cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Statistical Evaluation of Stressmigration Reliability in Al-Cu Interconnects

High-resolution resistance measurements of metal stripes have been performed to study void growth during in situ annealing at 180°C. Void growth has been characterized by resistance monitoring over 14,000 hours. During the annealing of Al-lwt%Cu stripes, Cu atoms from solution migrate to grain boundaries to form Al2Cu precipitates leading to a drop in resistance. At the same time, relaxation of tensile stresses in metal stripes takes place in the form of void nucleation and growth, leading to an increase in resistance. The resistance drop due to precipitation was shown to obey Avrami’s precipitation kinetics while void growth over this time period obeyed a diffusion-type equation. The resulting equation to describe this physical model was fitted to the measured resistance data. Extrapolation to failure condition (ΔR/R=10%) could therefore be obtained for all the devices under test and plotted on a cumulative probability plot. Using the measured value of activation energy for void growth, stressmigration reliability was then assessed by extrapolation to an operating temperature. Post-mortem microscopy was performed to correlate resistance increase with void density and size in these interconnects. Finite element simulations were performed to calculate resistance increases due to voiding in metal stripes and correlate these with the experimentally obtained data.
Inverse Monte Carlo solutions for radiative transfer in inhomogeneous media

Abstract The inverse Monte Carlo method is used to construct solutions for three radiative transfer inverse problems in which the single scatter albedo, ω, varies within the medium and the scattering is isotropic. The first problem concerns a half space whose single scatter albedo varies exponentially according to ω = ω 0 e − τ / s , where τ is the optical depth, s is known and we seek ω 0 ; the second problem concerns a two-region slab for which we seek ω for each region. The procedure is also used to construct an approximate solution for a finite, plane-parallel medium whose single scatter albedo varies exponentially by considering the medium to be composed of five regions, each with constant single scatter albedo.
Mid- to Long-Term Results of the Two-Stage Approach for Type B Interrupted Aortic Arch and Ventricular Septal Defect

Abstract Background . Type B interrupted aortic arch with ventricular septal defect is a complex congenital heart defect that may have associated left ventricular outflow tract obstruction. Surgical management has evolved from a two-stage approach to the currently favored single-stage approach. The following data summarize our experience with the two-stage approach over a 15-year period. Methods . Between 1980 and 1995, 27 consecutive patients with type B interrupted aortic arch and ventricular septal defect underwent surgical management using the two-stage approach. There were 15 girls and 12 boys; 21 patients had the DiGeorge syndrome. Results . Stage I was performed at a median age of 4 days. Twenty-six (96%) of 27 patients survived first-stage palliation. One patient survived stage I palliation but died before undergoing stage II. Twenty-five patients underwent second-stage repair at a median age of 6 weeks (range, 1 to 46 weeks). There were 2 early deaths and 1 late death. Actuarial analysis demonstrates 1- and 5-year survival rates of 85% and 81%, respectively. Twenty-two survivors have been followed up for an average of 8 ± 2 years. Freedom from reoperation for arch graft enlargement has been 86% at 3 years and 55% at 5 years. Freedom from reoperation for left ventricular outflow tract obstruction has been 82% at both 3 and 5 years. Conclusions . The two-stage approach can achieve good mid- to long-term palliation of patients with type B interrupted aortic arch and ventricular septal defect. These results should provide a reference from which to gauge the long-term success of the single-stage approach.
Viral inhibitory activity of polyvinylpyrrolidone.

POLYVINYLPYRROLIDONE (PVP), a commercial organic chemical which bears a close physical resemblance to plasma protein, has been found to have a strong inhibitory action on viruses without appearing significantly toxic to animals. Cells pretreated with PVP showed resistance to infection with herpes simplex and vaccinia viruses in vitro. No effects were observed which could be put down to direct inactivation or neutralization of the infectivity of the viruses.
Gate-modulated thermoelectric power factor of hole gas in Ge-Si core-shell nanowires.

We experimentally studied the thermoelectric power factor of hole gas in individual Ge–Si core–shell nanowires with Ge core diameters ranging from 11 to 25 nm. The Ge cores are dopant-free, but the Fermi level in the cores is pinned by surface and defect states in the epitaxial Si shell thereby doping the cores into the degenerate regime. This doping mechanism avoids the high concentration of dopants usually encountered in bulk thermoelectric materials and provides a unique opportunity to enhance the carrier mobility with suppressed ionized impurity scattering. Moreover, the carrier concentration in small diameter nanowires has also been effectively modulated by field effect, allowing one to probe the electrical conductivity and thermopower within a wide range of carrier concentrations, which is crucial to understand the thermoelectric transport behavior. We found that the thermopower of nanowires with Ge core diameters down to 11 nm still follows the behavior of bulk Ge. As a result, the power factor is ...
Chemotherapy in patients who fail radiotherapy for diffuse aggressive non-Hodgkin's lymphoma.

