cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Theoretical study of the ground‐state gas‐phase unimolecular decomposition channels of propynoic acid

Theoretical studies have been carried out to elucidate the ground-state unimolecular decomposition channels for propynoic acid (PA) in the gas phase. In this paper we present details of mechanisms for the decarboxylation and decarbonylation channels of PA. The transformations of PA result in the formation of carbon dioxide and acetylene from the decarboxylation channel while carbon monoxide and hydroxyacetylene, ultimately the ketene, are formed from the decarbonylation pathway. Equilibrium structures and the principal transition states (TSs) for each pathway have been identified and characterized. The Gaussian 98 suite of programs and MOLDEN were used for computation and visualization. All computations of equilibrium and TS structures relevant to the two competing unimolecular decomposition channels (decarboxylation and decarbonylation) were performed with second-order Moller–Plesset (MP2) and Becke's three-parameter exchange functional and the gradient-corrected functional of Lee, Yang, and Paar (B3LYP) levels using the 6-31G(d,p), 6-311++G (d, p) and Dunning's correlation-consistent polarized valence basis set (aug-cc-pVDZ). The geometries were fully optimized and characterized as minima (0 imaginary frequencies) or first-order saddle points (1 imaginary frequency) by harmonic vibrational analysis at the MP2/6-311++G(d,p) and B3LYP/6-311++G(d,p) levels. All the calculations indicate that the lowest energy decomposition pathway for PA is decarboxylation. Decarboxylation of PA occurs most easily through a three-step mechanism: conversion of s-cis-HCCCO2H to s-trans-HCCCO2H, followed by a 1, 3-hydrogen migration of hydroxyl hydrogen, resulting in a four-center TS that decays easily to acetylene and carbon dioxide, with an activation barrier of 61.3–79.9 kcal/mol (average 65.67 kcal/mol). Decarbonylation, leading to hydroxyacetylene (and subsequently the ketene) and carbon monoxide, occurs easily via a direct (one-step) three-center TS. The direct (one-step) elimination of carbon monoxide from propynoic acid has a calculated average activation barrier of 67.9–81.7 kcal/mol (average, 74.1 kcal/mol). The decarboxylation pathway is shown to occur with a maximum exothermicity of 28 kcal/mol. On the contrary, the decarbonylation of PA is predicted to occur with an overall endothermicity of ≈29.2 kcal/mol for formation of hydroxyacetylene and carbon monoxide and an average exothermicity of −7.69 kcal/mol for formation of the ketene and carbon monoxide. © 2004 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Int J Quantum Chem, 2004
Individual differences in dopamine release but not rotational behavior correlate with extracellular amphetamine levels in caudate putamen in unlesioned rats.

It has been postulated that differences in pharmacokinetics do not contribute to the well-known individual variability in response to amphetamine (AMPH), but this is yet to be investigated thoroughly. Therefore, rotational behavior of outbred rats (Sprague-Dawley, 4 months old) was recorded during microdialysis sessions and striatal microdialysate was analyzed concomitantly for AMPH and dopamine concentrations after a single injection of 2.5 mg/kg AMPH SC. Three hours later these rats received three doses of 5 mg/kg AMPH SC (spaced 2 h apart) and their brain temperature was recorded every 20 min. The most important findings were: 1) the increase in extracellular dopamine was highly correlated with the corresponding peak AMPH levels in the microdialysate; 2) the peak dopamine level in response to 2.5 mg/kg AMPH was predictive of the hyperthermic response observed during 3 × 5 mg/kg AMPH and 3) high versus low rotators differed neither in their AMPH nor in their dopamine extracellular striatal concentrations.
An Approach to the Rehabilitation of the Laryngectomized Veteran

Public education and improved surgical techniques are responsible for saving the lives of increasing numbers of individuals with carcinoma of the larynx many of whom seek training in alaryngeal voice from speech pathologists. An approach to teaching esophageal voice to veterans is described in detail beginning with the presurgical conference and continuing through final suggestions to the family and, in some instances, to the employer. The final section reports several investigations concerning psychological aspects of rehabilitation of the laryngectomized.
Effect of secondary structure on the potential of mean force for poly-L-lysine in the alpha-Helix and beta-sheet conformations

Because poly-L-lysine (PLL) can exist in the {alpha}-helix or {beta}-sheet conformation depending on solution preparation and solution conditions, PLL is a suitable candidate to probe the dependence of protein interactions on secondary structure. The osmotic second virial coefficient and weight-average molecular weight are reported from low-angle laser-light scattering measurements for PLL as a function of NaCl concentration, pH, and {alpha}-helix or {beta}-sheet content. Interactions between PLL molecules become more attractive as salt concentration increases due to screening of PLL charge by salt ions and at low salt concentration become more attractive as pH increases due to decreased net charge on PLL. The experimental results show that interactions are stronger for the {beta}-sheet conformation than for the {alpha}-helix conformation. A spherically-symmetric model for the potential of mean force is used to account for specific interactions not described by DLVO theory and to show how differences in secondary structure affect PLL interactions.
New Isozyme Systems for Maize (Zea mays L.): Aconitate Hydratase, Adenylate Kinase, NADH Dehydrogenase, and Shikimate Dehydrogenase

