cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
INTERCOMPARISON OF THREE URBAN CLIMATE MODELS

An intercomparison of the surface energy budgets from three urban climate models was made to assess the comparability of results, and to evaluate the surface energy fluxes from each model. The three models selected spanned the continuum of approaches currently employed in the treatment of the effects of urban geometry. The first model was an urban canopy-layer model which explicitly examined urban canyon geometry. The second model treated the city as a warm, rough, moist plate but included greatly simplified parameterizations of urban geometry. Neither model included a dynamic link to the urban boundary-layer. The third model was a one-dimensional urban boundary-layer model which utilized a simple warm, rough, moist plate approach but included a dynamic coupling of the urban surface layer to the urban boundary-layer. Results showed considerable disagreement between the three models in regards to the individual energy fluxes. Average rankings of the energy fluxes in terms of comparability from high-to-low similarity were: (1) solar radiation, (2) sensible heat flux, (3) conduction, (4) latent heat flux, (5) longwave re-radiation, and (6) longwave radiation input. In general, the urban canopy-layer model provided more realistic results, although each model demonstrated strong and weak points. Results indicate that current urban boundary-layer models may produce surface energy budgets with lower sensible heat fluxes and substantially higher latent heat fluxes than is supported by field evidence from the literature.
Excitation of polyatomic molecules by radiation

Abstract An elementary procedure for calculating quantum mechanically the time-dependent rotation-vibration wave function for a collisionless model of a polyatomic molecule in a monochromatic radiation field is described and applied to some very simple cases. It is concluded that molecules can in principle be strongly and selectively excited at radiation intensities which are too low to produce appreciable excitation in classical calculations. The excitation process is a coherent multi-photon Rabi precession between two discrete levels followed by a transition to a quasi-continuum of vibration-rotation states.
The Effect of Pregnancy on Rat Urinary Tract Dynamics

AbstractWe investigated the urodynamics of the renal pelvis and bladder during spontaneous bladder filling and emptying in 13 pregnant and 19 nonpregnant Sprague-Dawley rats to examine the characteristics of the dilated urinary tract in pregnancy. For each group renal pelvic and bladder pressures were measured continuously and simultaneously during various urinary flows, while the bladder was filled and emptied. In pregnant rats the ureter was wider and the renal pelvis was longer and wider than in nonpregnant rats. At urinary flows of 10 to 30 ml./kg. per hour pregnant rats had significantly lower renal pelvic pressures than nonpregnant rats during bladder filling. In addition, pregnant rats had higher bladder compliance and capacity than nonpregnant rats (compliance 0.09 plus/minus 0.12 ml./cm. water versus 0.05 plus/minus 0.05 ml./cm. water, p less than 0.01 and bladder capacity 0.669 plus/minus 0.61 ml. versus 0.490 plus/minus 0.38 ml., p less than 0.05). These findings imply that much of the hydroure...
ILLiad, Document Delivery, and the Distance Student: How Document Delivery Can Enhance Support for Distance Library Users

Academic libraries serve great numbers of distance learners and must address the unique challenges faced by these students. Technology can bridge the gap in terms of access and use of library resources. Academic librarians working with distance students must examine their student population, determine the needs of their users, and be prepared to adapt technology available to meet those needs. Many academic libraries have adapted Online Computer Library Center (OCLC) ILLiad to allow better support of distance learners. Library models that have used OCLC ILLiad or similar software for distance services are discussed and can be used as a model for change in library distance services programs.
Chemical degradation of the intima from normal canine and atherosclerotic human vessels.

Abstract Various enzyme solutions were used in different strengths to selectively remove intima from normal and diseased arteries. The results showed that moderately diseased intima could be removed in human arteries after 30 minutes of perfusion with a 0.5% pronase solution. Areas of severe atherosclerosis took longer to remove and often resulted in degeneration of the elastic and muscularis layers in adjacent normal areas. In normal canine vessels, complete removal of the intima with preservation of the elastin layer occurred after 10 minutes of perfusion with 0.5% pronase solution.
Performance modeling and optimization of parallel out-of-core tensor contractions

The Tensor Contraction Engine (TCE) is a domain-specific compiler for implementing complex tensor contraction expressions arising in quantum chemistry applications modeling electronic structure. This paper develops a performance model for tensor contractions, considering both disk I/O as well as inter-processor communication costs, to facilitate performance-model driven loop optimization for this domain. Experimental results are provided that demonstrate the accuracy and effectiveness of the model.
Reducing the use of nullable types through non-null by default and monotonic non-null

With Java 5 annotations, the authors note a marked increase in tools that can statically detect potential null dereferences. To be effective, such tools require that developers annotate declarations with nullity modifiers and have annotated API libraries. Unfortunately, in the experience of the authors, specifying moderately large code bases, the use of non-null annotations is more labour intensive than it should be. Motivated by this experience, the authors conducted an empirical study of five open source projects totalling 700 K lines-of-code, which confirms that, on average, 75% of reference declarations are meant to be non-null, by design. Guided by these results, the authors propose the adoption of non-null-by-default semantics. This new default has advantages of better matching general practice, lightening developer annotation burden and being safer. The authors also describe the eclipse Java modelling language (JML) Java development tooling (JDT), a tool supporting the new semantics, including the ability to read the extensive API library specifications written in the JML. Issues of backwards compatibility are addressed. In a second phase of the empirical study, the authors analysed the uses of null and noted that over half of the nullable field references are only assigned non-null values. For this category of reference, the authors introduce the concept of monotonic non-null type and illustrate the benefits of its use.
Dietary patterns and diet quality among diverse older adults: the University of Alabama at Birmingham Study of Aging.

