cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Epitaxial growth and characterization of Ge1−xCx alloys on Si(100)

The initial stages (<20 monolayers) of molecular beam epitaxial growth of Ge1−xCx on Si(100) has been studied using both in situ surface analytical techniques and ex situ electron microscopy. The Ge1−xCx films studied had nominal C concentrations of 0.2<x<0.8. In situ reflection high‐energy electron diffraction indicates crystalline, layer‐by‐layer growth for room temperature deposition of lower C concentrations (x<0.4) films and amorphous growth for higher C concentrations. Subsequent high‐temperature anneals between 350 and 600 °C caused the Ge and C to phase separate, with the Ge forming defective islands while the C precipitates out of the diamond lattice. Mechanisms leading to the C concentration‐dependent island morphologies are suggested.
In situ fabricated smart material active sensors for structural health monitoring

Structural health monitoring (SHM) is currently using piezoelectric wafer active sensors (PWAS) permanently attached to the structure with adhesives. This is often a burdensome and time-consuming task, especially for large structures such as aircraft, bridges, etc. In addition, there are critical applications where the rigid piezoceramic wafers cannot conform to curved surfaces. Another important issue is the long term durability of the bonded interface between the PWAS and the structure, which is often the durability weak link. An in-situ fabricated smart sensor may offer better durability. This paper considers the possibility of fabricating the PWAS directly to the substrate structure in order to alleviate these problems. The paper starts with a review of the state of the art in active composite fabrication. Then, two concepts are considered: the piezomagnetic composite sensor and the piezoelectric composite PWAS. The piezomagnetic composite was fabricated using Terfenol-D magnetostrictive powder in a fiber reinforced composite beam. The strain-induced magnetic field was detected with a Lakeshore gaussmeter. The piezoelectric composite sensor was prepared by mixing lead zirconate titanate (PZT) particles in an epoxy resin. The mixture was applied onto the structural surface using a mask. After curing, the piezo composite was sanded down to the desired thickness and poled under a high electric field. The resulting in-situ composite PWAS was utilized as a sensor for dynamic vibration and impact. Characterization of the in-situ composite PWAS on aluminum structure have been recorded and compared with ceramic PWAS before and after poling. To evaluate the performance of the in-situ composite PWAS, both vibration and impact tests were conducted. Both experiments indicated that in-situ fabrication of active materials composites poses itself as a good candidate for reliable low-cost option for SHM smart sensor fabrication.
Examination of radiation from 2D periodic leaky-wave antennas

Two-dimensional (2D) leaky-wave antennas (LWAs) in the form of Fabry-Perot resonant cavity antennas are known to produce highly directive beams of radiation, with broadside radiation usually the desired objective. These structures are often made using a periodic partially reflective surface, but nevertheless they operate as a quasi-uniform LWA, radiating from the fundamental space harmonic (Floquet mode). A cylindrical leaky wave that is a fast wave propagates outward from the source at the center of the structure, and this radiating wave does the beamforming. Such a structure is classified as a quasi-uniform LWA instead of a periodic LWA.
“You’re too young for this”: Adolescent and Young Adults’ Perspectives on Cancer Survivorship

Adolescent and young adult cancer survivors face unique challenges not systematically addressed by cancer clinicians. Four focus groups and two individual interviews were conducted with 19 survivors to profile experiences and identify key concerns for future interventions. The resultant themes reflect cancer care continuum challenges (such as delays in diagnosis, problems with adherence), psychosocial concerns (such as infertility and reproductive concerns, changing social relationships, financial burden), and the paradox of being diagnosed with cancer as a young adult. Future intervention development for adolescent and young adult survivors should involve patient voices at each stage of the research process.
Quantitative comparisons of reaction products using gas chromatography-mass spectrometry and dual-isotope techniques

Abstract Special dual-isotope methods for GC-MS measurements show response necessary for quantitative comparisons of reaction product abundances, even for multiple-pathway reaction systems. The quantitative comparisons are compatible with the use of isotopically labeled reference substances generated by reference reactions, for which suites of reaction products may be compared via compounds common to both reference and sample reaction systems. The results of comparisons studied are fairly insensitive to large variations in relative concentrations and to high uncertainties in individual analyte measurements. Moreover, the approach may, for some circumstances, be used for analytes of unknown identities or with reference compounds of unknown concentrations. The dual-isotope GC-MS methods described are suitable for photolysis reactions and should be especially helpful in toxicologic metabolism comparisons, environmental degradation studies or other kinetic systems.
Near-optimal detection of geometric objects by fast multiscale methods

We construct detectors for "geometric" objects in noisy data. Examples include a detector for presence of a line segment of unknown length, position, and orientation in two-dimensional image data with additive white Gaussian noise. We focus on the following two issues. i) The optimal detection threshold-i.e., the signal strength below which no method of detection can be successful for large dataset size n. ii) The optimal computational complexity of a near-optimal detector, i.e., the complexity required to detect signals slightly exceeding the detection threshold. We describe a general approach to such problems which covers several classes of geometrically defined signals; for example, with one-dimensional data, signals having elevated mean on an interval, and, in d-dimensional data, signals with elevated mean on a rectangle, a ball, or an ellipsoid. In all these problems, we show that a naive or straightforward approach leads to detector thresholds and algorithms which are asymptotically far away from optimal. At the same time, a multiscale geometric analysis of these classes of objects allows us to derive asymptotically optimal detection thresholds and fast algorithms for near-optimal detectors.
Shuttle Stability and Control during the Orbiter Repair Maneuver

