cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Behavioral Counseling Interventions for Healthy Weight and Weight Gain in Pregnancy: US Preventive Services Task Force Recommendation Statement.

Author(s): US Preventive Services Task Force; Davidson, Karina W; Barry, Michael J; Mangione, Carol M; Cabana, Michael; Caughey, Aaron B; Davis, Esa M; Donahue, Katrina E; Doubeni, Chyke A; Krist, Alex H; Kubik, Martha; Li, Li; Ogedegbe, Gbenga; Pbert, Lori; Silverstein, Michael; Simon, Melissa; Stevermer, James; Tseng, Chien-Wen; Wong, John B | Abstract: ImportanceThe prevalence of overweight and obesity is increasing among persons of childbearing age and pregnant persons. In 2015, almost half of all persons began pregnancy with overweight (24%) or obesity (24%). Reported rates of overweight and obesity are higher among Black, Alaska Native/American Indian, and Hispanic women and lower among White and Asian women. Excess weight at the beginning of pregnancy and excess gestational weight gain have been associated with adverse maternal and infant health outcomes such as a large for gestational age infant, cesarean delivery, or preterm birth.ObjectiveThe USPSTF commissioned a systematic review to evaluate the benefits and harms of behavioral counseling interventions to prevent adverse health outcomes associated with obesity during pregnancy and to evaluate intermediate outcomes, including excess gestational weight gain. This is a new recommendation.PopulationPregnant adolescents and adults in primary care settings.Evidence assessmentThe USPSTF concludes with moderate certainty that behavioral counseling interventions aimed at promoting healthy weight gain and preventing excess gestational weight gain in pregnancy have a moderate net benefit for pregnant persons.RecommendationThe USPSTF recommends that clinicians offer pregnant persons effective behavioral counseling interventions aimed at promoting healthy weight gain and preventing excess gestational weight gain in pregnancy. (B recommendation).
Retrograde Suction Decompression for Clipping of a Giant Ophthalmic Internal Carotid Artery Aneurysm: 2-Dimensional Operative Video.

Microsurgical clipping of large paraclinoid aneurysms is challenging because of the complex anatomy of the dural rings, lack of easy proximal control, and wide aneurysm necks. Proximal retrograde suction decompression, or the Dallas technique, can reduce aneurysm turgor and, with aspiration of the trapped cervical and supraclinoid internal carotid arteries (ICAs), can collapse the aneurysm to aid microsurgical clipping.1-5 A woman in her late 30s presented with decreased right-eye visual acuity. Informed written consent was obtained for microsurgical management and publication. Upon cervical exposure of the carotid bifurcation, we performed a standard pterional craniotomy, trans-sylvian exposure, and intradural anterior clinoidectomy. After burst suppression and cross-clamping of the carotid, we inserted an angiocatheter at the common carotid artery (CCA). Distal temporary clips were placed on the posterior communicating artery and C7 ICA. With the cervical ICA unclamped, retrograde suction was continuously applied to deflate the aneurysm. We applied 2 pairs of fenestrated-booster clips to the aneurysm dome and a fifth clip to the aneurysm neck. After restoration of flow, indocyanine green angiography and Doppler assessments were performed. The proximal clip was converted into a curved clip to optimize ICA flow. Postoperative angiography confirmed complete occlusion of the aneurysm. The patient was discharged on postoperative day 3, with stable visual acuity.6 This video demonstrates that retrograde suction decompression via the cervical CCA can be safely performed to facilitate clipping of complex paraclinoid ICA aneurysms. Comprehensive planning of temporary aneurysm trapping for suction decompression and permanent clip construct for aneurysm occlusion are needed for effective aneurysm repair.
Concepts of immunotherapy for glioma

Immunotherapy is coming to the fore as a viable anti-cancer treatment modality, even in poorly immunogenic cancers such as glioblastoma (GBM). Accumulating evidence suggests that the central nervous system may not be impervious to tumor-specific immune cells and could be an adequate substrate for immunologic anti-cancer therapies. Recent advances in antigen-specific cancer vaccines and checkpoint blockade in GBM provide promise for future immunotherapy in glioma. As anti-GBM immunotherapeutics enter clinical trials, it is important to understand the interactions, if any, between immune-based treatment modalities and the current standard of care for GBM involving chemoradiation and steroid therapy. Current data suggests that chemoradiation may not preclude the success of immunotherapeutics, as their effects may be synergistic. The future of therapy for GBM lies in the power of combination modalities, involving immunotherapy and the current standard of care.
The Theory of Fast Ion-Atom Collisions

