cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Surface reactivity of pyrite and related sulfides

Abstract Pyrite, FeS2, commonly referred to as “Fool’s gold” is the most common sulfide in the Earth’s surface region. Not only is the mineral ubiquitous, but the reactivity of pyrite is of central importance in a devastating environmental issue known as acid mine drainage (AMD) and in beneficial commercial processes such as mineral benefaction, which can range from the desulfurization of coal to the isolation of copper or gold ores. Pyrite has even been postulated to be a key constituent of a prebiotic iron–sulfur world existing at the high pressure and temperature conditions common to hydrothermal vents at the oceanic floor. The development of an atomic level picture of the structure and reactivity of pyrite is paramount to understanding the chemistry of this mineral in these wide-ranging environments. This contribution focuses on research carried out over the past three decades that has used modern surface science tools to understand the reactivity of pyrite surfaces. An understanding of the reactivity of the pyrite surfaces has benefited from studies using a wide range of experimental techniques that range from vacuum-based experiments utilizing electron and photon spectroscopies, and probe microscopy to in situ studies using infra-red spectroscopy. Synchrotron-based techniques that include photoelectron spectroscopy and X-ray absorption spectroscopy have played a large role in both these environments. These techniques have perhaps been the most useful in establishing the structure of the pristine pyrite surface. Related iron sulfides are also briefly introduced in this review including pyrrhotite (FexS1−x) and the dimorph of pyrite, marcasite. The surface reactivity of these sulfides exhibit both similarities and differences to pyrite, and help to bring forward the unique activity of pyrite in both environmentally and technologically important conditions.
A call to public service

Working for a U.S. senator (Sen. Jeff Merkley (D-Oreg.)) as a 2011–2012 AGU Congressional Science Fellow has affirmed my conviction that more scientists and engineers should be working in Congress and other branches of government. I am not referring to scientists who provide specialized, research-oriented services and communicate technical information, which is important. I am referring to people with scientific and technical backgrounds who should work on policy issues in government if they are interested in doing so. Scientists can be proficient in this type of work because of the way they think about problems, not just because of the technical knowledge they can contribute, however relevant it may be.
Personal equations: reflections on the history of fieldwork, with special reference to sociocultural anthropology.

ABSTRACT In the latter part of the nineteenth century, diverse sciences grounded in natural history made a virtue of field research that somehow tested scientists' endurance; disciplinary change derived from the premise that witnesses were made reliable by character-molding trials. The turn to the field was a function of structural transformations in various quarters, including (but hardly limited to) global politics, communications systems, and scientific institutions, and it conduced to biogeographical explanations, taxonomic schemes that admitted of heterogeneity, and affective research styles. Sociocultural anthropology, which took specialized shape at the beginning of the twentieth century, shared many properties with other field sciences, but its method—participant observation—was distinctive. Critical to the method's definition were the efforts of the British experimental psychologist-anthropologist W. H. R. Rivers, who relied on notions then widespread in Europe and the United States. The discipli...
Evaluation of rapid antibody tests for the diagnosis of helicobacter pylori infection

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to compare the performance characteristics of one serum and four whole blood rapid antibody tests for Helicobacter pylori infection. METHODS: A total of 97 outpatients referred for endoscopic evaluation of dyspepsia were included. Antral biopsies were obtained for histology and rapid urease test. Serum was tested with an enzyme-linked immunoassay (HM-CAP) and a rapid serology test (FlexSure HP). A commercially available 13C-urea breath test was performed. Capillary blood obtained by fingerstick was tested with FlexSure HP, QuickVue, Accustat, and StatSimple pylori tests. Sensitivity, specificity, and accuracy of each rapid test was calculated relative to a criterion standard of histological gastritis and at least two of the four following tests positive: identifiable organisms on specially stained slides, rapid urease test, urea breath test, or serum immunoassay. RESULTS: A total of 30 patients (31%) were infected. The FlexSure HP Serum, and FlexSure HP, QuickVue, Accustat, and StatSimple pylori whole blood tests had sensitivities of 90%, 87%, 83%, 76%, and 90%; specificities of 94%, 90%, 96%, 96%, and 98%, and accuracies of 93%, 88%, 92%, 87%, and 96%, respectively. Sensitivities were not statistically different. StatSimple pylori was more specific than FlexSure HP whole blood (p < 0.03), and more accurate than FlexSure whole blood (p < 0.024) and Accustat (p < 0.01). Serum immunoassay was significantly more sensitive (97%) than FlexSure whole blood, QuickVue, and Accustat (p < 0.01), but its specificity (95%) was not statistically different from the rapid tests. CONCLUSION: Rapid antibody testing provides an accurate diagnosis of H. pylori infection. In general, these tests are less sensitive than, but as specific as, standard serology.
Complications of primary retroperitoneal lymph-node dissection for low-stage testicular cancer

