cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Effects of aging on shear cyclic stress strain and fatigue behaviors of lead free solder joints

Solder materials in electronic packages are often subjected to thermal cycling, either during their application in products or during accelerated life qualification testing. Cyclic temperatures cause the solder joints to be subjected to cyclic mechanical stresses and strains due to the mismatches in the thermal expansion coefficients of the assembly materials. Such loads lead to thermomechanical fatigue that results in damage accumulation, crack initiation and propagation, and eventual failure. The authors have extensively examined the effects of isothermal aging on solder stress-strain and creep (constitutive) behavior. However, there have been no prior investigations on aging effects on solder fatigue behavior. Aging leads to both grain and phase coarsening, and can cause recrystallization at Sn grain boundaries. Such changes are closely tied to the damage that occurs during cyclic mechanical loading.
Lead-lag associations between option trading and cash market volatility

The paper examines the relationships between the OEX trading volume and interday and intraday trends in the corresponding S&P100 cash index for the 11-year interval, February 1984 to April 1995. The evidence is consistent with the notion that option trading has a stabilizing impact on cash markets. Specifically, interday and intraday volatility is found to decline following increased option trading activity. This pattern is documented for total option trading activity, speculative trading activity, and across option trading activities broken down by put and call volume. Patterns of causality from cash markets to option trading are not as evident
Performance Assessment: Policy Promises and Technical Measurement Standards

Major changes in the nature and context of assessment are underway that have potential implications for technical measurement standards. Three particularly notable changes are (a) the expanded role of the federal government, (b) the increased emphasis on standards, and (c) the major increase in reliance on performance-based assessments. These changes provide the context for the recently launched effort to revise the Standards for Educational and Psychological Testing. Implications of these and other changes for the revision of the Standards are discussed.
Tetraethyllead. Vibrational assignment and chemical thermodynamic properties

Vapor-state chemical thermodynamic properties were calculated for tetraethylead. To that end, a molecular-vibrational analysis was used to estimate the unobserved C-Pb-C bending fundamentals, and a treatment of vapor-pressure data by currently available methods was used to estimate the enthalpy and entropy of vaporization.
New trials and therapies for acute myocardial infarction.

Acute coronary syndromes (ACSs), which include the clinical entities of unstable angina (UA), non–ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (NSTEMI), and ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI), account for more than 1.5 million hospital admissions annually in the United States alone. Approximately 1 million of these admissions are classified as UA/NSTEMI and approximately 500,000 are STEMI. Because of the overwhelming number of studies on ACSs over the past several years, this article focuses on new trials and therapies for treating patients diagnosed with STEMI.
10.3: Nanodiamond vacuum field emission transistor arrays

A vertically configured nanodiamond vacuum field emission transistor (VFET) is developed. The device is fabricated on a silicon-on-insulator (SOI) substrate, using the active silicon layer patterned with inverted pyramidal mold for nanodiamond deposition and as the self-aligned gate of the final VFET construct. Gate modulation of the emission current is observed with a relatively low gate turn-on voltage. The I a -V g -V a characteristics of the device show distinct linear, saturation and cutoff regions, demonstrating the transistor behaviors. The VFET shows a high dc voltage gain of ~ 1000, an ac voltage gain of ~ 44 and a phase shift of 180° when operated as a voltage amplifier. This nanodiamond VFET promises potential applications in vacuum microelectronics, including integrated circuits.
LY354740: a metabotropic glutamate receptor agonist which ameliorates symptoms of nicotine withdrawal in rats

Abstract LY354740 is a conformationally constrained analog of glutamate with high selectivity and nanomolar agonist activity at Group II metabotropic glutamate receptors (mGluRs). This orally active compound is a new drug candidate which is being developed for the treatment of anxiety. In this study, LY354740 was investigated in a model of nicotine withdrawal using the acoustic startle reflex (sensorimotor reactivity) in rats. Nicotine (6 mg/kg/day) was administered for 12 days subcutaneously by osmotic minipumps. After 12 days the pumps were removed and the animals were allowed to go through spontaneous withdrawal. Cessation of chronic nicotine exposure led to increased startle responding for 4 days following withdrawal. Treatment with LY354740 (0.0001–0.1 mg/kg, i.p.; 0.03–3 mg/kg, oral) produced a dosedependent attenuation of the enhanced auditory startle responding following withdrawal of nicotine with intraperitoneal and oral ed 50 values of 0.003 mg/kg and 0.7 mg/kg, respectively. These effects were stereoselective since the (−)-enantiomer of LY354740, LY366563, was without effect in this model. LY354740 produced no changes in the sensorimotor reactivity of rats not exposed to nicotine at oral doses up to 10 mg/kg. These data support the functional role of mGluR agonists in nicotine withdrawal and indicate that LY354740 may be efficacious in reducing the symptoms associated with nicotine withdrawal during smoking cessation in humans.
Membrane separations for solid–liquid clarification within lignocellulosic biorefining processes

Membrane separations can be integrated into a biorefinery to reduce water and energy consumption. Unfortunately, current membrane materials suffer from severe fouling, which limits their applicability. Here, using analytical characterizations along with fouling models, we correlate membrane properties with performance metrics to provide a framework for optimal membrane selection during solid-liquid clarification of a biomass hydrolysate. Five membranes were evaluated: polyether sulfone, mixed cellulose esters, and three surface modified membranes with weak acid, strong acid, and weak base functionalities. Lignin was the primary component responsible for flux decline, due to physical entrapment and chemical adsorption. The best membrane performance (high and sustained flux, low fouling, and high separation factor) was correlated with higher surface roughness, lower hydrophobicity, neutral or positively charged zeta potential, and a larger number of smaller surface pores. These analyses provide valuable information for designing new materials for biorefining processes to reduce fouling and increase stability.
Mechanical thrombectomy in acute stroke: utilization variances and impact of procedural volume on inpatient mortality.

