cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Domain-specific web services for scientific application developers

Many scientists today routinely conduct simulations and run models using high performance computing (HPC) resources provided by national, regional and campus grid infrastructures, either directly logging into such resources or indirectly via web portals and other application client software, i.e. science gateways. Science gateways have proven to be an effective way of bringing HPC resources to a much larger user base. However, developing a new gateway demands substantial effort, requiring both cyberinfrastructure and domain expertise. This paper describes an approach by core software developers to provide domain specific web services (DomWS) to science gateway and application developers. The core developers deliver a set of web services that understand domain specific semantics and translate domain application requests into computational and other tasks that are dispatched onto the distributed high end resources. This approach allows gateway and application developers to easily create customized application services and focus on the gateway functions and interfaces, such as gadgets and desktop clients, that serve their user community. The DomWS approach is not a generic solution for all simulation services. Our aim is to help application developers apply this framework with ease to their specific models and simulations with a small degree of code modification. DomWS also provides reusable modules and templates for common tasks needed by the targeted user community. This paper describes a set of web services that have been developed for Community Climate System Model (CCSM) version 4 using this approach.
Beyond scar formation: portal myofibroblast-mediated angiogenesis in the fibrotic liver.

Progressive liver fibrosis, leading to cirrhosis, is the most common cause of liver failure and the hallmark of chronic liver disease. Liver fibrosis is a pathophysiological process triggered within the liver after injury to mediate tissue repair and wound-healing response.1 Angiogenesis and vascular remodeling are strongly associated with progressive liver fibrosis.2 Angiogenesis may have both beneficial effects, such as restoration of nutrient and oxygen delivery to underperfused tissue, and harmful effects, such as changes in signaling and alterations in vascular structural makeup. In any case, given that liver fibrosis and angiogenesis are coupled, it is rational to study the links between these two biological processes.
A novel CMOS-MEMS scanning micro-mirror using vertical comb drives

This paper presents design and simulation of an improved CMOS-MEMS electrostatic torsional micro-mirror for rotational scanning. The inclusion of substrate single crystal silicon (SCS) in vertical comb drives (VCDs) allows for large electrostatic force and scanning angle. The uniqueness of the VCDs also includes elevation tenability of the electrodes. The device design and simulation for improvements are based on AMI 0.5 μm CMOS technology with which the previous devices were fabricated. With typical technological parameters included in simulation, a maximum scanning angle of ±10° can be obtained at a 27 V driving voltage.
Reliable protocols for distributed termination detection

The problem of detecting termination in a network which has at most one faulty node is considered and several message-efficient protocols are presented. The protocols are then extended to multiple node failures. The network is assumed to be connected in spite of the failures. The protocols are being implemented on a network of SUN workstations. >
Alcohol content of several triple-acetate salts of sodium

Abstract Alcoholic reagents for the precipitation of sodium as a triple acetate produced salts containing appreciable amount of alcohol. The amount depended upon the divalent ion (other than uranyl) and the alcohol present, as well as upon the percentage of alcohol in the reagent. The composition of the salt sometimes varied with the ratio of the volumes of reagent and sample. Extreme caution must therefore be exercised in using alcoholic reagents for quantitative determinations of sodium.
A new model for health care delivery

The health care delivery system in the United States is facing cost and quality pressures that will require fundamental changes to remain viable. The optimal structures of the relationships between the hospital, medical school, and physicians have not been determined but are likely to have a large impact on the future of healthcare delivery. Because it is generally agreed that academic medical centers will play a role in the sustainability of this future system, a fundamental understanding of the relative contributions of the stakeholders is important as well as creativity in developing novel strategies to achieve a shared vision. Core competencies of each of the stakeholders (the hospital, the medical school and the physicians) must complement the others and should act synergistically. At the same time, the stakeholders should determine the common core values and should be able to make a meaningful contribution to the delivery of health care. Health care needs to achieve higher quality and lower cost. Therefore, in order for physicians, medical schools, and hospitals to serve the needs of society in a gratifying way, there will need to be change. There needs to be more scientific and social advances. It is obvious that there is a real and urgent need for relationship building among the professionals whose duty it is to provide these services.
Extrahepatic cholangiocyte cilia are abnormal in biliary atresia.

Objectives Biliary atresia is a rapidly progressive form of biliary fibrosis affecting neonates. We previously reported that primary cilia on the intrahepatic cholangiocytes of patients with both syndromic and non-syndromic biliary atresia were structurally abnormal. Our objective was to determine whether extrahepatic cholangiocytes in human biliary atesia, intrahepatic and extrahepatic cholangiocytes of rhesus rotavirus (RRV)-infected neonatal mice, and RRV-infected primary neonatal extrahepatic cholangiocytes also demonstrate ciliary abnormalities.
Temperature-dependent microscopic solvent properties of ‘dry’ and ‘wet’ 1-butyl-3-methylimidazolium hexafluorophosphate: correlation with ET(30) and Kamlet–Taft polarity scales

