cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Scalable control program for multiprecursor flow-type atomic layer deposition system

The authors report the development and implementation of a scalable control program to control flow type atomic layer deposition (ALD) reactor with multiple precursor delivery lines. The program logic is written and tested in LABVIEW environment to control ALD reactor with four precursor delivery lines to deposit up to four layers of different materials in cyclic manner. The programming logic is conceived such that to facilitate scale up for depositing more layers with multiple precursors and scale down for using single layer with any one precursor in the ALD reactor. The program takes precursor and oxidizer exposure and purging times as input and controls the sequential opening and closing of the valves to facilitate the complex ALD process in cyclic manner. The program could be used to deposit materials from any single line or in tandem with other lines in any combination and in any sequence.
The Limits of Civic Environmentalism

Two key components of civic environmentalism are the devolution of policy control of environmental policy from the federal government to states and localities and the increase of local citizen participation in policy decision making. Using a combination of case studies and interviews, the authors suggest that devolution of policy making and policy implementation may not increase the role of citizens. Rather, due to both the participatory mechanisms used and the larger trends in political participation in democratic societies, citizen involvement may be limited in significant ways. Although evidence is found that citizens can and do influence policy under certain circumstances, there is also cautionary evidence to suggest that this influence is not widespread and does not include representative samples of local communities. The authors conclude that for civic environmentalism to be truly civic, barriers to participation must be acknowledged and overcome.
Quality of criminal responsibility reports submitted to the Hawaii judiciary.

Abstract This paper is the third in a series of research reports on quality of forensic mental health evaluations submitted to the Hawaii judiciary. Previous studies examined quality of reports assessing competency to stand trial (CST) and post-acquittal conditional release, in felony defendants undergoing court-ordered examinations. Utilizing a 44-item quality coding instrument, this study examined quality of criminal responsibility reports in a sample of 150 forensic mental health evaluations conducted between 2006 and 2010 by court-appointed panels. Raters attained high levels of agreement in training and quality coding. Similar to the previous studies, overall quality of reports was mediocre, falling below the .80 quality criterion score for report elements, regardless of evaluator professional identification or employment status. Level of agreement between evaluators and judicial sanity determinations was “fair” using Cicchetti's (1994) standards for interpretation of intra-class correlations. Level of agreement was lower than previously published findings for CST reports and better than conditional release reports. Reasons for mediocre report quality and “fair” inter-rater agreement are discussed, including the fact that criminal responsibility evaluations are complex, retrospective in nature, and involve significant degrees of inference. In contrast to CST evaluations, assessment of criminal responsibility involves a mental state at the time of the offense evaluation. Threats to reliability in forensic reports are discussed. Suggestions for improvement of report quality are proffered, including standardization of procedures and report format and use of forensic assessment instruments.
Treatment with an inhibitor of catechol-O-methyltransferase activity reduces preterm birth and impedes cervical resistance to stretch in pregnant rats

Catechol-O-methyltransferase (COMT) enzyme catalyzes the methylation of the 2- or 4-hydroxyestrogens to 2- or 4-methoxyestrogens. Both the hydroxyestrogens and methoxyestrogens have been shown to block or enhance the effects of estrogen respectively. Our objective was to investigate the potential role of COMT in parturition and cervical ripening using a rat model. Immunohistochemistry was conducted to detect and localize the COMT protein in rat uterine tissues during pregnancy. We measured the longitudinal changes in urinary 2-hydroxyestrogen before, during, and after pregnancy in rats. Animal studies were conducted to determine the effect of treatment with a selective COMT inhibitor on (1) mifepristone-induced preterm birth and (2) cervical resistance to stretch in pregnant rats. The intensity of staining for the COMT protein differed within the luminal epithelium, uterine gland epithelium, endometrium, and myometrium during pregnancy. Levels of staining for the COMT protein in rat myometrium were highest on day 1 and lowest on days 8 and 13, but high levels returned by days 16 and 19 of pregnancy. The levels of urinary 2-hydroxyestrogen gradually increased in the first 2 weeks of pregnancy, peaked from days 16 to 18 of pregnancy, and then gradually returned to pre-pregnancy levels after delivery. The percentage of pups retained in the uterus of pregnant rats treated with both mifepristone and COMT inhibitor (48 +/- 15%) was significantly higher (P < 0.05) when compared with the value of pregnant rats treated with mifepristone alone (12 +/- 4%). The resistance to stretch was significantly higher (P < 0.05) in cervical tissues from the pregnant rats treated with COMT inhibitor (0.28) when compared with cervical tissues taken from rats treated with vehicle control (0.18). Modulation of COMT activity may play a role in the regulation of myometrial contractility and cervical ripening during pregnancy.
Unexplained sudden cardiac death: an opportunity to identify hereditary cardiac arrhythmias.

