cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Ozone amount determined by transmittance measurements in the solar-blind ultraviolet spectral region.

Ozone amounts over ~1-km paths in the lower atmosphere are determined by transmittance measurements in the solar-blind UV using a mercury lamp and radiometer. Good agreement was found between radiometric and chemiluminescence methods of ozone measurements. Predicted correlation between NOx and O3 concentrations was experimentally confirmed. The presented method has a number of important features: long-path averaging; high SNR both at day and night; high sensitivity and accuracy; flexibility of the relative. measurement.
Research Report-Principles for Examining Predictive Validity: The Case of Information Systems Spending Forecasts

Research over two decades has advanced the knowledge of how to assess predictive validity. We believe this has value to information systems IS researchers. To demonstrate, we used a widely cited study of IS spending. In that study, price-adjusted diffusion models were proposed to explain and to forecast aggregate U.S. information systems spending. That study concluded that such models would produce more accurate forecasts than would simple linear trend extrapolation. However, one can argue that the validation procedure provided an advantage to the diffusion models. We reexamined the results using an alternative validation procedure based on three principles extracted from forecasting research: 1 use ex ante out-of-sample performance rather than the fit to the historical data, 2 use well-accepted models as a basis for comparison, and 3 use an adequate sample of forecasts. Validation using this alternative procedure did confirm the importance of the price-adjustment, but simple trend extrapolations were found to be more accurate than the price-adjusted diffusion models.
High temperature and high pressure Raman study of LiVO3

Abstract We investigate the vibrational behavior of LiVO 3 in the pyroxene structure, C2 c , using Raman spectroscopy at high temperature and high pressure. With increasing temperature, no phase changes are observed. Upon pressurizing, we find three phase transitions at 20, 45 and 65 kbar. The third phase transition is associated with the break-down of the chain structure. We discuss a possible mechanism for pyroxene-ilmenite or pyroxene-LiNbO 3 -type displacive transformations.
Composition of the upper clouds of Venus

Recent developments have shed new light on the composition of the upper Venus clouds. An analysis of the Mariner 5 occultation data has led to improved temperature and pressure profiles. When these are combined with transit data, it is concluded that there is an optically thin cloud layer with a top at 81-km altitude where the temperature and pressure are, respectively, 175 K and 3 mb. The inclusion of temperatures derived from the near-infrared CO2 bands leads to the postulate of a second cloud deck with a top at 61-km altitude, where temperature and pressure are 260 K and 240 mb. Additional important constraints on cloud models are imposed by the measured abundances of HCl and H2O, by the polarization data, and by the reflection and emission spectra. It is concluded that the leading candidate for the uppermost clouds is liquid drops of HCl-H2O, that there is no recommended candidate for the second cloud deck, and that H2O ice is at most a minor component of these cloud systems.
THE ENGINEERING FATIGUE PROPERTIES OF WROUGHT COPPER

— The paper presents a comprehensive review, supplemented by original data, of the engineering fatigue behaviour of copper. Variations in manufacturing route and softening treatments are shown to have little effect on the fatigue of annealed copper but the high cycle fatigue strength is increased by cold work. The high strain fatigue behaviour is defined in terms of the plastic strain range and the cyclic stress-strain characteristics are documented. Fatigue behaviour in bending and torsion is defined by data and related to that in tension by simple design rules. Notches are found to reduce the laboratory measured fatigue strength of copper by ∼ 30% and the effect of surface finish, surface distortion and surface residual stress is defined in the literature. Fatigue crack growth is defined in terms of stress intensity factor range ΔK by an upperbound law and, together with the conditions for non-growth (ΔK0), shown to relate to the equivalent conditions for steels via the ratio of the respective elastic moduli. The effect of environment on the fatigue of copper has received scant attention in the literature, such results as exist suggesting little if any reduction in strength to be brought about by gaseous or aqueous environments. The most dramatic change is the improvement of about an order of magnitude which results when tests in vacuum are compared with equivalent tests in air. Results of fatigue tests on copper in ammoniacal environments are conspicuously absent from the literature. As the test temperature is reduced below room temperature there is a predictable increase in high cycle fatigue strength, a reduction in fatigue strength occurring above room temperature. High strain fatigue test results presented in terms of plastic strain range appear insensitive to temperature although at very low strain rates and high temperatures a reduction in fatigue strength occurs. A linear life fraction cumulative damage creep-fatigue law appears sometimes to be non-conservative but much more testing is needed to evaluate fatigue damage summation laws generally for copper. Numerical data are given in support of all the aspects of the engineering fatigue behaviour reviewed in the paper.
Everything Was Forever, Until It Was No More: The Last Soviet Generation

Everything Was Forever, Until It Was No More: The Last Soviet Generation. Alexei Yurchak. Princeton: Princeton University Press, 2005. 331 pp.
Intestinal function and injury in acquired immunodeficiency syndrome-related cryptosporidiosis.

