cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Laparoscopic Repair for Full Thickness Resection of Diaphragm Metastases in Ovarian Cancer

Study Objective To describe the laparoscopic surgical technique to safely repair a full thickness diaphragm ovarian cancer resection, as well as the intraoperative trans-diaphragmatic pneumothorax decompression and lung re-expansion technique. Additionally, the role of minimally invasive surgery to resect diaphragm metastases in ovarian cancer will be discussed. Design Surgical educational video. Setting Tertiary care center at an academic institution. Operating room procedure with patient on lithotomy with reverse Trendelenburg position and a leftward tilt. Patients or Participants Case description of a 39-year-old patient with stage IIIB high grade serous carcinoma of the ovary who presented for interval debulking surgery. Interventions Laparoscopic cytoreduction with resection of diaphragmatic metastases. This video emphasizes the most important surgical steps to safely perform a minimally invasive full thickness right hemi-diaphragmatic defect repair after resection of full thickness ovarian cancer metastases. A trans-diaphragmatic lung re-expansion technique using a suction catheter with purse string suture and Valsalva is shown. Measurements and Main Results N/A Conclusion Laparoscopic resection of diaphragm metastases with intraoperative trans-diaphragmatic pneumothorax decompression is feasible and safe in selected patients. Surgical expertise with adequate laparoscopic needle handling is necessary for a safe repair.
Nano-engineered, Fly Ash-Based Geopolymer Composites: An Overview

Abstract Fly ash-based geopolymer composites (FA-GPCs) are an innovative type of cementitious materials that show great potential in replacing ordinary Portland cement composites. The production of FA-GPCs has a lower carbon footprint and consumes less energy than their Portland cement counterpart. The adoption of fly ash-based geopolymer as an alternative cementitious binder can also facilitate value-added utilization of coal fly ashes that remain an underutilized type of industrial byproduct collected from coal fired power plants. Recent advances in nanotechnology further improve the engineering properties of FA-GPCs and enable their broadened applications, often through the use of nano-materials as admixtures. This review focuses on the state of knowledge relevant to nano-engineered FA-GPCs, especially progresses made during the last decade (from 2010 to 2020). The influences of admixed nanomaterials on the features of both fresh and hardened FA-GPCs, including workability, in-service performance, and durability, are reviewed and discussed in this work. This work also presents a retrospective statistical analysis of mechanical performance of nano-engineered FA-GPCs, and concludes with a discussion of knowledge gaps and remaining challenges for future work.
Childhood Cognitive Flexibility and Externalizing and Internalizing Behavior Problems: Examination of Prospective Bidirectional Associations

The goal of this study was to examine reciprocal associations between cognitive flexibility and externalizing and internalizing behavior problems longitudinally using data on four occasions from kindergarten through first grade and test for potential gender differences in these associations. The Dimensional Change Card Sort task was used to assess children’s cognitive flexibility as a measure of executive function. Participants were 12,462 kindergarteners (49% female) from the Early Childhood Longitudinal Study (ECLS-K: 2011). Results from multivariate latent curve models with structured residuals revealed that children’s cognitive flexibility at the beginning of kindergarten was not associated with their growth in either externalizing (r = -0.01, p = .174), or internalizing (r = -0.03, p = .403) problems between kindergarten and the end of first grade. However, after controlling for individual differences in growth, cognitive flexibility at each assessment directly contributed to subsequent lower levels of internalizing (but not externalizing) behavior problems at the next assessment (b = -0.004, p = 0.013; β = -0.03), suggesting that children who are more flexible in switching from one activity to another may be less prone to developing internalizing problems. At kindergarten entry boys had lower levels of cognitive flexibility (b = -0.31, p < .001, β = -.12) and higher levels of externalizing (b = 0.25, p < .001, β = .23), and internalizing problems(b = 0.04, p = 001, β = .05) compared to girls, but did not differ from girls in their rates of change in cognitive flexibility and externalizing or internalizing behavior problems.
Abstract 1906: Relationship between neuroendocrine and immune gene expression in small cell lung cancer

Small cell lung cancer (SCLC) is classified as a high-grade neuroendocrine (NE) tumor, but a subset of SCLC has been termed “variant” due to the loss of NE characteristics. In this study, we computed NE scores for patient-derived SCLC cell lines and xenografts, as well as human tumors. We aligned NE properties with transcription factor-defined molecular subtypes. Then we investigated the different immune phenotypes associated with high and low NE scores. We found repression of immune response genes as a shared feature between classic SCLC and pulmonary neuroendocrine cells of the healthy lung. With loss of NE fate, variant SCLC tumors regain cell-autonomous immune gene expression and exhibit higher tumor-immune interactions. Pan-cancer analysis revealed this NE lineage-specific immune phenotype in other cancers. Additionally, we observed MHC I re-expression in SCLC upon development of chemoresistance. These findings provide a new framework to guide design of treatment regimens in SCLC. Citation Format: Ling Cai, Hongyu Liu, Fang Huang, Junya Fujimoto, Luc Girard, Yang Xie, John Minna, Adi Gazdar. Relationship between neuroendocrine and immune gene expression in small cell lung cancer [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the American Association for Cancer Research Annual Meeting 2021; 2021 Apr 10-15 and May 17-21. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2021;81(13_Suppl):Abstract nr 1906.
Learning a Voice-based Conversational Recommender using Offline Policy Optimization

