cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Mitigate HDD Fail-Slow by Pro-actively Utilizing System-level Data Redundancy with Enhanced HDD Controllability and Observability

This paper presents a design framework aiming to mitigate occasional HDD fail-slow. Due to their mechanical nature, HDDs may occasionally suffer from spikes of abnormally high internal read retry rates, leading to temporarily significant degradation of speed (especially the read latency). Intuitively, one could expect that existing system-level data redundancy (e.g., RAID or distributed erasure coding) may be opportunistically utilized to mitigate HDD fail-slow. Nevertheless, current practice tends to use system-level redundancy merely as a safety net, i.e., reconstruct data sectors via system-level redundancy only after the costly intra-HDD read retry fails. This paper shows that one could much more effectively mitigate occasional HDD fail-slow by more pro-actively utilizing existing system-level data redundancy, in complement to (or even replacement of) intra-HDD read retry. To enable this, HDDs should support a higher degree of controllability and observability in terms of their internal read retry operations. Assuming a very simple form enhanced HDD controllability and observability, this paper presents design solutions and a mathematical formulation framework to facilitate the practical implementation of such pro-active strategy for mitigating occasional HDD fail-slow. Using RAID as a test vehicle, our experimental results show that the proposed design solutions can effectively mitigate the RAID read latency degradation even when HDDs suffer from read retry rates as high as 1% or 2%.
Behind Closed Doors: The Role of Risky Lifestyles and Victimization Experiences on Fear of Future Victimization Among South Korean Inmates:

Criminologists have long considered the extent to which victimization experiences influence fear of future victimization. As a result, some scholars have proposed risky lifestyles theory as a theor...
Extending Getis–Ord Statistics to Account for Local Space–Time Autocorrelation in Spatial Panel Data

Space and time are both crucial characteristic dimensions of geographic events and phenomena. Although exploratory spatial data analysis (ESDA) can be used to visualize and summarize complex spatia...
Chapter 18 – Social Engagement

The initial findings of studies linking social engagement with risk of dementia showed that living alone, living without close ties, or living as a single person increased dementia risk. The principal methodological problem with many cohort studies of this exposure is that of reverse causation, withdrawal from social ties with impending cognitive impairment. Findings from cohort studies highlight the importance of quality of social interactions versus quantity. In most studies, marriage or cohabitation appears to reduce the risk of dementia, particularly in men. This appears to be particularly important for men who lost a partner through widowhood. Data from the HAAS, where information on social engagement was obtained during midlife and during late life close to time of onset of dementia showed that midlife social engagement was not related to dementia risk, while late life social engagement was. This finding provides support for the view that the association is due to reverse causation. Studies of loneliness point to the importance of subjective perceptions of social connections rather than the connections themselves in the association with dementia. Data from one study showed that more socially engaged people had greater brain volumes. The size of the social network was found to be related to cognition in persons with similar levels of AD neuropathology at autopsy. It is difficult to determine the role of social engagement in multimodal intervention studies in which it is one of many components. In summary, findings suggest that subject perceptions of social disconnection appear to be related more strongly to dementia risk than objective measures such as social network size.
Diffuse pneumonitis from coronavirus HKU1 on checkpoint inhibitor therapy.

Background Immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) can produce specific immune-related adverse events including pneumonitis. The impact of ICI therapy on the severity of acute coronavirus infection symptomatology warrants further exploration. Case presentation We report a 65-year-old man diagnosed with stage IV melanoma who developed pulmonary and brain metastases and was treated with bilateral craniotomies followed by combined nivolumab and ipilimumab immunotherapy. He developed early-onset severe dyspnea associated with acute coronavirus HKU1 (non-COVID-19) infection, with diffuse pneumonitis evidenced by ground glass opacification on CT scan. He was treated with steroids leading to resolution of pneumonitis on repeat imaging, suggesting an exacerbated immune-mediated toxicity. Conclusion We report the first case of a patient with melanoma with severe and reversible diffuse pneumonitis in association with coronavirus HKU1 following combined nivolumab and ipilimumab immunotherapy. Although we do not have data on the impact of ICI therapy on severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) symptomatology, a possible interaction should be considered when deciding on dosing in patients with possible SARS-CoV-2 exposure or when evaluating patients with presumed ICI-related pneumonitis during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Program equivalence for assisted grading of functional programs

In courses that involve programming assignments, giving meaningful feedback to students is an important challenge. Human beings can give useful feedback by manually grading the programs but this is a time-consuming, labor intensive, and usually boring process. Automatic graders can be fast and scale well but they usually provide poor feedback. Although there has been research on improving automatic graders, research on scaling and improving human grading is limited. We propose to scale human grading by augmenting the manual grading process with an equivalence algorithm that can identify the equivalences between student submissions. This enables human graders to give targeted feedback for multiple student submissions at once. Our technique is conservative in two aspects. First, it identifies equivalence between submissions that are algorithmically similar, e.g., it cannot identify the equivalence between quicksort and mergesort. Second, it uses formal methods instead of clustering algorithms from the machine learning literature. This allows us to prove a soundness result that guarantees that submissions will never be clustered together in error. Despite only reporting equivalence when there is algorithmic similarity and the ability to formally prove equivalence, we show that our technique can significantly reduce grading time for thousands of programming submissions from an introductory functional programming course.
Harnessing the Chaplain's Capacity to Identify Unmet Palliative Needs of Vulnerable Older Adults in the Emergency Department.