Abstract Background/Aims: The pathogenesis of the diarrhea in acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS)—related cryptosporidiosis is not known. The hypothesis of this study was that the intestinal dysfunction and injury are related to the number of organisms infecting the intestinal mucosa. The aim of this study was to study the influence of intensity of infection on intestinal function and injury in AIDS-related cryptosporidiosis. Methods: In 16 patients with AIDS with intestinal Cryptosporidium infection, the intensity of infection was quantified by counting the total number of fecal oocysts excreted in 24 hours and by determining the percent of duodenal epithelium covered by organisms. Intestinal function was assessed by vitamin B 12 absorption and serum d-xylose test. Intestinal injury was assessed by morphology of duodenal mucosa, differential urinary excretion of lactulose and mannitol, and fecal α 1 -antitrypsin clearance. Measurements were repeated after treatment with paromomycin. Results: Vitamin B 12 and d-xylose absorption negatively correlated with intensity of infection. Villus atrophy occurred only in patients with oocyst excretion of >10 8 oocyst/24 hours. Lactulose/mannitol urinary excretion ratio showed a positive correlation with intensity of infection. Intestinal function and injury improved in patients whose oocyst counts were reduced by treatment with paromomycin. Conclusions: Cryptosporidium infection in patients with AIDS causes malabsorption and intestinal injury in proportion to the number of organisms infecting the intestine.
Helium-cooled divertor module for fusion devices

The advanced fusion machines such as TPX, NET, and ITER have to be designed to handle a heat flux of about 5 to 15 MW/m2 in the diverter region. The present conceptual designs use water cooling. However water leaks will have very serious consequences in these machines. Cooling with a gas like helium is a very attractive alternative, if the pumping power can be limited to a reasonable value. Different concepts to cool diverter by helium gas were compared. It was found that it is feasible to remove significant steady state heat flux (10 to 20 MW/m2) by using helium at a pressure of 4 MPa (580 psia) and with pumping power less than 0.5% of the power removed, by using optimized designs. From pumping power consideration, various concepts rank in the following order: offset fins (best), fins, jets, 3-D roughness, 2-D roughness, smooth tubes (worst). A module based on this study has been designed and fabricated for a steady state operation at 10 MW/m2 and was tested at the High Heat Flux facility at Sandia National Laboratory. This paper also presents some preliminary studies of helium cooled ITER diverter.© (1993) COPYRIGHT SPIE--The International Society for Optical Engineering. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.
Morphosyntactic Structure of Phonological Words

Many theories of phonology use some notion of "word" as a unit of representation or as a domain for application of phonological processes. However, the determination of when a phonological unit counts as a word is not tied to any outside structure or definition, it is simply assumed as a primitive unit of the calculation. The assumption that the word is a primitive unit, however, is questioned by the theory of Distributed Morphology (Halle & Marantz 1993, et seq.). If the word is not a unit on the syntactic side of the derivation, however, then there is the question of where the unit of the phonological word comes from. The goal of this paper is to present an overview of a theory which calculates the correspondences between the information from the morphosyntax and the phonological domain of the word. This paper highlights a number of correspondences between morphosyntactic structures and phonological words and posits some possible operations on the PF derivation for creating phonological words from these structures.
Immunohistochemistry and reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction as methods for diagnostic determination of usher syndrome type IIa.

Objectives/Hypothesis: Patients having null mutations in the USH2A gene do not produce usherin and therefore are not positive for immunohistochemical staining of the usherin protein. Thus, immunostaining for usherin can serve as a reliable diagnostic tool for Usher syndrome type IIa. Study Design: Prospective. Methods: Immunohistochemical staining for usherin was carried out in basement membrane of minor salivary gland tissue from subjects with confirmed Usher syndrome type IIa and from archival minor salivary gland tissue from patients without Usher syndrome as control samples. Quantitative usherin messenger RNA analysis was performed using minor salivary gland biopsy tissue. Results: Five subjects with Usher syndrome type IIa had no immunostaining in minor salivary gland tissue, whereas control minor salivary gland tissue did stain with usherin antibody. No usherin RNA was detected in biopsy specimens from patients with confirmed Usher syndrome IIa. Conclusion: The feasibility was confirmed of diagnosing Usher syndrome type IIa using purified usherin antibody in subjects having two null USH2A mutations.
Web-based distance learning and the second digital divide

Web-based distance learning programs promise learning options anywhere, anytime, to anyone. However, some individuals with disabilities are locked out of these opportunities when courses are designed in such a way that they are inaccessible to individuals using assistive technology. This chapter provides an overview of access challenges for people with disabilities; suggestions for course developers on creating accessible courses; and suggestions for administrators on developing accessiblity policies, guidelines, and procedures.
Response to Comment on “Increased MKK4 Abundance with Replicative Senescence Is Linked to the Joint Reduction of Multiple MicroRNAs”

Moens and colleagues express concern that our report of phosphorylation of p38–regulated/activated protein kinase (PRAK) at Ser 93 in senescent cells may be incorrect as a result of their inability to detect phosphorylated PRAK with the same antibody. We provide additional characterization of the antibody that we used and show that there is a 42-kilodalton phosphoprotein detected by this antibody, but that this phosphoprotein may not be PRAK.
Fluoroscopic study of oral behaviours in response to the presence of a bit and the effects of rein tension