Voice-based conversational recommenders offer a natural way to improve recommendation quality by asking the user for missing information. This talk details how we use offline policy optimization to learn a dialog manager that determines what items to present and what clarifying questions to ask, in order to maximize the success of the conversation. Counter-factual learning allows us to compare various modeling techniques using only logged conversational data. Our approach is applied to Amazon Music’s first voice browsing experience (Alexa, help me find music), which interleaves disambiguation questions and music sample suggestions. Offline policy evaluation results show that an XGBoost reward regressor outperforms linear and neural policies on held out data. A first user-facing A/B test confirms our offline results, by increasing our task completion rate by 8% relative compared to our production rule-based conversational recommender, while reducing the number of turns to complete the task by 20%. A second A/B test shows that extending the set of candidate items to present and adding an embedding-based user-item affinity action feature improves task success rate further by 4% relative, while reducing the number of turns further by 13%. These results suggest that offline policy optimization from conversation logs is a viable way to foster conversational recommender research, while minimizing the number of user-facing experiments needed to determine the optimal dialog policy.
Firm-Level Uncertainty and the Transmission of Forward Guidance to Investment

I study the role of firms' uncertainty in the transmission of forward guidance to investment. To do so, I employ a quarterly firm-level panel of U.S. publicly traded firms. I measure forward guidance shocks based on unexpected changes in the slope of the yield curve in a 30-minute window around Federal Reserve announcements. I show that firms which are more uncertain adjust their investment as if they are more pessimistic. Put differently, more uncertain firms adjust their investment relatively more downward for expected monetary tightenings, and relatively less upward for expected loosenings. To explain my empirical findings, I construct a medium-scale New Keynesian model with two sectors, a high-uncertainty and low-uncertainty one. Agents in the high-uncertainty sector are ambiguous (Knightian uncertain) about the informativeness of forward guidance, and choose to take a pessimistic stance due to their ambiguity aversion. The model implies that expansionary forward guidance is less powerful in recessions due to a larger share of uncertain agents.
The Impact of Investment Strategies on the Mandatory Private Pension Founds in Romania

The goal of this paper is to establish the factors that determine the existing gaps among the yields of the mandatory private pension funds. It begins by presenting the basic characteristics of the mandatory private pension system in Romania, supported by the legal framework. The second part explains the influence of the assets invested in by the currently active private pension funds over a period of 15 months. The analysis, which implies estimating the coefficients of a multivariable regression, was conducted using STATA.
High Courts and Economic Governance in Argentina and Brazil

1. High court-elected branch institutions in Latin America 2. Setting the scene: Latin America's triple transition and the judicialization of economic governance 3. Politicization and the political court in Argentina 4. Professionalism and the statesman court in Brazil 5. The political court and high court submission and inter-branch confrontation in Argentina 6. The statesman court and inter-branch accommodation in Brazil 7. Conclusions and implications.
Vygotskij's Theory of Human Development and New Approaches to Education

This article will focus on describing the main tenets of Vygotsky's theory of human development, current critique of these tenets, and new approaches to education stemming from Vygotsky's work and its critique. Vygotsky's legacy is in his emphasis on social, historical, and cultural aspects of development and learning, semiotic mediation, activity, and social interaction. According to Vygotsky, education can lead children's development and learning is shaped by cultural tools and activities in which it is embedded. This article is organized around three major interconnected issues: what develops, what are the processes of development, and what are the directions of development.
Cyclic nucleotide metabolism during amphibian forelimb regeneration : II. The protein kinases.

The hypothesis that cAMP mediates neural and endocrine influences on limb regeneration was examined by studying the protein kinases in regenerating limb tissues. Since these enzymes are the vehicles through which cAMP acts intracellularly, an understanding of changes in their concentrations and behaviors during regeneration can be instrumental in elucidating the role of cAMP in this process. Mean activities oscillated throughout regeneration with maximal activities being observed during the mid-late bud stage. The phosphorylation of histone, added to the assay, varied with the stage of regeneration-greatest activity occurring during the early bud stage and very weak activity during the palette and early digital stages. Histone actually appeared to inhibit endogenous phosphorylation during dedifferentiation. In addition, cAMP demonstrated different degrees of enhancement of histone phosphorylation during regeneration-producing its greatest effect at the palette stage and having the least effect at the early bud stage. The results of this study suggest that changes in the absolute amounts of protein kinase are probably not significant in the regulation of regeneration. In addition, the variable acceptability of histone as an exogenous substrate and the variations in the cAMP effects on phosphorylation suggest that physiological changes are occurring in which cAMP might play a significant role. In particular, these data suggest that cAMP might be instrumental in influencing events associated with differentiation and morphogenesis.
Optical realizations of quantum teleportation

