cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Computer interpretation of ultrasonic pulse-echo signals for concrete dams

The nation's failing infrastructure points to the need to develop new techniques and equipment for the diagnostic evaluation of concrete in locks, dams, bridges, pavements, etc. An ultrasonic pulse echo (UPE) system for the non-destructive testing of concrete structures was developed at the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Waterways Experiment Station (WES) in the late 1980s. Because of the overwhelming amount of information in ultrasonic pulse echo (UPE) signals from concrete, learning to interpret raw data can be confusing. Although a human has the ability to recognize and calculate the complex signal information it can take months or years to master interpretation. The application of digital signal processing (DSP) algorithms for computerized signal interpretation can help reduce these problems. Computer processing of signals is also needed so that there is less dependency on highly experienced personnel and more objective diagnostic decisions can be made. This paper explores several DSP techniques aimed at computer interpretation. Three techniques were investigated: split- spectrum processing (SSP), ray-based modeling (RAM), and artificial neural networks (ANN).© (1995) COPYRIGHT SPIE--The International Society for Optical Engineering. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.
The role of daily dialysis in the control of hyperphosphatemia

The role of daily dialysis in the control of hyperphosphatemia. In patients with end-stage renal disease (ESRD), hyperphosphatemia occurs in the vast majority of patients. The numerous clinical sequelae of hyperphosphatemia include secondary hyperparathyroidism and increased risk of cardiovascular death. Chronic hemodialysis as it is currently practiced in the United States does not remove sufficient phosphate to control serum levels within accepted guidelines. The inadequacy of conventional hemodialysis in removing phosphate mandates the use of phosphate binders in virtually all hemodialysis patients. Despite their proven efficacy, these medications fail to control phosphorous in 70% of hemodialysis patients. Additionally, these medications may have untoward side effects that must be considered since they are typically intended for lifetime use. Quotidian hemodialysis has in previous uncontrolled studies shown promise in reducing serum phosphorus while at the same time reducing or eliminating the need for phosphate binders. Recent results from our group demonstrate for the first time in a controlled fashion the efficacy of short daily dialysis in controlling serum phosphorus.
The dentition of Dyseolemur, and comments on the use of the anterior teeth in primate systematics

Abstract A new specimen of Dyseolemur pacificus Stock, 1934, represents the most complete dentition known for any North American omomyid primate. Crowns are preserved from each tooth position except I 2 on either the right or left side, or both. The specimen comes from the upper part of the Santiago Formation near Oceanside, San Diego County, California, and is of middle Eocene (late Uintan) age. The crowns of the anterior teeth are tarsiiform in shape (they are high and pointed, tapering from base to tip). The size relationships among the anterior teeth differ from those of many omomyids in having relatively large canines and small incisors, a pattern that is similar to anthropoids and adapids. Despite this similarity, the crowns of these teeth in Dyseolemur are unmistakably tarsiiform in structure. The implications of these results are discussed in the light of recently published hypothetical phylogenies concerning the origin of anthropoids and the origin of modern Tarsius .
Calcium Fortification Systems Differ in Bioavailability

Abstract The objective of this study was to compare the bioavailability of calcium from two fortification systems used in orange juice. The design was randomized crossover, within-subject. The subjects were 25 healthy premenopausal women in an academic health sciences center. Two commercially marketed calcium-fortified orange juices, ingested in an amount providing 500 mg calcium, were taken at breakfast after an overnight fast. The two fortification systems tested were calcium citrate malate and a combination of tricalcium phosphate and calcium lactate (tricalcium phosphate/calcium lactate). The main outcome measure was the area under the curve (AUC) for the increase in serum calcium from 0 to 9 hours after ingesting the test calcium source. Statistical analyses performed were repeated measures analysis of variance, testing source, and sequence. AUC 9 was 48% greater for calcium citrate malate than for tricalcium phosphate/calcium lactate ( P 9 values (mean±standard error of the mean) was 148±9.0 mg and 100±8.9 mg for calcium citrate malate and tricalcium phosphate/calcium lactate, respectively. The results indicate that equivalent calcium contents on a nutritional label do not guarantee equivalent nutritional value. Nutritionists and dietetics professionals should encourage manufacturers of fortified products to provide information on bioavailability.
Rotational Sequences of Global Oscillations inside the Sun

A very simple mathematical sequence is detected in a half-century of thermal radio flux from the Sun. Since the only known solar source for the sequence is global oscillations trapped in the nonconvecting interior, g-modes and probably r-modes are active. If so, their rotation frequencies are detected and some previously reported difference frequencies are confirmed with high confidence. All angular harmonics for 2 ≤ l ≤ 7 are detected as well as some others up to the limit l ≤ 14 resolvable by the observations (a Fourier spectrum of the 10.7 cm flux time series). The mean sidereal rotation rate of the nonconvecting interior is 428.2 nHz as averaged by g-modes and 429.8 nHz by the r-modes, indicating that g-mode energy is a bit more centrally concentrated. Helioseismology measures such rotation rates near 0.36R (R = solar radius), so the global modes would have about half their kinetic energy above and below that level. This, and the known log (r) energy dependence of most modes, implies that these oscillations are significantly reflected near 0.18R, the same level at which sound speed measurements display a maximum departure from theoretical models.
Role of plume dynamics phase in a deepwater oil and gas release model

