cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
The triple-harmonic circuit in 3-phase power systems

THE IMPORTANCE of triple-harmonic voltages and currents in electrical power systems is generally recognized by engineers associated with the power and telephone industries. It is desirable to have some convenient method of representation and calculation of the triple-frequency effects in 3-phase power systems.
Transgenerational Exposures: Persistent Chemical Pollutants in the Environment and Breast Milk

Persistent organic pollutants (POPs) are anthropogenic chemicals that are poorly biodegradable and have the potential for adverse human health effects. Although national regulations and an international treaty have resulted in the gradual decline of many POPs in human blood and breast milk, the levels of other POPs continue to rise. Children and developing fetuses are sensitive to health effects from these substances. This article reviews the health risks posed by the POPs that have been largely banned or regulated and the potential for health effects from a variety of other chemicals in widespread use today.
Sensitivity and error analysis in conjunction with tibial intramedullary guides in total knee arthroplasty

In this study, the potential error in using intramedullary guides for tibial component positioning was investigated and quantified. The purpose of the study was to investigate whether intramedullary or extramedullary systems are superior for tibial component positioning. Radiographic evaluation was
Use of gadopentetate dimeglumine as a contrast agent for percutaneous transluminal renal angioplasty and stent placement

Use of gadopentetate dimeglumine as a contrast agent for percutaneous transluminal renal angioplasty and stent placement. Percutaneous transluminal renal angioplasty and stent placement was performed successfully in a patient with renal artery stenosis and renal insufficiency using gadopentetate dimeglumine and carbon dioxide as radiographic contrast agents. No iodinated contrast material was used for the procedure.
Computation of effectiveness factors for partially wetted catalyst pellets using the method of fundamental solution

Abstract Trickle bed reactors are widely used in many process industries. The catalyst particles are often incompletely wetted especially in the trickling flow regime and hence to design these reactors, the effectiveness factor of partially wetted catalyst needs to be calculated accurately. Numerical solutions by traditional methods are time consuming and not very accurate, especially for some commonly used complex catalyst shapes such as trilobes, quadrilobes etc. The paper presents a novel numerical solution for these problems based on the method of fundamental solutions. The advantage of the method is that it involves only boundary collocation and can be applied to catalysts of any shape. Further the method provides an accurate estimate of the gradient of the concentration profiles and this information can be related directly to the effectiveness factor. This accuracy of the method is demonstrated for two dimensional (2-D) and axisymmetric problems for a linear kinetics. Illustrative results are presented for some complex shapes under partial wetting conditions.
Effects of the positive inotropic agents milrinone and pimobendan on the development of lethal ischemic arrhythmias in conscious dogs with recent myocardial infarction.

The effects of milrinone and pimobendan upon the initiation of programmed ventricular stimulation-induced ventricular tachycardia (VT) and the incidence of lethal ischemic ventricular arrhythmias were assessed in conscious dogs with recent anterior myocardial infarctions. Based upon the results of previous studies, the animals which were entered into this investigation were nonresponsive to baseline programmed stimulation and, therefore, considered to be at "low risk" toward the development of subsequent lethal ischemic arrhythmias. Milrinone (200 micrograms/kg/h continuous i.v. infusion) and pimobendan (300 micrograms/kg i.v.) were administered in dosing regimens shown to produce equivalent and sustained increases in left ventricular (LV) + dP/dt. At the time of repeat electrophysiologic testing, 9 of 9 pimobendan-, 9 of 10 milrinone-, and 12 of 12 concurrent vehicle-treated animals remained nonresponsive to programmed ventricular stimulation. Compared to a total control population of 39 "low risk" postinfarction dogs; however, both milrinone and pimobendan administration increased the incidence of sudden ventricular fibrillation occurring in response to the development of acute posterolateral ischemia (milrinone 4 of 10 [40%] and pimobendan 4 of 10 [40%] versus "low risk" control population 4 of 39 [10.3%]; p = 0.038). The incidence of ischemic mortality at 24 h after the development of posterolateral myocardial ischemia was increased in the milrinone-treated group (6 of 10 [60%]) compared to the "low risk" control population (6 of 39 [15.2%]; p = 0.007), whereas the incidence of 24-h ischemic mortality in the pimobendan-treated group (4 of 10 [40%]) was only of borderline statistical significance when compared to that of the "low risk" control population (p = 0.083). Milrinone, but not pimobendan, delayed the onset of acute posterolateral myocardial ischemia in the postinfarction dogs. The predominant electrophysiologic effects of both milrinone and pimobendan were decreases in ventricular refractoriness in both non-infarct (NZ) and in infarct zones (IZ), as well as reductions in electrocardiographic QTc or QT intervals. These findings suggest that with both positive inotropic agents, including milrinone which may possess protective antithrombotic action, sudden death may be increased via a reduction in ventricular refractoriness in the ischemically injured heart. The enhanced susceptibility toward the development of ischemic ventricular arrhythmias in the presence of the inotropic interventions is not predicted by programmed ventricular stimulation testing prior to the ischemic event.
SIMULTANEOUS HIGH PERFORMANCE LIQUID CHROMATOGRAPHIC ANALYSIS OF ACETAMINOPHEN, SALICYLAMIDE, PHENYLTOLOXAMINE, AND RELATED PRODUCTS