Background An increasing number of endovascular mechanical thrombectomy procedures are being performed for the treatment of acute ischemic stroke. This study examines variances in the allocation of these procedures in the United States at the hospital level. We investigate operative volume across centers performing mechanical revascularization and establish that procedural volume is independently associated with inpatient mortality. Methods Data was collected using the Nationwide Inpatient Sample database in the United States for 2008. Medical centers performing mechanical thrombectomy were identified using International Classification of Diseases, 9th revision codes, and procedural volumes were evaluated according to hospital size, location, control/ownership, geographic characteristics, and teaching status. Inpatient mortality was compared for hospitals performing ≥10 mechanical thrombectomy procedures versus those performing Results Significant allocation differences existed for mechanical thrombectomy procedures according to hospital size ( P P P P P P = .0002; odds ratio 0.49) when adjusting for demographic covariates. Conclusions The number of mechanical thrombectomy procedures performed nationally remains relatively low, with a disproportionate distribution of neurointerventional centers in high-volume, urban teaching hospitals. Procedural volume is associated with mortality in facilities performing mechanical thrombectomy for acute ischemic stroke patients. These results suggest a potential benefit for treatment centralization to facilities with substantial operative volume.
Corona discharge from electrospinning jet of poly (ethylene oxide) solution

Abstract Corona discharges from electrospinning jets were observed and photographed at the tip of the Taylor cone, and in a cylindrical region around the jet, a few millimeters below the tip. The corona discharge was also faintly visible to a dark adapted eye. At the position at which the cylindrical corona discharge became apparent, typical conditions were a jet diameter of 30 μm, an applied potential of 12 kV, and a calculated radial electric field of 400 kV/cm, The calculated electric field required to create a corona in air around a metal wire of the same diameter, calculated from Peek's empirical formula, was only about 200 kV/cm. The cross sectional shape of some segments of the electrospun fibers had two or three lobes. The lobes often separated, and formed smaller fibers.
Typological and topological meaning in diagnostic discourse

A conceptual distinction between linguistic (and other semiotic) resources for making typological (or categorial) versus topological (or continuous variation) meanings is used as part of a multimedia semiotic analysis of an episode from a problem‐based learning tutorial session in medical education. A semantic analysis of the evaluative language of the participants shows them frequently using various linguistic devices for getting beyond simple “true or false” categorial judgments and also resorting to nonverbal (mainly gestural and graphical) representations when more topological meanings are needed. A tension is identified in medical diagnostic discourse between the typological emphasis of reasoning in terms of diagnostic categories and the frequently topological‐quantitative or categorially ambiguous nature of the data and phenomena under discussion.
COMPARATIVE EFFECTS OF CONTINUOUS FLOW CENTRIFUGATION (CFC) AND NYLON FILTRATION (NF) ON SERUM COMPLEMENT (C3) AND CARBON MONOXIDE DIFFUSING CAPACITIES (DLCO) IN LEUKAPHERESIS DONORS

Fehr et. al., Clin. Rea. 23:522A, 1975, reported a reduced DLCO In NF leukapheresia donors, presumably on the basis of C3 activation and leukocyte plugging of pulmonary capillaries. Since hazard to donors was implied, we compared the effects on C3 and DLCO of NF with another method of collection, CFC. Twenty-five NF and twelve CFC collections were studied. DLCO and C3 were measured immediately before and after the four hour procedure. Hemoglobin (Hgb) was also measured to permit correction for dilutional effects and blood loss. Poat procedure results are expressed as percentage change from initial values. The DLCO values were not significantly altered by NF when post procedure values were corrected for the decrease in Hgb concentration. DLCO for CFC (p<.05) and C3 values for both NF and CFC (p<0.01) were significantly reduced, although these changes are probably too small to be clinically important. No pulmonary symptoms were reported in either group. We conclude that neither NF nor CFC presents a clinical risk of complement activation with resulting pulmonary sequelae to the white cell donor.
Optical Measurements of the Surface Plasmon of Indium-Tin Oxide

