cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Seismic response evaluation of the linked column frame system

SUMMARY The linked column frame (LCF) system is proposed as a seismic load resisting system that uses conventional components to limit seismic damage to relatively easily replaced elements. The LCF features a primary lateral system, denoted the linked column, which is made up of dual columns connected with replaceable links, and a secondary flexible moment frame system with beams having fully restrained connections at one end and simple connections at the other. The linked columns are designed to limit seismic forces and provide energy dissipation via link yielding, while preventing damage to the moment frame under certain earthquake hazard levels. A design procedure is proposed that ensures plastic hinges develop in the links of the linked columns at a significantly lower story drift than when plastic hinges develop in the moment frame beams. The large drift difference helps enable design of this system for two distinct performance states: rapid return to occupancy, where only link damage occurs and relatively simple link replacement is possible, and collapse prevention, where both the links and the beams of the moment frame may be damaged. A series of 3-story, 6-story, and 9-story prototype LCF buildings were designed using the proposed design approach. Nonlinear models were developed for the designs with the link models validated using recent experimental results. The seismic response of these systems was investigated for ground motions representing various seismic hazard levels. Results show that the LCF system not only provides collapse prevention, but also has the capability of limiting economic loss by reducing structural damage and allowing for rapid return to occupancy following earthquakes with shorter return periods. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Public Internet Access for Young Children in the Inner City: Evidence to Inform Access Subsidy and Content Regulation

Significant U.S. policy initiatives in the late 1990s were intended to control Internet access, privacy, and indecency--specifically among children. This study reflects on these using quantitative data from a computer center in a children's library in the inner city. Researchers gathered 16 weeks of page requests ( n = 203,647) using "click stream" and behavioral data, and analyzed these using nonparametric tests. Findings show that users are highly influenced by each other and browse only a small universe of sites. Game playing and communicating with individuals (via e-mail and chat) were the most popular uses. Children were uninterested in pornography and sites directed toward children. Advertising was extremely common. Children were most likely to engage in sharing when using games and chat. For this population, access, privacy and indecency initiatives to control Internet use fails to achieve its stated goals, but activities that encourage sharing in public places hold some promise for building comput...
Utility-Optimal Medium Access Control: Reverse and Forward Engineering

This paper analyzes and designs medium access control (MAC) protocols for wireless ad-hoc networks through the network utility maximization (NUM) framework. We first reverse-engineer the current exponential backoff (EB) type of MAC protocols such as the BEB (binary exponential backoff) in the IEEE 802.11 standard through a non-cooperative game- theoretic model. This MAC protocol is shown to be implicitly maximizing, using a stochastic subgradient, a selfish local utility at each link in the form of expected net reward for successful transmission. While the existence of a Nash equilibrium can be established, neither convergence nor social welfare optimality is guaranteed due to the inadequate feedback mechanism in the EB protocol. This motivates the forward-engineering part of the paper, where a network-wide utility maximization problem is for- mulated, using a collision and persistence probability model and aligning selfish utility with total social welfare. By adjusting the parameters in the utility objective functions of the NUM problem, we can also control the tradeoff between efficiency and fairness of radio resource allocation through a rigorous and systematic design. We develop two distributed algorithms to solve the MAC design NUM problem, which lead to random access protocols that have slightly more message passing overhead than the current EB protocol, but significant potential for efficiency and fairness improvement. We provide readily-verifiable sufficient conditions under which convergence of the proposed algorithms to a global optimality of network utility can be guaranteed, and through numerical examples illustrate the value of the NUM approach to the complexity-performance tradeoff in MAC design.
Multicarrier DS CDMA systems in the presence of partial band interference

Applies a multicarrier signalling technique to a direct sequence CDMA system. This type of signalling has the desirable properties of exhibiting a narrowband interference suppression effect, along with robustness to fading, without requiring the use of either an explicit RAKE structure or an interference suppression filter. The authors use bandlimited spreading waveforms to prevent self-interference, and evaluate the system performance over a frequency selective Rayleigh channel in the presence of partial band interference. >
Urea sensitization caused by separation of Helicobacter pylori RNA polymerase beta and beta' subunits.

Background The beta and beta' subunits of RNA polymerase are fused in all Helicobacters, but separate in most other taxa. Prior studies had shown that this fusion is not essential for viability in culture or in vivo, but had not tested it for potentially important quantitative effects on phenotype. Methods The effect of separating rpoB and rpoC sequences on Helicobacter pylori growth was tested in culture and during mouse infection. Results Derivatives of strains X47 and SS1 carrying this "rpoBCsplit" allele colonized mice less vigorously than their wild-type parents in competition tests. With X47 rpoBCsplit, this reduced vigor was evident in wild-type mice, whereas with SS1 rpoBCsplit it was seen only in cytokine IL-10- and IL-12beta-deficient mice. In culture, the rpoBCsplit allele sensitized each of four strains tested (X47, SS1, 88-3887, and AM1) to urea, a metabolite that is secreted into the gastric mucosa; urea sensitization was more severe in X47 than in SS1 genetic backgrounds. The rpoBCsplit allele also caused poorer growth on Ham's F12 agar, a nutritionally limiting medium, but had little effect on sensitivity to mild acidity. Conclusions H. pylori's normal RNA polymerase beta-beta' subunit fusion contributes quantitatively to fitness. We propose that urea, although important to H. pylori in vivo, also be considered inhibitory; and that H. pylori's natural beta-beta' subunit fusion helps it cope with urea exposure.
Maturation of extinction behavior in infant rats: Large-scale regional interactions with medial prefrontal cortex, orbitofrontal cortex, and anterior cingulate cortex.