This study investigated intra-oral behaviours in horses wearing different bits with and without rein tension. Six riding horses wore a bridle and three bits: jointed snaffle, KK Ultra and Myler comfort snaffle. Lateral fluoroscopic images (30 Hz) were recorded for 20 s for each bit with loose reins and with 25 ^ 5 N bilateral rein tension. The videos were analysed to determine time spent in the following behaviours: mouth quiet, gently mouthing the bit, retracting the tongue, bulging the dorsum of the tongue over the bit, lifting the bit and other behaviours that were performed infrequently. Repeated-measures ANOVA indicated that behaviours did not differ between bits, so bit type was not predictive of behaviour, but there were significant effects of horse and rein tension. Horses spent less time quiet and more time mouthing the bit, retracting the tongue and bulging the tongue over the bit when tension was applied.
High-Throughput Soft-Output MIMO Detector Based on Path-Preserving Trellis-Search Algorithm

In this paper, we propose a novel path-preserving trellis-search (PPTS) algorithm and its high-speed VLSI architecture for soft-output multiple-input-multiple-output (MIMO) detection. We represent the search space of the MIMO signal with an unconstrained trellis, where each node in stage k of the trellis maps to a possible complex-valued symbol transmitted by antenna k. Based on the trellis model, we convert the soft-output MIMO detection problem into a multiple shortest paths problem subject to the constraint that every trellis node must be covered in this set of paths. The PPTS detector is guaranteed to have soft information for every possible symbol transmitted on every antenna so that the log-likelihood ratio (LLR) for each transmitted data bit can be more accurately formed. Simulation results show that the PPTS algorithm can achieve near-optimal error performance with a low search complexity. The PPTS algorithm is a hardware-friendly data-parallel algorithm because the search operations are evenly distributed among multiple trellis nodes for parallel processing. As a case study, we have designed and synthesized a fully-parallel systolic-array detector and two folded detectors for a 4 × 4 16-QAM system using a 1.08 V TSMC 65-nm CMOS technology. With a 1.18 mm2 core area, the folded detector can achieve a throughput of 2.1 Gbps. With a 3.19 mm2 core area, the fully-parallel systolic-array detector can achieve a throughput of 6.4 Gbps.
Reverse Takotsubo cardiomyopathy in the setting of anaphylaxis treated with high-dose intravenous epinephrine.

Abstract Background Takotsubo cardiomyopathy is seen, though rarely, in anaphylaxis treated with epinephrine. Stress cardiomyopathy is most likely to occur in middle-aged women. The underlying etiology is believed to be related to catecholamine release in periods of intense stress. Catecholamines administered exogenously, and those secreted by neuroendocrine tumors (e.g., pheochromocytoma) or during anaphylaxis have been reported to cause apical ballooning syndrome, or takotsubo syndrome. However, reverse takotsubo stress cardiomyopathy is rarely seen or reported in anaphylaxis treated with epinephrine. Objectives To report a case illustrating that high-dose intravenous epinephrine can trigger stress cardiomyopathy, and that the risk is heightened with inappropriate dosing in the treatment of anaphylaxis. Case Report We report a rare case of iatrogenic reverse takotsubo syndrome in a young woman who was inappropriately treated with high-dose intravenous epinephrine for mild anaphylaxis. Conclusion Inappropriately high doses of intravenous epinephrine can trigger stress cardiomyopathy. Emergency physicians should be familiar with the diagnosis, grading, and appropriate treatments of anaphylaxis to avoid this unnecessary complication.
Warped Mirrors for flash

Flash-based devices are cost-competitive to traditional hard disks in both personal and industrial environments and offer the potential for large performance gains. However, as flash-based devices have a high bit-error rate and a relatively short lifetime, reliability issues remain a major problem. One possible solution is redundancy; using techniques such as mirroring, data reliability and availability can be greatly enhanced. All standard RAID approaches assume that devices do not wear out, and hence distribute work equally among them; unfortunately, for flash, this approach is not appropriate as the life of flash cell depends on the number of times it is written and cleaned. Hence, identical write patterns to mirrored flash drives introduce a failure dependency in the storage system, increasing the probability of concurrent device failure and hence data loss. We propose Warped Mirrors as a solution to this endurance problem for mirrored flash devices. By carefully inducing a slight imbalance into write traffic across devices, we intentionally increase the workload of one device in the mirror pair, and thus increase the odds that it will fail first. Thus, with our approach, device failure independence is preserved. Our simulation results show that across both synthetic and traced workloads, little performance overhead is induced.
Inference attacks on location tracks

