cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Evaluation of diclofenac prodrugs for enhancing transdermal delivery

AbstractObjective: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the approach of using diclofenac acid (DA) prodrugs for enhancing transdermal delivery.Methods: Methanol diclofenac ester (MD), ethylene glycol diclofenac ester (ED), glycerol diclofenac ester (GD) and 1,3-propylene glycol diclofenac ester (PD) were synthesized and evaluated for their physicochemical properties such as solubilities, octanol/water partition coefficients, stratum corneum/water partition coefficients, hydrolysis rates and bioconversion rates. In vitro fluxes across human epidermal membrane (HEM) in the Franz diffusion cell were determined on DA-, MD-, ED-, GD- and PD-saturated aqueous solutions.Results: The formation of GD and ED led to the prodrugs with higher aqueous solubilities and lower partition coefficients than those of the parent drug. Prodrugs with improved aqueous solubility showed better fluxes across HEM in aqueous solution than that of the parent drug, with GD showing the highest aqueous solubility and also the highes...
Type‐Curve Interpretation of Multirate Single‐Hole Pneumatic Injection Tests in Unsaturated Fractured Rock

More than 270 multirate single-hole pneumatic injection tests were conducted by Guzman et al. (1996) within six shallow vertical and inclined boreholes in unsaturated fractured tuff at the Apache Leap Research Site (ALRS) near Superor, Arizona. The authors used steady-state formulae to obtain air permeability values for the rock based solely on late pressure data from each test. We developed pressure and pressure-derivative type-curves for the interpretation of transient data from these tests, which account for storage in the test interval due to air compressibility and skin effect due to damage to the surrounding rock. We applied our type-curves to pressure data from more than 40 of the tests to obtain information about air permeability, skin factor, phenomenology, and dimensionality of the flow regime on a nominal scale of 1 m in the immediate vicinity of each test interval. Our air permeabilities agreed well with those determined previously by means of steady- state formulae but correlated poorly with fracture density data. Nonlinear effects due to air compressibility were pronounced, but skin effect was generally small or nonexistent. Nonlinear two-phase flow and inertia were evident but did not have a significant impact on type-curve interpretation of the test data. Most of these data fit a continuum model of spherical airflow around the test interval, but a few fit a continuum model of radial flow or suggest the dominance of a single fracture. We take this to imply that fractures at the site are pneumatically well connected and can, for the most part, be treated as a porous continuum when analyzing airflow on scales of 1 m or more. This is supported by the finding that 1 m scale air permeability data from single-hole tests at the ALRS are amenable to geostatistical analysis (Chen et al. 2000), which views them as a sample from a random field defined over a continuum. That the same holds true on larger scale is indicated by our ability to interpret cross-hole pneumatic injection tests at the site by means of type-curves and inverse methods (Illman et al. 1998), which treat the entire rock mass as a porous continuum.
A case report of adalimumab-associated optic neuritis

To describe a case of retrobulbar optic neuritis that presented within 3 weeks of adalimumab treatment initiation. This index case was evaluated with visual field testing, brain magnetic resonance imaging, lumbar puncture, and laboratory evaluation, and treated with intravenous methylprednisolone followed by a steroid taper. Our patient made a full visual recovery, but was found to have extensive T2/FLAIR foci of hyperintensities that enhanced and had restricted diffusion on magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). Six months later, these demyelinating lesions still persisted and our patient was initiated on immunomodulatory treatment. With the extensive burden of disease at presentation and persistence of lesions on follow-up MRI, this unusual case seems to suggest an unmasking of an underlying demyelinating process by adalimumab. The clinician should be mindful of this association and monitor for any manifestations and treat appropriately.
Clinical Research in the Managed Care Environment.

The authors present the conclusions of a workshop devoted to the challenges to clinical research in the changing environment of managed care and health care reform. They identify problems and concerns with current conditions and discuss promising opportunities for new approaches to research.
Evaluation of a Self-Development Approach to Drug Education: Some Mixed Results.

A fifty hour self-development approach to drug education which included values clarification, empathy training, drug information, with considerable peer interaction was evaluated by means of a true experiment. No differences were found between treatment and no-treatment groups in terms of drug usage, drug knowledge, and self-esteem. However, the treated group did develop more empathy skills. The results are used to emphasize the importance of clearly stating objectives and designing specific interventions for each objective.
New global communication process in thermodynamics: Impact on quality of published experimental data

Thermodynamic data are a key resource in the search for new relationships between properties of chemical systems that constitutes the basis of the scientific discovery process. In addition, thermodynamic information is critical for development and improvement of all chemical process technologies. Historically, peer-reviewed journals are the major source of this information obtained by experimental measurement or prediction. Technological advances in measurement science have propelled enormous growth in the scale of published thermodynamic data (almost doubling every 10 years). This expansion has created new challenges in data validation at all stages of the data delivery process. Despite the peer-review process, problems in data validation have led, in many instances, to publication of data that are grossly erroneous and, at times, inconsistent with the fundamental laws of nature. This article describes a new global data communication process in thermodynamics and its impact in addressing these challenges...
Structure and organization of the gas vesicle gene cluster on the Halobacterium halobium plasmid pNRC100

