cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
In-situ observation of crack growth in glassy alumina at 1275 C

Crack propagation in an 85 percent alumina was studied in situ at 1275 C as a function of displacement rates from 3 to 50 microns/min using short double cantilever beam (s-DCB) specimens with and without a rear-notch wedge. With the rear-notch wedge, the crack propagated by a creep rupture process that involved the nucleation of microcracks ahead of the main crack tip and the subsequent linkage of these microcracks to the main crack. This creep crack process produced a very tortuous crack path. The linkage of these creep-nucleated microcracks to the main crack gave rise to significant statistical variability in the load-displacement curves. This creep crack growth behavior was found to be dependent on the C-integral, where crack velocity was proportional to C by a power law function. Without the rear notch wedge, creep nucleated microcracking was considerably reduced and crack propagation became more coplanar. 15 refs.
The anthroform neural controller: a system for detailed emulation of neural circuits

The authors describe a versatile parallel computing architecture for emulating the spinal circuits of the human nervous system. When used in conjunction with a dynamically realistic replica of the human arm, this controller will provide a versatile tool for studying human motor-sensory control. The design is based on the structural constraints of the nervous system, and consists of a special purpose digital bus which implements connections between simulated neurons running on TMS 320C30 digital signal processors (DSPs). The system supports up to 1024 individual neuron models, each connected to every other one at least once every millisecond. These neuron models may be distributed over as many as 256 processor circuit cards, each supporting an interface for high level control from a host and another for input and output functions. >
Cellular sources, targets and actions of constitutive nitric oxide in the magnocellular neurosecretory system of the rat.

Nitric oxide (NO) is a key activity-dependent modulator of the magnocellular neurosecretory system (MNS) during conditions of high hormonal demand. In addition, recent studies support the presence of a functional consitutive NO tone. The aim of this study was to identify the cellular sources, targets, signalling mechanisms and functional relevance of constitutive NO production within the supraoptic nucleus (SON). Direct visualization of intracellular NO, along with neuronal nitric oxide synthase (nNOS) and cGMP immunohistochemisty, was used to study the cellular sources and targets of NO within the SON, respectively. Our results support the presence of a strong NO basal tone within the SON, and indicate that vasopressin (VP) neurones constitute the major neuronal source and target of basal NO. NO induced-fluorescence and cGMP immunoreactivity (cGMPir) were also found in the glia and microvasculature of the SON, suggesting that they contribute as sources/targets of NO within the SON. cGMPir was also found in association with glutamic acid decarboxylase 67 (GAD67)- and vesicular glutamate transporter 2 (VGLUT2)-positive terminals. Glutamate, acting on NMDA and possibly AMPA receptors, was found to be an important neurotransmitter driving basal NO production within the SON. Finally, electrophysiological recordings obtained from SON neurones in a slice preparation indicated that constitutive NO efficiently restrains ongoing firing activity of these neurones. Furthermore, phasically active (putative VP) and continuously firing neurones appeared to be influenced by NO originating from different sources. The potential roles for basal NO as an autocrine signalling molecule, and one that bridges neuronal–glial–vascular interactions within the MNS are discussed.
Fuzzy Logic: Intelligence, Control, and Information

1. Introduction. 2. Basic Concepts of Fuzzy Logic. 3. Fuzzy Sets. 4. Fuzzy Relations, Fuzzy Graphs, and Fuzzy Arithmetic. 5. Fuzzy If-Then Rules. 6. Fuzzy Implications and Approximate Reasoning. 7. Fuzzy Logic and Probability Theory. 8. Fuzzy Logic in Control Engineering. 9. Hierarchical Intelligent Control. 10. Analytical Issues in Fuzzy Logic Control. 11. Fuzzy Logic and Artificial Intelligence. 12. Fuzzy Logic in Database Management and Information Systems. 13. Fuzzy Logic in Pattern Recognition. 14. Fuzzy Model Identification. 15.Advanced Topics of Fuzzy Model Identification. 16.Neuro-Fuzzy Systems. 17. Genetic Algorithms and Fuzzy Logic. References. Index.
Stochastic Differential Equations

There exist different notions of a solution to a semilinear stochastic differential equation (SSDE). We define strong, weak (in the sense of duality), mild, and martingale solutions, and study the problem of existence and uniqueness. As in the deterministic case, for example in Pazy (Semigroups of Linear Operators and Applications to Partial Differential Equations. Applied Mathematical Sciences, vol. 44. Springer, New York 1983), we first study solutions to a stochastic counterpart of the deterministic inhomogeneous Cauchy problem and we highlight the role played by the stochastic convolution. The SSDE’s we investigate are allowed to depend on the entire past of the solution which significantly broadens the field of applications. The existence result for mild solutions is first obtained for equations with Lipschitz coefficients. In the special case of equations depending only on the presence, we discuss the Markov property, dependence of the solution on the initial condition, including differentiability, and the Kolmogorov backward equation. We also study SSDE’s with continuous coefficients, and present an existence result for martingale solutions, but due to the failure of the Peano theorem, a compactness assumption is added for the associated semigroup, as in DaPrato and Zabczyk (Stochastic Equations in Infinite Dimensions. Encyclopedia of Mathematics and Its Applications, vol. 44. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge 1992). We also present an existence result for SSDE’s driven by a cylindrical Wiener process.
Symbolic modeling of flexible manipulators