Abstract Offshore exploration and production of oil and gas have increased significantly in the last decade. Computer models are used in emergency response, contingency planning, and impact assessment to simulate the behavior of oil and gas if accidentally released from a well, pipeline, or ship. There are two types of models used for this purpose-models that have both plume dynamics stage and the advection diffusion stage and models that are of simplified nature that has only the advection diffusion stage. This paper compares both types of models and shows what information are similar and what are different and under what conditions. The paper also examines in detail about different criteria that can be used as the transition point (TLPD) from plume dynamics stage to advection diffusion stage. Key findings of the paper are that except for slow leaks the two types of models give different results for surfacing time and location. This is important because sometimes the two models may show profiles that correspond to different times to be similar in shape. The present parametric study suggests that the transition point for TLPD can be based on the buoyant oil droplet velocity corresponding to the median oil droplet size.
Comparisons of the effects of 2,3,7,8‐tetrachlorodibenzo‐p‐dioxin on chemically impacted and nonimpacted subpopulations of Fundulus heteroclitus: II. metabolic considerations

A previous paper reported resistance to 2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin (TCDD) toxicity in a subpopulation of Fundulus heteroclitus inhabiting the chemically impacted estuary of Newark Bay, New Jersey, as compared to a chemically nonimpacted subpopulation of F. heteroclitus in Tuckerton, New Jersey. This paper reports the results of toxicokinetic and metabolic investigations. The rate of [{sup 3}H]TCDD elimination following a single dermal treatment of [{sup 3}H]TCDD were similar between the Newark and Tuckerton F. heteroclitus subpopulations, as were the capabilities to metabolize TCDD. The Newark F. heteroclitus subpopulation consistently exhibited elevated hepatic P4501A catalytic activity (two- to fivefold), as measured by ethoxyresorufin O-deethylase (EROD), compared to the Tuckerton subpopulation. EROD activity in Newark F. heteroclitus could not be induced by dermally administered [{sup 3}H]TCDD, ranging from 0.020 to 8.0 ng/g [{sup 3}H]TCDD. The Tuckerton fish exhibited a linear increase in EROD activity at 96 h following dermal administration of [{sup 3}H]TCDD, ranging from 0.80 to 8.0 ng/g [{sup 3}H]TCDD. The maximum mean induction in the Tuckerton fish was 30-fold greater than the Tuckerton vehicle control mean. These data indicate that the Newark fish were resistant to both the toxicity of TCDD and the ability of TCDD to induce P4501A activity, which may implymore » an alteration in the Ah receptor complex of Newark F. heteroclitus.« less
Latent ice-forming nuclei in the Pacific Northwest

Abstract Some cloud condensation nuclei (CCN) constitute a reservoir of latent ice-forming nuclei (IFN) active by condensation-followed-by-freezing and by sorption. Evaporated droplets occasionally left aerosol particles that acted as sorption IFN at temperatures as high as −5°C and water vapor supersaturation over ice of 0.2%. The newly formed aerosol particles (residues of evaporated droplets) are all mixed particles. The discovery of IFN produced from CCN promotes new insights into the process of ice formation in clouds; in an evaporating parcel of a cloud the rate of formation of ice particles will be enhanced by continuous production of IFN. Aerosol particles left behind after evaporation of a cloud may provide a source of IFN for formation of some of the cirrus clouds.
Broad-band VSWR measurements of a Cassegrain antenna

Broadband VSWR measurements are reported on a small F -number Cassegrain antenna. Cyclical variations of VSWR between 1.00 and 1.25 with a 350-MHz frequency interval between unity VSWR values were observed over the 8.5-12.4 GHz frequency range. These variations correspond to a change in the power transmission ratio of 1.231 percent between the unity and 1.25 values of VSWR.
Tapered optical fiber for WDM applications

This paper investigates the application of a tapered single-mode optical fiber as an optical filter for wavelength division multiplexing applications. The transmission characteristics of the tapered single-mode fibers are studied and observed to be oscillatory due to the non-adiabatically of the tapered region. The experimental results are examined in the 1300 nm to 1600 nm wavelength region with special attention around 1550 nm region. In order to validate the experiment a theoretical analysis is carried out for the same device.
Design considerations for GaN HEMT multichip halfbridge module for high-frequency power converters