Publisher Summary This chapter describes the theory of fast ion-atom collisions that are based upon high-energy, Born-type expansions, or their distorted-wave generalization. The chapter focuses on Born theories of processes involving only one active electron. The collisions of multi-electron species exhibit all of the features of the one electron prototype, but also include new types of motion arising from the electron–electron interaction. Effects because of this electron–electron interaction are even dominant in some ranges of ion charge, collision velocity, or secondary-electron energy. Collisions involving only one or two active electrons have been considered to isolate the separate effects of electron–nucleus and electron–electron interactions as clearly as possible. For one-electron collisions, the first Born approximation has been analyzed in terms of the qualitative features of differential excitation and ionization cross sections that it predicts. For ionization, the first Born approximation, either in direct or capture form, is fundamentally inadequate. The influence of higher-order processes, in particular double-binary collisions of the Thomas type, is emphasized in the chapter.
Charge injection barriers at metal/polyethylene interfaces

Charge injection barriers at metal/polymer interfaces are affected by many factors, including the physical, chemical, and electronic structure of the metal, the polymer, and the interfacial region. Here, we consider a diverse set of metals (Al, Ag, Au, Pd, and Pt), and a few metal/polyethylene interfacial configurations in an attempt to span situations encountered in real metal/polyethylene systems. Several relevant electronic properties and the charge injection barriers are computed for these cases using density functional theory computations. The calculations reveal important trends and correlations, and identify the favored mechanism of charge transport (as mediated by the charge injection barriers). While satisfactory correspondences of the computations with available measurements are achieved, quantitative discrepancies still remain between the computed and measured injection barriers. These issues may be resolved when more realistic models of the interface, inclusive of its morphological complexities, are utilized.
Adrenosem Therapy for Bleeding Coincident with the Use of Intrauterine Contraceptive Devices: A Double Blind Study *

A double blind study of the use of Adrenosem in IUD wearers who were having trouble with bleeding was conducted. 26 women with IUDs in situ for more than 3 months were studied during 2 precontrol 6 treatment and 2 posttreatment control menstrual cycles. Each kept a daily calendar of the number of pads or tampons used. Each patient received a randomized double blind kit containing Adrenosem 10 mg oral tablets and matching placebos in 6 numbered bottles. Each bottle was used only during a single menstrual cycle. Each patient took 1 pill 3 times daily throughout the 6 treatment cycles. There was no statistically significant reduction in the number of pads of tampons used during the actual 5 days of menstruation each cycle. There was however a significant decrease both in the number of days of bleeding and the number of pads of tampons used in the treated cycles compared to the placebo cycles as well as in the number of days of intermenstrual staining or spotting that occurred when no pads or tampons were used. Although the intermenstrual bleeding that is fairly common in wearers of IUDs was not completely eliminated by the treatment with Adrenosem there is no question that the amounts of nuisance bleeding that these patients experienced was greatly diminished in most instance to the real satisfaction of the patient and her husband.
nOHM/spl minus/a multi-process device synthesis tool for lateral DMOS structures

This paper presents a synthesis tool that generates layouts of Lateral Doubly-Diffused MOS (LDMOS) structures from electrical parameters of the device or from the current and thermal requirements of the package. Optionally, it generates layouts from physical parameters like DMOS width, area and floorplan constraints. Multiple layout and metal bus styles are supported. Source and drain sense DMOSs used to sample currents of the parent devices can also be generated and automatically placed inside the DMOS. The generated layouts are correct by construction. The tool has been developed for the Intelligent Power family of integrated circuits from Texas Instruments Inc. In this paper the need, capabilities and impact of the tool are presented along with the techniques used to achieve them. >
Chronic lymphocytic leukemia versus chronic lymphosarcoma cell leukemia: Analysis of 496 cases

Abstract Review of 496 cases of chronic lymphocytic and chronic lymphosarcoma cell leukemia disclosed a number of minor differences in clinical and laboratory manifestations, but with few exceptions they lacked statistical significance. However, highly significant differences were found in survivorship. It is concluded from these data that morphologic distinction between these two types of chronic lymphocytic leukemia is justified on the basis of the significantly shorter course in the lymphoproliferative disorder which we prefer to designate "chronic lymphosarcoma cell leukemia." Other pertinent differences do not apppear to exist.
Pain Sensitivity and Pain Catastrophizing Are Associated With Persistent Pain and Disability After Lumbar Spine Surgery.

Objective To examine whether pain sensitivity and pain catastrophizing are associated with persistent pain and disability after lumbar spine surgery.
The Convention on the Elimination of Discrimination Against Women: Evolution and (Non)Implementation Worldwide

This article contends that the United States can learn much from the concepts of equality enshrined in international standards. In particular, the United States should look to standards maintained in international law to advance women's rights in the United States and worldwide, focusing on the key international treaty for women. This article discusses the direct incorporation of international law into domestic law through the ratification of treaties, specifically, the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW). The article briefly lays out the development of CEDAW and its implementation, or lack thereof, by states parties. It also uses CEDAW to discuss some of the tensions inherent in the human rights treaty system.
Mass anomalies and the structure of the earth

