cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Experimental investigation of sliding friction between hard and deformable surfaces with application to manufacturing processes

Abstract Using a pin-on-disk tribometer, an experimental procedure is introduced for characterizing the sliding friction between a hard (tool or die) and a deformable (workpiece) surface. Sliding friction coefficient data is obtained at 152 different operating conditions for a wedge-shaped steel pin contacting an aluminum 1100 disk. From the experimental data, the influence of normal load, lubricant, sliding velocity and disk surface roughness on the friction coefficient is determined. By plotting the sliding friction coefficient as a function of the shear factor, τk, of the disk material, three distinct friction regions are found. The overall nature of the friction in each region is then established and implications of the friction regions to precision manufacturing processes is discussed.
Structure of a three-dimensional, microporous molybdenum phosphate with large cavities.

The synthesis, single-crystal x-ray structural characterization, and sorption properties of a microporous molybdenum phosphate, (Me4N)1.3(H3O)0.7[Mo4O8(PO4)2] · 2H2O (Me, methyl), are presented. The three-dimensional framework is built up from Mo4O84+ cubes and PO43- tetrahedra that are connected in such a way that large, cation-filled voids are generated; these voids constitute 25% of the volume of the solid. Absorption isotherms for water show the completely reversible uptake of 4 to 5 percent by weight water into the micropores of this compound, which corresponds to 10 to 12 percent by volume.
Use of an implantable marker for rapid intraoperative localization of nonpalpable tumors: a pilot study in a swine colorectal model.

Background: This study aimed to establish the accuracy and reproducibility of localization of intraluminal markers by laparoscopic and open techniques in a swine colorectal model, using a prototype for a novel wireless system.Methods: A prototype marker was placed into the colon of an adult pig. The surgeon was blinded to placement and localized the marker using a detection probe (3 surgeons/10 trials/2-D and 3-D systems).Results: Each surgeon was able to accurately locate the marker within 28.7 ± 20.6 (LAP) and 18.3 ± 6.7 (OPEN) sec (p = 0.013). There were no significant differences between surgeons in localization times, regardless of experience. A 3-D interface made no difference in accuracy or time (LAP = 35 vs 28 seconds; p = NS [not significant]).Conclusions: This study demonstrates the use of a novel system for intraoperative identification of nonpalpable lesions. This technology may have important implications in the surgical management of nonpalpable tumors and in applications of interventional radiology.
Current status of robotics in general surgery

Telesurgical systems have met with a great degree of acceptance in urology but indications are not yet that clear in the field of general surgery. The surgical robot overcomes certain limitations of conventional laparoscopy by offering three-dimensional, high definition vision, and seven degrees of freedom to the articulating instruments. Newer robots provide image integration, telestration and the dual-console capability for training purposes. According to our experiencs indications for robotic surgery are: the need for intracorporeal suturing, the expectant narrow surgical field, the expectant difficult dissection and/or adhesiolysis, especially in the upper abdomen, near the hiatus or very low in the pelvis. Although the use of robotic systems for simple laparoscopic cases is generally opposed on the basis of its increased operative time and cost, most teams accept that the beginning of the learning curve in robotic surgery must rely upon simple procedures such as cholecystectomies and Nissen fundoplications. Recent studies show more indications for robotic approach of cholecystectomies, such as in the setting of a reoperative, hostile abdomen following gangrenous cholecystitis, or in completion cholecystectomy. Robotic surgery constitutes a revolutionary stage in the evolution of surgery. Current systems aim to overcome certain limitations of laparoscopy. More advanced forms of robotic assistance are expected in the future, incorporating special software for intraoperational navigation and augmented reality guidance, help with the decision-making process, and smart “robotic-assistants” with artificial intelligence and autonomy. Integration of this technology will determine the definite role of robotics in the operating theater.
Factors released from cholestatic rat livers possibly involved in inducing bone marrow hepatic stem cell priming.

Previous studies have shown that bone marrow β2m−/Thy-1+ hepatic stem cells (BMHSCs) were able to engraft in vivo and differentiate into functioning hepatocytes in vitro. Our transcriptomic profiling on BMHSCs derived from rats subjected to common bile duct ligation (CBDL) demonstrated CBDL-derived β2m−/Thy-1+ BMHSCs expressed hepatocyte-like genes and shared more commonly expressed genes with hepatocytes, suggesting that an “on-site” priming of BMHSCs into hepatocyte lineage was initiated under the condition of CBDL. In this paper, transcriptomic profiling was carried out on livers from rats with CBDL to identify candidate factors released from cholestatic livers possibly involved in the priming of BMHSCs using Affymetrix Rat Genome U34A arrays. In CBDL rat livers, 1,091 probe sets were differentially expressed, of which 188 up-regulated probe sets were annotated as “extracellular” components. Gene ontology analysis showed many up-regulated genes belonged to cytokines, chemokines and growth factors, incl...
VATS Lobectomy Has Better Perioperative Outcomes Than Open Lobectomy: CALGB 31001, an Ancillary Analysis of CALGB 140202 (Alliance)

