cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Visual-constructional deficit in Turner's syndrome

Summary 1. Perforation of the left atrium during cardiac catheterization of a newborn infant is described. 2. The outcome of this type of complication among reported instances in infancy has been uniformly fatal in the past owing to the development of uncontrollable cardiac tamponade following withdrawal of the catheter. 3. In this patient, pericardial penetration was recognized and the catheter was left presenting through the site of perforation. This facilitated the location and surgical closure of the atrial wound.
Spores as potential topological markers in bacterial DNA segregation studies

Abstract A novel way to study the pattern of chromosome segregation in bacteria is presented. It uses bacterial sporeformers having spores which are non-randomly located in the sporangia with respect to the “old” and the “new” poles. Such spores can be used as topological markers to distinguish between the three basic kinds of DNA segregation models: random, partially deterministic (mixed), and deterministic, by monitoring segregated labeled DNA strands occurring in spores. The major assumption of using bacterial sporeformers to study DNA strand segregation is that sporulation and cell division segregations are analogous. The three basic kinds of segregation models are presented for bacterial species with haploid and diploid spores, and are discussed with reference to the available data from DNA strand segregation studies in vegetative and sporulating cells.
Birthrights: Freedom, Responsibility, and Democratic Comportment in Aeschylus' Oresteia

Through an examination of Aeschylus' Oresteia, this essay argues for the critical importance of intergenerational justice to democratic theory. It explores the difficulties of democratic responsibility given the tension between necessity and freedom central to questions of intergenerational justice. The essay first details the relevant lacunae in the theories of two major figures of contemporary democratic theory, John Rawls and Jurgen Habermas. It then develops an account of democratic responsibility that acknowledges human freedom to make decisions, even given the necessity created by the fact that individuals and communities inherit their own range of potential actions from previous generations. The essay elaborates this claim by examining how each of the central figures in the Oresteia deals first with the dilemmas inherited from the past and then with new situations engendered by his or her own actions. The essay concludes with a consideration of this aspect of democracy in contemporary political life.
Maximum likelihood estimation of generalised linear models for multivariate normal covariance matrix

The positive-definiteness constraint is the most awkward stumbling block in modelling the covariance matrix. Pourahmadi's (1999) unconstrained parameterisation models covariance using covariates in a similar manner to mean modelling in generalised linear models. The new covariance parameters have statistical interpretation as the regression coefficients and logarithms of prediction error variances corresponding to regressing a response on its predecessors. In this paper, the maximum likelihood estimators of the parameters of a generalised linear model for the covariance matrix, their consistency and their asymptotic normality are studied when the observations are normally distributed. These results along with the likelihood ratio test and penalised likelihood criteria such as BIC for model and variable selection are illustrated using a real dataset.
A metal insulator transition in YbFe4Sb12 granular thin films

Abstract Results are reported for YbFe 4 Sb 12 thin films grown by pulsed laser deposition. Thick films (thickness > 1000 A) show electrical transport behavior typical of bulk specimens. A metal to insulator transition is observed for films with thickness ρ ( T ) ∼ T − β ) and a stretched exponential ( ρ ( T ) ∼ exp[ T 1 / T ] x ) for strongly insulating samples. A comparison of electrical resistivity to scanning electron microscope images indicates a correlation between the metal to insulator transition and the intergranular connectivity. Based on this result it is argued that the intergrain conductance governs the metal to insulator transition.
Nanopositioning with Multiple Sensors: MISO Control and Inherent Sensor Fusion

Abstract There is a strong motivation for using multiple sensors for feedback control in ultrahigh accuracy data storage devices such as a probe-based data storage device. One elegant way to design such controllers using multiple sensors is to design a direct multi-input-single-output (MISO) controller using either the H 2 or H ∞ control design paradigm. In this paper we discuss the control of a micro-scanner used in a probe-based data storage device. Two sensors, a global position sensor and medium derived positional information, are employed simultaneously. MISO controllers are designed to obtain the desired frequency separation in closed loop performance. These controllers are investigated in detail to understand their underlying structure and the inherent sensor fusion that takes place during the control. Comparisons are made with conventional Kalman filtering and H ∞ filtering problems.
g-LIMIT: A Vibration Isolation System for the Microgravity Science Glovebox

For many microgravity science experiments using the Microgravity Science Glovebox (MSG), the ambient acceleration environment will exceed desirable levels. To provide a more quiescent acceleration environment, a vibration isolation system named g-LIMIT (GLovebox Integrated Microgravity Isolation Technology) is being designed. g-LIMIT is the next generation of technology developed for and demonstrated by STABLE on the USML-2 mission in October 1995. Although g-LIMIT is a sub-rack level isolation system that can be used in a variety of applications, g-LIMIT is uniquely optimized for MSG implementation. Standard MSG structural and umbilical interfaces will be used so that the isolation mount is transparent to the user with no additional accommodation requirements. g-LIMIT consists of three integrated isolator modules, each of which is comprised of a dual axis actuator, two axes of acceleration sensing, two axes of position sensing, control electronics, and data transmission capabilities in a minimum-volume package. In addition, this system provides the unique capability for measuring absolute acceleration of the experiment independent of accelerometers as a by-product of the control system and will have the capability of generating pristine accelerations to enhance experiment operations. g-LIMIT is scheduled for flight during the UF-2 mission and will be available to glovebox investigators immediately after characterization testing.
Microstereolithography production of integrated Hadamard mask structures

