cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Origin and modeling of the frequency dependent output conductance in microwave GaAs MESFET's with buried p layer

This paper presents the results of measurements and modeling of the frequency dependent output admittance of GaAs microwave MESFET's with and without the buried p layer constructions. The output conductance of devices without the buried p layer shows a transition from a low to a higher value typically within the frequency range of 10 Hz-100 Hz at 300 K, and 10 KHz-100 KHz at 367 K. The shape of this transition is determined by the presence of multiple deep levels at the channel-substrate interface, while the magnitude of the higher value of the output conductance is determined by the transconductance of the substrate-controlled parasitic FET. The addition of a buried p layer beneath the channel region results in a parasitic n-p-n bipolar transistor without completely eliminating the parasitic FET action. Results of our study show that the combined effects of these two parasitic transistors on the output conductance of the buried p layer device becomes relatively independent of frequency above 10 Hz at 300 K. However, at higher temperatures the frequency dispersion of the output conductance becomes significant at frequencies above 10 Hz. At low frequencies the parasitic FET causes a very high output capacitance, whereas the parasitic BJT action causes a high negative output capacitance. For the purpose of modeling of the output admittance, this paper indicates how the parameters of the parasitic FET and BJT can be determined by direct measurements on the MESFET's. The paper also suggests how the parameters of these parasitic transistors can be tailored by possible device structural changes, in order to achieve MESFET's with negligible dispersion of output conductance. >
Multi-scale modeling of textures

Considers a specific class of textures which are stochastic, possibly periodic, two-dimensional signals displaying fractal-like or self-similar characteristics. Most natural textures belong to this class. The authors explore the use of autoregressive (AR) processes on trees as texture model. This theory was proposed by Basseville et al. (1992) for multiscale signal analysis. The generalized lattice structures used for parametrization of AR processes on trees make computer implementation fast and efficient. The authors have done extensive experiments on texture generation and study the effect of reflection coefficients and model order on the quality of generated textures. >
Demonstration of a VCSEL-based optoelectronic look-up table

We present experimental results from the implementation of an optoelectronic look-up table. The architecture was demonstrated using vertical-cavity surface-emitting lasers (VCSELs) and heterostructure phototransistor-based hybrid optoelectronic logic gate arrays.
the emergence of land concentration in the West African savanna

This essay's thesis is that donor nation's efforts to reproduce their own production contribute to land concentration and class formation in the West African savanna. This is because public investments by certain donor nations encourage two land-appropriation processes and one land-expropriation process. New classes are emerging as a result of these processes, consisting of those gaining and those losing control over land. [land concentration, class relations, development, Africa]
Pyrazine derivatives in cigarette smoke inhibit hamster oviductal functioning

Background Our past studies have shown that cigarette smoke inhibits oviductal functioning in vivo and in vitro. The goals in this study were to identify pyrazine derivatives in cigarette smoke solutions that inhibit ciliary beat frequency, oocyte pickup rate, and infundibular smooth muscle contraction in the hamster oviduct and to determine their lowest observable adverse effect levels (LOAELs) using in vitro bioassays.
A new algorithm for QAM signal classification in AWGN channels

A method for quadrature amplitude modulation (QAM) constellation classification is proposed by exploiting the phase information of noisy characteristic functions. This method of classification is theoretically and asymptotically invariant to the presence of additive white Gaussian noise, thus allowing for lower classification error. A simple yet effective method for extracting phase information from the characteristic function is presented. This QAM classifier, tested against a known fourth order cumulant method, is shown to be very effective at moderate SNR. It also shows some desirable traits that enable it to be complementary to the cumulant algorithm.
Fashion on Television: Identity and Celebrity Culture

Helen Warner's 2014 work Fashion on Television: Identity and Celebrity Culture is uniquely positioned to capture a corner of the media ecosystem that is, at the work's publication, both expanding i...
Perceptive Machines: From Selective Attention and Recognition to Visual Cognition.

While the task of sensing and perceiving the visual environment as we go about our daily lives is trivial for most humans, attempts to emulate the principles underlying human vision in machine vision systems have only been marginally successful. Attention, mediated by eye movements, acts as the critical gateway to visual cognition by searching for areas with relevant information and selecting the stimuli that will be processed. These stimuli are subsequently recognized as parts of visual world and stitched in spatial and temporal representations eventually leading us to produce an adaptive, composite impression of surroundings in near real-time. In this talk, we will outline recent efforts from our group to translate the knowledge of human vision system into computational models towards realizing intelligent seeing machines. We will describe specific computational models for visual attention, object recognition and spatio-temporal recognition, and present some preliminary results using these models on public domain computer vision datasets.
WAVE INTERACTION WITH MOORED SLOPING BREAKWATER

