cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Inclusion of piezoelectric polarization in the design of a flextensional actuator

Actuators based on smart materials generally exhibit a tradeoff between force and stroke. Researchers have surrounded piezoelectric materials (PZT's) with compliant structures to magnify either their geometric or mechanical advantage. Most of these designs are literally built around a particular piezoelectric device, so the design space consists of only the compliant mechanism. Materials scientists researchers have demonstrated the ability to pole a PZT in an arbitrary direction, and some engineers have taken advantage of this to build "shear mode" actuators. The goal of this work is to determine if the performance of compliant mechanisms improves by the inclusion of the piezoelectric polarization as a design variable. The polarization vector is varied via transformation matrixes, and the compliant actuator is modeled using the SIMP (Solid Isotropic Material with Penalization) or "power-law method." The concept of mutual potential energy is used to form an objective function to measure the piezoelectric actuator's performance. The optimal topology of the compliant mechanism and orientation of the polarization method are determined using a sequential linear programming algorithm. This paper presents a demonstration problem that shows small changes in the polarization vector have a marginal effect on the optimum topology of the mechanism, but improves actuation.
The skin and hypercoagulable states

Hypercoagulable states (HS) are inherited or acquired conditions that predispose an individual to venous and/or arterial thrombosis. The dermatologist can play a vital role in diagnosing a patient's HS by recognizing the associated cutaneous manifestations, such as purpura, purpura fulminans, livedo reticularis, livedo vasculopathy (atrophie blanche), anetoderma, chronic venous ulcers, and superficial venous thrombosis. The cutaneous manifestations of HS are generally nonspecific, but identification of an abnormal finding can warrant a further workup for an underlying thrombophilic disorder. This review will focus on the basic science of hemostasis, the evaluation of HS, the skin manifestations associated with hypercoagulability, and the use of antiplatelet and anticoagulant therapy in dermatology.
Nuclear Data Sheets Update for A = 205

All experimental nuclear structure and decay data are evaluated with adopted sets for the nine nuclei (Hg, Tl, Pb, Bi, Po, At, Rn, Fr, Ra) of mass 205. New data since the last evaluation are available for (d,p[gamma]) in Hg, (pol d, [sup 3]He), (pol p, [alpha]) in Tl, ([alpha], 4n[gamma]) in Bi, high spin studies in Po from ([alpha],5n[gamma]) and ([sup 13]C, 5n[gamma]) in At. [sup 205]Ra has been identified for the first time.
Disulfiram Distribution and Elimination in the Rat After Oral and Intraperitoneal Administration

35S disulfiram (DSF), 7 mg/kg, was administered as a single dose to rats both orally (p.o.) or intraperitoneally (i.p.). The 35S DSF was rapidly absorbed by either route. Kidney, pancreas, liver, and the gastrointestinal tract exhibited the greatest uptake of radioactivity, while the least was found in brain. Preferential tissue uptake was similar with both routes of administration. Seven percent of the dose was excreted in the feces. Approximately 12% of the dose was eliminated by the breath as CS2. The 35S-DSF was rapidly metabolized to the 35S-diethyldithiocarbamate-glucuronide and 35S inorganic sulfate. Approximately 93% of the radioactivity was accounted for 48 hr after p.o. or i.p. 35S administration.
Does the mendosal suture exist in the adult

There is a paucity of information in the literature regarding the mendosal suture. Furthermore, reports of the closure of this presumed suture of childhood are variable. This study seeks to establish the presence or absence of this structure in the adult. Fifty adult skulls were evaluated for the presence or absence of the mendosal suture. Sixteen percent of specimens were found to have a mendosal suture. Six specimens were found to have these sutures bilaterally, and two had sutures on the right side only. Most sutures were linear in nature. The mendosal suture approximated the superior nuchal line in all specimens and more or less traveled medial and perpendicular to the lambdoidal suture. The length of these sutures ranged from 0.8 to 1.4 cm (1.1 cm). Our hopes are that these data will prove useful to both the anatomist and clinicians, so that, when present, misinterpretation of the mendosal suture will be avoided.
Constructing Good Decisions in Ethically Charged Situations: The Role of Dramatic Rehearsal

This paper develops a pragmatist approach to ethical business decision-making. It draws primarily on the work of John Dewey and applies his deliberative approach to ethics to the challenges of business practitioners. In particular the paper proposes the value of Dewey’s concept of dramatic rehearsal in emphasizing the task of “constructing the good” in ethical decision-making. The contribution of the paper is, first, to build on recent foundational work to bring American pragmatism into the mainstream business ethics literature; second, to offer a perspective that is accessible to practitioners and integrates ethics into their daily tasks; and third, to identify a number of related research imperatives – in particular the importance of focusing efforts on gaining a deeper understanding of the deliberative process itself.
Agrobacterium-mediated transformation and regeneration of guayule