This paper discusses the design of a multichip Gallium-Nitride (GaN) power module for high frequency power conversion. The module is designed with HRL 600 V Gallium-Nitride (GaN) enhancement mode HEMT device. To exploit the capability of fast switching with low loss from high voltage GaN devices, different layout structures have been analyzed to reduce power loop parasitic inductance and improve switching performance. The approach investigated in this paper is based on a multi-chip module where small current rated dies are placed in parallel to achieve higher current handling capability. Moreover, a transmission-line type gate structure has been proposed to minimize the gate loop inductance and reduce the gate voltage ringing. Finite-Element-Analysis (FEA) and switching circuit simulation show that the multi-layer power loop design can effectively reduce the gate loop inductance and voltage overshoot on the devices. This multi-layer design also improves current sharing of the multi-chip module during switching operation. The transmission-line gate design is also proved in both simulation and experiment to be effective for reducing the gate loop inductance as well as gate loop ringing.
Stratosphere–Troposphere Coupling in a Relatively Simple AGCM: The Role of Eddies

The extratropical circulation response to cooling of the polar-winter stratosphere in a simple AGCM is investigated. The AGCM is a dry hydrostatic primitive equation model with zonally symmetric boundary conditions and analytically specified physics. It is found that, as the polar-winter stratosphere is cooled, the tropospheric jet shifts poleward. This response projects almost entirely and positively (by convention) onto the AGCM’s annular mode. At the same time, the vertical flux of wave activity from the troposphere to the stratosphere is reduced and the meridional flux of wave activity from high to low latitudes is increased. Thus, as the stratosphere is cooled, the stratospheric wave drag is reduced. In order to understand this response, the transient adjustment of the stratosphere‐troposphere system is investigated using an ensemble of ‘‘switch on’’ stratospheric cooling runs of the AGCM. The response to the switch-on stratospheric cooling descends from the upper stratosphere into the troposphere on a time scale that matches simple downward-control theory estimates. The downward-control analysis is pursued with a zonally symmetric model that uses as input the thermal and eddy-driving terms from the eddying AGCM. With this model, the contributions to the response from the thermal and eddy-driving perturbations can be investigated separately, in the absence of eddy feedbacks. It is found that the stratospheric thermal perturbation, in the absence of such feedbacks, induces a response that is confined to the stratosphere. The stratospheric eddy-driving perturbation, on the other hand, induces a response that penetrates into the midtroposphere but does not account, in the zonally symmetric model, for the tropospheric jet shift. Furthermore, the tropospheric eddy-driving perturbation, in the zonally symmetric model, induces a strong upward response in the stratospheric winds. From these experiments and from additional experiments with the eddying AGCM, it is concluded that the stratospheric eddy-driving response induces a tropospheric response, but that the full circulation response results from a two-way coupling between the stratosphere and the troposphere.
The asymptotic form of the Titchmarsh–Weyl m -function associated with a second order differential equation with locally integrable coefficient

On deduit un developpement asymptotique pour la m-fonction de Titchmarsh-Weyl associee a l'equation differentielle lineaire d'ordre 2: −y''+qy=λy sur [0,∞) dans le cas ou la seule restriction sur la fonction a valeur reelle q est: q∈L 1 [0,e) pour e>0
The developmental course of illicit substance use from age 12 to 22: links with depressive, anxiety, and behavior disorders at age 18

Background: Previous theory and research suggest links between substance use and externalizing behavior problems, but links between substance use and internalizing problems are less clear. The present study sought to understand concurrent links among diagnoses of substance use disorders, internalizing disorders, and behavior disorders at age 18 as well as developmental trajectories of illicit substance use prior to and after this point. Methods: Using data from 585 participants in the Child Development Project, this study examined comorbidity among substance use, behavior, and internalizing disorders at age 18 and trajectories of growth in illicit substance use from age 12 to age 22. Results: In this community sample, meeting diagnostic criteria for comorbid internalizing disorders, a behavioral disorder (conduct disorder or oppositional defiant disorder) alone, or both internalizing and behavioral disorders predicted higher concurrent substance use disorders (abuse, dependence, or withdrawal). Meeting diagnostic criteria for an anxiety disorder alone or depression alone did not predict higher concurrent substance use diagnoses. Over time, youths with behavioral disorders at age 18 showed a pattern of increasing substance use across early adolescence and higher levels of substance use than those with no diagnosis at age 18. Substance use declines from late adolescence to early adulthood were observed for all groups. Conclusions: Substance use disorders were more highly comorbid with behavior disorders than with internalizing disorders at age 18, and behavior disorder and comorbid behavior-internalizing disorders at age 18 were related to trajectories characterized by steep increases in illicit substance use during adolescence and high rates of illicit substance use over time. Keywords: Comorbidity, behavior disorders, externalizing disorders, internalizing disorders, substance use.
Site-directed mutagenesis to probe catalysis by a Thermobifida fusca β-1,3-glucanase (Lam81A)