The ability to express a behavior during the postnatal period may be related to developmental changes in the recruitment of particular neural systems. Here, we show that developmental changes in the functional interactions involving three cortical regions (the medial prefrontal cortex, orbitofrontal cortex, and anterior cingulate cortex) are associated with maturation of extinction behavior in infant rats. Postnatal day 17 (P17) and P12 pups were trained in a straight-alley runway on an alternating schedule of reward and nonreward [patterned single alternation (PSA)] or on a pseudorandom schedule of partial reinforcement (PRF); the pups were then injected with fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG) and shifted to continuous nonreward (extinction). Handled control groups exposed to the same training environment but not trained on a particular schedule were included. Among P17 pups, extinction proceeded faster in PSA pups relative to PRF pups. No differences were found between P12 groups. FDG uptake, an index of acute changes in functional activity, was quantified in the three cortical regions and 27 other brain regions of interest. A multivariate covariance analysis, seed partial least squares, revealed that functional relationships involving the three cortical regions and large-scale systems of regions throughout the rostrocaudal extent of the brain changed with training in P17 pups. The cortical regions were primarily uncoupled in the younger group. The data suggest that functional maturation of the frontal cortical regions and their interactions with other brain systems are related to the maturational shift in behavior.
Generalized Intergroup Contact Effects on Prejudice

The intergroup contact hypothesis is tested with self-reports of 3,806 survey respondents in seven 1988 national probability samples of France, Great Britain, the Netherlands, and West Germany. With seven key variables controlled, the hypothesis is confirmed-especially for intergroup friendships and affective prejudice. Nonrecursive models indicate that the predicted friends-to-less-prejudice causal path is larger than the prejudice to-fewer-intergroup friends path. These effects generalize in two ways: to immigration polity preferences and a wide variety of out-groups. To explain this generalization, three mediating processes are proposed that can override the many cognitive barriers to generalization: empathy and identification with the out-group and reappraisal of the in-group (deprovincialization). A situation's "friendship potential" is hence indicated as an essential condition for optimal intergroup contact.
Revisiting the Foundations of Network Analysis

Network analysis has emerged as a powerful way of studying phenomena as diverse as interpersonal interaction, connections among neurons, and the structure of the Internet. Appropriate use of network analysis depends, however, on choosing the right network representation for the problem at hand.
Super-resolution via recapture and Bayesian effect modeling

This paper presents Bayesian edge inference (BEI), a single frame super resolution method explicitly grounded in Bayesian inference that addresses issues common to existing methods. Though the best give excellent results at modest magnification factors, they suffer from gradient stepping and boundary coherence problems by factors of 4x. Central to BEI is a causal framework that allows image capture and recapture to be modeled differently, a principled way of undoing downsampling blur, and a technique for incorporating Markov random field potentials arbitrarily into Bayesian networks. Besides addressing gradient and boundary issues, BEI is shown to be competitive with existing methods on published correctness measures. The model and framework are shown to generalize to other reconstruction tasks by demonstrating BEI's effectiveness at CCD demosaicing and inpainting with only trivial changes.
Effect of insulin on regional vascular resistances in conscious rats

In the rat, but not in humans and other mammals, chronic administration of insulin produces hypertension. The present aim was to determine the effect of acute insulin infusion on regional vascular resistances and to determine the neurogenic contribution to the response. Conscious rats were infused with insulin (2 or 6 mU/min) before and after ganglionic blockade with chlorisondamine (5 mg/kg). The low dose of insulin produced an increase in arterial pressure and hindquarter vascular resistance; the high dose produced a gradual decrease in arterial pressure and renal resistance. After ganglionic blockade, the hindquarter vasoconstriction produced by the low dose was abolished. The high dose of insulin produced both hindquarter and renal vasodilation. Thus the low dose of insulin had a selective neurogenic vasoconstrictor effect in rat skeletal muscle vascular beds. With higher doses, direct vasodilatory effects in both skeletal muscle and renal vascular beds appeared. This greater sensitivity of the sympathoexcitatory effects of insulin in rats may explain the ability of chronic insulin infusions to increase blood pressure in this species.
In-Vacuo Surface Analysis of Diamond Nucleation and Growth on SI (111) and Polycrystalline Tantalum

The growth of diamond thin films at low temperature and low pressure has made it an excellent candidate material for use in electronic and wear resistant coating applications. However, for diamond to reach its true potential in electronic applications, high quality monocrystalline diamond films must be grown on economically viable non-diamond substrates.
Age-related variations in δ13C of ecosystem respiration across a coniferous forest chronosequence in the Pacific Northwest

