cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Convection Under Pure Vapor

As noted previously, many of the assumptions underlying current models of two-phase cooling devices are based on assumptions that have been justified, at least to some extent, under atmospheric conditions when the gas phase is dominated by noncondensables (air). On the other hand, it is well known that noncondensables significantly impede phase change and hence degrade the thermal performances of two-phase cooling devices [191]. Hence, their optimal operating conditions correspond to the opposite limit, when noncondensables are nearly absent and the gas phase is dominated by the coolant vapor. Recent experimental studies [1] showed that the flow of the liquid confined in the sealed cavity shown in Fig. 1.4 changes drastically when most of the air is removed. In particular, convection patterns are strongly suppressed as the total pressure p g , and hence the average concentration \(\bar{c}_a\) of noncondensables decreases, while the flow speed in the liquid layer unexpectedly remains essentially the same for a range of p g varying by more than two orders of magnitude, from atmospheric pressure p atm = 101 kPa down to p g = 5 kPa, which is just above the fluid saturation pressure.
Crystal structure of an inactivated mutant mammalian voltage-gated K+ channel

C-type inactivation underlies important roles played by voltage-gated K+ (Kv) channels. Functional studies have provided strong evidence that a common underlying cause of this type of inactivation is an alteration near the extracellular end of the channel's ion-selectivity filter. Unlike N-type inactivation, which is known to reflect occlusion of the channel's intracellular end, the structural mechanism of C-type inactivation remains controversial and may have many detailed variations. Here we report that in voltage-gated Shaker K+ channels lacking N-type inactivation, a mutation enhancing inactivation disrupts the outermost K+ site in the selectivity filter. Furthermore, in a crystal structure of the Kv1.2-2.1 chimeric channel bearing the same mutation, the outermost K+ site, which is formed by eight carbonyl-oxygen atoms, appears to be slightly too small to readily accommodate a K+ ion and in fact exhibits little ion density; this structural finding is consistent with the functional hallmark of C-type inactivation.
Strain-Modulated Exchange-Spring Magnetic Behavior in Amorphous Tb-Fe Thin Films

Using strain to manipulate magnetization at the nanoscale is attractive, due to its relatively high energy efficiency, but typically produces 90\ifmmode^\circ\else\textdegree\fi{} reorientation, rather than the 180\ifmmode^\circ\else\textdegree\fi{} flipping desired for spintronic applications. Using a compositionally graded film of the ferrimagnetic alloy Tb-Fe, the authors achieve strain-induced 180\ifmmode^\circ\else\textdegree\fi{} magnetization rotation. The applied strain induces magnetic anisotropy in the Tb-dominant region, reversing the magnetic moment of the exchange-coupled Fe-dominant region. This is a promising development for spintronics based on voltage-controlled ``exchange springs''.
Chinese land grabs in Brazil? Sinophobia and foreign investments in Brazilian soybean agribusiness

Chinese companies were singled out among major investors seeking farmland in Brazil, but my own and other emerging research reveals that China still lags far behind investors from the Global North,...
Impact of Prenatal and Subsequent Adult Alcohol Exposure on Pro-Inflammatory Cytokine Expression in Brain Regions Necessary for Simple Recognition Memory

Microglia, the immune cells of the brain, are important and necessary for appropriate neural development; however, activation of microglia, concomitant with increased levels of secreted immune molecules during brain development, can leave the brain susceptible to certain long-term changes in immune function associated with neurological and developmental disorders. One mechanism by which microglia can be activated is via alcohol exposure. We sought to investigate if low levels of prenatal alcohol exposure can alter the neuroimmune response to a subsequent acute dose of alcohol in adulthood. We also used the novel object location and recognition memory tasks to determine whether there are cognitive deficits associated with low prenatal alcohol exposure and subsequent adulthood alcohol exposure. We found that adult rats exposed to an acute binge-like level of alcohol, regardless of gestational alcohol exposure, have a robust increase in the expression of Interleukin (IL)-6 within the brain, and a significant decrease in the expression of IL-1β and CD11b. Rats exposed to alcohol during gestation, adulthood, or at both time points exhibited impaired cognitive performance in the cognitive tasks. These results indicate that both low-level prenatal alcohol exposure and even acute alcohol exposure in adulthood can significantly impact neuroimmune and associated cognitive function.
Design and Selection of a Synthetic Feedback Loop for Optimizing Biofuel Tolerance

Feedback control allows cells to dynamically sense and respond to environmental changes. However, synthetic controller designs can be challenging because of implementation issues, such as determining optimal expression levels for circuit components within a feedback loop. Here, we addressed this by coupling rational design with selection to engineer a synthetic feedback circuit to optimize tolerance of Escherichia coli to the biojet fuel pinene. E. coli can be engineered to produce pinene, but it is toxic to cells. Efflux pumps, such as the AcrAB-TolC pump, can improve tolerance, but pump expression impacts growth. To address this, we used feedback to dynamically regulate pump expression in response to stress. We developed a library with thousands of synthetic circuit variants and subjected it to three types of pinene treatment (none, constant, and varying pinene). We were able to select for strains that were biofuel tolerant without a significant growth cost in the absence of biofuel. Using next-generati...
Contraception pathway: application for midlife women.