Thermobifida fuscaLam81A is a single domain family-81 beta-1,3-endoglucanase, but no structure is known for this family. Site-directed mutagenesis of 14 conserved residues chosen from sequence alignments was used to identify those with critical roles in catalysis, binding or substrate specificity. Mutant enzymes were assayed for their ability to bind and hydrolyze substrates with various glycosyl linkages. Residues D422, E499 and E503 were candidates for the catalytic acid or catalytic base, and E499 was shown to be the catalytic base by azide rescue. F425 was shown to have a major role in substrate binding possibly mediated by aromatic ring stacking with the sugar substrate. In addition, mutation of D424 to histidine altered the substrate specificity by increasing the rate of cleavage of mixed-linkage beta-glucan and carboxymethyl-cellulose, 60- and 16-fold, respectively, over the wild-type enzyme.
Analogous effects of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi in the laboratory and a North Carolina field

Summary • Although arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) fungi are ubiquitous symbionts of plants, the mutualism has rarely been tested in nature.  In experiments designed to explore the ecological relevance of associations between different fungal and plant species in a natural environment, plant species were infected with different species of fungi and grown in separate trials in the laboratory and a North Carolina (USA) field.  The benefits to plants varied dramatically as plant species were grown with different species of AM fungi. Effects of mycorrhizal fungi in nature were generally correlated to effects in the growth chamber, suggesting that laboratory data do reflect dynamics between plants and AM fungi in the field. Initial size at transplant and experimental block were also significant predictors of plant growth in the field. Correlation statistics between laboratory and field data were weaker when analyses involved plant species less responsive to infection by any AM fungus, suggesting that the response of a species to inoculation is a good predictor of its sensitivity to specific AM fungi in the field.  AM fungal identity appears to influence the growth and reproduction of plants in the field.
Problems, Crises, Events and Social Change: Theory and Illustrations

This paper proposes a theory-based approach to the understanding of social change and illustrates that theory with examples from the history and politics of public health. Based in large part on th...
Activin A and Gonadotropin Regulation of Follicle-Stimulating Hormone and Luteinizing Hormone Receptor Messenger RNA in Avian Granulosa Cells

Activin A regulation of the expression of mRNA for the LH receptor, FSH receptor, and the inhibin a subunit as well as the effect of activin A on the secretion of progesterone were investigated in chicken granulosa cell cultures. Granulosa layers were isolated from the F1 and F3 1 F4 follicles from five hens, pooled according to size, dispersed, and cultured for 48 h. In experiment 1 (n 5 3 replications), granulosa cells were cultured with or without highly purified ovine (o) FSH at 50 ng/ml and in the presence of 0, 10, or 50 ng/ml of recombinant chicken activin A. Experiment 2 (n 5 4 replications) followed the same protocol as experiment 1, except that oFSH was replaced with oLH. Results from these experiments showed that addition of activin A to the granulosa cell cultures had no effect on the expression of mRNA for the inhibin a subunit or the FSH receptor, but it did affect the expression of mRNA for the LH receptor. Treatment of F3 1 F4 granulosa cells with LH stimulated the expression of mRNA for the LH receptor; however, when LH was combined with either dose of activin A, this induction was prevented. The highest dose of activin A with or without LH resulted in decreased expression of the LH receptor compared to the untreated controls in the F3 1 F4 cell cultures. Progesterone secretion by the granulosa cells from both follicle sizes was not altered by activin A. In experiment 3 (n 5 3 replications), the effect of activin A on the growth of granulosa cells was examined with the following treatments: 0, 10, or 50 ng/ml of activin A; 50 ng/ ml of either oLH or oFSH; and oLH or oFSH combined with 10 ng/ml of activin A. The highest dose of activin reduced the rate of granulosa cell proliferation in both follicle types. Growth of F1 and F3 1 F4 granulosa cells was stimulated by the addition of either gonadotropin, and the presence of 10 ng/ml of activin A with either gonadotropin did not alter this proliferation, except for the LH-treated F3 1 F4 granulosa cells, in which the increase in proliferation was prevented. The results suggest that activin A could act as a local factor that regulates follicular maturation by preventing excessive or untimely LH receptor expression. activin, follicle, follicular development, granulosa cells, inhibin
Low-threshold single-quantum-well InGaAs/GaAs lasers grown by metal-organic chemical vapor deposition on structure substrates

Low-threshold current (as low as 3.0 mA) and high-external efficiency ( approximately=88%) InGaAs/GaAs lasers emitting at 1 mu m under a stable fundamental transverse mode were obtained by using the temperature engineered growth technique for the growth on prepatterned substrates. >
INJECTABLE OXYGEN DELIVERY BASED ON PROTEIN-SHELLED MICROBUBBLES

