cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Neurotrophism — Another Approach

The mechanism by which a motor nerve axon “nourishes” or maintains a “trophic influence” on the muscle fiber it reaches remains unknown, despite much investigation and interest. A large body of literature, including several excellent reviews [12, 13, 15, 16] suggests that the presynaptic element exerts its control in one of three ways: (a) by release of the normal transmitter, acetylcholine (ACh), (b) by some aspect of the stimulus-evoked postsynaptic response itself, i.e., in muscle, the contraction, and (c) by the release of other substances delivered to the presynaptic axon terminals by centrifugal axoplasmic flow from the motor neuron soma.
Can Box Ocean Models Calibrated by Inverse Methods Provide a Means of Testing Ocean Circulation Models

The use of chemical tracer data to calibrate box ocean models is discussed. The extent to which such models can provide independent information for testing ocean circulation models is elucidated with examples comparing a global 12-box model (Bolin et al., 1983) and an Atlantic 84-box model (Bolin et al., 1987). It is found that steady-state chemical tracers provide constraints only on the largest (basin-wide) scales. Arguments are presented for developing a symbiotic relationship between simple inverse models and ocean circulation models. Such a relationship can lead to better insight into how tracer data can be most efficiently used.
Global Warming and Widespread Coral Mortality: Evidence of First Coral Reef Extinctions

Coral reefs cover 255,000 square kilometers of the earth’s surface (Spalding and Grenfell, 1997) and likely harbor more than a million species globally, perhaps as many as 3 million (Reaka-Kudla, 1997; Small et al., 1998). Coral reefs benefit humankind in numerous ways. They provide ecosystem services and advantages to tropical human communities, including coastal protection, nurseries and sources of nutrition for fisheries, tourism, and great stores of genetic material and species (biodiversity). In addition, a less tangible benefit relates to the esthetics of coral reefs—the sheer beauty and wonders of these diverse ecosystems offer inspiration to lay persons and scientific investigators alike.
Physical process theories and token-probabilistic causation

Soulevant le probleme de la connexion causale des types dans les cadres des theories des processus physiques, l'A. montre que la theorie de la causation probabiliste des types chez Eells est complementaire de la theorie de la causalite chez Dowe et Salmon.
Crow Creek Bone Bed Commingling: Relationship Between Bone Mineral Density and Minimum Number of Individuals and Its Effect on Paleodemographic Analyses

A skeletal series exhibiting many of the complexities associated with cases of commingled remains, including numerous individuals and incomplete element representation, comes from the Crow Creek Site, South Dakota. Prior research on Crow Creek adult skeletal materials assessed the relationship between bone mineral density and element representation (Willey et al. 1990; Galloway et al. Human bone mineral densities and survival of bone elements: A contemporary sample. In Haglund & Sorg (Eds.), Forensic taphonomy: The postmortem fate of human remains (pp. 295–317). Boca Raton: CRC Press, 1997). In the present study, we expand upon the previous work and incorporate subadult skeletal remains in an attempt to show that age is correlated with element survival. Altogether, this study consists of 25,963 element segments. The 25,963 segments represent a total of 2,286 elements. The results of this study demonstrate that the paleodemographic profile of any skeletal series has the potential for bias when one ignores the relationship between BMD and element survival. Because adult skeletal elements have a higher BMD than subadult elements, the denser and larger elements have a greater likelihood of being represented. Therefore, skeletal series tend to be biased in favor of adult skeletal elements. The authors of this chapter outline the substantial impact that BMD has on MNI estimations and paleodemographic reconstructions involving commingled series.
Supervision 1.3

Teaching, in the United States context anyway, has often been called a solitary profession. Teachers may talk to one another in the teacher lounge, at planning meetings or professional development events, or in college courses, but rarely do they sit and observe one another teach and discuss teaching practices and student responses.
Preface to Part VII

In this 21st Century, it is important to contextualize the great mass of technological evolution within the present advances and constraints of the mathematics classroom. And this becomes even more relevant when we question the role of educational technology in such environments. Luis and Bharath provide an important contribution to defining new perspectives on mathematics education theory by situating their paper in this context; appreciating the changing role of educational technology but also drawing deeply on evolutionary and semiotic theory to help us analyze present and future change.
Disseminated injection of vincristine-loaded silk gel improves the suppression of neuroblastoma tumor growth

Abstract Background Advanced-stage neuroblastoma patients require multiagent chemotherapy. Intratumoral implantation of vincristine-loaded silk gel uses local diffusion to decrease orthotopic neuroblastoma tumor growth in mice. We hypothesize that injecting vincristine-loaded silk gel into 8 locations within the tumor, instead of only centrally, decreases the diffusion distance and improves tumor growth suppression. Methods Human neuroblastoma cells, KELLY, were injected into mouse adrenal glands to create orthotopic tumors. After the tumors reached 100 mm3 by ultrasound, silk gels loaded with 50 µg vincristine were injected centrally or in 8 areas throughout the tumor. Drug-release profile was measured in vitro. Endpoints were tumor size >1,000 mm3 and histologic examination. Results Vincristine-loaded silk gels suppressed tumor growth up to an inflection point (458.7 ± 234.4 mm3 for central, 514.3 ± 165.8 mm3 for 8-point injection) before tumor growth accelerated >200 mm3 over 3 days. The time to inflection point was 6.6 days for central, 13.3 days for 8-point injection (P Conclusion Injecting vincristine-loaded sustained release silk gel at 8 separate locations halved the diffusion distance and doubled the time for the tumor to reach the growth inflexion point.
Exploring the Outcomes of Standards-Based Concurrent Enrollment and Advanced Placement in Arkansas.