Abstract Halobacterium halobium strain NRC-1 contains intracellular gas-filled vesicles (GVs) that confer buoyancy to the cells. Cloning of the major GV protein (GvpA)-encoding gene, gvpA , and analysis of GV-deficient mutants (Vac − ) of H. halobium led to the identification of a region of a 200-kb plasmid, pNRC100, important for GV synthesis. We report here the nucleotide sequence of an 8520-bp region which, including gvpA , contains twelve open reading frames (ORFs) that are organized into two divergent transcription units, gvpAC oriented rightward, and gvpD, E, F, G, H, I, J, K, L , and M located upstream from gvpAC and oriented leftward. Insertions into the gvpA promoter and gvpD and E resulted in the Vac − phenotype. The overall gene organization is highly compact with the end of one ORF overlapping with the beginning of the next in most cases. The gene cluster is bracketed by two IS H 8 element copies in inverted orientation, an organization suggestive of a composite transposon. Comparison of predicted amino acid sequences showed homology between GvpA, and the gvpJ and gvpM putative gene products. The putative gvpC gene product contains eight copies of an imperfectly repeated sequence with similarity to repeats in a cyanobacterial GvpC plus a highly acidic C-terminal region not found in the cyanobacterial homologue.
Development and evaluation of radiographer led telephone follow up following radical radiotherapy to the prostate. A report of a Macmillan Cancer Support Sponsored Pilot project at Mount Vernon Hospital

Abstract Radiotherapy for localised prostate cancer is an effective and well tolerated treatment. Following radiotherapy, most men are followed up either in doctor or specialist nurse led hospital outpatient clinics. Attending clinics may be of little personal benefit as the majority of patients have few ongoing symptoms post radiotherapy and have very good cancer prognoses. Recognising the limitations outpatient clinic follow up, we developed a radiographer led model of remote telephone follow up of patients completing radiotherapy for low to intermediate risk prostate cancer. Standardised toxicity assessments were performed and patient satisfaction assessed. Radiographer led follow up detected similar levels of post radiotherapy GI, GU and sexual toxicity as outpatient clinic appointments, with a very high level of patient satisfaction compared to routine outpatient clinics. We believe that radiographer led telephone follow up provides an alternative model for long term follow up of men after prostate radiotherapy.
The effect of pessaries on the vaginal microenvironment.

Objective The objective of the study was to evaluate the differences in vaginal culture, microscopy, and Gram stain between postmenopausal women who wear pessaries and those who do not to explain pessary-related, bothersome vaginal discharge. Study Design Postmenopausal women not using exogenous estrogen who had either been wearing a pessary for at least 3 months or who were undergoing their first pessary fittings were approached for enrollment. Symptoms were assessed, and vaginal fluid was collected for culture, microscopy, and Gram stain. A cross-sectional analysis was performed, comparing the new and return pessary wearers. The new pessary users were also sampled at 2 weeks, 3 months, and 6 months after fitting. Results Women who wore pessaries were more likely to be bothered by discharge (30.0% vs 2.1%, P Conclusion Pessary-related, bothersome vaginal discharge develops early and may be due to an inflammatory process in the vagina.
Mechanisms controlling venom expulsion in the western diamondback rattlesnake, Crotalus atrox.

Although many studies have documented variation in the amount of venom expended during bites of venomous snakes, the mechanistic source of this variation remains uncertain. This study used experimental techniques to examine how two different features of the venom delivery system, the muscle surrounding the venom gland (the Compressor Glandulae in the rattlesnake) and the fang sheath, could influence venom flow in the western diamondback rattlesnake, Crotalus atrox. Differential contraction of the Compressor Glandulae explained only approximately 30% of the variation in venom flow. Lifting (compression) of the fang sheath as occurs during a normal strike produced marked increases in venom flow; these changes were closely correlated and exceed in magnitude by almost 10 those recorded from the Compressor Glandulae alone. These results suggest that variation in these two aspects of the venom delivery system—both in terms of magnitude and temporal patterning—explain most of the observed variation in venom injection. The lack of functional or mechanical links between the Compressor Glandulae and the fang sheath, and the lack of skeletal or smooth muscle within the fang sheath, make it unlikely that variation in venom flow is under direct neural control. Instead, differential venom injection results from differences in the pressurization by the Compressor Glandulae, the gate keeping effects of the fang sheath and enclosed soft-tissue chambers, and by differences in the pressure returned by peripheral resistance of the target tissue. J. Exp. Zool. 307A:18-27, 2007. r 2006 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
BONE MARROW TRANSPLANTATION FOR SEVERE COMBINED IMMUNODEFICIENCY: ANALYSIS AT 15 YEARS ♦ 40