This paper presents a new systematic algorithm to symbolically derive the full nonlinear dynamic equations of motion of multi-link flexible manipulators. Lagrange's-Assumed modes method is the basis of the new algorithm and adapted in a way suitable for symbolic manipulation by digital computers. It is applied to model a two-link flexible arm via a commercially available symbolic manipulation program. The advantages of the algorithm and simulation results are discussed.
Nonlinear partial differential equations in image processing

Publisher Summary This chapter discusses the use of partial differential equations (PDEs) and curvature driven flows in image processing. In this context, the first chapter deals with the use of PDEs for image segmentation. It then discusses the use of PDEs to process multivalued data defined on nonfiat manifolds. This can be considered as the second generation of this PDE-based image processing approach since most of the work reported is for “flat” data. Use of partial differential equations and the curve-surface flows in image analysis leads to model images in a continuous domain. This simplifies formalism, which becomes grid independent and isotropic. When the image is represented as a continuous signal, PDEs can be seen as the iteration of local filters with an infinitesimal neighborhood. This interpretation of PDEs allows unifying and classifying a number of the known iterated filters as well as deriving new ones.
Double-Stranded DNA Diffusion in Slitlike Nanochannels

We present an experimental study of double-stranded DNA diffusion in slitlike channels. The channel heights span the regime from moderate confinement (height ∼ bulk radius of gyration of the DNA) to strong confinement (height ∼ persistence length). Scalings of diffusivity with channel height differ from blob model predictions. The diffusivity scales inversely with molecular weight when the channel height is smaller than the bulk radius of gyration. This scaling is indicative of hydrodynamic screening. A scaling analysis shows that the screening of hydrodynamic interactions arises from a combination of two mechanisms. After using a Zimm preaverage approximation, the unique symmetry of the thin-slit disturbance velocity and the isotropic nature of the polymer conformation together cause a cancellation of hydrodynamic interactions due to symmetry. We also find that the algebraic decay of the far-field velocity magnitude is sufficient to eliminate large-length scale hydrodynamic cooperativity in diffusion of ...
Experimental and computational studies of sound transmission in a branching airway network embedded in a compliant viscoelastic medium

Breath sounds are often used to aid in the diagnosis of pulmonary disease. Mechanical and numerical models could be used to enhance our understanding of relevant sound transmission phenomena. Sound transmission in an airway mimicking phantom was investigated using a mechanical model with a branching airway network embedded in a compliant viscoelastic medium. The Horsfield self-consistent model for the bronchial tree was adopted to topologically couple the individual airway segments into the branching airway network. The acoustics of the bifurcating airway segments were measured by microphones and calculated analytically. Airway phantom surface motion was measured using scanning laser Doppler vibrometry. Finite element simulations of sound transmission in the airway phantom were performed. Good agreement was achieved between experiments and simulations. The validated computational approach can provide insight into sound transmission simulations in real lungs.
Circumferential abdominal skin defect possibly due to umbilical cord encirclement

We report on a newborn black male twin with a distinctive circumferential abdominal skin defect who was identified through the Active Malformation Surveillance Program at the Brigham and Women's Hospital. There were no other malformations, and amniotic disruption was not present. Although it cannot be proven, we believe that this skin defect may have been caused by in utero encirclement of the abdomen by an umbilical cord.
Market structure, innovation and vertical product differentiation

Abstract We reassess Arrow's (1962) [Economic Welfare and the Allocation of Resources for Invention, in NBER, The Rate and Direction of Innovative Activity (Princeton University Press, Princeton NJ)] results concerning the effect of market structure on the returns from process innovation. Here we consider product innovations that are vertically differentiated from older products, in the sense of Shaked and Sutton (1982) (Relaxing Price Competition through Product Differentiation, Review of Economic Studies 49, 3–13.), Shaked and Sutton (1983) (Natural Oligopolies, Econometrica 51, 1469–1484.). Competition and monopoly in the old product market provide identical returns to innovation when (i) the monopolist is protected from new product entry, and (ii) innovation is non-drastic, in the sense that the monopolist supplies positive quantities of both old and new products. If the monopolist can be threatened with entry, monopoly provides strictly greater incentives. Welfare may be greater under monopoly when innovation is valuable.
Interspecific habitat associations of juvenile salmonids in Lake Ontario tributaries: implications for Atlantic salmon restoration

Summary Diel variation in habitat use of subyearling Chinook salmon (Oncorhynchus tshawytscha), subyearling coho salmon (O. kisutch), yearling steelhead (O. mykiss), and yearling Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar) was examined during the spring in two tributaries of Lake Ontario. A total of 1318 habitat observations were made on juvenile salmonids including 367 on steelhead, 351 on Chinook salmon, 333 on Atlantic salmon, and 261 on coho salmon. Steelhead exhibited the most diel variation in habitat use and Chinook the least. Juvenile salmonids were generally associated with more cover and larger substrate during the day in both streams. Interspecific differences in habitat use in both streams occurred with Atlantic salmon (fast velocities) and coho salmon (pools) using the least similar habitat. Chinook salmon and Atlantic salmon used similar habitat in both streams. These findings should help guide future management actions specific to habitat protection and restoration of Atlantic salmon in Lake Ontario tributaries.
TU‐C‐ValB‐01: Evaluation of Clinical Margins Via Simulation of Patient Setup Errors in 27 Prostate IMRT Plans

