cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Trapping a Ru2O3 Corundum-like Structure at Ultrathin, Disordered RuO2 Nanoskins Expressed in 3D

Protocols that express functional materials in a way that amplifies their surface-to-volume ratio offer a means to probe the structural ambiguity and surface-mediated reactivity of technologically important materials. We previously reported that three-dimensional (3D) ultraporous scaffolds, such as silica aerogels, silica fiber paper, and carbon nanofoam paper (CNF), provide a form factor that expresses energy-storing, catalytic ruthenium oxide (RuOx) as essentially all-surface—and a highly disordered one at that. To track the chemical state and solid-state structure of the 3D-expressed RuOx nanoskins as a function of thermal processing, we use X-ray near-edge structure (XANES), extended X-ray fine structure (EXAFS), and differential pair-distribution function (DPDF) analyses. We find that a Ru-centered ∼2.4 A correlation present in the as-deposited oxide, also observed in PDF analysis of RuO2·nH2O but previously unassigned, fits the metastable corundum-like Ru2O3 structure. This corundum-like feature dim...
Effect of tibial rotation on the tibial plateau angle measurement in dogs: An ex vivo study

Objective To determine the effect of tibial rotation on radiographic tibial plateau angle (TPA) measurement in normal and cranial cruciate ligament (CrCL)-deficient stifles. Study design Cadaveric study. Sample population Five pairs of canine cadaver hind limbs with no stifle osteoarthritis. Methods Mediolateral radiographs of each specimen were obtained at 0°, 10°, 20°, and 30° of internal and external rotation of the tibia with both intact and transected CrCL. Two Kirschner wires were placed at the cranial and caudal landmarks of the tibial plateau, and the 0° views were imaged again, representing the anatomic TPA. Five observers measured the TPA twice on all images. Measurements were compared by using a mixed-model ANOVA. Intraobserver and interobserver variability were evaluated by using the coefficient of variation. Results Tibial plateau angle did not differ among the anatomic, CrCL-intact, and CrCL-deficient 0° views or between the CrCL-intact and CrCL-deficient views at the various tibial rotations. The only difference detected was between CrCL-intact stifles radiographed at 0° and external rotation (range, 1.16°-1.6°; P = .016, P = .001, and P .05). Conclusion In CrCL-deficient stifles, tibial rotation of up to 30° internally and externally did not result in clinically relevant changes in TPA measurements. Clinical significance The TPA can be successfully measured with up to 30° of internal and external tibial rotation in CrCL-deficient stifles with no osteoarthritic changes.
Writing in Korean as an Additional Language: Learners' Attitudes, Perceptions, and Informal Practices.

This study explores writing in Korean as an additional language in the United States and South Korea, focusing on learners’ perceptions, attitudes, and informal writing practices outside the class....
Ambulatory Hemodynamic Monitoring in the Management of Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension

Background: Pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) is characterized by pulmonary vascular remodeling, rise in pulmonary arterial pressures, and if left untreated, right heart failure. Invasive hemod...
Divine variations: how Christian thought became racial science

As humanity develops, emerging from its adolescent flirtations with magic, myth, and mystery, it becomes disenchanted with religion and eventually puts away childish things. Ready to embrace a matu...
Mental Health Insurance Parity: How Full Is the Glass?

The Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity Act (MHPAEA) of 2008, the federal law requiring parity in coverage for mental health and substance use disorder (MH/SUD) services and medical/surgical services offered in group health insurance plans, was the culmination of over fifty years of advocacy and debate. Advocates had pushed for parity in response to long-standing differences in the generosity of private insurance benefits for MH/SUD vs. medical/surgical services that left many with mental disorders without sufficient financial protection from the costs of treatment. The Affordable Care Act (ACA), which expanded coverage of MH/SUD and other services for millions of Americans, extended parity requirements to many other populations. This chapter discusses the history of parity and related policies, their primary goals, and research that examines the effects of MHPAEA and ACA parity policies. It will then discuss market failures that remain for MH/SUD services.
A Creole Synthesis: Archaeology of the Culturally Mixed Heritage Silas Tobias Site in Setauket, New York

Research on the Silas Tobias site in Setauket, New York has identified a small nineteenth-century homestead with a well-preserved and stratified archaeological context. Documentation of the site es...
Educational System Building

Recognizing that there are many different sorts of school systems in the United States and noting the absence of comparative research on these systems, we sampled six such systems—two public, one n...
Energetics of ångström-scale conformational changes in an RCK domain of the MthK K+ channel.

