cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Effects of treatment with ivabradine and atenolol on reproducibility of echocardiographic indices of left heart size and function in healthy cats.

Abstract Objectives Data on reproducibility of echocardiographic indices in cats are commonly derived from studies in healthy, non-treated animals. However, medical treatment may alter reproducibility of such data possibly influencing interpretation of results of clinical trials assessing the effects of drugs on cardiovascular function. The objectives were therefore to investigate the effects of ivabradine and atenolol on reproducibility of echocardiographic indices of left heart function. Animals Eight healthy cats. Methods Repeated echocardiographic examinations were performed by two observers in mildly sedated cats at baseline and after four weeks of treatment (Group 1, ivabradine 0.3 mg/kg q12 h PO, n = 4; Group 2, atenolol 6.25 mg/cat q12 h PO, n = 4) in a prospective, double-blind, randomized study. Test reliability was determined by estimating measurement variability, within-day interobserver variability, and between-day intraobserver variability of all echocardiographic indices. Variability was expressed as coefficient of variation ( CV ) and the absolute value below which the difference between two measurements lay with 95% probability. Effects of treatments on variability were compared using linear mixed effects models ANOVA and Fisher's exact test. Results Overall, CV s ranged from 0.5 to 50.6% at baseline, 0.5–45.5% after ivabradine, and 0.5–23.3% after atenolol. Reproducibility of all variables determined did neither improve nor worsen consistently after either treatment although atenolol exhibited a tendency toward higher reliability with none of the CV s exceeding 24% as compared to ivabradine. Conclusions Treatment of healthy cats with either atenolol or ivabradine had only minor effects on reproducibility of echocardiographic data. Whether these findings can be extrapolated to cats with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy deserves further study.
Statistical planning for a neutron lifetime experiment using magnetically trapped neutrons

Abstract At the NIST Cold Neutron Research Facility, a two-stage experiment will be repeated many times. During the first stage of each run cycle, ultracold neutrons will be produced and confined in a magnetic trap filled with superfluid 4He. Ultracold neutrons will result when cold (8.9 A) neutrons undergo inelastic scattering in the superfluid helium. After filling the trap to a desired level, decay events will be recorded as a function of time. Detection is possible because the charged particles created by neutron decay generate detectable scintillations in the helium. In addition to neutron decay events, background events will be recorded. I model the background as a stationary Poisson process. By Monte Carlo methods, I study the performance of two nonlinear algorithms for estimating the mean lifetime of the neutron. In one method, the event time data are summarized as a histogram where the bin widths vary. I select the time endpoints of the bins so that the expected number of counts per bin contributed by the decay process is approximately constant. In the second method, the lifetime is estimated from the complete sequence of event times. The histogram method yields a less variable estimate than does the complete data estimation method. The allocation of time between the fill and decay stages affects the precision of the estimate. To get the optimal time allocation, I minimize the asymptotic variance of the estimated mean lifetime (estimated from the pooled histogram data from all cycles) given knowledge of the rate at which neutrons enter the trap and parameters which characterize the background. The mean lifetime estimate is biased. I observe bias reduction when estimating the lifetime from data pooled from many cycles (rather than averaging estimates from each of the cycles).
Scenarios for the Austrian food chain in 2020 and its landscape impacts

Abstract How the future landscape will look depends particularly on the outcome of the socio-economically motivated decisions of farmers, food processors, retailers and consumers, all members of the food supply chain. However, a long-term perspective on the food supply chain and its landscape effects is confronted with a great deal of uncertainty and data constraints. These difficulties can be partly avoided by using the personal judgements of agents whose decisions control the structure of present and future food supply chains. A well-established agent-based method for dealing with and describing variation in the future is the method of scenario planning. The aim of this paper is to present the application of the scenario approach to the Austrian food supply chain in 2020 and its landscape impacts. A critical discussion of the scenarios should reflect their explanatory power regarding future development options for landscapes. The first section of the paper outlines the interactions between society, the food supply chain and the landscape in a conceptual model. It describes the applied scenario technique and the research setting involving agents from agriculture, the food industry, retailing, gastronomy, and consumer organisations. Four scenarios for the food chain in 2020 are presented (Liberal Market Scenario, Protective Policy Scenario, Fast World Scenario, Slow World Scenario) and their respective consequences and strategies are discussed. The scenario technique used is found to be a useful means of gathering and structuring disperse expert knowledge. The paper concludes that—despite some methodological limitations—scenarios can deal with uncertainty concerning the socio-economic driving forces of landscape change and therefore can be used as a preliminary step in formulating robust strategies for landscape management.
Reproductive Parameters in Rattus rattus and Rattus exulans of Hawaii, 1968 to 1970

