cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Effects of Nonuniform Blade Spacing on Compressor Rotor Forced Response and Aeroacoustics

A generalized flat plate cascade model is developed in this study to predict the unsteady aerodynamics of a blade row with circumferentially nonuniform spacing in subsonic compressible flow. With n...
Effect of hydrocortisone versus methylprednisolone on clinical outcomes in oncology patients with septic shock

BackgroundCorticosteroids are used as adjunctive treatment of critical illness-related corticosteroid insufficiency in patients with septic shock. This study aims to compare the impact of hydrocort...
Beyond the eye-catchers: A large-scale study of social movement organizations’ involvement in online protests:

Existing studies of social movement organizations (SMOs) commonly focus only on a small number of well-known SMOs or SMOs that belong to a single social movement industry (SMI). This is partially b...
Can the Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL) help characterize the types of psychopathologic conditions driving child psychiatry referrals

Background Little is known about the scope of problems driving referrals to child and adolescent psychiatry services. Identifying the full range of mental disorders affecting a particular child can help triage the child to a clinician with the appropriate level of expertise. The Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL) is an easy-to-use assessment tool that may provide invaluable information regarding the severity of the presenting complaints and also aid in the referral process. Objective To assess the utility of the CBCL to gain insights into the type of clinical problems driving referrals of youth to an outpatient pediatric psychiatry clinic. Method The sample consisted of 418 newly referred youth 4-18 years of age of both sexes. Parents completed the CBCL assessing psychopathology and competence. Rates of patients with elevated T-scores on each scale were calculated for the whole group and stratified by sex and age (≤12 versus >12). Results The CBCL identified high rates of psychopathology affecting referred youth. It also provided information on the type of suspected disorders affecting a particular child as well as their severity, critical information to guide likely differing clinical needs and therapeutic approaches. It also helped identify a high number of youth affected with multiple psychopathological conditions, likely to require a high level of clinical attention. Overall, males were significantly more impaired than females but there were no major differences between children and adolescents. Conclusions The CBCL can aid in the identification of individual and comorbid mental disorders affecting youth seeking mental health services by providing specific information about the presence and the severity of specific suspected disorder. These findings have implications for prioritizing scarce resources in child mental health and for improved consideration of the complexity of clinical presentations to pediatric psychiatry programs of any type.
Excited $J^{--}$ meson resonances at the SU(3) flavor point from lattice QCD

We present the first calculation within lattice QCD of excited light meson resonances with ${J}^{PC}={1}^{\ensuremath{-}\ensuremath{-}}$, ${2}^{\ensuremath{-}\ensuremath{-}}$ and ${3}^{\ensuremath{-}\ensuremath{-}}$. Working with an exact SU(3) flavor symmetry, for the singlet representation of pseudoscalar-vector scattering, we find two ${1}^{\ensuremath{-}\ensuremath{-}}$ resonances, a lighter broad state and a heavier narrow state, a broad ${2}^{\ensuremath{-}\ensuremath{-}}$ resonance decaying in both $P$- and $F$-waves, and a narrow ${3}^{\ensuremath{-}\ensuremath{-}}$ state. We present connections to experimental ${\ensuremath{\omega}}_{J}^{\ensuremath{\star}},{\ensuremath{\phi}}_{J}^{\ensuremath{\star}}$ resonances decaying into $\ensuremath{\pi}\ensuremath{\rho}$, $K{\overline{K}}^{*}$, $\ensuremath{\eta}\ensuremath{\omega}$ and other final states.
Biobased Materials for Medical Applications

Carbon is the most important biobased material that forms the backbone of life as we know it. Based on this fundamental fact, it is no surprise that carbon-based materials have played an integral role in the development of medical materials. Biobased materials will continue to play an even greater role in medicine as we uncover more of the nuanced mechanisms that determine the multiple roles that carbon plays in biological systems. The purpose of this chapter is to introduce biobased materials and the unique roles that they play in medical products. The important role of carbon will be highlighted while focusing on the role of biobased materials in healthcare and medical products including high surface area adsorbents, recycling of biowaste products, and tailored gut microbiome-based products and therapies that can proactively prevent health challenges.
Structure/activity correlation for unpromoted and CeO2‐promoted MnO2/SiO2 catalysts

The goal of this study was to understand the structure–activity relationship for unpromoted and ceria‐promoted MnOx/SiO2 catalysts used in CO oxidation. SiO2 and CeO2‐promoted SiO2 (20% CeO2) were used as supports to prepare MnOx/SiO2 catalysts with various manganese (Mn) loadings. X‐ray diffraction (XRD) and X‐ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) data indicated a higher Mn dispersion on ceria‐promoted than on unpromoted MnOx/SiO2 catalysts. Analysis of the XRD patterns and Mn2p XPS spectra indicated that Mn was present as MnO2 on MnOx/SiO2 with low Mn loadings and ceria‐promoted MnOx/SiO2 catalysts and as mixed MnO2/Mn2O3 on MnOx/SiO2 catalysts with high Mn loadings. Kinetic data obtained for CO oxidation on unpromoted and ceria‐promoted MnOx/SiO2 catalysts are presented and interpreted in correlation with the catalyst surface and bulk structure. A synergistic catalytic effect was observed in the case of the ceria‐promoted MnOx/SiO2 catalysts. Post‐reaction XRD and XPS analysis of catalysts indicated that the presence of ceria precludes formation of the less catalytically active Mn3O4 species from MnO2 deposited initially on the SiO2 support.
Recent Advances in Gene Therapy for Atrial Fibrillation