Accelerated programs (concurrent enrollment and Advanced Placement) are expanding across the US, yet there is little evidence on the relationships between participation in different accelerated programs, standards-based concurrent enrollment programs (e.g., accredited programs), and educational outcomes. This study used data from a cohort of Arkansas high school graduates and school-level fixed effects to assess how different accelerated programs predict students’ likelihood of enrolling in and being retained in an Arkansas college. We found that participation in concurrent enrollment and Advanced Placement predicts college access and college retention. However, we found no differences in college access and retention based on whether students participated in a NACEP-accredited concurrent enrollment program or not. The results suggest the need to expand access to both concurrent enrollment and Advanced Placement and the need for more research on standards-based concurrent enrollment programs such as those that are NACEP-accredited.
Mitochondrial ATP synthase β-subunit production rate and ATP synthase specific activity are reduced in skeletal muscle of humans with obesity.

New findings What is the central question of this study? Humans with obesity have lower ATP synthesis in muscle along with lower content of the β-subunit of the ATP synthase (β-F1-ATPase), the catalytic component of the ATP synthase. Does lower synthesis rate of β-F1-ATPase in muscle contribute to these responses in humans with obesity? What is the main finding and its importance? Humans with obesity have a lower synthesis rate of β-F1 -ATPase and ATP synthase specific activity in muscle. These findings indicate that reduced production of subunits forming the ATP synthase in muscle may contribute to impaired generation of ATP in obesity. Abstract The content of the β-subunit of the ATP synthase (β-F1 -ATPase), which forms the catalytic site of the enzyme ATP synthase, is reduced in muscle of obese humans, along with a reduced capacity for ATP synthesis. We studied 18 young (37 ± 8 years) subjects of which nine were lean (BMI = 23 ± 2 kg m-2 ) and nine were obese (BMI = 34 ± 3 kg m-2 ) to determine the fractional synthesis rate (FSR) and gene expression of β-F1 -ATPase, as well as the specific activity of the ATP synthase. FSR of β-F1 -ATPase was determined using a combination of isotope tracer infusion and muscle biopsies. Gene expression of β-F1 -ATPase and specific activity of the ATP synthase were determined in the muscle biopsies. When compared to lean, obese subjects had lower muscle β-F1 -ATPase FSR (0.10 ± 0.05 vs. 0.06 ± 0.03% h-1 ; P 0.05). Across subjects, abundance of β-F1 -ATPase correlated with the FSR of β-F1 -ATPase (P 0.05). Obesity impairs the synthesis of β-F1 -ATPase in muscle at the translational level, reducing the content of β-F1 -ATPase in parallel with reduced capacity for ATP generation via the ATP synthase complex.
Current Progress in the Structural and Biochemical Characterization of Proteins Involved in the Assembly of Lipopolysaccharide

The lipid component of the outer leaflet of the outer membrane of Gram-negative bacteria is primarily composed of the glycolipid lipopolysaccharide (LPS), which serves to form a protective barrier against hydrophobic toxins and many antibiotics. LPS is comprised of three regions: the lipid A membrane anchor, the nonrepeating core oligosaccharide, and the repeating O-antigen polysaccharide. The lipid A portion is also referred to as endotoxin as its overstimulation of the toll-like receptor 4 during systemic infection precipitates potentially fatal septic shock. Because of the importance of LPS for the viability and virulence of human pathogens, understanding how LPS is synthesized and transported to the outer leaflet of the outer membrane is important for developing novel antibiotics to combat resistant Gram-negative strains. The following review describes the current state of our understanding of the proteins responsible for the synthesis and transport of LPS with an emphasis on the contribution of protein structures to our understanding of their functions. Because the lipid A portion of LPS is relatively well conserved, a detailed description of the biosynthetic enzymes in the Raetz pathway of lipid A synthesis is provided. Conversely, less well-conserved biosynthetic enzymes later in LPS synthesis are described primarily to demonstrate conserved principles of LPS synthesis. Finally, the conserved LPS transport systems are described in detail.
Path Planning to a Reachable State Using Minimum Control Effort Based Navigation Functions

The purpose of this paper is to present a new path-planning algorithm for planetary exploration rovers that will guide the vehicle safely to a reachable state. In particular, this work will make use of a special class of artificial potential functions called navigation functions which are guaranteed to be free of local minimum. The construction of the navigation functions in this work is motivated by the grid-based wavefront expansion method but differs in that the contour levels are defined in terms of the control effort of the system. Two new methods will be introduced in this paper for defining the navigation function. The first method will generate a minimum control effort path plan and the second method will be based on an inverse dynamics approach. Each of the control effort based methods will generate a path plan that will guide the rover’s approach towards an objective reachable state. Finally, a stable backstepping-like controller is implemented to track a trajectory defined along the path plan to the rover’s objective.
Algorithm and Parameters: Solving the Generality Problem for Reliabilism