Allosteric proteins transition among different conformational states in a ligand-dependent manner. Upon resolution of a protein’s individual states, one can determine the probabilities of these states, thereby dissecting the energetic mechanisms underlying their conformational changes. Here we examine individual regulator of conductance to K+ (RCK) domains that form the regulatory module of the Ca2+-activated MthK channel. Each domain adopts multiple conformational states differing on an angstrom scale. The probabilities of these different states of the domain, assessed in different Ca2+ concentrations, allowed us to fully determine a six-state model that is minimally required to account for the energetic characteristics of the Ca2+-dependent conformational changes of an RCK domain. From the energetics of this domain, we deduced, in the framework of statistical mechanics, an analytic model that quantitatively predicts the experimentally observed Ca2+ dependence of the channel’s open probability. The energetics of Ca2+-dependent conformational changes in an RCK domain from MthK are now determined from real-time monitoring, leading to a model that predicts the channel’s open probability behavior.
Use of quantitative angiographic methods with a data-driven model to evaluate reperfusion status (mTICI) during thrombectomy

Intra-procedural assessment of reperfusion during mechanical thrombectomy (MT) for emergent large vessel occlusion (LVO) stroke is traditionally based on subjective evaluation of digital subtraction angiography (DSA). However, semi-quantitative diagnostic tools which encode hemodynamic properties in DSAs, such as angiographic parametric imaging (API), exist and may be used for evaluation of reperfusion during MT. The objective of this study was to use data-driven approaches, such as convolutional neural networks (CNNs) with API maps, to automatically assess reperfusion in the neuro-vasculature during MT procedures based on the modified thrombolysis in cerebral infarction (mTICI) scale. DSAs from patients undergoing MTs of anterior circulation LVOs were collected, temporally cropped to isolate late arterial and capillary phases, and quantified using API peak height (PH) maps. PH maps were normalized to reduce injection variability. A CNN was developed, trained, and tested to classify PH maps into 2 outcomes (mTICI 0,1,2a/mTICI 2b,2c,3) or 3 outcomes (mTICI 0,1,2a/mTICI 2b/mTICI 2c,3), respectively. Ensembled networks were used to combine information from multiple views (anteroposterior and lateral). The study included 383 DSAs. For the 2-outcome classification, average accuracy was 81.0% (95% CI, 79.0–82.9%), and the area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUROC) was 0.86 (0.84–0.88). For the 3-outcome classification, average accuracy was 64.0% (62.0–66.0), and AUROC values were 0.85 (0.83–0.87), 0.74 (0.71–0.77), and 0.78 (0.76–0.81) for the mTICI 0,1,2a, mTICI 2b, and mTICI 2c,3 classes, respectively. This study demonstrated the feasibility of using hemodynamic information in API maps with data-driven models to autonomously assess intra-procedural reperfusion during MT.
Proposed Legal Framework

This chapter delivers solutions in order to incorporate adequately international criminal law in the Mexican legal system. Amendments to the existing laws and selective adaptation of specific provisions are suggested. The major objective of these suggestions is to avoid gaps between international and domestic law. Legislative measures are suggested to the Mexican Constitution, Federal Criminal Code, Code of Military Justice and other secondary bodies of law which relate to international criminal law. Historical, Political and factual considerations are made when drawing upon these suggestions. Legislative steering also needs granting effectiveness to these rules and translating them into actual investigations and prosecutions. This requires political will, however the measures suggested would bring recognition for victims, promote civic trust, and contribute to the strengthening of the rule of democratic law. A transitional justice approach is also suggested as it provides clarification of facts, which in turn leads to the dismantling of corrupt structures, thereby fulfilling the preventive function of law enforcement vis-a-vis criminality.
Single-component multilayered self-assembling nanoparticles presenting rationally designed glycoprotein trimers as Ebola virus vaccines.

Ebola virus (EBOV) glycoprotein (GP) can be recognized by neutralizing antibodies (NAbs) and is the main target for vaccine design. Here, we first investigate the contribution of the stalk and heptad repeat 1-C (HR1C) regions to GP metastability. Specific stalk and HR1C modifications in a mucin-deleted form (GPΔmuc) increase trimer yield, whereas alterations of HR1C exert a more complex effect on thermostability. Crystal structures are determined to validate two rationally designed GPΔmuc trimers in their unliganded state. We then display a modified GPΔmuc trimer on reengineered protein nanoparticles that encapsulate a layer of locking domains (LD) and a cluster of helper T-cell epitopes. In mice and rabbits, GP trimers and nanoparticles elicit cross-ebolavirus NAbs, as well as non-NAbs that enhance pseudovirus infection. Repertoire sequencing reveals quantitative profiles of vaccine-induced B-cell responses. This study demonstrates a promising vaccine strategy for filoviruses, such as EBOV, based on GP stabilization and nanoparticle display. Ebola virus glycoprotein (GP) is a major target for vaccine design. Here, the authors identify mutations to improve GP stability and yield, design two multilayered nanoparticle carriers, and demonstrate good immunogenicity of the modified GP on nanoparticles in mice and rabbits.
Patient-physician pairing: does racial and ethnic congruity influence selection of a regular physician?