Atrial fibrillation (AF) is the most common heart rhythm disorder in adults and a major cause of stroke. Unfortunately, current treatments for AF are suboptimal as they are not targeting the molecular mechanisms underlying AF. In this regard, gene therapy is emerging as a promising approach for mechanism-based treatment of AF. In this review, we summarize recent advances and challenges in gene therapy for this important cardiovascular disease.
Choice of Law and Time

Choice of law is usually thought of as a problem of law across geography, of how laws apply to persons and events not entirely within a state’s boundaries. But another dimension to the choice of law problem is that of time. In cases wholly domestic to a single state, this temporal issue appears when a court considers whether a change in law has retroactive application. But changes in law occur in interstate cases as well. Moreover, the facts relevant to a choice of law analysis may change between the time of the underlying events and the litigation. Does the court consider facts as they exist at the time of litigation or are the facts to be fixed as of the time of the underlying events? These questions appear in three contexts: First, the state whose law is to apply under a choice of law rule may undergo change, and the sovereign currently in force is not the same one that existed at the time of the events leading to the litigation. Second, the state remains the same but it has changed its law. Third, the facts relevant to choice of law may change over time. By drawing these three contexts together, one can get a sense of the larger problem of choice of law and time. In general, the question is whether rights and obligations of the parties should be fixed, anchored to a definite point in the past, or allowed to float and change over time. No single overarching solution is available, but the relevant factors are the nature of the underlying issue, the choice of law approach the court has taken, and the extent to which the policy demands of the present are impaired as compared to the impairment of the expectations and reliance interests of the parties who acted in the past.
Effect of Hot Weather on Number of Visits to Water Troughs

Water consumption is crucial to maximum milk production. Environmental factors such as elevated ambient temperature influence water consumption, and therefore milk production. The objective of this study was to determine the effect of hot weather on water consumption, measured as number of visits to the water troughs.
Public goods and private interests: setting the table for the commercial internet in the 1990s

Today, U.S.-based corporations control much of the internet worldwide, but this was not always the case. During the administration of U.S. President Clinton (1993-2001), the U.S. Department of Comm...
Does Prior Lumbar Fusion Influence Dislocation Risk in Hip Arthroplasty Performed for Femoral Neck Fracture

BACKGROUND Immobility of the lumbar spine predicts instability following elective total hip arthroplasty (THA). The purpose of this study is to determine how prior lumbar fusion (LF) influenced dislocation rates and revision rates for patients undergoing THA or hemiarthroplasty (HA) for femoral neck fracture (FNF). METHODS A retrospective cohort analysis was conducted utilizing the PearlDiver database from 2010 to 2018. Patients who underwent arthroplasty for FNF were identified based on history of LF and whether they underwent THA or HA. Univariate and multivariate analyses were performed. RESULTS A total of 328 patients with prior LF and FNF who underwent THA were at increased risk for 1-year dislocation (odds ratio [OR] 2.19, P < .001) and 2-year revision (OR 2.22, P < .001) compared to 14,217 patients without LF. The 461 patients with prior LF and FNF who underwent HA were at increased risk for dislocation (OR 2.22, P < .001) compared to 42,327 patients without LF. Patients with prior LF and FNF who underwent THA had higher rates of revision than patients with prior LF who underwent HA for FNF (OR 2.11, P < .001). In patients with prior LF and FNF, THA was associated with significantly increased risk for dislocation (OR 3.07, P < .001) and revision (OR 2.53, P < .001) compared to THA performed for osteoarthritis. CONCLUSION Patients with prior LF who sustained an FNF and underwent THA or HA were at increased risk for early dislocation and revision compared to those without prior LF. This risk of dislocation and revision is even greater than that observed in patients with prior LF who underwent THA for osteoarthritis. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE Level III.
Identifying Emerging Safety Threats through Topic Modeling in the Aviation Safety Reporting System: A COVID-19 Study

In this work, we propose a method to identify emerging safety threats in the NASA’s aviation safety reporting system using topic modeling. The proposed method serves both to connect different topics over time, but also to facilitate quick exploration and navigation. We use COVID-19 as a use case to identify if emerging safety threats can be identified over time. We found not only the topics’ top terms indicated the prevalence of COVID-19 reports, but also they accounted for 71% of manually curated reports, offering an automated means to identify emerging threats.
Evaluation of CXCR4 expression in breast and lung cancer models with [64Cu]AMD3465