Abstract Details of the Earth's geoid and gravity fields are summarized and examined. A set of 9274 centerpoints of 5 ° cubes (referred to as bloblets) represents subducted slab locations. This set, developed from reconstructed plate history, was provided by the first author of Lithgow-Berttelloni et. al. [1998] and is the best available estimate of locations of subduction material in the Earth's mantle. Two global mass solutions offered here utilize 1) only those bloblets in the outer 800 km, and 2) only those bloblets in the outer 1400 km. Since each bloblet location represents the center of a 5-degree cube [a larger volume than appropriate for a fragment of subducted lithosphere] it was necessary in the 800 km depth limit model to reduce their density to 0.004 grams/cc, and by increasing bloblet density six times at 797.5 km depth to simulate the piling up of slab material beneath the 670 km boundary. The 1400 km depth limit model [commensurate with evidence of slab penetration into the lower mantle from seismic tomography] required estimating densities for the bloblets at nine different mantle depths. An additional four point-masses at 3000 km depth (to simulate CMB topography, unrelated to dynamic topography) completes the mass models. Both these models show reasonable agreement to patterns and magnitudes for degrees 2–10, 3–10, 4–10, 2–3, 3, and 2 geoid fields with both geometric and hydrostatic flattening. These models support an assessment that topography at the core mantle boundary (CMB) may be produced by processes within the core rather than from within the mantle. Possible causes for the CMB topography are discussed.
Observational determination of albedo decrease caused by vanishing Arctic sea ice

The decline of Arctic sea ice has been documented in over 30 y of satellite passive microwave observations. The resulting darkening of the Arctic and its amplification of global warming was hypothesized almost 50 y ago but has yet to be verified with direct observations. This study uses satellite radiation budget measurements along with satellite microwave sea ice data to document the Arctic-wide decrease in planetary albedo and its amplifying effect on the warming. The analysis reveals a striking relationship between planetary albedo and sea ice cover, quantities inferred from two independent satellite instruments. We find that the Arctic planetary albedo has decreased from 0.52 to 0.48 between 1979 and 2011, corresponding to an additional 6.4 ± 0.9 W/m2 of solar energy input into the Arctic Ocean region since 1979. Averaged over the globe, this albedo decrease corresponds to a forcing that is 25% as large as that due to the change in CO2 during this period, considerably larger than expectations from models and other less direct recent estimates. Changes in cloudiness appear to play a negligible role in observed Arctic darkening, thus reducing the possibility of Arctic cloud albedo feedbacks mitigating future Arctic warming.
The blood and vascular cell compatibility of heparin-modified ePTFE vascular grafts.

Prosthetic vascular grafts do not mimic the antithrombogenic properties of native blood vessels and therefore have higher rates of complications that involve thrombosis and restenosis. We developed an approach for grafting bioactive heparin, a potent anticoagulant glycosaminoglycan, to the lumen of ePTFE vascular grafts to improve their interactions with blood and vascular cells. Heparin was bound to aminated poly(1,8-octanediol-co-citrate) (POC) via its carboxyl functional groups onto POC-modified ePTFE grafts. The bioactivity and stability of the POC-immobilized heparin (POC–Heparin) were characterized via platelet adhesion and clotting assays. The effects of POC–Heparin on the adhesion, viability and phenotype of primary endothelial cells (EC), blood outgrowth endothelial cells (BOECs) obtained from endothelial progenitor cells (EPCs) isolated from human peripheral blood, and smooth muscle cells were also investigated. POC–Heparin grafts maintained bioactivity under physiologically relevant conditions in vitro for at least one month. Specifically, POC–Heparin-coated ePTFE grafts significantly reduced platelet adhesion and inhibited whole blood clotting kinetics. POC–Heparin supported EC and BOEC adhesion, viability, proliferation, NO production, and expression of endothelial cell-specific markers von Willebrand factor (vWF) and vascular endothelial-cadherin (VE-cadherin). Smooth muscle cells cultured on POC–Heparin showed increased expression of α-actin and decreased cell proliferation. This approach can be easily adapted to modify other blood contacting devices such as stents where antithrombogenicity and improved endothelialization are desirable properties.
An analysis of the feasibility of long-range streamflow forecasting for Colombia using El Niño Southern Oscillation indicators

Abstract This paper investigates the relationship between El Nino–Southern Oscillation (ENSO) events and the discharge of Colombian rivers and analyzes the possibility of using this relationship to forecast streamflows. Systematic cross-correlations are performed in the exploratory analysis to determine the lag time between ENSO and its effects on Colombian streamflows and the ENSO indicators with the strongest relationship with Colombian streamflows. Several streamflow periods, ENSO indicators, periods for each ENSO indicator, and lag times are considered. The authors demonstrate that long-range streamflow forecasting for Colombia based on ENSO indicators is possible, and that the best ENSO indicators for predicting streamflows in Colombia are the MEI, the SOI, and the Nino 4 sea surface temperature anomalies.
Journalism as Kerner Turns 40: Its Multiculticultural Problems and Possibilities