Interaction of periodic waves with a moored inclined floating breakwater has been studied theoretically and numerically. The floating breakwater is inclined at a well defined angle with the sea bottom; its seaward end in protruding above the water surface. In static equilibrium, without incoming waves, the body weight, the buoyance force, and the restoring forces from the mooring lines which are modeled using linear springs keep the breakwater at a fixed angle. The theoretical formulation is based on a suitable variational principle. For the numerical solution a combination of finite element approximation as well as eigen function expansion technique is used. The result is obtained in terms of wave transmission and reflection coefficient as well as the sway, heave and roll motion of the breakwater. The sensitivity of the solution on the parameters such as the bottom gap size, angle of inclination, and the mooring line stiffness are investigated over a range of incident wave transmission coefficient for dimensionless wave number hk > 0.60 ( k is wave number, h is the water depth). The results suggest that a certain degree of sheltering effect can be realized by employing this type of sloping breakwater.
Hedging strategies for risk reduction through weather derivatives in renewable energy markets

Weather elements such as temperature and solar radiation play a crucial role in renewable power production as well as in power consumption. In this research, we address risk management issues of a power producer for its weather, price and production risk exposures. We investigate the extent of natural hedge embedded in the dependence of power production using renewable energy sources and power consumption on weather risk elements. We further develop a framework to construct explicit cross hedges for the risk management objectives of a renewable power producer using weather derivatives: a relatively new class of financial instruments for weather risk management.
Virus Adsorption to Microporous Filters Modified by in situ Precipitation of Metallic Salts

Microporous and depth filters composed of fiberglass, cellulose, and nitrocellulose were placed in solutions of soluble metallic salts such as ferric chloride. Following adsorption of the soluble salt, the filters were allowed to dry and then placed in a solution of sodium or ammonium hydroxide. This resulted in the formation of stable precipitates in and around the fibers of the filters. Filters modified by this procedure of insitu precipitation adsorbed significantly more viruses than untreated filters. Filters modified by the insitu precipitation of combinations of salts such as ferric and aluminum or magnesium generally were better virus adsorbers than filters modified by the precipitation of a single salt.
Palliative Care Education in Emergency Medicine Residency Training: A Survey of Program Directors, Associate Program Directors, and Assistant Program Directors.

Abstract Context Emergency medicine (EM) residents perceive palliative care (PC) skills as important and want training, yet there is a general lack of formal PC training in EM residency programs. A clearer definition of the PC educational needs of EM trainees is a research priority. Objectives To assess PC competency education in EM residency programs. Methods This was a mixed-mode survey of residency program directors, associate program directors, and assistant program directors at accredited EM residency programs, evaluating four educational domains: 1) importance of specific competencies for senior EM residents, 2) senior resident skills in PC competencies, 3) effectiveness of educational methods, and 4) barriers to training. Results Response rate was 50% from more than 100 residency programs. Most respondents (64%) identified PC competencies as important for residents to learn, and 59% reported that they teach7 PC skills in their residency program. In Domains 1 and 2, crucial conversations, management of pain, and management of the imminently dying had the highest scores for importance and residents' skill. In Domain 3, bedside teaching, mentoring from hospice and palliative medicine faculty, and case-based simulation were the most effective educational methods. In Domain 4, lack of PC expertise among faculty and lack of interest by faculty and residents were the greatest barriers. There were differences between competency importance and senior resident skill level for management of the dying child, withdrawal/withholding of nonbeneficial interventions, and ethical/legal issues. Conclusion There are specific barriers and opportunities for PC competency training and gaps in resident skill level. Specifically, there are discrepancies in competency importance and residency skill in the management of the dying child, nonbeneficial interventions, and ethical and legal issues that could be a focus for educational interventions in PC competency training in EM residencies.
Untersuchung zur Enzyminaktivierung in Hefe nach Einwirkung von Diäthyldicarbonat

Diathyldicarbonat (PKE) wurde hinsichtlich seiner Inaktivierungswirkung gegenuber Enzymen in Backhefe untersucht. Dazu wurde die Abhangigkeit der Inaktivierung von ADH, GAPDH und MDH nach PIKE-Einwirkung auf die Hefe quantitativ bestimmt.
Simultaneous microdetermination of copper(II), iron(II), and cadmium(II) by colorimetric method

Colorimetric methods have been developed for the simultaneous determination of iron(II) and copper(II), or iron(II) and cadmium(II), using 2,2'-dipyridyl-2-pyrimidyl hydrazone (DPPmH) at pH 9.0 in 40% ethanol-water medium. The concentrations of iron(II) and copper(II) in the mixture are determined from the equations: $$[Fe] \times 10^5 = 8.333 \times A_{580} - 0.024 \times A_{430}$$ and $$[Cu] \times 10^5 = 2.381 \times A_{480} - 0.015 \times A_{580} .$$ Similarly, iron(II) and cadmium(II) can be evaluated using the relations: $$[Fe] \times 10^5 = 8.33 \times A_{580} - 0.010 \times A_{440}$$ and $$[Cd] \times 10^5 = 2.083 \times A_{440} - 0.014 \times A_{580} .$$ The proposed methods are simple, rapid, and applicable at trace levels.
Virtual Engineering: A Vision of the Next-Generation Product Realization Using Virtual Reality Technologies