1710 Objectives Chemokine receptor 4 (CXCR4) is expressed in a variety of cancers including breast and lung. CXCR4/CXCL12 interactions are critical for tumor development, growth and metastasis. Breast and lung tumors with high CXCR4 surface expression are more likely to metastasize and result in poor prognosis. Imaging of CXCR4 expression could be used as a predictor of metastatic potential of the primary tumor and for therapeutic guidance. Here we evaluate a positron-emitting monocyclam, [64Cu]AMD3465, for imaging graded levels of CXCR4 expression in breast and lung tumor models. Methods AMD3465 was radiolabeled with [64Cu]Cu(OAc)2 at pH 5.5. MDA-MB-231(CXCR4low) and DU4475(CXCR4high) breast cancer cells were used to generate orthotopic xenografts. Small cell lung cancer cell lines H82(CXCR4low), H69(CXCR4high) and the non-small cell lung cancer cell line A549 (CXCR4low) were used to generate subcutaneous and orthotopic xenografts, respectively. Whole body PET/CT imaging and biodistribution studies were carried out at 90 min post-injection of [64Cu]AMD3465. Regions of interest were drawn over the entire tumor on PET images and radioactivity uptake values were calculated as %ID/cc. CXCR4 expression in tumors and metastatic lesions was confirmed by immunohistochemistry. At least three animals were used per group. Results PET imaging and biodistribution studies demonstrated selective accumulation of radioactivity in DU4475 compared to MDA-MB-231 tumors at 16.51 ± 0.65 and 10.75 ± 1.04 %ID/cc, respectively. Similar results were also observed with H69 and H82 tumors. Furthermore, accumulation of radioactivity was observed in the orthotopic A549 lung tumors at 10.5 ± 0.9 %ID/cc compared to the contralateral lung at 3.1 ± 0.08 %ID/cc. In an A549 tumor mouse, elevated radioactivity accumulation was observed in lymph node metastases compared to the primary tumor. Conclusions These findings demonstrate the feasibility of imaging graded levels of CXCR4 expression in breast and lung tumor models. Research Support Elsa U. Pardee Foundatio
Porphyry, Nature, and Community

As Sorabji has recently reminded us, the question of the nature nd extent of ethical obligations to moral s bjects other than human beings was widely discussed in antiquity. One of the chief texts is Porphyry, On Abstinence from Animal Food.1 In this pa per I explore one of Porphyry's arguments in the light of today's theorizing in environmental philosophy. I draw attention to a constraint on acceptable environmental ethical theory: to grant equal ethical standing to beings who are not human runs counter to the judgments that nearly all moral agents actually make. Callicott's version of Leopold's land ethic meets this need, but rests on a vague notion of "community." I examine an argument in De Abstinentia 3 that presents another theory that meets this need, but rests on a foundation that is both more nuanced and more metaphysically grounded than that of Callicott's "commu nity": the Stoic notion of oikei?sis.
Proceedings of the 2nd ACM Symposium on Computing for Development

The Second ACM Symposium on Computing for Development (DEV), held on March 11--12, 2012, at the Georgia Institute of Technology in Atlanta, GA was co-located with ICTD, the 5th International Conference on Information and Communication Technologies and Development. In its second edition, the DEV conference aspires to become the premier venue for disseminating novel research at the overlap of technology and global development. In particular, it focuses on highlighting research results in emerging contexts where conventional computing solutions are often inappropriate due to various contextual factors --- including, but not limited to, cost, language, literacy, and the availability of power and bandwidth. Focusing on innovative technical solutions to these unique application, infrastructure and user challenges, the DEV conference fosters exchange between computer scientists, engineers, and other scholars and practitioners interested in the use of information and communication technologies (ICTs) for development. This year's conference featured 14 full papers and 11 poster presentations, which were selected from a pool of 35 submissions. Each paper underwent a rigorous review process, each receiving at least 3 reviews from leading researchers in the field. The accepted papers span diverse fields such as mobile data collection, text messaging, social media, and sensing, all with usage models and/or applications inspired by problems and issues encountered in the developing world. The program also included keynote presentations by leading technologists who work in the space of global development: Ed McNierney (chief technical office of One-Laptop-Per-Child --- OLPC) and David Kobia (co-founder of Ushahidi).
Studying cytolinker proteins.

Publisher Summary The cytoskeleton plays vital roles in a variety of cellular processes such as motility, adhesion, cytokinesis, and structural integrity, therefore, studying cytoskeletal-associated proteins is likely to yield insights not only into the regulation of the cytoskeleton, but also into the mechanisms of cell function. This chapter describes various methods for studying cytolinker proteins, and focuses on methods demonstrating that a given protein can interact with various filamentous networks, or their monomeric components. However, most of the techniques presented in the chapter are indirect, or involve the monomeric forms of the filament protein. Positive triple staining or cosedimentation of unpurified proteins in a spin-down assay does not prove that the protein associates directly with the filaments. Similarly, lack of interactions observed in two-hybrid or standard overlay assays does not rule out the possibility that the protein under study interacts with filaments in vivo. While spin-down binding assays that use purified proteins or overlay assays with polymerized filaments provide evidence of direct interaction in vitro, yet, they still cannot be relied on as the indicators of direct binding in vivo. The electron microscopy of cells or tissues showing a protein directly bridging different filamentous systems provides, perhaps, the most rigorous evidence of such in vivo associations.
Result of Neck Clipping and Coil Embolization as a Treatment for Unruptured Aneurysm