A stability indicating high performance liquid chromatography method has been developed for simultaneous determination of acetaminophen, salicylamide and phenyltoloxamine. The reversed-phase method utilizes UV detection at 220 nm and a C8 column. This paper presents the data to support linearity, precision, specificity, and robustness of the method. The known potential degradation products of acetaminophen, p-aminophenol, p-nitrophenol, precursor impurity p-hydroxyacetophenone, the potential degradation product of salicylamide, salicylic acid, and precursor impurity ethylsalicylate were separated for quantitation simultaneous with parent compounds. Quantification was achieved by peak area and external standard method. This method can be employed in determining stability, assay, content uniformity, and dissolution of the combination in pharmaceutical dosage forms.
Tacit Belief, Semantics and Grammar

This paper explores speakers' epistemic access to the semanticand syntactic features of sentences of their language. I argue that there is evidence that ceteris paribus, the actual semantic features of sentences of a language are accessible as such by typical speakers of that language.I then explore various linguistic, cognitive, and epistemic consequences of this position.
An Analysis of the Atmospheric Heat Budget.

Abstract With the aid of recent climatological data and laboratory radiation data, a meridional heat budget has been formed for the atmosphere below the 25-mb level and between 2ON and 7ON latitude. The significant components and balance requirements of the budget are presented as a function of height, latitude and season. Components of the budget include infrared radiative cooling, solar heating, net latent beating, the heat flux across the lower boundary, and the rate of heat storage. Balance requirements are those demanded solely of the atmospheric motions. Each item of the budget is discussed and some comparisons with related studies are included. Although the heat sources produced an extensive lower layer of excessive heating, except in the arctic winter region, the total atmospheric columns revealed thermal deficits almost everywhere within the model. The convergences of the large-scale eddy heat transports determined by other investigators are sufficient to balance the deficits north of 50N latitud...
Prefeeding and the apparent frustration effect

In a series of three experiments, running speed in a single runway was found to increase following the omission of prefeeding when this was preceded by consistent prefeeding (Apparent Frustration Effect). A similar increase was also found in Ss which had not been previously prefed. It is suggested that the increased running speed of the previously nonprefed Ss resulted from either rapid generalization of reward expectation from the goalbox or simply from a change in stimulus conditions.
CaSNP: a database for interrogating copy number alterations of cancer genome from SNP array data

Cancer is known to have abundant copy number alterations (CNAs) that greatly contribute to its pathogenesis and progression. Investigation of CNA regions could potentially help identify oncogenes and tumor suppressor genes and infer cancer mechanisms. Although single-nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) arrays have strengthened our ability to identify CNAs with unprecedented resolution, a comprehensive collection of CNA information from SNP array data is still lacking. We developed a web-based CaSNP (http://cistrome.dfci.harvard.edu/CaSNP/) database for storing and interrogating quantitative CNA data, which curated ∼11 500 SNP arrays on 34 different cancer types in 104 studies. With a user input of region or gene of interest, CaSNP will return the CNA information summarizing the frequencies of gain/loss and averaged copy number for each study, and provide links to download the data or visualize it in UCSC Genome Browser. CaSNP also displays the heatmap showing copy numbers estimated at each SNP marker around the query region across all studies for a more comprehensive visualization. Finally, we used CaSNP to study the CNA of protein-coding genes as well as LincRNA genes across all cancer SNP arrays, and found putative regions harboring novel oncogenes and tumor suppressors. In summary, CaSNP is a useful tool for cancer CNA association studies, with the potential to facilitate both basic science and translational research on cancer.
Canceling Induced Master Motion in Force-Reflecting Teleoperation

Providing the user with high-fidelity force feedback has persistently challenged the field of telerobotics. This paper presents a new approach for achieving stable, high-gain force reflection via cancellation of the master mechanism’s induced motion. In a classic position-force controller, high force-feedback levels drive the system’s internal master-slave loop unstable during contact with the remote environment. Lowering the force-feedback gain ensures stability but diminishes the haptic cues available to the user, masking contacts and preventing hard objects from feeling appropriately stiff. The proposed cancellation approach permits high levels of force feedback by attenuating only the controller’s internal loop. Using a model of the master mechanism’s response to applied force feedback, an estimate of induced high-frequency movement is substracted from the master’s measured position to approximate the user’s intended path for the slave. The cancellation technique is described, modeled, and validated herein, including testing on a one-degree-of-freedom telerobotic system. It is shown to improve the feel of the system, tripling the testbed’s achievable force-feedback gain without compromising stability.Copyright © 2004 by ASME
Merging auditory and visual phonetic information: A critical test for feedback?

