cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Opportunities Outside the Traditional Role of Individuals with an Educational Background in Nuclear Medicine Technology and a Bachelor’s Degree

![Figure][1] David Gilmore, MS, CNMT, RT(R)(N), FSNMMI-TS The fact that nuclear medicine is changing is no secret to anyone in this profession. Students and recent graduates have created blogs complaining about the job market, and technologists who are unable to find jobs or have been laid
Chenodeoxycholic acid stimulates Cl− secretion via cAMP signaling and increases cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator phosphorylation in T84 cells

High levels of chenodeoxycholic acid (CDCA) and deoxycholic acid stimulate Cl(-) secretion in mammalian colonic epithelia. While different second messengers have been implicated in this action, the specific signaling pathway has not been fully delineated. Using human colon carcinoma T84 cells, we elucidated this cascade assessing Cl(-) transport by measuring I(-) efflux and short-circuit current (Isc). CDCA (500 μM) rapidly increases I(-) efflux, and we confirmed by Isc that it elicits a larger response when added to the basolateral vs. apical surface. However, preincubation with cytokines increases the monolayer responsiveness to apical addition by 55%. Nystatin permeabilization studies demonstrate that CDCA stimulates an eletrogenic apical Cl(-) but not a basolateral K(+) current. Furthermore, CDCA-induced Isc was inhibited (≥67%) by bumetanide, BaCl2, and the cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator (CFTR) inhibitor CFTRinh-172. CDCA-stimulated Isc was decreased 43% by the adenylate cyclase inhibitor MDL12330A and CDCA increases intracellular cAMP concentration. The protein kinase A inhibitor H89 and the microtubule disrupting agent nocodazole, respectively, cause 94 and 47% reductions in CDCA-stimulated Isc. Immunoprecipitation with CFTR antibodies, followed by sequential immunoblotting with Pan-phospho and CFTR antibodies, shows that CDCA increases CFTR phosphorylation by approximately twofold. The rapidity and side specificity of the response to CDCA imply a membrane-mediated process. While CDCA effects are not blocked by the muscarinic receptor antagonist atropine, T84 cells possess transcript and protein for the bile acid G protein-coupled receptor TGR5. These results demonstrate for the first time that CDCA activates CFTR via a cAMP-PKA pathway involving microtubules and imply that this occurs via a basolateral membrane receptor.
Local properties of inexact methods for minimizing nonsmooth composite functions

Methods for minimization of composite functions with a nondifferentiable polyhedral convex part are considered. This class includes problems involving minimax functions and norms. Local convergence results are given for "active set" methods, in which an equality-constrained quadratic programming subproblem is solved at each iteration. The active set consists of components of the polyhedral convex function which are active or near-active at the current iteration. The effects of solving the subproblem inexactly at each iteration are discussed; rate-of-convergence results which depend on the degree of inexactness are given.
The use of hair morphology in the classification of galagos (Primates, subfamily galagoninae)

The outer epidermal hair structure of bushbabies or galagos varies considerably between genera and species. Comparative morphology can therefore be useful in taxonomic studies, particularly when assessing the true status of newly nominated or misclassified species. Quantitative measurements of outer epidermal hair scales (scale frequency and scale complexity) were made for populations representing 13 taxa within the subfamily Galagoninae. Intraspecific variations in both measures of hair morphology were relatively minor. By contrast, significant interspecific differences were observed, even between closely related, well-established species (e.g. in the greater galagosOtolemur crassicaudatus andO. garnettii and lesser galagosGalago senegalensis andGalago moholi). Assessment of scale frequency resulted in the recognition of all species of the greater and needle-clawed galago genera and added support for nomination to species status of two former subspecies (O. argentatus andE. pallidus). Similar divisions were made in the lesser and dwarf galagos with respect to scale complexity. Possible explanations for the differences in outer epidermal hair scales are discussed. Characteristics of outer epidermal hair scales provide a useful guide to species identity in the subfamily Galagoninae, and the same may prove to be true for other groups of nocturnal mammals.
Calculation of the Band Structure for Copper as a Function of Lattice Spacing

Calculations are described which relate to the change in the electronic band structure of copper with change in lattice spacing. The calculations were performed using previously described constant-energy search techniques based on the Korringa-Kohn-Rostoker method for band-theory calculations. Included in the results are a total of 26 066 points on each of three Fermi surfaces corresponding to lattice spacings $a$, $0.995a$, and $0.99a$, with $a$ being the normal lattice constant of copper. Using the measured value for the volume compressibility, our results give calculated changes in the Fermi surface with pressure which agree very well with recent de Haas-van Alphen experimental results. The calculated results are also consistent with the pressure dependence of reflectivity measurements, and with experiments thermodynamically related to the pressure dependence of the density of states at the Fermi energy. These results are based on band structures obtained from potentials calculated by a commonly invoked prescription using free-atom charge densities and Slater exchange. When considering the uncompressed metal, this prescription has been found to generate potentials giving widely varying band structures when different free-atom charge densities are used. However, once free-atom charge densities have been found which generate a reasonably accurate potential for the uncompressed metal, we conclude from the present results that the potential prescription appears to be very promising in its ability to accurately describe changes in metallic band structures with changes in lattice spacing.
Modeling of radial heterogeneity in chromatographic columns II. Separation of a two-component mixture on a column with cylindrical symmetry