The report of the International Subarachnoid Aneurysm Trial (ISAT) study showed that coil embolization was superior to neck clipping as a treatment for subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH)1. Recently, some results of treatments for unruptured aneurysm via coil embolization and neck clipping have been reported 2,3. We compared the results of coil embolization and neck clipping in our institute. Generally better outcomes were obtained by endovascular surgery than by neck clipping. Postoperative ischemic strokes occurred in one case (1.8%) as a major stroke and in three cases (5.6%) as a minor stroke among coil-treated cases, and in two cases(2.6%) as a major stroke, and in seven cases(9.0%) as a minor stroke among neck clipping cases. Other complications after these treatments were six cases of subdural effusion/hematoma, four cases of infection, two cases of epidural hematoma, one abducens nerve palsy, one hydrocephalus, and one acute myocardial infarction among 78 neck clipping cases, and two subcutaneous hematoma, one pseudoaneurysm at the puncture points, one direct carotid-cavernous fistula among 54 coil-treated cases. Four coil-treated cases, in which introduction of microcatheters to the aneurysm was impossible, were treated completely by neck clipping after endovascular treatments. In terms of modified Rankin Scale(mRS) three months after treatments, while mRS 3 was noted in only one case in the endovascular treatment group, there were one case of mRS 3, two cases of mRS 4, and two cases of mRS 5 in the neck clipping group. Duration of hospitalization averaged 11.9 days in the endovascular group and 24.1 days in the neck clipping group. The results of endosaccular enbolizations as treatment of the unruptured aneurysm seems to be better than neck clipping. However, not all cases of unruptured aneurysms can be treated by coil embolization due to the width of aneurysmal neck and relation of the aneurysm to parent arteries. Therefore, surgeons should also be able to perform neck clipping as an alternative modality.
A Survey on Design and Implementation of Floating Point Adder in FPGA

FPGAs are widely being used in high performance and scientific computing applications. FPGAs are suitable for such applications when conventional processors implementations do not satisfy the realtime and high performance requirements. Most of these applications demand high numerical stability and accuracy, and wide range of numbers. Hence, they are usually based on floating point. Implementing floating point unit in FPGA is one of the crucial issues of hardware implementations. Floating point addition is the most frequent floating point operation and takes most of the scientific operation. It is a costly operation in terms of time and hardware. The main objectives of implementing floating point in FPGA are to achieve high performance with less area, increase the throughput, and decrease the latency. This review paper presents a survey on floating point addition algorithms and techniques, and the implementation of floating point adder in FPGA.
Masking Ability of Zirconia with and without Veneering Porcelain

Purpose: The present study compared changes in CIE L*a*b* color coordinates of substrates of different colors when covered with zirconium oxide discs (Procera) and with such discs if veneered with two shades of porcelain. Material and Methods: Forty background substrates were fabricated and divided into four groups depending on the color of the substrates: white, black, gray, and tooth-colored (Vita shade A3). The initial color of the substrates was measured using a colorimeter. The color of the substrates covered with plain zirconium oxide discs and with zirconium oxide discs veneered with porcelains of two shades (Vita shade A1 and B4) was measured. The color difference between the substrates, the substrates covered with plain discs, and the substrates covered with veneered discs was calculated, and the data were statistically analyzed with one-way ANOVA and multiple paired t-test. Results: For each group of substrates, the resulting colors were significantly different when the substrates were covered by either plain zirconium oxide discs or zirconium oxide discs veneered with Vita shade A1 or B4 porcelain. Conclusion: While zirconium oxide coping material alone has a degree of masking ability, the resulting color of a restoration can be further modified with the veneering porcelain.
Emotional reactivity and emotional regulation strategies as predictors of social behavior with peers during toddlerhood.

Fifty-six mothers and their 24-month-old toddlers were observed on two occasions in a series of laboratory procedures designed to assess relations between emotional functioning (emotional reactivity and emotion regulation) in an individual assessment and social behavior with a same-sex peer. Emotional reactivity was assessed using two frustration tasks designed to elicit distress. Emotional regulation was assessed by examining the child’s behaviors (venting, distraction, focal-object focus, self-orientation, and mother-orientation) when confronted by the two distress-eliciting tasks. Peer play behaviors were coded for social participation and peer-directed conflict (aggressive) behavior. The results indicated that both emotional reactivity and emotion regulation were important predictors of at least two types of social behavior: conflict and cooperation. Distress to frustration, when accompanied by high venting or high focal-object focus, was significantly related to conflict with peers but not when accompanied by distraction, mother-orientation or self-focused behaviors. These findings are discussed in terms of the adaptive value of emotion regulation skills in early development, and the importance of identifying the causal relations between child regulation and early social competence.
Dietary conjugated linoleic acid with fish oil alters yolk n-3 and trans fatty acid content and volatile compounds in raw, cooked, and irradiated eggs

Abstract We investigated the effect of dietary conjugated linoleic acid (CLA) along with n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acid (n-3 PUFA) on yolk fatty acid composition and volatile compounds in eggs that were raw (RA), hard-boiled (HB), or hard-boiled, irradiated (HBI, 2.5 kGy). Single Comb White Leghorn laying hens (n = 40) were randomly assigned to one of the four experimental diets containing 0, 0.5, 1.0, or 2.0% CLA. Menhaden oil was used as the source of n-3 PUFA. Eggs collected after 6 wk of feeding were analyzed for fatty acids and volatile compounds. The content of docosahexaenoic acid (C22:6 n-3) was reduced (P
Putnam's Paradox: Metaphysical Realism Revamped and Evaded

