cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Laser-Induced Interior Cracks for Ultrasonic NDE

In the experimental research of ultrasonic detection and characterization of cracks, laboratory specimens are indispensible. For surface-breaking cracks, the usual method for metals is fatigue growth and for brittle materials an indentor may be used to initiate the crack. The fabrication of interior crack specimen is generally more difficult. Diffusion bonding has been used in producing specimens containing simulated interior cracks and thin cracks have also been simulated by including yttria power between the diffusion bond surfaces.1 We report here a technique for inducing interior fracture cracks in transparent plastic resin with focused laser energy. Such specimens are useful for ultrasonic characterization of crack parameters such as size and orientation. This technique has the following advantages: (i) It is quite easy to implement; (ii) The induced damages are usually flat circular cracks which closely approximate the “penny-shaped crack” — the subject of many experimental and theoretical studies for ultrasonic scattering;2 and (iii) This method provides a variety of crack size and orientation for ultrasonic sizing experiments and the results may be compared with direct optical microscopic measurements.
Safely Avoiding Surgery in Adult Neurogenic Bladder

To evaluate the literature regarding non-surgical management of adult patients with high-pressure neurogenic bladder. Established therapies that facilitate bladder storage and emptying include anticholinergic medications, intradetrusor onabotulinum toxin injection, and intermittent catheterization. Application of these strategies to patients with elevated detrusor leak point pressures has shown improvement in bladder compliance and preservation of renal function. New interventions in the algorithm of management of patients with poor bladder compliance, such as beta-3 agonists and sacral neuromodulation to facilitate bladder storage the use of alpha antagonists and intraurethral onabotulinum toxin to facilitate bladder emptying are developing. A multimodal approach to adult patients with high-pressure neurogenic bladder which includes intermittent catheterization, pharmacologic therapy, and intravesical onabotulinumtoxin injection has been associated with improved bladder compliance and preservation of renal function. Augmentation cystoplasty may be reserved for refractory cases. Data is emerging regarding new interventions that can facilitate bladder storage and emptying.
A Reproducible Neurobiology of Depressive Rumination

Abstract Depressive Rumination (DR), which involves a repetitive focus on one’s distress, has been linked to alterations in functional connectivity of the ‘triple-network’, consisting of Default-Mode, Salience, and Executive Control networks. A structural basis for these functional alterations that can dually explain DR’s persistence as a stable trait remains unexplored, however. Using diffusion and functional MRI, we investigated multimodal relationships between DR severity, white-matter (WM) microstructure, and resting-state functional connectivity in depressed adults, and then directly replicated our results in a phenotypically-matched, independent sample (total N = 78). Among the fully-replicated findings, DR severity was associated with: (a) global microstructure of the right Superior Longitudinal Fasciculus and local microstructure of distributed primary-fiber and crossing-fiber WM; (b) a functional connectivity imbalance of segregation and integration within the triple-network; and (c) ‘multi-layer’ associations between these microstructural and functional connectivity biomarkers. Taken together, our results provide the first reproducible evidence for a multivariate microstructural-functional basis of rumination in the depressed brain.
Experimentation and modeling of surface chemistry of the silica-water interface for low salinity waterflooding at elevated temperatures

Abstract Models predicting wettability alteration of mineral-brine-oil interfaces during low-salinity-waterflooding (LSW) should account for the elevated temperatures typically found in oil reservoirs. For the first time, high temperature ζ-potential (zeta potential) data for silica are collected and used to interpret surface chemistries and interactions at reservoir-like conditions to predict temperature’s effect on wettability alteration. Mobility data for amorphous silica in varying NaCl(aq) concentrations at 25, 100, and 150 °C and neutral pH were obtained through microelectrophoresis experiments. Calculated ζ-potentials were fit with surface complexation model (SCM) parameters to predict electrical double layer (EDL) parameters based upon the Gouy-Chapman-Stern-Grahame (GCSG) model. ζ-potentials increased with increasing temperature (around 50% increase from 25 to 150 °C) and decreasing NaCl concentrations (10−1–10−4 mol kg−1). These trends, along with Derjaguin-Verwey-Landau-Overbeek (DLVO) theory, suggests that overall repulsive forces extend farther from the surface at low salinity and higher temperatures, implying greater wetting thickness/surface wettability in these environments. The resulting surface concentration calculations suggest that LSW is most impactful up to 10−2 mol kg−1 of salt, and that additional dilution below 10−3 mol kg−1 will negligibly impact oil recovery, particularly at reservoir temperatures above 100 °C. The analysis provides a framework for treating more complex reservoir systems, such as carbonates in multivalent brines.
Too Much of A Good Thing? Inclusion, Editorial Roles, and the Future of Museum Studies Publishing

This article reviews the two-volume collection, Feminism And Museums, edited by Jenna C. Ashton. It also addresses larger questions about the future of publishing in Museum Studies.
Inference-based accuracy of metagenome prediction tools varies across sample types and functional categories