To create a system where evidence based medicine can be applied to accommodate every woman’s needs by designing a contraceptive pathway that can be utilized by any healthcare provider, regardless of the patient’s age, and to offer appropriate counseling in order to maximize patient outcomes, especially for the midlife woman. United States Medical Eligibility Criteria for Contraceptive Use, 2016 (US MEC) was used as the framework for these recommendations for a contraceptive care pathway that can be incorporated into care for midlife women. By utilizing a total office approach that includes the scheduler, receptionist, medical assistant, nurse and health care provider as members of a team, the entire spectrum of the patient population in need of contraception from teenagers to midlife can be captured. Specifically for midlife women the need for an effective form of contraception may be overlooked as fecundity declines in this age group. This paper will highlight the use of this pathway for midlife women.
“Distinguished Ladies” and the Doctrine of Womanhood: Auto-surveillance and Autoperformance in Diamela Eltit’s E. Luminata

Phillipe Lejeune reminds us that “[i]n spite of the fact that autobiography is impossible, this in no way prevents it from existing” (132-3). Nowhere is this paradox more evident than in a history of women’s writing about their lives under dictatorship in which the impossible autobiographical act is not only complicated by the linguistic and narratological confines of self-portraiture, but is also impeded by the oppressive surveillance and censorship of totalitarianism. Although the autobiographical voice is, perhaps, the most powerful device for offering testimony of human rights violations under the absolute power of dictatorship, it is also the most impossible because it is the least likely to see print. And yet, impossible autobiographies written under curfew, in captivity, and other repressive circumstances of dictatorship, prove to adapt and replicate in resilient forms of resistance to tyranny in spite of their own impossibility. They give way to forms of autobiographical inscription that are not only outlaws of genre and convention but also public offenses punishable by death. This article was submitted to the European Journal of Life Writing on October 19th 2015 and published on October 17th 2017.
A Reactive Molecular Dynamics Study of Atomistic Mechanisms During Synthesis of MoS2 Layers by Chemical Vapor Deposition

Transition metal dichalcogenide (TMDC) monolayers like MoS2 are promising materials for future electronic applications. Large-area monolayer MoS2 samples for these applications are typically synthesized by chemical vapor deposition (CVD) using MoO3 reactants and gas-phase sulfur precursors. Recent experimental studies have greatly improved our understanding of reaction pathways in the CVD growth process. However, atomic mechanisms of sulfidation process remain to be fully elucidated. In this work, we present quantum-mechanically informed and validated reactive molecular dynamics (RMD) simulations for CVD synthesis of MoS2 layers using S2 precursors. Our RMD simulations clarify atomic-level reaction pathways for the sulfidation of MoO3 surfaces by S2, which is a critical reaction step for CVD synthesis of MoS2 layers. These results provide a better understanding of the sulfidation process for the scalable synthesis of defect-free MoS2 and other TMDC materials.
Statistical Mechanical Models and Glauber Dynamics

In recent years, mixing times of dynamics of statistical mechanical models have been the focus of much probability research, drawing interest from researchers in mathematics, physics, and computer science. The topic is both physically relevant and mathematically rich. But up to now, most of the attention has focused on particular models including rigorous results for several mean-field models. A few examples are (a) the Curie-Weiss (mean-field Ising) model [16, 17, 37], (b) the mean-field Blume-Capel model [20, 35], and (c) the Curie-Weiss-Potts (mean-field Potts) model [2, 13]. A good survey of the topic of mixing times of statistical mechanical models can be found in the paper by Cuff et al. [13].
Optimization of high-power radiation-balanced disc lasers (Conference Presentation)

Using vibronic transitions in rare-earth doped crystals as a case-study, we present detailed analysis for the optimum operation of radiation-balanced lasers. In particular, conditions for achieving highest output power and highest optical-to-optical efficiency in Yb:YAG and Yb:YLF thin disc RBLs are given. Finally, we extend our analysis to two-tone RBL systems involving Ho-Tm doped crystals.
Can Medicaid Expansion Prevent Housing Evictions

Evictions are increasingly recognized as a serious concern facing low-income households. This study evaluated whether expansions of Medicaid can prevent evictions from occurring. We examined data from a privately licensed database of eviction records in fourteen states (286 counties) and used a difference-in-differences research design to compare rates of eviction before and after California's early Medicaid expansion (51 counties). Early Medicaid expansion in California was associated with a reduction in the number of evictions, with 24.5 fewer evictions per month in each county from a pre-expansion average of 224.7. These results imply that for every thousand new Medicaid enrollees in California, Medicaid expansion was associated with roughly twenty-two fewer evictions per year. Additionally, we found a 2.9-percentage-point reduction in evictions per capita associated with early expansion. The effects were concentrated among counties with the highest pre-expansion rates of uninsurance. We conclude that health insurance coverage is associated with improved housing stability.
Tropical, Temperate, and Mediterranean Grasslands of the World