The Orbiter Repair Maneuver (ORM) is a challenging on-orbit operation designed to use the Shuttle robotic arm to rotate and present the underside of the Space Shuttle to the Space Station, hence allowing access and repair to Shuttle thermal protection system damage. The operation calls for the Shuttle and Space Station to be mated via (and only) the Shuttle arm, introducing extremely low frequency structural dynamics and hence proposes a significant control/structure dynamic interaction problem. This paper provides an overview of the Shuttle on-orbit control system design for ORM. Given the low frequency dynamics, saturation limits of the arm robotic joints, and close proximity of the two space vehicles, the Orbiter Repair Maneuver represents one of the most challenging on-orbit operations for Shuttle control design to date.
Procedure for Prolapse and Hemorrhoids

The procedure for prolapse and hemorrhoids is commonly called “stapled hemorrhoidectomy.” While the operation is, indeed, used for internal hemorrhoids, it is also used for minor degrees of internal rectal prolapse. This chapter details the technique and pitfalls associated with this operation.
p-methylthioamphetamine is a potent new non-neurotoxic serotonin-releasing agent.

Abstract p-Methylthioamphetamine (MTA), was compared to p-chloroamphetamine (PCA) in a number of pharmacological assays. MTA was about 2-fold more potent than PCA at inhibiting synaptosomal uptake of [ 3 H]5-hydroxytryptamine ([ 3 H]5-HT), and about 7-fold and 10-fold less potent than PCA at inhibiting synaptosomal uptake of [ 3 H]dopamine and [ 3 H]norepinephrine, respectively. In drug discrimination assays, MTA was nearly equipotent to PCA in animals trained to discriminate saline from 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA), or two related analogues S-(+)-N-methyl-1-(1,3-benzodioxol-5-yl)-2-butanamine (S-MBDB) or 5-methoxy-6-methyl-2-aminoindan (MMAI). MTA caused dose-dependent increases of tritium efflux from superfused rat frontal cortex slices preloaded with [ 3 H]5-HT, comparable to that induced by an equal molar concentration of PCA. The potential neurotoxicity of MTA was examined by measuring monoamine and metabolite levels at one week following an acute dose. A 10 mg/kg dose of PCA caused a 70–90% decrease of cortical, hippocampal and striatal 5-HT and 5-hydroxyindoleacetic acid (5-HIAA) levels, while twice the molar dose of MTA (21.3 mg/kg) had no effect. Thus, MTA is a potent, selective, serotonin releaser, apparently devoid of serotonin neurotoxic effects. This work also supports the idea that catecholamine systems may play a critical role in the neurotoxicity of PCA-like compounds.
Behavioral Fault Modeling for Model-based Safety Analysis

Recent work in the area of model-based safety analysis has demonstrated key advantages of this methodology over traditional approaches, for example, the capability of automatic generation of safety artifacts. Since safety analysis requires knowledge of the component faults and failure modes, one also needs to formalize and incorporate the system fault behavior into the nominal system model. Fault behaviors typically tend to be quite varied and complex, and incorporating them directly into the nominal system model can clutter it severely. This manual process is error-prone and also makes model evolution difficult. These issues can be resolved by separating the fault behavior from the nominal system model in the form of a "fault model", and providing a mechanism for automatically combining the two for analysis. Towards implementing this approach we identify key requirements for a flexible behavioral fault modeling notation. We formalize it as a domain-specific language based on Lustre, a textual synchronous dataflow language. The fault modeling extensions are designed to be amenable for automatic composition into the nominal system model.
Media Review: The Lives of Transgender People

(2014). Media Review: The Lives of Transgender People. Journal of Student Affairs Research and Practice: Vol. 51, No. 2, pp. 222-224.
Generalization and improvement to PPM's "blending"

Summary form only given. The best-performing method in the data compression literature for computing probability estimates of sequences on-line using a suffix-tree model is the blending technique used by PPM. Blending can be viewed as a bottom-up recursive procedure for computing a mixture, barring one missing term for each level of the recursion, where a mixture is basically a weighted average of several probability estimates. The author shows the relative effectiveness of most combinations of mixture weighting functions and inheritance evaluation times. The results of a study on the value of using update exclusion, especially in models using state selection, are also sown.
Direct measurement of capillary blood pressure in the human lip

