cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Controlling properties of few-layer MoS2 with a multi-laser processing framework

Molybdenum disulfide (MoS 2 ) films have attracted a great deal of research interest due to the unique properties of films when the thickness is a few atomic layers: Previous work in the literature has shown high field-effect mobility (comparable to graphene), and a large direct bandgap (around 1.8 eV), along with a high strain limit (~10%). We demonstrate a complex multi-laser process scheme based on a direct-write system – comprised of co-incident pulsed and CW lasers where each laser amplitude is modulated to a predefined script for precise control of laser doses. The arrangement enables tuning the properties of a sputtered MoS 2 thin film. We focus on properties which are expected to be of use in flexible electronics and chemical sensing device applications. First, we demonstrate the process for inducing crystallinity from the amorphous phase and reducing the layer thickness down to the regime of several monolayers. Second, we measure electrical conductivity using both pure sputtered MoS 2 films and films co-sputtered with small amount of gold (<20%). Third, we measure the wettability of the processed surface, as measured by droplet contact angle. The measurements compare the properties under different processing conditions.
The village within: an alternative genealogy of the urban village

The ‘urban village’, as it has come to be known since the 1980s, has very little to do with the rural. This coupling of terms, however, evokes a longer history of attempts to marry the urban with t...
3D printing of soft robotic systems

Soft robots are capable of mimicking the complex motion of animals. Soft robotic systems are defined by their compliance, which allows for continuous and often responsive localized deformation. These features make soft robots especially interesting for integration with human tissues, for example, the implementation of biomedical devices, and for robotic performance in harsh or uncertain environments, for example, exploration in confined spaces or locomotion on uneven terrain. Advances in soft materials and additive manufacturing technologies have enabled the design of soft robots with sophisticated capabilities, such as jumping, complex 3D movements, gripping and releasing. In this Review, we examine the essential soft material properties for different elements of soft robots, highlighting the most relevant polymer systems. Advantages and limitations of different additive manufacturing processes, including 3D printing, fused deposition modelling, direct ink writing, selective laser sintering, inkjet printing and stereolithography, are discussed, and the different techniques are investigated for their application in soft robotic fabrication. Finally, we explore integrated robotic systems and give an outlook for the future of the field and remaining challenges. 3D printing can be used to directly fabricate soft robots. This Review discusses advances in 3D printing technologies and soft materials for the fabrication of soft robotic systems with sophisticated capabilities, such as 3D movement and responsiveness to the environment.
Pathogenesis of Diabetic Nephropathy: Hemodynamic Alterations/Renin Angiotensin System

Diabetic nephropathy, a microvascular complication of diabetes, is clinically characterized by an initial increase in glomerular filtration rate (GFR) and microalbuminuria (Semin Nephrol 23(2), 194–199, 2003). If left untreated, these early pathophysiologic changes will progress to renal fibrosis and tubulointerstitial damage along with a decline in GFR, ultimately leading to kidney failure (Curr Opin Nephrol Hypertens 12(3), 273–282, 2007; J Hypertens 23(11), 1931–1937, 2005).
Adventures in Architectural Symbolism: The Use and Misuse of Rebuilding Programs in Ancient Rome

Adventures in Architectural Symbolism: The Use and Misuse of Rebuilding Programs in Ancient Rome Brian Sahotsky Nero watched the conflagration from the Tower of Maecenas, enraptured by what he called “the beauty of the flames”; then put on his tragedian’s costume and sang The Sack of Troy from beginning to end. — Suetonius 1 In mid-July of 64 CE, a fire of epic proportions swept through the imperial capital of Rome. When the nine-day conflagration was finally extinguished, three of the city’s fourteen districts had been completely destroyed, and seven more were in shambles. 2 A stunning lack of unifor- mity among historical accounts makes it unlikely anyone will ever know how the blaze began, but it has long been suspected it was the work of arsonists. 3 The scale of the Above: Rome’s Fire of 64 C.E. The painting depicts the fire as seen from the banks of the Tiber River. Hubert Robert—“Fire of 18 July 64 AD” © Ville du Havre, Musee Malraux. Photo by Florian Kleinefenn. disaster for ordinary Romans was only magnified when the Emperor Nero opportunistically diverted funds from his own “disaster-relief” programs to construct a private pleasure palace, the sprawling Domus Aurea (Golden House), in the crowded center of the city. Considering the grandeur and architectural innovation of the Domus Aurea, it is telling that only one of its wings survived through later generations—and even then only as a foundation for a subsequent, immense bathing complex. More significant still was the fact that its most prodigal element, a gigantic artificial lake, was eventually supplanted by a pointedly public symbol, the Colosseum. 4 Never before had the building of such a large-scale amphitheater been attempted in Rome or its provinces. The credit for its construction, however, belonged to the succeeding Flavian dynasty. Nero’s downfall was assured by his post-fire rebuilding program, which failed to achieve any truly public end and neglected the greater good of the plebs urbana. 5 Sahotsky / Adventures in Architectural Symbolism
Anti-CD3: from T cell depletion to tolerance induction