Background The short-term superiority of video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery lobectomy compared with open lobectomy for early-stage lung cancer has been suggested by single-institution studies. Lack of equipoise limits the feasibility of a randomized study to confirm this. The hypothesis of this study (CALGB 31001) was that VATS lobectomy results in shorter length of hospital stay and fewer complications compared with open lobectomy in stages I and II non-small cell lung cancer in a multi-institutional setting. Methods Five hundred nineteen patients whose tumors had been collected as part of CALGB 140202 (lung cancer tissue bank) were eligible. Propensity-scoring using age, race, sex, performance status, comorbidities, histology, tumor stage, and size as independent variables was used to create a 1:1 matched group of 175 pairs of patients. McNemar's test for binary variables and Wilcoxon signed-rank test for continuous variables were used to assess differences in length of hospital stay, complications, and discharge dispositions between the groups. Comparison of disease-free and overall survival between the two approaches was done using the log-rank test. Probability values of less than 0.05 were considered significant. Results The matched data on length of hospital stay, complications, and discharge dispositions significantly favored the video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery group. There was no statistically significant difference in survival between the two approaches. Conclusions This multi-institutional study supports the assertion that thoracoscopic lobectomy results in shorter hospital length of stay, fewer perioperative complications, and greater likelihood of independent home discharge compared with open lobectomy for early-stage lung cancer. Survival was comparable between the two groups.
Conducting Educational Research in the Computer Science Classroom: Choosing the Appropriate Research Design to Address your Research Questions (Abstract Only)

This workshop will provide CS educators with tools to conduct educational research. Primary objectives of this workshop are: (1) learn basic principles of research design; (2) learn about various types of research designs: qualitative vs. quantitative; experimental vs. quasi-experimental; case studies, survey; and (3) to practice designing research. This workshop will help participants make informed decisions when faced with limitations of educational research and collect empirical evidence about what works in the classroom. In addition, we will also discuss how to develop robust student outcome measures, such as surveys and tests. The workshop will be beneficial to participants who have not yet done all of these activities as well as those who have some background in educational research. Participants will be provided with material on research designs.
A preliminary comparison of monthly weather with ocean‐temperature sequences in the western Atlantic region

The main reason for the installations of numerous sea-water thermographs on commercial steamships in the western Atlantic since 1926 has been to provide accurate sea-temperature data for comparison with weather ashore in order to find out to what extent the slowly changing sea-temperatures can be used to anticipate seasonal weather abnormalities (see Charles F. Brooks, Gulf Stream studies—General meteorological project, Mon. Weath. Rev., v. 58. pp. 103–106). A first sampling was mentioned in a paper by the authors in 1933, when it was shown that air-temperatures at Blue Hill varied more or less in unison with the sea-temperatures, but with a suggestion of a delayed effect (Monthly sequence of sea-surface temperature on the New York-San Juan steamship-route, Trans. Amer. Geophys. Union, 14th annual meeting, 1933, pp. 173–180). The present paper provides another sampling, in the form of a closer comparison between temperature and precipitation at Boston and Baltimore, on the one hand, and the preceding sea-temperatures by zones of two degrees of latitude on the route between New York and Bermuda, on the other hand.
A Dual Compartment Linear-Quadratic Model of Cell Survival

(threshold D_T Z 6.12 Gy) where a Z 0.33 1/Gy, D_0 Z 1.25 Gy and D_qZ 1.8 Gy. We then calculated corresponding EUDs for the three BED formulations and use them in Niemierko’s TCP model, TCP Z 1/ (1+((TCD_50)/EUD)(4g_50)) where we used g50 Z 1.2 and TCD_50 Z 65.2 Gy for 12 month local control in NSCLC. Results: We pilot our model with 41 patients with early-stage central NSCLC treated with SABR consisting of 48 Gy over 4 fractions. Their treatments were planned using our TPS and their DVHs were exported into MATLAB and processed as described previously. Using the gross tumor volume DVH, the average TCP among 41 patients calculated using LQ is 83.1 6.5%, LQ-L is 80.9 7.4%, and USC is 79.1 6.0% where the ranges represent 95% confidence intervals. The true 12-month local control rate for this cohort is 88.6%. Conclusions: Our software system takes DVH files as inputs to determine TCPs based on different assumptions for LQ/non-LQ cell killing in SABRtreated early-stage central NSCLC. Using a small pilot dataset, we see that our local control estimates are within a reasonable range of actual probability. We will incorporate parameter optimization in the future and validate our model on a dataset consisting of peripherally-treated NSCLC patients. Author Disclosure: J. Kang: None. Y. Zhang: None. D.A. Clump: None. J.C. Flickinger: None. X. Li: None. M.S. Huq: None.
From reductionism to reductionism

Neural organization attempts to thwart, at least in part, modern neuroscientists' tendency to focus reductionistically on ever smaller microsystems. But although emphasizing higher levels of systems organization, the authors end up enforcing reductionisms of their own, principally the reduction of their domain to the study of invariable normal functioning, without explicit modeling of the deviations that constitute disease states or aging. This reductionism seriously weakens the authors' claims about the truth of their quantitative models.
Reciprocal Teaching of Social Studies in Inclusive Elementary Classrooms