Despite recent decreases in the cost of sequencing, shotgun metagenome sequencing remains more expensive compared with 16S rRNA amplicon sequencing. Methods have been developed to predict the functional profiles of microbial communities based on their taxonomic composition. In this study, we evaluated the performance of three commonly used metagenome prediction tools (PICRUSt, PICRUSt2, and Tax4Fun) by comparing the significance of the differential abundance of predicted functional gene profiles to those from shotgun metagenome sequencing across different environments. We selected 7 datasets of human, non-human animal, and environmental (soil) samples that have publicly available 16S rRNA and shotgun metagenome sequences. As we would expect based on previous literature, strong Spearman correlations were observed between predicted gene compositions and gene relative abundance measured with shotgun metagenome sequencing. However, these strong correlations were preserved even when the abundance of genes were permuted across samples. This suggests that simple correlation coefficient is a highly unreliable measure for the performance of metagenome prediction tools. As an alternative, we compared the performance of genes predicted with PICRUSt, PICRUSt2, and Tax4Fun to sequenced metagenome genes in inference models associated with metadata within each dataset. With this approach, we found reasonable performance for human datasets, with the metagenome prediction tools performing better for inference on genes related to “housekeeping” functions. However, their performance degraded sharply outside of human datasets when used for inference. We conclude that the utility of PICRUSt, PICRUSt2, and Tax4Fun for inference with the default database is likely limited outside of human samples and that development of tools for gene prediction specific to different non-human and environmental samples is warranted.
Thermally reduced mesoporous manganese MOF @reduced graphene oxide nanocomposite as bifunctional electrocatalyst for oxygen reduction and evolution

Oxygen electrocatalysis plays a crucial role in harnessing energy from modern renewable energy technologies like fuel cells and metal–air batteries. But high cost and stability issues of noble metal catalysts call for research on tailoring novel metal–organic framework (MOF) based architectures which can bifunctionally catalyze O2 reduction and evolution reactions (ORR & OER). In this work, we report a novel manganese MOF @rGO nanocomposite synthesized using a facile self-templated solvothermal method. The nanocomposite is superior to commercial Pt/C catalyst both in material resource and effectiveness in application. A more positive cathodic peak (Epc = 0.78 V vs. RHE), onset (Eonset = 1.09 V vs. RHE) and half wave potentials (E1/2 = 0.98 V vs. RHE) for the ORR and notable potential to achieve the threshold current density (E@10 mA cm−2= 1.84 V vs. RHE) for OER are features promising to reduce overpotentials during ORR and OER. Small Tafel slopes, methanol tolerance and acceptable short term stability augment the electrocatalytic properties of the as-prepared nanocomposite. Remarkable electrocatalytic features are attributed to the synergistic effect from the mesoporous 3D framework and transition metal–organic composition. Template directed growth, tunable porosities, novel architecture and excellent electrocatalytic performance of the manganese MOF @rGO nanocomposite make it an excellent candidate for energy applications.
On Living And Moving With Zor: Exploring Racism, Embodiment, And Health In Albania.

Drawing on ethnographic research from Albania, I examine Romani and Balkan Egyptian women’s health inequities. While it has been well documented that Romani people, who constitute Europe’s largest ...
Measuring School Climate: A Systematic Review of Initial Development and Validation Studies

A systematic search was conducted to identify measures of school climate developed and reported between 1993 to 2017. We coded data related to participant and setting characteristics, qualities of measures, amounts of validity evidence, and degrees of reliability estimates. Results indicated 9 school climate measures featuring disparate representation of academic atmosphere, community, safety, and institutional structures. Quality of validity and reliability evidence were wide-ranging with distinctive tiers emerging for consideration by school counselors and professional counselors working in schools.
Relationships between facial emotion recognition, internalizing symptoms, and social problems in young children

Abstract Child adjustment is negatively impacted by interpersonal difficulties, which may derive in part from poor emotion recognition skills. Independent bodies of research indicate that facial emotion recognition (FER) deficits are associated with internalizing symptoms in children, and that internalizing symptoms are linked to social difficulties. However, FER, internalizing problems, and social difficulties have not been simultaneously investigated in young children. The current study connects these disparate literatures by testing in a sample of youth (N = 87, mean age = 7.83 years; 56% female) the hypothesis that internalizing symptoms mediate the effect of FER difficulties on social problems, controlling for externalizing problems. To examine generalizability across emotions, FER was considered separately for fear, sad, angry, and happy expressions. Findings partially supported the hypothesis that internalizing problems mediate the relationship between FER and social problems, specifically for fear FER. An alternative model was also supported, suggesting fear FER may lead to social problems, which in turn increase internalizing symptoms. Although preliminary, these findings shed light on relationships between child FER, affective pathology, and social difficulties. Future studies should test these models in a longitudinal or experimental framework to establish causality and inform early interventions for child social problems.
Testing the dual process model of adolescent cannabis use with prospective three-way interactions between self-regulation, negative outcome expectancies, and implicit cannabis attitudes