The dynamic and changing nature of the modern marketplace requires product development engineers to quickly perceive and understand the developed product, including its geometric features and physical characteristics. Virtual reality (VR) technology is capable of constructing a user-centered, three-dimensional environment in which abstract and complex information is visualized in an intuitive and realistic manner, hence becoming an efficacious tool for product realization. However, in most current applications, VR is only used as a visualization tool for showing geometry shapes and engineering analysis results. In this paper, we discuss virtual engineering, which expands the application scope of VR to the integration of virtual product model with analysis, simulation, decision making and other engineering tools into a virtual product realization environment that facilitates multidisciplinary and collaborative product realization among distributed engineers. In this paper, we present the implementation framework of a virtual engineering system and introduce our current work at developing this system. That is, we introduce VE-Suite, an extensible, cross-platform, open source library of tools that enable product realization in a virtual environment. Its functions and capabilities are demonstrated using a virtual fermentation tank used in biotechnology industry. Finally we raise a set of key research questions as a guideline for the further research and realization of virtual engineering.Copyright © 2004 by ASME
The study of the law of ultrasonic shear wave velocity and influence factor

The shear wave velocity value in 16MnR's steel of ultrasonic wave is gotten by way of the experiment in-40 ℃-450℃ scopes.two kinds of speed laws relations types according to his trend has been drawn up,and the comparison has been carried.the influence to the velocity measurement error of change owing to expanding in heat the test objects radiuses is discussed,and real wave velocity and measuring distance correction and error range relation type is given out,in order to revise under the different temperature the wave velocity and real seat of value and defect.the influence of the speed change because of change the elastic modelling quantity and poisson ratio and density owing to the temperature changing is analysised.the question that pressure vessel and the pipeline urgent needs at present was solved under the environment of high temperature is solved.
Analysis on Epidemiology of Measles in Hebei District,Tianjin City from 2004 to 2011

Objective To investigate the epidemiological characteristics of measles in Hebei District,Tianjin,and to explore the strategies and measures for controlling measles.Methods The data of measles in Hebei District during the period of 2004-2011 were analyzed by descriptive epidemiological methods.Results Measles cases occurred in a sporadic pattern in Hebei District during the period of 2004-2011.Measles mainly occurred during February to May.353 measles cases occurred in children aged 8 months and ≥ 15 years,accounting for 84.86% of the total cases.Conclusions To prevent the spread of measles cases,it is important to maintain high level of measles immunization in children,strengthen measles revaccination,carry out supplementary immunization campaigns timely,and build a strong immune barrier.At the same time,it is necessary to strengthen floating population management and improve the vaccination rate among floating children.
Role of P-selectin in microvascular leukocyte-endothelial interaction in splanchnic ischemia-reperfusion

The role of P-selectin in leukocyte-endothelial interaction after splanchnic arterial occlusion and reperfusion (SAO/R) in pentobarbital-anesthetized rats was investigated employing a P-selectin-neutralizing monoclonal antibody (i.e., MAb PB1.3). MAb PB1.3 (1 mg/kg) given intravenously to SAO/R rats just before reperfusion significantly attenuated leukocyte rolling and adherence in mesenteric postcapillary venules as observed via intravital microscopy. Likewise, ileal myeloperoxidase (MPO) activity was decreased from 4.6 +/- 0.6 in nontreated ischemic rats to 2.0 +/- 0.2 U/100 mg (P < 0.01), indicating a lesser degree of polymorphonuclear leukocyte (PMN) accumulation. A significantly lower plasma free amino-nitrogen concentration was observed in MAb PB1.3-treated rats vs. untreated (P < 0.01), suggesting decreased tissue injury after reperfusion. Immunohistochemical localization demonstrated significant expression of P-selectin in endothelial cells lining ileal postcapillary venules 30 min after reperfusion of the ischemic splanchnic circulation. Thus P-selectin appears to plays an important role in leukocyte accumulation after splanchnic ischemia-reperfusion, and the MAb PB1.3 attenuates the accumulation of PMNs in the ischemic-reperfused small bowel, resulting in reduced tissue injury.
Analysis of Caffeine in Beverages Using Aspirin as a Fluorescent Chemosensor

Caffeine (1,3,7-trimethylxanthine) is an alkaloid stimulant that is popular in beverages. Fluorescence-coupled methods have been used to measure the caffeine content in coffee, tea, soft drinks, energy drinks, and cosmetics. In this experiment, we have developed a method for detecting caffeine in beverages utilizing the effect of the caffeine concentration on the fluorescence of acetylsalicylic acid (aspirin). Caffeine quenches the fluorescence of aspirin and the resulting Stern–Volmer plot from caffeine standard solutions can be used as a calibration curve. This method meets the criteria for fast, sensitive, and convenient caffeine detection. The caffeine concentration values in avitae caffeine water samples and Ale-8-One ginger ale beverage were in quantitative agreement with the reported values, within experimental error. This method can be extended to other caffeinated beverages that are clear or have an overall light color. This experiment is appropriate for the physical chemistry laboratory, the an...
Far-red light is needed for efficient photochemistry and photosynthesis.