Immune processes need to be strictly controlled to counteract any immunological disorders or pathological events and maintain a healthy balance in the body. Consequently, a variety of immune interventions have been preclinically validated and revealed great promise in animal models. However, the translation from bench to bedside has been more than disappointing in various clinical trials. The first therapeutic agents (immune suppressors) were mostly nonspecific and inhibited cellular proliferation [1]–[3]. These treatments generally led to serious side effects due intrinsic lack of pharmacospecificity. Later, cyclosporin A (CsA) was the first of a new generation of immunosuppressants with a ‘site-specific’ mode of action. Mechanistically, CsA mediates its in vivo effect by repressing lymphocyte activation at an early stage. Due to a low degree of myelotoxicity, CsA was considered early as an attractive therapeutic drug in clinical transplantation for inhibiting lymphocytic activities without affecting either phagocytosis or migration of the reticulo-endothelial system. In 1978, CsA was tested clinically and due to its strong efficacy was readily used worldwide in a majority of the transplant centers to maintain graft survival post surgery [4, 5]. In the mean time, much work has been put into the design of new therapeutic strategies that would present lower side effects but retain substantial efficacy.
Professional demands and religious observance.

Physicians should not allow their religious beliefs to influence their clinical judgment or the time they spend with patients. Virtual Mentor is a monthly bioethics journal published by the American Medical Association.
Why Are ESOP Acquisitions So Successful? A Qualitative Study From Consultants' Perspectives.

This qualitative research project focuses on a compare and contrast between acquisitions by ESOP and Non-ESOP organizations from a consultant’s perspective to obtain a third party viewpoint. Also d...
Extending high-dimensional indexing techniques pyramid and iminmax(θ): lessons learned

Pyramid Technique and iMinMax(θ) are two popular high-dimensional indexing approaches that map points in a high-dimensional space to a single-dimensional index. In this work, we perform the first independent experimental evaluation of Pyramid Technique and iMinMax(θ), and discuss in detail promising extensions for testing k-Nearest Neighbor (kNN) and range queries. For datasets with skewed distributions, the parameters of these algorithms must be tuned to maintain balanced partitions. We show that, by using the medians of the distribution we can optimize these parameters. For the Pyramid Technique, different approximate median methods on data space partitioning are experimentally compared using kNN queries. For the iMinMax(θ), the default parameter setting and parameters tuned using the distribution median are experimentally compared using range queries. Also, as proposed in the iMinMax(θ) paper, we investigated the benefit of maintaining a parameter to account for the skewness of each dimension separately instead of a single parameter over all the dimensions.
Effectiveness of the Tacrolimus Swish-and-Spit Treatment Regimen in Patients With Geographic Tongue.

This study evaluates the effectiveness of a twice daily tacrolimus swish-and-spit treatment regimen for geographic tongue.
Beyond 30 Days: A Risk Calculator for Longer Term Outcomes of Prosthetic Breast Reconstruction.

Background Despite growing use of surgical risk calculators, many are limited to 30-day outcomes due to the constraints of their underlying datasets. Because complications of breast reconstruction can occur well beyond 30 days after surgery, we endeavored to expand the Breast Reconstruction Risk Assessment (BRA) Score to prediction of 1-year complications after primary prosthetic breast reconstruction. Methods We examined our prospective intrainstitutional database of prosthetic breast reconstructions from 2004 to 2015. Patients without 1-year follow-up were excluded. Pertinent patient variables include those enumerated in past iterations of the BRA Score. Outcomes of interest include seroma, surgical site infection (SSI), implant exposure, and explantation occurring within 1 year of tissue expander placement. Risk calculators were developed for each outcome using multivariate logistic regression models and made available online at www.BRAScore.org. Internal validity was assessed using C-statistic, Hosmer-Lemeshow test, and Brier score. Results Nine-hundred three patients met inclusion criteria. Within 1-year, 3.0% of patients experienced seroma, 6.9% infection, 7.1% implant exposure, and 13.2% explantation. Thirty-day, 90-day, and 180-day windows captured 17.6%, 39.5%, and 59.7% of explantations, respectively. One-year risk calculators were developed for each complication of interest, and all demonstrated good internal validity: C-statistics for the 5 models ranged from 0.674 to 0.739, Hosmer-Lemeshow tests were uniformly nonsignificant, and Brier scores ranged from 0.027 to 0.154. Conclusions Clinically significant complications of prosthetic breast reconstruction usually occur beyond the 30-day window following tissue expander placement. To better reflect long-term patient experiences, the BRA Score was enhanced with individualized risk models that predicted 1-year complications after prosthetic reconstruction (BRA Score XL). All models performed as well as, if not better than, the original BRA Score models and other popular risk calculators such as the CHA2DS2VASc Score. The patient-friendly BRA Score XL risk calculator is available at www.brascore.org to facilitate operative decision-making and heighten the informed consent process for patients.
236 USE OF GUIDEBOOK AND BRIEF INSTRUCTION TO INCREASE DIABETES SELF-MANAGEMENT.

