cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Cross-sensitization between the locomotor stimulant effects of ethanol and those of morphine and cocaine in mice.

Background: Drugs of abuse may share some common mechanisms of action. We examined this idea by determining whether cross-sensitization would occur between the locomotor stimulant effects of ethanol (EtOH) and those of morphine and cocaine. Methods: Genetically heterogeneous adult female mice were repeatedly treated with 2.5 g/kg EtOH, then challenged 24 hr later with one of four doses of morphine or cocaine (0, 5, 10, or 20 mg/kg for both drugs). Under the reciprocal conditions, mice were repeatedly injected with cocaine or morphine (10 or 20 mg/kg), then challenged 24 hr later with 2.0 g/kg EtOH. In all cases, locomotor responses were compared to those of repeatedly saline-treated control groups. Results: Behavioral sensitization was seen to the stimulant effects of EtOH, and to the effects of the higher, 20 mg/kg dose of both morphine and cocaine. EtOH-sensitized mice did not show cross-sensitization to morphine or cocaine. However, both single and multiple morphine pre-exposures induced enhanced activation to an EtOH challenge. Mice repeatedly injected with 10 or 20 mg/kg cocaine also exhibited increased sensitivity to the stimulant effects of EtOH. Conclusions: There is some overlap in the neural mechanisms underlying behavioral sensitization to the locomotor stimulant effects of EtOH and those mediating sensitization to the locomotor stimulant effects of morphine and cocaine. Differences seen under reciprocal treatments may be associated with conditioning factors, or reflect differences in the neurobiological specificity of the effects of these drugs.
Denotational Textuality and Demeanor Indexicality in Tibetan Buddhist Debate

This article examines the place of demeanor indexicality in Tibetan Buddhist debate, a genre of argumentation practiced daily by monks of the Geluk sect in India. In debate, monks display forms of demeanor that parallel the operations they concurrently perform on the denotational content of their discourse. It is through the reciprocally reflexive relationship between demeanor indexicality and denotational textuality that debate is shown to achieve its core ideological effects.
Hungarian vowel harmony in Optimality Theory

Vowel harmony systems have presented descriptive challenges for virtually every well-articulated theory within the framework of generative phonology. Significantly, no comprehensive and completely satisfactory account in a rule-based theory exists for one of the best studied of these systems, that of Hungarian.' The novel approach of Optimality Theory (henceforth OT), as originally developed by Prince & Smolensky (1993) and McCarthy & Prince (1993a, b, 1995), has been shown to offer insightful solutions to vexing problems of prosodic phonology and morphology.2 This paper seeks to relate the insights of OT to the
Application of GPS to mobile IP and routing in wireless networks

We discuss how the location information provided by GPS can be used at different layers of the protocol stack of a mobile host. Our discussion focuses an application of the two GPS based networking protocols we have designed and implemented. The network topology we are considering is composed of fixed Internet with base station at the edges connected with an ad hoc networks of mobile nodes that are connecting information from sensors spread through a region. In the network, base stations and mobile nodes are GPS equipped. The idea is to leverage the information of the mobile and base station positions, obtained via the GPS, to improve performance of the ad hoc routing, to adaptively determine the appropriate base station capacity to be reserved strictly for handoffs, to collect data from sensors scattered in the medium and to inform mobiles about the prospective future location.
Anisotropic equivalent conductivity tensors for bioelectric modeling of partial volume effects in cerebrospinal fluid spaces

Accurate modeling of bioelectric propagation within the head is necessary for precise electromagnetic source localization. We present here a new approach for modeling spaces fractionally composed of grey matter and cerebrospinal fluid. Using information about the orientation of the cortical surface, we construct anisotropic conductivity tensors to model the partial volume effects frequently present within sulci. Our results indicate that the CSF region has significant effect upon the resulting model, and can more accurately be accounted for using anisotropic conductivities. We validate our method using a whole brain statistical error analysis of the signal topography and magnitude.
Fairness, Feelings, and Ethical Decision- Making: Consequences of Violating Community Standards of Fairness

In this article, we describe the influence of violations of community standards of fairness (Kahneman, Knetsch, and Thaler, 1986a) on subsequent ethical decision-making and emotions. Across two studies, we manipulated explanations for a common action, and we find that explanations that violate community standards of fairness (e.g., by taking advantage of an in crease in market power) lead to greater intentions to behave unethically than explanations that are consistent with community standards of fairness (e.g., by passing along a price increase). We find that perceptions of justifiability mediate this relationship. We also find that individuals derive significant psychological benefits (greater satisfaction, greater happiness, and reduced anger) from engaging in unethical behavior following perceived violations of fairness.
Capacity-approaching turbo coding and iterative decoding for relay channels