Abstract Objective Dual-process models of substance use (Wiers et al., 2007) propose that whether automatic processes (i.e., implicit attitudes) influence use depends on self-regulation, such that an individual is more likely to act in accordance with automatically activated implicit attitudes when there is limited capacity for self-regulation (a two-way interaction). In this model, the relevance of self-regulation likely depends on whether an individual recognizes reasons or the need to inhibit substance use. The current study tested a three-way interaction between implicit cannabis attitudes, self-regulation, and negative expectancies to prospectively predict adolescent cannabis use. Method A community sample of late adolescents (N = 246; M age = 19.02) were assessed across two annual time points. Negative binomial regressions predicting adolescent cannabis use were estimated to test the proposed interaction using two indictors of self-regulation (effortful control and working memory) above and beyond prior cannabis use and demographic covariates. Results There was support for a three-way interaction with effortful control, but not working memory. As hypothesized, implicit cannabis attitudes were positively associated with cannabis use for adolescents with low levels of negative expectancies and low levels of effortful control. Conclusion Findings suggest expecting negative outcomes of cannabis use is germane to dual process interactions between controlled and automatic processes. How to best operationalize self-regulation is an important consideration for future work.
Dynamics of a pair of paramagnetic particles in shear flows under a uniform magnetic field

We numerically investigated the particle–particle interaction and relative motion of a pair of equal-sized magnetic particles in simple shear and plane Poiseuille flows. Two-dimensional numerical models were created by using direct numerical simulations, which are based on the finite element method and arbitrary Lagrangian–Eulerian approach with full consideration of particle–particle, particle–magnetic field, particle–flow field interactions. The effects of direction and strength of magnetic field on the dynamics of the particles in simple shear and plane Poiseuille flows were investigated, respectively. In the simple shear flow, the presence of magnetic field can show stabilizing or destabilizing effect on the particle trajectories, depending on the direction of the magnetic field. Specifically, the particles initially located at closed trajectories moved closer and closer when the magnetic field is applied at 0°and 135°, while they moved further apart and separated when the field is applied at 90°. In the plane Poiseuille flow, the magnetic field changed the relative motion of two particles: it induced two particles to form a chain when a strong magnetic field is applied at 0°and 135°; it separated the two particles when a strong magnetic field is applied at 45°and 90°. This work offers insights toward understanding the mechanisms of particle–particle interaction in magnetorheological fluids in simple shear or plane Poiseuille flows under a uniform magnetic field.
Haunted by the Other: Levinas, Derrida and the Persecutory Phantom

In this article, I explore what I call the persecutory trope – which underscores the alterity of the phantom and its relentless haunting and spectral oppression of the protagonists – in recent Amer...
Dealing Bridge Hands: A Study in Random Data Generation

In this study we examine the problem of dealing bridge hands and producing output in elegant usable form using the data generation language (DGL). Although this is a simple problem, the solution leads to the inclusion of several new features for the DGL. These features can be useful for many other problems as well. Several techniques for dealing bridge hands are discussed, along with the new DGL features that were used in each technique. Examples are given of actual hands dealt using the DGL grammars.
Mechanical ventilation and prone positioning in pregnant patients with severe COVID-19 pneumonia: experience at a quaternary referral center

Abstract Background We present the care of 17 consecutive pregnant patients who required mechanical ventilation for Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pneumonia at a quaternary referral center in the United States. We retrospectively describe the management of these patients, maternal and fetal outcomes, as well as the feasibility of prone positioning and delivery. Methods Between March 2020 and June 2021, all pregnant and postpartum patients who were mechanically ventilated for COVID-19 pneumonia were identified. Details of their management including prone positioning, maternal and neonatal outcomes, and complications were noted. Results Seventeen pregnant patients required mechanical ventilation for COVID-19. Thirteen patients received prone positioning, with a total of 49 prone sessions. One patient required extracorporeal membrane oxygenation. All patients in this series survived until at least discharge. Nine patients delivered while mechanically ventilated, and all neonates survived, subsequently testing negative for SARS-CoV-2. There was one spontaneous abortion. Four emergent cesarean deliveries were prompted by refractory maternal hypoxemia or non-reassuring fetal heart rate after maternal intubation. Conclusions Overall, maternal and neonatal survival were favorable even in the setting of severe COVID-19 pneumonia requiring mechanical ventilation. Prone positioning was well tolerated although the impact of prone positioning or fetal delivery on maternal oxygenation and ventilation are unclear.
A Cross-Sectional Survey of School Administrators’ Implementation of Evidence-Based Practices and Programs: Training, Knowledge, and Perceived Barriers

Leadership is integral for successful implementation of evidence-based programs and practices (EBPPs) in schools. However, as research is limited regarding school administrators’ training, knowledg...
Observation and Interpretation of Microstructurally Induced Fluctuations of Back-Surface Signals and Ultrasonic Attenuation in Titanium Alloys