The use of modern microstreolithography (MSL) technology gives optics developers the freedom to integrate mounting and positioning structures directly into an optical mask structure. We have created Hadamard spectrometer masks with increments of 150 μm and less using the Sony SCS-6000 microstereolithography apparatus (MSLA). Due to laser over cure and other parameters, adjustments were made iteration by iteration until appropriate mask tolerances were met. A mounting structure was integrated with the mask for testing and application. At the computer aided design (CAD) model level, the mounting geometry can be adjusted to fit any specific mounting apparatus. By using the MSLA, features as small as 75 μm and larger than 300 mm can be created in the same build. Additionally, the conceptual design of an entire positioning system constructed using layer additive MSLA microfabrication is underway. This positioning system may be built as an integrated assembly, encapsulating necessary components. Optical characterization results are presented.
Re-entry to recovery: A promising return-to-work approach for certain offenders with mental illness

A demonstration project being designed by the Social Security Administration (SSA) and Rutgers University may provide an effective option for assisting eligible offenders with mental illness in obtaining employment during re-entry to their communities. The project, Early Intervention (EI), will provide temporary cash stipends, immediate Medicare, and innovative employment services and supports to eligible applicants for Social Security disability insurance (DI). The EI project is a broad departure from previous SSA employment initiatives in both philosophy and structure, addressing a host of commonly cited barriers to employment for persons with disabilities in new and different ways. Should the demonstration project prove successful and be adopted into a national program, EI has the potential to provide an important source of support to eligible offenders with mental illness who are transitioning back to their communities.
Modeling the Impact of Control on the Attractiveness of Risk in a Prospect Theory Framework.

Many decisions involve a degree of personal control over event outcomes, which is exerted through one’s knowledge or skill. In three experiments we investigated differences in decision making between prospects based on (a) the outcome of random events and (b) the outcome of events characterized by control. In Experiment 1, participants estimated certainty equivalents (CEs) for bets based on either random events or the correctness of their answers to US state population questions across the probability spectrum. In Experiment 2, participants estimated CEs for bets based on random events, answers to US state population questions, or answers to questions about 2007 NCAA football game results. Experiment 3 extended the same procedure as Experiment 1 using a within-subjects design. We modeled data from all experiments in a prospect theory (PT) framework to establish psychological mechanisms underlying decision behavior. Participants weighted the probabilities associated with bets characterized by control so as to reflect greater risk attractiveness relative to bets based on random events, as evidenced by more elevated weighting functions under conditions of control. This research elucidates possible cognitive mechanisms behind increased risk taking for decisions characterized by control, and implications for various literatures are discussed. Copyright # 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Neutron scattering experiments on the magnetism in Cu‐Mn single crystals

We have carried out neutron polarization analysis experiments, and unpolarized neutron scattering experiments, on annealed single crystal Cu‐Mn samples of 5, 10, 15 and 25 atomic percent Mn. Peaks in the magnetic diffuse scattering are found at the [1, 1/2±δ, 0]‐type positions in reciprocal space, where δ = 0.34, 0.29, 0.25 and 0.19 for the 5, 10, 15 and 25 percent Mn samples respectively. This magnetic scattering is symmetry‐related to the diffuse nuclear scattering centered at the [1, 1/2, 0]‐type positions arising from atomic short range order. The intensity of this diffuse magnetic scattering in all of the alloys decreases smoothly with temperature, approaching zero in the range 300–350 K. The spin‐spin correlation range, as judged from the width of the magnetic diffuse peaks, also decreases smoothly with temperature. Neither the width nor the intensity of this magnetic scattering gives any hint of a freezing transition at lower temperature.
Quark liberation at high temperature: A Monte Carlo study of SU(2) gauge theory

Quark confinement in a finite-temperature $\mathrm{SU}(N)$ gauge theory is formulated as the realization of a global ${Z}_{N}$ symmetry. Spontaneous breakdown corresponds to a transition to a nonconfining, plasma phase. The free energy of a single quark is an order parameter which probes the phase structure, and it may be calculated in the Euclidean theory in terms of a "Wilson line" running the length of the system along the (periodic) time axis. We present results of a Monte Carlo calculation in the SU(2) lattice theory which confirm the transition at a critical temperature computed in terms of the zero-temperature string tension; data for the quark-antiquark potential are presented as well. We discuss the implications of the finite-temperature transition for efforts to calculate zero-temperature quantities on finite-size lattices. Finally, we note that restoration of ${Z}_{N}$ symmetry as the temperature is lowered may be understood as a condensation of instantons and other topological objects.
Plutonium mining for cleanup.