Twenty patients with diffuse aggressive non-Hodgkin's lymphoma were treated primarily with radiotherapy for localized disease and had subsequent disease progression. All 20 patients then received an adriamycin based, combination chemotherapy regimen, but only seven patients (35%) achieved a complete remission, and only four patients (20%) currently remain in remission. When 15 patients treated with the CHOP regimen were compared to 62 patients treated with CHOP during the same time period but who did not have preceding radiotherapy, patients with previous radiotherapy had a lower complete remission rate (i.e. 66% versus 33%) and a slightly lower 5-year survival rate (i.e. 41% versus 20%). Thus, unlike patients with Hodgkin's disease, patients with diffuse aggressive non-Hodgkin's lymphomas who fail radiotherapy for localized disease might not have an especially good outlook with subsequent chemotherapy.
The field persistence of Bacillus thuringiensis spores

Abstract A method for measuring viable spore counts on leaf surfaces is described and utilized to provide data for estimating the field persistence of four Bacillus thuringiensi formulations. The estimates of persistence are based on the assumption of constant average force of mortality acting on the spores over time and are expressed in terms of viable spore half-life. For one of the formulations, persistence is compared at two differing environmental settings.
Quantitative criteria for emulsion phase characterization and for the transition between particulate and bubbling fluidization

Abstract A quantitative characterization for powder mixtures (Geldart Type A and C powders) in the emulsion phase was developed. The plastic deformation coefficient Y, the dissipation energy for powder packing rearrangement E p of the emulsion phase in fluidized beds and a nondimensional particle interaction term Ko were derived and experimentally obtained. A quantitative criterion for the transition between particulate and bubbling fluidization was developed taking the particle interactions into account and compared with experimental results.
WEBolution: Rethinking the Technical Services Knowledge Base and Culture in a Web-Based Information Environment

SUMMARY An action agenda is developed for technical services in the digital age. Various cultural changes that must take place in order for the library community to realize the potential of information technology are described. The agenda for change focuses on three areas: educational requirements for new information professionals, the redesign of organizations, and the retooling or re-education of current library professionals.
Low-cost two-dimensional digital image acquisition subsystem for high-speed microscopic motion detection

The 60 Hz field rate of RS-170 video systems is inadequate to capture the microscopic motion of rapidly moving biological specimens such as contracting skeletal and cardiac muscle. The recent introduction of low cost, high resolution CCD video cameras has permitted us to record muscle contractile dynamics without resorting to complicated and expensive non-standard video equipment. To this end, we have modified a frame-resettable charge-coupled device (CCD) camera for 60/240 Hz video field operation. The increase in image acquisition speed is achieved at the expense of vertical field size, but with no loss of horizontal resolution. For 240 Hz operation, there are no changes to the fundamental RS-170 video standard except for reinitializing the camera's scanning at a time earlier than normal. Thus, all RS-170 video devices work with this camera in either mode of operation without modification. Images are then digitized and stored in a computer field by field with a frame grabber for later image processing, analysis and measurement. This simple approach permits the detection and evaluation of rapidly moving microscopic specimens with appropriate aspect ratios to be made with relatively low cost RS-170 video equipment.© (1990) COPYRIGHT SPIE--The International Society for Optical Engineering. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.
Application of multiplicative signal correction (MSC) to Raman spectra for use in an anesthetic sensor

In the development of a fiber optic Raman scattering, selective absorbent-based anesthetic sensor, chemometric analysis of the spectroscopic data must include a method for correction of both multiplicative and additive effects. Multiplicative signal correction (MSC) has been used effectively in near-infrared reflectance measurements to account for differing pathlengths. MSC performs a least-squares regression of each spectrum on a reference spectrum; it was successfully applied to both simulated and experimental Raman spectra. Raman spectra were obtained from dilute mixtures of the anesthetics halothane, isoflurane, and enflurane in perfluoropolyether oil. The C-H stretch peaks of the anesthetics were used by partial least squares (PLS) to distinguish between the anesthetics and predict their concentrations. The broad C-F band from the perfluoropolyether oil was used by MSC to approximate the multiplicative and additive coefficients for correction of the spectra. The MSC-corrected data yielded significantly better predicted residual error sum of squares values in PLS than the uncorrected data. These encouraging results show that MSC may be generally used in correcting for multiplicative and additive effects in spectra that include a peak from a substance that exists in approximately the same concentration throughout the work.© (1995) COPYRIGHT SPIE--The International Society for Optical Engineering. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.
The prevention of immediate generalized reactions to radiocontrast media in high-risk patients