Abstract Grasslands of the world span the tropics to temperate regions. We first define grasslands in general, then we use the International Vegetation Classification (IVC) to characterize the vegetation, climate, soils, disturbances and geographic range of the four major grassland biomes (IVC formations): Tropical Lowland Grassland, Savanna, and Shrubland, Tropical Montane Grassland and Shrubland, Mediterranean Scrub and Grassland, and Temperate Grassland and Shrubland. We recognize 54 biogeographically based continental grassland biomes (IVC divisions) and summarize their spatial distribution by WWF ecoregions. We highlight various patterns of grassland productivity, ecosystem services and climate change. In conclusion, we briefly describe a number of tools that can assist the conservation of these critically imperiled biomes.
Advanced closed-loop communication training: the blindfolded resuscitation

Closed-loop communication (CLC) improves task efficiency and decreases medical errors; however, limited literature on strategies to improve real-time use exist. The primary objective was whether blindfolding a resuscitation leader was effective to improve crisis resource management (CRM) skills, as measured by increased frequency of CLC. Secondary objectives included whether blindfolding affected overall CRM performance or perceived task load. Participants included emergency medicine (EM) or EM/paediatric dual resident physicians. Participants completed presurveys, were block randomised into intervention (blindfolded) or control groups, lead both adult and paediatric resuscitations and completed postsurveys before debriefing. Video recordings of the simulations were reviewed by simulation fellowship-trained EM physicians and rated using the Ottawa CRM Global Rating Scale (GRS). Frequency of CLC was assessed by one rater via video review. Summary statistics were performed. Intraclass correlation coefficient was calculated. Data were analysed using R program for analysis of variance and regression analysis. There were no significant differences between intervention and control groups in any Ottawa CRM GRS category. Postgraduate year (PGY) significantly impacts all Ottawa GRS categories. Frequency of CLC use significantly increased in the blindfolded group (31.7, 95% CI 29.34 to 34.1) vs the non-blindfolded group (24.6, 95% CI 21.5 to 27.7). Participant’s self-rated perceived NASA Task Load Index scores demonstrated no difference between intervention and control groups via a Wilcoxon rank sum test. Blindfolding the resuscitation leader significantly increases frequency of CLC. The blindfold code training exercise is an advanced technique that may increase the use of CLC.
The study buddy effect: studying abroad with a close friend and the development of cultural agility:

This study examines whether preexisting close friendships facilitate students’ cultural agility development during short-term international study abroad experiences. Using a longitudinal design, we...
Chapter 8 – Musculoskeletal System and Locomotion

Comparative cranial, axial, and appendicular musculoskeletal anatomy of pinnipeds, cetaceans, sirenians, marine otters, and polar bears are summarized. Mechanics of locomotion on land and water (for pinnipeds, marine otters, and polar bears) and in the water for cetaceans and sirenians is examined. The evolution of locomotion in each of the major lineages of marine mammals is reviewed.
Changes of nutritional condition in hemodialysis patients using high flux membrane

Objective Current prospective,self-controled study designed to detect whether changing to high-flux dialysis could improve the nutritional condition with maintain low-flux hemodialysis. Methods 30 patients with maintain low-flux hemodialysis were included. After switching to high-flux dialysis, dialysis prescription kept unchanged except changed from using low-flux F7HPS dialyzer to high-flux FX60 dialyzer. Ultrapure dialysate was implied. Predialysis blood samples were collected for detecting albumin, cholesterin, ferritin; normalized protein equivalent of protein nitrogen appearance (nPNA) were calculated, lean body mass( LBM) and Spring-grip dumbbells were measured at 0,3 and 6 months after entering the study. Results The albumin, cholesterin, ferritin kept unchanged during the study process. LBM decreased significantly after shifting to high-flux dialysis,which were (39.7±8.7)kg,(35.0±6.8)kg,(34.5± 1.3)kg(P<0.05)respectively at 0,3 and 6 months. Spring-grip dumbbells increased after shifting to high-flux dialysis, which were (22±10)kg,(25±11)kg,(25±10)kg(P<0.05)respectively at 0,3 and 6 months.nPNA and appetite scores kept unchanged during the study procees. Conclusions The results shows that shifting from low flux to high-flux hemodialysis could influence the nutritional condition in maintain hemodialysis. Key words: Hemodialysis; High-flux hemodialysis; Albumin; Cholesterin
Physical therapy referral and medication for ankle sprain visits to physician offices: an analysis of the national ambulatory medical care survey.