In this study, we developed and tested a new procedure for measuring microcirculatory blood pressures above heart level in humans. Capillary and postcapillary venule blood pressures were measured directly in 13 human subjects by use of the servo-nulling micropressure technique adapted for micropuncture of lip capillaries. Pressure waveforms were recorded in 40 separate capillary vessels and 14 separate postcapillary venules over periods ranging from 5 to 64 s. Localization and determination of capillary and postcapillary vessels were ascertained anatomically before pressure measurements. Capillary pressure was 33.2 +/- 1.5 (SE) mmHg in lips of subjects seated upright. Repeated micropunctures of the same vessel gave an average coefficient of variation of 0.072. Postcapillary venule pressure was 18.9 +/- 1.6 mmHg. This procedure produces a direct and reproducible means of measuring microvascular blood pressures in a vascular bed above heart level in humans.
The Doctor-Patient Relationship and Malpractice: Lessons From Plaintiff Depositions

Background: The current literature does not provide an answer to the question, "What prompts patients to sue doctors or hospitals?" Not all adverse outcomes result in suits, and threatened suits do not always involve adverse outcomes. The exploration of other factors has been hampered by the lack of a methodology to contact plaintiffs and elicit their views about their experience in delivered health care. This study employed the transcripts of discovery depositions of plaintiffs as a source of insight into the issues that prompted individuals to file a malpractice claim. Methods: This study is a descriptive series review of a convenience sample of 45 plaintiffs' depositions selected randomly from 67 depositions made available from settled malpractice suits filed between 1985 and 1987 against a large metropolitan medical center. Information extracted from each deposition included the alleged injury; the presence of the question, "Why are you suing?" and, if present, the answer; the presence of problematic relationship issues between providers and patients and/or families and, if present, the discourse supporting it; the presence of the question, "Did a health professional suggest maloccurrence?" and, if yes, who. Using a process of consensual validation, relationship issues were organized into groups of more generalized categories suggested by the data. Answers to the questions, "Why are you suing?" and "Who suggested maloccurrence?" are described. Results: Problematic relationship issues were identified in 71% of the depositions with an interrater reliability of 93.3%. Four themes emerged from the descriptive review of the 3787 pages of transcript: deserting the patient (32%), devaluing patient and/or family views (29%), delivering information poorly (26%), and failing to understand the patient and/or family perspective (13%). Thirty-one plaintiffs were asked if health professionals suggested maloccurrence. Fifty-four percent (n=17) responded affirmatively. The postoutcome-consulting specialist was named in 71% (n=12) of the depositions in which maloccurrence was allegedly suggested. Conclusions: In our sample, the decision to litigate was often associated with a perceived lack of caring and/or collaboration in the delivery of health care. The issues identified included perceived unavailability, discounting patient and/or family concerns, poor delivery of information, and lack of understanding the patient and/or family perspective. Particular attention should be paid to the postadverse-event consultant-patient interaction. (Arch Intern Med. 1994;154:1365-1370)
Acute changes in plasma non-esterified fatty acid concentration do not change hepatic glucose production in people with type 2 diabetes

The effect of changes in plasma non-esterified fatty acid concentration (NEFA) on plasma glucose concentration, hepatic glucose production (Ra), and glucose disposal (Rd) rates was determined in 14 patients with Type 2 diabetes. Seven patients had relatively mild fasting hyperglycaemia (less than 10.0 mmol l-1), whereas the remaining seven had relatively severe fasting hyperglycaemia (greater than 14.0 mmol l-1). Each patient was infused from 2000 to 0800 h with 3-3H-glucose on two occasions, with or without neutral fat emulsion and heparin (mild hyperglycaemia group), or with or without nicotinic acid (severe hyperglycaemia group). Plasma NEFA concentration increased from 0.33 +/- 0.06 (+/- SE) to 4.78 +/- 0.42 mmol l-1 in response to the lipid and heparin infusion, but plasma glucose concentration (7.8 +/- 0.7 vs 7.4 +/- 0.8 mmol l-1), Ra (0.44 +/- 0.02 vs 0.46 +/- 0.02 mmol m-2 min-1), and Rd (0.42 +/- 0.02 vs 0.46 +/- 0.02 mmol m-2 min-1) were unchanged. Nicotinic acid decreased plasma NEFA concentration from 0.54 +/- 0.15 to 0.23 +/- 0.08 mmol l-1, but plasma glucose (15.0 +/- 1.0 vs 15.5 +/- 1.4 mmol l-1), Ra (0.74 +/- 0.07 vs 0.68 +/- 0.07 mmol m-2 min-1), and Rd (0.73 +/- 0.07 vs 0.68 +/- 0.07 mmol m-2 min-1) were unchanged. The results indicate that acute changes in plasma NEFA concentration did not lead to any change in overnight glucose production or disposal rates.
Epithelial Mucin Genes

The last seven years have been exciting in the world of mucin biology. Molecular analyses of mucin genes and deduced protein structures have provided insight into structural features of mucins and tools with which to examine expression, secretion, and glycosylation, thereby enabling a better understanding of the role of mucins in normal physiological processes and in disease. Functional studies are in progress both in vitro using cDNAs and cell lines and in vivo utilizing mutant mice in which a particular mucin gene has been inactivated or overexpressed. These studies should help determine whether the functions of mucins are restricted to protection and lubrication, or if they are involved in the adhesion of tumor cells to other cells or tissue components or in modulation of the immune system.
Suppression of peroxisomal membrane protein defects by peroxisomal ATP binding cassette (ABC) proteins