Abstract The efficiency of monochromatic light to drive photosynthesis drops rapidly at wavelengths longer than 685 nm. The photosynthetic efficiency of these longer wavelengths can be improved by adding shorter wavelength light, a phenomenon known as the Emerson enhancement effect. The reverse effect, the enhancement of photosynthesis under shorter wavelength light by longer wavelengths, however, has not been well studied and is often thought to be insignificant. We quantified the effect of adding far-red light (peak at 735 nm) to red/blue or warm-white light on the photosynthetic efficiency of lettuce (Lactuca sativa). Adding far-red light immediately increased quantum yield of photosystem II (ΦPSII) of lettuce by an average of 6.5 and 3.6% under red/blue and warm-white light, respectively. Similar or greater increases in ΦPSII were observed after 20 min of exposure to far-red light. This longer-term effect of far-red light on ΦPSII was accompanied by a reduction in non-photochemical quenching of fluorescence (NPQ), indicating that far-red light reduced the dissipation of absorbed light as heat. The increase in ΦPSII and complementary decrease in NPQ is presumably due to preferential excitation of photosystem I (PSI) by far-red light, which leads to faster re-oxidization of the plastoquinone pool. This facilitates reopening of PSII reaction centers, enabling them to use absorbed photons more efficiently. The increase in ΦPSII by far-red light was associated with an increase in net photosynthesis (Pn). The stimulatory effect of far-red light increased asymptotically with increasing amounts of far-red. Overall, our results show that far-red light can increase the photosynthetic efficiency of shorter wavelength light that over-excites PSII.
Effects of unseen additional planetary perturbers on compact extrasolar planetary systems

Motivated by the large number of compact extrasolar planetary systems discovered by the Kepler Mission, this paper considers perturbations due to possible additional outer planets. The discovered compact systems sometimes contain multiple transiting planets, so that their orbital angular momentum vectors are tightly aligned. Since planetary orbits are susceptible to forced oscillations of their inclination angles, the highly aligned nature of these systems places constraints on possible additional (non-transiting) planets. If planets in the outer regions of these solar systems have sufficiently large mass or sufficiently small semi-major axis, they will induce the compact inner orbits to oscillate in and out of a transiting configuration. This paper considers the dynamics of the compact systems discovered to host five or more planets. In order to not perturb these systems out of a continually, mutually transiting state, additional planetary companions must generally have periastron $p>10$ AU. Specific constraints are found for each of the 18 planetary systems considered, which are obtained by marginalising over other orbital parameters using three different choices of priors for the companion properties (a uniform prior, a transit-inspired prior, and an non-transiting disk prior). A separate ensemble of numerical experiments shows that these compact systems generally cannot contain Jupiter-analogs without disrupting the observed orbits. We also consider how these constraints depend on system properties and find that the surface density of the planetary system is one of the most important variables. Finally, we provide specific results for two systems, WASP-47 and Kepler-20, for which this analysis provides interesting constraints.
COMPARISON OF TRANSESOPHAGEAL ECHOCARDIOGRAPHY AND COMPUTED TOMOGRAPHY ANGIOGRAPHY FOR LEFT ATRIAL APPENDAGE EVALUATION PRIOR TO WATCHMAN IMPLANTATION

Background: The WATCHMAN left atrial appendage occluder (LAAO) prevents thromboembolism in non-valvular atrial fibrillation patients. Transesophageal echocardiography (TEE) is the recommended modality for preoperative sizing of the LAA and thrombus exclusion. Patients evaluated for WATCHMAN with
Abstract 20388: Impact of Changes in Cardiorespiratory Fitness on Incidence of Atrial Fibrillation/Flutter

Background: The benefits of regular exercise in improving cardiovascular health are well recognized; however, the impact of changes in cardiorespiratory fitness on the incidence of atrial fibrillat...
Not All Aseptic Meningitis Is Created Equal.