Supervised physical therapy is the recommended care for an ankle sprain. Yet, recent evidence indicates some ankle sprain patients may not receive the recommended care, and instead, prescribed medi...
Technology Adoption: The Impact of Employee Incentives

This paper models the incentive misalignment between firm owners and their employees as a barrier to technology diffusion, which is a critical yet understudied feature, in technology adoption settings. To do so, we consider a general continuous-time optimal stopping framework with the Stackelberg game to characterize the equilibrium outcome of a firm's technology adoption decision, its employees' usage decisions, and the technology supplier's pricing decision under incentive misalignment. Despite a complex setting with multiple players in a continuous-time framework, we are able to fully characterize the optimal adoption policy in closed-form. Specifically, the condition for adoption is characterized by a closed-form threshold that explicitly depends on the percentage of employees who choose to use the technology. Based on the structure of the optimal adoption policy, we further characterize three adoption regions (i.e., no-adoption, immediate-adoption, and delayed-adoption) to understand how the incentive misalignment affects the adoption decisions. Next, we study two actionable strategies to motivate employee technology usage: adjusting the base salary and increasing the bonus rate. Interestingly, we demonstrate that increasing the bonus rate always performs better than adjusting the base salary. Moreover, the firm's optimal revenue can be achieved by solely relying on increasing the bonus rate. Finally, we characterize the technology supplier's equilibrium price and discuss its structural properties. To supplement our theoretical results, we study a real-world case of artificial intelligence (AI) technology adoption in collaboration with a large regional bank in Asia. We first collect 992 surveys illuminating the incentive misalignment and then conduct numerical experiments to illustrate how practitioners can achieve better performance by adjusting the technology adoption timing and wage contracts per incentive misalignment.
Accountable Care Clinical Pathway Standardizing Airway Clearance and Lung Expansion in Efforts of Reducing Nonproductive Respiratory Care

Background: There is considerable overlap in the array of techniques offered by respiratory care practitioners when managing clinical disorders resulting from poor airway clearance and/or poor lung expansion. To date, there remains insufficient evidence to suggest that one technique is superior to another, however ordering practices are for the most expensive techniques at a frequency and duration that creates unprecedented cost in respiratory care services. In one fiscal year, more than $800k was spent delivering airway clearance and lung expansion techniques. Respiratory Care Service believes that individualizing the administration of an airway clearance technique and/or lung expansion technique will increase communication between Respiratory Care Service and Hospital Medicine/Surgical Services; thereby reducing cost associated with those airway clearance and/or lung expansion techniques that are expensive. Individualized respiratory care will promote timely initiation and follow-up assessments in patients ordered for an airway clearance and/or lung expansion technique. Methods: Using a collaborative evidence-based algorithm that empowers Respiratory Care Practitioners (RCPs) in providing individualized and cost-effective care, the goals of this project is to implement a combined airway clearance and lung expansion (ACT/LET) pathway driven by respiratory care practitioners at a large academic medical center. This project is also intended to increase respiratory care service9s staff engagement and physician collaboration. Results: The ACT/LET Pathway has been successfully adopted by the Medicine/Surgical (Med/Surg) Services prescribing respiratory care techniques to hospitalized patients with a target of reducing the total number of techniques by 10% in efforts of reducing unnecessary techniques. The ACT/LET Pathway exceeded expectations by reducing the total number of airway clearance and/or lung expansion techniques between April 2016 and June 2016 by 17. 3% as compared to the same time period in the year prior. The ACT/LET Pathway also improved RCP and Med/Surg collaboration as well as increased Respiratory Care Service9s staff engagement. Conclusions: This project underscores the importance of evidence-based practice and clinical pathways in reducing medical cost during patient care. It also suggests that transdisciplinary collaboration promotes staff engagement.
PKC epsilon as a neonatal target to correct FXS-linked AMPA receptor translocation in the hippocampus, boost PVN oxytocin expression, and normalize adult behavior in Fmr1 knockout mice.

Fragile X Syndrome (FXS) is an inherited developmental disorder caused by the non-expression of the Fmr1 gene. FXS is associated with abnormal social and anxiety behavior that is more prominent among males. Given that oxytocin (OXT) regulates both social and anxiety behavior, we studied the effect of FXS in the hypothalamic paraventricular nucleus (PVN), the major central source of OXT. We observed a significant suppression of protein kinase C epsilon (PKCe) (34%) in the ventral hippocampal CA1 region of postnatal day-18 (P18) male Fmr1 knockout (KO) mice, which displayed social behavior deficits and hyper-anxiety in adulthood. These mice also displayed a 39% increase in cell surface α-amino-3-hydroxy-5-methyl-4-isoxazolepropionic acid (AMPA) receptor (AMPAR) at P18 (measured by the surface level of the AMPAR subunit GluR2), thereby indicating excitation of the CA1 neurons. It is known that neuronal activation at CA1 is linked to an inhibition of the PVN neurons. As expected, these mice also displayed a 25% suppression of oxytocin+ (OXT+) cells in the PVN at P20. Stimulating PKCe during postnatal days 6-,14 (P6-14) mice using a selective activator, dicyclopropyl-linoleic acid (DCP-LA), corrected AMPAR externalization in CA1 and suppression of OXT+ cell number in PVN in a PKCe dependent manner. Most notably, neonatal DCP-LA treatment rescued social behavior deficits and hyper-anxiety, displayed by adult (≥P60) male but not female KO mice. Thus, neonatal stimulation of PKCe could be a strategy to correct endophenotypic anomalies during brain development and aberrant adult behavior of the FXS males to the wild-type levels.
Image Processing Techniques

The purpose of this paper is to describe the image processing research at MIT and to present some qualitative considerations about picture quality.© (1973) COPYRIGHT SPIE--The International Society for Optical Engineering. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.
Panama's gender-based lockdown and the resilience of transgender activism: An interview with Pau González of Hombres Trans Panamá .

