cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Nonlinear Resonant Ultrasound Spectroscopy: Assessing Global Damage

The term nonlinear resonant ultrasound spectroscopy (NRUS) was first coined in the 1990s and is one of the earliest nonlinear techniques used to quantify global damage in a sample. This chapter was written as an introduction and overview for the general reader, one interested in learning more about the technique, especially its origins. As rocks are highly nonlinear, it is perhaps not surprising that the study of the nonlinearity of a material full of cracks could be applied to nondestructive testing and applications. Thus, this chapter aims to show that link. The overview of resonance techniques presented in Chap. 1 is here expanded upon and placed in a historical context with an emphasis on the experimental side, including important measurement pitfalls of applying the technique. The fact that the technique was patented early on and that the measurements are complicated by rate effects likely contributed to its lack of general use in the NDE community. After reading this chapter, we think you may agree that the technique is ready for another, closer look.
Life history of Mecidea major with descriptions of nymphal instars (Hemiptera, Heteroptera, Pentatomidae)

The life history of the stink bug Mecideamajor Sailer was studied in the southern half of New Mexico primarily from January 2005 through December 2007, and the nymphal instars were described. This species was active throughout the year as adults and nymphs, including the winter months. It occurred on various species of grasses during this time but primarily on Lehmann lovegrass, Eragrostislehmanniana Nees; grama grasses, Bouteloua spp.; and tobosagrass, Pleuraphismutica Buckley. The times of occurrence and abundance of the eggs, nymphs, and adults suggest this species is bivoltine with the possibility of a third generation. Instars can be distinguished by several morphological features including body size and presence and relative development of wing pads.
The Classical Ideal of High Culture in the Democratic Age

One of the elements which has rendered the classics and their ideal of “liberal culture” most questionable to the modern age is the rise of democratic-egalitarianism. In a democratic age the historic association of the classical ideals with “elitism” is deemed a decisive argument against them. In spite of the Greek origins of democracy, it is certainly fair to describe Greek culture as having an “aristocratic” tincture. Its central value was excellence, not equality and it believed in demanding standards of achievement. The classically rooted idea of the liberal as against the “servile” or “mechanical” arts was predicated on the notion of activities proper to the leisure of the “free” gentleman and an aristocratic denigration of labor, trade, and commerce. In more modern times is also the historical association of European high culture with aristocratic patronage. The egalitarian ideal (pace Nietzsche) seems to have roots not in the classical world but in Christianity with its proclamation of the equal dignity of all, and indeed its preferential concern for the poor, weak, and marginalized – an ideal which subsequently appeared also in secularized forms unmoored from its religious roots. Whereas Nietzsche viewed this as negative, we must acknowledge its moral fertility in the struggle for the dignity of laborers and indeed ultimately the abolition of slavery and other forms of oppression. Nonetheless, the applied to the sphere of culture, egalitarianism has a levelling effect destructive of high culture. An urgent task then is how to reconcile the worthy values in moral egalitarianism, with the “inegalitarianism” required for the existence of cultural standards.
Determining the most prevalent parasitic worms found in canines surrounding the Bryan/College Station Area

Parasitic worm incidences are common in canines but can typically be contained with existing treatments. When not contained, these can go on to infect humans and cause different medical problems depending on the parasite. Therefore, further researching was conducted on the following parasitic worms in canines, Isospora (coccidia), Toxocara canis (roundworms), Trichuris vulpis (whipworms), Dipylidium caninum (tapeworms), and Ancylostoma caninum (canine hookworm). We decided to test canine fecal samples to determine the prevalence of each in the Bryan/College Station area. The samples collected were tested for the presence of oocytes and eggs from parasitic worms using Fecasol solution as part of a fecal flotation test. The results indicated over half of the samples collected tested positive for a parasitic worm infection of a certain species. The highest number of positive cases were from those infected with hookworms. In canines with more than one parasitic worm, the most common grouping was hookworms with roundworms. This research emphasized the need for greater public awareness on worm treatments to prevent possible spread to humans via zoonotic disease and to maintain dog health. This information can also be included as part of a public awareness campaign to address the risks of canine to canine transmission and canine to human transmission when dogs are not treated with preventatives.
The Accuracy of Drivers' Judgments of the Effects of Headlight Glare: Are We Really Blinded by the Light?