The present description of the Merge model addresses only auditory, not audiovisual, speech perception. However, recent findings in the audiovisual domain are relevant to the model. We outline a test that we are conducting of the adequacy of Merge, modified to accept visual information about articulation.
The Diagnosis and Treatment of Thyroid-Associated Ophthalmopathy

Background Little is written in the plastic surgery literature about thyroid-associated ophthalmopathy (TAO), a condition that is separate from Graves–Basedow disease and may not be accompanied by hyperthyroidism. Many patients with this disease frequently seek periocular aesthetic reconstruction prior to medical workup.
Halogen Based Surface Chemistries for Graphene Synthesis

Halogen based (CF4 and Cl2) inductively coupled reactive ion etching (ICP-RIE) has been used to selectively etch silicon from 6H-SiC to produce a controlled number of carbon layers. After annealing at temperatures in the range of 550 °C to 1100 °C to reconstruct the near surface layers, x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy has been used to characterize the composition of the films. For the Cl2 based ICP-RIE, two carbon species are observed. One is due to carbon bound as SiC in the substrate and a second which can be attributed to graphene. In the case of CF4 based etching the situation is similar except the second peak is most closely aligned with p-type graphene. This is most likely due to electron transfer from the graphene to the trace levels of fluorine remaining on the surface after annealing.
The Role of the Medical Director in the Nursing Home

The medical director's role in the nursing home will continue to be a crucial one, but because of the limited availability of physicians, this role should be redefined realistically to insure economical and appropriate use of physicians' services. The roles of administrator and of director of nursing services also need redefinition for effective use of their disciplines and to avoid confusion in their functions. The nurse's role should be expanded because of the needs of the patient and the availability and competency of nurses to care for the aged and chronically ill. This would result in better use of the services of both physicians and nurses. The members of all three disciplines should collaborate in redesigning the nursing home programs to meet the intense and complex needs of the patients.
The Coordination of Centromere Replication, Spindle Formation, and Kinetochore–Microtubule Interaction in Budding Yeast

The kinetochore is a protein complex that assembles on centromeric DNA to mediate chromosome–microtubule interaction. Most eukaryotic cells form the spindle and establish kinetochore–microtubule interaction during mitosis, but budding yeast cells finish these processes in S-phase. It has long been noticed that the S-phase spindle in budding yeast is shorter than that in metaphase, but the biological significance of this short S-phase spindle structure remains unclear. We addressed this issue by using ask1-3, a temperature-sensitive kinetochore mutant that exhibits partially elongated spindles at permissive temperature in the presence of hydroxyurea (HU), a DNA synthesis inhibitor. After exposure to and removal of HU, ask1-3 cells show a delayed anaphase entry. This delay depends on the spindle checkpoint, which monitors kinetochore–microtubule interaction defects. Overproduction of microtubule-associated protein Ase1 or Cin8 also induces spindle elongation in HU-arrested cells. The spindle checkpoint-dependent anaphase entry delay is also observed after ASE1 or CIN8 overexpression in HU-arrested cells. Therefore, the shorter spindle in S-phase cells is likely to facilitate proper chromosome–microtubule interaction.
Factor Structure and Reliability of the Alzheimer's Disease Assessment Scale in a Multicenter Trial With Linopirdine:

The Alzheimer's Disease Assessment Scale (ADAS) has assumed a primary role in assessment of treatment responses in large-scale multicenter trials of drugs being evaluated for treatment of dementia in elderly patients. Data from 280 patients with Alzheimer's disease were analyzed to evaluate factor structure and reliability. Results confirm the presence of three primary factors interpreted as mental status, verbal fluency, and praxis. The presence of a large general factor underlying those more specific dimensions also supports the utility of the composite ADAS cognitive score that has been used as a primary outcome measure in previous drug trials. Test-retest reliability of the factor scores were calculated to be 0.83, 0.78, and 0.87. Test-retest reliability of the composite ADAS cognitive score was 0.90. Statistics useful for estimation of sample sizes for future multicenter trials are provided.
Combining simulation and optimization to solve the multimachine interference problem

Optimal allocation of operations to automated ma chines becomes more complex if the labor force or the machinery is heterogeneous. The stochastic nature of the system must also be considered. Thus the problem is a stochastic, integer, nonlinear con strained-optimization problem. We solve it by con structing a simulation model of the operator/machine system and optimizing the simulator using several direct-search methods. The results provide optimal or near-optimal strategies for assigning operators of different skill levels to multiple classes of machines under constraints of operator availability.
Neutron-Deuteron and Neutron-Neutron Total Cross Sections in the Range 25-60 MeV

Measurements of the $n\ensuremath{-}d$ total cross section to a precision of 1% are reported for the energy range 25-60 MeV. Nearly monoenergetic neutron beams were used whose energy was determined to about \ifmmode\pm\else\textpm\fi{}100 keV. The experimental values of ${\ensuremath{\sigma}}_{\mathrm{nd}}$ for energies \ensuremath{\ge}36 MeV are several percent larger than previous measurements in this range. Assuming charge symmetry, ${\ensuremath{\sigma}}_{\mathrm{nn}}$ can be calculated from the $T=1$ phase shifts. The differences between experimental values of (${\ensuremath{\sigma}}_{\mathrm{nd}}\ensuremath{-}{\ensuremath{\sigma}}_{\mathrm{np}}$) and ${\ensuremath{\sigma}}_{\mathrm{nn}}$ calculations are small and fairly well accounted for by correction terms based on the method of Glauber.
Public Health Surveillance for Coccidioidomycosis in Arizona