The use of lower osmolality radiocontrast media (RCM) has been associated with satisfactory radiographic opacification and a reduced incidence of severe reactions. The higher cost without clearly established benefit of these media have limited their use. This investigation assessed the incidence of immediate generalized reactions (IGRs) to repeated RCM IGRs in pretreated high-risk patients who received iopamidol or iohexol during 200 procedures (181 intravascular). All patients had experienced a previous IGR to a conventional RCM. Pretreatment consisted of prednisone, 50 mg, 13, 7, and 1 hour before the procedure and diphenhydramine, 50 mg, 1 hour before the procedure in 140 intravascular infusions. Ephedrine, 25 mg, 1 hour before the infusion was added to prednisone-diphenhydramine in 41 cases. Only one (0.7%) urticarial reaction occurred in 141 procedures with prednisone-diphenhydramine. No repeated IGR occurred with the three-drug regimen. The reaction rate after pretreatment with prednisone-diphenhydramine or prednisone-diphenhydramine-ephedrine and use of conventional contrast media during 800 intravascular procedures was 9.1%, and with pretreatment and lower osmolality contrast media in 181 intravascular infusions, it was 0.5% (chi 2 = 14.35; p less than 0.001). Lower osmolality contrast media should be the contrast media of choice for patients with a prior IGR to conventional contrast media. In addition, patients should receive prednisone-diphenhydramine-ephedrine or prednisone-diphenhydramine prophylaxis.
Peeling back the multiple layers of Twitter’s private disclosure onion: The roles of virtual identity discrepancy and personality traits in communication privacy management on Twitter

This study examined multiple layers of private disclosure on the microblogging site Twitter. Survey data (N = 375) were collected from current Twitter users (N = 198), nonusers (N = 116), and dropouts (N = 61). Data from current Twitter users revealed the existence of multiple strata of private disclosure boundaries on Twitter. There were significant differences at the descriptive and inferential levels among the multiple dimensions of private information, including daily lives, social identity, competence, socio-economic status, and health. Private information regarding daily lives and entertainment was disclosed easily and located at the outermost layer of the disclosure onion. In contrast, health-related private information was concealed and located within the innermost layer of the disclosure onion. ANOVAs (N = 375) also indicated that there were significant differences among current Twitter users, nonusers, and dropouts with regard to personality traits and privacy concerns about Twitter. Theoretical...
Activity of and Resistance to Moxifloxacin in Staphylococcus aureus

Moxifloxacin has enhanced potency against Staphylococcus aureus, lower propensity to select for resistant mutants, and higher bactericidal activity against highly resistant strains than ciprofloxacin. Despite similar activity against purified S. aureus topoisomerase IV and DNA gyrase, it selects for topoisomerase IV mutants, making topoisomerase IV the preferred target in vivo.
Students Giving Students Advice Before The First Day

During the last week of class students write advice to the incoming class. This is distributed to incoming students and is more reliable and relevant than that available on RateMyProfessors.com. I. INTRODUCTION timid freshman walks into his first class and fumbles with his course schedule to see if he’s in the right room. He sits down with just a pen in hand and looks over his shoulder at a sophomore who is meeting with some old friends. She appears confident about the course ahead and he catches her conversation. She mentions that she has heard about this professor and that she’s ready for the challenges the professor is going to throw at them. The freshman turns back around even more fearful of the required course he already was dreading. Standing alone in the front of the class stands the professor clutching copies of the course syllabus. Like the students sitting in front of her, she might be anxious or confident. Her goal on this first day is to introduce the course and herself to the students. This is her first chance to address pre- and misconceptions of the course and her as a professor. It is also her opportunity to lay out the expectations she has for her students. Getting the students to understand and accept these expectations is a challenge for even the most experienced college teacher.
Temperature Dependent Structural Studies of K- and RB- Doped C60

The temperature dependent structural evolutions of RbxC60 (x = 3, 5, 6) and K4C60 were studied using both in-house andsynchrotron x-ray powder diffraction and thermal analysis techniques over a temperature range of 10K–673K. The superconducting face centered-cubic (fcc) Rb3C60 and the body centered-tetragonal (bct) M4C60}(M = K, Rb) phases are found to be line compounds in this temperature range, while the body centered-cubic (bcc) phase forms a solid solution in which the solubility of vacant M sites increases with temperature. The orientation of the C60 molecules in the K4C60 phase was analyzed. A crystalline fcc Rb1C60 phase is stable only above room temperature.
Starting from scratch: The evolution of one university's administrative structure for adult programs

Abilene Christian University uses a hybrid governance model. Centralized structures include traditional program departments that supply the faculty and curriculum development for online graduate programs. Decentralized structures include an associate provost and separate student services for the online program.
Nanotechnology and nanomaterials: Promises for improved tissue regeneration