Headlights must balance two conflicting goals: maximizing visibility for the driver and minimizing glare to other drivers. Yet consumer complaints about headlights tend to focus on glare and not on poor visibility – a known casual factor of nighttime roadway crashes. These reactions may help to explain why drivers tend to underuse high beam headlights. This study explored the relationships among objective (impaired visual performance) and subjective (reports of discomfort and participants’ judgments of glare-induced visual impairments) consequences of headlight glare. Sixteen participants sat in a vehicle that moved slowly on a closed road and estimated the distance at which they could determine the orientation of a retroreflective Landolt C. Actual recognition distances and reports of glare-induced discomfort were also assessed. Observers’ overestimated the extent to which glare degraded their ability to see the target. Participants’ estimates of their own acuity decreased significantly when the opposing vehicle used high beams despite the fact that their actual acuity was unaffected. Overall, estimates of the disabling effects of glare were more tightly correlated with subjective reports of glare-induced discomfort than with actual visual performance. These results, which are consistent with psychophysical data obtained in a laboratory setting, may help explain drivers’ reluctance to use their high beams. The results also underscore the need to collect data on disability glare, not only discomfort glare, when evaluating new lighting technologies.
Endoscopic Regenerative Medicine for Tympanic Membrane

Applying the principles of modern in situ tissue engineering, we developed a new regenerative treatment for tympanic membrane (TM) perforation using a combination of basic fibroblast growth factor (b-FGF), gelatin sponge, and fibrin glue, without the need for conventional surgical procedures or cell transplantation. Neither skin incisions nor the harvesting of autologous tissues is required to fully regenerate normal tympanic membrane (TM) morphology. With this technique, high success/cure rates and optimal hearing improvements are possible. Moreover, it can be performed within 20 min and is a simple, easy, and minimally invasive surgery. However, there are many cases in which it is difficult to visualize the entire TM perforation and tympanic cavity using a standard microscope. We thus attempted to apply this regeneration procedure to such cases using an endoscope and achieved a very high success rate for TM regeneration. This expands the application of endoscopic middle ear surgery to include TM regeneration.
Data-driven high-fidelity 2D microstructure reconstruction via non-local patch-based image inpainting

Abstract Microstructure reconstruction problems are usually limited to the representation with finitely many number of phases, e.g. binary and ternary. However, images of microstructure obtained through experimental, for example, using microscope, are often represented as a RGB or grayscale image. Because the phase-based representation is discrete, more rigid, and provides less flexibility in modeling the microstructure, as compared to RGB or grayscale image, there is a loss of information in the conversion. In this paper, a microstructure reconstruction method, which produces images at the fidelity of experimental microscopy, i.e. RGB or grayscale image, is proposed without introducing any physics-based microstructure descriptor. Furthermore, the image texture is preserved and the microstructure image is represented with continuous variables (as in RGB or grayscale images), instead of binary or categorical variables, which results in a high-fidelity image of microstructure reconstruction. The advantage of the proposed method is its quality of reconstruction, which can be applied to any other binary or multiphase 2D microstructure. The proposed method can be thought of as a subsampling approach to expand the microstructure dataset, while preserving its image texture. Moreover, the size of the reconstructed image is more flexible, compared to other machine learning microstructure reconstruction method, where the size must be fixed beforehand. In addition, the proposed method is capable of joining the microstructure images taken at different locations to reconstruct a larger microstructure image. A significant advantage of the proposed method is to remedy the data scarcity problem in materials science, where experimental data is scare and hard to obtain. The proposed method can also be applied to generate statistically equivalent microstructures, which has a strong implication in microstructure-related uncertainty quantification applications. The proposed microstructure reconstruction method is demonstrated with the UltraHigh Carbon Steel micrograph DataBase (UHCSDB).
Design of a Lightweight Reconfigurable PRNG Using Three Transistor Chaotic Map

In this paper, we implemented a lightweight reconfigurable pseudo-random number generator (PRNG). The map generates discrete-time chaotic signals. The chaotic oscillator requires two map circuits to generate chaotic signals. The design is reconfigurable because two map circuits have two bifurcation parameters which can be leveraged to generate multiple random sequences. The design of the PRNG utilizes two chaotic oscillators, analog mux, 10 bit ADC, 2 bit shift register and an XOR gate. The circuit has been implemented in 65 nm CMOS technology with a supply voltage of 1.2 V. The estimated power consumption of the circuit is 2.12 mW and the area overhead is 0.132 mm2. The throughput of the proposed PRNG is 100 MS/s. The proposed PRNG can be used for security applications in IoT devices which requires circuits with less area and power overhead. The PRNG design passes all the tests in NIST SP 800-22 test suite.
A State Preferences Account of Customary International Law Adjudication

The standard account today of customary international law (CIL) is that it arises from the widespread and consistent practice of states followed out of a sense of legal obligation. Although commonly recited, this account is plagued by evidentiary, normative, and conceptual difficulties, and it has been subjected to increasing criticism in recent years. This paper posits a different account of CIL, considered from the perspective of international adjudication. A fundamental problem with much of the theorizing about CIL, the paper contends, is that it fails to identify which decisionmaker it has in mind. Instead, the discussion proceeds as if CIL existed in the abstract without any particular human entity to interpret and apply it. The application of CIL by an international adjudicator is best understood, this paper contends, as an effort to determine the preferences of the relevant community of states concerning the norms that should apply in the absence of a controlling treaty. Unlike the standard view of CIL, this state preferences account recognizes an element of judgment and creativity in determining the content of CIL, somewhat akin to the judicial development of Anglo-American common law. Understanding the adjudication of CIL in this way, the paper contends, avoids many of the difficulties surrounding the standard account of CIL.
Closing the gap: actualising shared decision-making through effective medication abortion patient follow-up care.

