cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Measurement and Modeling of the Bidirectional Reflectance of SiO2 Coated Si Surfaces

An understanding of the variation of directional radiative properties of rough surfaces with dielectric coatings is important for temperature measurements and heat transfer analysis in many industrial processes. An experimental study has been conducted to investigate the effect of coating thickness on the bidirectional reflectance distribution function (BRDF) of rough silicon surfaces.Silicon dioxide films with thicknesses of 107.2, 216.5, and 324.6 nm were deposited using plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition onto the rough side of two Si wafers. The wafer surfaces exhibit distinct anisotropic characteristics as a result of chemical etching during the manufacturing process. A laser scatterometer measures the BRDF at a wavelength of 635 nm, after improvement of the signal-to-noise ratio. The slope distribution function obtained from the measured BRDF of uncoated Si surfaces was used in an analytical model based on geometric optics for rough surface scattering and thin-film optics for microfacet reflectance. The predicted BRDFs are in reasonable agreement with experimental results for a large range of coating thicknesses. The limitations of the geometric optics for modeling the BRDF of coated anisotropic rough surfaces in the specular direction are demonstrated. The results may benefit future radiative transfer analysis involving complicated surface microstructures with thin-film coatings.
Giftedness: Speculations from a biological perspective

Recent neurobiological findings permit speculation on the existence of several distinct realms of competence, each developing at its own pace and in its own way. Combined with a spirit of playfulness, giftedness may develop from any combination of these sources.
Growth of an Atrial Septal Defect: Missing the Window for Transcatheter Closure

We describe a patient diagnosed with a small atrial septal defect (3–4 mm) that had grown to 24 mm in diameter over a six-year period. Timing of transcatheter intervention may be affected by growth of the atrial septal defect and this reports the first case of an atrial septal defect outgrowing the possibility of transcatheter closure.
Biomechanical properties of reperfused transmural myocardial infarcts in rabbits during the first week after infarction. Implications for left ventricular rupture.

Left ventricular (LV) rupture potential was studied after transmural myocardial infarction (MI) in rabbits by measuring 1) the tensile strength of infarcted tissue strips, 2) the force required to initiate a tear (tear threshold) in the central infarcted region, and 3) the intracavitary pressure required to rupture the infarcted ventricle. During the first week after MI, infarcts resulting from a permanent coronary occlusion were compared with infarcts reperfused "late" (i.e., 3 hours) after coronary occlusion with a resultant hemorrhagic transmural infarct but no reduction in infarct size. The reperfused hemorrhagic infarcted strips had less tensile strength than strips from permanently occluded infarcts in the initial 24 hours after MI (16 +/- 1 versus 24 +/- 3 g/mm2, p less than 0.05), but the tear threshold and response to increased LV pressure were not influenced by infarct reperfusion at this time. By 3 days after MI, reperfused infarcts had equal tensile strength, had greater resistance to infarct tearing, and could withstand a greater LV distending pressure compared with permanently occluded infarcts. By 5 days after MI, reperfused infarcts maintained a greater tear threshold but had less tensile strength than permanently occluded infarcts, although all infarct values were equivalent or greater than normal LV values. By 7 days after MI, reperfused and permanently occluded infarcts were equally strong by all measurements. Thus, late reperfusion of transmural infarcts increased resistance to infarct tearing and LV rupture above that of nonreperfused permanently occluded infarcts by 3 days after MI and enhanced tissue strength after an initial 24-hour vulnerable period. These findings suggest that late reperfusion may accelerate myocardial healing after MI.
Investigation of Elliptical Cooling Channels for a Naval Electromagnetic Railgun

Elliptical cross sections were examined for the design of cooling channels subject to biaxial and uniaxial compressive loading conditions based on an Electromagnetic (EM) Railgun. Elliptical shapes were considered due to the high surface area available for convection, relatively low impact on the stress distribution, and low stress concentration effect. The heat transfer capability of elliptical channels is maximized based on the applied heat flux and given flow conditions, by treating the channel as a variable area fin and varying the major and minor axis of the elliptical cross-section channel as well as the distance between channels. The optimal channel shape is further constrained by the applied compressive stresses. In order to test the thermal aspect of the design, a representative set of channels were machined into 1/3 scale copper rails using wire EDM. Tests were performed using a steady state heat flux to determine the overall heat transfer coefficient in order to verify the thermal calculations. In order to verify the structural aspect of the design, a numerical study of the stress concentration factors was performed. The results of both the thermal testing and numerical study were found to be in reasonable agreement with the prediction results.Copyright © 2005 by ASME
Predictions from type II see-saw mechanism in SU(5)