The elution band profiles of two partially separated components were calculated for a radially heterogeneous cylindrical column, using a modified equilibrium-dispersive model, assuming no radial dispersion. Steady-state flow-rate is assumed with a given cylindrical radial distribution of the velocity. The results show a marked degradation of the column performance when the ratio of the mobile-phase velocities at the column center and at the wall differs from unity by more than a few percent.
The use of consumer injury registry data to evaluate physical abuse

Health care workers called upon to evaluate trauma in children must frequently decide if a given injury may have been intentionally inflicted. Some injuries are considered to be virtually diagnostic of abuse, but most are not at present readily associated with a particular type of intentional or nonintentional trauma. This study presents an example of how epidemiologically derived injury pattern data might be used by health care workers to better detect cases where intentional injury may have occurred. Injury pattern data were obtained for one type of trauma, falls from children's highchairs, from the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC). Medical personnel at four training levels were randomized to receive a case description, which included an account of a fall from a highchair as the explanation of an injury, with or without the CPSC data. The injury described in the case was not one found in the CPSC pattern data. They were subsequently asked about their confidence in the explanation given and their desire to make a report of suspected abuse. Respondents given the CPSC data appropriately had less confidence in the explanation (p less than .001), although both groups felt strongly that a report should be made. Decreased confidence was demonstrated at all training levels. We concluded that clinicians could make use of injury pattern data in their examination of trauma cases, although such data cannot substitute for a thorough medical and social evaluation. Language: en
Erdheim–Chester disease: The role of video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery in diagnosing and treating cardiac involvement

INTRODUCTION Erdheim–Chester disease is a rare, non-Langerhans histiocytosis in which pericardial involvement is diagnosed with increasing frequency and is associated with high mortality rates.
A practical approach to prevent gantry-couch collision for linac-based radiosurgery.

Gantry–couch collision is a serious concern for treatment planning of the linear accelerator(linac) based stereotactic radiosurgery(SRS). The ability to detect collision at the time of planning eliminates the need for backup plans and preserves the useful beam angles that would be deemed unsafe and discarded otherwise. Most collision-detection schemes embedded in commercial planning software guard only against the most apparent collisions. On the other hand, a fool-proof collision-map or lookup table often requires detailed measurement of machine geometry and complex graphic operations. In this study, we have developed a simple analytical method for collision detection with the use of quick machine-specific measurements. The collision detection is mathematically solved by determining whether two facets in three-dimensional space, representing gantry and couch surfaces, intersect with each other. A computer code was implemented and tested on a Varian Clinac 600C linac equipped with a BrainLab micromultileaf collimator(MLC) device. To measure machine-specific parameters, the lesion isocenter was set to the origin of the stereotactic coordinate system. The reference coordinates of couch bracket corners and micro-MLC to the linac isocenter were measured only once in the treatment room before they were incorporated into the computer program. Couch, gantry, and collimator were subsequently translated and rotated to study the clearance of various beam arrangements and lesion locations. Predicted results were verified at the machine. Our method correctly confirmed clearance for a retrospective study of 54 previously treated SRS plans (76 isocenters). It also accurately predicted the collisions for all ten artificially created cases. In conclusion, we have developed an analytical method for SRS collision detection that is accurate, easy to implement, and computationally inexpensive.
Relationship Among Sociodemographic Factors, Clinical Conditions, and Health-related Quality of Life: Examining the EQ-5D in the U.S. General Population

Introduction: Health-related quality of life (HRQL) measures are used increasingly in evaluations of clinical and population-based outcomes and in economic analyses. We investigate the influence of demographic, socioeconomic, and chronic disease factors on the HRQL of a representative U.S. sample. Methods: We examined data from 13,646 adults in the 2000 Medical Expenditure Panel Survey, a nationally representative sample of the U.S. general population, who completed a self-administered questionnaire containing the EQ-5D, a preference-based measure. We assessed the relationships between EQ-5D scores and sociodemographic variables, including age, sex, race/ethnicity, income and education, and six common chronic conditions. Results: In fully adjusted models, EQ-5D scores decreased with increasing category of age and were lower for persons with a lower income and educational attainment as well as each of the six conditions. Although the EQ-5D scores were lower for females and Whites compared with Blacks such differences were not of a magnitude considered to be clinically important. Conclusions: In the U.S., sociodemographic factors and clinical conditions are strongly associated with scores on the EQ-5D. Population health studies and risk-adjustment models should account and adjust for these factors when assessing the performance of health programs and clinical care.
Preventing disease transmission by deceased tissue donors by testing blood for viral nucleic acid