Background Effective care dearth in USA healthcare systems can be augmented by patient engagement and shared decision-making (SDM). These effective care strategies can facilitate medical abortion follow-up care (ensuring patients are not experiencing a continuing pregnancy) and follow-up options access. Local problem The quality improvement project clinic had a state-mandated waiting period, requiring additional visits. This delayed care for all abortion patients, creating travel, and cost barriers. The clinic had some of the lowest medical abortion follow-up rates out of its entire national network. Methods Four ‘Plan-Do-Study-Act’ (PDSA) cycles built on clinical changes, implementing an Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality serum human chorionic gonadotropin guideline. Medical abortion patient cohort size doubled during each PDSA cycle. Interventions Through four interventions (team engagement, patient engagement, Beta follow-up and contraception SDM), standardised follow-up care was integrated into clinic workflow with contraception SDM tools and an Option Grid. Results Most intervention measures were successful, with staff offering follow-up options counselling to all medical abortion patients by the end of the project. The Beta follow-up rate (84%) was higher than the overall follow-up rate (52%–73%), but the goal of a 92% overall follow-up rate was not met. Contraception SDM streamlined counselling but long-acting reversible contraception insertion rates did not increase. Conclusions Effective care enabled the majority of medical abortion patients to choose Beta follow-up as their preferred follow-up method, especially those with a travel barrier. Beta follow-up gives assurance to close the follow-up gap over time.
Enabling direct feedback between initial orbit determination and sensor data processing for detection and tracking of space objects

This paper presents an automatic RSO detection and tracking scheme operating at the optical sensor system level. The software presented is a pipeline for processing ground or space-based imagery built from several subalgorithms which processes raw or calibrated imagery, detects and discriminates non-star objects, and associates observations over time. An orbit determination routine uses an admissible region to start off an unscented particle filter. This preliminary orbit estimate allows prediction of the appearance of the object in the next frame. A matched filter uses this imagery to provide feedback to the initial detection and tracking process.
A Deep Feature Learning Approach for Mapping the Brain’s Microarchitecture and Organization

Abstract Models of neural architecture and organization are critical for the study of disease, aging, and development. Unfortunately, automating the process of building maps of microarchitectural differences both within and across brains still remains a challenge. In this paper, we present a way to build data-driven representations of brain structure using deep learning. With this model we can build meaningful representations of brain structure within an area, learn how different areas are related to one another anatomically, and use this model to discover new regions of interest within a sample that share similar characteristics in terms of their anatomical composition. We start by training a deep convolutional neural network to predict the brain area that it is in, using only small snapshots of its immediate surroundings. By requiring that the network learn to discriminate brain areas from these local views, it learns a rich representation of the underlying anatomical features that allow it to distinguish different brain areas. Once we have the trained network, we open up the black box, extract features from its last hidden layer, and then factorize them. After forming a low-dimensional factorization of the network’s representations, we find that the learned factors and their embeddings can be used to further resolve biologically meaningful subdivisions within brain regions (e.g., laminar divisions and barrels in somatosensory cortex). These findings speak to the potential use of neural networks to learn meaningful features for modeling neural architecture, and discovering new patterns in brain anatomy directly from images.
Business Ethics as a Form of Practical Reasoning: What Philosophers Can Learn from Patagonia

As with other fields of applied ethics, philosophers engaged in business ethics struggle to carry out substantive philosophical reflection in a way that mirrors the practical reasoning that goes on within business management itself. One manifestation of the philosopher’s struggle is the field’s division into approaches that emphasize moral philosophy and those grounded in the methods of social science. I claim here that the task for those who come to business ethics with philosophical training is to avoid unintentionally widening the gap between philosophical theory and business management by emphasizing the centrality of practical wisdom (phronesis) to both good managment and to the moral life. Distinguishing my own approach from recent emphases on phronesis in management literature, I draw on the concepts of social practice and of narrative to tie practical reasoning to a company’s unique story. Practical reason, social practices and narrative are employed together to give an account of the art of management at Patagonia. The essay hopes to both provide a way for philosophers engaged with business ethics to see family resemblances between their practices and those of business management and to offer a pedagogical example useful for those in any discipline interested in viewing businesses ethically.
Real-time ZIP Load Parameter Tracking using Adaptive Window and Variable Elimination with Realistic Synthetic Synchrophasor Data