X-Linked adrenoleukodystrophy (X-ALD) is a neurodegenerative disorder characterized by reduced peroxisomal very long chain fatty acid (VLCFA) beta-oxidation. The X - ALD gene product (ALDP) is a peroxisomal transmembrane protein with an ATP binding cassette (ABC). ALDP and three other ABC proteins (PMP70, ALDR, P70R) localize to the peroxisomal membrane. The function of this family of peroxisomal membrane proteins is unknown. We used complementation studies to begin analysis of their role in VLCFA beta-oxidation and on the peroxisomal membrane. Expression of either ALDP or PMP70 restores VLCFA beta-oxidation in X-ALD fibroblasts, indicating overlapping functions. Their expression also restores peroxisome biogenesis in cells that are deficient in the peroxisomal membrane protein Pex2p. Thus it is likely that complex protein interactions are involved in the function and biogenesis of peroxisomal membranes that may contribute to disease heterogeneity.
R-Code: Network Coding Based Reliable Broadcast in Wireless Mesh Networks with Unreliable Links

Broadcast is an important primitive in wireless mesh networks (WMNs). Applications like network-wide software update require reliable reception of the content with low-latency and high scalability (i.e., utilizing little bandwidth resource). In reality, the link layer broadcast transmission in WMNs is unreliable, which makes these goals hard to be attained at the same time. In this paper, we consider one-to-all broadcast scenarios and put forward R-Code, a reliable and efficient broadcast protocol based on intra-flow network coding. The key idea is to construct a minimum spanning tree as a backbone whose link weight is the expected number of transmissions on that link. The broadcast overhead and delay are simultaneously reduced by enabling the non-leaf nodes in the tree to move to the next batch of file segments as early as possible, while ensuring their downstream nodes reliably receive and correctly decode all the packets in the current batch. Opportunistic overhearing is utilized to further reduce the number of transmissions. Extensive simulation results show that our scheme always achieves 100% packet delivery ratio (PDR), while enjoying less broadcast overhead and much shorter delay than AdapCode, 14% and 50%, respectively.
Duodenal Mucosal Bicarbonate Secretion in Humans

The old adage “Why doesn’t the stomach digest itself?” has intrigued physiologists, clinical investigators and physicians for generations. In humans, pure parietal cell secretion is approximately 160 mm, and while it is bufferred within the lumen the gastric and duodenal mucosa are subjected to a continual exposure of high concentrations of acid and pepsin. The ability of the gastroduodenal mucosa to protect itself from acid-peptic injury, as well as damage induced by drugs, other injurious agents, alcohol, ischemia, etc., involve a number of intrinsic pre-epithelial, epithelial and sub-epithelial defensive factors that work in concert to prevent mucosal injury. Indeed, when the aggressive factors overwhelm mucosal defense the result is inflammation, erosion or ulceration with the potential of their inherent complications. A host of defensive factors are under investigation including: mucus and bicarbonate secretion, surface active phospholipids, the “mucoid cap”, cellular resistance, acid/base transporters, growth factors, cytokines, leukocyte adhesion molecules and reconstitution.
Optimal Adjustment in the Presence of Deterministic Process Drift and Random Adjustment Error

A state-space process-control model involving adjustment error and deterministic drift of the process mean is presented. The optimal adjustment policy is developed by dynamic programming. This policy calls for a particular adjustment when a Kalman-filter estimator is outside a deadband defined by upper and lower action limits. The effects of adjustment cost, adjustment variance, and drift rate on the optimal policy are discussed. The optimal adjustment policy is computed for a real machining process, and a simulation study is presented that compares the optimal policy to two sensible suboptimal policies.
Nazca–South America interactions and the late Eocene–late Oligocene flat‐slab episode in the central Andes

[1] The most prominent features of the Andean range are the Altiplano and Puna plateaus, which were constructed by crustal shortening and uplift over the past ∼45 Myr. The early construction of these plateaus may have controlled subsequent growth of the orogen. Proposed models have suggested that an abrupt acceleration in relative motion between the Nazca plate and the South American plate at ∼30 Ma may have led to compression of the continent. However, the major plate motion change occurred at 25–23 Ma, and paleomagnetic rotations and crustal shortening of the Andean forearc require that the Arica Bend formed prior to about 25 Ma. Inferred history of flat-slab subduction along the Altiplano section of the Andean margin and the structure of the adjacent South American cratonic shield combine to suggest an alternate scenario, based partly upon geodynamic models of oceanic-continental plate interactions in subduction zones. We propose that central Andean tectonism may have been controlled by two distinct regimes of subduction: (1) oblique subduction along the central Andean margin during the late Eocene and Oligocene accompanied by downdip alignment with the center of the Amazonian Shield (flat-slab activity in this phase of orogenesis may have been caused by a combination of cratonic root enhanced tectonics and oceanic plateau subduction) and (2) an abrupt transition to trench-normal subduction after ∼25 Ma toward the more distal Sao Francisco Craton was accompanied by a return to normal angle subduction. Similar interactions are hypothesized to have occurred during the Laramide Orogeny in western North America.
Practice patterns in endoscopic skull base surgery: survey of the American Rhinologic Society.