Many public and private sector efforts are devoted toward increasing the training of physicians from under-represented minority groups, yet little has been documented regarding the association between physicians' racial backgrounds and the patient populations they serve. To address this question, we use 1987 National Medical Expenditure Survey to examine the impact of race/ethnicity on the matching between physician and patients. Our results show that minority patients are significantly more likely to report having a minority physician as their regular doctor. We estimate that minority patients are five times as likely as non-minorities to report that their regular physician is a member of a racial/ethnic minority. This effect is especially pronounced among Hispanics who identify a Hispanic physician as their regular provider 19 times more often than non-minorities. After controlling for other socio-economic factors, both these figures remain significant, but drop by approximately one-half. These results support the notion that minority patients tend to see minority physicians at a disproportional rate independent of other socio-economic factors.
Dynamic Linkages of Interest Rates Within Ems: Implications for the 'German Dominance' Hypothesis and Monetary Policy

This paper explores the nature of the interaction of short- and long-term interest rates within the European Monetary System for the period 1979-1999. The empirical examination centers on the 'German Dominance' hypothesis which purports that German interest rates should convey valuable information to the other EMS countries' interest rates behavior. In other words, it is assumed that there exist uni-directional volatility spillovers from the Bundesbank to the other countries' central banks. The methodology employed is the multivariate framework of the EGARCH model which is capable of capturing the potential asymmetries and other anomalies of the volatility transmission mechanism. The results do not support the dominance hypothesis, in a strict sense, since Germany's monetary policy is influenced by the actions of its partners, especially since 1990. Finally, the implications for a European Union monetary policy are highlighted.
Setting Foot on Enemy Ground: Cease-and-Desist Letters, DMCA Notifications and Personal Jurisdiction in Declaratory Judgment Actions

In declaratory judgment actions brought by alleged infringers against rights holders, such as actions for declaration of invalidity or non-infringement of intellectual property rights, U.S. courts have long maintained that sending a cease-and-desist letter alone, absent other acts in an alleged infringer's forum, is not a sufficient basis for personal jurisdiction over the rights holder who mailed them to the alleged infringer's forum. Notwithstanding the similarities between cease-and-desist letters and notifications under the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA), the Tenth Circuit Court of Appeals recently decided that sending a notification alone does establish a basis for personal jurisdiction over the rights holder. Contrary to the decision of the Tenth Circuit, this article suggests that cease-and-desist letters and DMCA notifications should be treated similarly. First, as a matter of doctrine, the two instruments are similar enough to warrant application of the same rule. If a letter does not support the exercise of personal jurisdiction in declaratory judgment actions against the rights holder, neither should a notification. Second, as a matter of policy, maintaining the same approach to the two instruments would promote settlements. The Tenth Circuit's approach defeats this pro-settlement policy because it discourages rights holders from using notifications to achieve a speedy removal of allegedly infringing material from the Internet. To avoid personal jurisdiction in the infringer's forum, rights holders must refrain from using a notification and are thereby deprived of the option to stop further infringements immediately; without such an option they are less likely to seek settlement before filing a lawsuit. It is important to clarify whether notifications will be a basis of personal jurisdiction over a rights holder because the result will determine how practicable the use of notifications will be for rights holders and therefore how effective the notification system will be.
Liminal Gardens: Edenic Iconography and the Disruption of Sexual Difference in Tragedy

Societal fascination with and anxiety over the potential unfixing of essentialized, oppositional gender roles manifests itself at many different levels in early modern English drama. What Catherine Belsey labels “the tradition of female transvestism,” and its facilitation of staged, comedic, female usurpation of masculine authority, is noticeably absent from tragedy. This article proposes a tragic tradition employing Edenic iconography in connection with female gender-transgressive behavior. Kyd’s The Spanish Tragedy and Shakespeare’s Titus Andronicus showcase the ways in which the unfixing of sexual disposition intersects in tragedy with the garden/bower as a physical setting, with Edenic/garden metaphor applied to and around the bodies of the plays’ female characters, and with an emphasis on perpetual and multilayered vulnerability to observation which, as in Eden, threatens patriarchal inheritance and ultimately results in death.
PEBB Based DC System Protection: Opportunities and Challenges

This paper investigates the protection challenges that are associated with the adoption of DC distribution using power electronics based converters. Providing a comprehensive protection for a DC system requires fast detection of faults and fast opening action by DC circuit breakers. Another challenge is the protection of shunt capacitor banks used on the converters. The paper investigates the ways to address these challenges so that fast fault detection and isolation on a DC system can be achieved
Migraine, Large Pupils, Mitral Valve Prolapse and Emotional Disturbances: An Autonomic Disorder

SYNOPSIS Thirteen young women with vascular headaches and unusually large pupils seen at the Mount Sinai Headache Clinic, were investigated for the presence of autonomic dysfunction. Two had had a significant cerebral event: one, a frontal infarct and one, a transient hemisphere deficit. Measurement of the pupil size by pupillography showed only a small increase in size after Paredrine drops, indicating a partial saturation of iris adrenergic receptors. Hypertension was present in three, and low blood pressure in five. Red blotching of the face, neck, and thorax was present in seven. Emotional disturbances ranging from neurosis to manic depressive episodes and schizoid features were present in all. Echocardiography performed in nine patients demonstrated a mitral valve prolapse in eight. The severe headaches, as well as the mood swings and occasional cardiac complaints, responded well to propranolol (Inderal). This syndrome of autonomic dysfunction is thought to be a variant of “hyperdynamic s adrenergic circulatory state” (1–2) affecting the vessels of the scalp, skin, heart, and iris. The presence of M.V.P. places these migraine patients in a certain cardiac and neurologic risk category. Young patients with a diagnosis of ophthalmoplegic and hemiplegic migraine, should have a thorough cardiac evaluation in addition to CT Scan.
Continuous wave dye-laser technique for simultaneous, spatially resolved measurements of temperature, pressure, and velocity of NO in an underexpanded free jet