Objectives To characterize dietary patterns among a diverse sample of older adults (≥ 65 years).
Na adsorption on Si(100): Dosing results

Depositing Na on the Si(100)2 × 1 surface produces a well ordered 4 × 1 structure at θ = 14, that reverts to a 2 × 1 structure as the coverage increases to θ = 12. The saturation coverage is θ = 0.68, but for low enough temperatures and a high enough Na pressure bulk Na can grow in islands on the surface. The 4 × 1 structure is metastable, irreversibly transforming to a 2 × 3 structure when heated. Careful analysis of the change in work function shows that for 0 < θ < 12, the bonding between the Na and the substrate does not change, and there is no major change in the structure of the Si.
The trials of childhood: The development, reliability, and validity of the daily life stressors scale

The assessment of daily life stress in youngsters is receiving extensive research attention due to its pertinence to psychological and medical problems. This investigation addressed concerns from previous studies of daily life stress in children and adolescents. These included an integration with ratings of negative affectivity, exploration of developmental changes, and presentation of psychometric data. The Daily Life Stressors Scale (DLSS) is a 30-item measure designed to assess the severity of aversive feelings and everday events for youngsters. Three groups of children and adolescents were evaluated to assess the scale's test-retest reliability and construct and concurrent validity. Developmental changes in a normative group were also examined. Results indicated the DLSS to be moderately reliable and valid for children. Also, male children reported more stress than female children, whereas female adolescents reported more stress than male adolescents. Results were discussed with respect to resilience, gender role stress, therapy implications, and usefulness for determining precursors to physiological problems.
Investigating the quality of the school technology needs assessment (STNA) 3.0: A validity and reliability study

Schools and districts should use a well-designed needs assessment to inform important decisions about a range of technology program areas. Presently, there is a lack of valid and reliable instruments available and accessible to schools to effectively assess their educational needs to better design and evaluate their projects and initiatives. The School Technology Needs Assessment (STNA) is a free, user-friendly online survey tool that meets this need for planning and formative evaluation of technology projects in educa- tional settings. This study used existing data from a robust sample (n = 1918) of educators from across North Carolina to examine the reliability and validity of STNA. A collective review of study results including the literature review, exploratory factor analysis (EFA), confirmatory factor analysis (CFA), and internal consistently reliability analysis indicated that STNA was a high-quality instrument.
Prenatal ultrasonographic findings associated with wide clefting of the upper two thirds of the fetal sternum

Complete or partial absence or clefting of the fetal sternum is uncommon. A teenage primiparous patient at 34 weeks' gestation with severe preeclampsia was delivered of an infant with wide clefting of the upper two thirds of the sternum. The infant had no respiratory or cardiac symptoms. There were no other congenital abnormalities. Corrective neonatal surgery was performed at 1 month of age. Retrospective analysis of the ultrasonographic examination performed at 34 weeks revealed evidence of this fetal sternal defect.
Optogenetic Control of Targeted Peripheral Axons in Freely Moving Animals

Optogenetic control of the peripheral nervous system (PNS) would enable novel studies of motor control, somatosensory transduction, and pain processing. Such control requires the development of methods to deliver opsins and light to targeted sub-populations of neurons within peripheral nerves. We report here methods to deliver opsins and light to targeted peripheral neurons and robust optogenetic modulation of motor neuron activity in freely moving, non-transgenic mammals. We show that intramuscular injection of adeno-associated virus serotype 6 enables expression of channelrhodopsin (ChR2) in motor neurons innervating the injected muscle. Illumination of nerves containing mixed populations of axons from these targeted neurons and from neurons innervating other muscles produces ChR2-mediated optogenetic activation restricted to the injected muscle. We demonstrate that an implanted optical nerve cuff is well-tolerated, delivers light to the sciatic nerve, and optically stimulates muscle in freely moving rats. These methods can be broadly applied to study PNS disorders and lay the groundwork for future therapeutic application of optogenetics.
VILLUS EPITHELIAL CELL MIGRATION RATE FOLLOWING RADIATION INJURY IS DEVELOPMENTALLY DETERMINED. • 705