Abstract We propose a simple, testable, SU ( 5 ) model within the context of the type II neutrino see-saw mechanism. It is based on requiring renormalizability, the absence of any other matter fields besides those already present in the Standard Model and consistency with all experimental data. These “minimal” requirements, together with group-theoretical considerations, uniquely determine the model and lead to interesting implications. The model predicts correlation between a light SU ( 2 ) triplet boson responsible for the type II see-saw mechanism and observable proton decay signatures. It also allows for an enhanced production of doubly charged Higgs particles through the WW fusion process due to a built-in custodial symmetry. This could also have profound impact on the explicit realization of electroweak symmetry breaking. The model also predicts the existence of a light scalar that transforms as a colour octet and electroweak doublet, with interesting phenomenological consequences.
2314.2 Board # B690.2 – Scanning Confocal Microscope for High-throughput Anaylsis of Single DNA Structural Fluctuations

We present a fully automated and programable single molecule confocal microscope for analyzing immobilized single pair FRET systems. The instrument automatically finds the sample surface, locates individual molecules and records photons versus time for the donor and acceptor signals. Typically, photon traces from a few thousand molecules were acquired at 1 kHz for up to 10 seconds. Traces which showed donor and acceptor intensity transitions were used to obtain distributions of FRET efficiencies and lifetimes. Using this instrument, we studied the fluctuations in FRET signals from DNA hairpins containing donor and acceptor pairs conjugated internally on opposite strands. Preliminary results give evidence of local DNA denaturation, or “bubble” formation. We observe the lifetime of DNA bubbles to increase in AT- versus GC-rich regions. Bubble lifetime was also found to increase with elevated temperature and NaOH concentration.
Marine 4-methyl sterols: Synthesis of C-24 epimers of 4α,24-dimethyl-5α-cholestan-3β-OL and 360 MHz 1HNMR comparisons to the natural product from Plexaura homomalla

Comparison of the highfield 1HNMR spectrum of 4 alpha, 24-dimethyl-5 alpha-cholestan-3 beta-o1 isolated by open column adsorptive chromatography and reversed-phase HPLC from P. homomalla with those of the corresponding synthetic 24 alpha and 24 beta compounds demonstrate that the gorgonian natural product is purely 24 beta, the same C-24 configuration found in sterols related to dinosterol and gorgosterol. 360 MHz 1HNMR data are also reported for synthetic 4 alpha, 24 beta-dimethyl-5 alpha-cholest-22E-en-3 beta-o1 (another P. homomalla natural product). The use of 1HNMR correlations in assigning C-24 configurations of 24-methyl marine sterols possessing various nuclei is examined and discussed. Analyses of the methyl sterol components of P. homomalla are tabulated and discussed with regard to origin and plausible biosynthetic interrelationships in light of the C-24 configurational findings.
Circuit weight training in cardiac patients

This was a prospective, randomized evaluation of the safety and efficacy of 10 weeks of circuit weight training in patients, aged 35 to 70 years, with documented coronary artery disease. Circuit weight training refers to the performance of a series of weight-lifting exercises using a moderate load with frequent repetitions. Patients had participated in a supervised cardiac rehabilitation program for a minimum of 3 months before the study. Control patients (n = 20) continued with their regular exercise consisting of a walk/jog and volleyball program, while the experimental group (n = 20) substituted circuit weight training for volleyball. No sustained arrhythmias or cardiovascular problems occurred. The experimental group significantly increased treadmill time from 619 to 694 seconds while the treadmill time of the control group did not change. Strength in the experimental group increased by an average of 24% while there was no change in the control patients. Circuit weight training appears to be safe, and to result in significant increases in aerobic endurance and musculoskeletal strength compared with traditional exercise used in cardiac rehabilitation programs.
Enthalpy relaxation and fragility in polychlorinated biphenyls

We employ temperature modulated DSC (TMDSC) to determine the dependence of the fictive temperature on cooling rate for a series of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCB). From the slopes of semi-logarithmic plots of cooling rate vs. fictive temperature, the latter normalized by the fictive temperature for an arbitrary cooling rate, we determine the enthalpic fragilities. Despite significant differences in glass transition temperature and chemical structure (specifically chlorine content), the PCB have the same fragility. The value of the fragility determined using TMDSC is consistent with the fragility previously determined using dielectric relaxation spectroscopy.
Initial Reactions in Anaerobic Oxidation of m-Xylene by the Denitrifying Bacterium Azoarcus sp. Strain T

The initial enzymatic steps in anaerobic m-xylene oxidation were studied in Azoarcus sp. strain T, a denitrifying bacterium capable of mineralizing m-xylene via 3-methylbenzoate. Permeabilized cells of m-xylene-grown Azoarcus sp. strain T catalyzed the addition of m-xylene to fumarate to form (3-methylbenzyl)succinate. In the presence of succinyl coenzyme A (CoA) and nitrate, (3-methylbenzyl)succinate was oxidized to E-(3-methylphenyl)itaconate (or a closely related isomer) and 3-methylbenzoate. Kinetic studies conducted with permeabilized cells and whole-cell suspensions of m-xylene-grown Azoarcus sp. strain T demonstrated that the specific rate of in vitro (3-methylbenzyl)succinate formation accounts for at least 15% of the specific rate of in vivo m-xylene consumption. Based on these findings, we propose that Azoarcus sp. strain T anaerobically oxidizes m-xylene to 3-methylbenzoate (or its CoA thioester) via (3-methylbenzyl)succinate and E-(3-methylphenyl)itaconate (or its CoA thioester) in a series of reactions that are analogous to those recently proposed for anaerobic toluene oxidation to benzoyl-CoA. A deuterium kinetic isotope effect was observed in the (3-methylbenzyl)succinate synthase reaction (and the benzylsuccinate synthase reaction), suggesting that a rate-determining step in this novel fumarate addition reaction involves breaking a C-H bond.
An initial value method for eigenvalue problems using compound matrices