As a result of heightened awareness of a wealth of potential in clean manufacturing processes, room temperature ionic liquids (RTILs) have been the target of increased investigation. As an integral part of the green chemistry movement, RTILs have found application in synthesis, catalysis, polymerization, industrial cleaning, liquid/liquid extraction, and separations. While some groundwork has been laid, the optimal utilization and tailoring of these solvents has been hobbled by an incomplete understanding of their solvent properties, particularly at the molecular level. In this work, we use solvatochromic measurements to determine ‘energy of transition’ ET(30) values and Kamlet–Taft solvent parameters (α, β, π*) for the relatively hydrophobic RTIL 1-butyl-3-methylimidazolium hexafluorophosphate, [bmim]+[PF6]−, as a function of temperature (10–70 °C) and water content (50 ppm or less water, ‘dry’ or 2% water (v/v), ‘wet’). The results of these experiments demonstrate that dry [bmim]+[PF6]− exhibits a hydrogen bond donor strength on the order of short chain alcohols with a linear temperature dependence. Dry and wet [bmim]+[PF6]− exhibit hydrogen bond acceptor abilities, which are weak functions of temperature, intermediate between that of water and acetonitrile. The π* parameter for wet and dry [bmim]+[PF6]− is higher than short chain alcohols, but lower than water or dimethylsulfoxide at ambient conditions, and it exhibits a strong linear temperature dependence. Finally, the addition of water to [bmim]+[PF6]− does not affect the β and π* values significantly.
The influence of ethamoxytriphetol on the collagen and calcium contents of the femurs of rabbit fetuses

Abstract Ethamoxytriphetol, 1-(P-2-diethylaminoethoxyphenyl)-1-phenyl-2-methoxyphenyl ethanol (MER-25), was administered to a group of 6 pregnant rabbits in a daily dose of 25 mg/kg body weight. Eight pregnant rabbits received a daily dose of sesame oil and served as controls. All injections were begun on day 21 of gestation and carried through day 26. All the rabbits were delivered by cesarean section on day 27. The femurs of the liveborn were dissected free of soft tissue and the wet and fat-free dry weights were recorded. The collagen and calcium contents were analyzed. In the treated group receiving the antiestrogen, MER-25, collagen was significantly reduced when expressed as percent of both the wet weight (2.85 ± 0.54 vs. 3.76 ± 0.36) and the fat-free dry weight (16.3 ± 1.3 vs. 18.2 ± 1.1). The calcium to wet weight ratio in the MER-25 treated group was less than that of the controls (2.63% ± 0.49 vs. 3.42% ± 0.50), whereas the calcium as percent of the fat-free dry weight of the bone was not significantly different (15.1 ± 2.1 vs. 16.6 ± 2). It is concluded that ethamoxytriphetol retards fetal bone development and produces a decrease in collagen formation in fetal bone, but no disturbance in bone mineralization.
A Novel Hybrid Radix-3/Radix-2 SAR ADC With Fast Convergence and Low Hardware Complexity

This brief presents a fast-converging hybrid successive approximation register (SAR) analog-to-digital converter (ADC) based on the radix-3 and radix-2 search approaches. The radix-3 approach achieves 1.6 bits/cycle, and the radix-2 approach mitigates the effect of comparator offset and improves the accuracy of the ADC. Incorporating clock gating of comparators and efficient switching of capacitors, the proposed hybrid ADC demonstrates promising balance between hardware complexity and speed and can achieve equivalent signal-to-noise-and-distortion-ratio (SNDR) with less capacitors compared with radix-3 SAR ADC. Behavioral simulation-based results verify operation and merit of the proposed architecture. An 11-bit 45-MS/s prototype with 5% capacitor mismatch in 180-nm CMOS was simulated in SPICE and achieves 67 dB of SNDR after calibration.
Effect of pre-treatment conditions on the performance of sulfided Ni–Mo/γ-Al2O3 catalysts for hydrogenation of linear aldehydes

Abstract Effect of catalyst pre-treatment conditions on activity and selectivity of sulfided Ni–Mo/γ-Al 2 O 3 catalysts in aldehyde hydrogenation reactions was studied. It appears that both of the sulfidation temperature and the post-sulfidation degassing temperatures can be effectively used to manipulate the surface density of anion vacancy sites and the hydroxyl and sulfhydryl sites over the sulfided Ni–Mo/γ-Al 2 O 3 catalysts. Any changes in the surface density of these sites, in turn, can have significant effect on the activity and product distribution achieved over these catalysts in hydrogenation of linear aldehydes, hexanal and propanal. As established previously, NO and CO 2 can be used to probe the sites that promote the alcohol and heavy product formation reactions, respectively. The results obtained from XRD, XPS, DRIFTS, TPD and volumetric chemisorption measurements provide complementary information in establishing the correlations between the active sites and reaction performance.
Creating a lightweight user interface description language: An overview and analysis of the personal universal controller project

Over six years, we iterated on the design of a language for describing the functionality of appliances, such as televisions, telephones, VCRs, and copiers. This language has been used to describe more than thirty diverse appliances, and these descriptions have been used to automatically generate both graphical and speech user interfaces on handheld computers, mobile phones, and desktop computers. In this article, we describe the final design of our language and analyze the key design choices that led to this design. Through this analysis, we hope to provide a useful guide for the designers of future user interface description languages.
Using Arabidopsis genetic sequences to teach bioinformatics