This interview with Pau Gonzalez, the co-founder of Hombres Trans Panama (Trans Men Panama, HTP), the first trans men's organization in the country, explains how Panama's gender-based lockdown in response to the Covid-19 pandemic was a pivotal moment for the trans community. HTP was one of the national civil society organizations that spearheaded the response to the cases of anti-trans discrimination under the gendered measures, urging the government to issue guidelines that would allow trans people to circulate based on their gender identity and, later, to scrap the measure altogether. Gonzalez explains how the lockdown not only exacerbated the structural inequalities that trans people in the country already experienced, but also forced them to reimagine their community and their activism.
Increased Arterial Stiffness Is Associated With Reduced Diastolic Function in Youth With Obesity and Type 2 Diabetes

Background: Increased arterial stiffness is associated with diastolic dysfunction in adults. Data in youth are lacking so we examined the impact of arterial stiffness on diastolic function in youth. Methods: We obtained diastolic function and augmentation index, pulse wave velocity, brachial artery distensibility, and carotid stiffness on 612 youth (10-24 years, 65% female, 38% normal weight, 36% obese and 26% with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). Participants were classified as compliant (C) versus stiff (S) arteries based on 7 arterial stiffness parameters (Global Stiffness Index (GSI), S=GSI > 4). Mean differences in covariates were evaluated by Student's t-tests. Stepwise regression analysis was performed to determine if GSI was an independent predictor of diastolic function. Results: Lower diastolic function and more adverse CVD risk factors were present in the S group (n=67) than the C group (n=545) (p<0.001). Covariates that were associated with diastolic dysfunction were higher GSI, male sex, higher BMI, and SBP z-score (R2=0.18 to 0.25; p≤0.05). Conclusion: Adverse diastolic function is seen in youth with increased arterial stiffness independent of CVD risk factors. Interventions to improve arterial stiffness prior to clinical onset of diastolic dysfunction are needed to prevent development of heart failure.
Underestimated and unreported prolonged QTc by automated ECG analysis in patients on methadone: can we rely on computer reading?

Background Recognition of prolonged corrected QT (QTc) interval is of particular importance, especially when using medications known to prolong QTc interval. Methadone can prolong the QTc interval ...
Acoustic characteristics of tense and lax vowels across sentence position in clear speech.

This study examines how the inherent properties of tense and lax vowels interact with external factors, such as speech style (clear vs conversational) and position (sentence-medial vs sentence-final). Twelve speakers of American English recorded productions of the tense /i,u,ɑ/ and lax /ɪ,ɛ,ae,ʊ,ʌ/ vowels, all of which were lengthened and decentralized to a similar degree in clear speech. Furthermore, unlike tense vowels, lax vowels had a greater vowel space area in sentence-medial position, which was primarily driven by high vowels' decreased F1. Therefore, the defining properties of lax vowels (short duration and centralization) were altered by both speech style and sentential position.
Designing and teaching an elementary school enrichment program: What the students were taught and what I learned

This article is a reflection on the experiences I had designing and teaching an elementary school enrichment program to gifted students in mathematics. In particular, I consider not just what I taught the students in the program but what I learned throughout the entire process. This article first focuses on a description of the program and my role within the program. I then describe in detail four of the lessons I designed and taught for the program. Central to the description of the lessons are my observations of the students’ reactions to the lessons and my own growth as the instructor. The article concludes with a reflection on my pedagogic practices, the gifted students in the program, what I learned during the experience and what I learned after the experience.
Transport systems for neutral amino acids in the pigeon erythrocyte.

Uptake and inhibition studies show that the uptake of neutral amino acids by the pigeon red blood cell is divided among four systems: a Na+-independent, nonexchanging system operative for amino acids with large hydrocarbon side chains; a Na+-dependent, exchanging system (ASCP) for alanine, serine, cysteine, proline, and probably also threonine and similar amino acids, very similar to systems seen in the Ehrlich cell (ASC) and the rabbit reticulocyte; a system effective for glycine and sarcosine already studied by Vidaver; and a system reactive with β-alanine and taurine but not with α-amino acids. The transport of valine was shown to be divided between the principal Na+-independent systems; that of glycine, between the glycine system and the ASCP system. These relations were supported by differences in the competitive interactions among the amino acids for transport, by the activity of various amino acids in accelerating the exodus of labeled or endogenous amino acids from the cell by countertransport, which is limited to the ASCP system, and by interactions between amino acids and Na+ and H+. Uptake by the two broad spectrum systems was minimally sensitive to metabolic inhibitors, except for a special sensitivity to anionic sulfhydryl reagents, without, however, an interruption of countertransport. Energy to permit uphill transport of various amino acids may reach the exchanging system by way of the system for glycine. The character of the dependence of the velocity, the Km and the Vmax for amino acid uptake on the Na+ concentration was different among the three Na+-dependent systems.
DIVERSITY, UTILIZATION OF RESOURCES, AND ADAPTIVE RADIATION IN SPIALLOW‐WATER MARINE INVERTEBRATES OF TROPICAL OCEANIC ISLANDS1