Gas dynamic quantities within an underexpanded nitrogen free jet, seeded with 0.5% NO, were measured nonintrusively by using an intracavity-doubled, rapid-tuning, cw ring dye laser. The UV beam passed obliquely through the jet axis, and its frequency repetitively scanned across adjacent rotational lines in the NO gamma band near 225 nm at a rate of 4 kHz. Spatially resolved excitation scans were obtained by monitoring the induced broadband fluoresence. Modeling the Doppler-shifted excitation scans with Voigt profiles permitted simultaneous determinations of NO velocity, rotational temperature, and pressure. Zero Doppler shift was referenced to an absorption trace obtained across a static cell and recorded concurrently with the excitation scan. Typically, the measured and predicted axial distributions agreed within 10%. At high Mach numbers there was evidence of rotational freezing of NO.
DTI fiber tracking to differentiate demyelinating diseases from diffuse brain stem glioma.

Abstract Object Intrinsic diffuse brainstem tumors and demyelinating diseases primarily affecting the brainstem can share common clinical and radiological features, sometimes making the diagnosis difficult especially at the time of first clinical presentation. To explore the potential usefulness of new MRI sequences in particular diffusion tensor imaging fiber tracking in differentiating these two pathological entities, we review a series of brainstem tumors and demyelinating diseases treated at our institution. Material and methods The clinical history including signs and symptoms and MRI findings of three consecutive demyelinating diseases involving the brainstem that presented with diagnostic uncertainty and three diffuse intrinsic brainstem tumors were reviewed, along with a child with a supratentorial tumor for comparison. Fiber tracking of the pyramidal tracts was performed for each patient using a DTI study at the time of presentation. Additionally Fractional Anisotropy values were calculated for each patient in the pons and the medulla oblongata. Results Routine MR imaging was unhelpful in differentiating between intrinsic tumor and demyelination. In contrast, retrospective DTI fiber tracking clearly differentiated the pathology showing deflection of the pyramidal tracts posteriorly and laterally in the case of intrinsic brainstem tumors and, in the case of demyelinating disease, poorly represented and truncated fibers. Regionalized FA values were variable and of themselves were not predictive either pathology. Conclusion DTI fiber tracking of the pyramid tracts in patients with suspected intrinsic brainstem tumor or demyelinating disease presents two clearly different patterns that may help in differentiating between these two pathologies when conventional MRI and clinical data are inconclusive.
Disarmed and Dangerous: The Strange Career of Bras-Coupéé

ABSTRACT This essay assesses the origin myths that have attached to Congo Square and its most famous dancer, Bras-Coupee, inorder to reflect upon their import within modern theories of blackness.
Soybean Seedling Growth Responses to Light Reflected From Different Colored Soil Surfaces

Spectral balance (quality) of light influences many aspects of plant growth and development; and spectral balance of reflected light in the seedling establishment zone is affected by the color of soil surfaces, plant residues, and mulches. Soybean seedling were grown over white, red, and black surfaces in greenhouse studies. It was concluded that the surface color of soil can substantially alter the growth and nodulation of soybean seedlings even though root zone temperatures under various surface colors are similar
High-performance AlGaN/GaN high electron mobility transistors on SiC

AlGaN/GaN high electron mobility transistors (HEMTs) grown on semi-insulating SiC substrates with a 0.12 μm gate length have been fabricated. These 0.12 μm gate length devices exhibited maximum drain current density as high as 1.23 A/mm and peak extrinsic transconductance of 314 mS/mm. A unity gain cut-off frequency (f T ) of 121 GHz and maximum frequency of oscillation (f max ) of 162 GHz were measured for these devices. These f T and f max values are the highest ever reported values for GaN-based HEMTs. Also, a continuous-wave (CW) output power density of 4.2 W/mm with an associated gain of 7.5 dB and a power-added-efficiency (PAE) of 26.4 % were obtained at 20 GHz.
Multi-level translation aids in a distributed system

At COLING80, we reported on an Interactive Translation System called ITS. We will discuss three problems in the design of the first version of ITS: (1) human factors, (2) the "all or nothing" syndrome, and (3) traditional centralized processing. We will also discuss a new version of ITS, which is now being programmed. This new version will hopefully overcome these problems by placing the translator in control, providing multiple levels of aid, and distributing the processing.
The effects of scene characteristics, resolution, and compression on the ability to recognize objects in video