Reading comprehension relies on the use of metacognitive strategies. Reciprocal teaching has been found to be an effective comprehension technique to use with students with learning disabilities. This study examined the effectiveness of reciprocal teaching during social studies instruction with several students with learning disabilities in fourth-, fifth-, and sixth-grade inclusive classrooms. One hundred and twenty-eight students in Grades 4, 5, and 6 participated. Four comprehension assessments were administered, as well as an external measure and 30-day maintenance assessment. A mixed-design MANOVA was used to determine interaction on three reading comprehension measures. Results indicated that all students improved their performance on comprehension measures compared with students in the control groups. Improvement continued to be displayed after 30 days in both the sixth and the fourth grades. Students with learning disabilities significantly improved their ability to compose summaries compared to the control students.
Anti-pinhole Imaging

By complementing a pinhole to produce an isolated opaque spot, the light ordinarily blocked from the pinhole image is transmitted, and the light ordinarily transmitted is blocked. A negative geometrical image is formed, distinct from the familiar 'bright-spot' diffraction image. Anti-pinhole, or 'pinspeck' images are visible during a solar eclipse, when the shadows of objects appear crescent-shaped. Pinspecks demonstrate unlimited depth of field, freedom from distortion and large angular field. Images of different magnification may be formed simultaneously. Contrast is poor, but is improvable by averaging to remove noise and subtraction of a d.c. bias. Pinspecks may have application in X-ray space optics, and might be employed in the eyes of simple organisms.
Picosecond acoustic phonon pulse propagation in silicon

We report experimental and theoretical investigations of the behavior of coherent acoustic phonon pulses after propagation through millimeter-scale distances in crystalline Si. An ultrafast optical pump and probe technique is used to generate and detect the phonon pulses. The geometry of our experiment is such that we can make this measurement in either the far field or the near field of the acoustic source, allowing studies of diffraction effects in addition to dispersion and nonlinearity in the Si. We also present a rigorous derivation of the Korteweg--de Vries equation, which describes the behavior of these acoustic pulses in the nonlinear regime in one dimension. This one-dimensional (1D) model is combined with a 3D analysis of diffraction effects in anisotropic media in order to analyze far-field data.
Molecular mechanisms of alcoholic fatty liver: role of peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor alpha

Normal function of the peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor alpha (PPARalpha) is crucial for the regulation of hepatic fatty acid metabolism. Fatty acids serve as ligands for PPARalpha, and when fatty acid levels increase, activation of PPARalpha induces a battery of fatty acid-metabolizing enzymes to restore fatty acid levels to normal. Hepatic fatty acid levels are increased during ethanol consumption. However, results of in vitro work showed that ethanol metabolism inhibited the ability of PPARalpha to bind DNA and activate reporter genes. This observation has been further studied in mice. Four weeks of ethanol feeding of C57BL/6J mice also impairs fatty acid catabolism in liver by blocking PPARalpha-mediated responses. Ethanol feeding decreased the level of retinoid X receptor alpha (RXRalpha) as well as the ability of PPARalpha/RXR in liver nuclear extracts to bind its consensus sequence, and the levels of mRNAs for several PPARalpha-regulated genes were reduced [long-chain acyl coenzyme A (acyl-CoA) dehydrogenase and medium-chain acyl-CoA dehydrogenase] or failed to be induced (acyl-CoA dehydrogenase, liver carnitine palmitoyl-CoA transferase I, very long-chain acyl-CoA synthetase, very long-chain acyl-CoA dehydrogenase) in livers of the ethanol-fed animals. Consistent with this finding, ethanol feeding did not induce the rate of fatty acid beta-oxidation, as assayed in liver homogenates. Inclusion of WY14,643, a PPARalpha agonist, in the diet restored the DNA-binding activity of PPARalpha/RXR, induced mRNA levels of several PPARalpha target genes, stimulated the rate of fatty acid beta-oxidation in liver homogenates, and prevented fatty liver in ethanol-fed animals. Blockade of PPARalpha function during ethanol consumption contributes to the development of alcoholic fatty liver, which can be overcome by WY14,643.
Gentamicin pharmacokinetics in term newborn infants receiving high-frequency oscillatory ventilation or conventional mechanical ventilation: a case-controlled study