Injectable oxygen delivery is an emerging technology that presents an opportunity for improved patient care in a number of medical disciplines. Here, we report on the fabrication and characterization of novel protein-encapsulated oxygen microbubbles (OMBs) designed for intravenous injection. The nanothick albumin encapsulation provided OMBs small enough for transcapillary passage: 99% of the microbubbles were less than 3-μm diameter and less than 1% of the oxygen was encapsulated in microbubbles greater than 8-μm diameter. The protein OMBs were remarkably stable, losing less than 40% of the encapsulated gas over 12 days. Upon injection into an oxygen-depleted saline solution, the protein OMBs rapidly equilibrated by releasing their oxygen core. These results indicate that protein microbubbles may serve as a suitable platform for direct injection of bioactive and therapeutic gases.
Structuring institutional analysis for urban ecosystems: a key to sustainable urban forest management.

A decline in urban forest structure and function in the United States jeopardizes the current focus on developing sustainable cities. A number of social dilemmas—for example, free-rider problems—restrict the sustainable production of ecosystem services and the stock of urban trees from which they flow. However, institutions, or the rules, norms, and strategies that affect human decision-making, resolve many such social dilemmas, and thus, institutional analysis is imperative for understanding urban forest management outcomes. Unfortunately, we find that the definition of institutions varies greatly across and within disciplines, and conceptual frameworks in urban forest management and urban ecosystems research often embed institutions as minor variables. Given the significance of institutional analysis to understanding sustainable rural resource management, this paper attempts to bring clarity to defining, conceptually framing, and operationally analyzing institutions in urban settings with a specific focus on sustainable urban forest management. We conclude that urban ecologists and urban forest management researchers could benefit from applying a working definition of institutions that uniquely defines rules, norms, and strategies, by recognizing the nested nature of operational, collective choice, and constitutional institutions, and by applying the Institutional Analysis and Development framework for analysis of urban social-ecological systems (SESs). Such work promises to spur the desired policy-based research agenda of urban forestry and urban ecology and provide cross-disciplinary fertilization of institutional analysis between rural SESs and urban ecosystems.
Assessment and significance of quality of life in women with gynecologic cancer.

In the design of randomized clinical trials, quality of life (QOL) has become an important component across multiple cancer types. QOL includes the measurement of patient-reported outcomes, mostly described as the physical, social, emotional and functional wellbeing of the patient. These realms of wellbeing are reported by the patient themself and are thought to be a subjective measurement of response to treatment and/or treatment outcomes. Therapeutic interventions such as chemotherapy and/or radiation can thus be monitored from a patient perspective. In addition, while researchers and oncologists may recognize the futility of advanced and/or recurrent cancer therapy in the setting of reduced QOL, patients may have difficulty with discontinuing therapy. QOL research adds to the literature by introducing a patient perspective into the decision to treat aggressively. Specifically, in gynecologic cancers, there is a wide range of outcomes and patient characteristics to be considered. All three cancer settin...
Cardiac allograft rejection monitored with ultrasound integrated backscatter

Cardiac transplant rejection was evaluated using ultrasound integrated backscatter (IB). Six adult goats received modified Mann cervical heterotopic cardiac transplants with no administration of immunosuppressive pharmacology. A-line ultrasonic backscatter from the left ventricle was collected daily for each animal until the graft ceased to yield electrical activity. Integrated backscatter with a 4-8-MHz bandwidth was calculated for each day. No biopsies were taken. Although no consistent day-to-day trend is noted, four of six goats show a decrease in backscatter over the rejection episode. In all cases, the IB increased the first two to three days after the transplant and subsequently decreased in varying magnitudes and at varying durations. >
Success and Failure Suppressing Reflexive Behavior

The dynamic interplay between reflexive and controlled determinants of behavior is one of the most general organizing principles of brain function. A powerful analogue of this interplay is seen in the antisaccade task, which pits reflexive and willed saccadic mechanisms against one another. Event-related functional magnetic resonance imaging of the human brain showed greater prestimulus preparatory activity in the pre-supplementary motor area before voluntary antisaccades (saccades away from a target) compared with reflexive prosaccades (saccades to a target). Moreover, this preparatory activity was critically associated with reflex suppression; it predicted whether the reflex was later successfully inhibited in the trial. These dataillustrate a mechanism for top-down control over reflexive behavior.
The FDA and genetic testing: improper tools for a difficult problem

The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has recently issued draft guidance on how it intends to regulate laboratory-developed tests, including genetic tests. This article argues that genetic tests differ from traditional targets of FDA regulation in both product as well as industry landscape, and that the FDA's traditional tools are ill-suited for regulating this space. While existing regulatory gaps do create risks in genetic testing, the regulatory burden of the FDA's proposal introduces new risks for both test providers and patients that may offset the benefits. Incremental expansion of current oversight outside of the FDA can mitigate many of the risks necessitating increased oversight while avoiding the creation of new ones that could undermine this industry.
Alcohol Consumption and Health Among Elders