In vitro grown shoot tissue of facultative apomictic lines of guayule (Parthenium argentatum Gray), a rubber producing desert shrub, were transformed by Agrobacterium-mediated DNA transfer and regenerated into complete plants. Guayule shoots of lines 11591, UC101 and UC104 were inoculated with A. tumefaciens strains LBA4404 or PC2760 harboring the binary vector pCGN1557. Axillary shoots were regenerated from transformed cells and rooted in vitro in the presence of kanamycin. Genetic transformation in all cases was verified by Southern blot analysis. Transgenic plants were grown to maturity in the greenhouse and, as predicted for apomictic species, all seed produced possessed kanamycin resistance. Because apomicts have limitations for gene transfer by normal sexual crosses, this method offers a new means of transferring genes into this species.
Anaerobic bacteria in dentoalveolar abscesses

Abstract The present study was initiated to determine the bacteriology of 40 orofacial abscesses of dental origin in patients who had taken antibiotics for several days. Bacteria were isolated from all but 2 specimens. Aerobic or facultative anaerobic bacteria were isolated in 21 cases, obligate anaerobic bacteria in 17 cases, whereas in 11 cases, polymicrobial growth was revealed. The average number of bacterial species was 2.1 per specimen. Gram positive aerobic micro-organisms predominated, namely, Staphylococcus epidermidis followed by Streptococci (group A) and Staphylococcus aureus . Among obligate anaerobes, Gram positive micro-organisms, pepto-streptococci and peptococci were more often isolated, in the following decreasing order: Ps. productus, Ps. indermedius, Ps. parvulus, Ps. anaerobius, Pc. constellants, Pc. prevotii . Gram negative anaerobic rods were detected in a small number of cases, namely B. corrodens, B. fragilis, B. melaninogenicus, B. ochraceus, B. oralis . Quantitative determination did not show any meaningful difference between aerobic and anaerobic isolates. Susceptibility tests against a series of antibiotics showed that ampicillin was the most active in aerobes and cefoxitin in anaerobes.
The Intergenerational Transmission of Marital Aggression.

Data from a nationally representative sample of 2,143 adults were used to explore the relationship between two types of childhood family aggression and severe marital aggression in the next generation. The results indicate that observing hitting between one's parents is more strongly related to involvement in severe marital aggression than is being hit as a teenager by one's parents. In addition, the modeling of marital aggression does not appear to be sex specific. Observing one's father hitting one's mother increases the likelihood that sons will be victims as well as perpetrators, and that daughters will be perpetrators as well as victims of severe marital aggression. These results suggest that the transmission offamily aggression across generations, while not sex specific, tends to be role specific and should be studied as such.
Colony demographics of rare soldier-polymorphic worker caste systems in Pheidole ants (Hymenoptera, Formicidae)

Nearly all species in the ant genus Pheidole have dimorphic workers, with distinct small minors and larger soldiers. The size range of both castes is typically narrow. Just seven described species are soldier-polymorphic, with a broad soldier size range. Here, we characterize worker caste allocation and demography in the soldier-polymorphic P. obtusospinosa, P. rhea, and P. tepicana, and the dimorphic P. spadonia for comparison. The head allometry of soldiers in soldier-polymorphic species is strongly positive and that of dimorphic species is negative. Among soldier-polymorphic species, the soldier castes differ from each other in the degree of positive allometry. In addition, they differ in the number of size modes: P. obtusospinosa and P. rhea have two and P. tepicana has one. During colony ontogeny, P. obtusospinosa first has one mode and develops the second mode much later, while P. rhea produces multiple modes throughout. We also characterize worker caste systems based on the biomass allocation. For all three soldier-polymorphic species, the majority of soldiers are small soldiers. Pheidole obtusospinosa and P. rhea allocate roughly equal biomass to the two soldier classes, while P. tepicana allocates little to supersoldiers based on both biomass and caste ratio. These findings illustrate the interplay among caste ratios, biomass allocation, size frequency distributions, and allometry in the evolution of different worker caste systems. We conclude that soldier-polymorphic species may have evolved convergently in response to broad-scale factors, but differences among them suggest selection pressures in small-scale environments have been different.
From Bedside to Bench and Back: The Diagnosis and Biology of Bullous Diseases

The history of dermatology is replete with examples where astute physicians have made key observations that have led to the recognition of distinct diseases and syndromes. While clinicians may be either lumpers or splitters, their unifying theme has been that of identifying common elements among patients to assist in their diagnosis, classification, and treatment. Light microscopy, electron microscopy, immunopathologic techniques, and molecular biology have provided dermatologists additional data to assist in their analysis of incompletely understood and poorly classified skin diseases. Application of these techniques over the past 40 years to patients with bullous diseases has led to the development of many new concepts including the following: (1) patients with bullous diseases have autoantibodies that target disease-specific antigens that represent important structural components of normal human skin; (2) autoantibodies from patients with certain bullous diseases are pathogenic in experimental animal models; and (3) some of the same structural proteins targeted by autoantibodies in patients with acquired autoimmune bullous diseases are mutated in patients with inherited bullous diseases. An overview of these concepts is the subject of this brief review.
Whatever happened to the (post)socialist city