Reproductive parameters were assessed in populations of the roof rat ( Rattus rattus ) and the Polynesian rat ( Rattus exulans ) in Hawaii for 1 year as a step in understanding population regulation in these species. Populations of the roof rat undergo a yearly cycle in which density is highest and reproduction is lowest in the winter. During the second winter of this study, numbers did not return to previous high levels, yet reproductive activity was curtailed. This suggests that reproductive activity is controlled mainly by environmental factors rather than those that are density dependent. Density of the Polynesian rat was generally low in each study population. Populations of both species generally had low productivity in comparison to those in other geographical areas. This low productivity is brought about by altered life history components: delayed maturation, fewer litters per female, and fewer young per litter. This study is part of an effort to gather reproductive, demographic, and genetic data with the goal of elucidating the mechanisms of population regulation and the relationship of natural selection to population processes in these species.
Decision Directed Timing Recovery for SOQPSK

Shaped offset quadrature phase shift keying (SOQPSK) is a highly bandwidth efficient modulation technique used widely in military and aeronautical telemetry standards. It can be classified as a form of continuous phase modulation (CPM), but its major distinction from other CPM schemes is that it has a constrained (correlated) ternary data alphabet. CPM-based detection models for SOQPSK have been developed only recently. One roadblock standing in the way of these detectors being adopted is that existing symbol timing recovery techniques for CPM are not always applicable since the data symbols are correlated. We investigate the performance of one CPM-based timing error detector (TED) that can be used with SOQPSK, and apply it to the versions of SOQPSK used in military (MIL-STD SOQPSK) and telemetry group (SOQPSK-TG) standards. We derive the theoretical performance limits on the accuracy of timing recovery for SOQPSK, as given by the modified Cramer-Rao bound (MCRB), and show that the proposed TED performs close to these bounds in computer simulations and is free of false-lock points. We also show that the proposed scheme outperforms a non-data aided TED that was recently developed for SOQPSK. These results show that the proposed scheme has great promise in a wide range of applications due to its low complexity, strong performance, and lack of false-lock points.
Synthesis, solid‐state, and charge‐transport properties of conjugated polythiophene‐S,S‐dioxides

An alkylated semiconducting polymer comprising alternating bithiophene-(all)-S,S-dioxide and aromatic mono- thiophene units in the polymer backbone was synthesized with the intent of modifying the energy gap and lowest unoccupied molecular orbital for use as a stable n-type semiconductor. Films spun from this semiconducting polymer were character- ized utilizing X-ray scattering, near edge X-ray absorption fine structure spectroscopy, ultraviolet photoelectron spectroscopy, and thin-film field effect transistors to determine how oxidation of the thiophene ring systems impacts the structural and elec- tronic properties of the polymer. The thiophene-S,S-dioxide polymers have lower optical and electrical band gaps than cor- responding thiophene polymers. X-ray scattering results indi- cate that the polymers are well ordered with the p-p stacking distances increased by 0.4 A u relative to analogous thiophene polymers. The electrical stability of these polymers is poor in transistors with a drop in the field effect mobility by approxi- mately one order of magnitude upon addition of just 5% of the thiophene-S,S-dioxide unit in a copolymer with thiophene. V C 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part B: Polym Phys 000: 000-000, 2012
An application of time scales to economics

Economics is a discipline in which there appears to be many opportunities for applications of time scales. The time scales approach will not only unify the standard discrete and continuous models in economics, but also, for example, allows for payments which arrive at unequally spaced points in time. We present a dynamic optimization problem from economics, construct a time scales model, and apply calculus of variations to derive a solution. Time scale calculus would allow exploration of a variety of situations in economics.
Task definition, decoupling and redundancy resolution by nonlinear feedback in multi-robot object handling

The problem of rigid object handling by multiple robot arms is investigated. The primary goal is to make the object exhibit a prescribed behavior while in contact with a fully known environment. Point contacts are assumed between the object and the arms. The aspect of task definition to achieve decoupling and linearizing control laws is discussed. Control laws are first formulated at the object level to provide decoupled force and position servo loops. It is then used to form control laws for the individual arms. Redundancies exist at the object and arm levels. The object level redundancy is used to achieve secondary goals in object handling. The arm level redundancies are the zero dynamics and can be controlled by redundant inputs. Full use of the available inputs are used to control the system as a whole. Numerical simulations for a dual-arm situation illustrate the validity of the approach. >
Direct digital synthesizer with ROM-Less architecture at 13-GHz clock frequency in InP DHBT technology

A direct digital synthesizer (DDS) implemented in InP double heterojunction bipolar transistor (DHBT) technology is reported. The DDS has a ROM-less architecture and instead uses digital logic for phase conversion. The DDS operates up to a 13 GHz clock rate and is capable of synthesizing output frequencies up to 6.5 GHz. Measured spurious free dynamic range (SFDR)ranged from 34 dBc at low frequency control words (FCWs) to 26.67 dBc at high FCWs. The test circuit is implemented with 1646 transistors and consumes 5.42W of power
ANTIARRHYTHMIC AND NEUROMUSCULAR EFFECTS OF QX‐572 IN MAN