The optical properties of indium-tin oxide are obtained by a least squares curve fit of the Drude intraband model to the attenuated total reflection spectra of its surface plasmon. The theoretical and experimental surface plasmon dispersion curves are analyzed on both, the real frequency axis and in the complex frequency plane. It is shown that a discrepancy exists between the damped theoretical dispersion curve and the attenuated total reflection dispersion curve unless the optical properties of indium-tin oxide are expressed as functions of complex frequency. The complex frequency dependent dielectric function of indium-tin oxide is analyzed and the effects of damping on both the dispersion relationship of the Drude free-electron model and the surface plasmon resonance frequency are determined. Les proprietes optiques de l' oxide du tin-indium ont ete obtenues en utilisant la methode des moindres carres par l' adjustment du modele intrabande de Drude aux spectres de la reflection totale attenuee du plasmon de surface. Les courbes de dispersion theorique et experimentale du plasmon de surface ont ete analysees sur l' axe reel et le plan complexe de frequence. On montre qu 'il existe un deśaccord entre la courbe de dispersion theorique amortie et celle de la reflection totale attenuee a moins que les proprietes optiques de l'oxide du tin-indium soient exprimees en fonction de la frequence complexe. La frequence complexe qui depend de la fonction dielectrique de l'oxide du tin-indium a ete analysee et les effets d'amortissement sur la relation de dispersion du modele de l'electron libre de Drude et la frequence de resonance du plasmon de surface ont ete determiees.
2.3.2 An Enterprise Systems Engineering Framework

Traditional systems engineering (SE) is performed on a development project with only one or a few related systems being developed. Enterprise SE, on the other hand, must deal with deciding among many enterprise opportunities that the enterprise projects will work on. This entails several processes that are not provided for in traditional SE practice. An Enterprise SE Framework was developed to characterize the full scope of SE at the enterprise level.1 This framework was used to evaluate several case studies as part of my doctoral dissertation. This evaluation focused on how they used knowledge modeling techniques identified in my dissertation for development of an enterprise architecture.2
Alkaline proteases from the gut fluids of detritus-feeding larvae of the crane fly, Tipula abdominalis (say) (diptera, tipulidae)

The high level of proteolytic activity present in the midgut fluids of the detritus-feeding larvae of the crane fly, Tipula abdominalis, is due to a mixture of enzymes, consisting largely of serine proteases with trypsin- or chymotrypsin-like substrate specificities. These enzymes have high alkaline pH optima (pH > l l) and high stability at pH values of 8.5-11.5 at 15°C, properties that enable them to function effectively in the highly alkaline gut fluids (pH 9.5-11.5) of an insect that feeds and grows in cold water (0-25°C). The enzymes also have very low isoelectric points (pH < 6), resulting in their having a high negative charge in vivo. Possibly their anionic character prevents their inactivation through adsorption on ingested lignin, humic acid or clay. These serine enzymes arise from the midgut epithelial cells, and not from microbes residing in the gut or from ingested detrital food. The digestive system of T. abdominalis larvae is adapted for the efficient utilization of the limited quantities of dietary protein present in detrital food.
Use of intravitreal ganciclovir (dihydroxy propoxymethyl guanine) for cytomegalovirus retinitis in a patient with AIDS.

A patient with acquired immune deficiency syndrome with bilateral cytomegalovirus retinitis was treated with intravitreal 200-ug/ 0.1-ml doses of ganciclovir (9-[2-hydroxy-1-(hydroxymethyl) ethoxymethyl]guanine). The ganciclovir serum and intravitreal concentrations were measured with an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay and pharmacokinetic factors were determined. There was no evidence of systemic absorption of ganciclovir from the eye. The elimination half-life of ganciclovir from the vitreous was estimated to be 13.3 hours. The intravitreal concentration remained above the ID50 of cytomegalovirus for approximately 62 hours after a single injection. Clinically, the patient retained useful vision in his right eye for three months. A total of 28 intravitreal injections were given on an outpatient basis under topical anesthesia and were well tolerated. There was no evidence of retinal toxicity from the drug.
A new approach to the dynamic models of robot manipulators with closed kinematic chains

An effective way to formulate the dynamic model of a robot with a closed kinematic chain is introduced in this paper. Joint variables of the linkage's passive joints are eliminated by loop closure equations and a dynamic model similar to that of a serial link robot can be obtained by the work and energy method. The new approach applies to planar or spatial linkages, and the systematic derivation of the dynamic model can be executed by a symbolic mathematic software package. >
Method for Determination of Pentobarbital in Dry Dog Food by Gas Chromatography/Mass Spectrometry

A procedure has been developed and validated for measuring the concentration of pentobarbital residues in dry, extruded animal feed in the range of 3−200 ng/g (ppb) with an estimated limit of quantitation of 2 ppb. The method was developed for surveillance purposes: to measure the concentration of euthanizing agent which might be present in feeds incorporating rendered products which themselves might include some fraction of euthanized animals. A previously published qualitative procedure was modified by adding isotopically labelled pentobarbital as an internal standard. Dry feed was ground and extracted with methanol. The extract was loaded on a mixed-mode (C-18, anion exchange) solid-phase extraction cartridge designed for barbiturate residues. Pentobarbital was eluted and derivatized for gas chromatography/mass spectrometry in positive ion chemical ionization mode. Quantitation was based on the ratio of dimethyl-pentobarbital MH+ (m/z 255) vs dimethyl-pentobarbital-d5 (m/z 260) in standards and extrac...
Sodium Bose-Einstein condensates in the F = 2 state in a large-volume optical trap.