Abstract For several decades, urban geographers asked themselves whether there was such a thing as the “socialist city.” Did cities during the duration of state socialism (in most parts of East-Central Europe, roughly 1949–1990) include spatial features that were sufficiently distinct from the characteristics of cities located farther west to warrant the existence of an autonomous term: the so-called socialist city? Were the processes of spatial production in these cities also sufficiently distinct? A quarter of a century after the end of state socialism in East-Central Europe, this paper revisits the old debate with a new twist. Assuming there was a “socialist city,” is there a post-socialist one? Did the features of the “socialist city” disintegrate or endure after 1990? Is the new formation distinct not only from its socialist predecessors but also from contemporary European cities that were never socialist?
Temporary Interconnection of ZigBee Personal Area Network (PAN)

ZigBee is popular for Wireless Sensor Network (WSN) devices because of its low power consumption, built-in security method and ratified specifications. With these features, it is also suitable to be used with medical sensor devices. Medical sensors in a human body self organize a ZigBee Personal Area Network (PAN). These PANs are interconnected and form a HealthNet. For the interconnection, a ZigBee PAN detects existence of another PAN with beacon detection or active channel scan. Different ZigBee interconnection schemes are used after detection. PAN bridge method uses special bridge node that works for different PANs with time division method. PAN merge method temporarily changes PAN coordinator's role as bridge node and merges two PANs. Peer-to-peer network temporarily share all resources when two PANs are met, but all PANs have to use the same channel and operate as an ad-hoc network. In this paper, we perform extensive evaluations using NS-2 simulations to compare PAN interconnection methods. Results show that the PAN bridge is the most useful method because it is not affected by router/node ratio and is applicable to different channel usages.
Functional significance of interrenal cell zonation in the adrenal gland of the duck (Anas platyrhynchos).

Slices of whole adrenal gland tissue, incubated in vitro in the presence of ACTH for 1 h and 2 h produced corticosterone and aldosterone in constant ratio (16∶1). Tangential slices taken from the region immediately below the connective tissue capsule and slices taken from deeper regions of the gland consisted primarily of cells conforming to the distinct structural characteristics of the subcapsular zone (SCZ) and inner zone (IZ) tissues respectively. When samples were incubated in the presence of ACTH for 1 h and 2 h, the interrenal cells of the SCZ produced relatively more aldosterone than cells taken from the IZ of the gland. The corticosterone: aldosterone ratio for the IZ after 1 h (68∶1) and after 2 h (102∶1) were ten times greater than the ratios for the SCZ after 1 h (7∶1) and after 2 h (10∶1). The SCZ slices were not more than 60 cells thick and consisted of cells arranged in cords. These cells contained irregular nuclei, mitochondria with shelf-like cristae and a moderate abundance of smooth endoplasmic reticulum. In contrast, the production of large amounts of corticosterone by the cells of the IZ was associated with tissue containing more vascular space than the SCZ and the cells contained large round nuclei surrounded by an abundance of smooth endoplasmic reticulum and the mitochondria had tubular rather than shelf-like cristae.
Family narratives: Internal representations of family relationships and affective themes

Family narratives provide a window for viewing aspects of past and present family relationships. There appear to be meaningful variations among families with respect to their narrative recounting of family events. This paper describes results of a pilot study designed to elicit family narratives using a structured, multigenerational family interview with parental couples. A structured, multigenerational family interview seems to have clinical utility. The paper will suggest directions for further empirical research using the family genogram interview.
The Implementation of Character Education and Children’s Literature to Teach Bullying Characteristics and Prevention Strategies to Preschool Children: An Action Research Project

Bullying behaviors among young children are taking place in preschool classrooms and child-development centers. The author makes a case, based on bullying themes in children’s literature and both qualitative and quantitative data collection with young children, for the use of children’s picture books to teach character as bullying prevention to 4–6 year old children. Through the reading of picture books and character education activities with a bullying theme preschool children develop a better understanding of bullying characteristics and strategies for dealing with bullying behaviors. Included are the results from questionnaires and interviews with preschool children and an annotated bibliography of children’s picture books and activities useful in the instruction and prevention of bullying behaviors.
A Nod factor-binding lectin is a member of a distinct class of apyrases that may be unique to the legumes.

Recent studies from our laboratory have found that a root lectin from the legume Dolichos biflorus is present on the root surface, binds rhizobial Nod factor and has apyrase activity. To assess the broader significance of this lectin/nucleotide phosphohydrolase (Db-LNP), we have cloned a second related cDNA (Db-apyrase-2) from D. biflorus, as well as related cDNAs from the legumes Lotus japonicus and Medicago sativa, and from Arabidopsis thaliana, a non-legume. The deduced amino acid sequences of these apyrases were aligned with one another and with the sequences of other apyrases from plants, animals, yeast and protozoa. Phylogenetic analysis shows that Db-LNP has closely related orthologs only in other legumes, while Db-apyrase-2 is more closely related to apyrase sequences from non-leguminous plants. We also show that the orthologs of Db-LNP from M. sativa and Pisum sativum have carbohydrate binding activity. The results suggest that legume LNPs may represent a special class of apyrases that arose by gene duplication and subsequent specialization.
Pharmacologic strategies for prevention of atrial fibrillation after open heart surgery.