We tested the hypothesis that forest age influences the carbon isotope ratio (delta13C) of carbon reservoirs and CO2 at local and regional levels. Carbon isotope ratios of ecosystem respiration (delta13C(R)), soil respiration (delta13C(R-soil)), bulk needle tissue (delta13C(P)) and soil organic carbon (delta(13)C(SOC)) were measured in > 450-, 40- and 20-year-old temperate, mixed coniferous forests in southern Washington, USA. Values of delta13C(R), delta13C(R-soil), delta13C(P) and delta13C(SOC) showed consistent enrichment with increasing stand age. Between the youngest and oldest forests there was an approximately 1 per thousand enrichment in delta13C(P) (at similar canopy levels), delta13C(SOC) (throughout the soil column), delta13C(R-soil) (during the wet season) and delta13C(R) (during the dry season). Mean values of delta13C(R) were -25.9, -26.5 and -27.0 per thousand for the 450-, 40- and 20-year-old forests, respectively. Both delta13C(R-soil) and the difference between delta13C(R) and delta13C(R-soil) were more 13C enriched in older forests than in young forest: delta13C(R) - delta13C(R-soil) = 2.3, 1.1 and 0.5 per thousand for the 450-, 40- and 20-year-old forests, respectively. Values of delta(13)C(P) were proportionally more depleted relative to delta13C(R): delta13C(R) - delta13C(P) = 0.5, 2.2 and 2.5 per thousand for the 450-, 40- and 20-year-old forests, respectively. Values of delta13C(P) were most 13C-enriched at the top of the canopy and in the oldest forest regardless of season (overall values were -26.9, -28.7 and -29.4 per thousand for the 450-, 40- and 20-year-old forests, respectively). Values of delta13C(SOC) from shallow soil depths were similar to delta13C(P) values of upper- and mid-canopy needles. All delta13C data are consistent with the hypothesis that a decrease in stomatal conductance associated with decreased hydraulic conductance leads to increased CO2 diffusional limitations in older coniferous trees. The strong associations between delta13C(P) in needles with delta13C(R) and delta13C(R-soil) at the forest level suggest that 13C observations scale between leaf and ecosystem levels.
Issues related to risk evaluation and mitigation strategies in health-system pharmacy.

In 2007, the Prescription Drug User Fee Act (PDUFA) came up for reauthorization. PDUFA, first passed in 1992, sunsets every five years and allows FDA to collect user fees from industry for new drug applications. The Food and Drug Administration Amendments Act of 2007 (FDAAA) reauthorized PDUFA and
Research of Dynamical Behavior for Rub-impact Rotor System with Non-symmetry Flilm Force

Considering the effect of non-symmetry film force,nonlinear stiffness and nonlinear friction force,a dynamical model of rub-impact rotor system is established,then the nonlinear dynamical behavior is researched by numerical analysis method.The effect of rotaion speed,nonlinear stiffness ratio and speed effect factor on brifurcation and chaotic behavior for rub-impact rotor system is comprehensively analyzed.The analysis results show the effect of non-symmetry film force,nonlinear stiffness and nonlinear friction force on dynamical behavior of rotor system has great relation with rotation speed.The chaotic behavior could exist in a widder parameter region,and the chaotic evolutive rule is more complicated.The research provides a reliable theory base and reference for diagnosing same fault of rotor effectively for the future.
Gastrointestinal toxicity of newer NSAIDs

The linkage between gastroduodenal mucosal injury and nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) is now well established. Fifteen percent to 20% of patients taking these agents develop gastric or duodenal ulcer, and about 3% of this group goes on to experience hemorrhage or perforation. Gastrointestinal (GI) complications occur primarily in certain high risk groups, notably elderly female patients and patients with a prior history of peptic ulcer or GI bleeding. Recently, two new NSAIDs, nabumetone and etodolac, which are reportedly safer because they selectively inhibit prostaglandin synthesis in target tissues but spare that in the stomach, have been introduced in the United States. Further, data from clinical trials of oxaprozin, an NSAID not yet available in the United States, indicate that this agent may have a better safety profile than older NSAIDs. A review of the literature concerning the mucosal toxicity of these three agents reveals that the overall ulceration and major complication rate is low. However, a direct comparison with older NSAIDS in a large group of patients in a dose with similar efficacy is lacking.
Search Pattern, Interpretive Approach, Basic Anatomy and Fundamentals

The following is a concise yet comprehensive review of the Chest X-Ray (CXR) Search Pattern and normal anatomy that should be identified while interpreting the CXR. Based on my teaching experiences and feedback from the first two versions of RoboChest; this chapter is based around the search pattern mnemonic ABCDS × 2.
Control of the Redox Activity of PbS Quantum Dots by Tuning Electrostatic Interactions at the Quantum Dot/Solvent Interface

