.
Civilianization in small and medium police departments in Illinois, 1973–1986

Abstract The recruitment of civilians in police departments, a process called civilianization, has been a widely heralded though controversial strategy for ameliorating a variety of urban police problems. However, civilianization in other police environments has received scant attention. The present research investigated civilianization in police departments serving Illinois communities of less than 50,000 population. Four long-term conditions that affect the process of civilianization—variation in police budgets, changing levels of crime, changes in agency size, and geographic status—were examined. Changes in both police agency expenditures and agency size were shown to produce the greatest impact on the hiring of civilians, though interestingly, agencies that were declining in size were more likely to civilianize. It was also found that since 1973 departments in rural areas had civilianized at twice the rate as agencies in urban environments and that they were approaching the levels reported by urban departments.
Value sets of polynomials and the Cauchy Davenport theorem

We define an invariant for any finite sequence of elements belonging to a field. We find a lower bound for the cardinality of the underlying set of distinct elements of the finite sequence in terms of this invariant. We use this bound to study sumsets of finite subsets of a given field. The motivation for our method comes from a lower bound on the value set of a polynomial over a finite field, considered by Wan et al. We give a new proof of the Cauchy Davenport theorem and show how it may be applied in the case of prime power fields. We apply our results to study value sets of diagonal polynomials over finite fields. Our methods may have applications to Waring's problem over prime power fields. This calls for further investigations.
A New 69-Kv Air Blast Circuit Breaker

A new air-blast circuit breaker rated at 69 kv, 2,000 amperes, 3,500 megavolt-amperes (mva) has been developed for outdoor service on the lines of a large metropolitan utility. Designed as individual rollout circuit breaker poles in dust-tight, phase-isolated, outdoor metal enclosures with current transformers on the roof entrance bushings, the circuit breaker has its isolators enclosed within the air blast columns for more reliable operation under icing conditions for future application of the circuit breaker as outdoor porcelain-clad units. Recovery voltage control resistors are used to insure satisfactory performance of the circuit breaker at any circuit recovery rate which may arise on any system in this country.
The Fourth R

What is the fourth R? According to Kimball Wiles, it is Human Relations—the most basic of all skills. Are we accepting the fourth R as one that cannot be evaded? Or are we like ostriches hiding our heads in the sand, oblivious to its existence? Recent research findings and some down-to-earth ways of weaving the fourth R into daily school life are given here.
Cardiac arrest following inhalation induction of anaesthesia in a child with Duchenne's muscular dystrophy.

Cardiac arrest occurred in a 5 1/2-year-old child with suspected Duchenne’ s muscular dystrophy ten minutes following induction of anaesthesia with halothane, nitrous oxide and oxygen. No muscle relaxants were administered. The cardiac arrest was associated with hyperkalaemia, acidosis, myoglobinuria, elevated serum creatinephosphokinase anda 1.6° C rise in temperature. The child made a complete recovery after receiving 90 minutes of cardiopulmonary resuscitation.
Transition in R&D management control system: Case study of a biotechnology research institute in China

Abstract China's transition from a command economy to a market economy calls for a transformation from a centralized to a decentralized model in research and development (R&D) management control system. Virtually all scientific research was funded and monitored by the state under the centralized economy, thus creating an incentive structure for individuals and institutes to get state research grants to carry out scientific research without being able to commercially exploit its final results. This study investigates a biotechnology research institute's commercialization effort in response to economic reform. The findings show that market demand is not sufficient in bridging the gap between technological potential and commercial exploitation. Management control system based on clearly defined property rights is of critical importance to successful R&D commercialization, and market-based financing is key to an effective control system.
5′-AMP aminohydrolase activity in erythrocytes from normal and dystrophic individuals

Abstract 5′-AMP aminohydrolase activities in red blood cells from normal human adults and from patients with pseudohypertrophic dystrophy, myotonic dystrophy, limb girdle dystrophy, neuromuscular atrophy, Charcot-Marie Tooth Disease, and spinal muscular atrophy were examined. In contrast to the greatly decreased skeletal muscular levels of 5′-AMP aminohydrolase observed in Pseudohypertrophic muscular dystrophy, levels in red blood cells of all patients were not significantly different from normals. Pyruvate kinase and creatine kinase activities were determined for comparative purposes. The density distribution of normal and dystrophic erythrocytes were essentially identical.
Pineal and serum melatonin at midday and midnight following pinealectomy or castration in male rats