Coccidioidomycosis or Valley Fever is a fungal disease that occurs primarily in the southwestern United States. Of the estimated 150,000 U. S. coccidioidomycosis infections per year, approximately 60% occur in Arizona, making this state the focal point for investigation of the disease. In this manuscript, we describe the epidemiology of coccidioidomycosis reported in Arizona over the last decade, hypotheses for the findings, and Arizona's response to the rising epidemic. Coccidioidomycosis surveillance data in Arizona consist of basic demographics of all laboratory and physician-diagnosed cases, the reporting of which has been mandated by law since 1997. The rate of reported coccidioidomycosis has more than quadrupled over the last decade from 21 cases per 100,000 population in 1997 to 91 cases per 100,000 in 2006 (P /=65 years old) have more than doubled since 2000 (P < 0.001). These data demonstrate the rising coccidioidomycosis epidemic in Arizona, especially among the elderly. The increase in the numbers of reported cases can be partially explained by the institution of mandatory laboratory reporting in 1997, but the cause of the persistent rise after 1999 is unknown. Further investigation of coccidioidomycosis will not only assist with the development of public health interventions to control this disease in Arizona and the southwestern United States, but will also provide important information to prepare for a bioterrorism event caused by this select agent.
Stories We Tell One Another: Narrative Reflection and the Art of Oncology

Storytelling is a deeply human act—ancient, universal, and familiar. But in this data-driven “Information Age,” is there still room for narrative? As oncologists, we often feel overclocked, increas...
GROUND STATE CORRELATIONS AS VARIATIONAL PARAMETERS IN THE NUCLEAR MANY- BODY PROBLEM.

Abstract It is shown that amplitudes which normally occur in the random phase approximation (RPA) can be considered as variational parameters in an approximate theory of the ground state, allowing arbitrary 2p-2h excitations of a Hartree-Fock substrate. These amplitudes obey equations which differ in detail from the RPA, though the two sets are shown to coincide in the weak coupling limit. All the desirable mathematical and physical properties of the RPA have their counterpart in the new theory, but in addition correlations are guaranteed to be given correctly near the weak coupling limit. The method is applied to an exactly soluble model and some comparison with other approximation methods is made.
There goes the neighbourhood: Eps8 joins the barbed-end crowd.

The finding that Eps8 caps the barbed ends of actin filaments adds to the growing list of factors responsible for controlling the dynamics of actin polymerization. The requirements for these capping proteins may vary in each cellular context, but EPS-8 seems to be critical during intestinal morphogenesis in the worm.
Resonance Charge Transfer and Population Inversion Following C 5 + and C 6 + Interactions with Carbon Atoms in a Laser-Generated Plasma

Enhanced population of the $n=4$ excited state is measured in both ${\mathrm{C}}^{4+}$ and ${\mathrm{C}}^{5+}$ ions in agreement with a theory for formation by resonance charge transfer between carbon ions and atoms. A background gas modifies and mixes the interacting particles originating from a carbon surface vaporized by a focused laser beam. Population inversions capable of producing quasi-cw amplification in the extreme ultraviolet region are measured.
Association between muscle fiber composition and blood pressure levels during exercise in men

Normotensive individuals with a magnified blood pressure (BP) level during exercise have an increased risk for developing hypertension. The purpose of this study was to determine if skeletal muscle fiber type is related to the BP level during exercise. Peak BP was determined in 35 normotensive, middle-aged (mean +/- SE, 46.0 +/- 1.8 years) men during maximal treadmill exercise. Fiber distribution (I, IIa, IIb) was measured in muscle samples (percutaneous needle biopsy) from the vastus lateralis and lateral gastrocnemius. The systolic BP during exercise was significantly (P < .05) related to the percentage of type IIb fibers in both the vastus lateralis (r = 0.37) and gastrocnemius (r = 0.38). Mean arterial pressure BP was also related to the percentage of type IIb fibers in the gastrocnemius (r = 0.39, P < .05), with a similar trend evident in the vastus lateralis (r = 0.31, P = 0.08). The percentage of type IIb muscle fibers in both muscle groups was associated with (P < .05) body fat (vastus lateralis, r = 0.44; gastrocnemius, r = 0.43). There were no relationships between the relative percentage of type I or IIa fibers with any BP parameters. Maximal oxygen consumption was negatively related to BP, but only when expressed relative to body weight (mL x kg(-1) x min(-1)). These data suggest that muscle morphology is related to the blood pressure level during exercise and provides insight into factors that may predispose individuals toward the development of hypertension and cardiovascular disease.
Quantum Chaotic Attractor in a Dissipative System