Cleanup is the act of making a contaminated site relatively free of Pu so it may be used without radiological safety restrictions. Contaminated ground is the focus of major cleanups. Cleanup traditionally involves determining Pu content of soil, digging up soil in which radioactivity exceeds guidelines, and relocating excised soil to a waste-disposal site. Alternative technologies have been tested at Johnston Atoll (JA), where there is as much as 100,000 m3 of Pu-contaminated soil. A mining pilot plant operated for the first 6 mo of 1986 and made 98% of soil tested clean, from more than 40 kBq kg-1 (1000 pCi g-1) to less than about 500 Bq kg-1 (15 pCi g-1) by concentrating Pu in 2% of the soil. The pilot plant is now installed at the U.S. Department of Energy Nevada Test Site for evaluating cleanup of other contaminated soils and refining cleanup effectiveness. A full-scale cleanup plant has been programmed for JA in 1988. In this paper, previous cleanups are reviewed, and the mining endeavor at JA is detailed. True soil cleanup is contrasted with the classical soil relocation cleanup. The mining technology used for Pu cleanup has been in use for more than a century. Miningmore » for cleanup, however, is unique. It is envisioned as being prominent for radiological and other cleanups in the future.« less
Home-based behavior therapy for obsessive–compulsive disorder: A case series with data

Abstract The effectiveness of “home-based” exposure and response prevention was assessed in a series of 11 subjects with obsessive–compulsive disorder (OCD). Patients received 24 treatment sessions in a range of natural settings and situations. Sixty-four percent of the patients responded to behavior therapy in these settings, and 36% achieved lasting improvements in their OCD symptoms. Implications for the impact on consumers of this seldom-used application of behavior therapy are discussed and some recommendations for future research are made.
A general framework for determining cutoff values to select pollen analogs with dissimilarity metrics in the modern analog technique

Abstract The modern analog technique (MAT) is a quantitative calibration tool for using modern pollen assemblages to interpret fossil pollen assemblages for vegetation and climate reconstruction. When the MAT is applied using multivariate distance metrics, a cutoff value for the metric is often used to determine the presence/absence of analogs in a modern pollen reference set. Two kinds of error arise when a cutoff value is used: (1) false positive error , which occurs when analogy is falsely determined to exist between the vegetation (or other parameter) of a sample of interest and that of a sample in the reference set; and (2) false negative error , which occurs when analogy is falsely determined not to exist. The existing literature focuses primarily on examining cutoff thresholds from the perspective of reducing false positive error, with relatively little attention paid to false negative error and to the inherent trade-off between the two errors. This paper sets forth a general analytical framework for determining cutoff thresholds that minimize the joint occurrence of the two errors, and employs the squared chord distance metric with a newly developed reference set of modern pollen surface samples from southern California, USA, as a demonstration case. It also examines the nature of the tradeoffs that occur if an analyst decides to accept increased risk (beyond the joint minimum) of one of the kinds of error for additional reduction of the other. An asymmetric tradeoff in these risks above and below the joint error minimizing cutoff(s) is described (a more rapid proportionate increase of false negatives at cutoffs below the joint minimum in relation to the proportionate increase of false positives at cutoffs above it), which is controlled by the relative variances of the distributions of like- and non-like-vegetation sample comparisons in terms of the distance metric. This asymmetry is found to be general among sample sets reported using the squared chord distance, but is not general across other distance metrics.
Microscopic foundations of the vector meson dominance model via the momentum space bosonization of an extended NJL model

We use a momentum-space analysis of a generalized Nambu{endash}Jona-Lasinio (NJL) model to provide a microscopic foundation for the vector-meson-dominance model. (In our model the photon interacts with the constituent quarks rather than with the hadrons.) A novel feature of our model is the introduction of {ital q{sup 2}}-dependent meson decay constants, {ital g{sup {rho}}(q{sup 2})} and {ital g{sup {omega}}(q{sup 2})}, as well as {ital q{sup 2}}-dependent meson-meson coupling constants, such as {ital g{sub {rho}{pi}{pi}}(q{sup 2})}. We discuss the values of {ital g{sup {rho}}(q{sup 2})}, {ital g{sup {omega}}(q{sup 2})}, and {ital g{sub {rho}{pi}{pi}}(q{sup 2})} obtained using our generalized NJL model, considering different choices for the parameters of the model. We also provide a quark-based description of {rho}-{omega} mixing including the effects of direct {omega}{r_arrow}{pi}{sup +}+{pi}{sup {minus}} decay. The definition of momentum-dependent meson decay constants allows us to introduce current correlation functions for the {rho} and {omega} mesons into the analysis in an unambiguous manner, when we start with an analysis of hadronic current correlators that are expressed in terms of quark fields. A good fit is obtained for the pion form factor in the region where {rho}-{omega} mixing is important. {copyright} {ital 1997} {ital The American Physical Society}
The human Prp8 protein is a component of both U2- and U12-dependent spliceosomes

