cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Metallic syringe versus electronically assisted injection system: a comparative clinical study in children.

AIM Local anaesthesia injection necessary for pain control in paediatric dentistry may itself be painful sometimes, partly because of the pressure felt during injection; electronically assisted injection systems were developed to address this problem. MATERIALS AND METHODS Study design: The present study is a clinical study in children that compared two types of devices for paediatric buccal infiltration anaesthesia: the aspirating syringe and an electronically assisted injection system, the Wand STA. A split mouth, randomised controlled clinical trial was conducted on 30 healthy six to eight-year-old patients (6.64 ± 0.803 years) requiring pulpotomies on two symmetrical primary maxillary molars. Each patient received the following types of anaesthesia, in separate, consecutive, randomly ordered sessions: conventional buccal infiltration by metallic aspirating syringe and buccal infiltration by computer-controlled local anaesthetic device (Single Tooth Anesthesia). Parameters assessed were: pain experienced during injection, patient's heart rate and behaviour, anaesthesia quantity required and onset time. RESULTS No statistical differences were observed between the two techniques (p? 0.05) for all assessed parameters. CONCLUSIONS Results suggest that computer-assisted anaesthesia may represent an alternative to conventional syringes for local buccal anaesthesia in paediatric dental treatment; comparison to other types of dental infiltration anaesthesia needs further investigation.
Bioplastic Modified with Woodflour for Additive Manufacturing

Additive manufacturing (AM) is considered the new industrial revolution due to its impact in the way parts are manufactured. Research vast majority is focused on technology development based on different processes. However, recent trends show a big pushed for materials development and testing. Most of the thermoplastic used in AM are petroleum based, a limited and nonrenewable resource, however, bioplastics such as polylactic acid (PLA) have gained traction as a competitor. In this research, PLA was mixed with woodflour into different matrices to evaluate the particle size effect, species (maple and pine) and concentration (woodflour amount) in the biopolymer and 3D printed parts performance. Thermal, mechanical, structural properties were studied for the different matrices created. Results showed the potential of using woodflour as an additive to enhance bioplastics, maintaining sustainability aspects and changing the biopolymer to be suitable for AM.
Potential recovery and long term follow up of heart block following surgical repair of congenital heart disease

Purpose: Pacemaker implantation in pediatric patients is commonly needed after surgical heart block as well as post-operative high grade sinus node dysfunction. The purpose of our study was to examine in detail the risk factors for heart block prior to and following cardiac surgery. Additionally we aimed to study the evolution of pacing needs, recovery of conduction and pacemaker properties over time as there is extremely limited data regarding the same. Methods: We performed a retrospective cohort study by …
Pediatric advanced diagnostic and interventional bronchoscopy

Abstract The indications and utility of flexible bronchoscopy have expanded over the past few decades with major innovations in design and development of new tools for endobronchial interventions and image-guided tissue sampling techniques. This review highlights the application of advanced diagnostic bronchoscopy (including endobronchial ultrasound and CT navigational techniques), cryotherapy and the use of one-way endobronchial valves for persistent air leak in the pediatric setting.
Pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) indication and uptake among people receiving buprenorphine for the treatment of opioid use disorder.

Abstract Background People with opioid use disorder (OUD) are disproportionately burdened by HIV. The United States' Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has issued guidelines for pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) indication. We know little about PrEP for people receiving medication for OUD. The objective of this study is to report PrEP indication, awareness, and uptake in patients engaged in outpatient OUD treatment with buprenorphine. Methods Adult patients (n = 137) receiving buprenorphine for OUD at an outpatient substance use disorder treatment clinic completed a cross-sectional survey between July and September 2019. The study determined PrEP indication by 2017 CDC criteria. PrEP awareness and uptake were self-reported. The study assessed statistical differences in PrEP indicators by Pearson's χ2 and Fisher's exact. Results Nearly three-quarters (73.7%, n = 101) of the study sample met CDC criteria for PrEP-indication based on past-year risk behaviors. Ninety-five percent of these participants reported inconsistent condom use, 21.0% engaged in commercial sex, 9.0% shared injection equipment, 8.9% reported a recent bacterial STI, and 4.0% had an HIV+ sexual partner. Of PrEP indicated participants (n = 101), 19 had heard of PrEP prior to the survey, but only 1 participant reported past-year PrEP use. Conclusions Among a clinical population of people receiving buprenorphine for OUD, HIV risk behaviors were common, yet PrEP awareness and uptake were low. People engaged in treatment for OUD remain at high risk for HIV and are a priority population for PrEP. In light of the current opioid crisis, more research is needed to guide the integration of comprehensive HIV prevention into outpatient opioid treatment centers.
Low-Temperature Resistance of Cyclically Strained Aluminum

An experimental study of the resistance changes in high-purity, reinforced aluminum due to cyclic straining is presently underway. The purpose of this work is to determine the optimum purity of aluminum to be used as a stabilizing material for superconducting magnets used for energy storage.
A Coupled, Isotropic Theory of Thermoviscoplasticity and its Prediction for Stress and Strain Controlled Loading in Torsion