Purpose To evaluate a patient-centered diabetes self-management guide augmented with brief instruction to assist patients in making behavior changes to improve their diabetes. Methods We performed a pre- and a postintervention in a convenience sample of English-speaking patients with type 2 diabetes in two university medicine clinics (LSUHSC-S and UNC). A trained research assistant (RA) administered a baseline questionnaire to assess diabetes knowledge, self-efficacy, behaviors, and reading ability. RAs gave each patient a diabetes self-management guide (fourth-grade reading level), which gives practical strategies to improve eating, exercise, monitoring, and medication adherence. The RA then gave each patient brief instruction on how to make an action plan (AP) and assisted them in establishing a patient-generated short-term AP. The RA followed up with each patient at 2 weeks and 4 weeks postenrolment, calling to discuss use of the guide and adherence to the AP. Results 150 patients were enrolled, ranging in age from 30 to 86 years; 67% were female, 66% African American, and 31% white; 34% had inadequate literacy. Patients had been diagnosed with diabetes from 30 days to 27 years. The introduction of the guide and AP instruction took an average of 5 to 10 minutes. To date, 106 patients have been called at 2 weeks and 78 at 4 weeks. Patients indicated that the guide was easy to understand and use. They said that it was different from any diabetic material they had received as it had more information they wanted to know. They identified with the real people in the pictures and liked the colorful photographs rather than black and white photocopies. At 2 weeks, 94% of patients remembered their AP and 77% indicated that they adhered to it. At 4 weeks, 100% remembered their AP and 89% indicated that they adhered to it (thus making a behavior change). Most APs involved limiting a certain food or doing a simple exercise. Example APs are “I will walk to my mailbox 4 times a week” or “I will dance in the kitchen with my godbaby for 2 to 3 songs.” One patient9s first AP was to bring a healthy snack to work instead of getting food from the vending machine. By the second telephone call, she said that she had gained such confidence from achieving her first AP that she had decided to quit smoking for her final AP. Conclusion A patient-centered diabetes self-management guide with brief instruction in making action plans and telephone follow-up facilitated behavior change and improved diabetes self-management.
Implantable hyaluronic acid-deferoxamine conjugate prevents nonunions through stimulation of neovascularization.

Approximately 6.3 million fractures occur in the U.S. annually, with 5–10% resulting in debilitating nonunions. A major limitation to achieving successful bony union is impaired neovascularization. To augment fracture healing, we designed an implantable drug delivery technology containing the angiogenic stimulant, deferoxamine (DFO). DFO activates new blood vessel formation through iron chelation and upregulation of the HIF-1α pathway. However, due to its short half-life and rapid clearance, maintaining DFO at the callus site during peak fracture angiogenesis has remained challenging. To overcome these limitations, we composed an implantable formulation of DFO conjugated to hyaluronic acid (HA). This compound immobilizes DFO within the fracture callus throughout the angiogenic window, making it a high-capacity iron sponge that amplifies blood vessel formation and prevents nonunions. We investigated implanted HA-DFO’s capacity to facilitate fracture healing in the irradiated rat mandible, a model whereby nonunions routinely develop secondary to obliteration of vascularity. HA-DFO implantation significantly improved radiomorphometrics and metrics of biomechanical strength. In addition, HA-DFO treated mandibles exhibited a remarkable 91% bone union rate, representing a 3.5-fold improvement over non-treated/irradiated controls (20% bone union rate). Collectively, our work proposes a unique methodology for the targeted delivery of DFO to fracture sites in order to facilitate neovascularization. If these findings are successfully translated into clinical practice, millions of patients will benefit from the prevention of nonunions.
Micro-staining microbes: An alternative to traditional staining of microbiological specimens using microliter volumes of reagents

Microbial staining techniques are widely employed in clinical and academic laboratories for classifying and identifying microorganisms derived from clinical, food and environmental samples. Staining allows for the rapid visualization and determination of many morphological characteristics of microorganisms, used for their identification and classification. Over the past century, staining techniques such as the Gram stain, the Capsule stain, the Acid-fast stain and the Endospore stain, have seen few advances, and manual staining remains the gold standard. Typical instructions for these staining procedures recommend 'flooding' glass slides with milliliter volumes of dye, resulting in large volumes of hazardous waste. Here we present micro-staining, a simple alternative to flooding that utilizes microliter volumes of dye. Micro-staining minimizes the volume of waste generated, leads to significant cost savings for the laboratory, requires limited training, and produces results with equivalent quality to traditional stains.
Effect of metal nanoparticle size and titania crystallinity on the performance of Au/TiO2 catalysts for the promotion of carbon monoxide oxidation at cryogenic temperatures