Nucleic acid testing (NAT) has reduced the risk of transmitting infectious disease through blood transfusion. Currently NAT for HIV-1 and HCV are FDA licensed and performed by nearly all blood collection facilities, but HBV NAT is performed under an investigational study protocol. Residual risk estimates indicate that NAT could potentially reduce disease transmission through transplanted tissue. However, tissue donor samples obtained post-mortem have the potential to produce an invalid NAT result due to inhibition of amplification reactions by hemolysis and other factors. The studies reported here summarize the development of protocols to allow NAT of deceased donor samples with reduced rates of invalid results. Using these protocols, inventories from two tissue centers were tested with greater than 99% of samples producing a valid test result.
Coherent X-ray Scattering for Discriminating Bio-compatible Materials in Tissue Scaffolds

It has been shown that coherently scattered x-rays can be used to discriminate and identify specific components in a mixture of materials. To assess the feasibility of using coherent x-ray scatter (CXS) to characterize the material components within tissue scaffolds, we studied the CXS properties of the bio-compatible materials of polymers (polypropylene fumarate, polycaprolactone, epoxy, etc.), sugar and salt solutions at different concentration, and complex materials consisting of more than one polymer. We also investigated the effects of x-ray spectra on the CXS functions of polymers by measuring them with different x-ray source anodes. It is shown that the synthesized polymers with different portions of base polymers can be characterized with CXS. The polymerization process does not significantly change the CXS characteristics of the measured polymers. When protein is denatured, no substantial change in scatter was detected. Solutions of different concentration can be characterized and quantified by the CXS features corresponding to the solutes. The difference among CXS of solutions of different concentration makes it possible to image and trace fluids and their concentration changes in tissues or scaffolds. Our results show that CXS of complex specimens can be decomposed with the scatter functions of the component materials. By simulating a tissue scaffold with a phantom with several bio-compatible materials, we demonstrated that significant contrast can be achieved at proper scatter angles by measuring the coherent x-ray scatter, despite the low attenuation-based contrast between them. We conclude that use of x-ray scatter makes it possible to track and map the fate (e.g., its breakdown and/or removal) of specific components within tissue scaffolds.
Section for Residents and Fellows-in-Training Leaders: Where Are They Now?

The purpose of this study was to examine the experiences of prior governing council (GC) members of the American Academy of Otolaryngology—Head and Neck Surgery (AAO-HNS) Section for Residents and Fellows-in-Training (SRF) and assess the impact of early Academy involvement. A survey was conducted via email on all prior AAO-HNS SRF GC members. The AAO-HNS SRF has elected 52 GC members since its 2003 inception. Each member served an average of 1.5 year-long terms. The mean time since completion of training is 4.1 years. A subspecialty fellowship was pursued in 86%. Fifty-seven percent practice in academic settings, with 3 members advancing to subspecialty division director within their department. More than half (58%) have served on an AAO-HNS committee, and most are frequent attendees of the annual meeting. All prior members felt involvement in the SRF GC was beneficial, enabling them to gain leadership skills and deeper understanding of the specialty.
Free radical recycling and intramembrane mobility in the antioxidant properties of alpha-tocopherol and alpha-tocotrienol.

d-Alpha-tocopherol (2R, 4′R,8′R-Alpha-tocopherol) and d-alpha-tocotrienol are two main vitamin E constituents having the same aromatic chromanol “head” but differing in their hydrocarbon “tail”: tocopherol with a saturated and toctrienol with an unsaturated isoprenoid chain. d-Alpha-tocopherol has the highest vitamin E activity, while d-alpha-tocotrienol manifests only about 30% of this activity. Since vitamin E is considered to be physiologically the most important lipid-soluble chain-breaking antioxidant of membranes, we studied alpha-tocotrienol as compared to alpha-tocopherol under conditions which are important for their antioxidant function. d-Alpha-tocotrienol possesses 40–60 times higher antioxidant activity against (Fe2+ + ascorbate)- and (Fe2+ + NADPH)-induced lipid peroxidation in rat liver microsomal membranes and 6.5 times better protection of cytochrome P-450 against oxidative damage than d-alpha-tocopherol. To clarify the mechanisms responsible for the much higher antioxidant potency of d-alpha-tocotrienol compared to d-alpha-tocopherol, ESR studies were performed of recycling efficiency of the chromanols from their chromanoxyl radicals, 1H-NMR measurements of lipid molecular mobility in liposomes containing chromanols, and fluorescence measurements which reveal the uniformity of distribution (clusterizations) of chromanols in the lipid bilayer. From the results, we concluded that this higher antioxidant potency of d-alpha-tocotrienol is due to the combined effects of three properties exhibited by d-alpha-tocotrienol as compared to d-alpha-tocopherol: (i) its higher recycling efficiency from chromanoxyl radicals, (ii) its more uniform distribution in membraned bilayer, and (iii) its stronger disordering of membrane lipids which makes interaction of chromanols with lipid radicals more efficient. The data presented show that there is a considerable discrepancy between the relative in vitro antioxidant activity of d-alpha-tocotrienol with the conventional bioassays of their vitamin activity.
Technical pitfalls in university rankings