A coupled, isotropic, infinitesimal theory of thermoviscoplasticity was developed in [32,33] and applied to a variety of loadings including thermal monotonic and cyclic straining [32]. In this paper we rederive the coupled equatioris using the first law of thermodynamics. The predictions of the theory in torsion are examined qualitatively and by numerical experiments. They simulate monotonic loading at loading rates differing by four orders of magnitude. Jumps in loading rate are also included. The theory exhibits initial linear elastic response followed by nonlinear, rate-dependent plastic behavior. The adiabatic temperature changes are initially isothermal followed by heating. The theory exhibits rate-dependence, a difference in strain and stress controlled loading and deformation induced temperature changes which are qualitatively in agreement with recent experiments.
Supported Employment and Social Relationships in the Workplace

Social relationships are important for quality of life. The published literature establishes the powerful effect social relationships have on our health [8], happiness, and overall sense of well-being [3, 15]. The interpersonal relationships and supportive social networks that we may take for granted, however, are often elusive for members of our society who have intellectual disabilities [13] or mental illness [4]. Even those who live in the community may experience social isolation and limited access to socially valued roles [4, 5]. Therefore, supporting individuals to build relationships and attain socially valued roles are central to creating truly inclusive communities. Work provides access to the socially valued role of “employee” for individuals who historically have been denied full citizenship. Because society places a high value on work and those who work, people who are employed are considered to be valuable, contributing members of society. Moreover, existing research documents a link between employment and larger social networks for people with disabilities [2, 9], which, in turn, are associated with superior quality-of-life outcomes [10, 16].
A possible mechanism of repressing cheating mutants in myxobacteria

The formation of fruiting bodies by myxobacteria colonies involves altruistic suicide by many individual bacteria and is thus vulnerable to exploitation by cheating mutants. We report results of simulations that show how in a structured environment with patchy distribution of cheating mutants the wild type might persist.
Editorial: Do I Have to Like It?

One of the actual problems of being an enthusiastic, “I am disabled now hear me roar” type of Crip is that sometimes being disabled is not very sexy. How to respond when someone close to you says, “But I don’t see you as being disabled. I just see you as yourself.” This is a lovely sentiment during, say, a romantic dinner on a cruise ship, but not so lovely when you fall on your face disembarking from the ship because your special someone forgets that you are blind. How can you respond with enthusiasm in the first instance, when you are glad to be seen as yourself in all of your loveliness, and yet still expect people to remember that there are times when you want to embrace your Disabled identity, or simply need their assistance...
Arguments of persuasion in labour mediation

In this paper we present a process model of the reasoning underlying arguments of persuasion and its embodiment in a computer program, the PERSUAOER, which gives counsel for the resolution of impasses in collective bargaining. We show how goal trees can be searched to produce arguments involving economic quantities.
Northern Red Sea: Nucleation of an oceanic spreading center within a continental rift

[1] The northern Red Sea is an amagmatic continental rift in which an oceanic spreading center is beginning to develop. A new compilation of marine geophysical data permits delineation of the structure of the northern Red Sea and of the manner in which the transition from continental to oceanic extension is occurring in this rift. The margins of the northern Red Sea are formed by large, apparently active faults on the seaward edge of the narrow continental shelves. The morphology of the main trough is a series of terraces stepping down to an axial depression. The terraces are a subdued expression of the basement structure, which consists of a series of large rotated fault blocks. The axial depression is an often fault-bounded axis of deep water that extends south from the Suez triple junction. The rift is segmented along-strike by throughgoing accommodation zones spaced at 40–60 km intervals along the rift. In the main trough, accommodation zones truncate or offset rift-parallel bathymetric and gravity features. The axial depression consists of a series of discrete depressions offset from each other and separated by slightly shallower areas corresponding to accommodation zones. Within each segment, the axial depression deepens away from the accommodation zones toward a small deep, a few kilometers across and a few hundred meters deeper than the surrounding seafloor. A pair of small volcanoes is perched on top of the scarps bounding the axial depression on either side of the deep within each segment. The volcanoes are all normally magnetized and interpreted as very young. The crust is uniformly thin (5–8.5 km) throughout the main trough, implying extension evenly spread across the rift through much of its development. As extension recently became concentrated at the axis, melt began to be generated and is focused to a location within the segment where it ascends along faults bounding the axial depression to form the pair of volcanoes flanking the axis. A volcano is also found on the floor of the axial depression in one segment. This isolated volcano appears to be the first step in the development of the seafloor spreading cells that are observed in the central Red Sea. The individual cells then grow and coalesce to become a continuous spreading axis.
LAKE-SEDIMENT-BASED EVALUATION OF RECENT SEDIMENT YIELD FROM A SMALL APPALACHIAN WATERSHED, THOMPSON LAKE, VIRGINIA