Purpose: To evaluate: (i) the size of random and systematic setup errors that can be absorbed by 5mm CTV‐to‐PTV margins in prostate IMRTtreatment plans; (ii) whether findings are consistent with published margin recipes; (iii) if shifting contours with respect to a static dose distribution accurately predicts dose coverage due to setup errors. Method and Materials: 27 IMRTtreatment plans with 5mm CTV‐to‐PTV margins were utilized. Random setup errors with standard deviations (SDs) of 1.5, 3 and 5mm were simulated by fluence convolution. Systematic errors with the same SDs were simulated using two methods: (a) shifting the isocenter and recomputing dose (isocenter shift), and (b) shifting patient contours with respect to the static dose distribution (contour shift). Maximum tolerated errors were evaluated such that 90% of plans had target coverage greater than a specified minimum. Results: For coverage criteria consistent with margin formulas, plans generated with a 5mm margin were able to absorb SDs >3mm. Most structures, including the prostate CTV, showed close agreement between isocenter and contour shift methods. Exceptions were the nodal CTV and small bowel. For 3mm SDs, contour vs isocenter shift estimates for the percent of plans with acceptable dose differed by >2% for the nodal CTV, and >7% for the small bowel. Contour shift small bowel D30 values differed from isocenter shift values by >120% for some simulated shifts. Conclusion: Published recipes require margins of 8–10mm for 3mm SDs. For the IMRT cases presented here, a 5mm margin would suffice. Approximating structure doses by shifting contours with respect to a static dose distribution was acceptable for most structures, but resulted in significant errors for the nodal CTV and small bowel doses for some shifts due to proximity to high dose gradients. (Work supported by NIH R01CA98524).
Tropical cyclone rainfall characteristics as determined from a satellite passive microwave radiometer

Data from the Nimbus-5 Electrically Scanning Microwave Radiometer (ESMR-5) were used to calculate latent heat release and other rainfall parameters for over 70 satellite observations of 21 tropical cyclones in the tropical North Pacific Ocean. The results indicate that the ESMR-5 measurements can be useful in determining the rainfall characteristics of these storms and appear to be potentially useful in monitoring as well as predicting their intensity. The ESMR-5 derived total tropical cyclone rainfall estimates agree favorably with previous estimates for both the disturbance and typhoon stages. The mean typhoon rainfall rate (1.9 mm h(-1)) is approximately twice that of disturbances (1.1 mm h(-1)).
Response of orbital and central nervous system metastases of retinoblastoma following treatment with cyclophosphamide/doxorubicin.

A 3.5-year-old boy with orbital and central nervous system extension of unilateral retinoblastoma received chemotherapy consisting of intravenous cyclophosphamide and doxorubicin and intrathecal methotrexate. Complete shrinkage of orbital tumor, phthisis bulbi,'and disappearance of intracranial metastases occurred following chemotherapy. Response of the intra-cranial tumors reflected the combined effects of cyclophosphamide and doxorubicin; the contribution of each agent could not be assessed. Cerebrospinal fluid tumor cells persisted prior to delivery of craniospinal irradiation, and were detected again 6 weeks after completion of irradiation.
An unusual presentation of central serous choroidopathy

Abstract A 68 year old female patient was diagnosed with central serous choroidopathy. The diagnosis was confirmed by fluorescein angiography and the patient was successfully treated with laser photocoagulation. Central serous choroidopathy is uncommonly diagnosed in the elderly population. Differential diagnosis and management of the case are discussed.
Hydroperoxyl radical (HO2•) oxidizes dibromide radical anion (•Br2−) to bromine (Br2) in aqueous solution: Implications for the formation of Br2 in the marine boundary layer

[1] The release of photoactive halogen species such as Br2 from sea-salt particles, snowpack, and sea-ice can have significant effects on chemistry in the marine boundary layer (MBL). Although the reaction of hydroperoxyl radical (HO2•) with dibromide radical anion (•Br2−) might be a key step in the formation and release of Br2, there is currently no consensus on whether this reaction produces bromide (Br−) or molecular bromine (Br2). To address this question, we measured the formation of gaseous and aqueous oxidized bromide (primarily Br2) in illuminated bromide solutions as a function of pH. Results from these two sets of experimental data are best explained by kinetic models where HO2• oxidizes •Br2− to Br2. Using this reaction in a simple aerosol model reveals that the hydroxyl radical-induced oxidation of particulate bromide, followed by reaction of •Br2− with HO2•, could be an important source of Br2 in the MBL.
Identification of a novel myosin heavy chain gene expressed in the rat larynx