This study reports the cloning, sequencing, and development of antisera against the human U5 snRNP 220-kDa protein or hPrp8p. Prp8p is the most highly conserved large nuclear protein known to date, but it is not related to any other protein. Southern, Northern, and expressed sequence tag analyses indicate that hPrp8p is encoded by a single gene. Prp8p is a core component of U5 snRNP and the U4/U6.U5 tri-snRNP, and antibodies raised against it immunoprecipitate both the major, U2-dependent and minor, U12-dependent spliceosomes. These spliceosomes, which excise different classes of introns, contain distinct sets of snRNAs overlapping only with U5 snRNA. Other than the core Sm proteins, hPrp8p is the first splicing factor shown to be common to both spliceosomes.
Penalized Maximum Likelihood Reconstruction for Improved Microcalcification Detection in Breast Tomosynthesis

We examined the application of an iterative penalized maximum likelihood (PML) reconstruction method for improved detectability of microcalcifications (MCs) in digital breast tomosynthesis (DBT). Localized receiver operating characteristic (LROC) psychophysical studies with human observers and 2-D image slices were conducted to evaluate the performance of this reconstruction method and to compare its performance against the commonly used Feldkamp FBP algorithm. DBT projections were generated using rigorous computer simulations that included accurate modeling of the noise and detector blur. Acquisition dose levels of 0.7, 1.0, and 1.5 mGy in a 5-cm-thick compressed breast were tested. The defined task was to localize and detect MC clusters consisting of seven MCs. The individual MC diameter was 150 μm. Compressed-breast phantoms derived from CT images of actual mastectomy specimens provided realistic background structures for the detection task. Four observers each read 98 test images for each combination of reconstruction method and acquisition dose. All observers performed better with the PML images than with the FBP images. With the acquisition dose of 0.7 mGy, the average areas under the LROC curve (AL) for the PML and FBP algorithms were 0.69 and 0.43, respectively. For the 1.0-mGy dose, the values of AL were 0.93 (PML) and 0.7 (FBP), while the 1.5-mGy dose resulted in areas of 1.0 and 0.9, respectively, for the PML and FBP algorithms. A 2-D analysis of variance applied to the individual observer areas showed statistically significant differences (at a significance level of 0.05) between the reconstruction strategies at all three dose levels. There were no significant differences in observer performance for any of the dose levels.
Exercise-induced hormesis may help healthy aging.

Hormesis plays a critical role in producing some major benefits derived from physical exercise. However whether these known cellular mechanisms are applicable to ameliorate age-related deterioration of muscle function is not entirely clear. The present communication proposes that antioxidant adaptation, the peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma coactivator (PGC)-1α activated mitochondrial biogenesis, and eccentric contraction-induced, cytokine-propelled muscle inflammation could be important redox-sensitive pathways by which exercise-induced disturbance in oxidant-antioxidant hemeostasis may serve as a heretic stimulus to promote adaptations that help healthy aging and improve the quality of life.
Mechanistic Analysis of the “Bottom-Up” Fill in Copper Interconnect Metallization

Electrodeposition of copper in the presence of a multicomponent additives mixture, consisting of an inhibitor [e.g., poly(ethylene glycol)] and an accelerator [e.g., bis(3-sulfopropyl) disulfide] that is typically used in the "bottom-up" fill of submicrometer vias and trenches on semiconductor wafers, is analyzed. The additives transport, adsorption, and interactions are incorporated in a time-dependent multicomponent model that provides the additives distribution inside the via. The additives distribution is translated into location- and time-dependent copper deposition rates to simulate the via-fill process. All model parameters are based on experimentally measured transient copper deposition kinetics in the presence of additives. The effect of the local area reduction during the via fill on the additives distribution is incorporated into the simulations. The model indicates that the short time scale additives transport and adsorption processes provide a differential additives coverage between the via top and its bottom sufficient to initiate bottom-up growth. The long time-scale accelerator-inhibitor interactions in combination with the local area reduction effects provide further enhancement to the additives-induced differential plating rates. The latter generates the bottom-up deposition necessary for the "void-free" gap fill of high aspect ratio structures.
A family of interconnection networks for nonuniform traffic

New networks, called GLO networks, are constructed by adding bus-like links to omega networks, providing additional capacity between cells on momentarily busy paths. Equivalent pin-count GLO and omega networks offered uniform and nonuniform traffic were simulated. GLO networks exhibited lower latency for nonuniform traffic and light to moderate uniform traffic.
Efficient Management of Cached Data in the Global Alzheimer’s Association Interactive Network

A key tenet of the Global Alzheimer’s Association Interactive Network (GAAIN) is to protect the data ownership rights of its members. This prohibits data shared by its federated data repositories from being copied to any GAAIN disk drive and requires all GAAIN server caches to be managed in memory only. Further, the different data repositories collect different attributes for their subjects, and often there are different amounts of data collected for the subjects within the same data repository. We present a relational database design to manage this sparse cached data using elementary bit operators to perform queries and extract results from compact value representations.
Predictable execution adaptivity through embedding dynamic reconfigurability into static MPSoC schedules