This paper describes the control of electron exchange between a colloidal PbS quantum dot (QD) and a negatively charged small molecule (9,10-anthraquinone-2-sulfonic acid sodium salt, AQ), through tuning of the charge density in the ligand shell of the QD, within an aqueous dispersion. The probability of electron exchange, measured through steady-state and time-resolved optical spectroscopy, is directly related to the permeability of the protective ligand shell, which is a mixed monolayer of negatively charged 6-mercaptohexanoate (MHA) and neutral 6-mercaptohexanol (MHO), to AQ. The composition of the ligand shell is quantitatively characterized by 1H NMR. The dependence of the change in Gibbs free energy, ΔGobs, for the diffusion of AQ through the charged ligand shell and its subsequent adsorption to the QD surface is well-described with an electrostatic double-layer model for the QD/solvent interface. Fits of the optical data to this model yield an increase in the free energy for transfer of AQ from bul...
Bioprinting of Nerve

Abstract The reliable tissue engineering of tubular structures, composing a significant portion of the human body, would have far reaching implications. Such structures, in the form of blood vessels or nerve conduits, could be used directly as grafts to replace respectively clogged vessels or to restore function after peripheral nerve injuries. Perhaps even more importantly they could be employed to vascularize and innervate more complex engineered organs, a still outstanding unresolved problem of tissue engineering. Here we first provide an overview on the fabrication of tubular organoids using extrusion bioprinting technology that operates with multicellular bioink units whose postprinting self-assembly, which gives rise to the ready-to-use biological structure, is based on morphogenetic principles evident in early embryonic development. We then detail the construction of nerve grafts.
Influence of Employees’ Core Competencies on Employees Job Performance: A Special Reference to Insurance Companies in Batticaloa District

Human resource is a key factor to achieve competitive advantages in an organization. Work force with best talents is essential for organizational success. Employee’s core competencies has been associated with individual skills to fulfill expectation of organization to attain job targets which are established by top management of organization. Employees tend to learn and develop core competencies in order to improve job performance. Job performance is vital because accomplishment of organizational goals and objectives can be evaluated by the performance of human resources. This study examined the research problem of whether employees’ core competencies influence on job performance in Insurance companies in Batticaloa district (Manmunai North D.S Division). Quantitative methodology has been employed for this research and questionnaires were issued to obtain the data. This study sample included 152 employees who have been working in Insurance companies. Simple random sampling technique was used and Univariate, correlation, and regression analysis have been used. Finding indicates that employees’ core competencies and job performance are at a high level and it also found that there is a strong positive relationship between core competencies and job performance. Moreover, core competencies significantly influence on job performance of Insurance companies in Batticaloa district.
Probing Heterogeneity and Bonding at Silica Surfaces through Single-Molecule Investigation of Base-Mediated Linkage Failure

The nature of silica surfaces is relevant to many chemical systems, including heterogeneous catalysis and chromatographies utilizing functionalized-silica stationary phases. Surface linkages must be robust to achieve wide and reliable applicability. However, silyl ether–silica support linkages are known to be susceptible to detachment when exposed to basic conditions. We use single-molecule spectroscopy to examine the rate of surface linkage failure upon exposure to base at a variety of deposition conditions. Kinetic analysis elucidates the role of thermal annealing and addition of blocking layers in increasing stability. Critically, it was found that successful surface modification strategies alter the rate at which base molecules approach the silica surface as opposed to reducing surface linkage reactivity. Our results also demonstrate that the innate structural diversity of the silica surface is likely the cause of observed heterogeneity in surface-linkage disruption kinetics.
Vertical intra-institutional effects of ministerial turnover in the Council of the European Union

ABSTRACTHow do high levels of ministerial turnover affect the strength of ministers and bureaucrats in the Council of the European Union? We test two rival hypotheses – one suggesting that high turnover rates will empower bureaucrats, the other suggesting that they will increase uncertainty and increase ministerial involvement. We empirically document high turnover among ministers in the Council. Next, we develop a conceptual framework that identifies four ways that turnover might affect institutional balances. Then we outline rival hypotheses about turnover’s vertical intra-institutional effects and present statistical models that gauge turnover’s effects on the power of ministers and bureaucrats. Our analysis supports the hypothesis that higher turnover is associated with lower levels of ministerial control. The article generates new insights into institutional dynamics and informs debates about the nature of European Union accountability.
A Global Perspective on First-in-Man Dose Selection: Oncology and Beyond

First-in-human (FIH) studies of anticancer products differ from that of other drug products in that they are usually evaluated in cancer patients rather than healthy volunteers. The FIH dose for anticancer drugs is expected to have pharmacological effects in cancer patients and is reasonably safe to use. Therefore, it is challenging to estimate the starting dose for an anticancer drug. Furthermore, the emergence of targeted agents such as small molecule molecularly targeted agents (MTAs), monoclonal antibodies, and antibody–drug conjugates (ADCs) in oncology has posed additional challenges in FIH dose selection. Traditional FIH dose selection methods were developed in the era of cytotoxic drugs and these doses were determined by methods using preclinical toxicity data. For targeted agents, the interspecies variability in safety and efficacy, dose–efficacy curve, and dose–toxicity curve may differ from those for cytotoxic agents, and efficacy may occur at doses that do not reach the maximum tolerated dose (MTD). Therefore, traditional preclinical toxicological studies may be inadequate to support the selection of a safe and active FIH dose of targeted agents. The strategy for FIH dose determination has shifted from a primary focus on toxicity to identifying a dose that optimally inhibits the molecular target. This chapter reviews various approaches for determining FIH dose of anticancer drug products as well as preclinical studies to support the FIH dose selection.
Quick and inexpensive paraffin-embedding method for dynamic bone formation analyses