Academicians, experts, and other stakeholders have contributed extensively to the literature on university rankings also known as “league tables”. Often the tone is critical usually focused on the subjective aspects of the process; e.g., the list of the universities’ attributes used in the rankings, their respective weights, and the size and composition of the comparison group. These aspects of a ranking are an easy target since, after all, they are based on someone’s opinion even if this person is considered an expert. There are other, purely technical, reasons why ranking schemes are problematic. In this paper we discuss these aspects of rankings by studying the handling of the data, exposing logical mistakes, and raising interpretation issues. We present these as a list of four “pitfalls” invoking in each case an example from an actual rankings. Each case also results in recommendations that address the technical issues involved.
An estimative approach for CVR effectiveness using aggregated load modeling

In order to develop an estimate of the benefits of Conservation Voltage Reduction (CVR) in the distribution system, composite characteristics of system loads based on ZIP modeling has been extracted from measurements of electrical quantities at the main substation. This knowledge is further used in finding a quantitative estimation approach for predicting the effectiveness of substation transformer tap changes in reducing total power demand in different load conditions. The proposed algorithm is implemented on the IEEE 34 bus test system and the results are demonstrated. It is shown that the method can predict the effectiveness of CVR with acceptable accuracy.
Familiarity from the configuration of objects in 3-dimensional space and its relation to déjà vu: a virtual reality investigation.

Deja vu is the striking sense that the present situation feels familiar, alongside the realization that it has to be new. According to the Gestalt familiarity hypothesis, deja vu results when the configuration of elements within a scene maps onto a configuration previously seen, but the previous scene fails to come to mind. We examined this using virtual reality (VR) technology. When a new immersive VR scene resembled a previously-viewed scene in its configuration but people failed to recall the previously-viewed scene, familiarity ratings and reports of deja vu were indeed higher than for completely novel scenes. People also exhibited the contrasting sense of newness and of familiarity that is characteristic of deja vu. Familiarity ratings and deja vu reports among scenes recognized as new increased with increasing feature-match of a scene to one stored in memory, suggesting that feature-matching can produce familiarity and deja vu when recall fails.
Mesoscale structure and its seasonal evolution in the northern California Current System

Abstract During spring and summer 2000, two mesoscale mapping cruises were carried out in the northern California Current System between 41 . 9 ∘ N and 44 . 6 ∘ N and between the shallow, inner continental shelf and up to 150 km offshore. Measurements were made using a towed undulating vehicle equipped with a conductivity-temperature-depth instrument and a chlorophyll fluorometer. A shipboard acoustic Doppler current profiler (ADCP) measured water velocities, and surface drifter trajectories and satellite sea-surface temperature imagery provide context for the mesoscale maps. Nearly identical upwelling favorable wind stresses of up to 0.2 N m - 2 existed during both the spring and summer surveys. Early in the season (late May, early June) the upwelling front and jet followed the continental shelf bottom topography. There was cold water inshore of the shelfbreak all along the coast with pockets of elevated phytoplankton biomass (chlorophyll (chl) up to 4 mg m - 3 ) near the coast. Mesoscale activity was minimal. During late-summer (August), the upwelling front and jet were much more convoluted, including significant meanders offshore associated with a major submarine bank (Heceta Bank, 44.0– 44 . 6 ∘ N ) and a large coastal promontory (Cape Blanco, 42 . 8 ∘ N ). High levels of phytoplankton biomass were found over Heceta Bank (chl ∼ 20 mg m - 3 ) and near the coast south of Cape Blanco (chl ∼ 10 mg m - 3 ). Low velocities inshore of Heceta Bank, measured by both shipboard ADCP and surface drifters, indicate the potential for retention of water over the Bank, leading to favorable conditions for phytoplankton biomass accumulation. The large offshore meander near Cape Blanco carried cold, nutrient-rich, high phytoplankton biomass (chl of 2– 5 mg m - 3 ) water over 100 km offshore. This flow–topography interaction feature was generated in mid-June and remained an important part of the regional circulation for about 2.5 months.
The N-pact factor: evaluating the quality of empirical journals with respect to sample size and statistical power.