The paper offers a solution to the generality problem for a reliabilist epistemology, by developing an “algorithm and parameters” scheme for type-individuating cognitive processes. Algorithms are detailed procedures for mapping inputs to outputs. Parameters are psychological variables that systematically affect processing. The relevant process type for a given token is given by the complete algorithmic characterization of the token, along with the values of all the causally relevant parameters. The typing that results is far removed from the typings of folk psychology, and from much of the epistemology literature. But it is principled and empirically grounded, and shows good prospects for yielding the desired epistemological verdicts. The paper articulates and elaborates the theory, drawing out some of its consequences. Toward the end, the fleshed-out theory is applied to two important case studies: hallucination and cognitive penetration of perception.
Assessing and addressing practitioner burnout: Results from an advanced practice registered nurse health and well-being study.

Background Numerous nursing and physician studies have reported the effects of workload, environment, and life circumstances contributing to burnout. Effects may include job dissatisfaction, poor quality of life, and associated negative patient outcomes. Although assessing clinician burnout to determine effective interventions has become a topic of great importance, there are minimal studies specific to advanced practice registered nurses (APRNs). Purpose This single-center study was conducted to assess the prevalence and impact of APRN burnout and to recommend targeted interventions toward improvement of overall health and well-being. Methods A cross-sectional, mixed methods design was used. The voluntary, anonymous survey examined perceptions of wellness, inclusion, social support, personal coping mechanisms, and status of burnout. Results The 78-question survey was sent to 1,014 APRNs (94%) and PAs (6%), with a 43.6% response rate (n = 433); 76.4% were nurse practitioners. Participants were identified as currently experiencing burnout, formerly burned out, or never having experienced burnout. Profiles were developed, and similarities and differences between each group were compared. Of 433 respondents, 40.4% (n = 175) reported having never experienced burnout, 33.3% (n = 144) reported they had formerly experienced burnout, and 26.3% (n = 114) reported they were currently experiencing burnout. Implications for practice The results of the study identified that some APRNs report experiencing burnout at different times in their careers. Recommendations by participants to mitigate burnout included self-care, organizational promotion of health and well-being, career development, and leadership support. This study is one of the first to report on burnout among APRNs and potential interventions to build resilience; however, additional research is warranted.
Feasibility of a Habit Formation Intervention to Delay Frailty Progression Among Older African Americans: A Pilot Study.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES Older African Americans are at high risk for becoming frail in later life. Interventions can reverse or delay frailty, yet African Americans have largely been excluded from such research. Many interventions are also time- and resource-intensive, and thus inaccessible to socially disadvantaged older African Americans. We evaluated the feasibility of a low-dose frailty prevention intervention integrated with primary care among 60 community-dwelling, prefrail older African Americans aged 55+ recruited from a primary care clinic. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS We conducted a 2-arm randomized control trial. Participants were assigned to a 4-session intervention (1 session per month), delivered by an occupational therapist, or enhanced usual care. Feasibility criteria were set a priori at 75% for participant retention (including attrition due to death/hospitalization), 80% for session engagement, 2 participants/week for mean participant accrual, and 90% for program satisfaction. RESULTS Participants were 65% female with an average age of 76.6 years, 51.7% lived alone and 39.1% reported <$10,000 in yearly income. Feasibility metrics were met. The study recruited, a mean of, 2.5 participants per week and retained 75% of participants who attended 95% of scheduled sessions. The mean satisfaction score was 29.75 (range = 0-32; SD .25). Changes in physical activity and dietary habit formation as well as changes in secondary outcomes were largely in the expected direction. DISCUSSION AND IMPLICATIONS The intervention was feasible to deliver. Qualitative findings from exit interviews suggested changes to the program dose, structure, and content that could improve it for future use.
Analysis of XLPE Asynchronized Synchronous Generator Under Loss of Excitation

Loss of excitation fault of the generator can lead to overheating of the motor, over-current of the system components, and even the power system will collapse, which may threaten the safe and stable operation of the large-scale generating units seriously. The XLPE asynchronized synchronous generator is a new type of generator with excellent regulation and control performance, so the research and analysis about its loss of excitation is extremely necessary. Firstly, a mathematical model about XLPE asynchronized synchronous generator is established, Then the established mathematical model is used to calculate the loss of excitation in the case of short-circuit and open-circuit of the XLPE asynchronized synchronous generator. Finally, the influence of the whole loss magnetism fault process from the fault appearance to the removal on the stability of the motor and the stability of the whole system is obtained by simulation analysis.
How Are Neighborhood Characteristics Associated With Mental and Physical Functioning Among Older Adults With Radiographic Knee Osteoarthritis