Postoperative atrial fibrillation is a common complication after open heart surgery; it increases morbidity, hospital stay, and costs. In an analysis of 8 large cardiac surgery trials totaling 20,193 patients, the incidence of postoperative atrial fibrillation was estimated to be 26% and ranged from 17% to 35%. We reviewed the results of 52 studies published between 1966 and 2003 that evaluated pharmacologic strategies to prevent postoperative atrial fibrillation in nearly 10,000 patients undergoing open heart operations. Supraventricular tachyarrhythmias, including atrial fibrillation, after open heart operations occurred in 29% of patients who did not receive prophylactic drugs, compared with 12% in patients who received intravenous followed by oral amiodarone, 15% in those given sotalol, 16% in those given oral amiodarone, and 19% in those given β-blockers. Pharmacologic strategies and regimens aimed at preventing postoperative atrial fibrillation are necessary to optimize the postoperative care of patients undergoing open heart operations. Although no strategy has consistently been shown to be superior to another, the most effective approach to preventing postoperative atrial fibrillation likely involves multiple interventions. In the absence of contraindications, all patients should receive β-blocker therapy before and after the operation. For patients with 1 or more risk factors for postoperative atrial fibrillation, regimens consisting of either sotalol (β-blocker with class III antiarrhythmic properties) alone or β-blockers in combination with amiodarone seem to be the safest, most effective pharmacologic strategies for preventing postoperative atrial fibrillation.
Neuroprotection by MK-801 in temperature maintained gerbils

Hypothermia reduces ischemic brain damage, confounding interpretation of the neuroprotective effects of drugs. Specifically, the neuroprotectant MK-801 has been shown to cause hypothermia. Some have claimed that when body temperature is maintained, MK-801 is not a neuroprotectant, whereas others claim it retains its neuroprotective activity. MK-801 was evaluated for neuroprotective properties in free-regulating as well as temperature-maintained gerbils receiving 5 or 10 min of bilateral carotid occlusion. After 10 min of ischemia, free-regulating animals exhibited significant hypothermia (as low as 32°C) and showed significant neuroprotection after 3 mg/kg IP MK-801. When a hyperthermic body temperature (38.5°C) was maintained, no reduction in brain damage was evident after up to 10 mg/kg IP MK-801, even when occlusion time was reduced to 5 min. However, when a normothermic body temperature (36.5°C) was maintained, 10 mg/kg IP MK-801 significantly reduced brain damage after 5 min of ischemia. Thus, although a higher dose of the drug is required, MK-801 can reduce ischemic brain damage in the absence of hypothermia. The need for this high dose suggests that mechanisms other than NMDA receptor complex antagonism may be involved in the neuroprotective actions of MK-801.
Parallel Linear Solvers for Reservoir Simulation: A Generic Approach for Existing and Emerging Computer Architectures

Recent architectural advances in the computer industry focus on the numerical solution of intensive flows, such as in oil reservoirs, on several processors simultaneously. Different computer architectures evolved from connection of these processors: shared memory with a few processors, distributed memory with up to a few hundred processors, and massively parallel with several thousand processors. Oil industry researchers are developing efficient techniques to improve hydrocarbon recovery in reservoirs by use of these computers. In this work, a generic approach is developed to solve the large system of sparse linear equations that arises in reservoir simulation. This approach uses a combination of domain decomposition and multigrid techniques that results in efficient and robust algorithms for sequential computers with one processor and for parallel computers with few to several tens of processors. The efficiency and robustness of these methods is comparable with widely used sequential solvers for problems of practical interest, which include implicit wells and faults. In parallel, these methods prove to be an order of magnitude faster on a 32-node iPSC/860 hypercube.
Electromechanical Properties of Relaxor Ferroelectric Lead Magnesium Niobate-Lead Titanate Ceramics

In this paper, the results of a recent investigation of the dependence of the induced piezoelectric activity on temperature, electric bias field, and frequency and the electrostrictive response in the relaxor ferroelectric lead magnesium niobate-lead titanate ceramics ( (1- x)(Pb(Mg1/3Nb2/3)O3)- x(PbTiO3)) at compositions below 30% PT are presented. It was observed that the electrostrictive strain at temperatures near the dielectric constant maximum T max increases monotonically with increased PT content. For PMN:PT at compositions near 30% PT, the electrostrictive strain under a 10 kV/cm electric field can reach about 0.15% with very little hysteresis. An exceptionally large piezoelectric response with an effective piezoelectric d33 coefficient in the electric field induced state of over 1,800 pC/N could be achieved for selected PMN:PT compositions and electric bias fields.
Large-scale genomic sequencing of extraintestinal pathogenic Escherichia coli strains