The small intestinal epithelium is continuously renewed by proliferation of cells within the crypts, migration of these cells along the villus and their eventual extrusion at the villus tip. Epithelial cell migration and villus epithelial renewal rates are 4-5X slower in newborn than adult mice and increase progressively through the suckling period. To determine if developmental differences in the dynamics of epithelial renewal alter patterns of epithelial injury and repair, we have examined villus morphology and epithelial cell migration rates in newborn and adult mice following radiation injury. Proliferating cells were labeled with the thymidine analog, BrdUrd, either before or after exposure to 12 Gy gamma-irradiation and examined at intervals following injury using immunohistochemical staining. Epithelial cell migration rates at days of life 5, 8, 14 and adult were compared to age-matched, non-irradiated controls. Replicating cell populations in both adults and newborns decrease for the first 2 days after injury followed by regeneration of the proliferative epithelium. In adult mice the villi progressively shorten and are lost by day 4; however, in newborns the villus epithelium is maintained and villi do not shorten throughout injury-repair. Villus epithelial cells labeled before irradiation continue migration along the villus at normal rates in both adults and newborns. In contrast, regenerative epithelial cells produced 3 days after irradiation in adults migrate 40% slower than controls; while in newborn and suckling mice both cell migration and villus epithelial renewal rates accelerate following injury. From these studies we conclude that: (1) patterns of epithelial injury and repair are different in adult and newborn mice following radiation injury, and(2) the accelerated cell migration rates following irradiation may contribute to maintenance of the villi in newborn animals.
Longer Nanotubes at Lower Temperatures: The Influence of Effective Activation Energies on Carbon Nanotube Growth by Thermal Chemical Vapor Deposition†

Growth of carbon nanotubes (CNTs) by metal-catalyzed thermal chemical vapor deposition (CVD) upon flat silicon substrates is studied as a function of growth temperature. It is found that the CNT growth rate at a given temperature is constant for a certain amount of growth time, after which growth ceases; the product of the growth rate and the growth time gives the ultimate length of the CNTs. Both the growth rate and the growth time are found to depend on the CVD temperature, and this dependence is such that the ultimate CNT length increases as temperature decreases; that is, longer CNTs can be grown at lower temperatures than at higher temperatures. This surprising and counter-intuitive result reflects the interaction of competing factors affecting the CNT growth: the rate at which carbon is incorporated into growing CNTs versus the rate at which catalytic metal particles become inactive. Both of these rates are found to have an Arrhenius form of temperature dependence, with activation energies of 2.0 a...
The ROH,UV concept to characterize and the model UV/H2O2 process in natural waters

A new concept is introduced to characterize and model the UV/H2O2 advanced oxidation process (AOP) in water. Similar to the RCt concept used to describe OH radical exposure per ozone dose, the ROH,UV concept is defined as the experimentally determined •OH radical exposure per UV fluence. ROH,UV was determined by examining the destruction of a probe compound, para-chlorobenzoic acid in four different waters: DI water and three natural waters. ROH,UV was found to be affected greatly by water quality, specifically background •OH radical scavenging, which competed for the formed •OH radical with the probe compound, and background UV absorbance, which screened UV irradiation from the hydrogen peroxide. The ROH,UV values determined in the experiments using low-pressure Hg lamp were greater than those for the medium-pressure Hg lamp . Finally, the ROH,UV concept was utilized to calculate an overall scavenging factor for each water matrix, and this was successfully utilized in conjunction with the steady-state •...
Complexity of optimal vector code generation

Abstract Computers with multiple functional units allow a set of instructions to execute concurrently. An optimizing compiler for these computers needs to schedule its generated scalar and vector code to maximize the runtime performance by minimizing the machine's idle time. Chimes are used to measure the computational length (cpu time) of the generated vector code of a given vector expression tree. This paper shows how to calculate the minimum number of chimes of the optimal vector code for a vector expression tree. We prove that a code generation algorithm which generates optimal code is computationally intractable, even when generating code for a machine with an infinite number of vector registers. This result indicates that heuristic approaches to the code generation problems are needed.
Thermodynamics of Calcite Growth: Baseline for Understanding Biomineral Formation

The complexity of biomineralized structures suggests the potential of organic constituents for controlling energetic factors during crystal synthesis. Atomic force microscopy was used to investigate the thermodynamic controls on carbonate growth and to measure the dependence of step speed on step length and the dependence of critical step length on supersaturation in precisely controlled solutions. These data were used to test the classic Gibbs-Thomson relationship and provided the step edge free energies and free energy barriers to one-dimension nucleation for calcite. Addition of aspartic acid, a common component in biomineralizing systems, dramatically affected growth morphology and altered the magnitude of the surface energy.
The interaction of Babesia caballi kinetes with tick cells

