cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Simulation of burial diagenesis in the Eocene Wilcox Group of the Gulf of Mexico basin

Abstract Diagenesis may be evaluated quantitatively by using petrographic observations and results of paleohydrologic reconstructions in combination with geochemical reaction path model calculations. The authors have applied a reaction path method by simulating diagenesis in the Eocene Wilcox sandstones in the Gulf of Mexico basin to evaluate the effects of variable Pco 2 , fluid composition, amount of rock reaction and burial history. The results show that increases in Pco 2 cause the amount of carbonate phases to increase, instead of creating secondary porosity, and closed system reactions with a chemically evolved pore fluid cause a reduction in the amount of carbonate phases, thereby preserving primary porosity. Diagenesis resulting from increased rock reaction per pore volume is characterized by a dominance of Fe-free mineral phases, and albite forms in simulations at temperatures above 100°C with neutral pH evolved fluids. The results approximate petrographic observations of previous workers on the Wilcox with only a few exceptions. Continued simulations using different fluid compositions and organic acid anions may increase the capability to reproduce observed paragenetic sequences.
Use of surface plasmon resonance for the measurement of low affinity binding interactions between HSP72 and measles virus nucleocapsid protein

The 72 kDa heat shock protein (HSP72) is a molecular chaperone that binds native protein with low affinity. These interactions can alter function of the substrate, a property known as HSP-mediated activity control. In the present work, BIAcore instrumentation was used to monitor binding reactions between HSP72 and naturally occurring sequence variants of the measles virus (MV) nucleocapsid protein (N), a structural protein regulating transcription/replication of the viral genome. Binding reactions employed synthetic peptides mimicking a putative HSP72 binding motif of N. Sequences were identified that bound HSP72 with affinities comparable to well-characterized activity control reactions. These sequences, but not those binding with lesser affinity, supported HSP72 activity control of MV transcription/replication. BIAcore instrumentation thus provides an effective way to measure biologically relevant low affinity interactions with structural variants of viral proteins.
Discovering Experts across Multiple Domains

Researchers have focused on finding experts in individual domains, such as emails, forums, question answering, blogs, and microblogs. In this paper, we propose an algorithm for finding experts across these different domains. To do this, we propose an expertise framework that aims at extracting key expertise features and building an unified scoring model based on SVM ranking algorithm. We evaluate our model on a real World dataset and show that it is significantly better than the prior state-of-art.
Surface characterization of polystyrene treated with ozone and grafted with poly(acrylic acid)

Polystyrene (PS) is one of the most widely used thermoplastic polymers and is often not recycled because of its light weight and low scrap value. The discarded PS in landfill sites has limited capacity for water absorption, and physical and chemical properties that make it relatively inert. To increase wettability and introduce oxygen-containing functional groups, PS was treated at room temperature with ozone in the absence of the UV radiation which was used to make the ozone from the photodissociation of oxygen. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy detected the increase of oxygen content on the PS surface and the formation of functional groups with reaction time. Advancing contact angle measurements showed an increase of hydrophilicity with treatment time. The superabsorbent polymer poly(acrylic acid) was partially and/or thinly grafted onto the modified PS surface.
Cognitive correlates of biologic sex and gender identity in transsexualism.

Twenty-two individuals seeking sex-change surgery and diagnosed as transsexual by a Gender Identity Research Team underwent extensive neuropsychological and cognitive testing prior to surgery. On the Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale transsexuals performed in congruence with their biologic sex rather than gender identity. In contrast, on a measure of conceptual styles, transsexuals performed in congruence with their gender identity. The MMPI did not provide evidence of a major psychopathological process.
The effect of sodium pump inhibitors on Aplysia neuronal cell volume.

Abstract 1. 1. The effect of ouabain and 2–4 DNP on the volume of giant neurone cell bodies from Aplysia has been measured. 2. 2. Neither chemical caused a significant swelling at concentrations shown to affect the resting potential. 3. 3. The significance of this finding is discussed in relation to current concepts of animal cell volume regulation and internal conductivity.
“Mountain dream” or the “submergence of fine scenery”? Japanese contestations over the Kurobe Number Four Dam, 1920–1970

This article explores the often-contentious discussions surrounding the construction of Japan’s largest concrete arch dam, the Kurobe Number Four (Kuroyon), during the middle twentieth century. It investigates this history at varying spatial scales, especially the local and national, to show how synergies among supporters and opponents at these scales could crucially affect the pace and scope of damming along the Kurobe River in the Central Japan Alps. Prior to World War II, local and national-level opponents employed a modern language of scenic preservation and succeeded in forcing dam builders to scale down and relocate their projects away from key scenic spots in the Kurobe River Gorge. After the war, however, dam opponents were unsuccessful in halting the Kansai Electric Power Company (KEPCO) as it set out to construct the 186-meter Number Four Dam in the heart of Chūbu Sangaku National Park. National-level officials, politicians, big businesses, regional boosters, and local tourism promoters all pressed for rapid economic growth and electrification through the “comprehensive development” of Japan’s river valleys after 1945. Within such a policy environment geared toward national reconstruction and “modernization,” KEPCO divided and appeased local and national-level opponents, in large part by pledging to contribute to the development of alpine tourism. An epilogue details the construction of the Number Four Dam, how the Japanese mass media covered the event, and the ultimate impacts of the project as it tamed the once-rapid flows of the Kurobe River.
The Eleven-Nineteen Lysine-rich Leukemia Gene (ELL2) Influences the Histone H3 Protein Modifications Accompanying the Shift to Secretory Immunoglobulin Heavy Chain mRNA Production