A 16-year-old Chinese American boy was brought to the emergency department by his parents after 1 day of headache, neck pain, fever, and fatigue. He denied any cough, vomiting, diarrhea, or weight loss, but he did report having an erythematous, papular skin rash along his hairline for the past 6 weeks. A dermatologist evaluated the rash and diagnosed impetigo. A trial of topical bacitracin and oral cephalexin temporarily improved the rash. He is a native of southern California, was previously healthy, was fully immunized, had no previous hospitalizations, and had no pertinent family history. It is of note that he had no ill contacts, had no recent illnesses, and denied travel outside of southern California. On examination, the patient had a temperature of 38.9°C, a heart rate of 78 beats per minute, a blood pressure reading of 110/46 mm Hg, a respiratory rate of 16 breaths per minute, and an oxygen saturation of 96% on room air. He was not ill-appearing. His lungs were clear to auscultation, and his heart sounds suggested a regular rate and rhythm with no murmurs. His abdomen was soft, nontender, nondistended, and without hepatosplenomegaly. On neurologic examination, he was alert and oriented with no focal findings; specifically, he had no nuchal rigidity or photophobia. His skin examination was notable for crusted excoriated papules along the anterior hairline and a solitary lesion on the right forearm. Laboratory evaluation of peripheral blood revealed a white blood cell (WBC) count of 11.3 k/μL, with a differential of 86.2% neutrophils, 7.2% lymphocytes, 4.8% monocytes, and 1.1% eosinophils; a hemoglobin level of …
Application of machine learning for prediction of critical heat flux: Support vector machine for data-driven CHF look-up table construction based on sparingly distributed training data points

Abstract In this study, ν-Support Vector Machine (ν-SVM) is used to explore strategies for the data-driven CHF look-up table construction, based on sparingly distributed experimental data points. The CHF look-up table of Groeneveld et al. (2007) was used as the reference CHF data bank. In the data bank, the subcooled flow (Xe
Current understandings of the sluggish kinetics of the hydrogen evolution and oxidation reactions in base

Summary The hydrogen evolution and oxidation reactions (HER/HOR) in alkaline media are the most fundamental electrochemical reactions in alkaline electrochemistry. Surprisingly, their kinetics is still elusive and under extensive debates. Herein, a critical review of the four schools of thoughts of the alkaline HER/HOR kinetics is given, focusing on the key discrepancies in the underlying mechanisms and experimental supports within these thoughts.
A Markovian Influence Graph Formed From Utility Line Outage Data to Mitigate Large Cascades

We use observed transmission line outage data to make a Markovian influence graph that describes the probabilities of transitions between generations of cascading line outages. Each generation of a cascade consists of a single line outage or multiple line outages. The new influence graph defines a Markov chain and generalizes previous influence graphs by including multiple line outages as Markov chain states. The generalized influence graph can reproduce the distribution of cascade size in the utility data. In particular, it can estimate the probabilities of small, medium and large cascades. The influence graph has the key advantage of allowing the effect of mitigations to be analyzed and readily tested, which is not available from the observed data. We exploit the asymptotic properties of the Markov chain to find the lines most involved in large cascades and show how upgrades to these critical lines can reduce the probability of large cascades.
Preparing Students for the Fight Against False Information With Visual Verification and Open Source Reporting

While some journalists analyze and verify “open source” materials such as social media, eyewitness video, and satellite imagery to hold leaders and institutions accountable, many journalists and st...
The role of preemptive antimicrobial therapy in kidney recipients of urine-only positive donor cultures.

BACKGROUND The use of preemptive antimicrobial therapy for recipients of donors with microbial growth on pre-transplant urine cultures remains poorly studied. METHODS Single-center retrospective study of kidney transplant recipients of allografts from deceased donors with urine-only (ie, in absence of donor bacteremia) positive cultures (September 2011 to August 2015). Transplant outcomes, including donor-derived infections (DDI) within the first three months post transplant, were analyzed. RESULTS Of the 970 kidney transplants performed during the study period, urine cultures were obtained from all donors, and of these, 27 (2.8%) yielded growth. Twenty-nine (73%) recipients were treated preemptively after transplantation. All of the recipients of donors with urine cultures positive for Enterococcus, Pseudomonas, or Candida spp. received therapy whereas only one of seven recipients with urine cultures positive for Escherichia coli was treated (P < .0001). All E coli isolates were susceptible to trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole (TMP-SMX), which was given to all patients for Pneumocystis pneumonia (PCP) prophylaxis. Infection within 3 months was evident in 16 (40%) patients: 10 out of 29 (35%) in the preemptive group and 6 out of 11 (55%) in the not-treatment group (P = .29). Evidence of DDI occurred in two recipients, one in each group. There were no differences in one-year graft and patient survival between groups. CONCLUSION Preemptive antibiotic therapy did not seem to impact transmission events and transplant outcomes in this small cohort. Low transmission rates might have been influenced by administration of PCP prophylaxis and universal preemptive therapy for positive donor urine cultures with virulent organisms. Larger studies are needed.
An Improved Aggregated Equivalent Modeling of DFIG Wind Farm Based on Dynamic Clustering Strategy for Post-fault Analysis