Melatonin has been extractkd by chloroform from rat serum and quantified by the Rana pipiens tadpole bioassay. Like pineal melatonin, serum melatonin was high at mid-dark and low at mid-light. This finding suggests a diurnal rhythm of serum melatonin in the rat. Serum samples obtained at mid-dark had melatonin levels ranging from 0.02 to 0.05 ng per ml of serum. When rats were pinealectomized, melatonin activity in the serum was abolished. Thus, rat serum melatonin may originate primarily from the pineal. There was no significant change in pineal melatonin content nor in serum melatonin concentrations 7 or 12 days following orchidectomy.
Predictors of Health Behavior from a Behavior-Analytic Orientation.

The frequencies of American college students' positive self-talk, emotional reactions, and other positive thoughts for engaging in five health behaviors were assessed and found to be highly correlated; they then were combined into a composite measure. A similar composite resulted for negative self-talk, emotional reactions, and other negative thoughts for engaging in unhealthy alternative behaviors. Effortfulness and pleasantness of the health behaviors were also assessed. One or (in some cases) both composites, effortfulness, and pleasantness were substantially related to vigorous exercise, use of seat belts, and avoidance of alcoholic beverages. Mild exercise and avoidance of junk food were less well predicted.
Observation of enhanced particle removal rates in pump limiter simulation experiments

Abstract The performance of particle removal schemes for density and impurity control in tokamaks and mirror machines depends strongly on the plasma parameters and local recycling near the plasma neutralizer plates and gas pumping ducts. The relationship between plasma density, electron temperature, ion energy and gas flow and particle removal rate through a pumping duct located near a plasma neutralizer plate has been experimentally investigated in the steady state plasma device PISCES. Results indicate that initially the particle removal by pumps at the end of the duct is proportional to the plasma flux to the plate. A nonlinear increase in the pumping rate occurs when the ionization mean free path for neutrals from the plate becomes less than the plasma radius. The transition from a transparent to an opaque plasma due to local ionization of the neutrals produced at the netralizer plate greatly enhances the particle removal rate by recycling of the neutral gas as it flows away from the neutralizer plate or out of the pumping ducts. Parameters were varied to determine the importance of “ballistic scattering” of higher energy ions from the plate, but no effects were found in these experiments.
Comparing the physiological and subjective effects of self-administered vs yoked cocaine in humans

Rationale Studies with laboratory animals demonstrating different effects of self- vs experimenter-administered drug suggest that the ability to control or predict drug delivery may be an important determinant of drug action.
Geometry and singlet−triplet energy gap in methylene: a critical review of experimental and theoretical determinations

Abstract The experimental and theoretical attempts to determine the equilibrium bond angle in the 3B1 ground state and the 1A1–3B1 energy gap between the lowest two states of the methylene molecule are reviewed. Misinterpretations of experimental data and inadequate theoretical treatments have caused discrepancies in both these quantities. The errors in the experimental and theoretical determinations are discussed. The best experimental and theoretical values now available are seen to be in substantial agreement.
Learning fast accurate movements requires intact frontostriatal circuits

The basal ganglia are known to play a crucial role in movement execution, but their importance for motor skill learning remains unclear. Obstacles to our understanding include the lack of a universally accepted definition of motor skill learning (definition confound), and difficulties in distinguishing learning deficits from execution impairments (performance confound). We studied how healthy subjects and subjects with a basal ganglia disorder learn fast accurate reaching movements, and we addressed the definition and performance confounds by: 1) focusing on an operationally defined core element of motor skill learning (speed-accuracy learning), and 2) using normal variation in initial performance to separate movement execution impairment from motor learning abnormalities. We measured motor skill learning learning as performance improvement in a reaching task with a speed-accuracy trade-off. We compared the performance of subjects with Huntington’s disease (HD), a neurodegenerative basal ganglia disorder, to that of premanifest carriers of the HD mutation and of control subjects. The initial movements of HD subjects were less skilled (slower and/or less accurate) than those of control subjects. To factor out these differences in initial execution, we modeled the relationship between learning and baseline performance in control subjects. Subjects with HD exhibited a clear learning impairment that was not explained by differences in initial performance. These results support a role for the basal ganglia in both movement execution and motor skill learning.
Martian pedestal craters: Marginal sublimation pits implicate a climate‐related formation mechanism

