cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Initial Canadian Experience With Bilateral Minithoracotomy Approach for HeartMate 3 Left Ventricular Assist Device Implantation.

Left ventricular assist devices provide hemodynamic support to improve quality of life and long-term survival in patients with end-stage heart failure. The HeartMate 3 (Abbott, Abbott Park, IL) left ventricular assist device uses magnetically levitated impeller technology, improving durability and reducing pump thrombosis. Sternum-sparing implantation may reduce perioperative bleeding and infection, improve mobility, decrease hospitalization duration, and reduce right ventricular dysfunction. We describe the first Canadian HeartMate 3 implantation via bilateral minithoracotomy. Our case supports the compatibility of the HeartMate 3 device with sternum-sparing approaches and highlights the feasibility of intrapericardial tunnelling of the outflow graft.
Horizons in Science: Physical Regulation of Living Matter as an Emergent Concept in Health and Disease

Over the last century, steadily increasing use of electric power in all industrialized societies has sharply modified the natural electromagnetic (EM) environment that bathes all life on earth from conception to death. For example, generation of electric power in the USA has increased 10 times since 1940, and per capita residential consumption has grown 20 times in the same period. Also, spectacular developments in radio engineering have created striking new options in personal communication devices and systems. Many millions of daily users are now exposed to RF fields under near-field conditions, with every expectation that these newly evolved behavioral patterns will be life long.
Helicopter Parenting Style and Parental Accommodations: The Moderating Role of Internalizing and Externalizing Symptomatology:

High parental involvement has been linked to positive outcomes; however, helicopter parenting may result in negative outcomes. The behaviors demonstrated by “helicopter parents” resemble parental a...
Two Classes of “Marriage”: Race and Sexual Slavery in Al-Shabaab-Controlled Somalia

Some Somali majority clan girls and women receive economic and security benefits from marriage to Al-Shabaab fighters. Yet, the literature treats women’s experiences monolithically and misses the r...
TH‐CD‐303‐04: A Method for Assessing Ground‐Truth Accuracy of a Motion Model Based 4DCT Technique

Purpose: To develop a technique that validates a breathing motion model and its reconstructed phase-specific image generation process using the original free-breathing images as ground truths. Methods: 16 lung cancer patients underwent the published protocol where 25 free-breathing fast helical CT scans were acquired with a simultaneous breathing surrogate. The first image was arbitrarily selected as the reference image. For constructing patient-specific lung motion model, state-of-the-art deformable image registration was employed to determine lung tissue displacement. The motion model was used, along with the free-breathing phase information of the original 25 image datasets, to generate a set of deformation vector fields (DVF) that mapped the reference image to the 24 non-reference images. The set of original images was simulated by applying the inverted model DVF to the reference image. To test the robustness of model simulation over the entire lung region, the model simulated image was deformably registered to the original scan. The resulting deformation vector magnitude evaluated the point-wise discordance in the lung region. Results: Qualitative comparison of image overlay showed excellent agreement between the simulated and the original images. The mean error across the patient cohort was 1.15±0.37 mm, while the mean 95th percentile error was 2.47±0.78 mm. Conclusion: Despite a large variety of breathing patterns and lung deformations, the proposed technique can accurately reproduce the original free-breathing helical CT scans, suggesting its applicability to a wide range of patients. The proposed ground truth based analysis is unique in CT-based breathing motion modeling for radiation therapy and will provide uncertainty estimations in the model-based 4DCT breathing motion estimate of tumors and normal organs. This work was supported in part by NIH R01 CA096679
Growth of centimeter-scale atomically thin MoS2 films by pulsed laser deposition

We are reporting the growth of single layer and few-layer MoS2 films on single crystal sapphire substrates using a pulsed-laser deposition technique. A pulsed KrF excimer laser (wavelength: 248 nm; pulse width: 25 ns) was used to ablate a polycrystalline MoS2 target. The material thus ablated was deposited on a single crystal sapphire (0001) substrate kept at 700 °C in an ambient vacuum of 10−6 Torr. Detailed characterization of the films was performed using atomic force microscopy (AFM), Raman spectroscopy, UV-Vis spectroscopy, and photoluminescence (PL) measurements. The ablation of the MoS2 target by 50 laser pulses (energy density: 1.5 J/cm2) was found to result in the formation of a monolayer of MoS2 as shown by AFM results. In the Raman spectrum, A1g and E12g peaks were observed at 404.6 cm−1 and 384.5 cm−1 with a spacing of 20.1 cm−1, confirming the monolayer thickness of the film. The UV-Vis absorption spectrum exhibited two exciton absorption bands at 672 nm (1.85 eV) and 615 nm (2.02 eV), with a...
Non-Avalanche Dielectric Breakdown in Wide-Band-Gap Insulators at DC and Optical Frequencies