We have developed a straightforward method that uses paraffin-embedded bone for undemineralized thin sectioning, which is amenable to subsequent dynamic bone formation measurements. Bone has stiffer material properties than paraffin, and therefore has hereforto usually been embedded in plastic blocks, cured and sectioned with a tungsten carbide knife to obtain mineralized bone sections for dynamic bone formation measures. This process is expensive and requires special equipment, experienced personnel, and time for the plastic to penetrate the bone and cure. Our method utilizes a novel way to prepare mineralized bone that increases its compliance so that it can be embedded and easily section in paraffin blocks. The approach is simple, quick, and costs less than 10% of the price for plastic embedded bone sections. While not effective for static bone measures, this method allows dynamic bone analyses to be readily performed in laboratories worldwide which might not otherwise have access to traditional (plastic) equipment and expertise.
3.14 Development of Composite Chassis for Motorsports

Advanced fiber-reinforced composites have been used as the primary chassis material in the highest echelons of open-wheel motorsport since the 1980s. The material and the monocoque configuration, where the outer shell of the car carries the primary structural loads, have been important in the performance and safety improvements realized. High torsional stiffness, a principal design criteria for this application, is achieved at a significant reduction in weight. While important, manufacturability often takes a back seat to the ultimate performance of this form of monocoque chassis. This chapter describes a long-term study, which was undertaken to investigate the potential to reduce manufacturing complexity and demonstrate an alternative composite monocoque design that was focused on entry level open-wheel motorsport.
A wideband cryogenic SiGe LNA MMIC with an average noise temperature of 2.8 K from 0.3–3 GHz

The design and characterization of a 0.3–3 GHz SiGe cryogenic low noise amplifier is presented. The integrated-circuit amplifier was implemented in the ST BiCMOS9MW technology platform. At 16 K physical temperature, it achieves a gain greater than 22 dB, input and output return losses better than 10 dB, and an average noise temperature of 2.8 K over the 0.3–3 GHz frequency range. To the best of the authors' knowledge, this amplifier achieves the best noise performance reported to date for an integrated SiGe low noise amplifier.
Networked Field Studies: Comparative Inquiry and Online Communities

In this article, I articulate a methodology for comparative qualitative analysis of online communities, which I refer to as networked field studies. I describe networked field studies as an approach that allows for looking across multiple communities and field sites to build a coherent set of analytical claims about the role of technology and everyday life, drawing on my own research investigating relationships to digital technologies among three countercultural communities. The major aim of this article is to contribute to methodological discussions on comparative qualitative analysis within Internet studies, foregrounding how research on digital technologies can both benefit from and complicate a comparative approach. After a brief summary of the communities studied in the research that has given rise to this methodological approach, I outline key methodological concepts and address the strengths and limitations of networked field studies as a method for analyzing socio-technical practices in everyday life.
Father-son incest: Using the literature to guide practice.

An increasing number of male sexual-abuse cases are reported in the literature. It is apparent that previous explanations of family interaction are inadequate. Based on a review of the literature a...
A combined laser absorption and gas chromatography sampling diagnostic for speciation in a shock tube

Abstract The first implementation of a combined laser absorption diagnostic/gas chromatography (GC) sampling system for the measurement of combustion-relevant species in a conventional shock tube configuration is reported, with ethylene pyrolysis as an example application. A heated, endwall sampling system is used to extract a post-shock sample for GC analysis. Analysis of the gas sample yields a measurement of the ultimate mole fraction values of multiple species (currently ethylene, acetylene, hydrogen, and methane) at the end of the reflected shock test time. A 10.532-µm laser absorption diagnostic is simultaneously used to measure time-resolved ethylene. A method to accurately model sampled speciation results using published kinetic models is discussed. A method for extending laser measurements into the expansion fan region for direct comparison with sampled GC results has also been developed. The combined optical and sampled-gas measurement techniques were used to study ethylene pyrolysis (1.0% mole fraction ethylene/argon) at approximately 5 atm, over a range of temperatures (1200–2000 K). The ethylene mole fraction measurements obtained using both techniques show close agreement.
Beyond Social Attachment: The Dynamics of Interactional Development

In social development, second in occurrence is not necessarily second in importance. For most social behaviors, events that occur after infancy have the greatest priority for understanding contemporary social adaptation.1 Accordingly, this essay is addressed to what happens “beyond attachment,” or, more generally, to how interactions are maintained and changed in ontogeny. In the course of development, the individual necessarily relates to others—in playing, in fighting, in working, in mating, in caring for the young. These interchanges are as critical for the survival of the species as the mother-infant relationship is for the survival of the young. Consideration of how they are linked to the initial social attachment and to each other brings us immediately to the nuclear issues of social fixedness, continuity of relationships, and social adaptation; in short, to the dynamics of interactional development.
Hybrid network architecture for interactive multi-user surgical simulator with scalable deformable models