We have investigated the properties of Bose-Einstein condensates of sodium atoms in the upper hyperfine ground state. Condensates in the high-field seeking $|F=2,{m}_{F}=\ensuremath{-}2⟩$ state were created in a large volume optical trap from initially prepared $|F=1,{m}_{F}=\ensuremath{-}1⟩$ condensates using a microwave transition at 1.77 GHz. We found condensates in the stretched state $|F=2,{m}_{F}=\ensuremath{-}2⟩$ to be stable for several seconds at densities in the range of ${10}^{14}\text{ }\mathrm{\text{atoms}}/{\mathrm{c}\mathrm{m}}^{3}$. In addition, we studied the clock transition $|F=1,{m}_{F}=0⟩\ensuremath{\rightarrow}|F=2,{m}_{F}=0⟩$ in a sodium Bose-Einstein condensate and determined a density-dependent frequency shift of $(2.44\ifmmode\pm\else\textpm\fi{}0.25\ifmmode\pm\else\textpm\fi{}0.5)\ifmmode\times\else\texttimes\fi{}{10}^{\ensuremath{-}12}\text{ }\mathrm{H}\mathrm{z}\text{ }{\mathrm{c}\mathrm{m}}^{3}$.
Improper actions and higher connectivity at infinity

Given an improper action (= cell stabilizers are infinite) of a group G on a CW-complex \( {\cal X} \), we present criteria, based on connectivity at infinity properties of the cell stabilizers under the action of G that imply connectivity at infinity properties for G. A refinement of this idea yields information on the topology at infinity of Artin groups, and it gives significant progress on the question of which Artin groups are duality groups.
Effects of added or substituted potassium ion on 45 Ca movements in rabbit aortic smooth muscle.

The effects of elevated potassium ion (K + ) concentration on radioactive calcium ( 45 Ca) movements and distribution were investigated in media-intimal strips prepared from rabbit aortic smooth muscle. 45 Ca uptake was measured in either normal (1.5 mM Ca 2+ ) or low-Ca (0.1 mM Ca 2+ ) solutions. In low-Ca solutions, elevating the K + concentration either by substituting equimolar (165.4 mM) K + for sodium (Na + ) (substituted-K solution) or by increasing K + concentration to 80 mM (added-K solution) increased the 45 Ca uptake. Exposure of the muscle strips to high K + concentrations during washout of 45 Ca decreased the 45 Ca efflux into either zero-Ca or low-Ca bathing solutions. Moreover, increased K + concentration elicited its effects in the presence or the absence of Na + . The decrease in 45 Ca efflux induced by substituted-K solution was also obtained in the presence of ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid (EDTA), but prior incubation of muscles with 1.5 mM strontium (Sr 2+ ) plus 45 Ca prevented this decrease in 45 Ca efflux. It would appear that the 45 Ca affected by high K + concentrations is at Sr-sensitive sites which are inaccessible to EDTA. If 45 Ca at these sites contributes directly to 45 Ca efflux, a shift of some of this 45 Ca to less superficial cellular sites might be responsible for the decreased efflux of 45 Ca observed in the presence of increased K + concentration.
WHAT YOUR NEXT EXPERIMENT'S DATA WILL LOOK LIKE: EVENT STORES IN THE LARGE HADRON COLLIDER ERA

Each new generation of collider experiments confronts the challenge of delivering an event store having at least the performance and functionality of current-generation stores, in the presence of an order of magnitude more data and new computing paradigms (object orientation just a few years ago; grid and service-based computing today). The ATLAS experiment at the Large Hadron Collider, for example, will produce 1.6-megabyte events at 200 Hz–an annual raw data volume of 3.2 petabytes. With derived and simulated data, the total volume may approach 10 petabytes per year. Scale, however, is not the only challenge. In the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) experiments, the preponderance of computing power will come from outside the host laboratory. More significantly, no single site will host a complete copy of the event store–data will be distributed, not simply replicated for convenience, and many physics analyses will routinely require distributed (grid) computing. This paper uses the emerging ATLAS computing model to provide a glimpse of how next-generation event stores are taking shape, touching on key issues in navigation, distribution, scale, coherence, data models and representation, metadata infrastructure, and the role(s) of databases in event store management.
Dynamical implications of Si iv line profiles from OSO-8 observations

The widths and rms variations of line centers for λ1393 profiles from the Si iv ion in the solar transition zone, as observed by OSO-8, are analyzed to give the amplitudes and periods of three postulated types of disturbance: sinusoidal acoustic waves; sinusoidal acoustic shocks; and normally propagated MHD waves. All three assumptions lead to mean intervals between disturbances of 40–50 s, but acoustic waves and shocks are rules out because they predict intensifications of brightness far in excess of anything observed. MHD disturbances in magnetic fields ∼2 G are consistent with observations, but normally propagated disturbances also give too great an intensification in brightness. Disturbances with wave vectors at an angle to the magnetic field are suggested.
γ-Peptides of glutamic acid and some of their properties