Purpose: This article estimates the effects of alcohol consumption on self-reported overall health status, injuries, heart problems, emergency room use, and hospitalizations among persons older than the age of 65. Design and Methods: We analyzed data from the first wave of the National Epidemiologic Survey on Alcohol and Related Conditions, a nationally representative study. We used multivariate regression and instrumental variables methods to study the associations between alcohol consumption (current drinking, binge drinking, and average number of drinks consumed) and several indicators of health status and health care utilization. Results: Alcohol consumption by women was associated with better self-perceived health status, improved cardiovascular health, and lower rates of hospitalizations. We detected no significant negative or positive associations for older men. Implications: These findings suggest that light to moderate alcohol use by older women may have beneficial health effects. Experimental trials, however, are needed to more rigorously assess the potential benefits of alcohol use by elders due to the inherent biases of observational studies.
Entomology in the Twentieth Century

A number of landmark events in applied entomology are listed together with some insect-related studies that have had a major impact on biology in general. In large part, however, advances in our understanding of insects have depended on technological advances, especially in the second half of the century. The exponential increase in the ease and extent of communication has been critical. Sometimes, as in the field of insect/plant relations, the ideas of a few individuals have been critical with technological advances having a facilitating role. Elsewhere, as in the study of olfaction, major changes in understanding have been directly dependent on new technology. Very brief accounts of the impacts on insect-related science of developments in the fields of radio, radioactivity, immunology, imaging techniques, and chemical analysis are given. Despite the importance of technology, the lovers of their insects continue to have a key role.
Emergency preparation and green engineering: Augmenting the environmental knowledge and assessment tool

As our society continues to better prepare itself to address biological, radiological, chemical, and environmental emergencies, there is a need for better and more readily available emergency planning information for program managers and military or business personnel. Incorporating an online hazardous materials (HAZMATs) and emergency planning tool into the Environmental Knowledge and Assessment Tool (EKAT: www.ekat-tool.com) would adequately fill that need. Although not yet fully functional, the project report that this manuscript is based on is available for viewing on the EKAT web site. The proposed online emergency preparation and green engineering (EPGE) tool would provide the user with information regarding links to local emergency response teams and resources, guides for developing emergency plans and reports, HAZMATs training information, case studies to illustrate HAZMAT situations, and the ability to judge the environmental greenness of chemicals. In this way, it will serve as a means of facilitating and educating individuals for best responses in an organized fashion. To address their environmental responsibilities, public and private organizations are adopting environmental management systems (EMS). The EPGE tool is used in conjunction with EMS to address sustainability. Currently, the creation of a comprehensive tool that identifies environmental, health, and safety concerns along with supplying relevant emergency data is applicable to any business or organization. It is designed to be used as a guide to characterize and solve the environmental issues that could affect any business. © 2009 American Institute of Chemical Engineers Environ Prog, 2009
Predicting Trigger Bonds in Explosive Materials through Wiberg Bond Index Analysis

Understanding the explosive decomposition pathways of high-energy-density materials (HEDMs) is important for developing compounds with improved properties. Rapid reaction rates make the detonation mechanisms of HEDMs difficult to understand, so computational tools are used to predict trigger bonds-weak bonds that break, leading to detonation. Wiberg bond indices (WBIs) have been used to compare bond densities in HEDMs to reference molecules to provide a relative scale for the bond strength to predict the activated bonds most likely to break to trigger an explosion. This analysis confirms that X-NO2 (X=N,C,O) bonds are trigger linkages in common HEDMs such as TNT, RDX and PETN, consistent with previous experimental and theoretical studies. Calculations on a small test set of substituted tetrazoles show that the assignment of the trigger bond depends upon the functionality of the material and that the relative weakening of the bond correlates with experimental impact sensitivities.
Schafer v. Astrue: The Fourth Circuit Weighs in on 'Who is a Decedent's Child?'

This Article discusses the Fourth Circuit's 2011 opinion in the case of Schafer v. Astrue, in which the court determined that a postmortem conception child must demonstrate that applicable state law entitles him or her to inherit in intestacy as the decedent's child in order to qualify for the decedent's Social Security survivor's benefits.The United States Supreme Court granted certiorari in this case (under the name "Astrue v. Capato") on Monday, November 14, 2011.
Thermal Stability of Tasix-Gaas Schottky Barriers

Sputtered TaSix films on GaAs have been examined as potential refractory Schottky barrier contacts suitable for self-aligned gate fabrication of GaAs MESFETs. The thermal stability of electrical and physical characteristics has been studied following furnace annealing or rapid thermal processing of contacts with compositions near Ta5Si3 (x=06). The electrical characteristics, interface interdiffusion, and evaporation loss of Ga and As through the contact have been examined. The barrier heights of 30-min furnaceannealed contacts were found to increase with temperature over the range 600 to 900°C. The Schottky barrier heights after rapid thermal processing (RTP) of the contacts were fixed at 0.78 eV for temperatures in the range 700 to 900°C. A major finding of this work is that the Schottky barrier contact maintains its integrity even though the equivalent of at least 5 monolayers of Ga and As have decomposed and evaporated through the contact.
Ex vivo evaluation of new 2D and 3D dental radiographic technology for detecting caries