This editorial refers to ‘Nationwide study of sudden cardiac death in persons aged 1–35 years’, by B.G. Winkel et al. doi:10.1093/eurheartj/ehq428 Death is inevitable, and what better way to die than suddenly. This statement is applicable to the elderly, but sudden death in a young person not only is a tragedy for the victim but also has a devastating effect on parents, spouses, and the victim's children. But why study the causes of sudden death, particularly sudden death, in the young since there is little that can be done to bring them back to life? The answer is that these untimely deaths can reveal clinical and genetic defects that trigger arrhythmias and this information may prevent inherited sudden cardiac death in family members. However, first, we need to examine the magnitude of the problem. In the meticulously performed study by Winkel et al. ,1 all deaths in persons age 1–35 years in Denmark, from 2000 to 2006, were carefully evaluated. In retrospective studies of the causes of sudden cardiac death, a major concern is the lack of a medical history of the patients and absence of uniformity in the quality of the autopsy findings due to lack of cardiac expertise of the pathologist. However, in this study, the investigators had access to the National Patient Registry containing information on all in- and outpatient activity in Danish Hospitals and emergency rooms. Death certificates were evaluated independently by two physicians to identify the causes of sudden unexpected deaths. The cause of death …
Nineteenth century African-American and White biological living conditions in Texas☆

Abstract Using a source of 19th century Texas state prison inmate records, the present study contrasts the biological living conditions of comparable 19th century African and European Americans. Average Black stature ironically increased during the antebellum period and decreased immediately after emancipation, while average White stature declined throughout the second half of the 19th century. Texas Black BMI values declined during the late 19th and early 20th centuries; however, White BMI values increased, indicating considerable 19th century biological inequality by race. Therefore, the known material inequality that existed in the 19th century American South is reinforced with biological markers.
Diurnal variation of adrenocortical function in hypophysectomized rats with multiple heterotopic pituitary homografts.

WE have shown that hypophysectomized male rats bearing ten heterotopic, homografted pituitaries under the renal capsules have nearly normal adrenal weight and considerable, though subnormal, adrenal corticosterone production1. Because adrenal weight and production of corticosterone was markedly reduced in hypophysectomized rats without pituitary homografts, we concluded that the heterotopic pituitary has adrenal-maintaining activity presumably by means of the secretion of ACTH. Furthermore, because many investigators have shown that a single heterotopic pituitary exhibits only very slight adrenal-maintaining activity2–4, we concluded that multiple heterotopic pituitaries maintain adrenal weight by virtue of their collective secretion of individually small amounts of ACTH. The present communication deals with studies of diurnal variation in the function of the cortex of the adrenal glands in rats with pituitary homografts and provides evidence that direct connexion between the brain and pituitary is not essential for the rhythmic activity of the pituitary-adrenocortical axis.
Remarks on automorphisms of ℂ* × ℂ* and their basins

We study basins of attraction of automorphisms of ℂ2 tangent to the identity that fix both axes. Our main result is that, if a well-known conjecture about automorphisms of ℂ* × ℂ* holds, then there are no basins of attraction associated to the non-degenerate characteristic directions (in the sense of Hakim), and therefore we cannot find a Fatou–Bieberbach domain that does not intersect both axes with this method.
Surgeons provide definitive care to patients with gallstone pancreatitis.

Abstract Background The optimal management of patients with gallstone pancreatitis (GP) remains a matter of debate. There are wide variations in the use of diagnostic testing and same-stay cholecystectomy. We hypothesize that a general surgery service (SURG) will deliver more efficient, definitive care for patients with GP. Methods A retrospective cohort study of consecutive GP patients in an urban hospital from 2006 to 2009. Differences between groups were assessed by the two-tailed Student t test for continuous variables and the Fisher exact test for ordinal data. Results One hundred twenty-four patients with GP were admitted, 79 to medicine (MED) and 45 to surgery (SURG). In the MED group, 21 patients (27%) underwent same-stay cholecystectomy, and 7 patients (9%) returned with recurrent biliary pancreatitis. In the SURG group, 44 patients had definitive surgery, and none returned with recurrent disease (P Conclusions For patients with GP, admission to surgery results in definitive treatment with same-stay cholecystectomy. This is a more efficient approach with fewer readmissions for the same disease process.
Discovering de facto diagnosis specialties

In health care institutions, medical specialty information may be lacking or inaccurate. Diagnosis histories offer information on which medical specialties may exist in practice, regardless of whether they have official codes. We refer to such specialties that are predicted with high certainty by diagnosis histories de facto diagnosis specialties. We aim to discover de facto diagnosis specialties under a general discovery--evaluation framework. Specifically, we employ a semi-supervised learning model and an unsupervised learning method for discovery. We further employ four supervised learning models for evaluation. We use one year of diagnosis histories from a major medical center, which consists of two data sets: one is fine-grained and the other is general. The semi-supervised learning model discovers a specialty for Breast Cancer on the fine-grained data set; while the unsupervised learning method confirms this discovery and suggests another specialty for Obesity on the larger general data set. The evaluation results reinforce that these two specialties can be recognized accurately by supervised learning models in comparison with 12 common diagnosis specialties defined by the Health Care Provider Taxonomy Code Set.
Meteorological aspects of cloud-to-ground lightning in the Kennedy Space Center region