Research communities have made significant efforts to derive dynamic equivalent models (DEM) for wind farms due to the high penetration of wind energy. The whole development can be divided into two categorical approaches: aggregated DEM and multi-machine pre-clustered DEM. However, with the stochastic characteristics of wind speeds and different crowbar activation patterns inside the wind farm resulted from different fault types, conventional DEMs may not be accurate for all kinds of faults, therefor are not suitable for post-fault analysis. This paper focuses on developing a DEM for LVRT studies. Firstly, a two-level clustering algorithm was proposed to build dynamic clusters based on the crowbar triggering waveforms and the grouping indicators' data, where Gaussian density distance clustering algorithm was applied. Then the established aggregated DEM was updated according to the previous clustering results. Different fault scenarios were tested. Compared with conventional methods, the simulation results showed that the proposed method could be more accurate to represent the dynamic response of the wind farm when there were several different triggering patterns from crowbar systems for post fault analysis.
Comprehending surprising sentences: sensitivity of post-N400 positivities to contextual congruity and semantic relatedness

Any proposal for predictive language comprehension must address receipt of less expected information. While a relationship between the N400 and sentence predictability is well established, a clear ...
Rhenium and Molybdenum as Diffusion Inhibitors in Catalytic Metal Particles for growth of Ultra-Long Carbon Nanotubes (CNTs)

Bulk production by Chemical Vapor Deposition (CVD) of ultra-long Carbon Nanotubes (CNTs) with lengths greater than several centimeters is desirable for materials applications, but is not presently feasible. A principal reason for this limitation is cessation of CNT growth due to erosion of the nano-sized catalyst particles from which the CNTs nucleate and grow: at elevated CVD growth temperatures, atoms of catalytic metal detach and diffuse away from the particles, resulting in erosion and eventual deactivation of the particles. Recently, a novel idea was introduced to slow this diffusion and erosion by including heavy refractory metals with the catalyst metals in the nanoparticles. Here are presented recent and ongoing investigations into this method. The metal system investigated uses iron as catalyst and rhenium as diffusion inhibitor. Results show that inclusion of Re in the catalyst particles will substantially increase the catalysts particle lifetimes, and hence the growth time of the CNTs produced. These results are compared to previous results obtained using the iron/molybdenum system of catalyst/inhibitor.
Osteoporosis screening using computed tomography for men with prostate cancer: results of a prospective study.

We performed a prospective study using both FRAX and computed tomography to screen for osteoporosis in men undergoing radiation for prostate cancer. We found that implementing routine computed tomography (CT)-based screening was feasible in the setting of a prospective study, but the yield of osteoporosis identification was low in this population. Men with prostate cancer (PCa) are at increased risk of hip fracture for multiple reasons. Estimation of hip fracture risk with the FRAX tool is currently recommended, but FRAX alone may not identify a portion of men with osteoporosis. We hypothesized that adding bone mineral density (BMD) screening using CT to FRAX is feasible and would identify more men with osteoporosis. Men with PCa scheduled to undergo CT simulation for radiation treatment were enrolled in a single-arm prospective study. The mean attenuation of the mid-L5 vertebral body trabecular bone (L5CT) was calculated on a single slice using the radiation simulation CT scan. The 10-year risk of hip fracture was calculated using the FRAX tool. Dual energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA) was performed for men whose L5CT measurement was less than 130 Hounsfield units (HU). A total of 98 eligible men were enrolled and underwent FRAX and CT screening. The median 10-year risk of hip fracture was 1.1% and exceeded 3% in 16 cases; the median L5CT was 162.28 HU (range 55.6–526.1 HU). DXA scan was completed in 15 men who had L5CT < 130 HU but 10-year calculated hip fracture risk < 3%, 1 of whom was found to have osteoporosis (T-score ≤ −2.5). Implementing CT-based BMD screening was feasible in the setting of a prospective study for men receiving radiation for PCa, but fewer cases than anticipated of osteoporosis were identified.
Effects of three pro-nuclei (3PN) incidence on laboratory and clinical outcomes after early rescue intracytoplasmic sperm injection (rescue-ICSI): an analysis of a 5-year period.

Objectives: We aimed to explore the effect of three pro-nuclei (3PN) incidence on laboratory and clinical outcomes after early rescue intracytoplasmic sperm injection (rescue-ICSI).Methods: This st...
Abstract 063: Racial/Ethnic Differences In Blood Pressure Around The Time Of The 2016 United States General Election

Introduction: Politics are a major source of stress and anxiety among U.S. adults, and the 2016 U.S. general election may have led to increased psychosocial stress among different racial/ethnic pop...
Comparison of ivermectin and extended-release eprinomectin deworming treatment on stocker and subsequent feedlot performance and carcass characteristics of fall-born Angus heifers