OBJECTIVE To examine how neighborhood characteristics are associated with health outcomes among older adults with osteoarthritis. METHODS In multilevel, cross-sectional, and longitudinal analyses we examined whether 4 neighborhood characteristics were associated with depressive symptoms and reported knee impact scores, and whether the neighborhood characteristics interacted with race/ethnicity among older adults with radiographic knee osteoarthritis (n = 656 for cross-sectional analyses and n = 434 for longitudinal analyses). The data came from the Johnston County Osteoarthritis Project, a prospective cohort study in North Carolina designed to examine risk factors for osteoarthritis. RESULTS Although few longitudinal associations were found, cross-sectional results suggested that greater perceived neighborhood social cohesion (B = -0.04, P < 0.001) and perceived neighborhood resources for physical activity and walking (B = -0.03, P < 0.001) were associated with fewer depressive symptoms, and that greater perceived neighborhood resources for physical activity and walking were associated with higher (better) knee impact scores (B = 0.48, P = 0.008). We also observed 2 significant interactions among neighborhood characteristics and race/ethnicity related to depressive symptoms (P < 0.01); for African American adults, greater perceived neighborhood resources for physical activity and walking were associated with fewer depressive symptoms (B = -0.03, P < 0.001), but for White adults, greater perceived neighborhood safety was associated with fewer depressive symptoms (B = -0.04, P = 0.003). CONCLUSION In a sample of older adults with radiographic knee osteoarthritis, neighborhood context mattered, but in nuanced ways. Interventions aiming to improve mental and physical functioning of older adults with knee osteoarthritis can look to this study as evidence for the importance of neighborhood characteristics.
MONITORING OF DISEASE ACTIVITY IN EOSINOPHILIC MYOCARDITIS VIA PET SCANS

Cardiac involvement in eosinophilic granulomatosis polyangiitis (EGPA) is a leading cause of mortality. There are currently no effective serologic markers for monitoring disease activity. Cardiac involvement is often subclinical. 42-year-old female with biopsy-proven non-ischemic cardiomyopathy
Mind the Gap: Career and Financial Success for Women in Medicine

Career advancement and financial success for female physicians entail navigating gender norms (real and perceived) in a still male-dominated profession. The evidence demonstrates that female physicians are able to perform at the level of their male counterparts and that gender diversity increases the value and performance of organizations, yet women have not yet achieved the same level of opportunity and reward. In this chapter we will explore the success gaps, that which contributes to the gaps, and what men and women can do to close the gaps to ensure the freedom and opportunity to pursue personal and professional success.
HIGH-RESOLUTION SPECTROSCOPY OF EXTREMELY METAL-POOR STARS IN THE LEAST EVOLVED GALAXIES: LEO IV*

We present high-resolution Magellan/MIKE spectroscopy of the brightest star in the ultra-faint dwarf galaxy Leo IV. We measure an iron abundance of [Fe/H] = –3.2, adding to the rapidly growing sample of extremely metal-poor (EMP) stars being identified in Milky Way satellite galaxies. The star is enhanced in the α elements Mg, Ca, and Ti by ~0.3 dex, very similar to the typical Milky Way halo abundance pattern. All of the light and iron-peak elements follow the trends established by EMP halo stars, but the neutron-capture elements Ba and Sr are significantly underabundant. These results are quite similar to those found for stars in the ultra-faint dwarfs Ursa Major II, Coma Berenices, Bootes I, and Hercules, suggesting that the chemical evolution of the lowest-luminosity galaxies may be universal. The abundance pattern we observe is consistent with predictions for nucleosynthesis from a Population III supernova explosion. The extremely low metallicity of this star also supports the idea that a significant fraction (≳10%) of the stars in the faintest dwarfs have metallicities below [Fe/H] = –3.0.
The Usual Suspects: Rules for the Nominating Contest

A recurrent bandwagon dynamic, changing occupational seedbeds, and key structural influences, especially factional struggles, have governed nominating politics across time. Yet pundits and professionals are recurrently drawn to two other alleged influences, so this chapter addresses the first of these, the rules governing specific nominating contests. Two main aspects of these rules, the formal strictures governing apportionment of convention delegates among the states and the formal strictures governing the allocation of those delegates to individual candidates, did undergo substantial change over time and do offer the possibility of measuring their impact. Yet both prove to be not just rare in their appearance but marginal in their effects.
Climate change disturbs wildlife microbiomes

While large-scale climate-associated changes are becoming increasingly visible, our understanding of changes in the microbial world remains limited. Now a study takes advantage of a tropical microecosystem to disentangle the direct and indirect impacts of increased temperatures on the microbiomes of animals.
Reevaluating Substantive Due Process as a Source of Protection for Psychiatric Patients to Refuse Drugs