Advances in semiconductor technologies have placed MPSoCs center stage as a standard architecture for embedded applications of ever increasing complexity. Because of real-time constraints, applications are usually statically parallelized and scheduled onto the target MPSoC so as to obtain predictable worst-case performance. However, both technology scaling trends and resource competition among applications have led to variations in the availability of resources during execution, thus questioning the dynamic viability of the initial static schedules. To eliminate this problem, in this paper we propose to statically generate a compact schedule with predictable response to various resource availability constraints. Such schedules are generated by adhering to a novel band structure, capable of spawning dynamically a regular reassignment upon resource variations. Through incorporating several soft constraints into the original scheduling heuristic, the proposed technique can furthermore exploit the inherent timing slack between dependent tasks, thus retaining the spatial and temporal locality of the original schedule. The efficacy of the proposed technique is confirmed by incorporating it into a widely adopted list scheduling heuristic, and experimentally verifying it in the context of single processor deallocations.
SINR-sensitive routing in wireless 802.11 mesh networks

Despite the many routing protocols to choose from in the existing wireless network literature, routing has remained a challenging problem in the actual deployment of wireless mesh and ad hoc networks. To address some of the issues involved with routing in wireless mesh networks, in this paper we attempt to make routing more sensitive to the dynamics of the network such as interference, traffic load and congestion. We introduce a link/load-sensitive metric using linkspsila idle time and average Signal to Interference Noise Ratio (SINR), as perceived by receiving nodes into link/path selection. We use this quantity as a secondary link metric to prevent instability that might happen due to frequent SINR variations. We therefore attempt to introduce better load balancing critical to mesh networks as the nodes closer to the base stations tend to be the natural bottlenecks of the network. We perform a simulation study to assess the performance enhancement due to this technique under different load conditions. We use ETX as primary link metric and observe throughput enhancement when a secondary SINR-based metric is incorporated in the link metric.
Using evolutionary sampling to mine imbalanced data

Class imbalance tends to cause inferior performance in data mining learners. Evolutionary sampling is a technique which seeks to counter this problem by using genetic algorithms to evolve a reduced sample of a complete dataset to train a classification model. Evolutionary sampling works to remove noisy and duplicate instances so that the sampled training data will produce a superior classifier. We propose this novel technique as a method to handle severe class imbalance in data mining. This paper presents our research into the the use of evolutionary sampling with C4.5 decision trees and compares the technique's performance with random undersamp ling.
Essential hypernatraemia in a young dog

A five-month-old great dane puppy was presented with hypernatraemia and clinical signs of vomiting, depression, disorientation, hyperi-rritability and adipsia. A diagnosis of essential hypernatraemia was based on the observation of adipsia, severe hypernatraemia, ability to concentrate urine only when hypovolaemic, normal serum aldosterone levels, normokalaemia and normotension. No abnormalities were found on histopathology of the neurocircuitry of the brain. This dog is compared with other reported cases of hypernatraemia in both dogs and humans.
MAGNUS FORCES AND STATISTICS IN 2 + 1 DIMENSIONS

Spinning vortex solutions to the abelian Higgs model, not Nielsen-Olesen solutions, are appropriate to a Ginzburg-Landau description of superconductivity. The main physical distinction is that spinning vortices experience the Magnus force while Nielsen-Olesen vortices do not. In 2 + 1 dimensional superconductivity without a Chern-Simons interaction, the effect of the Magnus force is equivalent to that of a background fictitious magnetic field. Moreover, the phase obtained an interchanging two quasi-particles is always path-dependent. When a Chern-Simons term is added there is an additional localized Magnus flux at the vortex. For point-like vortices, the Chern-Simons interaction can be seen as defining their intrinsic statistics, but in realistic cases of vortices with finite size in strong Magnus fields the quasi-particle statistics are not well-defined.
Stereoselective Synthesis of S-Linked Hexasaccharide of Landomycin A via Umpolung S-Glycosylation.

Stereoselective synthesis of carbohydrate mimics resistant toward acid-mediated or enzymatic hydrolysis is chemically challenging and biologically interesting. In this Letter, the first stereoselective synthesis of a “non-hydrolyzable” S-linked hexasaccharide of antitumor antibiotic landomycin A is described. This synthesis was accomplished through the utilization of our recently developed umpolung reactivity-based S-glycosylation–sulfenylation of stereochemically defined glycosyl lithium species with asymmetric sugar-derived disulfides.
Highly efficient operation of a chemical oxygen-iodine laser with dilute hydrogen peroxide