The effect of deworming beef heifers with either ivermectin or extended-release eprinomectin on performance and carcass characteristics of stocker and feedlot cattle was assessed. Sixty Angus heifers (610 +/- 50 lb initial body weight; 277 +/- 23 kg) were blocked by body condition score and body weight, and allotted to 1 of 2 injectable deworming treatments after grazing summer pasture for 35 days: (1) ivermectin (IVM) or (2) extended-release eprinomectin (ERE). After 63 days grazing, heifers were placed in a feedlot and fed a finishing ration for 150 days. Heifers were stratified by BW within grazing treatment and allotted to receive ivermectin (dewormed; DWRM) or no treatment during processing (NO) at feedlot entry. Although fecal egg counts did not differ at treatment initiation, egg counts were greater in the IVM group (5.138 eggs per gram) than in the ERE group (0.073 EPG) at the end of the grazing period (P less than 0.01). Heifers in the ERE group had greater average daily gain and greater body weight change (P=0.01) during the grazing period. There were no differences in feedlot performance or carcass characteristics (P greater than or equal to 0.09) between treatment groups. Based on this study, there may be no benefit to deworming at feedlot arrival when cattle are effectively managed to minimize internal parasite infection during the grazing period. However, even at extremely low levels of infection during grazing, parasites can significantly impact performance.
International Energy Law and the Paris Agreement in the Aftermath of the COVID-19 Pandemic: Challenges and Possibilities

This essay is based on my presentation at the 2020 International Law Weekend, organized by the American Branch of the International Law Association (ABILA). As such, this essay is not intended to be an exhaustive survey, but rather an overview of the main issues of interest. In addition, this work specifically discusses potential upcoming progress regarding international climate policies and potential setbacks. Therefore, this essay advances current knowledge on international energy law and fosters its academic autonomy. On March 11, 2020, the World Health Organization (WHO) declared COVID-19 a pandemic. At the time, not much was known about the virus. Stringent measures imposing social distancing and closing all non-essential businesses were implemented around the globe in a joint effort to contain the virus, buying time for scientists, hospitals and medical workers to prepare. Against this background, an economic crisis started to develop based on a drop in oil prices, due to the price war between Russia and Saudi Arabia. This economic crisis and the draining of financial resources made the pandemic more severe. At the same time, comparisons between the pandemic and the climate crisis began to occur, with few paying attention to the urgency and stringency of the measures to be taken. The pandemic and climate crisis are also connected from a policy perspective because pollution, such as greenhouse gases (GHGs), adversely impacts the immune and respiratory systems, making individuals more vulnerable to the COVID-19 virus. This essay focuses on the challenges that arose due to the pandemic and how policy makers may take advantage of the economic and health crises to rapidly advance a greener economy. Steering a transition from fossil fuels to non-carbon-based sources should be an important consideration after the COVID-19 pandemic, along with the pressing concerns of justice also triggered by the pandemic. In this regard, this essay discusses the main treaties on international energy law. These treaties are aligned with international commitments, most prominently the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDG). Sustainable Development Goal 13 promotes the need for immediate and effective climate action (SDG 13). This is relevant as the synergistic nature of climate threats has not been fully assessed, and the outcomes are likely to be worse than the sum of the independent parts. Therefore, this essay aims at staring a much needed conversation.
Modeling the Microwave Transmissivity of Row Crops

We develop a method to model the microwave transmissivity of row crops that explicitly accounts for their periodic nature as well as multiple scattering. We hypothesize that this method could eventually be used to improve satellite retrieval of soil moisture and vegetation optical depth in agricultural regions. The method is characterized by unit cells terminated by periodic boundary conditions and Floquet port excitations solved using commercial software. Individual plants are represented by vertically oriented dielectric cylinders. We calculate canopy transmissivity, reflectivity, and loss in terms of S-parameters. We validate the model with analytical solutions and illustrate the effect of canopy scattering. Our simulation results are consistent with both simulated and measured data published in the literature.
Students with Autism Spectrum Disorders and Their First-Year College Experiences.

Using data from the 2019 CIRP Freshman Survey and the Your First College Year (YFCY) from the Higher Education Research Institute at UCLA, this study explores the differences between the characteristics and behaviors of the first-year students with autism spectrum disorders (17) and those of students with learning disabilities (102). The findings indicate that the characteristics of these two groups of first-year college students were similar except for gender, ethnicity, first college generation, and parents’ income. Compared with first-year college students with LD, students with ASD were less likely to engage in risk-taking behaviors, use health services and the writing center.
Salmonella typhimurium mutants with alternate requirements for vitamin B 6 or isoleucine.

Several mutants of Salmonella typhimurium LT-2, isolated as auxotrophs for vitamin B6, grew without the added vitamin when supplied with either isoleucine, α-ketobutyrate, or α-keto-β-methylvalerate, but not with threonine or with other α-keto acids. When grown on minimal medium supplemented with isoleucine, these mutants synthesized vitamin B6 in amounts comparable to wild-type cells; they thus appeared to contain a modified l-threonine dehydratase and to belong to genotype ilvA (threonine dehydratase) instead of pdx (pyridoxine). Direct assays confirmed this hypothesis. Wild-type cells (toluene-treated) showed approximately the same threonine dehydratase activity whether grown in the presence or absence of added pyridoxal-P; mutant cells approached the activity of wild-type cells only when they were grown with added vitamin B6 and were assayed in the presence of pyridoxal-P. In cell-free extracts, the threonine dehydratase from mutant cells was cold labile and more labile to oxidative inactivation than the wild-type enzyme; furthermore, activation of the mutant apoenzyme required a 10- to 20-fold higher concentration of pyridoxal-P than was required for the wild-type apoenzyme. These results show that cultures which appear auxotrophic for a given vitamin may synthesize that vitamin in normal amounts, the exogenous requirement arising from impaired binding of the vitamin-derived coenzyme to a genetically altered apoenzyme dependent on that coenzyme. Inadequate nutritional data to support the genetic findings can lead to erroneous genotype classification for such mutants.
Thermal Methods for the Analysis of RNA Folding Pathways