Abstract The synthesis of γ- l -glutamyl-γ- l -glutamyl-γ- l -glutamyl-γ- l -glutamic acid and some derivatives is reported. Some properties of γ-glutamyl di-, tri-, and tetrapeptides are presented and compared.
ANISOTROPY OF THE NEMATIC-SMECTIC A PHASE TRANSITION

Critical behavior at the transition from the nematic phase to the smectic A phase in liquid crystals has been of interest for over two decades. Discussions about the nature of the transition, its analogy to the superconducting transition, and the degree of anisotropy present in the critical exponents have been extensive during this time. This review article concentrates on the question of anisotropy at the nematic-smectic A transition. The experimental and theoretical work related to this question is summarized and compared. While progress has been made, there are many interesting questions related to this transition that remain for investigators to answer.
Talking in Tongues: Personal Reflections on Kara Walker

This essay is a personal meditation on Kara Walker’s work seven years after the author’s critical assessment of her work in the book Colored Pictures . Walker’s work is linked to African American cultural practices like signifyin’ and speaking in tongues and is found to have elusive and reflective qualities implicating the viewer as much as the artist’s own intentionality.
Can excess bring success? CEO compensation and the psychological contract

Abstract Strategic human resource management involves creating and maintaining employee skills as well as encouraging employees to perform at their maximum. Both require developing the appropriate psychological contract between the organization and the employee [Human Resource Management Review 8 (1998) 265]. This is no less true for the chief executive officer (CEO), who plays a major role in creating organizational culture. Trust is a critical component in the success of HR activities [Research Management Review 7 (1997) 389], yet the HR literature is relatively silent about how to encourage CEOs to perform trust-generating behaviors. Research on psychological contracts suggests that in order to encourage trust-based behavior, it is necessary to foster a relational psychological contract with employees [Rousseau, D. M., & McLean Parks, J. (1993). The contracts of individuals and organizations. In L. L. Cummings & B. M. Staw (Eds.), Research in Organizational Behavior (pp. 1–43). Greenwich, CT: JAI Press]. However, the generally recommended CEO compensation practice (pay-for-performance) often risks violating the CEO's relational psychological contract. Conversely, the practice of providing golden parachutes (much criticized in the press) helps uphold the CEO's relational psychological contract. Implications are discussed.
The use of the three-ridge clam (Amblema perplicata) to monitor trace metal contamination

The three-ridge clamAmblema perplicata was used to monitor two streams for the presence of zinc (Zn) and cadmium (Cd) derived from an industrial source. Clams were collected from a relatively uncontaminated area in one river and transported to four study sites in the two contaminated streams. The clams were placed into polyethylene cages and left in these streams for one week. Control clams were treated in a similar manner and left in the uncontaminated river.
Characteristics of survivors of exertion- and nonexertion- related cardiac arrest: value of subsequent exercise testing.

Abstract Ninety ambulatory patients previously resuscitated from out-of-hospital ventricular fibrillation underwent treadmill exercise testing an average of 11.5 months after the episode. The level of physical activity immediately before cardiac arrest was known in 86 patients: 23 (27%) had had ventricular fibrillation in association with exertion and 63 (73%) while performing low level activity. Prodromal chest pain and evidence of acute myocardial infarction occurred in a similar proportion of both activity groups. Subsequent exercise test results showed few differences between the groups. Angina occurred in only 11 patients and exercise evoked “ischemic” S-T change in less than half of each group. More of the patients who had collapsed during nonexertional activities had exercise-evoked complex ventricular arrhythmias than did patients who had collapsed during exertion: 33 (52%) versus 6 (26%), respectively (p The 90 patients were followed up for 2 or more years. At 24 months of follow-up, there were 27 deaths of which 19 were due to unexpected cardiac arrest. Only 2 findings on exercise testing were associated with subsequent fatal events. Seven of 11 patients (64%) who had angina during testing had cardiac arrest or died, compared with 20 patients (25%) who had stopped for other reasons (p In the majority of patients ventricular fibrillation developed at low activity levels, and no characteristics were found unique to those who collapsed during exertion. Routine exercise testing was of limited value in the assessment of patients previously resuscitated from cardiac arrest. Exerciseevoked angina and systolic hypotension were highly associated with outcome; however, their ability to predict survival for individual patients was only modest.
Heteronuclear dipolar coupling in spin-1 NQR pulsed spin locking

We investigate theoretically and experimentally the role of broadening due to heteronuclear dipolar coupling in spin-1 nuclear quadrupole resonance pulsed spin locking. We find the experimental conditions where heteronuclear dipolar coupling is refocused by a standard multipulse sequence. This experimental condition allows us to extend our previously reported ability to measure the homonuclear dipolar coupling of powder samples to include substances that have heteronuclear coupling. These results are useful for designing substance detection algorithms, and for performing sample characterization.
Decomposition of the convex simplex method

Rutenberg (Ref. 1) provided a decomposition method to solve the problem of minimizing a separable, nonlinear objective function with large-scale linear constraints by using the convex simplex method (Ref. 2). However, there seem to be some errors in his paper (Ref. 3). This paper will rebuild the method by using more convenient and consistent notation.
"Living is for everyone": border crossings for community, environment, and health.