Electrophoretic variation and inheritance of four novel enzyme systems were studied in maize (Zea mays L.). A minimum of 10 genetic loci collectively encodes isozymes of aconitate hydratase (ACO; EC 4.2.1.3.), adenylate kinase (ADK; EC 2.7.4.3), NADH dehydrogenase (DIA; EC 1.6.99.—), and shikimate dehydrogenase (SAD; EC 1.1.1.25). At least four loci are responsible for the genetic control of ACO. Genetic data for two of the encoding loci,Aco1 andAco4, demonstrated that at least two maize ACOs are active as monomers. Analysis of organellar preparations suggests that ACO1 and ACO4 are localized in the cytosolic and mitochondrial subcellular fractions, respectively. Maize ADK is encoded by a single nuclear locus,Adk1, governing monomeric enzymes that are located in the chloroplasts. Two cytosolic and two mitochondrial forms of DIA were electrophoretically resolved. Segregation analyses demonstrated that the two cytosolic isozymes are controlled by separate loci,Dia1 andDia2, coding for products that are functional as monomers (DIA1) and dimers (DIA2). The major isozyme of SAD is apparently cytosolic, although an additional faintly staining plastid form may be present. Alleles atSad1 are each associated with two bands that cosegregate in controlled crosses. Linkage analyses and crosses with B-A translocation stocks were effective in determining the map locations of six loci, including the previously described but unmapped locusAcp4. Several of these loci were localized to sparsely mapped regions of the genome.Dia2 andAcp4 were placed on the distal portion of the long arm of chromosome 1, 12.6 map units apart.Dia1 was localized to chromosome 2, 22.2 centimorgans (cM) fromB1. Aco1 was mapped to chromosome 4, 6.2 cM fromsu1. Adk1 was placed on the poorly marked short arm of chromosome 6, 8.1 map units fromrgd1. Less than 1% recombination was observed betweenGlu1 (on chromosome 10) andSad1. In contrast to many other maize isozyme systems, there was little evidence of gene duplication or of parallel linkage relationships for these allozyme loci.
Synthesis and Oxidation of Silver Nano-particles

We demonstrated a fast and easy way to synthesize Ag nanoparticles (NPs) on ZnO nanowires (NWs) and silicon substrates by an electroless (EL) plating approach. ZnO NWs used here were grown via vapor-solid (VS) mechanism at 560 °C for 30 min. The stability to oxidation of these EL-produced homogeneous Ag NPs on ZnO nanowires was investigated by surface enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS), showing that the attachment of thiol to the Ag surface can slow down the oxidation process, and the SERS signal remains strong for more than ten days. Furthermore, we examined the surface oxidation kinetics of the Ag NPs as a function of NPs size and size distribution by monitoring the oxygen amount in the composites using energy dispersive x-ray (EDX). Results indicate that the EL plated Ag NPs show faster oxidation rates than those produced by e-beam (EB) evaporation in air. We attribute this to the fact that the EL produced silver particles are very small, in the 20 nm range, and thus have high surface energy, thus enhancing the oxidation. These studies provide extensive information related to the Ag NP oxidation rates, which can help in extending the Ag lifetime for various applications.
Robustness of adaptive filtering methods in a cross-benchmark evaluation

This paper reports a cross-benchmark evaluation of regularized logistic regression (LR) and incremental Rocchio for adaptive filtering. Using four corpora from the Topic Detection and Tracking (TDT) forum and the Text Retrieval Conferences (TREC) we evaluated these methods with non-stationary topics at various granularity levels, and measured performance with different utility settings. We found that LR performs strongly and robustly in optimizing T11SU (a TREC utility function) while Rocchio is better for optimizing Ctrk (the TDT tracking cost), a high-recall oriented objective function. Using systematic cross-corpus parameter optimization with both methods, we obtained the best results ever reported on TDT5, TREC10 and TREC11. Relevance feedback on a small portion (0.05~0.2%) of the TDT5 test documents yielded significant performance improvements, measuring up to a 54% reduction in Ctrk and a 20.9% increase in T11SU (with b=0.1), compared to the results of the top-performing system in TDT2004 without relevance feedback information.
Pediatric renal pseudocyst due to pancreatitis

A renal pseudocyst due to pancreatitis should be suspected when a child with pancreatitis develops flank pain. Percutaneous drainage of the pseudocyst provides effective treatment of this rare condition.
A novel, new robotic platform for natural orifice distal pancreatectomy.