This article describes a new approach to teaching bioinformatics using Arabidopsis genetic sequences. Several open-ended and inquiry-based laboratory exercises have been designed to help students grasp key concepts and gain practical skills in bioinformatics, using Arabidopsis leucine-rich repeat receptor-like kinase (LRR RLK) genetic sequences. In these exercises, students are asked to explore the intimate relationship between the structure and functions of LRR RLKs and to understand the diverse signaling roles of LRR RLKs in Arabidopsis. Students are also required to identify LRR RLK paralogs and orthologs and to analyze their evolutionary and functional relationships using bioinformatics software. Through these exercises, students are expected to gain the ability to search databases to retrieve genetic data and analyze them using a variety of bioinformatics tools.
The effect of recurrent laryngeal neurectomy in conjunction with laryngoplasty and unilateral ventriculocordectomy in thoroughbred racehorses.

Objective— To investigate the effects of recurrent laryngeal neurectomy (RLN) in combination with laryngoplasty and ventriculocordectomy on the postoperative performance of Thoroughbred racehorses treated for grade III left laryngeal hemiparesis (LLH). Study Design— Retrospective study. Sample Population— Fifty-five Thoroughbred racehorses. Methods— Medical records for Thoroughbred racehorses treated surgically by laryngoplasty and laser ventriculocordectomy with or without RLN between June 1993 and December 1996 were reviewed. Outcome was evaluated subjectively by assessment of performance obtained from telephone interviews with owners and trainers, and objectively by assessment of racing performance for 3 races before and after surgery using a performance index (PI). Results— Fifty-five Thoroughbred racehorses with resting endoscopic grade III LLH were treated by laryngoplasty and ventriculocordectomy either with (39 horses) or without (16 horses) RLN. For RLN horses, respondents for 38 horses believed performance was improved in 19 horses, unchanged in 16 horses, and decreased in 3 horses. For horses without RLN, respondents for 9 horses reported that performance was improved in 5 horses, unchanged in 2 horses, and decreased in 2 horses. PI scores were improved in 18 RLN horses and in 6 horses without RLN; there was no statistical difference in outcome. Conclusions and Clinical Relevance— Use of RLN in combination with laryngoplasty and ventriculocordectomy for treatment of grade III LLH may not improve postoperative racing performance.
Seasonality, spatial coherence and history of precipitation in a desert region of the Baja California peninsula

Abstract Precipitation patterns are characterized for an area of the Sonoran Desert in Baja California, with emphasis on temporal and spatial variability, based on nine stations between 30·03° and 28·58°, ca. 1953–1998. The interior stations formed a coherent region, while some distinct tendencies were shown for the Pacific and Gulf coasts. Precipitation was predominately in the cool season (61–91% in November–April), and was non-normal in both seasonal and annual totals. The duration of moist conditions was examined as the probability of some number of consecutive months above a threshold; for the cool season, the distributions approximated the Poisson with means dependent on the threshold. Spatial coherence was examined as the between-station correlation of inter-annual variation of seasonal totals. This also emphasized the cool-moist regime: the correlations of histories were all significant and exceeded 0·69 between interior stations, but most were weak or insignificant in the warm season. The full range of cool-season precipitation, showed a linear correlation with a seasonalized Southern Oscillation Index (−0·64) in the decades of record. Exceptionally, wet cool seasons were related to other proxy data; an historical reconstruction indicated very wet cool seasons were not evenly distributed in the last 150 years.
Visceral duplex scanning: evaluation before and after artery intervention for chronic mesenteric ischemia.

Color duplex ultrasound testing has evolved to be a clinically useful modality to diagnose chronic mesenteric ischemia caused by visceral artery origin atherosclerosis. Testing requires expertise in ultrasound imaging, visceral artery hemodynamics, and duplex scan interpretation. Patient can be accurately screened for severe stenosis or occlusion involving celiac, superior mesenteric, or inferior mesenteric arteries. Duplex testing can also evaluate functional patency following visceral bypass grafting procedures or endovascular stent-angioplasty. The focus of duplex surveillance after visceral artery intervention is to identify severe repair site stenosis, which can develop with symptoms of gut ischemia. Visceral duplex testing of a bypass graft or stent-angioplasty site that shows peak systolic velocities >300 cm/s with end-diastolic velocities >50 to 70 cm/s, or a decreased graft velocity peak systolic velocity 70%) stenosis. Duplex testing after surgical or endovascular visceral interventions is a screening study, which compliments clinical follow-up by aiding the vascular surgeon in timely identification of visceral repairs that have developed a progressive, high-grade stenosis.
Generalized finite element method for modeling nearly incompressible bimaterial hyperelastic solids

An extension of the generalized finite element method to the class of mixed finite element methods is presented to tackle heterogeneous systems with nearly incompressible non-linear hyperelastic material behavior. In particular, heterogeneous systems with large modulus mismatch across the material interface undergoing large strains are investigated using two formulations, one based on a continuous deformation map, the other on a discontinuous one. A bimaterial patch test is formulated to assess the ability of the two formulations to reproduce constant stress fields, while a mesh convergence study is used to examine the consistency of the formulations. Finally, compression of a model heterogeneous propellant pack is simulated to demonstrate the robustness of the proposed discontinuous deformation map formulation.
Lethality of heat to Escherichia coli O157:H7: D- and z-value determinations in turkey, lamb and pork