Although the privacy threats and countermeasures associated with location data are well known, there has not been a thorough experiment to assess the effectiveness of either. We examine location data gathered from volunteer subjects to quantify how well four different algorithms can identify the subjects' home locations and then their identities using a freely available, programmable Web search engine. Our procedure can identify at least a small fraction of the subjects and a larger fraction of their home addresses. We then apply three different obscuration countermeasures designed to foil the privacy attacks: spatial cloaking, noise, and rounding. We show how much obscuration is necessary to maintain the privacy of all the subjects.
Finite-gain amplifiers with composite operational amplifiers: input impedance and stability limitations

An investigation is conducted of the input impedance of non-inverting amplifiers realized by the four composite OAs (operational amplifiers) namely, C20A-1, C20A-2, C20A-3, and C20A-4. Also, the author reexamines the necessary and sufficient conditions of stability. In this regard he adopts the OA two-pole model. It is shown that for the C20A-1 and C20A-4 realizations the input impedance becomes finite and dependent on GB (gain-bandwidth product). Thus, at relatively high frequency this impedance must be taken into consideration. The condition of stability for the four amplifier realizations (inverting and non-inverting) is derived. >
Elucidating posttraumatic stress symptom profiles and their correlates among women experiencing bidirectional intimate partner violence.

OBJECTIVE: This study employed latent class analysis to identify profiles of women experiencing intimate partner violence (IPV) based on the severity of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms. METHOD: Self-report data from a sample of 369 women experiencing bidirectional IPV was used. RESULTS: A 3-class solution comprising low, moderate, and high PTSD severity profiles best fit the data. Profiles were differentially related to whether IPV victimization was considered traumatic (PTSD criterion A); whether functioning was impaired as a result of PTSD symptoms (PTSD criterion F); whether the woman met full diagnostic criteria for PTSD; depression symptom severity; and severity of psychological, physical, and sexual IPV victimization and use of IPV. An extremely high percentage of women in the high (96%) and moderate (88%) severity classes experienced functional impairment, although many did not meet full diagnostic criteria for PTSD. CONCLUSIONS: Findings support the need for interventions individually tailored to one's treatment needs based on the nature of one's traumatic stressor and the impact of PTSD on daily functioning. Language: en
Articular Cartilage Blood Vessels in Swine Osteochondrosis

Perfusion studies in swine with early lesions of osteochondrosis demonstrated that lamellar areas of chondrocyte necrosis within reserve zones of growth areas occurred only in regions of nonperfused articular cartilage. Articular cartilage with a similar anatomical location was perfused in some animals. Occasionally, nonperfused articular cartilage showed vascular alterations within cartilage canals without evidence of significant perivascular or lamellar necrosis. By light microscopy, some vessels within or adjacent to nonperfused articular cartilage had normal morphology; however, ultrastructural abnormalities were found in some vessels of all cartilage canals adjacent to necrotic cartilage lamella. Minimal alterations were in the few cartilage canal vessels that appeared normal by light microscopy, and the surrounding chondrocytes showed only minimal alterations. Early cartilage canal alterations were seen in the endothelium of cartilage canal capillaries, and ultrastructural changes in these vessels were similar to those described with experimentally induced, direct vascular injury. Vascular injury was followed by leakage of plasma and cells into the interstitial space of the cartilage canal. Necrosis of the vessel wall and interstitial tissue caused the cartilage canals to appear empty or to be filled with fibrin-like material. Although the vascular changes could be considered as part of the normal process of cartilage maturation and cartilage canal chondrification, observations suggest that in domestic swine the attendant cartilage necrosis and chondrolysis is exuberant. It is suggested that alterations in cartilage canal vessels play a major role in the pathogenesis of articular cartilage lesions that are found in osteochondrosis of swine.
Determination of the optimal regularization parameters in hyperspectral tomography

In a previous paper, we described a novel technique to exploit hyperspectral absorption spectroscopy to retrieve tomographic imaging of temperature and species concentration simultaneously. This technique casts the tomographic inversion into a nonlinear minimization problem with regularizations. Here a simple and effective method is developed to determine the optimal regularization parameters in the nonlinear optimization problem. This method, combined with the minimization method described previously, provides a robust algorithm for hyperspectral tomography. This method takes advantage of an inherent feature of absorption and is therefore expected to be useful for other sensing techniques based on absorption spectroscopy.
Transport properties and stability of cobalt doped proton conducting oxides

Abstract Cobalt doping between 2 and 10 at.% was utilized to lower the required sintering temperature of materials in the series BaCe 0.5 Zr 0.4 (Y,Yb) 0.1 − y Co y O 3 − δ to between 1373 and 1698 K. The required sintering temperature decreased with increasing Co content; however, significant electronic conductivity was observed in both oxidizing and reducing environments for materials with 10 at.% Co. This was accompanied by a loss of chemical stability in H 2 O/H 2 and CO 2 environments. BaCe 0.5 Zr 0.4 Yb 0.07 Co 0.03 O 3 − δ was stable in these environments and provided the highest proton conductivity of the materials tested, 1.98 × 10 − 3 S/cm at 923 K in humidified H 2 . Measurements in a hydrogen concentration cell indicated that the total ionic transference number for this material was between 0.86 and 1.00 with proton transference number between 0.84 and 0.75 at 773 and 973 K respectively. Under oxidizing conditions, the ionic transference number decreased to below 0.10. The grain boundary resistance dominated the total conductivity at low temperatures but was found to decrease with increased sintering temperature due to grain growth.
Memories of the 1982 ILGWU Strike in New York Chinatown