This paper examines the meteorological environment in which cloud-to-ground lightning occurs at the Kennedy Space Center (KSC) region during summer. Using the lightning patterns of central Florida, flashes from individual thunderstorms were analyzed for five low-level wind regimes during three summers. The results showed large differences between the number, timing, and location of flashes for varying flow regimes, with southwest flow being the most prolific producer of flashes in the KSC area. In the second part of the study, short-term forecasts of lightning were investigated using the divergence measured by the KSC surface wind network. An interval of about 1 hour was found from the beginning of a convergence event to first lightning. Monitoring 5-min surface convergence, in combination with understanding the climatology of lightning related to the daily flow regime, made it possible to isolate the lightning. Results were used successfully in operations at KSC.
Partial purification of a water-soluble liver protein that regulates adenylate cyclase activity (basal, hormone- and cholera-toxin-activated) and cholera-toxin-catalyzed ADP-ribosylation of the membrane G protein

We have found in water-soluble extracts of rat liver (and RL-PR-C cloned rat hepatocytes), prepared in the absence of detergent, a factor that markedly enhances basal, isoproterenol and cholera toxin activation of adenylate cyclase of rigorously washed hepatocyte membranes, in the absence of added GTP. The factor, which has characteristics of a protein with an Mr of approx. 35000, has been fractionated from crude cytosol by gel filtration, and then further purified over 50-fold by sequential ion-exchange chromatography. The site of action of the protein appears to be at the level of the guanine nucleotide regulatory (G) protein of the plasma membrane adenylate cyclase complex, as the factor, cooperatively with GTP, also permitted cholera toxin to ADP-ribosylate (from 32P-labeled NAD) two integral membrane proteins that migrated on SDS-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis gels with the mobilities (Mr approx. 46 000 and 48 000) generally observed for the guanine nucleotide regulator protein subunits. In this system, isoproterenol did not stimulate ADP-ribosylation, in either the presence or absence of the liver protein factor.
Bivariant twisted cyclic theory and spectral sequences of crossed products

Abstract We use bivariant twisted cyclic theory to get the spectral sequences of bivariant Hochschild and cyclic theories of crossed products of algebras. The six-term exact sequences of periodic bivariant cyclic theory are obtained for certain groups acting on trees.
Amyloid as a Depot for the Formulation of Long-Acting Drugs

Amyloids are highly organized protein aggregates that are associated with both neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer disease and benign functions like skin pigmentation. Amyloids self-polymerize in a nucleation-dependent manner by recruiting their soluble protein/peptide counterpart and are stable against harsh physical, chemical, and biochemical conditions. These extraordinary properties make amyloids attractive for applications in nanotechnology. Here, we suggest the use of amyloids in the formulation of long-acting drugs. It is our rationale that amyloids have the properties required of a long-acting drug because they are stable depots that guarantee a controlled release of the active peptide drug from the amyloid termini. This concept is tested with a family of short- and long-acting analogs of gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH), and it is shown that amyloids thereof can act as a source for the sustained release of biologically active peptides.
Free energy surface of the Michaelis complex of lactate dehydrogenase: a network analysis of microsecond simulations.

It has long been recognized that the structure of a protein creates a hierarchy of conformations interconverting on multiple time scales. The conformational heterogeneity of the Michaelis complex is of particular interest in the context of enzymatic catalysis in which the reactant is usually represented by a single conformation of the enzyme/substrate complex. Lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) catalyzes the interconversion of pyruvate and lactate with concomitant interconversion of two forms of the cofactor nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NADH and NAD+). Recent experimental results suggest that multiple substates exist within the Michaelis complex of LDH, and they show a strong variance in their propensity toward the on-enzyme chemical step. In this study, microsecond-scale all-atom molecular dynamics simulations were performed on LDH to explore the free energy landscape of the Michaelis complex, and network analysis was used to characterize the distribution of the conformations. Our results provide a detail...
Fillet Yields from Four Strains of Nile Tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus) and a Red Variety

Tilapia (Oreochromis, spp.) have been introduced globally and domesticated, resulting in a number of different strains. This diversity offers the potential for difference in body morphology and, in turn, fillet yields. A trial was conducted at Auburn University, Auburn, Alabama, to compare processing characteristics of four populations of Oreochromis niloticus using two domesticated strains (Egypt and Ivory Coast), two less domesticated strains (Sagana and Lake Victoria), and a red variety (Santa Fe). Male tilapia (N = 25/strain) were manually processed and the dress-out percentage and visceral fat calculated. Mean individual weights of pre-processed fish were similar (range = 403.8 ± 27.6 g to 413.8 ± 24.5 g) with the exception of the larger Sagana strain (434.2 ± 15.4 g). The Ivory Coast strain had the highest percent dress out (33.1% ± 2.1%), while the Sagana strain had the lowest (29.6% ± 1.5%). The Red strain had the greatest percent visceral fat (2.3% ± 1.0%) and the Sagana had the lowest (0.2% ± 0.4%).
Cocaine effects in sleep-deprived humans