Abstract Thermal inactivation of a four-strain mixture of E. coli O157:H7 was determined in lean ground turkey, lamb and pork. Inoculated meat was packaged in bags completely immersed in a circulating water bath and held at 55, 57.5, 60, 62.5, and 65°C for predetermined lengths of time. The surviving cell population was enumerated by spiral plating meat samples on tryptic soy agar overlaid with Sorbitol MacConkey agar. D-values, determined by linear regression, in turkey were 11.51, 3.59, 1.89, 0.81 and 0.29 min at 55, 57.5, 60, 62.5 and 65°C, respectively ( z =6.5°C). When a survival model was fitted to the non-linear survival curves, D-values in turkey ranged from 11.26 min at 55°C to 0.23 min at 65°C ( z =6°C). When the E. coli O157:H7 four-strain cocktail was heated in ground pork or lamb, D-values calculated by both approaches were similar at all temperatures. Thermal-death-times from this study will assist the retail food industry to design cooking regimes that ensure safety of ground muscle foods contaminated with E. coli O157:H7.
Src Kinase Activity Is Required for Integrin αVβ3-Mediated Activation of Nuclear Factor-κB

Integrin adhesion to extracellular matrix proteins protects adhesion-dependent cells from suspension-induced apoptosis. Previous studies indicate that activation of the transcription factor nuclear factor-κB was necessary for the integrin αvβ3 ligand osteopontin to protect endothelial cells from apoptosis caused by serum withdrawal. In this study, β3 integrins were overexpressed in smooth muscle cells. When plated on osteopontin, cells overexpressing wild-type β3 had enhanced cell adhesion, cell spreading, and nuclear factor-κB activation compared with vector control. Removal of four amino acids (759X) from the C terminus of β3 eliminated the ability of the integrin to promote these processes. Single amino acid substitutions indicated that phosphorylation at tyrosine 759 was not required for activation of the transcription factor, however this residue appeared to play a structural role, because mutation to alanine significantly inhibited nuclear factor-κB activation. The Src family of tyrosine kinases represents important transducers during integrin signaling, and the C terminus of β3 has been implicated as the binding site for Src. Immunoprecipitations demonstrated that Src associated with wild-type β3 integrins, but Src and integrins lacking the C terminus (759X) did not form a complex. Pharmacological inhibition with the Src inhibitor PP2 (4-amino-5-(4-chlorophenyl)-7-(t-butyl)pyrazolo[3,4-d]pyrimidine) or overexpression of kinase-dead c-Src blocked nuclear factor-κB activation. Mouse embryonic fibroblasts deficient for Src failed to activate nuclear factor-κB when plated on osteopontin, in contrast to control fibroblasts. Together, these experiments indicate that the C terminus of β3 and Src activity are required for integrin αvβ3-mediated nuclear factorκB activation.
Rare gas studies of the galactic cosmic ray irradiation history of lunar rocks.

Average irradiation depths and exposure ages of Tranquillity Base rocks are computed on the basis of eight analyses of the five noble gases in whole rock samples and lunar separates from lunar rocks, in conjunction with available literature data. Correlated variations in He-3/Ne-21 and Ar-38/Ne-21 reflect shielding differences. This correlation cannot be explained by diffusion losses, even though evidence for gas loss is obtained from mineral separate data. A qualitative shielding sequence is constructed which agrees reasonably well with the sequence based on Gd isotopic data.
Modeling and experimental aspects of apparent beam width as an edge resolution measure

The SEMATECH advanced advisory group recently issued a critical dimension (CD) scanning electron microscope (SEM) specification. One component of this specification was the measurement of the apparent beam width (ABW). This measure is essentially an edge width measurement determined from the video profile of a good quality isolated structure of typical semiconductor material like photoresist on antireflective coating on silicon. The waveform is acquired under typical linewidth measurement conditions. The ABW measurement convolutes all the edge resolution-limiting contributors that are present during the linewidth measurement process because it is an actual measurement on a product wafer structure. These factors include beam size, depth of field, autofocus imprecision, astigmatism and electronic filtering in a single measurement. The choice of the ABW artifact, in itself, is also a potential contributor to the measurement and must be fully understood. Using the NIST Monte Carlo modeling program, MONSEL-II, the ABW measurement technique is examined and many contributing factors to measurement variation are studied. Results are compared with experiments using an existing ABW artifact. Furthermore, the requirements for future ABW artifacts are determined and discussed.
Shift of song frequencies in response to masking tones