Important features of the inshore marine benthic invertebrate fauna of tropical islands are very high species diversity and the gcomorphological role of reef-building and sediment-gcncrating animals in contributing the structural framework of habitats. The former is due to the adaptive radiation and pcrsistcnt co-occurrence of large numbers of species in a number of genera, particularly of molluscs, echinoderms, and crustaceans. Among the molluscs, epifaunal gastropod genera contribute importantly to the high species diversity. On tropical Indo-West Pacific island shores and coral reefs, 80% of prosobranch gastropods belong to genera having more than three sympatric species; in diverse temperate faunas the corresponding figure is 20%. Features of the environment and of the animals tending to promote both speciation and high faunal diversity are listed: environmental heterogeneity and ecological and behavioral specialization are the most approachable. In a reprcscntative gastropod genus (Co?zus) with available quantitative ecological data, topographically complex, climatically equable subtidal coral reefs support more species, lower population density, and animals of larger size than do intertidal marine benches that are topographically uniform but subject to more severe weather conditions. Recurrent group analysis shows strong affinity among six common species on reefs and three on benches spanning most of the longitudinal extent of the Indo-West Pacific region, demonstrating wide species distribution and constancy of spccics composition in these habitat types. Degree of specialization and overlap in resource utilization by co-occurring congeneric species are discussed with reference to the theory of limiting similarity. Conus species arc demonstrated to specialize more to different prey species than to substrate type. A more general hypothesis, that co-occurring, ecologically similar predator species tend to adopt this strategy, while detritus feeders are more likely to specialize to microhabitat than food type, is only partially supported by the limited data available on other benthic inverte
The selective management of placenta previa.

Abstract Placenta previa continues to be one of the more serious complications of pregnancy. A series of 134 cases occurring over a period of twenty-seven years is reported in this paper, with a maternal mortality rate of 1.5 per cent, a maternal morbidity rate of 20 per cent, and a gross fetal mortality rate of 23 per cent. The treatment in each case has been individualized according to the multiple factors present at the time of entry of the patient into the hospital. Although cesarean section has not been held in reserve, a greater than average number of patients have been treated by various vaginal manipulations without added fetal risk, and, to date, with maternal safety. The generous use of blood transfusion has contributed to the low morbidity and mortality rates. The complications of thrombosis and thrombophlebitis stand out as causes of maternal morbidity.
The comprehensive care project: measuring physician performance in ambulatory practice.

Objective. To investigate the feasibility, reliability, and validity of comprehensively assessing physician-level performance in ambulatory practice. Data Sources/Study Setting. Ambulatory-based general internists in 13 states participated in the assessment. Study Design. We assessed physician-level performance, adjusted for patient factors, on 46 individual measures, an overall composite measure, and composite measures for chronic, acute, and preventive care. Between- versus within-physician variation was quantified by intraclass correlation coefficients (ICC). External validity was assessed by correlating performance on a certification exam. Data Collection/Extraction Methods. Medical records for 236 physicians were audited for seven chronic and four acute care conditions, and six age- and gender-appropriate preventive services. Principal Findings. Performance on the individual and composite measures varied substantially within (range 5–86 percent compliance on 46 measures) and between physicians (ICC range 0.12–0.88). Reliabilities for the composite measures were robust: 0.88 for chronic care and 0.87 for preventive services. Higher certification exam scores were associated with better performance on the overall (r=0.19; p<.01), chronic care (r=0.14, p=.04), and preventive services composites (r=0.17, p=.01). Conclusions. Our results suggest that reliable and valid comprehensive assessment of the quality of chronic and preventive care can be achieved by creating composite measures and by sampling feasible numbers of patients for each condition.
Finite Element Model Calibration Approach for Ares I-X

Ares I-X is a pathfinder vehicle concept under development by NASA to demonstrate a new class of launch vehicles. Although this vehicle is essentially a shell of what the Ares I vehicle will be, efforts are underway to model and calibrate the analytical models before its maiden flight. Work reported in this document will summarize the model calibration approach used including uncertainty quantification of vehicle responses and the use of nonconventional boundary conditions during component testing. Since finite element modeling is the primary modeling tool, the calibration process uses these models, often developed by different groups, to assess model deficiencies and to update parameters to reconcile test with predictions. Data for two major component tests and the flight vehicle are presented along with the calibration results. For calibration, sensitivity analysis is conducted using Analysis of Variance (ANOVA). To reduce the computational burden associated with ANOVA calculations, response surface models are used in lieu of computationally intensive finite element solutions. From the sensitivity studies, parameter importance is assessed as a function of frequency. In addition, the work presents an approach to evaluate the probability that a parameter set exists to reconcile test with analysis. Comparisons of pre-test predictions of frequency response uncertainty bounds with measured data, results from the variancebased sensitivity analysis, and results from component test models with calibrated boundary stiffness models are all presented.
Educating for Professionalism at Indiana University School of Medicine