Objective To compare the pharmacokinetics of gentamicin in infants receiving high-frequency oscillatory ventilation (HFOV) with infants receiving conventional mechanical ventilation. Design A case-controlled study design was used to compare the pharmacokinetics of gentamicin in critically ill infants receiving HFOV and conventional mechanical ventilation. Medical records of all full-term newborn infants (> or =37 weeks gestational age) who received either high-frequency mechanical ventilation or conventional mechanical ventilation between 1991 and 2001 were reviewed and relevant patient demographics, renal function tests and gentamicin administration and plasma concentration data collected. Elimination rate constant, half-life, volume of distribution and clearance for both groups were calculated using standard kinetics equations. Setting A tertiary care children's hospital. Patients Newborn infants, > or =37 weeks gestational age, receiving gentamicin and high-frequency mechanical ventilation or conventional mechanical ventilation. Measurements and main results In total, 18 patients were included in the conventional mechanical ventilation group and 15 in the HFOV group. The mean gentamicin dose for conventional mechanical ventilation and HFOV groups infants were 2.52+/-0.07 and 2.5+/-0.07 mg/kg/dose, respectively. Initial dosing interval was 12 hours in all of the conventional mechanical ventilation infants and 13 of the 15 HFOV infants. The dosing interval for the remaining two HFOV infants was 18 hours. No patient in either group demonstrated oliguria. Statistical analysis using the Student t-test for unequal variances yielded significant differences between the two groups with regard to elimination rate constant, half-life, volume of distribution and clearance, with a p value of 0.05). Conclusion Infants receiving HFOV had reduced gentamicin clearance. Full-term infants receiving HFOV should be initiated at gentamicin dosing intervals of 18 hours rather than the traditional 12 hours recommended for this age group.
Fast-neutron activation of long-lived isotopes in enriched Ge

We measured the production of $^{57}\mathrm{Co}$, $^{54}\mathrm{Mn}$, $^{68}\mathrm{Ge}$, $^{65}\mathrm{Zn}$, and $^{60}\mathrm{Co}$ in a sample of Ge enriched in isotope $76$ due to high-energy neutron interactions. These isotopes, especially $^{68}\mathrm{Ge}$, are critical in understanding background in Ge detectors used for double $\ensuremath{\beta}$ decay experiments. They are produced by cosmogenic-neutron interactions in the detectors while they reside on the Earth's surface. These production rates were measured at neutron energies of a few hundred MeV. We compared the measured production to that predicted by cross-section calculations based on CEM03.02. The cross-section calculations overpredict our measurements by approximately a factor of $3$ depending on isotope. We then use the measured cosmic-ray neutron flux, our measurements, and the CEM03.02 cross sections to predict the cosmogenic production rate of these isotopes. The uncertainty in extrapolating the cross-section model to higher energies dominates the total uncertainty in the cosmogenic production rate.
Commodity Options for Agriculture

This paper considers the potential benefits of trading in options for farm commodities in three areas: risk management by individuals, the functioning of commodity markets, and the management of public policy with respect to farm products.
Comment: TIA response to antiplatelets stratified by glycated albumin.

In the Clopidogrel in High-Risk Patients with Acute Nondisabling Cerebrovascular Events (CHANCE) study of TIA, short-term combination therapy with clopidogrel and aspirin reduced recurrent stroke.1 Whether all TIAs benefit equally from this treatment remains unclear. Given that dual antiplatelet therapy also promotes hemorrhage, identifying which TIAs derive the greatest benefit would be clinically useful.
Abdominal obesity, hypertriglyceridemia, hypertriglyceridemic waist phenotype and risk of type 2 diabetes in American adults

Summary Background Hypertriglyceridemic waist (HTGW) phenotype is a marker of atherogenesis whose association with cardiovascular diseases is unclear. Objective To determine the association of abdominal obesity, hypertriglyceridemia and HTGW with risk of type 2 diabetes in American adults. Methods Data ( n = 1914) From the 2003–2004 United States National Health and Nutrition Examination Surveys (NHANESs) were used in this investigation. The risk of type 2 diabetes associated with HTGW was estimated using odds ratio from the logistic regression model, adjusting for race/ethnicity, age, body mass index (BMI), hypertension, HDL-cholesterol (HDL-C), smoking and alcohol intake. Results There was a gender and racial/ethnic difference in the association of adiposity phenotypes with type 2 diabetes. In men, abdominal obesity, hypertriglyceridemia and HTGW were associated with 1.59 (95% CI: 1.09–2.79), 2.27 (95% CI: 1.42–3.62), and 2.85 (95% CI: 2.10–2.10) increased odds of type 2 diabetes. The analogous values in women were 2.50 (95% CI: 1.82–4.79), 2.14 (95% CI: 1.30–3.53), and 2.58 (95% CI: 1.48–4.24), respectively. HTGW was associated with 1.24 (95% CI: 1.05–2.39) and 3.94 (95% CI: 2.85–3.90) increased risks of type 2 diabetes. The corresponding risks in White women and Black women were 1.36 (95% CI: 1.23–2.91) and 5.62 (95% CI: 1.04–9.42), respectively. Conclusion Hypertriglyceridemic waist phenotype is more strongly associated with type 2 diabetes than both hypertriglyceridemia and abdominal obesity alone. Well designed public health strategies to enhance lifestyle modification program to reduce the prevalence of HTGW may be a way to decrease racial/ethnic disparities for type 2 diabetes in the United States.
Deconfinement in the baryon rich region