The authors evaluate the quality of research reported in major journals in social-personality psychology by ranking those journals with respect to their N-pact Factors (NF)—the statistical power of the empirical studies they publish to detect typical effect sizes. Power is a particularly important attribute for evaluating research quality because, relative to studies that have low power, studies that have high power are more likely to (a) to provide accurate estimates of effects, (b) to produce literatures with low false positive rates, and (c) to lead to replicable findings. The authors show that the average sample size in social-personality research is 104 and that the power to detect the typical effect size in the field is approximately 50%. Moreover, they show that there is considerable variation among journals in sample sizes and power of the studies they publish, with some journals consistently publishing higher power studies than others. The authors hope that these rankings will be of use to authors who are choosing where to submit their best work, provide hiring and promotion committees with a superior way of quantifying journal quality, and encourage competition among journals to improve their NF rankings.
Effects of diltiazem on long-term outcome after acute myocardial infarction in patients with and without a history of systemic hypertension

The effect of diltiazem on long-term outcome in patients with acute myocardial infarction with and without a history of systemic hypertension was investigated in 2,466 patients using the Multicenter Diltiazem Postinfarction Trial data-base. The baseline variables were comparable in the diltiazem and placebo-treated patients within the groups with and without hypertension. The initial 60-mg dose of diltiazem was associated with a significant (p less than 0.001) but modest (3%) reduction in blood pressure and heart rate in both groups with and without hypertension. Univariate and multivariate analyses revealed a meaningful overall reduction in first recurrent cardiac events (cardiac death or nonfatal reinfarction, whichever occurred first) and cardiac death in patients with hypertension treated with diltiazem compared with results in those treated with placebo. Similar effects were not observed in patients without a history of hypertension. When first recurrent cardiac events were used as the end point, the diltiazem:placebo hazard ratio (95% confidence limits) was 0.77 (0.58, 1.01) for the total hypertension group, and 0.67 (0.47, 0.96) and 1.32 (0.83, 2.10) for patients with hypertension with and without pulmonary congestion during the acute infarction, respectively. Similar results were observed using cardiac death as the end point. Beta blockers had a negligible effect on the hypertension-diltiazem relation. These findings suggest that diltiazem may exert a long-term beneficial effect in most patients with hypertension who do not have pulmonary congestion during an acute infarction, and a detrimental effect in the minority who have pulmonary congestion.
Target recognition performance as a function of sampling

The effect of sampling, or aliasing, on target recognition performance (discriminating between armored tracked, armored wheeled, and soft wheeled classes of tactical vehicles) is investigated in this research. A recognition target set was processed with various levels of blur and aliasing. Integrated spurious response levels were set to 0, 0.3, 0.6, and 0.9. A perception experiment was conducted with U.S. Army soldiers at Ft. Benning, Georgia to determine the impact of blur and aliasing on recognition performance. The results are described in this paper.
Making good neighbors: civil rights, liberalism, and integration in postwar Philadelphia

Abigail Perkiss offers a beautiful, though less than critical, account of the emergence of a racially integrated neighborhood in the West Mount Airy section of North Philadelphia from its inception...
The Influence of Discharge on Duration, Ascent Distance, and Fidelity of the Spawning Migration for Paddlefish of the Yellowstone-Sakakawea Stock, Montana and North Dakota, USA

Paddlefish, Polyodon spathula, of the Yellowstone-Sakakawea stock, Missouri and Yellowstone Rivers, Montana and North Dakota, were radio-tagged to assess the influence of spring discharge on duration of river residency, ascent distance, and site-fidelity during spawning migrations of 1999–2002. Contrary to expectations and reported results from other paddlefish populations, fish remained in the river for similar periods of time and ascended to similar reaches in years of higher, more sustained discharge and in years of lower, more fluctuating discharge. In all years, 65 of the 74 migrants (88%) restricted their ascent to reaches below Yellowstone River kilometer (YRkm) 55; only six migrants were found to further ascend to upriver reaches within 20 river kilometers (rkm) of the Intake Diversion Dam (YRkm 114). The lack of detectable annual differences in ascent distance over the study period despite annual differences in Yellowstone River spring flow regimes may have been partially attributed to the apparent site-fidelity demonstrated by the tagged fish over the study period. Ten of the 22 paddlefish contacted in more than one spring migration repeatedly limited their upriver movement to sites that were within 10 rkm of each other. In addition, similar to the reproductive homing tendencies documented in other large-river migratory fishes, site-fidelity occurred in different reaches of the river system. Results from this study suggest that, in years of moderate discharge, site-fidelity may be as influential as the spring flow regime in determining the reaches to which migratory paddlefish ascend. Further research is needed to investigate potential differential spawning success in fish that return to different reaches of the lower Yellowstone River.
Problems with Rayleigh Damping in Base-Isolated Buildings

In dynamic analysis, the energy dissipation in a base-isolated building is typically accounted for by allocating damping properties independently to the superstructure and to the isolation system. Rayleigh damping applied to the superstructure component alone is often used to represent the superstructure energy dissipation. At least one study has indicated that when used improperly, superstructure Rayleigh damping leads to excessive damping of the response of a base-isolated structure. As shown here, even when used as recommended for combining subsystems with disparate damping properties, Rayleigh damping results in undesirable suppression of the first mode response. To correct this behavior, stiffness-proportional damping can be used in lieu of Rayleigh damping. Stiffness-proportional damping is demonstrated to negligibly affect the first mode response, yet provide the expected energy dissipation in higher modes.
NAPL dissolution in heterogeneous systems: an experimental investigation in a simple heterogeneous system