BONE MARROW TRANSPLANTATION FOR SEVERE COMBINED IMMUNODEFICIENCY: ANALYSIS AT 15 YEARS ♦ 40
Testing speech act theory and its applicability to EDI and other computer-processable messages

This paper discusses a small empirical study that investigates the relationship between electronic commerce and a linguistic theory called speech act theory (SAT). The study reveals that electronic data interchange messages and inter-application communication messages have the structure predicted by SAT. This should encourage information systems (IS) researchers to continue investigating SAT, IS practitioners to consider basing message structures on a SAT framework, and speech act theorists who support this theory.
‘Statistical methods for automatic crack detection based on vibrothermography sequence-of-image data’ by M. Li, S. D. Holland and W. Q. Meeker: Discussion 2

Vibrothermography is a relatively new nondestructive evaluation technique for finding cracks through frictional heat generated from crack surface vibrations under external excitations. The vibrothermography inspection method provides a sequence of infrared images as the output. We use a matched filter technique to increase the signal-to-noise ratio of the sequence-of-images data. An automatic crack detection criterion based on the features extracted from the matched filter output greatly increases the sensitivity of the vibrothermography inspection method. In this paper, we develop a three-dimensional matched filter for the sequence-of-images data, which presents the statistical analysis for the matched filter output, and evaluate the probability of detection. Our results show the crack detection criterion based on the matched filter output provides an improved detection capability. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Antennas in silicon integrated circuits

At 24 GHz, communication range of 10 m is possible using on-chip antennas. Antenna efficiency of 25% is achieved by thinning the substrate to ~50 μm. At 5.8 GHz, using a pair of 6-mm long monopoles, communication range of more than 30 m can be achieved. On-chip antennas can be integrated with RF circuits in CMOS for general purpose communication. At frequencies above ~200 GHz, it becomes practical to integrate a patch antenna. A bond wire antenna has efficiency of ~15% at ~60 GHz.
Principle of Least Action in Continuum Mechanics

As we discussed in Sect. 2.6, for reversible processes the governing equations of mechanics must have a Hamiltonian structure, and accordingly a principle of least action must exist. In another extreme case, when the inertial effects and the internal interactions described by the internal energy can be ignored, variational principles also exist, but they are due to the special structure of the models rather than to the laws of Nature. In this chapter we consider the principle of least action in continuum mechanics of reversible processes and some related issues. The variational principles for dissipative processes are presented in the second part of the book along with the other variational features of the classical continuum models.
Functional verification of the IBM zSeries eServer z900 system

This paper presents an overview on how the zSeries eServer z900 system has been functionally verified. It describes the hierarchical structure of verification, starting with designer simulation, unit-simulation, chip-simulation up to system simulation. For each step, the tools, methods and goals of verification are described. It also presents a description of the IT environment used at the different levels of verification, especially of dedicated simulation hardware like accelerator and emulator machines used for system simulation and hardware/software co-verification.
Association between socioeconomic status and pain, function and pain catastrophizing at presentation for total knee arthroplasty.

Patients with higher socioeconomic status (SES) are shown to have better total knee arthroplasty (TKA) outcomes compared to those with lower SES. The relationship between SES and factors that influence TKA use is understudied. We examined the association between SES and pain, function and pain catastrophizing at presentation for TKA. In patients undergoing TKA at an academic center, we obtained preoperative pain and functional status (WOMAC Index 0–100, 100 worst), pain catastrophizing (PCS, ≥16 high), and mental health (MHI-5, <68 poor). We described individual-level SES using education as a proxy, and area-level SES using a validated composite index linking geocoded addresses to U.S. Census data. We measured associations between these indicators and pain, function and pain catastrophizing, adjusting for age, sex and BMI. Among 316 patients, mean age was 65.9 (SD 8.7), 59% were female, and 88% were Caucasian; 17% achieved less than college education and 62% were college graduates. The median area SES index score was 59 (U.S. median 51). Bivariable analyses demonstrated associations between higher individual- and area-level SES and lower pain, higher function and less pain catastrophizing (all p<0.05). Adjusted analyses demonstrated statistically significant associations between higher individual- and area-level SES and better function and less pain. In this cohort, patients with higher individual- and area-level SES had lower pain and higher function at the time of TKA than lower SES patients. Further research is needed to assess what constitutes appropriate levels of pain and function to undergo TKA in these higher SES groups.
From the margins of the genome: mobile elements shape primate evolution.