Abstract The dynamics of deconfinement and hadronization at high chemical potentials, i.e. in baryon rich matter, are discussed. Quark gluon plasma formation in the fragmentation regions is characterized by low temperatures. Condensation discontinuities are predicted which result in substantial entropy production during hadronization in the fragmentation regions, by far exceeding the entropy expected if deconfinement would not occur. This excess entropy may be useful for plasma diagnostics, since it is directly related to the coupling strength and nonperturbative effects in the deconfined phase. Energy densities of 1 – 2 GeV/fm3 are obtained in stopping collisions of heavy nuclei at bombarding energies Elab = 5–10 GeV/n.
A heterodyne receiver for the submillimeter wavelength region based on cyclotron resonance in InSb at low temperatures

A new heterodyne receiver has been developed for the submillimeter wavelength region. The mixing element is liquid helium cooled bulk n-InSb in a quantizing magnetic field. The value of the magnetic induction is such that the detector photoresponse is dominated by cyclotron-resonance absorption. Laboratory tests have yielded double-sideband receiver noise temperatures of 250 K at 492 GHz, 350 K at 625 GHz and 510 K at 812 GHz. The magnetic induction for these tests was ≈2.5 KG and the mixer operating temperature was ≈1.6 K.
Model systems: Studying molecular recognition using bacterial n-hybrid systems.

Abstract Since the first description of the yeast two-hybrid system, related genetic assays for protein–protein interactions have become popular and powerful tools for structure–function analysis on the scale of individual proteins or whole proteomes. After a somewhat surprising lag, similar systems have recently been described for use in bacterial hosts. n-hybrid modifications of the original yeast system have been used to examine interactions with DNA, RNA and small molecules, and other modifications have improved throughput for genomic applications. Bacterial n-hybrid systems are being designed for a similar array of uses. Will the bacterial systems be as popular as the yeast n-hybrid systems? Only time will tell.
The effect of potential parameters on alignment in molecule-crystal collisions

Abstract The effect of varying the potential steepness and surface corrugation in N2-crystal scattering calculations has been investigated. It is found that the hexadecapole alignment contains information on the mechanism which cannot be extracted from either the quadrupole alignment or the product j distribution.
Assessment of Cancellous Bone Strength in the Lumbar Spine Using a “Smart” Ball-Tip Probe

Failure of the pedicle screw at the screw-bone interface is a common clinical problem, particularly in the setting of osteoporosis, and poses reconstructive challenges for all orthopaedic surgeons. Pedicle screw failure through screw loosing and pull-out is highly correlated with bone mineral density (BMD) and local bone quality [1]. Pre-operative assessment of BMD via dual x-ray absorptiometry (DEXA) has been shown to help determine the need for screw augmentation. However, patients frequently present without pre-operative DEXA scans. Furthermore, DEXA scans provide a measure of general bone quality, but do not necessarily reflect segmental and local variation in the spine [2]. The ability to assess BMD on a per-vertebrae basis intra-operatively would assist with surgical decisions regarding screw sizing, placement and augmentation.Copyright © 2010 by ASME
Rheology and structuring in organo-ceramic composites

Abstract The processing–structure–property relationships for calcium aluminate based organo-ceramic composites are reviewed. Processing behavior was measured with a torque-outfitted Banbury mixer, structuring behavior was analyzed with electron microscopy, and mechanical properties were determined using flexural strength measurements. These results are discussed for composites composed of either a polyvinyl alcohol or phenol formaldehyde resin organic phase. The two materials have different processing behaviors, driven by different paste formation mechanisms, but are observed to have similar microstructure and mechanical properties. The rheology of model, non-calcium aluminate based composites was studied using a lubricated squeezing flow rheometer. The relaxation modulus following a step strain was measured for reactive systems that stiffened due to a crosslinking polymer phase or a polymerizing polymer phase and compared to that measured for non-reactive polydimethyl siloxane (PDMS) systems with filler fractions from 0 to 65% by volume and 65% filled PDMS of differing molecular weights. Comparison of the normalized relaxation moduli of the model reactive and non-reactive materials suggests similarities between the effect of filler amount and crosslinking amount and between the combined effects of molecular weight and filler amount and the degree of polymerization.
Triangulating the Circle, at Random

(2m - 2)! cm - (m-1)!m! One of the interesting aspects of Polya's paper is that it exposed readers to his newly developed theory of "figurate series". We wish to consider the idea of letting n -*> oo and studying triangulations of the oo-gon, i.e. the circle. This question doesn't make much sense as combinatorics, but we can shift viewpoint and consider random triangulations of the n-gon, in which each of the cn-1 possible triangulations is equally likely. The purpose of this paper is to show that there exists an object "the random triangulation of a circle" which is in a natural sense the n -* oo limit of the random triangulation of the n-gon. As with Polya [9], the exposition takes readers into some newly developed theory of the author. Let's start by recalling a precise definition. A triangulation of a finite set S is a collection of nonintersecting line segments with endpoints from S such that the convex hull of S is partitioned into triangular regions. We shall be concerned only with the cases Sn consisting of the vertices of the regular n-gon inscribed in a fixed
An experimental study of a radially arranged thin-film heat-flux gauge.