In this paper we present for the first time, the results from a global-scale interactive surgical collaboration experiment using hybrid network architecture with scalable deformable model capable of simulating non-liner tissue behavior at haptic rates. The results show that two users were able to collaborate interactively at haptic rate for a time-varying one-way delay of 183 ms between the users.
Social Exchange Theory of Emotions

Emotions are likely to be produced when two or more people exchange valued outcomes (i.e., goods, rewards, payoffs). Emotions are internal events that occur within an actor and that stem from conditions or events external to the actor (e.g., the behavior of others, results of exchange, social context). These may take various forms, including general feelings of pleasure/satisfaction or displeasure/dissatisfaction or more specific feelings of anger, shame, pride, gratitude, and so forth. It is reasonable to presume that any emotions felt by actors due to their exchange could have important effects on their future exchanges and their relationships. For example, if the exchanges make them feel good or feel gratitude toward each other, their inclination to exchange should increase and they may develop a stronger relationship over time. On the other hand, if they feel anger or shame after concluding an exchange, their inclination to exchange in the future should decrease and a relationship may not develop at all. This chapter reviews theoretical and empirical work bearing on how and when emotions or feelings from social exchange affect the development and strength of social relations and groups.
Use of Near-Infrared Spectroscopy to Monitor Lower Extremity Perfusion in Pediatric Patients Undergoing Cardiac Catheterization.

Acute femoral artery occlusion is common in pediatric patients following cardiac catheterization. A variety of means are utilized to assess lower extremity (LE) perfusion and arterial patency following cardiac catheterization including palpation of pulses, pulse oximetry, subjective assessment of lower extremity color and temperature, and ultrasound. We sought to evaluate the utility of Near-Infrared Spectroscopy (NIRS) to monitor LE perfusion in pediatric patients undergoing cardiac catheterization. INVOS pediatric sensors were placed on bilateral LE in all pediatric patients ≤ 40 kg undergoing cardiac catheterization. Data were recorded continuously from the start of the procedure until 4–6 h after completion of the procedure. NIRS readings were compared between the accessed versus non-accessed LE at baseline before start of case, time of vascular access, arterial sheath exchange when applicable, sheath withdrawal, and Safeguard application, deflation, and removal. 133 patients underwent 152 catheterizations with mean age 2.4 ± 2.3 years and mean weight 12.4 ± 13.2 kg. NIRS oximetry readings were significantly decreased in the LE with arterial access compared to non-accessed LE from time of sheath insertion until removal of the pressure assist device post procedure. A greater difference was noted in smaller patients. NIRS oximetry readings did not correlate with subjective assessment of lower extremity perfusion after arterial sheaths were removed. One patient had pulse loss 4 h post procedure with a decrease in oximetry readings noted at this point on review. Weight-based heparin protocol was initiated, and a gradual improvement in oximetry readings was noted over the next 5 h. Vascular ultrasound 12 h later showed no evidence of arterial thrombus. NIRS may be helpful in identifying patients who are risk for developing arterial thrombus post cardiac catheterization and for monitoring response to therapy; however, further study in these patients is warranted.
Inflammation appears as high Prostate Imaging–Reporting and Data System scores on prostate magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) leading to false positive MRI fusion biopsy

Purpose To investigate if inflammation as a potential cause of false-positive lesions from recent UroNav magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) fusion prostate biopsy patients. Materials and methods We retrospectively identified 43 men with 61 MRI lesions noted on prostate MRI before MRI ultrasound-guided fusion prostate biopsy. Men underwent MRI with 3T Siemens TIM Trio MRI system (Siemens AG, Germany), and lesions were identified and marked in DynaCAD system (Invivo Corporation, USA) with subsequent biopsy with MRI fusion with UroNav. We obtained targeted and standard 12-core needle biopsies. We retrospectively reviewed pathology reports for inflammation. Results We noted a total of 43 (70.5%) false-positive lesions with 28 having no cancer on any cores, and 15 lesions with cancer noted on systematic biopsy but not in the target region. Of the men with cancer, 6 of the false positive lesions had inflammation in the location of the targeted region of interest (40.0%, 6/15). However, when we examine the 21/28 lesions with an identified lesion on MRI with no cancer in all cores, 54.5% had inflammation on prostate biopsy pathology (12/22, p=0.024). We noted the highest proportion of inflammation. Conclusions Inflammation can confound the interpretation of MRI by mimicking prostate cancer. We suggested focused efforts to differentiate inflammation and cancer on prostate MRI.
Autosomal Recessive Alport Syndrome Unveiled by Pregnancy