Summary Tissue engineering and regenerative medicine aim to develop biological substitutes that restore, maintain, or improve damaged tissue and organ functionality. While tissue engineering and regenerative medicine have hinted at much promise in the last several decades, significant research is still required to provide exciting alternative materials to finally solve the numerous problems associated with traditional implants. Nanotechnology, or the use of nanomaterials (defined as those materials with constituent dimensions less than 100 nm), may have the answers since only these materials can mimic surface properties (including topography, energy, etc.) of natural tissues. For these reasons, over the last decade, nanomaterials have been highlighted as promising candidates for improving traditional tissue engineering materials. Importantly, these efforts have highlighted that nanomaterials exhibit superior cytocompatible, mechanical, electrical, optical, catalytic and magnetic properties compared to conventional (or micron structured) materials . These unique properties of nanomaterials have helped to improve various tissue growth over what is achievable today. In this review paper, the promise of nanomaterials for bone, cartilage, vascular, neural and bladder tissue engineering applications will be reviewed. Moreover, as an important future area of research, the potential risk and toxicity of nanomaterial synthesis and use related to human health are emphasized.
IGFBP7's susceptibility to proteolysis is altered by A-to-I RNA editing of its transcript

The selective deamination of adenosines (A) to inosines (I) in messenger RNAs (mRNAs) can alter the encoded protein’s amino acid sequence, with often critical consequences on protein stability, localization, and/or function. Insulin-like growth factor-binding protein 7 (IGFBP7) supports cell-adhesion and stimulates fibroblast proliferation with IGF and insulin. It exists in both proteolytically processed and unprocessed forms with altered cell-extracellular matrix interactions. Here we show that editing of IGFBP7 transcripts impacts the protein’s susceptibility to proteolytic cleavage, thus providing a means for a cell to modulate its functionality through A-to-I RNA editing.
Defining International Criminal Law

This work is an introductory chapter for a forthcoming book on Understanding International Criminal Law to be published by Aspen Publishers as part of Aspen's Essentials series. This chapter presents a succinct definition of international criminal law (ICL), situating it within the fields of public international law, transnational law, international human rights, and international humanitarian law. Additional chapters in the text will address the history of ICL, the sources of ICL, the major international crimes and defenses, and ICL reasoning and rhetoric. Publication is expected in 2007 for adoption in 2008.
A Comparative Study of Two Shadow Fading Models in Ultrawideband and Other Wireless Systems

The distribution of the local average power at a mobile is usually considered to be lognormal in terrestrial and satellite channels. However, the mathematical form of the lognormal distribution is not convenient for analytic calculations. In this paper, we show the utility of the gamma distribution for shadow fading, in both terrestrial and satellite channels, using empirical data. Furthermore, we show that the application of the gamma model of shadow fading results in closed-form and mathematically-tractable solutions for key system performance measures such as the average symbol error rate of different modulations with a variety of diversity combining techniques.
White Privilege? The Intersection of Hip-Hop and Whiteness as a Catalyst for Cross-Racial Interaction Among White Males

Given the prevalence of racial segregation in the U.S., college is an opportunity to prepare students for diversity through cross-racial interaction. Hip-hop, a culture steeped in black and Latino experiences, has significant white supporters. Through diversity and critical whiteness frameworks, this research considers how white hip-hop collegians discuss and practice diversity in ways that can inform work on cross-racial interaction in higher education. The findings indicate that the participants, through their awareness of social inequities and enactments of diversity, can function as catalysts for campus cross-racial interaction.
Information technology for detecting medication errors and adverse drug events.

It is estimated that over three-quarters of a million people are injured or die in hospitals each year from adverse drug events (ADEs). The majority of medical errors result from poorly designed healthcare systems rather than from negligence on the part of healthcare providers. In general, healthcare systems rely on voluntary reporting, which seriously underestimates the number of medication errors and ADEs by as much as 90%. This paper reviews the causes and impact of medication errors and ADEs. It also reports studies that have used information technology (IT) to detect and prevent medication errors and ADEs. Significant reduction of medication errors and ADEs requires systemic implementation of IT, improvements in the reporting of errors, and integration of the components of the healthcare systems’ information systems. At the present time, most healthcare systems should be able to use IT to detect and prevent ADEs.
Radiofrequency Ablation of Primary and Metastatic Lung Cancers

Radiofrequency ablation is an accepted method of therapy for unresectable liver cancer. Most recently, interest in using this technology for treatment of primary and metastatic lung tumors has increased. Early animal studies have led to numerous human trials that suggest that radiofrequency ablation can play a major role in treatment of both early-stage primary lung cancer and metastatic lesions. Technical aspects of this therapy as well as areas of further research are discussed.
Applications of Stochastic-Adaptive Filters in Earthquake Engineering

Stochastic-adaptive filters provide excellent tools to analyze nonstationary and noisy signals, because of their superior time-tracking and noise handling abilities. This paper gives a brief summary of the theory of stochastic-adaptive filtering, and presents three applications in earthquake engineering. The applications are on modeling earthquake ground motions, site amplification, and separation of translational and torsional motions in buildings. An example for each application is presented by using real-life data.
Larvicidal activity of chimeric Bacillus thuringiensis protoxins