In the years since the Kerner Report was released, a combination of technological shifts in the newspaper business and the continued migration of newspapers toward their preferred White and middle class readers in the suburbs and exurbs of America have contributed to the plight of today’s newspaper industry in the United States. The strategy of many daily newspapers to pursue that declining base through the costly creation of satellite or outlying ‘‘zone’’ bureaus and editions has left other media to fill the news void in racially diverse inner cities. Yet, one might argue that the plight of the news business—be it newspaper or electronic—cannot be fully understood today unless factors beyond technological and populations shifts are brought into view. As the American society has evolved demographically over the last decades, the news industry does not appear to have evolved with it. From our vantage point in Washington, DC, where the White House welcomed its first non-White president and first family in the nation’s history earlier this year, the American society looks particularly Brown, Black, and international. The nation’s capital and its nearby suburbs in Maryland and Virginia form a large metropolitan area with an historically large African American population, and recent demographic shifts through immigration have also expanded Latino= Hispanic, African, Caribbean, South Asian, Asian and other racial and ethnic groups. New census data show that between the years 2000 and 2005, five out of every six of the half-million new residents to the Washington metro area were people of color. Hispanics and Asians were in the largest numbers, and most of the growth was in the suburbs of northern Virginia and suburban Maryland (Layton & Keating, 2006). Moreover, what is happening in this global city of our nation’s capital also happens elsewhere. The U.S. census
Silica nanoparticle supported lipid bilayers for gene delivery

Silica nanoparticle supported cationic lipids can effectively bind plasmid DNAs and transfect mammalian cells with an efficiency that depends on both the particle size and lipid composition; here the gene delivery and expression process has been confirmed by confocal fluorescence microscopy.
Primary neonatal Duhamel procedure using the ENDO GIA stapler.

The technique of performing the Duharnel procedure in the neonate with Hirschsprung's disease using the ENDO GIA stapler (originally designed for laparoscopic surgery) is described. This technique overcomes the problem of conventional staplers being too large to introduce into the neonatal anus.
Semiconductor point defect concentration profiles measured using coherent acoustic phonon waves

Coherent acoustic phonon interferometry is used to quantitatively measure depth-dependent point defect concentrations in semiconductor systems with a depth range of the order of tens of microns. Using time-resolved pump-probe techniques, the optical response of ion-beam irradiated GaAs crystals is analyzed as a function of defect concentration ranging over four orders of magnitude. Varying the ion dose quantitatively relates changes in the optical response to local defect concentrations. Thermal annealing is shown to reduce the effect on the optical response, indicating recovery of the crystal lattice through self-interstitial-vacancy recombination.
Decay of hyper-5He

Energy and angular distributions of the particles arising from a number of oases of the decay of5HeΛ have been analyzed. The influence of the strong spin-orbit coupled4He-1H state on the decay of5HeΛ is noted.
Non-Markovian processes in gene regulation (Keynote Address)

We study the stochastic properties of gene regulation taking into account the non-Markovian character of gene transcription and translation. We show that time delay in protein production or degradation may change the behavior of the system from stationary to oscillatory even when a deterministic counterpart of the stochastic system exhibits no oscillations. Assuming significant decorrelation on the time scale of gene transcription, we deduce a truncated master equation of the reactive system and derive an analytical expression for the autocorrelation function of the protein concentration. For weak feedback the theory agrees well with with numerical simulations based on the modified direct Gillespie method.
Analysis of Airflow Diversion in a System of Integrated Electrical Components

The task of system-level thermal management in electrical systems has never been simple and has only become more difficult in recent years as industry pushes toward devices with higher power densities. A common practice in many power electronic devices is to use an aluminum heat sink along with at least one cooling fan. This paper presents a parametric study that was performed on a DC-DC power converter to determine the thermal response of heat dissipating components when the incoming cool air is diverted. The scenarios that are investigated include diverting the air to flow only over the top of the heat sink and diverting the air to flow only over the top of the heat sink and diverting the air to flow only through the heat sink. The analysis performed in this paper was done so using IDEAS, a three-dimensional finite element analysis (FEA) program that allows the user to simulate the affects of conduction and convection heat transfer in a forced-air cooling environment. To divert the incoming air, a plate was inserted into the model between the heat sink and the two inlet fans such that the fans were partitioned into four sections. The amount of air that each fan section produced was governed, thus diverting the air to flow in pre-specified areas. The study looked at six scenarios, each with its own unique volumetric flow setting. The scenario that involved diverting all of the air to flow through the fins of the heat sink proved to cause the lowest system-wide temperatures. This best-case scenario reduced the maximum system temperature by nearly 50% from the worst-case scenario.© 2004 ASME
INNOVATIVE FINANCING APPROACH FOR PRESIDENT GEORGE BUSH TURNPIKE