Public safety practitioners increasingly use video for object recognition tasks. These end users need guidance regarding how to identify the level of video quality necessary for their application. The quality of video used in public safety applications must be evaluated in terms of its usability for specific tasks performed by the end user. The Public Safety Communication Research (PSCR) project performed a subjective test as one of the first in a series to explore visual intelligibility in video-a user's ability to recognize an object in a video stream given various conditions. The test sought to measure the effects on visual intelligibility of three scene parameters (target size, scene motion, scene lighting), several compression rates, and two resolutions (VGA (640x480) and CIF (352x288)). Seven similarly sized objects were used as targets in nine sets of near-identical source scenes, where each set was created using a different combination of the parameters under study. Viewers were asked to identify the objects via multiple choice questions. Objective measurements were performed on each of the scenes, and the ability of the measurement to predict visual intelligibility was studied.
Do the experiential and deterrent effect operate differently across gender

Abstract Deterrence research showed that successful criminal episodes tended to erode the effect of sanction risks. In particular, experience with offending—especially offending without punishment—was believed to cause individuals to lower their unrealistically high expectations of sanction risk. At the same time, other research showed that deterrence could work for some individuals such that high perceptions of sanction certainty tended to inhibit future episodes of criminal activity. One unanswered question was the extent to which these ‘experiential’ and ‘deterrent’ effects operated differently across gender. Self-reported survey information on over 2,000 adolescents was employed to examine whether the experiential and deterrent effects varied across gender. Results indicated more similarities than differences linking deterrent and experiential effects to self-reported delinquency. Future research directions are outlined.
Minimizing spacecraft attitude disturbances in space manipulator systems

This paper presents a technique called the enhanced disturbance map to plan space manipulator motions that will result in relatively low spacecraft disturbances. This subject is of significant concern because future robotic systems used in space may encounter problems due to the dynamic disturbances imposed on their spacecraft by their manipulator motions. Although a spacecraft's attitude control reaction jets can compensate for these dynamic disturbances, jet fuel is a limited resource and excessive disturbances would limit the life of a system. The enhanced disturbance map can aid in understanding this complex problem and in the development of algorithms to reduce disturbances, including ones that use manipulator redundancy to eliminate the disturbances.
Conventional zeta-function derivation of high-temperature expansions

Zeta-function regularisation (of functional determinants) is used to derive the exact high-temperature expansions of the thermodynamic potentials for the ideal massive Bose and Fermi gases for non-zero chemical potential. The purpose is to show agreement with the results obtained by the Mellin transform method, and by the method of zeta-function regularisation of infinite series. The generalised zeta functions calculated are the simplest examples of Feynman diagram zeta functions. The extension of these calculations to Euclidean manifolds M*En more complicated than the finite-temperature cylinder S1*En is discussed.
Characterization of three male-sterile mutants of Arabidopsis thaliana exhibiting alterations in meiosis

Male-sterile mutants are being studied to deepen our understanding of the complex processes of microsporogenesis and microgametogenesis. Due to difficulties associated with isolating the mutated gene, there is currently very little molecular information on the defects responsible for male sterility. As a first step in utilizing male-sterile mutants to better understand the bio-chemical and molecular processes that control pollen development, we have characterized a number of Arabidopsis thaliana lines that were generated by seed transformation and exhibit male sterility. We report here the identification and characterization of three male-sterile A. thaliana lines, all of which are tagged with T-DNA and show aberrant meiosis. A detailed cytochemical study was conducted on these lines to better understand the timing and nature of each mutation and to investigate how these mutations affect subsequent steps of pollen development. All three mutants undergo apparently normal morphogenesis until the onset of meiosis. In one line (6492) the mutation is most notable at the tetrad stage when up to eight microspores can be seen in each callose-encased tetrad. The resulting mutant microspores are of variable sizes and contain different amounts of DNA. Two other mutants (7219 and 7593) possess many common features, including variable developmental pathways, failure to produce callose, production of vacuolate, coenocytic (multi-nucleate) cells that are surrounded by persistent microsporocyte walls, and asynchronous patterns of development. Unlike the situation in wild-type plants, where developmental stages are correlated with bud length, such correlations are almost impossible with these two mutants. The sporogenous tissue within all three of these mutant lines collapses prior to anthesis.
GRADIENT DRIVEN AND SINGULAR FLUX BLOWUP OF SMOOTH SOLUTIONS TO HYPERBOLIC SYSTEMS OF CONSERVATION LAWS

We consider two new classes of examples of sup-norm blowup in finite time for strictly hyperbolic systems of conservation laws. The explosive growth in amplitude is caused either by a gradient catastrophe or by a singularity in the flux function. The examples show that solutions of uniformly strictly hyperbolic systems can remain as smooth as the initial data until the time of blowup. Consequently, blowup in amplitude is not necessarily strictly preceded by shock formation.
Pathology Quiz Case 2