SUMMARY Twenty-six patients in whom cardiac arrhythmias developed during anesthesia and operation were successfully treated with QX-572. This agent did not usually produce hypotension, but tachycardia was observed. Although QX-572 itself showed no neuromuscular blocking activity, it increased the neuromuscular blocking action of succinylcholine and d-tubocurare. There were no signs of central-nervous-system stimulation in the unanesthetized patients who received QX-572. It is concluded that QX-572 has a significant antiarrhythmic activity in man, and that further clinical trials are indicated. ZUSAMMENFASSUNG 26 Patienten, bei denen Herzarrhythmie wahrend der Narkose und Operation auftraten, wurden erfolgreich mit QX-572 behandelt. Dieses Mittel fuhrte normalerweise nicht zu Blutdruckabfall, doch wurde Tachycardie beobachtet. Obwohl QX-572 selbst keine neuromuskular blockierende Eigenschaft besitzt, verstarkt es die neuromuskular blockierende Wirkung von Succinylcholin und d-Tubocurarin. Bei nicht narkotisierten Patienten, die QX-572 erhielten, traten keine Zeichen zentral nervoser Stimulation auf. Es kann somit der Schluss gezogen werden, dass QX-572 eine signifikant antiarrhydimische Wirkung beim Menschen besitzt und dass weitere klinische Versuche indiziert scheinen.
Improving motivation for academics in children with autism

Many children with autism show very little interest in academic assignments and exhibit disruptive behavior when assignments are presented. Research indicates that incorporating specific motivational variables such as choice, interspersal of maintenance tasks, and natural reinforcers during intervention leads to improvements in core symptoms of autism and may possibly be effective in academic areas. Using a multiple baseline across children and behaviors design with four pre- and elementary school children with autism, we assessed whether the above variables could be incorporated into academic tasks to improve performance and interest. Results indicated that the intervention decreased the children’s latency to begin academic tasks, improved their rate of performance and interest, and decreased their disruptive behavior. Theoretical and applied implications are discussed.
An in vitro spectroscopic analysis to determine the chemical composition of the precipitate formed by mixing sodium hypochlorite and chlorhexidine.

Introduction: The purpose of this in vitro study was todetermine thechemicalcompositionoftheprecipitate formed by mixing sodium hypochlorite (NaOCl) and chlorhexidine (CHX) and the relative molecular weight of the components. Methods: Using commercially available CHX gluconate, a 2% solution was formed and mixed in a 1:1 ratio with commercially available NaOCl producing a brown precipitate. The precipitate as well as a mixture of precipitate and pure CHX diacetate was then analyzed using one-dimensional and two-dimensional NMR spectroscopy. Results: The one-dimensional and two-dimensional NMR spectra were fully assigned in terms of chemical shifts of all proton and carbon atoms in intact CHX. This permitted identification of two major CHX breakdown products, neither of which are parachloroaniline (PCA). Both products are related to PCA in that they are parasubstituted benzene compounds. Based on NMR data and a proposed mechanism of CHX breakdown, the products appear to be parachlorophenylurea (PCU) and parachlorophenylguanidyl-1,6-diguanidyl-hexane (PCGH). Conclusions: Based on this in vitro study, the precipitate formed by NaOCl and CHX is composed of at least two separate molecules, all of which are smaller in size than CHX. Along with native CHX, the precipitate contains two chemical fragments derived from CHX (PCU and PCGH), neither of which are PCA. (J Endod 2011;37:983‐988)
Visual Recall of Dress Design Determined by Perceptual Style

It was the major objective of this study to devise a measuring instrument specifically for the perception of line and design in clothing. In order to assess the feasibility of such instrument, its power of differentiation was determined on the basis of the perceptual style of field dependence. The theoretical basis for the investigation was provided by the general concepts and principles of Gestalt theory of perception. In order to determine perceptual style, the perceptual differentiation of figure from ground was measured by use of the Jackson Short Form of the Witkin Embedded Figures Test. The Clothing Perception Test was designed to investigate three categories of visual perception, selected as being representative of the major aspects of perception of clothing design. Among various interactions demonstrated, the most consistent finding related to class standing and perceptual style. Junior and senior students were found to be considerably less field dependent than freshman and sophomore students. On the basis of clothing perception scores, class standing again proved highly significant. Junior and senior students were found to possess greater ability for recall of dress design. Significant correlations among personality dimensions and measures of clothing perception indicate that relatively field independent persons tend to possess a greater ability for recall of line in clothing design.
Kinetic Limitations on Metal Dissolution during Aqueous Silicon Wafer Processing

Metal contamination during aqueous processing has recently been a subject of great interest,1-14 since metal surface contamination can decrease yield in semiconductor manufacturing by causing a wide variety of electrical problems.1,3,5,6 For example, the metal contamination tolerance level for 16 megabyte (MB) dynamic random access memory (DRAM) devices is approximately 1010 metal atoms/cm2.15-17 Deposition has been suggested to occur by a variety of mechanisms,4,6,16,18 including precipitation from a supersaturated cleaning solution and incorporation into the silicon dioxide layer during oxide regrowth. The most problematic is a proposed electroless process whereby metal ion reduction and silicon oxidation occur simultaneously following HF dissolution of the native oxide.4 The physical processes which occur during dissolution and removal have been less studied, although they can also be important to obtaining a contamination-free substrate. For example, during Cu dissolution into an SC-1 process solution, one might expect the electroless dissolution in this basic solution to occur via the following half-reactions
Biliary reconstruction using non-penetrating, tissue everting clips versus conventional sewn biliary anastomosis in liver transplantation.