The right of psychiatrically hospitalized patients to refuse drugs has been characterized as arguably the most important subject in the area of mental health law. Numerous psychiatrists have questioned and assailed the propriety of permitting a psychiatric patient who theoretically fails to understand the need for treatment to refuse the very medication a psychiatrist has prescribed to treat the patient's mental illness. The psychiatric profession has accused the legal system of failing to take into account “clinical realities” when it broadly defines the right to refuse medication. In contrast, both the legal and medical professions recognize that psychotropic medication in general, and antipsychotic medication in particular, often produce side effects ranging in nature from short-term and merely discomforting to permanent and life-threatening. This Article will address the scope of a civilly committed patient's right to refuse medication under the substantive component of the Due Process Clause. It will first examine how federal courts, including the Supreme Court, have addressed an individual's substantive right to refuse medication. This Article will then establish that even prior to Harper and Riggins, there was ample authority to support a broad right to refuse medication under the substantive component of the Due Process Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment. This Article will then examine Supreme Court cases pertaining to the scope of substantive protections accorded by the Due Process Clause and those cases' impact on the right to refuse.
Errata for "Unifying consensus and atomic commitment for effective cloud data management"

This errata article discusses and corrects a minor error in our work published in VLDB 2019. The discrepancy specifically pertains to Algorithms 3 and 4. The algorithms presented in the paper are b...
Retail Investor Trading and Market Reactions to Earnings Announcements

This paper uses holdings and outage data from Robinhood and transaction-level data from U.S. exchanges to examine how retail investors affect the pricing of public earnings information. We find that retail trader activity is associated with prices that are more responsive to earnings surprises, and earnings announcements affected by seemingly random retail trading outages experience weaker price responses. These results are concentrated in firms that are smaller and have less robust informational environments. Additional evidence shows that the retail activity is associated with more volatile returns during the earnings announcement window, which can slow the incorporation of public information and contribute to larger bid-ask spreads. Overall, our results suggest that retail investors can facilitate the incorporation of public information into price over the 2-day earnings announcement window despite the potential to increase volatility and impose risk on other market participants.
Abstract MP34: Collecting Duct Cells-derived Human Sprr Impairs The Antihypertensive Effects Of Losartan And Upregulates Erk1/2 And Aqp2 Expression

Recent studies showed that soluble prorenin receptor (sPRR) plays an important role in blood pressure regulation and in water balance. In rodent models, sPRR contributes to AngII production by incr...
Making Marriage: Husbands, Wives and the American State in Dakota andOjibwe Country

Review of: "Making Marriage: Husbands, Wives and the American State in Dakota and Ojibwe Country," by Catherine J Denial.
Experimental studies of the buckling of complete spherical shells.

Imperfections effect on buckling of complete electroformed spherical shells under uniform external pressure examined in rigid and soft testing systems
Prevalence of Genetic Hemoglobin Variants and Relationships with Anemia and Micronutrient Status among Children in Urban Cameroon

Information on the causes of anemia is needed to develop effective anemia-control programs. Our objective was to measure the prevalence of genetic hemoglobin variants in a representative sample of ...
The Physical Education of Gifted Children

(1929). The Physical Education of Gifted Children. American Physical Education Review: Vol. 34, No. 9, pp. 522-528.
Navigating the Concepts of Gender and Violence With Young Children

The aims of this research were to investigate how parents explore gender and violence with children and develop a conceptual groundwork for understanding the relationship between parental attitudes and behaviors and gender-based violence. Few social work scholars have investigated how parents process gender and violence with their children. This study design was grounded in a phenomenological approach. For data collection, the authors conducted semistructured individual interviews with a sample of five fathers, eight mothers, with at least one child between age 3 and 11 years. The data analysis consisted of In-Vivo and Value coding, from which the researchers developed themes to illustrate the findings. The overarching category that emerged from the data analysis was witnessing and themes included beholding, being present, and perceiving. These themes appeared to be in alignment with mindfulness attitudes and practices and illustrated the way these parents processed gender and violence with their children...
Simulated grazing responses on the proposed prairies National Park

The tallgrass prairie version of the ELM Grassland Model was used to evaluate the potential impact of establishing a tallgrass prairie National Park in the Flint Hills region of Kansas. This total ecosystem model simulates (a) the flow of water, heat, nitrogen, and phosphorus through the ecosystem and(b) the biomass dynamics of plants and consumers. It was specifically developed to study the effects of levels and types of herbivory, climatic variation, and fertilization upon grassland ecosystems. The model was used to simulate the impact of building up herds of bison, elk, antelope, and wolves on a tallgrass prairie. The results show that the grazing levels in the park should not be decreased below the prepark grazing levels (moderate grazing with cattle) and that the final grazing levels in the park could be maintained at a slightly higher level than the prepark grazing levels.
Land and Labor Patterns in Brazil During the 1960s

. Most of the agricultural sector in Brazil during the 1960s bore the autocratic imprint of latifundismo, which determined interpersonal relationships and those between man and land. Latifundios and agriculture in general were not labor-absorptive, and farm size tended to vary inversely with the amount of intensively tilled land. Polyvalency of employment acted in concert with farm management practices to strengthen latifundismo and to impede realization of socio-economic potentials for most rural inhabitants. Probable high frequency of multiple farm ownership by the landed elite verified that the areal extension of latifundismo had encountered no effective resistance. Elements of modernization on large estates seemed to betoken changes in technology and financing rather than alteration of traditional contexts. As an instrument for agrarian reform, the Estatuto da Terra (1964) was impotent, and beneficiaries of land were all but non-existent under the military regime.
Fracture strength of low-pressure injection-moulded reaction-bonded silicon nitride