Eight normal healthy volunteers were tested in a reaction-time task and a work-output task after 24 and 48 h of sleep deprivation with and without 96 mg of inhaled cocaine. Cardiovascular changes and verbal report of mood change and drug effect were also monitored. Sleep deprivation produced a decrement in reaction-time performance which was reversed by inhalation of cocaine. Heart rate increased after cocaine both under non sleep-deprived conditions and sleep-deprived conditions. The magnitude of the drug-induced heart rate was, however, lower when subjects were deprived of sleep for 48 h. Verbal reports of cocaine effects were similar to those reported for amphetamine, with no evidence supporting the idea of a postdrug depression immediately after the acute effects of the drug dissipated, although some rebound effects were noted 8 h after drug administration.
Control unit for automatically recording Mössbauer spectrometers

Abstract A method is described which allows the accumulation of data for a single Mossbauer spectrum in the total available channels of a multichannel analyser.
Influence of curvature on the concentration of oxygen in DC23PC bilayers

Abstract An experiment is described that tests the influence of radius of curvature on the solubility of oxygen in an amphophilic system. Using fluorescence quenching it is shown that small DC23PC vesicles have a lower oxygen capacity than the larger tubule morphology of the same material at the same temperature. The result is explained by invoking the influence of the Laplace pressure.
Ionizing Radiation Effects in Microwave Cavities

Recent studies of the effects of ionizing radiation on microwave Gunn oscillators have neglected the effect of the ionizing radiation on the gas inside the microwave cavities used as part of the oscillator circuit. This paper shows both theoretically and experimentally that this effect cannot be neglected above dose rates of 108 Rad/ sec.
Formation of apparent presynaptic elements in response to poly-basic compounds

Abstract Neuronal cell processes in dispersed cell culture grow out onto Sepharose beads coated with poly-basic proteins. Apparent presynaptic elements are formed by these neuronal processes with the bead serving as a postsynaptic element. It is suggested that electrostatic binding between poly-acidic groups on the presynaptic element and poly-basic groups on the postsynaptic element is one of the initial steps in the formation of a synaptic contact in culture.
Historical changes in age and growth of Atlantic croaker, Micropogonias undulatus (Perciformes: Sciaenidae)

Abstract Archaeological excavations near St Augustine, Florida, U.S.A. recovered 415 otoliths from Atlantic croaker, Micropogonias undulatus (Perciformes: Sciaenidae), which were caught by Native American and Hispanic peoples living in the area. Age determination using growth increments of otoliths and correlated size information were used to construct size distributions, age distributions, growth rates and season of capture. During a 3000 year time span, coastal Indians captured Atlantic croaker 1–10 years old ranging from about 13–39 cm total length. Marginal increments of otoliths revealed that most fish were caught from January to May, during or shortly after the period of annulus formation. Numbers and size ranges of otoliths in each archaeological sample were quite small, suggesting that Indian fishing was probably done by individuals or small groups. Gears and methods used by Indians were selective for small, young croaker or were inefficient in areas where large fish occurred. The absence of large, old croaker and nearshore coastal species in Prehispanic collections suggest that Indians fished predominantly in the estuary. Spanish interaction with coastal Indian tribes resulted in changes in the size and age composition of the Atlantic croaker catch. Post-contact, older (up to 15 years) and larger (up to 46 cm, tip of the jaw to the end of the caudal fin—TL) croaker formed a large portion (> 30%) of the catch, suggesting that fishing effort was more extensive throughout estuaries and nearshore coastal waters and may have employed other gears and methods. Marginal increments of otoliths suggest that fishing occurred primarily in winter and spring but may have extended year-round. Comparing information from these collections with modern studies indicates that age and growth of Atlantic croaker have changed dramatically, perhaps in response to exploitation or habitat alteration. In earlier centuries, Atlantic croaker grew more slowly, perhaps an indication of density-dependent growth, and lived much longer (15 years versus 7 years). Differences in age and size class composition of Prehispanic, First Spanish Period, and modern catches are consistent with those of a species whose rates of exploitation have increased. Future research of environmental conditions and the biology of Atlantic croaker and other fishes during these early periods may provide explanations for the dramatic changes in the biology of Atlantic croaker observed in this study.
Temporal coupled-mode theory for the Fano resonance in light scattering and its applications

We present a temporal coupled-mode theory for the Fano resonance in light scattering by individual obstacle. As an application, we design a structure that exhibits strong absorption and weak scattering properties at the same frequency.
NOTES ON GOUY DIFFUSE-LAYER THEORY