Ambient noise can interfere with signal transmission and detection across many taxa and modalities. Evidence suggests that, over time, signals evolve to minimize interference from ambient noise and other signalling animals. Less well studied is the possibility of short-term behavioural responses to transient ambient noise, in which animals actively adjust signal parameters to recover signalling efficacy. Here we test animals' capacity to adjust vocal signal parameters in the face of transient acoustic interference. In field trials we monitored the songs of territorial male black-capped chickadees, Poecile atricapillus, determined the frequencies of their ‘fee-bee’ songs, and broadcast tones to closely mask subjects' ‘bee’ notes. We also presented control nonmasking tones of 5 kHz, well above birds' song frequencies. Our main finding was that males responded to masking tones by shifting song frequencies after an average of 66.4 s from tone onset, whereas frequency shifts in the presence of nonmasking tones occurred only after an average of 95.8 s. The quicker shift in frequencies in the face of masking noise provides new evidence for vocal behavioural plasticity, and further reveals how behavioural plasticity together with evolutionary adaptations can minimize the detrimental effects of ambient noise on communication.
Docetaxel-induced skin toxicities in breast cancer patients subsequent to paclitaxel shortage: a case series and literature review

Purpose As the result of a recent national shortage in paclitaxel, some patients who were receiving or scheduled to receive weekly paclitaxel were converted to every 3-week (q3w) docetaxel with granulocyte colony-stimulating factor support. Our institution noted higher than expected incidence of severe skin toxicity events attributable to docetaxel during the shortage period among our breast cancer patients. In this report, we summarize the clinical course of the first five cases, review the literature surrounding docetaxel-induced skin toxicity, and offer possible prevention and treatment strategies to improve docetaxel tolerability.
Distinct Cardiac Transcriptional Profiles Defining Pregnancy and Exercise

Background Although the hypertrophic responses of the heart to pregnancy and exercise are both considered to be physiological processes, they occur in quite different hormonal and temporal settings. In this study, we have compared the global transcriptional profiles of left ventricular tissues at various time points during the progression of hypertrophy in exercise and pregnancy. Methodology/Principal Findings The following groups of female mice were analyzed: non-pregnant diestrus cycle sedentary control, mid-pregnant, late-pregnant, and immediate-postpartum, and animals subjected to 7 and 21 days of voluntary wheel running. Hierarchical clustering analysis shows that while mid-pregnancy and both exercise groups share the closest relationship and similar gene ontology categories, late pregnancy and immediate post-partum are quite different with high representation of secreted/extracellular matrix-related genes. Moreover, pathway-oriented ontological analysis shows that metabolism regulated by cytochrome P450 and chemokine pathways are the most significant signaling pathways regulated in late pregnancy and immediate-postpartum, respectively. Finally, increases in expression of components of the proteasome observed in both mid-pregnancy and immediate-postpartum also result in enhanced proteasome activity. Interestingly, the gene expression profiles did not correlate with the degree of cardiac hypertrophy observed in the animal groups, suggesting that distinct pathways are employed to achieve similar amounts of cardiac hypertrophy. Conclusions/Significance Our results demonstrate that cardiac adaptation to the later stages of pregnancy is quite distinct from both mid-pregnancy and exercise. Furthermore, it is very dynamic since, by 12 hours post-partum, the heart has already initiated regression of cardiac growth, and 50 genes have changed expression significantly in the immediate-postpartum compared to late-pregnancy. Thus, pregnancy-induced cardiac hypertrophy is a more complex process than exercise-induced cardiac hypertrophy and our data suggest that the mechanisms underlying the two types of hypertrophy have limited overlap.
Influence of carbon to nitrogen ratios on soybean somatic embryo (cv. Jack) growth and composition

Soybean [Glycine max (L.) Merr.] seed are valued for their protein and oil content. Soybean somatic embryos cultured in Soybean Histodifferentiation and Maturation (SHaM) medium were examined for their suitability as a model system for developing an understanding of assimilate partitioning and metabolic control points for protein and oil biosynthesis in soybean seed. This report describes the growth dynamics and compositional changes of SHaM embryos in response to change in the carbon to nitrogen ratio of the medium. It was postulated that at media compositions that were sufficient to support maximal growth rates, changes in the C:N ratio are likely to influence the partitioning of resources between the various storage products, especially protein and oil. As postulated, at steady-state growth rates, embryo protein content was strongly correlated with decreasing C:N ratios and increasing glutamine consumption rates. However, oil content remained relatively unchanged across the C:N ratio range tested, and resources were instead directed towards the starch and residual biomass (estimated by mass balance) pools in response to increasing C:N ratios. Protein and oil were inversely related only at concentrations of sucrose in the medium <88 mM, where carbon limited growth and no starch was found to accumulate in the tissues. These observations and the high reproducibility in the data indicate that SHaM embryos are an ideal model system for the application of metabolic flux analysis studies designed to test hypotheses regarding assimilate partitioning in developing soybean seeds.
Inorganic, Organic, and Total Mercury in Blood and Urine: Cold Vapor Analysis with Automated Flow Injection Sample Delivery