In this paper, we design turbo-based coding schemes for relay systems together with iterative decoding algorithms. In the proposed schemes, the source node sends coded information bits to both the relay and the destination nodes, while the relay simultaneously forwards its estimate for the previous coded block to the destination after decoding and re-encoding. The destination observes a superposition of the codewords and uses an iterative decoding algorithm to estimate the transmitted messages. Different from the block-by-block decoding techniques used in the literature, this decoding scheme operates over all the transmitted blocks jointly. Various encoding and decoding approaches are proposed for both single-input single-output and multi-input multi-output systems over several different channel models. Capacity bounds and information-rate bounds with binary inputs are also provided, and it is shown that the performance of the proposed practical scheme is typically about 1.0-1.5 dB away from the theoretical limits, and a remarkable advantage can be achieved over the direct and multihop transmission alternatives.
Effects of Autonomic Nerves and Their Mediators on the Coronary Circulation and Myocardial Contraction

Mean and phasic coronary flows were recorded simultaneously by an electromagnetic meter, and peripheral coronary pressure was recorded distally from the temporarily occluded descending branch of the left coronary artery. From the results of these studies we conclude that: 1. The sympathetic cardiac nerves, as does levarterenol, increase myocardial contraction, (indicated by a shorter, more abrupt systole and more rapid isometric relaxation), and cause a slight degree of coronary arteriolar dilation. 2. Parasympathetic fibers exert no significant effect, although acetylcholine diminishes coronary arteriolar tone and may slightly diminish ventricular contraction. 3. That measurements of mean coronary flow and resistance are relatively satisfactory for indicating changes in coronary arteriolar tone, but are of relatively little value in evaluating myocardial contraction.
Production scale deposition of multilayer film structures for birefringent optical components

Abstract Many modern optical systems require polarization control of light in addition to spectral control. Light modulation applications include displays, optical data storage, digital imaging, metrology, instrumentation, optical communications and others. Within the information display sector, liquid crystal displays with polarization control components are prevalent. These components are often close to an image plane and thus have stringent defect requirements. Use of these components to control contrast and modulation drives the requirement of uniformity and part-to-part consistency. In a birefringent material the interaction of light with matter depends on the polarization state and orientation of the material. Bulk materials like quartz possess crystalline structures and hence exhibit molecular birefringence. Liquid crystal materials, stretched foils, and obliquely deposited columnar films are examples of engineered materials that have a microstructure or molecular orientation that creates birefringence. But even a stack of thin isotropic layers has birefringent properties when illuminated at non-normal incidence angle. We discuss two deposition technologies which JDSU has scaled into volume production. The first is based on liquid crystal polymers and the second on vacuum multilayer thin-film deposition. Production scale deposition requires high throughput, high uniformity, batch-to-batch reproducibility, and low defect capability. Both processes are standardized on 200 mm wafers, which allows for modular manufacturing within the same work cell and clean room. The two technologies are used together to create specifically tailored birefringent optics. Independent control of in-plane and out-of-plane retardance is enabled. Excellent layer thickness control, knowledge of the optical properties, and suitable metrology enable JDSU to adjust processes to address various customer needs in a rapid manner.
Transmission System Reliability Analysis in Power Systems Reliability Instruction

Identification of the appropriate reliability indices and the means of evaluation of these indices is one of the basic procedures in power systems reliability education. The reliability indices are usually based on the continuity of service to the consumer, the unreliability effects on losses. All of these indices can, however, be derived from three dimensions of reliability: frequency, duration and magnitude. This concept along with an appropriate software package that is written for a PC environment can be utilized in determining the reliability of power systems in a reliability engineering course. The concept and the computer program have been tested on an actual system and the results are presented in this paper.
Comparison of sublingual to oral tacrolimus administration in lung transplantation

interferon-gamma [IFN-g], and granulocyte-macrophage colony stimulating factor [GM-CSF]) in phorbol myristate acetate/ionomycinstimulated peripheral blood cells from healthy volunteers (n 34) and from stable cardiac (n 55) transplant recipients receiving CsA therapy was measured by quantitative real-time reverse transcriptasepolymerase chain reaction before and 2 hr after drug intake (C2 level); gene expression and CsA whole blood levels were then correlated. Two hours after oral CsA ingestion, the mean suppression of induced IL-2, IFN-g, and GM-CSF gene expression ranged from 14% to 99% and was directly related to C2 levels and total drug exposure in a biphasic fashion. In patients with C2 levels above 600 g/ml (n 22), inhibition of gene expression ranged between 86% and 99% and showed a flat, but highly significant correlation (p 0.01) with C2 levels (2 patients showed only a weak inhibition of 25% and 45% even with C2 levels of 714 g/ml and 1032 g/ml [non responder]). In patients with C2 levels below 600 g/ml (n 33), suppression of gene expression varied between 14% and 93% and was again closely associated with CsA levels (p 0.01), however by way of a markedly steeper regression curve. There were no significant differences in additional medication with mycophenolate mofetil or azathioprin or in the incidence of acute rejection or infection between the two patient groups. In conclusion, quantitative measurement of the inhibition of NFAT-regulated gene expression 2 hr after CsA intake represents a novel approach to assess the biologic effectiveness of CsA therapy, correlates closely with C2 pharmacokinetics of CsA and has the potential to enable individualized immunsuppressive regimens.
Techniques of magna-field irradiation.