In plasma cells, immunoglobulin heavy chain (IgH) secretory-specific mRNA is made in high abundance as a result of both increased promoter proximal poly(A) site choice and weak splice-site skipping. Ell2, the eleven-nineteen lysine rich leukemia gene, is a transcription elongation factor that is induced ∼6-fold in plasma cells and has been shown to drive secretory-specific mRNA production. Reducing ELL2 by siRNA, which reduced processing to the secretion-specific poly(A) site, also influenced the methylations of histone H3K4 and H3K79 on the IgH gene and impacted positive transcription factor b (pTEFb), Ser-2 carboxyl-terminal phosphorylation, and polyadenylation factor additions to RNA polymerase II. The multiple lineage leukemia gene (MLL) and Dot1L associations with the IgH gene were also impaired in the absence of ELL2. To investigate the link between histone modifications, transcription elongation, and alternative RNA processing in IgH mRNA production, we performed chromatin immunoprecipitation on cultured mouse B and plasma cells bearing the identical IgH γ2a gene. In the plasma cells, as compared with the B cells, the H3K4 and H3K79 methylations extended farther downstream, past the IgH enhancer to the end of the transcribed region. Thus the downstream H3K4 and H3K79 methylation of the IgH associated chromatin in plasma cells is associated with increased polyadenylation and exon skipping, resulting from the actions of ELL2 transcription elongation factor.
Central nervous system aspergillosis: a 20-year retrospective series.

Over the past 20 years at my institution, 71 patients with invasive necrotizing aspergillosis have been encountered; 42 have shown central nervous system (CNS) involvement by autopsy (40) or surgical biopsy (2). Most non-CNS aspergillosis patients had invasive disease confined to the lung, and only 2 with dissemination to 3 or more organs did not have spread to the CNS. In addition to the expected post-transplantation and hematologic malignancy cases, other risk groups identified included those with chronic asthma and steroid use, acquired immunodeficiency syndrome, thermal burn, hepatic failure, and postoperative infection. Unusual cases manifested with basilar meningitis, myelitis, proptosis caused by sino-orbital disease, or epidural and subdural Aspergillus abscesses. The extent of gross neuropathologic disease ranged from subtle abscesses to massive hemorrhagic necrosis causing herniation and death. In addition to the expected hemorrhagic necrosis, extensive hemorrhage, focal purulent meningitis, and subtle bland infarctions were also seen. Distinctive microscopic findings encountered included 1 case with numerous meningeal granulomas and multinucleated giant cells and 4 cases showing the Splendore-Hoeppli phenomenon. During the same period, single cases of cerebritis caused by morphologically similar fungi (Pseudoallescheria boydii [Scedosporium apiospermum], Scedosporium inflatum, Chaetomium sp) were identified and were indistinguishable from CNS aspergillosis clinically and pathologically.
Domain conversion under high frequency excitation in inductive thin film heads

A magnetooptic microscope was used to observe the time-averaged magnetization distribution in an inductive thin-film head excited by continuous sine waves. Domain activity in yokes driven with sinusoidal currents (1 to 20 MHz) was observed using the Kerr effect at video frame rates (0 to 30 Hz). Thus, the average location and shape of domains in the top yoke of the head could be recorded. It is shown that the domain pattern generally undergoes significant changes in a slow, repeatable evolution. Some changes lead to abrupt conversions of domain states. Although specific behavior varies from head to head, these conversions follow measurable curves having a common trend in the amplitude versus frequency space. Previous work on analysis of head response has not considered this type of dynamic response, although it appears to be common to many magnetic system. In addition to possible response at the excitation frequency, the wall network can also undergo large changes with a time scale much longer than the excitation period. Three possible mechanisms driving the domain conversions are outlined. >
Fanconi anaemia and the repair of Watson and Crick DNA crosslinks

The function of Fanconi anaemia proteins is to maintain genomic stability. Their main role is in the repair of DNA interstrand crosslinks, which, by covalently binding the Watson and the Crick strands of DNA, impede replication and transcription. Inappropriate repair of interstrand crosslinks causes genomic instability, leading to cancer; conversely, the toxicity of crosslinking agents makes them a powerful chemotherapeutic. Fanconi anaemia proteins can promote stem-cell function, prevent tumorigenesis, stabilize replication forks and inhibit inaccurate repair. Recent advances have identified endogenous aldehydes as possible culprits of DNA damage that may induce the phenotypes seen in patients with Fanconi anaemia.
Surface marker analysis and flow cytometric studies of acute nonlymphocytic leukemias in children and young adults