Objective:To explore chaplains’ ability to identify unmet palliative care (PC) needs in older emergency department (ED) patients.Methods:A palliative chaplain-fellow conducted a retrospective chart...
We Should Hear from Both Sides: Ideological Differences Between Liberal and Conservative Attitudes Toward Scientific and Experiential Evidence

Two studies examined how political ideology relates to attitudes towards disagreeing scientific and non-scientific perspectives on apolitical topics. Participants read an article excerpt containing quotes from a researcher debunking a common misconception, such as the existence of lucky streaks in games of chance. They also read the perspective of someone who rejected the researcher in favor of personal experience, either in the form of a quote in the article from a relevant professional (e.g., a casino manager, Study 1) or a comment from a purported previous respondent with no clear expertise (Study 2). In both studies, conservatives, compared to liberals, evaluated the views of the scientist and the person rejecting the science as closer in legitimacy. Differences in evaluation of the science rejecter were mediated by conservatives’ heightened intuitive thinking. By spotlighting how partisans evaluate non-scientific perspectives alongside science and by focusing on apolitical topics, these results bring new clarity to the debate on whether conservatives are more biased than liberals in attitudes towards science.
Leaders’ Reactions to 360° Feedback: Examining Individual Attributes and Format Effects

Purpose: Numerous studies have explored the role of feedback format, and individual differences in influencing reactions to and behavior change following the receipt of 360° feedback. Recent research has considered the role that implicit theories of ability play in reactions to negative feedback. The current study replicates and extends this work, investigating the interaction between implicit theories of ability, feedback format (i.e., the inclusion of normative or normative and narrative feedback), and feedback valence as they relate to feedback reactions. Study design/methodology/approach: We conducted a quasi-experimental study of leaders in a large healthcare organization in the United States. Findings: We found that the interaction between implicit theories of ability and feedback format is dependent on feedback valence. Though implicit theories of ability moderate the relationship format and reactions for negative feedback, the effect did not hold when individuals received positive feedback. In addition, we did not find a statistically significant impact of normative and narrative (versus normative) feedback on reactions. Originality/value: This study extends our understanding of individual differences and feedback format in predicting reactions to feedback, providing important implicatins for both theory and practice.
The microtubule associated protein tau suppresses the axonal distribution of PDF neuropeptide and mitochondria in circadian clock neurons.

Disrupted circadian rhythms is a prominent feature of multiple neurodegenerative diseases. Yet mechanisms linking Tau to rhythmic behavior remain unclear. Here we find that expression of a phosphomimetic human Tau mutant (TauE14) in Drosophila circadian pacemaker neurons disrupts free-running rhythmicity. While cell number and oscillations of the core clock protein PERIOD are unaffected in the small LNv (sLNv) neurons important for free running rhythms, we observe a near complete loss of the major LNv neuropeptide pigment dispersing factor (PDF) in the dorsal axonal projections of the sLNvs. This was accompanied by a ~ 50% reduction in the area of the dorsal terminals and a modest decrease in cell body PDF levels. Expression of wild-type Tau also reduced axonal PDF levels but to a lesser extent than TauE14. TauE14 also induces a complete loss of mitochondria from these sLNv projections. However, mitochondria were increased in sLNv cell bodies in TauE14 flies. These results suggest that TauE14 disrupts axonal transport of neuropeptides and mitochondria in circadian pacemaker neurons, providing a mechanism by which Tau can disrupt circadian behavior prior to cell loss.
- DmCdc2c: Cdc2 cognate (D. melanogaster)

The chapter explores the DmCDC2c gene that encodes a protein homologous to SpCdc2 in Drosophila melanogaster. Unlike DmCDC2, DmCDC2c cannot complement mutations in the Schizosaccharomyce pombe gene. A family of Cdc2-related kinases has been found in a number of eukaryotes and has been given the name cyclin-dependent kinases (Cdks). The Cdk2 protein kinases of human and frog are particularly interesting because of evidence that they are involved in the control of cell cycle progression from G1 to S phase. Unfortunately, it is not yet clear what the relationship of DmCdc2c is to these vertebrate homologues. As yet, there is little biochemical or functional characterization of DmCdc2c. DmCdc2 shares about 55% amino acid sequence identity with other Cdc2 kinases. There is an abundant supply of maternal DmCDC2c RNA and protein. There is zygotic transcription in all parts of the embryo that are actively dividing, and a gradual decay of transcripts in tissues that discontinue division.
Numerical simulations of composite grating dynamics in photorefractive crystal