Summary Asisthecasewithmammalsingeneral,primategenomes are inundated with repetitive sequence. Although much of this repetitive content consists of ‘‘molecular fossils’’ inherited from early mammalian ancestors, a significant portion of this material comprises active mobile element lineages. Despite indications that these elements played a major role in shaping the architecture of the genome, there remain many unanswered questions surrounding the nature of the host-element relationship. Here we review advances in our understanding of the host– mobileelementdynamicanditsoverallimpactonprimate evolution. BioEssays 27:785–794, 2005.
The Deconstitutionalization of Academic Freedom After Garcetti v. Ceballos

The supreme court in Garcetti v. Ceballos (2006) held that public employees do not have constitutional rights to speak out on matters of public concern in the course of the performance of their off...
Secondary Grain Growth in Heavily Doped Polysilicon During Rapid Thermal Annealing

To successfully implement Silicon-on-Insulator (SOI) technology using polysilicon-on-oxide, it is necessary to maximize the grain size such that the active devices are entirely within very large single crystal grains. A drastic increase in grain size in polysilicon has been reported due to secondary grain growth in ultra-thin, heavily n-type doped films upon regular furnace annealing. Very little work has been undertaken, however, to study secondary grain growth during Rapid Thermal Annealing (RTA).This paper is a study of the grain growth mechanism in heavily P-doped, amorphous silicon films during RTA. Secondary grains as large as 16 μm have been obtained in 160 nm thick films after a 180 s RTA at 1200 °C, representing a grainsize- to-film-thickness-ratio of 100:1. This is the largest secondary grain size and grain-size-to-film-thickness reported in the literature. A detailed analysis of negatively charged silicon vacancies has also been employed to explain the lower activation energy (1.55 eV) of secondary grain growth compared to that of normal grain growth (2.4 eV).
Middle Ordovician Table Head Formation, Western Newfoundland

At the type section the Table Head Formation is about 1110 feet thick, resting disconformably on the Lower Ordovician St. George Formation, overlain apparently conformably by unnamed gray siltstones and green sandstones. An informal subdivision of the Table Head Formation into lower, middle, and upper parts is followed here. Lower Table Head (810 feet) limestones yielded 12 trilobite species; stratigraphical range of each is given. Middle Table Head limestones and black shales (270 feet) show contemporaneous deformation. Stratigraphical ranges of 24 trilobite species are given; only one of these is also present in the lower Table Head. The upper Table Head (30 feet) is black shale which yielded about 17 species of graptolites. In Table Cove middle Table Head rocks are exposed, and Raymond9s “isolated limestone” locality is identified. Lower Table Head strata are exposed at Pointe Riche, and a sequence of limestones and shales of lower and middle Table Head age northeast of Port au Port. Conglomerates of the upper part of the Cow Head Group crop out near Portland Creek and at Daniel9s Harbour. Boulders of limestone from the Table Head Formation were contributed to these conglomerates by submarine sliding. The Table Head Formation is correlated with the Antelope Valley Limestone, Nevada, and parts of it with the Kanosh Shale and Lehman Formation of western Utah and with the Swan Peak Formation of eastern Utah. Affinities between trilobites of the Table Head and the Chazy Group, New York, are not strong. Some affinities, not necessarily indicative of age equivalence, are noted among trilobites from the Table Head and those from the Lenoir, Tumbez, and Whitesburg formations of the southern Appalachians. Both trilobites and graptolites from the higher beds of the middle part and from the upper part of the Table Head Formation correlate with those from zone D of the Levis Shale, Quebec. The graptolites resemble those of the lower Llanvirn of Europe. The Arenig-Llanvirn boundary may thus fall within, or immediately below, the Table Head Formation.
Disease course and therapeutic approach in dermatomyositis: A four-center retrospective study of 100 patients

Dermatomyositis is a life-altering inflammatory disorder of skin and muscle. Details regarding the natural course of this disorder, the effects of specific therapies on its progression, and the optimal therapeutic dosage and duration of prednisone are limited. We performed a retrospective medical record review of dermatomyositis patients at four medical centers. All patients were over the age of 21 and had a clinical diagnosis of dermatomyositis with pathological confirmation. We reviewed average muscle strength, corticosteroid use, creatine kinase levels, and supplemental immunosuppressant use during the 36-month period following each patient's initial assessment. One hundred patients participated with an average age of 50.1 years. Average muscle strength improved and prednisone requirements lessened six months after initial assessment. There was no difference in the mean change in muscle strength or cumulative corticosteroid use over 36 months among those initially treated with methotrexate, mycophenolate mofetil, pulse IVIG, or azathioprine. There was a 5% mortality rate in dermatomyositis patients due to infections. Treated dermatomyositis patients demonstrate the most significant improvement in strength during the first six-to-twelve months following their initial clinical assessment. Additional prospective studies are needed to determine the relative benefit of select immunosuppressant agents in preserving strength and reducing corticosteroid use in dermatomyositis.
Optimizing in vivo Assessment of Nano/bio Interactions to Guide Safer Material Design