Hilary Putnam's argument against metaphysical realism (commonly referred to as the "model theoretic argument") has now enjoyed two decades of discussion. 1 The text is rich and contains variously construable arguments against variously construed philosophical positions. David Lewis isolated one argument and called it "Putnam's Paradox".2 That argument is clear and concise; so is the paradoxical conclusion it purports to demonstrate; and so is Lewis' paradoxavoiding solution. His solution involves a position I call "anti-nominalism": not only are classes real, but they are divided into arbitrary and 'natural' classes. The natural classes 'carve nature at the joints', being (as other philosophers might say) the extensions of 'real' properties, universals, or Forms.3 Thus the argument was turned, in effect, into support for a metaphysical realism stronger than Putnam envisaged. I will offer a different way to look at Putnam's model theoretic argument. If we insist on discussing language solely in terms of a relation between words and things, we may well be forced into a metaphysical realist point of view, on pain of paradox. But on the level of pragmatics, in a discussion of language that also addresses the roles of user and use, the air of paradox dissolves all by itself. I shall also try to show how we can resist Lewis' argument, derived from Putnam's, for anti-nominalism. No metaphysical postulates will be needed to avoid the threatened disasters of self-understanding.
Geochronology of Precambrian Gneisses in the Blue Ridge Province of Northwestern North Carolina and Adjacent Parts of Virginia and Tennessee

Rb-Sr whole-rock radiometric age determinations were made on Precambrian basement rocks from the Blue Ridge province of northern North Carolina and adjacent areas of Tennessee and Virginia. Parts of the Cranberry Gneiss in North Carolina and the Grayson Gneiss in Virginia have ages of 1,252 ± 45 m.y. and 1,174 ± 14 m.y., respectively. Thus far, these are the oldest rocks found in the southern Appalachians, and their ages suggest that they are coeval with much of the basement of the stable U.S. interior. The Wilson Creek Gneiss of North Carolina yields model ages averaging 1,135 m.y. The Blowing Rock Gneiss of North Carolina and the Cranberry Gneiss in North Carolina and Tennessee have ages of 1,027 ± 36 m.y. and 1,063 ± 41 m.y., respectively. A third Cranberry Gneiss location, in Tennessee, may be only 871 ± 17 m.y. old. A radiogenic Sr87 growth curve for these gneisses is compatible with a model in which the Blue Ridge crust of the area studied has behaved as a closed Rb-Sr system for much of its Precambrian history. The 1,300- to 1,200-m.y.-old terrane was largely remobilized by a major orogenic episode about 1,050 m.y. ago, which suggests synchrony with the Grenville orogeny. The approximately 1,050-m.y.-old gneisses are products of anatexis. There is no evidence for the addition of new material to the Blue Ridge crust between 1,300 and 700 m.y. ago.
Low O2-induced ATP release from erythrocytes of humans with type 2 diabetes is restored by physiological ratios of C-peptide and insulin.

ATP release from erythrocytes in response to reduced oxygen (O2) tension stimulates local vasodilation, enabling these cells to direct perfusion to areas in skeletal muscle in need of O2. Erythrocy...
Water Chemistry and Plankton in Unfertilized Ponds in Pastures and in Woods

Abstract Unfertilized ponds in pastures are more eutrophic than unfertilized ponds in woods. Fertilizer application rates currently used in bass-sunfish ponds in the southeastern United States may be greatly reduced in many pasture ponds.
Demand-side load scheduling incentivized by dynamic energy prices

Demand response is an important part of the smart grid technologies. This is a particularly interesting problem with the availability of dynamic energy pricing models. Electricity consumers are encouraged to consume electricity more prudently in order to minimize their electric bill, which is in turn calculated based on dynamic energy prices. In this paper, task scheduling policies that help consumers minimize their electrical energy cost by setting the time of use (TOU) of energy in the facility. Moreover, the utility companies can reasonably expect that their customers reduce their consumption at critical times in response to higher energy prices during those times. These policies target two different scenarios: (i) scheduling with a TOU-dependent energy pricing function subject to a constraint on total power consumption; and (ii) scheduling with a TOU and total power consumption-dependent pricing function for electricity consumption. Exact solutions (based on Branch and Bound) are presented for these task scheduling problems. In addition, a rank-based heuristic and a force directed-based heuristic are presented to efficiently solve the aforesaid problems. The proposed heuristic solutions are demonstrated to have very high quality and competitive performance compared to the exact solutions. Moreover, ability of demand shaping utilizing the aforementioned pricing schemes is demonstrated by the simulation results.
Spectrochemical Analysis of Rocks, Minerals and Related Materials

A spectrochemical method for the determination of major constituents in rocks, minerals, and related materials is described. The samples are fused with lithium or sodium borate and burned with a Stallwood jet in carbon dioxide. Cobalt is used as the internal standard Comparisons with chemically analysed samples show good accuracy and reproducibility.
Impact Modification of Polylactide with a Biodegradable Ethylene/Acrylate Copolymer