Large-scale bacterial genome sequencing efforts to date have provided limited information on the most prevalent category of disease: sporadically acquired infections caused by common pathogenic bacteria. Here, we performed whole-genome sequencing and de novo assembly of 312 blood- or urine-derived isolates of extraintestinal pathogenic (ExPEC) Escherichia coli, a common agent of sepsis and community-acquired urinary tract infections, obtained during the course of routine clinical care at a single institution. We find that ExPEC E. coli are highly genomically heterogeneous, consistent with pan-genome analyses encompassing the larger species. Investigation of differential virulence factor content and antibiotic resistance phenotypes reveals markedly different profiles among lineages and among strains infecting different body sites. We use high-resolution molecular epidemiology to explore the dynamics of infections at the level of individual patients, including identification of possible person-to-person transmission. Notably, a limited number of discrete lineages caused the majority of bloodstream infections, including one subclone (ST131-H30) responsible for 28% of bacteremic E. coli infections over a 3-yr period. We additionally use a microbial genome-wide-association study (GWAS) approach to identify individual genes responsible for antibiotic resistance, successfully recovering known genes but notably not identifying any novel factors. We anticipate that in the near future, whole-genome sequencing of microorganisms associated with clinical disease will become routine. Our study reveals what kind of information can be obtained from sequencing clinical isolates on a large scale, even well-characterized organisms such as E. coli, and provides insight into how this information might be utilized in a healthcare setting.
Lack of efficacy of curcumin on neurodegeneration in the mouse model of Niemann-Pick C1.

In order to determine the efficacy of curcumin in ameliorating symptoms of neurodegeneration in the mouse model of Niemann–Pick C1, a variety of formulations and dosages of curcumin, one comparable to one previously reported as efficacious, were provided orally to Npc1−/−mice. Plasma levels of curcumin, survival, tests of motor performance, and memory (in some cases) were performed. We found variable, but mild, increases in survival (1.5% to 18%). The greatest increased survival occurred with the highest dose (which was unformulated) while the control for the lipidated formulation (containing phosphatidylcholine and stearic acid) had an equivalent impact and other formulations, while not significantly increased, are also not statistically different in effect from the highest dose. We conclude that curcumin is not a highly efficacious treatment for neurodegeneration in Npc1−/− mice. Phosphatidylcholine and stearic acid should be studied further.
Decreased response to novel stimuli after prefrontal lesions in man

Abstract Experiments were conducted to study the contribution of prefrontal cortex to the generation and modulation of two varieties of P300 activity. Control subjects generated typical parietal maximal P300 responses to detected target stimuli. Unexpected, novel auditory stimuli presented to controls generated an earlier latency, fronto-centrally distributed P300 response. A similar earlier latency, fronto-central P300 is generated to unexpected, novel visual stimuli. The occurrence of this phenomenon in both the auditory and visual modalities suggests that it may reflect neural activity of a common CNS system involved in the orienting response. Subjects with unilateral prefrontal damage generated P300 complexes to target stimuli that did not differ from the control responses. Prefrontal damage, however, resulted in a specific defect in the P300 response to the unexpected novel stimulus. Prefrontal patients showed neither N200 enhancement nor the fronto-central P300 response to the novel stimulus that was found in control subjects. These findings indicate that prefrontal regions are critical for the organism's response to unexpected novel stimuli. Abnormalities in prefrontal control of sensory-limbic integration may be a critical element in the decreased P300 to novel stimuli found in these unilateral prefrontal lesioned patients. It is suggested that major features of the human frontal lobe syndrome may be explained by a physiological inability to control attention and orientation systems after prefrontal damage.
Nonlinear phase dispersion spectroscopy

Nonlinear phase dispersion spectroscopy is introduced as a means to retrieve wideband, high spectral resolution profiles of the wavelength-dependent real part of the refractive index. The method is based on detecting dispersion effects imparted to a light field with low coherence transmitted through a thin sample and detected interferometrically in the spectral domain. The same sampled signal is also processed to yield quantitative phase maps and spectral information regarding the total attenuation coefficient using spectral-domain phase microscopy and spectroscopic optical coherence tomography (SOCT), respectively. Proof-of-concept experiments using fluorescent and nonfluorescent polystyrene beads and another using a red blood cell demonstrate the ability of the method to quantify various absorptive/dispersive features. The increased sensitivity of this method, novel to our knowledge, is compared to intensity-based spectroscopy (e.g., SOCT), and potential applications are discussed.
Instituting diversity: Official nationalism in post‐independence India∗

(1999). Instituting diversity: Official nationalism in post‐independence India. South Asia: Journal of South Asian Studies: Vol. 22, No. 1, pp. 79-99.
Scale effects in uncertainty modeling of presettlement vegetation distribution