A new thin-film heat-flux gauge was designed and fabricated on three different substrate materials. Forty pairs of Pt-Pt/10% Rh thermocouple junctions were deposited in a circular pattern on the same plane of the substrate. Over the thermocouples, 5 and 10 micron thick thermal resistance layers were deposited to create a temperature gradient across those layers. Calibration and testing of these gauges were carried out in an arc-lamp calibration facility. The heat flux calculated from the gauge output is in good agreement with the value obtained from the pre-calibrated standard sensor. A CO2 laser was also used to test the steady-state and dynamic responses of the heat-flux gauge. During the steady-state test, the time constant for the heating period was 30 s. The frequency response of the heat-flux gauge was measured in the frequency domain using a CO2 laser and a chopper. The responses from an infrared detector and the heat-flux gauge were measured simultaneously and compared. It was found that the thin-film heat-flux gauge has a dynamic frequency response of 3 kHz.
Pole assignment using matrix generalized inverses

Abstract The problem of pole assignment in a completely controllable linear time-invariant system dx/t = Ax + Bu, y = Cx is considered. A method using matrix generalized inverses is developed for the computation of a matrix K such that the matrix A + BK has prescribed eigenvalues which need satisfy only the condition that a certain number of them are distinct and real; then a feedback law of the form u = r + Kx can be used to achieve the desired pole-placement. The method does not require solution of sets of non-linear equations or manipulation of polynomial matrices, and no knowledge of eigenvalues and/or eigenvectors of A is necessary. If the computed matrix K and the given matrix C satisfy a consistency condition, a matrix Kν such that KνC = K can be directly obtained from K and the desired pole-placement can be realized by an output feedback law u = r + Kνy.
Responses of Finite Baffled Plate to Turbulent Flow Excitations

Formulations for estimating dynamic and acoustic responses of a finite baffled plate subject to turbulent boundary-layer excitations are presented. In deriving the formulations, the effects of structural nonlinearities induced by in-plane forces and shearing forces due to stretching of plate bending motion are considered. The excitation force due to turbulent flow is expressed in terms of a sum of two components. One component corresponds to a fluctuating pressure field due to acoustic radiation, which is determined analytically for both supersonic and subsonic flows. The other component corresponds to a fluctuating pressure field due to a turbulent boundary layer, which is determined experimentally. The cross-power spectra of the plate flexural displacement and the radiated acoustic pressure are shown to be directly related to that of the turbulent boundary layer. In addition to the plate dynamic and acoustic responses, a stability analysis is given using the basic existence-uniqueness theorem. In particular, stable conditions for a linearized system are obtained via the Routh algorithm. It is shown that temporal instability can be induced by the added stiffness due to acoustic radiation in the presence of mean flow. The effect of the added stiffness increases quadratically with the mean flow speed.
Inositol metabolism in plants. I. Labeling patterns in cell wall polysaccharides from detached plants given myo-inositol-2-t or -2-C14

Abstract myo -Inositol administered to detached ripening strawberries through the stems is converted to pectin and associated pentose-containing polysaccharides. When myo -inositol-2-C 14 is used to trace this conversion, the d -galacturonosyl residues of pectin are labeled in carbon 5. The d -xylosyl and l -arabinosyl residues are labeled primarily in carbon 5. Free d -xylose is also labeled primarily in carbon 5. When myo -inositol-2-t is used to trace this conversion, the tritium label is conserved during the conversion to polysaccharide and appears primarily on carbon 5 of d -galacturonosyl residues and on carbon 5 of d -xylosyl and l -arabinosyl residues as well as on carbon 5 of free d -xylose. Some redistribution of tritium is noted in pentose products. This redistribution is more marked in the case of the strawberry than in detached parsley leaves which were, for comparative purposes, also studied. Only minor amounts of C 14 or tritium reached hexosyl residues of the polysaccharides, and the internal distribution of these labeled products indicated that such label appeared as a result of secondary processes of conversion. The significance of these results as they pertain to the primary oxidative cleavage of myo -inositol to d -glucuronic acid is discussed.
Civitas Humana: Wilhelm Roepke's Reform Proposals for a Humane Society

Wilhelm Roepke wrote his book Civitas Humana in the early 1940s in order to elaborate economic and social policy guidelines for postwar reconstruction in Europe. Rejecting both central economic planning (collectivism) and laissez‐faire, he looks for a third alternative. He finds it in a socially‐oriented market economy based on decentralisation, designed to provide citizens with roots in their communities and families. Roepke calls for a genuine competitive order with the government setting the general framework and also interfering in the market process itself to prevent monopolies and facilitate economic adjustments. He advocates a policy of encouraging the private ownership of homes and small plots. With such an “anchor of property”, people would be able to withstand the inevitable hardships resulting from economic change.
Relaxations and Interfacial Water Ordering at the Corundum (110) Surface

In situ high resolution specular X-ray reflectivity measurements were used to examine relaxations and interfacial water ordering occurring at the corundum (110)-water interface. Sample preparation affected the resulting surface structure. Annealing in air at 1373 K produced a reconstructed surface formed through an apparently ordered aluminum vacancy. The effect of the reconstruction on in-plane periodicity was not determined. The remaining aluminum sites on the surface maintain full coordination by oxygen and the surface was coated with a layer of physically adsorbed water. Ordering of water further from the surface was not observed. Acid etching of this surface and preparing a surface through annealing at 723 K both produced an unreconstructed surface with identical relaxations and water ordering. Relaxations were confined primarily to the top ∼4 A of the surface and were dominated by an increased distribution width of the fully occupied surface aluminum site and outward relaxation of the oxygen surface...
Potential advantage of student-run clinics for diversifying a medical school class