Abstract Background . Biliary complications occur following approximately 25% of liver transplantations. Efforts to decrease biliary complications include methods designed to diminish tissue ischemia. Previously, we reported excellent short‐term results and decreased biliary anastomosis time in a porcine liver transplant model using non‐penetrating, tissue everting clips (NTEC), specifically VCS® clips. Methods . We examined the incidence of biliary anastomotic complications in a group of patients in whom orthotopic liver transplantation was performed with biliary reconstruction using NTEC and compared that group to a matched group treated with biliary reconstruction via conventional end‐to‐end sewn choledochocholedochostomy. Patients were matched in a 1:2 fashion by age at transplantation, disease etiology, Child‐Turcot‐Pugh scores, MELD score or UNOS status (prior to 1998), cold and warm ischemia times, organ donor age, and date of transplantation. Results . Seventeen patients had clipped anastomosis and 34 comparison patients had conventional sewn anastomosis. There were no differences between groups in terms of baseline clinical or demographic data. The median time from completion of the hepatic artery anastomosis to completion of clipped versus conventional sewn biliary anastomosis was 45 (interquartile range = 20 min) versus 47 min (interquartile range = 23 min), respectively ( p =0.12). Patients were followed for a mean of 29 months. Biliary anastomotic complications, including leak or anastomotic stricture, were observed in 18% of the clipped group and 24% of the conventional sewn group. Conclusions . Biliary reconstruction can be performed clinically using NTEC as an alternative to conventional sewn biliary anastomoses with good results.
A brief educational intervention is effective in teaching the femoral nerve block procedure to first-year emergency medicine residents

Abstract Background Hip fractures are a painful condition commonly encountered in the emergency department (ED). Older adults in pain often receive suboptimal doses of analgesics, particularly in crowded EDs. Nerve blocks have been utilized by anesthesiologists to help control pain from hip fractures postoperatively. The use of nerve stimulator with ultrasonographic guidance has increased the safety of this procedure. Objectives We instituted a pilot study to assess the ability of Emergency Medicine (EM) resident physicians to effectively perform this procedure after a didactic and demonstration session. Methods First-year EM residents from three urban training programs underwent a 1-h didactic and hands-on training session on the femoral nerve block (FNB) procedure. A written pretest was used to assess baseline knowledge; it was administered again (with test items randomized) at 1 and 3 months post training session. A critical actions checklist (direct observation of procedure steps via simulated patient encounter) was used to assess the residents after the training session and again at 3 months. Results A total of 38 EM residents were initially evaluated. Thirty-three successfully completed 1-month and 3-month written test evaluations; 30 completed all written and direct observation evaluations. The mean written pretest scores were 66% (SD 9); post-test 92% (SD 5), 1-month 74% (SD 8), and 3-month 75% (SD 9). After initial training, 37 of 38 (97%) residents demonstrated competency (completing ≥ 15 of 19 critical actions) in the FNB procedure determined via direct observation. At 3 months, 25 of 30 residents (83%) continued to retain 85% of their initial critical action skills, and 3 of 30 (10%) saw an improvement in their proficiency. Conclusion A 1-h training and demonstration module yielded high competency rates in residents performing critical actions related to the FNB; these skills were well maintained at 3 months. An ongoing study will attempt to correlate this competency with procedures performed on patients.
A high throughput robot system for machine vision based plant phenotype studies

This work demonstrates how a high throughput robotic machine vision systems can quantify seedling development with high spatial and temporal resolution.The throughput that the system provides is high enough to match the needs of functional genomics research. Analyzing images of plant seedlings growing and responding to stimuli is a proven approach to finding the effects of an affected gene. However, with 104 genes in a typical plant genome, comprehensive studies will require high throughput methodologies. To increase throughput without sacrificing spatial or temporal resolution, a 3 axis robotic gantry system utilizing visual servoing was developed. The gantry consists of direct drive linear servo motors that can move the cameras at a speed of 1 m/s with an accuracy of 1 μm, and a repeatability of 0.1 μm. Perpendicular to the optical axis of the cameras was a 1 m2 sample fixture holds 36 Petri plates in which 144 Arabidopsis thaliana seedlings (4 per Petri plate) grew vertically along the surface of an agar gel. A probabilistic image analysis algorithm was used to locate the root of seedlings and a normalized gray scale variance measure was used to achieve focus by servoing along the optical axis. Rotation of the sample holder induced a gravitropic bending response in the roots, which are approximately 45 μm wide and several millimeter in length. The custom hardware and software described here accurately quantified the gravitropic responses of the seedlings in parallel at approximately 3 min intervals over an 8-h period. Here we present an overview of our system and describe some of the necessary capabilities and challenges to automating plant phenotype studies.
Biotechnology products: new opportunities and responsibilities for the pharmacist