The ability of Au/TiO2 catalysts to promote the oxidation of carbon monoxide at cryogenic temperatures was probed by using diffuse-reflectance infrared absorption spectroscopy (DRIFTS). The focus of this work was to identify correlations between the catalytic activity and both the nature of the titania support and the size of the Au nanoparticles (NPs). Two key intermediates were identified: an initial CO adsorbed on defect sites within the titania support with a 2175 cm−1 C–O stretching frequency signature, and a second species with a DRIFTS peak at 2163 cm−1 associated with the intermediate at Au–TiO2 interfacial sites that incorporates atomic oxygen to produce CO2. CO adsorption at the low temperatures associated with this process (120 K) appears to require defective sites, possibly titanate-type surface species: an amorphous (and NaOH-treated) support showed higher activity than crystalline titania. In addition, the catalytic activity peaks at an Au NP average size of about 3 nm, which, in turn, correlates with the population of the second CO intermediate mentioned above. The mechanism that explains this cryogenic oxidation reaction is different than that extensively reported for the room-temperature processes, but both appear to display similar dependence on Au NP diameter.
Review of CFR College and University Educators Workshop

In April of each year, the Council on Foreign Relations (CFR) organizes the College and University Educators Workshop, designed to “focus on professional development to enhance the teaching of glob...
Evaluation of pain knowledge and attitudes and beliefs from a pre-licensure physical therapy curriculum and a stand-alone pain elective

Adequate pain education of health professionals is fundamental in the management of pain. Although an interprofessional consensus of core competencies for health professional pre-licensure education in pain have been established, the degree of their incorporation into physical therapy curriculum varies greatly. The purpose of this study was to 1. Assess students’ pain knowledge and their attitudes and beliefs in a pre-licensure physical therapy curriculum using a cross sectional comparison, and 2. Using a sub-sample of this population, we evaluated if an elective course on pain based on International Association for the Study of Pain (IASP) guidelines had an effect on students’ knowledge and beliefs. The Neurophysiology of Pain Questionnaire (NPQ) and the Pain Attitudes and Beliefs Scale for Physiotherapists (PABS-PT) was completed by first semester (n = 72) and final (n = 56) semester doctor of physical therapy (DPT) students. Final semester students completed surveys before and after participation in an elective course of their choosing (pain elective (PE) or other electives (OE)). Participation rate was > 90% (n = 128/140). We found mean differences in NPQ scores between final semester (3rd year) students (76.9%) compared to first semester students (64%), p < 0.001. Third year students showed a mean difference on PABS-PT subscales, showing decreased biomedical (p < 0.001) and increased biopsychosocial (p = 0.005) scores compared to first semester students. Only final semester students that participated in the PE improved their NPQ scores (from 79 to 86%, p < 0.001) and demonstrated a significant change in the expected direction on PABS-PT subscales with increased biopsychosocial (p = 0.003) and decreased biological scores (p < 0.001). We suggest that although core pre-licensure DPT education improves students’ pain knowledge and changes their attitudes towards pain, taking a IASP based pain elective continues to improve their pain neurobiology knowledge and also further changes their attitudes and beliefs towards pain. Therefore, a stand-alone course on pain in addition to pain concepts threaded throughout the curriculum may help ensure that entry-level DPT students are better prepared to effectively work with patients with pain.
Thrombectomy for acute ischemic stroke with the new Sofia 6-French PLUS distal access reperfusion catheter: A single-center experience:

IntroductionThe Sofia 6-French PLUS catheter is a recently approved aspiration catheter for use in neuro-endovascular procedures. The description of Sofia 6-French PLUS use in acute ischemic stroke...
Energy Storage: A Power Electronics System View

At the 10th Future Power Processing Conference, I chaired the session "Energy Storage: A Power Electronics System View," which was held on 27 June 2019 in Tromso, Norway. The two invited speakers were Dr. Isik C. Kizilyalli, the director of the Advanced Research Project Agency-Energy (ARPA-E) and Prof. Liuchen Chang of the University of New Brunswick, Canada. In addition, the session also included three invited panelists, Prof. Deepak Divan of the Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta; Prof. Pedro Rodriguez of Loyola University, Spain; and Prof. Ron Hui of Imperial College, United Kingdom, and the University of Hong Kong. Prof. Hui also served as notetaker for the session.
Optimal Operation of Energy Storage Units in PV and Wind Integrated Smart Distribution Systems

Energy storage systems (ESSs) facilitate high penetration and stable operation of renewable energy sources (RESs) in power distribution grids. ESSs could reduce the distribution system operational costs, decrease power and energy losses, reduce emissions, and increase the system efficiency. This research proposes an optimal energy management approach that considers both ESSs capacities and renewable energy resources impacts on distribution system operational performances. Different capacities of ESS along with various penetration level of PV and wind generators are considered and the system performance is evaluated. The system performance is investigated in terms of operational costs, power losses and emissions. The well-known PG&E 69-bus power distribution system is chosen for analysis. For more accurate results, the uncertain characteristics of PV and wind are taken into account while applying EMS during optimal operation of ESSs. Several case studies are created considering PVs and wind generations separately and collectively for ESSs optimal operations. Moreover, sensitivity studies has been done for calculating yearly system performance improvements in dollar values to validate the proposed EMS approach with ESS. The results demonstrate that efficient operation of ESSs along with EMS can considerably reduce distribution system operational costs, system losses, and environmental emissions.
Prevention Strategies for Obesity Among Children and Adults