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the influence of a student-run clinic on the diversification of a medical student class. We distributed a two-page, 20-item, paper survey to students of the University of Missouri School of Medicine (MU SOM) class of 2015 in July of 2011. The survey gathered information on general demographics, opinions on the importance of medical education opportunities, and opinions on the importance of medical school characteristics in applying to and attending MU SOM. A total of 104 students responded to the survey. A majority of the students identified the MedZou Community Health Clinic, a student-run, free health clinic affiliated with MU SOM, and simulated-patient encounters as important educational experiences (81% and 94%, respectively). More than half of the self-identified "non-white" students reported MedZou as an important factor in their choice to apply to (60%; 95% confidence interval [CI], 32 to 88) and attend (71%; 95% CI, 44 to 98) MU SOM, over half of the females reported MedZou as important in their choice to apply (59%; 95% CI, 43 to 76) and attend (57%; 95% CI, 40 to 74), and over half of non-Missouri residents reported MedZou as important in their choice to apply (64%; 95% CI, 36 to 93) and attend (71%; 95% CI, 44 to 98). According to the above results, it can be said that students clearly value both MedZou and simulated-patient encounters as important educational experiences. Women, minorities, and non-Missouri residents value MedZou more highly than their peers who are First Year Medical Students who are Missouri residents, suggesting that MedZou may provide a promising opportunity to advance diversity within MU SOM. These results highlight the need for additional research to further explore MedZou's potential to enhance the recruitment of a diverse medical student class.
Intelligent Electromechanical Actuators to Modernize Ship Operations

The Navy is determining the viability of replacing hydraulic actuation for Navy platforms by using advanced torque-dense electromechanical actuators (EMAs). The goal is to create a Standardized Actuator Building Block (SABB) to open up the ship architecture, enhancing performance while reducing the threat of obsolescence, enable rapid reconfiguration (fight through) after attack, expand performance, and dramatically shorten the associated logistics trail. This can make refreshment even at sea feasible with significant improvements in ship availability and reduced dock time. Cost is also of increasing interest to the Navy in order to produce more combatant platforms for a given budget. SABBs can be downgraded (to reduce cost) or upgraded (to meet more demanding performance requirements) all within the same set of standards (quick-change interfaces, sizes, geometry, etc.). These modules can be rapidly replaced even by a nominally trained technician (reducing training costs) and therefore reducing the number of ship personnel. This paper outlines the merits of the crucial component to achieve the abovementioned objectives: the EMA. The EMA is the exact equivalent of the computer chip to computers-to drive anything that moves on the ship. In conjunction with the intelligent actuator control framework, developed based on extensive research in robotics and intelligent machines at The University of Texas Robotics Research Group, this technology can now be leveraged to make a significant contribution to the modernization of future ships and submarines.
Which regions of the operating gown should be considered most sterile

Various guidelines have been proposed regarding which portions of a surgical gown may be considered sterile. Unfortunately, the validity of these recommendations has not been definitively established. We therefore evaluated gown sterility after major spinal surgery to assess the legitimacy of these guidelines. We used sterile culture swabs to obtain samples of gown fronts at 6-inch increments and at the elbow creases of 50 gowns at the end of 29 spinal operations. Another 50 gowns were swabbed immediately after they were applied to serve as negative controls. Bacterial growth was assessed using semiquantitative plating techniques on a nonselective, broad-spectrum media. Contamination was observed at all locations of the gown with rates ranging from 6% to 48%. Compared with the negative controls, the contamination rates were greater at levels 24 inches or less and 48 inches or more relative to the ground and at the elbow creases. The section between the chest and operative field had the lowest contamination rates. Based on these results, we consider the region between the chest and operative field to be the most sterile and any contact with the gown outside this area, including the elbow creases, should be avoided to reduce the risk of infection.
The ACTA-scanner: the whole body computerized transaxial tomograph

Abstract The ACTA (Automatic Computerized Transverse Axial)-Scanner presents a new clinical tool in radiology with truly remarkable capabilities, made possible through modern computer technology and the recently developing science of “pattern recognition”. Clinically, the ACTA-Scanner enables for the first time the radiological delineation of tissue abnormalities through the whole body, accurately portraying in pictorial and quantitative form both the nature of the lesion and its precise three-dimensional location in the body. The nature of the lesion is identified by means of the relative absorption coefficient (for X-rays), and the location of the lesion is given precisely by its position in the picture and the location of its cross section. For clinical diagnosis, the most significant aspects of the ACTA-Scanner are the displays of the results, including color TV and dual black and white (grey-level) TV. The picture appears immediately upon completion of the scan, and is constantly displayed on the TV screens. The color TV display system shows at a glance the areas of different ranges of absorption coefficients as areas of different color. In addition to its application in the elucidation of brain pathology, the ACTA-Scanner holds great potential as an aid in the diagnosis of lesions in other parts of the body. A wide new frontier in radiological diagnosis has been opened by the ACTA-Scanner.
Use of a whirling cup rotor to stir benthic chambers