Bacillus thuringiensis subspecies kurstaki (Btk) and subspecies berliner (Btb) both produce lepidopteran-specific larvicidal protoxins with different activities against the same insect species. Toxic activity resides in the amino-terminal half of both protoxins, whereas the carboxy-terminal half of the molecules is not required for toxicity. The protoxins are 90% homologous, with a major cluster of differences in the amino-terminal half, and a 26 consecutive amino-acid insertion within the carboxy-terminal half of the Btk protoxin. Protoxin chimeras composed of the amino-terminal half of one subspecies and the carboxy-terminal half of the other were generated. Wild-type and chimeric protoxins were compared in bioassays against tobacco hornworm larvae. The amino-terminal half, the toxin itself, dictates specific larvicidal activity.
Hyperosmotic stress leads to reversible dissociation of the proton pump-bearing tubules from the contractile vacuole complex in Paramecium

To study the effect of hyperosmotic stress on the structure and function of the contractile vacuole complex of Paramecium multimicronucleatum, we employed two different monoclonal antibody markers: one to a decorated spongiome antigen (A4) and a second to an antigen found on all other membranes of the contractile vacuole complex (G4). A hyperosmotic condition was produced by adding sorbitol to the axenic culture medium which induced both dose- and time-dependent decreases in the vacuole's expulsion rate. The addition of 150 mM sorbitol to the medium (making a final osmolarity of 230 mOsmol) was sufficient to completely stop the expulsion of the contractile vacuole. Immunofluorescence demonstrated that the blocking of fluid output was accompanied by the disappearance of most fluorescence labeling from the decorated spongiome (the A4 antigen). Electron microscopy revealed that the disappearance of the labeling was accompanied by the disappearance of the decorated tubules from around the collecting canals. These tubules vesiculate. The other membranes of the contractile vacuole complex remained unaffected which was demonstrated by both electron microscopy and indirect immunolabeling using the mAb against the G4 antigen. These results show that the decorated spongiome is formed from a distinct membrane pool separate from that of the smooth spongiome, collecting canals and the contractile vacuole. Recovery of the decorated spongiome rapidly followed the return of the cell to an isotonic environment and was completed within 3 hours. Decorated tubule recovery paralleled the recovery of the function of the contractile vacuole. Recovery was also observed during continuous hyperosmotic treatment with the reappearance of the contractile vacuole activity starting at 3 hours and stabilizing at around 10 hours of incubation. Functional recovery under these conditions was accompanied by a reappearance of the decorated tubules but the total fluid output was always lower than for cells in an isotonic environment. Thus, cells were shown to be capable of adapting to high hyperosmotic conditions. We conclude that the dissociation and reassociation of the decorated spongiome is an important regulatory feature controlling the activity of the contractile vacuole complex and of intracellular osmoregulation in Paramecium.
Real-Time Ultrasonic Evaluation Of Swine

This study shows no difference in the backfat data collected on live and dead animals. In adjusted data, barrows had more backfat according to sonic and actual carcass measurement. There was a significantly (P<0.05) lower value in gilts in the first and last rib positions and in barrows in all positions but the tenth rib for sonic data as compared with carcass measurement. A high and significant (P<0.01) correlation existed between sonic and carcass measurements of fat thickness across sex. Within each sex, correlation was highest on the tenth rib followed by the last rib in gilts and the last lumbar in barrows. There were no significant differences in longissimus area measurement taken ultrasonically or in the carcass although correlations between them were high, being higher in gilts. 3MHz scanning produced greater accuracy in gilts than barrows for fat thickness and longissimus area determination, 5MHz, however, gave data that were closer correlated with carcass data. Except for the first rib position, there were no differences between scans taken on the hot carcass and actual carcass measures taken on the chilled right and left sides 48h later. The result suggests that hogs can be scanned a forthnight before slaughter and the data can be used in computing hog carcass yield at the point of sale. It also suggests the possibility of complete grading for hot carcasses and may further encourage hot processing if adopted. In cold processing situation, it may remove the necessity to enter the cooler for carcass measures.
Effects of preparation time and trial type probability on performance of anti- and pro-saccades

Cognitive control optimizes responses to relevant task conditions by balancing bottom-up stimulus processing with top-down goal pursuit. It can be investigated using the ocular motor system by contrasting basic prosaccades (look toward a stimulus) with complex antisaccades (look away from a stimulus). Furthermore, the amount of time allotted between trials, the need to switch task sets, and the time allowed to prepare for an upcoming saccade all impact performance. In this study the relative probabilities of anti- and pro-saccades were manipulated across five blocks of interleaved trials, while the inter-trial interval and trial type cue duration were varied across subjects. Results indicated that inter-trial interval had no significant effect on error rates or reaction times (RTs), while a shorter trial type cue led to more antisaccade errors and faster overall RTs. Responses following a shorter cue duration also showed a stronger effect of trial type probability, with more antisaccade errors in blocks with a low antisaccade probability and slower RTs for each saccade task when its trial type was unlikely. A longer cue duration yielded fewer errors and slower RTs, with a larger switch cost for errors compared to a short cue duration. Findings demonstrated that when the trial type cue duration was shorter, visual motor responsiveness was faster and subjects relied upon the implicit trial probability context to improve performance. When the cue duration was longer, increased fixation-related activity may have delayed saccade motor preparation and slowed responses, guiding subjects to respond in a controlled manner regardless of trial type probability.
Lebanon: A History, 600–2011, by William Harris/Lebanon After the Cedar Revolution, by Are Knudsen and Michael Kerr (eds.)