During ultrasonic inspection for flaws in engineering materials, it is important to understand the interactions between the inspecting beam and the microstructure in which flaws are embedded. It has been found that in certain materials such interactions can have dramatic effects on the characteristics of the beam as it propagates to and from a flaw and consequently can have deleterious effects on both flaw characterization and the probability of detection. It is well known that, the microstructure can backscatter energy, creating noise which can mask small flaws. In addition, a flaw signal can be attenuated by the removal of energy from the beam by absorption and scattering. Considerable progress has been made towards developing a theoretical understanding of these phenomena. For example, backscattered grain noise has been successfully modeled by Han and Thompson [1] for duplex microstructures that commonly occur in Ti-17 and Ti-6A1-4V alloys used in the rotating components of aircraft engines. In addition, attenuation has been modeled for randomly oriented, equiaxed, cubic microstructures [2], for textured, equiaxed, cubic, stainless-steel [3], and also for elongated textured microstructures [4].
VEGF did not enhance lung metastatic potential of human osteosarcoma cells

4330 Our previous studies demonstrated that Fas expression inversely correlated with the metastatic potential of osteosarcoma (OS) cells in a nude mouse model. Parental SAOS-2 human OS cells have high Fas expression and do not form lung metastases following iv injection while the LM7 subline with low Fas expression is highly metastasis to the lungs. Upregulating Fas expression in LM7 cells by transfection of the Fas gene (LM7/Fas) significantly decreased lung metastases. The purpose of this study was to determine whether upregulating the expression of VEGF also affected lung metastatic potential. LM7 and LM7/Fas cells were transfected with pcDNA4 plasmid expressing VEGF165. Following transfection the expression of VEGF protein (measured by ELISA) increased 7.4- to 11.1- fold compared to LM7/neo cells, & 5.1 to 17.5 fold compared with LM7/Fas/neo cells. The Fas expression (quantified by flow cytometric analysis) was unchanged following VEGF transfection. The doubling time was reduced from 32.3 hrs in LM7/neo cells to 21.5 hrs in LM7/VEGF cells (p=0.038). However, the doubling time did not change in LM7/Fas/VEGF cells. To assess the in vivo effect of VEGF-transfection on metastases potential, mice were iv injected with 1×106 LM7, LM7/neo, LM7/VEGF, LM7/Fas, LM7/Fas/neo, LM7/Fas/VEGF cells. The mice were sacrificed 12 weeks later and the number of lung metastases quantified. There was not change in metastatic potential in the LM7/Fas/VEGF cells compared with LM7/Fas/neo cells. We therefore conclude that unlike Fas expression, which was inversely correlated with lung metastatic potential, increasing the VEGF expression in LM7 or LM7/Fas cells did not increase lung metastatic potential. .
Eosinophilic granuloma of bone: Case report of eosinophilic granuloma of mouth (jaws, gums, and palate) with simultaneous fistula in ano

During the past 5 years I have had the opportunity of observing a patient with destructive lesions of the jaws who at the same time had a soft tissue lesion, “fistula in ano.” This case exhibits features that seem to show certain transitive phases between eosinophilic granuloma of bone and Letterer-Siwe disease. The histologic picture of both lesions showed eosinophilic infiltration in the tissue. The thought that this case may shed some light upon this intriguing condition warrants its publication.
Clock synchronization for wireless networks

Time synchronization is a fundamental service in many wireless applications. While the synchronization problem is well-studied in traditional wired networks, physical constraints of the wireless medium impose a unique set of challenges. We present a novel time synchronization algorithm which is highly energy efficient and failure/recovery-tolerant. Our algorithm allows nodes to synchronize to sources of real time such as GPS when such signals are available, but continues to synchronize nodes to each other, even in the absence of GPS. In addition, the algorithm satisfies a relaxed gradient property, in which the degree of synchronization between nodes varies as a linear function of their distance. Thus, nearby nodes are highly synchronized, which is desirable in many wireless applications.
Sharing the Pain of Social Security and Medicare Reform

In combination with current trends in health costs, adjustments now scheduled for Social Security, Medicare and the income tax are likely to offset virtually all of the increase in Social Security cash benefits that future economic growth would otherwise produce. Current law will reduce future Social Security benefits in two ways, through the increase in the normal retirement and the expansion of the fraction of benefits included in the personal income tax base. Medicare projections suggest that beneficiaries also will have to devote an increasing fraction of their remaining benefit income to paying out-of-pocket health expenses and Medicare premiums and deductibles. Under current projections, the net earnings of future workers (their earnings after paying income and payroll taxes) will grow much more rapidly than the net benefits (Social Security benefits net of health costs) of retirees. The gap between the prospects of future workers and the prospects of future retirees is large enough that the current Medicare and Social Security financing problems could be addressed entirely through increases in taxes on future workers, without disadvantaging future workers relative to future beneficiaries. Indeed, the gap appears large enough also to allow the addition of a modest prescription drug benefit to Medicare. Restoring fiscal balance to Social Security and Medicare through higher taxes on future workers also does not appear to create intergenerational equity problems. The intergenerational transfers that current children can expect to receive from their parents within the confines of a typical family would still exceed the burden of the payroll tax payments flowing from these children back to their parents over the balance of their work careers.
Homology groups of translation planes and flocks of quadratic cones, II; j-planes

The set of j-planes with spreads in PG(3,K), for K a field admitting a quadratic field extension K + is shown to be equivalent to the set of all det K + -monomial partial flocks of a quadratic cone. Using this connection, when K is GF(2 r ), the set of j-planes is determined and j = 0, 1, or 2 and correspond to the linear, Walker/Betten or Payne conical flocks, respectively. When K is the field of real numbers, the set of j-planes is completely determined and j is any real number > -½
THE YELLOW CAKE

In this paper we consider the following property: (⊛ Da ) For every function f : R × R ! R there are functions g 0,g 1 : R ! R (for n < !) such that
Stratigraphy and Glacial-Marine Sediments of the Amerasian Basin, Central Arctic Ocean.