It is the purpose of this paper to put recent novel experimental efforts to understand dielectric breakdown in wide-band-gap materials in various fields into a common framework and outline significant changes in the understanding of dielectric breakdown at optical frequencies and free electron heating under DC conditions. New experimental techniques used to measure multiphoton absorption and energy deposition in wide-band- gap alkali halides in the prebreakdown regime have led to hard evidence refuting the avalanche model of laser-induced damage at visible laser wavelength. The experiments show that virtually all lattice heating occurs via nonlinear absorption of laser photons by multiphoton excited free electrons. Direct measurements of free electron heating by DC fields in thin SiO2-films and direct measurements of electron-phonon scat- tering rates of energetic free electrons impose a new understanding of carrier heating. The scattering of free electrons with non-polar acoustic phonons is found to be the dominant interaction in preventing the free carriers from reaching energies high enough to cause impact ionization and initiate avalanche breakdown. These results unambiguously show that the role of avalanche breakdown under DC conditions has been overestimated in the past.
Determination of the minimum-variance unbiased estimator for DC power-flow estimation

One of the most important features of the Smart Grid (SG) is real-time self-assessment which may threat that target power system stability. In order to improve robustness of power systems against such attacks, accurate estimation of the power system operation is required and conventional power flow methods should be upgraded. In this paper, we derive minimum variance unbiased estimators (MVUEs) for active power based on the voltage phase at each node of the power system. The state variables are the voltage phases and the received measurement signals are active power measurements. The proposed method is implemented on a four-bus test system. Three scenarios are defined to investigate the effect of covariance matrix topology on the estimation accuracy. The results shows that lower correlation between the noise vector elements leads to a more accurate estimation of power system operation.
Sexual Relationships with Educators

Abstract This study of sexually oriented relationships between educators/field instructors and their students/supervisees was conceptualized to add to existing knowledge of the incidence and impact on master of social work students of sexually intimate relationships, sexual advances, and first-hand knowledge of such relationships. The present study gathers data from male and female subjects regarding sexual contact experiences with educators/field instructors during masters-level training and reports both the extent and perceptions of the impact of such relationships both at the time of the contact and at present. For comparative purposes, random samples were used from two national professional organizations both comprised of primarily masters-level practitioners. Most similar previous studies within mental-health professions have focused exclusively on doctoral-level experiences and female subjects.
FACES: diversity-aware entity summarization using incremental hierarchical conceptual clustering

Semantic Web documents that encode facts about entities on the Web have been growing rapidly in size and evolving over time. Creating summaries on lengthy Semantic Web documents for quick identification of the corresponding entity has been of great contemporary interest. In this paper, we explore automatic summarization techniques that characterize and enable identification of an entity and create summaries that are human friendly. Specifically, we highlight the importance of diversified (faceted) summaries by combining three dimensions: diversity, uniqueness, and popularity. Our novel diversity-aware entity summarization approach mimics human conceptual clustering techniques to group facts, and picks representative facts from each group to form concise (i.e., short) and comprehensive (i.e., improved coverage through diversity) summaries. We evaluate our approach against the state-of-the-art techniques and show that our work improves both the quality and the efficiency of entity summarization.
A Preliminary Numerical Experiment in Simulating the Dispersion of SF6

A numerical simulation of an SF6 tracer experiment conducted on July 19, 1985, in North Dakota has been made. Both SF6 and Agl seeding are simulated in the model, although not concurrently. Only one seeding agent is simulated in a particular run of the model. The numerical experiments show that the SF6 and Agl will disperse in a similar fashion initially but, as the Agl is activated inside the cloud, there will be some differences. The development of detectable ice and precipitation as a result of Agl seeding will likely diverge somewhat from the SF6 dispersion.
Rodrigo's Fifteenth Chronicle: Racial Mixture, Latino-Critical Scholarship, and the Black-White Binary

Uses the biography of a Mexican American federal judge as catalyst to discuss current legal problems facing Latinos. Explains the black-white binary paradigm of racial discourse and lawmaking, the notion that American civil rights proceeds according to a dichotomous structure that marginalizes those falling outside the two main groups, blacks and whites. Lays out further theoretical and practical consequences for Latinos caught outside the binary and suggests future inquiries for Latino critical scholars.
Sodium and chloride regulation in freshwater and osmoconforming larvae of Culex mosquitoes.

SUMMARY In this study, we examined aspects of Na + and Cl – regulation in mosquito larvae of the genus Culex , a group that includes species that tolerate high salinity as well as other forms that are restricted to fresh water. When the euryhaline osmoconformer C. tarsalis was acutely transferred from 30 % to 50 % sea water, the patterns of hemolymph Na + and Cl – regulation were similar. The underlying regulatory mechanisms for these two ions have very different characteristics. In C. tarsalis , Na + efflux was significantly elevated compared with the rates measured in the freshwater-restricted C. quinquefasciatus , while Cl – influx was relatively lower. The modulation of Na + efflux and Cl – influx allowed C. tarsalis to avoid a potential salt load and ionic disturbance in the hemolymph during an acute increase in salinity. The observed adjustment of NaCl regulation departs from that determined for other euryhaline organisms and is integral to the osmoconforming response. At the other extreme of the salinity spectrum, we observed that C. tarsalis faces difficulties in ion regulation in habitats with low NaCl levels because of its inability to reduce ion efflux and adjust ion absorption rates to maintain hemolymph ion balance. In contrast, C. quinquefasciatus exhibited a reduced ion efflux and the ability to upregulate Na + uptake, traits necessary to extend its lower salinity limit.
Perceived Effectiveness of Push vs. Pull Mobile Location Based Advertising