This article examines the transnational networking practices of Teresa Leal, an environmental justice activist living and working on the U.S.-Mexico border. It shows, through the method of engaged ethnography, how she and other community activists respond to the effects of global economic restructuring policies such as NAFTA. Grounded in an ecological epistemology, Leal blends "local" and "scientific" knowledges about the deteriorating health, economic, and environmental conditions at the border and constructs a "global sense of place" that brings into focus the everyday realities of neoliberal globalization. The article documents a daylong "toxic tour" of the Ambos Nogales region and highlights the multiple border crossings (epistemic, geographic, political, cultural) undertaken by Leal, other activists, and the author, a visitor to the region, to narrate a history of community health and environmental action in a transnational context.
The ranging behavior of Lemur catta in the region of Cap Sainte-Marie, Madagascar.

Large home ranges and extreme flexibility in ranging behaviors characterize most subarid dwelling haplorhines. However, the most comparable extant strepsirhine, Lemur catta, is characterized as having small home ranges with consistent boundaries. Since ranging studies on this species have been limited to gallery forest habitat, the author's goal is to identify ecological factors that affect range use of L. catta in one of the most resource-limited environments of its distribution. To conduct this study, ranging and behavioral data were collected on two nonoverlapping groups through all-day follows in the semidesert scrub environment of Cap Sainte-Marie (CSM), Madagascar. Data were collected from August 2007 through July 2008. Home range areas and day range lengths were generated using ArcGIS® 9.3. Other variables measured were habitat composition, diet richness, daily activity, and microclimate. Home range areas of CSM L. catta were very large relative to those of gallery forest L. catta, and there was great monthly variation. In contrast, day range lengths at CSM were either smaller than or approximated the size of comparative gallery forest groups. Temperature, sunning, and diet richness were associated with day range length for one but not for both groups and appear to be related to energy management needs. Based on these findings, the author suggests that L. catta is capable of extensive behavioral and ranging flexibility in the extremes of its environment. However, physiological constraints impose limitations that can interfere with its ability to adapt to even seemingly minor variations in microclimate and habitat structure within the same site. Am J Phys Anthropol, 2013. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Mechanics of continuous porous media

Abstract Soils consist of an assemblage of particles with different sizes and shapes which form a skeleton whose voids are filled with water and air or gas. The word “soil”, therefore, implies a mixture of assorted mineral grains with various fluids. When free or no drainage conditions prevail, a single phase description of soil behavior is adequate. However, in intermediate cases in which some flow can take place, there is an interaction between the skeleton strains and the water flow. The solutions of these problems require that soil behavior be analyzed by incorporating the effects of the transient flow of the pore-fluids through the voids, and, therefore, requires that a multiphase formulation be available for porous media. Such a theory was first proposed by Biot, early in 1955, for a linear elastic and a linear visco-elastic porous medium. However, it is observed experimentally that the stress-strain-strength behavior of the soil skeleton is strongly non-linear, anisotropic, elastoplastic and path-dependent. An extension of Biot's theory into the nonlinear anelastic range is, therefore, necessary in order to analyze the transient response of soil deposits. This extension has acquired considerable importance in recent years due to the increased concern with the dynamic behavior of saturated soil deposits and associated liquifaction of saturated sand deposits under seismic loading conditions. Such an extension of Biot's formulation is proposed herein.
Investigation of photoacoustic guidance of diffusive optical tomography

We report the first experimental investigations of photoacoustic guidance of diffusive optical tomography for detection and characterization of optical contrast targets. The hybrid system combined an 8-source, 10-detector reflection mode frequency domain DOT imager with either orthogonal and reflection-geometry photoacoustic systems. The PAT subsystems imaged two-dimensional cross-sections to define centers and radii of regions of interest for a dual-zone mesh DOT imaging algorithm. Phantom absorbers, 1 cm in diameter, of high and low contrast, were spaced 1.5 to 2.5 cm apart at depths ranging from 1 to 2 cm in a turbid medium. Without PAT guidance, the absorber DOT images in many cases were merged and indistinguishable. With PAT guidance, the two targets were well resolved and the reconstructed absorption coefficients improved to 86-130% of the true values. In addition, using both pulse-echo and photoacoustic image detection, the photoacoustic guidance correctly distinguished mechanical from optical contrast providing more specific target information and reconstruction accuracy.
EGF Receptor Activation: Push Comes to Shove

A study by Zhang et al. (2006) in this issue of Cell provides compelling evidence that the tyrosine kinase domain of the epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) is activated by the formation of an asymmetric dimer, with one kinase domain in the EGF-mediated dimer activating the other through an allosteric mechanism.
Film Gris: Reconsidered

Thom Andersen defined film gris as an offshoot of film noir characterized by leftist criticism of American society (1947-1951). This article reviews Andersen's work on film gris, identifies some problems in the work, proposes solutions, and provides a reconceived overview of the content and context of the films.
Laser vaporization time-of-flight studies of cryogenic Cl2/Xe films