Publisher Summary This chapter reviews the theory of quantum teleportation and the ways in which this intriguing quantum phenomenon has been experimentally demonstrated in optical systems. For the simplest quantum mechanical system of all, a two-state system, a full specification of its state may require a potentially infinite amount of information. Even if a person has a known state, and wants to send enough information to allow another party to recreate the state at a remote location, he/she may need to send, in principle, an infinite number of bits over a classical communication channel. From a practical standpoint, the main potential usefulness of teleportation is the possibility of working offline, taking the time to get a certain state or operation right before actually applying it. This possibility depends entirely on the practical realization of reliable quantum memories. The chapter discusses the relationship between teleportation of discrete and continuous variables, entanglement and teleportation, the difficulty of Bell measurements, and schemes for near-deterministic teleportation with linear optics. The limitations of current experiments and some questions of interpretation are also discussed.
Public policy for solar heating and cooling

Recent analyses indicated that solar heating and cooling systems for residential buildings are nearly economically competitive with conventional fossil fuel or electric systems, the former having higher initial cost but a lower operating cost than the latter. The paper examines obstacles to the widespread acceptance and use of solar space conditioning systems and explores some general policies which could help to overcome them. The discussion covers such institutional barriers limiting the adoption of solar technologies as existing building codes, financing constraints, and organizational structure of the building industry. The potential impact of financial incentives is analyzed. It is noted that a tax incentive of 25% could speed the use of solar energy by 7 to 8 years and produce an 8% reduction in fossil fuel use by 1990. A preliminary incentive package which could be helpful in promoting solar energy both at federal and state levels is proposed, and the necessary incentive level is analysed.
Reporting Colleague Misconduct in Advanced Practice Nursing

Advanced practice registered nurses (APRNs) experience significant moral distress when they witness colleague misconduct, although many hesitate to report it. APRNs have clear ethical obligations to report based on the American Nurses Association Code of Ethics; however, legal reporting requirements vary from state to state: Some only require institutions to report terminations of nurses; others require nurses to report possible colleague misconduct. This article was prompted by a particular case and examines barriers to reporting and managing colleague misconduct, discusses legal and ethical reporting requirements, and offers recommendations to facilitate management of problematic and potentially unsafe colleague behavior.
Effect of the Lesion due to Influenza Virus on the Resistance of Mice to Inhaled Pneumococci.

1. The normal lung of the mouse possesses the power of reducing markedly its content of Type I pneumococci within 3 hours after inhalation of the organisms in the form of fine droplets. 2. Lungs with fully developed influenza viral pneumonia not only fail to reduce the pulmonary content of pneumococci administered in this manner but, on the contrary, support their growth. 3. After intrabronchial inoculation into mice, influenza virus multiplies rapidly in the lung within 24 hours. 4. Criteria have been established for distinction between true viral lesions of the lung and changes due to the inoculation of diluents as vehicles for the virus. 5. 24 hours after inoculation of virus, there are no macroscopic lesions in the lung and the microscopic changes are due to the diluent. 6. Presence and multiplication of the virus in the lung 24 hours after inoculation have no apparent effect on the power of the lung to reduce rapidly its content of inhaled pneumococci. 7. The effect of the virus in lowering resistance to secondary bacterial infection appears to be due to the presence of the lesion produced by the virus.
Amelioration of hepatic encephalopathy by pharmacologic antagonism of the GABAA-benzodiazepine receptor complex in a rabbit model of fulminant hepatic failure

Abstract Three separate, but allosterically interacting, sites on the γ-aminobutyric acid (GABA) supramolecular complex in the brain were pharmacologically blocked in rabbits with hepatic encephalopathy due to galactosamine-induced fulminant hepatic failure to determine whether decreased GABAergic neurotransmission can ameliorate the syndrome of hepatic encephalopathy. Bicuculline (a GABA A receptor blocker), Ro 15-1788 (a benzodiazepine receptor antagonist), or isopropylbicyclophosphate (a chloride channel blocker) consistently induced a transient but unequivocal decrease in the clinical severity of the encephalopathy and also corrected the abnormal pattern of the visual evoked response associated with hepatic encephalopathy. Rabbits with hepatic encephalopathy exhibited increased resistance to the convulsive effects of bicuculline. In encephalopathies induced in rabbits by γ-vinyl-GABA (an inhibitor of GABA catabolism) or diazepam (a benzodiazepine receptor agonist), abnormalities of the visual evoked response similar to those found in hepatic encephalopathy occurred and were corrected by bicuculline and Ro 15-1788, respectively. These findings suggest that in hepatic encephalopathy due to fulminant hepatic failure (a) there is increased GABAergic tone, (b) an amelioration of encephalopathy can be induced by blockade of GABA or benzodiazepine receptors, (c) benzodiazepine receptor antagonists may be of clinical value in the management of hepatic encephalopathy, and (d) an endogenous substance with GABA potentiating properties may be present in hepatic encephalopathy.
Ultraviolet Spectrophotometric Measurement of Chlordiazepoxide in Plasma