[1] Pedestal craters on Mars are defined by an outward-facing scarp forming a plateau perched tens of meters above the surrounding terrain. Their origin has been attributed to impact armoring of the surface and subsequent removal of inter-crater terrain by either eolian deflation or sublimation of an ice-rich substrate. We identified 2696 pedestal craters between ∼60°N and 60°S latitude; 98% are poleward of 33°N and 40°S. The majority of pedestal crater margins are smoothly sloped, but ∼3%, concentrated in Utopia Planitia and Malea Planum, display distinctive marginal pits. These pedestal crater scarps are anomalously tall (usually >80–100 m) and the pits resemble sublimation depressions seen on Earth and elsewhere on Mars, providing evidence for sublimation of volatiles in the scarp, where the armored surface has tapered. The pitted scarps provide insight into the origin of the general pedestal crater population, favoring formation via deposition of a volatile-rich substrate, impact armoring, and sublimation of intervening volatiles. Crater densities and overlapping pedestal craters suggest multiple periods of emplacement and loss of these climate-related, latitude-dependent deposits throughout the Amazonian.
The location of very small particles in silane RF discharge

The size and location of silicon particles that grow in a pure silane, capacitively coupled RF discharge, are measured by laser light scattering. The discharge conditions were similar to those typically used to produce amorphous silicon devices, except the temperatures is 300 K. At early discharge time, when the particles are small (D/spl sim/15 nm), they are located at the middle of the discharge. The larger ones that occur at later discharge times form a double layer nearer the electrodes. Surprisingly, the particles are not concentrated at the region of brightest discharge-light, which represents the distribution of high-energy electrons. Yet as expected, the distribution of film deposition on the electrodes fits radical diffusion with a source proportional to light intensity. It is also shown, by tilting the substrate, that a small gradient in plasma potential can have a major effect on particle positions.
RESOLUTION OF TWO EMISSION SPECTRA FOR TRYPTOPHAN USING FREQUENCY‐DOMAIN PHASE‐MODULATION SPECTRA

–We describe a novel application of frequency-domain fluorometry which allows resolution of the decay times and emission spectra of samples which display multi-exponential decay kinetics. This method does not require any previous knowledge about the decay times or any assumptions about the shape of the emission spectra. We record the wavelength-dependent phase angles and modulations (phase angle and modulation spectra) using a number of light modulation frequencies. The data are analyzed by non-linear least-squares to recover the underlying spectra and their associated decay times. Phase and modulation spectra (PM Spec) were used to recover the emission spectra associated with the two decay times of tryptophan at pH = 7 (0.54 and 3.44 ns). The emission spectra of these components are centered at 340 and 355 nm, respectively, with the amplitude of the 0.54 ns component contributing 6% to the total eirnssion. These results are in agreement with previous time-resolved studies by Szabo and Rayner [J. Am. Chem. Soc.102, 554–563 (1980)]. Control experiments were performed on mixtures of N-acetyl-L-tryptophanamide (NATA) and PPD, which demonstrate our ability to recover the spectra and decay times from two component mixtures. NATA itself displayed a single decay time and only one emission spectrum.
Development of a drive cycle based evaluation method for Variable Voltage Converter in vehicle electrification applications

In this work, an innovative and feasible evaluation method is proposed to fully verify the Variable Voltage Converter (VVC) functionality for vehicle electrification applications. With the proposed method, the VVC can be fully tested for all four operation modes which can occur during vehicle real driving conditions. The proposed method provides a solution which allows hardware self-evaluation with HEV drive cycles during development stages in the laboratory. The advantages associated with this method includes 1) the capability of testing the VVC up to full power under all operating modes, 2) minimal external power demand and energy savings; 3) enable hardware to be tested with real drive conditions and significantly reduces costs and resources which are required by vehicle road tests.
Size-Effect Testing of Cohesive Fracture Parameters and Nonuniqueness of Work-of-Fracture Method