Laparoendoscopic technology has revolutionized the practice of surgery; however, surgeons have not widely accepted laparoscopic techniques for pancreatic surgeries due to the complexity of the operation. Natural orifice transluminal endoscopic surgery (NOTES) offers a great new potential for pancreatic procedures, with early data showing benefits of reduced visible scarring and the potential for decreased wound infections, hernias, pain, and postoperative complications. However, there are significant limitations to the currently used flexible endoscopy tools, including a diminished visual field, spatial orientation and tissue manipulation issues, and 2-dimensional visual feedback. We have adopted a novel snake-like robot, the minimally invasive cardiac surgery (MICS) robot, which addresses these issues. In the current pilot study, the MICS robot was evaluated for transrectal distal pancreas exploration and resection in 2 nonsurvival porcine models. Abdominal navigation and accessing the pancreas was inves...
Modularity detection in protein-protein interaction networks

Background: Many recent studies have investigated modularity in biological networks, and its role in functional and structural characterization of constituent biomolecules. A technique that has shown considerable promise in the domain of modularity detection is the Newman and Girvan (NG) algorithm, which relies on the number of shortest-paths across pairs of vertices in the network traversing a given edge, referred to as the betweenness of that edge. The edge with the highest betweenness is iteratively eliminated from the network, with the betweenness of the remaining edges recalculated in every iteration. This generates a complete dendrogram, from which modules are extracted by applying a quality metric called modularity denoted by Q. This exhaustive computation can be prohibitively expensive for large networks such as Protein-Protein Interaction Networks. In this paper, we present a novel optimization to the modularity detection algorithm, in terms of an efficient termination criterion based on a target edge betweenness value, using which the process of iterative edge removal may be terminated. Results: We validate the robustness of our approach by applying our algorithm on real-world protein-protein interaction networks of Yeast, C.Elegans and Drosophila, and demonstrate that our algorithm consistently has significant computational gains in terms of reduced runtime, when compared to the NG algorithm. Furthermore, our algorithm produces modules comparable to those from the NG algorithm, qualitatively and quantitatively. We illustrate this using comparison metrics such as module distribution, module membership cardinality, modularity Q, and Jaccard Similarity Coefficient. Conclusions: We have presented an optimized approach for efficient modularity detection in networks. The intuition driving our approach is the extraction of holistic measures of centrality from graphs, which are representative of inherent modular structure of the underlying network, and the application of those measures to efficiently guide the modularity detection process. We have empirically evaluated our approach in the specific context of real-world large scale biological networks, and have demonstrated significant savings in computational time while maintaining comparable quality of detected modules.
Developing intrathoracic sentinel lymph node mapping with near-infrared fluorescent imaging in non–small cell lung cancer

With poor survival and high recurrence rates, early-stage lung cancer currently appears to be understaged or undertreated, or both. Although sentinel lymph node biopsy is standard for patients with breast cancer and melanoma, its success has been unreliable in non–small cell lung cancer. Sentinel lymph node biopsy might aid in the identification of lymph nodes at the greatest risk of metastasis and allow for more detailed analysis to select for patients who might benefit from adjuvant therapy. The early results in our recent clinical trial of patients with early-stage lung cancer have suggested that near-infrared imaging might offer a platform for reliable sentinel lymph node identification in these patients.
A systematic study of ESD protection structures for RF ICs

We report the first systematic investigation of various ESD protection structures, e.g., diodes, ggNMOS, gcNMOS, ggPMOS, SCR and multi-mode SCR's in a 0.35 /spl mu/m production BiCMOS technology, for RF ICs up to 100 GHz by mixed-mode ESD simulation. Typical circuit parameters for RF ICs, e.g., parasitic resistances, capacitances, noise figures and S-parameters were studied. The comparison study suggests that compact SCR-type structures and diode strings may be solutions to RF ESD protection.
Identification of tetragonal and cubic structures of zirconia using synchrotron x-radiation source

X-ray diffraction from a synchrotron source was employed in an attempt to identify the crystal structures in zirconia ceramics produced by the sol-gel method. The particles of chemically precipitated zirconia, after calcination below 600 °C, are very fine, and have a diffracting particle size in the range of 7-15 nm. As the tetragonal and cubic structures of zirconia have similar lattice parameters, it is difficult to distinguish between the two. The tetragonal structure can be identified only by the characteristic splittings of the Bragg profiles from the “c” index planes. However, these split Bragg peaks from the tetragonal phase in zirconia overlap with one another due to particle size broadening. In order to distinguish between the tetragonal and cubic structures of zirconia, three samples were studied using synchrotron radiation source. The results indicated that a sample containing 13 mol% yttria-stabilized zirconia possessed the cubic structure with a0 = 0.51420 ± 0.00012 nm. A sample containing 6.5 mol% yttria stabilized zirconia was found to consist of a cubic phase with a0 = 0.51430 ± 0.00008 nm. Finally, a sample which was precipitated from a pH 13.5 solution was observed to have the tetragonal structure with a0 = 0.51441 ± 0.00085 nm and c0 = 0.51902 ± 0.00086.
Using the web to enhance education

Many educational uses for the Internet and WWW have been proposed for enhancing education in computing courses as well as in courses of other disciplines. Some uses of the web have been quite successful and provide a positive contribution toward enhancing a course. However, other uses of the web may not provide benefits that are worth the effort that is required. This paper discusses some experiences in using the Internet and WWW for teaching computing courses. Observations are made about the perceived value of some of these, and some suggestions are made for their effective use.
Smoking cessation in heart failure: easier said than done: reply

We are thankful to Dr Lainscak and colleagues for their interest in our article on the association between smoking and clinical outcomes in patients hospitalized with heart failure.1 Several key issues are raised about the findings from OPTIMIZE-HF that smokers hospitalized with heart failure had lower risk adjusted in-hospital mortality, shorter length of stay, and similar early post discharge …
Kar4p, a Karyogamy-Specific Component of the Yeast Pheromone Response Pathway