ABSTRACTThe emergence of mobile phones as the leading personal communications device portends their attractiveness as a potentially lucrative media platform for marketers. This article presents initial consumer evaluations of mobile location-based advertising (LBA). LBA is a new form of marketing communication that uses location-tracking technology in mobile networks to target consumers with location-specific advertising on their cell phones. We use an experimental setting to test the effects of LBA characteristics on privacy concerns about location tracking, perceived benefits, value, and intentions to try LBA. LBA was described as a free, opt-in service from cell phone service providers. Results indicate that privacy concerns are high, and perceived benefits and value of LBA are low. LBA was relatively more effective when it becomes available upon explicit request by the consumer than when consumers are alerted to location-specific advertising or promotions for preferred product categories relevant to a...
Involvement of Epidermal Growth Factor Deficiency in Pathogenesis of Oligozoospermia in Streptozotocin-Induced Diabetic Mice

Based on previous findings that epidermal growth factor (EGF), which plays an important role in maintenance of spermatogenesis, is deficient in diabetic mice, the significance of EGF deficiency in the pathogenesis of oligozoospermia in streptozotocin-induced diabetic mice was studied. EGF levels in the submandibular glands and plasma of diabetic mice were 0.61 +/- 0.07 micrograms/mg tissue and 0.25 +/- 0.02 ng/ml (mean +/- SE), respectively, whereas those of normal mice were 1.63 +/- 0.08 micrograms/mg tissue and 0.54 +/- 0.04 ng/ml, respectively. The epididymal sperm counts of diabetic mice, 4.7 +/- 0.14 x 10(5)/mg tissue, were significantly lower (P less than 0.01) than those of normal mice, 6.0 +/- 0.10 x 10(5)/mg tissue. Administration of EGF (5 micrograms/mouse/day) to diabetic mice significantly (P less than 0.01) increased their sperm counts to 5.5 +/- 0.16 x 10(5)/mg tissue without affecting plasma levels of testosterone and glucose. Furthermore, insulin treatment (1 U/mouse/day) of diabetic mice restored the submandibular gland, plasma EGF concentrations, and sperm counts to normal levels. The restorative effects of insulin on sperm production appeared to be mediated, at least in part, by EGF, because its effect was significantly (P less than 0.01) reduced by the concomitant administration of EGF antiserum. In addition, the plasma testosterone levels of diabetic mice, 67 +/- 14.3 ng/ml, were lower that those of normal mice, 122 +/- 19.1 ng/ml. Administration of testosterone (1 mg/mouse/day) normalized the submandibular gland and plasma EGF levels and significantly increased sperm counts in the epididymis. These results suggest that EGF deficiency is a possible cause for the pathogenesis of oligozoospermia in diabetic mice.
Effects of GYKI 52466 and CNQX, AMPA/kainate receptor antagonists, on the micturition reflex in the rat

GYKI 52466, a non-competitive AMPA/kainate glutamate receptor antagonist, administered in graded doses (0.5-8 mg/kg, i.v.) at 10 min intervals, decreased the amplitude and duration of reflex bladder contractions (maximal inhibition = 63%), the intercontraction interval (maximal inhibition = 83%) and external urethral sphincter activity (maximal inhibition = 91%) in urethane-anesthetized (1.2 g/kg, s.c.) intact rats during continuous transurethral cystometrograms. On the other hand, in unanesthetized decerebrate rats, the drug did not alter reflex bladder activity but did produce a significant depression of sphincter activity (maximal inhibition = 59%). The depressant effects of single doses of GYKI 52466 (4 mg/kg, i.v.) on external urethral sphincter EMG activity occurred with similar time courses in both urethane-anesthetized (1.2 g/kg, s.c.) intact and unanesthetized decerebrate rats during continuous transurethral cystometrograms. In urethane-treated (0.6 g/kg, i.p.) decerebrate rats, GYKI 52466 (0.5-4 mg/kg, i.v.) depressed bladder contraction amplitude and sphincter EMG activity, similar to the effects in urethane-anesthetized (1.2 g/kg, s.c.) intact rats. CNQX (0.01-1 mg/kg, i.v.), a competitive AMPA/kainate receptor antagonist, administered to urethane-anesthetized (1.2 g/kg, s.c.) intact or unanesthetized decerebrate rats did not alter the bladder or the external urethral sphincter activity during continuous transurethral cystometrograms, possibly due to the inability of the drug to readily cross the blood-brain barrier. The present results indicate that glutamatergic excitatory transmission mediated by AMPA/kainate receptors is essential for the activation of external urethral sphincter activity during micturition in anesthetized and unanesthetized preparation. However, the depressant effect of GYKI 52466 on reflex bladder activity is only unmasked by urethane anesthesia, raising the possibility that urethane interacts with AMPA/kainate glutamate receptors in the spinobulbospinal micturition reflex pathway.
Behavioral change strategies for children and adolescents with severe brain injury.