Abstract Bone marrow cells from eight children and young adults with acute nonlymphocytic leukemia (ANLL) were classified by morphological and cytochemical criteria. The expression of receptors for complement (C3) and IgG Fc, the binding of immunoglobulin to the surface of leukemic blasts, and the phagocytic ability were investigated and compared with the differentiation/maturation of cells of normal myeloid and monocytic lineages. Cells from two patients with monocytic leukemia exhibited IgG Fc receptors in high proportions. The stage of maturation or differentiation as evaluated by the expression of surface markers did not correlate morphologically with the determined state of maturation in the remaining cases. Simultaneous measurements of cellular RNA and DNA, using flow cytometry, were performed on five patients. An increase in RNA content of leukemic cells was detected in all patients and evidence of aneuploidy was observed in three patients. The cellular RNA content of ANLL was higher than that of ALL. This technique, therefore, appears to be useful as an additional tool for the discrimination of ALL from ANLL and for the rapid detection of aneuploidy.
The embryo as a laboratory: quantifying transcription in Drosophila

Transcriptional regulation of gene expression is fundamental to most cellular processes, including determination of cellular fates. Quantitative studies of transcription in cultured cells have led to significant advances in identifying mechanisms underlying transcriptional control. Recent progress allowed implementation of these same quantitative methods in multicellular organisms to ask how transcriptional regulation unfolds both in vivo and at the single molecule level in the context of embryonic development. Here we review some of these advances in early Drosophila development, which bring the embryo on par with its single celled counterparts. In particular, we discuss progress in methods to measure mRNA and protein distributions in fixed and living embryos, and we highlight some initial applications that lead to fundamental new insights about molecular transcription processes. We end with an outlook on how to further exploit the unique advantages that come with investigating transcriptional control in the multicellular context of development.
Microbiological assay of intact proteins using Tetrahymena pyriformis W. I. Survey of protein concentrates.

Abstract Results are reported of a survey of the relative nutritional quality of 10 protein concentrates and of a mixture of amino acids determined by assay with Tetrahymena pyriformis W. The method is essentially that of Rosen and Fernell, with the simplifying modification proposed by Rosen in 1958, except that utilization of the nitrogen source was evaluated by growth-response curves and lyophilized mixtures of some of the basal medium components were employed. The soundness of the counting procedure used in estimating this growth response was investigated. The reproducibility of the results at several nitrogen levels of the reference standard, “vitamin-free” purified casein, was established by statistical studies. Nutritional quality is estimated as an index: the ratio of the regression coefficient of growth on the nitrogen content of the test material to the regression coefficient of growth on the nitrogen content of casein. These were estimated for the ranges 0–1.0 and 0–1.7 mg nitrogen/ml. These ranges were adopted because there was better growth at these concentrations for most of the nitrogen sources studied. Assays at higher nitrogen concentrations yield further information on the nutritional quality, particularly for diets containing mixed proteins. The same general response occurred with casein and most of the materials tested: Growth increased with increasing nitrogen concentration up to a maximum and then decreased with higher nitrogen levels. Growth response curves are characteristic of each nitrogen source.
Weak identities, phantom maps andH-spaces

For a pointed spaceX, let Aut(X) be the group of pointed homotopy classes of pointed self-homotopy equivalences ofX and let WI(X) be the normal subgroup of Aut(X) consisting of weak identities, that is, elements represented by maps weakly homotopic to the identity map. IfX is a path-connected CW-space satisfying certain finiteness conditions, then the author has shown elsewhere that the quotient group Aut(X)/WI(X) is a residually finite group. If, in addition,X supports a homotopy-associativeH-space structure, has a finite fundamental group, and has finitely generated higher homotopy groups, it is shown here that any normal subgroupN of Aut(X) rendering the quotient group Aut(X)/N residually finite must contain WI(X). The proof relies on establishing an isomorphism between WI(X) and the group Ph(X) of pointed homotopy classes of phantom self-maps ofX and making a detailed analysis of the group-theoretic structure of the latter, following W. Meier and A. Zabrodsky.
Regional radioactive treatments for hepatocellular carcinoma.

Brian I Carr, MD, FRCP, PhD Author for correspondence Director, Liver tumor program, Kimmel Cancer Center, Thomas Jefferson University, 233 South 10th Street, Philadelphia, PA 19107, USA Tel.: +1 215 503 8842 Fax: +1 215 503 8755 brian.carr@jefferson.edu “Several types of hepatic arterial radioactive treatment have been described in recent years, of which the most encouraging appears to be 90Yttrium microspheres.”
Amyloid-β Precursor Protein Induces Glial Differentiation of Neural Progenitor Cells by Activation of the IL-6/gp130 Signaling Pathway