The chemical oxygen-iodine laser (COIL) operates at a wavelength of 1.3 μm, which falls in the minimum loss range of power transmission characteristics of silica. Among currently available lasers it is the only laser that has multikilowatt cw output in that wavelength region. It is thus a fascinating candidate for industrial lasers that have the capability to deliver high cw power through silica fibers. However, the current technology of this laser is too immature to be applied industrially. Major issues to be considered include the efficiency, running cost, and continuous operation duration.
Phase Stability and Diagrams from First Principles

First principles theories of alloy phase equilibrium have been successfully used in recent years to compute temperature-composition phase diagrams for solid state phases. One particular approach, originating with the successful phenomenological Ising models to describe the alloy Hamiltonian, uses a cluster expansion of the configurational energy in terms of short-ranged pair and many-body interactions. The approach is deeply rooted in our ability to compute accurate total energies of relatively complex compounds, using density functional theory in the local approximation, from which effective interactions may be obtained. Fundamental aspects of the method which include convergence of the cluster expansion, treatment of the configurational entropy and description of vibrational modes are reviewed. Applications of the theory are given for binary alloys in the Ru-Zr-Nb system using the Linear Muffin Tin Orbital method for the total energy calculations, the Cluster Variation method for the description of the configurational entropy, and the Debye-Gruneisen approximation for the vibrational modes. The results are used to compute the equilibrium phase diagram for the Zr-Nb system and to assess current experimental data on phase stability in the Ru-Nb system. In the latter case, the calculations indicate that the DO19 structure is a likely candidate structure for the experimentally observed hexagonal-based compound Ru3Nb. Investigation of the energies and interactions of tetragonal structures as a function of the c/a ratio suggest the L10 structure as a likely candidate for the observed tetragonal phase near 1:1 stoichiometry.
Adaptive Particle Swarm Optimization Applied to Aircraft Control

For the longitudinal dynamics of a fixed wing aircraft with rigid frame, a ProportionalIntegral (PI) controller for controlling the forward speed of the aircraft and a gain-scheduled Proportional-Integral-Derivative (PID) like controller, with the forward speed used as the scheduling variable, for controlling the flight path angle of the aircraft are designed. For a set of working PI gains, previously found through an experienced-based design, derivation and tuning of PID gains for a select number of forward speeds is computationally achieved through the use of a stable Adaptive Particle Swarm Optimization algorithm. Several performance measures, ‘normalized’ so as to suppress differences in scale, are aggregated into the designed cost function.
Safety Evaluation on Abutment Contact Zones of Ultra-high Arch Dam During the First Impoundment Period Based on Prototype Monitoring

Based on the prototype monitoring,the analysis of the observed data and the theoretical derivation are integrated to analyze and evaluate the contact stresses and joint openings of the replacement reinforcement mass and the surrounding rock mass in the abutment zone of Xiaowan ultra-high arch dam. The analysis shows that the compressive stress in the contact zone regularly changes during the impoundment period. It has large increase amplitude during the increasing period of water levels and has small increase amplitude during the stable period. The water pressure and the time effect are the two main factors for the compressive stress in the contact zone. The key factor is different during different impoundment periods. During the early impoundment period,the key factor is the time effect,and during the later impoundment period,it is the water pressure. The compactness properties in the contact zone are significantly improved by grouting. There are three typical stages in the joint opening hydrographs,namely,compression stage,opening stage and stable stage. A nonlinear relationship is shown between the joint opening and the temperature and can be well fitted by use of the S-function. The integrated analysis indicates that during the impoundment period,the combination in the contact zone is good and the arch thrust can be fairly transferred. The contact face is in a slightly compression state and has a satisfactory safety margin.
NUMERIC SIMULATION ON TEMPERATURE FIELD IN THE COMPOSED CAST-DRAWING PROCESS

By supposing an inner roughness of the mold,it is unnecessary to measure the surface temperature of the ingot or the heat flux in the wall of the mold.Meanwhile,the method of mesh moving is used to calculate the temperature field of casting in the cast- drawing.The calculated results are satisfactory.
Hereditary spherocytosis. II. Observations on the role of the spleen.

1. Three patients with hereditary spherocytosis and 1 patient with the Fanconi syndrome (pancytopenia and multiple congenital abnormalities) were transfused prior to splenectomy with normal erythrocytes of types which could be differentiated serologically from those of the recipients. The proportions of donated and patient’s cells in peripheral blood and in blood washed from the minced spleens were determined by differential agglutination, and the osmotic and mechanical fragilities of the two types of cells in peripheral and splenic blood were measured by differential agglutination of the corpuscles remaining in each test tube after partial hemolysis had occurred. 2. In each case of hereditary spherocytosis the proportion of recipient’s cells was much higher in splenic than in peripheral blood, indicating selective retention of the thicker corpuscles within the spleen. Osmotic fragility of thie patient’s red cells was much greater in samples of splenic mince blood than in peripheral venous samples, while the fragility of the donated red corpuscles was normal or nearly normal in both splenic and peripheral blood. In the patient exhibiting the Fanconi syndrome, on the other hand, neither the patient’s red cells nor donated red cells were retained to any extent in the spleen and the fragility of neither type of cell was altered. 3. Spleens removed surgically from 3 patients with idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura were perfused with mixtures of normal A or B cells and group O cells drawn from a splenectomized individual with hereditary spherocytosis. During perfusion the spheroidal cells were selectively removed from the mixtures and at the end of each experiment red cells of this type predominated in the blood samples washed from the minced spleens. A fourth excised spleen was perfused with a mixture of two types of normal cells, neither of which was retained to any extent by the spleen during perfusion. The perfusion experiments show that spleens from patients with nonhemolytic disease are also capable of selective trapping of spheroidal cells. 4. The experiments described indicate that the spleen acts as a filter and trap and as an "incubator" in accelerating destruction of red corpuscles in patients with hereditary spherocytosis.
History of sleep medicine.