A 78-YEAR-OLD WOMAN PRESENTED WITH A 9-year history of hoarseness, which had substantially progressed in the 12 months before presentation. Her medical history was remarkable for gastroesophageal reflux, which had been treated with Nissen fundoplication 2 years earlier. The results of a Bravo pH study performed 1 year earlier were negative. The patient had a 50 pack-year smoking history and had stopped using tobacco 9 years ago. Her vocal quality was strained and harsh, with normal frequency and significantly reduced pitch. Videostroboscopy revealed edematous, ambercolored mucosa of the false vocal cords, aryepiglottic folds, and arytenoids (Figure 1). The true vocal folds were mobile but with irregular mucosal thickening. A vibratory mucosal wave was not visualized owing to diffusely edematous false vocal cords. There were no ulcerative lesions; however, there was evidence of cobblestoning and redundancy of the interarytenoid mucosa. There also was a small amount of anterior webbing. Direct microlaryngoscopy with biopsy was recommended. Hematoxylin-eosin staining of the supraglottic and glottic larynx biopsy specimens revealed amorphous eosinophilic material beneath respiratory mucosa, which demonstrated squamous metaplasia (Figure 2). Congo red staining showed diffuse, muted, red, extracellular aggregates. Application of polarized light elicited birefringent deposits (Figure 3). Immunoperoxidase stains showed focal aggregates of CD20-positive B lymphocytes and CD3and CD43-positive T lymphocytes. A few scattered and -positive mature plasma cells were observed on and in situ hybridization. What is your diagnosis?
Computer visualization of pre-settlement and current forests in Wisconsin

A growing trend in public forest management is the inclusion of the public in the decision making process. Visual representations of the management process can assist in conveying complex management treatments. A second trend has been the promotion of biological diversity as a management objective. Ecosystem managers and restoration ecologists are using pre-settlement landscape patterns and forest conditions as a reference point to encourage the recovery of rare or extirpated species and habitat types. The problem is that information about pre-settlement conditions is limited. Our research goal was to visualize pre-settlement forests in Wisconsin and compare them with current forest conditions. Pre-settlement vegetation conditions were derived from computerized U.S. Public Land Survey records. Current forest conditions were derived from USDA Forest Service Forest Inventory and Analysis data. We used World Construction Set software (3D Nature, LLC) for the visualizations. Our results focus on ecosystems that are (a) still widespread but altered in structure and species composition (northern hardwoods communities) or (b) greatly diminished in extent (pine barrens communities). We found there are substantial visual differences between current and pre-settlement forests, most notably in species composition, density, and stand structural complexity. Our results highlight the potential of computer visualization as a tool to aid forest managers and restoration ecologists.
Triangular element for analysis of a stretched plate weakened by a part-through hole

A C0-type triangular element formulation in orthogonal curvilinear coordinates has been developed, based on assumptions of transverse inextensibility and layerwise constant shear angle, for analysis of a stretched homogeneous plate weakened by a part-through hole. The element stiffness matrix and consistent load vector have been derived using an assumed-quadratic-displacement (in the curvilinear coordinate plane) potential-energy approach. Numerical results obtained using the straight-sided triangular element version indicate the presence of transverse shear deformation in a stretched homogeneous plate weakened by a symmetrically located concentric hole.
Measured energy savings from residential retrofits: Updated results from the BECA-B project☆

Abstract This study summarizes measured data on energy savings from conservation retrofits in existing residential buildings. We have compiled building performance data on approximately 115 retrofit projects (almost twice the size of the initial study) that we put into four general categories: utility-sponsored conservation programs, low-income weatherization programs, research studies, and multifamily buildings. The sample size for each project varies widely, ranging from individual buildings to 33 000 homes. Retrofits to the building shell, principally insulation of exterior surfaces, window treatments, and infiltration-reduction measures, are the most popular, although data on various heating system retrofits are now available. The average retrofit investment per unit in multifamily buildings is approximately $695, far lower than the average of $1350 spent in single-family residences. The median annual space heat savings in the four categories range from 15 to 38 GJ. Savings achieved are typically 20%–30% of pre-retrofit space heating energy use although large variations are observed both in energy savings and in costs per unit of energy saved. Even given the wide range in savings, most retrofit projects are cost-effective. Approximately 75%–80% of the retrofit projects have costs of conserved energy below their respective space heating fuel or electricity prices.
Organizational Predictors of Expatriate Job Satisfaction

The study presented here attempted to identify the factors under the control of the organization that may predict expatriate job satisfaction. The results indicate that both job/task and organization characteristics are significantly related to both intrinsic and extrinsic job satisfaction. The results appear to have both managerial and research implications.
The effect of ecdysis on DNA of the hepatopancreas and green gland of the Florida spiny lobster (Panulirus argus)

The DNA content per gram of wet hepatopancreas and green gland of Panulirus argus was found to vary with molt stage. In hepatopancreas of premolt and postmolt spiny lobsters, the DNA content was, respectively, 5-fold and 3-fold higher than in intermolt animals. Green gland DNA content showed a trend of varying in the same manner as hepatopancreas DNA. The DNA content per gram of wet green gland from intermolt lobsters averaged about 50 times higher than that of hepatopancreas. The changes in DNA content were not related to changes in wet tissue weights during the molting cycle. The ratio of hepatopancreas or green gland wet weights to total body weight remained constant. A ribosomal DNA probe hybridized to intermolt hepatopancreas DNA samples to a much greater extent than to premolt or postmolt samples, suggesting that rDNA sequences are under-represented in the amplified DNA which occurs prior to ecdysis.
Individual, organizational, and societal empowerment: A study of the processes in a Nicaraguan agricultural cooperative.