'7 watched a member of the housestajf give a rather cursory consent for a central line placement. Although the patient medically needed the line, the procedure was barely explained to the patient, and the patient may not have even been competent. In addition the nursing staff was pushing the house staff to put in the central line. " A third-year medical student, Indiana University School of Medicine, 2004.
Dynamic two-beam speckle interferometry

The feasibility of two-beam speckle interferometry for the study of time-varying mechanical deformation of diffusely reflecting bodies is demonstrated. A sequence of speckle patterns produced by a vibrating cantilever beam was recorded photographically by means of a high-speed camera. These speckle photographs were subsequently digitized using a CCD camera for input into an image processing computer. By gray-level subtraction of carefully registered pairs of speckle images, fringes corresponding to the relative surface displacements were obtained. A sequence of these fringe patterns was reconstructed to obtain the time-history of deformation. These are compared with time-frozen (strobed) patterns for the same body.
On the concrete complexity of zero-knowledge proofs

The fact that there are zero-knowledge proofs for all languages in NP has, potentially, enormous implications to cryptography. For cryptographers, the issue is no longer "which languages in NP have zero-knowledge proofs" but rather "which languages in NP have practical zero-knowledge proofs". Thus, the concrete complexity of zero-knowledge proofs for different languages must be established.In this paper, we study the concrete complexity of the known general methods for constructing zero-knowledge proofs. We establish that circuit-based methods have the potential of producing proofs which can be used in practice. Then we introduce several techniques which greatly reduce the concrete complexity of circuit-based proofs. In order to show that our protocols yield proofs of knowledge, we show how to extend the Feige-Fiat-Shamir definition for proofs of knowledge to the model of Brassard-Chaum-Crepeau. Finally, we present techniques for improving the efficiency of protocols which involve arithmetic computations, such as modular addition, subtraction, and multiplication, and greatest common divisor.
Implementing a self-development neural network using doubly linked lists

A novel algorithm for dynamically adapting the size of neural networks is proposed. According to the measures to be defined, a neuron in the network will generate a new neuron when the variation of its weight vector is high (i.e. when it is not learned) and will be annihilated if it is not active for a long time. This algorithm is tested on a simple but popular neural network model, Self Organization Feature Map (SOFM), and implemented in software using a double linked list. Using this algorithm, one can initially put a set of seed neurons in the network and then let the network grow according to the training patterns. It is observed from the simulation results that the network will eventually grow to a configuration suitable to the class of problems characterized by the training patterns, i.e. the neural network synthesizes itself to fit the problem space. >
N-β-Naphthylpiperidine

N-β-Naphthylpiperidine reactant: piperidine solvent: petroleum ether (boiling range 30–60°) product: N-β-naphthylpiperidine product: N-phenylpiperidine product: N-α-naphthylpiperidine Keywords: replacement reactions, miscellaneous
Partial confounding and projective properties of plackett-burman designs

Screening experiments are typically used when attempting to identify a few active factors in a larger pool of potentially significant factors. In general, two-level regular factorial designs are used, but Plackett–Burman (PB) designs provide a useful alternative. Although PB designs are run-efficient, they confound the main effects with fractions of strings of two-factor interactions, making the analysis difficult. However, recent discoveries regarding the projective properties of PB designs suggest that if only a few factors are active, the original design can be reduced to a full factorial, with additional trials frequently forming attractive patterns. In this paper, we show that there is a close relationship between the partial confounding in certain PB designs and their projective properties. With the aid of examples, we demonstrate how this relationship may help experimenters better appreciate the use of PB designs. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Caldeira–Leggett model, Landau damping, and the Vlasov–Poisson system

The Caldeira-Leggett Hamiltonian (Eq. (1) below) describes the interaction of a discrete harmonic oscillator with a continuous bath of harmonic oscillators. This system is a standard model of dissipation in macroscopic low temperature physics, and has applications to superconductors, quantum computing, and macroscopic quantum tunneling. The similarities between the Caldeira-Leggett model and the linearized Vlasov-Poisson equation are analyzed, and it is shown that the damping in the Caldeira-Leggett model is analogous to that of Landau damping in plasmas [1]. An invertible linear transformation [2, 3] is presented that converts solutions of the Caldeira-Leggett model into solutions of the linearized Vlasov-Poisson system.
Photon transport in vegetation canopies with anisotropic scattering Part IV. Discrete-ordinates/exact-kernel technique for two-angle photon transport in slab geometry

Abstract In this paper, we discuss a computational technique for photon transport in vegetation canopies involving anisotropic scattering. The exact kernel technique eliminates the need for finite Legendre polynomial expansions and thus the inherent expansion errors. The scattering phase function (see Part I) now takes the form of a transfer matrix, whose elements are the actual phase function evaluated at discrete quadrature angles. To use the non-expanded scattering cross-sections in transport calculations, a modified discrete-ordinates method is formulated. The proposed method is tested for energy conservation and its results are compared with tabulated (reflection and transmission) functions of some standard solutions in atmospheric photon transport studies. Finally, the method was used to study the one-angle problem of photon transport in vegetation canopies.
Abortive migraine therapy with oral naproxen sodium plus metoclopramide plus ergotamine tartrate with caffeine.