Voltage dependency of load greatly impacts power system studies (e.g. voltage stability). The constant power load model generally used for analysis is inadequate and conservative to accurately represent voltage dependency of load. Estimation of these parameters in an online manner can enhance the accuracy of power system analysis. Phasor Measurement Units (PMUs) provide high resolution power grid data for improved real-time wide-area system monitoring and control. These high-resolution PMU data have made real-time estimation of ZIP parameters possible, but PMU data may hold multiple types of anomalies arising in the physical system or the cyber system (measurements and communication networks). Increasing the grid situational awareness for noisy and bad/anomalous measurement data has become significant for data-driven PMU applications. Many algorithms developed for anomaly detection have been only validated with simulated data and not with realistic synchophasor data. Approach to actual field data is really challenging due to confidentiality and security grounds. This paper presents a method for generating realistic synchrophasor data for the given synthetic network as well as online adaptive ZIP parameter estimation algorithm. The developed algorithm, firstly uses en-semble based anomaly detector (E-BAD) to flag all bad data present in PMU data streams and then an adaptive algorithm for estimation window formation and, a novel estimation method Least square assisted with sensitivity based variable elimination (LSVE-ZIP) are used for ZIP parameter estimation. Moreover, a confidence factor computation framework is proposed to give insight regarding accuracy of estimated parameters. Parameter estimation performance is validated using numerous PSS/E and RTDS generated scenarios with noise and bad data. These set of synchrophasor data will be made available publicly later for other researchers.
Biosecurity practices of midwestern veterinarians in food animal and mixed animal practices

Biosecurity practices are designed to prevent the spread of disease, yet implementation of those practices varies greatly among animal owners and veterinarians. Veterinarians working in food animal and mixed animal practices have a role in the design and implementation of biosecurity protocols for their clients and are responsible for minimizing their potential to act as a disease "fomite" as they move between operations. The objective of this project was to survey Midwestern veterinary practitioners to determine their current implementation of biosecurity and infection control practices.
DeepBioGen: Generalizing predictions to unseen sequencing profiles via visual data augmentation

Abstract Predictive models trained on sequencing profiles often fail to achieve expected performance when externally validated on unseen profiles. While many factors such as batch effects, small data sets, and technical errors contribute to the gap between source and unseen data distributions, it is a challenging problem to generalize the predictive models across studies without any prior knowledge of the unseen data distribution. Here, this study proposes DeepBioGen, a sequencing profile augmentation procedure that characterizes visual patterns of sequencing profiles, generates realistic profiles based on a deep generative model capturing the patterns, and generalizes the subsequent classifiers. DeepBioGen outperforms other methods in terms of enhancing the generalizability of the prediction models on unseen data. The generalized classifiers surpass state-of-the-arts methods, evaluated on RNA sequencing tumor expression profiles for anti-PD1 therapy response prediction and WGS human gut microbiome profiles for type 2 diabetes diagnosis.
Argatroban and ultrasound-facilitated thrombolysis with alteplase in a patient with bilateral pulmonary embolism and history of heparin-induced thrombocytopenia: A case report

A 58-year-old female was admitted to the hospital with bilateral pulmonary embolism (PE) with right heart strain. Her medical history included a previous PE resulting in thrombolysis and inferior vena cava filter placement, heparin-induced thrombocytopenia, morbid obesity, and chronic pain that was treated with an epidural injection 2 weeks prior to admission. This case is unusual due to the need for alternative anticoagulation management during thrombolysis in a patient with a heparin allergy who was at increased risk for bleeding. She was initiated on argatroban to achieve therapeutic aPTTs before receiving both mechanical thrombectomy and alteplase through ultrasound-facilitated catheter-directed thrombolysis. The argatroban was reduced to a flat rate of 0.5 mcg/kg/ min during thrombolysis and was subsequently increased to achieve therapeutic aPTTs upon completion of thrombolysis. The patient was transitioned from argatroban to apixaban for lifelong anticoagulation.
A Scoping Review of Medical Laboratory Science and Simulation: Promoting a Path Forward with Best Practices.

OBJECTIVE In medical laboratory science, there is a need to enhance the clinical learning curriculum beyond laboratory skill and diagnostic interpretation competency. Incorporating simulation presents an opportunity to train and produce medical laboratory scientists with the skills to communicate and work effectively in an interprofessional healthcare team. METHODS A scoping review was performed to (i) understand the landscape of research literature on medical laboratory science and simulation and (ii) provide a path for future research directions. The International Nursing Association for Clinical Simulation and Learning Standards of Best Practice: Simulation were used as a guiding framework for literature that described simulation activities. RESULTS Out of 439 articles from multiple databases, 32 were eligible for inclusion into this review. Of the 14 articles that described a simulation activity, only 3 described or partially described each component of the best practice criteria for simulation. Articles that did not describe the design and implementation of simulation (n = 18) consisted of 7 opinion-based papers, 4 narrative reviews, 5 case reports, and 2 empirical papers. CONCLUSION Despite increases in medical laboratory science with simulation, there is a need for more detailed empirical studies, more studies with an interprofessional context, and more methodological rigor.
A DISTRIBUTED EMERGENCY RESPONSE SYSTEM TO MODEL DISPERSION AND DEPOSITION OF ATMOSPHERIC RELEASES