This chapter synthesized the evidence related to obesity prevention interventions in the clinical, school, worksite, and community settings. Overall, there are not enough studies with consistent methods and outcomes to determine the impact of obesity prevention programs on body weight among adults or children. Of the four settings examined, the largest body of evidence was available for the school setting. This literature suggests that combined intervention approaches which include nutrition and physical activity, as well as a reduction in sedentary activities, result in significant reductions in body weight, particularly among older children (e.g., high school students). We also found that federal guidelines map well to best available evidence on obesity prevention, with the exception of the school setting, where more recent research reflects a need to update guidelines. Going forward, more research and consistent methods are needed to understand the comparative effectiveness of obesity prevention programs, particularly among populations at highest risk for excess body weight. In addition, published details on the processes required to implement obesity prevention interventions are needed in order to increase the translatability of the research and guide effective programs and policy.
Teaching Efficient Computer Science and Cybersecurity Courses Amidst the COVID-19 Pandemic

It is an understatement to say that teaching efficient Computer Science and Cybersecurity courses amidst the COVID19 pandemic has placed extreme pressure on faculty. In general, this is true for any academic area which has a strong hands-on component tied to the theoretical counterpart. In this paper, we chronicle and provide our approach, from the lens of St. John’s University Computer Science Chairperson and the Cybersecurity Program Director, on the suitability of utilizing WebEx HandsOn-Labs tool to close the instructional gap that exists between face-to-face and fully online teaching.
Neutronics Analysis of ITER Blanket Modules with Impact on Vacuum Vessel Shielding

Detailed profiles of nuclear heating and radiation damage parameters were determined in ITER blanket modules at different poloidal locations. The results indicate that the nuclear parameters are se...
LNG AND THE U.S. COAST GUARD

A good deal of confusion appears to exist currently as to the role of the United States Coast Guard (USCG) in regulating the marine transport of liquefied natural gas (LNG). The purpose of this paper is to clarify some of this confusion.
Emerging issues in planning: ethno-racial intersections

Race and ethnicity take centre stage in today's emerging issues within the planning academy and profession. The escalating social outrage over the senseless killings of young men of colour by polic...
Excesses, duality gaps and weak compactness

We explore the connection between the concepts excess and duality gap from epigraphical analysis and optimization, and the functional analytic concepts of weak* and weak compactness. We also discuss briefly the connection with R. C. James's sup theorem.
Sequential loss of loci in thymine-starved Bacillus subtilis 168 cells. Evidence for a circular chromosome.

Thymine starvation of Bacillus subtilis 168 thyA, thyB cells causes the sequential loss of transforming activities of loci behind the DNA replicating point. DNA synthesis in cells synchronized by germinating spores was allowed to proceed beyond the adenine U6 locus. Upon starvation these cells lost first adenine U6, then adenine U16, then methionine, and then tryptophan-2 transforming activities. Transforming activity of leucine, which is in the middle of the chromosome, was not lost unless DNA replication was allowed to proceed beyond the leucine locus. This sequential loss of loci behind the replicating point is consistent with previous experiments showing the sequential loss of DNA behind the replicating points in thymine-starved cells. The uninterrupted loss of loci on either side of the point of initiation of DNA synthesis, is taken as evidence for the continuity of the chromosome across this point, i.e. for a physical connection between the beginning and end of the chromosome.
Flow cytometric analysis of transgene expression in higher plants: green-fluorescent protein.

Publisher Summary This chapter discusses the flow cytometric analysis of transgene expression in higher plants. The first consideration in flow cytometric analysis is the verification of proper alignment and instrument performance. This is usually done by checking the data obtained from running calibration beads or other standard cells. Once instrument performance has been verified, nontransfected protoplasts should be analyzed and photomultiplier voltages adjusted to obtain histograms with a clearly identifiable protoplast population. The growth and development of higher plants is governed to a large degree by the regulated expression of genes. The availability of robust techniques for the analysis of cell- and tissue-specific gene expression is therefore critical for progress in this area. One approach has been to develop transgenic markers, employing the coding regions of heterologous protein whose expression is placed under the control of various plant-derived regulatory DNA sequences. Biochemical and histological examination of patterns of expression of these markers can then provide information about the way in which gene expression patterns are regulated. Most heterologous protein markers are enzymes, because the amplification step inherent to biochemical assays provides great sensitivity.
Neutrino and Parity Violation in Weak Interaction

It is shown that neutrino oscillation and Majorana type neutrino are not compatible with Special Theory of Relativity. Instead of the Majorana type neutrino, traditional neutrino(no rest mass) is considered with additional assumptions that right-handed neutrino and left-handed antineutrino exist in nature and naturally thus parity is conserved. Besides, neutrino itself is considered as longitudinal vacuum-string oscillations. To explain parity conservation, W+(W-) bosons are suggested as momentary interacting states between positron (electron) and virtual-positive(negative)-charge strings, respectively. With these postulations, an alternative explanation is also suggested for solar neutrino problem.
Long reflections on the QT interval: the sixth annual Gordon K. Moe Lecture.