Background The introduction of advanced endoscopic techniques has facilitated significant growth in the field of endoscopic skull base surgery (SBS). The purpose of this study is to evaluate the impact of endoscopic SBS on the clinical practice patterns of the American Rhinologic Society (ARS) membership. Methods A 23-item survey vetted by the ARS Board of Directors was electronically disseminated to the ARS membership from February 5, 2013, to March 31, 2013. The target group encompassed 982 ARS members. Results A total of 152 physicians (15.5%) completed the survey. Open and endoscopic skull base procedures were performed by 41% and 94% of the respondents, respectively. During a typical year, the number of endoscopic skull base cases ranged from 0 to 20 in 56%, 21 to 50 in 26%, 51 to 100 in 9%, and >100 in 8%. Endoscopic cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) leak repair (96%) and transsphenoidal pituitary surgery (81%) were the most commonly performed procedures, followed by transcribriform (68.4%), transplanum (54.4%), and transclival (49.6%) approaches. Overall, 69.6% used endoscopy for resections of malignant sinus/skull base lesions. Considerable variation in Current Procedural Terminology (CPT) coding philosophy was observed, with open skull base (32%), unlisted endoscopic (29%), sinus surgery (24%), and unlisted neurosurgical (15%) codes employed by surgeons. Only 29% of physicians reported adequate reimbursement in ≥75% of cases. Eighty-five percent of respondents supported creation of dedicated endoscopic SBS codes. Conclusion This study illustrates the widespread integration of endoscopic SBS procedures into rhinologic clinical practice among survey respondents. However, current variability in coding strategies and inadequate reimbursement may warrant development of specific guidelines to standardize coding and billing processes in the future.
Making Schools Safer and Violence Free

Looks at factors associated with school-age youth involved in violent situations, the impact on schools, characteristics of safe and unsafe schools, and strategies for violence prevention
Effect of activated carbon on lamb performance and rumen parameters.

Abstract The addition of 5% activated carbon on a dry matter basis had no significant effect on weight gain or feed efficiency of lambs fed a ration containing 43% apple pomace contaminated with 2.2ppm DDT. Added carbon had no effect on hematocrit, erythrocyte concentration, serum copper or iron, or pH, per cent nitrogen or per cent volatile fatty acids of rumen fluid. However, added carbon significantly reduced leukocyte and hemoglobin concentrations in blood and number of protozoa per milliliter of rumen fluid.
Intergenerational cost–benefit analysis of climate change: an endogenous abatement approach

This paper studies the intergenerational welfare effects of climate change and a control policy within a decentralized overlapping generations framework, including endogenous abatement activities. The model incorporates a profit stimulated R&D with realistic market distortions to create an induced innovation structure. In this setting, a control policy has the dual role of discouraging emissions and triggering new abatement technologies. The results from numerical simulations show that the omission of entrepreneurial response to a control policy is likely to result in overestimation of costs associated with this particular policy. Although induced innovation has the potential to reduce the compliance costs with the control policy, current and near-future generations will bear some net costs. The higher the damage projected from climate change, the earlier the net benefit will arrive.
Functions of Rasta Talk in a Jamaican Creole Healing Narrative: "A Bigfoot Dem Gi' Mi"

Personal narratives are sites for the negotiation and construction of cultural and linguistic norms, and healing stories recontextualize bodily struggles as social and spiritual conflicts. We argue that a narrative of supernatural illness and cure told in Rasta Talk, a style of Jamaican Creole which is undergoing functional expansion, applies a historical critique of colonialism and racism to the health-care system, while allowing the teller to reposition himself discursively to alleviate suffering and stigma. Creative performance in the genre of illness narrative provides an opportunity for linking the diffusion and transformation of speech styles and registers such as Rasta Talk to the strategic extension of their social functions.
Classifying Video with Kernel Dynamic Textures

The dynamic texture is a stochastic video model that treats the video as a sample from a linear dynamical system. The simple model has been shown to be surprisingly useful in domains such as video synthesis, video segmentation, and video classification. However, one major disadvantage of the dynamic texture is that it can only model video where the motion is smooth, i.e. video textures where the pixel values change smoothly. In this work, we propose an extension of the dynamic texture to address this issue. Instead of learning a linear observation function with PCA, we learn a non-linear observation function using kernel-PCA. The resulting kernel dynamic texture is capable of modeling a wider range of video motion, such as chaotic motion (e.g. turbulent water) or camera motion (e.g. panning). We derive the necessary steps to compute the Martin distance between kernel dynamic textures, and then validate the new model through classification experiments on video containing camera motion.
Characterisation of microplastics and toxic chemicals extracted from microplastic samples from the North Pacific Gyre