A dissipative quantum system is treated here by coupling it with a heat bath of harmonic oscillators. Through quantum Langevin equations and Ehrenfest's theorem, we establish explicitly the quantum Duffing equations with a double-well potential chosen. A quantum noise term appears the only driving force in dynamics. Numerical studies show that the chaotic attractor exists in this system while chaos is certainly forbidden in the classical counterpart.
Vortex Proliferation in the Berezinskii-Kosterlitz-Thouless Regime on a Two-Dimensional Lattice of Bose-Einstein Condensates

We observe the proliferation of vortices in the Berezinskii-Kosterlitz-Thouless regime on a two-dimensional array of Josephson-coupled Bose-Einstein condensates. As long as the Josephson (tunneling) energy J exceeds the thermal energy T, the array is vortex free. With decreasing J/T, vortices appear in the system in ever greater numbers. We confirm thermal activation as the vortex-formation mechanism and obtain information on the size of bound vortex pairs as J/T is varied.
COMPLETE RESPONSE OF INOPERABLE HEPATOBLASTOMA TO ADRIAMYCIN

Total surgical excision of hepatoblastoma, an uncommon malignancy of early childhood has been the only favorable therapy for this disease. The tumor is poorly responsive to both radiation and standard chemotherapy. The case described is that of an 8 month old white male who presented with a huge abdominal mass. Laparotomy disclosed replacement of the entire liver with nodular tumor masses. Biopsy revealed mixed hepatoblastoma consisting of embryonal malignant epithelial cells and osteoid formation. No distant metastases were evident. Alpha-fetoprotein was negative. 1500 r Co60 was delivered to the liver over 25 days without change in tumor size. This was followed after 2 weeks rest by 5 courses of Adriamycin 30 mg/m2 in 3 daily doses at 3 week intervals or at marrow recovery. Serial physical examinations showed marked reduction in tumor size following chemotherapy. Radiologically, surgical clips migrated laterally and right upper guadrant calcification appeared. Five months after chemotherapy a second laparotomy was performed. The liver appeared normal and biopsies revealed no tumor. Adriamycin has been shown to have significant activity against a variety of tumors including osteogenic sarcoma. It is possible that the osteoid elements in this tumor were also sensitive as demonstrated by the calcifications seen radiographically. Further Adriamycin trials are warranted in this tumor.
Abstract 3356: A controversial study on well reported liver cancer stem cell marker

Proceedings: AACR 101st Annual Meeting 2010‐‐ Apr 17‐21, 2010; Washington, DC Recent studies suggest that the presence of cancer stem cells (CSC) could be linked with patients’ survival. The ability of cancers to grow indefinitely has fueled the idea that cancer and stem cells may have common underlying mechanisms. It has been suggested that tumors are initiated from cancer stem cells (CSCs) with proliferation potential drives the growth of cancer. CSCs are resistant to chemotherapy and radiation. However, the suggested cancer stem cell markers in human hepatocellular carcinoma cells are variable and confused. In this study, we profiled some of the most reported CSC markers, including CD133, epithelial cell adhesion molecule (EpCAM), aldehyde dehydrogenase (ALDH), CD90, CD24, c-kit, global-H and stemness genes in eight human hepatocellular carcinoma cell lines. Through specific marker expressed cell sorting by FACs aria or magnetic beads, the CSC associated drug resistance and tumorigenicity were further evaluated. However, there is no obvious difference among parental group, marker-positive group and marker-negative group in these CSC characteristics evaluated. It seems no good correlation between reported markers in liver cancer stem cells. Therefore, presence of markers alone should be taken with caution as single prognostic parameters. Through harsh culture condition, spheroid cell grew and had been isolated, which perform CSC-like properties. Moreover, forced activation of an ESC-like gene expression program can reprogram HCC cells into CSC-like cells and achieve pathologic self-renewal. The ability to create induced cancer stem cells (iCSC) may provide opportunities to better define the biology of cancer stem cells in order to trace or eliminate them in human patients. Citation Format: {Authors}. {Abstract title} [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 101st Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2010 Apr 17-21; Washington, DC. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2010;70(8 Suppl):Abstract nr 3356.
Porting of an Edge-Based CFD Solver to GPUs

Graphics processing units (GPUs) are increasingly becoming a mainstream platform for high performance computational fluid dynamics. This paper describes the porting of a substantial portion of FEFLO, an adaptive, edge-based finite element code for the solution of compressible and incompressible flow, to run on GPUs. The code is primarily written in Fortran 77 and has been ported to vector, shared memory parallel (via OpenMP) and distributed memory parallel (via MPI) machines. Due to the large scale of FEFLO and the likelihood of human error in porting, specialized code was written to perform automated translation from the OpenMP-parallelized edge and point loops to GPU kernels, implemented in either CUDA C or CUDA Fortran.
TEM immunogold staining of C3 from plasma onto titanium oxides.