A cold vapor atomic absorption technique for blood or urine mercury analysis that uses persulfate oxidation to prepare samples for total mercury analysis and acid permanganate oxidation to prepare samples for inorganic mercury analysis is described. The linearity of the procedures ranged from 0.5 to 25 micrograms/L. Precision ranged from 20% at 1 microgram/L to 7% at 20 micrograms/L. Documentation of accuracy is based on analysis of samples prepared by an international proficiency survey program. The development of a two-step digestion procedure followed by automated flow-injection mercury analysis was a necessary precursor to the assessment of inorganic and alkylmercury exposure in a large unexposed human population. Application of this technique to 902 blood and 902 urine samples collected from a normal human population who had no extraordinary mercury exposure generated mean plus two standard deviation skewed confidence-limit ranges of results as follows: blood total mercury, 0-8.4 micrograms/L; blood inorganic mercury, 0-1.7 micrograms/L; blood organic mercury, 0-7.5 micrograms/L; urine total mercury, 0-9.9 micrograms/L; urine inorganic mercury, 0-8.6 micrograms/L; and urine organic mercury, 0-1.8 micrograms/L.
Resection of metachronous pancreatic cancer 4 years after pancreaticoduodenectomy for stage III pancreatic adenocarcinoma

Pancreatic adenocarcinoma frequently recurs in patients even after resection with curative intent. The majority of these are early recurrences and are associated with metastatic disease, thus not amenable to repeat resection. Here we report a patient who underwent completion pancreatectomy for a metachronous pancreatic adenocarcinoma. This patient initially presented with painless jaundice and computed tomography (CT) revealed a mass in the head of the pancreas. Brushings obtained at endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP) were positive for adenocarcinoma. This patient then underwent a Whipple procedure and final pathology demonstrated stage III pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma. Adjuvant therapy included gemcitabine and erlotinib. This patient was followed with physical examinations and serial laboratory and imaging studies. There was no evidence of disease for four years at which time and sharp elevation in CA-19-9 was found. Subsequent imaging revealed a mass in the remnant pancreas. Curative intent completion pancreatectomy was then performed which confirmed the presence of pancreatic adenocarcinoma. This was followed by adjuvant Gemcitabine based chemotherapy and chemoradiation. One year later the patient is alive with no evidence of disease. Thus, in highly selected patients with recurrent or metachronous pancreatic cancer, repeat pancreatectomy can be considered, but the course of treatment should be considered in a multidisciplinary setting.
Evidence against a mean field description of short-range spin glasses revealed through thermal boundary conditions

A theoretical description of the low-temperature phase of short-range spin glasses has remained elusive for decades. In particular, it is unclear if theories that assert a single pair of pure states, or theories that are based on infinitely many pure states---such as replica symmetry breaking---best describe realistic short-range systems. To resolve this controversy, the three-dimensional Edwards-Anderson Ising spin glass in thermal boundary conditions is studied numerically using population annealing Monte Carlo. In thermal boundary conditions all eight combinations of periodic vs antiperiodic boundary conditions in the three spatial directions appear in the ensemble with their respective Boltzmann weights, thus minimizing finite-size corrections due to domain walls. From the relative weighting of the eight boundary conditions for each disorder instance a sample stiffness is defined, and its typical value is shown to grow with system size according to a stiffness exponent. An extrapolation to the large-system-size limit is in agreement with a description that supports the droplet picture and other theories that assert a single pair of pure states. The results are, however, incompatible with the mean-field replica symmetry breaking picture, thus highlighting the need to go beyond mean-field descriptions to accurately describe short-range spin-glass systems.
Three-dimensional Temperature Measurement in Turbulent Thermal Convection by Extended Range Scanning Liquid Crystal Thermometry

The usable temperature range of liquid crystal thermometry has been extended and used to measure three-dimensional temperature fields in turbulent thermal convection. The color of the liquid crystals is calibrated against temperature using the standard method in which hue is the single input variable and two new methods: hue/intensity as input variable, and hue, saturation and intensity as input variables to a neural network. Relative to the hue calibration, the new methods extend the range over which temperature can be measured by more than 100%. Three-dimensional temperature measurements of turbulent thermal convection over smooth surfaces were carried out at a flux Rayleigh number of 3 × 10^9 by scanning a white light sheet normal to the visualized image plane and capturing a number of sequential images at various positions of the light sheet. Stacks of the planar data were composed into three-dimensional temperature distributions. The results indicate the presence of an irregular spoke pattern over the surface and the generation of plumes from the intersections of the patterns, consistent with other investigations.
Mortality and Morbidity Trends: Is There Compression of Morbidity?

Objective. This paper reviews trends in mortality and morbidity to evaluate whether there has been a compression of morbidity.
Use of Mental Practice to Improve Upper-Limb Recovery After Stroke: A Systematic Review

OBJECTIVE. We sought to determine whether mental practice is an effective intervention to improve upper-limb recovery after stroke. METHOD. We conducted a systematic review of the literature, searching electronic databases for the years 1985 to February 2009. We selected studies according to specified criteria, rated each study for level of evidence, and summarized study elements. RESULTS. Studies differed with respect to design, patient characteristics, intervention protocols, and outcome measures. All studies used imagery of tasks involving movement of the impaired limb. The length of the interventions and number of practice hours varied. Results suggest that mental practice combined with physical practice improves upper-limb recovery. CONCLUSION. When added to physical practice, mental practice is an effective intervention. However, generalizations are difficult to make. Further research is warranted to determine who will benefit from training, the dosing needed, the most effective protocols, whether improvements are retained, and whether mental practice affects perceived occupational performance
Action spectra for phototropic balance in Phycomyces blakesleeanus: dependence on reference wavelength and intensity range.