Abstract Total body irradiation (TBI) techniques have evolved over the years, with the basic goals remaining adequate immunosuppression and/or tumor eradication. TBI technique variables include: machine type and energy, prescription parameters (dose, number of fractions, dose/fraction, dose rate), patient position, therapy room and machine constraints (field size, distance) and beam modifiers (bolus, compensators, shields). Related variables include chemotherapy agents and schedules, and `boost' radiotherapy. Seven representative institutions that treat a large number of TBI' patients were surveyed for these variables. Homogeneity has been achieved generally within ±10% with the use of these techniques. One `sentinel' effect is discussed, namely interstitial pneumonitis, as a measure of normal tissue effects with varying techniques. There is an indication that more fractionated methods, used either daily or in a hyperfractionated fashion, are leading to a decreased incidence of pneumonitis.
Pelvic splenosis misdiagnosed as a uterine sarcoma

•Splenosis is a rare complication of splenic trauma or splenectomy.•Splenosis can be mistaken for gynecologic malignancy.•Splenosis must be considered as a diagnosis in all patients with history of prior trauma or splenectomy.
Radiation Sensitivity of Primary Fibroblasts from Hereditary Retinoblastoma Family Members and Some Apparently Normal Controls: Colony Formation Ability during Continuous Low-Dose-Rate Gamma Irradiation

Abstract Wilson, P. F., Nagasawa, H., Warner, C. L., Fitzek, M. M., Little, J. B. and Bedford, J. S. Radiation Sensitivity of Primary Fibroblasts from Hereditary Retinoblastoma Family Members and Some Apparently Normal Controls: Colony Formation Ability during Continuous Low-Dose-Rate Gamma Irradiation. Radiat. Res. 169, 483–494 (2008). We previously described an enhanced sensitivity for cell killing and G1-phase cell cycle arrest after acute γ irradiation in primary fibroblast strains derived from 14 hereditary-type retinoblastoma family members (both affected RB1+/− probands and unaffected RB1+/+ parents) as well as distinctive gene expression profiles in unirradiated cultures by microarray analyses. In the present study, we measured the colony formation ability of these cells after exposure to continuous low-dose-rate (0.5–8.4 cGy/h) 137Cs γ radiation for a 2-week growth period. Fibroblasts from all RB family members (irrespective of RB1 genotype) and from 5 of 18 apparently normal Coriell cell bank co...
A demonstration of PyViz, a flexible smart home visualization tool

As smart home technologies are deployed in research and real world environments, there is continuing need for quality visualization. These data come from a variety of sensor sources, artificial intelligence algorithms and human feedback. Building tools that are easily configured, rapidly developed and capable of communicating with both real time and historical data is ever challenging. This work introduces PyViz, a smart home-focused, middle-ware enabled, interactive interface. PyViz is the result of several years of testing and development in a large smart home research project. During its development, issues of configuration, ease of use and adaptability have been explored and overcome. The demonstration of this tool hopes to enlighten the audience about the facets of user interfaces, network agents and smart home complexity.
Shock waves in dilute bubbly liquids

The propagation of weak shock waves in liquids containing a small concentration of gas bubbles is studied theoretically on the basis of a mathematical model that contains all - and only - the effects that contribute to first order in the gas volume fraction. In particular, the thermal exchange between the gas bubbles and the liquid is described accurately. This aspect of the theory emerges as its most significant component, relegating effects such as the relative motion between the phases to roles of minor importance. Comparison with experimental results substantiates the accuracy of the model for shock waves that have had time to broaden from an initial sharp front to a more diffuse profile. For shock waves closer to inception, marked differences are found between theory and experiment. The same problem affects all other published theoretical treatments. It is concluded that some as yet poorly understood mechanism governs the early-time behaviour of shock waves in bubbly liquids.
Nest visits and capture events affect breeding success of Yellow-billed and Pacific loons

ABSTRACT Accurate estimates of breeding success are essential for understanding population dynamics and for managing populations. Unfortunately, research activities to collect these data can negatively impact the breeding success of the study species and bias estimates of breeding success. Despite the potential for negative impacts, few studies have documented the effect of capturing incubating adults on nest survival or compared nest survival following different capture methods. In this study we evaluate the impacts of investigator disturbance associated with captures and nest visits on nest survival of Yellow-billed Loons (Gavia adamsii) and Pacific Loons (Gavia pacifica) in the National Petroleum Reserve-Alaska (NPR-A), an area of conservation concern, in 2011–2013. In an effort to reduce capture-related nest failures, we developed a new suspended dive net technique to catch territorial aquatic birds while off their nests. We then compared nest survival following suspended dive net captures to bow-net ...
Privacy policy and PETs The influence of policy regimes on the development and social implications of privacy enhancing technologies