Abstract Based on reactivity to antibodies against known myosin heavy chains, expression of a novel fast myosin heavy chain (MHC) gene was suspected in the thyroarytenoid (TA) muscle of the rat larynx. The 3′ ends of MHC transcripts in the TA were amplified by RT-PCR using a primer to a highly conserved MHC sequence and to the poly(A) tail. The resultant products were cloned and fourteen PCR products were screened by dot-blotting with oligonucleotides specific for known skeletal muscle MHC genes. A clone that reacted weakly to the 2B oligo was sequenced and found to encode a novel fast MHC transcript, termed 2L, that appears to represent an eighth vertebrate skeletal muscle MHC gene. By homology analysis, the 2L sequence is most similar to the extraocular MHC, suggesting a possible evolutionary relationship between MHCs associated with the branchial arches.
Intrinsic Piezobirefringence of Ge, Si, and GaAs

The stress-induced birefringence of Ge, Si, and GaAs and its dispersion in the region immediately below the fundamental absorption edge are reported. The measurements were performed at room temperature and for stresses along the [001] and [111] directions up to 5 \ifmmode\times\else\texttimes\fi{} ${10}^{9}$ dyn/${\mathrm{cm}}^{2}$. The carrier concentration of the samples ($n$ type) was low enough (\ensuremath{\le} ${10}^{16}$ ${\mathrm{cm}}^{\ensuremath{-}3}$) to make free-carrier piezobirefringence negligible in the spectral region of our measurement ($\ensuremath{\lambda}\ensuremath{\le}2.5$ \ensuremath{\mu}). The data for Ge and GaAs are analyzed using an interband one-electron model for the optical constants, which includes the effects of the dispersion of the ${E}_{0}$, ${E}_{0}+{\ensuremath{\Delta}}_{0}$, ${E}_{1}$, ${E}_{1}+{\ensuremath{\Delta}}_{1}$, and ${E}_{2}$ gaps. The silicon data are fitted with a model which includes dispersion centers at 4.4 eV (${E}_{2}$) and at 3.2 eV ($E_{0}^{}{}_{}{}^{\ensuremath{'}}$ and ${E}_{1}$). These models provide a good description of the experimental data and have some bearing upon the question of the accuracy of deformation potentials determined from piezobirefringence data.
Laboratory evaluation of a field-portable sealed source X-ray fluorescence spectrometer for determination of metals in air filter samples.

Recent advances in field-portable X-ray fluorescence (FP XRF) spectrometer technology have made it a potentially valuable screening tool for the industrial hygienist to estimate worker exposures to airborne metals. Although recent studies have shown that FP XRF technology may be better suited for qualitative or semiquantitative analysis of airborne lead in the workplace, these studies have not extensively addressed its ability to measure other elements. This study involved a laboratory-based evaluation of a representative model FP XRF spectrometer to measure elements commonly encountered in workplace settings that may be collected on air sample filter media, including chromium, copper, iron, manganese, nickel, lead, and zinc. The evaluation included assessments of (1) response intensity with respect to location on the probe window, (2) limits of detection for five different filter media, (3) limits of detection as a function of analysis time, and (4) bias, precision, and accuracy estimates. Teflon, polyvi...
Clostridium difficile infections in patients with severe burns

With improved survival in burn patients, Clostridium difficile infection (CDI) remains a significant potential complication. The incidence of, risk factors for, and outcomes of CDI in severely burned patients are poorly studied and remain unclear. This study involves retrospective case control and cohort studies using electronic medical records from February 1, 2002 to January 31, 2009 at the US Department of Defense’s only burn unit. Demographic, risk factor, and outcome data were collected for all C. difficile toxin positive patients in the burn, medical, and surgical intensive care units and the hospital’s step down unit along with an additional analysis of a 2:1 matched control of C. difficile toxin negative to positive burn patients. In the burn intensive care unit (BICU) population there was an incidence of 7.9 cases per 10,000 patient days; less than the non-burn unit rate of 15.2 cases (p-value < 0.01). The BICU patients were young males with a median 42% total body surface area burns. There were higher frequencies of operations and prior aminoglycoside use, with longer unit stays and times until death or discharge. There was no difference in treatments, morbidity, or mortality. The comparison of patients with positive and negative C. difficile toxin among those in the BICU revealed few significant differences in risk factors or outcomes. Differences in risk factors between burn and non-burn patients were likely markers of the populations rather than independent risk factors for CDI in the burn population with overall lower rates likely reflective of younger, healthier patients in the BICU and more aggressive infection control practices.
A CHARACTERISTIC LOCALIZATION OF BACILLUS ABORTUS IN THE BOVINE FETAL MEMBRANES