Abstract : Thirteen correlatable lithostratigraphic units are recognized in cores recovered from the central Artic Ocean. The stratigraphic units range in age from late Miocene to Holocene and can be correlated over several hundred thousand square kilometers. Six intervals of increased glacial ice-rafting are defined. A classification of glacial-marine sediment based on silt-clay histograms characterizes 4 classes. This is compared to non-Arctic glacial-marine sediment. (Author)
Learning improves service discovery

A distributed system of services assembled according to a service-oriented architecture requires an efficient mechanism to discover appropriate services deployed over a network. The recent emergence of many service marketplaces makes the case for the existence of such a discovery service. These marketplaces typically provide rudimentary techniques to publish service information and associated matching activities. Such simple matching techniques are typically not suitable to address complex user requirements. Therefore, it is a challenge to discover relevant services, with a high degree of accuracy, out of existing choices. This paper discusses experiments performed on a discovery service whose search techniques incorporate learning profiles to accomplish these complex tasks. The UniFrame Resource Discovery System, which searches for required services, provided an experimental test bed for these experiments. The article describes these techniques and explains their algorithms. Experimental results illustrate the gains in the quality of selected services and reduction in the discovery time using the proposed techniques. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Molecular cloning and relative tissue expression of keratocan and mimecan in embryonic quail cornea.

We have cloned and sequenced the cDNAs for quail cornea proteoglycan core proteins, decorin and lumican. Comparison of deduced amino acid sequences shows that two of five amino acid differences in the mature protein between quail and chick decorin, and two of three for lumican, are non-conservative. Ribonuclease protection assay of Day 16 embryonic quail tissues reveals that decorin and lumican are most highly expressed in cornea, and that both are also highly expressed at approximately equal levels in most other tissues. Decorin is highly expressed in sclera and sternum, whereas lumican is expressed in these tissues, as well as in liver, at very low levels. Both decorin and lumican are expressed at lowest levels in brain.
A Wideband Highly Integrated and Widely Tunable Transceiver for In-Band Full-Duplex Communication

A fully integrated wideband active duplexing transceiver with baseband noise-cancelling duplexing LNAs is presented. The circuit allows in-band full duplex operation with concurrent reception and transmission in the same band or closely-spaced channels. A passive mixer-first architecture is applied here, sharing a single passive mixer to perform simultaneous up-conversion and down-conversion. The bi-directional transparency of the passive mixer allows the duplexing function to be implemented at baseband instead of RF front end. Under the same condition as required for noise cancellation, the baseband duplexing LNAs buffer the transmitter input signals to the mixer while canceling those signals in receive path. Measurements from the transceiver implemented in 65 nm CMOS show a frequency tuning range of 0.1–1.5 GHz with ${\rm S}_{11} 20 dB, NF as low as 5.5 dB and transmitted power up to ${-}$ 7.1 dBm. A 30 dB linear isolation between receive and transmit is generally maintained across both LO frequency and in-band transmit/receive frequency separation. Significant suppression of transmit-induced noise and nonlinear intermodulation between received and transmitted signals are also achieved.
Ethnic Variations in Personal Social Networks and Parenting

Ecological perspectives emphasize social network influences on child rearing, but do these effects vary with ethnicity, and are they mediated by parental well-being? Low-income parents (N = 500) of ethnically and ecologically diverse backgrounds completed a multidimensional hierarchical social map and measures of parental self-esteem and child-rearing practices. Consistent with prior ethnographic studies, American Indians had frequent interchanges with an interconnected web of kin; Hispanic' parents had large, close-knit social networks but a smaller number of people who provided emotional support; and Anglo parents had structurally diffuse but emotionally supportive networks. Within-ethnicity regression analyses, covarying psychosocial risk, revealed that the affective but not structural dimensions of social networks were consistently related to parenting. Parental self-efficacy was strongly related to child-rearing practices across all ethnic groups, and mediated the effects of social support. Implications for the social ecology of child rearing and the central role of parental self-appraisals are discussed.
The effects of vitamin E deficiency on the testis of the male fowl (Gallus domesticus)