Abstract An initial value method, based on the use of certain compound matrices, is presented for the treatment of eigenvalue problems for stiff ordinary differential equations. The method appears to overcome not only the parasitic growth problems associated with standard shooting methods but also the difficulties, due to the presence of singularities, of the Riccati method. Two examples are given to illustrate, both analytically and numerically, the essential features of the method.
Factor analysis applied to a silane coupling agent on E-glass fiber system

The system γ-aminopropyltriethoxysilane coupling agent on E-glass mats has been analyzed by the use of factor analysis to determine the number of pure components and extract the pure component spectra, to improve the signal-to-noise (S/N) ratio of the collected spectra, and to determine the concentration of unknown mixtures. Normalization of the scaling coefficients allows the construction of a calibration curve for the determination of the treating solution concentration by examination of the silane coupling agent on the glass mats.
Defence Expenditures and Human Capital Development in the Middle East and South Asia

The question of whether military expenditures in the Third World in general and the Middle East/South Asia region in particular have been at the expense of national human resource development is addressed. The findings of a cross‐sectional analysis of public sector expenditure patterns in a large number of developing countries suggest that a simple “guns versus education” trade‐off model is too simplistic. Increased defence expenditures do sharply cut human resource development in countries with particularly high military burdens, especially in the Middle East/South Asia region. However, this negative trade‐off does not appear to be an accurate description of the process by which resources are allocated in the Third World in general.
Effect of aging on aqueous-phase antioxidants in tissues of male Fischer rats

Abstract The purpose of this study was to determine the influence of aging on concentrations of the important aqueous-phase antioxidants in rat tissues. Ascorbic acid, glutathione and uric acid were measured in tissues and organs of male Fischer 344 rats at 6, 15 and 26 months of age. Blood, liver, lungs, heart, kidneys, brain, testes and lenses were excised rapidly and were extracted with cold metaphosphoric acid. Aging diminished the concentration of ascrobic acid in liver, lung and lens; levels in 26-month-old rats were 40–60% of those in 6-month-old rats. Glutathione content was diminished only in lens, where it decreased almost 50% between 15 and 26 months. Some age-associated increases in antioxidant levels also were seen; testis ascorbic acid and kidney glutathione levels were elevated in the old compared with the younger rats. Uric acid concentrations were much lower than glutathione or ascorbic acid concentrations in every tissue except plasma. Old rats had lower levels of uric acid in liver but higher levels in heart, kidney and testis. These results demonstrate that aqueous-phase antioxidant levels are not uniformly diminished in tissues of old rats.
Pulsed versus continuous laser multiphoton dissociation of iodobenzene cations

Abstract In the two-photon visible dissociation of the iodobenzene cation, laser pulse shape is unimportant when collisional relaxation is slow compared to the time between pulses but becomes important when the relaxation rate is comparable to time between pulses. The dissociation can be simulated using an internal energy-governed computer model.
Neuronal migration disorders increase susceptibility to hyperthermia-induced seizures in developing rats.

Summary: Purpose: Retrospective studies suggest that adult patients with intractable epilepsy may have a history of febrile seizures in childhood. Risk factors for a febrile seizure may include the rate of increase in the core temperature (T-core), its peak (Tmax), the duration of the temperature increase, or an underlying brain pathology. Recently, neuronal migration disorders (NMD) have been diagnosed with increasing frequency in patients with epilepsy, but the link between NMD, febrile seizures, and epilepsy is unclear. We studied rat pups rendered hyperthermic to ascertain the incidence of seizures, mortality, and extent of hippocampal cell loss in each group. Methods: We exposed 14-day-old rat pups with experimentally induced NMD (n = 39) and age-matched controls (n = 30) to hyperthermia (core body temperature >42°C). Results: The incidence of hyperthermia-induced behavioral seizures and mortality rate were significantly higher in rats with NMD than in controls (p < 0·05). The longer duration of hyperthermia resulted in a higher incidence of behavioral seizures and higher mortality rate (p < 0·05). In rats with NMD, hyperthermia resulted in hippocampal pyramidal cell loss independent of seizure activity; the extent of neuronal damage correlated positively with the duration of hyperthermia. In control rats, occasional neuronal loss and astrocytosis occurred only after prolonged hyperthermia. Conclusions: In immature rats, NMD lower the threshold to hyperthermia-induced behavioral seizures and hyperthermia in the presence of NMD may cause irreversible hippocampal neuronal damage.
Effect of Learning Communities on Student Attitudes and Corresponding Behaviors: A Mediated Test of Involvement Theory