The cohesive crack model has been widely accepted as the best compromise for the analysis of fracture of concrete and other quasibrittle materials. The softening stress-separation law of this model is now believed to be best described as a bilinear curve characterized by four parameters: the initial and total fracture energies Gf and GF, the tensile strength ft′, and the knee-point ordinate σ1. The classical work-of-fracture test of a notched beam of one size can deliver a clear result only for GF. Here it is shown computationally that the same complete load-deflection curve can be closely approximated with stress-separation curves in which the ft′ values differ by 77% and Gf values by 68%. It follows that the work-of-fracture test alone cannot provide an unambiguous basis for quasibrittle fracture analysis. It is found, however, that if this test is supplemented by size-effect testing, all four cohesive crack model parameters can be precisely identified and the fracture analysis of structures becomes una...
Organic and Inorganic Blocking Layers for Solution‐Processed Colloidal PbSe Nanocrystal Infrared Photodetectors

A PbSe solution-processed nanocrystal-based infrared photodetector incorporating carrier blocking layers is demonstrated, and significant reduction of dark current is achieved. Detectivity values close to 1012 Jones are achieved by using poly[(9,9′-dioctylfluorenyl-2,7-diyl)-co-(4,4′-(N-(4-sec-butyl))diphenylamine)] (TFB) and ZnO nanocrystals (NC) as the electron blocker and hole blocker, respectively. An improvement in lifetime is also observed in the devices with the ZnO NCs hole blocking layer.
Stromal Cells Promote Angiogenesis and Growth of Human Prostate Tumors in a Differential Reactive Stroma (DRS) Xenograft Model

Reactive stroma has been reported in many cancers, including breast, colon,and prostate. Although changes in stromal cell phenotype and extracellular matrix have been reported, specific mechanisms of how reactive stroma affects tumor progression are not understood. To address the role of stromal cells in differential regulation of tumor incidence, growth rate, and angiogenesis, LNCaP xenograft tumors were constructed in nude mice with five different human prostate stromal cell lines as well as GeneSwitch-3T3 cells engineered to express lacZ under mifepristone regulation. Alone, LNCaP prostate carcinoma cells were essentially nontumorigenic, whereas combinations of LNCaP cells with three different human prostate stromal cell lines (L/S tumors) resulted in a tumor incidence (50-63%) similar to that of control LNCaP plus Matrigel (L/M) tumors over a 9-week period. In contrast, LNCaP combinations with two other human prostate stromal cell lines were nontumorigenic, illustrating that stromal cell effects are differential. L/S tumors exhibited well-developed blood vessels at 2 weeks, whereas control L/M tumors were avascular at 2 weeks and exhibited blood lakes in lieu of extensive vessels at later time points. Xenografts constructed under three-way conditions (LNCaP, Matrigel, and stromal cells; L/M/S tumors) exhibited a 100% tumor incidence and showed rapid blood vessel formation as early as day 7 with mature vessels formed by day 10. L/M/S tumors exhibited a 10.3-fold increase in microvessel density, and the corresponding hemoglobin:tumor weight ratio was increased 2-fold relative to L/M control tumors at day 10. L/M/S tumor wet weight and volume increased by 1.6- and 2.4-fold, respectively, by day 21, compared with control L/M tumors. L/M/S tumors made with LNCaP cells plus GeneSwitch-3T3-pGene/lacZ stromal cells showed similar results. Mifepristone-regulated gene expression was observed in stromal cells immediately adjacent to clusters of carcinoma cells and in vessel walls in a mural cell (pericyte) position. This study shows that regulation of angiogenesis is one mechanism through which stromal cells affect LNCaP tumor incidence and growth rate. This regulation may be mediated through direct recruitment and interactions of stromal cells with endothelial cells. Furthermore, this study describes for the first time a model system with regulated transgene expression in the stromal compartment of an experimental carcinoma. These findings point to the stromal compartment as a potential source of new prognostic markers and therapeutic targets and show the utility of the carcinoma-stromal xenograft model system in dissecting specific mechanisms of reactive stroma.
Missing the entire point: Wittgenstein and religion

In this paper I contrast some widespread ideas about what Wittgenstein said about religious belief with statements Wittgenstein made about his purposes and method in doing philosophy, in order to argue that he did not hold the views commonly attributed to him. These allegedly Wittgensteinian doctrines in fact essentialize religion in a very un-Wittgensteinian way. A truly Wittgensteinian philosophy of religion can only be a personal process, and there can be no part in it for generalized hypotheses or conclusions about religion in general.Why is it that in this case I seem to be missing the entire point?1
The role of model-based segmentation in the recovery of volumetric parts from range data