The opportunities and responsibilities of pharmacists with respect to the new biotechnology products are described. Recent advances in the fields of molecular genetics and nucleic acid chemistry have resulted in a proliferation of biotechnology products. Those produced by recombinant DNA techniques offer particular promise for the treatment of a wide variety of medical disorders such as cancer, anemia, neutropenia, diabetes, and myocardial infarction. Since the turn of the century, the pharmacy profession has expanded its role from drug preparation and distribution to modern clinical pharmacy, in which pharmacists act as a source of drug information for physicians, nurses, and patients. In response to the new biotechnology revolution, pharmacists must once again undergo a role expansion, this time actively assuming responsibility for educating themselves about the nature and clinical use of the new biopharmaceuticals. The curriculum of students undergoing training in pharmacy should cover such areas as immunoglobulins, immunomodulators, growth hormones, targeted drug-delivery systems, and advanced diagnostic techniques that use biotechnology products. Continuing-education programs in these areas will update currently practicing pharmacists on the new biotechnology products. Although use of biologic proteins is currently targeted toward hospitalized patients, future advances may allow for dispensing these new drugs through community pharmacies as well. Therefore, change will be necessary at all levels of the pharmacy profession. As pharmacists accept the responsibility of dispensing, monitoring, and providing information about the new biotechnologic agents, they will enhance the rational use of these compounds.
Matrix metalloproteinase hypothesis of plaque rupture: players keep piling up but questions remain.

Arterial thrombosis is generally recognized as the proximate event responsible for most acute ischemic syndromes resulting from atherosclerotic vascular disease.1,2 The majority of such thrombi (60% to 80%) occur at sites of fissure or rupture of a thinned fibrous cap overlying a lipid-rich atherosclerotic lesion with intimal and adventitial inflammation, and the remainder occur over areas of superficial plaque erosion.1–5 The severity of luminal stenosis produced by such lesions before plaque rupture is frequently only mild or moderate, although the plaques tend to be large, and this seeming paradox is mostly because of the outward remodeling of the vessel wall.1,6,7 See p 1899 The precise mechanism(s) responsible for plaque rupture remain to be defined; however, the excessive degradation of the extracellular matrix scaffold has been implicated as one of the major molecular mechanisms in this process. A likely culprit is a family of matrix-degrading metalloproteinases (MMPs) expressed in human atherosclerotic lesions around the lipid core; they generally colocalize with macrophages/foam cells and, to a lesser extent, with smooth muscle cells and endothelial cells.8–11 Further suggesting a role for macrophage MMPs is their association with evidence of collagen breakdown in vitro and in vivo.9,12,13 Increased MMP expression in the cells resident in atherosclerotic plaques has been attributed to lipid ingestion, stimulation by oxidized LDL, cytokines, hemodynamic stress, ligation of CD-40, infection, and increased expression of Tenascin-c.14–21 The MMP family of enzymes includes collagenases (MMP-1 or interstitial collagenase, MMP-8 or neutrophil collagenase, and MMP-13 or collagenase 3), gelatinases (MMP-2 or gelatinase A and MMP-9 or gelatinase B), stromelysins (MMP-3, MMP-10, and MMP-11), membrane-bound MMPs (MT-MMPs 1 through 4) matrilysin (MMP-7), and metalloelastase (MMP-12). In the present issue of Circulation , Herman et al22 report that MMP-8, also known as the neutrophil collagenase, is also expressed …
Complex proportionate-type normalized least mean square algorithms

A complex proportionate-type normalized least mean square algorithm is derived by minimizing the second norm of the weighted difference between the current estimate of the impulse response and the estimate at the next time step under the constraint that the adaptive filter a posteriori output is equal to the measured output. The weighting function is assumed positive but otherwise arbitrary and it is directly related to the update gains. No assumptions regarding the input signal are made during the derivation. Different weights (i.e., gains) are used for real and imaginary parts of the estimated impulse response. After additional assumptions special cases of the algorithm are obtained: the algorithm with one gain per impulse response coefficient and the algorithm with lower computational complexity. The learning curves of the algorithms are compared for several standard gain assignment laws for white and colored input. It was demonstrated that, in general, the algorithms with separate gains for real and imaginary parts have faster convergence.
On the Trade-off Between Energy Efficiency and Estimation Error in Compressive Sensing

Abstract Compressive sensing (CS) refers to the process of reconstructing a signal that is supposed to be sparse or compressible. CS has wide applications, such as in cognitive radio networks. In this paper, we investigate effective CS schemes for the trade-off between energy efficiency and estimation error. We propose an enhancement to a Bayesian estimation approach and an enhancement to the isotonic regression approach that is based on nearly isotonic regression. We also show how to compute the routing matrix for selecting active sensor nodes. The proposed enhancements are evaluated with trace-driven simulations. Considerable gaps are observed between the original approaches and the proposed enhancements in the simulation results. The near isotonic regression method achieves the best performance among all the CS schemes examined in this paper.
Development of a Lattice-Boltzmann Method for Multiscale Transport and Absorption with Application to Intestinal Function