Learning communities are small pre-selected student groups based on a common interest with a variety of goals related to student outcomes. Previous research has shown robust effects of learning community participation on student success outcomes, but little is known about the mechanisms which may mediate these effects. The current study analyzed two years of data on a large sample of first-year and transfer students using mediated regression techniques and logistic regression to explore the mechanism by which learning communities affect self reported student behaviors. Results showed that being in a learning community leads to positive academic and social attitudes which lead to increased academic and social behaviors respectively. Results shed light on the mechanism by which learning communities affect student outcomes.
Nitric oxide synthase interneurons in the monkey cerebral cortex are subsets of the somatostatin, neuropeptide Y, and calbindin cells

99%) immunoreactive for somatostatin and neuropeptide Y, but did not express calbindin. The LNOS cells comprised about 30% of the somatostatin cells and about 60% of the neuropeptide Y cells. The SNOS cells were nearly always (87-98%) calbindin-immunoreactive, and were rarely or never labeled with antibodies to somatostatin or neuropeptide Y. The SNOS cells accounted for about 20% of all of the calbindin cells. The findings demonstrate that the two types of nNOS cells can be distinguished by antibodies to calbindin, somatostatin and neuropeptide Y, but none of these markers is found exclusively in nNOS cells. Nevertheless, neuropeptide Y-immunoreactivity provides a useful marker for LNOS cells, because it is very dense in these cells and only light in the interneurons that lack nNOS.
Cardiac function and heart failure.

For the ACC.06 Scientific Sessions, the Program Committee received 736 submissions in the area of heart failure (HF), 244 of which were accepted for presentation. Although there were a limited number of large HF clinical trials, HF and cardiac function topics were well represented in various core
Samson's Moment of Truth

Samson gives away the secret of his strength, the story says, because Delilah nags him. Since only an incredibly stupid person could have failed to recognize her plan to betray him, Samson has been tagged as a musclebound lamebrain ever since. But nothing else in the story suggests that he is stupid—quite the opposite, in fact. The problem, then, is not Samson's intelligence but the narrator's weak explanation for Samson's moment of truth. Elevating Samson's complex characterization—and bracketing the "nagging"—reveals a Samson who has powerful reasons for allowing Delilah to cut his hair. Moreover, two retellings of the Samson tale, Milton's Samson Agonistes and DeMille's film Samson and Delilah , diminish or eliminate the "nagging" explanation and find far more satisfying alternative explanations for Samson's actions. The biblical nar rator, we may conclude, has misread the story or attempted to engineer an unsatis factory interpretation and is thus "unreliable", though in a way rather different from the modern critical understanding of the unreliable narrator.
Patient-reported immunosuppression nonadherence 6 to 24 months after liver transplant: association with pretransplant psychosocial factors and perceptions of health status change.

Context—Knowing the prevalence and risk factors of immunosuppression nonadherence after liver transplant may help guide intervention development.Objective—To examine whether sociodemographic and psychosocial variables before liver transplant are predictive of nonadherence after liver transplant.Design—Structured telephone interviews were used to collect self-report immunosuppression adherence and health status information. Medical record reviews were then completed to retrospectively examine the relationship between immunosuppression adherence and pretransplant variables, including sociodemographic and medical characteristics and the presence or absence of 6 hypothesized psychosocial risk factors.Setting and Participants—A nonprobability sample of 236 adults 6 to 24 months after liver transplant at 2 centers completed structured telephone interviews.Main Outcome Measure—Immunosuppressant medication nonadherence, categorized as missed-dose and altered-dose "adherent" or "nonadherent" during the past 6 mont...
A class of magnitude complementary loudspeaker crossovers

Necessary and sufficient conditions are developed for a pair of transfer functions to have magnitude responses which sum to a constant. If, in addition, the transfer function pair is constrained to be all-pass complementary, the transfer function pair so obtained is well suited for loudspeaker crossover applications. Such crossover systems are characterized by a pair of transfer functions which exhibit the same phase angle at all frequencies. This property has twofold implications: i) in active crossover biamplified audio systems, whereby the low frequencies and high frequencies are reproduced using separate power amplifiers, in-phase crossover transfer functions require less power in subsequent amplifier stages than other designs to achieve a given acoustic sound pressure level; and ii) the summed acoustic magnitude response is least sensitive to noncoincidental mounting of the low- and high-frequency transducers when the crossover transfer functions exhibit the same phase angle at all frequencies. The class of transfer functions realizable is quite wide, and includes squared versions of Butterworth, Chebyshev, and elliptic transfer functions of all orders.
Determination of urinary 4-hydroxy-3-methoxyphenylethylene glycol in man by high performance liquid chromatography with electrochemical detection.