Alport syndrome is a hereditary disease affecting Type IV collagen characterized by hematuria, progressive renal failure, sensorineural hearing loss, and ocular abnormalities. Most cases are X-linked and involve the COL4A5 gene with a minority of patients having autosomal recessive mutations in the COL4A3 or COL4A4 genes encoding the α3(IV) or α4(IV) chain respectively. Here, we describe the case of a 31-year-old woman who presented during pregnancy with hematuria and proteinuria and was diagnosed with autosomal recessive Alport syndrome (ARAS) post-partum. Her biopsy was notable for findings of segmental glomerulosclerosis with some collapsing features, in addition to thin basement membranes and rare "splitting". Genetic testing identified 2 novel mutations in the COL4A4 gene: a truncating frame shift mutation c.3861delinsCTC and a missense mutation c.4708G>A (p.Glu1570Lys), both of which we assert to be pathogenic. She had normal full-term delivery without complications. This case has several unique features including the relatively mild disease phenotype and the findings of glomerular scarring with collapsing features on renal biopsy. The successful pregnancy outcome and her clinical presentation add to the growing body of evidence that ARAS can have a variable phenotype.
ANÁLISE DA PATOLOGIA DE ADERÊNCIA DOS REVESTIMENTOS ARGAMASSADOS: ESTUDO DE CASO - PROBLEMAS E POSSÍVEL SOLUÇÃO

The present work is directed to a very area used in the construction in brazil, that of the morrown coatings applied on concrete surfaces. The case study aims to analyze the low-resistance pathology of adhesion to the tensile strength of morroted ceilings on the concrete surfasse, seeking to verify possible causes and a viable solution. As methodology was performed a literature review and after a case study of a located in the city of porto alegre – rs, where the pathology of the adhesion failure in an internal morroasted coating applied on the surfasse of concrete in ceilings. For this, adherence resistance tests were performed to in the coating, pre-and post-application of the magnesium floursilicate product, being possible to affirm that the product was effective for this case, because in the non-use the product was obtained a mean resistance of 0.29 mpa samples and after the the mean resistance of the samples was increased to 0.37 mpa.
Notch effector Hes1 marks an early perichondrial population of skeletal progenitor cells at the onset of endochondral bone development

Summary The perichondrium, a fibrous tissue surrounding the fetal cartilage, is an essential component of developing endochondral bones that provides a source of skeletal progenitor cells. However, perichondrial cells remain poorly characterized due to lack of knowledge on their cellular diversity and subset-specific mouse genetics tools. Single cell RNA-seq analyses reveal a contiguous nature of the fetal chondrocyte-perichondrial cell lineage that shares an overlapping set of marker genes. Subsequent cell-lineage analyses using multiple creER lines active in fetal perichondrial cells – Hes1-creER, Dlx5-creER – and chondrocytes – Fgfr3-creER – illustrate their distinctive contribution to endochondral bone development; postnatally, these cells contribute to the functionally distinct bone marrow stromal compartments. Particularly, Notch effector Hes1-creER marks an early skeletal progenitor cell population in the primordium that robustly populates multiple skeletal compartments. These findings support the concept that perichondrial cells participate in endochondral bone development through a distinct route, by providing a complementary source of skeletal progenitor cells.
Normal FDG uptake in the adenoids and palatine tonsils in children on PET/MRI.

Information about the normal [F-18]2-fluoro-2-deoxyglucose (FDG) uptake in the adenoids and palatine tonsils in children is not available. The purpose of this study was to report the range of standardized uptake values (SUVs) in the normal adenoids and palatine tonsils in children, assess for the degree of asymmetry between the right and left tonsils and evaluate for the correlation of SUVs between the adenoids and tonsils. Pediatric patients who had had an FDG positron emission tomography (PET)/magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) brain study in our institution from January 2018 to March 2019 were identified. Patients with a history of malignancy, adenoidectomy and/or tonsillectomy, incomplete imaging coverage of Waldeyer ring and the presence of artifact on PET/MRI were excluded. Two pediatric radiologists independently measured the mean and maximum SUVs of the right tonsil, left tonsil and the adenoids. Range, mean and standard deviation were calculated for all measurements. Ratios of SUV of the left to right tonsils and the adenoids to the tonsils were calculated. The paired t-test and Pearson’s correlation test were used for statistical analysis with a P-value <0.05 considered to be significant. Sixty-one PET/MRI brain scans were performed in our institution during the study period. After reviewing for exclusion criteria, 41 patients were included in the study (mean age: 10.1 years, range: 2–17 years; 19 boys and 22 girls). The mean SUV was 5.30±1.57 in the right tonsil, 5.25±1.53 in the left tonsil and 4.56±1.90 in the adenoids. The maximum SUV was 8.47±2.22 in the right tonsil, 8.45±2.18 in the left tonsil and 7.59±2.94 in the adenoids. The difference between the SUVs of the right and left tonsil was not statistically significant (P=0.69 for mean SUV and P=0.90 for maximum SUV). There was a statistically significant moderately positive correlation between the FDG uptake in the adenoids and the right and left tonsil for both mean and maximum SUV (r=0.36–0.41; P=0.008–0.022). There is a wide variation of FDG uptake in the normal tonsils and adenoids in children. Uptake in the right and left tonsils is not significantly different. There is a moderately positive correlation between the FDG uptake in the adenoids and the tonsils.
Forced convection heat transfer of molten Salts: A review