Abstract Aging hardware and software and increasing commitments by the Departments of Energy and Defense have led us to develop a new, expanded system to replace the existing Atmospheric Release Advisory Capability (ARAC) system. This distributed, computer-based, emergency response system is used by state and federal agencies to assess the environmental health hazards resulting from an accidental release of radioactive material into the atmosphere. Like its predecessor, the expanded system uses local meteorology (e.g., wind speed and wind direction), as well as terrain information, to simulate the transport and dispersion of the airborne material. The system also calculates deposition and dose and displays them graphically over base maps of the local geography for use by on-site authorities. This paper discusses the limitations of the existing ARAC system. It also discusses the components and functionality of the new system, the technical difficulties encountered and resolved in its design and implementation, and the software methodologies and tools employed in its development.
Damage mapping with a degrading elastic modulus using piezospectroscopic coatings

Abstract The development of piezospectroscopic (PS) composites has enabled the creation of a non-destructive evaluation (NDE) technique which integrates piezospectroscopy, digital image correlation (DIC) and analytical multi-scale mechanics to map the elastic modulus of a coated material. The measured elastic modulus was represented as a normal distribution with a mean value (32.2 GPa) which is within 8% of the conventionally recorded modulus (35 GPa). Damage mechanics are applied to map elastic degradation in situ mechanical loading with an average uncertainty (~10 GPa) that was sufficient in observing subsurface, progressive damage patterns which are unique to the coated material.
On the bipolar origin of Heinrich events

Evidence obtained from ice cores from Greenland and Antarctica indicates the presence of interactions between the polar climates, but, until recently, it has not been clear what the interactions are. Here we show that analysis under the previously established hypothesis of polar synchronization potentially connects the presence and possible energy source of the Heinrich (H) events and ice-rafted debris (IRD) events. These events appear to be related to the dynamic linkage between the polar climates, as they are not revealed in analysis of the records from a single pole. The H events and IRDs discovered in the North Atlantic along with coeval Southern Ocean events appear to drive or be driven by bipolar climate oscillations.
Tactic-based Theorem Proving and Knowledge-based Forward Chaining: an Experiment with Nuprl and Ontic

We explore a new approach to interactive theorem proving which combines a knowledge-based notion of obvious reasoning with a tactic-based notion of obvious reasoning. We study the interplay of two particular systems and apply our approach to a proof of the Fundamental Theorem of Arithmetic. We achieve both shorter and more robust proofs. It is our opinion that the kind of control information contained in interactive proofs is a more important issue than their mere size. We analyze our proof scripts in terms of the control information they contain and suggest that stronger knowledge-based notions of obviousness and declarative representations of tactics are needed to further reduce low-level control information.
Chapter 1 Imagery's Role in Creativity and Discovery

Publisher Summary This chapter discusses imagery's role in creativity and discovery. The four stages of creative thought are preparation, incubation, illumination, and verification. Shepard's reasons for the special effectiveness of mental imagery and spatial visualization in the creative process are discussed in the chapter. The first is that imagery and spatial visualization offer rich alternatives to the typical structures imposed by language and traditional ways of thinking. The second reason is that the richness of imagery and its relation to external sources may suggest interactions and relations not fully preserved by language. Third, the nature of images makes them amenable for intuition and manipulation, in ways that precede language development—both individually and evolutionarily. Fourth, Shepard's hypothesizes that images are more likely to engage affective and motivational systems than verbal productions. A possible final factor is that the search for structural symmetries and invariances may be aided by the sensitivity of the visual system to symmetry. If, as Shepard suggests, one of the advantages of the use of spatial images is that images may escape some the constraints imposed by the customary and circumscribed use of language, verbal ability and imagery might be expected to be dissociable from each other.
Humiliate My Enemies or Mock My Friends? Applying Disposition Theory of Humor to the Study of Political Parody Appreciation and Attitudes Toward Candidates

The research examines politically entertaining media through a mass communication lens, applying the disposition theory of humor toward the study of political parody appreciation and the effects of exposure to varied humor types on political attitudes. The analyses rely on experimental data (N = 269) collected in 2013. The results of the first analysis suggest that the interaction of disposition and exposure to different types of humor significantly influences variation in political parody appreciation. The findings from the second analysis show that negative affect toward the opposing candidate, or the presumed victor of a humorous situation, can dampen attitudes toward the victim given exposure to critical humor. The strategic implications for campaigns looking to engage with humor are discussed.
Use of mesh connected processors for realizing fault tolerant relational database operations

The authors present algorithms for relational database operations using mesh connected processors. An important feature of these algorithms is that they are fault tolerant, that is errors in computation that may arise owing to either permanent or transient failure in a single processor are detected and corrected. These algorithms are immediately useful for main memory databases. Data elements for mesh connected processors can be fed from main memory. >
Adrenergic blockade does not abolish elevated glucose turnover during bacterial infection