Objectives:Proximal dental caries remains a prevalent disease with only modest detection rates by current diagnostic systems. Many new systems are available without controlled validation of diagnostic efficacy. The objective of this study was to evaluate the diagnostic efficacy of three potentially promising new imaging systems.Methods:This study evaluated the caries detection efficacy of Schick 33 (Sirona Dental, Salzburg, Austria) intraoral digital detector images employing an advanced sharpening filter, Planmeca ProMax® (Planmeca Inc., Helsinki, Finland) extraoral “panoramic bitewing” images and Sirona Orthophos XG3D (Sirona Dental) CBCT images with advanced artefact reduction. Conventional photostimulable phosphor images served as the control modality. An ex vivo study design using extracted human teeth, ten expert observers and micro-CT ground truth was employed.Results:Receiver operating characteristic analysis indicated similar diagnostic efficacy of all systems (ANOVA p > 0.05). The sensitivity of...
HGF-mediated chemotaxis and tubulogenesis require activation of the phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase

The association of hepatocyte growth factor (HGF) with its high-affinity receptor, c-met, has been shown to induce mitogenesis, motogenesis, and morphogenesis in renal epithelial cells (L. G. Cantley, E. J. G. Barros, M. Gandhi, M. Rauchman, and S. K. Nigam. Am. J. Physiol. 267 (Renal Fluid Electrolyte Physiol. 36): F271-F280, 1994), suggesting that HGF may be critical to the orchestration of both renal development and regeneration following injury. Although signal transduction pathways activated by c-met include the phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI-3-kinase), phospholipase C gamma, ras, and others, the activation of PI-3-kinase has been the most striking in vivo. We therefore investigated whether the pathways that mediate phenotypic changes in inner medullary collecting duct cells are altered by inhibition of PI-3-kinase with the fungal metabolite, wortmannin. In these cells, the mean inhibitory concentration for in vitro wortmannin inhibition of PI-3-kinase was approximately 0.2 nM. At this low concentration, motogenesis (quantified by chemotaxis) and morphogenesis (by branching-process formation within collagen matrix) were inhibited in a striking and parallel fashion, while mitogenesis was inhibited to a lesser degree. These experiments suggest that activation of PI-3-kinase is critical for c-met-mediated chemotaxis and tubulogenesis.
SEISMOLOGISTS AND THE IUGG

SEISMOLOGISTS AND THE IUGG For 75 years, the International Union of Geodesy and Geophysics (IUGG) has provided a forum and a mechanism for the world-wide exchange of research findings across the sub-disciplines in the geophysical sciences, and for planning major international, interdisciplinary projects. IUGG also provides opportunities for individual scientists to come to know and interact personally with colleagues from many nations. This year, for the first time since 1963 in Berkeley, the quadrennial IUGG General Assembly will be held in this country, on the campus of the University of Colorado at Boulder. The U.S. National Committee for IUGG decided to ask the National Academy of Science to invite IUGG to meet in our country after 32 years because it is deemed desirable to have a general assembly here at least once within the scientific career of every American geophysicist. We are especially pleased to be able to offer students...
Effects of realimentation after nutrient restriction during mid- to late gestation on pancreatic digestive enzymes, serum insulin and glucose levels, and insulin-containing cell cluster morphology.

This study examined effects of stage of gestation and nutrient restriction with subsequent realimentation on maternal and foetal bovine pancreatic function. Dietary treatments were assigned on day 30 of pregnancy and included: control (CON; 100% requirements; n = 18) and restricted (R; 60% requirements; n = 30). On day 85, cows were slaughtered (CON, n = 6; R, n = 6), remained on control (CC; n = 12) and restricted (RR; n = 12), or realimented to control (RC; n = 11). On day 140, cows were slaughtered (CC, n = 6; RR, n = 6; RC, n = 5), remained on control (CCC, n = 6; RCC, n = 5) or realimented to control (RRC, n = 6). On day 254, the remaining cows were slaughtered and serum samples were collected from the maternal jugular vein and umbilical cord to determine insulin and glucose concentrations. Pancreases from cows and foetuses were removed, weighed, and subsampled for enzyme and histological analysis. As gestation progressed, maternal pancreatic α-amylase activity decreased and serum insulin concentrations increased (p ≤ 0.03). Foetal pancreatic trypsin activity increased (p < 0.001) with advancing gestation. Foetal pancreases subjected to realimentation (CCC vs. RCC and RRC) had increased protein and α-amylase activity at day 254 (p ≤ 0.02), while trypsin (U/g protein; p = 0.02) demonstrated the opposite effect. No treatment effects were observed for maternal or foetal pancreatic insulin-containing cell clusters. Foetal serum insulin and glucose levels were reduced with advancing gestation (p ≤ 0.03). The largest maternal insulin-containing cell cluster was not influenced by advancing gestation, while foetal clusters grew throughout (p = 0.01). These effects indicate that maternal digestive enzymes are influenced by nutrient restriction and there is a potential for programming of increased foetal digestive enzyme production resulting from previous maternal nutrient restriction.
Incidence and characteristics of heart block after heart surgery in pediatric patients: A multicenter study