Brain injury results in a multitude of changes that affect the long-term functioning of the child and adolescent. While acute medical care and corresponding rates of survival have improved dramatically, treatment of the cognitive and behavioral changes following brain injury is still in its infancy. Unfortunately, these are potentially the most enduring and, at times, incapacitating effects of brain injury with respect to long-term functional outcome. The present article addresses the needs of the child and adolescent head injured population in the area of behavioral management. Case examples are used to illustrate behavioral difficulties and the efficacy of interventions.
An Assessment of U(VI) removal from groundwater using biochar produced from hydrothermal carbonization

Abstract The ever-increasing growth of biorefineries is expected to produce huge amounts of lignocellulosic biochar as a byproduct. The hydrothermal carbonization (HTC) process to produce biochar from lignocellulosic biomass is getting more attention due to its inherent advantage of using wet biomass. In the present study, biochar was produced from switchgrass at 300 °C in subcritical water and characterized using X-ray diffraction, fourier transform infra-red spectroscopy, scanning electron micrcoscopy, and thermogravimetric analysis. The physiochemical properties indicated that biochar could serve as an excellent adsorbent to remove uranium from groundwater. A batch adsorption experiment at the natural pH (∼3.9) of biochar indicated an H-type isotherm. The adsorption data was fitted using a Langmuir isotherm model and the sorption capacity was estimated to be ca. 2.12 mg of U g −1 of biochar. The adsorption process was highly dependent on the pH of the system. An increase towards circumneutral pH resulted in the maximum adsorption of ca. 4 mg U g −1 of biochar. The adsorption mechanism of U(VI) onto biochar was strongly related to its pH-dependent aqueous speciation. The results of the column study indicate that biochar could be used as an effective adsorbent for U(VI), as a reactive barrier medium. Overall, the biochar produced via HTC is environmentally benign, carbon neutral, and efficient in removing U(VI) from groundwater.
Outcomes of laparoscopic and open resection for neuroendocrine liver metastases

Background We sought to compare the outcomes in patients with hepatic carcinoid tumor metastases treated with open versus laparoscopic liver resection. Methods A retrospective analysis of our liver surgery database was performed. All patients who underwent liver resection for hepatic carcinoid tumor metastases were included. Patients were divided into 2 groups depending on the surgical approach. Patients with concomitant primary and metastatic liver lesions underwent open resection. Results Thirty-six patients underwent resection over a 10-year period (21 open and 15 laparoscopic). Both groups were similar in terms of gender, body mass index, tumor size, incidence of carcinoid syndrome, and extent of resection ( P > .05). The laparoscopic group had less mean operative time (2.7 vs 5.4 hours), less mean blood loss (158.3 vs 538.9 mL), and a shorter hospital stay (3.2 vs 7.5 days; P P = .21). Two laparoscopic cases required conversion. The 3-year disease-free survival for the laparoscopic group was 73.3% compared to 47.6% for the open group ( P = .2). Conclusion To our knowledge, this is the first reported study comparing laparoscopic versus open liver resection in the treatment of liver metastases from carcinoid tumors. Our series confirms that selective cases can safely be managed laparoscopically.
Material Properties Reliance Improving Numerical Analysis Accuracy

It is recognized strongly that the reliance of the material properties is extremely important. The material properties that we use in the numerical analysis, controls the quality of the analysis result directly. The best choice to use the correct properties is that we measure them by ourselves. However, it is sometimes difficult to get them by ourselves because of the problem such as expense, equipment and/or time.The reliance of the material properties used in the numerical analysis for the reliability assessment of high density packaging is studied, in this paper, especially focusing on the encapsulant.The result of a numerical analysis with the material properties, that the material supplier announced, did not support the result of the actual hardware testing. On the research process, the material properties were focused, and then I actually measured the material properties with the piece of the actual hardware parts which were constructing this product. As the result, we found the order difference between the material suppliers announced data and our measured data.With this established numerical model, the optimized parameter of the encapsulant has been studied.
Assessment of Depression in Patients with Chronic Fatigue Syndrome

Assessment of the relationship of depression to chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS) is a complicated but important topic. This relationship may range from the misdiagnostic (i.e., depression misidentified as CFS) to the etiologic (i.e., CFS causes an organic affective syndrome). Assessment should focus on the symptoms and syndromes of depressive disorder, utilization of a single rating scale to assess presumed depression is discouraged, and alternate approaches to classification that allow for symptomatic overlap of a major depressive disorder and CFS are suggested. Careful attention needs to be given to the use of external validating criteria in empiric studies, such as natural history, clinical course (including treatment response), and family history.
Targeted annotation of immunoglobulin light chain (IgL) genes in zebrafish from BAC clones reveals kappa-like recombining/deleting elements within IgL constant regions.