The rapid rate of discovery and development in the nanotechnology field will undoubtedly increase both human and environmental exposures to engineered nanomaterials. Whether these exposures pose a significant risk remains uncertain. Despite recent collective progress there remain gaps in our understanding of the nanomaterials physiochemical properties that drive or dictate biological responses. The development and implementation of rapid relevant and efficient testing strategies to assess these emerging materials prior to large-scale exposures could help advance this exciting field. I present a powerful approach that utilizes a dynamic in vivo zebrafish embryonic assay to rapidly define the biological responses to nanomaterial exposures. Early developmental life stages are often uniquely sensitive to environmental insults, due in part to the enormous changes in cellular differentiation, proliferation and migration required to form the required cell types, tissues and organs. Molecular signaling underlies all of these processes. Most toxic responses result from disruption of proper molecular signaling, thus, early developmental life stages are perhaps the ideal life stage to determine if nanomaterials perturb normal biological pathways. Through automation and rapid throughput approaches, a systematic and iterative strategy has been deployed to help elucidate the nanomaterials properties that drive biological responses.
Providing better support for a class of decision support queries

Relational database systems do not effectively support complex queries containing quantifiers (quantified queries) that are increasingly becoming important in decision support applications. Generalized quantifiers provide an effective way of expressing such queries naturally. In this paper, we consider the problem of processing quantified queries within the generalized quantifier framework. We demonstrate that current relational systems are ill-equipped, both at the language and at the query processing level, to deal with such queries. We also provide insights into the intrinsic difficulties associated with processing such queries. We then describe the implementation of a quantified query processor, Q2P, that is based on multidimensional and boolean matrix structures. We provide results of performance experiments run on Q2P that demonstrate superior performance on quantified queries. Our results indicate that it is feasible to augment relational systems with query subsystems like Q2P for significant performance benefits for quantified queries in decision support applications.
Biodiversity assessment: State-of-the-art techniques in phylogenomics and species identification

Premise of the study Biodiversity assessment is the first step in protecting the complete range of morphological and genetic diversity of species on Earth, and in reaching the goals of conservation biology. Assessment begins with identifying organisms that make up biological communities and understanding evolutionary histories. Scientific advancements in molecular sequencing can help clarify and provide support for identifications. Massively parallel DNA sequencing technologies are being used to sequence complete genomes of model organisms; however, this resource has not been fully used for species identifications. Animal researchers commonly use one mitochondrial region, and groups of plant scientists have proposed numerous combinations of two or three chloroplast markers as genomic identifiers. Yet, nearly as many studies have reported that the proposed regions are uninformative in some plant groups and at various taxonomic levels. Methods We propose a combination of whole (or nearly whole) chloroplast genomes, mitochondrial genes, and nuclear repeat regions for both species identifications and phylogenetic analyses, obtained from a simple total DNA extraction and one run on massively parallel DNA sequencing machines. Key results We have recovered both coding and noncoding sequences from multiple genetic sources, providing genomic information for comparisons within and between multiple taxonomic levels. Conclusions In combination with morphological and other data, this abundance of genomic information will have a broad range of applications, including not only helping conservation biologists understand ecosystem biodiversity, but also understanding the evolutionary histories of organisms, mending damaged landscapes, and investigating interactions of plants with pollinators and pests.
A classification and characterization of two-locus, pure, strict, epistatic models for simulation and detection

The statistical genetics phenomenon of epistasis is widely acknowledged to confound disease etiology. In order to evaluate strategies for detecting these complex multi-locus disease associations, simulation studies are required. The development of the GAMETES software for the generation of complex genetic models, has provided the means to randomly generate an architecturally diverse population of epistatic models that are both pure and strict, i.e. all n loci, but no fewer, are predictive of phenotype. Previous theoretical work characterizing complex genetic models has yet to examine pure, strict, epistasis which should be the most challenging to detect. This study addresses three goals: (1) Classify and characterize pure, strict, two-locus epistatic models, (2) Investigate the effect of model ‘architecture’ on detection difficulty, and (3) Explore how adjusting GAMETES constraints influences diversity in the generated models. In this study we utilized a geometric approach to classify pure, strict, two-locus epistatic models by “shape”. In total, 33 unique shape symmetry classes were identified. Using a detection difficulty metric, we found that model shape was consistently a significant predictor of model detection difficulty. Additionally, after categorizing shape classes by the number of edges in their shape projections, we found that this edge number was also significantly predictive of detection difficulty. Analysis of constraints within GAMETES indicated that increasing model population size can expand model class coverage but does little to change the range of observed difficulty metric scores. A variable population prevalence significantly increased the range of observed difficulty metric scores and, for certain constraints, also improved model class coverage. These analyses further our theoretical understanding of epistatic relationships and uncover guidelines for the effective generation of complex models using GAMETES. Specifically, (1) we have characterized 33 shape classes by edge number, detection difficulty, and observed frequency (2) our results support the claim that model architecture directly influences detection difficulty, and (3) we found that GAMETES will generate a maximally diverse set of models with a variable population prevalence and a larger model population size. However, a model population size as small as 1,000 is likely to be sufficient.
Beyond routing: an algebraic approach to network coding