Abstract Molten salts are used in a wide range of engineering platforms, with particular niche involving high-temperature thermo-fluidic applications. Molten salts are employed as industrial working fluids for several high temperature processing applications, including: as a catalytic medium for fuel production, for synthesis of exotic ceramic materials, and pyrolysis of waste products. Molten salts are of particular interest as materials for energy related applications, such as in the fields of Concentrated Solar Power (CSP), enhanced oil recovery, advanced nuclear reactors and nuclear fuel cycles. Industry wide applications include molten salt eutectics as materials for Thermal Energy Storage (TES) and as Heat Transfer Fluids (HTF), typically for enhancing the commercial grid-scale reliability of utilities that utilize CSP. Molten salts offer unique advantages such as low vapor pressure, extended operating temperature ranges, safe operation, minimal environmental footprint and moderate cost (compared to conventional heat transfer oils and ionic liquids). The scope of this literature review is limited to forced convective heat transfer data for a variety of molten salt formulations. The motivation of this study is guided by the promising role of molten salts in energy related applications, since the knowledge of the range of forced-convective heat transfer coefficients accruing from leveraging this class of working fluids are going to be crucial for determining (as well designing) the size and performance of the thermal devices. This review reveals that there is still a need for characterizing the heat transfer performance for various commercial molten salt eutectics and the available heat transfer data can be predicted reasonably well with available standard correlations. In addition, the goal of this review is to analyze the available literature data for the purpose of identifying the future research directions on this topic.
Pneumocephalus Due to a Bronchoatrial Fistula.

Pneumocephalus Due to a Bronchoatrial Fistula A 61-year-old man with squamous-cell carcinoma of the lung had sudden-onset confusion and respiratory failure. CT of the head revealed pneumocephalus d...
On the failure mechanisms of Cr-coated 316 stainless steel in bending fatigue tests

Abstract Fully-reversed cyclic bending tests were conducted on uncoated and Cr-coated 316 stainless steel specimens. At high stresses, the uncoated specimens outperformed the Cr-coated ones, while the trend reversed at low stresses. For Cr-coated specimens subjected to high stress amplitude loading, experimental observations showed crack initiation at the Cr/substrate interface due to shear steps formed from dislocation activities in the substrate—a conclusion supported by accompanying finite element analysis. Interfacial crack initiation was not observed under low stress amplitudes. This difference in fatigue crack initiation mechanisms induced an opposite trend in fatigue life between high and low stress amplitudes.
Single-molecule analysis of subtelomeres and telomeres in Alternative Lengthening of Telomeres (ALT) cells

Telomeric DNA is typically comprised of G-rich tandem repeat motifs and maintained by telomerase (Greider CW, Blackburn EH; Cell 51:887–898; 1987). In eukaryotes lacking telomerase, a variety of DNA repair and DNA recombination based pathways for telomere maintenance have evolved in organisms normally dependent upon telomerase for telomere elongation (Webb CJ, Wu Y, Zakian VA; Cold Spring Harb Perspect Biol 5:a012666; 2013); collectively called Alternative Lengthening of Telomeres (ALT) pathways. By measuring (TTAGGG) n tract lengths from the same large DNA molecules that were optically mapped, we simultaneously analyzed telomere length dynamics and subtelomere-linked structural changes at a large number of specific subtelomeric loci in the ALT-positive cell lines U2OS, SK-MEL-2 and Saos-2. Our results revealed loci-specific ALT telomere features. For example, while each subtelomere included examples of single molecules with terminal (TTAGGG) n tracts as well as examples of recombinant telomeric single molecules, the ratio of these molecules was subtelomere-specific, ranging from 33:1 (19p) to 1:25 (19q) in U2OS. The Saos-2 cell line shows a similar percentage of recombinant telomeres. The frequency of recombinant subtelomeres of SK-MEL-2 (11%) is about half that of U2OS and Saos-2 (24 and 19% respectively). Terminal (TTAGGG) n tract lengths and heterogeneity levels, the frequencies of telomere signal-free ends, and the frequency and size of retained internal telomere-like sequences (ITSs) at recombinant telomere fusion junctions all varied according to the specific subtelomere involved in a particular cell line. Very large linear extrachromosomal telomere repeat (ECTR) DNA molecules were found in all three cell lines; these are in principle capable of templating synthesis of new long telomere tracts via break-induced repair (BIR) long-tract DNA synthesis mechanisms and contributing to the very long telomere tract length and heterogeneity characteristic of ALT cells. Many of longest telomere tracts (both end-telomeres and linear ECTRs) displayed punctate CRISPR/Cas9-dependent (TTAGGG) n labeling patterns indicative of interspersion of stretches of non-canonical telomere repeats. Identifying individual subtelomeres and characterizing linked telomere (TTAGGG) n tract lengths and structural changes using our new single-molecule methodologies reveals the structural consequences of telomere damage, repair and recombination mechanisms in human ALT cells in unprecedented molecular detail and significant differences in different ALT-positive cell lines.