The effectiveness and efficiency of an ethylene/acrylate copolymer in toughening semicrystalline and amorphous PLA through melt blending is studied. The mechanical properties, phase morphologies, miscibilities, and toughening mechanisms of the blends are assessed. The ethylene/acrylate impact modifier effectively improved the impact strength of the blends, regardless of the PLA type. The semicrystalline blends showed decreased tensile strength and modulus with increased impact modifier content. In contrast, the ductility, elongation at break, and energy to break increased significantly. The relatively low BDT temperature obtained for the PLA blends renders the ethylene/acrylate copolymer impact modifier a desirable additive to toughen PLA for use in cold temperatures.
Granulocytic sarcoma preceding acute leukemia. A report of six cases

An unusual case of granulocytic sarcoma presenting in a pericardial effusion following trauma and preceding acute myelogenous leukemia (AML) by 8 months is presented. Five additional cases of granulocytic sarcoma preceding leukemia collected by the author are also tabulated. Granulocytic sarcoma in a nonautopsy population of myelogenous leukemic patients was found to be 2.9%. When presenting in an extramedullary site, especially preceding peripheral blood and bone marrow manifestations of leukemia, a misdiagnosis of histiocytic lymphoma may result. In questionable cases, other techniques including the naphthol-ASD-chloroacetate stain, touch imprints, immunoperoxidase stain for lysozyme, and electron microscopy should be utilized. Although only a small series, the most recent cases have shown induction/remission and survival characteristics of AML patients without granulocytic sarcoma.
Simulating Alternative Dryland Rotational Cropping Systems in the Central Great Plains with RZWQM2

Long-term crop rotation effects on crop water use and yield have been investigated in the Central Great Plains since the 1990s. System models are needed to synthesize these long-term results for making management decisions and for transferring localized data to other conditions. The objectives of this study were to calibrate a cropping systems model (RZWQM2 with the DSSAT v4.0 crop modules) for dryland wheat (Triticum aestivum L.), corn (Zea mays L.), and proso millet (Panicum miliaceum L.) production in the wheat-corn-millet (WCM) rotation from 1995 to 2008, and then to evaluate the model from 1992-2008 for two additional rotations, wheat―fallow (WF) and wheat-corn-fallow (WCF) on a Weld silt loam soil under no-till conditions. Measured biomass and grain yield for the above three rotations were simulated reasonably well with root mean squared errors (RMSEs) ranging between 1147 and 2547 kg ha ―1 for biomass, and between 280 and 618 kg ha ―1 for grain yield. Corresponding index of agreement (d) ranged between 0.70 and 0.95 for biomass, and between 0.87 and 0.97 for grain yield. The validated model was further used to evaluate two additional crop rotations: wheat-millet-fallow (WMF) and wheat-corn-millet-fallow (WCMF) (1993-2008) without prior knowledge of the two rotations. We found that the model simulated the mean and range of yield and biomass of the three crops well. These results demonstrated that RZWQM2 can be used to synthesize long-term crop rotation data and to predict crop rotation effects on crop production under the semiarid conditions of eastern Colorado.
On the production of X-rays by low energy ion beams.

Although electron beams with energies of a few keV can excite fluorescent X-ray production from solids, ion beams of comparable energy cannot do so. The reason for this situation is that it is the velocity of the incident particle, rather than its energy, which determines whether an ionization event can be generated. SCANNING 29: 1–4, 2007. Copyright © 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Group communication for event dissemination in dynamic distributed networks

The paper describes a service model for cost-effective event reporting to clients over a wide-area network. The service provider (SP) maintains multiple protocol mechanisms to replicate the event pages at different proxy nodes of the distribution network. The mechanisms, which embody server-driven and client-driven replica update schemes to synchronize the page copies, reduce the access latency on the event pages retrieved by clients. Each protocol mechanism excels over the others in a distinct operating range of the distribution infrastructure. So, the SP may select an optimal protocol to meet the client-prescribed QoS obligations under the current levels of link delays and client traffic. We use the `degree of proxy spread-out' as a protocol-level metric for the infrastructure resource usage - and hence the cost incurred for event reporting. Our model allows dynamic switching from one protocol to another as the infrastructure-level cost changes. Simulation results are provided to corroborate the concept of protocol switching.
The Interaction of the High-Density Lipoprotein with Cultured Cells of Bovine Vascular Endothelium