Abstract Genomic organization, composition, and microsynteny of immunoglobulin light chain (IgL) gene segments in the zebrafish were analyzed through the identification and annotation of overlapping BAC clone insert sequences and an Illumina de novo assembly. The resultant gap-free IgL annotation confirmed a number of previous conclusions about teleost IgL including: suites of (VL–JL–CL) clusters on multiple chromosomes; VL in the same or opposite transcriptional orientation as JL and CL; and the apparent absence of lambda IgL in the zebrafish model. In addition, palindromic heptamers (CACAGTG or CACTGTG) within the 3′ region of zebrafish CL were identified. In mammals, heptamers within Jκ–Cκ introns can recombine with downstream kappa deleting elements (Kde) to ablate Cκ regions prior to rearrangements of Vλ–Jλ gene segments. The presence of palindromic heptamers within zebrafish CL is intriguing as their recombination with intact RSS might result in the deletion of a large portion of the CL thereby permanently silencing CL exons within the IgL locus. Given that bony fish have appreciably more CL spread over more chromosomes than mice and humans, it is plausible the presence of recombining sequences within CL may be tied to a need for heightened mechanisms to facilitate allelic exclusion or receptor editing. Collectively, with this report, gap-free annotations of the heavy and light chain Ig loci have now been completed for Danio rerio, the only teleost for which this has been accomplished, thereby strengthening the overall utility of zebrafish as a model organism for both comparative immunology and biomedical research.
Human monoclonal IgM antibody promotes CNS myelin repair independent of Fc function.

The human monoclonal IgM antibody sHigM22 and mouse IgM monoclonal antibody 94.03 bind to oligodendrocytes, induce calcium signals in cultured glial cells, and promote remyelination in mouse models of multiple sclerosis. In order to address the mechanisms employed by these antibodies to promote CNS repair, bivalent monomers, F(ab') 2 fragments, and monovalent forms of these antibodies were investigated to determine whether they exhibit the same remyelinating potential as the intact IgMs. The two antibodies displayed different structural requirements for retention of function. Antibody sHlgM22 remained functional even when reduced to a bivalent F(ab') 2 fragment, while disruption of the pentameric structure of antibody 94.03 destroyed its functional properties. Competition studies demonstrated that the two antibodies recognize different entities on the surface of glial cells. These results indicate that the constant region and pentameric structure of IgM is not always necessary for the stimulation of myelin repair, eliminating the requirement for IgM immune effector functions in this process. The ability of the antibodies to crosslink cell surface determinants on oligodendrocytes appears to be an essential aspect of the mechanism of cellular activation. The finding that two antibodies, which induce similar in vivo effects, bind to different structures, and have different cross-linking requirements suggests that activation of glial cells involves the rearrangement of a complex membrane compartment.
Integrin-mediated Activation of Focal Adhesion Kinase Is Independent of Focal Adhesion Formation or Integrin Activation: STUDIES WITH ACTIVATED AND INHIBITORY β3CYTOPLASMIC DOMAIN MUTANTS *

Integrin alphaIIbbeta3 functions as the fibrinogen receptor on platelets and mediates platelet aggregation and clot retraction. Among the events that occur during either "inside-out" or "outside-in" signaling through alphaIIbbeta3 is the phosphorylation of focal adhesion kinase (pp125(FAK)) and the association of pp125(FAK) with cytoskeletal components. To examine the role of pp125(FAK) in these integrin-mediated events, pp125(FAK) phosphorylation and association with the cytoskeleton was determined in cells expressing two mutant forms of alphaIIbbeta3: alphaIIbbeta3(D723A/E726A), a constitutively active integrin in which the putative binding site for pp125(FAK) is altered, and alphaIIbbeta3(F727A/K729E/F730A), in which the putative binding site for alpha-actinin is altered. Both mutants were expressed on the cell surface and were able to bind ligand, either spontaneously or upon activation. Whereas cells expressing alphaIIbbeta3(D723A/E726A) were able to form focal adhesions and stress fibers upon adherence to fibrinogen, cells expressing alphaIIbbeta3(F727A/K729E/F730A) adhere to fibrinogen, but had reduced focal adhesions and stress fibers. pp125(FAK) is recruited to focal adhesions in adherent cells expressing alphaIIbbeta3(D723A/E726A) and is phosphorylated in adherent cells or in cells in suspension in the presence of fibrinogen. In adherent cells expressing alphaIIbbeta3(F727A/K729E/F730A), pp125(FAK) was phosphorylated despite reduced formation of focal adhesions and stress fibers. We conclude that activation of pp125(FAK) can be dissociated from two important events in integrin signaling, the assembly of focal adhesions in adherent cells and integrin activation following ligand occupation.
An algebraic technique for designing active filters in the frequency domain for control and signal processing

This paper presents a straightforward algebraic method for designing feedback loops in the frequency domain. The emphasis here is on control system design, but the technique is applicable to active filter design as well. The object is to produce a practical analog filter with a minimum of design effort. The algebraic solution to the design problem is presented, and several examples are explored.
Effect of dopants on alumina grain boundary sliding: implications for creep inhibition