The significance of this invasion of the chorionic epithelium from the standpoint of pathogene'sis cannot be properly evaluated until a more complete history of the successive localizations of Bacillus abortus has been obtained. It is safe to assume that this particular cell parasitism is but one of a series of localizations and centers of multiplication in the fetal membranes although evidence points to it as perhaps the earliest stage in which the organism gains by rapid, unchecked multiplication a considerable advantage over the host. The local destruction of an epithelial covering by an infectious agent when other miscellaneous infectious agents are absent may or may not be of much importance, for it would depend on the regenerative activity of the epithelium, the tendency to the gathering of injurious transudates, and the toxic substances associated with the bacilli. It is probable that localizations also occur in the walls of the blood vessels of the chorion. Thus far only one case of this kind has been observed. The fusiform connective tissue cells of the adventitious coat of a blood vessel 0.8 mm. in diameter were completely replaced by clumps of minute bacilli. Since there is usually a slight perivascular cell infiltration in the diseased placenta this localization may be largely responsible for the circulatory disturbances which lead to death of the fetus. The case referred to may be but a greatly exaggerated illustration of the action of Bacillus abortus in the walls of the blood vessels where they are too few in number at any one time to be identified. It is known, that in the guinea pig disease with pronounced lesions Bacillus abortus is demonstrated only with great difficulty because of its scarcity. The more or less specific localization and multiplication of bacteria within cells not having phagocytic functions have thus far been demonstrated in leprosy, syphilis, and in a disease of mice recently described by Tyzzer, who found an active invasion of both liver cells and intestinal epithelium by a bacillus. In cells to which phagocytic powers have been ascribed the specific localization of certain bacteria is well known. Thus tubercle bacilli occur within the endothelial cells of the tubercle. Leprosy bacilli have been found within a variety of cell groups. Mouse septicemia bacilli occur regularly within certain phagocytic cells of the blood. Recently bacteria have been found attached to the cilia of the respiratory tract in pertussis by Mallory and Hornor, in a form of guinea pig pneumonia by the writer. Actual occupation of epithelial cells followed by active multiplication of the invaders and destruction of the cell has, however, been frequently demonstrated for the sporozoa. That it may occur more often among bacteria is highly probable. Rapidity of multiplication and cell destruction or invisibility or both may stand in the way of a satisfactory demonstration.
Laminar Suspension Flow with Diffusive, Gravitational Deposition in the Entrance of a Converging and Diverging Channel,

Abstract The simultaneous development of the fluid and particle phases was solved numerically to effect deposition rate results in converging and diverging straight wall channels with significant gravity effects. The flow was laminar and two-dimensional with non-reacting dilute suspensions in an incompressible carrier. Deposition rate was found to be higher in a favorable pressure field ( i.e. converging channel) than that in an adverse pressure field ( i.e. diverging channel) when diffusion was the predominant force involved. However, in a gravity field, bottom deposition rates were found to increase in adverse pressure fields, whereas favorable pressure fields effected less deposition rates. Moreover, top deposition rates were found to decrease with both increasing convergence and divergence angles. Finally, the bottom deposition rates were found to increase to very high proportions (near separation points) for high N β in diverging channels due to the large magnitude of the particle density on the bottom wall.
Socialization for sexual and contraceptive behavior: moral absolutes versus relative consequences.

The intended and unintended effects of adolescent exposure to 2 dominant socialization strategies for preventing adolescent premarital pregnancy are considered. The moral absolutes strategy which focuses on preventing premarital sexual intercourse among adolescents is represented by the preceived premarital sexual permisiveness of parents and friends religiosity and sex guilt. The relative consequences strategy which emphasizes the prevention of pregnancy among unmarried sexually active adolescents is represented by contraceptive discussion and perceived access to contraceptive services. The relations between adolescents exposure to each strategy and their sexual and contraceptive attitudes and behavior were examined from July 1978 to June 1979 via telephone interviews with 329 adolescents aged 14 to 17. The study group was selected from the greater Seattle area using a cluster sampling procedure based on census tracts and street segments. Results show that both the moral absolutes strategy and the relative consequences strategy have potential for preventing adolescent premarital pregnancy. Therefore it is suggested that the efforts of parents community and society should incorporate elements of both strategies A heirarchy of values should be constructed with sexual abstinence preferred to sexual intercourse with contraception and both preferable to unprotected intercourse.
Global gene expression patterns in mouse wolffian duct development.

Purpose: We identified genes responsible for terminal differentiation of the mouse ureter.Materials and Methods: We isolated the wolffian ducts of Black Swiss mice from embryonic days 12.5 to 14.5. These ducts were processed for total RNA extraction. RNA was amplified and converted to biotinylated cDNA, which was hybridized to Affymetrix® mouse 430 microarray GeneChips®. Data were analyzed using Affymetrix® software provided by the core facility at our institution. Data were confirmed by semiquantitative polymerase chain reaction and immunohistochemistry.Results: Of 42,000 evaluable transcripts 412 were up-regulated and 133 were down-regulated more than 1.5-fold between embryonic days 12.5 and 14.5. Of up-regulated genes 17 were up-regulated more than 3-fold. Of these genes 5 were selected for further study and they were identified as having roles in cell growth/regulation in general. Increased expression of Foxa1 was seen at embryonic day 14.5 in the distal ureter and urogenital sinus.Conclusions: To our...
Comparing grain boundary energies in face-centered cubic metals: Al, Au, Cu and Ni

The energy of 388 grain boundaries in Al, Au, Cu and Ni were calculated using atomistic simulations. Grain boundary energies in different elements are strongly correlated. Consistent with a dislocation model for grain boundary structure, the boundary energy scales with the shear modulus. Boundaries with substantial stacking fault character scale with the stacking fault energy. There is more scatter in the data for Al, which has a high stacking fault energy, than for the low stacking fault energy elements.
Don Quixote: Some Observations on the Creation and Evolution of Its Protagonist and on Its Novelistic Structures

For Deborah and Nereida with love Throughout the First Part * of the novel (1605) Cervantes derides Don Quixote's madness, which results from the latter's obsessive reading every night, ‘de claro e...
The effect of midazolam on conscious, controlled processing: evidence from the process-dissociation procedure.