Previous studies have shown that high-density lipoprotein (HDL) is mitogenic for low-density vascular endo thelial cell cultures. In contrast, low-density lipoprotein(LDL) at physiological concentration is cytotoxic for this cell type [Tauber et al. (1980) J.Clin.Invest. 66, 696-709]. In order to relate these observations to the physico-chemical events occurring after the interaction of these lipoproteins with the cells, we have studied the binding, internalization, and degradation of HDL as a function of cell density and organization and have compared the results to those obtained with LDL. Cultured vascular endothelial cells bind HDL to an extent which, on a molar basis, is similar to that of LDL. Since an 80% loss of the LDL receptor sites in cells that were preexposed to LDL was not associated with a detectable decrease in HDL binding, it is likely that HDL and LDL binding sites exist on the cell surface as distinct entities A 5-10 fold molar excess of LDL over 125 I-HDL was almost as effective as a similar excess of unlabeled HDL in reducing the binding of 125, indicationg that LDL can comete with HDL for HDL binding sites. In contrast, 125 I-LDL binding and uptake were reduced by less than 20% in the presence of a 50-fold molar excess of unlabeled HDL. Both uptake and degradation of HDL were 10-20 fold lower than those of LDL. HDL degradation was only slightly or not inhibited by chloroquine at a concentration which almost fully inhibited the degradation of LDL. Confluent and highly orgainized endothelial cell cultures bind HDL and LDL particles to an extent which is half of the amount bound to sparse or subconfluent culture However. The formation of a resting endothelial cell monlayer was associated with only a twofold decrease in the uptake of HDL, as compard to a 10-20-fold decrease in the uptake and degradation of LDL. In both sparse and confluent endothelial cultures, uptake via fluid pinocytosis non-specific adscorptive endocytosis could account for most of the HDL uptake. The different pathways of internalization of HDL when added at high concentration to sparse and actively growing cultures.
Synthesis, structure, and magnetism of a new heavy-fermion antiferromagnet, CePdGa6

Abstract A new compound, CePdGa 6 , and its isostructural analog, LaPdGa 6 have been synthesized by flux growth and characterized by single-crystal X-ray diffraction. The compounds adopt a tetragonal structure with P 4/ mmm space group, Z =1. The lattice parameters for CePdGa 6 are a=b=4.350(3) A and c=7.922(6) A and a=b=4.3760(3) A and c=7.9230(5) A for LaPdGa 6 . Magnetic and thermal measurement have revealed that CePdGa 6 is a heavy-fermion with the specific heat coefficient γ∼300 mJ / mol K 2 and Ce f moments order antiferromagnetically along c -axis at T N =10 K . Reconfiguration of spin occurs at 5 K to induce a ferromagnetic component only in the a–b plane. This strong anisotropy in the magnetism might be related to its unique layered structure.
Carbon cycle: quick burial at sea.

The amount of river-borne carbon that is buried upon reaching the sea affects Earth's atmospheric composition. A study of rivers draining the Himalaya shows that carbon burial may occur more efficiently than was thought.
Tin Incorporated in Copper Films during Damascene Copper Electrodeposition

Incorporation of a small amount of a secondary metal element such as tin, indium or aluminum into copper interconnects structures has been shown to improve the device reliability and electromigration. In this study, the incorporation of tin during copper damascene plating was investigated at conditions that allow void-free filling. The study focused on the effects of the additive package used, the current density, and the feature size on the tin incorporation. The Sn concentration in Cu was found to increase with the non-metallic impurity levels. Because the plating chemistry and plating current have strong impacts on the incorporation of the non-metallic impurities, they were also found to change the Sn incorporation. For example, Cu films plated at a lower current density, which showed higher non-metallic impurity levels, were also found to incorporate more Sn, opposite to the expectation from the more negative reversible potential of Sn. In addition, the Sn incorporation is also higher in narrow lines as compared with overburden films which, correlate well to findings for non-metallic impurity levels. By combining a plating chemistry which results in high non-metallic impurity levels and a low current density, 60nm wide Cu lines with up to about 0.1% Sn were plated, a 10-fold increase from the overburden film.
The MIX computer as an educational tool

A simulated MIX computer system plays a major role in the undergraduate computer sciences curriculum of The University of Texas at Austin. Use of the simulated machine was adopted because it provides a more complete environment for teaching operating systems concepts while at the same time providing a simpler yet conceptually complete environment for teaching assembly language programming than do the available CDC 6000 series computers. The simulated system appears to also be more cost effective than the actual machines. The MIX system in use provides a full implementation of the original specifications with some extensions. Full concurrency of I/O and CPU operation is simulated with magnetic tape, disk, drum, and unit record devices. Experience with the system in courses has been very good. Several extensions of the system to enhance its usefulness in meeting course goals are discussed. The primary outcome of these extensions will be a very sophisticated simulated system whose image to the user will be "real" in every respect except for its physical existence.
Calculating the shortest air freight routes in Illinois

The so called traveling salesman problem of finding the shortest route to connect n points in a complete tour has been a formidable one for mathematicians to solve for large n. A mathematical simulation technique called multi stage Monte Carlo optimization (MSMCO) is tried on this type of problem for examples of size n=102 and 150. The results are presented here. Specifically the latitude and longitude of the Illinois county seats (n=102) are read into the multi stage (MSMCO) Fortran program. The great circle distances between each pair of cities is calculated and stored in a 102 by 102 distance array. Then these distances are column ranked from the smallest to the largest numbers and multi stage (MSMCO) is done on the subscripts of this ranked array producing the shortest routes connecting these 102 cities in a closed loop. Then the MSMCO algorithm is tried on a standard textbook test problem of n=150 points. Several routes shorter than the shortest route ever found (26,216.4) using other methods are discovered with the MSMCO algorithm. These are presented here along with suggestions for further research on single and multiple vehicle traveling salesman problems. The generality of the solution approach is also mentioned in hopes of its future use on a variety of ''unsolvable'' multivariate problems.
The moult of the Little Stint Calidris minuta in the Kenyan rift valley