We describe a lattice-Boltzmann model with a multigrid strategy and moving boundaries to solve coupled multiscale flow problems with scalar transport. Whereas we present the details of a two-dimensional model, the method is directly generalizable to 3-D. We apply the methods to our application of nutrient uptake at the epithelium of the small intestine. In this model, the fine grid is embedded within a coarse grid, with an overlap region between the two grids. The transfer of information between the two grids conserves mass and momentum and enforces continuity of stress. The modified moment propagation method is applied to the scalar, allowing higher Schmidt numbers than competing methods. We treat the moving boundaries with second-order boundary conditions that interpolate to the exact wall position. For scalar and scalar flux boundary condition, we formulate the scalar transport from the boundary to a temporary lattice node, and then transfer it back to the node adjacent to the boundary by extrapolation. We demonstrate the application of the method by simulating a macro-scale cavity flow with micro-scale finger-like protuberances in pendular motion on the lower surface as a model of the macro-micro scale interactions in fluid motions, scalar mixing, and scalar uptake at the surface of the villi that line the epithelium of the human intestines.
Impact of the stack order in Cu-Zn-Sn metal precursors on the properties of Cu2ZnSnS4 thin films

Cu2ZnSnS4 (CZTS) thin films were grown by the annealing of metallic precursors with different stack orders in sulfur atmosphere. The sequential deposition of the metal layers from single Cu, Zn, and Sn targets on Mo-coated soda-lime glass substrates was carried out using radio-frequency magnetron sputtering. In this work, we investigated the effect of the sequence of metal layers on the chemical, structural, and morphological properties of the final CZTS films using X-ray fluorescence (XRF), X-ray diffraction (XRD), Raman scattering spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy, and energy-dispersive spectroscopy. The realized stack sequences were Mo/Sn/Zn/Cu, Mo/Sn/Cu/Zn, Mo/Cu/Zn/Sn, Mo/Cu/Sn/Zn, and Mo/Zn/Cu/Sn. XRF measurements revealed notable impact of the metal layers' stacking order in the precursor on the chemical composition. It also showed Sn loss and high Zn concentration in all sulfurized films; however, having Cu on the Sn or Zn/Sn layer showed some minimization of the Sn loss. XRD showed CZTS films with good crystallinity and no evidence of the presence of secondary phases. Changing the precursor stack order did not show any influence on the films' crystallinity or texture. Raman spectroscopy, in contrast, indicated the presence of ZnS phase beside the main CZTS phase. The morphology study showed significant effect on the structure of the final CZTS films depending on the used stack order. Generally, the films that originated from precursors having a Zn layer deposited directly on Mo or as the second layer exhibited better adhesion to the Mo layer and showed fewer or even no voids compared to the other films.
Ternary Alloys of Titanium with Simple Metals and Transition Metals (Except Niobium)

Alloys considered in this chapter include pseudo-binary research alloys based on Ti-Zr50, a metal “like” Ti or Zr, but one whose transition temperature of 1.6 K is more easily accessible than that of either of the pure elements Ti (TC = 0.36 ± 0.03 K, Table 2–3) or Zr (TC = 0.6 ∿ 0.7 K). Also included are those alloys based on Ti-V and Ti-Ta which have been regarded as competitors to Ti-Nb as current-carrying high-field (hard) superconductors, and in connection with which the influences of simple-metal and interstitial-element additions on flux pinning have been investigated. Developments in the latter direction culminated in French Patent No. 1,517,216 [Ass68a] which laid claim to the above-mentioned Ti-(group V)TM alloys doped with one or all of the so-called “interstitial elements” C, N, and 0.
The Toxicological Importance of Lead in Bone: The Evolution and Potential Uses of Bone Lead Measurements by X-Ray Fluorescence to Evaluate Treatment Outcomes in Moderately Lead Toxic Children

Environmental lead exposure, with its concomitant risk of toxicity, remains a major health hazard for children in the United States. Even “low” levels of lead are associated with a wide range of metabolic disorders and with neuropsychological deficits (Angle et al., 1982; CDC, 1985; EPA, 1985; Mahaffey et al., 1982a; Needleman et al., 1979; Piomelli et al., 1982; Rosen et al., 1980; Rosen, 1985). Despite efforts at eliminating lead-based paints and the introduction of lead-free gasoline, an estimated 2.3 to 3.9 million American children between 9 months to 5 years of age have elevated blood lead concentrations (> 25 μg/dl), according to the new guidelines from the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) (CDC, 1985; Mahaffey et al., 1982a; Yip and Dallman, 1986). Based upon these CDC guidelines, about 9 percent of children in this age range have elevated blood lead concentrations (> 25 mg/dl) that require medical intervention. The magnitude of this national health issue in children (rich, poor, white, black, city or country-based) was realized when the results of the Second National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES II) were published in 1982 (Mahaffey et al., 1982a). This representative cluster sample defined the incidence of elevated blood lead levels nationally in children of this age; and these data confirmed earlier impressions that blacks and disadvantaged, inner city children were affected disproportionately.
Northern Forest (E): The State Foresters' Views