Studies of land use impacts, frequency-magnitude issues and the influence of basin scale on sediment delivery are impeded by the lack of sediment yield data from small watersheds. In this study, sediments from Thompson Lake, Virginia (United States), are used to study the last 30 years of sediment yield from the 3.8 km2 contributing catchment. Sediment yield changes at this site are found to be related primarily to precipitation history, rather than to gradual environmental change in the uplands, although even the low sediment yields reported here may be elevated as a result of former land use. This result as well as an established relationship between sediment magnetism and particle size allow for a simple evaluation of sediment yield frequency and magnitude. Two magnetic susceptibility peaks identified in the sediment record are hypothesized to represent discrete flood sediment strata, one resulting from Hurricane Agnes in 1972. Given this association, storm sediment yield at Thompson Lake accords with ...
The Use of Cuff Weights for Aquatic Gait Training in People Post‐Stroke with Hemiparesis

Background and Purpose This study aimed to examine how spatiotemporal and kinematic gait variables are influenced by the application of a cuff weight during aquatic walking in people post-stroke. The secondary purpose was to compare the differences in gait responses between the placements of cuff weights on the proximal (knee weight) and distal end (ankle weight) of the shank. Methods Twenty-one participants post-stroke with hemiparesis aged 66.3 ± 11.3 years participated in a cross-sectional comparative study. Participants completed two aquatic walking trials at their self-selected maximum walking speed across an 8-m walkway under each of the three conditions: 1) walking with a knee weight; 2) walking with an ankle weight; and 3) walking with no weight. Cuff weights were worn on the paretic leg of each participant. Gait speed, cadence, step width and joint kinematics of the hip, knee and ankle joints were recorded by a customized three-dimensional underwater motion analysis system. Results Mean aquatic walking speeds significantly increased with the use of cuff weights when compared to walking with no weight. Changes in gait variables were found in the non-paretic leg with the addition of weight, while no significant changes were found in the paretic leg. Conclusion The results suggest that the use of additional weight can be helpful if the goal of gait training is to improve walking speed of people post-stroke during pool floor walking. However, it is interesting to note that changes in gait variables were not found in the paretic limb where favourable responses were expected to occur. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Accurate positioning for head and neck cancer patients using 2D and 3D image guidance

Our goal is to determine an optimized image-guided setup by comparing setup errors determined by two-dimensional (2D) and three-dimensional (3D) image guidance for head and neck cancer (HNC) patients immobilized by customized thermoplastic masks. Nine patients received weekly imaging sessions, for a total of 54, throughout treatment. Patients were first set up by matching lasers to surface marks (initial) and then translationally corrected using manual registration of orthogonal kilovoltage (kV) radiographs with DRRs (2D-2D) on bony anatomy. A kV cone beam CT (kVCBCT) was acquired and manually registered to the simulation CT using only translations (3D-3D) on the same bony anatomy to determine further translational corrections. After treatment, a second set of kVCBCT was acquired to assess intrafractional motion. Averaged over all sessions, 2D-2D registration led to translational corrections from initial setup of 3.5 ± 2.2 (range 0-8) mm. The addition of 3D-3D registration resulted in only small incremental adjustment (0.8 ± 1.5 mm). We retrospectively calculated patient setup rotation errors using an automatic rigid-body algorithm with 6 degrees of freedom (DoF) on regions of interest (ROI) of in-field bony anatomy (mainly the C2 vertebral body). Small rotations were determined for most of the imaging sessions; however, occasionally rotations > 3° were observed. The calculated intrafractional motion with automatic registration was < 3.5 mm for eight patients, and < 2° for all patients. We conclude that daily manual 2D-2D registration on radiographs reduces positioning errors for mask-immobilized HNC patients in most cases, and is easily implemented. 3D-3D registration adds little improvement over 2D-2D registration without correcting rotational errors. We also conclude that thermoplastic masks are effective for patient immobilization.
OFF-SHELL EFFECTS IN THE NUCLEON-NUCLEON SYSTEM +

When studying the bremsstrahlung reaction $$ A + B \to C + D + \gamma $$ (1) we shall suppose that the scattering amplitude for the corresponding nonradiative process $$ A + B \to C + D$$ is already known. The latter will sometimes be referred to as “elastic” scattering, but it is not necessary that the final particles (C and D) be the same as the initial ones (A and B). For particles with spin, this requires a knowledge of each of the independent spin amplitudes, although for some purposes., lesser information — such as the unpolarized cross section — may suffice. It will also be assumed that the static electromagnetic moments of the particles A, B, C, and D are known. Together with nonradiative amplitude(s), this will be referred to as “on-shell information”.
Fine-needle aspiration cytology of intra-abdominal wall extraskeletal myxoid chondrosarcoma: a case report and review of the literature.