Abstract Babesia caballi caused pathological changes in the vector tick, Anocentor nitents. These included the loss of hemocytes, reddish-brown discoloration of the hemolymph, retardation in clotting, and reduction in egg production. Primary cultures were initiated from A. nitens embryos transovarially infected with B. caballi. Cell lines that were isolated were morphologically similar and composed of stellate, fusiform, and hemocyte-like cells, but none was visibly infected with B. caballi. Primary cultures from heavily infected ticks were not viable and did not develop into lines. Kinetes from hemolymph and organs of A. nitens were cocultivated with cell lines isolated from embryos of A. nitens, Rhipicephalus appendiculatus, and Rhipicephalus sanguineus. They attached to and actively penetrated the cells. Cells that were penetrated by or infected with B. caballi showed rounding off, degeneration, and lysis. In Giemsa-stained spreads prepared after 1 or 2 days in vitro, more kinetes were associated with R. appendiculatus cells when the medium contained A. nitens egg extract (TEE). Ninety percent of the B. caballi kinetes were always found within or in close contact with cells from A. nitens, cultured with or without TEE. The parasites were club shaped, amoeboid, or round. Intracellular Babesia were frequently lying adjacent to the host cell nucleus. In the cultures the parasites were detected by light microscopy for 3 to 5 days; they did not transform into other tick-associated stages and were not seen after 1 week. This is the first report of the cultivation of tick stages of B. caballi in tick cell cultures.
Feedforward Control of Piezoactuator for Evaluating Cilia-Based Micro-Mixing

Abstract This work evaluates the use of different excitation waveforms (using a piezoactuator) to potentially improve biomimetic-cilia-based mixing in microfluidic applications. A challenge in such studies is that, at high frequencies, vibrations in the piezoactuator can distort the positioning achieved, and thereby, limit the ability to evaluate the effect of a desired excitation waveform on mixing. The main contribution of this work is to use feedforward control to account for the vibrational dynamics and avoid unwanted vibrations in the achieved positioning. Moreover, experimental results are presented to show that (i) mixing is substantially improved with the use of cilia when compared to the case without cilia and (ii) mixing with cilia can be further enhanced by using an asymmetric triangular excitation when compared to sinusoidal excitation.
Evolution of disease resistance and quantitative characters in barley Composite Cross II: Independent or correlated?

MUONA, O., ALLARD, R. W. and WEBSTER, R. K. 1984. Evolution of disease resistance and quantitative characters in barley Composite Cross II: Independent or correlated?—Hereditas 101:143–148. Lund, Sweden. ISSN 0018–0661. Associations between quantitative characters and disease resistance were studied in barley Composite Cross II. This population, which was started in 1929 from intercrosses among 28 varieties of barley (Hordeum vulgare L.), has been grown annually at Davis, California without conscious selection. Stored seed from the various years offer opportunities for studying evolutionary changes. Random progenies from generations F23 and F45 were measured for seven quantitative characters and classified for resistance to four races of Rhynchosporium secalis (Oud.) Davis, the causative agent of barley scald. The data were analyzed for associations between the two groups of characters. In the F23, resistant plants differed from susceptible ones in heading date and height, but no such differences were observed in the F45. We also studied whether selection operating on any one character could have brought about, as correlated responses, changes in characters in the other group. We found that the observed changes cannot be accounted for by such selection. Rather, natural selection acted independently on disease resistance and quantitative characters.
Amiodarone therapy does not compromise subsequent heart transplantation

Objectives. The objective of this study was to determine the frequency of pulmonary complications, Feasibility of early hospital discharge and requirements for postoperative inotropic and chronotropic support in patients receiving emiodarone therapy before heart transplantation. Background. Although many patients waiting for heart transplantation will die of arrhythmias before a donor heart is found, the use of amiodarone has been limited by concern about increased complications in the perioperative period. Methods. The 29 patients receiving amiodarone at the time of heart transplantation at University of California, Los Angeles Medical Center between October 1986 and September 1990 were compared with 29 control recipients to evaluate postoperative morbidity. Patients were receiving amiodarone for recurrent ventricular tachyarrhythmias (n = 11), atrial fibrillation (n = 2) or complex ventricular ectopic activity (n = 16). The average daily dose was 360 ± 230 mg/day for an average of 11 ± 22 months before transplantation. Amiodarone and control groups had a similar ejection fraction (0.18 ± 0.07 vs. 0.20 ± 0.08), frequency of coronary disease, age and gender. There were three more status I patients in the control group. OKT3 was given to only two patients receiving amiodarone and 12 control patients at high risk for renal dysfunction. Results. Postoperatively, the duration of assisted ventilation was 21 ± 19 h after amiodarone therapy versus 26 ± 2 h in the control group (20 ± 18 h vs. 15 ± 9 h after excluding patients receiving OKT3), discharge arterial oxygen saturation was >95% in both groups. Two patients in the amiodarone group with a smoking history of >;100 pack-years developed bilateral pulmonary infiltrates of brief duration. Although patients receiving amiodarone required atrial pacing more frequently (eight vs. two patients) and had a lower heart rate at discharge (75 ± 18 vs. 86 ± 11 boats/nin), the duration of inotropic support (2.1 ± 1.5 vs. 3.5 ± 2.5 days) and of hospital stay (10 ± 3 vs. 15 ± 10 days) was not higher in the amiodarone than in the control group. The mortality rate at 30 days was similar in the two groups (6.8% vs. 3.4%, p = NS). Conclusions. Amiodarone therapy before heart transplantation may contribute to occasional pulmonary complications but does not significantly increase perioperative morbidity or mortality with the regimens used in this retrospective study.
Commentary on Caetano, Mills, and Vaeth (2012): The Role of Context on Alcohol Consumption Among Mexican Americans