We consider the issue of network capacity. Recent work by Li and Yeung examined the network capacity of multicast networks and related capacity to cutsets. Capacity is achieved by coding over a network. We present a new framework for studying networks and their capacity. Our framework, based on algebraic methods, is surprisingly simple and effective. For networks which are restricted to using linear codes (we make the meaning of linear codes precise, since the codes are not bit-wise linear), we find necessary and sufficient conditions for any given set of connections to be achievable over a given network. For multicast connections, linear codes are not a restrictive assumption, since all achievable connections can be achieved using linear codes. Moreover, coding can be used to maintain connections after permanent failures, such as the removal of an edge from the network. We show necessary and sufficient conditions for a set of connections to be robust to a set of permanent failures. For multicast connections, we show the rather surprising result that, if a multicast connection is achievable under different failure scenarios, a single static code can ensure robustness of the connection under all of those failure scenarios.
Impact of Deployment Point Arrangement on Intrusion Detection in Wireless Sensor Networks

This paper introduces a novel deployment strategy to leverage the advantages of both Poisson and Gaussian distributions in random sensor deployment for intrusion detection. The basic idea is to employ multiple deployment points in the area of interest. How to choose the number and locations of the k deployment points for optimizing the network performance under given network investment is therefore a must-answer question. This paper theoretically and experimentally explores the problem under multi-level sensing and detection model. Simulation outcomes are shown to match very well with the theoretical results and validate the effectiveness of the proposed approach and the correctness of the modeling and analysis. This work provides insight on choosing the appropriate number of deployment points and their placement for efficient intrusion detection given arbitrary application requirements.
The Pure Rotational Spectrum of Gas-Phase NaNH2 (X̃ 1A1)

The pure rotational spectrum of NaNH2 ( 1A1) has been recorded using millimeter/submillimeter direct absorption techniques. This study is the first gas-phase detection of this molecule in the laboratory. NaNH2 was generated by the reaction of sodium vapor and NH3 in the presence of a DC discharge. The Ka = 0, 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5 components in 10 separate rotational transitions were measured, identifying the molecule as a planar, near-prolate asymmetric top with C2v symmetry. The data were analyzed using an S-reduced Hamiltonian, and rotational constants A, B, and C were determined, as well as various centrifugal distortion parameters. An r0 structure was additionally calculated for the molecule. NaNH2 may be produced in circumstellar or interstellar gas via the radiative association reaction Na++NH3 → NaNH+hν, followed by dissociative electron recombination. Theoretical calculations by Petrie suggest this pathway may be sufficiently fast to synthesize detectable concentrations of NaNH2.
Towards 40 Gb/s Operation of Integrated DBR Laser-EA Modulators at 980 nm

Short-cavity, 980 nm DBR lasers with integrated EAMs were designed and fabricated using a quantum well intermixing processing platform. Open eyes at 40 Gb/s and preliminary error free operation at 25 Gb/s were, suitable for optical interconnect applications.
Hamartomas of the chest wall in infants

Chest wall hamartomas in infancy are rare lesions with distinct clinical, radiologic, and pathologic characteristics. Four cases treated at Children's Hospital of Los Angeles are presented and previously reported cases are reviewed. Chest wall hamartomas arise antenatally and present as hard, immobile masses, which may cause respiratory insufficiency. An extrapleural mass arising from the ribs can be seen radiographically. Histologically, these lesions are hypercellular and consist of a disorganized array of mesenchymal tissues endogenous to the chest wall. Rapid growth may occur, but usually is self-limited. Chest wall hamartomas are usually benign. This series includes the malignant transformation of one of these lesions. En bloc resection is curative, but the large residual chest wall defect frequently results in scoliosis.
Connecting Trauma and Health for Mothers in the Child Welfare System

This qualitative study focused on disadvantaged women in the child welfare system who have lost their parental rights. Utilizing a critical feminist and eco-developmental approach, the study was aimed at understanding how experiences of complex trauma influences parenting, health, and well-being. This sample consisted of 31 primarily ethnic minority, low income women. Findings identified how early and ongoing traumatic experiences (complex trauma) can contribute to health issues and inadequate functioning that can lead to child neglect, family disruption, and temporary or permanent loss of parental rights. Attending to the multi-layered needs of mothers in the child welfare system will facilitate better parenting and overall care for children.
FORAGING AND NESTING HABITAT OF BREEDING MALE NORTHERN GOSHAWKS IN THE LAURENTIAN MIXED FOREST PROVINCE, MINNESOTA

Abstract We used radiotelemetry to examine foraging habitat preferences of 17 breeding, male northern goshawks (Accipiter gentilis) in Minnesota from 1998–2000. We assessed habitat preference using radio relocation points and 50-m radius buffers of radio relocation points. Our data suggested that foraging male goshawks used early-successional upland conifer stands (≥25 yrs old), early-successional upland deciduous stands (≥50 yrs old), late-successional upland conifer stands (≥50 yrs old), and late-successional upland deciduous stands (≥50 yrs old) more frequently than expected based on the abundance of these vegetation types in the landscape. The 2 most available stand types, early-successional upland deciduous (<25 yrs old) and all ages of late-successional lowland conifer stands, were used less than expected by foraging goshawks. Late-successional lowland deciduous stands (≥50 yrs old) were used in proportion to availability. Although analysis of relocation points suggested early-successional upland de...
Experimenter's toolbox for learning about light and color both in the classroom and out of class