Defined and examined the personal (material and psychological), organizational, and societal goals of empowerment. This exploration of empowerment was primarily based on 7 months of participant observation in an agricultural cooperative in Nicaragua in 1989. The research focused on the perspectives of the participants, internal program functioning, and relations to local organizations and the national context. This study shows that some factors in the cooperative setting enhanced empowerment at each level, while others impeded its development. The cooperative met immediate needs, and provided social status and a degree of autonomy in society. Its structure allowed for broad participating in decision making and control. “Sense-making” and informal consciousness-raising processes facilitated psychological empowerment. These processes were hidden in apparent disorganization and thus not recognized by local service providers. Fears of speaking in meetings and the reluctance to face crises were intense and influential. Opinions and behavior of outsiders and the environmental context, although seemingly helpful, also had detrimental effects. Parallels are drawn to empowerment theory and findings from other populations.
A low molecular weight PSMA-based fluorescent imaging agent for cancer

We synthesized YC-27 3 to provide a fluorescent imaging agent for the prostate-specific membrane antigen (PSMA), a marker for hormone-independent prostate cancer and tumor neovasculature, with suitable pharmacokinetics for use in vivo. Immediate precursor trifluoroacetate salt of 2-(3-{5-[7-(5-amino-1-carboxy-pentylcarbamoyl)-heptanoylamino]-1-carboxy-pentyl}-ureido)-pentanedioic acid 2 was conjugated with a commercially available near-infrared light-emitting dye (IRDye 800CW) to provide 3 in 72% yield. YC-27 3 demonstrated a PSMA inhibitory activity of 0.37 nM and was capable of generating target-to-nontarget ratios of at least 10 in PSMA-expressing PC3-PIP vs. PSMA-negative PC3-flu tumors in vivo. YC-27 3 may be useful for study of PSMA-expressing tissue in preclinical models or for intraoperative guidance.
Spike after-hyperpolarisation of a sympathetic neurone is calcium sensitive and is potentiated by theophylline

IN many neurones, calcium as well as sodium enters during the action potential1. Intracellular injection of calcium has been shown in several neurones to increase membrane conductance to potassium2,3, and voltage clamp experiments have demonstrated that inward calcium currents can activate outward potassium currents4–7. The action potential in many nerve cells is followed by a slower after-hyperpolarisation (AH), which results from increases of one or more potassium conductances8,9. Therefore, calcium influx during an action potential might activate part or all of the subsequent AH2,3,10. A calcium-dependent component of the AH has been demonstrated so far in myenteric plexus neurones11,12 and spinal motoneurones13. This component of the AH is blocked by Co2+, Mn2+ and La3+, which antagonise calcium influx12,13, but agents that potentiate such AHs have not been reported. We have used sucrose-gap recording14 to investigate the sympathetic ganglion of the bullfrog, and report here that the sympathetic neurones have a calcium-sensitive component of the spike AH. Furthermore, this calcium-sensitive potassium conductance is potentiated by theophylline, a drug known to affect cellular calcium metabolism.
Photochemical sources for atmospheric H2S

Technical report:Tropospheric chemical reactions resulting in the formation of hydrogen sulfides are described. The combination of hydroxides and carbon sulfate leads to the formation of carbon monoxides and H2 S. Subsequent reactions involving H2 S could lead to the production of sulfur dioxide. This compound is produced in copious quantities by sulfate metabolism under anaerobic conditions. Release to the atmosphere is relatively inefficient except for sources underlying shallow water. (1 diagram, 3 graphs, 40 references, 1 table)
Pulsed EPR studies of the exchangeable proton at the molybdenum center of dimethyl sulfoxide reductase

Electron spin echo envelope modulation (ESEEM) spectroscopy has been used to determine the hyperfine (hfi) and quadrupole (nqi) interactions of the exchangeable deuteron (proton) at the Mo(V) site of DMSO reductase. The data obtained have been translated into structure-related parameters. It was found that isotropic hfi constant of the proton is not unique, but is distributed within a range of 26–36 MHz. From this hfi distribution, a 30°-wide distribution of the OH bond orientations due to a rotation around the Mo-O bond was estimated. The angle between the axes of the nqi and anisotropic hfi tensors was found to be anomalously small in comparison with that expected from the Mo-O-D bond geometry. This peculiarity was attributed to the effect of spin density on the hydroxyl oxygen atom. The orientation of the Mo-OH fragment with respect to the g-frame was determined from the experimental orientations of the nqi and hfi tensor axes and a theoretical evaluation of the anisotropic hfi axis direction. Electronic supplementary material is available if you access this article at http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s00775-002-0393-8. On that page (frame on the left side), a link takes you directly to the supplementary material.
A comparative study of insecticide resistance assays with the German cockroach