We investigate by means of periodic density functional theory the mechanism of grain boundary sliding along the α-alumina Σ11 tilt grain boundary. We identify minimum and maximum energy structures along a preferential sliding pathway for the pure grain boundary, as well as for grain boundaries doped with a series of early transition metals, as well as barium, gadolinium, and neodymium. We predict that the segregation of those dopants results in a considerable increase in the grain boundary sliding barrier. Grain boundary sliding occurs by a series of bond breaking and forming across the grain boundary. Our results suggest that the presence of large cations inhibits the regeneration of bonds during sliding, which results in a decrease in total number of bonds across the grain boundary interface, thereby raising the barrier to sliding. Trends in predicted grain boundary sliding energies are in good agreement with recently measured creep activation energies in polycrystalline alumina, lending further credence to the notion that grain boundary sliding plays a dominant role in alumina creep.
In vivo absorption of aluminium-containing vaccine adjuvants using 26Al

Aluminium hydroxide (AH) and aluminium phosphate (AP) adjuvants, labelled with 26Al, were injected intramuscularly (i.m.) in New Zealand White rabbits. Blood and urine samples were collected for 28 days and analysed for 26Al using accelerator mass spectrometry to determine the absorption and elimination of AH and AP adjuvants. 26Al was present in the first blood sample (1 h) for both adjuvants. The area under the blood level curve for 28 days indicates that three times more aluminium was absorbed from AP adjuvant than AH adjuvant. The distribution profile of aluminium to tissues was the same for both adjuvants (kidney > spleen > liver > heart > lymph node > brain). This study has demonstrated that in vivo mechanisms are available to eliminate aluminium-containing adjuvants after i.m. administration. In addition, the pharmacokinetic profiles of AH and AP adjuvants are different.
Resilience of Circadian Pacemaker Development in Hamsters

Disruptions of circadian rhythms have been linked to a wide range of pathologies from sleep disorders to cancer. The extent to which disruptions of circadian rhythms during development contribute to later conditions is not known. The present study tested the hypothesis that functional properties of the central circadian pacemaker, the suprachiasmatic nucleus (SCN), are affected by abnormal entrainment during development. The SCN is specialized for the generation of robust rhythms, for direct and indirect output to physiological and behavioral systems, and for entrainment to light/dark cycles via direct retinal input. It consists of thousands of neurons and glia with distinct phenotypes and has subdivisions delineated by both anatomical and functional criteria. In rodents, SCN rhythms develop within days after SCN cells are produced and before many other aspects of differentiation, such as synaptogenesis, are complete. We demonstrated that around the time of birth, the hamster SCN in vivo can undergo repea...
Genetic control of morphogenesis in Arabidopsis

Article de synthese decrivant les mutants d'Arabidopsis avec une morphologie modifiee a l'un des 3 niveaux suivants: l'embryogenese, la formation des organes (developpement floral) et le developpement cellulaire (trichomes)
INSIGHTS FROM PRACTICE RECONCEIVING YOUTH MINISTRY

Teenagers today are socially constructed as “youth” and “adolescence”. Social representations of teenagers are cultural/symbolic, socio-structural, political, and personal. These representations mediate the experiential possibilities of young people, including spiritual experience. Vocation is an anthropological and religious interpretation of personhood in relation to others and to God. As such, vocation is an alternative framework of lived personhood through which young people, in partnership with the church, can challenge and transcend social practices that distort their realities and limit their possibilities. This article draws upon research conducted by the Youth Theology Institute (Emory University) and the Project on Vocation, Work, and Youth Development )College of St. Catherine(.
From soviet studies to comparative politics: The unfinished revolution

In the 1950s, political scientists in the United States became increasingly interested in comparative analyses of political systems. In large part, this trend reflected a belief that political science should not stop at the American borders — other nations after all could provide interesting and important contrasts to the American variant of politics. However, the attractveness of comparative politics also had to do with its methodology. Comparative approaches offered scholars an opportunity to expand both the variables they could study and the controls they could build into their research designs. Thus, the appeal of comparative politics was that it would put an end to ethnocentric and unsystematic approaches to the study of political institutions and behaviour (Almond, 1966; Almond and Powell, 1966; Merritt, 1970, pp. 3–23).
Pulse Sequence based Multi-acquisition MR Intensity Normalization.

Intensity normalization is an important preprocessing step in magnetic resonance (MR) image analysis. In MR images (MRI), the observed intensities are primarily dependent on (1) intrinsic magnetic resonance properties of the tissues such as proton density (PD), longitudinal and transverse relaxation times (T1 and T2 respectively), and (2) the scanner imaging parameters like echo time (TE), repeat time (TR), and flip angle (α). We propose a method which utilizes three co-registered images with different contrast mechanisms (PD-weighted, T2-weighted and T1-weighted) to first estimate the imaging parameters and then estimate PD, T1, and T2 values. We then normalize the subject intensities to a reference by simply applying the pulse sequence equation of the reference image to the subject tissue parameters. Previous approaches to solve this problem have primarily focused on matching the intensity histograms of the subject image to a reference histogram by different methods. The fundamental drawback of these methods is their failure to respect the underlying imaging physics and tissue biology. Our method is validated on phantoms and we show improvement of normalization on real images of human brains.
Fluid Dynamically Driven Assembly in Three Dimensions for Programmable Matter