— Action spectra for phototropic balance of Phycomyces blakesleeanus sporangiophores were measured for various reference wavelengths and intensity ranges. Balance action spectra were made at fluence rates of 10-4 W m-2 with reference wavelengths of 450 nm, 394 nm, 507 nm, and broadband blue light. For broad-blue light and 450 nm light as references, typical flavin-like action spectra were found with a ma jor peak at 455 nm, a secondary peak at 477 nm, and a minor peak at 383 nm; these peaks are wider for broad blue than for 450 nm light. With the 394 nm reference, there is a major peak at 455 nm, a secondary peak at 477 nm and a minor peak at 394 nm. An action spectrum with 507 nm reference has a major peak at 455 nm and a minor peak at 383 nm, but no peak at 477 nm. A balance action spectrum was made with 450 nm reference light near threshold intensity (2 times 10-8 W m-2); there, the 386 nm peak is greatly reduced, while the 455 nm peak is enhanced. The intensity dependence of the 386 nm peak was studied in detail for reference light of 450 nm. We found that the relative quantum efficiency of the 386 nm light increases with the logarithm of the 450 nm fluence rate; in the high intensity range (0.3 W m-2) the relative quantum efficiency of the 386 nm light is 1.3 and approaches zero at 10-9 W m-2. These findings indicate that P. blakesleeanus phototropism is mediated by multiple interacting pigments or by a photochromic photoreceptor.
Comment: “Science” Rejects Postmodernism

The National Research Council report Scientific Research in Educationclaims to present an inclusive view of science as it responds to federal government attempts to legislate educational research. This author argues, however, that the report in fact narrowly defines scienceas positivism and methodologyas quantitative. These definitions are made possible by the outright rejection of postmodernism and the rejection by omission of other theories including queer, feminist, race, postcolonial, critical, and poststructural theories. The chief issue in this report is, in fact, not “science” but the larger issue of epistemology, from which methodologies like conventional science emerge. After using postmodern analyses to illustrate the danger of the report’s normalizing and totalizing discourse, this author urges researchers to be on guard against those who would reject diverse epistemologies and methodologies in educational research
Mesogen-jacketed liquid crystalline polymers via stable free radical polymerization

SUMMARY: Stable free radical polymerization has been used in the controlled synthesis of poly(2,5-bis[(4butylbenzoyl)oxy]styrene), PBBOS. This “mesogen-jacketed liquid crystalline polymer”, which has mesogenic units attached directly to the backbone in a side-on mode, has been found to exhibit thermotropic liquid crystallinity similar to more conventional main-chain architectures. Stable free radical polymerization of PBBOS consistently produced molecular weight distributions below the theoretical limiting polydispersity of 1.5 calculated for a conventional free radical polymerization process. Surprisingly, a comparison of the synthesis of polystyrene to the polymerization of PBBOS under nearly identical conditions showed that the PBBOS polymerized with a significantly higher reaction rate and monomer conversion efficiency. The nematic phase of these polymers was determined to be stable over the temperature range spanning the polymer glass transition temperature up to the temperature for thermal decomposition. The molecular arrangement of the PBBOS polymers was examined by wide-angle X-ray diffraction and is described here.
Spiral trough diversity on the north pole of Mars, as seen by Shallow Radar (SHARAD)

We combine observations from ground penetrating radar and optical instruments to conduct a comprehensive survey of spiral troughs on the north polar layered deposits of Mars. Our survey reveals that all north polar troughs have common characteristics, but there is strong regional diversity. We divide the north polar layered deposits (NPLD) into eight regions based on observations of morphology and stratigraphy in order to classify the spiral troughs. Morphologic features that separate the regions include central promontories, topographic undulations, bedrock floors, and trough asymmetry among others. We demonstrate here that the troughs formed during two periods. The first generation of troughs formed on the main lobe and in part of Gemina Lingula during accumulation of ~600 m of ice and dust. The second generation of troughs formed stratigraphically higher and immediately after large-scale erosion in Gemini Scopuli, which we conclude created the slopes necessary for troughs to form. We test scenarios of trough evolution and find that only three concurrent processes are required for their formation: wind transport, insolation-induced sublimation, and atmospheric deposition. Our observations are inconsistent with other hypothesized processes to produce spiral troughs, including incision after the formation of the NPLD, fracturing due to flowing ice, and sublimation-driven patterns from insolation.
PETROLOGY AND PALEOGEOGRAPHY OF THE WARRENSBURG CHANNEL SANDSTONE, WESTERN MISSOURI