Karyogamy is the process whereby two haploid nuclei fuse to form a diploid nucleus during mating in Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Here, we describe the characterization of the KAR4 gene, previously identified in a screen for new nuclear fusion-defective mutants. During mating, kar4 mutants were defective for the microtubule-dependent movement of nuclei, a phenotype identical to that of mutations in KAR3 and CIK1. Consistent with its mutant phenotype, we found that the kar4 mutation resulted in failure to induce KAR3 and CIK1 mRNA during mating. Expression of KAR3 and CIK1 under independent regulatory control suppressed the kar4 defect, indicating that KAR4 is required primarily for the induction of KAR3 and CIK1. KAR4 was also required for meiosis, during which it may regulate KAR3; however, mitotic expression of KAR3 and CIK1 during S/G2 phase was independent of KAR4. A 30-bp region upstream of KAR3 conferred both KAR4- and STE12-dependent induction by mating pheromone. This region contained one moderate and two weak matches to the consensus pheromone response element to which the Ste12p transcriptional activator binds and five repeats of the sequence CAAA(A). Overproduction of Ste12p suppressed the kar4 defect in KAR3 induction and nuclear fusion. In contrast, Ste12p-independent expression of Kar4p did not alleviate the requirement for Ste12p during KAR3 induction. We propose that Kar4p assists Ste12p in the pheromone-dependent expression of KAR3 and CIK1. KAR4 defines a novel level of regulation for the pheromone response pathway, acting at a subset of Stel2p-inducible genes required for karyogamy.
kurtz, a Novel Nonvisual Arrestin, Is an Essential Neural Gene in Drosophila

The kurtz gene encodes a novel nonvisual arrestin. krz is located at the most-distal end of the chromosome 3R, the third gene in from the telomere. krz is expressed throughout development. During early embryogenesis, krz is expressed ubiquitously and later is localized to the central nervous system, maxillary cirri, and antennal sensory organs. In late third instar larvae, krz message is detected in the fat bodies, the ventral portion of the thoracic-abdominal ganglia, the deuterocerebrum, the eye-antennal imaginal disc, and the wing imaginal disc. The krz(1) mutation contains a P-element insertion within the only intron of this gene and results in a severe reduction of function. Mutations in krz have a broad lethal phase extending from late embryogenesis to the third larval instar. The fat bodies of krz(1) larva precociously dissociate during the midthird instar. krz(1) is a type 1 melanotic tumor gene; the fat body is the primary site of melanotic tumor formation during the third instar. We have functionally rescued these phenotypes with both genomic and cDNA transgenes. Importantly, the expression of a full-length krz cDNA within the CNS rescues the krz(1) lethality. These experiments establish the krz nonvisual arrestin as an essential neural gene in Drosophila.
Kosten-Begriffe, Kosten-Gliederung und Kosten-Systeme

Die Kosten werden als direkt oder indirekt den Erzeugnissen zurechenbar, als fix oder proportional (in Abhangigkeit von der Beschaftigung), als primar oder sekundar (ohne oder mit Umweg uber eine Hilfskostenstelle) bezeichnet. Es kann sich um nachkalkulatorische oder geschatzte, um Standard-, Vorschau- oder Wiederbeschaffungskosten handeln. Die Kosten konnen als Barkosten, Grenzkosten oder als Kosten ermittelt werden, die dem entgangenen Ertrag der Produktionsfaktoren in einer anderen Verwendung entsprechen. Jede Modifikation fuhrt zu einer bestimmten Kennzeichnung, die nicht nur fur den Betriebswirt, der diesen Begriff anwendet, sondern auch fur die Betriebsfuhrung und ihr Informationsbedurfnis wichtig ist.
Intimate partner violence in sadomasochistic relationships

ABSTRACTAbusive relationships disguised as consensually sadomasochistic (D/s) relationships are a specific type of intimate partner violence (IPV), characterized by a lack of pleasure and the presence of enduring, permeating fear or discomfort on the part of the abused partner that is not confined to a consensual sexual encounter, and do not always occur in the direction of dominant to submissive or male to female partner. Though no research to date has been conducted on IPV in D/s relationships, a review of the literature on IPV in mainstream and sexual minority communities reveals salient commonalities related to the BDSM community. Additionally, there is often an intersectionality of stigmatization that can exponentially affect BDSM-oriented individuals who experience IPV. When consensual BDSM behaviours are conflated with IPV, it can be difficult for someone experiencing abuse within the context of a D/s relationship to seek and receive support from family, peers, health care providers, law enforcemen...
Form Factor Analysis Derived from the Gluon Emission Model Applied to the $\Psi(2S)$ and the $\Upsilon(2S)$