‘Privacy’is an ambiguous notion, encompassing personal autonomy, democratic participation, identity management, and social coordination. Each of these privacy ideals reflect different sets of social concerns. Laws operationalize privacy in terms of ‘personally identifiable information’. Technologies reify that definition. This has implications for the constitution of identity and social life. It may empower data holders to rationalize populations and create selfserving social categories, while permitting individuals to negotiate these categories outside of panoptic vision. It may facilitate public awareness of, and resistance to, these created social categories. A more expansive understanding of identification and privacy should inform policy discourse.
Extensible control architectures

Architectural advances of modern systems has often been at odds with control complexity, requiring significant effort in both design and verification. This is particularly true for sequential controllers, where machine complexity can quickly surpass designer ability. Traditional solutions to this problem require elaborate specifications that are difficult to maintain and extend. Further, the logic generated from these specifications bares no resemblance to the intended behavior and often fails to meet design performance constraints. In the process of designing a multi-threaded, dynamically-pipelined microcontroller, we encountered a number of common difficulties that arise from the inadequacies of traditional pipeline design methodologies. Through the use of a novel nondeterministic finite automata (NFA) specification model, we were able to implement an extensible control structure with minimal design effort. In this paper we present a viable pipeline controller specification methodology using the pyPBS language, which enables minimal effort control partitioning and compact behavioral representation. The structure of the language encourages design decisions that promote efficient modular constructions which can be easily integrated and extended. We present an overview of the our methodology including background on the pyPBS synthesis model, an architectural overview of our multi-threaded microcontroller, and implementation details for the control structure of the design including the complete control specifications. In addition, we show that the applicative nature of the pyPBS language allows for addition of a multi-cycle multiplication unit with minimal effort.
The effect of pulsed electric fields on biological cells: experiments and applications

The effect of pulsed electric fields with amplitudes in the range of 100 V/cm-100 kV/cm on bacteria and aquatic nuisance species has been explored. The pulse duration was so short that heating of the biological matter could be neglected. The electrical energy required for lysing of bacteria, or stunning of aquatic species, decreases when the pulse duration is reduced. For lysing of Eschericia coli, this tendency has been proven to hold for pulsewidths as short as 60 ns. For macroorganisms, however, it was found that for pulsewidths of less than 5 /spl mu/s, the tendency is reversed: the energy required to affect the macroorganisms increases again. This minimum in energy, or maximum in efficiency, respectively, can be understood by taking the time required for electrical charging of the cell membrane into account. Applications of the pulsed electric field technique (PEFT) are in biofouling prevention, debacterialization of liquids, and in the field of medicine. A series of field tests on biofouling prevention in a cooling system with untreated water as coolant has demonstrated the economic feasibility of the electro-technology.
Mentoring Masculinities: Race and Class in the (Re-)Construction of Gender in the USA and the UK:

This article explores the empirical and political debates surrounding boys' academic experiences in America and the United Kingdom. It unearths the ways in which boys' problems in school have been ...
Psychopathy, Mental Time Travel, and Legal Responsibility

Neil Levy argues that the degree to which psychopaths ought to be held blameworthy for their actions depends on the extent to which they are capable of mental time travel—episodic memory and episodic foresight. Levy claims that deficits in mental time travel prevent psychopaths from fully appreciating what it is to be a person, and, without this understanding, we can at best hold psychopaths blameworthy for harming non-persons. In this paper, I build upon and clarify various aspects of Levy’s view. Specifically, I begin by outlining the neurobiological data on mental time travel, and I argue that psychopaths, or at least some psychopaths, appear to have the deficits Levy ascribes to them. I then expand upon the legal implications of his argument by using an analogy between juveniles and psychopaths to argue that the penological justification for retributive punishment against psychopaths ought to be substantially diminished.
Historical perspective and role of entrepreneurship in Austrian economics

Title: Historical perspective and role of entrepreneurship in Austrian economics Author: Subbu Kumarappan Dept of Ag Food Res Economics Michigan State University Bibliographic information: A review essay of Jesus Huerto De Soto’s book The Austrian School: Market Order and Entrepreneurial Creativity . Cheltenham, UK: Edward Elgar, 2008. x. 129pp. ISBN 978-1847207685. $95.00 hardcover Forthcoming: Research in the History of Economic Thought and Methodology Volume A, January 2010
A Digital Marketplace for Education

We describe a web-based Educational Marketplace that matches student requests for learning materials to available and appropriate resources. We address technical issues such as: 1) resource acquisition and data mining techniques to facilitate access to large-scale educational repositories; 2) negotiation, contract execution and verification of instructional resources, and 3) digital repository testbeds to evaluate agent behavior. Societal issues include understanding web-based educational interactions, individual learning processes and organizational dynamics in the distributed, digital instructional realm. The Educational Marketplace is different from other Internet spaces in that it requires independent scoring of resources and certification of teaching. This chapter discusses these issues and the open learning environment where a learner has choices; it describes how the Internet might replace the existing education monopoly and help dissolve the cottage industry of education in which a teacher handcrafts materials fixed by space and time.
The significance of vertebrate microfossil size and shape distributions for faunal abundance reconstructions; a Late Cretaceous example