So often in classes that teach the non-science major students are “dog and pony” shows. The students watch demonstrations, they take notes, they supposedly “absorb” the information only to forget it after the next examination. These types of classes serve only as attempts to transfer information. But what if we give the students a toolbox that provides them with the ability to make their own observations about how light works. Then, the students are empowered to plan their experiments, manipulate the simple apparatus, make their own observations, and draw their own conclusions; more closely paralleling how scientists function. To succeed at this endeavor, we carefully designed a low cost toolbox for the students. Investigations include: Additive color mixing, digital colors and filters, shadows with colors, LED spectrum and spectra, light’s path, Polarization, Luminescence and Brightness, and simple optical instrumentation such as spectrometers. We created activities that give the students direction, but allow them freedom to explore and discover. Online forums/class discussion are also used to enhance their comprehension of their projects. Using this philosophy, we have had great success in both online and face to face classes.
Holographic Proof of the Quantum Null Energy Condition

We use holography to prove the quantum null energy condition (QNEC) at leading order in large $N$ for CFTs and relevant deformations of CFTs in Minkowski space which have Einstein gravity duals. Given any codimension-two surface $\mathrm{\ensuremath{\Sigma}}$ which is locally stationary under a null deformation in the direction $k$ at the point $p$, the QNEC is a lower bound on the energy-momentum tensor at $p$ in terms of the second variation of the entropy to one side of $\mathrm{\ensuremath{\Sigma}}$: $⟨{T}_{kk}⟩\ensuremath{\ge}{S}^{\ensuremath{'}\ensuremath{'}}/2\ensuremath{\pi}\sqrt{h}$. In a CFT, conformal transformations of this inequality give results which apply when $\mathrm{\ensuremath{\Sigma}}$ is not locally stationary. The QNEC was proven previously for free theories, and taken together with our result this provides strong evidence that the QNEC is a true statement about quantum field theory in general.
HCC: Where Does HCV Therapy Play a Role?

Viral infections have the potential to induce carcinogenesis through chronic inflammation. Hepatitis B and hepatitis C (HCV) are two major risk factors for the development of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) and are responsible for 70–80 % of cases seen worldwide. The incidence of HCC has been rising in the USA over the last several decades, largely in part to the prevalence of HCV-induced cirrhosis. Curative therapies with resection and orthotopic liver transplantation are only available for individuals with early-stage HCC, and disease recurrence is still common after treatment, highlighting the need for both primary and secondary preventative measures. Despite the low rates of viral eradication with interferon-based regimens, many studies have shown a chemo-protective effect in patients who do achieve a sustained virologic response. The emergence of new direct-acting antiviral agents with cure rates above 95 % has the potential to change the landscape of HCV-induced HCC. This article discusses the current data for HCV therapy as a chemo-preventive agent and HCV treatment strategies for patients with various stages of hepatocellular carcinoma.
A model for eutectic growth in multicomponent alloys

A model for eutectic growth of multicomponent alloys is proposed. Among several other modifications brought to the classic theory of eutectic growth, the model introduces the phase fraction change as the main mechanism for maintaining an isothermal solid/liquid interface during solidification of eutectic alloys. A comparison between the theoretical results and experimental measurements for the Fe-C based alloys showed a good agreement for alloys of composition not too far removed from the eutectic point. The analysis also showed that an earlier proposed criterion for spacing selection of binary irregular eutectics, based on volume fraction of the faceted phase, can be applied to multicomponent alloys as well. The investigation performed on the effect of Si on the growth kinetics of Fe-C-Si eutectic alloys showed that the growth coefficient μ decreases with the increase of Si content.
Had Pilar Ternera co-written Cien Aňos de Soledad, Gabo, I’d never write you now: toward a letter to the dead

The sadness prompted by the death of Gabriel Garcia Marquez informs this retrospective expression of deepest gratitude, recognition of ways his literary presence accompanied my years living in Spain and Latin America. Indeed, that presence led me to lure his journalistic and fictional work into the university classes I long have taught, most particularly my seminar focusing on his exquisite One Hundred Years of Solitude. At the same time, those journeys into his writing also eventually enabled me to sense some of the ways that his political stance led him to minimize the vast, complex worlds of Latin American women. This letter to the dead, then, building on one of his brilliant fictional interventions, serves at once as benediction and lament, celebration of Garcia Marquez’s unprecedented fashions of seeing the glimmer, glint, grandeur, sorrow in the normal, and a travelogue into a South American world populated by women displaying the very complexities and intellects his masterwork denies them. A benedi...
ISOLATED MYOCARDIAL RECURRENCE OF ACUTE MYELOGENOUS LEUKEMIA DIAGNOSED BY PERCUTANEOUS ENDOMYOCARDIAL BIOPSY