Although amyloid precursor protein (APP) due to the cytotoxicity of Aβ peptides, has been intensively studied, the physiological role of APP still remains wrapped up in veil. In this article, we propose that α-cleaved ectodomain of APP (sAPPα) stimulates the IL-6/gp130 signaling pathway for induction of gliogenesis within neural progenitor cells (NPCs). In our previous study, a high dose of APP differentiated NPCs into glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP) positive cells. In order to elucidate the mechanism of APP-induced glial differentiation, we examined the effects of sAPPα on the IL-6/gp130 signaling pathway. Application of sAPPα promoted mRNA expression of gp130, ciliary neurotrophic factor (CNTF), and Janus kinase 1 (JAK1). sAPPα stimulated the glial differentiation by upregulating the expression and phosphorylation of gp130. While mRNA expression of STAT3 was unchanged, phosphorylation of STAT3-Tyr705 gradually increased. Application of small interference RNA (siRNA) for STAT3 suppressed GFAP expression even in the presence of APP. Treatment with siRNA or inhibitor, AG490, of JAK1 efficiently suppressed STAT3 phosphorylation and GFAP expression. Upregulation of CNTF was observed in either short- or long-term treatment with sAPPα. RNA’s interference of CNTF dose-dependently inhibited GFAP expression upregulated by treatment with sAPPα. This study suggests that the IL-6/gp130 signaling pathway is involved in sAPPα-induced glial differentiation of NPCs. Although further investigation is needed, this study may provide insight into the mechanism of glial differentiation of NPCs under pathological conditions in Alzheimer’s disease or Down syndrome.
Hair Follicle Signaling Networks: A Dermal Papilla–Centric Approach

Functional testing of dermal papilla (DP) signaling inputs into hair follicle (HF) morphogenesis and regeneration is becoming possible with the advent of new Cre lines. Targeted deletion of the signature genes in early DP precursors has revealed significant signaling redundancy during HF morphogenesis. Furthermore, the DP lineage commitment program can be exploited for generating highly inductive DP cells to be used in HF bioengineering assays.
Combined (Tandem) Lumbar and Cervical Stenosis

Cervical and lumbar spinal stenosis frequently coexist in patients presenting with clinical manifestations of one of these conditions. It is important for the clinician to be aware of the possibility that asymptomatic cervical stenosis, or symptomatic myelopathy from spinal cord compression, may be present in a patient presenting with symptoms of lumbar spinal stenosis. In general, symptomatic cervical stenosis should be addressed surgically before operating on lumbar stenosis. This article examines the incidence of tandem stenosis and management strategies for dealing with it.
AlGaN/GaN plasmonic terahertz electronic devices

A very large electron sheet density and a relatively long momentum relaxation time of the two-dimensional electron gas in III-N heterostructures makes this materials system to be very attractive for plasmonic electronics applications.
Dempster Shafer neural network algorithm for land vehicle navigation application

A Global Positioning System (GPS)-aided Inertial Navigation System (INS) provides a continuous navigation solution with reduced uncertainty and ambiguity. Bayesian approaches like Extended Kalman filter or Particle filter are generally developed for fusing the GPS and INS data. However, these techniques require prior distribution (representing the degree of belief) to be accurately defined for all incorporated parameters-whether known or unknown. If no previous knowledge is obtainable, equal probabilities are assigned to all events, which is questionable. To overcome these limitations, Dempster Shafer (DS) evidence theory is implemented in this paper. In order to effectively fuse GPS and INS data for land vehicle navigation application, we propose an efficient Dempster Shafer Neural Network (DSNN) algorithm by integrating the Dempster Shafer theory and the artificial neural network. Our field test results clearly indicate that the proposed DSNN algorithm effectively compensated and reduced positional inaccuracies during no GPS outage and GPS outage conditions for low cost inertial sensors.
Polymer nanocomposites with high dielectric strength and high frequency performance for emdedded passive applications

In this study, we have developed solution-processible nanocomposites containing low leakage current and low loss polymer matrices, and high dielectric constant (k) ceramic nanoparticles. Taking advantage of the polymer matrix with high dielectric strength performance as well as the high k nanoparticle filler, improved dielectric characteristics and high frequency performance of the nanocomposites have been achieved. Dielectric and electrical properties of the as-prepared BT nanocomposites were investigated. According to our preliminary result, a k value of 52 and a capacitance density of 11 nF/cm2 were achieved for a composite with 50 vol. % filler loading. And the dielectric breakdown strength could be maintained above 800 kV/cm, which is even higher than some of the polymers themselves.Coplanar waveguides (CPW) were fabricated with this material to characterize the dielectric performance of the hi-k coatings up to 40 GHz. The test results demonstrate that the coating material has nominal change in dielectric properties from 10 kHz up to 40 GHz.
Surface properties of polyethylene: Effect of an amphipathic additive