This case series (see also the A [UVA-OM-1107], B [UVA-OM-1110], C [UVA-OM-1111], D [UVA-OM-1112], F [UVA-OM-1156], and G [UVA-OM-1158] cases) focuses students on the boom-and-bust behaviors in the Northern Forest sawmill industry. Stakeholders, from landowners to sawmill owners to government officials to environmentalists, all want to make sure that the overall demand for saw logs, as driven by sawmill capacity, does not exceed the rate at which the trees are growing. They do not want sawmill demand to "overshoot" the productive capacity of the forest resource, a classic problem in renewable-resource economies that the region had experienced approximately a century earlier. Students are called upon to use system-thinking skills (analysis of reference modes of behaviors, causal-loop mapping, and stock-flow mapping) in creating their causal hypotheses of the underlying system structure. Students are asked to design system-structure policies to help sustain both the industry and the natural resources of the region. The E case describes the roles and views of the state foresters of the four Northern Forest states: Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, and New York. They are the top state government officials in charge of forested lands, the associated ecosystems, and the forest-projects industry.
A Strain of Japanese holly fern mottle virus Infecting Leatherleaf Fern in the United States

Abstract Leatherleaf fern, a popular cut foliage plant for use in flower arrangements, was found showing virus-like symptoms at a local nursery in Baton Rouge, LA. The causal agent of the disease w...
Urea Hydrolysis in Pine Tree Substrate Is Affected by Urea and Lime Rates

To reduce the carbon-to-nitrogen (C:N) ratio, pine tree substrate (PTS) and other wood-based substrates can be precharged with urea so that growers do not have to add extra nitrogen (N) during crop production to compensate for immobilization. However, the impact of urea hydrolysis from this addition on the substrate solution has not been documented for wood-based substrates. The objectives of these experiments were to determine how urea hydrolysis in PTS impacts substrate solution and how hydrolysis is affected by urea and lime rates. In Expt. 1, 16-month-old pine chips (from loblolly pine trees, Pinus taeda L.) were milled to make PTS and PTS was amended with 0 or 1.0 kg·m L3 dolomitic limestone in factorial combination with urea-N rates of 0, 0.5, 1.0,1.5,or2.0mg·g L1 dryweight.UreahydrolysiswasquantifiedbythedetectionofNH4-N in the substrate solution at 0, 48, 96, and 144 hours after urea addition. Substrate pH and electrical conductivity (EC) values were also measured. In Expt. 2, non-limed PTS was treated with the same urea rates as described; NH4-N and pH were measured at 24 and 48 hours after urea addition. Substrate solutions were incubated with jackbean urease to determine the remaining urea-N amount after 144 hours in Expt. 1 and after 24 and 48 hours in Expt. 2. In Expt. 1, NH4-N increased from 0 to 48 hours for the 0 and 1.0-kg·m L3 lime treatmentsand forallurea-Nrates (except forthe 0rate); NH4-Ndidnot increase thereafter. As urea-N rate increased, the amount of NH4-N increased and more N was detected for the limed PTS than in the non-limed PTS. Initial substrate pH values for the 0 and 1.0-kg·m L3 lime treatments were 4.5 and 5.6, respectively, and peaked 48 hours after urea application; pH values were higher in the limed PTS than for the non- limed PTS. At the highest urea-N rate and after 48 hours (Expt. 1), the PTS pH value increased 3.1 units to 7.6 for the non-limed PTS and the value increased 2.3 units to 7.9 for limed PTS. In Expt. 2 the increase in PTS pH values was approximately half of the Expt. 1 pH increases. Samples treated with urease derived from jackbean had less than 2% of the initial urea amount after 144 hours in Expt. 1 and after 48 hours in Expt. 2. However,less than13%of the total amount of urea-NaddedtoPTSwas detected as NH4-N in the non-limed treatment after 144 hours in Expt. 1 (for all urea rates); detected amounts for the 1.0-kg·m L3 lime treatment ranged from 15.5% to 18.3%. Five percent or less of the total amount of urea-N added to PTS was detected as NH4-N in non-limed PTS after 48 hours in Expt. 2 (for all urea rates). The large amount of unrecovered NH4-N is likely explained by microbial N consumption. Using pH increase as an indication of urea hydrolysis, we found that an initial pH of 4.5 or higher (Expt. 1) resulted in twice the urea hydrolysis as an initial pH of 4.2 (Expt. 2). Initial substrate pH had a major impact on the amount of pH increase and substrate pH status and our findings suggest that the urea precharge rate should be based on the initial pH of the substrate.
Determination of melamine in milk and milk powder by GC-NPD

Objective:To establish a method for determination of melamine residues in milk and milk powder by gas chromatography-nitrogen phosphorus detector.Methods:Melamine in the sample was extracted with trichloroacetic acid,purified with MCX cation exchange solid phase extraction column,determined by DB-1701 capillary column and GC-NPD.Results:The method linear range was 0.05 μg/ml~5 μg/ml,the limits of quantification were 0.1 mg/kg(milk)and 0.25 mg/kg(milk powder),the relative standard deviation was 2.1%~7.9%,the recovery rate was 86.4%~108%.Conclusion:The method was simple,rapid and sensitive for determination of melamine without derivatization process.
Endothelium-dependent and -independent responses to severe hypoxia in rat pulmonary artery