Abstract A reverse phase high performance liquid chromatographic method for determining levels of 4-hydroxy-3-methoxyphenylethylene glycol (MHPG) in human urine that is virtually free of all interfering peaks has been developed. After addition of a homologous internal standard, enzymatic hydrolysis is performed. Samples are then placed onto columns containing AG1-X8, and the MHPG is collected in a phosphate buffer wash of the column. After ethyl acetate extraction and evaporation of the organic solvent, the dry residue is redissolved in mobile phase, and injected onto a reverse phase column. Results obtained with this assay were almost identical (101±5.6%, mean±SD, n=6) with those obtained using a gas chromatography - mass spectrometry (GCMS) assay.
Identification of Formyl Peptides from Listeria monocytogenes and Staphylococcus aureus as Potent Chemoattractants for Mouse Neutrophils

The prototypic formyl peptide N-formyl-Met-Leu-Phe (fMLF) is a major chemoattractant found in Escherichia coli culture supernatants and a potent agonist at human formyl peptide receptor (FPR) 1. Consistent with this, fMLF induces bactericidal functions in human neutrophils at nanomolar concentrations. However, it is a much less potent agonist for mouse FPR (mFPR) 1 and mouse neutrophils, requiring micromolar concentrations for cell activation. To determine whether other bacteria produce more potent agonists for mFPR1, we examined formyl peptides from Listeria monocytogenes and Staphylococcus aureus for their abilities to activate mouse neutrophils. A pentapeptide (N-formyl-Met-Ile-Val-Ile-Leu (fMIVIL)) from L. monocytogenes and a tetrapeptide (N-formyl-Met-Ile-Phe-Leu (fMIFL)) from S. aureus were found to induce mouse neutrophil chemotaxis at 1–10 nM and superoxide production at 10–100 nM, similar to the potency of fMLF on human neutrophils. Using transfected cell lines expressing mFPR1 and mFPR2, which are major forms of FPRs in mouse neutrophils, we found that mFPR1 is responsible for the high potency of fMIVIL and fMIFL. In comparison, activation of mFPR2 requires micromolar concentrations of the two peptides. Genetic deletion of mfpr1 resulted in abrogation of neutrophil superoxide production and degranulation in response to fMIVIL and fMIFL, further demonstrating that mFPR1 is the primary receptor for detection of these formyl peptides. In conclusion, the formyl peptides from L. monocytogenes and S. aureus are ∼100-fold more potent than fMLF in activating mouse neutrophils. The ability of mFPR1 to detect bacterially derived formyl peptides indicates that this important host defense mechanism is conserved in mice.
THE VACUITY OF WILKES

In Wilkes v. Springside Nursing Home, the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court sought to clarify the fiduciary duty it had previously imposed upon majority shareholders in closely held corporations. As the Court recognized, the fiduciary duty cannot be absolute, because majority shareholders also have a right of selfish ownership. This Article, prepared for a symposium marking the 35th anniversary of the Wilkes decision, contends that the Court failed to provide a clear standard for assessing claims of minority shareholder oppression. In part, the lack of a determinate standard reflects the plural values at stake. However, the Court’s reliance upon fiduciary analysis invites confusion: minority shareholder oppression may be better understood as an extension of contract theory, providing a constraint against opportunistic action by the majority that violates the parties’ reasonable expectations in entering into a long-term business relationship.
4 kV merged PiN Schottky (MPS) rectifiers

High voltage (4 kV) merged PiN Schottky (MPS) rectifiers are analyzed and experimentally demonstrated for the first time, as an alternative to high voltage PiN diodes. Extensive simulations were performed to optimize the structure of the MPS rectifier. High voltage MPS rectifiers were successfully fabricated and were found to have forward drops comparable to that of PiN rectifiers. The measured reverse recovery characteristics of the MPS diodes showed far superior performance with half the peak reverse recovery current as well as one-fourth the stored charge of the PiN diode. The reverse leakage current of the MPS rectifier (20% Schottky area) was also found to be comparable to that of the PiN rectifier even at elevated temperatures.
Adaptive modelling: An statistical approach in designing a mathematical-model-based controller

System of systems (SoS) concept is essential in solving the issues in complex systems where there are heterogeneous independently operable systems. Each system should be modeled in a model-based controller. The problem of mathematical modeling of a single system is considered. This system can be a part of a SoS, working independently from other systems. In this paper we have described the main steps of adaptive modeling (AM) method to derive a mathematical model of the system.
Effect of incisional friction and ophthalmic viscosurgical devices on the heat generation of ultrasound during cataract surgery

Purpose To determine the thermal features of the Legacy (Alcon) and Sovereign (Advanced Medical Optics) phacoemulsification machines in a cadaver eye and with 7 ophthalmic viscosurgical devices (OVDs). Setting In situ and in vitro study. Methods Temperature without occlusion was recorded at the sleeve placed in the wound of a cadaver eye, and temperature over baseline was determined after 60 seconds. The result was then compared with the results in a previous study that used balanced salt solution (BSS) in artificial chambers. In the second portion of the experiment, with irrigation and aspiration lines occluded, temperature was recorded at the sleeve placed in an artificial chamber filled with sodium hyaluronate 2.3% (Healon5), sodium hyaluronate 1.4% (Healon GV), sodium hyaluronate 1.0% (Healon), sodium hyaluronate 1.6% (Amvisc Plus), sodium hyaluronate 1.0% (Provisc), sodium hyaluronate 3.0%–chondroitin sulfate 4.0% (Viscoat), or hyaluronate 3.0% (Vitrax). Temperature over baseline was also determined after 60 seconds. These results were compared with each set of OVD data and with the results in the prior BSS study. Results In the eye-bank model, the Legacy machine had a 62% temperature increase from incisional friction and the Sovereign machine had a decrease of 8.6% over results in an artificial anterior chamber. The OVD temperature increases were greater for the Sovereign (P Conclusions Incisional friction alone increased heat generation in the Legacy, a stroke-length driven instrument, more than in the Sovereign, a power-driven instrument. Ophthalmic viscosurgical devices are not only a concern due to outflow occlusion but can also add up to 6 times the heat in comparison with BSS. The need to aspirate the OVD before using ultrasound is thus verified.
Long-term indwelling urinary catheter care: conceptualizing the research base.