Abstract Previous studies have shown that small amounts of amphipathic (i.e., polar non-polar) molecules, in particular oleamide, cause a marked lowering of the coefficient of friction between thin films of polyethylene. In this paper the surface chemical properties of the aging film and the nascent film (i.e., during the flat film extrusion process) have been studied. The wettability (contact angle) and friction of the aging film at room temperature show that the friction is reduced only when sufficient additive is present to form a weakly held monomolecular layer. This monolayer is formed by almost complete exudation of the additive from the bulk. Contact angle measurements show that the molecules become oriented on the surface such that the polar groups are in contact with the polyethylene and the hydrocarbon chains project into the air. The stability of the monolayer to water condensation is much improved by flame treatment of the film immediately on extrusion. On preparing film by extrusion through a water-quenching bath it has been found that water adheres more easily to films containing oleamide. By suitable adjustments, the water bath was modified to form a “dynamic” Langmuir trough. Contact angle measurements on the emerging film and studies on the effect of sweeping the water surface around the emerging film show that the surface tension of the water is lowered by the amphipathic molecule being quantitatively stripped off the film as it emerges through the water/air interface. From surface pressure/area relationships, the surface concentrations of the spreading molecules are calculated. It is found that there is a surface concentration about one hundred times greater than would be expected from a uniform distribution of the additive throughout the polymer. This large surface excess is approximately proportional to the bulk concentration and implies a pronounced adsorption at the polymer melt/metal or polymer melt/air interface.
1009-46 Does Reinnervation of Cardiac Sympathetic Nerves Occur in Regions Denervated by Catheter Ablation of Accessory Pathways?

Long term effects of radiofrequency (RF) ablation of accessory pathways are unknown. We hypothesized that defects in sympathetic innervation detected by 1-123 metaiodobenzylguanidine (MIBG) and myocardial perfusion detected bythallium-201 (TI) scintigraphy after RF ablation would not change in three years followup. Six pts were studied 6.8 +/-9.1 days (acute) and 3.1 +/-0.3 years (chronic) after RF. TI and MIBG images were scored: absent, decreased, or normal uptake in 13 cardiac segments. The mean numbers of segments with decreased uptake of TI and MIBG were compared for acute and chronic studies. Acute Chronic TI 0.2 ± 0.4 0.7 ± 0.8 (p = NS) MIBG 1.5 ± 1.5 2.5 ± 1.5 (p = NS) As expected, MIBG defects were larger than TI defects in 9 studies. Three studies had no MIBG defects: one of these had a TI defect. There was no difference in the number of segments with decreased TI or MIBG uptake between acute and chronic studies. No segments had absent TI uptake, and only one segment had absent MIBG uptake. Two chronic MIBG defects were smaller and four larger than the acute MIBG defects. Thus, focal MIBG defects after RF ablation of accessory pathways do not significantly change in three years follow-up, suggesting sympathetic reinnervation does not occur.
Effectiveness of Podcasts Delivered on Mobile Devices as a Support for Student Learning During General Chemistry Laboratories

Chemistry instructors in teaching laboratories provide expert modeling of techniques and cognitive processes and provide assistance to enrolled students that may be described as scaffolding interaction. Such student support is particularly essential in laboratories taught with an inquiry-based curriculum. In a teaching laboratory with a high instructor-to-student ratio, mobile devices can provide a platform for expert modeling and scaffolding during the laboratory sessions. This research study provides data collected on the effectiveness of podcasts delivered as needed in a first-semester general chemistry laboratory setting. Podcasts with audio and visual tracks covering essential laboratory techniques and central concepts that aid in experimental design or data processing were prepared and made available for students to access on an as-needed basis on iPhones® or iPod touches®. Research focused in three areas: the extent of podcast usage, the numbers and types of interactions between instructors and student laboratory teams, and student performance on graded assignments. Data analysis indicates that on average the podcast treatment laboratory teams accessed a podcast 2.86 times during the laboratory period during each week that podcasts were available. Comparison of interaction data for the lecture treatment laboratory teams and podcast treatment laboratory teams reveals that scaffolding interactions with instructors were statistically significantly fewer for teams that had podcast access rather than a pre-laboratory lecture. The implication of the results is that student laboratory teams were able to gather laboratory information more effectively when it was presented in an on-demand podcast format than in a pre-laboratory lecture format. Finally, statistical analysis of data on student performance on graded assignments indicates no significant differences between outcome measures for the treatment groups when compared as cohorts. The only statistically significant difference is between students who demonstrated a high level of class participation in the concurrent general chemistry lecture course; for this sub-group the students in the podcast treatment group earned a course average that was statistically significantly higher than those in the lecture treatment group.
Nonlinear Analysis of Torsionally Loaded Piles in a Two-Layer Soil Profile

This paper presents a method for predicting the nonlinear response of torsionally loaded piles in a two-layer soil profile, such as a clay or sand layer underlain by rock. The shear modulus of the upper soil is assumed to vary linearly with depth and the shear modulus of the lower soil is assumed to vary linearly with depth and then stay constant below the pile tip. The method uses the variational principle to derive the governing differential equations of a pile in a two-layer continuum and the elastic response of the pile is then determined by solving the derived differential equations. To consider the effect of soil yielding on the behavior of piles, the soil is assumed to behave linearly elastically at small strain levels and yield when the shear stress on the pile-soil interface exceeds the corresponding maximum shear resistance. To determine the maximum pile-soil interface shear resistance, methods that are available in the literature can be used. The proposed method is verified by comparing its res...
Steps to End the Obesity Epidemic