Abstract Dissolution experiments were conducted in a two-dimensional cell with simple heterogeneous packing consisting of well-defined coarse lenses contaminated by NAPL surrounded by a clean fine sand matrix. Experiments were conducted for a range of conditions by varying the grain size of sand, initial NAPL saturations, and size and number of the coarse lenses. Experimental results show that aqueous phase concentrations at the effluent port were always well below equilibrium concentrations, while concentrations at the local sampling port were at equilibrium for S n >0.3. Sufficient experimental conditions were tested to suggest three important mechanisms affect the overall mass transfer behavior in this heterogeneous system. (1) Variability in the effective permeabilities affect the relative volume of water flowing through the NAPL source zone and therefore, the extent of dilution of contaminated water with clean water flowing around the source zone. (2) The perimeter surface area of the NAPL source zone affects the total interfacial area for mass transfer. This is an especially important contribution to the overall mass transfer rate during early phases of the experiment when there is little flow of water through this zone. (3) Within the NAPL source zone, decreased mass transfer rates due to limited interfacial area and/or increased aqueous phase flow rates becomes the overall rate-limiting factor in this system for S n
Cognitive Defense Style and WISC-R P > V Sign in Juvenile Recidivists.

Investigated the relationship of WISC-R, P greater than V sign and cognitive defense style to juvenile recidivism. Sixty-eight male juvenile recidivists and 68 non-recidivists were administered the WISC-R and Byrne's R-S scale as part of a standard diagnostic battery. Although recidivists were found to have significantly higher P greater than V differences than non-recidivists, presence of P greater than V sign did not distinguish recidivists from non-recidivists. While recidivists were found to be significantly more sensitizing than non-recidivists, R-S scores were not found to be related to magnitude of P greater than V sign. Two separate classes of behaviors were suggested as increasing the probability of recidivism.
Examination of geometric and dosimetric accuracies of gated step-and-shoot intensity modulated radiation therapy.

Due to the complicated technical nature of gated radiation therapy, electronic and mechanical limitations may affect the precision of delivery. The purpose of this study is to investigate the geometric and dosimetric accuracies of gated step-and-shoot intensity modulated radiation treatments (SS-IMRT). Unique segmental MLC plans are designed, which allow quantitative testing of the gating process. Both ungated and gated deliveries are investigated for different dose sizes, dose rates, and gating window times using a commercial treatment system (Varian Trilogy) together with a respiratory gating system [Varian Real-Time Position Management system]. Radiographic film measurements are used to study the geometric accuracy, where it is found that with both ungated and gated SS-IMRT deliveries the MLC leaf divergence away from planned is less than or equal to the MLC specified leaf tolerance value for all leafs (leaf tolerance being settable from 0.5 – 5 mm ). Nevertheless, due to the MLCcontroller design, failure to define a specific leaf tolerance value suitable to the SS-IMRT plan can lead to undesired geometric effects, such as leaf motion of up to the maximum 5 mm leaf tolerance value occurring after the beam is turned on. In this case, gating may be advantageous over the ungated case, as it allows more time for the MLC to reach the intended leaf configuration. The dosimetric precision of gated SS-IMRT is investigated using ionization chamber methods. Compared with the ungated case, it is found that gating generally leads to increased dosimetric errors due to the interruption of the “overshoot phenomena.” With gating the average timing deviation for intermediate segments is found to be 27 ms , compared to 18 ms for the ungated case. For a plan delivered at 600 MU ∕ min this would correspond to an average segment dose error of ∼ 0.27 MU and ∼ 0.18 MU for gated and ungated deliveries, respectively. The maximum dosimetric errors for individual intermediate segments are found to deviate by up to ∼ 0.64 MU from their planned value when delivered at 600 MU ∕ min using gating, this compares to only ∼ 0.32 MU for the ungated case.
Inverse integer programming

We consider the integer programming version of inverse optimization. Using superadditive duality, we provide a polyhedral description of the set of inverse-feasible objectives. We then describe two algorithmic approaches for solving the inverse integer programming problem.
A Global Model for Closely Intermeshing Counter-rotating Twin Screw Extruders with Flood Feeding

Abstract A composite model has been developed to simulate the extrusion process for intermeshing counter-rotating twin-screw extruders. An experimentally based melting model, solids conveying model, and new improved metering model, were combined to develop this formulation. The procedure for global design of a flood feed intermeshing counter-rotating twin screw extruder is presented. Illustrative calculations are made for polyvinyl chloride and high density polyethylene in this type of machines with different screw designs. Computations are made for axial variation of the fill factor, pressure, temperature and melting profiles. Simulations were found to match with experimental results well. The model was also applied to scale-up.
Highly responsive curved aluminum nitride pMUT