The surgical complications encountered in 478 patients who underwent primary retroperitoneal lymphnode dissection for clinical stage A and B nonseminomatous testicular cancer during the period ranging from 1982 to 1992 were reviewed. There were 54 complications in 51 patients (10.6%), and there was no surgery-related mortality. There were 16 minor complications and 38 major complications. The most frequent complication encountered was superficial wound infection, and many of the major complications were related to small-bowel obstruction and atelectasis. The incidence of complications was significantly lower in patients operated on during the last 6 years of the study (1987–1992). The complication rate was lower in patients who underwent modified unilateral procedures than in those who had bilateral dissections. The ejaculation rate of patients undergoing nervesparing procedures was 98%. This study reinforces the conclusion that primary retroperitoneal lymph-node dissection is an operation yielding minimal morbidity and no long-standing effect.
The Action Observation System when Observing Hand Actions in Autism and Typical Development

Social impairments in individuals with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) may be in part due to difficulty perceiving and recognizing the actions of others. Evidence from imitation studies, which involves both observation and execution of an action, suggests differences, in individuals with ASD, between the ability to imitate goal-directed actions involving objects (transitive actions) and the ability to imitate actions that do not involve objects (intransitive actions). In the present study, we examined whether there were differences in how ASD adolescents encoded transitive and intransitive actions compared to typically developing (TD) adolescents, by having participants view videos of a hand reaching across a screen toward an object or to where an object would be while functional magnetic resonance images were collected. Analyses focused on areas within the action observation network (AON), which is activated during the observation of actions performed by others. We hypothesized that the AON would differentiate transitive from intransitive actions only in the ASD group. However, results revealed that object presence modulated activity in the right inferior frontal gyrus and supramarginal gyrus of the TD group, a differentiation that was not seen in the ASD group. Furthermore, there were no significant group differences between the TD and ASD groups in any of the conditions. This suggests that there is not a global deficit of the AON in individuals with ASD while observing transitive and intransitive actions.
A factor in the maintenance of behavior by reinforcement

Pecking was maintained on each of two keys by a different, food-associated, conditioned reinforcer, orange illumination of the chamber for the left key and blue for the right key. Then, with pecking prevented, the pigeons were introduced directly into alternating orange and blue illumination and were shocked electrically only during orange. After this procedure, with pecking allowed but without further presentations of either conditioned reinforcer, the rate of pecking on the left of the two keys was selectively decreased.
Morphogenesis and maintenance of the 3D thymic medulla and prevention of nude skin phenotype require FoxN1 in pre- and post-natal K14 epithelium.

Expansion of thymic epithelial cysts represents disruption of an organized three-dimensional (3D) thymic epithelial cell (TEC) meshwork, which is crucial for T-lymphocyte development. Although the FoxN1-null mutant develops a rudimentary two-dimensional (2D) cystic thymus, 2D thymic cyst lining resulting from a dGUO culture was reported to be FoxN1-independent; thus, it is unclear whether loss of FoxN1 facilitates cyst formation and whether FoxN1 regulates the morphogenesis and maintenance of the 3D thymic microstructure. Using the loxP-floxed-FoxN1 mouse model, we demonstrated that specific deletion of FoxN1 in keratin (K)-14 promoter-driven TECs induced the loss of 3D thymic medullary structure by producing a large number of morphologic pulmonary alveolar-like 2D epithelial cysts, which increased with age. The cystic lining was positive for differential polarized keratins and had strong claudin-3,4, but reduced MHC-II, expression. However, an increased percentage of claudin-3,4+ TECs, which are presumptive precursors of UEA-1+ and Aire+ mature medullary TECs, failed to promote the development of these mature descendants. Meanwhile, the K14Cre-mediated FoxN1 deletion alone was sufficient to induce a complete hair follicle defect, causing a nude phenotype in the skin, but was not sufficient to cause a complete loss of the thymus. All these changes to occur require deletion of FoxN1 in both prenatal (Cre-recombinase from parents during fertilization) and postnatal (Cre-recombinase from offspring themselves after fertilization) life. These findings provide new insights into FoxN1 regulation of 3D thymic epithelial morphogenesis and maintenance, the distinct impacts of FoxN1 in the K14 epithelial subset of the thymus and skin, and its postnatal requirement.
The Validity of the Measurement of Originality

To explore the construct validity of one of the originality scores of the Torrance Tests of Creative Thinking, the investigators examined the responses of undergraduates to different instructions for the "Unusual Uses of a Cardboard Box" activity. One group obtained standard instructions, whereas another received vague instructions. After effects of fluency were partialled out, originality scores were substantially higher for the vague instructions group. This finding raises important questions about whether the typical measurement of originality depends on what stimulus materials are used, as well as on how responses should be scored.
Rapid construction of metabolic models for a family of Cyanobacteria using a multiple source annotation workflow

Background Cyanobacteria are photoautotrophic prokaryotes that exhibit robust growth under diverse environmental conditions with minimal nutritional requirements. They can use solar energy to convert CO2 and other reduced carbon sources into biofuels and chemical products. The genus Cyanothece includes unicellular nitrogen-fixing cyanobacteria that have been shown to offer high levels of hydrogen production and nitrogen fixation. The reconstruction of quality genome-scale metabolic models for organisms with limited annotation resources remains a challenging task.
TLR2- and TLR4-dependent activation of STAT1 serine phosphorylation in murine macrophages is protein kinase C-δ-independent