In this work we describe our development of fluidic assembly of 3D blocks as an approach to achieving programmable matter. Devices made of this matter are assembled from small building blocks, and their shape and function can be reconfigured on demand. In our implementation of such a system small building blocks are assembled in parallel to create a target structure using fluid forces in a chamber. The building blocks are centimeter-scale cubes and are attracted to sinks within an assembly chamber. In effort to investigate the behavior of these blocks with respect to the sink numerical simulations and experiments were carried out. The simulation results indicated that blocks which align with the gravity field (due to an unbalanced mass distribution) are better suited for proper alignment during assembly. Experiments have shown that blocks can be attracted to an assembly site in a robust and timely manner. Blocks with the ability to interact geometrically have been experimentally tested and the assembly and rejection of a block at a given location has been demonstrated. Finally, several methods of making block assembly more repeatable have been proposed.© 2009 ASME
Effects of haying on small mammals in mixed grass prairie of central Kansas

Abstract Only a few studies have examined the effects of haying on species of small mammals in grasslands. We assessed this effect by trapping small mammals in autumn each year in 5 experimental (hayed) and 6 control (not hayed) sites in mixed grass prairie on the Smoky Hills Army National Guard Training Facility in Saline County, Kansas during 1998–2000. Only 1 species, the deer mouse (Peromyscus maniculatus), did not respond negatively to the change in habitat structure that resulted from haying. The remaining 8 species either occurred in lower numbers on the hayed sites or avoided them completely. Species richness was higher on the control sites (2.2 species per site) than on the experimental sites (0.87). Likewise, species diversity also tended to be higher on the control sites than on the experimental sites. Our results not only suggest the negative impact that summer-autumn haying has on small mammal species and communities in native and planted grasslands, but also has implications for the practice...
Effect of prolonged bed rest on bone mineral.

Abstract Three healthy adult males were restricted to complete bed rest for periods of 30–36 weeks. Urinary calcium excretion was elevated throughout bed rest, averaging 61 mg./day above the base-line value of 193 mg./day. Maximum urine calcium excretion occurred during the seventh week and was 136 mg./day above the base-line value. Fecal calcium excretion was also increased during bed rest. Sweat calcium was unchanged and represented only 2 per cent of calcium output. Mean calcium balances for the three subjects during bed rest were −202, −207, and −254 mg./day. The measured calcium loss during the entire bed rest period averaged 4.2 per cent of the estimated total body calcium. Calcium balance became more normal but remained negative during the three-week period of reambulation. Phosphorus excreted in the urine and phosphorus balance patterns were similar to calcium patterns. Serum calcium and phosphorus levels did not change appreciably during bed rest, but both levels fell during reambulation. Urinary hydroxyproline and pyrophosphate were mildly elevated during bed rest and fell with reambulation. Gamma ray transmission scanning of the os calcis revealed large losses of mineral during bed rest. The decreased mass in the central portion of this bone ranged from 25 per cent to 45 per cent. Mineral reaccumulated in the central os calcis following reambulation at a rate similar to its rate of loss during bed rest. Bone dissolution during bed rest may occur to a greater extent in weight-bearing bones than in the remainder of the skeleton, and the process appears to be reversible.
What Would You Say? Genetic Counseling Graduate Students’ and Counselors’ Hypothetical Responses to Patient Requested Self-Disclosure

Genetic counselor self-disclosure is a complex behavior that lacks extensive characterization. In particular, data are limited about genetic counselors’ responses when patients ask them to self-disclose. Accordingly, this study investigated genetic counseling students’ (n = 114) and practicing genetic counselors’ (n = 123) responses to two hypothetical scenarios in which a female prenatal patient requests self-disclosure. Scenarios were identical except for a final patient question: “Have you ever had an amniocentesis?” or “What would you do if you were me?” Imagining themselves as the counselor, participants wrote a response for each scenario and then explained their response. Differences in disclosure frequency for students vs. counselors and disclosure question were assessed, and themes in participant responses and explanations were extracted via content and thematic analysis methods. Chi-square analyses indicated no significant differences in frequency of student versus counselor disclosure. Self-disclosure was significantly higher for, “Have you ever had an amniocentesis?” (78.5 %) than for, “What would you do if you were me?” (53.2 %) (p < .001). Types of self-disclosures included personal, professional, and mixed disclosures. Prevalent explanations for disclosure and non-disclosure responses included: remain patient focused and support/empower the patient. Additional findings, practice and training implications, and research recommendations are presented.
Fast simplicial finite element algorithms using Bernstein polynomials

Fast algorithms for applying finite element mass and stiffness operators to the B-form of polynomials over d-dimensional simplices are derived. These rely on special properties of the Bernstein basis and lead to stiffness matrix algorithms with the same asymptotic complexity as tensor-product techniques in rectangular domains. First, special structure leading to fast application of mass matrices is developed. Then, by factoring stiffness matrices into products of sparse derivative matrices with mass matrices, fast algorithms are also obtained for stiffness matrices.
Transition Probabilities in the Ar i Spectrum