SYNOPSIS The oral tablet combination, (550 mgs. of naproxen sodium plus 10 mgs. of metoclopramide plus 1 mg. of ergotamine tartrate plus 100 mgs. of caffeine), was retrospectively studied in 63 patients who used it to abort migraine headaches. On the average, 84% of the headaches were totally aborted; minor side effects occurred in 40% of the patients, and 87% of the patients considered the combination superior to all prior treatments.
Nucleation and growth of stacking fault tetrahedra in gold

Abstract The formation of stacking fault tetrahedra in quenched gold foils was observed by transmission electron microscopy. The density of tetrahedra was found to be about 6 × 10 14 cm −3 for quenches from 890°C and independent of the annealing time and temperature beyond the early stage of annealing. The growth of the tetrahedra was confirmed; their nucleation was found to be completed in the very early stages of annealing. These results imply that condensation of vacancies occurs, to some extent, during quenching and that the binding energy of a divacancy is about 0.4 eV.
The puddle theory of oil consumption

A theoretical model is developed to explain oil consumption in IC engines, based on the mechanism of oil being blown from a puddle directly below the top ring gap through the top ring gap into the ...
Synthesis and Conformation-Activity Relationships of the Peptide Isosteres of FK228 and Largazole

The peptide isosteres (10 and 11) of the naturally occurring and potent histone deacetylase (HDAC) inhibitors FK228 and largazole have been synthesized and evaluated side-by-side with FK228, largazole, and SAHA for inhibition of the class I HDACs 1, 2, 3, and 6.
CORTICOTROPIN-RELEASING FACTOR (CRF) ACTS CENTRALLY TO INHIBIT GROWTH HORMONE SECRETION IN THE RAT

The intracerebroventricular administration of 0.15 and 1.5 nmol ovine corticotropin releasing factor ( oCRF ) to freely-moving adult male rats resulted in a dose-related inhibition of spontaneous GH secretion. This inhibition lasted for at least 3 h and was statistically significant at all time points. By contrast, the iv injection of 1.5 nmol oCRF was without effect. These results suggest that CRF can act within the central nervous system to interfere with spontaneous GH secretion.
The pharmacogenetics of coumarin therapy

Vitamin K antagonists (coumarins) are widely-used oral anticoagulants for the prevention of venous thromboembolism and strokes. Wide inter-individual variation in dose response and frequent bleeds characterize the initiation of coumarin therapy. Over the past 10 years both genetic and nongenetic determinants of coumarin dose response have been identified. A comprehensive pharmacogenetics approach to warfarin therapy has the potential to improve the safety and efficiency of warfarin initiation.
Shark skin inspired low-drag microstructured surfaces in closed channel flow

Living nature is the inspiration for many innovations and continues to serve as an invaluable resource to solve technical challenges. Skin from fast swimming sharks intrigue researchers since its low-drag riblet structure is applicable to many engineering applications. In this study, riblet-lined closed channel (rectangular duct) internal flow was examined since its effect is less understood than with open channel external flow. With one experimental setup and two fluids, this study examines various dimensional aspects of microstructured riblets. Experimental parameters include riblet geometry, fluid velocity (laminar and turbulent flow), fluid viscosity, riblet combinations, channel size, wettability, and scalability. For direct comparison, the sample flow channel was fabricated to accommodate multiple samples with water and air in various flow conditions, where drag is characterized by measuring pressure drop. Results are discussed and conceptual models are shown suggesting the interaction between vortices and the riblet surfaces.
Remarkable regioselectivity in the preparation of the first heterotrimetallic MoW⋯Cr chain

Addition of CrCl2 to the dinuclear synthon MoW(dpa)4 yields a regioselectively formed heterotrimetallic MoW⋯Cr chain; computational studies suggest that the polarization of the MoW quadruple bond partially accounts for this unexpected selectivity.
Vibrational spectroscopy of 3,4-difluorocyclobutenes: Cis-d0, trans-d0 and trans-d4 species

Infrared and Raman spectra were recorded for cis-3,4-difluorocyclobutene (cDFCB) and trans-3,4-difluorocyclobutene-d4. Unscaled density functional theory (DFT) calculations of frequencies and intensities at the B3LYP/6-311++G(d,p) level supported the complete assignment of the vibrational fundamentals. The previous assignment of fundamentals of trans-3,4-difluorocyclobutene was revised. An unusual blue shift occurs for the methylenic CH-stretching frequencies of cis-3,4-difluorocyclobutene in going from the gas phase to the liquid phase. This hydrogen bond effect is related to similar observations recently reported and interpreted. The blue shift does not occur for the vinylic CH bonds of the cis isomer and does not occur for either type of CH bond in the trans isomer.