A simple ultraviolet spectrophotometric method is described for measurement of chlordiazepoxide in blood. The drug is extracted into chloroform at pH 7.4 and, after a NaOH wash, extracted back into HCl. The drug is identified by its characteristic ultraviolet spectra at acidic and basic pH’s, and quantified from the absorbance value measured at the major acid peak of 247 nm. Although certain weakly basic drugs theoretically could interfere if present concurrently with chlordiazepoxide, we have not seen this during three years of experience. This procedure is easily combined with established methods for barbiturates and glutethimide. Specimens from more than 60 cases of documented chlordiazepoxide ingestion have had concentrations ranging from 0.2 to 6.6 mg/100 ml by this procedure.
New Antifeedant Triterpene Glycosides from the Caribbean Sponge Erylus Formosus

Two groups of antifeedant triterpene glycosides were identified from the Caribbean sponge Erylus formosus. The structure of formoside B, a novel N-acetyl amino derivative of the known penasterol tetrasaccharide formoside, was elucidated using NMR and mass spectral data. Four triterpene hexasaccharides and two triterpene trisaccharides, characterized by a 31-carbon aglycone, proved difficult to isolate and therefore only the structure of their aglycone was determined. Gas chromatographic analysis of derivatized saccharides from these mixtures established the carbohydrate content of these compounds. All of the triterpene glycosides isolated contributed to the chemical defenses of this sponge, although with differing activities.
On polynomial approximation in the uniform norm by the discrete least squares method

The discrete least squares method is convenient for computing polynomial approximations to functions. We investigate the possibility of using this method to obtain polynomial approximants good in the uniform norm, and find that for a given set ofm nodes, the degreen of the approximating polynomial should be selected so that there is a subset ofn+1 nodes which are close ton+1 Fejer points for the curve. Numerical examples are presented.
Chordoma: brief review of the literature and report of a case with widespread metastases.

The natural course and management of chordoma are reviewed. A report of an unusual case of widespread metastatic chordoma is reported. Radiation therapy, though primarily palliative in nature, is of value.
Paleoclimate reconstruction derived from speleothem strontium and δ13C in Central Florida

Abstract Variability of strontium and carbon isotopes are reported from a speleothem from Central Florida, USA. Thermal ionization mass spectrometry of uranium–thorium isotopes indicate the speleothem was precipitated during the last 4000 years. Sr concentrations are negatively correlated with δ13C, a relationship inferred to record changes in soil productivity. Coeval changes in the Sr content and δ13C signals, as induced by soil productivity, are explained by changing precipitation above the cave. Both proxies record a 170–180-year solar cycle that has also been found in the Gulf of Mexico marine records and elsewhere. Consequently, this result provides evidence of an extraterrestrially driven modulator of precipitation in Central Florida.
Assessing the effects of environmental pollutants on soil organisms, communities, processes and ecosystems

A wide range of pollutants reach the soils of natural and managed ecosystems in concentrations that can affect their function. These chemicals, which include pesticides, heavy metals, acid deposition and a range of industrial chemicals, can reach soils in many different ways and by various routes. The ecological impacts of these chemicals on agricultural systems can involve effects at the: (i) organism population level, in terms of individual life histories (birth rate, numbers, growth, mortality); (ii) at the community level in terms of effects on plant/plant, plant/microbial, or plant/faunal interactions, species diversity and on soil food webs; (iii) at the ecosystem level, effects on primary and secondary productivity, organic matter breakdown and nutrient cycling; (iv) at the landscape level, changes in spatial heterogeneity of plants and soil organisms, material transfer of soil and nutrients, and hydrologic transfers of nutrients. Currently available methods of assessing the effect of pollutants include single species laboratory tests, a few multi-species assays, and integrated soil microcosms and terrestrial model ecosystems. The latter two methods produce data on the effects of pollutants on populations, communities and ecosystems as well as the fate of pollutants.
An Optically Implemented Multiple-Stage Kalman Filter Algorithm

A working paper is presented on the mathematical development and analysis of an optically implemented multiple-stage Kalman filter algorithm which uses two previously developed estimation models (linear first-order Gauss-Markov and constant turn-rate) for high energy laser pointing and tracking. An overview of the estimation models reveals model equivalence in mid- to long-range tracking applications and superiority of the constant turn-rate model (at the expense of a much higher computational burden) for both short-range and evasive target tracking. Real world constraints are to be forcibly imposed on the optical filter by limiting the choice of all system components to off-the-shelf units whose performance criteria are well characterized. Derivation of the filter architecture subject to the real world constraints shows the pielined iterative systolic array architecture to be significantly superior. Filter development based on this architecture is expected to generate a MTF which yields superior performance of the optical filter over its electronic counterpart based both on the output statistics produced and system throughput capability Additional analyses of filter performance reveal potential filter enhancement with the incorporation of range and relative velocity data obtained through use of a laser doppler velocimeter and an optical heterodyne detector. Current and planned future research efforts are also presented.© (1983) COPYRIGHT SPIE--The International Society for Optical Engineering. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.
Mitochondrial DNA mutations in diseases of energy metabolism.