In a recent article it has been shown that form factors may be derived through the use of the Gluon Emission Model (GEM) theoretical structure describing the widths of vector mesons; such form factors, $f$, are such that $(1-f)$ represents the fraction of the original quark $(Q)$ --- anti-quark $(Q^*)$ pair comprising a given vector meson that remains part of the decay scheme, the remainder, $f$, making a transition to a $QQ^*$ state comprising quarks of the next lightest mass compared to the original (remaining) ones. In conjunction with representative Feynman Diagrams we employ said form factors in order to calculate the various partial widths of the $\Psi(2S)$ and the $\Upsilon(2S)$. Excellent agreement with experiment is reached, and we are able to show that the matrix elements involved in the $\Psi(2S) \to \Psi(1S) + Z$ decay, where $Z$ represents any other product, and in the $\Upsilon(2S) \to \Upsilon(1S)+ Z$ decay are roughly four ninths the magnitude of those associated with the $\Psi(2S) \to Z_{1} + Z_{2}$ decay and the $\Upsilon(2S) \to Z_{1} + Z_{2}$ decay, where $Z_{1}$ and $Z_{2}$ each represent any decay product other than $\Psi(1S)$ or $\Psi(2S)$, respectively.
From Third World internationalism to ‘the internationals’: the transformation of solidarity with Palestine

AbstractThis paper examines the formation of the concept of ‘the internationals’ in Palestine. The post-Oslo term began to be used in the second intifada to denote white solidarity activists in the colony. In tracing the rise of the concept, the paper charts some of the ways solidarity with the Palestinian people has been domesticated under the Oslo ‘peace process’. Situating and analysing the rise of the concept of ‘the internationals’ within the assemblage of apparatuses and ideological forces inscribed during Oslo, it explains how these material structures have contributed to shifting the notion and praxis of solidarity. Taking Third World internationalist and anti-imperialist feminist practices of solidarity as its starting point, the paper historicises and theorises some of the changes that have taken place over time. It offers an anti-colonial, anti-racist, feminist critique of the individualisation of solidarity and centres indigenous Palestinian perspectives. It concludes by surveying the ways Pal...
The role of staging laparotomy in combined modality therapy of Hodgkin's disease: A new treatment plan based on a 6-year experience

From 1969 to 1974, staging laparotomy was performed on 187 consecutive patients with Hodgkin's disease. Laparotomy changed the type of therapy in 59 of 187 patients (32%). Major staging revisions were: IIA to IIIA, 20 patients; IIIA to IA, 6 patients; IIIA to IIA, 12 patients; IIB to IIIB, 14 patients; and IIIB to IIB, 4 patients. Of stage II patients, 32 of 101 (32%) became stage III and of stage III patients, 24 of 61 (39%) became stage I or II. Forty-four patients with stage IIIA disease received 3,600–4,000 rad total nodal irradiation and their probability of relapse-free survival at 5 years was 52%. No relapses occurred in 11 stage IIB patients given combination of mantle and periaortic irradiation plus MOPP. Only 3 of 19 stage IIIB patients treated with total nodal irradiation and MOPP relapsed. Stage IIB patients with combined therapy had a diseasefree survival of 100%, while stage IIIB patients had a relapse-free survival of 77%. These striking results have led to a new treatment plan. Clinical stage IIA, pathological stage IIIA patients, and those with stage IIB disease now receive a combination of mantle and periaortic irradiation plus MOPP. Clinical stage IIIA, pathological stage IIIA patients, as well as those with stage IIIB disease, receive total nodal irradiation and MOPP. Surgical staging in this series has proved essential for effective and precise therapy.
Spatio-Temporal Estimation of Wildfire Growth

This work presents a methodology for real-time estimation of wildland fire growth, utilizing afire growth model based on a set of partial differential equations for prediction, and harnessing concepts of space-time Kalman filtering and Proper Orthogonal Decomposition techniques towards low dimensional estimation of potentially large spatio-temporal states. The estimation framework is discussed in its criticality towards potential applications such as forest fire surveillance with unmanned systems equipped with onboard sensor suites. The effectiveness of the estimation process is evaluated numerically over fire growth data simulated using a well-established fire growth model described by coupled partial differential equations. The methodology is shown to be fairly accurate in estimating spatio-temporal process states through noise-ridden measurements for real-time deploy ability.© 2013 ASME
Sedimentary feature and shallow gas distribution rule of Heidimiao reservoir of southern Daqing-Placanticline in Songliao Basin

Heidimiao reservoir of southern Daqing-Placanticline in Songliao Basin has a good potential for shallow gas development. Applying reservoir sedimentology and sequence stratigraphy and based on the logging data of 1,164 wells and cores of 6 wells, we conducted fine researches on depositional features of Heidimiao reservoir and microfacies of single-body class. The study of microfacies shows that Heidimiao reservoir is the gentle river-dominated depositional system of delta front microfacies, which is controlled by sources of northern Songliao Basin and formed on the background of gradual contract. The main microfacies are underwater distributary channels, mouth bars and distal bars. We classified 9 sets of reservoir-seal combinations based on 9 sets of dark mudstones caused by the regional lacustrine flooding. The analysis of microfacies and 24 gas-bearing wells shows the distribution of shallow gas is controlled mainly by microfacies. Shallow gas distributed mainly in thick mouth-bar and distal-bar sandbodies which is at the bottom of Heidimiao reservoir. The good matching of single-sandbody distribution, air-south faults and structure is the dominating control factor of shallow-gas enrichment; structure-lithology and fault-lithology traps are the main types of gas pools.
Structural Performance of the Bucked Design Compact Ignition Tokamak (CIT) Vacuum Vessel