Abstract Extraskeletal myxoid chondrosarcoma is a rare soft tissue tumor. Most of the reported cases that were diagnosed by fine-needle aspiration were taken from the extremities, where the tumor is often found. Problems can occur when the site is unusual and cellular differentiation is not distinct. We present a case in which the tumor was located in the intra-abdominal wall, an unusual location. Cytologic features and immunocytochemistry are helpful in distinguishing this tumor from others that share similar myxoid background.
10 Path Dependency in the Rise and Denouement of a Classic Maya City: The Case of Caracol, Belize

With an anthropomorphic landscape that completely covered over 130 square kilometers with agricultural terraces in antiquity, Caracol, Belize provides an excellent place to review ancient resilience, rigidity, and path dependency. A population center with over 100,000 people in C.E. 700, Caracol subsisted on change and growth for its initial 1000 years of existence. However, Caracol also developed a relatively unique form of adaptation, one focused on establishing stability through social cohesion during its acme. These adaptations helped Caracol endure the changes wrought by climate change and inter-polity strife until the onset of the 10th century. At this point, elite mechanizations removed the well-established social buffers and Caracol succumbed to external political pressures that combined with environmental forces to create an untenable situation. Path dependency left the ancient Maya of Caracol unable to adapt to the ultimate threat posed by external changes beyond their control.
Large wildfire trends in the western United States, 1984-2011

We used a database capturing large wildfires (> 405 ha) in the western U.S. to document regional trends in fire occurrence, total fire area, fire size, and day of year of ignition for 1984–2011. Over the western U.S. and in a majority of ecoregions, we found significant, increasing trends in the number of large fires and/or total large fire area per year. Trends were most significant for southern and mountain ecoregions, coinciding with trends toward increased drought severity. For all ecoregions combined, the number of large fires increased at a rate of seven fires per year, while total fire area increased at a rate of 355 km2 per year. Continuing changes in climate, invasive species, and consequences of past fire management, added to the impacts of larger, more frequent fires, will drive further disruptions to fire regimes of the western U.S. and other fire-prone regions of the world.
μ-Protocadherin, a Novel Developmentally Regulated Protocadherin with Mucin-like Domains

Branching morphogenesis is a central event during the development of kidneys, lungs, and other organs. We previously generated a monoclonal antibody, 3D2-E9, that inhibited branching morphogenesis and caused widespread apoptosis. We now report the purification of its antigen and cloning of its full-length cDNA. Its cDNA encodes an integral membrane protein that contains four cadherin-like ectodomains and a thrice tandemly repeated region enriched in threonine, serine, and proline, similar to those of mucins. We thus term this protein μ-protocadherin, reflecting the hybrid nature of its extracellular region. μ-Protocadherin is expressed in two forms that are developmentally regulated, with the shorter isoform lacking the mucin-like repeats. Expression of the long isoform in heterologous cells results in adhesion of the expressing cells, suggesting that it is a new cell adhesion molecule. μ-Protocadherin contains both N and O glycosylations. It is expressed at lateral and basal surfaces of epithelia during kidney and lung development and is located in coated pits. Colocalization of μ-protocadherin with β-catenin was noted primarily at the junction of the lateral and basal membrane. The cytoplasmic domain contains four proline-rich regions, similar to SH3 binding regions. Thus, it is likely that adhesive interactions mediated by μ-protocadherin induce signaling events that regulate branching morphogenesis.
A study of the effects of corruption on variance of realised returns

In this study, we argue that volatility in a country's financial market depends on the country's level of corruption. We postulate that countries with higher corruption will experience a larger standard deviation of returns. We also assume that within the same time-frame those less corrupt countries will experience a lower standard deviation of returns from their financial markets. The paper presented empirical results to support our hypothesis.
Cerebral Blood Flow Dynamics and Head-of-Bed Changes in the Setting of Subarachnoid Hemorrhage

Head-of-bed (HOB) elevation is usually restricted in patients with aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH). The goal of this study is to correlate HOB changes (0° and 90°) with cerebral blood flow using transcranial Doppler (TCD) and thermal diffusion probe in SAH patients. Thirteen patients with SAH were prospectively enrolled in the study. Eight patients underwent placement of a thermal diffusion probe for regional CBF measurement. CBF values were measured with the patients in flat (0°) and upright sitting positions (90°) at days 3, 7, and 10. The average increase in blood flow velocity when changing HOB from 0° to 90° was 7.8% on day 3, 0.1% on day 7, and 13.1% on day 10. The middle cerebral artery had the least changes in velocity. The average regional CBF measurement was 22.7 ± 0.3 mL/100 g/min in the supine position and 23.6 ± 9.1 mg/100 g/min in the sitting position. The changes were not statistically significant. None of the patients developed clinical cerebral vasospasm. Changing HOB position in the setting of SAH did not significantly affect cerebral or regional blood flow. These data suggest that early mobilization should be considered given the detrimental effects of prolonged bed rest.
Vibration Control of Printed-Circuit Boards in a Dynamic Environment

Controlling destructive resonant amplitude of printedcircuit boards in electronic systems is a common problem. This paper describes various methods available for reducing these amplitudes and presents data to show the effectiveness of each method when compared with a standard printed-circuit board.
Predatory overtones of open-field testing in chickens