We present a method for segmenting and estimating the shape of 3D objects from range data. The technique uses model views, or aspects, to constrain the fitting of deformable models to range data. Based on an initial region segmentation of a range image, regions are grouped into aspects corresponding to the volumetric parts that make up an object. The qualitative segmentation of the range image into a set of volumetric parts not only captures the coarse shape of the parts, but qualitatively encodes the orientation of each part through its aspect. Knowledge of a part's coarse shape, its orientation, as well as the mapping between the faces in its aspect and the surfaces on the part provides strong constraints on the fitting of a deformable model (supporting both global and local deformations) to the data. Unlike previous work in physics-based deformable model recovery from range data, the technique does not require presegmented data. Furthermore, occlusion is handled at segmentation time and does not complicate the fitting process, as only 3D points known to belong to a part participate in the fitting of a model to the part. We present the approach in detail and apply it to the recovery of objects from range data.
Gamma knife radiosurgery of radiation-induced intracranial tumors: Local control, outcomes, and complications

Purpose: To determine local control (LC) and complication rates for patients who underwent radiosurgery for radiation-induced intracranial tumors. Methods and Materials: Review of a prospectively maintained database (2,714 patients) identified 16 patients (20 tumors) with radiation-induced tumors treated with radiosurgery between 1990 and 2004. Tumor types included typical meningioma ( n = 17), atypical meningioma ( n = 2), and schwannoma ( n = 1). Median patient age at radiosurgery was 47.5 years (range, 27–70 years). The median tumor margin dose was 16 Gy (range, 12–20 Gy). Median follow-up was 40.2 months (range, 10.8–146.2 months). Time-to-event outcomes were calculated with Kaplan-Meier estimates. Results: Three-year and 5-year LC rates were 100%. Three-year and 5-year overall survival rates were 92% and 80%, respectively. Cause-specific survival rates at 3 and 5 years were 100%. Three patients died: 1 had in-field progression 65.1 months after radiosurgery and later died of the tumor, 1 died of progression of a preexisting brain malignancy, and 1 died of an unrelated cause. One patient had increased seizure activity that correlated with development of edema seen on neuroimaging. Conclusions: LC, survival, and complication rates in our series are comparable to those in previous reports of radiosurgery for intracranial meningiomas. Also, LC rates with radiosurgery are at least comparable to those of surgical series for radiation-induced meningiomas. Radiosurgery is a safe and effective treatment option for radiation-induced intracranial tumors, most of which are typical meningiomas.
Pharmacokinetics of Quercetin Absorption from Apples and Onions in Healthy Humans

A high-throughput method for the extraction and analysis of quercetin in human plasma using 96-well SPE and LC-(ESI)MS/MS (7 min/run) is described. Quercetin exists as a range of glycosides in foods. The dominant types of quercetin glycosides vary depending on genetics (i.e., species and cultivar). Dietary sources include onions and apples (i.e., the peel). Herein the quercetin glycoside composition was determined in a composite standard of dried apple peel and in onion powder. The predominant forms of quercetin in apple peel include quercetin O-arabinoside, 3-O-galactoside, 3-O-glucoside, and 3-O-rhamnoside. In the onion powder, quercetin occurred as the quercetin 3,4′-O-glucoside and 4′-O-glucoside. Pharmacokinetics relating to absorption (Cmax, tmax, and AUC0–24 h) and elimination (kel and t1/2) were compared after the consumption of apple peel powder (AP), onion powder (OP), or a mixture of the apple peel and onion powder enriched applesauce (MP) by healthy volunteers (eight females and eight males). ...
Modeling and simulation of the SDC data collection chip

A description is presented of modeling and simulation of the data collection chip (DCC) design for the Solenoidal Detector Collaboration (SDC). Models of the DCC written in Verilog and VHDL are described, and results are presented. The models have been simulated to study queue depth requirements and to compare control feedback alternatives. Insight into the management of models and simulation tools is given. Finally, techniques useful in the design process for data acquisition systems are discussed. >
Variability of the Partition Coefficient in Relation to Cerebral Blood Flow with a Freely Diffusible Tracer