The effects of vitamin E deficiency in the fowl were observed in Rhode Island Red males over a period of approximately 2 years. Mating experiments showed that after 1 year on the E-free diet all of the males were capable of fertilizing ova, but that after 2 years some of the males were sterile. Sperm smears showed that shortly after the beginning of the experiment, many of the mature spermatozoa exhibited an abnormal condition of the nuclear material of the head, while others remained normal. In histological sections of the testes made at the end of the 2 years, conditions varied from almost normal to complete atrophy, the latter being a condition that has already been described in the male mammal. Moreover, the conditions in any given section were not uniform for even in an advanced stage of E deficiency there were small islands of apparently normal tissue. However, in this case, as in the mammal, the process of degeneration affects the mature sperm cells first and gradually works to the outside of the seminiferous tubule thus attacking the youngest maturation stages last. The results of the experiment point definitely to destruction of the testis under prolonged E-deficient conditions but it is also quite apparent that the testis of the fowl is extremely resistant to vitamin E deficiency.
An ab Initio Study of Solid Nitromethane, HMX, RDX, and CL20: Successes and Failures of DFT

Using the PW91 and PBE density functional theories (DFT), we have studied four energetic molecular crystals, nitromethane, HMX, RDX, and CL20, with a wide range of basis sets. Intramolecular distances, simple angles, and band gaps are converged at plane wave cutoff energies (Ecut) of 430 to 495 eV. Cell parameters were determined over a range of Ecut values from 280 eV to 700 or 800 eV, depending upon the system. Lattice vectors, however, display large errors in the range of 0.2 A to 1.0 A (up to a 9.6% error at the highest Ecut used here), and a very slow convergence on basis set size. We hypothesize that the error in the lattice vectors is due to a lack of van der Waals forces in current DFT functionals. This deficiency will have unforeseen consequences on all crystal calculations for organic molecules, and therefore caution should be employed whenever interpreting results obtained from the current DFT functionals available in solid state codes. To properly describe the electronic structure of these typ...
Sexual Habitat Segregation by American Redstarts Wintering in Jamaica: Importance of Resource Seasonality

ABsnTRCr.-We tested the hypothesis that wintering populations of American Redstarts (Setophaga ruticilla) segregate into different habitats by sex in response to ecological conditions associated with an extensive dry season, which typically develops after migrants arrive in northern Neotropical sites. Sex-specific distribution and overwinter persistence of redstarts were quantified at a Jamaican mangrove-scrub ecotone. We also contrasted vegetation structure and food availability in winter territories of the two sexes and in both habitats within and between seasons. Male and female redstarts were significantly segregated by habitat, with males holding territories in mangroves and females predominantly in contiguous scrub habitat. However, we found no significant sex-based difference in overwinter persistence on territories. The average mangrove territory had a higher canopy and more-open understory, higher relative humidity, and greater insect biomass within a season for several insect orders important in redstart diets. Canopy (leaf) cover and abundances of several insect taxa remained more constant over the dry season in mangrove than in scrub habitat. We argue that these between-habitat differences, especially seasonal stability of vegetation features and food abundances in mangrove habitats, affect winter habitat quality for nonbreeding redstarts. Received 3 March 1993, accepted 31 May 1993.
The interaction of behavior and reproductive cycles in patas monkeys.

Reproductive cycles of females in a breeding group of 10 to 18 patas monkeys ( Erythrocebus patas ) were followed over 5 years using vaginal smear and lavage techniques. Two hundred hours of behavioral observations were made during the same period. The social organization centered on an inner circle of six females with a complex web of interrelationships; other females, and males, had a peripheral position linked to the central circle at one or two points only. Mating activity was periodic: either several or no females were receptive at one time. Most mating activity and most conceptions occurred between September and November but there was no strict association of mating periods with a particular season. Menstrual cycles in mating periods differed from those in nonmating periods in having heavier menstrual bleeding, more vaginal epithelial activity throughout the cycle, and midcycle leukocyte peaks were common. There was very little differentiation of stages of the menstrual cycle in terms of vaginal histology, but there was a clear midcycle peak in heterosexual interaction, especially during mating periods. Friendly and avoiding interactions between females did not change during their cycles or when they were pregnant, but did increase dramatically in early lactation. The return to receptivity postpartum was greatly influenced by the social environment. It seemed that sexual activity had a social facilitatory effect but was in turn inhibited by the presence of small infants. This interactive mechanism favors increased reproductive synchrony within the group.
Primary intestinal lymphoma in patients with inflammatory bowel disease: A descriptive series from the prebiologic therapy era

Background: Primary intestinal lymphoma in the setting of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is uncommon and may be associated with immune suppressive therapy. We report clinical features and outcomes in patients with both conditions prior to use of biologic therapy. Methods: All patients with primary intestinal lymphoma and IBD at our institution from 1960–2000 were retrospectively identified. Data reported are frequency (proportion) or median (interquartile range). Kaplan–Meier analysis was performed. Results: Fifteen patients were identified: 14 (93%) were male, 10 (66%) had Crohn's disease. Median age at diagnosis of IBD and lymphoma was 30 (22–51) and 47 (28–68) years, respectively, with bloody diarrhea the most common presenting symptom for each diagnosis. Lymphoma location was colorectal in nine (60%), small bowel in four (27%), and one (6.25%) each: stomach, duodenum, and ileal pouch. Treatments were surgery plus chemotherapy (n = 6), surgery alone (n = 3), chemotherapy alone (n = 2), chemotherapy and radiation (n = 1), surgery and radiation (n = 1); two patients died before treatment. Most patients (n = 11, 73%) were Ann Arbor stages I or II. Large cell B-type histology was most common (n = 9, 60%). Three patients died within 30 days of lymphoma diagnosis. Survival free of death from lymphoma at 1- and 5-years was 78% and 63%, respectively, and was associated with advanced lymphoma stage (P = 0.004). Conclusions: Diagnosis and treatment of primary intestinal lymphoma in patients with IBD can be challenging and requires a high index of suspicion. Optimal survival requires multimodality therapy.(Inflamm Bowel Dis 2010;)
Is Medicaid crowding out other state government expenditure? Internal financing and cross-program substitution