Immunogold staining in conjunction with TEM was used to observe C3 adsorption from plasma in relation to the underlying titanium structure of thermal, anodic, and electropolished oxides. Heat treatments and oxide thickness were found to have no significant effect on the adsorption behavior of C3, while surface oxide type possibly has. Surface concentration of C3 was found to be time- and plasma concentration-dependent. Evidence is given for the possible involvement of C3 in protein exchange, i.e., the Vroman effect. Diluted plasma resulted in a random distribution of gold colloids, whereas clustering occurred with undiluted plasma. Although C3 concentrations present on grain boundaries followed the same trend as that found on the surface, C3 was found to have a higher grain boundary than bulk concentration for 0.1% plasma.
Analysis of two-dimensional thin structures (from micro- to nano-scales) using the boundary element method

In this paper, the boundary element method (BEM) based on elasticity theory is developed for two-dimensional (2-D) thin structures with the thickness to length ratio in the micro (10−6) or nano (10−9) scales. An efficient analytical method is developed to deal with the nearly-singular integrals in the boundary integral equation (BIE) for 2-D thin structures. The nearly-singular integrals, which are line integrals for 2-D problems and arise when two boundary curves are close to each other, are transformed into function evaluations at the two end points of the element of integration. In addition, a new nonlinear coordinate transformation is developed for nearly weakly-singular integrals to further increase the numerical accuracy. For the test problems studied, very promising results are obtained when the thickness to length ratio is in the orders of 10−6 to 10−9, which is sufficient for modeling most thin structures in the micro- or nano-scales. The developed method can be applied readily to model layered coatings, thin films or other layered structures to analyze contact stresses, interfacial cracks, thermal effects and nonlinear deformations.
Toxicologic aspects of implants.

Man-made polymeric materials are being utilized in a number of devices which will be implanted into animals and humans for various periods of time. The diversity of materials and the introduction of new materials into the medical and paramedical professions appear to be increasing at an accelerated rate each year. Even though great advancements have been made by the biomedical engineer and the surgeon in designing and implanting a prosthetic device in the body, less emphasis apparently has been given to the possible or potential hazardous aspects of the material. An implantable material may initiate a body response in two general ways: (1) release of an ingredient from the material to the biological environment and (2) alteration of the material by the biological environment, leading to degradation of the material with its various consequences. If serious future hazards are to be kept to a minimum, greater emphasis must be placed on well-designed toxicity studies of materials which, in turn, could lead to standardized materials for implants.
A measurement-based power system model for dynamic response estimation and instability warning

Abstract Traditional power system dynamic models are very complex due to the intricacy of power system networks and can be inaccurate for control because of the amount of details needed and the fact that the grid topology changes all the time. With the fast deployment of a large number of phasor measurement units (PMUs) in the transmission network, a purely measurement-based model for dynamics estimation and control may be obtained. After a preliminary examination of the strong linearity of large-scale power systems, this paper proposes a linear autoregressive with exogenous input model (ARX)-structured power system dynamic model and demonstrates that this proposed model is effective in power system dynamic response estimation and instability warning. Both simulation and real measurement data have been used to validate the proposed method.
Design notebooks as indicators of student participation in team activities

The motivation of this study is to enhance the traditional uses of design notebooks as teamwork assessment tools. Here, this is done by relating the individual student's entries in the design notebook to peer evaluations. The objective of this study is to show that design notebooks are also effective indicators of good teamwork participation. During the course, students are introduced to essential elements of reflective thinking in the engineering design, the design process, and teamwork. A pedagogical approach developed by the authors is used to guide the students to the completion of their engineering design project. This is a pedagogical approach to creative engineering design education that has previously been shown to establish a close relationship with and within design teams of students. The students are also instructed on the writing of effective design notebooks. The design notebooks are evaluated on five essential elements based on rubrics developed. A separate tool for peer evaluation of the team members is developed and applied. The correlation of the data obtained from design notebooks to that from the peer evaluation is discussed. Suggestions are made on how design notebooks could be enhanced to provide information on team dynamics.
A statistical method for alignment-free comparison of regulatory sequences

Motivation: The similarity of two biological sequences has traditionally been assessed within the well-established framework of alignment. Here we focus on the task of identifying functional relationships between cis-regulatory sequences that are non-orthologous or greatly diverged. ‘Alignment-free’ measures of sequence similarity are required in this regime. Results: We investigate the use of a new score for alignment-free sequence comparison, called the score. It is based on comparing the frequencies of all fixed-length words in the two sequences. An important, novel feature of the score is that it is comparable across sequence pairs drawn from arbitrary background distributions. We present a method that gives quadratic improvement in the time complexity of calculating the score, over the naive method. We then evaluate the score on several tissue-specific families of cis-regulatory modules (in Drosophila and human). The new score is highly successful in discriminating functionally related regulatory sequences from unrelated sequence pairs. The performance of the score is compared to five other alignment-free similarity measures, and shown to be consistently superior to all of these measures. Availability: Our implementation of the score will be made freely available as source code, upon publication of this article, at: http://veda.cs.uiuc.edu/d2z/ Contact: sinhas@cs.uiuc.edu Supplementary information: Supplementary data are available at Bioinformatics online.
THE FATE OF A BUNKER FUEL IN BEACH SAND