SUMMARY The approximately 100-foot thick Warrensburg sandstone (Nowata formation, Marmaton group, Pennsylvanian Desmoinesian Series, western Missouri) fills a valley-shaped erosional channel. The rapidly lensing fluvial sediments are sandstones (45%) and siltstones and shales (50%), with subordinate basal conglomerate and coal. Sediment transport was southward, parallel to the north-south channel. These fluvial sediments formed in a stream channel previously cut across a low coastal plain during a temporary retreat of the sea. The Warrensburg sandstone samples are a homogeneous group of fine-grained to medium-grained quartzose graywackes and micaceous quartzites. The grains, omitting 10% clayey matrix and 10% iron-oxide and silica cements, average 47% common quartz, 34% metamorphic detritus (slate, phyllite, schist, highly undulose unit quartz, schistose and pressure metaquartzites, and mica), 14% plutonic detritus (feldspar and vein quartz), and 5% sedimentary grains (“second-cycle” rounded quartz and chert). The accessory heavy mineral assemblage also reflects a mixture of metamorphic and plutonic detritus with subordinate “second-cycle” grains (21% rounded zircon and tourmaline among the detrital, transparent, non-micaceous grains). The distant sources of detritus in the Warrensburg and other Desmoinesian channel sandstones of Missouri are typified by metamorphic and subordinate feldspathic crystalline rocks. The average 10% feldspar (largely K-feldspar) among the grains and 8% garnet among the detrital, transparent, non-micaceous heavy minerals in the Warrensburg sandstone, in contrast to the near absence of these minerals in Desmoinesian channel sandstones of western Pennsylvanian, suggests that the principal sources were the Transcontinental Arch and Canadian Shield to the north and northeast. The Appalachian metamorphic belt is not as important a source area for the Western Interior Basin as previously generally thought.
Eosinophilic Airway Inflammation in a Cynomolgus Monkey

The present article describes an occurrence of eosinophilic airway inflammation of a 4-year-old female cynomolgus monkey in a vehicle control group of a routine toxicology study. Histologically, the airway lesion was characterized by prominent eosinophilic infiltrates, accompanied by mast cells, lymphocytes, and plasmacytes. The eosinophilic infiltrates were distributed throughout the airway: from trachea through respiratory bronchioles in the lung. The morphological feature of the lesion was indicative of an allergic airway disorder that can occur in humans with asthma. The present case is remarkable in that there is a paucity of reports on naturally occurring allergic airway disorders in nonhuman primates.
Rational Assembly of Optoplasmonic Hetero-nanoparticle Arrays with Tunable Photonic–Plasmonic Resonances

Metallic and dielectric nanoparticles (NPs) have synergistic electromagnetic properties but their positioning into morphologically defined hybrid arrays with novel optical properties still poses significant challenges. A template-guided self-assembly strategy is introduced for the positioning of metallic and dielectric NPs at pre-defined lattice sites. The chemical assembly approach facilitates the fabrication of clusters of metallic NPs with interparticle separations of only a few nanometers in a landscape of dielectric NPs positioned hundreds of nanometers apart. This approach is used to generate two-dimensional interdigitated arrays of 250 nm diameter TiO2 NPs and clusters of electromagnetically strongly coupled 60 nm Au NPs. The morphologydependent near- and far-field responses of the resulting multiscale optoplasmonic arrays are analyzed in detail. Elastic and inelastic scattering spectroscopy in combination with electromagnetic simulations reveal that optoplasmonic arrays sustain delocalized photonic-plasmonic modes that achieve a cascaded E-field enhancement in the gap junctions of the Au NP clusters and simultaneously increase the E-field intensity throughout the entire array.
Modeling Four-Directional Pedestrian Flows:

The objective of this study is to explore the modeling of multidirectional pedestrian flows. The complex interactions between flow entities within m-directional space present challenges that cannot be readily handled by existing bidirectional flow models. A cellular automata microsimulation model for four-directional flow is prescribed. This model, built on previous bidirectional models developed by the authors, additionally seeks to manage cross-directional conflicts. Performance of this function in the simulation of unidirectional, bidirectional, cross-directional, and four-directional flows is presented. The applications extend to m-directional terminal facility design and to four-directional street corners, a vital component in any network model of pedestrians.
Treating Constipation in the Patient With Diabetes

Patients with diabetes have a significant risk of developing severe constipation often due to dysfunction of the autonomic nervous system. Constipation is a symptom, rather than a disease, and is characterized by decreased defecation frequency, increased stool hardness, and/or difficulty passing fecal matter. Self-treatment of constipation with over-the-counter laxative products, home remedies, and foodstuffs is commonplace. Patients frequently call upon health professionals for advice regarding constipation. The diabetes educator should be familiar with the causes and rational treatment of this disorder in the person with diabetes.
Segmentation of Neighboring Structures by Modeling Their Interaction

The similarity of pixel intensities, presence of noise, existence of partial volume effect and so on make segmentation of neighboring structures in medical image a challenging task. In this paper, we present a novel approach for segmenting multiple neighboring organs simultaneously by modeling interaction between them. Our method is motivated by the observation that radiologists mark ambiguous boundaries by considering all surrounding anatomic structures. In the proposed interaction model, the connectedness, competition and repulsion between organs are analyzed. By quantitatively defining these interaction components, an energy functional is formulated and structures are obtained by minimizing the energy. An energy minimization algorithm based on multiway graph cuts is proposed, which obtains an approximation within a known factor of the global minimum. The promising experimental results on various medical images demonstrate the performance of our segmentation algorithm.