A variety of degenerative diseases involving deficiencies in mitochondrial bioenergetics have been associated with mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) mutations. Maternally inherited mtDNA nucleotide substitutions range from neutral polymorphisms to lethal mutations. Neutral polymorphisms are ancient, having accumulated along mtDNA lineages, and thus correlate with ethnic and geographic origin. Mildly deleterious base substitutions have also occurred along mtDNA lineages and have been associated with familial deafness and some cases of Alzheimer's Disease and Parkinson's Disease. Moderately deleterious nucleotide substitutions are more recent and cause maternally-inherited diseases such as Leber's Hereditary Optic Neuropathy (LHON) and Myoclonic Epilepsy and Ragged-Red Fiber Disease (MERRF). Severe nucleotide substitutions are generally new mutations that cause pediatric diseases such as Leigh's Syndrome and dystonia. MtDNA rearrangements also cause a variety of phenotypes. The milder rearrangements generally involve duplications and can cause maternally-inherited adult-onset diabetes and deafness. More severe rearrangements frequently involving detetions have been associated with adult-onset Chronic Progressive External Ophthalmoplegia (CPEO) and Kearns-Sayre Syndrome (KSS) or the lethal childhood disorder, Pearson's Marrow/Pancreas Syndrome. Defects in nuclear-cytoplasmic interaction have also been observed, and include an autosomal dominant mutation causing multiple muscle mtDNA deletions and a genetically complex disease resulting in the tissue depletion of mtDNAs. MtDNA nucleotide substitution and rearrangement mutations also accumulate with age in quiescent tissues. These somatic mutations appear to degrade cellular bioenergetic capacity, exacerbate inherited mitochondrial defects and contribute to tissue senescence. Thus, bioenergetic defects resulting from mtDNA mutations may be a common cause of human degenerative disease.
Unimolecular Dissociation Reactions of Methyl Benzoate Radical Cation

The blackbody infrared radiation induced dissociation of methyl benzoate (C8H8O2+•) radical cation was investigated by using a Fourier transfer ion cyclotron resonance mass spectrometer equipped with a resistively heated (wire temperatures of 400−1070 K) wire ion guide. We observed product ion branching ratios that are strongly dependent upon wire temperature. At low temperatures (670−890 K) the major product ion C7H8+• (m/z 92), which is formed by loss of CO2, and at higher temperatures (above 900 K), loss of methoxy radical (•OCH3) competes with loss of CO2. The energies of the various reactant ions and transition states for product ion formation were estimated by using density functional theory molecular orbital calculations, and a proposed mechanism for the dissociation chemistry of C8H8O2+• involving a multistep rearrangement reaction is tested using the Master Equation formalism.
A CONTEXTUAL THEORY OF RETAIL CENTRAL PLACES ON A LINEAR MARKET

. This paper presents an initial version of a new theory of central places for retailing activities. Confined to a linear market and using the Contextual Theory of Demand to model consumer behavior, the model extends the economic theory of central places (Eaton and Lipsey, 1982). In its present form, the model specifies four parameters that control the spatial relationship between the locations of households and the equilibrium locations of central places: expenditure shares in consumption, transportation cost functions, storage costs by commodity, and capital costs of retailers. The locational equilibria of the model are optima when all costs are considered.
Cosmic-ray effects from solar flares and magnetic storms

Cosmic-ray data taken during the period of a solar flare and the magnetic storm that followed 26.5 hours later during July, 1946, are reported. The results following the flare agree with those of other investigators and, in addition, serve to establish the fact that the start of the cosmic-ray effect and the visual part of the solar flare were simultaneous. It is pointed out that increases of cosmic rays during solar flares suggest a mode of origin of the rays. The lack of effect of most solar flares on cosmic-ray intensity is noted and differences in intensity of the flares given as a possible reason. A high altitude balloon flight with an electroscope during the magnetic storm gave results in agreement with the current-sheet hypothesis of such storms but a serious objection to this hypothesis is given.
Myxopapillary ependymoma results of nucleolar organizing region staining