Abstract Background Advanced second- or third-degree heart block has been reported with variable incidence after surgery for congenital heart disease in children. We report the incidence of heart block requiring a pacemaker and describe the risk factors for this complication in a large multicenter study. Methods We performed a retrospective cohort study, using the Pediatric Health Information System database from 45 hospitals in the United States, for all children aged 18 years, discharged between January 1, 2004, and December 31, 2013, who underwent open surgery for congenital heart disease. Patients who had heart block and placement of a pacemaker during the same hospitalization were identified. Demographic characteristics, procedure and diagnostic codes, length of stay, and mortality were analyzed. Univariable and multivariable analyses were performed. Results There were 101,006 surgeries performed. The median age of patients was 0.5 years (interquartile range, 26 days to 3.2 years), and 1% of patients (n = 990) had heart block and placement of a pacemaker. Surgeries associated with the highest incidences of heart block and placement of a pacemaker included the double switch operation (15.6%), tricuspid valve (7.8%) and mitral valve (7.4%) replacement, atrial switch with ventricular septal defect repair (6.4%), and Rastelli operation (4.8%). On multivariable analysis, after controlling for surgical complexity, other comorbidities, age at surgery, admission year, and clustering by institution, patients with heart block and placement of a pacemaker had higher odds of mortality (odds ratio, 1.67; 95% confidence interval, 1.24-2.26; P Conclusions The incidence of postoperative heart block requiring permanent pacemaker placement immediately after congenital heart surgery is low (1%). However, these patients have higher mortality even after adjusting for heart surgery complexity.
Influence of Direct Electricity Purchasing Methodology on Power Grid Enterprise

Though practicing of direct electricity purchase for many years in China,there are several discussions over it.According to current practicing,this paper analysis the influence of direct electricity purchasing on power grid enterprise in several aspects,including the investments of power grid,balance of electrical power,allocation of electrical resources,etc.This paper carries out good countermeasures or suggestions in six respects to solve problems which power grid enterprise faces,for example,price of electrical power transmission and distribution,cost of electrical power subsidies,cost of electrical power charge,etc.It is valuable for power grid enterprise.
Optimization Design of Heavy-Duty Rods in Wire Rope Flexible Sucker Rod

For the characteristics of wire rope flexible sucker rod,the design of heavy-duty rods is proposed.The paper mainly makes optimization design on the weight principle of heavy-duty rods,design principle and the calculation method of fatigue strength.Now give a optimization design principles and calculation methods of heavy-duty rods in wire rope flexible sucker rod.Field application shows that the optimal design will obtain better results.
The Jonas prosthesis--technical considerations and results.

AbstractWe analyzed 100 patients who underwent implantation of the Jonas penile prosthesis because of impotence, complications, and patient and partner satisfaction. Data were gathered by direct patient contact and mailed questionnaires, and at followup ranging from 4 to 18 months. Complications occurred in 7 patients. Of the 100 patients 90 were satisfied with the results and would choose the same operation again, although 20 claimed to have some difficulty with concealment of the penis. A total of 56 patients underwent implantation of the prosthesis under local anesthesia, which has resulted in diminished patient risk as well as reduced cost and duration of hospitalization.
Impact of autologous blood transfusions on patients undergoing radical prostatectomy using hypotensive anesthesia.

AbstractWe report on a retrospective study consisting of 71 consecutive patients who underwent radical retropubic prostatectomy under controlled hypotensive anesthesia, examining the impact of a preoperative autologous blood collection program on perioperative blood requirements. The population consisted of 34 patients who elected not to use autologous blood (group 1) and 37 patients who underwent radical prostatectomy after storing 1 to 3 units of their own blood (group 2). Median operative time and estimated blood loss were not statistically different. In group 1, 20 homologous blood units were used by 7 patients (21%). In group 2, 37 of 41 units transfused were autologous units and only 3 patients (8%) received homologous blood. However, for every unit of autologous blood deposited preoperatively there was a corresponding decrease in admission blood concentrations and 21 of 37 patients were anemic at hospitalization. In addition, the study suggests that in many patients the anemia produced by preoperat...
Automatic discriminative measurement of voice onset time

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