Faunal abundance and fossil size and shape data from microvertebrate localities in the Upper Cretaceous Judith River Formation of south-central Montana illustrate that even when lo- cated in similar sedimentary facies, concentrations of vertebrate microfossils may exhibit strikingly different taphonomic profiles. Degrees of microfossil size and shape sorting may vary even among sites from the same sedimentary facies. In some instances, such variations may make it impossible to disregard taphonomic causes for differences sites exhibit in paleofaunal abundances. To limit the possibility that taphonomically generated faunal differences might be mistaken for true differ- ences in paleoecology, comparisons of paleofaunal abundances should be restricted to microver- tebrate sites both from similar sedimentary facies and with similar profiles of fossil sizes and shapes.
Effects of Treated versus Untreated Polystyrene on Caspofungin in Vitro Activity against Candida Species

Significant interlaboratory variability is observed in testing the caspofungin susceptibility of Candida species by both the CLSI and EUCAST broth microdilution methodologies. We evaluated the influence of treated versus untreated polystyrene microtiter trays on caspofungin MICs using 209 isolates of four Candida species, including 16 C. albicans and 11 C. glabrata isolates with defined FKS mutations. Caspofungin MICs were also determined using the commercially available YeastOne and Etest assays and 102 isolates. All C. glabrata isolates had caspofungin MICs of ≥0.5 μg/ml, the clinical breakpoint for caspofungin resistance in this species, measured using trays made of treated polystyrene, regardless of the FKS status. In contrast, susceptible isolates could readily be distinguished from resistant/non-wild-type isolates when caspofungin MICs were measured using untreated polystyrene trays and both the YeastOne and Etest assays. Similar results were also observed for C. krusei isolates, as all isolates had caspofungin MICs above the threshold for resistance measured using treated polystyrene trays. In contrast, C. albicans isolates could be correctly identified as susceptible or resistant when caspofungin MICs were measured with treated or untreated trays and with the YeastOne and Etest assays. MICs falsely elevated above the resistance breakpoint were also not observed for C. tropicalis isolates. These results demonstrated that the use of treated polystyrene may be one factor that leads to falsely elevated caspofungin in vitro susceptibility results and that this may also be a greater issue for some Candida species than for others.
The Role of Teachers in the Decline of the Accounting Profession

The decline in the accounting profession’s esteem in the eyes of the general public might properly be blamed not only on auditors, corporate preparers of financial reports, and accounting regulators, but also on academics. Accounting teachers are urged to concentrate on their bread and butter roles in teaching the best accounting they know, finding ways of improving accounting, and serving the public interest. The case is made that we have not been paying attention to our bread and butter, that we could do better, and that if we don’t do better we may go the way of the dodo bird, along with the other branches of the accounting profession.
Dispersive Shock Waves in Nonlocal Nonlinear Media

We present numerical and initial experimental results of dispersive optical shock waves in nonlocal nonlinear media. The behavior of shocks and shock collisions is characterized as a function of the extent of the nonlocality.
Inter-annual patterns of aggression and pair bonding in captive American flamingos (Phoenicopterus ruber).

Because zoos typically house animals for extended periods of time, longitudinal studies can play an important role in evaluating and optimizing animal care and management. For example, information on patterns of aggression and mating behavior across years can be used to monitor well-being, assess response to changes to group composition, and promote successful reproduction. Here, we report on patterns of aggression and pair bonding by American flamingos (Phoenicopterus ruber) at the Audubon Zoo, New Orleans USA across 4 years (2012–2015), a period that included a simultaneous introduction and removal of individuals in 2014. At the population level, overall rates and social network indices of aggressive interactions were relatively stable over the study period, without a strong signal of the 2014 replacement event. At the individual level, flamingos exhibited a high degree of within-individual consistency in levels of aggression initiated (W = 0.530, P < 0.001), and received (W = 0.369, P = 0.042). In terms of pair bonds, females re-paired with the same individuals across years more frequently (between 58% and 100% from year to year) than they switched mates, and no bonds were established between pre-existing and introduced individuals. These findings indicate a high degree of stability in aggression and pair bonding behavior in this population of captive flamingos, at both the population and individual level. Longitudinal studies such as this one provide an opportunity to better our understanding of flamingos and other long-lived, group-living animals along with their management needs, especially in terms of maintaining social cohesion in captivity and improving captive breeding programs. Zoo Biol. 35:111–119, 2016. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Toxicity of Several Residual-Type Insecticides to Selected Western Bark Beetles