BACKGROUND: In this commentary, we discuss a study by Caetano and colleagues (2012) that examines alcohol consumption and binge drinking behavior among U.S.-Mexico border and non-border Mexican Americans using data from the Hispanic Americans Baseline Alcohol Survey. METHODS: We discuss how Caetano and colleagues (2012) addressed 3 gaps in our understanding of drinking behaviors among Hispanics: (1) effects of living near the U.S.-Mexico border, (2) gender differences in drinking behaviors, and (3) alcohol-related outcomes among young women. RESULTS: Findings suggest that Mexican American men and women living along the U.S.-Mexico border reported higher levels of drinking than their U.S. metropolitan counterparts (Caetano et al., 2012). CONCLUSIONS: This study represents an important contribution to the dearth of studies investigating disparities in alcohol-related consequences among Hispanic young adults living along the U.S.-Mexico border. Future research needs to examine why contextual factors of the U.S.-Mexico border generate differential effects in the Mexican American population. Language: en
Comparison of the sensitivity of the indirect, antibody-conjugated and the triple-bridge immunoperoxidase methods for immunohistochemical detection of carcinoembryonic antigen.

A comparison between two immunoperoxidase staining procedures, a triple-bridge and an indirect, antibody-conjugated method, was made to determine the relative sensitivity of each technique in the detection of carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) in routine tissue sections. The enzyme-antibody conjugates for the indirect procedure were prepared according to the method of Nakane and Kawaoi (1974). The indirect, antibody-conjugated method, proved to be slightly more sensitive than the triple-bridge by two criteria. First, CEA could be localized using higher dilutions of the primary antiserum by the indirect technique, and secondly, tissues were shown to stain for CEA in specimens with lower tissue CEA levels by the indirect procedure than by the triple-bridge method. The preparation of enzyme-antibody conjugates is a relatively simple procedure and, in addition, the conjugates will remain stable when kept frozen or at 4°C. Background staining due to non-specific interaction of the conjugate with the tissue can be eliminated easily by incubation with normal serum. These results indicate that the indirect, antibody-conjugated method can be used to enhance the staining of CEA in routine tissue sections.
Accumulation and Partitioning of Dry Matter in Water Yam

There is a scarcity of field-growth data from which a yam (Dioscorea alata L.) growth model could be developed to promote agrotechnology transfer of the crop in the tropics. A 2-yr field study was conducted on Corozal soil (clayey mixed isohypertbermic Aquic Tropudults) in an initial effort to collect data on patterns of leaf area development and dry matter accumulation and partitioning among various plant parts during growth and development of yam plants. In the first year of the study, plants of D. alataa cv. Gunung were subjected to fertilizer rates of 0, 667, 1333, 2000, and 2667 kg ha −1 of a 15-2.2-12.4-3% (N-P-K-Mg) commercial mixture at 50 d after planting (DAP). Biomass harvests were conducted at 60, 90, 120, 150, 180, and 210 DAP. For all plant parts studied, dry matter content was not significantly affected by fertilizer treatment. Even after excluding application of fertilizer during the second year, there were no statistical differences in total and tuber dry matter contnt between years. Maximum leaf area index values (LAI 8) were attained by 140 DAP. During this period, leaves and vines accounted for at least 80% of the total plant dry matter; thereafter, their dry matter content declined. After 140 DAP, increases in total dry matter were the result of rapid increases in tuber dry matter accumulation. The lack of response to fertilizer treatment and high tuber dry matter production suggest that the preplanting soil nutrient status was adequate to support optimum growth of the yam cultivar used during both years of this study, even without the application of fertilizer
Sex biases in parasitism of neotropical bats by bat flies (Diptera: Streblidae)