Background. Although myxopapillary ependymomas are generally benign with a tendency for slow growth and local recurrence, they are capable of spread within the nervous system and of extraneural metastasis. Histologic features have not been helpful in determining which patients are at risk for recurrence or dissemination, making management decisions difficult. Methods. A retrospective review was conducted of 14 cases of myxopapillary ependymoma. The nucleolar organizing region (NOR) staining method was used to determine if this technique was useful in the management of these tumors. Results. Five patients had total resections of encapsulated lesions, four had total resections of adherent tumors, and four had subtotal resections. Twelve received postoperative radiation therapy. With a mean follow-up of 80 months, 12 patients are well and disease-free. Two patients have had recurrences after surgery and irradiation, leading to death in one and disability in the other. The mean number of NOR per cell in eight specimens ranged from 0.4–1.64. The patient who died with intracranial spread had the highest number of NOR per cell. Conclusions. Based on these data and a review of the literature, it is recommended that radiation be delayed until recurrence in tumors that have been totally resected. Local radiation therapy may be indicated in subtotally resected tumors. NOR staining shows promise in predicting the likelihood of spread of tumor. Patients with myxopapillary ependymomas should be followed indefinitely because of the potential for late recurrence, even after aggressive therapy.
Atomic structure of amorphous Mg40Cu35Ti25 alloy: An ab initio molecular dynamics study

Abstract Ab initio molecular dynamics simulations are carried out to model amorphous Mg 40 Cu 35 Ti 25 and its local structural packing are investigated using a variety of analyzing techniques. Cu-atoms commonly form 12 fold coordinated clusters and some of which are perfect or defective types icosahedrons, implying an icosohedral short range order around Cu atoms. Mg and Ti atoms, on the other hand, favor to structure in higher coordinated polyhedrons. The coordination number of Ti atoms is slightly less than Mg atoms. The immiscibility effect between Ti and Mg is reflected by a low fraction of Mg–Ti bonding in the model. The atomic packing of Mg 40 Cu 35 Ti 25 appears to be noticeably different from that of Mg–Cu–X (X=Y and Gd) metallic glasses even though all these materials exhibit primarily the same type of bonding natures.
A thermodynamic base for the stress activated phase transition deformation model

The three essential factors of the Juska–Harrison stress activated phase transition (SAPT) deformation model are analyzed. Based on the concept of “mechanical melting”, a formula for the theoretical melting stress is derived from thermodynamics. A comparison of experimental and calculated results for a number of polymers shows that the strain energy is high enough to induce isothermal “mechanical melting” during extension, and the observed yield stress has the same order of magnitude as the theoretical melting stress.
Observed and predicted earthquake response of La Villita Dam

Abstract La Villita earth and rockfill dam in Mexico has been subjected to five major earthquakes during the period 1975–1985. The recorded time histories of crest acceleration and associated permanent displacements imply the occurrence of seismically induced localized stick-slip slope deformations. In this paper, the upstream-downstream seismic response of La Villita dam is investigated in detail. The dam vibration characteristics are represented by a one-dimensional shear-wedge elasto-plastic numerical model. Available bedrock acceleration histories are employed as input excitation and seismic response is calculated using a step-by-step time integration procedure. Crest acceleration histories are computed and further employed to predict the observed permanent displacements. For that purpose, an elastic-perfectly plastic single-degree-of-freedom (SDOF) model is used in a Newmark-type sliding mass analysis. The predicted SDOF permanent displacements are found to be similar to their recorded counterparts. Moreover, this yielding SDOF model is found to capture the peculiar asymmetric response characteristics associated with the evolution of stick-slip displacements, and observed in the recorded crest accelerations of La Villita Dam. Finally, the employed numerical procedures are found to demonstrate the possible development of additional permanent crest displacements during future seismic events.
Explicit reduced reaction models for ignition, flame propagation, and extinction of C2H4/CH4/H2 and air systems

Large-scale simulations of multidimensional unsteady reacting flows with detailed chemistry and transport can be computationally extremely intensive even on distributed computing architectures. With the development of computationally efficient reduced chemical kinetic models, the smaller number of scalar variables to be integrated can lead to a significant reduction in the computational time required for the simulation with limited loss of accuracy in the results. A general MATLAB-based automated procedure for the development of reduced reaction models is presented. Based on the application of the quasi-steady-state (QSS) approximation for certain chemical species and on the elimination of selected fast elementary reactions, any complex starting reaction mechanism (detailed or skeletal) can be reduced with minimal human intervention. A key feature of the reduction procedure is the decoupling of the QSS species appearing in the QSS algebraic relations, enabling the explicit solution of the QSS species concentrations, which are needed for the evaluation of the elementary reaction rates. In contrast, previous approaches mainly relied on an implicit solution, requiring computationally intensive inner iterations. The automated procedure is first tested with the generation of an implicit 5-step reduced reaction model for CH{sub 4}/air flame propagation. Next, two explicit robust reduced reaction models based on ignitionmore » data (18-step) and on flame propagation data (15-step) are systematically developed and extensively validated for ignition delay time, flame propagation, and extinction predictions of C{sub 2}H{sub 4}/air, CH{sub 4}/air, and H{sub 2}/air systems over a wide range of equivalence ratios, initial temperatures, pressures, and strain rates. In order to assess the computational advantages of the explicit reduced reaction models, comparisons of the computational time required to evaluate the chemical source terms as well as for the integration of unsteady nonpremixed flames for each model are also presented. (author)« less
Inert components: Are they really so?