Engagement of Toll-like receptor (TLR) proteins activates multiple signal transduction pathways. Previous studies demonstrated that TLR2 and TLR4 engagement leads to rapid phosphorylation of the transcription factor STAT1 at serine 727 (Ser-727 STAT1) in murine macrophages. Only TLR4 engagement induced STAT1 phosphorylation at tyrosine 701, although this response was delayed compared with Ser-727 STAT1 phosphorylation. Unlike other cell types, the p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase was necessary, but not sufficient, for TLR-induced phosphorylation of Ser-727 STAT1 in macrophages. We and others had previously shown that Ser-727 STAT1 phosphorylation could be blocked by rottlerin, an inhibitor of protein kinase C-delta (PKC-delta). Here we report that peritoneal exudate macrophages from PKC-delta-deficient mice can be activated through TLR2 and TLR4 to elicit rapid phosphorylation of Ser-727 STAT1, which was blocked by both rottlerin and the p38 inhibitor SB203580, but not by the pan-PKC inhibitor bisindoylmaleamide. Furthermore, both normal and PKC-delta-deficient macrophages secreted comparable amounts of IL-6, IP-10, and RANTES following TLR engagement. In contrast, IFN-gamma-induced STAT1 serine phosphorylation was independent of both PKC-delta and p38. Overall, these studies demonstrate that a PKC-delta-independent signaling pathway downstream of both TLR2 and TLR4 is necessary for Ser-727 STAT1 phosphorylation in primary murine macrophages.
Enabling 1,000,000-entity simulations on distributed Linux clusters

The Information Sciences Institute and Caltech are enabling USJFCOM and the Institute for Defense Analyses to conduct entity-level simulation experiments using hundreds of distributed computer nodes on Linux Clusters as a vehicle for simulating millions of JSAF entities. Included below is the experience with the design and implementation of the code that increased scalability, thereby enabling two orders of magnitude growth and the effective use of DoD high-end computers. A typical JSAF experiment generates several terabytes of logged data, which is queried in near-real-time and for months afterward. The amount of logged data and the desired database query performance mandated the redesign of the original logger system's monolithic database, making it distributed and incorporating several advanced concepts. System procedures and practices were established to reliably execute the global-scale simulations, effectively operate the distributed computers, efficiently process and store terabytes of data, and provide straightforward access to the data by analysts.
Stress Responses and Metabolic Regulation of Glyceraldehyde-3-Phosphate Dehydrogenase Genes in Arabidopsis

We report here effects of three environmental conditions, heat shock, anaerobic treatment, and carbon source supply, on expression of nuclear genes encoding chloroplast (GapA and GapB) and cytosolic (GapC) glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase from Arabidopsis thaliana. The steady-state mRNA level of the GapC increased when Arabidopsis plants were transferred from normal growth condition to heat-shock, anaerobiosis, or increased sucrose supply conditions. In contrast, the steady-state mRNA levels for GapA and GapB genes were unaffected or decreased transiently under the same treatments. To identify the cis-acting regulatory elements, transgenic tobacco plants containing a 820-bp GapC 5[prime]-flanking DNA fragment and [beta]-glucoronidase(Gus) fusion were constructed. Analyses of these transgenic plants indicate that this 820-bp DNA fragment is sufficient to confer both heat-shock and anaerobic responses. These results suggest that transcriptional level control is involved in regulation of GapC expression under these stress conditions. Histochemical analysis of Gus activity indicates that expression of the GapC is cell-type specific and is probably linked to the metabolic activity of the cells.
Connecting the dots in cultural competency: institutional strategies and conceptual caveats.

Hideo Kimura, a 46-year-old Japanese male patient in a Boston hospital, needs to undergo surgery to remove part of his lower intestine but resists signing the consent form and has little understanding of English. Discussing this with an interpreter, Hideo is puzzled, because he has already authorized his wife Sachiko to decide on his behalf. The interpreter points out to him that he has a right, a moral right, to give his informed consent to the surgery and that Hideo is quite competent to decide for himself. Nonetheless, Hideo cannot grasp the meanings of “informed consent” and “moral right.” Hideo agrees to sign the consent form only after he is told that this is official hospital policy.My thanks for insightful comments and critique by reviewers.
Fluid Circulation within a Spherical Reservoir with EHD Conduction Pumping

Electrohydrodynamic (EHD) conduction phenomenon involves the interaction of electric fields and flow fields in a dielectric fluid medium via the process of dissociation and recombination of free charges. This paper numerically studies the effect of electrically driven fluid flow, based on conduction phenomenon to generate fluid circulations in a spherical reservoir in the absence of gravity. The electrodes are embedded on the reservoir surface such that the resultant electric body force causes the fluid in the upper hemisphere moves to the lower side and vice versa. The electric field and electric body force distributions and the resultant velocity field in different planes are presented.
Enhanced escape rate for Hg 254 nm resonance radiation in fluorescent lamps