The traditional public health concepts of agent, host, and environment can provide a useful interdisciplinary model for analyzing the current state of knowledge in long term indwelling urinary catheter care. A broad review of literature about urinary catheter care was carried out to identify major areas of research and gaps in knowledge. Most research in the past decade has focused on understanding how catheter encrustations develop and how such encrustations may contribute to leaking/blocking of the catheter and urinary tract infection. Two tables are presented which summarize research related to the development of sediment/encrustation of the catheter and to irrigation of the catheter. Nevertheless, many areas related to catheter care have not been studied extensively. The patient's perspective is one such area. Other areas that have not been studied in depth in depth include care of the drainage bag and the role of fluid intake. These under-studied concerns relate to environmental factors with which the nurse is directly involved, namely, asepsis and hydrokinetic forces. Further conceptualization of the nursing role in long-term urinary catheter care might aid in the development of nursing theories that could be tested to understand how best to help people manage these catheters.
Spin Frustration in 2D Kagomé Lattices: A Problem for Inorganic Synthetic Chemistry

A kagome antiferromagnet presents an ideal construct for studying the unusual physics that result from the placement of magnetically frustrated spins on a low-dimensional lattice. Jarosites are the prototype for a spin-frustrated magnetic structure, because these materials are composed exclusively of kagome layers. Notwithstanding, jarosite-type materials have escaped precise magnetic characterization over the past three decades, because they are notoriously difficult to prepare in pure and single-crystal forms. These hurdles have been overcome with the development of redox-based hydrothermal methods. Armed with pure and crystalline materials, several perplexing issues surrounding the magnetic properties of the jarosites have been resolved, yielding a detailed and comprehensive picture of the ground-state physics of this kagome lattice.
MATHEMATICAL MODELING OF MICROSHRINKAGE FORMATION DURING SOLIDIFICATION OF A356 ALLOY CASTINGS

Several models predicting microshrinkage in castings are revised in this analysis. A mathematical model, based on Niyama criterion, is introduced here which considers the stochastic behavior of pore nucleation during casting solidification. For this model, literature validation is provided for an A356 alloy plate casting. Further validation is provided for a bar geometry cast in a silica sand mold. The model predictions match reasonably well with the experimental pore percentage profile.
Climatology and Ingredients of Significant Severe Convection in High-Shear, Low-CAPE Environments

AbstractHigh-shear, low-CAPE (HSLC) environments, here characterized by surface-based CAPE ≤ 500 J kg−1, most unstable parcel CAPE ≤ 1000 J kg−1, and 0–6-km shear vector magnitude ≥ 18 m s−1, occur at all times of day, across all seasons, and throughout the entire United States. HSLC environments represent a unique challenge for forecasters, as they occur frequently but produce severe weather a relatively low percentage of the time. Recent studies have primarily focused on improving nowcasting and warnings for events through the identification of radar signatures commonly associated with HSLC tornadoes. Few studies have investigated the forecasting of HSLC severe weather, despite the acknowledged poor performance of traditional tools and techniques. A general climatology of HSLC significant severe weather is presented, focusing on regional, diurnal, and annual trends. Through this climatology, it becomes apparent that multiple types of HSLC environments are possible, including surface-based cases with low...
Illness behavior in children of chronic pain patients.

Objective:Recent studies on pain behavior have pointed to a relationship between expression of illness in patients with chronic pain and reports of physical complaints in other family members. This article includes two related studies. The aim of the first study was to determine whether, among pain patient families, parents who exhibited higher levels of illness behavior and emotional distress were more likely to report that their children had frequent pain complaints. The aim of the second study was to assess whether children of patients with chronic pain were perceived by their parents to have more pain and illness behavior than children of non-pain parents.Method:In the first study, forty-two primary caregivers in families with a parent with chronic pain completed questionnaires regarding their children's pain and illness behavior. In the second study, report of somatic complaints in children of chronic pain parents was compared to complaints in fifty-five children of parents without chronic pain.Resul...
Computational Modeling and Experimental Characterization of Indoor Aerosol Transport