We describe levels of parasitism of ectoparasitic bat flies (Hippoboscoidea: Streblidae) on male and female bats from an extensive Neotropical survey. The collection resulted from coordinated vertebrate-parasite surveys undertaken by the Smithsonian Venezuelan Project (SVP) from 1965–1968, which sexed 24 978 bats of 130 species. Streblid parasites were recovered from 6935 individuals of 87 bat species, but only 47 species were captured frequently enough (≥ 20 infested individuals) to permit reliable estimates of streblid parasitism on males and females. Well-sampled species included 39 phyllostomids, four mormoopids, two noctilionids, one natalid and one molossid. Prevalence of streblid parasitism (proportion of individuals infested) of male and female bats was generally not significantly different, and averaged 0.34 across infested species. In species-level analyses assessed against captures, significant sex differences in infestation levels were noted in six species; all had mean prevalence below 0.5 and females were parasitized disproportionately in each. Sex differences in total numbers of flies were noted in 21 species, and in 16 of these, females carried disproportionately heavy loads. Sex differences were also found for eight species of bat in the number of fly species infesting an individual; seven of eight showed heavier female parasitism. In analyses weighted by infestation levels, sex differences in total number of flies were found in only 12 species, with seven showing excessive parasitism of females, and no species showed sex differences in the number of fly species infesting them. These significant biases were not associated with sexual size dimorphism among the bat species. Generally higher levels of parasitism among female bats accords with theory, given their generally higher survivorship and enhanced probabilities of lateral and vertical transmission of host-specific parasites, but contrasts with patterns shown by many other parasitic arthropods. Future analyses should target social groupings of bats, not passively sampled foragers, to better address the mechanisms responsible for this pattern.
Configuration and performance of the Los Alamos Aurora KrF/ICF laser system

Because short wavelength lasers are attractive for inertial confinement fusion (ICF) , the Department of Energy is sponsoring work at Los Alamos and the Naval Research Laboratory in KrF laser technology. The Los Alamos National Laboratory is investigating the feasibility of high-power KrF lasers as future ICF drivers. The Aurora Laser System is an end-to-end technology demonstration prototype for large-scale KrF laser systems employing optical angular multiplexing and serial amplification by electron beam driven KrF laser amplifiers. During the last year integration of the Aurora Laser System has been completed and the system has entered the initial operational phase by delivering kilojoule level shots to target. In this paper the current configuration of the system is described and its performance is reported.
Is helical computed tomography effective for diagnosis of blunt aortic injury

Computed tomography has had a questionable role in diagnosing blunt aortic injury (BAI). The objective of this study was to determine the effectiveness of helical computed tomography of the thorax (HCTT) for detection of BAI. Trauma Registry data and medical records were reviewed for 2,854 patients admitted over a 32-month period. A total of 243 patients were identified at risk for BAI. Patients were evaluated for BAI because of chest radiograph, physical examination, or clinical suspicion. Eleven of 2,834 patients sustained BAI. Of 243 patients who sustained blunt torso trauma, 232 patients underwent HCTT. Eleven underwent aortography without HCTT. Sixteen patients had an abnormal HCTT, revealing 9 patients with BAI. No delayed BAI were encountered. HCTT effectively screens for BAI. Aortography can be more specifically applied as a diagnostic study when preceded by HCTT. HCTT should not be used as solitary study for BAI as some injuries identified by HCTT do not represent BAI.
Determination of Gafac in complex solution matrices

A new analytic method is described for determining the concentration of Gafac Re-610 (trademark of the GAF Corporation, New York, NY) in multicomponent solutions. This method utilizes a simple methylene chloride extraction to separate the Gafac from interfering chemical species, such as cupric sulfate. The ultraviolet absorbance of the methylene chloride extract is then measured at 276 nm and is shown to be proportional to the concentration of Gafac over the range of 1-170 ppm. However, this relationship is nonlinear except for concentrations less than 15 ppm. The limit of detection is 0.6 ppm and the relative precision at the 10-ppm level is ±6%. Experiments to optimize and characterize various aspects of the analytical procedure are described, including determining the absorptivity of Gafac, measuring the distribution ratio, calculating extraction efficiencies, optimizing the extraction pH, and evaluating selected spectral interferences.
PAINT: A Promoter Analysis and Interaction Network Generation Tool for Gene Regulatory Network Identification

We have developed a bioinformatics tool named PAINT that automates the promoter analysis of a given set of genes for the presence of transcription factor binding sites. Based on coincidence of regulatory sites, this tool produces an interaction matrix that represents a candidate transcriptional regulatory network. This tool currently consists of (1) a database of promoter sequences of known or predicted genes in the Ensembl annotated mouse genome database, (2) various modules that can retrieve and process the promoter sequences for binding sites of known transcription factors, and (3) modules for visualization and analysis of the resulting set of candidate network connections. This information provides a substantially pruned list of genes and transcription factors that can be examined in detail in further experimental studies on gene regulation. Also, the candidate network can be incorporated into network identification methods in the form of constraints on feasible structures in order to render the algorithms tractable for large-scale systems. The tool can also produce output in various formats suitable for use in external visualization and analysis software. In this manuscript, PAINT is demonstrated in two case studies involving analysis of differentially regulated genes chosen from two microarray data sets. The first set is from a neuroblastoma N1E-115 cell differentiation experiment, and the second set is from neuroblastoma N1E-115 cells at different time intervals following exposure to neuropeptide angiotensin II. PAINT is available for use as an agent in BioSPICE simulation and analysis framework (www.biospice.org), and can also be accessed via a WWW interface at www.dbi.tju.edu/dbi/tools/paint/.
Parotid Gland Nodular Fasciitis: A Clinicopathologic Series of 12 Cases with a Review of 18 Cases from the Literature