Once a model of the secondary structure of an RNA has been deduced, thermal melting analysis can be used to determine whether the model accounts for all intramolecular interactions of the RNA, or whether noncanonical and tertiary interactions make the structure more stable than predicted, or link parts of the structure in unexpected ways. It is also useful to determine the pH, salt, and temperature ranges under which the RNA adopts a stably folded structure, or to analyze unfolding pathways. This unit discusses sample preparation, instrumentation, and theoretical background. It also provide a sample analysis of tRNA unfolding.
New role of IgE

Abstract Rationale To verify existence of extra immunological function of Total IgE. Methods While analyzing the data from the San Francisco Immuno-Personology Project designed for the study of the association between immuno-pathology and personality disorders in individuals with different allergic diseases it was noticed, by complete serendipity, that 57 participants of both genders who happened to be unquestionably creative like opera singers, symphony conductors, professional musicians, actors, published poets, writers, prominent artists, and professional architects, demonstrated different personality disorders associated with Primary IgE Deficiency. Primary IgE Deficiency was defined operationally as a level of Total IgE less than 21 IU/ML. To verify existence of extra-immunological function of IgE, a prospective open-label study was initiated. To-date, that data base consists of 542 creative adults of both sexes (316 females and 226 males). The data were stratified into two distinct not-overlapping groups: 1) artistic creativity and 2) non-artistic creativity as a control group. Results Results showed that artistically creative atopic individuals demonstrated more severe and more frequent Total IgE Deficiency compared to the control group of atopic non-creative patients (p Conclusion This triad of Primary IgE Deficiency, clinically significant Allergy and Artistic Creativity constitute the Creative Syndrome as a distinct clinical entity and demonstrates the existence of the extra-immunological functions of IgE.
An update on the management of chronic lumbar discogenic pain

Lumbar degenerative disc disease without disc herniation, also known as discogenic pain, is an elusive diagnosis of chronic low back pain. Lumbar provocation discography and fusion surgery have been frequently utilized for several decades as the gold standards for the diagnosis and treatment of symptomatic lumbar discogenic pain, though controversial, based on conjecture, rather than evidence. In addition to lumbar fusion, various other operative and nonoperative modalities of treatments are available in managing chronic lumbar discogenic pain. This review provides an updated assessment of the management of chronic lumbar discogenic pain with a critical look at the many modalities of treatments that are currently available.
Reliability and validity of a MR-based volumetric analysis of the intrinsic foot muscles.

Purpose To describe a semi-automated program that will segment subcutaneous fat, muscle, and adipose tissue in the foot using MR imaging, determine the reliability of the program between and within raters, and determine the validity of the program using MR phantoms. Materials and Methods MR images were acquired from 19 subjects with and without diabetes and peripheral neuropathy. Two raters segmented and measured volumes from single MR slices at the forefoot, midfoot, and hindfoot at two different times. Intra- and inter-rater correlation coefficients were determined. Muscle and fat MR phantoms of known volumes were measured by the program. Results Most ICC reliability values were over 0.950. Validity estimates comparing MR estimates and known volumes resulted in r2 values above 0.970 for all phantoms. The root mean square error was less than 5% for all phantoms. Conclusion Subcutaneous fat, lean muscle, and adipose tissue volumes in the foot can be quantified in a reliable and valid way. This program can be applied in future studies investigating the relationship of these foot structures to functions in important pathologies, including the neuropathic foot or other musculoskeletal problems. J. Magn. Reson. Imaging 2013;38:1083–1093. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Negative urgency and emotion regulation strategy use: Associations with displaced aggression

The numerous public health consequences of interpersonal aggression highlight the necessity of a comprehensive understanding of factors influencing its perpetration. This study examined direct and interactive associations between negative urgency and emotion regulation strategy use in predicting displaced aggression under conditions of negative mood. Participants were 197 male and female undergraduate students who were randomly assigned to employ either cognitive reappraisal or expressive suppression in response to a negative mood induction. Immediately afterwards, participants engaged in an analog displaced aggression task. Results revealed direct, positive associations between negative urgency and aggression. In addition, the use of suppression was associated with greater aggression than was the use of reappraisal alone. Counter to the hypothesis, there were no interactive effects between negative urgency and emotion regulation strategy use in predicting aggression. Findings suggest reducing negative urgency and use of suppression as potential intervention targets for individuals who engage in aggressive behavior.