We have successfully demonstrated highly responsive, curved piezoelectric micromachined ultrasonic transducers (pMUTs) based on a CMOS-compatible fabrication process using AlN (aluminum nitride) as the transduction material. Micro fabrication techniques have been used to control the radius of curvature of working diaphragms from 400~2000 μm and theoretical analysis have been developed for the optimal dimensions of the transducers to boost the electromechanical coupling and acoustic pressure. A prototype device made of a 2μm-thick AlN on a curved diaphragm with a nominal size of 140μm in diameter and a radius of curvature of 1065μm has been fabricated. The measured resonant frequency is 2.19MHz and DC response is 1.1nm/V, which is 50X higher than that of a planar device with the same nominal diameter. As such, this new class of curved pMUTs could dramatically enhance the responses of the state-of-art, planar pMUTs with high electromechanical coupling for various ultrasonic transduction applications, such as gesture recognition and medical imaging.
Variable Focusing Microlens Chip for Potential Sensing Applications

A variable focusing microlens chip, which has the capability of adjusting its focal length over a wide range without any mechanical driving parts, is reported in this paper. The packaged microlens chip consists of a flexible polymer lens, a fluidic chamber, an integrated sensor, and an actuator. A thermal actuator is introduced into this variable focusing microlens to obtain relatively large actuation force and displacement. The hemispheric convex polymer lens provides an initial focal point without being actuated. The focal length change is controlled by varying the voltage applied to the thermal actuator. A 1.9-mm-diameter polymer lens is made to test the performance of the device. The focal length of this chip varies from 14.658 to 2.782 mm, which corresponds to the change of numerical aperture from 0.078 to 0.412. Based on the working mechanism and constructing method of the single lens chip, a variable focusing microlenses array has been fabricated for future testing and application. Potential sensing applications for single lens and array include cell detection and immobilization, optical sensors, lab-on-a-chip, ophthalmic lens systems, microphotonics, high throughput scanning, and confocal imaging system
Acquired bundle branch block in a healthy population

Abstract Twenty-nine aviators whose ECG's changed from a normal pattern to bundle branch block were studied to assess the attendant risk. Twenty-two had RBBB; 7 had LBBB. Follow-up information was available for all members of the group and represented 101 patient-years of observation. Selective coronary angiography was done in 7 men; coronary artery disease was noted in 1 patient, and 6 men had normal coronary arteries. Three men with bundle branch block had definite evidence of coronary disease and there has been one death due to this cause. In two men RBBB appeared after chest trauma. In 24 of the men no disease was detected, and it is concluded that acquired bundle branch block is frequently associated with a good prognosis in the asymptomatic patient.
3D trajectory matching by pose normalization

Recent technological advances have made it possible to collect large amounts of 3D trajectory data. Such data play an essential role in numerous applications and are becoming increasingly important in mobile computing. One of the fundamental challenges in many of these application areas is the assessment of similarity between trajectories. As objects moving in a 3D space may often exhibit a similar motion pattern but may differ in location, orientation, and scale, the similarity assessment method employed must be invariant to these seven degrees of freedom. Previous work has addressed this problem primarily through local measures, such as curvature and torsion and has mostly concentrated on 2D trajectory data. This paper introduces a novel non iterative 3D trajectory matching framework that is translation, rotation, and scale invariant. We achieve this through the introduction of a pose normalization process that is based on physical principles, which incorporates both spatial and temporal aspects of trajectory data. We also introduce a new shape signature that utilizes the invariance that is achieved through pose normalization. The proposed scheme was tested both on simulated data and on real world data and has shown to offer improved robustness compared to local measures.
An x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy study of bonding at II-VI/III-V heterovalent interfaces

In this paper in situ x‐ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) is used to study the nature of the bonding at ZnSe/GaAs and CdTe/InSb interfaces grown by molecular‐beam epitaxy. X‐ray photoelectron spectra support the transmission electron microscopy evidence that ZnSe/GaAs MIS capacitors exhibiting low interface state densities are associated with the formation of an interfacial layer of zinc blende Ga2Se3. An interfacial layer can be deliberately introduced by reacting an As deficient GaAs surface with an incident Se flux. A comparison of the Se 3d core level features from the ZnSe epilayer surface, a Se‐reacted GaAs surface, and from separately grown Ga2Se3 epilayers, clearly indicate the same Se bonding characteristic for the Se‐reacted layer, and the Ga2Se3 epilayer. A parallel XPS study of CdTe/InSb interfaces leads to the conclusion that there is a general tendency for the formation of a III–VI interfacial compound when forming a II–VI‐on‐III–V junction.
Epi-illumination through the microscope objective applied to darkfield imaging and microspectroscopy of nanoparticle interaction with cells in culture

Existing darkfield illumination schemes are incompatible with many types of samples and/or procedures. We present a darkfield epi-illumination scheme which addresses these incompatibilities by providing illumination through the imaging objective. We validate the system performance using silver nanospheres in varying refractive index environments, characterize the intensity distribution of the darkfield illumination, and demonstrate system capabilities through a preliminary study of functionalized gold nanosphere interactions with cancer cells in culture. We observe a broadened scattering spectrum from unconjugated nanoparticles, as compared with anti-EGFR conjugated nanoparticles, upon incubation with cancer cells, and discuss the implications of this observation.
Managing the message: Message tracking