Infusions of adrenergic antagonists were used to investigate the role of catecholamines in infection-induced elevations of glucose kinetics. Infection was produced in conscious catheterized rats by repeated subcutaneous injections of live Escherichia coli over 24 h. Glucose kinetics were measured by the constant intravenous infusion of [6-3H]- and [U-14C]glucose. Compared with noninfected rats, infected animals were hyperthermic (+1.4 degrees C) and showed increased rates of glucose appearance (45%), clearance (43%), and recycling (140%) as well as mild hyperlacticacidemia. Plasma catecholamine concentrations were increased by 50-70% in the infected rats, but there were no differences in plasma glucagon, corticosterone, and insulin levels. Adrenergic blockade was produced by primed constant infusion of both propranolol (beta-blocker) and phentolamine (alpha-blocker). A 2-h administration of adrenergic antagonists did not attenuate the elevated glucose kinetics or plasma lactate concentration in the infected rats, although it abolished the hyperthermia. In a second experiment, animals were infused with propranolol and phentolamine beginning 1 h before the first injection of E. coli and throughout the course of infection. Continuous adrenergic blockade failed to attenuate infection-induced elevations in glucose kinetics and plasma lactate. These results indicate that the adrenergic system does not mediate the elevated glucose metabolism observed in this mild model of infection.
KATP + channels, nitric oxide, and adenosine are not required for local metabolic coronary vasodilation

The role of ATP-sensitive K+ (KATP +) channels, nitric oxide, and adenosine in coronary exercise hyperemia was investigated. Dogs (n = 10) were chronically instrumented with catheters in the aorta ...
Oxidoreductases in Lipoxin A4 Metabolic Inactivation A NOVEL ROLE FOR 15-OXOPROSTAGLANDIN 13-REDUCTASE/LEUKOTRIENE B4 12-HYDROXYDEHYDROGENASE IN INFLAMMATION

The lipoxins (LX) are autacoids that act within a local inflammatory milieu to dampen neutrophil recruitment and promote resolution. 15-Hydroxyprostaglandin dehydrogenase (15-PGDH) and 15-oxoprostaglandin 13-reductase, also termed leukotriene B4 12-hydroxydehydrogenase (PGR/LTB4DH), are two enzymatic activities appreciated for their roles in the metabolism of prostaglandins and LTB4. Here, we determined whether these oxidoreductases also catalyze the conversion of lipoxin A4 (LXA4) and assessed the activities of these LXA4 metabolites. 15-Oxo-LXA4 was generated by incubating LXA4 with 15-PGDH and NAD+ for studies of its further conversion. PGR/LTB4DH catalyzed the NADH-dependent reduction of 15-oxo-LXA4 to yield 13,14-dihydro-15-oxo-LXA4. With NADH as a cofactor, 15-PGDH acted as a 15-carbonyl reductase and catalyzed the conversion of 13,14-dihydro-15-oxo-LXA4 to 13,14-dihydro-LXA4. Human polymorphonuclear leukocytes (PMN) exposed to native LXA4, 15-oxo-LXA4, or 13,14-dihydro-LXA4 did not produce superoxide anions. At concentrations where LXA4 and a metabolically stable LXA4 analog potently inhibited leukotriene B4-induced superoxide anion generation, the further metabolites were devoid of activity. Neither 15-oxo-LXA4nor 13,14-dihydro-LXA4 effectively competed with3H-labeled LXA4 for specific binding to recombinant LXA4 receptor (ALXR). In addition, introducing recombinant PGR/LTB4DH into a murine exudative model of inflammation increased PMN number by ∼2-fold, suggesting that this enzyme participates in the regulation of PMN trafficking. These results establish the structures of LXA4 further metabolites and indicate that conversion of LXA4 to oxo- and dihydro- products represents a mode of LXA4 inactivation in inflammation. Moreover, they suggest that these eicosanoid oxidoreductases have multifaceted roles controlling the levels of specific eicosanoids involved in the regulation of inflammation.
The effect of peripheral loading with kynurenine and probenecid on extracellular striatal kynurenic acid concentrations

Abstract Kynurenic acid (KYA) is the only known endogenous excitatory amino acid antagonist in mammalian brain. In the present study we examined the effects of precursor loading with kynurenine (KYN) and blockade of organic acid transport with probenecid, either alone or in combination, on extracellular striatal KYA concentrations in unanesthetized rats. Baseline KYA concentrations were 1.61±0.29 pmol/ml. Following administration of KYN 150 mg/kg with increasing doses of probenecid a maximal increase in KYA to 946±210 pmol/ml was seen with probenecid 200 mg/kg. Probenecid 200 mg/kg alone increased KYA levels to 16.0±5.2 pmol/ml. The combination of probenecid 200 mg/kg with KYN 450 mg/kg produced a maximal increase of KYA to 2085±391 pmol/ml, a 1300-fold increase indicating marked potentiation. These results show that pharmacologic manipulation can markedly increase extracellular fluid concentrations of KYA into a range which may be useful in attempts to block NMDA receptor-mediated neurotoxicity.
Electronic spectra of TiCl4, VCl4 and SnCl4 in the vacuum ultraviolet