The dynamics of the composite grating is investigated using numerical calculations including the effects of beam coupling. Both nonuniform distribution of the space charge field and the fringe bending result in the residual grating after the erasure process. Simple analytical solutions which neglect beam coupling effects will be compared with the simulation results in terms of memory applications at the presentation. >
Inferential Estimates from the One-parameter Half-normal Model

In this paper, some inferential estimates are determined from a doubly censored sample, which follow the half normal model. A simulation study is conducted to illustrate the predictive results for a future response. A real life survival data study of 25 patients who were diagnosed with leukemia at a local hospital is utilized to illustrate the predictive results. The survival days of 19 patients with leukemia are used only for the statistical analysis. Six patients out of 25 patients were lost to follow-up, and they are the first three and the last three patients in the recorded sample. The survival days of the patients were recorded in order. The Bayesian sensitivity of the predictive survival days with respect to several values of the hyperparameter are reported. The summary results of the posterior parameter and hyperparameters are given by using of the Markov Chain Monte Carlo method.
Integrated Services Digital Network (ISDN): Narrowband and Broadband Services and Applications

Integrated Services Digital Network (ISDN) began development as a set of international standards in the 1960s, well before the conversion of the analog public switched telephone network to digital technology. Its promises were uniform, high-function services to end users, common interfaces for network components that assured interoperability for service providers, and standards for products that would simplify markets for equipment vendors. This vision was never fully realized for ISDN because of slow and incomplete deployment. Nevertheless, ISDN, ISDN standards, and the standards development process have had a significant impact on telecommunications well beyond the magnitude of its deployment. This chapter explores both the narrowband definition of ISDN that is deployed today in telephone administrations around the world and the broadband definitions that have appeared in the form of Asynchronous Transfer Mode (ATM) products and services. It also discusses the other key services and technologies derived from ISDN that have helped shape telecommunication networks today and for the future. Keywords: American National Standards Institute (ANSI); asynchronous transfer mode (ATM); broadband; interoperability; ISDN standards; narrowband
Ion-Exchange Chromatography of Amino Acids in Sweat Collected from Healthy Subjects during Sauna Bathing

Amino acids were measured by ion-exchange liquid chromatography in sweat samples obtained from 22 healthy men during sauna bathing. Amino acids were also measured in plasma (collected before breakfast) and urine (24-h collections) from the same subjects. Serine, ornithine, citrulline, and aspartic acid were present in sweat in mean concentrations >10-fold their mean concentrations in plasma. In contrast, glutamine, cystine, α-aminobutyric acid, and α-aminoadipic acid were present in sweat in mean concentrations that were <0.2 times their mean concentrations in plasma. Concentrations of specific amino acids in sweat bore no apparent relationship to their concentrations in urine. Thus, citrulline was abundant in sweat, whereas only traces of citrulline were found in urine. Conversely, glutamine, taurine, cystine, and several other amino acids were abundant in urine but were present in very low or undetectable concentrations in sweat samples. This study indicates that the physiological mechanisms controlling excretion of amino acids in sweat differ fundamentally from those regulating renal excretion of amino acids.
The Legal Culture and Legal System in Post-Franco Spain

ABSTRACT With the death of Francisco Franco in 1975, Spain went from a dictatorship to a democracy. What difference did such a change of government and ideology make to the criminal justice system in general and to the legal system in particular? This paper compares the Franco and post Franco periods to ascertain changes in the law, legal structure, and personnel. A new Constitution in 1978 promised to reshape the political and legal system. While much was accomplished, many constitutional principles were late in being operationalized by statute. One of the more obvious examples is the jury system which remains nonexistent over a decade after being accounted for in the Constitution. By and large the structure of the system and the training of its personnel has changed little. Recruitment of judicial personnel, however, has changed, particularly in judgeship where age, socioeconomic background and gender characteristics have become more dramatic variables. While Spain attempted to come of age in terms of c...
Accuracy of positron emission tomography in identifying hilar (N1) lymph node involvement in non-small cell lung cancer: Implications for stereotactic body radiation therapy.