Environmental context Microplastics are a new source of toxic compounds in marine and freshwater environments. This research documents the discovery of microplastic fibres in the seawater column and the chemical analysis of associated toxic chemicals in microplastic marine debris. Microplastic pollution is pervasive and hazardous. Abstract Initial studies of floating plastic debris in the oceans dealt with macroscopic particles. This research found microscale plastic present as well. Chemical analysis of sorbed materials revealed toxic materials associated with the microparticles. Seawater and plastic fragment samples were collected in September 2007 in the North Pacific Central Gyre. Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons and polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) were detected by mass spectrometry in extracts from the plastic fragments. Net concentrations of PCBs ranged from 1 to 223ngg–1 plastic. The most common synthetic polymers were found to be polypropylene and polyethylene. Microscopic plastic fibres and particles were also discovered in the seawater samples and examined by scanning electron microscopy. Analysis of filtered seawater samples also revealed toxic materials in concentrations lower than found on the plastic particles.
Mining activity data for dynamic dependency discovery in e-business systems

The growing popularity of e-business has stimulated web sites to evolve from static content servers to complex multi-tier systems built from heterogeneous server platforms. E-businesses now spend a large fraction of their IT budgets maintaining, troubleshooting, and optimizing these web sites. It has been shown that such system management activities may be simplified or automated to various extents if a dynamic dependency graph of the system were available. Currently, all known solutions to the dynamic dependency graph extraction problem are intrusive in nature, i.e. require modifications at application or middleware level. In this paper, we describe non-intrusive techniques based on data mining, which process existing monitoring data generated by server platforms to automatically extract the system component dependency graphs in multi-tier e-business platforms, without any additional application or system modification.
Barlow disease: Simple and complex

From the Department of Cardiovascular Surgery, Houston Methodist Hospital, Houston, Tex. Disclosures: Author has nothing to disclose with regard to commercial support. Received for publication Sept 3, 2015; accepted for publication Sept 5, 2015. Address for reprints: Gerald M. Lawrie, MD, Department of Cardiovascular Surgery, Houston Methodist Hospital, 6560 Fannin, Suite 1842, Houston, TX 77027 (E-mail: gmlawrie@att.net). J Thorac Cardiovasc Surg 2015;150:1078-81 0022-5223/$36.00 Copyright 2015 by The American Association for Thoracic Surgery http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jtcvs.2015.09.030
Dose-response relationships in phase I trials: Are patients treated at lower doses at a disadvantage?

2519 Background: A major goal of phase I trials is to determine a drug's maximally tolerated dose (MTD). However, it has been argued that low-dose patient cohorts are at a disadvantage given the cl...
An Opening for Meaningful Reform

Forthcoming rules governing federal oversight of wetlands could produce more sensible environmental policy. This past January, in accordance with a 2001 Supreme Court ruling that limited federal regulatory authority over the nation's wetlands, the Army Corps of Engineers and the EPA published a proposed list of what wetlands are still under their joint jurisdiction. Given the proposed list, there can be no doubt that a significant change in federal regulation of wetlands is underway, and the change could lead to meaningful and innovative reform of wetlands policy.
The time course of resolution of adhesions during fibrinolytic therapy in tetracycline-induced pleural injury in rabbits

The time required for the effective clearance of pleural adhesions/organization after intrapleural fibrinolytic therapy (IPFT) is unknown. Chest ultrasonography and computed tomography (CT) were us...
Diffusion-limited electrochemical oxidation of H2/CO on Ni-anode catalyst in a CH4/CO2-solid oxide fuel cell

Abstract CH4/CO2-solid oxide fuel cell (SOFC) and CH4-SOFC have been studied at 750, 800, and 850 °C using a Ni anode, which is comprised of a porous Ni/ScSZ (Scandium-Stabilized Zirconia) catalyst interlayer and a porous Ni/YSZ (Yttrium-Stabilized Zirconia) anode support. CH4/CO2-SOFC denotes direct feeding CH4/CO2 to the anode chamber; and CH4-SOFC denotes direct feeding CH4. At open circuit, CH4/CO2-SOFC gave a lower anode activation loss (i.e., polarization) than CH4-SOFC. Analysis of product profiles revealed that CH4- and CH4/CO2-SOFC produced electricity from different reaction pathways. The performance of an anode-supported CH4/CO2-SOFC was diffusion-limited at temperatures above 800 °C. H2/CO produced from CH4 dry reforming on the Ni/YSZ support became limiting reactants for electrochemical oxidation on the Ni/ScSZ catalyst interlayer. Electrochemical oxidation of CO is more diffusion-limited than that of H2 because of its molecular size.
In vivo methylation of DNA in human leukocytes.