Based on a model which holds that open-field behavior is due in large part to an interaction between social separation and the threat of predation, seven experiments were conducted to examine the relationship between tonic immobility and open-field activity in chickens. The results showed that placement in an open field prior to testing for tonic immobility reliably enhanced the duration of immobility. Similarly, procedures that have been shown to modify the length of the immobility episode had a comparable effect on the timing of activity onset in an open field. Since tonic immobility has been independently implicated as a putative predator defense, the correspondence between open-field behavior and tonic immobility was taken as indirect support for the hypothesis that open-field testing contains overtones of predation.
Using Contrast Variation with SAXS to Visualize DNA Dissociation from Nucleosome Core Particles

Nucleosome core particles (NCP) make up the fundamental repeating structures that package and regulate access to eukaryotic chromatin. High resolution crystal structures deliver detailed snapshots of the NCP in its most stable conformations, which consists of 147 base-pairs of DNA tightly wrapped around an octamer of histone proteins. However, the intermediate states of the NCP, as the DNA unwinds from the histone core, are biologically interesting and can be challenging to characterize. To this end, we applied small angle x-ray scattering (SAXS) - a powerful technique for resolving global properties of macromolecules in solution. In order to resolve the ambiguity that arises from the different scattering properties between proteins and nucleic acids within complexes, we applied a contrast variation approach to effectively probe the DNA component of the NCP during salt-induced disassembly. We measured the equilibrium response of NCPs in increasing concentrations of NaCl and modelled the DNA conformations as it unwraps from the NCP. These results highlight the strength of SAXS with contrast variation as a platform for studying protein-nucleic acid complexes.
Convergence Time Estimation for Iterative Adaptive On-Off Control of a Micro-Robotic Leg Joint

Iterative adaptive on-off control is a potential control strategy for ultra-low-power control of micro-actuators that behave as capacitive loads. Such an approach allows for relatively low sensor sampling frequencies and the use of simple switched inputs, which can be implemented at lower power levels than control with analog inputs and real-time feedback. A technique is presented for estimating the convergence time of an on-off controller proposed for controlling stepping motion in autonomous micro-robots. Error in measured outputs at each iteration are estimated using upper bounds on output error as a function of error in on-off switching times and lower bounds on the change in on-off switching times from iteration to iteration. While a strict upper bound on error is not provided by the final error estimator, simulation and experimental results from the test case of a piezoelectric micro-robotic leg joint indicate reasonable agreement between estimated error and full controller behavior. Convergence estimates may then be used to improve controller design with respect to total energy consumed.© 2012 ASME
Volumetric Properties of Carbon Dioxide + Acetone at High Pressures

The volumetric properties of carbon dioxide + acetone mixtures have been determined at 323, 348, 373, 398, and 423 K at pressures up to 70 MPa using a variable-volume view cell. Densities for pure components and mixtures containing 90, 80, 70, and 50% by mass carbon dioxide are reported as a function of pressure at each temperature. It is shown that this system undergoes a density crossover at high pressures with each composition, a phenomenon previously reported also for mixtures of carbon dioxide + pentane and carbon dioxide + toluene. In the composition range investigated, the excess volume of the mixtures becomes more positive with increasing pressure but more negative with increasing temperature.
Wiener’s lemma for infinite matrices

In this paper, we introduce a class of infinite matrices related to the Beurling algebra of periodic functions, and we show that it is an inverse-closed subalgebra of \({\mathcal{B}}(\ell^{q}_{w})\), the algebra of all bounded linear operators on the weighted sequence space \(\ell^{q}_{w}\), for any 1≤q<∞ and any discrete Muckenhoupt Aq-weight w.
The use of chemical analyses of umbilical cord blood for the computation of instantaneous fetal growth.

Abstract From the umbilical veno-arterial differences in the concentrations of carbohydrates, lipids and amino acids, and of oxygen, carbon dioxide and urea, one can calculate what fractions of the three fuels are burned and what fractions are deposited and constitute growth of the fetus. If umbilical blood flow is also measured, it is possible to calculate the instantaneous rate of fetal growth. Blood can be sampled from the umbilical artery and vein by means of indwelling catheters in unanesthetized sheep. Measurements of umbilical blood flow in unanesthetized sheep are available also. Application of the proposed analysis to published cord blood values for the fetal lamb lead to a predicted rate of growth that was in good agreement with the observed rate of growth. It also showed that a small uptake of a lipid like fuel is still being overlooked. It is concluded that analysis of a set of cord blood samples makes possible a calculation of the fraction of fuel uptake of the fetus that is being used for growth, at the time the samples were taken.
The role of colloid formation, imidization, and aggregation in the structure of BTDA-ODA polyimide films modified with gold