While primary malignancies of the heart are rare, secondary cardiac involvement in patients with cancer is relatively common and should be considered when these patients develop cardiovascular symptoms. A 63-year-old man presented with dyspnea on exertion. He had a history of myelodysplastic
Immunohistochemical Detection of P-glycoprotein in Ewing’s Sarcoma and Peripheral Primitive Neuroectodermal Tumors Before and After Chemotherapy

The authors evaluated P-glycoprotein expression in a total of 35 cases of Ewing’s sarcoma and peripheral primitive neuroectodermal tumors (PNET). Fifteen cases had matched tumors before and after treatment. The 20 unmatched tumors included 14 pretreatment PNETs and Ewing’s sarcomas and 6 posttreatment Ewing’s sarcomas. Two antibodies, C219 and JSB-1, were used. Immunoreactivity was almost exclusively membranous. Variability in the number of positive cells and in staining intensity was noted within individual tumors. Among the 15 matched tumors, 7 were positive for P-glycoprotein before treatment; 6 of these remained positive after treatment. Four of the 8 that were negative for P-glycoprotein before treatment became positive after treatment. Of the unmatched tumors, 9 of 14 pretreatment and 3 of 6 posttreatment tumors were positive. When relapse-free survival time, based on the presence or absence of P-glycoprotein positivity in pretreatment tumor samples, was evaluated in this group, no significant difference was found ( P 2 = .92); however, the numbers are too small to draw definitive conclusions. The high incidence of positive primary tumors suggests that P-glycoprotein expression is probably intrinsic in Ewing’s sarcoma and PNET and not necessarily induced by therapy.
The Election of Blacks to City Councils: Clarifying the Impact of Electoral Arrangements on the Seats/Population Relationship

The notion that at-large elections for city council seats are discriminatory toward blacks has recently been attacked as empirically invalid. Recent studies have reached conflicting conclusions as to whether electoral arrangements or socioeconomic factors are the major influence on how proportionately blacks are represented. This article addresses this issue, using a regression-based analysis in which proportionality is treated as a relationship across cities with electoral structure as a specifying variable. Socioeconomic variables found to be important in other studies are included. The results support the traditional notion and suggest that the electoral structure begins to have a discernible impact on the level of black representation once the black population reaches 10 percent of the total municipal population. While one socioeconomic variable, the relative income of the city's black population, is found to affect the election of blacks, its impact is greater than that of the electoral structure only when the black population is less than 15 percent.
Analysis of foundation system partially on shafts and partially on mat foundation and its influence on adjacent existing drilled shafts

Construction of large structures close to each other is a common practice as long as interaction between the foundations of these structures is appropriately considered. A very limited amount of literature is available to analyze and design deep and shallow foundations when they are constructed adjacent to each other. The authors have recently been involved in a project where a large structure was supposed to be constructed on drilled shafts adjacent to another existing large structure founded on drilled shafts socketed into the bedrock. Several of the shafts for the proposed structure were already in place. However, due to a change in the project requirements, the owner wanted to know if it is possible to eliminate the remainder of the shafts and change the foundation type from drilled shafts to mat foundation resting on a layer of compacted crushed stone. This change would cause a part of the proposed structure to rest on subsurface having very high stiffness compared to the other part. In addition, the...
A three-dimensional sectional representation of aerosol mixing state for simulating optical properties and cloud condensation nuclei

Light absorption by black carbon (BC) particles emitted from fossil fuel combustion depends on their size and how thickly they are coated with nonrefractory species such as ammonium, sulfate, nitrate, organics, and water. The cloud condensation nuclei (CCN) activation behavior of a particle depends on its dry size and the hygroscopicities of all the individual species mixed together. It is therefore necessary to represent both size and mixing state of aerosols to reliably predict their climate-relevant properties in atmospheric models. Here we describe and evaluate a novel sectional framework in the Model for Simulating Aerosol Interactions and Chemistry (box model), referred to as MOSAIC-mix, that represents the mixing state by resolving aerosol dry size (Ddry), BC dry mass fraction (wBC), and hygroscopicity (k). Using 10 idealized urban plume scenarios in which different types of aerosols evolve over 24 h under a range of atmospherically relevant conditions, we examine errors in CCN concentrations and optical properties with respect to the level of detail of the aerosol mixing state representation. We find that a small number of wBC and k bins can achieve significant reductions in the errors and propose a configuration with 24 Ddry bins, 2 wBC bins, and 2 k bins that give average errors of about 5% or less in CCN concentrations and optical properties, 3–4 times lower than those from size-only resolved (i.e., internally mixed) simulations. These results suggest that MOSAIC-mix is suitable for use in regional and global models to examine the effects of mixing state on aerosol-radiation-cloud feedbacks.