The potential of the low-cost MAGIS isotopic separation method to improve fluorescent lamp efficacy is explored using resonance radiation transport simulations. New Hg isotopic mixes are discovered that yield escape rates for 254nm Hg I resonance radiation equal to 117% to 122% of the rate for a natural isotopic mix under the same lamp conditions. (Some figures may appear in colour only in the online journal)
Congruence relations, filters, ideals, and definability in lattices of α -recursively enumerable sets

Throughout this paper, α will denote an admissible ordinal. Let ( α ) denote the lattice of α -r.e. sets, i.e., the lattice whose elements are the α -r.e. sets, and whose ordering is given by set inclusion. Call a set A ∈ ( α ) α *- finite if it is α -finite and has ordertype α * (the Σ 1 -projectum of α ). The α *-finite sets form an ideal of ( α ), and factoring ( α ) by this ideal, we obtain the quotient lattice *( α ). We will fix a language ℒ suitable for lattice theory, and discuss decidability in terms of this language. Two approaches have succeeded in making some progress towards determining the decidability of the elementary theory of ( α ). Each approach was first used by Lachlan for α = ω . The first approach is to relate the decidability of the elementary theory of ( α ) to that of a suitable quotient lattice of ( α ) by a congruence relation definable in ℒ. This technique was used by Lachlan [4, §1] to obtain the equidecidability of the elementary theories of (ω) and *(ω), and was generalized by us [6, Corollary 1.2] to yield the equidecidability of the elementary theories of ( α ) and *( α ) for all α. Lachlan [3] then adopted a different approach.
Firm inventory behavior and the returns from highway infrastructure investments

Abstract The debate in public and macro economics over the returns from infrastructure spending has largely ignored transportation economics, which has documented substantial inefficiencies created by highway policy and motivated researchers to explain how infrastructure spending produces economic benefits. This paper develops a theoretical argument that highway infrastructure investments generate benefits by lowering firms' inventories and provides empirical estimates of returns based on this mechanism. We find that annual returns from highway investments have fallen to less than 5 percent during the 1980s and 1990s and suggest that a partial explanation may be the rising cost of inefficient transportation infrastructure policy.
Amiodarone for Refractory Automatic Atrial Tachycardia: Observations on the Electrophysiological Actions of Amiodarone

A patient with automatic atrial tachycardia refractory to all conventional therapies is described. Amiodarone controlled the tachycardia by causing a progressive decrease in the rate of discharge from the atrial focus. We conclude that 1) amiodarone was effective therapy for automatic atrial tachycardia, avoiding the need for nonmedical therapy; and 2) amiodarone appeared to act by decreasing spontaneous automaticity.
Targeted extracellular nanoparticles enable intracellular detection of activated epidermal growth factor receptor in living brain cancer cells

Abstract Mechanistic study of biological processes via Quantum Dots (QDs) remain constrained by inefficient QD delivery methods and consequent altered cell function. Here the authors present a rapid method to label activated receptor populations in live cancer cells derived from medulloblastoma and glioma tumors. The authors used QDs to bind the extracellular domain of Epidermal Growth Factor Receptor (EGF-R) proteins and then induced receptor activation to facilitate specific detection of intracellular, activated EGF-R subpopulations. Such labeling enables rapid identification of biological markers characteristic of tumor type, grade and chemotheraphy resistance. From the Clinical Editor In this paper, a rapid, quantum dot-based method is presented with the goal of labeling activated receptor populations in live cancer cells. More accurate characterization of medulloblastoma and glioma cancer cells using this biomarker detection technique may lead to a more specific targeted therapy.
Response of external urethral sphincter to high frequency biphasic electrical stimulation of pudendal nerve.

ABSTRACTPurpose: We optimized the axonal blocking effect of high frequency, biphasic stimulation on neurally evoked contractions of the external urethral sphincter (EUS) and further investigated the repeatability of the blocking effect during relatively long periods to evaluate any acute nerve damage.Materials and Methods: Two stainless steel electrodes were positioned 5 to 10 mm apart on the decentralized pudendal nerve in α-chloralose anesthetized cats. The distal electrode was first tested at different frequencies (1 to 10 kHz) to search for the effective blocking frequency. At a fixed frequency (4, 6, 8 or 10 kHz) different stimulation intensities were then tested to evaluate their blocking effect. Sine waveform or biphasic pulses of a fixed pulse width were also tested. Finally, the proximal electrode was stimulated at 40 Hz for more than 40 minutes and during the same period the distal electrode (6 to 10 kHz) was repeatedly activated for 1-minute intervals in an attempt to block the EUS contraction ...
Welcoming intergenerational communication and senior citizen volunteers in schools

This article focuses on intergenerational communication and provides a practical approach for how teachers and administrators can implement intergenerational programs in their schools. A discussion of the social and cultural implications of intergenerational communication is offered, and a review of literature regarding intergenerational programs is provided along with expertise offered from known leaders in the communication and intergenerational fields. The noted benefits as well as the disadvantages of senior citizens as volunteers are described, and the necessary steps prior to incorporating senior citizens into school settings are given. The necessary steps include recruitment, identifying volunteer duties, screening volunteers, recognizing their efforts, and evaluating their progress. Five intergenerational activities are offered for educators to enhance intergenerational communication in their schools. The activities include guest speakers, family nights, pen pal programs, books shares and intervie...
Fault tolerance in a systolic residue arithmetic processor array