Harris's Lebanon: A History, 600–2011 is one of very few recent works in English on the complete history of Lebanon in the Islamic period. The author's background, which includes teaching at univer...
Narrative Construction, Social Perceptions, and the Situation Model

The present investigation examined how three salient features of narrative thinking (situation model construction, linguistic concreteness, and perspective-taking) influenced the social inference process. Results of four experiments indicated that compared with those given other objectives, perceivers given narrative objectives were: (a) more likely to make situation rather than trait attributions for observed behaviors (Experiment 1), (b) less likely to make implicit trait inferences (Experiment 2), and (c) less likely to rely on behavior valence when making evaluative judgments (Experiment 4). Linguistic analyses indicated that narrative construction consistently entailed the creation of situation models of events and linguistic concreteness, but only situation model creation mediated the relationship between narrative and inferences. Experiment 3 confirmed the mediating role of situation models: Perceivers with narrative objectives made trait inferences only when behaviors were inconsistent with contextual information. The role of these core narrative features on social perceptions is discussed.
Molar morphology and food texture among small-bodied insectivorous mammals

This study investigated whether heterogeneity of physical properties in dietary items would be reflected in the molar dentitions of extant mammals that specialize on invertebrate prey. Measurements of six shearing crests were made on lower second molars in three pairs of microchiropteran species, one pair of insectivoran species, and one pair of primate species. The physical properties of prey species routinely consumed is distinctive within each of these taxonomic pairs. Hard- and soft-object feeding insectivores were statistically distinct from one another on the basis of differential development of shearing features on their molar dentitions. Specifically, soft-object feeders, those mammals that primarily consume moths, caterpillars, and worms, exhibit relatively more shearing development than do closely related taxa that have more generalized feeding patterns including large quantities of hard-bodied beetles.
Comparative Study of the Mouthparts and Associated Sensilla of Adult Male and Female Tabanus Nigrovittatus (Diptera: Tabanidae)

Comparisons between the mouthparts and associated sensilla of male and female Tabanus nigrovittatus showed distinct sexual dimorphism for most, but not all, structures related to the feeding habits of the sexes. In males the reduced number of sensilla and absence of denticles on the apex of the labrum, absence of mandibles, failure of salivary duct to open at the tip of the hypopharynx, and lack of retrorse teeth on the lacinia of the maxilla all correlate with the non-blood-feeding habit. In both sexes sensilla were found on all the mouthparts except the hypopharynx and maxillary lacinia. Structures previously unreported on the mouthparts of tabanids are the 2 campaniform sensilla on each mandible of the female and pseudotracheal connectors on the labium of both sexes.
Testing for Over-Dominance and Epistasis

Abstract THE Rhode Island Red flock at the Massachusetts Experiment Station has been pedigree bred as a closed flock for more than 20 years. The chief objectives have been increased fecundity along with high viability. In recent years mean egg production has not increased at a satisfactory rate. It is conceivable that over-dominance, epistasis, or decreased genetic variability may be operating here. Disease control measures have been effective, environmental conditions have been regulated, and inbreeding has been held below 5 percent. The last five generations have shown the mean first-year egg production to be about 235 for survivors with no significant fluctuation from year to year. Since progress has been greatly reduced, it seems desirable to search for some of the possible causes. Experimental Data Available. Birds hatched in nine generations from 1943 to 1951 were studied. Methods of management, feeding, and housing were kept constant through the period. All females …
Renin-angiotensin, arterial blood pressure, and salt appetite in rats

Simultaneous administration of the diuretic furosemide (10 mg/kg sc) and a low dose of the angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitor captopril (5 mg/kg sc) reduced mean arterial blood pressure (MAP) and increased ingestion of water and 0.3 M NaCl within 2 h. Administration of either agent alone did not reduce MAP or cause significant fluid intakes. The increased ingestion of water and saline after furosemide plus captopril 1) was not due to increased excretion of water and sodium compared with losses after furosemide alone, 2) was abolished by the AT1-receptor blocker, losartan (10 mg/kg sc), and 3) was abolished by administration of a greater dose of captopril (100 mg/kg sc). Intravenous infusion of phenylephrine (3-4 micrograms.kg-1 x min-1) prevented the reduction in MAP after furosemide plus captopril and blunted the saline intake but not water intake. Simultaneous administration of the vasodilator minoxidil and captopril also stimulated robust salt appetite in association with reduced MAP. It is concluded that the integrity of renin-angiotensin mechanisms is necessary for the rapid ingestion of water and saline after furosemide and captopril and that arterial pressure modulates the behavioral responses.
Bacillus Calmette-Guérin (BCG) Treatment Failures with Non-Muscle Invasive Bladder Cancer: A Data-Driven Definition for BCG Unresponsive Disease