Abstract Purpose To assess the efficacy of preoperative positron emission tomography (PET) to stage the ipsilateral hilum in resected non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Methods and materials All patients who underwent surgery for NSCLC between 1995 and 2008 were evaluated. Patients who underwent preoperative PET imaging at our institution and had hilar nodal sampling were included. Those whose primary tumors extended to the hilum or who received preoperative chemotherapy or radiation therapy were excluded. All PET studies were interpreted by an attending nuclear medicine radiologist and were scored as positive or negative in the hilum or peribronchial area based on visual analysis alone. A 2-sided Fisher exact test compared patient subgroups. Results During the time interval, 1558 patients underwent surgery for NSCLC, of whom 484 were eligible for this analysis. The ipsilateral hilum was positive on preoperative PET in 107 patients. The median number of N1 lymph nodes sampled was 4 (range, 1-31). Positive ipsilateral N1 lymph nodes were identified pathologically in 91 patients (19%). Among the 91 patients with involved N1 lymph nodes, 40 were PET positive resulting in a sensitivity of 44%. Among 393 patients without pathologic involvement of hilar lymph nodes, 326 were PET negative resulting in a specificity of 83%. The positive predictive and negative predictive values were 37% and 86%, respectively. Conclusions Positron emission tomography appears to have limitations in staging the ipsilateral hilar lymph nodes. Invasive sampling is appropriate if treatment would differ based on the nodal status.
On the output spectra of unlocked driven oscillators

Methods of spectral analysis for unlocked driven oscillators are presented, with particular emphasis on the effect of the limiter within oscillatory circuits.
Friendship, Otherness, and Gadamer’s Politics of Solidarity:

This article makes the political dimension of Gadamer’s thought more explicit by examining the interplay of three concepts in his work: solidarity, friendship, and the other. Focusing primarily on ...
Liquid distribution equilibria in the copper(II)—7-(1-vinyl- 3,3,6,6-tetramethylhexyl)-8-quinolinol system

Summary A study of distribution equilibria of the 7-dodecenyl-substituted derivative of 8-quinolinol (Kelex 100) and its copper(II) chelate between chloroform and aqueous media containing aminopolycar☐ylic acids was carried out at 25° C and 0.1 M ionic strength (Na 2 SO 4 ) to examine possible limitations of the hypothesis of linear free energy relationship between the distribution constant and the number of carbon atoms in the molecule. Although the distribution constant, K DR = 10 5.52 , of the 7-dodecenyl-8-quinolinol was three orders of magnitude less than that predicted from that of the parent compound using correlation parameters, the distribution constant of its copper(II) chelate, 10 10.03 , was in good agreement with the value calculated on the basis of the K DR of the ligand.
Association of p53 Protein Expression With Tumor Cell Proliferation Rate and Clinical Outcome in Node-Negative Breast Cancer

Background: The p53 (also known as TP53) tumor suppressor gene encodes for a nuclear phosphoprotein thought to regulate proliferation of normal cells. Most p53 mutations result in a nonfunctional protein that accumulates in tumor cell nuclei. These common mutations appear to be involved in the development and/or progression of several neoplastic diseases including human breast cancer. Purpose: Our purpose was to investigate the relationships between levels of mutant p53 protein expression, tumor cell proliferation rate, and clinical outcome in patients with node-negative breast cancer
Patterns of glutamate decarboxylase immunostaining in the feline cochlear nuclear complex studied with silver enhancement and electron microscopy.

The cochlear nuclear complex of the cat was immunostained with an antiserum to glutamate decarboxylase (GAD), the biosynthetic enzyme for the inhibitory neurotransmitter GABA, and studied with different procedures, including silver intensification, topical colchicine injections, semithin sections, und immunoelectron microscopy. Immunostaining was found in all portions of the nucleus. Relatively few immunostained cell bodies were observed: most of those were in the dorsal cochlear nucleus and included stellate cells, cartwheel cells, Golgi cells, and unidentified cells in the deep layers. An accumulation of immunoreactive cells was also found within the small cell cap and along the medial border of the ventral cochlear nucleus. Immunostained cells were sparse in magnocellular portions of the ventral nucleus. Most staining within the nucleus was of nerve terminals. These included small boutons that were prominent in the neuropil of the dorsal cochlear nucleus, the granule cell domain, in a region beneath the superfi-cial granule cell layer within the small cell cap region, and along the medial border of the ventral nucleus. Octopus cells showed small, GAD-positive terminals distributed at moderate density on both cell bodies and dendrites. Larger, more distinctive terminals were identified on the large cells in the ventral nucleus, in particular on spherical cells and globular cells. There was a striking positive correlation of the size, location, and complexity of GAD-positive terminals with the size, location, and complexity of primary fiber endings on the same cells. This correlation did not hold in the dorsal nucleus, where pyramidal cells receive many large GAD-positive somatic terminals despite the paucity of primary endings on their cell bodies. The GAD-positive terminals contained pleomorphic synaptic vesicles and formed symmetric synaptic junctions that occupied a substantial portion of the appositional surface to cell bodies, dendrites, axon hillocks, and the begin-ning portion of the initial axon segments. Thus, the cells provided with large terminals can be subjected to considerable inhibition that may be activated indirectly through primary fibers and interneurons or by descending inputs from the auditory brainstem.
Scaling regime of spiral wave propagation in single-diffusive media