Females of a diazinon-resistant strain of German cockroach exhibiting cross resistance to propoxur were evaluated for resistance to diazinon and propoxur by six assays: LD50s for topical application and injection; LC50, KT50 and LT50 for deposits on wood and KT50 for deposits on glass. Also investigated were certain variables in the topical application technique and the experimental conditions for topical synergism studies. Among all assays, diazinon resistance ratios (resistant:susceptible) ranged from 3- to 145-fold; propoxur varied from 1- to 14-fold. Resistance ratios based on KT50 data were consistently low (<4x) for both insecticides. Resistance to diazinon was 13x when applied topically and 6x when injected. Resistance to propoxur was 14x by injection compared to 8x for topical application. The LC50 assay exhibited the greatest difference in resistance to the two insecticides: namely, 145x to diazinon and 1x(no resistance) to propoxur. By LT50 analysis, resistance to propoxur was 10x compared with 100x resistance to diazinon. Thus, the method used had a significant effect on the final value of the resistance ratio. Even though resistance ratios may vary widely among different techniques, the final choice of a method depends upon many factors. The LT50 method may provide a more realistic appraisal of resistance in wild populations of German cockroaches especially when experimental residues are similar to those used in control programmes.
Over-moded W-band Traveling Wave Tube design

The design and cold test of an over-moded 94 GHz Coupled-Cavity Traveling Wave Tube (TWT) with operation in the rectangular TM 31 mode is discussed. Lower order modes are suppressed with dielectric loading. Simulations with CST Particle Studio show 31 dB of gain with 300 W peak output power. Cold test results for a 9-cavity structure agree well with HFSS simulations.
Force Field Validation Using Protein Side Chain Prediction

The prediction of protein side chain conformations is used to evaluate the accuracy of force field parameters. Specifically, new torsional parameters have recently been reported for the OPLS-AA force field, which achieved substantially better accuracy with respect to high level gas-phase quantum chemical calculations [J. Phys. Chem. B 2001, 105, 6474]. Here we demonstrate that these new parameters also lead to qualitatively improved side chain prediction accuracy. The primary emphasis is on the prediction of single side chain conformations, with the rest of the protein held fixed at the native configuration. Errors due to incomplete sampling can thus be essentially eliminated, using a combination of rotamer search and energy minimization. In addition, the protein environment is modeled realistically using implicit solvation and an explicit representation of crystal packing effects. Aided by the development of new algorithms, these calculations have been performed with modest computational requirements (a ...
A parametric linear complementarity problem involving derivatives

The problem considered in this paper is given by the conditions:w = q + tp + Mz, w ź 0,ź ź 0,wTź = 0, where a dot denotes the derivative with respect to the scalar parametert ź 0. In this problem,q, p aren-vectors withq ź 0 andM is an byn P-matrix. This problem arises in a certain basic problem in the field of structural mechanics. The main result in this paper is the existence and uniqueness theorem of a solution to this problem. The existence proof is constructive providing a computational method of obtaining the solution asymptotically.
Web-Scale Datacenters

This issue of Internet Computing surveys issues surrounding Web-scale datacenters, particularly in the areas of cloud provisioning as well as networking optimization and configuration. They include workload isolation, recovery from transient server availability, network configuration, virtual networking, and content distribution.
On the principle underlying the tabular method to compute coancestry

The tabular method to compute coancestry between two individuals is based on the principle that coancestry may be computed as the average coancestry between one individual and the parents of the other, on the condition that the former individual is not a direct descendent of the latter. It follows that coancestry also may be computed as the average of the four coancestries between the parents of the two individuals, on the condition that each individual is not a direct descendent of the other. The requirement for these conditions is explained.
Preliminary evaluation of Megamelus scutellaris Berg (Hemiptera: Delphacidae), a candidate for biological control of waterhyacinth

The planthopper Megamelus scutellaris (Hemiptera: Delphacidae) is a potentially valuable insect for biological control of waterhyacinth (Eichhornia crassipes (Mart.) Solms.: Pontederiaceae), a serious aquatic weed in many tropical and subtropical countries. Field surveys done in South America revealed that this insect is sympatric with waterhyacinth throughout the native range of the plant, from Peru to as far south as Buenos Aires Province, Argentina. The host range of this insect was preliminarily evaluated, as was its ability to damage the plant, in order to determine whether further study was warranted. Feeding was compared, using a preference index, among leaf disks of test plants in two multiple-choice experiments: one with and one without members of the family Pontederiaceae. A similar no-choice experiment employed various species of Pontederiaceae along with rice and maize. A paired oviposition choice experiment was done by caging gravid females on E. crassipes and Pontederia cordata plants and then counting eggs deposited as well as oviposition scars. The ability of the insect to damage waterhyacinth was assessed in a greenhouse by inoculating a single waterhyacinth plant with none, 10, or 20 adult planthoppers. The planthopper effect was measured by comparing plant biomass (dry weight) among treatments after 1 month. All of these studies suggested that M. scutellaris is host specific and has the ability to damage waterhyacinth. Some feeding and development occurred on other species in the family Pontederiaceae which may have been laboratory artifacts, but which mandates a cautious, further evaluation of this planthopper prior to its use as a classical biological control agent. Published by Elsevier Inc.