In their Editorial “The obesity epidemic,” P. Abelson and D. Kennedy rightly cite the need for serious government action (4 June, p. 1413). Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) Tommy Thompson has decried the obesity epidemic, but has not advocated the comprehensive response that the
Nano-Structuring of 316L Type Steel by Severe Plastic Deformation Processing Using Two-Dimensional Linear Plane Strain Machining

Using a novel plastic deformation technique, termed linear plane-strain machining, large shear strains up to ~2.3 have been imparted to 316L stainless steel at rates of up to 1700/s. Combinations of hardness and magnetic measurements, X-ray diffraction (XRD) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) experiments were used to monitor the microstructural and mechanical property changes for the room temperature plastic deformation processing. Grain refinements to the ultra-fine grained and even the nanocrystalline size regime have been achieved without formation of significant volume fractions of strain-induced martensite. The mechanical strength enhancements in the linear plane-strain machined 316L have been attributed to grain refinement and stored strain. The suppression of martensite formation has been correlated to significant adiabatic heating of the 316L during high strain rate plastic deformation processing.
Design of a piezoelectric inchworm actuator and compliant end effector for minimally invasive surgery

Recent advances in robotics, tele-robotics, smart material actuators, and mechatronics raise new possibilities for innovative developments in millimeter-scale robotics capable of manipulating objects only fractions of a millimeter in size. These advances can have a wide range of applications in the biomedical community. A potential application of this technology is in minimally invasive surgery (MIS). The focus of this paper is the development of a single degree of freedom prototype to demonstrate the viability of smart materials, force feedback and compliant mechanisms for minimally invasive surgery. The prototype is a compliant gripper that is 7-mm by 17-mm, made from a single piece of titanium that is designed to function as a needle driver for small scale suturing. A custom designed piezoelectric `inchworm' actuator drives the gripper. The integrated system is computer controlled providing a user interface device capable of force feedback. The design methodology described draws from recent advances in three emerging fields in engineering: design of innovative tools for MIS, design of compliant mechanisms, and design of smart materials and actuators. The focus of this paper is on the design of a millimeter-scale inchworm actuator for use with a compliant end effector in MIS.
Technique of da Vinci robot-assisted anatomic radical prostatectomy.

Abstract Objectives Robotic radical prostatectomy is a new procedure for treating prostate cancer. Many centers are attempting this new modality but a detailed description of the technique has not yet been published. We report the technique as performed at the Vattikuti Urology Institute. Methods At Vattikuti Urology Institute, we have performed more than 30 such operations and have standardized the technique for safe and reproducible treatment of prostate cancer. We collected the patient data and surgical logs to improve and standardize this procedure. We recorded the operation and made relevant modifications after reviewing the recordings to improve the outcome. Results The operation was developed on the scientific foundations of anatomic radical prostatectomy as described by Walsh and the laparoscopic prostatectomy developed at Montsouris. Our technique differs from these procedures because of the need for two surgical teams and the use of fine, endo-wrist instruments with three-dimensional stereoscopic visualization. We describe the patient setup, positioning, port placement, preparation of the robot, docking of the arms, and the surgical steps of performing anatomic prostatectomy with robotic assistance. Conclusions This report describes the current technique of robotic prostatectomy as developed at the Vattikuti Urology Institute.
Stereospecific Synthesis of 24-Propylcholesterol Isolated from the Texas Brown Tide

Abstract The alga that causes the ‘Texas brown tide’, Aureoumbra lagunensis, contains 24-propylcholesterol, a potentially useful biomarker for this organism. The stereochemical configuration at C-24 was determined through synthesis using the Johnson orthoester Claisen rearrangement. Both (24R)- and (24S)-24-propylcholesterol, as well as (24R)- and (24S)-Δ22 24-propylcholesterol, were synthesized and characterized. The naturally occurring isomer was found to be (24R)-24-propylcholesterol.
THE EFFECT OF MANAGEMENT STYLES ON STRATEGIC PLANNING

Personal management styles tend to heavily influence strategic decision making. The authors identify six management styles and describe how each style can influence a company's strategic planning.
Love the Sin: Sexual Regulation and the Limits of Religious Tolerance

1 Getting Religion2 What's Wrong with Tolerance?3 Not Born That Way4 The Free Exercise of Sex5 Valuing Sex
Reheating the intergalactic medium under extremal conditions

Sherman (1982) commenced the investigation of a hypothetical closure density intergalactic medium (IGM) in the recombination epoch and found present acceptable temperatures in the range from 160,000 to 4,200,000 K for IGM heating. The present investigation has the objective to complete these calculations by finding extreme bounds on the reheating epoch which preceded recombination. The final results are presented in a table. Three models have been generated. The presented models suggest that a closure density IGM is constrained to be heated by a source in the range from 10 to the -31st to 10 to the -27th ergs per s per cu cm. The heating had to originate no earlier than z approximately 28.
Consistent Estimation of General Equilibrium Welfare Effects