Abstract Explicit expressions are listed for the charge density and the capacitance of the diffuse layer in single, fully dissociated symmetric and asymmetric electrolytes. A relatively simple approximation to the potential-distance profile is given for 1,1-, 1,2-, 2,1- and 2,2-electrolytes. In these electrolytes, the potential-distance profiles exhibit limiting behavior at extreme values of the Stern potential.
Using linear programming to improve the determination of photomask magnification and orthogonality corrections

A method of improving the determination of photomask magnification and orthogonality corrections using linear programming (LP) is presented. The method discusses the inadequacies of the current methods and how LP modeling provides a more rigorous approach for determining the optimum corrections for an arbitrary set of customers, lithography tools, and cassettes. A detailed description is provided of the LP model formulation. A sample problem is discussed using actual production data to show one such set of corrections and an estimate is provided of the improvement that can be achieved with their implementation. Finally, possible refinements to the model are discussed along with suggestions regarding the technique's incorporation into a software application.
Crossover phenomena in epileptic syndromes of childhood.

Benign Rolandic epilepsy (BRE) and primary generalized epilepsy (PGE) are found at about the same period of childhood. Crossover from PGE to BRE and vice versa may occur; two short case reports provide further evidence for this development. Hence, transitions from a primarily generalized to a focal (partial) epileptic seizure disorder and vice versa is a possibility. Both PGE and BRE are based upon states of hyperexcitability, i.e. dysfunctional rather than structural abnormalities that are capable of changing their spatial distribution.
A primate model of macular cyst

Perfluoropropane (C3F8) was injected into nine eyes of six cynomolgus monkeys. In all nine eyes, macular changes consistent with the development of a macular cyst were noted within 3 months after injection. On fluorescein angiography, there was no evidence of retinal vascular leakage associated with the macular cysts. Histopathologic evaluation of six eyes demonstrated microcystic changes throughout the perifoveal inner nuclear layer. These coalesced into larger cystic spaces in the outer plexiform layer of the central macula. These macular changes are previously unreported in patients or monkeys undergoing intravitreal injection of expansile gases. This model for macular cysts may be helpful in evaluating the pathogenesis and role of interventional strategies in patients with cystoid macular edema.
Positron emission tomography affects surgical management in recurrent colorectal cancer patients.

Background: We determined the effect of positron emission tomography (PET) on surgical decision-making in patients with metastatic or recurrent colorectal cancer.
Oxidation of Iron‐Molybdenum and Nickel‐Molybdenum Alloys

Binary alloys of iron and molybdenum (up to 12.5 atomic % Mo) and nickel and molybdenum (up to 19.7 at. % Mo) do not exhibit "catastrophic oxidation" up to 1000~ either in stationary or in flowing atmospheres. In both systems, MoO2 and iron molybdate or nickel molybdate are formed in addition to iron oxides or nickel oxide. Molybdenum significantly decreases the oxidation rate of iron by preventing formation of the cation deficient FeO normally formed on iron above 570~ The oxidatiml rate of nickel, however, is affected only to a small extent. Up to 3 at. % molybdenum the rate is slightly increased by the formation of additional vacancies in the nickel oxide, while beyond 12 at. % the oxidation rate is again decreased owing to the densification of the MoO: subseale.
Risk Factors Associated with Kidney Injury and the Impact of Kidney Injury on Overall Survival in Pediatric Recipients Following Allogeneic Stem Cell Transplant

Pediatric allogeneic stem cell transplant (AlloSCT) patients are at substantial risk of developing kidney injury (KI), and KI contributes to transplant-related morbidity and mortality. We compared the estimated creatinine clearance (eCrCl) at 1, 3, 6, 9, and 12 months post-AlloSCT in 170 patients following reduced toxicity conditioning (RTC) versus myeloablative conditioning (MAC) to baseline. eCrCl was calculated using the Schwartz equation. Patients with ≥50% drop in eCrCl from the baseline were considered to have KI. Patients received tacrolimus and mycophenolate mofetil (MMF) for graft-versus-host disease (GVHD) prophylaxis. The logistic regression model was used for assessing risk factors for KI. Seventy-six patients (median age = 10.6 years) received RTC AlloSCT; 94 patients (median age=8.5 years) received MAC AlloSCT. The incidence of KI at 1 month post-AlloSCT was significantly higher in MAC versus RTC AlloSCT (43/94 [45.7%] versus 13/76 [17.1%] P
Pseudo Jahn-Teller effect and luminescence of nitrogen heterocyclic compounds

Abstract The correlation between the solvent dependence of the spectral shape of fluorescence and the solvent dependence of the radiationless transitions strongly suggests that it is the pseudo Jahn-Teller distortions of the lowest excited singlet state which leads to the strong solvent dependence of the fluorescence yield in nitrogen heterocyclic compounds.
The catabolism of glucose and gluconate in Pseudomonas species.