The Gordon K. Moe Lecture. This review of accumulated knowledge about the long QT syndromes begins with an iteration of the original papers and then proceeds to a broader historic reflection that includes my personal work as well as many studies by others. Next come reflections upon the current status of knowledge on the subject, combined with comments about remaining challenges and questions grouped as follows: (1) morphologic abnormalities of the cardiac conduction system and their pathophysiologic significance in the long QT syndromes; (2) cardioneuropathy in the pathogenesis of long QT syndromes; (3) variability of QT prolongation, including consideration of peripheral and central dysautonomic conditions with certain diagnostic and therapeutic implications; (4) some caveats about the popular use of left cervical sympathectomy to treat symptomatic individuals with long QT syndrome, emphasizing hazards for future electrical instability of the heart; (5) consideration of genetic influences in the long QT syndromes, a field holding great promise as well as fraught with many puzzling dilemmas; and (6) apoptosis and the pathogenesis of the long QT syndromes, based upon personal observations previously made with electron microscopic studies of the sinus node and now including new immunohistochemical evidence expanding the relevance of this novel viewpoint. These intentionally provocative presentations are made to stimulate physicians and other scientists to consider these several different perspectives in planning future studies aimed at better understanding of one of the most challenging medical entities facing cardiology today.
A method for computing potential matrix elements for scattering calculations via the spectral theorem

Abstract A method based on the spectral decomposition of operators is described to evaluate matrix elements of the intermolecular potential that are necessary in the computation of scattering cross sections by semiclassical or quantum-mechanical means. It avoids, as does the standard method, the necessity of performing numerical quadratures with respect to the internal coordinates during the solution of the coupled scattering equations. Unlike the standard method, which relies on introducing power series expansions with respect to vibrational coordinates and Legendre polynomial, or spherical harmonic, expansions with respect to angular variables, the present method permits the use of any functional form for the intermolecular potential.
Trends in primary surgical and radiation therapy for localized breast cancer in the Detroit Metropolitan area 1973-1992

Purpose: The purpose of this report is to describe trends in primary surgical and radiation therapy for localized breast cancer from 1973 through 1992 among residents of the Detroit Metropolitan area. Methods and Materials: Data on surgical and radiation therapy procedures for women with local stage breast cancer were obtained from the population-based Metropolitan Detroit Cancer Surveillance System (MDCSS). Results: Women age 75 years and older were treated less aggressively than younger women (< age 75) as evidenced by higher rates of simple mastectomy or no treatment among older women. Younger women (< age 75) were more likely to have had optimal breast conservation therapy which consisted of partial mastectomy, axillary lymph node dissection (ALND), and radiation therapy, than were women who were older than 75. Partial mastectomy has increased proportionally from 4% of all breast cancer surgeries in the time period 1973 to 1977, to 39% of all surgeries from 1988 through 1992. Conclusion: A marked difference in surgical treatment of breast cancer exists for younger vs. older women. Despite changes in surgical treatment trends for breast cancer, a large proportion of women who are candidates for conservative therapy continue to undergo mastectomy. 0 1997 Elsevier Science Inc.
Coccidioidomycosis: A Diagnostic Challenge

Coccidioidomycosis is a systemic fungal infection acquired endemically in the southwestern United States. Clinical disease is quite common in the dog; though less frequently recognized in the cat, disease is often severe at the time of diagnosis. Diagnosis can be a challenge because serology, while specific, is not very sensitive and quantitative titration of antibodies does not correlate entirely with clinical disease in dogs. Radiographs, serum biochemistry tests and complete blood counts are beneficial additions to the database when establishing a diagnosis; cytology, histopathology, and culture are definitive when available. Advanced imaging can detect central nervous system and subtle skeletal lesions. Disease can occur in most organs of the body and may prove a diagnostic challenge requiring several modalities. Coccidioidomycosis may need to be considered both in animals in the endemic region and in those with a travel history through it.
Heteroepitaxial Growth of Colloidal Nanocrystals onto Substrate Films via Hot-Injection Routes

Hot-injection synthesis of colloidal nanocrystals (NCs) in a substrate-bound form is demonstrated. We show that polycrystalline films submerged into hot organic solvents can nucleate the heteroepitaxial growth of semiconductor NCs, for which the ensuing lattice quality and size distribution are on the par with those of isolated colloidal nanoparticles. This strategy is demonstrated by growing lead chalcogenide NCs directly onto solvent-submerged TiO2 substrates. The resulting PbX/TiO2 (X = S, Se, Te) nanocomposites exhibit heteroepitaxial interfaces between lead chalcogenide and oxide domains and show an efficient separation of photoinduced charges, deployable for light-harvesting applications. The extendibility of the present method to other material systems was demonstrated through the synthesis of CdS/TiO2 and Cu2S/TiO2 heterostructures, fabricated from PbS/TiO2 composites via cation exchange. The photovoltaic performance of nanocrystal/substrate composites comprising PbS NCs was evaluated by incorpora...
400 million years on six legs: On the origin and early evolution of Hexapoda