Nodular fasciitis (NF), very uncommon in the parotid gland, is a benign myofibroblastic proliferation that may be mistaken for other neoplastic proliferations. The mass-like clinical presentation and histologic features result in frequent misclassification, resulting in inappropriate clinical management. There are only a few reported cases in the English literature. Cases within the files of the authors’ institutions (retrospective) confined to the parotid gland were compared to cases reported in the English literature (Medline 1966–2014). The patients included five females and seven males, aged 11–70 years (mean 45.2 years). All patients presented with a mass lesion, present on average 1.9 months, without a documented history of trauma. The lesions were 0.7–5.2 cm (mean 2.2 cm). Seven patients had fine needle aspiration. The majority of the lesions were circumscribed (n = 9), composed of spindle-shaped to stellate myofibroblasts (MF) arranged in a storiform growth pattern, juxtaposed to hypocellular myxoid tissue-culture-like areas with extravasation of erythrocytes. Dense, keloid-like collagen (n = 7) and occasional giant cells were seen (n = 6). Mitotic figures (without atypical forms) were readily identifiable (mean 4/10 HPFs). By immunohistochemical staining, the MF were reactive with vimentin, actins, and calponin, while the histiocytes were reactive with CD68. All patients had surgical excision. One patient developed local recurrence (12 months later). All were alive and disease free at last follow-up, with a mean 133 months of follow-up. The principle differential diagnoses include fibrosarcoma, fibromatosis, pleomorphic adenoma, myoepithelioma, neurofibroma, schwannoma, solitary fibrous tumor, leiomyoma, fibrous histiocytoma and myxoma. NF of the parotid gland occurs in middle-aged patients who present with a mass (mean 2.2 cm) in the parotid gland of short duration (1.9 months). FNA misinterpretation frequently leads to excision. Separation from myoepithelial and mesenchymal lesions affecting the parotid gland results in appropriate management.
STUDIES OF WHOLE CRAWFISH SHELLS FOR THE REMOVAL OF CHROMIUM, LEAD, AND SELENIUM IONS IN SOLUTION

The objective of this work was to investigate the absorption characteristics, primarily with lead but also chromium and selenium ions in solution, of whole crawfish shells. An increase in the lead concentration in spiked water showed an increase in the lead absorption level. Lead absorbed by 0.5 g of whole crawfish shells was far less when compared to absorption by 0.5 g of ground crawfish shell powder due to particle size. Some of the lead is most likely being precipitated and collected along with the powder. With increase in the volume of lead spiked water, absorption of lead by whole crawfish shells also increased. Results obtained from the pH studies indicated that basic conditions (pH 9.5) are favorable for absorption of lead by both whole crawfish shells and chitin. Crawfish shells exhibited more absorption of lead compared to commercially available (shrimp) chitin at pH 9.5. Crawfish shells absorbed more lead, selenium, and chromium from analyte spiked water when compared to chitin. However, the am...
Estimating the Relative Rotation of Two Tectonic Plates from Boundary Crossings

Abstract Let η1, …, ηs be unknown vectors on the sphere and Ao be an unknown rotation. Suppose that uij are estimates of points lying on the great circle normal to ηi and υik are estimates of points lying on the great circle normal to Aoηi . This article discusses a method to construct a confidence region for Ao . This problem arises in the reconstruction of the relative motion of two tectonic plates on opposing sides of a rift. The boundary on each side is represented by a collection of great circle segments, and Ao is the rotation that takes one boundary into the other. The data consist of measured crossing points uij and υik of the various segments on the opposing boundaries. The analysis completes an analysis of Hellinger (1981). The errors in tectonic data are quite concentrated, and the problem reduces to linear regression. Once this is realized, many interesting problems such as triple junctions or multiple time periods can be examined. The analysis is aided substantially by a parameterization of t...
Paraoxon inhibition of an insect egg lipase

Abstract A lipase present in an insect egg ( Diabrotica undecimpunctata howardi Barber) is sensitive to inhibition by low concentrations (approx. 10 −6 M) of diethyl- p -nitrophenyl phosphate. The inhibition occurs only in the presence of substrate; i.e. , exposure of the enzyme to inhibitor in the absence of substrate does not result in inhibition. The high sensitivity of this enzyme to the inhibitor makes it a likely target of organophosphate poisoning in those insect embryos killed before the appearance of the generally accepted target, cholinesterase.
Increasing colorectal cancer incidence rates in Japan

We examined trends of colorectal cancer incidence rates among Japanese (Miyagi Prefecture) and United States (US) whites (State of Connecticut) between 1959 and 1992. Age-standardized rates in Japan have increased dramatically and are now similar to US white rates. For both colon and rectum, age-specific rates in Japanese men born after 1930 exceed those in US whites, and the Japanese excess increases with year of birth. Similar patterns are evident for women. The current trends suggest that colorectal cancer will become a major source of morbidity and mortality in Japan, as these young Japanese age and their risks increase.
Adult Attachment and Patterns of Extradyadic Involvement