The relative potency of several residual-type insecticides to the adult of selected western species of bark beetles was determined by topical application. The decreasing order of relative potency (95% confidence) for four insects was as follows: The western pine beetle ( Dendroctonus brevicomis Lee.)—endrin, isodrin, EPN, and lindane (endrin and isodrin> lindane) >dieldrin>heptachlor, dinitrocresol, and DDT. The mountain pine beetle ( Dendroctonus monticolae Hopk.)—lindance, EPN, and endrin>dieldrin and heptachlor>dinitroeresol>DDT. The fir engraver ( Scolytus ventralis Lee.)—isodrin, endrin, dieldrin, and lindane (isodrin and endrin> lindane) > EPN > DDT > dinitrocresol. The California fiatheaded borer ( Melanophila californica Van D.)—lindane, isodrin, dieldrin, and DDT (lindane and isodrin> DDT). An analysis of toxicity to the sexes of D. brevicomis and D. monticolae showed only two insecticides significantly more toxic to one of the sexes: heptachlor was 3.31±0.66 times more toxic to the male D. monticolae; dinitrocresol was 4.02±0.46 times more toxic to the female D. brevicomis.
Phase Transformation and Densification Behavior of Microwave Sintered γ-A12O3

The phase transformation and densification behavior of gas condensation synthesized γA12O3 sintered with microwave radiation has been studied. Nucleation and growth phase transformations, which produce α-A12O3 occurred as the material was heated through the temperature range of 800-1300°C. These phase transformations resulted in anomalous grain growth with a distinct change in particle morphology, crystallite size and surface area. A12O3 derived from a chemically synthesized boehmite precursor has been shown to exhibit the same nucleation and growth phase transformation behavior when conventionally heated. It is concluded that nanocrystalline γ or β alumina will not be a viable starting material for the production of dense bodies with grain sizes of less than 100 nm.
Clarifications about linaclotide

Reply to: Johnston JM, Schneier HA. Clarification of trial end points presented in a recent review of linaclotide. Expert Rev. Gastroenterol. Hepatol. 6(1), 13–14 (2012).
The Impact of World War One on Limerick. By Tadhg Moloney. (Newcastle upon Tyne, England: Cambridge Scholars Publishing, 2013. Pp. xii, 209. $75.99.)

In this brief local history, the author attempts to elucidate the ways in which the Great War affected Limerick. His focus is on the role that recruitment into British military service had upon loc...
The Analysis of One Generator-tripping Accident Caused by Fault in Excitation System

As one of the essential components for generator unit,the automatic excitation system had played very important role in guaranteeing generator safety and power grid stability.An accident of generator trip caused by fault in excitation system had been introduced in this paper.The process and causation of accident had been found through the analysis on the history data of relay protection system,fault recording system and the tests on-site.Besides,some feasible suggestion had been proposed based on the thorough checking and data analyzing.The conclusion of this paper is that,any problem found in the whole course of excitation system,including function design,equipment assembling and daily maintenance,should never be ignored or negligible.
Myocardial revascularization with combined aortic and mitral valve replacements.

Although the results of coronary artery bypass grafting plus single aortic or mitral valve replacement have been documented, the risk of myocardial revascularization with combined aortic and mitral valve replacement is not well defined. We present a series of 33 consecutive patients undergoing myocardial revascularization with combined aortic and mitral valve replacement during a period of almost seven years. There were 21 men and 12 women with a mean age of 67 years. All patients had congestive heart failure, and 21 (64%) had angina pectoris. Mean New York Heart Association functional classification was 3.4; eight patients (24%) had ejection fractions less than 0.40, and 13 patients (41%) had cardiac indices less than 2.0 L/min/m2. All operations were performed with hypothermic crystalloid potassium cardioplegia. The number of coronary arteries grafted varied from one to four (mean, 1.7 grafts per patient). Four patients died while in the hospital (12.1%). There were no perioperative myocardial infarctions. At a follow-up of 2 to 80 months (mean 40.7 months), death had occurred in eight (27.6%) of the 29 hospital survivors. Actuarial survival rate at 72 months was 60.7%. Although no preoperative factors predicted late death, early deaths were related significantly to severe mitral regurgitation, low ejection fraction, high New York Heart Association classification and extensive coronary artery disease (p
An Economic Alternative to Improve Cybersecurity of E-government and Smart Cities

While the rapid progress in smart city technologies are changing cities and the lifestyle of the people, there are increasingly enormous challenges in terms of the safety and security of smart cities. The potential vulnerabilities of e-government products and imminent attacks on smart city infrastructure and services will have catastrophic consequences on the governments and can cause substantial economic and noneconomic losses, even chaos, to the cities and their residents. This paper aims to explore alternative economic solutions ranging from incentive mechanisms to market-based solutions to motivate smart city product vendors, governments, and vulnerability researchers and finders to improve the cybersecurity of smart cities.
EPR, Magnetization, and Resistivity Studies in DOPED (4f, 3d Ions) and Undoped R (or Y) Ba2Cu3O9−x High Tc Superconductors