The regularity of systolic arrays and the potential for redundancy in residue number systems are used to provide fault tolerance in VLSI systems. The fault tolerance is concurrent with normal circuit operation and allows a continuous flow of correct data when a fault occurs. There is no interruption of valid data flow while the circuits are reconfigured. The technique also obviates the need for ultrahigh-reliability switches and switching control circuits. A fault-tolerant implementation of a finite-impulse-response filter with five residue channels, two of which are redundant, demonstrates the technique. As long as not more than one cell in each processing block is faulty, the filter outputs contain no errors. >
Model-Based Test Generation Using Evolutional Symbolic Grammar

We present a new model-based test generation approach using an extended symbolic grammar, which is used as a formal notation for enumerating test cases for communication and reactive systems. Our model-based test generation approach takes inputs a reactive system model, in Live Sequence Charts (LSCs), and a general symbolic grammar serving as preliminary test coverage criteria, performs an automatic simulation for consistency testing on the LSC model specification, and eventually generates an evolved symbolic grammar with refined test coverage criteria. The evolved symbolic grammar can either be used to generate practical test cases for software testing, or be further refined by applying our model-based test generation approach again with additional test coverage criteria.
Designing Porous Solids over Multiple Pore Size Regimes

This chapter highlights some of the recent synthetic approaches to inorganic solids (especially silicates) with designed porosity on multiple levels, covering pore size ranges from a few Angstroms (micropores) through two to tens (mesopores) and hundreds (macropores) of nanometers. To achieve controlled porosity in these size regimes, molecular structure directors, supramolecular arrays of surfactants, block copolymers, emulsions, colloidal crystals, bacteria and porous carbon have been used as templates. Hierarchical porosity with bimodal or higher pore size distributions can be attained by employing combinations of these methods in multi-template processes.
Functional heterogeneity in CD4+ T cell responses against a bacterial pathogen

To investigate how CD4+ T cells function against a bacterial pathogen, we generated a Listeria monocytogenes-specific CD4+ T cell model. In this system, two TCRtg mouse lines, LLO56 and LLO118 recognize the same immunodominant epitope (LLO190-205) of Listeria monocytogenes and have identical in vitro responses. However, in vivo LLO56 and LLO118 display vastly different responses during both primary and secondary infection. LLO118 dominates in the primary response and in providing CD8 T cell help. LLO56 predominates in the secondary response. We have also shown that both specific (TCR-mediated) and nonspecific stimuli (bypassing the TCR) elicit distinct responses from the two transgenics, leading us to conclude that the strength of self-pMHC signaling during development tightly dictates the cell’s future response in the periphery. Herein, we review our findings in this transfer system, focusing on the contribution of the immunomodulatory molecule CD5 and the importance of self-interaction in peripheral maintenance of the cell. We also discuss the manner in which individual TCR affinities to foreign and self-pMHC contribute to the outcome of an immune response; our assertion is that there exists a spectrum of possible T cell responses to recognition of cognate antigen during infection, adding immense diversity to the immune system’s response to pathogens.
Computation of Optimal Singular Controls Using DAE’s

There are different approaches described in the literature concerning the numerical solution of Optimal Control Problems (O.C.P.): the so called Direct Methods (based on nonlinear programmming techniques), the Lagrange-Newton Methods (gradient-type) for optimization problems in abstract spaces and the Indirect Methods based on the numerical solution of the necessary optimality conditions (”maximum principles”).
A phase I trial of the intravenous Hsp90 inhibitor alvespimycin (17-DMAG) in patients with relapsed chronic lymphocytic leukemia/small lymphocytic lymphoma

Despite recent advances in treatment for patients with chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL), the disease remains incurable with approved therapies outside of allogeneic stem cell transplantation. Unf...
866Observational Study of Central Venous Catheter (CVC) Occlusions and Central Line-Associated Blood Stream Infections (CLABSI) Using the Clave™ Negative Displacement Connector

Our data demonstrates that lines placed with standardized methods using a negative displacement connector and a disinfection cap can achieve very low rates of complications. CLABSI and lumen occlusion can be prevented by using proper connectors, insertion techniques and management of the central line. Assessment of new devices should approach clinical trials with the concept that very low rates of complications are achievable using contemporary devices and practices. Table 1: Infection and clot rate by hospital
Superluminal media formed by photonic crystals for transformation optics-based invisibility cloaks