High-temperature polyimide films with metallic gold surfaces can be fabricated by the incorporation of a soluble metal salt into a solution of polyamic acid. Thermal treatment of these solutions produces the polyimide, decomposes the metal salt to metallic gold, and promotes the formation and growth of the metallized surface. What appeared to be a continuous metallic surface was actually composed of large gold aggregates. It is suspected that the formation of colloidal gold during the initial thermal treatment provides precursors to the large metal aggregates. Thermal treatment has been shown to influence the size and distribution of the aggregates. The shape of the aggregates suggests that diffusion-limited aggregation may be responsible for the unique shape of some of the gold aggregates.
Multi-hour design of computer backbone networks

This paper addresses the problem of designing wide area computer backbone networks that span many time zones. The problem of designing wide area computer backbone networks is commonly referred to as the Capacity and Flow Assignment (CFA) problem. The CFA problem involves the routing of messages and the assignment of communication line capacities at minimum cost subject to performance constraints. In this paper, a version of the CFA problem is addressed in which the assignment of communication line capacities is based on multi-hour traffic requirements. Multi-hour traffic requirements are used since networks that span many time zones have changing traffic patterns that exhibit non-coincidence of traffic over the hours of the day. Thus, low cost network designs can be obtained by exploiting this non-coincidence. A heuristic procedure is presented that takes advantage of this non-coincidence to provide low cost solutions. This heuristic procedure is applied to a variety of test problems and the solutions obtained are compared with lower bound solutions computed using a branch- and-bound procedure.
Effects of running the Boston marathon on plasma concentrations of large neutral amino acids.

Plasma large neutral amino acid concentrations were measured in thirty-seven subjects before and after completing the Boston Marathon. Concentrations of tyrosine, phenylalanine, and methionine increased, as did their “plasma ratios” (i.e., the ratio of each amino acid's concentration to the summed plasma concentrations of the other large neutral amino acids which compete with it for brain uptake). No changes were noted in the plasma concentrations of tryptophan, leucine, isoleucine, nor valine; however, the “plasma ratios” of valine, leucine, and isoleucine all decreased. These changes in plasma amino acid patterns may influence neurotransmitter synthesis.
Photoreceptor degeneration induced by the expression of simian virus 40 large tumor antigen in the retina of transgenic mice

Abstract Expression of the viral oncogene encoding the simian virus 40 (SV40) large tumor antigen (T antigen) typically promotes tumorigenesis in mammalian cells. To generate transgenic mice that express T antigen in rod photoreceptors, a chimeric construct consisting of a mouse opsin promoter fragment fused to the coding region of SV40 T antigen was generated. Expression of T antigen in the transgenic retina began at early stages of postnatal development concomitant with expression of endogenous opsin. Instead of inducing hyperplasia or tumor formation, T-antigen expression caused a rapidly progressing photoreceptor degeneration. The degeneration was accompanied by sustained DNA synthesis in photoreceptor cells, as evidenced by incorporation of [3H]thymidine and by the appearance of mitotic figures at postnatal day 10, a stage when nontransgenic photoreceptor cells are postmitotic and quiescent. Although transgenic photoreceptor cells undergo S phase and enter mitosis, the consequences of T-antigen expression are not proliferation and tumorigenesis but proliferation and cell death.
An intra-articular knee cyst in a 2-year-old associated with an aberrant anterior cruciate ligament

Intra-articular ganglia of the knee occur infrequently, with an overall incidence estimated to be from 0.2 to 1.9%. To date, the youngest patient reported with an intra-articular ganglion was an adolescent. In this paper, we describe a 2-year-old patient with a massive intra-articular knee cyst and an aberrant anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) origin. The cyst was successfully treated with arthroscopic debridement. Proposed pathology and treatment recommendations for intra-articular cysts are reviewed.
Anti-human protein S antibody induces tissue factor expression through a direct interaction with platelet phosphofructokinase.

Introduction Autoantibodies including anti-human protein S antibody (anti-hPS Ab) and anti-human protein C antibody (anti-hPC Ab) can be detected in patients with autoimmune diseases with hypercoagulability. The objective of the present study was to determine the effects and molecular pathways of these autoantibodies on tissue factor (TF) expression in human coronary artery endothelial cells (HCAECs).
Tolerance analysis in setup planning for rotational parts

Abstract Tolerance analysis is crucial in process planning for precision manufacturing; however, very few computer-aided process planning (CAPP) systems are capable of performing tolerance analysis. At most, tolerance analysis is used to check the dimensional tolerance stackups rather than generating optimal setup/process plans. Recently, some researchers have begun to recognize the importance of tolerance analysis in generating appropriate setup/process plans. Although some rules of thumb have been developed for automated setup planning, no systematic approach is available in the literature. In this paper, a graph-theoretical approach is proposed to generate setup plans based on tolerance analysis. The design specification of a part is represented as a graph. The problem of identifying the optimal setup plan is transformed into a graph search problem. A setup planning algorithm for rotational parts is then developed and implemented. The algorithm is evaluated using Monte Carlo simulation and found to be effective. The graph-theoretical approach is very useful for solving the setup planning problem. The advantage of the approach is that it is a mathematical approach and can be easily evaluated, modified, and computerized.
Clinical and Financial Impact of Obesity on the Outcome of Liver Transplantation