Objective: To create the first data-driven definition for those unlikely to benefit from further BCG treatment. Materials and Methods: The database created for the Phase 2 BCG-Interferon-α 2B (IFN) study was queried and BCG failure patients were identified (n = 334). Full study protocols have previously been published. Separate models were constructed for analysis of patients with any CIS (pure or concomitant) and pure papillary disease. Variables considered included age, gender, stage, grade, tumor size and focality (for papillary only), number of prior BCG courses, and prior BCG failure interval. Results: Patients with recurrent CIS within 6 months of their most recent prior BCG course (HR 2.56, p < 0.01) and ≥2 prior BCG failures (HR 1.54, p < 0.01) responded worst to repeat intravesical therapy. Those with CIS recurrence at 6–12 months did not differ from those recurring within 6 months (HR = 0.88, p = 0.71). Patients with recurrent papillary disease within 6 months (HR 1.82, p = 0.02), ≥2 BCG failures (HR 1.54, p = 0.03), and multifocal disease (HR 2.05, p < 0.01) responded worst to therapy. Patients with T1 disease remained disease free in 38% of cases (24–51% 95% CI) at 2 years with low rates of progression. Conclusions: Patients who fail two courses of BCG with either persistent or recurrent multifocal papillary disease within 6 months or CIS within 12 months of their prior BCG should be considered BCG unresponsive. Recurrent T1 disease respond reasonably well to another course with low progression rates but further investigation is warranted.
Correlation between the size of incidental thyroid nodules detected on CT, MRI or PET-CT and subsequent ultrasound.

Abstract Purpose The aim of this study was to assess the relationship between size of thyroid nodules at computed tomography (CT), magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) or positron emission tomography CT (PET-CT), and size at ultrasound. Materials and methods We performed a retrospective review of thyroid ultrasound studies over a 2-year period. Results A total of 307 patients were included in the study. There was a statistically significant difference between the size of nodules measured on ultrasound compared with cross-sectional imaging ( P Conclusion Cross-sectional imaging underestimates the size of thyroid nodules; however, the difference is small and likely not clinically significant.
Input/output processing using on-chip memory for Cyber Physical System

In recent years, most embedded systems have been extended to be able to communicate with other systems and the real-world. This new trend caused traditional embedded systems to evolve into a new generation called Cyber Physical Systems (CPS) which monitor and control complex real-world environment in which communication, computation cost and real-time constraints could be major challenges. In addition, the improvements in multi-core processors enhanced the computational power and leveraged the data parallelism. However, overall performance of the whole system is still limited by the overhead of the data transfers between sensors/actuators and computational unit. The computational unit can execute the control algorithm in a few microseconds while it may take tens of microseconds to copy dataset between sensor/actuators and computation cores. This paper presents an I/O processing scheme and DMA (direct memory access) data prefetching optimization technique to accelerate the I/O access time efficiently through on-chip memory. The proposed I/O processing scheme allows sensors/actuators to transfer data directly to and from on-chip memory. DMA prefetching optimization technique helps to prefetch I/O data before tasks executions. The experiment results show that our proposal approach reduces the execution time of the system around 26% for automatically-generated task graphs and around 21% for the task graphs extracted from benchmarks compared to traditional I/O processing schemes.
pH-dependent complexation of lysozyme with low methoxyl (LM) pectin

In order to understand the effect of pH on the formation of electrostatic complexes between lysozyme and low methoxyl (LM) pectin, mixtures were prepared at a fixed lysozyme concentration (0.714g.L-1) by progressive addition of LM pectin (from 0 to 4g.L-1). Turbidity analysis allowed to determine specific conditions of pH and lysozyme/LM pectin ratio for optimal complex aggregation. The intrinsic fluorescence enhancement observed upon binding of LM pectin to lysozyme was correlated with the formation of intermolecular aggregates. Conversely, the intrinsic fluorescence decrease observed at higher LM pectin amounts was correlated with the dissociation of intermolecular aggregates. UV absorption spectroscopy showed modifications in lysozyme conformation during both the aggregation phase and the dissociation phase. The role of electrostatic interactions in the formation of lysozyme/LM pectin complexes is discussed in relation to the overall structure and the charge density profile of the two biopolymers.
Petrophysical interpretation of laboratory pressure-step-decay measurements on ultra-tight rock samples. Part 1 – In the presence of only gas slippage