A general equilibrium demand curve is appropriate for measuring the surplus changes in several markets induced by a policy intervention in one market. Guidelines for the identification and consistent estimation of such a demand curve are discussed. Specifically, conditions are stated under which the dropping of prices of related goods yields a consistent estimate of the slope of the general equilibrium demand curve. Also, a method similar to Leamer's is proposed to provide consistent bounds for the general equilibrium demand slope when the slope is underidentified.
Stimulation of the Harris instability in the ionosphere

Observations made with a sweep frequency rf sounder on the satellite ISIS 1 in the topside ionosphere are reported, and the interpretation of diffuse signals at the lower harmonics of the electron cyclotron frequency is discussed. These signals are attributed to the stimulation of Harris instabilities of longitudinal plasma waves at multiples of the cyclotron frequency in a single electron distribution. The Harris instability is excited most readily when the frequency is near the midpoint between the harmonics of the cyclotron frequency. The cause of these instabilities is the large electron velocity anisotropy which results from collisionless cyclotron damping of the energy from the high power sounder pulse.
Investigation of a resonance Lidar for measurement of thermospheric metastable helium

Abstract Expected signal returns for a ground-based resonance Lidar system used for profiling metastable thermospheric helium are presented, scaleable to specific system configurations. The signal estimate is dependent on the calculation of the effective backscatter cross-section for the He 10 830 A resonant transition as well as an estimate of thermospheric metastable helium densities obtained from a recent model. The peak backscatter cross-section is found to be 2.7(±0.3) × 10 −16 m 2 with an effective backscatter cross-section (assuming a 1 GHz rms laser linewidth centered at a wavelength of 10 830.32 A) of 2.6(±0.3) × 10 −16 m 2 . Measurements using the metastable He 3188 A and 3889 A lines are evaluated. Challenges in experimental design (i.e., laser characteristics, near infrared single photon detection, and background noise), as well as potential operation from a space-borne platform, are also discussed. With current technology, profiles with relatively high temporal and vertical resolution are shown to be attainable under twilight conditions.
A Substitution in the Fingers Domain of DNA Polymerase δ Reduces Fidelity by Altering Nucleotide Discrimination in the Catalytic Site

DNA polymerase δ (Pol δ) is one of the major replicative DNA polymerases in eukaryotic cells, catalyzing lagging strand synthesis as well as playing a role in many DNA repair pathways. The catalytic site for polymerization consists of a palm domain and mobile fingers domain that opens and closes each catalytic cycle. We explored the effect of amino acid substitutions in a region of the highly conserved sequence motif B in the fingers domain on replication fidelity. A novel substitution, A699Q, results in a marked increase in mutation rate at the yeast CAN1 locus, and is synthetic lethal with both proofreading deficiency and mismatch repair deficiency. Modeling the A699Q mutation onto the crystal structure of Saccharomyces cerevisiae Pol δ template reveals four potential contacts for A699Q but not for A699. We substituted alanine for each of these residues and determined that an interaction with multiple residues of the N-terminal domain is responsible for the mutator phenotype. The corresponding mutation in purified human Pol δ results in a similar 30-fold increase in mutation frequency when copying gapped DNA templates. Sequence analysis indicates that the most characteristic mutation is a guanine-to-adenine (G to A) transition. The increase in deoxythymidine 5′-triphosphate-G mispairs was confirmed by performing steady state single nucleotide addition studies. Our combined data support a model in which the Ala-to-Gln substitution in the fingers domain of Pol δ results in an interaction with the N-terminal domain that affects the base selectivity of the enzyme.
Continuous stopping and trapping of neutral atoms

Neutral sodium atoms have been continuously loaded into a 0.1-K-deep superconducting magnetic trap with laser light used to slow and stop them. At least 1 \ifmmode\times\else\texttimes\fi{} ${10}^{9}$ atoms were trapped with a decay time of 2\textonehalf{} min. The fluorescence of the trapped atoms was studied as a function of time; possible loss mechanisms from the trap are discussed.
Two-dimensional approach to string field theory

Abstract A function A on the space of two-dimensional field theories is defined as a correlation function of three BRST currents on the tetrahedron. A simple proof is given that A is extremized at and only at points corresponding to conformally invariant field theories with c = 26. A therefore provides a “cubic” action for closed string field theory. It is further shown that A is a regulated form of a previously proposed cubic action for closed string field theory represented as a function on the space of string fields, and may be used as a fully off-shell definition of that action. This connection is established by using a specific map “ Q L I ” from the space of two-dimensional field theories to the space of string fields. Perturbative calculations around a general c = 26 critical point verifies explicitly that A reproduces the string mass spectrum and trilinear couplings and, for the specific case of sigma models, the Einstein action.
Eisenhower, Somoza, and the Cold War in Nicaragua: 1953-1961

Illustrations Introduction Abbreviations The First Administration, 1953-1957 Economic Assistance Policy: Growth on the American Plan Nicaraguan Economic Development (I) Integration, Diversification, and Expansion Defending the Plan: The Evolution of U.S. Military Assistance Policy, 1945-1957 The Last Marines: The Origins and Development of The Guardia Nacional to 1957 The Second Administration, 1957-1961 Changes in the Plan: Economic Assistance Policy in the Second Eisenhower Administration Nicaraguan Economic Development (II) Decline, Reform, and Entrenchment Building a Flexible Response: American Military Assistance Policy, 1957-1961 Enemies at the Gates: The Guardia Nacional, 1957-1961 Conclusions Bibliography Index
A simplified approach to quasi-linear viscoelastic modeling