MITRE has implemented a software prototype in accordance with an Internet draft standard for SNMP-based message tracking. This paper discusses the SNMP-based mechanism used to query the messaging system for data about specific messages. SNMP is a mature network and application management technology that provides an abundance of user tools, a cross-vendor, cross-technology ubiquity. SNMP provides a migration path to a secure solution, and to web-based user interfaces. SNMP is the only approved Internet standard for application management. Use of the approach in this paper will allow development of message tracking applications that can operate in a multi-vendor messaging environment: the approach is a standard approach open to any messaging vendor.
South Asian ways of seeing, Muslim ways of knowing: The Indian Muslim niche market in posters

The new ‘visual turn’ in history invites us, through new evidence and related methodologies, to look beyond middle-class issues and concerns in reconstructing the civil society that emerged in twentieth-century South Asia. The case study presented here addresses fundamental questions of how the emerging civil society scrutinized the state (both the imperial form and its independent heir), as well as how claims to authority and legitimacy continued to exist outside as well as within the state. New visual modes of communicating created a number of markets for groups of consumers in which both the shared cultural practices of South Asians, and group-specific meanings elaborated for those practices, helped individuals to define identities and to mobilise their passionate commitments on behalf of their respective group interests. This article examines one such group of consumers—South Asian Muslims—within the larger South Asian context. Thus, the ‘visual turn’ enables us to move from the specifics of particula...
Numerical Simulation of Microscale Ionic Wind for Local Cooling Enhancement

Microscale ionic wind is a method of generating local boundary layer distortion to enhance convective heat transfer. An extension of the microscale ion driven airflow (MIDAF) concept, microscale ionic wind exerts a body force on an existing bulk flow through the phenomenon of ion drag. Ion drag results from repeated collisions between positive or negative ions with neutral air molecules. The ion-induced body force facilitates local boundary layer distortion analogous to the well-known active techniques of suction or blowing, and passive techniques such as surface protrusions. The reported method of ion and ionic wind generation utilizes emerging nanoscale electrode materials and micro-fabricated electrodes for electron field emission. The advantage of microscale geometries is that both the operating voltage (< 100V) and electrode spacing (< 100 mum) are small. A two-dimensional numerical model of the electrohydrodynamics predicts the behavior of the microscale ionic wind. The model solves steady-state continuity, momentum, and energy equations together with ion transport and electric potential equations. The model describes two electrodes on a flat plate and a superimposed bulk flow. Results reveal an improvement in local heat transfer coefficient of approximately 50% as compared to undisturbed boundary-layer flow
Patterns of Respiratory Disease During the First 2 Postnatal Weeks in Extremely Premature Infants

BACKGROUND. Pulmonary disease among infants of 28 weeks’ gestation (extremely low gestational age newborns) often has the following pattern: the infant starts out with little need for supplemental oxygen and ventilatory support in the first postnatal week but then has pulmonary deterioration in the second postnatal week, with an increased need for supplemental oxygen and respiratory support. We evaluated the antecedents and correlates of patterns of early lung disease, with particular emphasis on pulmonary deterioration, in a large cohort study (the Extremely Low Gestational Age Newborn [ELGAN] study). PATIENTS AND METHODS. We examined data collected prospectively on 1340 infants born between 2002 and 2004 at 23 to 27 completed weeks of gestation and who survived to 14 days. Pulmonary deterioration was defined as receipt of fraction of inspired oxygen 0.23 on any day between days 3 and 7 and receipt of fraction of inspired oxygen 0.25 on day 14. RESULTS. One fifth (20%) of the infants had consistently low fraction of inspired oxygen, approximately two fifths (38%) had pulmonary deterioration, and the remaining approximately two fifths (43%) had consistently high fraction of inspired oxygen (early and persistent lung dysfunction). Compared with infants who had consistently low fraction of inspired oxygen, infants who experienced pulmonary deterioration had lower gestational ages and lower birth weights, had higher scores for neonatal acute physiology, and received more intensive modes of respiratory support. Gender, multifetal pregnancy, cesarean delivery, antenatal steroids, chorioamnionitis, and funisitis were not associated with pulmonary deterioration. The incidence of chronic lung disease, defined as oxygen therapy at 36 weeks’ postmenstrual age, was 17% in the consistently low fraction of inspired oxygen group, 51% in the pulmonary deterioration group, and 67% in the early and persistent pulmonary dysfunction group. The incidence of death in these 3 groups before 36 weeks’ postmenstrual age was 1%, 3%, and 5%, respectively. CONCLUSIONS. Nearly 40% of extremely low gestational age newborns experience pulmonary deterioration in the first 2 postnatal weeks, and half of these infants develop chronic lung disease. Indicators of developmental immaturity and illness severity were associated with both pulmonary deterioration and chronic lung disease. Studying the antecedents of pulmonary deterioration might provide new insights about chronic lung disease pathogenesis. Pediatrics 2009;123:1124–1131