Zoosporic plant pathogens are associated with destructive root and foliar diseases of numerous crops. This paper describes events which led to the discovery, specificity, and potential significance of surfactants (which are commonly considered the ‘inert’ components of many fungicides) in the control of zoosporic pathogens. The latter include certain downy mildews and numerous species in the generaPythiwn andPhytophthora. Zoospores are the weak link in the life cycle of these pathogens because they have no cell wall. The absence of a cell wall imparts a high degree of vulnerability to this spore stage and surfactants were demonstrated to rupture selectively the plasma membrane which encases the zoospore, thereby resulting in the rapid death of the zoospore.
Spiritual Beliefs, Response to Disability, and the Church -Part 1

Abstract This qualitative study explored the relationship of participants' spiritual beliefs, their response to disability, and the evangelical Christian church's influence on respondents' experiences. The author interviewed 30 persons, including 13 parents of children with mixed developmental disabilities and 9 adults with physical disabilities living in a southwestern metropolitan area in 1998. This article, part 1 of a two part series, discusses findings for the relationship of the participants' spiritual beliefs and their response to disability. Trial or difficulty contributed to spiritual challenge, the breaking of self, reliance on God, and strengthened faith. The participants' spiritual beliefs stabilized their lives in many dimensions: These provided meaning for the experience of disability, assistance with coping, and other intrapersonal, interpersonal, and societal benefits.
Toward a Cross-Species Measure of General Intelligence

Science requires postformal capabilities to compare competing explanations and conceptualize how to coordinate or integrate them. With conflicts thus reconciled, science advances. The Model of Hierarchical Complexity facilitates the coordination of current arguments about intelligence. A cross-species measurement theory of comparative cognition is proposed. It has potential to overcome the lack of a general measurement theory for the science of comparative cognition, and the lack of domain-general mechanisms for evolutionary psychologists. The hierarchical complexity of concepts and debates as well as the new theory are scored, and demonstrate the postformal hierarchical complexity of the proposed theory.
Development of heart rate variation over the first 6 months of life in normal infants.

ABSTRACT: Development of heart rate variation in three frequency ranges was examined during sleep-waking states in normal infants over the first 6 mo of life. Extent of all three types of heart rate variation decreased from 1 wk to 1 mo of age. Extent of respiratory sinus arrhythmia increased from 1 mo to 6 mo during all sleep-waking states, with the increase most pronounced during quiet sleep. Variation in two hands of lower frequencies showed increases in extent from 1 to 3 mo, then a slowing or reversal of the increase between 3 and 4 mo of age. During rapid eye movement sleep, the two types of lower frequency heart rate variation decreased in extent from 3 through 6 mo of age. These results suggest that alterations in autonomic control of heart rate occur at several time periods over the first 6 mo of life and that these alterations may have an effect only on particular types of heart rate variation and only during particular sleep-waking states. The diminution of all three types of heart rate variation at 1 mo may indicate a reduction in vagal tone at this age.
Gonadal tumors in patients with gonadal dysgenesis and sex chromosomal rings and fragments

Patients with female phenotypes and dysgenetic gonads harboring testicular tissue have a markedly increased risk of developing gonadal tumors. Cytogenetic demonstration of Y chromatin is the currently accepted criterion for performing prophylactic gonadectomies in these women. We studied four patients with dysgenetic gonads containing either testicular tissue or germ cell tumors. All had small sex chromosomal fragments which could not be characterized by conventional cytogenetic studies. Clinical features, DNA replication studies, and immunologic assays of Xg a and H-Y antigens failed to correlate consistently with the gonadal histology. We recommend prophylactic gonadectomies and subsequent hormone replacement in all patients with female phenotypes, gonadal dysgenesis, and cytogenetically indeterminate sex chromosomal fragments.
Time course of visual multi-neuronal discharges evoked by eye movements in light.

Abstract Transient responses in the multineuronal activity along the visual pathways of ‘encephale isole’ cats were studied during movements of the eyes across a source of light. The time courses of this activity depended upon selective charcteristics of the ocular movements. When the movements were active and with a fast rising phase of the electro-oculogram, the transient increase in firing rate of the geniculo-cortical tract preceded the burst of activity evoked in the optic chiasm by retinal image shift produced by the eye movement. When the the movements were passive, or if active, had a slow rising phase, the phase response in the optic chiasm appeared before the transient increase in the geniculo-cortical tract. In both rapid and slow movements teh oculomotor activation preceded chiasmatic and lateral geniculate firing. These results are discussed in relation to previous observations in dark-adapted cats of transient increases in geniculo-cortical, cortico-fugal multineuronal activity and in lateral geniculate single units, without changes in the optic chiasm activity, coincident with active and fast eye movements but not with slow or passive ocular movements. The signifance of these observations in relation to the ‘coronally discharge’ hypothesis is also discussed.
Range of motion limitation after rotator cuff repair.