Abstract Laser ablation of cryogenic films formed from mixtures of Cl 2 and Xe is studied by measuring the velocity distributions of the vaporized products. The mean velocity of the products vaporized by 355 nm light depends strongly on the Cl 2 fraction and the film thickness. In addition, the ablation of thick films with a Xe fraction above 50% produces velocity distributions with slow and fast components having distinct temperatures. The fast component is found to have enhanced amounts of both Xe and Cl atoms. The results suggest that inhomogeneities in the cryogenic films, in the form of zones of relatively high Cl 2 concentration, play an important role in the vaporization process.
White Cell Design Considerations

The White cell is a unit-magnification image relay system consisting of three noncoaxial spherical mirrors of equal curvature. The cell is used to provide a long optical path in a relatively small physical space. Multiple reflections are used, in a manner similar to a unstable laser resonator. A particular application is an optical delay line on the input of a streak camera to allow for the finite triggering time of the sweep start. This paper addresses the first- and third-order properties of the White cell. A displacement sensitivity analysis is included.
Payload Directed Flight of Miniature Air Vehicles

This paper describes three applications of payload directed flight using miniature air vehicles: vision-based road following, vision-based target tracking, and vision-based mapping. A general overview of each application is given, followed by simulation and flight-test results. Results demonstrate the viability of utilizing electo-optical video imagery to directly control the air vehicle flight path to enhance performance relative to the sensing objective.
Frameless stereotactic magnetic resonance imaging-guided laser interstitial thermal therapy to perform bilateral anterior cingulotomy for intractable pain: feasibility, technical aspects, and initial experience in 3 patients.

Background Bilateral anterior cingulotomy is well described for certain pain and psychiatric disorders. Typically, stereotactic frame-based radiofrequency ablation is used. We report the feasibility of a frameless approach using magnetic resonance imaging-guided laser induced thermal therapy (MRgLITT). Objective To report experience and outcomes for MRgLITT in bilateral anterior cingulotomy. Methods Three patients with chronic refractory cancer-related pain underwent bilateral anterior cingulotomy. The Brief Pain Inventory (Short Form) was used for pain evaluation. Frameless stereotaxy using the Medtronic S7 Navigation system was used for laser catheter placement. Patients were followed for evaluation of pain control outcomes. Results Four MRgLITT bilateral cingulotomy procedures were performed in 3 patients. Two patients had a single MRgLITT procedure while the third had repeat ablation after pain recurrence. First time ablation coordinates were (medians): x = 7.9 mm (range, 6.9-8.6); y = 20.5 mm (range, 20-22); z = 6.9 mm (range, 2.9-7.0) above the lateral ventricle roof. Median trajectory length was 85.5 mm (range, 80-90). Median ablation volume was 1.5 cm3 (range, 0.6-1.2). Median ablation time was 257 seconds (range, 136-338) per cingulum and power was 10.0 Watts (range, 10-11). Median preoperative pain severity (PSS) and interference scores (PIS) were 7.7 (range, 7.5-9.3) and 9.9 (range, 9.7-10.0), respectively. Median postoperative PSS and PIS scores were 1.6 (range, 1.0-2.8) and 2.0 (range, 0.3-2.6), respectively. Conclusion MRgLITT cingulotomy is well tolerated for treatment of cancer pain and can be easily performed framelessly for appropriate candidates.
Cationic lipid-mediated gene delivery to murine lung: Correlation of lipid hydration with in vivo transfection activity

A panel of lipidic tetraalkylammonium chlorides has been prepared and screened in studies of both lipid hydration and in vivo mouse transfection. The effect of cationic lipid structure on liposome surface hydration was determined using differential scanning calorimetry. Increases in headgroup steric bulk and the inclusion of cis-unsaturation in the hydrophobic domain led to greater lipid hydration, indicative of a decrease in lipid polar domain associations. Cationic lipids containing hydrogen-bonding functionality in the polar domain exhibited a corresponding decrease in observed lipid hydration, indicative of an increase in lipid polar domain associations. To explore a potential correlation of the hydration data with transfection activity, we examined the in vivo transfection activity of the lipid panel by direct intratracheal instillation of cationic liposome-DNA complexes into BALB/c mice. The more active transfection agents were the lipids that featured headgroup structures promoting close polar domain association in combination with fatty acyl cis-unsaturation. The hydration data suggest that the more effective transfection lipids for mouse lung delivery are those possessing the greatest imbalance between the cross-sectional areas occupied by the polar and hydrophobic domains.
Evaluating the Neurocognitive Complications of SLE Lessons from HIV Disease

In this paper, we have attempted to define some of the theoretical, methodological, and practical issues involved in the use of NP testing to detect, classify, and monitor neurocognitive impairment secondary to systemic lupus erythematosus. We have drawn on experience with other clinical entities-primarily HIV disease-to inform this discussion. We have argued that for the purposes of studying NP-SLE, NP testing remains the gold standard and is also the most practicable approach in most settings, be they clinical or research. At the same time, the selection of NP tests must be carefully considered, particularly in a disease such as SLE in which the neurocognitive complications arise from several etiological mechanisms, affect people at various points in the course of disease, and in which the anatomic distribution of pathology in the brain varies from patient to patient. In this context, it is safest to select a test procedure that assesses all major areas of cognitive functioning with tests for which adequate demographically adjusted norms exist. In this way, a more reliable diagnosis of neurocognitive impairment, mild neurocognitive disorder, or dementia may be made. A reliable and valid neurocognitive diagnosis is the first step in monitoring patients clinically, in designing research aimed at neuropathogenesis, or in the design of treatment trials geared toward neuroprotection or neuroremediation.
Synthesis and secretion of renin in mice with induced genetic mutations