The benzodiazepine midazolam produces a dense anterograde amnesia. Recent findings (see, e.g., Hirshman, Passannante, & Arndt, 2001) have demonstrated that midazolam produces larger impairments on explicit memory tests such as free recall and recognition memory than on implicit memory tests such as perceptual identification and free association. Such findings suggest that midazolam impairs conscious, controlled memory processes. In the present experiments, we used Jacoby's (1991, 1998) process-dissociation procedure to examine this hypothesis. Our results demonstrate that midazolam increases the production of old items on the exclusion task and reduces the production of old items on the inclusion task. Moreover, generation effects, hypothesized to arise from conscious processes, are reduced by midazolam on both tasks. Analyses using both independence and redundancy models of the process-dissociation procedure confirm the conclusion that midazolam impairs conscious memory processes.
Streamer Propagation in Liquids and over Liquid-Solid Interfaces

The recent activity in the area of prebreakdown streamer development has produced a considerable quantity of data characterizing the phenomena. It is not the aim of this paper to review in detail this work, much of which has been discussed in two recent reviews [1,2]. Rather we hope to point out from this work in non-uniform field geometries, some interesting observations which are striking and could offer insight into the mechanisms operative, yet at present remain unexplained.
Texas Oil, American Dreams: A Study of the Texas Independent Producers and Royalty Owners Association

In this intricate narrative, Lawrence Goodwyn has undertaken to penetrate the legend of the wildcatter and bring into focus the people who endeavored to act out the American Dream in the remote corners of oil country. It is surprising to discover early on - even before the outlines of the wildcatter become clear - other vague but seemingly omnipotent actors occupying center stage: major oil companies. Independents and the majors are found to be abrasively yoked in awkward embrace: what immediately becomes clear for the first time in this intimate study is that the presence of one helps in central ways to define the other. Indeed, the whole relationship of individual enterprise to corporate enterprise becomes uniquely visible in the sources amassed over half a century by the Texas Independent Producers and Royalty Owners Association. Texas Oil, American Dreams has a compelling quality whose ultimate meaning extends far beyond the borders of Texas because the enterprise of oil-finding and the wildcatters who have lived it constitute one of the most intense expressions of individual American striving. Above all, they kept careful records of their own efforts - when they prevailed and why, and when they met defeat and why.
An application of the Cayley-Hamilton theorem to matrix polynomials in several variables

Let Σ={m 1}|Σ|2 be a finite set of square n × n matrices. Let Lp be the linear space with rank rp (n 2) spanned by the set of matrices (m:meσ∗,|m| p and let c(σ) be defined by c(σ) = min {p:rp =r p+1, where |X| denotes the number of elements in a set σ or the length of a word σ and σ denotes the set of all finite words over σ (here a word is a sequence of matrices from σ and is understood as the matrix product of the matrices in the sequence). It is shown in the paper that C(σ) L(n 2+2)/31. The proof of the above bound is based on combinatorial arguments and it is not known whether the bound is sharp. It follows from the Cayley-Hamiiton Theorem that c(σ)n−1if σ a singleton. It is also shown (a result of H. W. Lenstra Jr.) that the bound C(σ)n−1 holds for commutative matrices.
GABA Networks Destabilize Genetic Oscillations in the Circadian Pacemaker

Systems of coupled oscillators abound in nature. How they establish stable phase relationships under diverse conditions is fundamentally important. The mammalian suprachiasmatic nucleus (SCN) is a self-sustained, synchronized network of circadian oscillators that coordinates daily rhythms in physiology and behavior. To elucidate the underlying topology and signaling mechanisms that modulate circadian synchrony, we discriminated the firing of hundreds of SCN neurons continuously over days. Using an analysis method to identify functional interactions between neurons based on changes in their firing, we characterized a GABAergic network comprised of fast, excitatory, and inhibitory connections that is both stable over days and changes in strength with time of day. By monitoring PERIOD2 protein expression, we provide the first evidence that these millisecond-level interactions actively oppose circadian synchrony and inject jitter into daily rhythms. These results provide a mechanism by which circadian oscillators can tune their phase relationships under different environmental conditions.
Alpha adrenergic blocking and antispasmodic properties of SU-12080, 1-[3-ethoxy-3-(p-tolyl)-propyl]-4-(o-tolyl)-piperazine dihydrochloride.