In June 1982, more than 20,000 immigrant women garment workers went on strike in New York Chinatown to demand a good contract. Their employers demanded deep cutbacks in wages and benefits, and threatened to withdraw from the union altogether if their demands weren't met. However at the sight of thousands of immigrant women workers marching through the streets of Chinatown, the employers quickly withdrew their demands, and within hours the workers and their union had won the strike.
Myocardial blood flow quantitation (MBFQ) with 99mTc-sestamibi dynamic SPECT (dSPECT) for prediction of angiography documented coronary artery disease (CAD): The impact of missing attenuation correction (AC)

1728 Objectives MBFQ with AC dSPECT previously demonstrated clinical value in CAD detection (Chen et al, RSNA 2013). The adequateness of dSPECT without AC (No-AC) for MBFQ is still unknown. We aim to evaluate the impacted diagnostic capability of No-AC dSPECT using invasive coronary angiography (CAG) as the reference standard. Methods Patients (n=25) who received a dSPECT scan under 2-head SPECT and separate CT or SPECT/CT scanners with CAD verified by CAG were included (CAD=14, non-CAD=11, Age=69.7, BMI=24.5, M=15). Rest/dipyridamole-stress dSPECT images were reconstructed with physical corrections and No-AC or AC by using a single CT scan for AC. Blood flow in heart was quantified with 1-tissue compartment model with corrections of spillover, tracer extraction and rest condition. Values and heterogeneity (SD/mean*100%) of flow and coronary flow reserve (CFR=stress flow/rest flow) obtained from both image sets were analyzed. Receiver operating characteristics (ROC) statics was further employed to assess the CAD detection of No-AC and AC using the criterion of ≥50% stenosis as CAD positive. Results No-AC dSPECT significantly had higher stress K1 (21%), stress flow (49%), CFR (243%) with 2.0 times (1.6-2.4) elevated heterogeneity than AC dSPECT. ROC analysis further revealed No-AC dSPECT underperformed AC SPECT for CAD detection although insignificantly. Conclusions Missing AC in dSPECT reduced the accuracy of MBFQ and amplified flow heterogeneity. Attenuation correction for dSPECT is mandatory to warrant the diagnostic performance of MBFQ.
Booming Medical Tourism in India

India's healthcare sector has made impressive strides in recent years and the country is increasingly projected as a "healthcare hub". Several features have positioned India as an ideal healthcare destination, like cost effective healthcare solutions, availability of skilled healthcare professionals, reputation for successful treatment in advanced healthcare segments, increasing popularity of India's traditional wellness systems and rapid strides made in information technology. The aim of this research paper is to analyze the development of medical tourism in India.Medical Tourism industry in India is growing and it has vast potential for generating employment and earning large amount of foreign exchange besides giving a fillip to the country's overall economic development. Medical tourism is a multi-dimensional activity, and basically a service industry, it would be necessary that all wings of the Central and State governments, private sector and voluntary organizations become active partners in the endeavor to attain sustainable growth in tourism if India is to become a world player in the medical tourism industry. The medical tourism industry offers high potential for India primarily because of its inherent advantages in terms of cost and quality. However the competition is getting heated up and the success in future will largely be determined by development and implementation of a joint strategy by various players in the industry. Medical tourism is highly affected to travelers, hospitals, insurance companies, hotels etc. considering direct and indirect impact of medical tourism it could be conclude that with short term & long term strategies planning and using the specific abilities and tourism products of developing countries, which suffer from some indices as unemployment, limits in earning and currency flows, inflation and other problems most of their economic problems can be solved.
Building extension's capacity through knowledge of global aging issues.

A willingness to explore the global stage can improve and embellish Extension program development, implementation, and evaluation methods. Understanding various models of aging from around the world builds capacity and invites the cultivation of innovative responses in local communities. China is instructive to those interested in expanding their perspectives of older adult programming due to its large population, aging society, culture, and political reforms. Insight into Chinese efforts and the possible applicability of that response to Extension programming is shared through observations from the Seminar in Aging conducted by the American Society on Aging in Beijing in May 2007.
Inherited thrombocytopenia due to GATA-1 mutations

The GATA family of transcription factors, including the founding member, GATA-1, have an important role in gene regulation. GATA-1 is integral to successful hematopoiesis. A wide variety of mutations in GATA-1 affect its function, as well as its interaction with its cofactors (especially Friend of GATA) and the genes upon which GATA-1 acts. Here we review the known mutations, focusing on the specific alterations within the amino acid sequence, the resulting effect on hematopoietic development, and the clinical manifestations that result. Attention is also paid to the relationship between Trisomy 21, also known as Down syndrome, and the phenomenon of a truncated GATA-1, named GATA-1s. The evidence for specific interaction between GATA-1 and chromosome 21, which may explain the correlation between these two mutations, is briefly reviewed.
Hydrothermal Single-Crystal Growth of Lu2O3 and Lanthanide-Doped Lu2O3