Reaction-bonded silicon nitride (RBSN) samples were fabricated via a low-pressure injection-moulding technique. Sample batches of 58, 68, and 70 vol % silicon solids loading were moulded using a multicomponent, nonaqueous binder. These samples were analysed in terms of their nitrided bulk density, flexural strength, and microstructure. Bulk densities of 2.9 g cm−3 (91% theoretical density) and three-point moduli of rupture in excess of 304 MPa (44×103 p.s.i.) were achieved. These results indicate a potential use of low-pressure injection moulding as a forming technique for the fabrication of RBSN components.
A 4-year summary of the nonsurgical recovery of baboon embryos: A report on 498 eggs

A nonsurgical embryo recovery procedure, developed to allow the economical acquisition of cleavage stage baboon embryos, has been successfully used for 4 years. With this technique, 498 eggs have been recovered from 979 uterine flushes (50.9%) on 71 baboons. Of 467 eggs recovered from mated baboons, 290 (62.1%) were fertilized. Papio anubis females provided a higher percentage of fertilized eggs (75.3%) than did Papio hamadryas (47.8%) or Papio cynocephalus (44.3%) females following exposure to males during estrus, although sexual preference may be responsible for the reduced fertilization rate in the P. cynocephalus females. Recovery rates from individual baboons ranged from 0% (n = 11) to between 66% and 93% for ten baboons from each of which 12-33 eggs have been recovered. Fertilized eggs were at the two-cell (n = 23) to blastocyst (n = 53) stage at recovery 1-6 days postdeturgescence (PD) of the sex skin, with morulae (n = 84) being the most frequent cell stage recovered (30%). The optimum time for performing the procedure was the third day PD, when 113 (40%) embryos were recovered. The abilities of baboons to become pregnant and to provide fertilized embryos were significantly related (P < 0.005), allowing the embryo recovery technique to be used as a screening procedure for evaluating baboon fertility.
Is concurrent chemoradiation the treatment of choice for all patients with Stage III or IV head and neck carcinoma

BACKGROUND Many patients with small primary tumors of the oropharynx have AJCC Stage III/IV disease on the basis of lymphadenopathy. In the current retrospective study, the authors hypothesized that these patients have high rates of locoregional control when treated with radiotherapy, either alone or combined with neck surgery, and may not require concurrent chemotherapy. METHODS Two hundred ninety-nine patients met staging and inclusion criteria. Stage distribution was as follows: T1, 99 patients (33%); T2, 182 patients (61%); Tx, 18 patients (6%); N1, 74 patients (25%); N2, 170 patients (57%); N3, 39 patients (13%); and Nx, 16 patients (5%). Primary tumor resection or tonsillectomy had been performed in 36 patients (12%) and excisional lymph node biopsy or formal neck dissection in 192 patients (64%). Thirty-three additional patients (10%) received chemotherapy and were analyzed separately. RESULTS The median follow-up was 82 months (range, 8–299 months). The actuarial 5-year rates of locoregional failure, distant metastases, and overall survival were 15%, 19%, and 64%, respectively. T status was associated with the 5-year rate of locoregional control: 95% for patients with T1-/Tx disease, compared with 79% for patients with T2 disease (P < 0.01). The 5-year rate of distant metastases for patients with N1/2a disease was 11%, compared with 28% for patients with N2b/N2c/N3 disease (P < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS Patients with early–T status oropharyngeal carcinoma, which is considered advanced due to the presence of lymphadenopathy, have high rates of locoregional control when treated with radiotherapy without or with neck surgery. Local treatment intensification by the addition of concurrent chemotherapy to radiotherapy would not significantly benefit most of these patients. Cancer 2004. © 2004 American Cancer Society.
In vitro agar culture patterns in preleukemia and their clinical significance

Nineteen patients with preleukemia were studied by in vitro agar culture to determine if this method could predict their clinical outcome. As in oligoleukemia, five growth patterns were identified: (1) Category (Cat) I-A with low plating efficiency, normal cluster/colony ratio and normal cell differentiation in the colonies; (2) Cat I-B with high plating efficiency, normal cluster/colony ratio and normal cell differentiation in the colonies; (3) Cat II with low colony and high cluster incidence and normal cell differentiation in the colonies; (4) Cat III-A with growth of excessive number of clusters (3–20 cell size) only, containing predominantly blast cells; and (5) Cat III-B with excessive number of clusters (3–39 cell size) and a few blast cell colonies. Growth patterns II, III-A and III-B are characteristic of acute myeloid leukemia and therefore called leukemic growth patterns. Twelve of 19 patients had a Cat I-A (non-leukemic) growth pattern. Five patients were identified with a leukemic growth pattern (two in Cat II, two in Cat III-A and one in Cat III-B), and two patients with Cat I-B. Survival was significantly longer (P = <0.05) in Cat I-A than in the other categories. Progression to leukemia was more common (67) and faster (median 20 weeks, range 2–32 weeks) in Cat I-B, II, III-A and III-B as compared to Cat I-A (1 of 12 at 40 weeks). Of seven patients who progressed to leukemia, four presented with a leukemic culture pattern. Of the three patients with a non-leukemic culture pattern, two were followed sequentially. In one, change from I-A to III-A occurred 16 weeks in advance and in the other from I-B to III-A simultaneously with leukemic progression. Patients with preleukemic syndrome who, in in vitro culture, reveal leukemic growth patterns, may represent true preleukemia and progress rapidly to overt leukemia.
Quality by design for wet granulation in pharmaceutical processing: Assessing models for a priori design and scaling