Abstract SU-12080 and phentolamine reduce the inhibitory responses of the isolated rabbit ileum to epinephrine, norepinephrine and phenylephrine and block the stimulation of the isolated rabbit uterus to these agonists. The drugs are effective in equimolar doses. SU-12080 and phentolamine do not affect the response to, nor are they affected by, isoproterenol. SU-12080 has weak anti-cholinergic, antihistaminic and anti-5-hydroxytryptamine properties. In doses above 0.08 μM, SU-12080 inhibits the pendulum movements of the intestine and reduces its rhythmic contractions. The action is slow in onset and has been related to the potent papaverine-like activity of SU-12080.
Stability of two cobalt titanate defect spinels

Abstract Preparation of the defect spinels Ti3□Co2O8 and Ti4□Co4O12 was attempted by solid state exchange reactions. Ti4□Co4O12 was successfully synthesized but attempts at preparing pure Ti3□Co2O8 were unsuccessful, The enthalpy of transformation of 1 4 Ti 4 □Co 4 O 12 to CoTiO3 (ilmenite) was determined by calorimetry, ΔH°298 = −1.7 ± 1.0 kcal/mole.
A Bhatnagar–Gross–Krook kinetic model with velocity-dependent collision frequency and corrected relaxation of moments

We propose a Bhatnagar–Gross–Krook (BGK) kinetic model in which the collision frequency is a linear combination of polynomials in the velocity variable. The coefficients of the linear combination are determined so as to enforce proper relaxation rates for a selected group of moments. The relaxation rates are obtained by a direct numerical evaluation of the full Boltzmann collision operator. The model is conservative by construction. Simulations of the problem of spatially homogeneous relaxation of hard spheres gas show improvement in accuracy of controlled moments as compared to solutions obtained by the classical BGK, ellipsoidal-statistical BGK and the Shakhov models in cases of strong deviations from continuum.
Simplification of Airborne Navigation by Use of the Vortex Thermometer

Means are described for reducing the complexity of the electronics usually required in airbore navigational computing systems to determine true free-air temperature and true air speed. The vortex thermometer, when equipped with a linear resistance-temperature element, permits use of a linear potentiometer in a simple digital null-balancing servo. The vortex thermometer eliminates corrections which are otherwise needed for dynamic heating due to the speed of the plane. If true free-air temperature is measured along with the temperature of a probe having a known higher recovery factor, the difference may be combined directly using linear resistance thermometers to give an indication of true air speed without use of either pitot or static pressure measurements. Mach number and altitude may also be computed from these temperature data, together with pitot pressure, but without measurement of static pressure which is usually subject to considerably more error than pitot pressure.
Nanocarpet Effect: Pattern Formation during the Wetting of Vertically Aligned Nanorod Arrays

When a water droplet spreads on a vertically aligned nanorod surface, the nanorod array will deform into statistically percolated patterns. This nanocarpet effect has been investigated for Si nanorods. Three distinct morphologies were found: a center region due to the water droplet impact, a tilting region due to gravity, and a percolation region due to capillary invasion. The corresponding capillary forces have been estimated through finite element analysis. This effect presents a challenge for nanodevices involving liquid interactions.
Thomas Pynchon and the Dark Passages of History. DavidCowart. Athens: University of Georgia Press, 2011.

Thomas Pynchon and the Dark Passages of History. David Cowart. Athens: University of Georgia Press, 2011. As the novelist and critic Steve Erickson notes, "[f]or American literature in the last half of the twentieth century, Pynchon is the line in the sand that Faulkner was in the first half (206). Erickson's remark, quoted near the end of David Cowart's Thomas Pynchon and the Dark Passages of History, indicates Cowart's attention to Pynchon's place in American literary history. But more important for Cowart's book is Pynchon's concern with history itself, especially the way his study demonstrates the qualities of what Linda Hutcheon has termed "historiographie metafiction." Cowart's reading of Pynchon proceeds from the argument that Pynchon's study "resists the oft-heard assertion (it originates with Fredric Jameson) that postmodern depthlessness precludes engagement with history" (23), such that "more than comic genius, polymath, forger of the postmodern, or deconstructive mythographer, Thomas Pynchon merits recognition as America's greatest historical novelist" (24). Indeed, the mantle of author of "historical fiction" is one that Pynchon, in one of his rare public pronouncements, has claimed for himself (160). Cowart's reading of Pynchon's engagement with history, especially American history, enjoys an appropriately solid foundation, developed through consideration of each of Pynchon's novels, from V. (1963) through Inherent Vice (2009), as well as his short stories and other writings. Cowart himself enjoys a long history as a reader, teacher, and critic of Pynchon, and this volume demonstrates the assurance of one who has mastered the work of a writer whom many readers find daunting. At the same time, Thomas Pynchon and the Dark Passages of History generously presents Pynchon in terms particularly welcoming to new readers, perhaps especially those approaching Pynchon from disciplines outside of literary studies. While Pynchon's writing tends toward the labyrinthine, esoteric, and bewilderingly encyclopedic, Cowart's treatment of it is lucid, engaging, and reassuringly clarifying as he guides readers through an understanding of the ways "Pynchon suggests that the most valuable history recognizes its own fictive underpinnings to achieve imaginative insight into the human condition" (154). This volume is, to be sure, not the work of a historian, but it does present a compelling case for reading Pynchon as a type of imaginative historian, one whose writings contribute to a sustained project of historical fiction, such that "One fiction complements its fellows, and all coalesce as a post-Faulknerian exercise: a Yoknapatawpha of American and Western civilization" (167). …
Smooth methods of multipliers for complementarity problems