Realistic stirring is an important concern when using benthic chambers to measure processes at the sediment-water column interface. A simple whirling cup rotor device that is driven by external flow and stirs benthic chambers effectively is described here. Flow tank studies and field studies demonstrated that this device homogenizes benthic chambers rapidly and responds quickly and linearly to external flow conditions. The device is simple to build and use and avoids many of the disadvantages of conventional stirring motors and pumps.
Neuronal nicotinic ACh receptor antibody in subacute autonomic neuropathy and cancer-related syndromes.

Background Autoantibodies specific for the acetylcholine receptor (AChR) of skeletal muscle (containing the α1 subunit) impair neuromuscular transmission in myasthenia gravis (MG). AChRs mediating fast synaptic transmission through autonomic ganglia are structurally similar to muscle AChR, but contain the α3 subunit. We propose that ganglionic AChR autoimmunity may cause dysautonomia. Objective To test serum of patients with autonomic neuropathy for autoantibodies of neuronal ganglionic AChR specificity. Methods We developed an immunoprecipitation radioassay by complexing epibatidine (125I-labeled high affinity agonist) to a Triton X-100-solubilized AChR antigen from peripheral neuroblastoma membranes. Monoclonal rat immunoglobulins (IgG) specific for muscle or neuronal AChRs validated the assay9s specificity. We tested serum from 52 healthy subjects, 12 patients with subacute autonomic neuropathy, and 248 patients with other neurologic disorders. Results Twelve patients had antibodies that bound unequivocally to ganglionic AChR. Five had subacute autonomic neuropathy, and three (of six tested) had Isaacs9 syndrome; four of these eight had a carcinoma (lung, bladder, rectum, thyroid). The remaining four seropositive patients (two Lambert-Eaton syndrome, one dementia, one sensory neuronopathy) all had Ca2+ channel antibodies and three had small cell lung carcinoma. No healthy subject had ganglionic AChR antibodies, nor did 62 patients with MG and muscle AChR antibodies. Conclusion Neuronal AChR antibodies are a novel serologic marker of neurologic autoimmunity. The pathogenicity of neuronal AChR autoantibodies in autonomic neuropathy, Isaacs9 syndrome, or other neurologic disorders remains to be shown, as has been demonstrated for muscle AChR antibodies in MG. An autoimmune and potentially paraneoplastic etiology is implicated in seropositive patients.
Short-term clinical results of knee arthroscopy utilizing the 1.44-um Nd:YAG laser

Two orthopedic surgeons performed 27 knee arthroscopies on 26 patients using the 1.44 micrometers Nd:YAG. Mean patient age was 52.6 years. Six patients had their entire procedure done using the Nd:YAG alone and 20 had their procedures done using both the laser and a conventional arthroscopic side-shaver. Three patients had an additional knee procedure done immediately following their arthroscopy. The mean operative procedure time was 47.25 minutes (SD equals 14.75). The mean energy setting used was 2.2 Joules/Pulse (SD equals 0.89), mean frequency 16.6 Hz (SD equals 6.4), and mean total energy delivered was 9418.7 Joules (SD equals 6032.5). There were 15 patients with a minimum follow-up of at least 4 weeks (mean 8.26 weeks). The final results showed 35% returned to normal baseline, 43% improved from pre-op condition, and 21% were the same as pre-op. None of the patients were worse. The 1.44 micrometers Nd:YAG has a water absorption coefficient nearly identical to the 2.1 micrometers Ho:YAG, which is currently a popular arthroscopic tool. We conclude that the 1.44 micrometers Nd:YAG is an effective alternative for arthroscopic procedures of the knee.© (1994) COPYRIGHT SPIE--The International Society for Optical Engineering. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.
Petrogenesis of shergottite meteorites inferred from minor and trace element microdistributions

Abstract As an extension of our previous work on the lherzolitic shergottites (ALHA77005 and LEW88516), ion microprobe measurements of REEs and other selected trace and minor elements were made in individual minerals of the basaltic shergottites (Shergotty, Zagami, and EETA79001). Whole rock REE abundances in these achondrites are dominated by whitlockite, which is usually present only in trace amounts. One of the most significant features is the extensive zoning of trace and minor elements in pyroxenes. This zonation, which provides information on the crystallization histories of these meteorites, is of primary magmatic origin, and not the result of secondary processes such as diffusive reequilibration and/or metasomatic infiltration. Coherent trends in element-element plots for low-Ca pyroxenes indicate that each shergottite formed essentially by progressive (closed-system) fractional crystallization. The calculated REE patterns of the parent melts of all shergottites are LREE-depleted and parallel to their whole rock REE patterns (also indicative of closed-system fractional crystallization). On the basis of observations reported in this study, as well as previously determined petrologic and geochemical (including isotopic) characteristics, we present a model that suggests possible relationships among all five known shergottites.