Abstract The effective implementation of Quality by Design (QbD) for wet granulation requires quantitative models for design and scaling of granulators. This paper reviews that current state of the art of granulation modeling, especially with respect to QbD in the pharmaceutical industry. Our thesis is that the state of the art use of high shear wet granulation models for QbD should be at the intermediate level between the extremes of data-driven empirical models and first principles models, i.e., regime-based models. These models have a sound mechanistic basis and can be used for both formulation design and process scaling. Although not fully predictive, regime map approaches are a significant advancement over a typical design of experiments approach, where little is known about the process. In addition, regime maps are particularly useful for process scale-up/down. This review focuses on the status of wet granulation regime maps and critically assesses their applicability to real, rather than model formulations. The approach is illustrated by two case studies. The first case study evaluates the effect of changing the properties of one excipient, lactose, on formulation behavior. Changing lactose size distribution leads to substantial changes in both the formulation drop penetration time and dynamic yield stress, which can lead to changes in operating regime. A size measurement technique that accurately measures the fine end of the distribution is necessary to predict the effect of changing the lactose size distribution. The second case study uses the regime map approach to propose a design space and scaling rules for a high drug load formulation, and successfully validate the scaling rules for scaling from a 10 l to a 75 l granulation. This case study emphasizes the importance of spray distribution to avoid operation in the mechanical dispersion regime and subsequent lump formation as a granulation is scaled up.
Abandonment of Minoan palaces on Crete in relation to the earthquake induced changes in groundwater supply

Abstract Mysterious abandonment of palaces on Crete during the Late Minoan period was always a challenging problem for archeologists and geologists. Various hypotheses explained this event by effects of tsunamis, earthquakes or climatic changes that were caused by the volcanic eruption of the Santorini volcano. While each of them or their possible combination contributed to the abandonment of palaces and following Late Minoan crisis, there is another possible cause that appeared as a result of studies within the last 20–30 years. This cause is depletion of groundwater supply caused by persistent earthquake activity that took place during the Bronze Age. This explanation is supported by field observations and numerous studies of similar phenomena in other locations.
Unmanned vehicles: mainstays of future airborne reconnaissance

This paper is derived from material used by DASD (ISR & Space) for release at open conferences but has been tailored to the agenda for the UAV session of the SPIE 1999 Airborne Reconnaissance Conference. This paper serves as an introduction and summary of operational UAVs. As a result of tailoring, the paper avoids overlapping with other conference papers or briefing materials.
Mid-Semester Student Feedback Enhances Student Learning

Student feedback can facilitate teaching improvements. The most common form of student feedback is obtained from end of semester student evaluations. Unfortunately this feedback does not benefit the students who provided the feedback. Mid-semester student feedback overcomes this limitation. The feedback obtained may be used by the instructor to make adjustments to the course in progress. Mid-semester evaluations have been conducted in a third-year fluid mechanics course and the sequel unit operations laboratory course over a four-year period. The results of this study indicate that soliciting mid-semester student feedback encourages a more responsible attitude by the students as they reflect upon the course. Making use of a third party facilitator to obtain this feedback results in constructive suggestions by the students. Implementation of some of these suggestions results in an improved learning environment and can lead to improved end of semester evaluations.
Administration of myelin basic protein-coupled spleen cells prevents experimental allergic encephalitis

Intravenous administration of mouse myelin basic protein covalently coupled with chromic chloride to syngeneic spleen cells (MBP-SC) prevents the subsequent induction of experimental allergic encephalitis (EAE). Whereas 1 in 28 mice receiving MBP-SC developed EAE after immunization with mouse spinal cord homogenate (MSCH) and adjuvants, 16 out of 25 mice receiving ovalbumin-coupled spleen cells (OA-SC) had EAE following encephalitogenic challenge. The effect of administration of antigen-coupled spleen cells on in vitro proliferation responses is shown.
Autologous mixed lymphocyte reaction in man. VIII. Deficiency of autologous mixed lymphocyte reaction in patients with selective IgA deficiency.