This paper describes several methods for solving nonlinear complementarity problems. A general duality framework for pairs of monotone operators is developed and then applied to the monotone complementarity problem, obtaining primal, dual, and primal-dual formulations. We derive Bregman-function-based generalized proximal algorithms for each of these formulations, generating three classes of complementarity algorithms. The primal class is well-known. The dual class is new and constitutes a general collection of methods of multipliers, or augmented Lagrangian methods, for complementarity problems. In a special case, it corresponds to a class of variational inequality algorithms proposed by Gabay. By appropriate choice of Bregman function, the augmented Lagrangian subproblem in these methods can be made continuously differentiable. The primal-dual class of methods is entirely new and combines the best theoretical features of the primal and dual methods. Some preliminary computation shows that this class of algorithms is effective at solving many of the standard complementarity test problems.
Relationships between wetland fragmentation and recent hydrologic changes in a Deltaic Coast

Patterns in coastal wetland loss in the northern Gulf of Mexico were examined using aerial imagery from 1955–56 and 1978. Five qualitative types of wetland changes are evident: (1) spoil bank-parallel pond formation, (2) pond formation with apparent random distribution for the smallest ponds, but very clumped distribution for larger ponds, (3) semi- or complete impoundment resulting in open water formation, (4) cutting off of stream channels upstream of where a spoil bank crosses a natural channel, and (5) erosion at the land-water interface. Only ponds <20 ha formed and disappeared in the interval, and it is clear that wetland breakup, not erosion at the pond-lake edge, is the dominant form of wetland-to-open water conversion. Canals and their spoil banks are spatially related to wetland-to-water conversion which is evident up to 2 km away from those man-made features. The indirect impacts of canals and spoil banks vary regionally, for example, with sediment compaction rates that increase with increasing sediment deposition. These results are consistent with the hypothesis that canals and spoil banks are a major factor driving wetland loss rates because they change wetland hydrology.
Anatomy and vasculature of a minke whale heart

The heart from a 4-m-long minke whale (Balaenoptera acutorostrata) was studied to determine the details of its anatomy and to consider cardiac adaptations to diving. The volume fraction (Vvc) of capillaries in the wall of the left ventricle was determined at different levels from base to apex and at different depths from epi- to endocardium using a light microscopic stereologic technique. Typical of cetaceans, this minke whale heart was distinctly flattened dorsoventrally. A moderator band, characteristic of ungulate hearts, spanned the right ventricle. The right and left atrioventricular valves were tricuspid and bicuspid, respectively. The right coronary artery supplied the dorsal and right lateral myocardium. The left coronary artery supplied the ventral and left lateral myocardium. An anastomosis between the dorsal and ventral interventricular arteries occurred in the dorsal interventricular groove. Stereologically, a decreasing transmural gradient in Vvc was identified between the epicardium and the subepicardium at 15 cm from the apex. Our results, however, did not reveal any significant deviations in the pattern of capillary distribution in the wall of the left ventricle between this baleen whale and terrestrial mammals. Measurements of the heart, great vessels, coronary vasculature, and ventricular walls are also given, and they suggest a physiologic and adaptive right ventricular hypertrophy. Based on these and other observations, we propose that the relatively great thickness of the right ventricle and the distinctive shape of the cetacean heart are adaptations to the hemodynamic changes and collapse of the thorax associated with apneic diving.
The effects of level of fear and rate of approach on cardiac rate and avoidance of a phobic stimulus

Thirty-two undergraduate female volunteers were selected on the basis of unusually high or low scores on SNQ, a questionnaire sampling fear of snakes. These subjects participated in a ten step, semi-automated snake approach task while cardiac rate was measured. Orthogonal to level of fear, two different rates of approach were used; one in which each approach step followed immediately after the preceding one, and one in which the approach steps were separated by 30 sec. Low-fear subjects completed the approach task without stopping, showing low and stable cardiac rates throughout. High-fear subjects stopped the approach task significantly earlier, and those in the rapid approach condition showed significantly higher heart rates. Contrary to prediction, high-fear subjects in the slow approach condition terminated the task significantly earlier than their fast approach counterparts, but showed lower heart rates.
Protons and other defects in Fe-doped KTaO3

The properties of defects in Fe-doped KTaO3, both in the form of single crystals and polycrystalline ceramics, have been investigated for a wide range of Fe concentrations. The techniques employed included infrared (IR) absorption, electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR), and ac electrical conductivity together with complex-impedance analysis. Samples were pretreated (at 900° C) in water vapor to introduce protons which take the form of OH· O defects, and were also treated at various oxygen partial pressures. A calibration of the OH− IR absorption band was carried out with the aid of a deuterium nuclear-probe method. EPR showed cubic and axial Fe3+ spectra, but only the axial spectrum appeared for crystals with high Fe concentrations. Pre-dominantly proton conductivity was observed for samples treated in reducing atmospheres, and a proton-hopping activation energy of 0.73 eV was deduced. For samples treated in high oxygen pressures, however, hole conduction dominated. Evidence for proton interaction effects was also found, but the nature of the traps is not clear.