The hydrothermal growth of bulk single crystals of lutetium oxide (Lu 2 O 3 ) is reported. Crystals were grown at 600― 650 °C at 2 kbar in water with high concentrations (10―20 M) of KOH as a mineralizer. Under these conditions crystals formed spontaneously and could also be transported to suitable seeds to form large (3—8 mm/edge) single crystals. Experiments were done to optimize transport conditions and the quality of the crystals for the first time. The crystals were doped with trivalent laser active ions such as Er 3+ and Yb 3+ . Absorption spectra of the doped materials were determined. Thermal conductivities of the pure single crystals as well as of the Yb-doped crystals were determined between room temperature and 77 K. The conductivity of the pure crystals increases significantly at lower temperatures as expected, and is significantly greater than that of YAG. The Yb-doped crystals have a thermal conductivity almost unchanged from the pure host, which is promising for use in high-energy laser applications.
Can One See the Shape of a Surface

Some ten years ago Professor Mark Kac published in these pages an article [3] entitled "Can one hear the shape of a Drum?". Under this provocative title Kac raised a fascinating question: To what extent is the shape of a smooth closed surface (a drum) determined by the eigenvalues of the classical Dirichlet problem for the interior? Since these eigenvalues are just the resonance frequencies for the acoustic wave motion in the interior, the question asks: to what extent is the shape of a surface determined by the sound of its interior? This problem is a representative example of a class of problems, called inverse problems, which are quite different in character from the more familiar direct problems of partial differential equations. Generally speaking, direct problems ask us to develop a solution from the data, Whereas inverse problems ask us to recover the data from the solution. Inverse problems have attracted a consideKable and increasing interest in recent years because of their many immediate practical applications in our physical world. A splendid introduction may be found in Prof. Keller's recent article [20]. Typically they are very hard problems; Kac's problem, for example, remains unsolved today, though it has given rise to a considerable literature. Here we should like to raise a companion question: To what extent is the shape of a surface determined by the eigenfunctions of the classical Dirichlet problem for the exterior? We must note first of all that information about the shape of the drum is not to be found in the eigenvalues of the exterior problem, since, as we shall see, these consist of all negative real numbers, no matter what the shape. So whatever information about the shape can be recovered from the solution must be somehow contained in the eigenfunctions of the exterior problem. In particular, we expect on the basis of pract,ical experience that this information should be available in the asymptotic behavior of these eigenfunctions at great distances from the surface, since it is this behavior that determines what we "see" when the surface is "illuminated" by a given "source" of light, radar, or sonar waves. That is, we expect to find that the shape of a surface is determined by the sight of its exterior. Thus we can see the shape of a drum, even if we can't hear it.
NEW ASPECTS OF THE CHROMOREACTIONS FOR THE DIAGNOSIS OF PHEOCHROMOCYTOMA

There are 4 valid histochemical tests for catecholamines in pheochromocytomas: the gross chromoreaction (GCR), the microscopic Henle chromoreaction (MHCR), cellular fluorescence following exposure to formalin (CFF), and potassium iodate oxidation (PIO). The so-called "substitute chromaffin tests" do not relate specifically to catecholamines, either directly or indirectly; thus there seems to be no justification for their continued use in the pathologic diagnosis of pheochromocytoma. The MHCR is the only well-established chromoreaction, having been described just 100 years ago by Joesten and amplified by Henle. Surprisingly the MHCR has rarely been used in the pathologic diagnosis of pheochromocytomas despite Karsner's dictum that a diagnosis of pheochromocytoma "is not valid in the absence of a positive chromaffin reaction." Many reports referring to the MHCR or, more popularly to "chromaffinity," often turn out to be based on "substitute chromaffin" tests and thus are not valid findings. To emphasize the neglect of the MHCR, it is interesting to note that photographic documentation of a MHCR is a rarity. The GCR seems to be essentially unrecognized, which is again surprising, inasmuch as the reaction is intense and offers an immediate postresection evaluation. The PIO and CFF tests have been developed recently for the normal adrenal medulla and, understandably, there is little information available with respect to pheochromocytoma. That PIO is of potential importance, however, as a weakly positive
Cost savings and deregulation: an analysis of fuel cost savings in deregulated electricity markets

ABSTRACTUnregulated utilities face competitive pressures that lead to cost-minimizing activities, but regulated monopolies in the US electricity generation sector face pressures only from regulators who must balance a desire for lower prices against the need for the utility to generate a sufficient return to encourage investment. This paper analyses the cost-minimizing behaviours of regulated utilities by comparing their average input coal costs with those of deregulated utilities purchasing coal from the same mine during the same month of the same year. Results indicate that coal-fired electric plants operating in deregulated electricity markets negotiate prices that are 6.1 ¢/MMBtu (3.5%) less than their regulated counterparts. In percentage terms, this is a fairly small discount for deregulated plants, but it happens to be on par with the restructuring gains that others have estimated for labour and nonfuel costs.
Rheology of lyotropic cholesteric liquid crystal forming single-wall carbon nanotube dispersions stabilized by double-stranded DNA