The purpose of this study was to determine whether body mass index (BMI) influences the clinical outcomes and overall cost of transplantation in adult liver transplantation (OLT) using records of 700 adult OLT recipients. Patients were divided into BMI range groups over the range of 15 to 42 (mean = 26.7), namely: <25, n = 288 (41%); 25 to 30, n = 245 (35%); ≥30, n = 167 (24%). Only a small subset of this last group was morbidly obese (BMI ≥ 35, n = 37, 5% of total). We did not detect an effect of BMI on patient or graft survival, the incidence of acute graft rejection, or major surgical complications. BMI was not related to length of hospital stay. There were no statistical differences between the three groups with respect to the ratio of overall hospital cost in a general linear model, corrected for age, gender, calculated Model for End-Stage Liver Disease score, retransplant status, or return to the operating room. In conclusion, obesity did not influence either the costs or the clinical outcomes following OLT. Further analysis of the morbidly obese population with respect to cost and outcome is warranted.
Catalytic Degradation of a Chemical Warfare Agent Simulant: Reaction Mechanisms on TiO2-Supported Au Nanoparticles

High-vacuum transmission infrared spectroscopy is used to investigate the reaction pathways of the chemical warfare agent simulant dimethyl methylphosphonate (DMMP) on nanoparticulate Au/TiO2 and pure TiO2. The infrared spectral signature of adsorbed CO, a major reaction product, is used to track the oxidation state of Au and Ti during the reaction. We find that small, <5 nm, Au particles on the surface of TiO2 activate this material toward the oxidative degradation of DMMP, in contrast to pure TiO2, which is an effective sorbant for DMMP, but little decomposition of this molecule occurs. The direct comparison of the chemistry on the samples reveals that two mechanisms may be responsible for the catalytic activity of the TiO2-supported Au nanoparticles. One mechanism occurs under anaerobic conditions, where vapor-phase DMMP reacts upon adsorption to form a variety of organic products and adsorbed CO. The active species in this initial oxidation channel is the lattice oxygen that most likely exists around ...
Optical Negative Refraction in Bulk Metamaterials of Nanowires

Negative refraction in metamaterials has generated great excitement in the scientific community. Although negative refraction has been realized in microwave and infrared by using metamaterials and by using two-dimensional waveguide structures, creation of a bulk metamaterial showing negative refraction at visible frequency has not been successful, mainly because of the significant resonance losses and fabrication difficulties. We report bulk metamaterials made of nanowires that show such negative refraction for all incident angles in the visible region. Moreover, the negative refraction occurs far from any resonance, resulting in a low-loss and a broad-band propagation at visible frequencies. These remarkable properties can substantially affect applications such as imaging, three-dimensional light manipulation, and optical communication.
Adsorption kinetics of small organic molecules on thick and thinner layers of carbon nanotubes

Using an ultra-high vacuum kinetics technique, we present unexpected experimental evidence that thick layers of carbon nanotubes (CNTs) show adsorption behavior that is kinetically distinct to that of thinner CNT films. Thick layers reveal much greater desorption temperatures (binding energies) for n-pentane and benzene compared to thinner CNT films. These results are significant in gaining an understanding of the interplay of kinetics and electronic effects as well as for applications in catalysis.
Levels of analysis

Considerations of purpose, feasibility, and statistical power, as well as internal, external, and construct validity, determine both the units of sample selection, randomization, treatment, and observation and the analytical model one uses.
Solving complex path conditions through heuristic search on induced polytopes

Test input generators using symbolic and concolic execution must solve path conditions to systematically explore a program and generate high coverage tests. However, path conditions may contain complicated arithmetic constraints that are infeasible to solve: a solver may be unavailable, solving may be computationally intractable, or the constraints may be undecidable. Existing test generators either simplify such constraints with concrete values to make them decidable, or rely on strong but incomplete constraint solvers. Unfortunately, simplification yields coarse approximations whose solutions rarely satisfy the original constraint. Moreover, constraint solvers cannot handle calls to native library methods. We show how a simple combination of linear constraint solving and heuristic search can overcome these limitations. We call this technique Concolic Walk. On a corpus of 11 programs, an instance of our Concolic Walk algorithm using tabu search generates tests with two- to three-times higher coverage than simplification-based tools while being up to five-times as efficient. Furthermore, our algorithm improves the coverage of two state-of-the-art test generators by 21% and 32%. Other concolic and symbolic testing tools could integrate our algorithm to solve complex path conditions without having to sacrifice any of their own capabilities, leading to higher overall coverage.
An Exact Analysis of the Stagnation Phenomenon of Laminar Free-Convection Flows in Thermosyphons†