We report uniformly scaling rotor solutions of the free-boundary problem of wave propagation in reaction-diffusion models of single-diffusive excitable-oscillatory media with a unique wavelength and rotation frequency obeying the Fife scaling \ensuremath{\lambda}\ensuremath{\sim}${\mathrm{\ensuremath{\epsilon}}}^{2/3}$ and \ensuremath{\omega}\ensuremath{\sim}${\mathrm{\ensuremath{\epsilon}}}^{\mathrm{\ensuremath{-}}1/3}$. In simulation of the models, the small-\ensuremath{\epsilon} rotation regime appears to always be non-steady-state but, remarkably, it remains partially describable in terms of these solutions.
Comparison of differing cytopathic effects in human airway epithelium of parainfluenza virus 5 (W3A), parainfluenza virus type 3, and respiratory syncytial virus

Parainfluenza virus 5 (PIV5) infects a wide range of animals including dogs, pigs, cats, and humans; however, its association with disease in humans remains controversial. In contrast to parainfluenza virus 3 (PIV3) or respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), PIV5 is remarkably non-cytopathic in monolayer cultures of immortalized epithelial cells. To compare the cytopathology produced by these viruses in a relevant human tissue, we infected an in vitro model of human ciliated airway epithelium and measured outcomes of cytopathology. PIV5, PIV3 and, RSV all infected ciliated cells, and PIV5 and PIV3 infection was dependent on sialic acid residues. Only PIV5-infected cells formed syncytia. PIV5 infection resulted in a more rapid loss of infected cells by shedding of infected cells into the lumen. These studies revealed striking differences in cytopathology of PIV5 versus PIV3 or RSV and indicate the extent of cytopathology determined in cell-lines does not predict events in differentiated airway cells.
Sex differences in the effects of social and physical environment on novelty-induced exploratory behavior and cocaine-stimulated locomotor activity in adolescent rats

Many factors influence the rewarding effects of drugs such as cocaine. The present study was done to determine whether social and environmental factors alter behavior in adolescent male and female rats. On postnatal day (PND) 23, rats were housed in one of several same-sex conditions. Both social (number of rats per cage) and environmental (availability of toys) factors were manipulated. Socially isolated rats were housed alone (1 rat/cage) in an environment that either was impoverished (with no toys; II) or enriched (with toys; IE). Standard housing for these studies was social and impoverished, which was 2 rats/cage with no toys (SI2). Other rats were housed 2/cage with toys (SE2), or 3/cage with (SE3) or without (SI3) toys. On PND 37, novelty-induced locomotor activity was measured for 30min. On PND 44-46, locomotor activity in response to an injection of 5mg/kg cocaine was measured for 60min each day. For male rats, only social conditions altered novelty-induced activity. Males housed in groups of three had the most activity, compared to pair-housed and isolated rats. For females, social and environmental enrichment interacted to alter novelty-induced activity. In contrast to males, isolated females had increased activity, compared to group-housed females. Further, isolated females in impoverished environments had more activity than isolated females in enriched environments and group-housed females in impoverished environments. The effect of environmental enrichment on cocaine-stimulated locomotor activity was altered depending upon the number of rats living in a cage for males. For females, only social conditions altered cocaine-stimulated behavior, with activity increasing with the number of rats in the cage, regardless of environmental enrichment. These data show that social and environmental enrichment differentially alter novelty-induced and cocaine-stimulated locomotor activity in adolescent male and female rats.
DEUTERON-HELIUM DIFFERENTIAL SCATTERING CROSS SECTIONS

Deuteron-helium elastic scattering cross sections have been measured from ${E}_{d}=0.28 \mathrm{to} 4.62$ Mev. A resonance at ${E}_{d}=1.070$ Mev and $\ensuremath{\Gamma}\ensuremath{\sim}35$ kev was observed at 9 angles from 90\ifmmode^\circ\else\textdegree\fi{} to 173.6\ifmmode^\circ\else\textdegree\fi{} c.m. This resonance corresponds to the previously observed 2.187-Mev state of ${\mathrm{Li}}^{6}$. No scattering anomaly was observed at the deuteron energy corresponding to the known 3.58-Mev level of ${\mathrm{Li}}^{6}$. This negative result is consistent with an assignment of $J={0}^{+}$, $T=1$ to this state. A very broad scattering anomaly is observed from about 3 Mev to 4.62 Mev. Most of the cross section measurements are good to 3 percent or better in absolute magnitude.
A Linear Theory of Orographic Precipitation