We have developed an approach to building superluminal medium for transformation optics‐based devices, including invisibility cloaks, from photonic crystals. Analysis of dispersion diagrams of 2D arrays composed from dielectric rods has shown that at frequencies corresponding to the second bands formed due to bandgap opening at increase of rod permittivity, the medium formed by arrays exhibits refractive indices providing for superluminal phase velocities of propagating waves. It is further demonstrated that rod arrays with various lattice constants could be used for realizing a range of superluminal index values prescribed by transformation optics for cylindrical cloaks at arbitrary chosen operating frequency. The performed studies allowed for solving a row of problems with employment rod arrays in the cloak medium: in particular, formulating transformation optics‐based prescriptions for refractive index dispersion in the cloaking shell, defining the dimensions of array fragments capable of responding similar to infinite arrays, finding optimal distribution of linear arrays sets at their coiling to form concentric material layers in the cloaking shell, and employing interaction between neighboring array sets with various lattice constants to assist the realization of prescribed index dispersion. The performance of the superluminal medium formed by rod array sets was demonstrated on an example of a cloaking shell developed for microwave frequency range. In contrast to metamaterial-based cloak media, the developed media requires neither material homogenization, nor obtaining the effective parameters with peculiar values and Lorentz's type resonances in rods. Combination of these advantages and low losses makes photonic crystals perspective materials for invisibility cloaks operating in THz and optical ranges.
The role of indole in incidence of 2-acetylamino-fluorene-induced bladder cancer in rats.

Summary1. Fischer line 344 female rats were fed 2-acetylaminofluorene in synthetic diets containing 25% casein and supplements of 1.4% DL-tryptophan; 1.0% indole acetic acid; 0.8% indole and 1.6% indole. Liver cancers developed in 91% of the rats of the first group and in 83% of the rats of the other 3 groups. 2. The majority of the liver neoplasms in the rats that received 1.4% DL-tryptophan and 1.0% indole acetic acid were malignant hepatoma and lung metastases were present in 63% and 90% respectively. 3. The majority of the liver neoplasms in the rats that received 0.8% and 1.6% indole were cholangioma or adenocarcinoma and lung metastases from these tumors were identified in 38 and 12%, respectively. 4. Cancers of the urinary bladder were observed in 75% of the rats that received 1.4% DL-tryptophan; 58% of the rats that received indole acetic acid and in 83% of the rats that received indole. Indole appeared to be as effective as dietary tryptophane in the initiation of the bladder neoplasms. 5. The ca...
Transport of plasma proteins across vasa recta in the renal medulla.

In this study, we have extended a mathematical model of microvascular exchange in the renal medulla to elucidate the mechanisms by which plasma proteins are transported between vasa recta and the interstitium. In contrast with other work, a distinction was made between the paracellular pathway and the transcellular route (i.e., water channels) in descending vasa recta (DVR). Our model first indicates that concentration polarization on the interstitial side of vasa recta has a negligible effect on medullary function. Our results also suggest that, whereas proteins are cleared from the interstitium by convection, both diffusion and convection play a role in carrying proteins to the interstitium. In those regions where transcapillary oncotic pressure gradients favor volume influx through the paracellular pathway in DVR, diffusion is the only means by which proteins can penetrate the interstitium. Whether the source of interstitial protein is DVR or ascending vasa recta depends on medullary depth, vasa recta permeability to proteins, and vasa recta reflection coefficients to small solutes and proteins. Finally, our model predicts significant axial protein gradients in the renal medullary interstitium.
Singular Perturbation of Boundary Value Problems for a Class of Fourth Order Nonlinear Systems

In this paper, by using the method and technique of differential inequalities, and constructing the special upper and lower solutions, we study the existence and asymptotic behaviour of the solutions of vector boundary value problems for e 0 and sufficiently small.
Origin of grain orientation during solidification of an aluminum alloy

The evolution of grain morphology during solidification of a moving aluminum alloy pool is simulated by considering heat transfer, flow of liquid metal in the molten pool and solidification parameters. The computationally efficient model consists of a 3D coupled heat transfer and fluid flow simulation to predict the molten pool shape and temperature field, and a 2D model of grain formation in the molten pool. The results demonstrate that columnar grains grow in a curved pattern rather than along straight lines from the fusion boundary towards the center of the molten pool. The calculated results are validated with independent experimental data. The computed ratio of local temperature gradient to solidification rate, G/R, is used to model the columnar to equiaxed transition during solidification. The simulated results show that only curved columnar grains are formed when the scanning speed is low (2.0 mm/s). In contrast, a transition from curved columnar to equiaxed morphologies occurs at the higher scanning speeds of 8.0 mm/s and 11.5 mm/s, with higher equiaxed grain fraction at higher speed. The similarities between the physical processes governing fusion welding and additive manufacturing (AM) make the model capable of predicting grain orientation in both processes.
Presidential address of the American Orthopaedic Society for Sports Medicine. Get involved