Identifying the unambiguous sister group to the hexapods has been elusive. Traditional concepts include the Myriapoda (the Tracheata/Atelocerata hypothesis), but recent molecular studies consistently indicate it is the Crustacea, either in part or entirety (the Pancrustacea/Tetraconata hypothesis). The morphological evidence in support of Tracheata is reviewed, and most features are found to be ambiguous (i.e., losses, poorly known and surveyed structures, and probable convergences), though some appear to be synapomorphic, such as tentorial structure and the presence of styli and eversible vesicles. Other morphological features, particularly the structure of the eyes and nervous system, support Pancrustacea, as does consistent molecular evidence (which is reviewed and critiqued). Suggestions are made regarding hexapod-crustacean limb homologies. Relationships among basal (apterygote) hexapods are reviewed, and critical Paleozoic fossils are discussed. Despite the scarceness of Devonian hexapods, major lineages like Collembola and even dicondylic Insecta appeared in the Early Devonian; stem-group and putative Archaeognatha are known from the Carboniferous through Permian and the Late Devonian, respectively. Thus, the earliest divergences of hexapods were perhaps Late Silurian, which is considerably younger than several estimates made using molecular data.
MO-D-218-02: Ultrasound Phantoms in Image Quality Measurements and Performance Assessment

Agreement has recently emerged for measurement of only three parameters in routine quality assurance. These include element or channel failure (EOCF), maximum depth of penetration (MDOP) and distance measurement accuracy (DMA). The related study leading to this agreement was done at the Mayo Clinic [“Four‐year experience with a clinical ultrasoundquality control program,” Hangiandreou et al. Ultrasound Med & Biol, vol. 37, pp. 1350–1357 (2011)]. A variety of phantoms have been proposed for performing these measurements. These include: 1) a phantom with both flat and cone‐shaped scanning windows, tissue‐mimicking material and parallel nylon fibers for measuring all three parameters; 2) a starch suspension in water phantom for assessing ECOF; 3) polyurethane phantom for determining ECOF and estimating MDOP; 4) a silicone phantom for determining ECOF. Determination of ECOF and MDOP requires acquisition of image cine loops including many statistically independent versions; analysis of the data requires averaging of the images in the cine loops, and software is being tested at the time of this writing for user‐friendly downloading and averaging of the cine images. The phantoms will be described and examples of procedures and results for making measurements. One method for assessing imaging performance involves quantifying the detectability of small low‐echo spheres as a function of depth; detectability will depend on sphere size and on depth. It can be argued that the smaller the sphere and the greater the detectability, the better the scanner can delineate the boundary of an inclusion such as a spiculated cancer. Phantoms and software will be described which allow quantitative determination of detectability of low‐echo spheres (&#61485; 40 dB) as a function of depth; one phantom has a spatially random distribution of 4‐mm diameter low‐echo spheres for lower frequencies, and the other 2‐mm diameter spheres for higher frequencies. The parameter that is quantified is the mean lesion signal‐to‐noise ratio (LSNR) as described for cylinders by Lopez H et al. IEEE Trans Med Imaging, 1992 and for spheres by Kofler et al. Ultrasound Med & Biol, 2005. The phantoms accommodate any size and shape transducer. Note that spheres have no preferred orientation; therefore, phased arrays and convex (curved) arrays with a broad range of radii of curvature and sector angles can be can be assessed. Phantoms for assessing other aspects of performance such as quantitative determination of the contrast of large objects in a background will also be discussed.
Electron impact on benzene layers on W(110)

Electron impact on benzene chemisorbed on W(110) and on benzene multilayers physisorbed on top of chemisorbed benzene was carried out. The only observable desorption products were H+ and traces of H2. There was no loss of C from chemisorbed benzene and less than 10% from benzene multilayers, as determined by Auger and XPS measurements. The decay cross sections thus correspond to C-H bond breaking only and are 3 × 10−17 cm2 for chemisorbed benzene and 2 × 10−17 cm2 for low coverage of physisorbed benzene. For thicker deposits, 5 langmuir or more, a second decay regime with a cross section of 2 × 10−18 cm2 is also seen. On heating, the H+ yield from chemisorbed benzene (measured at 90 K) increases up to 800 K, and then decreases. H+ can still be detected at 1400 K, indicating that C-H bonds still exist at this temperature. A loss at 6 eV is seen on heating multilayers after electron impact to T ≥ 650 K and is attributed to a graphite plasmon. Work function measurements give a value of 4.4 eV after electron impact at 90 K; this increases to 4.5 eV after heating to 1000 K. These values are close to that reported for bulk graphite. A spot, 1.8 mm in diameter was prepared by irradiating a multilayer deposit with a 2 keV electron beam from an Auger gun. After heating to 200 K to remove unreacted physisorbed benzene the carbon spot was found to be stable to > 1100 K; two adjacent spots were found to be unchanged after exposure to air, and bakeout at 200°C. Retardation measurements indicate that carbon layers formed by electron impact on benzene multilayers do not charge up at current densities up to 25 microampere/cm2. The present results indicate that it should be possible to make carbon nanostructures by electron beam writing on benzene layers, physisorbed at 77–120 K, with unreacted benzene subsequently removed by heating to 200 K.
Expression of superoxide dismutase, catalase and glutathione peroxidase in the bovine corpus luteum: evidence supporting a role for oxidative stress in luteolysis