When a hazardous aerosol or gas is inadvertently or deliberately released in an occupied facility, the airborne material presents a hazard to people. Inadvertent accidents and exposures continue to occur in Los Alamos and other nuclear facilities despite state-of-art engineering and administrative controls, and heightened diligence. Despite the obvious need in occupational settings and for homeland defense, the body of research in hazardous aerosol dispersion and control in large, complex, ventilated enclosures is extremely limited. The science governing generation, transport, inhalation, and detection of airborne hazards is lacking and must be developed to where it can be used by engineers or safety professionals in the prediction of worker exposure, in the prevention of accidents, or in the mitigation of terrorist actions. In this study, a commercial computational fluid dynamics (CFD) code, CFX5.4, and experiments were used to assess flow field characteristics, and to investigate aerosol release and transport in a large, ventilated workroom in a facility at Savannah River Site. Steady state CFD results illustrating a complex, ventilation-induced, flow field with vortices, velocity gradients, and quiet zones are presented, as are time-dependent CFD and experimental aerosol dispersion results. The comparison of response times between CFD and experimental results was favorable. It is believed that future applications of CFD and experiments can have a favorable impact on the design of ventilation (HVAC) systems and worker safety with consideration to facility costs. Ultimately, statistical methods will be used in conjunction with CFD calculations to determine the optimal number and location of detectors, as well as optimal egress routes in event of a release.
Research paper: Sampling-based robot motion planning: Towards realistic applications

This paper presents some of the recent improvements in sampling-based robot motion planning. Emphasis is placed on work that brings motion-planning algorithms closer to applicability in real environments. Methods that approach increasingly difficult motion-planning problems including kinodynamic motion planning and dynamic environments are discussed. The ultimate goal for such methods is to generate plans that can be executed with few modifications in a real robotics mobile platform.
HECKE L-FUNCTIONS AND THE DISTRIBUTION OF TOTALLY POSITIVE INTEGERS

Let K be a totally real number field of degree n. We show that the number of totally positive integers (or more generally the number of totally positive elements of a given fractional ideal) of given trace is evenly distributed around its expected value, which is obtained from geometric considerations. This result depends on unfolding an integral over a compact torus.
Glial and neuronal forms of the voltage-dependent sodium channel: characteristics and cell-type distribution

Two functionally different forms of the voltage-dependent sodium channel were observed in glia and in neurons of the mammalian nervous system. Both forms had identical conductance and tetrodotoxin sensitivity and displayed steady-state inactivation, a strongly voltage-dependent rate of activation, and a faster but weakly voltage-sensitive rate of inactivation. However, the glial form had significantly slower kinetics and a more negative voltage dependence, suggesting that it was functionally specialized for glia. This form was found in most glial types studied, while the neuronal form was observed in retinal ganglion cells, cortical motor neurons, and O2A glial progenitor cells. Both forms occurred in type-2 astrocytes. The presence of the glial form correlated with the RAN-2 surface antigen.
Toward an understanding of evolutionary potential

The genome of each organism contains the potential to evolve novel functions that will allow it to thrive in alternative environments. There is not yet a sufficient understanding of the selective constraints on that potential to permit us to predict which genes are most likely to evolve a particular novel function or to predict the mutations that are most likely to lead to that function. Technological advances in the areas of rapid and massive DNA sequencing and in vitro evolution by sexual PCR (DNA shuffling) now make it possible to make an effective start on developing theory that will allow us to assess the evolutionary potential that is present in existing genomes.
Flagellin/TLR5 responses in epithelia reveal intertwined activation of inflammatory and apoptotic pathways

Flagellin, the primary structural component of bacterial flagella, is recognized by Toll-like receptor 5 (TLR5) present on the basolateral surface of intestinal epithelial cells. Utilizing biochemi...
Research Note: Driver's Brake Reaction Times with Adaptive Controls

This report presents the results of a preliminary study of the response in braking of adaptive hand controls such as those used by some physically handicapped drivers. The response time of a simula...
Dynamic Tensile Response of Porcine Muscle

The stress-strain response of a porcine muscle along and perpendicular to the muscle fiber direction was characterized over a wide range of strain rates under uniaxial tension. A modified Kolsky tension bar was used to conduct the experiments at high strain rates. Tubular specimen geometry was used to achieve uniform loading within the specimen and to minimize lateral inertia effect. Loading pulse was controlled to facilitate constant strain rates and dynamic stress equilibrium. Quasi-static experiments were also performed to explore the rate effects over a wider range of strain rates. The results show that the nonlinear tensile stress-strain responses in both directions along and perpendicular to the fibers are highly sensitive to strain rates. Compared with high-rate compression response, the strain rate sensitivity in the tensile test is less dependent on the fiber orientation to the loading direction.
Concluding Remarks and Future Directions