An innovative financing program for a toll project in Texas that has been financed and will be constructed by a joint-venture team composed of the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) and the Texas Turnpike Authority (TTA) is described. The President George Bush Turnpike (State Highway 190) will connect 42.5 km (26.4 mi) of suburbs north of the city of Dallas. The project has been in various stages of planning and design since the late 1960s. Each agency working alone could not complete SH-190 in a timely and cost-effective fashion. Exploiting changes made to the state constitution in 1991 and maximizing the use of the innovative financing provision of the Intermodal Surface Transportation Efficiency Act, TxDOT, TTA, and FHWA in partnership developed a financing structure to accelerate the construction of this project.
Men and Therapy: A Case of Masked Male Depression

Socialization influences may result in a masking of men's symptoms of depression. This masking renders assessment a challenge for most clinicians, who are often sidetracked by more-immediate presen...
Cogeneration System Simulation and Control to Meet Simultaneous Power, Heating, and Cooling Demands

Gas turbines are projected to meet increasing power demand throughout the world. Cogeneration plants hold the promise of increased efficiency at acceptable cost. In a general case, a cogen plant could be able to meet power, heating and cooling demands. Yet those demands are normally uncoupled. Control and storage strategies need to be explored to ensure that each independent demand will be met continuously. A dynamic model of a mid-capacity system was developed, including gas and steam turbines, two heat recovery steam generators (HRSG) and an absorption-cooling machine. Controllers were designed using linear quadratic regulators (LQR) to control two turbines and a HRSG with some novelty. It was found that the power required could be generated exclusively with exhaust gases, without a duct burner in the high-pressure HRSG. The strategy called for fuel and steam flow rate modulation for each turbine. The stability of the controlled system and its performance were studied and simulations for different demand cases were performed.Copyright © 2003 by ASME
Plasma metabolites after 2-deoxy-D-glucose in rats with brain dopamine-depleting lesions

Rats with selective brain dopamine-depleting lesions produced by 6-hydroxydopamine failed to increase their food intake after 2-deoxy-D-glucose administration. Their hyperglycemic response to 2DG was identical to that of intact controls. Neither group showed significant mobilization of free fatty acids or production of ketones.
Use of surface heat transfer measurements as a flow separation diagnostic in a two-dimensional reflected oblique shock/turbulent boundary layer interaction

The feasibility of using streamwise surface heat transfer measurements to detect the presence of flow separation in a two-dimensional reflected oblique shock/turbulent boundary layer interaction is reported. Surface heat transfer and static pressure data are presented for attached and separated flows for a free stream nominal Mach number range of 2.5 to 3.5 and shock generator angles of 2 to 8 degrees. The static pressure data do show the characteristic triple inflection point distribution for the strongly separated flow cases. The corresponding surface heat transfer data show unique trends that correlate well with the static pressure determination of the extent of the separated flow region. For the incipient or weakly separated flow cases, the static pressure data do not exhibit the characteristic triple inflection point distribution. However, the same trends in the heat transfer data that are seen for the strongly separated flow cases are evident for the weakly separated flows. Hence, the heat transfer data can be used to determine the extent of weakly separated flows when the surface static pressure distributions often can not.
Shapes of soot aerosol particles and implications for their effects on climate

[1] Soot aerosol particles (also called light-absorbing, black, or elemental carbon) are major contributors to global warming through their absorption of solar radiation. When embedded in organic matter or sulfate, as is common in polluted areas such as over Mexico City (MC) and other megacities, their optical properties are affected by their shapes and positions within their host particles. However, large uncertainties remain regarding those variables and how they affect warming by soot. Using electron tomography with a transmission electron microscope, three-dimensional (3-D) images of individual soot particles embedded within host particles collected from MC and its surroundings were obtained. From those 3-D images, we calculated the optical properties using a discrete dipole approximation. Many soot particles have open, chainlike shapes even after being surrounded by organic matter and are located in off-center positions within their host materials. Such embedded soot absorbs sunlight less efficiently than if compact and located near the center of its host particle. In the case of our MC samples, their contribution to direct radiative forcing is ∼20% less than if they had a simple core-shell shape, which is the shape assumed in many climate models. This study shows that the shapes and positions of soot within its host particles have an important effect on particle optical properties and should be recognized as potentially important variables when evaluating global climate change.
Wheelchair Cushions: A Historical Review

An important objective of occupational therapy practice is to maximise functional potential in patients who have physical disabilities. Pressure sores are a major complication in the medical course of these individuals. Therefore, prevention, or at least the proper management, of these sores becomes an important focus for occupational therapists who treat the physically disabled patient. Occupational therapists often prescribe wheelchair cushions to relieve pressure and reduce the risk of ulceration. Unfortunately, occupational therapy literature offers few articles dealing with this significant problem. This paper presents a historical review of wheelchair cushions and details some of the physiological and clinical research efforts that are the basis of prescription practice today.
Indigent children who are denied care in the emergency department