This article proposes a geostatistical interpolation method, namely, block indicator kriging, as a means to model uncertainty-quantified presettlement vegetation surfaces. We demonstrate its potential in landscape ecology for improving the quality of the resulting surfaces using indicator-coded presettlement land survey record data and the areal proportion of each species. The geostatistical interpolation method presented in this study explicitly models support differences between the source data and the prediction surface, while taking into account spatial dependence present in multiscale presettlement land survey record data. In this case study, we demonstrate that block indicator kriging with areal proportion data substantially increases the prediction accuracy and coherence using witness tree species data recorded in the northeast of Minnesota. The relative merit of the proposed geostatistical interpolation method to other conventional geostatistical approaches is illustrated through a comparative analysis, where continuous vegetation surfaces obtained from other approaches are compared with those obtained from the block indicator kriging with areal proportion data in terms of the prediction accuracy and consistency.
Toxicity of Pyrolysis Gases From Phenolic, Isocyanurate, and Polystyrene Rigid Foam Insulation

Samples of phenolic, isocyanurate, and polystyrene rigid foam insulation were evaluated for toxicity of pyrolysis gases, using four different test conditions of the toxicity screening test method developed at the University of San Francisco. The test conditions were 200 to 800°C rising temperature and 800°C fixed temperature, each without forced air flow and with 1 L/min air flow.On the average over these four particular test conditions, phenolic foam appeared to exhibit the greatest toxicity and polystyrene foam appeared to exhibit the least toxicity.
Cytotoxic agents in the treatment of laryngeal sarcoidosis: a case report and review of the literature.

Summary Sarcoidosis is a multisystem disease with various clinical manifestations. It is characterized primarily on a histopathologic basis by the presence of noncaseating granulomata. Laryngeal involvement reportedly occurs in 3–5% of cases, and it is typically localized to the supraglottic region. Patients often present with hoarseness, dysphagia, stridor, or dyspnea. Laryngoscopy typically demonstrates a pale, edematous epiglottis studded with nodules. 1 Tissue biopsy reveals the classic noncaseating granuloma; however, the finding is not diagnostic. Sarcoidosis remains a diagnosis of exclusion to be entertained once other verifiable etiologies for granulomatous disease of the larynx, such as TB, syphilis, fungal infection, berylliosis, or Wegener's granulomatosis, have been ruled out. 2 Systemic corticosteroids remain the mainstay of treatment; however, new steroid-sparing therapies that target the inflammatory response of sarcoidosis are currently being investigated. The case history of a patient with laryngeal sarcoidosis who was managed with the immunosuppressant azathioprine (Imuran) is summarized along with a discussion of other treatment options.
Oxygen ordering in Y1Ba2Cu3O7−x

Abstract We describe oxygen ordering in Y 1 Ba 2 Cu 3 O 7−x samples prepared in precisely controlled oxygen environments using a solid-state ionic technique. The so-called “Ortho II” phase, characterized by a 〈 1 2 0 0〉 superlattice wave vector, exists at oxygen contents from 6.28 t0 6.65, with electrical properties that range from insulating to superconducting at up to 60 K. Different ordered structures occur at oxygen contents from 6.65 to 6.90. All of the ordered structures are consistent with the removal of entire chains of oxygen along the b axis, which minimizes the number of three-fold coordinated copper and creates Cu +1 ions even in oxygen-rich samples. We found no evidence for phase separation between 6.0 and 7.0 or between 6.5 and 7.0. Phase separation, if it occurs at all, occurs on the 60 K and 90 K plateaus.
Somatic embryogenesis in the opium poppy, Papaver somniferum

A procedure is described for the induction of somatic embryos in the opium poppy. Papaver somniferum L. Callus was obtained from seedling hypocotyls on an agar solidified medium [Murashige and Skoog (1962) Physiol. Plant. 15: 473–497] containing 0.25 mg/l (1.2 μM) kinetin and 2.0 mg/l (10.7 μM) naphtalene acetic acid (NAA). Suspension cultures were initiated from callus using a liquid medium in which 2.0 mg/l (9.0 μM) 2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid was substituted for NAA. Meristemoids, spheres of closely packed cells, developed in suspensions and on the surface of a few callus cultures. Differentiation of meristemoids into somatic embryos was accomplished by removing growth regulators from the liquid medium. Embryoids appeared morphologically normal and similar to torpedo stage embryos, however, they possessed mature tracheary elements and laticifers in areas that should have contained only procambium. Whole plants have been obtained by placing embryos in the light on solid medium that also lacked growth regulators.
Contact-stress phenomena in numerical simulation of unidirectionally-reinforced composite beams

Abstract The contact-stress phenomena are known to have significant effects on the response of anisotropic composites. In particular, the numerical results demonstrating these phenomena are reported here for two classes of unidirectionally-reinforced composite structures. The first is the problem of an infinite half-plane subjected to two interacting forces, wherein the ‘exact’ solution is obtained using the Fourier integral technique. In the second, numerical finite element method (FEM) simulations are given for the three- and four-point bending tests of short composite beams.
Perceptions of performance in US financial regulatory programs