The rheology of lyotropic cholesteric liquid crystalline phase forming double-stranded DNA (dsDNA) stabilized single-wall carbon nanotube (SWCNT) dispersions was analyzed over a wide range of SWCNT concentrations. In the semidilute regime, supernatant dispersions of dsDNA-SWCNTs showed the characteristic rheological behavior of semidilute solutions of rods predicted by the Doi-Edwards theory. These cholesterogenic liquid crystal dispersions exhibited some of the key rheological behaviors associated with lyotropic liquid crystalline polymers (LLCPs) including a non-monotonic relationship in the viscosity and moduli versus concentration curves, and the empirical Cox-Merz not being obeyed. However, the dsDNA-SWCNT viscosity versus shear rate curves exhibited an inflection point instead of the three distinct regions associated with many LLCPs and nanocylinder dispersions. This could be related to orientation defects and inherent secondary interactions between the dsDNA and the SWCNTs. Linear viscoelasticity measurements also showed similarities to other lyotropic systems.
Hypoglossal nerve palsy: 245 cases

Introduction Apart from a case series of 100 subjects in 1996 and several small cohorts, there have been no large retrospective series of cranial nerve XII (CN XII) palsy. Methods From 1984 to 2014, 245 cases of CN XII palsy were identified via retrospective chart review using historical and exam findings that confirmed the diagnosis. In addition to clinical characteristics, univariate and multivariate models were investigated to predict neoplastic CN XII palsy. Results Major etiologic categories included: postoperative (29.3%), idiopathic (15.1%), primary neoplastic (14.2%), metastatic malignancy (13.0%), inflammatory (7.3%), radiation (6.1%), and traumatic (4.1%). A multivariate model revealed male gender and a personal history of cancer as predictive of neoplastic CN XII palsy. Conclusions The most frequent etiologies and disease categories of CN XII palsy were identified, and male gender and personal history of cancer were found to be predictive of a neoplastic cause of CN XII palsy. Muscle Nerve 54: 1050-1054, 2016.
Utility of 5-Cyanotryptophan Fluorescence as a Sensitive Probe of Protein Hydration

Tryptophan (Trp) fluorescence has been widely used to interrogate the structure, dynamics, and function of proteins. In particular, it provides a convenient and site-specific means to probe a protein's hydration status and dynamics. Herein, we show that a tryptophan analogue, 5-cyanotryptophan (TrpCN), can also be used for this purpose, but with the benefit of enhanced sensitivity to hydration. This conclusion is reached based on measurements of the static and time-resolved fluorescence properties of 5-cyanoindole, TrpCN, and TrpCN-containing peptides in different solvents, which indicate that upon dehydration the fluorescence quantum yield (QY) and lifetime (τF) of TrpCN undergo a much greater change in comparison to those of Trp. For example, in H2O the QY of TrpCN is less than 0.01, which increases to 0.11 in 1,4-dioxane. Consistently, the fluorescence decay kinetics of TrpCN in H2O are dominated by a 0.4 ns component, whereas in 1,4-dioxane the kinetics are dominated by a 6.0 ns component. The versatile utility of TrpCN as a sensitive fluorescence reporter is further demonstrated in three applications, where we used it (1) to probe the solvent property of a binary mixture consisting of dimethyl sulfoxide and H2O, (2) to monitor the binding interaction of an antimicrobial peptide with lipid membranes, and (3) to differentiate two differently hydrated environments in a folded protein.
Realism in the Twentieth-Century Indian Novel: Colonial Difference and Literary Form

Early twentieth-century Indian novels often depict the harsh material conditions of life under British colonial rule. Even so, these 'realist' novels are profoundly imaginative. In this study, Ulka Anjaria challenges the distinction between early twentieth-century social realism and modern-day magical realism, arguing that realism in the colony functioned as a mode of experimentation and aesthetic innovation – not merely as mimesis of the 'real world'. By examining novels from the 1930s across several Indian languages, Anjaria reveals how Indian authors used realist techniques to imagine alternate worlds, to invent new subjectivities and relationships with the Indian nation and to question some of the most entrenched values of modernity. Addressing issues of colonialism, Indian nationalism, the rise of Gandhi, religion and politics, and the role of literature in society, Anjaria's careful analysis will complement graduate study and research in English literature, South Asian studies and postcolonial studies.
L2 SELVES, EMOTIONS, AND MOTIVATED BEHAVIORS

This study has aimed to investigate language learners’ emotional experiences through the lens of L2 future self-guides. To that end, the L2 motivational self system was chosen as the theoretical framework to relate learners’ emotions to their L2 selves. However, due to inconsistent results of past research concerning the motivational role of the ought-to L2 self, a revision of the model is proposed, discussed theoretically, and tested empirically. The results revealed a trichotomous model of L2 selves—ideal L2 self, ought-to L2 self/own, and ought-to L2 self/others—with distinct motivational profiles. Furthermore, different types of L2 self-discrepancies were found to result in different emotional reactions on the part of L2 learners. Overall, the study provides a clearer picture of L2 learners’ emotions and their motivation in second language acquisition.
Future of the Discipline: The Challenges, the Research, and the Social Contribution