Publisher Summary The rapid advance in sleep research and the development of sleep disorders medicine are producing answers to questions that date from antiquity. Over 700 Indian vegetable medicines have been documented from ancient times and include the plant called Rauwolfia serpentina (reserpine). Rauwolfia was used for the treatment of anxiety (and is currently being used for hypertension in some parts of the world) among other disorders, and is likely to have been used to treat insomnia (its side effects include drowsiness). In addition to acupuncture, moxibustion, massage, and breathing exercises, the ancient Chinese had a plethora of herbal medicines. Herbal medicines consisted of extracts of virtually anything available, including minerals and metals, animal-derived products, and waste products. In the 17th century, medicine underwent a major change from the doctrines that had influenced it up to that time, such as aristotelianism, galenism, and paracelsianism, to more scientifically directed theories, with the underlying teleological desire to accumulate knowledge on the way things work. Sleep medicine advances in the 20th century were greatly affected by the development of new diagnostic means and the innovations in surgery. With the recognition of the importance of behavioral treatments in sleep medicine, especially in insomnia, a board examination was developed in 2003 for clinicians, mainly psychologists but also physicians, in behavioral sleep medicine.
Invasive group B streptococcal infection in infants in Shenzhen, China.

Objective: In this study, we aim to investigate the distribution and antibiotic susceptibility of Group B Streptococcus (GBS) in infants younger than 90 days in Shenzhen, China. Methods: A retrospective study was conducted to evaluate GBS infection over an 4-year period. Starting from January 2010, we evaluated the laboratory data, clinical manifestations, treatment and outcomes of patients admitted to our hospital with invasive GBS infection. Furthermore, we analyzed distribution of isolates from infants < 90 days with GBS or non-GBS invasive infection. Results: The registered cases of invasive GBS infection (n = 40, male: 23, female: 17) were classified as sepsis (n = 24), meningitis (n = 2), or both (n = 14). Patients with sepsis recovered completely. Among patients with meningitis, 1 (6.3%) died from ventricular hemorrhage, and 4 (25%) showed sequelae during the follow up of 3 months. Among the 377 isolates (45 from the 40 infants with invasive GBS infection, 332 from infants with non-GBS invasive infections), the detection rate of GBS was 11.9% (45/377), accounted for 11.2% of sepsis and 18.4% of meningitis cases. All 45 isolates were susceptible to penicillin, vancomycin, linezolid, tigecycline, and quinolones. Resistance to erythromycin, clindamycin, and tetracycline was found in 19 (42%), 29 (64%), and 42 (93%) isolates, respectively. Conclusion: GBS is an important pathogen in infants < 90 days in Shenzhen, China, which results in high mortality and neurological sequelae. GBS strains show strong resistance to clindamycin and erythromycin.
Stem Characterization of the Synthetic Rare Earth Minerals in Nuclear Waste “Supercalcine-Ceramics”

“Supercalcine-ceramics” are a type of nuclear waste form made by modifying the compositions of high-level liquid wastes with selected additives so that after drying and firing, an assemblage of mutually compatible crystalline phases is produced (1,2). Wherever possible, these phases are designed to be synthetic versions of nature’s most stable minerals, of which the sedimentary resistates are the most desirable (3). A class of prototype supercalcine-ceramics are under development for the high-level liquid wastes that would result from reprocessing of nuclear power plant spent fuel. In such wastes, the rare earths, taken as a group, are the major constituents. McCarthy (4) has previously addressed the crystal chemistry of the rare earths in nuclear waste forms. In this paper we describe the behavior of the rare earths in two prototype supercalcine-ceramics.
Imaging studies of temperature dependent photodegradation and self-healing in disperse orange 11 dye-doped polymers