Abstract The catabolic mechanisms for the utilization of glucose and gluconate in Pseudomonas aeruginosa, P. reptilivora, and P. fluorescens KB1 have been examined by means of the radiorespirometric method. Although both the Entner-Doudoroff and C1C5 cleavage pathways are participating in glucose catabolism, gluconate is utilized by these organisms exclusively via the Entner-Doudoroff route.
Effect of die geometry and flow characteristics on viscoelastic annular swell

Abstract Commercial extrusion blow moulding operations typically employ tapered or ovalized annular dies. The geometry of the tool and the rheological properties of the molten polymer determine the swelling characteristics and resulting dimensions of the extruded parison. A parison that is too thick will result in excessive part weight and an unnecessary waste of resin. A parison that is too thin may blow out during the inflation stage or yield a part possessing inferior mechanical properties. The thickness swell of the annular extrudate is a consequence of the molecular orientation which develops as a result of the shear and extensional stresses that result from the deformation history experienced by the material in a specific die configuration. The thickness swell will also be influenced by the diameter swell of the parison. The diameter swell and parison shape are primarily influenced by the circumferential (hoop) stresses and gravitational forces acting on the parison. Optimization of the swelling behaviour can be accomplished through appropriate die design with the aid of a computer-based simulation. The effect of die inclination angle, die gap opening, die contraction ratio, and diverging section length on the swelling characteristics of a high-density polyethylene melt are systematically examined. Numerical computations of the profile shape and stress distributions have been obtained using a commercial finite element software package ( polyflow ). The material behaviour has been represented by an integral-type K-BKZ constitutive equation. Whenever possible, the predicted results have been compared with experimental data obtained on a commercial extrusion blow moulding machine. It was found that the thickness swell increases with increasing die contraction ratio and decreases with increasing inclination angle from the vertical as well as with increasing length of the tapered section. The diameter swell is sensitive to changes in the die geometry. In the absence of gravitational body forces, the circumferential stresses cause contraction of the outer diameter of the parison downstream from the die in the case of diverging die geometries. However, a pronounced extrudate expansion was observed in the case of extrudates emerging from converging annular dies. A detailed examination of the stress field by means of computer simulation is particularly helpful in understanding the extrudate swell behaviour associated with geometrically-complex dies.
Correlation between heart rate covariation, personality and hypnotic state.

Abstract A regression analysis was used to determine the effects of stages of hypnotizability on similarity of heart rate between therapist and the hypnotic subject. While no significant correlations were found for heart rate covariations and hypnotic susceptability, it was found that personality factors independently contributed to heart rate similarity during hypnotic induction.
Angioedema After tPA: What Neurointensivists Should Know

Angioedema is an underappreciated and potentially life-threatening complication of intravenous (IV) recombinant tissue plasminogen activator (rt-PA). Patients taking angiotensin converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitors are at increased risk of this rare complication. Case report. A 74 year-old woman taking lisinopril for hypertension was treated with IV rt-PA for right hemispheric acute ischemic stroke. Shortly after completion of the rt-PA infusion, she developed asymmetric angioedema involving the tongue and left lower lip. No emergent airway intervention was needed. Following treatment with epinephrine, antihistamines, and corticosteroids, the edema resolved within 24 h. The patient made an excellent recovery from the ischemic stroke. Orolingual angioedema can complicate rt-PA treatment of acute stroke and is often ipsilateral to the side of hemiparesis. Neurointensivists should be aware of this possibility, which is increased in patients taking ACE inhibitors. Epinephrine can be given safely in this scenario. Identification of high risk features may help guide decisions regarding early definitive airway management.
Freeform fabrication of Nylon‐6 tissue engineering scaffolds

The aim of this research is to develop, demonstrate and characterize techniques for fabricating such scaffolds by combining solid freeform fabrication and computational design methods. When fully developed, such techniques are expected to enable the fabrication of tissue engineering scaffolds endowed with functionally graded material composition and porosity exhibiting sharp or smooth gradients. Results of bio‐compatibility and in vivo implantation are presented.
Teaching Word Recognition to Young Children Who Are at Risk Using Microsoft® PowerPoint™ Coupled With Direct Instruction

This article focuses on use of Microsoft® PowerPoint™ paired with direct instruction (DI) to teach word recognition to young children at risk. DI has been a widely used teaching method for over 40 years, and is often used to teach emergent literacy skills. Recent DI research with preschoolers at risk has suggested the potential for using scripted, direct instruction-supported PowerPoint™ slides delivered with an LCD projection system to teach word recognition skills. Based on this research, specific instructional strategies for using this technology with children at risk is presented along with suggested scripts for classroom use.
Decreased molecular weight of RNA transcribed following kidney storage.