Cerebral blood flow (CBF) measurements with freely diffusible tracers have depended upon separate partition coefficients (lambda) for gray and white matter. As well, certain tracers have been considered inadequate in species with very high CBF as the lambda diminishes at high flow rates. Similarly, the relation of CBF in normal and pathologic circumstances related to the reliability of the measurement remains poorly understood.
Diabetes insipidus: Differential diagnosis and management

Diabetes insipidus (DI) is a syndrome characterized by the excretion of abnormally large volumes of dilute urine. It can be caused by any of 4 fundamentally different defects that must be distinguished for safe and effective management. They are: (1) pituitary DI, due to inadequate production and secretion of antidiuretic hormone, arginine-vasopressin (AVP); (2) gestational DI due to degradation of AVP by an enzyme made in placenta; (3) primary polydipsia, due to suppression of AVP secretion by excessive fluid intake; and (4) nephrogenic DI due to renal insensitivity to the antidiuretic effect of AVP. This review describes several methods of differential diagnosis, indicates the advantages and disadvantages of each and presents a new approach that is simpler and less costly but just as reliable as the best of the older methods. The various treatments for the different types of DI and recent findings on the genetic basis of the familial forms of DI are also discussed with emphasis on their contributions to improved diagnosis and management.
Generic equilibration dynamics of planar defects in trapped atomic superfluids

We investigate equilibration processes shortly after sudden perturbations are applied to ultracold trapped superfluids. We show the similarity of phase imprinting and localized density depletion perturbations, both of which initially are found to produce ``phase walls.'' These planar defects are associated with a sharp gradient in the phase. Importantly they relax following a quite general sequence. Our studies, based on simulations of the complex time-dependent Ginzburg-Landau equation, address the challenge posed by these experiments: how a superfluid eventually eliminates a spatially extended planar defect. The processes involved are necessarily more complex than equilibration involving simpler line vortices. An essential mechanism for relaxation involves repeated formation and loss of vortex rings near the trap edge.
Load-Transmitter Constraint Sets: Part I—An Effective Tool for Visualizing Load Flow in Compliant Mechanisms and Structures

Visualizing load flow aids in conceptual design synthesis of machine components. In this paper, we present a mathematical framework to visualize load flow in compliant mechanisms and structures. This framework uses the concept of transferred forces to quantify load flow from input to the output of a compliant mechanism. The key contribution of this paper is the identification a fundamental building block known as the Load-Transmitter Constraint (LTC) set, which enables load flow in a particular direction. The transferred force in each LTC set is shown to be independent of successive LTC sets that are attached to it. This enables a continuous visualization of load flow from the input to the output. Furthermore, we mathematically relate the load flow with the deformation behavior of the mechanism. We can thus explain the deformation behavior of a number of compliant mechanisms from literature by identifying its LTC sets to visualize load flow. This method can also be used to visualize load flow in optimal stiff structure topologies. The insight obtained from this visualization tool facilitates a systematic building block based design methodology for compliant mechanisms and structural topologies.© 2010 ASME
Comparative reliability analysis of publicly available software packages for automatic intracranial volume estimation

Intracranial volume is an important measure in brain research often used as a correction factor in inter subject studies. The current study investigates the resulting outcome in terms of the type of software used for automatically estimating ICV measure. Five groups of 70 subjects are considered, including adult controls (AC) (n=11), adult with dementia (AD) (n=11), pediatric controls (PC) (n=18) and two groups of pediatric epilepsy subjects (PE1.5 and PE3) (n=30) using 1.5 T and 3T scanners, respectively. Reference measurements were calculated for each subject by manually tracing intracranial cavity without sub-sampling. Four publicly available software packages (AFNI, Freesurfer, FSL, and SPM) were examined in their ability to automatically estimate ICV across the five groups. Linear regression analyses suggest that reference measurement discrepancy could be explained best by SPM [R(2)= 0.67;p <; 0.01] for the AC group, Freesurfer [R(2) = 0.46; p = 0.02] for the AD group, AFNI [R(2)=0.97;p<; 0.01] for the PC group and FSL [R(2) = 0.6; p = 0.1] for the PE1.5 and [R(2) = 0.6; p <; 0.01] for PE3 groups. The study demonstrates that the choice of the automated software for ICV estimation is dependent on the population under consideration and whether the software used is atlas-based or not.