Using confocal transmission imaging microscopy, we measure the temperature dependence of photodegradation and self-healing in disperse orange 11 (DO11) dye-doped (poly)methyl-methacrylate (PMMA) and polystyrene (PS). In both dye-doped polymers, an increase in sample temperature results in a greater photodegradation rate and degree of degradation, while also resulting in a slower recovery rate and larger recovery fraction. These results confirm the temperature dependence predictions of the modified correlated chromophore domain model (mCCDM) [B. R. Anderson and M. G. Kuzyk, Phys. Rev. E 89, 032601 (2014)]. Additionally, using quantitative fitting of the imaging data for DO11/PMMA, we determine the domain density parameter to be ρ = 1.19 (±0.25) × 10(-2) and the domain free energy advantage to be λ = 0.282 ± 0.015 eV, which are within the uncertainty of the values previously determined using amplified spontaneous emission as the probe method [S. K. Ramini et al., Polym. Chem. 4, 4948 (2013)]. Finally, while we find photodegradation and self-healing of DO11/PS to be qualitatively consistent with the mCCDM, we find that it is quantitatively incompatible with the mCCDM as recovery in DO11/PS is found to behave as a stretched (or double) exponential as a function of time.
Reflections on the Iranian Revolution and its Influence in the Muslim World

“Beware the Years with Nines” might be the motto for unpopular regimes, as we celebrate, or mourn, as the case may be, in 1989, the two-hundredth anniversary of the storming of the Bastille, the fortieth anniversary of the victory of the Chinese Revolution, the thirtieth anniversary of the Cuban Revolution, and the tenth anniversaries of the victory of the Iranian and Nicaraguan Revolutions. All this gave rise to a spate of academic conferences and writings about one or more revolutions, out of which there has begun to come some light as well as heat. And, to add to the “nines” phenomenon came, in 1989, a series of revolts and movements in Eastern Europe that overthrew most of their old regimes.
Angels in the Stalinist House: Nadezhda Mandelstam, Lidiia Chukovskaia, Lidiia Ginzburg, and Russian Women's Autobiography

(1996). Angels in the Stalinist House: Nadezhda Mandelstam, Lidiia Chukovskaia, Lidiia Ginzburg, and Russian Women's Autobiography. a/b: Auto/Biography Studies: Vol. 11, RETHINKING RUSSIAN AUTOBIOGRAPHY, pp. 68-86.
Frameless and Maskless Stereotactic Navigation with a Skull-Mounted Tracker.

Objective In this series, we present 3 cases that show the use of a skull-mounted tracker for image-guided navigation for anterior skull base surgery and ventricular catheter placement procedures. This system obviates fiducials or face masks during the surgical procedure itself and allows for the performance of facial incisions using the Weber-Ferguson approach. Methods Our series presents the use of a novel intraoperative navigational system that uses a skull-mounted tracker to navigated anterior skull base surgery. Results We present 3 cases using this new system: 1 anterior skull base tumor removal that was operated on without a facemask for navigation and 2 ventricular catheter placement procedures. Conclusions Intraoperative image-guided navigation has revolutionized neurosurgery. It undoubtedly increases the surgeon's confidence and the perception of safety. Although fiducials and facial masks are the most widely used tools for intraoperative navigation, their use is associated with certain complications. This technique permits free movement of the head during surgery, which in turn facilitates the exposure of head and neck lesions and expedites the approach to ventricular catheter placement. Our case series shows the precision and ease of our technique, which is less time consuming and less cumbersome than the traditional frame-based stereotaxy. In addition, the skull-mounted tracker system allows improved anatomic localization and shorter operating time and avoids the complications associated with the use of rigid fixating head frames.
Examining Provisions Related to Consent in the Revised Common Rule.

The long-standing overarching policy governing research with human subjects conducted and supported by most federal agencies and departments in the United States, known as the Common Rule, has recently been revised, with most requirements slated to become effective in 2018. Although there are multiple alterations to the current regulations, some of the most significant changes aim to enhance consent for research. While some of the particular provisions in this regard will be easy to apply and promise to help meet this goal, others may be more challenging to implement despite their intuitive appeal. In this article, I examine some of the provisions in the revised Common Rule that relate to consent: (1) new required consent elements; (2) the goal of comprehension in the consent process; (3) consent forms; and (4) broad consent. By raising issues about these provisions now and suggesting possible ways to overcome their potential shortfalls, the hope is that future efforts can be taken to help clarify and app...
Studies of fission fragment properties at the Los Alamos Neutron Science Center (LANSCE)

Nuclear data related to the fission process are needed for a wide variety of research areas, including fundamental science, nuclear energy and non-proliferation. While some of the relevant data have been measured to the required accuracies there are still many aspects of fission that need further investigation. One such aspect is how Total Kinetic Energy (TKE), fragment yields, angular distributions and other fission observables depend on excitation energy of the fissioning system. Another question is the correlation between mass, charge and energy of fission fragments. At the Los Alamos Neutron Science Center (LANSCE) we are studying neutron-induced fission at incident energies from thermal up to hundreds of MeV using the Lujan Center and Weapons Neutron Research (WNR) facilities. Advanced instruments such as SPIDER (time-of-flight and kinetic energy spectrometer), the NIFFTE Time Projection Chamber (TPC), and Frisch grid Ionization Chambers (FGIC) are used to investigate the properties of fission fragments, and some important results for the major actinides have been obtained.