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to analyze the accuracy of program performance measurement in US financial regulatory programs.Design/methodology/approach – This research uses the US Government's Program Assessment Rating Tool (PART) system of output and outcome data collection, performance data from financial regulatory programs were examined to determine: if PART data revealed any degradation in external financial conditions or internal regulatory performance prior to the Great Recession of 2008, and whether output performance influenced outcome performance.Findings – The results indicate that outcome measures did “capture” some deterioration in the performance of the financial industry before the Great Recession, but these measures were arguably not influenced by program outputs. This represents a potentially problematic use of performance measures in that programs used outcome measures which were not controlled by programmatic actions.Originality/value – This project adds to a growing body of l...
Experimental free coating flows at high capillary and Reynolds number

Experimental studies are carried out to enhance the fundamental understanding of coating processes over a broad parametric range. Experiments herein identify the phenomena leading to the formation of an asymptotic meniscus profile, which eventually develops a cusp at the interface. The non-dimensional parameters that describe these phenomena are identified. In addition, flow visualization is carried out to reveal the entire flow structure using a visible laser. Two phenomena of free coating are identified depending on a parameter called the property number(Po). When Po is larger than about 0.5, the non-dimensional final film thickness (T 0) becomes constant beyond the capillary number(Ca) of about unity. When Po is less than about 0.1, T 0 depends on Ca and the Reynolds number(Re) but it becomes constant beyond the Weber number(=Ca Re) of about 0.2. In both cases T 0 becomes constant as the effect of surface tension on the meniscus becomes relatively unimportant. The cusp formation is due to the effect of inertia(Re). The effect of applicator dimensions on T 0 is also investigated for large Re flows.
Ocular Rosacea: Patient Characteristics and Follow-up

Abstract Purpose: The purpose of this report is to review the presenting symptoms and signs, treatment regimens used, complications encountered, and outcome in a cohort of patients with ocular rosacea. Methods: The medical records of 131 patients with a diagnosis of ocular rosacea were reviewed retrospectively. Data were entered in a tabulated form, and a descriptive analysis was performed. Results: The age range at presentation was between 23 and 85 years (mean, 56 years). Cutaneous manifestations of rosacea were present in 112 of the patients at their first visit. The most common presenting symptoms were foreign body sensation and burning, and the most common signs were telangiectasia and irregularity of lid margins, and meibomian gland dysfunction. Thirteen patients had decreased visual acuity at the time of presentation due to corneal complications. Six of these patients required penetrating keratoplasty during the course of their disease. Seven patients had severe cicatrizing conjunctivitis at the time of referral. One hundred thirteen patients were treated with oral tetracycline derivatives. Seven patients were left with visual acuity less than 20/400, and one patient underwent enucleation for corneal perforation and endophthalmitis. Conclusions: Ocular rosacea is a common disease involving the skin and the eyes. It is widely underdiagnosed by many ophthalmologists despite the blinding potential. Successful therapy requires a multidisciplinary approach.
Two measuring techniques for the investigation of impulse noise and dropouts on telephone lines

Two methods of measuring impulse noise on telephone lines are set forth in this paper. One of these methods also records the occurrence and duration of dropouts. The latter method provides a means of identifying the cause of errors during the transmisson of digital data.
Coral Sea Drift Pumice Stranded on Eua Island, Tonga, in 1969

Drift pumice collected in July 1969 from a beach on the eastern side of Eua Island, Tonga, is virtually identical to pumice stranded on islands along the Great Barrier Reef and the western islands of Fiji in late 1964 and 1965. This pumice is characterized by a predominantly bimodal chemical composition, consisting of distinct lumps of light or dark pumice. The refractive index of the dark pumice glass averages about 1.530 and that of the light pumice, about 1.507. Refractive indices of the light and dark pumice varieties from the different sites of collection appear identical within the limits of accuracy of the measurements. Microprobe analyses of plagioclase, augite, hypersthene, and magnetite in pumice from Eua Island and One Tree Island on the Great Barrier Reef also support the essential identity of the pumice from these localities, and it is shown that the pumice is mineralogically and chemically very similar to dacites of Fonualei and Falcon Islands, Tonga. Field reconnaissance of volcanic islands in Tonga has so far failed to reveal a subaerial source for the pumice; eruption from a submarine volcano in the Tonga-Kermadec area seems likely. The volume of volcanic material erupted and transported across ocean basins as drift pumice may be considerable and may be an important source of the volcanic material found in pelagic sediments.
Ab initio H2 desorption pathways for H/Si(100): the role of SiH2(a)