This paper presents the results of the bucked design CIT vacuum vessel structural analysis performed for the electromagnetic forces induced by several plasma disruptions at 11 tesla toroidal magnet...
Oxidative Stress in Anticholinesterase-Induced Excitotoxicity

Publisher Summary The research described in this chapter is based on the hypothesis that a causal relationship exists between excitotoxic injury and the generation of reactive oxygen species (ROS), reactive nitrogen species (RNS), and lipid peroxidation. As anticholinesterase agents primarily cause excitotoxicity in brain and skeletal muscle, this chapter describes the correlation between changes in nitric oxide synthesis and energy metabolism with the onset of increased lipid peroxidation. The common initiating mechanism of excitotoxicity is thought to be frequent stimulation of nicotinic acetylcholine receptors (nAChRs) at the mammalian neuromuscular junction (NMJ), and of muscarinic, nicotinic, and glutamatergic receptors in brain. AchEIs, such as OPs and CMs, have neuro and myotoxic effects that destroy neurons and muscle fibers by excitotoxic actions, mediated by ACh receptor overstimulation following AChEI application. A rapid and significant increase in NO precedes increases in lipid peroxidation, mitochondrial dysfunction, loss of energy metabolites, as well as a reduction of COX activity, and an increase in xanthine oxidase. Inhibitors of NOS prevent the previously mentioned changes, and protect neurons and muscle fibers from injury. These findings are supported by similar actions of the spin trapping agent PBN and the antioxidant Vitamin E, and by agents that prevent convulsions and fasciculations, such as MEM and ATS, or d-tubocurarine. Understanding the relationship between excitotoxicity and oxidative stress is important because this offers opportunities for developing pharmacological approaches that interfere with mechanisms significantly involved in neuro and myotoxicity without compromising normal neurotransmitter function.
Modeling Residual Life of an IC Considering Multiple Aging Mechanisms

Counterfeiting and recycling of integrated circuits (ICs) is a significant threat to the safety and security of commercial and military systems. To deter recycled ICs from entering the supply chain, the residual life of ICs should be metered. Several aging sensors have been proposed to track the semiconductor degradation effects, but there are very few works to monitor multiple aging mechanisms and their cumulative effect on lifetime reliability. In this paper, we present an analytical model to directly measure the residual life of an IC based on itshistory of operating conditions. Unlike prior work, we compute residual life of an IC considering multiple aging mechanisms based on cumulative distribution function (CDF) of failure rate. The most important intrinsic silicon degradation mechanisms are time dependent dielectric breakdown, electromigration, hot carrier degradation, negative bias temperature instability and others. For the purpose of illustration, we narrow our focus on residual life modeling based on Time Dependent Dielectric Breakdown (TDDB), then generalize to account for multiple aging mechanisms. The model allows for physical implementation ofresidual life meter in an IC.
Elevated serum phosphate levels are associated with decreased amputation-free survival after interventions for critical limb ischemia

Abstract Objective Elevated serum phosphate levels have been associated with increased risks of cardiovascular events and death in several patient populations. The effects of serum phosphate on outcomes in patients with critical limb ischemia (CLI) have not been evaluated. In this study, we assessed the effect of abnormal phosphate levels on mortality and major limb events after surgical intervention for CLI. Methods A retrospective review was undertaken to identify all patients at a single institution who underwent a first-time open or endovascular intervention for CLI between 2005 and 2014. Patients without recorded postoperative phosphate levels were excluded. Postoperative phosphate levels ≤30 days of the initial operation were recorded, and the mean was calculated. Patients were stratified according to mean phosphate levels (low: 4.5 mg/dL). Patient demographics, comorbidities, and operative details were compared in univariate analysis. Multivariable regression and Cox proportional hazard modeling were used to account for patient demographics and comorbid conditions. Results We identified 941 patients, including 42 (5%) with low phosphate, 768 (82%) with normal phosphate, and 131 (14%) with high phosphate. Patients with elevated phosphate were younger and had higher rates of congestive heart failure, diabetes, and dialysis dependence. Bypass was more common among patients with normal phosphate compared with high or low phosphate levels. There was no difference in the Wound, ischemia, and Foot infection (WiFi) classification or TransAtlantic Inter-Society Consensus classification among the cohorts. There were significant differences in 1-year mortality (low: 19%, normal: 17%, high: 33%; P P Conclusions Elevated phosphate levels are associated with increased mortality and decreased amputation-free survival after interventions for CLI. Future studies evaluating the effects of phosphate reduction in patients with CLI are warranted.
Decisions and Dependence in Influence Diagrams

The concept of dependence among variables in a Bayesian belief network is well understood, but what does it mean in an influence diagram where some of those variables are decisions? There are three quite different answers to this question that take the familiar concepts for uncertain variables and extend them to decisions. First is responsiveness, whether the choice for a decision affects another variable. Second is materiality, whether observing other variables before making a decision affects the choice for the decision and thus improves its quality. Third is the usual notion of dependence, assuming that all of the decisions are made optimally given the information available at the time of the decisions. There are some subtleties involved, but all three types of decision dependence can be quite useful for understanding a decision model.
The Development of the Material Plasma Exposure Experiment