Abstract Nuclei were isolated from normal mouse kidneys and kidneys which had been stored at 37° for 60 min. The molecular weight of the RNA synthesized by the isolated nuclei was determined with polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. Nuclei from stored tissue produced RNA of lower molecular weight than did nuclei from normal kidneys. The difference was due to altered synthesis and not accelerated degradation.
Ultrastructure of Wax-Producing Structures on the Integument of the Melaleuca Psyllid Boreioglycaspis melaleucae (Hemiptera: Psyllidae), with Honeydew Excretion Behavior in Males and Females

The melaleuca psyllid, Boreioglycaspis melaleucae (Hemiptera: Psyllidae), was introduced to Florida as a biological control agent against Melaleuca quinquenervia, an invasive evergreen tree that has invaded large areas of Florida Everglades. Colonies of B. melaleucae nymphs are normally covered by white waxy secretions, and nymphs of various instars produce long bundles of white waxy filaments extending laterally and posteriorly from their abdomen. Scanning electron microscopy of ‘naturally waxed’ and ‘dewaxed’ nymphs (cleaned from wax) revealed two types of wax pore plates located dorsally and laterally on the integument of posterior abdominal segments starting with the 4th segment. Type-1 wax pore plates, with raised rim, peripheral groove, slits and pits, produce long ribbons and filaments of waxy secretions that are wound together forming long wax bundles, whereas type-2 wax pore plates, with slits only, produce shorter wax curls. Additionally, in both nymphs and adult females, the circumanal ring contained ornate rows of wax pores that produce wax filaments covering their honeydew excretions. Video recordings with stereomicroscopy showed that adult females produce whitish honeydew balls, powerfully propelled away from their body, probably to get these sticky excretions away from their eggs and newly hatched nymphs. Adult males, however, produce clear droplets of honeydew immediately behind them, simply by bending the posterior end of the abdomen downward. The possible role(s) of waxy secretions by nymphs and adults of B. melaleucae in reducing contamination of their colonies with honeydew, among other possibilities, are discussed.
Enabling, enacting and maintaining action at a distance: An historical case study of the role of accounts in the reduction of the Navajo herds

Abstract The role of accounting in enabling action at a distance has received considerable attention in the accounting literature. In this paper we examine the role of accounts in the actions taken by government officials in Washington, DC to reduce the size of the Navajo livestock holdings on their reservation in the southwestern United States in the 1930s. We examine the role of accounts in three acts: first in enabling action at a distance, second in enacting action in the local setting and finally, in shoring up, or maintaining action when things go wrong. We argue that in order to understand the role of accounts in these three acts, it is necessary to examine the conditions of possibility within which they emerge, the network of agents who adopt and give them life and the way in which they become entwined with various and shifting strategies. We also examine how action taken in Washington, DC had profound consequences for the Navajo when attempts were made to enact actions taken at a distance on the reservation.
Chronic daily headache: challenges in treatment.

INTRODUCTION An overwhelming majority of men and woman living in the Western world will experience headaches at some point in their life. Astoundingly, the lifetime prevalence of headache for men and women in this part of the world is over 94%.1 Three to five percent of the global population has daily or near-daily headaches.2 Chronic daily headache (CDH) is not a single diagnosis, but rather a descriptive term for the presence of headaches occurring at least 15 days per month for at least 3 months. Duration of headache attacks is a key factor in the diagnosis of specific CDH entities. Specifically, it is helpful to differentiate long duration (>4 hours) from short-duration (<4 hours) CDH (Table 1). Across the spectrum of CDH disorders, chronic migraine (CM), chronic tension-type headache (CTTH), and medication overuse headache (MOH) account for the vast majority of cases of CDH.3 Approximately half of people with headache on 15 or more days per month for more than 3 months have medication overuse headache (MOH).4
Household Disbandment in Later Life

Objectives. This study described activities that older people undertake to reduce the volume of their possessions in the course of a residential move to smaller quarters, a process with practical, cognitive, emotional, and social dimensions. Methods. Qualitative interviews were conducted with members of 30 households who had moved in the prior year. The disbandment period, typically lasting about 2 months, was a particular focus of the interview. Results. The interviews suggested nine reasons why people had accumulated and kept things, which now became problematic for the impending move. The initial steps of disbandment entailed decisions about major furniture and meaningful gifts to family and friends, followed by evaluation of the remaining belongings for retention, sale, further gifts, donation, or discard. Things not divested by one means were reassigned to another strategy. People took pleasure in dispositions that saw their things used, cared for, and valued as they had done, thus fulfilling a responsibility to their belongings. Discussion. Disbandment is an acute episode of a more general, lifelong process of possession management. It is an encounter with things that are meaningful to the self, but as it unfolds, it also makes new meaning for things. ‘‘It’s not a matter of what you can take, but what you can’t take.’’ —Man, age 83, who moved from a house to a two-bedroom duplex
Scheduling two-stage production lines with multiple machines