Abstract We examine whether state government responses to rising Medicaid costs cause reduced low income assistance, overall state budget cuts, or higher taxes. We segment Medicaid recipient groups into families, the disabled, and the elderly. Using GMM estimation, we instrument for endogenous program participation using federally directed program recipients in a panel of 47 states from 1976 to 2004. We find that half of cost increases for elderly recipients are financed by own benefit decreases. We find that the disabled group increases Medicaid for all through cuts in other government expenditure, family recipients erode Medicaid benefits and cash assistance, Medicaid only for families is increased because of AFDC matching elimination, and taxpayers fund no cost increases.
Redox Inversion of Helicity in Propeller-Shaped Molecules Derived from S-Methyl Cysteine and Methioninol

One-electron reduction inverts the helicity of copper complexes formed from derivatives of S-methylcysteine and methioninol. The change in conformation of the organic ligand is followed in the exciton-coupled circular dichroism (ECCD) spectra of the complexes.
Surgical Drilling: Design and Performance of an Improved Drill

The majority of twist drills used in orthopaedics are very similar to chisel pointed metal drilling bits. Modifications usually observed are reduction of the point angle to 90 deg and sometimes grinding of the entire cutting lip at 0 deg rake angle, which appeared to have been made arbitrarily without any advantage. We have attempted to design a surgical drill bit with the objective of minimization of the drilling thrust and temperature and effective removal of bone chips. Our results showed that the presence of the chisel edge was mainly responsible for increasing the thrust force and the temperature developed. The effects of a constant feed rate and thrust on the peak temperature were also examined. The combined effect of the helix and the point angles on the rake angle which in turn determines the cutting efficiency was analyzed for various types of surgical bits. Based on our results and previously published data from the literature an optimized drill bit was designed with a split point, a point angle of 118 deg, a parabolic flute, and a helix angle of 36 deg and its performance was compared with other existing surgical drill bits. For drilling in compact bone, the new design decreased the thrust load by 45 percent an the peak temperature rise by 41 percent. Similar improvements were also recorded for drilling bone cement. The time of drilling a bone cortex was also significantly reduced and "walking" on the curved bone surface was eliminated and dimensional tolerance on hole sizes was improved. The new design is likely to reduce the time of surgery and also minimize the tissue damage.
Review: Assessment of lower urinary tract symptoms did not detect bladder outlet obstruction in men

Source Citation D’Silva KA, Dahm P, Wong CL. Does this man with lower urinary tract symptoms have bladder outlet obstruction? The Rational Clinical Examination: a systematic review. JAMA. 2014;312:...
Multicompartment model of body composition assessment in Chinese-American adults.

Using hydrodensitometry, dual energy x-ray absorptiometry, and deuterium dilution techniques, multiple compartment body composition assessment was performed on 29 adult Chinese-American men (n = 11) and women (n = 18). The purpose of the investigation was to determine if significant differences exist in the estimation of percentage of body fat (%BF) and fat-free mass (FFM), based on 2-, 3-, and 4-compartment models of body composition. Height, weight, and the body mass index (BMI) for the men were 170 cm, 63 kg, and 22 kg/m2 ; for the women, values were 161 cm, 59 kg, and 23 kg/m2 , respectively. Estimated values for %BF from density alone and density adjusted for TBW were not significantly different for either the men or women (20.5% vs. 18.8%) and (28.2% vs. 27.4%). However, %BF estimated from the 4-compartment model of density, TBW and BMC resulted in significantly lower values for both groups, 17.5% for men and 26.8% for women. The lack of a significant difference in %BF between density only and density adjusted for TBW indicates that TBW was within the accepted constancy value associated with hydrodensitometry. When density was adjusted for variation in both TBW and BMC, a significant decline occurred in the estimate of %BF for men, but not for women. The average TBW to FFM ratio was 0.75., 0.74, and 0.73 when using FFM values from 2-, 3-, and 4-compartment models, respectively. The average BMC to FFM ratio from two-, three-, and four-compartment estimates of FFM were 0.054, 0.053, and 0.052 for the men and 0.060, 0.059, and 0.059 for the women. The results suggest that Chinese-American men and women have similar TBW/FFM ratios, but the BMC/FFM ratio is higher in women than men. Am. J. Hum. Biol. 9:21-27 © 1997 Wiley-Liss, Inc. This article is a US Government work and, as such, is in the public domain in the United States of America.
Porcine differential gene expression in response to Salmonella enterica serovars Choleraesuis and Typhimurium.