The availability of future fusion devices, such as a fusion nuclear science facility or demonstration fusion power station, greatly depends on long operating lifetimes of plasma facing components in their divertors. ORNL is designing the Material Plasma Exposure eXperiment (MPEX), a superconducting magnet, steady-state device to address the plasma material interactions of fusion reactors. MPEX will utilize a new high-intensity plasma source concept based on RF technology. This source concept will allow the experiment to cover the entire expected plasma conditions in the divertor of a future fusion reactor. It will be able to study erosion and redeposition for relevant geometries with relevant electric and magnetic fields in-front of the target. MPEX is being designed to allow for the exposure of a priori neutron-irradiated samples. The target exchange chamber has been designed to undock from the linear plasma generator such that it can be transferred to diagnostics stations for more detailed surface analysis. MPEX is being developed in a staged approach with successively increased capabilities. After the initial development step of the helicon source and electron cyclotron heating system, the source concept is being tested in the Proto-MPEX device. Proto-MPEX has achieved electron densities of more than $4 \times 10^{19}~\text{m}^{-3}$ with a large diameter (13 cm) helicon antenna at 100 kW power. First heating with microwaves resulted in a higher ionization represented by higher electron densities on axis, when compared with the helicon plasma only without microwave heating.
Content in context: analyzing interactions in a graduate-level academic Facebook group

This case study investigated a Facebook group created and managed by a faculty administrator for students and alumni in a graduate-level education program. While most research to date has considered course-based applications, this research reports on how an academic Facebook group functioned as a way to interact with students, alumni, and faculty outside of a formal academic context. Borrowing methods from studies in market research, the researchers analyzed posts and user interactions on the group’s page over the course of 1 year. Posts were inductively coded into thematic categories, such as humor, student photos, and academic readings, and coded again by their mode of consumption, such as text, image, and hyperlinks. Using regression analysis, the categories and modality of posts were tested for their relationship to user interactions, which included likes, comments, and shares. Additionally, users were tallied on their frequency of interactions, and how that related to the categories of posts. Despite a large proportion of academic readings via hyperlinks, results found significantly more interactions for text and image-based posts pertaining to locally situated interests and entertaining content. This behavior was moderated by how frequently a user participated, with frequent users interacting more than expected with university notices. The results support previous research citing Facebook as primarily a means of entertainment and socialization, but with a clear advantage for student-centered content. The implication is that Facebook groups have potential in higher education contexts beyond entertainment when it’s used to support and recognize social connections among students.
Two-year prognosis after acute coronary syndrome in younger patients: Association with feeling depressed in the prior year, and BDI-II score and Endothelin-1.

Abstract Objective To examine the effects of depressive symptoms and Endothelin (ET)-1 on 2-year prognosis in younger patients with acute coronary syndrome (ACS). Depression is associated with poor post-ACS prognosis; however, few investigations have focused on younger patients. Importantly, the studies that did emphasize younger patients suggested that the influence of depression on prognosis could be more robust in younger subgroups. The particular links between depression and poor prognosis in younger patients have yet to be definitively determined. ET-1 is a potent endogenous vasoconstrictor that has been previously linked to adverse post-ACS outcomes. Methods The sample (n = 153) included male (age ≤ 50 years) and female (age ≤ 55 years) ACS patients. Blood samples for ET-1 assessment were collected within 2–3 h of ACS hospital admission. Depressive symptoms were assessed with the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI) II within 2–5 days of admission. The primary outcome was defined as a composite of major adverse cardiovascular events (MACE), including recurrent myocardial infarction, emergent coronary revascularization, and all-cause mortality within 2 years after index admission. Results During the follow-up period, 23 patients experienced MACE. Neither the BDI-II score nor ET-1 predicted MACE in unadjusted analyses or in analyses adjusted for demographic characteristics, comorbidities and troponin levels. In the supplementary analyses, feeling depressed in the year preceding ACS predicted MACE. Conclusions In this cohort of younger ACS patients, feeling depressed in the year preceding ACS admission predicted MACE in the 2 years after baseline ACS event, while neither the BDI-II score, nor circulating ET-1 level predicted this outcome.
Comparison of novel multi-level Otsu (MO-PET) and conventional PET segmentation methods for measuring FDG metabolic tumor volume in patients with soft tissue sarcoma