Moult data were collected during 1967–80 from some 6900 Little Stints in the southern Kenyan rift valley. Adults typically moulted from summer to winter body and head plumage during September and early October, soon after arrival. The complete pre-winter wing and tail moult began in most adults between mid-September and early October. Some birds finished by December, but others continued until February and March. Individual duration was usually between 100 and 150 days. Adults which completed this moult early often remoulted outer primaries between January and early April. Young birds acquired first-winter body plumage during October and early November. Some 90% had a complete pre-winter wing and tail moult. This usually began between December and early February, and finished during March or early April, taking about 70–100 days. In about 10% of young birds, flight feather moult was restricted to the outer primaries and inner secondaries. Birds adopting this strategy typically began moult late, during January or February. Short periods of suspension were common during pre-winter wing moult, particularly in adults. The difference in moult speed between adult arid first-winter birds was attributable in the primary, secondary and tail tracts to differences in numbers of growing feathers. Practically all birds completed a pre-summer moult involving the entire body and head plumage, most of the tertials, some or all of the tail feathers and many wing coverts. Most birds began this moult between early February and late March, and finished between mid-April and early May. It was typically later and more rapid in first-year birds than adults. In late birds, the onset of pre-summer moult was linked to the final stages of pre-winter moult. The wing moult of the Little Stint in different wintering areas is discussed. First-winter moult strategy is compared with that in other small Calidris species.
The Relationship Between Weight and Psychological Functioning Among Adolescent Girls

This study investigated whether Body Mass Index (BMI) was associated with various aspects of psychological functioning in a sample of largely Caucasian adolescent girls. Three hundred sixty-five adolescent girls ranging from ages 14 through 19 were assessed for general psychological functioning utilizing the Symptom Checklist-90-Revised (SCL-90-R), and functioning specific to eating, shape and weight utilizing the Eating Disorders Inventory (EDI). Excess weight was associated with higher scores on the Bulimia, Body Dissatisfaction and Drive for Thinness subscales of the EDI. Excess weight was not, however, associated with general psychopathology or any of the subscales of the SCL-90-R. The results suggest that excess weight may carry risk for pathology specifically related to eating, shape and weight in adolescent girls, but not for general forms of psychopathology.
Colchicine lesions of ventral, bur not dorsal, dentate granule cells attenuate wet dog shakes elicited by perforant path stimulation

Intrahippocampal injections of colchicine selectively destroy dentate granule cells. Wet dog shaking elicited by perforant path stimulation is unaffected by bilateral destruction of dorsal dentate granule cells but virtually eliminated by bilateral destruction of ventral dentate granule cells. This implies that ventral dentate granule cells are essential for the generation of perforant path stimulation-induced wet dog shakes.
Vertex points in the numerical range of a derivation

Let A be an n-square normal matrix with eigenvalues λ1, …, λ n . For 1 ⩽ r ⩽ m < n let Qm,n denote the strictly increasing sequences of integers ω satisfying For arbitrary indeterminates t 1, …tm denotes the rth elementary symmetric function of t 1, …tm . The set Hr,m is the convex hull of the complex numbers If B is an m-square complex matrix, then define Er (B) by where is the r-square principal submatrix of B lying in rows and columns numbered α. Define Am by The main theorem is: Let 1 ⩽ r ⩽ m < n and let A be an n-square complex normal matrix with eigenvalues λ1, …, λ n . Then Er (Am )eHr,m . Assume that Er (λ1, …, λ n .) is a vertex of Hr,m , that Er (Am ) = Er ( λ1, …, λ m ), and that Er (λ1, …, λ m ) ≠ Er (λω(1), …, λω(m)), ω ≠ ϵ. Then A is a direct sum and the eigenvalues of Am are λ1, …, λ m .
Blood supply to brains of ungulates with and without a rete mirabile caroticum.

The arterial blood supply to brains of some ungulates representing the orders Artiodactyla and Perissodactyla differs from that in most other mammals. Either the internal carotid or vertebral artery or both may fail to carry blood to the brains of these animals. In pig, ox and sheep the proximal segment of the internal carotid artery is absent. Instead, branches of the internal maxillary and/or the external carotid artery feed into an arterial rete mirabile caroticum. A distal segment of the internal carotid artery is reconstituted from the rete mirabile which divides into a rostral and a caudal division. In the ox the rete mirabile receives additional branches at its caudal end from the vertebral and occipital arteries. In these three animals the basilar artery is fed from its rostral end through the caudal divisions of the internal carotid arteries of either side. The horse has no rete mirabile. The internal carotid artery has a long course through its neck and forms an S-shaped curve in the cavernous sinus before piercing the dura mater. It then divides into a rostral and a caudal division. The basilar artery in the horse is formed at its caudal end by the union of cerebral rami of the occipital arteries. The patterns of the superficial cerebral arteries in all the ungulates studied have distinct submammalian characteristics. These are evidenced by the multiple origins of the middle cerebral and posterior cerebral arteries and the presence of arterial circles in the basilar artery. The principal portion of the arterial rete mirabile always lies enmeshed in the venous plexus of the cavernous sinus. Additional venous plexuses are found intimately related to the extracranial rete mirabile in the pig and the basisphenoid portion of the arterial rete mirabile in the ox.