Es wird eine Methode fur die exakte Untersuchung der Geschwindigkeits- und Temperaturverteilung laminarer konvektionsfreier Stromungen in geschlossenen zweidimensionalen Hohlraumen dargestellt. Die Losung der Gleichungen (der Gleichung von Navier-Stokes und der Gleichung fur die Warmeubertragung) erhalt man durch eine Doppelreihen-Entwicklung der Strom- und der Temperaturfunktion nach orthogonalen Polynomen. Die resultierenden Gleichungen fur die Entwicklungskoeffizienten werden in zwei gekoppelte Systeme algebraischer Gleichungen umgeformt, und diese werden dann mit einem Rechenautomaten numerisch gelost. Die angegebene Methode ist z. B. besonders wirksam bei der Behandlung der Staupunkt-Erscheinungen in einem Thermosyphon, welche mit den bekannten Naherungsverfahren der Grenzschichttheorie nicht aus-reichend genau behandelt werden konnen. Die Ergebnisse der Untersuchung werden durch Bilder veranschaulicht. A method of exact analysis for the velocity and temperature distribution of the laminar free-convection flows in closed two-dimensional cavities is presented. The solution to the governing equations (the Navier-Stokes and the heat transfer) is obtained by the use of double series expansions of the stream and temperature functions into orthogonal polynomials. The resulting equations for the coefficients of expansions are reduced into two sets of coupled algebraic equations which are solved numerically with a computer. The present method is particularly effective in treating problems such as the stagnation phenomena in a thermosyphon which cannot be accurately treated with the existing approximate analysis of the boundary-layer theory. Illustrative results of the analysis are presented in the paper.
Hole formation and charge transfer in Y1-xCaxSr2Cu2GaO7, a new oxide superconductor

Abstract The technique of transmission electron energy loss spectrometry (EELS) in parallel detection has been utilized to analyze the fine structures associated with the O K and Cu L 3 absorption edges of recently discovered Y 1− x Ca x Sr 2 Cu 2 GaO 7 (0.1 ≤ x ≤ 0.4) series of compounds, which exhibit superconductivity when annealed under high-pressure oxygen atmosphere. We find subtle but significant changes in EELS spectral features of nonsuperconducting and superconducting specimens of these compounds. A broad pre-edge feature is observed below the O K absorption edge, at about 528.2 eV which emerges with Ca-doping alone. Evidence is presented for another O K secondary pre-edge feature, at about 1.1 eV below the first O K pre-edge feature in only those specimens which have undergone high-pressure oxygen treatment (i.e. superconducting specimens). We interpret the O K pre-edge feature as due to formation of holes on oxygen sites and propose that the first broad pre-edge feature (at 528.2 eV) is associated with holes on oxygen sites other than the CuO 2 planes, which are responsible for normal conductivity. The second smaller pre-edge feature (at 527.1 eV) is most probably associated with holes in the CuO 2 planes, which are associated with superconductivity in this system. The presence of a secondary smaller O K pre-edge feature in the superconducting specimens appears to correlate well with a broad shoulder on the high energy side of the Cu L 3 edge. The results are interpreted in terms of oxidation of CuO 2 planes through charge transfer between copper and oxygen in the CuO 2 planes, i.e. covalent mixing of O and Cu orbitals at the Fermi level as a result of high oxygen pressure annealing.
Decentralized scheduling of PEV on-street parking and charging for smart grid reactive power compensation

Power quality is one of the major concerns in modern power systems, especially within smart grids where the power distribution is more dynamic and vulnerable. With drastically more plug-in electric vehicles (PEV) penetrating into the existing power distribution system, Vehicle-to-grid (V2G) technologies have attracted increasing research attention. This paper explores the potential of managing the charging pattern of PEVs for smart grid reactive power compensation. With PEVs' bidirectional AC chargers viewed as mobile reactive power resources, the scheduling of PEVs for parking and charging at distributed on-street stations is formulated into a multi-objective resource allocation problem. One objective is that stations should be allocated with adequate and timely resources (PEVs parked with an appropriate charging pattern) to compensate the time-varying reactive power of the grid. The other objective is that PEV owners should be provided with satisfying parking services with as low monetary cost as possible. We solve this multiobjective optimization problem by using the Normalized Normal Constraint (NNC) method to obtain a set of well-distributed Pareto optimal solutions. A decentralized algorithm based on Lagrangian decomposition is then used to make the optimization scalable as the number of PEVs increases. Simulation results demonstrate the satisfying quality of the obtained Pareto optimal solutions, among which one will be selected by the optimization system according to the grid requirement on the power quality.
Thickness dependence of the acoustoelectric effect in N-type aSi:H

Abstract The drift mobility μ was measured in phosphorus-doped hydrogenated amorphous silicon films (aSi:H) with thicknesses d between 500A and lμm. We used the traveling wave technique in which the films are placed in the fringe electric field produced by a surface acoustic Rayleigh wave. We find that μ is essentially independent of d when the screening of the fringe by the sheet conductivity of the film is taken into account. The parameters determining μ in doped aSi:H agree reasonably well with those obtained by time-of-flight measurements on intrinsic films.