ABSTRACT The dispersed oil concentrations in sand from three San Francisco area beaches have been measured over a 143 day period following an 840,000 gallon bunker fuel spill in San Francisco Bay. The dispersed oil remaining within the beaches after cleanup was extensively weathered while visible oil globules exhibited only minor weathering. Elevated levels of chloroform-extractable material were observed at two sampling locations following the spill. The background levels of chloroform-extractable materials determined from log-normal distribution analysis were ten-fold higher on bay beaches than on ocean beaches. Laboratory experiments indicated that in a beach system evaporation, dissolution, and microbial degradation combine to remove the lower molecular weight fractions of bunker fuel. A major effect of the beach is to disperse the oil. This dispersal has been shown to greatly enhance the effect of dissolution on the composition of bunker fuel. While the effect of exposure to water on the composition ...
Integration of a Medical Voice Program in the Performing Community: Establishing an Extended Voice Team Network

This article will summarize the process of establishing and growing relationships with professional voice users and vocal organizations in the community, including educational institutions, large- ...
Thermal conductivity and heat transfer through the snow on the ice of the Beaufort Sea

[1] Eighty-nine point measurements of the thermal conductivity (ks) of the snow on the sea ice of the Beaufort Sea were made using a heated needle probe. Average values ranged from 0.078 W m−1 K−1 for new snow to 0.290 W m−1 K−1 for an ubiquitous wind slab. ks increased with increasing density, consistent with published equations, but could also be reliably estimated from the metamorphic state of the snow. Using measured values of ks and snow stratigraphy, the average bulk value for the full snowpack was 0.14 W m−1 K−1. In contrast, ks inferred from ice growth and temperature gradients in the snow was 0.33 W m−1 K−1. The mismatch arises in part because the second estimate is based on measurements from an aggregate scale that includes enhanced heat flow due to two- and three-dimensional snow and ice geometry. A finite element model suggests that the complex geometry produces areas of concentrated heat loss at the snow surface. These “hot spots,” however, increase the apparent conductivity only by a factor of 1.4, not enough to fully explain the mismatch. Nonconductive heat transfer mechanisms, like natural and forced air convection, may also be operating in the snowpack, though the ubiquitous presence of low permeability wind slabs potentially limits their effectiveness. The relative contributions of effects due to snow and ice geometric and nonconductive processes within the snowpack remain uncertain.
Graph search joint path planning for robot center of gravity positioning

Motivated toward dynamic rolling control of hybrid walking-climbing-rolling robots, this paper presents a greedy graph search method using two different metrics for purposes of joint path planning for a planar three degree of freedom hybrid mobility robot. Given an initial configuration and a desired net center of gravity location for the robot, the graph search finds joint paths that relocate the robotpsilas center of gravity to the desired position without causing its links to collide. An emphasis is placed on fast search times such that the planners may be used as part of real-time control loops for rolling mobile robots.
Modified Hudson-Kreitman-Aguade test and two-dimensional evaluation of neutrality tests.

There are a number of polymorphism-based statistical tests of neutrality, but most of them focus on either the amount or the pattern of polymorphism. In this article, a new test called the two-dimensional (2D) test is developed. This test evaluates a pair of summary statistics in a two-dimentional field. One statistic should summarize the pattern of polymorphism, while the other could be a measure of the level of polymorphism. For the latter summary statistic, the polymorphism-divergence ratio is used following the idea of the Hudson–Kreitman–Aguade (HKA) test. To incorporate the HKA test in the 2D test, a summary statistic-based version of the HKA test is developed such that the polymorphism–divergence ratio at a particular region of interest is examined if it is consistent with the average of those in other independent regions.
Morphine-Induced Muscle Rigidity in a Term Neonate

Objective:To describe a potentially fatal adverse drug event after administration of morphine to a term neonate.Case Summary:A 2-day-old term neonate experienced generalized muscle rigidity and laryngeal spasm resulting in acute respiratory failure on 2 separate occasions after morphine administration. The first occasion was after administration of bolus doses of fentanyl and morphine 100 μg/kg in the operating theater; administration of intravenous propofol 2 mg/kg resulted in relief of muscle rigidity. The second occasion occurred a few hours later, when the patient received a continuous infusion of morphine 4.4 μg/kg/h in the intensive care unit and experienced generalized muscle rigidity with respiratory compromise. The opioid antagonist naloxone 30 μg/kg was administered intravenously, which immediately resulted in a patent airway and spontaneous breathing. An objective causality assessment using the Naranjo probability scale revealed that the likelihood of morphine causing the patient's muscle rigid...
The awarding of the Copley Medal and the ‘discovery’ of the law of conservation of energy: Joule, Mayer and Helmholtz revisited

This article analyses the awarding of the Royal Society's Copley Medal to James Prescott Joule (1870), Julius Robert Mayer (1871) and Hermann Helmholtz (1873) in the wake of the establishment of the law of conservation of energy during the 1850s and 1860s. It seeks to reconstruct the context in which the awards occurred, emphasizing at once a combination of individual scientific achievement, advocacy on behalf of Joule's supporters, nationalism, and the special role that Helmholtz played thanks to the strong social relationship that he had developed with the British scientific elite in the two decades before receiving his award, the last of the three. The award in turn strengthened that relationship, as the great subject of discussion in physics now gradually turned from thermodynamics to electromagnetism and to reaching practical agreements in electrical metrology between the British, the Germans and others.
Efficacy testing of a defined competitive exclusion product in combination with fructooligosaccharide for protection against Salmonella Typhimurium challenge in broiler chicks