Abstract Most manufacturing process maintain separate fabrication and assembly centres. Based on this observation, the author coincides a manufacturing process that contains two stages of production with multiple machines. The manufacturer produces a variety of products to satisfy customer demands, operates under a 'push' mode and in a ‘ make-to-order’ environment. Each customer order consists of known quantities of different products which must be delivered as a whole shipment. Periodically, the manufacturer schedules all the accumulated unscheduled customer orders. The scheduling objective is to minimize the sum of weighted customer order lead times. Such manufacturing systems are formulated as a mathematical programming problem. It is then shown that this problem is unary NP-hard and remains unary NP-hard even when all the weights are equal. Some insights about the structure of the optimal schedule(s) are provided and some special cases solved in polynomial time. Several polynomial time heuristics are ...
Sensorless resistive-based control of shape memory alloy actuators in locking mechanism

This article presents a sensorless resistive-based control method to control shape memory alloy wire actuators to be used in the development of a laparoscopic surgical locking system. Shape memory ...
Fluid inclusions in quartz crystals from South-West Africa

Quartz crystals from calcite veins of unknown age in Precambrian metasedimentary rocks at Geiaus No. 6 and Aukam farms in South-West Africa contain both primary and secondary inclusions filled with one substance or a combination of substances. These substances include organic liquid, moderately saline aqueous liquid, dark-colored solid, and a vapor. Analysis of these materials by microscopy and by gas chromatography and mass spectrometry shows the presence of constituents of both low and high molecular weights.
Detrended fluctuation analysis and spectral analysis of heart rate variability for sleep stage and sleep apnea identification

In a systematic study we compared the performance of spectral analysis and detrended fluctuation analysis (DFA) to discriminate sleep stages and sleep apnea. We investigated 14 healthy subjects, 33 patients with moderate, and 31 patients with severe sleep apnea with polysomnography. Discriminance analysis was used on a person and sleep stage basis to determine the best method for the separation of sleep stages and sleep apnea severity. Using spectral parameters 69.7% of the apnea severity assignments and 54.6% of the sleep stage assignments were correct, while using scaling analysis these numbers increased to 74.4% and 85.0%, respectively. Changes in heart rate variability are better quantified by scaling analysis than by spectral analysis.
Si Nanoparticle Synthesis and Self – Organization

Si nanoparticle linear arrays have been produced by pulsed KrF laser irradiation in inert atmospheres. The Si nanoparticles have a Gaussian size distribution with a mean diameter of 2.9 nm and a FWHM of 2 nm. The self–organized lines are spaced at a distance approximately equal to the laser beam wavelength, λ. The evolution of this self–organization process and that of laser–induced periodic surface structures (LIPSS) are closely related. The nanoparticles scatter light that interferes with the incident light. Similar to LIPSS, the inhomogeneous deposition of laser light due to this interference pattern created at the surface drives the particle formation and clustering. A detailed study of the clustering formation as a function of the laser pulses is presented.
Treatment of large solid tumors in mice with daunomycin-loaded sterically stabilized liposomes.

AbstractPrevious work on the effects of sterically stabilized liposomes on the growth of experimental solid tumors used protocols that began drug treatment when tumor volume was small ( 0.5 mL) experimental tumors. BALB/c nude mice were transplanted with 2.3 × 106 3T3 cells transfected with an activated HER2 gene. After 8 days, when mean tumor volume was 0.52 mL, mice were treated with intraperitoneal daunomycin-loaded polyethylene glycol-stabilized liposomes (daunomycin 6 mg/kg, including tracer [3H]daunomycin), free daunomycin (6 mg/kg), or vehicle. Both control and free daunomycin-treated mice survived an average of 15 days after tumor cell inoculation (and 7 days after treatment), while mice receiving daunomycin-loaded sterically stabilized liposomes survived for 32 days. Tumors were well vascularized and contained no necrotic ...
Recognition of point-light biological motion: Mu rhythms and mirror neuron activity

Changes in power in the mu frequency band (8-13Hz) of the electroencephalogram (EEG) is thought to indirectly reflect the activity of mirror neurons in premotor cortex. Activation of these neurons by self-performed, observed or imagined motor actions is assumed to produce asynchronous firing and a reduction in mu rhythm oscillation (referred to as mu suppression) in sensorimotor cortex. A recent fMRI study by Saygin et al. [Saygin AP, Wilson SM, Hagler Jr DJ, Bates E, Sereno MI. Point-light biological motion perception activates human premotor cortex. J Neurosci 2004;24:6181-8] revealed that the premotor brain regions containing mirror-neurons are also activated in response to point-light human motion. The perceived movement of these light cues are integrated into one percept of a complete human action (e.g. jumping jacks), rather than seen as individual moving lights. The present study examined whether recruitment of the mirror neuron system, as reflected in mu rhythm suppression, mediates recognition of point-light biological motion. Changes in mu power were recorded while subjects viewed point-light biological motion videos, matched scrambled versions of these animations, and visual white-noise (baseline). The results revealed that point-light biological animations produced mu suppression relative to baseline, while scrambled versions of these animations did not. This supports the hypothesis that the mirror neuron system is involved in inferring human actions by recovering object information from sparse input.