After years of searching for superconductors with higher transition temperatures, an incredible success has been achieved in recent months, as a consequence of the discovery of Bednorz and Muller of a 30 K transition in La2-yBayCuO4-x,1 followed by the subsequent findings that YBa2Cu2O9-x has a Tc well above liquid nitrogen temperatures.2,3 These discoveries have resulted in an explosive growth of interest in the field, with the present challenge being to explain the pertinent superconducting mechanisms.
Clinical Phenotype of Adult Fragile X Gray Zone Allele Carriers: a Case Series

Considerable research has focused on patients with trinucleotide (CGG) repeat expansions in the fragile X mental retardation 1 (FMR1) gene that fall within either the full mutation (>200 repeats) or premutation range (55-200 repeats). Recent interest in individuals with gray zone expansions (41-54 CGG repeats) has grown due to reported phenotypes that are similar to those observed in premutation carriers, including neurological, molecular, and cognitive signs. The purpose of this manuscript is to describe a series of adults with FMR1 alleles in the gray zone presenting with movement disorders or memory loss. Gray zone carriers ascertained in large FMR1 screening studies were identified and their clinical phenotypes studied. Thirty-one gray zone allele carriers were included, with mean age of symptom onset of 53 years in patients with movement disorders and 57 years in those with memory loss. Four patients were chosen for illustrative case reports and had the following diagnoses: early-onset Parkinson disease (PD), atypical parkinsonism, dementia, and atypical essential tremor. Some gray zone carriers presenting with parkinsonism had typical features, including bradykinesia, rigidity, and a positive response to dopaminergic medication. These patients had a higher prevalence of peripheral neuropathy and psychiatric complaints than would be expected. The patients seen in memory clinics had standard presentations of cognitive impairment with no apparent differences. Further studies are necessary to determine the associations between FMR1 expansions in the gray zone and various phenotypes of neurological dysfunction.
The Approximation Theorem

This chapter provides an overview of the approximation theorem. The approximation theorem says that an integral current, T , can be approximated by a slight diffeomorphism of a polyhedral chain, P , or, equivalently, that a slight diffeomorphism f # T of T can be approximated By P itself. The approximation P actually coincides with f # T except for an error term, E , of small mass. The chapter also presents the proof of the approximation theorem.
Presentation to Emergency Departments for Acute Rhinosinusitis: Disparities in Symptoms by Race and Insurance Status.

ObjectiveMedicaid and self-pay insurance statuses and race are associated with emergency department (ED) presentation for uncomplicated acute rhinosinusitis (ARS). We investigated whether ARS symptomatology could explain this disproportionate ED use.Study Design2006-2010 National Hospital Ambulatory Medical Care Surveys.SettingEDs in the United States.Subjects and MethodsThe data comprise 1,632,826 adult visits for uncomplicated ARS at hospital EDs. Patient-reported reasons for presentation included constitutional symptoms, facial pain or headache, sinonasal symptoms, head cold or flu-like symptoms, cough or sputum production, and sore throat. Patient-reported pain level was also included. Symptoms were assessed for associations with insurance status and race after controlling for clinical, demographic, and socioeconomic characteristics.ResultsMedicaid patients had similar symptomatology and levels of pain when compared with privately insured patients. Self-pay patients reported higher pain levels (P = .0...
Overview of Potential Hazards

Publisher Summary This chapter discusses the potential hazards associated with solar cells. There are environmental, health, and safety hazards associated with the manufacturing of solar cells. The photovoltaic (PV) industry uses toxic and flammable substances, although in smaller amounts than many other industries, and use of hazardous chemicals can involve occupational and environmental hazards. In manufacturing photovoltaic cells, health may be adversely affected by different classes of chemical and physical hazards. Chemical hazards with solar cells are related to the materials' toxicity, corrosivity, flammability, and explosiveness. These hazards differ for different thin-film technologies and deposition processes. This chapter discusses main hazards associated with specific technologies and lists hazardous materials used in manufacturing. The chapter also explains public health and environmental issues associated with solar cells. Occupational safety issues related to Cadmium Telluride (CdTe) solar Cells, Copper Indium Diselenide (CIS) solar Cells, and Gallium Arsenide (GaAs) high efficiency solar cells are explained. Operation of PV modules and photovoltaic module decommissioning is also described in the chapter.
Antimicrobial food packaging with cellulose-copper nanoparticles embedded in thermoplastic resins

Abstract This chapter provides a summary of a simple way to synthesize antimicrobial copper nanoparticles on cellulosic raw material composed by carboxymethyl cellulose and 2,2,6,6-tetramethylpiperidine-1-oxyl radical (TEMPO)-oxidized nanofibrillated cellulose. The antimicrobial properties of the hybrid material, incorporated on polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) films, against a nonpathogenic surrogate of foodborne pathogen Escherichia coli are presented in addition to a brief discussion of copper nanoparticle size distribution, concentration, oxidation states, and release from the nanocomposite films. The reinforcing effect of the hybrid nanocomposite material on PVA films and the thermal properties of these films are also succinctly discussed. The well-established antimicrobial properties of copper nanoparticles in combination with the renewable, high strength, low weight, high specific surface area, biocompatible, and biodegradable cellulosic raw materials make the resulting hybrid nanocomposite material a promising bifunctional filler for the food film packaging industry.
Mechanisms of University-Industry Interaction