SUMMARY Three replicate trials were conducted to evaluate the ability of fructooligosaccharide (FOS), in combination with a defined competitive exclusion (dCE) culture, to reduce cecal colonization of Salmonella Typhimurium in 1-d-old naive broiler chicks. Fructooligosaccharide is an oligosaccharide that cannot be directly utilized by avian or mammalian species, but that can be fermented and utilized for growth by many bacterial species. For each trial, 4 groups were established, with each group receiving a different treatment (FOS only, FOS + dCE, dCE only, and nontreatment controls). Forty-eight hours after the administration of each group-specific treatment, ceca were harvested from 5 chicks in each group to evaluate the establishment of the competitive exclusion culture through cecal propionate levels. The remaining chicks were challenged with 10 4 cfu of Salmonella Typhimurium by oral gavage. Body weight gain and feed intake were monitored throughout the trials. Seven days after Salmonella challenge, the ceca and crops were aseptically collected from all chicks. Both direct plating for enumeration and enrichment were performed to assess the level of Salmonella colonization in these chicks. Chicks in the dCE-only and dCE + FOS groups had consistently higher cecal propionate levels than the chicks in the FOS-only and nontreatment control groups. Body weight gain and feed conversion were not consistently different among the 4 treatment groups. However, enriched and direct-plated levels of Salmonella were consistently lower in both the crops and ceca of chicks in the dCE-only and dCE + FOS groups when compared with the FOS-only and nontreatment control groups. No significant differences were consistently observed between the dCE-only and dCE + FOS groups in any measured category.
Avicenna (Ibn Sina)

980–1037 Physician/philosopher whose works, originally written in Arabic, had a formative influence between the twelfth and seventeenth centuries on medicine, medical education, early modern science and philosophy. Keywords: the Canon; medicine; medical education; mind/body; philosophy; thought experiment; vision; Aquinas; Descartes; Greek science; Galen; Aristotle; Hippocratic tradition; Paracelsus; Pavlovian conditioning
Quality measures for the care of patients with insomnia.

The American Academy of Sleep Medicine (AASM) commissioned five Workgroups to develop quality measures to optimize management and care for patients with common sleep disorders including insomnia. F...
An empirical study of natural language parsing of privacy policy rules using the SPARCLE policy workbench

Today organizations do not have good ways of linking their written privacy policies with the implementation of those policies. To assist organizations in addressing this issue, our human-centered research has focused on understanding organizational privacy management needs, and, based on those needs, creating a usable and effective policy workbench called SPARCLE. SPARCLE will enable organizational users to enter policies in natural language, parse the policies to identify policy elements and then generate a machine readable (XML) version of the policy. In the future, SPARCLE will then enable mapping of policies to the organization's configuration and provide audit and compliance tools to ensure that the policy implementation operates as intended. In this paper, we present the strategies employed in the design and implementation of the natural language parsing capabilities that are part of the functional version of the SPARCLE authoring utility. We have created a set of grammars which execute on a shallow parser that are designed to identify the rule elements in privacy policy rules. We present empirical usability evaluation data from target organizational users of the SPARCLE system and highlight the parsing accuracy of the system with the organizations' privacy policies. The successful implementation of the parsing capabilities is an important step towards our goal of providing a usable and effective method for organizations to link the natural language version of privacy policies to their implementation, and subsequent verification through compliance auditing of the enforcement logs.
Effect of cholecystokinin on human cholangiocarcinoma xenografted into nude mice

Gastrointestinal polypeptide hormones regulate growth of various normal gastrointestinal tissues as well as certain visceral cancers. Since cholecystokinin (CCK) promotes growth of normal biliary tract, we sought to determine whether CCK affects the growth and metabolism of human cholangiocarcinoma line SLU 132. Twenty-six nude mice with s.c. xenografts of this cancer received either CCK octapeptide (50 micrograms/kg/dose) or 0.9% NaCl solution (saline) twice a day i.p. for 14 days. Tumor volume was calculated from Vernier caliper measurements. At sacrifice on Day 15, tumors were excised, weighed, and examined histologically. DNA, RNA, and protein were measured in the xenografted carcinomas. Because this cholangiocarcinoma produces carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA), we obtained serum at sacrifice for CEA radioimmunoassay and also tumor tissue for CEA immunolabeling with murine anti-CEA monoclonal antibody. Serum CEA levels were 90% higher in the CCK-treated group. Tumor tissue in the CCK-treated group also contained more CEA than did the controls. Mean tumor volume increased significantly in the saline group during the 14-day treatment period, whereas mean tumor volume did not increase significantly in the CCK group. Exogenous high-dose CCK thus appears to increase production and release of CEA from SLU-132; it also appears to retard growth of this tumor line in the nude mouse.