The changes in pulmonary artery (PA) tone that develop during hypoxia are complex and appear to involve multiple vasoregulatory pathways. This study was designed to identify the phases of the response to severe hypoxia in isolated segments of rat PA and to evaluate the mechanisms involved. Exposure of preconstricted PA segments to severe hypoxia (i.e., PO2 < 3 Torr) resulted in transient relaxation followed by vigorous hypoxic vasoconstriction (HVC), which averaged 0.26 +/- 0.02 g (or 43.9 +/- 3.7% of the maximal force developed in response to phenylephrine). HVC was followed by sustained and nearly complete inhibition of existing tone. The first two phases of the response were endothelium dependent and could be blocked by nonspecific inhibitors of endothelium-derived relaxing factor (EDRF) activity and by 500 microM N omega-nitro-L-arginine, a specific inhibitor of nitric oxide (NO) formation. The transient early relaxation could also be inhibited by superoxide dismutase (50 U/ml). In contrast, the late relaxation phase was neither endothelium dependent nor could it be blocked by inhibitors of EDRF/NO activity. Rat PA segments were relaxed by pinacidil and lemakalim, both of which activate ATP-sensitive potassium channels. Preincubation with glibenclamide, a selective inhibitor of these channels, blocked this response and also reduced late hypoxic vasodilation by nearly 40% (P < 0.001). These findings demonstrate that the response of rat PA to hypoxia involves both endothelium-dependent and endothelium-independent components. The initial relaxation results from enhanced EDRF/NO activity, which is likely due to diminished breakdown by superoxide radicals.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
Prevalence of Staphylococcus aureus Colonization and Risk Factors for Infection Among Military Personnel in a Shipboard Setting.

ABSTRACT Staphylococcal skin and soft tissue infections (SSTIs), especially those due to methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) are an important public health issue for the military. Limited data exist regarding the prevalence of S. aureus colonization in the shipboard setting. We conducted a cross-sectional, observational study to determine the point prevalence of S. aureus colonization among military personnel onboard a naval vessel. Asymptomatic active duty personnel completed a survey for risk factors associated with colonization and SSTIs. Culture specimens were obtained from the anterior nares, pharynx, groin, and perirectal regions. MRSA isolates underwent testing for antimicrobial resistance, virulence factors, and pulsed-field type. 400 individuals were enrolled, 198 (49.5%) of whom were colonized with S. aureus, with MRSA identified in 14 participants (3.5%). No significant risk factors were associated with MRSA colonization. USA800 was the most common colonizing MRSA strain in the c...
Youth as Researchers and Participants

This chapter focuses on a collaborative research effort between researchers, an NGO partner, and a local community in a participatory action research (PAR) and program evaluation case study with youth in the Villapurum District of southern India. I illustrate challenges and strategies for empirical data collection with marginalized youth in a particular ecological context.
The isolation of T-strains of mycoplasma from pneumonic calf lungs.

T-strains of mycoplasma were isolated from 9 out of 16 pneumonic calf lungs. Their role in the pathogenesis of pneumonia has not yet been investigated.
When men and women differ in self-esteem and when they don’t: A meta-analysis

Abstract A meta-analysis of gender differences in self-esteem (1148 studies from 2009 to 2013; total N = 1,170,935) found a small difference, g = 0.11 (95% CI = 0.10–0.13), favoring males. Additionally, (1) the gender difference increased with age until late adolescence, and declined afterwards; (2) Whites, Hispanics, and Asian Americans showed the same gender difference whereas African Americans and marginal groups (e.g., immigrants) did not show any difference; (3) the gender difference was larger in more developed countries characterized by values that espouse equality and freedom; and (4) inspection of previous reviews showed that the gender difference emerged after the 1970s, increased until 1995, and declined afterwards. A three-stage model of comparison processes was proposed to account for these results.
Investigation of metal-exchanged mesoporous Y zeolites for the adsorptive desulfurization of liquid fuels

Abstract Removal of sulfur from transportation fuels using zeolites as sorbents is an attractive desulfurization method, because of its low energy and cost requirements. However, diffusion limitations within the micropore structure of zeolites can reduce their adsorption capacity, especially when refractory sulfur compounds are present in fuels. Moreover, the selective adsorption of sulfur compounds from a mixture of hydrocarbons can be very challenging. The objective of this study was to address the aforementioned challenges of adsorptive desulfurization of fuels using metal-exchanged mesoporous Y zeolites. Mesoporosity was introduced in the Y zeolites by two top-down methods (desilication and surfactant-assisted). Metals, Ce and Cu, were introduced via ion-exchange. The prepared metal-exchanged mesoporous zeolites were characterized and tested in terms of their sulfur adsorption capacity using a fixed-bed column and model fuels. The strength of adsorption was determined using isosteric heat of adsorption calculations. Our results demonstrated that mesoporous Y reduced diffusion limitations and were very effective sorbents for removing sulfur compounds with high kinetic diameter, such as dibenzothiophene (DBT). Metals highly increased the selectivity toward sulfur compounds. According to experimental results, the tendency of thiophenic molecules to adsorb on the zeolites increase in the order of thiophene (TP)