Abstract We present ab initio calculations examining two previously proposed mechanisms for H2 desorption from the Si(100)-2 × 1 monohydride phase: (i) the “prepairing” mechanism, where H2 desorbs directly in a one-step process via two hydrogen atoms paired on one silicon dimer and (ii) a stepwise mechanism in which H2 desorbs from a dihydride intermediate formed via isomerization of the monohydride. Both pathways are predicted to be 66 kcal mol endothermic. A detailed search of the transition state region rules out the direct one-step mechanism, as only one saddle point was found and a search of the reaction path showed that it evolves from the dihydride intermediate rather than the monohydride. This saddle point for the second pathway corresponds to a desorption activation barrier of 94 kcal mol , which is much higher than those measured by thermal desorption experiments (45–66 kcal mol ) . Other prepairing desorption pathways involving H2 desorption from two neighboring hydrogen atoms on adjacent dimers are argued to be inconsistent with the observed first-order kinetics. Thus, no previously proposed mechanism appears consistent with both the observed barrier height and reaction order. We propose an alternative mechanism involving H atom diffusion prior to H2 desorption. In particular, our calculations suggest two constraints on the mechanism: (i) H2 must desorb from a SiH2(a) species that either has no memory of how it was formed or is formed by means of a step no more than ~ 10 kcal mol endothermic and (ii) H atom surface diffusion to form SiH2(a) plays a key role in determining the reaction orders on different Si surfaces. Our results indicate that H2 always desorbs solely from SiH2(a) independent of θH or surface structure. At low coverages (θH ⩽ 1 ML), where the monohydride phase is present, the activation barrier for H2, desorption from SiH2(a), is predicted to be 55 kcal mol . We predict that the activation barrier decreases with increasing θH, reaching a minimum of 38 kcal mol at θH = 2 ML, in good agreement with experiment.
Effect of PAH specific therapy on pulmonary hemodynamics and six-minute walk distance in portopulmonary hypertension: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

Background. Little is known about the effect of pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) specific therapy on pulmonary hemodynamics and exercise capacity in patients with portopulmonary hypertension (PoPH) because such patients are usually excluded from randomized clinical trials (RCT) of such therapy. Methods. We searched PUBMED using the terms “(Therapy/Broad (filter)) AND (portopulmonary hypertension).” We included studies that met the following criteria: ≥5 patients, AND PoPH confirmed by right heart catheterization (RHC), AND follow-up RHC data, AND/OR baseline and follow-up 6MWD available. Results. 12 studies met our inclusion criteria. None was a RCT. The baseline mPAP was 48.6 ± 4.4 mmHg, cardiac output (CO) 5.6 ± 0.9 L/min, and pulmonary vascular resistance (PVR) 668.6 ± 219.1 dynes.sec/cm5. The baseline 6MWD was 348.2 ± 35.6 meters. The use of PAH specific therapy improved mPAP by 7.54 mmHg (95% CI 10.2 to 4.9), CO by 1.77 L/min (95% CI 1.1 to 2.4), and PVR by 253 dynes.sec/cm5 (95% CI 291.4 to 214.6) () and 6MWD by 61.8 meters (95% CI 47.5 to 76) (). Conclusions. The use of PAH specific therapy in PoPH results in significant improvement in both pulmonary hemodynamics and 6MWD.
Compression of cubic-panorama datasets with spatially consistent representation

Efficient compression of cubic-panorama datasets is crucial to reducing the required storage space and transmission bandwidth. In traditional coding schemes, cubic-panorama datasets are treated as planar image sequences with a rectangular support. In this way, it is inevitable to sacrifice some coding efficiency because of the inconsistency on the boundaries of connected side images. We have developed a spatially consistent representation for cubic panoramas, and applied a motion-compensated temporal filtering (MCTF) coding scheme to compress cubic-panorama datasets. Specific approaches for constructing the reference blocks on the corners of cubes are designed for motion estimation. The search for motion vectors in reference frames can be naturally extended across side-image boundaries into neighbor side images. The spatially consistent representation of cubic panoramas eliminates image boundary constraints for motion vector search. The search for motion vectors as well as matching reference blocks can be extended well beyond the side image boundaries in all four directions. Better matched reference blocks can be obtained to further reduce the prediction errors and improve the compression efficiency. The compression scheme is adapted to the features of cubic-panorama datasets. The experimental results of applying the proposed compression scheme to coding sample cubic-panorama datasets are presented. It is shown that superior coding performance is achieved with the spatially consistent representation compared with the generic representation of cubic-panorama datasets
Optimizing Electric Vehicle Charging With Energy Storage in the Electricity Market

The Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) that are currently under development for future smart grid systems can enable load aggregators to have bidirectional communications with both the grid and Electric Vehicles (EVs) to obtain real-time price and load information, and to adjust EV charging schedules in real time. In addition, Energy Storage (ES) can be utilized by the aggregator to mitigate the impact of uncertainty and inaccurate prediction. In this paper, we study a problem of scheduling EV charging with ES from an electricity market perspective with joint consideration for the aggregator energy trading in the day-ahead and real-time markets. We present a Mixed Integer Linear Programming (MILP) model to provide optimal solutions as well as a simple polynomial-time heuristic algorithm based on LP rounding. In addition, we present a communication protocol for interactions among the aggregator, the ES, the power grid, and EVs, and demonstrate how to integrate the proposed scheduling approach in real-time charging operations. Extensive simulation results based on real electricity price and load data have been presented to justify the effectiveness of the proposed approach and to show how several key parameters affect its performance.