Abstract Conventional laboratory characterization of ultra-tight reservoir rock samples involves separate laboratory measurements on different core plugs or on crushed rock samples. Heterogeneity and anisotropy of ultra-tight reservoir samples adversely influence the laboratory correlation among various measured and estimated petrophysical properties. We apply an inversion algorithm to simultaneously estimate the intrinsic permeability ( k i ), effective porosity at ambient condition ( ϕ 0 ), pore-volume compressibility ( C p ), and Klinkenberg-slip factor ( b ) of an ultra-tight pyrophyllite sample from a single laboratory-based pressure-step-decay measurement. The inversion algorithm is valid for nitrogen injection pressure in the range of 50–500 psi. The algorithm assumes ideal-gas behavior of the injected nitrogen, 1D isothermal laminar gas flow, homogeneity of the core, pressure-independent gas viscosity, inverse-pressure dependence of the apparent permeability, pressure-independent Klinkenberg-slip factor, non-negligible pore-volume compressibility, pressure-dependent effective porosity, negligible inertial effects, square of pressure gradient is significantly smaller than pressure times second derivative of pressure along the entire length of the core plug, and time-invariant confining pressure. Parameter-estimation results based on the proposed inversion scheme are shown to be independent of the values of the initial guess for k i in the range of 1 nd to 10 μd, ϕ 0 in the range of 0.01–0.20, C p in the range of 10 −2 to 10 −6 psi −1 , and b in the range of 0–200 psi. Estimated apparent permeability and effective porosity of the pyrophyllite samples exhibit strong pore-pressure dependence; consequently, both the properties vary substantially along the sample length during the pressure-step-decay measurement. The pyrophyllite samples studied in this work are assumed to be homogeneous. The numerical model of the pressure step decay measurement accounts for the variation in porosity and permeability along the length of core due to the time-dependent pore pressure variation during the experiment. On an average, the effective porosity of the pyrophyllite samples increased by 100% and the apparent permeability decreased by 75% when the pore pressure increased from 50 psi to 500 psi during the measurement. The average values k i , ϕ 0 , C p , and b of the nine pyrophyllite samples were estimated to be 40 nd, 0.03, 2 × 10 −3 psi −1 , and 100 psi, respectively.
Autophagic dysfunction and autophagosome escape in the mdx mus musculus model of Duchenne muscular dystrophy.

Aim Duchenne muscular dystrophy is caused by the absence of functional dystrophin protein and results in a host of secondary effects. Emerging evidence suggests that dystrophic pathology includes decreased pro-autophagic signalling and suppressed autophagic flux in skeletal muscle, but the relationship between autophagy and disease progression is unknown. The purpose of this investigation was to determine the extent to which basal autophagy changes with disease progression. We hypothesized that autophagy impairment would increase with advanced disease. Methods To test this hypothesis, 7-week-old and 17-month-old dystrophic diaphragms were compared to each other and age-matched controls. Results Changes in protein markers of autophagy indicate impaired autophagic stimulation through AMPK, however, robust pathway activation in dystrophic muscle, independent of disease severity. Relative protein abundance of p62, an inverse correlate of autophagic degradation, was dramatically elevated with disease regardless of age. Likewise, relative protein abundance of Lamp2, a lysosome marker, was decreased twofold at 17 months of age in dystrophic muscle and was confirmed, along with mislocalization, in histological samples, implicating lysosomal dysregulation in this process. In dystrophic muscle, autophagosome-sized p62-positive foci were observed in the extracellular space. Moreover, we found that autophagosomes were released from both healthy and dystrophic diaphragms into the extracellular environment, and the occurrence of autophagosome escape was more frequent in dystrophic muscle. Conclusion These findings suggest autophagic dysfunction proceeds independent of disease progression and blunted degradation of autophagosomes is due in part to decreased lysosome abundance, and contributes to autophagosomal escape to the extracellular space.
An Analogue of Schwartz’s Method for the Construction of the Green Function of the Zaremba Problem and Its Application in Underground Hydrodynamics

In the present paper the classical problem of underground hydrodynamics, modeling the flow of incompressible fluid in porous medium, (see e.g. [1,2]) is studied.
A Study of Variables Influencing Students’ Acceptance of a Behavioral Science Course

This is a study of variables related to student acceptance of a Behavioral Science Course at Hahnemann Medical College and Hospital. Student ratings of course components were related to overall course evaluations and to their examination scores. A seminar group experience and patient interviews were found to be significant factors influencing their acceptance of the course. Student ratings of the course were not related to their performance. Some data on the characteristics of effective seminar group leaders are provided.
Microstructure-property studies in friction-stir welded, Thixomolded magnesium alloy AM60

Thixomolded magnesium alloy AM60 plates joined by friction-stir welding were observed to be as strong or stronger than the unwelded base material. The thixotropic microstructures of the as-molded plates consisted of either 3% or 18% primary solid fraction of α-Mg globules (∼45 μm average size) in a eutectic mixture consisting of α-Mg grains (∼10 μm) surrounded by Mg17Al12 intermetallic grains in the α-Mg grain boundaries (having an average size of 1–2 μm). This complex, composite microstructure became a homogeneous (Mg + 6% Al)), recrystallized, equiaxed grain (10–15 μm) microstructure in the weld zone.