The term 'biofilms' fills us with excitement. For many microbial scientists biofilms represent a new perception of microbial existence, and this new perception is leading to innumerable new insights. The predominance of microbial existence on surfaces has long been recognized. However, due to the early development of liquid and pure culture techniques, microbiology was dominated by the study of planktonic cells for over one hundred years. In the early 1980s an important trend began among some environmental microbiologists and engineers to analyze surface associated microbes both in the field and in the laboratory. For almost every organism that has been investigated, one can now draw working models for the steps in the pathways of biofilm formation and these steps have genes associated with them. There are genes expressed during each step of development that can serve as reporters of that stage, and there are genes whose function has been shown to be essential for each particular step to be completed successfully. Biofilm genetics is still in its infancy because researchers are still predominantly finding genes essential for biofilm formation or genes expressed in biofilms. Analyses of microbial activities on surfaces will continue to provide new insights into the marvelous and astounding diversity of the microbial world.
Does Targeting Higher Health Risk Employees or Increasing Intervention Intensity Yield Savings in a Workplace Wellness Program

Objective:This article aims to test whether a workplace wellness program reduces health care cost for higher risk employees or employees with greater participation.Methods:The program effect on costs was estimated using a generalized linear model with a log-link function using a difference-in-differ
The dialectalization of Spanish future tense usage

The following study looks at the distribution of meanings, and changes of meaning, of the Spanish future structures voy a cantar, cantare and he de cantar. I will first survey dialect studies with ...
Two forms of continuum shape sensitivity method for fluid–structure interaction problems

Abstract Continuum Sensitivity Equation (CSE) methods for deriving and computing derivatives with respect to shape design variables are developed in two forms and compared in their application to fluid–structure interaction (FSI) problems. The local derivative form poses the CSEs in terms of the partial derivatives of the state variables with respect to shape parameters, while the CSEs in total derivative form are posed in terms of the total derivative, also known as the material or substantial derivative. In the literature CSEs are often posed in local form for fluids and total form for solids. The two forms are compared here for the purpose of applying a single form to both fluid and structure domains. The local form, also known as the boundary velocity method, requires design velocity only at the boundaries and interfaces of the domains to pose the CSEs. In contrast, the total form, also known as the domain velocity method, requires the design velocity in the whole domain. The local form requires higher-order spatial derivatives of the analysis solution than the total form, which affects the accuracy of its results. Higher order p-elements are shown to be a remedy to the inaccuracy of local form CSE seen in the literature for finite element solutions. The practicality, accuracy, and efficiency of these two CSE forms are compared based on the implementation and computed derivatives for three examples: a linear Timoshenko beam subject to a tip force, fluid flow around an airfoil, and an airfoil attached to a nonlinear joined beam subject to a gust load.
An on-chip microfluidic pressure regulator that facilitates reproducible loading of cells and hydrogels into microphysiological system platforms

Coculturing multiple cell types together in 3-dimensional (3D) cultures better mimics the in vivo microphysiological environment, and has become widely adopted in recent years with the development of organ-on-chip systems. However, a bottleneck in set-up of these devices arises as a result of the delivery of the gel into the microfluidic chip being sensitive to pressure fluctuations, making gel confinement at a specific region challenging, especially when manual operation is performed. In this paper, we present a novel design of an on-chip regulator module with pressure-releasing safety microvalves that can facilitate stable gel delivery into designated microchannel regions while maintaining well-controlled, non-bursting gel interfaces. This pressure regulator design can be integrated into different microfluidic chip designs and is compatible with a wide variety of gel injection apparatuses operated automatically or manually at different flow rates. The sensitivity and working range of this pressure regulator can be adjusted by changing the width of its pressure releasing safety microvalve design. The effectiveness of the design is validated by its incorporation into a microfluidic platform we have developed for generating 3D vascularized micro-organs (VMOs). Reproducible gel loading is demonstrated for both an automatic syringe pump and a manually-operated micropipettor. This design allows for rapid and reproducible loading of hydrogels into microfluidic devices without the risk of bursting gel-air interfaces.
The ratio of waist-to-hip circumference, plasma insulin level, and glucose intolerance as independent predictors of the HDL2 cholesterol level in older adults

High plasma levels of HDL2, a subfraction of high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol, are associated with a reduced risk of coronary heart disease. To investigate the characteristics related to HDL2 cholesterol levels, we measured lipoprotein levels and several metabolic and anthropometric variables in 146 healthy subjects (77 men and 69 women) in the seventh decade of life. The level of HDL2 cholesterol was inversely correlated with the ratio of the waist-to-hip circumference (r = -0.335 for men; r = -0.370 for women; P less than 0.01) and the plasma insulin level (r = -0.400 for men; r = -0.398 for women; P less than 0.001). In a multiple regression model including both sexes, 41 percent of the variance in the HDL2 level was explained by the combined effect of the waist-to-hip ratio (P less than 0.0001), the plasma insulin level (P = 0.0003), and the degree of glucose tolerance indicated by the integrated area under the plasma glucose curve after an oral glucose-tolerance test (P = 0.05). The body-mass index, total percentage of body fat, maximal oxygen uptake, diet, and sex were not significant predictors of the HDL2 level when added to this model, whereas the original variables remained significant predictors. The HDL2 cholesterol level in subjects at the 25th percentile for waist-to-hip ratio was 153 percent of that in subjects at the 75th percentile. We conclude that HDL2 levels are inversely correlated with truncal fat, plasma insulin levels, and the presence of glucose intolerance and are not independently associated with sex or total body fat.