Abstract Autologous mixed lymphocyte reaction (AMLR) between T and non-T cells was studied in 12 patients with selective IgA deficiency. Seven of 12 patients demonstrated significantly (P
Communication apprehension and vocal stress as indices of deception

This study focused on the relationship between communication apprehension and vocal stress during deceptive and truthful responses generated in simulated job interviews. Vocal stress levels were determined by the Mark II Voice Analyzer. The design of the experiment produced prepared, spontaneous, and delayed deceptive responses. Results indicated that individuals who experience a high degree of communication apprehension evidence higher vocal stress levels during prepared lies. Significant elevated stress levels were not observed for the other types of lies. Low communication appre‐hensives did not demonstrate significantly higher vocal stress levels during any of the deceptive responses. These results provide support for earlier theories of anticipatory responses to communication interaction. Implications of these findings and recommendations for future research are noted.
Synchronous Buck Converter with Increased Efficiency

An optimal drive voltage providing highest efficiency for synchronous buck converter over selected load current range is discussed. Existing solutions to provide an optimal drive voltage using linear regulators are not efficient. The new approach using a small inductor of specified value and a diode is suggested. Analytical equations for the generated drive voltage as function of converter parameters are derived. Measured drive voltage has good correlation with theoretical prediction at variable parameters. Efficiency measurements using 4-phase 100-A VRM show overall 1% to 2 % improvement provided by the suggested drive supply circuits. Additional 1.5 % improvement can be achieved by reducing the dead time of power FETs down to 10 ns.
Orthotopic cardiac transplantation in two patients with previous malignancy

This report presents 2 patients with previous malignancy in whom congestive cardiomyopathy developed secondary to doxorubicin toxicity. Both patients underwent orthotopic cardiac transplantation 3 and 5 years ago and are now in functional class I with no evidence of malignant recurrence.
Improved radiography in endodontic practice: a procedure and an instrument.

A simplified dental radiographic procedure for use in endodontic practice was developed using beam-guiding instruments. The procedure provided a consistent quality of radiographs, improved management of difficult cases, and significant reduction of exposure of patients to ionizing radiation during endodontic therapy.
Enteral nutrition led to fewer postoperative complications than did parenteral feeding in gastrointestinal cancer.

Source Citation Bozzetti F, Braga M, Gianotti L, Gavazzi C, Mariani L. Postoperative enteral versus parenteral nutrition in malnourished patients with gastrointestinal cancer: a randomised multicen...
Accumulation of scopoletin glucoside in boron-deficient tobacco leaves.

Abstract Isopropyl alcohol-water extracts of tobacco leaves yielded a blue-fluorescent compound that was identified as the glucoside of scopoletin (6-met hoxy-7-hydroxycoumarin). Leaves of boron-deficient plants produced a twenty-fold increase of this material over leaves of normal plants. The possible role of boron in lignin biosynthesis is pointed out on the basis that certain phenolic compounds that may serve as lignin precursors accumulate in boron-deficient plants.
Surface complexation and precipitate geometry for aqueous Zn(II) sorption on ferrihydrite I: X-ray absorption extended fine structure spectroscopy analysis

Abstract “Two-line” ferrihydrite samples precipitated and then exposed to a range of aqueous Zn solutions (10−5 to 10−3 M), and also coprecipitated in similar Zn solutions (pH 6.5), have been examined by Zn and Fe K-edge X-ray absorption spectroscopy. Typical Zn complexes on the surface have Zn-O distances of 1.97(.02) A and coordination numbers of about 4.0(0.5), consistent with tetrahedral oxygen coordination. This contrasts with Zn-O distances of 2.11(.02) A and coordination numbers of 6 to 7 in the aqueous Zn solutions used in sample preparation. X-ray absorption extended fine structure spectroscopy (EXAFS) fits to the second shell of cation neighbors indicate as many as 4 Zn-Fe neighbors at 3.44(.04) A in coprecipitated samples, and about two Zn-Fe neighbors at the same distance in adsorption samples. In both sets of samples, the fitted coordination number of second shell cations decreases as sorption density increases, indicating changes in the number and type of available complexing sites or the onset of competitive precipitation processes. Comparison of our results with the possible geometries for surface complexes and precipitates suggests that the Zn sorption complexes are inner sphere and at lowest adsorption densities are bidentate, sharing apical oxygens with adjacent edge-sharing Fe(O,OH)6 octahedra. Coprecipitation samples have complexes with similar geometry, but these are polydentate, sharing apices with more than two adjacent edge-sharing Fe(O,OH)6 polyhedra. The results are inconsistent with Zn entering the ferrihydrite structure (i.e., solid solution formation) or formation of other Zn-Fe precipitates. The fitted Zn-Fe coordination numbers drop with increasing Zn density with a minimum of about 0.8(.2) at Zn/(Zn + Fe) of 0.08 or more. This change appears to be attributable to the onset of precipitation of zinc hydroxide polymers with mainly tetrahedral Zn coordination. At the highest loadings studied, the nature of the complexes changes further, and a second type of precipitate forms. This has a structure based on a brucite layer topology, with mainly octahedral Zn coordination. Amorphous zinc hydroxide samples prepared for comparison had a closely similar local structure. Analysis of the Fe K-edge EXAFS is consistent with surface complexation reactions and surface precipitation at high Zn loadings with little or no Fe-Zn solid solution formation. The formation of Zn-containing precipitates at solution conditions two or more orders of magnitude below their solubility limit is compared with other sorption and spectroscopic studies that describe similar behavior.