Abstract The v.u.v. absorption spectra of TiCl 4 , VCl 4 and SnCl 4 are reported for vapor phase samples at room temperature. The spectral data are compared with applicable theoretical results and available photoelectron data. On this basis the authors conclude the higher-energy transitions are due to the chlorine non-bonding electrons. The spectra suggest assignments as transitions from localized 1 t 1 , 3 t 2 and 1e ground state MO's to the excited state orbital, probably a 4 t 2 . It is pointed out that a re-examination of the ground-state geometry of these molecules is needed.
MMSPICE: A semi-numerical mixed-mode device/circuit simulator for advanced bipolar technology CAD

Abstract An application-specific, semi-numerical mixed-mode device/circuit simulator is presented. MMSPICE, which has been developed by writing a physical semi-numerical charge-based bipolar transistor model into the SPICE2 source code, is a computationally efficient alternative to conventional numerical mixed-mode simulators, as well as an enhanced circuit simulator. The model characterizes the transistor by an implicit set of nonlinear algebraic equations derived from regional analyses of carrier transport. These equations, which must be solved numerically, involve key technological parameters of the transistor, and thus the model enables a mixed-mode simulation. Unique problems associated with implementing the semi-numerical model in the circuit simulator, and their solutions are discussed. The mixed-mode utility of MMSPICE is demonstrated for technology-CAD applications, and benchmarking results are given.
Experimental and Theoretical Analysis of the Photochemistry and Thermal Reactivity of Ethyl Diazomalonate and Its Diazirino Isomer. The Role of Molecular Geometry in the Decomposition of Diazocarbonyl Compounds

The photochemical or thermal decomposition of ethyl diazomalonate (1) or ethyl 3,3-diazirinedicarboxylate in methanol solutions yields the O−H insertion product 6, while products of the Wolff rearrangement were not detected in both cases. The analysis of temperature-dependent 13C NMR spectra and the results of DFT B3LYP/6-311+G(3df,2p) and MP2/aug-cc-pVTZ//B3LYP/6-311+G(3df,2p) calculations allow us to conclude that diazodiester 1 predominantly exists in the Z,Z-conformation. In contrast, photolysis of the cyclic isopropylidene diazomalonate (3), which also has a Z,Z-configuration of the diazodicarbonyl moiety, results in a clean Wolff rearrangement. These observations allow us to conclude that the direction of the photodecomposition of diazomalonates is not controlled by the ground-state conformation. The quantum-mechanical analysis of the potential energy surfaces for the dediazotization of 1 and 3 suggests that the formation of a carbene as a discrete intermediate is controlled by the ability of the la...
Modeling friction and wear phenomena

Abstract This paper presents a modeling technique which can be applied to any tribosystem to simulate dynamic effects in unlubricated sliding. The model is based upon straightforward methods in the study of the dynamics of mechanical systems, and incorporates an interface comprised of asperities and debris. This interface transmits displacements and forces between the two sides of the mechanical system, both of which are explicitly included in the model. The dynamic parameters obtained include displacements and velocities at any points of interest, including the two reference planes constituting the contacting surfaces of the specimen and counterface. Through the interface model, fluctuations in the friction and normal forces also can be obtained, and are of more general interest to tribologists. By means of comparisons with experimental data from strain gage measurements, and by applying the methodology to two physically different machines, the modeling approach is validated. This paper describes the modeling approach, including excitation by means of asperity and debris interactions. Also included are representative results both from numerical and experimental studies.
A possible additional role of mineral oil in successful flash cooling

Traditional explanations for the efficacy of mineral oil in successful flash cooling of a protein crystal correctly point to the removal of excess liquid around the crystal to prevent external ice formation. Based on the physics of the well known Leidenfrost phenomenon, an additional role that mineral oil possibly plays in aiding vitrification is suggested: that of improving cooling rates for a protein crystal plunged into liquid nitrogen. The full potential of liquid heat transfer when using liquid nitrogen is not realized in conventional cooling techniques due to film boiling that occurs around larger protein crystals. However, a thin layer of an insulating material, such as a mineral oil, around the protein crystal can prevent this vapor film from forming by raising the Leidenfrost temperature. Surface cooling then occurs in the more efficient nucleate boiling regime where liquid nitrogen is in contact with the crystal throughout the quench. Using bare and coated thermocouples, the validity of a predictive Leidenfrost temperature equation for use in liquid-nitrogen plunge cooling of protein crystals is demonstrated.
Harmonic oscillator tensors. IV. A tensorial approach to internal rotations in molecules