Before I begin, I would like to play a short line from a song. It is from a group that I am sure many of you have heard about but have not actually heard. The line is from a song called Truckin’ by the Grateful Dead. It captures perfectly my years of involvement with the American Orthopaedic Society for Sports Medicine. “Sometimes the lights are shining on me, other times I can barely see. Lately, it occurs to me: what a long strange trip it’s been.” It has, indeed, been a long and strange trip through my medical career. But before we get to that, I would first of all like to acknowledge and thank some of the people present who have been with me on this journey and are, in large part, responsible for my not getting lost along the way. First of all, my parents. My father passed away in 1998, but my mother has taken time from her busy schedule to be here, and I know that she is absolutely amazed and, I hope, proud to see me up here as President of the AOSSM. I know there were many times when I was a youngster that I am sure that my parents were both positive I was never going to survive, let alone accomplish anything. Mom, I just want to let you know that I appreciate the many things that you have done to support me through the years. My two sons, Doug and Mike, along with Doug’s fiance Cory, are here today also. They are great kids and I am proud of them and grateful for the many wonderful times that we have had together over the years. I have them to thank for reintroducing me to the Grateful Dead. I bet you guys never thought you would be hearing them today! Thanks to my wife, Kay. We have been married for almost 31 years, so we have been together for almost my entire military and medical career. She has certainly been the beacon of light that has guided me along the way, ensuring that I did not wander too far off the path, either with my career or in the pursuit of one of my many whims. I am also pleased that my brother and sister, Gil and Cathy, could be here today, along with Gil’s wife, Ginny, and Cathy’s two daughters, Shannon and Meagan. Finally, a special thanks to Irv and Camille. They have been invaluable to me, not only in this past year as President, but also in my many associations with the Society in years past. My talk today is about involvement. I am sure many of us ask how we, as members of our Society, can get the most out of this association. I would like to play a sound clip that will set the stage for what I am going to say. As * Presented at the 27th annual meeting of the AOSSM, Keystone, Colorado, June 29, 2001. † Address correspondence and reprint requests to Walton W. Curl, MD, Wake Forest University School of Medicine, Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, Medical Center Boulevard, Winston-Salem, NC 27157-1070. 0363-5465/101/2929-0684$02.00/0 THE AMERICAN JOURNAL OF SPORTS MEDICINE, Vol. 29, No. 6 © 2001 American Orthopaedic Society for Sports Medicine
Aristotle’s Philosophy of Law

Aristotle was born in 384 B.C. at Stagira in northern Greece, the son of Nicomachus, a physician of King Amyntas II of Macedonia. At age seventeen he entered Plato’s Academy in Athens, where he studied for nineteen years. In addition to composing a number of dialogues now lost, he may have then begun work on his Rhetoric. After Plato’s death (348) Aristotle grew alienated from the school and soon after left Athens. He resided at Assos, where he married Pythias, the niece of the philosophically trained tyrant Hermeias, and then lived at Mytilene on Lesbos. In 343 he was invited by King Philip of Macedonia to educate his thirteen-year-old son Alexander. Subsequently, Philip and his successor, Alexander, defeated an alliance of Greek city-states, and most of Greece—including Athens—submitted to Macedonian hegemony while Alexander was conquering the Persian Empire. Aristotle returned to Athens in 335 after the death of Philip and became a metic (resident alien). He founded his school at the Lyceum outside the city and began the most productive stage of his career. He offered lectures on technical philosophy (logic, physics, and metaphysics) in the morning, and on more popular subjects (rhetoric, ethics, and politics) in the evening. He also collected a celebrated library, and with his students compiled descriptions of 158 constitutions. During this period he probably composed most of his greatest treatises, including much of the Politics. After his wife’s death he took a mistress, Herpyllis of Stagira, who gave birth to Nicomachus, after whom the Nicomachean Ethics was named. This work is probably Aristotle’s revision of an earlier work, the Eudemian Ethics, from which three books were reused (Eudemian Ethics, Books IV–VI becoming Nicomachean Ethics, Books V–VII).
YY1 plays an essential role at all stages of B-cell differentiation

Ying Yang 1 (YY1) is a ubiquitously expressed transcription factor shown to be essential for pro-B-cell development. However, the role of YY1 in other B-cell populations has never been investigated. Recent bioinformatics analysis data have implicated YY1 in the germinal center (GC) B-cell transcriptional program. In accord with this prediction, we demonstrated that deletion of YY1 by Cγ1-Cre completely prevented differentiation of GC B cells and plasma cells. To determine if YY1 was also required for the differentiation of other B-cell populations, we deleted YY1 with CD19-Cre and found that all peripheral B-cell subsets, including B1 B cells, require YY1 for their differentiation. Transitional 1 (T1) B cells were the most dependent upon YY1, being sensitive to even a half-dosage of YY1 and also to short-term YY1 deletion by tamoxifen-induced Cre. We show that YY1 exerts its effects, in part, by promoting B-cell survival and proliferation. ChIP-sequencing shows that YY1 predominantly binds to promoters, and pathway analysis of the genes that bind YY1 show enrichment in ribosomal functions, mitochondrial functions such as bioenergetics, and functions related to transcription such as mRNA splicing. By RNA-sequencing analysis of differentially expressed genes, we demonstrated that YY1 normally activates genes involved in mitochondrial bioenergetics, whereas it normally down-regulates genes involved in transcription, mRNA splicing, NF-κB signaling pathways, the AP-1 transcription factor network, chromatin remodeling, cytokine signaling pathways, cell adhesion, and cell proliferation. Our results show the crucial role that YY1 plays in regulating broad general processes throughout all stages of B-cell differentiation.
Direct C(sp3)-H Cross Coupling Enabled by Catalytic Generation of Chlorine Radicals.