Apoptosis, a type of physiological or active cell death, has been implicated as a mechanism underlying regression of the corpus luteum (CL) in the rat, bovine, rabbit and ovine ovary. Previousin vitro studies of cultured luteal cells have also provided evidence which suggests that reactive oxygen species play an important role in luteolysis in the rodent ovary. To further evaluate the potential role of oxidative stress in luteal cell demise, changes in the expression of several enzymes known to protect cells from oxidative stress were investigated using bovine CL collected from ovaries of non-pregnant (day 21 of the estrous cycle; regressed CL) and pregnant (day 21 of pregnancy; functional CL) animals. Biochemical analysis of genomic DNA extracted from these two pools of CL demonstrated the presence of extensive levels of internucleosomal DNA cleavage characteristic of cell death via apoptosis in regressed, but not in functional, CL. Northern blot analysis of total RNA indicated that functional CL expressed significantly higher levels of mRNA encoding secreted superoxide dismutase (SEC-SOD, 1.9 kb) and manganese-containing or mitochondrial SOD (Mn-SOD, multiple transcripts) as compared to regressed CL. Similarly, levels of mRNA encoding catalase (2.1 kb), an enzyme responsible for detoxification of peroxides to water, were significantly higher in functional versus regressed CL. From these data, we conclude that a decline in expression of specific oxidative response genes occurs during luteolysis, and that maintained expression of these genes in the CL during pregnancy may prevent oxidative damage and delay regression.
anti-Tricyclo­[4.2.1.12,5]deca-3,7-diene-9-endo,10-endo-diol

The title compound, C10H12O2, was synthesized as a candidate for further functionalization. The asymmetric unit comprises two independent mol­ecules, both of which are situated on a center of symmetry. Both mol­ecules are involved in a network of hydrogen bonding, with each alcohol group participating in one hydrogen bond as a donor and in a second hydrogen bond as an acceptor.
On post-racial America in the age of Obama

Amina Gautier reflects on her childhood tendency to ask when, not if, there would be a black president. Growing up in the post-civil rights era, she was influenced by knowledge of earlier presidential bids by African Americans as well as references to the idea of a black president in popular culture, including television programs of the 1970s and 1980s that often saw adult characters project the ability to run for office onto black youth. However, Gautier cautions against conflating Barack Obama's historic election to president with the beginning of a “post-racial” era. She uses a personal experience of racial insensitivity to observe the distance we have yet to go before we are truly post-anything.
In vitro development of palatal tissues from embryonic mice. I. Differentiation of the secondary palate from 12-day mouse mebryos†

Single palatal processes or homotypic paired palatal processes from 12-day mouse embryos (strain C57B1) were grown in organ culture on Millipore filters. The epithelium along the medial edge of each palatal process became disrupted, and, by 72 hours of culture, paired palatal processes achieved mesenchymal fusion at the site of disruption. The nasal epithelium of paired palatal processes became a recognizable pseudostratified ciliated columnar epithelium by 96 hours of culture, and the oral epithelium became a recognizable stratified squamous epithelium by 120 hours of culture. These events correspond temporally to the differentiation of palatal tissue in vivo. Differentiative changes of single palatal processes followed the same schedule as double processes. Observations also suggest that the epithelium at the tip of the vertically oriented young palatal process corresponds to the medial epithelium of the more advanced horizontal process — these observations have bearing on the mechanism of palatal movement. In addition, the results suggest that a re-evaluation of the terminology “potential for fusion” is necessary.
Comparison of the percolation model with computer simulation results on different water models

The predictions of the connectivity properties of the hydrogen-bonded networks in liquid water based on the percolation model proposed by H. E. Stanley and co-workers has been compared with Monte Carlo computer simulations using the ST2 and MCY potentials at different temperatures. The comparison is based on a geometric hydrogen-bond definition. Reasons for the good agreement found for the average number of waters with exactly j hydrogen bonds are discussed. Also, the conflicting conclusions on the density of 4-bonded patches were re-examined and were found to be the result of using different water models in the conflicting studies.
Plutonium: Coping with instability

Plutonium is unstable with time because of its radioactive decay, but it is the peculiar nature of its electronic structure that gives rise to phase instability with temperature, pressure, and chemical additions, making engineering applications particularly challenging. This instability leads to an interesting array of phase transformations and microstructures.
On the Interplay of the Cognitive and the Social in Scientific Practices

I consider the following questions, central to recent disagreements between Longino and Kitcher: Is it constitutive of making judgments of the cognitive acceptability of theories that they are made under certain social relations that embody specific social values that have been cultivated among investigators (Longino)? Or is making them (sound ones) just a consequence of social interactions that occur under these relations (Kitcher)? While generally endorsing the latter view, I make a distinction, not made by the philosophers under discussion, between sound acceptance and endorsement of a theory, and argue that Longino’s view applies to endorsement.