A mapping of 2×2 matrices into the space of single boson operators is shown to lead to the angular momentum operators that give rise to irreducible tensors for the harmonic oscillator. The mapping may also be used to define an axis of quantization. A rotation about this axis induces a wave function and Hamiltonian that may be applied to the study of internal rotations in molecules. The example of a molecule containing two coaxial symmetric tops is presented as a case in point. The case of a potential with a high barrier leads to the approximation of an internal rotation as a torsional oscillator and, consequently, to torsional oscillator tensors whose properties are the same as those of the harmonic oscillator. The possibility of studying more complex potentials is discussed. © 1997 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. Int J Quant Chem 65: 305–315, 1997
An antifungal factor in human serum I. Studies of Rhizopus rhizopodiformis

The amount of growth of Rhizopus rhizopodiformis on culture media containing varying proportions of human serum was determined. It was found that normal serum inhibited growth at concentrations above 20% and that inhibition was increased proportionally with increasing concentrations of serum. Dialysis of normal serum against saline removed inhibition in high serum concentrations. Immunoelectrophoretic studies showed that dialysis of normal serum denatured several proteins in the β-1 zone. It also slightly denatured the slow-moving lipoprotein fraction.The inhibitory effect was decreased in sera from patients with ketoacidotic diabetes, chronic leukemia and cirrhosis.
Instrumented film-insert injection compression molding for lens encapsulation of liquid crystal displays

Abstract A film-insert injection compression molding process was introduced to encapsulate cholesteric liquid crystal displays with flexible and rigid lens for full protection of displays to replace the currently used time consuming hand lamination technique. For this purpose, a new interchangeable cavity instrumented hot runner mold was designed and constructed. This complex method was carefully optimized considering challenges arising from an insert multilayer display with +80% liquid crystal content as well as different thermal expansion coefficients between the layers and the lens material as a high potential of delamination and warpage. Concerning the desired physical properties including transparency, low melt viscosity and melting temperature as well as a wide range of hardness grades from soft (flexible) to hard (rigid), three different hardness grades of thermoplastic polyurethanes were found to be the best candidates for this lens application. During proposed lens encapsulation, the pressure changes were evaluated with screw and mold movements using position detection via displacement transducers attached to track the mold closure and screw forward motion. The quality of encapsulation and shrinkage related problems, as well as their elimination, were all discussed. Display substrate material selection criteria for lowered warpage were defined with supporting thermal characterizations. Among the process parameters, tested also by applying the design of experiments with Taguchi method, mold temperature was found to be the most influential parameter on warpage, followed by pin gate opening time, packing pressure, and cooling time.
Late Onset Group B Streptococcal (GBS) Infection in Premature Infants: Sequela of Antenatal Antibiotic and Steroid Therapy?

Late Onset Group B Streptococcal (GBS) Infection in Premature Infants: Sequela of Antenatal Antibiotic and Steroid Therapy?
Plus ca change, plus c'est la même chose: attitudes towards English language learning in Hong Kong—Frederick Stewart's evidence

: The reported situation with reference to the motivation of Hong Kong people in learning the English language, at an early period of British Hong Kong, is considered, and comparisons made with today. It is suggested that the attitudes of the Hong Kong people towards learning English, between then and now, are very similar; and that these attitudes are thus deeply entrenched. It is also suggested that, although methodology and ideas about methodology may have changed, some native teachers of English show over time a consistently different understanding of the purposes of learning English—and indeed, of the purposes of education in general—than that held by their pupils and students, and by Hong Kong society as a whole. It is argued that the increasing emigration of Hong Kong people from Hong Kong, mainly to Anglophone countries, as 1997—the year of the return to Chinese sovereignty—approaches, makes it important for there to be an international understanding of the attitude of Hong Kong people towards learning the English language. The major sources are contemporary and nineteenth-century Government Reports and newspapers.
Range —A technique for lumbar computerized tomography

Abstract A technique for lumbar CT scanning for the diagnosis of discogenic disease called Range technique is described. This technique was formulated to minimize false positive and negative interpretation, while producing an examination which affords patients comfort and technical ease.
Assessment of Rorschach dependency measures in female inpatients diagnosed with borderline personality disorder.

The psychometric properties and predictive validity of the Dependency Index (DI; Hilsenroth & Bornstein, 2002) and the Rorschach Oral Dependency Scale (ROD; Masling, Rabie, & Blondheim, 1967) were examined to determine if these implicit measures of dependency predict observable attachment-seeking behavior in 66 female inpatients diagnosed with borderline personality disorder. Results indicate that both scales produce excellent reliability estimates. The DI and ROD yield adequate base rates, and the distributions of scores approximate normal distributions. The DI was predictive of nursing staff observation of positive attachment/treatment compliance (r = .28, p = .02) but not excessive isolation. By contrast, the ROD predicted positive attachment/treatment compliance (r = .38, p = .002) and excessive isolation (r = –.35, p = .004). Texture responses predicted excessive isolation (r = –.25, p = .05). Discriminant validity was supported when neither dependency measure predicted hostile interactions or self-d...