(1994). Future of the Discipline: The Challenges, the Research, and the Social Contribution. Annals of the International Communication Association: Vol. 17, Communication Yearbook 17, pp. 565-600.
Using the ARM Cortex-M4 and the CMSIS-DSP library for teaching real-time DSP

In this paper we describe experiences working with the Cortex-M4 microcontroller in a graduate/senior elective real-time DSP course. Previously the same course used dedicated DSP processors, but the invitation from the ARM University Program to try out a new Lab-in-a-box (LiB) kit for teaching real-time DSP was intriguing. The hardware is inexpensive, costing only $50, thus allowing students to buy their own boards. The LiB comes with teaching materials, but beyond the use of the audio codec software library, essentially all of this new course was developed by rewriting teaching materials from a previous course, and making extensive changes to adapt to the new software and hardware. Of particular interest is CMSIS-DSP, the Cortex-M Software Interface Standard (CMSIS) DSP library, which contains over 60 DSP algorithms in both fixed-point and floating-point. By using this library students become familiar with the Misra C coding standard, and software re-use. Developing algorithms in C from scratch is still needed and encouraged. When writing a custom filter algorithm for example, the students can benchmark against one or more CMSIS-DSP library algorithms. The Digilent Analog™Discovery PC-based instrumentation and the use of IPython notebook were also added into the new course.
Parathyroid Hormones (PTH) Serum Variations Are Associated with Bortezomib Response in Multiple Myeloma Patients

A correlation between increase in bone markers (alkaline phosphatase (ALP) and response to bortezomib in patients with multiple myeloma (MM) has been previously described. We now report results from a prospective study examining the relationship of serum PTH variation with skeletal effects and myeloma response to bortezomib treatment. Methods: Single agent bortezomib (1.3 mg/m2 patients 1–10; 1mg/m2 patient 11–20), was administered to patients with relapsed/refractory MM on days 1, 4, 8 and 11 on a 21 day interval for a total of 3 cycles; patients were not allowed to receive concurrent bisphosphonates or any other anti-myeloma drugs during the study period. Dynamic indices of bone turnover were prospectively evaluated by high-resolution microCT. Architectural parameters such as bone volume/total volume (BVTV), trabecular number (TbN), and thickness (Tb.Th) was obtained. PTH along with bone markers (osteocalcin, calcium, magnesium, phosphorus and serum creatinine) were measured on days 1, 4, 8, 11 before and after each bortezomib dose and every 4 hours thereafter, daily for the other days of the treatment cycle. Results: Seventeen patients were enrolled in the study with a median age of 63 years, 41 % were male and 3/4 of the patients previously failed high-dose chemotherapy. Histomorphometric microCT comparative analysis was completed (baseline and post-treatment) in 7 of the 17 patients enrolled in the trial. Baseline BV/TV values ranged from 13% to 90%. After 3 cycles of bortezomib treatment a statistically significant increase in BV/TV was recorded in 6 of 7 patients (P<0.02). Median serum osteocalcin values increased from 1.95 ng/ml at baseline to 7.16 ng/ml at the end of the third bortezomib cycle. Serial PTH levels were measured in all enrolled patients. Median PTH variation across cycle of the entire group of patients is shown in Fig. 1A. Comparing patients who achieved at least a PR (according to the European Group for Blood and Marrow Transplant criteria) versus the others, median PTH levels separate after the second Bortezomib injections and were statistically higher in responding patients on days 11 (p=0.04), 21 (p=0.04), and 33 (p=0.04) (Fig. 1b). No significant changes from baseline in PTH levels were observed in control patients (≤PR). No serum differences in calcium, magnesium, phosphorus, and creatinine levels were recorded between responders and non-responder individuals. Conclusion: This Phase II study is the first to show that response to bortezomib in multiple myeloma treated patients is associated with changes in serum PTH level concentration, which appears to be independent from calcium metabolic regulation. ![Figure][1] Figure [1]: pending:yes
Inexpensive Device for CIP Cleaning of the Inside of a Beef Carcass Spray Chamber1,2

An automated device for spray-type cleaning-in-place of a beef carcass washer constructed of linear polyethylene was evaluated by microbiological tests. Swabbing of seams at the welded joints, followed by plating of the swab rinse solution, disclosed that cleaning reduced counts by more than 99%. The average number of microorganisms recovered from seams after cleaning was 80/cm2. However, it was necessary also to manually clean certain joints weekly. Flat surfaces were quite adequately cleaned according to results of tests with RODAC plates. With RODAC plates, numbers of yeasts and molds recovered on potato dextrose acid agar were better indicators of sanitary condition than numbers of coliforms on violet red bile agar or numbers of staphylococci on Baird-Parker agar.