The mismatch between universities and industry, between education and practice, which has evolved over the years, has been of increasing concern to educators, industrial administrators, government people, and the students. For example, this topic was one of the themes of the Ninth Annual Institute for Engineering Deans which was held in 1972. It was the subject of an Engineering Foundation conference, “Making Graduate Education More Relevant to Industrial Needs,” which was held about two years ago. It was included as part of a workshop on metal processing, held at the University of Pittsburgh in May 1973 and it was the subject of a conference held at Carnegie-Mellon University in June 1973. The numerous industrial liaison and coupling programs which have been or are being conducted, some of which will be described later, are indicative of the general concern of the universities, industry and government.
The Unluckiest Quality Individual Stock Investor versus Quality Index Investing

This paper will compare the results of two individuals investing $125,000 each in the stock market over a 15-year period. One invests the entire $125,000 as an initial lump sum into a market basket of stocks. The other initially invests only a portion of the $125,000 into a collection of randomly selected quality dividend paying stocks while investing the remaining portion into the same stocks on a quarterly basis over 15 years. This second investor unluckily always invests at the high points of the market. Both investors reinvest the dividends. The comparison of the two investment strategies is astonishing.
Dosimetry Prediction for Clinical Translation of 64 Cu-Pembrolizumab ImmunoPET Targeting Human PD-1 Expression

The immune checkpoint programmed death 1 receptor (PD-1) expressed on some tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes, and its ligand (PD-L1) expressed on tumor cells, enable cancers to evade the immune system. Blocking PD-1 with the monoclonal antibody pembrolizumab is a promising immunotherapy strategy. Thus, noninvasively quantifying the presence of PD-1 expression in the tumor microenvironment prior to initiation of immune checkpoint blockade may identify the patients likely to respond to therapy. We have developed a 64Cu-pembrolizumab radiotracer and evaluated human dosimetry. The tracer was utilized to image hPD-1 levels in two subcutaneous mouse models: (a) 293 T/hPD-1 cells xenografted into NOD-scid IL-2Rγnull mice (NSG/293 T/hPD-1) and (b) human peripheral blood mononuclear cells engrafted into NSG bearing A375 human melanoma tumors (hNSG/A375). In each mouse model two cohorts were evaluated (hPD-1 blockade with pembrolizumab [blk] and non-blocked [nblk]), for a total of four groups (n = 3–5/group). The xenograft-to-muscle ratio in the NSG/293 T/hPD-1 model at 24 h was significantly increased in the nblk group (7.0 ± 0.5) compared to the blk group (3.4 ± 0.9), p = 0.01. The radiotracer dosimetry evaluation (PET/CT ROI-based and ex vivo) in the hNSG/A375 model revealed the highest radiation burden to the liver. In summary, we validated the 64Cu-pembrolizumab tracer’s specific hPD-1 receptor targeting and predicted human dosimetry.
Stereotactic body radiation therapy following transarterial chemoembolization for unresectable hepatocellular carcinoma.

Background: Transarterial chemoembolization (TACE) is the standard for unresectable Barcelona Clinic Liver Cancer (BCLC) B hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) patients but is not an ablative therapy. This study explores stereotactic body radiation therapy (SBRT) as an adjuvant or salvage to drug eluting bead (DEB)-TACE. Methods: A retrospective review identified patients receiving SBRT within 2 years following DEB-TACE to a target lesion. Primary outcome was objective response (OR) using modified response evaluation criteria in solid tumors (mRECIST). Other outcomes included local control (LC), out of field failures, and overall survival (OS). Results: One hundred and three patients were identified with median 2 DEB-TACEs prior to SBRT. Fifty-two patients had planned adjuvant SBRT after DEB-TACE and the remainder had salvage SBRT with no statistical differences between groups. Of 95 patients with follow-up imaging, 59 (62.1%) had a complete response and 25 (26.3%) had a partial response (PR). More patients achieved CR (79.6% vs . 43.5%) with planned TACE + SBRT than salvage (P=0.006). LC was 91% and 89% at 1 and 2 years, respectively. One-year survival for planned DEB-TACE SBRT was 70.8% vs . 61.5% for salvage (P=0.052). Conclusions: Combination TACE + SBRT achieves high OR and LC rates. Adjuvant TACE + SBRT might achieve superior outcomes than salvage. This strategy might be particularly effective as a bridge to transplant.
Atrial fibrillation and diffuse left ventricular fibrosis, a causal association?

Late gadolinium enhanced magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is an established technique for quantification of dense myocardial fibrosis ([1][1]). Cohesive regions of myocardial fibrosis, such as infarcted myocardium, are characterized by expanded extracellular matrix due to replacement of normal