A linear theory of orographic precipitation is developed, including airflow dynamics, condensed water advection, and downslope evaporation. The formulation extends the widely used ‘‘upslope’’ model. Vertically integrated steady-state governing equations for condensed water are solved using Fourier transform techniques. Closed form expressions are derived for special cases. For more general cases, the precipitation field is computed quickly by multiplying the terrain transform by a wavenumber-dependent transfer function. Five length scales are included in the model: mountain width, a buoyancy wave scale, the moist layer depth, and two condensed water advection distances. The efficiency of precipitation in the model is sensitive to the decay of the forced ascent through the moist layer and to the advection of condensed water downwind into the region of descent. The strong influence of horizontal scale on precipitation pattern and amount predicted by the model is discussed. The model is illustrated by applying it to the Olympic Mountains in Washington State.
Formation and Volume Phase Transition of Hydroxypropyl Cellulose Microgels in Salt Solution

Surfactant-free hydroxypropyl cellulose (HPC) microgels have been synthesized in salt solution. The average size and size distributions of microgel particles have been correlated with polymer concentration, salt concentration, and reaction temperature using light scattering techniques. It is found that the low critical solution temperature of HPC polymer chains decreases upon the increase of sodium chloride concentration. In a narrow sodium chloride concentration range from 1.3 to 1.4 M, HPC chains can self-associate into colloidal particles at room temperature. These particles remained stable in solution for weeks without changing their sizes. The microgel particles were then obtained in situ by bonding self-associated HPC chains at 23 °C using divinyl sulfone as a cross-linker. The volume phase transition of the resultant HPC microgels has been studied as a function of temperature at various salt concentrations. A theoretical model based on Flory−Huggins free energy consideration has been used to explai...
Densification of fused silica due to shock waves and its implications for 351 nm laser induced damage.

High-power 351 nm (3ω) laser pulses can produce damaged areas in high quality fused silica optics. Recent experiments have shown the presence of a densified layer at the bottom of damage initiation craters. We have studied the propagation of shock waves through fused silica using large-scale atomistic simulations since such shocks are expected to accompany laser energy deposition. These simulations show that the shocks induce structural transformations in the material that persist long after the shock has dissipated. Values of densification and thickness of densified layer agree with experimental observations. Moreover, our simulations give an atomistic description of the structural changes in the material due to shock waves and their relation to Raman spectra measurements.
Repetitive responses to clomiphene citrate in normal women of late reproductive age.

The hormonal response to clomiphene citrate (CC) has been used to evaluate ovarian reserve. In the current study, we tested the reproducibility of response to 100 mg of CC administered for 5 days i...
Biochemical markers of acute limb ischemia, rhabdomyolysis, and impact on limb salvage

Biochemical markers of ischemia reperfusion injury have been of interest to vascular surgeons and researchers for many years. Acute limb ischemia is the quintessential clinical scenario where these markers would seem relevant. The use of biomarkers to preoperatively or perioperatively predict which patients will not tolerate limb-salvage efforts or who will have poor functional outcomes after salvage is of immense interest. Creatinine phosphokinase, myoglobin, lactate, lactate dehydrogenase, potassium, bicarbonate, and neutrophil/leukocyte ratios are a few of the studied biomarkers available. Currently, the most well-studied aspect of ischemia reperfusion injury is rhabdomyolysis leading to acute kidney injury. The last 10 years have seen significant progression and improvement in the treatment of rhabdomyolysis, from minor supportive care to use of continuous renal replacement therapy. Identification of specific biomarkers with predictive outcome characteristics in the setting of ischemia reperfusion injury will help guide therapeutic development and potentially mitigate pathophysiologic changes in acute limb ischemia, including rhabdomyolysis. These may further lead to improvements in short- and long-term surgical outcomes and limb salvage, as well as a better understanding of the timing and selection of intervention.
Variation of pressure with cycle length and duration of systole in the two-chambered cardiovascular model

Variation in the heart rate and the duration of systole modifies the pressures in the two-chambered model of the cardiovascular system by several mechanisms. The theoretical results indicate that prediction of chamber pressures would require moment-to-moment knowledge of the resistances peripheral to each chamber in addition to the cardiac output per cycle, cycle length, and duration of systole. Lengthening of systole with increase in cycle length—a physiologically observed relationship—theoretically stabilizes the end-diastolic pressure in the ascending aorta and may be a homeostatic mechanism to steady blood flow through the coronary arteries.
Experimental leptospirosis in frogs.