Relationships between patterns of extradyadic involvement (EDI) and adult attachment were examined separately with undergraduates and community adults reporting prior EDI. Those with fearful or preoccupied styles reported more intimacy motivations for EDI, and undergraduates with these styles also reported more self-esteem motivations. Conversely, those with a dismissive style reported more autonomy motivations for EDI. Those with a fearful attachment style reported ambivalence about intimacy in the EDI. Fearful and preoccupied undergraduates and community males reported a more obsessive extradyadic relationship. However, dismissive individuals did not report more casual EDI. Gender effects also emerged, with females reporting more intimacy motivations than males, and undergraduate males reporting more casual EDI than undergraduate females. In the undergraduate sample, dismissive males had the most extradyadic partners over the prior 2 years relative to all other groups, and preoccupied females reported more partners than secure females. Clinical implications of these findings are discussed.
Comparison of diffraction efficiencies for single-exposure and unity-contrast multiple-exposure holograms

The diffraction efficiency for a single-exposure holographic recording is compared with that of a multiple-exposure hologram recorded with maximum signal-to-bias ratio. For the multiple-exposure recording the object is illuminated point by point, and the reference wave amplitude for each subexposure is adjusted to produce a unity-contrast interferogram in the holographic recording plane. It is shown that, for the same M-point object and the same average exposure, the ratio of the single-exposure diffraction efficiency to the mulitple-exposure diffraction efficiency is proportional to M/R, where R is the reference-to-object beam ratio in the single-exposure case. This result is compared with that obtained in the multiple-exposure case when the reference wave amplitude assumes a constant value. Application areas include optical interconnects, holographic data storage, and volumetric multiplexed holograms for display.
Atomistic mechanisms of adhesive contact formation and interfacial processes

Abstract Investigations were undertaken using large-scale molecular dynamics simulations of atomistic mechanisms of adhesive contact formation, friction, and wear processes. These processes occur as a result of interactions between material tips and substrate surfaces and reveal the energetics and dynamics of various wear phenomena. These include jump-to-contact, elastic, plastic and yield processes, connective neck formation, wetting, reconstruction, atomic-scale stick-slip, and materials transfer. Results are presented for several tip and substrate materials, including intermetallic (nickel and gold), interionic (CaF2), and thin alkane (n-hexadecane) films adsorbed on a metal (gold) surface and interacting with a metal (nickel) tip.
Serum and blood from adult striped bass,Morone saxatilis

Results of blood and serum analyses on striped bass,Morone saxatilis (Walbaum), adults taken during the 1975 spawning season on the Nanticoke River, Maryland, are reported. The range in values found were 16–70% for hematocrit, 4.0–12.3 g/100 ml for hemoglobin, 2.86–4.49×106/cc for erythrocyte count, 4.5–18.8 mg% for serum calcium, and 6.1–13.0 g/100 ml for plasma protein. These values are compared with others previously reported for adult bass. Serum chloride and serum protein values, ranging from 80 to 186 mEq/l and 3.92 to 8.32 g%, respectively, are reported for the first time for this species. Hemoglobin and hematocrit values for non-spawning, mature striped bass held in ambient sea water for a year fall within the reported ranges. Serum total protein values ranged from 2.36 to 6.14 g% and serum calcium values varied between 8.1 and 14.9 mg% from migratory adult striped bass. The possibility of sexing striped bass using serum calcium levels is discussed. Hematological values reported will help in defining the range encountered in healthy adults of this species.
Propensity-Matched, Longitudinal Outcomes Analysis of Complications and Cost: Comparing Abdominal Free Flaps and Implant-Based Breast Reconstruction

Background Choosing a breast reconstructive modality after mastectomy is an important step in the reconstructive process. The authors hypothesized that autologous tissue is associated with a greater success rate and cost efficacy over time, relative to implant reconstruction. Study Design A retrospective review was performed of patients undergoing free tissue (FF) transfer and expander implant (E/I) reconstruction between 2005 and 2011. Variables evaluated included comorbidities, surgical timing, complications, overall outcomes, unplanned reoperations, and costs. A propensity-matching technique was used to account for the nonrandomized selection of modality. Results A total of 310 propensity-matched patients underwent 499 reconstructions. No statistically significant differences in preoperative variables were noted between propensity-matched cohorts. Operative characteristics were similar between FF and E/I reconstructions. The E/I reconstruction was associated with a significantly higher rate of reconstructive failure (5.6% vs 1.2%, p Conclusions Our matched outcomes analysis does demonstrate a higher overall, 2-year success rate using FF reconstruction and a significantly lower rate of unplanned surgical revisions and cost. Although autologous reconstruction is not ideal for every patient, these findings can be used to enhance preoperative discussions when choosing a reconstructive modality.
The 1978 Presidential Address of the American Pediatric Society: The Future of Pediatric Education

The 1978 Presidential Address of the American Pediatric Society: The Future of Pediatric Education