Relative line strengths have been computed for the transition arrays of 3p54s–3p54p and 3p54s–3p55p in Ar i. Intermediate-coupling theory has been used, starting from LS coupling, and using the experimental energy levels as data for determining the parameters of the theory by least-squares adjustment of the calculated energies. The results have been placed on an absolute scale using the Coulomb approximation. The Lande g factors computed agree well with the observed values. The calculated transition probabilities are in fairly satisfactory agreement with various experimental determinations, and this agreement is better than that obtained using either LS- or jl-coupling calculations. The results for the 4s–4p array appear to be more accurate than those for the 4s–5p array.
The Effect of Bulk Boron Level on its Segregation to Grain Boundaries in Substoichiometric Ni3Al

It is well established that the grain boundary strength (and thus the ductility) of polycrystalline Ni3Al is a function of the level of boron segregated to su h boundaries. This paper presents some Auger Electron Spectroscopy (AES) results obtained as part of an extensive investigation into the details of this segregation behavior. Specifically, the level of segregated boron was obtained in three substoichiometric alloys containing 0.048, 0.24 and 0.48 at.% (100, 500 and 1000 wppm, respectively) boron in the bulk. This level was correlated with the accruing fracture morphology for samples subjected to widely different thermal histories. Using McLean’s approach, these segregant levels were used to arrive at the effective binding energy of boron to such boundaries. The observed trend of decreasing effective binding energy with increasing bulk boron level is more consistent with a “spectrum of binding energies” model of grain boundary segregation than with the single binding energy model of McLean.
Multivariable Difference Dimension Polynomials

Let K be a difference field with basic set of translations σ and let a partition of the set σ into p disjoint subsets be fixed. Let \(\mathcal{D}\) be the ring of difference operators over K treated as a filtered ring with the natural p-dimensional filtration. We introduce a special type of reduction in a finitely generated free \(\mathcal{D}\)-module and develop the corresponding technique of characteristic sets that allows one to prove that the Hilbert function in p variables associated with a finitely generated difference K-module is polynomial. We also outline a method of calculation of such a function and obtain a generalization of the author's theorem on difference dimension polynomials. In conclusion, we develop a similar technique of characteristic sets for the ring of difference polynomials and prove a theorem on multivariable difference dimension polynomials associated with a finitely generated difference field extension.
TGF-β1 induces an age-dependent inflammation of nerve ganglia and fibroplasia in the prostate gland stroma of a novel transgenic mouse

TGF-β1 is overexpressed in wound repair and in most proliferative disorders including benign prostatic hyperplasia and prostate cancer. The stromal microenvironment at these sites is reactive and typified by altered phenotype, matrix deposition, inflammatory responses, and alterations in nerve density and biology. TGF-β1 is known to modulate several stromal responses; however there are few transgenic models to study its integrated biology. To address the actions of TGF-β1 in prostate disorders, we targeted expression of an epitope tagged and constitutively active TGF-β1 via the enhanced probasin promoter to the murine prostate gland epithelium. Transgenic mice developed age-dependent lesions leading to severe, yet focal attenuation of epithelium, and a discontinuous basal lamina. These changes were associated with elevated fibroplasia and frequency of collagenous micronodules in collapsed acini, along with an induced inflammation in nerve ganglia and small vessels. Elevated recruitment of CD115+ myeloid cells but not mature macrophages was observed in nerve ganglia, also in an age-dependent manner. Similar phenotypic changes were observed using a human prostate epithelium tissue recombination xenograft model, where epithelial cells engineered to overexpress TGF-β1 induced fibrosis and altered matrix deposition concurrent with inflammation in the stromal compartment. Together, these data suggest that elevated TGF-β1 expression induces a fibroplasia stromal response associated with breach of epithelial wall structure and inflammatory involvement of nerve ganglia and vessels. The novel findings of ganglia and vessel inflammation associated with formation of collagenous micronodules in collapsed acini is important as each of these are observed in human prostate carcinoma and may play a role in disease progression.
Amphetamine-type reinforcement by dopaminergic agonists in the rat

Intravenous self-administration of d-amphetamine (0.25 mg/kg/injection) decreased in a dose-related fashion after injections of the dopaminergic agonists apomorphine and piribedil. The dopaminergic agonists appear to suppress amphetamine intake in the same way as do ‘free’ amphetamine injections, by extending drug satiation in a given interresponse period. Clonidine, an alpha noradrenergic agonist, did not have similar effects. Apomorphine and piribedil did not increase 14C-amphetamine levels in rat brains, nor did they retard disappearance of 14C-amphetamine; thus their amphetamine-like effects are not due to alterations of amphetamine metabolism. Rats responding for amphetamine continued to respond for apomorphine or piribedil when the latter drugs were substituted for the former. Rats experienced in amphetamine self-administration readily initiated and maintained responding for apomorphine and piribedil. The dopaminergic blocker (+)-butaclamol disrupted responding for apomorphine and piribedil, although it produced no marked increase in responding for the dopaminergic agonists, as it does for amphetamine. These data add to the evidence that actions in the dopaminergic synapse account for amphetamine's reinforcing properties.