Hypothesis This study was conducted to identify preoperative factors correlating with limited motion after rotator cuff repair (RCR) and to evaluate the affect of loss of motion on outcome. We hypothesized that patients with preoperative ROM loss, diabetes, and workman's compensation claims would exhibit postoperative ROM loss at 3 months. Material and methods Preoperative and postoperative evaluations, including outcomes assessment and physical examination parameters, were reviewed for 345 patients who underwent RCR. Correlations between demographic, physical examination, and surgical variables and postoperative limitation of motion and need for capsular release were determined. Results At 3-month follow-up, mean active forward elevation (AFE), active external rotation (AER), and passive internal rotation (PIR) were 90%, 78%, and 80% of the contralateral side. Limitation of preoperative motion correlated with limitation of postoperative AFE, AER, and PIR (P < .001). Forty-seven patients considered clinically stiff were followed at 1 year postoperatively. Three patients required arthroscopic capsular release for persistent range of motion loss. Conclusion Early postoperative limitation of motion after RCR is associated with restricted preoperative motion. Other factors, including diabetes mellitus and worker's compensation claim, are also associated with range of motion loss. Most shoulders with early motion loss recover motion and rarely require capsular release.
Normalized proper orthogonal decomposition (NPOD) for building pressure data compression

Abstract Proper orthogonal decomposition (POD) has been widely realized as a tool for compressing fluctuating building pressure data in wind-engineering area. Modes are determined by eigen decomposition of data covariance matrix, and then truncation is applied to retain only the modes with the highest energy. However, as observed by S. Kho, C. Baker, R. Hoxey [Pod/arma reconstruction of the surface pressure field around a low rise structure, J. Wind Eng. Ind. Aerodyn. (90) (2002) 1831–1842] and analyzed in the authors’ previous paper D. Ruan, H. He, D. Smith, K.C. Mehta [A Semi-optimal Mode Selection Scheme for Pod Based Compression of Wind Field Data, Seoul, Korea, 2004], reconstruction performance varies a lot among individual taps. In D. Ruan, H. He, D. Smith, K.C. Mehta [A Semi-optimal Mode Selection Scheme for Pod Based Compression of Wind Field Data, Seoul, Korea, 2004], a semi-optimal mode choosing scheme was proposed in an integer programming (IP) framework and numerical experiments have shown sound results. Nevertheless, computation cost for solving IP optimization could be an issue as the total number of taps grows. In this paper, we address the problem with normalized proper orthogonal decomposition which is from a completely different perspective: we first normalize the data to force every tap to have similar contribution to the total energy; the standard POD is then applied to get a compact representation. During the reconstruction phase, normalized data is first restored and a scaling procedure which is exactly the inverse to the normalization is applied to finally reconstitute the data in its original form. Feasibility test with experimental data from Texas Tech University yields good results. Computation cost is almost the same as the standard POD method.
Observations on the Life History and Habits of Scierus annectens (Coleoptera: Scolytidae)

Scierus annectens LeConte is a close associate of the Sitka-spruce beetle in Colorado. The life history of Scierus was studied in an area on the Illinois River Drainage near Rand, Colo., that had sustained a local outbreak of the Sitka-spruce beetle in preceding years. Of 322 Scierus entrance holes on 5 trap trees, 87% were made through the packed frass of larger, newly made Sitka-spruce beetle entrance holes. The attack period lasted from late June through July. Eggs first appeared in early July and required 2–3 weeks' incubation. Maximum number counted in 1 gallery was 32. Larvae were first observed on July 29. Those from early deposited eggs were in the third or fourth instar by late October. Larvae overwinter in the second to fourth instars. Although pupae were not observed, April–May pupation was suggested. The gallery was sufficiently distinctive to provide identification of the species. Parent adult beetles began to emerge toward the last of August. Their fate was not determined. Immature nematodes infested the haemocoel of 20% of 50 live beetles examined.
Congress and the nuclear freeze: A retrospective review.

Waller's 1987 participant-observer account of the history of the nuclear freeze resolution passed by the U.S. House of Representatives on May 4, 1983, is reviewed in light of more recent developments on the international scene and in light of a criticism of the freeze movement by the Boston Nuclear Study Group.
Larval Development of the Crab, Hexapanopeus angustifrons'

The larval stages of the Xanthid crab,Hexapanopeus angustifrons (Benedict and Rathbun) have been reared under constant conditions in the laboratory. The four zoeal stages and one megalops are figured and described. The zoeae can be differentiated from larvae of other Xanthid crabs by the absence of dorsal or lateral spines on the telson. The rostral spines of the megalops ofH. angustifrons distinguish it from megalops of other Xanthid crabs which have been described. At 25°C, 30 p.p.t., development to the crab required a minimum of 21 days and a maximum of 37 days. Survival to the first crab ranged from 30 to 74%.