We have previously developed a novel and highly consistent PET segmentation algorithm using a multi-level Otsu method (MO-PET). The aim of this study was to evaluate the reliability of MO-PET compared to conventional PET segmentation methods for measuring 18F-FDG (FDG) PET metabolic tumor volume (MTV) in patients with soft tissue sarcoma (STS). Clinical and imaging data were obtained from the Cancer Imaging Archive. Forty-eight STS patients with FDG PET/CT and MR prior to therapy were analyzed. MTV of the tumor using MO-PET was compared to other conventional methods (absolute SUV threshold values of 2.0, 2.5, or 3.0 and percentage of tumor SUVmax values of 30, 40, 50, or 60%) and gradient-based method (PET Edge™). The reference volume was defined as an MR-based gross tumor volume (GTV). Spearman, intra-class correlation, and Bland-Altman analysis were performed to evaluate the correlation and agreement of MTV to GTV. MTVs obtained using each conventional SUV parameter, PET Edge™, and MO-PET were highly correlated with the GTV in Spearman and intra-class correlation analysis (p < 0.05). MO-PET and PET Edge™ showed high intra-class correlation coefficient of MTV to GTV (0.93 and 0.84, respectively). The Bland-Altman bias results showed the highest agreement for MTV using MO-PET with GTV (26.0 ± 489.6 cm3) compared to other methods (SUV 2.0 with − 69.3 ± 765.8, 30% SUVmax with − 255.0 ± 876.6, and PET Edge™ with − 26.46 ± 668.82 cm3). PET MTV segmented with MO-PET showed higher correlation and agreement with GTV in comparison to conventional percentage SUVmax and absolute SUV threshold-based PET segmentation methods. MO-PET is comparable to PET Edge™. MO-PET is a reliable and consistent method for measuring tumor MTV.
High-Deductible Health Plans Reduce Health Care Cost And Utilization, Including Use Of Needed Preventive Services.

Enrollment in high-deductible health plans (HDHPs) has greatly increased in recent years. Policy makers and other stakeholders need the best available evidence about how these plans may affect health care cost and utilization, but the literature has not been comprehensively synthesized. We performed a systematic review of methodologically rigorous studies that examined the impact of HDHPs on health care utilization and costs. The plans were associated with a significant reduction in preventive care in seven of twelve studies and a significant reduction in office visits in six of eleven studies—which in turn led to a reduction in both appropriate and inappropriate care. Furthermore, bivariate analyses of data extracted from the included studies suggested that the plans may be associated with a reduction in appropriate preventive care and medication adherence. Current evidence suggests that HDHPs are associated with lower health care costs as a result of a reduction in the use of health services, including ...
Adoption of Prebiopsy Magnetic Resonance Imaging for Men Undergoing Prostate Biopsy in the United States.

Objective To assess adoption of prebiopsy prostate magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) in the United States and to evaluate factors associated with magnetic resonance imaging-guided prostate biopsy (MRI-Bx) use. Prior reports have shown improved cancer detection with MRI-Bx vs transrectal ultrasound-guided methods (transrectal ultrasound-guided biopsy [TRUS-Bx]). Population-based trends of their use and outcomes have not been previously characterized. Materials and Methods Using private insurance claims (2009-2015), we identified men who underwent prostate biopsy. Exposures were biopsy year and geographic region defined by metropolitan statistical area. Outcomes included biopsy type (MRI-Bx, TRUS-Bx, or transperineal biopsy) based on procedure codes and cancer detection based on a new diagnosis for prostate cancer (International Classification of Diseases, Ninth Revision, Clinical Modification [ICD-9-CM] 185). Hierarchical mixed-effects multivariable regression estimated odds of undergoing MRI-Bx. Results We identified 241,681 men (mean age 57.5 ± 5.4 years) who underwent biopsy. The use of MRI-Bx rose rapidly (0.2% in 2009 to 6.5% in 2015, P Conclusion Among men undergoing prostate biopsy, prebiopsy prostate MRI utilization was concentrated within urban areas and among patients with prior negative biopsies, where its use was associated with superior cancer detection compared with traditional TRUS-Bx.
Coherent multiphoton interactions using sequences of picosecond pulses

A synchronously mode-locked dye laser-amplifier combination and a Mach-Zehnder interferometer are used to produce phased picosecond pulse sequences of 1-mJ energy at a rate of 10 pps. The nonlinear transmission, fluorescence, multi-photon ionization, and harmonic generation are investigated as a function of the relative phase and delay of the pulse sequences. Even when the delay between the two pulses of the sequence exceeds the pulse duration, the signals still depend on the relative phase of the pulse with a periodicity characteristic of the coherent multiphoton resonance being investigated.
Ca2+ sparks within 200 nm of the sarcolemma of rat ventricular cells: evidence from total internal reflection fluorescence microscopy.

Total internal reflection fluorescence microscopy (TIRFM) was used to measure local calcium releases in resting cardiac myocytes stained with fluo-3AM. The measured fluorescence originated from regions where cells were close to, and develop adhesions to, a totally reflecting glass surface. The excitation of the fluorescent Ca2+ indicator dye by the exponentially attenuated evanescent wave penetrated approximately 200 nm into the fluid phase. In rat ventricular cells, Ca2+ waves and Ca2+ sparks were observed within the adhesions. Ca2+ sparks recorded with TIRFM compared favorably to sparks recorded under similar conditions with confocal microscopy. Computer simulation supported this assessment. It is concluded that TIRFM can provide an economical, flexible tool for detailed measurement of Ca2+-transients in the subsarcolemmal space of live cells.
Buckling of Aluminum Columns, Plates, and Beams

Formulas are presented for determining the inelastic buckling strength of columns, plates in compression and in shear, I-beams and channel section beams, and rectangular beams. In each case, the buckling formula is a straight line that depends on the yield strength, the modulus of elasticity, and the shape of the stress-strain curve. The buckling formulas for the various types of members are found to be in good agreement with the results of tests and analytical studies. Experimental results included are confined to aluminum. Analytical considerations indicate the proposed formulas may be applicable to other materials with similar stress-strain characteristics.