SummaryThe incorporation of 3H-labeled methyl groups into DNA from normal and leukemic human leukocytes has been studied. The sp act of DNA were higher in leukocyte samples of acute lymphocytic leukemia (ALL) and acute myelocytic leukemic (AML) than in those of normal and chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL). The highest radioactivity was found in 5-methylcytosine with moderate radioactivity in thymine and low levels in adenine, 7-methylguanine, and cytosine.
Development of Consumable Transfer Systems for Sustainable Lunar Exploration

NASA has identified Supportability as a key requirement for the development of future space exploration architectu res. Based on many years of ground operations experience, NASA KSC has been tasked to lead the investigation of technologies required for a sustainable Consumables Transfer station for use on the lunar surface. This Consumables Transfer task is a technolog y development and proof -of -concept project intended to develop component technologies and integrate them into a proof -of -concept prototype consumables transfer system. The desired end state is a modular, extensible system capable of servicing multiple luna r surface assets, including the connection and distribution of fluid commodities. Technology at the component level will be developed to minimize the logistics footprint of the missions, promote commonality between systems, minimize human maintenance or r epair activities, and ensure reliability and robustness in the lunar environment. Technology at the system level will be developed to minimize supply requirements from Earth by integrating thermal requirements with other systems, providing capability for s torage and distribution of the products of the In Situ Resource Utilization system, and recovering and recycling waste products and energy from other surface assets. Among the sub -tasks is the development of modular, expandable oxygen storage and distribut ion system s capable of liquefaction of I n Situ Resource Utilization (ISRU) produced commodities and zero boil -off storage and zero loss transfer. A novel cryogenic system that incorporates integrated refrigeration and storage is proposed to meet existing architecture requirements as well as increase mission capabilities is proposed. Details of a concept of operations analysis will be presented in this paper .
Effects of Smelting Process on Microstructure and Properties of TM210A Steels

Because of practical condition that the microstructure and properties of the TM210A maraging steel didn ' t meet the requirements from the standard,the effects of chemical composition and the remelting rates in vacuum consumable electrode on the macrostructure and the mechanical properties of the TM210A steel bars were investigated.The microstructures of the steel bars after solid-solution and aging treatments were observed by transmission electron microscopy(TEM).The experimental results showed that the reasonable control of the contents of the strengthening elements increased the strength of the bar,and the appropriate remelting rate in vacuum consumable electrode also effectively improved the macrostructure quality and the strength of the bar.The smelting processes of the steels were established according to the above results.
Experimental Research on High-Voltage Transmission Line Protection Device Based on Electromechanical-Electromagnetic Transient Hybrid Simulation

A scheme to examine acting characteristics of high-voltage transmission line protection devices by electromechanical-electromagnetic transient hybrid simulation is proposed. The hybrid simulation can fully play the superiorities of electromechanical transient simulation and electromagnetic transient simulation,so not only the precision of system simulation can be improved,but also the workload brought by system equivalence can be reduced. Comparing the data from the faults actually occurred in power system and that from simulation results,it is proved that the proposed method can reflect actual operational conditions of power system. A hybrid simulation model,in which the parameters of actual domestic power system are adopted,is built,and a lot of simulation tests of protection devices for a certain high-voltage transmission line in China are performed,and simulation results show that it is available to use hybrid simulation to the examination of transmission line protection devices.
THE INTERNATIONAL FLOW OF CULTURAL CAPITAL AND AN AMERICAN ANTHROPOLOGIST'S EXPERIENCES DOING ETHNOGRAPHY IN CROATIA : THE INSIDER/OUTSIDER QUESTION

This essay is a discussion of the author's changing perspectives of his anthropological research in Croatia which comes about through the postmodern critique of theorectical paradigms as well as the fact that financial and cultural globalization has changed the subject of our research. Added to the globalization process and the international flow of cultural capital in Croatia are the recent events of the collapse of a modernism experiment in Marxism and the emergence of ethnic nationalism. The complexity of these current postmodern trends in theorectical anthropology, combined with complex current historical processes on top of a very complex history in Croatia, raise real questions about whether or not the outsider anthropologist can textualize the cultural situation here. But, a question still remains as to whether the insider anthropologist/ethnologist can textualize a cultural situation that is difficult to draw parameters around because of the international flow of cultural capital, e.g., are the younger generation really focused on localized ethnic nationalism or is this now a situation that is so internationalized that our former assumptions about local place make no longer make sense?
Defining Rural in Gifted Education Research Methodological Challenges and Paths Forward

Definitions of rurality in education research are inconsistent, making generalization across studies difficult at best. We review published research in rural education between 2005 and 2015 (n = 17...
Clinical decision support system for management of root canal treated teeth

Root canal treated teeth require proper prosthodontic restoration following therapy to ensure long-term success. Although the subject has been widely researched and published in dental literature, the topic of best way to restore endodontically treated teeth still remains an area prone to anecdotal decision-making. Inappropriate management of such teeth can cause adverse clinical consequences and significant inconvenience to the patient as well as financial implications both for the patient and provider. To address this problem, we have developed a clinical decision support and training system based on expert knowledge and evidence-based guidelines that provides case-specific recommendations, alerts and treatment prognosis. This method presentation article provides design and implementation details of the system that can be leveraged by students and less-experienced clinicians at point-of-care to enhance decision-making and improve treatment outcomes for endodontically treated teeth.
Influence of Crystal Allomorph and Crystallinity on the Products and Behavior of Cellulose during Fast Pyrolysis