Abstract An investigation of the porcine response to gastrointestinal infection with Salmonella enterica serovars Choleraesuis (narrow host range) and Typhimurium (broad host range) revealed markedly different transcriptional profiles. Seven genes identified by suppression subtractive hybridization as up-regulated in the mesenteric lymph nodes at 24 h (h) post-inoculation (p.i.) in serovar Choleraesuis-infected pigs (ARPC2, CCT7, HSPH1, LCP1, PTMA, SDCBP, VCP) and three genes in serovar Typhimurium-infected pigs (CD47/IAP, CXCL10, SCARB2) were analyzed by real-time PCR at 8 h, 24 h, 48 h, 7 days (d) and 21 d p.i. A comparison between the two Salmonella infections revealed significant differences in transcriptional induction early in the infection (8–24 h) for the serovar Typhimurium-infected pigs, whereas the serovar Choleraesuis-infected pigs exhibited significantly higher levels of gene expression at the later time points (48 h–21 d), except for HSPH1. A similar gene expression trend was observed for immune-related genes involved in innate immunity and the inflammatory T helper 1 (Th1) response. Initial repression of gene expression in the serovar Choleraesuis-infected pigs from 8 to 48 h p.i. (IFNG, IL12A, IL4, IL8, CSF2) coincided with extended transcriptional activation throughout the 21 d infection (IFNG, INDO, SOCS1, STAT1, IL1B, IL6, IL8, SLC11A1). The serovar Typhimurium-infected swine presented a more transient induction of immune-related genes (IFNG, INDO, IRF1, SOCS1, STAT1, IL1B, IL8, SLC11A1) early in the infection (24–48 h) followed by a significant repression of IL12A, IL12B, IL4, IL8 and CSF2. Collectively, these data reveal specific porcine genes with differences in gene expression kinetics that may be responsible for the variation in disease progression observed in swine infected with Typhimurium compared to Choleraesuis.
Lifetime and hyperfine splitting measurements on the 7s and 6p levels in rubidium

We present lifetime measurements of the 7S1/2 level and the 6p manifold of rubidium. We use a time-correlated single-photon counting technique on a sample of 85Rb atoms confined and cooled in a magneto-optic trap. The upper state of the 5P1/2 repumping transition serves as the resonant intermediate level for two-photon excitation of the 7s level. A probe laser provides the second step of the excitation, and we detect the decay of atomic fluorescence to the 5P3/2 level at 741 nm. The decay process feeds the 6p manifold that decays to the 5s ground state emitting UV photons. We measure lifetimes of 88.07±0.40 and 120.7±1.2 ns for the 7S1/2 level and 6p manifold, respectively; the hyperfine splitting of the 7S1/2 level is 282.6±1.6 MHz. The agreement with theoretical calculations confirms the understanding of the wave functions involved and provides confidence on the possibility of extracting weak interaction constants from a parity nonconservation measurement.
The isolation of ribonucleic acid from plant, bacterial or animal cells.

Abstract 1. 1. An adaptation of the phenol procedure is described for the isolation of relatively undegraded ribonucleic acid from plant tissue, which is also useful for the isolation of ribonucleic acid from bacterial and animal cells. The novel aspects that make the isolation procedure feasible is the use of a basic buffer (pH 9.5) in the presence of versene. Ribonucleic acid was isolated from white potato tubers, the leaves, stems and roots of etiolated peas, Escherichia coli K-12, rat fat pads, ribosomes from human reticulocytes, rabbit reticulocytes and rabbit liver. 2. 2. The preparations, analyzed by sucrose-gradient centrifugation, revealed that the two ribosomal RNA fractions of pea seedlings were present in equimolar concentrations and had molecular weights of 1.25 · 106 and 5.7 · 105 estimated from sedimentation coefficients of 24.5 S and 16 S. 3. 3. The molar ratios (cytidine:adenine:guanine:uridine) of the 25 S, 16 S, and 4 S RNA of pea seedlings were 22.7:23.6:32.1:21.5, 20.1:23.7:31.1:25.2, and 25.5:20.8:32.4:21.2, respectively. 4. 4. Pea seedling leaves, which have a higher metabolic activity than stems and roots of the same tissue, also have a higher content of soluble ribonucleic acid (% of the total ribonucleic acid).
A survey of multimedia content adaptation for mobile devices

With continued increase in the use of smartphones, user expectations of content access have also increased. Most of the content that exists today is not designed for mobile devices. Mobile devices cannot directly access most of the content due to the mismatch in device capability and content playback requirements. Content adaptation is an essential tool that bridges the gap between device capabilities and content formats. In this paper we present an overview of content adaptation and survey recent papers on content adaptation for mobile devices. We introduce the when, where, and what of content adaptation to help classify the content adaptation techniques and to select the appropriate techniques for a given content delivery environment.