LEPTOSPIRAL agglutinins or agglutinating factors have been reported in poikilothermic vertebrates collected from the natural environment1–5. Pathogenic leptospires have been isolated from6,7 and experimentally propagated1,8 in lower vertebrates. During follow-up of a human leptospirosis outbreak associated with swimming9,10, leptospires (unidentified) were isolated from the kidney tissue of frogs collected at the place of swimming11. Frogs were inoculated with the leptospiral isolate in an attempt to: (a) produce infection and disease; (b) measure an antibody response; (c) propagate the organism; and (d) develop carriers and shedders.
Uptake and metabolism of norepinephrine in isolated perfused fetal, newborn and adult rabbit lungs

We compared the ability of isolated perfused lungs from previable, 26-day gestation, fetal rabbits; newborn rabbits (within 12 hours of birth) and 3 month old adult rabbits to metabolize a 20-second bolus of norepinephrine (NE). The concentration of NE infused was much below the Km for the NE uptake process to assure first order uptake kinetics. At these low concentrations no vasoactivity was observed. The retention time of a vascular marker dye was monitored as an index of pulmonary vascular surface area. In all three sizes of lungs perfusate flow was adjusted to produce an approximately 7 second dye retention time. At these flow adult and newborn lungs inactivate about 50 to 60 percent of the infused NE. In contrast, fetal rabbit lungs inactivate about 80 percent of the infused NE. We conclude that circulating NE is most avidly taken up and metabolized during fetal lung development. The physiologic significance of this fetal NE inactivation remains unknown.
Restricted rotation in substituted propane epoxides

Abstract Dynamic nmr spectroscopy is used to show that 1,1-diaryl-2-methyl-1,2-epoxypropanes display restricted rotation.
Evaluation of Treatment of Thyrotoxicosis in Children and Adolescents with Radioactive Iodine

LYTT I. GARDNER (State University of New York, Upstate Medical Center, Syracuse, N.Y.): I agree that the children who have already been treated with radioactive iodine should be followed very carefully. I would question whether additional children should be treated until one has exhaustive follow-up on the children already treated. I submit that a mean follow-up of 9.2 years is not adequate to draw the conclusion that radioactive iodine therapy is to be rated as safe as other modes of therapy now available.
Hereditary pancreatitis: a model for inflammatory diseases of the pancreas.

Acute and chronic pancreatitis remain among the most recalcitrant of all diseases to investigation and intervention. In the majority of patients, excessive alcohol consumption is associated with development of the disease. Therefore, several theories have been proposed seeking to explain the relationship between alcohol and the development of acute and chronic pancreatitis. However, recent investigations in hereditary pancreatitis provided important insights into chronic pancreatitis pathogenesis and offer an important model for understanding pancreatic inflammation. This article highlights several advances gained from investigating hereditary pancreatitis kindreds, and reviews the TIGAR-O risk/aetiology classification system. Finally, the major independent theories on development of chronic pancreatitis are reviewed with respect to the SAPE hypothesis of chronic pancreatitis pathogenesis.
Interaction of oxidative stress, nitric oxide and peroxisome proliferator activated receptor γ in acute renal failure

Oxidative stress has been reported to play a critical role in the pathology of acute renal failure (ARF). An interaction between different reactive species and/or their sources have been the focus of extensive studies. The exact sources of reactive species generated in biological systems under different disease states are always elusive because they are also a part of physiological processes. Exaggerated involvement of different oxidation pathways including NAD(P)H oxidase has been proposed in different models of ARF. An interaction between oxygen species and nitrogen species has drawn extensive attention because of the deleterious effects of peroxynitrite and their possible effects on antioxidant systems. Recent advances in molecular biology have allowed us to understand glomerular function more precisely, especially the organization and importance of the slit diaphragm. Identification of slit diaphragm proteins came as a breakthrough and a possibility of therapeutic manipulation in ARF is encouraging. Transcriptional regulation of the expression of slit diaphragm protein is of particular importance because their presence is crucial in the maintenance of glomerular function. This review highlights the involvement of oxidative stress in ARF, sources of these reactive species, a possible interaction between different reactive species, and involvement of PPARgamma, a nuclear transcription factor in this process.
ICTs and development in the thai bureaucracy: an examination of decentralization and organizational change

ICTs are frequently looked to as a missing link between traditional bureaucracy and the modernization of public administration and service delivery. Through the empirical research in the Thai public sector, we find that there is a fundamental gap between the design and normative goal of ICTs and their real world implementation. The structures of power are frequently retained or even reinforced by those who hold budgetary administrative, and authoritative roles and consequently get to make decisions about the development and use of ICTs to facilitate their administrative and managerial goals. While on a discursive level ICTs in Thailand have been projected to counter traditional practices and streamline governance as part of a broader administrative reform since the 2000s, we find that the practice is far different. Situating our work in the theoretical traditions of organization studies and computer supported collaborative work, we discuss how the Thai computerization projects add a valuable case to the vast literature on technology adoption. We also use the case to illustrate the value of this literature in growing work on governance and technology adoption within ICTD circles.
Model reference adaptive control of spacecraft attitude for a PNP satellite with unknown time varying input/output delays

In this paper, we develop a Direct Model Reference Adaptive Tracking Controller for mildly non-linear systems with unknown input/output delays. This controller can also reject bounded disturbances of known wave form but unknown amplitude, e.g. steps or sinusoids. This adaptive controller is then applied to the control of spacecraft attitude for a PNP satellite. The PNP satellite problem is a candidate for adaptive control due to errors in measurement and placement of sensors and actuators on the satellite. Further, all actuator commands and sensor outputs will be routed through a PNP data bus which will introduce unknown time varying delays into the system.
Parametric Excitation of a Non-Homogeneous Bernoulli-Euler Beam