We conducted a six-month prospective study of the diagnoses and outcomes of 588 children who were denied care in our emergency department under a new primary-care case management health system for 100,000 indigent patients. The mean patient age was 4.7 years (39% were less than 2 years old). The most common presenting complaints were colds, earaches, rash, vomiting, and diarrhea. Nine percent of children presented for trauma, and 10% had fever of more than 38.2 C. Follow-up was available from the primary care physician for 388 children (66%). Of the 60% of patients who kept their arranged appointment, 42% received antibiotics, 3% were referred for further evaluation, and two children were hospitalized. Follow-up was available from the parents for 125 children (21%). No follow-up information of any kind was available for 111 children (19%), and no follow-up regarding the health of the child was available for 265 children (45%). This last group included 10% with a chief complaint of trauma and 6% with temperature of more than 39 C. Forty-nine percent of patients in this group were less than 2 years old.
Effect of grossular on garnet-biotite, Fe–Mg exchange reactions: evidence from garnet with mixed growth and diffusion zoning

Garnets that exhibit mixed growth and diffusion zoning are used to evaluate the effect of grossular content on garnet Fe–Mg exchange reactions. These garnets from the uppermost amphibolite-facies to granulite-facies gneiss of the Wissahickon Group, southeastern Pennsylvania, show variation in grossular content (0.035<X Ca<0.14) but nearly constant Mg? (X Mg/(X Mg+X Fe) and X Mn through the interior indicating re-equilibration of garnet and matrix minerals with respect to iron, magnesium, and manganese. Mg? is not correlated with calcium content, evidence that the effect of calcium on garnet Fe–Mg exchange reactions is small or is offset by other interactions in almandine-rich garnets. In either case, the data presented here indicate that correction for calcium content of garnets in the application of garnet-biotite geothermometry to high-grade metapelites is unnecessary and may lead to an overestimate of peak temperature.
SODOS: A software documentation support environment — Its definition

A description is given of the data abstraction mechanisms used in SODOS (software documentation support), a computerized system which supports the definition and manipulation of documents used in developing software. The generic definition of a document is given, the operations of consistency, completeness, and traceability are defined precisely, and it is shown how the generic document and associated operations are mapped onto the relational model. The SODOS system differs from others in that it is built on top of a database management system and an object-based model of the software life cycle. One advantage of this model is that it supports software documentation independently of any fixed methodology that the developers may be using. Another advantage of the system is that it permits traceability through all phases of the software life cycle, thus facilitating the testing and maintenance phases. The document representation is defined in terms of a graph model mapped into a relational data model.
Rapid methods to estimate sky‐view factors applied to urban areas

A common parameter used to characterize the geometry of urban canyons is the sky-view factor (ψs). Here, two simple alternatives are presented that can be used both objectively and rapidly to estimate ψs. The first method uses a Nikon CoolPix 950 digital camera fitted with a Nikon FC-E8 fisheye lens. The second method involves a LI-COR LAI-2000 Plant Canopy Analyzer to measure automatically diffuse non-interceptance (DIFN) light using a fisheye optical sensor. Through a series of intercomparisons for urban canyons of known geometry, the digital camera is shown to provide accurate estimates of ψs. The LAI-2000 also performs well, although it tends to over-estimate ψs (for the conditions considered here, the mean absolute error is 0.04), and has a more restricted set of sky conditions under which it performs well (ideally, uniform overcast skies). For both methods, data collection and post-processing is rapid, and storage of data is straightforward. Thus, mobile data collection is possible which allows detailed information on the spatial variability of ψs in urban areas to be determined. An example of such an application for a small US city, Bloomington, IN, is presented. Copyright © 2001 Royal Meteorological Society
Quantification and Use of System Coupling in Decomposed Design Optimization Problems

Decomposition-based optimization strategies are used to solve complex engineering design problems that might be otherwise unsolvable. Yet, the associated computational cost can be prohibitively high due to the often large number of separate optimizations needed for coordination of problem solutions. To reduce this cost one may exploit the fact that some systems may be weakly coupled and their interactions can be suspended with little loss in solution accuracy. Suspending such interactions is usually based on the analyst’s experience or experimental observation. This article introduces an explicit measure of coupling strength among interconnected subproblems in a decomposed optimization problem, along with a systematic way for calculating it. The strength measure is then used to suspend weak couplings and thus improve system solution strategies, such as the model coordination method. Examples show that the resulting strategy can decrease the number of required system optimizations significantly.Copyright © 2005 by ASME
An experimental study of natural convection effects on downward freezing of pure water

Abstract Measurements of ice freezing downward into a quiescent deep pure water layer are presented. This occurs in processing and also on terrestrial water surfaces. The coupled mechanisms of convection and freezing were shown to be very complicated, due both to the buoyancy force reversals characteristic of cold water thermal transport and major liquid supercooling. Previous comparable studies have been limited to small and very confined geometries. The present larger scale measurements determined both freezing and convective heat transfer rates. Non-freezing measurements were also made, to characterize the purely convective effects. Time-exposure visualizations of typical flows are given for ambient water temperatures in the range of 1–9°C. The density anomaly in cold water has very large effects on both the flows and freezing rates. Large liquid supercooling always preceded initial freezing. Resulting transient changes in the buoyancy force were found to have large effects under many conditions. Measurements of ice thicknesses and cooling surface temperatures are used to calculate heat transfer coefficients and ice growth ‘efficiencies’. These measurements provide detailed quantitative insight into the relative roles of supercooling, freezing and natural convection in the downward growth processes of horizontal ice surfaces in cold water.
How to hit the runs for fifty million travelers at risk.