Here we report the development of a C(sp3)–H cross-coupling platform enabled by the catalytic generation of chlorine radicals by nickel and photoredox catalysis. Aryl chlorides serve as both cross-coupling partners and the chlorine radical source for the α-oxy C(sp3)–H arylation of cyclic and acyclic ethers. Mechanistic studies suggest that photolysis of a Ni(III) aryl chloride intermediate, generated by photoredox-mediated single-electron oxidation, leads to elimination of a chlorine radical in what amounts to the sequential capture of two photons. Arylations of a benzylic C(sp3)–H bond of toluene and a completely unactivated C(sp3)–H bond of cyclohexane demonstrate the broad implications of this manifold for accomplishing numerous C(sp3)–H bond functionalizations under exceptionally mild conditions.
The Virtual Environment for Reactor Applications (VERA): Design and architecture☆

VERA, the Virtual Environment for Reactor Applications, is the system of physics capabilities being developed and deployed by the Consortium for Advanced Simulation of Light Water Reactors (CASL). CASL was established for the modeling and simulation of commercial nuclear reactors. VERA consists of integrating and interfacing software together with a suite of physics components adapted and/or refactored to simulate relevant physical phenomena in a coupled manner. VERA also includes the software development environment and computational infrastructure needed for these components to be effectively used. We describe the architecture of VERA from both software and numerical perspectives, along with the goals and constraints that drove major design decisions, and their implications. We explain why VERA is an environment rather than a framework or toolkit, why these distinctions are relevant (particularly for coupled physics applications), and provide an overview of results that demonstrate the use of VERA tools for a variety of challenging applications within the nuclear industry.
Interactive Storytelling: Opportunities for Online Course Design

Compelling interactive stories can be used to get and keep learners’ interest in online courses. Interactive storytelling presents information in a manner that involves learners by allowing them to connect with the content. Incorporating interactive storytelling into online education offers the potential to increase student interest and knowledge retention. Interactive storytelling also allows learners to create a personalized experience. By analyzing examples of interactive stories, we identified five features of interactive storytelling: dynamic presentation, data visualization, multisensory media, interactivity, and narration. We explain each feature, and its educational benefits, with illustrations provided from five interactive storytelling examples. We also discuss the implications of interactive storytelling for online course design.
A Passage to a Good Death: End of Life Care for Asian Americans

The present chapter discusses end of life care issues that are important to Asian Americans. This chapter takes on the challenge of identifying some cross-cutting themes in the growing scholarship addressing death and end of life care among Asian Americans. The authors set the context for the discussion of end of life among Asian Americans by recognizing that end of life issues within American hospitals and its caregivers are subject to the constraints and benefits of the highly technological US healthcare system. Key concepts mobilized in end of life care (e.g. comfort care, palliative care, hospice) are identified and discussed, as well as reviewing recent research on these topics in Asian American populations. Disclosure practices and pain management are also included in this chapter.
Observations on the normal reflection of gaseous detonations

Experimental results are presented examining the behavior of the shock wave created when a gaseous detonation wave normally impinges upon a planar wall. Gaseous detonations are created in a 7.67-m-long, 280-mm-internal-diameter detonation tube instrumented with a test section of rectangular cross section enabling visualization of the region at the tube-end farthest from the point of detonation initiation. Dynamic pressure measurements and high-speed schlieren photography in the region of detonation reflection are used to examine the characteristics of the inbound detonation wave and outbound reflected shock wave. Data from a range of detonable fuel/oxidizer/diluent/initial pressure combinations are presented to examine the effect of cell-size and detonation regularity on detonation reflection. The reflected shock does not bifurcate in any case examined and instead remains nominally planar when interacting with the boundary layer that is created behind the incident wave. The trajectory of the reflected shock wave is examined in detail, and the wave speed is found to rapidly change close to the end-wall, an effect we attribute to the interaction of the reflected shock with the reaction zone behind the incident detonation wave. Far from the end-wall, the reflected shock wave speed is in reasonable agreement with the ideal model of reflection which neglects the presence of a finite-length reaction zone. The net far-field effect of the reaction zone is to displace the reflected shock trajectory from the predictions of the ideal model, explaining the apparent disagreement of the ideal reflection model with experimental reflected shock observations of previous studies.
Pulsed Mid-IR Optical Parametric Oscillators

Optical parametric oscillators (OPOs) are the laser sources of choice when one needs broad continuous tunability (one octave or more), high peak (> 1 kW) or average (> 1 W) power, and high (> 30%) conversion efficiency. OPOs use the nonlinear-optical frequency down-conversion mechanism to get a tunable output. This chapter reviews pulsed OPOs in the 2–20 μm region of the spectrum. It contains a description of the principle of OPO operation, reviews existing and emerging nonlinear optical materials suitable for OPO applications and describes different OPO schemes including cascaded OPOs, narrow-linewidth OPOs as well as traveling-wave devices.