In this paper is considered the problem of the stability of the parametric response of a simply supported Bernoulli-Euler beam having an elastic modulus that varies continuously and monotonically throughout its length. The beam is excited by axial harmonic forces applied to the ends. The Galerkin procedure is used, which, in the first approximation, leads to a single Mathieu equation representing the stability regions for an equivalent uniform beam having averaged properties. For the second and higher approximations, the co-ordinate functions used in the Galerkin procedure couple, leading to a coupled system of Mathieu equations. Results from the first and second approximations are compared with, a view toward establishing the degree of non-homogeneity for which the first approximation predicts the instability regions with acceptable accuracy. It is shown that for moderate non-homogeneities, such as might be introduced by thermal sources, the first approximation leads to results of quite tolerable accurac...
Dual payoff band control of reaction time

The location of a S’s simple reaction time (RT) distribution can be controlled by differential reinforcement of RTs that fall within specified temporal limits called a payoff band. Both humans and monkeys can gradually shift the location of a single RT distribution over hundreds of milliseconds in accord with changing payoff band requirements. This study establishes that trained human Ss can also accurately shift theft response latencies back and forth between two different RT distributions when the payoff band is changed from trial to trial. On each trial, the color of the warning stimulus indicated which of two payoff bands would be in effect when the S reacted to a light flashed 1,500 msec later. The RT distributions produced under the condition of random trial-to-trial switching between two payoff bands were the same as the low-variability RT distributions produced when only one payoff band was in effect over a long series of trials.
Gas solubility and diffusion in a polystyrene–polybutadiene block copolymer

Over the temperature range of 20 to 90°C, the equilibrium solubility of methane or argon in a star-branched polystyrene–polybutadiene (SB) block copolymer can be reliably estimated from a volume-fraction-weighted average of the homopolymer solubilities; the value of heat of solution for SB block copolymer lies between the two values associated with the constituent homopolymers. Diffusion coefficients for gases in the block copolymer are bracketed by the homopolymer values over the range of temperature employed, but the activation energies for diffusion in SB are higher than either of the homopolymer values. The anomalous temperature dependence and the inability of a computer simulation to reproduce experimental diffusion coefficients supported the concept of a temperature-dependent restriction on chain mobility in the polybutadiene regions of the block copolymer. This β factor embodies the relative reduction in the rate of gas diffusion through the B regions of the copolymer compared to B homopolymer; β has a value of about 2–3 at room temperature but decreases to unity when the polystyrene chains become mobile at the polystyrene Tg.
An SCMO calculation of the spin densities in the methyl substituted benzene negative ions

Most of the many attempts to explain ‘hyperconjugation’ invoke an explicit delocalization of the electrons of the methyl group. This work is part of an attempt to calculate these effects by a method which requires no such delocalization. A calculation of the spin densities in the methyl substituted benzene negative ions is reported here. In this work the methyl substituent is considered to exert a purely inductive effect which manifests itself in a change in the scale of the orbital exponent of the 2pπ atomic orbital at the carbon to which it is attached. (This is in contrast to previous ‘inductive’ treatments in the HMO method which alter only the α of the substituted carbon.) This change is evaluated by considering the change in the ionization potential of the methyl radical on successive methyl substitution. (There is no reference to any EPR data for the calibration of the parameters.) A comparison with the EPR results for the toluene, m-xylene and p-xylene negative ions reveals excellent agreement for...
Challenges to Lake Superior's condition, assessment, and management: A few observations across a generation of change

Selected comparisons of water quality and biological properties in lakewide samplings of the early 1970s and 2005–2006 illustrate a range of ecological changes within Lake Superior over the last three decades. Comparisons depict warmed surface layers, and increased chloride and nitrate concentrations—confirming trends described in recent literature. Our comparisons also depict some spatial dimensions of change, showing vertical and horizontal patterns throughout the lake as a function of depth and from shallow to deepest waters. The selected physico-chemical examples speak to different scales of source drivers for change (from local, to basinwide, and even global) and highlight a lake in which some fundamental properties have been influenced in a short period relative to its long flushing time (∼170 years). One legacy of the past 30 years of study seems clear: the notion that Lake Superior, due to its vastness, is resistant to environmental forcing and very slow to change, has been modified. We use two im...
Practical limits of absorption enhancement near metal nanoparticles

We study the enhanced absorption of optical radiation by molecules placed in the vicinity of spherical metal nano-particles in the realistic situation that includes perturbation of the optical field by the absorbing molecules and show that the enhancement is strong only for relatively weak and diluted absorbers.