The juxtaglomerular (JG) cell product renin is rate limiting in the generation of the bioactive octapeptide angiotensin II. Rates of synthesis and secretion of the aspartyl protease renin by JG cells are controlled by multiple afferent and efferent pathways originating in the CNS, cardiovascular system, and kidneys, and making critical contributions to the maintenance of extracellular fluid volume and arterial blood pressure. Since both excesses and deficits of angiotensin II have deleterious effects, it is not surprising that control of renin is secured by a complex system of feedforward and feedback relationships. Mice with genetic alterations have contributed to a better understanding of the networks controlling renin synthesis and secretion. Essential input for the setting of basal renin generation rates is provided by β-adrenergic receptors acting through cyclic adenosine monophosphate, the primary intracellular activation mechanism for renin mRNA generation. Other major control mechanisms include COX-2 and nNOS affecting renin through PGE2, PGI2, and nitric oxide. Angiotensin II provides strong negative feedback inhibition of renin synthesis, largely an indirect effect mediated by baroreceptor and macula densa inputs. Adenosine appears to be a dominant factor in the inhibitory arms of the baroreceptor and macula densa mechanisms. Targeted gene mutations have also shed light on a number of novel aspects related to renin processing and the regulation of renin synthesis and secretion.
Proposed criteria for preoperative endoscopic retrograde cholangiography in candidates for laparoscopic cholecystectomy.

Background: There has been a dramatic increase in the number of endoscopic retrograde cholangiograms (ERC) performed on patients who are candidates for laparoscopic cholecystectomy (LC). The majority of these procedures result in normal findings. This study is an attempt to determine useful clinical criteria and strategy for predicting the presence or absence of common bile duct stones (CBDS) and the need for ERC in patients who are candidates for LC.
The Effects of Technological Advances on Outcomes for Elderly Persons with Exudative Age-Related Macular Degeneration

IMPORTANCE Exudative age-related macular degeneration (ARMD) is the major cause of blindness among US elderly. Developing effective therapies for this disease has been difficult. OBJECTIVES To assess the effects of introducing new therapies for treating exudative ARMD on vision of the affected population and other outcomes among Medicare beneficiaries newly diagnosed as having ARMD. DESIGN The study used data from a 5% sample of Medicare claims and enrollment data with a combination of a regression discontinuity design and propensity score matching to assess the effects on the introduction or receipt of new technologies on study outcomes during a 2-year follow-up period. SETTING AND PARTICIPANTS The analysis was based on longitudinal data for the United States, January 1, 1994, to December 31, 2011, for Medicare beneficiaries with fee-for-service coverage. The sample was limited to beneficiaries 68 years or older newly diagnosed as having exudative ARMD as indicated by beneficiaries having no claims with this diagnosis in a 3-year look-back period. EXPOSURES The comparisons with vision outcomes were after vs before the introduction of photodynamic therapy and anti-vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) therapy. The comparisons for depression and long-term care facility admission were between beneficiaries newly diagnosed as having exudative ARMD who received photodynamic therapy or anti-VEGF therapy compared with beneficiaries having the diagnosis who received no therapy for this disease. MAIN OUTCOMES AND MEASURES Onset of decrease in vision, vision loss or blindness, depression, and admission to a long-term care facility. RESULTS Among beneficiaries newly diagnosed as having exudative ARMD, the introduction of anti-VEGF therapy reduced vision loss by 41% (95% CI, 52%-68%) and onset of severe vision loss and blindness by 46% (95% CI, 47%-63%). Such beneficiaries who received anti-VEGF therapy and were not admitted to a long-term care facility during the look-back period were 19% (95% CI, 72%-91%) less likely on average to be admitted to a long-term care facility during the follow-up period. CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE This study demonstrates gains in population vision from the introduction of anti-VEGF therapy for patients 68 years or older with an exudative ARMD diagnosis in community-based settings in the United States.
Identification of Simple Product-Form Plumes Using Networks of Sensors With Random Errors

We consider a class of simple, idealized plumes which are specified by a product of injection and distance decay terms. The plume propagates with a constant velocity, and its distance term decays exponentially with respect to distance in a planar region. If the intensity sensors are error-free, the difference triangulation method can identify the origin of plume both in time and space within a specified precision. In our case, the sensors are subject to random, correlated errors with unknown distributions in measuring the plume intensity. The sensors are available or in place to conduct controlled experiments and collect measurements. We present a training method that utilizes the plume equation together with controlled sensor measurements to identify the plume's origin with distribution-free probabilistic performance guarantees. The training consists of utilizing the measurements to compute a suitable precision value for the difference triangulation method to account for sensor distributions. We present a distribution-free relationship between the training sample size and the precision and probability with which plume's origin is identified.