Cellulose is the primary biopolymer responsible for maintaining the structural and mechanical integrity of cell walls and, during the fast pyrolysis of biomass, may be restricting cell wall expansion and inhibiting phase transitions that would otherwise facilitate efficient escape of pyrolysis products. Here, we test whether modifications in two physical properties of cellulose, its crystalline allomorph and degree of crystallinity, alter its performance during fast pyrolysis. We show that both crystal allomorph and relative crystallinity of cellulose impact the slate of primary products produced by fast pyrolysis. For both cellulose-I and cellulose-II, changes in crystallinity dramatically impact the fast pyrolysis product portfolio. In both cases, only the most highly crystalline samples produced vapors dominated by levoglucosan. Cellulose-III, on the other hand, produces largely the same slate of products regardless of its relative crystallinity and produced as much or more levoglucosan at all crystall...
Reading Literally: Boyle, the Bible, and the Book of Nature

As perhaps the most renowned of the founding members of the Royal Society, Robert Boyle’s early treatise on the Holy Scriptures deserves more attention than it has received among historians of seventeenth-century science. Some Considerations Touching the Style of the Holy Scriptures represents much more than a pious tribute to the wondrous universality, power, and wisdom of God’s Word in the Bible as captured in the postlapsarian figures, tropes, and trappings of human languages.1 Boyle’s youthful treatise masterfully produces an account of the ‘style’ of the Scriptures, ultimately designed to suggest a blueprint for how humans might read that sacred text critically to unmask—and therefore fathom—the Divine Word. Such instruction in how to read Scripture proves necessary precisely because the Divine Word comes to its mortal readers already fully clothed in the garb of human discourse, tradition, and experience, lending a real possibility that readers might misconstrue not only obscure, but even seemingly transparent passages. As it turns out, Boyle’s sophisticated account of reading as a thoroughly situated and historical practice provides not just a model, but a potential set of artful practices—technē or technologies—crucial to the task of reading that other complex, layered, multiply plotted, and labyrinthine text––the Book of Nature––literally. Thus Boyle’s work on the Scriptures represents a contribution to thinking about precisely how postlapsarian humans may make themselves fit to access, decode, and de-inscribe each of God’s two books: the Holy Scriptures and the Book of Nature.
The Price of Beauty: Differential Effects of Design Elements with and without Cost Implications in Nonprofit Donor Solicitations

Research on the optimization of donation solicitations has focused on language and content rather than appearance. The present work considers how a solicitation’s appearance influences donor response. The results indicate that potential donors make inferences about the soliciting organization based on the aesthetics of the solicitation materials. In general, highly aesthetic elements increase perceptions of organizational professionalism, which consequently leads to greater donations. However, aesthetic enhancement can backfire; when high levels of aesthetics with cost implications (e.g., embossed cardstock, gold ink) are combined with high levels of aesthetics without cost implications (e.g., attractive background, appealing font), perceptions of organizational wastefulness discourage donations. Thus, the most effective solicitation is not the most beautiful but rather one offering high levels of aesthetics without cost implications and low levels of aesthetics with cost implications. The studies demonstrate these effects in the field and in the lab and also identify moderators of the negative effect of aesthetics with cost implications on donations.
Sex Differences in Trajectories of Risk After Rehospitalization for Heart Failure, Acute Myocardial Infarction, or Pneumonia.

Background— Women have an increased risk of rehospitalization in the immediate postdischarge period; however, few studies have determined how readmission risk dynamically changes on a day-to-day basis over the full year after hospitalization by sex and how these differences compare with the risk for mortality. Methods and Results— We identified >3 000 000 hospitalizations of patients with a principal discharge diagnosis of heart failure, acute myocardial infarction, or pneumonia and estimated sex differences in the daily risk of rehospitalization/death 1 year after discharge from a population of Medicare fee-for-service beneficiaries aged 65 years and older. We calculated the (1) time required for adjusted rehospitalization/mortality risks to decline 50% from maximum values after discharge, (2) time required for the adjusted readmission risk to approach plateau periods of minimal day-to-day change, and (3) extent to which adjusted risks are greater among recently hospitalized patients versus Medicare patients. We identified 1 392 289, 530 771, and 1 125 231 hospitalizations for heart failure, acute myocardial infarction, and pneumonia, respectively. The adjusted daily risk of rehospitalization varied by admitting condition (hazard rate ratio for women versus men, 1.10 for acute myocardial infarction; hazard rate ratio, 1.04 for heart failure; and hazard rate ratio, 0.98 for pneumonia). However, for all conditions, the adjusted daily risk of death was higher among men versus women (hazard rate ratio women versus with men, Conclusions— Although the association of sex with daily risk of rehospitalization varies across conditions, women are at highest risk after discharge for acute myocardial infarction. Future studies should focus on understanding the determinants of sex differences in rehospitalization risk among conditions.
Fault Detection and Isolation in the Directional Residual Approach

Abstract After directional residuals are generated by the appropriate residual generator, detection and classification are needed to diagnose the fault. Two methods are presented in this work. For detection purpose, a control region is defined to confirm or reject the presence of a particular fault from the sample taken. For further isolation, an approach is proposed which will minimize the expected cost resulting from misclassification. Both methods are based on multivariate statistical analysis.