In this issue, DuPont and colleagues present good evidence that rifaximin can prevent travelers' diarrhea in persons traveling to Mexico. However, although rifaximin may be a useful alternative for...
Neonatal urinary ascites.

Abstract A case of neonatal urinary ascites is presented. The point of urinary extravasation on the anterior lateral surface of the kidney is clearly demonstrated.
The influence of a stationary single line in darkness on the visual perception of eye level

The angle of pitch of a visual field consisting of only a single vertical, 64 degrees-long, eccentrically-located line in otherwise total darkness influences the elevation of a target set to appear at eye level (VPEL). The influence changes linearly with the magnitude of pitch over the range from -30 degrees to +20 degrees. The average slope of the VPEL-vs-pitch function is +0.53. The influence on VPEL of a pitched visual field consisting of two parallel vertical lines is slightly greater (slope = +0.56), and the influence of the pitch of a complexly-structured well-illuminated pitched room is slightly greater yet (slope = +0.63). The pitch of a frontoparallel plane containing one horizontal line has a small influence on VPEL (slope = +0.08); the influence with two horizontal lines is slightly greater (slope = +0.18). The slope of the VPEL-vs-pitch function differs among individual subjects but is linear for each of the eight subjects. A great deal of consistency is manifested by individual subjects across all of the visual fields: an individual with a steep slope with one visual field tends to have a steep slope with all visual fields. The individual's characteristic response in total darkness is strongly correlated with the response to an erect well-illuminated visual field. The significant aspect of the pitched-from-vertical line stimulus is the change in orientation of its retinal image. An additional experiment with a small pupil (pilocarpine) indicates that cues related to other retinal gradients or to accommodation play no role in the influence of the visual field on VPEL. The experiments provide support for treating the visual influence on VPEL by means of the Great Circle Model.
Heterogeneity of the bovine adrenal steroid 21-hydroxylase.

The results presented indicate that purified cytochrome P-45021 which migrated upon SDS gel electrophoresis essentially as a single band, is further separable into different species by ion-exchange chromatography. The P-450 eluted from the CM-Sephadex column at different points along the buffer concentration gradient, exhibited significant differences in (1) the 21-hydroxylation of 17α-OH-progesterone compared to progesterone and (2) the Type I spectral change produced by 17α-OH-progesterone compared to that due to Δ4-androstenedione. These results indicate that the purified P-450 which appeared homogeneous contains different species differing in net charge and steroid preferences for 21-hydroxylation and binding. The ratio, 21-hydroxylation of 17α-OH-progesterone/progesterone ranged between 2.6 and 0.86 suggesting that the purified preparation is a mixture of 17α-OH-progesterone preferring and progesterone preferring species. Possible molecular bases for the heterogeneity of the 21-hydroxylase are discussed.
A theoretical study of transient stimulated Brillouin scattering in optical fibers seeded with phase-modulated light

Beam combining of phase-modulated kilowatt fiber amplifiers has generated considerable interest recently. We describe in the time domain how stimulated Brillouin scattering (SBS) is generated in an optical fiber under phase-modulated laser conditions, and we analyze different phase modulation techniques. The temporal and spatial evolutions of the acoustic phonon, laser, and Stokes fields are determined by solving the coupled three-wave interaction system. Numerical accuracy is verified through agreement with the analytical solution for the un-modulated case and through the standard photon conservation relation for counter-propagating optical fields. As a test for a modulated laser, a sinusoidal phase modulation is examined for a broad range of modulation amplitudes and frequencies. We show that, at high modulation frequencies, our simulations agree with the analytical results obtained from decomposing the optical power into its frequency components. At low modulation frequencies, there is a significant departure due to the appreciable cross talk among the laser and Stokes sidebands. We also examine SBS suppression for a white noise source and show significant departures for short fibers from analytically derived formulas. Finally, SBS suppression through the application of pseudo-random bit sequence modulation is examined for various patterns. It is shown that for a fiber length of 9 m the patterns at or near n=7 provide the best mitigation of SBS with suppression factors approaching 17 dB at a modulation frequency of 5 GHz.
Global asymptotic stability of a class of feedback neural networks with an application to optimization problems

By applying results from homotopy theory, new conditions are obtained for the existence and uniqueness of an equilibrium for a class of continuous-time feedback neural networks which contains the Hopfield model as a special case. Next, new criteria are established for the global asymptotic stability of the unique equilibrium of this class of neural networks by utilizing Lur'e-type Lyapunov functions and the stability theory for systems of differential inequalities. Several practical stability testing conditions are given. As a special case, criteria are derived for the global asymptotic stability of Hopfield neural networks. This is followed by a robustness analysis of the class of neural networks considered. The results obtained are then applied to an optimization problem.
Immunoelectron microscopic demonstration of insulin-stimulated translocation of glucose transporters to the plasma membrane of isolated rat adipocytes and masking of the carboxyl-terminal epitope of intracellular GLUT4.