The fitting of quasi-linear viscoelastic (QLV) constitutive models to material data often involves somewhat cumbersome numerical convolution. A new approach to treating quasi-linearity in 1-D is described and applied to characterize the behavior of reconstituted collagen. This approach is based on a new principle for including nonlinearity and requires considerably less computation than other comparable models for both model calibration and response prediction, especially for smoothly applied stretching. Additionally, the approach allows relaxation to adapt with the strain history. The modeling approach is demonstrated through tests on pure reconstituted collagen. Sequences of "ramp-and-hold" stretching tests were applied to rectangular collagen specimens. The relaxation force data from the "hold" was used to calibrate a new "adaptive QLV model" and several models from literature, and the force data from the "ramp" was used to check the accuracy of model predictions. Additionally, the ability of the models to predict the force response on a reloading of the specimen was assessed. The "adaptive QLV model" based on this new approach predicts collagen behavior comparably to or better than existing models, with much less computation.
Performance comparison of two location based routing protocols for ad hoc networks

Many location based routing protocols have been developed for ad hoc networks. This paper presents the results of a detailed performance evaluation on two of these protocols: location-aided routing (LAR) and distance routing effect algorithm for mobility (DREAM). We compare the performance of these two protocols with the dynamic source routing (DSR) protocol and a minimum standard (i.e., a protocol that floods all data packets). We used NS-2 to simulate 50 nodes moving according to the random waypoint model. Our main goal for the performance investigation was to stress the evaluated protocols with high data loads during both low and high speeds. Our performance investigation produced the following conclusions. First, the added protocol complexity of DREAM does not appear to provide benefits over a flooding protocol. Second, promiscuous mode operation improves the performance of DSR significantly. Third, adding location information to DSR (i.e., similar to LAR) increases both the network load and the data packet delivery ratio; our results conclude that the increase in performance is worth the increase in cost. Lastly, our implementation of DREAM provides a simple location service that could be used with other ad hoc network routing protocols.
An update on the Kevorkian-Reding 93 physician-assisted deaths in Michigan: is Kevorkian a savior, serial-killer or suicidal martyr?

This report presents an update of the Kevorkian-Reding physician-assisted (or physician-aided) deaths to include the ninety-three publicly acknowledged cases as of November 25, 1998. These deaths are divided into ten distinct time phases. The following trends emerge. Over two-thirds of the decedents are women, the ratio of females to males varying widely with phase. The proportion of women seems to be highest when Kevorkian is free to act as he wants and lowest when he seems to be acting under legal or political restraints. Based on autopsy results, only 29.0 percent of the cases are terminal, this percentage being higher among men (37.9%) than among women (25.4%). However, 66.7% of the decedents were disabled, no significant difference emerging between men and women. Further, five out of the six decedents showing no apparent anatomical sign of disease at autopsy were women. Over 80 percent of the physician-assisted deaths are cremated, approximately twice as high a proportion as that emerging for suicide...
Systematics of ridge propagation south of 30°S

Abstract New high-resolution Geosat altimetry data south of 30°S reveal numerous propagating ridge wakes along intermediate- and slow-spreading ridges. These new examples provide a large enough database to establish systematics of ridge propagation. Almost all active propagating ridges propagate down a regional along-axis gravity or bathymetry gradient. The sense of the propagating ridge offset (right lateral vs. left lateral) is related to recent changes in spreading direction. We find there is a significant difference between the propagation of ridges with an axial high morphology which propagate at greater than ∼ 50% of their full-spreading rate and ridges with a median valley morphology which usually propagate at ∼ 25% of their spreading rate. The axial high propagators leave behind an asymmetric wake; the outer pseudofault appears as a continuous linear trough/step while the sheared zone appears as a chain of small gravity bumps. While we clearly see the propagating ridge wakes from offsets greater than ∼ 10 km at slow- and intermediate-spreading ridges, at ridges spreading faster than ∼ 75 mm/yr the amplitude of the wake topography decreases to the point where we no longer see these wakes in Geosat altimetry data. The systematics seen in this new data set support a fracture mechanics model for the dynamics of ridge propagation.
(In) equality, (ab) normality, and the Americans With Disabilities Act

The 1990 Americans with Disabilities Act enacted a conceptual shift in the meaning of 'disability.' Rather than defining 'disability' as a disadvantageous physical or mental deficit of persons, it codifies the understanding of 'disability' as a defective state of society which disadvantages these persons. In contrast, the standard medical model incorrectly conceptualizes disabled persons as biologically inferior, and thus confines them to the role of recipients of benevolence or care. Turning to an ethic of caring yields counter-intuitive results that conflict with the conceptual apparatus of the ADA. It is argued that in order to liberate social marginalized to being socially enabled, one must re-conceptualize current practice by adopting the ADA's conceptual framework.