Abstract Polyclonal antibodies to the amino- or carboxyl-terminated peptide sequences of the GLUT4 transporter protein were used in immunoelectron microscopic studies to demonstrate the location and insulin-induced translocation of GLUT4 in intact isolated rat adipocytes. Labeling of untreated adipocytes with the amino-terminal antibody revealed 95% of GLUT4 was intracellular, associated with plasma membrane invaginations or vesicles contiguous with or within 75 nm of the cell membrane. Insulin treatment increased plasma membrane labeling approximately 13-fold, to 52% of the total transporters, and decreased intracellular labeling proportionately. In contrast, labeling of untreated adipocytes with the carboxyl-terminal antibody or with a monoclonal antibody (1F8) that binds to the carboxyl terminus of GLUT4 detected fewer transporters, only approximately 40% of which were intracellular. In insulin-treated cells, plasma membrane labeling increased approximately 20-fold, but the total number of labeled transporters also increased approximately 13-fold. The number of intracellular transporters was not changed. The insulin-induced increase in plasma membrane labeling was reversible. Thus, the vast majority of GLUT4 transporters in untreated adipocytes are intracellular in invaginations or vesicles attached or close to the plasma membrane. Insulin treatment causes translocation of transporters to the plasma membrane, which involves flow of transporters from invaginations to the cell surface and possible fusion of subplasma membrane vesicles with the plasma membrane. Differences in the labeling of intracellular transporters by peptide antibodies suggested the carboxyl-terminal epitope of intracellular transporters was masked. The unmasking of the carboxyl terminus during translocation to the plasma membrane may be part of the mechanism by which insulin stimulates glucose transport in rat adipocytes.
SHD digital cinema distribution over a long distance network of Internet2

We have developed a prototype SHD (Super High Definition) digital cinema distribution system that can store, transmit and display eight-million-pixel motion pictures that have the image quality of a 35-mm film movie. The system contains a video server, a real-time decoder, and a D-ILA projector. Using a gigabit Ethernet link and TCP/IP, the server transmits JPEG2000 compressed motion picture data streams to the decoder at transmission speeds as high as 300 Mbps. The received data streams are decompressed by the decoder, and then projected onto a screen via the projector. With this system, digital cinema contents can be distributed over a wide-area optical gigabit IP network. However, when digital cinema contents are delivered over long distances by using a gigabit IP network and TCP, the round-trip time increases and network throughput either stops rising or diminishes. In a long-distance SHD digital cinema transmission experiment performed on the Internet2 network in October 2002, we adopted enlargement of the TCP window, multiple TCP connections, and shaping function to control the data transmission quantity. As a result, we succeeded in transmitting the SHD digital cinema content data at about 300 Mbps between Chicago and Los Angeles, a distance of more than 3000 km.
87Sr/86Sr in kimberlitic carbonates by ion microprobe; hydrothermal alteration, crustal contamination and relation to carbonatite

Carbonates in a 30 cm wide zoned kimberlite dyke from the De Beers Mine, Kimberley, S. Africa were studied by cathodoluminescence and electron microprobe techniques and their 87Sr/86Sr ratios were measured using an AEI-IM20 ion microprobe. Primary carbonates (including calcite dendrites, rhombohedral calcites in segregation vesicles and mosaic dolomite) have high Sr (0.69–1.35 wt.% SrO) and Ba (0.24–0.44% BaO) and 87Sr/86Sr ratios in the range 0.7046 to 0.7056. Secondary sparry calcite in amygdales and veins is characterised by low Ba (<0.05% BaO) and 87Sr/86Sr near 0.72. Rhombohedral calcite 0.5 cm from a contact with 2,900 my. old biotite-gneiss has minor element chemistry like that of primary carbonate, but an elevated 87Sr/86Sr ratio of 0.7103, possibly indicating crustal contamination in a boundary layer of the kimberlite magma. Amygdale-like segregations of carbonate and/or serpentine originated as gas-cavities and were not formed by liquid immiscibility. They are now filled either by secondary calcite or by minerals precipitated from residual kimberlite liquid. However, dendritic calcite and primary dolomite and calcite with high Sr, Ba and low 87Sr/86Sr demonstrate shared chemical characteristics between these carbonates and carbonatite. The primary kimberlite magma had initial 87Sr/86Sr close to 0.7046.