cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
A design tool for predicting the capillary transport characteristics of fuel cell diffusion media using an artificial neural network

Abstract Developing a robust, intelligent design tool for multivariate optimization of multi-phase transport in fuel cell diffusion media (DM) is of utmost importance to develop advanced DM materials. This study explores the development of a DM design algorithm based on artificial neural network (ANN) that can be used as a powerful tool for predicting the capillary transport characteristics of fuel cell DM. Direct measurements of drainage capillary pressure–saturation curves of the differently engineered DMs (5, 10 and 20 wt.% PTFE) were performed at room temperature under three compressions (0, 0.6 and 1.4 MPa) [E.C. Kumbur, K.V. Sharp, M.M. Mench, J. Electrochem. Soc. 154(12) (2007) B1295–B1304; E.C. Kumbur, K.V. Sharp, M.M. Mench, J. Electrochem. Soc. 154(12) (2007) B1305–B1314; E.C. Kumbur, K.V. Sharp, M.M. Mench, J. Electrochem. Soc. 154(12) (2007) B1315–B1324]. The generated benchmark data were utilized to systematically train a three-layered ANN framework that processes the feed-forward error back propagation methodology. The designed ANN successfully predicts the measured capillary pressures within an average uncertainty of ±5.1% of the measured data, confirming that the present ANN model can be used as a design tool within the range of tested parameters. The ANN simulations reveal that tailoring the DM with high PTFE loading and applying high compression pressure lead to a higher capillary pressure, therefore promoting the liquid water transport within the pores of the DM. Any increase in hydrophobicity of the DM is found to amplify the compression effect, thus yielding a higher capillary pressure for the same saturation level and compression.
The effect of high dose sodium thiopental on brain stem auditory and median nerve somatosensory evoked responses in humans.

Median nerve somatosensory evoked potentials (MnSSEPs), brain stem auditory evoked responses (BAERs), and the cortical electro-encephalogram (EEG) were recorded in six patients during a 62-min infusion of sodium thiopental (STP) at a rate of 1.25 mg X kg-1 X min-1 (total dose, 77.5 mg/kg). The EEG became isoelectric after 22 +/- 8 (SD) min of STP infusion. Dose-related changes in the latencies and amplitudes of various evoked response wave forms were observed. However, in no instance was any component of either the MnSSEP or the BAER rendered unobtainable by STP administration. For the MnSSEP, progressive increases in the central conduction time (5.33 +/- 0.41 ms preinduction vs. 7.46 +/- 1.2 ms at t = 60 min) and in the latency of the cortical primary specific complex were observed simultaneously with significant reductions in the amplitude of the latter (2.10 +/- 0.85 muV preinduction vs. 0.85 +/- 0.55 muV at t = 60 min). Changes in the latency and amplitude of the response recorded over the upper cervical spine (C2) were not statistically significant in this small population. For the BAER, progressive and significant increases in the latencies of Waves I, III, V (e.g., Wave V latency: 6.16 +/- 0.24 vs. 6.87 +/- 0.31 ms) and in the I-III, III-V, and the I-V interwave latencies were observed. The amplitudes of the BAER components were not significantly altered. The authors conclude that the administration of a dose of STP in excess of twice that required to produce EEG isoelectricity can be compatible with effective monitoring of MnSSEPs and BAERs. However, STP produces dose-related changes in both evoked response wave forms, which must be considered in the interpretation of responses elicited during STP anesthesia.
Two new coumarins from grapefruit peel oil

Abstract 5-[(3,6-dimethyl-6-formyl-2-heptenyl)oxyl-psoralen and 7-methoxy-8-(2-formyl-2-methyl-propyl)-coumarin were isolated from grapefruit peel oil. NMR, IR, UV, mass spectral and analytical data are presented in support of their constitution.
A Parallel Deadlock Detection Algorithm with O(1) Overall Run-time Complexity

This article proposes a novel parallel, hardware-oriented deadlock detection algorithm for multiprocessor system-on-chips. The proposed algorithm takes full advantage of hardware parallelism in computation and maintains information needed by deadlock detection through classifying all resource allocation events and performing class specific operations, which together make the overall run-time complexity of the new method O(1). We implement the proposed algorithm in Verilog HDL and demonstrate in the simulation that each algorithm invocation takes at most four clock cycles in hardware.
High-throughput TSV testing and characterization for 3D integration using thermal mapping

We propose a new framework to detect structural defects and characterize the variability in the electrical resistance of through-silicon vias (TSVs) in 3D ICs. Our method offers a number of advantages that have been hard to achieve in the past. In particular, the proposed framework provides high throughput TSV testing at pre-bonding stage. A resistive liquid electrode is placed at the back side of the device to conduct electric current from TSVs. The current passing through TSVs leads to heat generation which can be captured by a remote, high-sensitivity thermal camera. The captured thermal signatures from the TSVs are then contrasted against reference thermal maps generated from known good die and/or electro-thermal simulations of models of good TSVs. A proposed automatic classification technique is capable of determining the status of TSVs based on their thermal signatures. We demonstrate the viability of the proposed technique using extensive simulation results on realistic TSV configurations.
Neuropathic pain: aetiology, symptoms, mechanisms, and management

We highlight current theories about peripheral neuropathic pain and show that progress in management is contingent on targeting treatment not at the aetiological factors or the symptoms but at the mechanisms that operate to produce the symptoms. This approach will require substantial progress in our understanding of the pathophysiology of neuropathic pain, the development of accurate diagnostic tools to discover what mechanisms contribute to the pain syndrome in an individual, and effective treatments aimed specifically at the mechanisms.
Insulin binding and action in isolated rat hepatocytes: Evidence for spare receptors

Abstract An in vitro assay for insulin action on hepatocytes is described. The 125 I-insulin binding and the effects of insulin on net 14 C-glucose incorporation into glycogen were studied in suspensions of isolated hepatocytes from fed, 250 gram adult rats. Insulin doubled the basal value (mean ± SEM) of 9.0 ± 1.0 nmoles glucose/10 6 cells/hr with a one-half maximal concentration of 3 ng/ml (75 μU/ml) and a maximum effect between 10 and 20 ng/ml (250 μU/ml). Insulin binding was half-maximal at 40 ng/ml and maximal between 100 and 300 ng/ml. Thus, maximal stimulation occurred at approximately 35% of maximum binding implying that hepatocytes have spare receptors for insulin action on net incorporation of 14 C-glucose into glycogen. This assay was then used to investigate the time course of activation of insulin action. Isolated hepatocytes were preincubated at 37°C in the presence or absence of 40 ng/ml of insulin for 2, 15, or 30 min, washed, and then tested for action in fresh insulin-free media containing 14 C-glucose. No activation was seen after 2 min, a partial activation after 15 min and maximum activation was seen only after a 30 min preincubation. Therefore, insulin activation of glucose incorporation into glycogen in liver is a time-dependent phenomenon that is reversible by early dissociation.
Protecting soldiers and mothers : the political origins of social policy in the United States

It is generally believed that the United States lagged behind the countries of Western Europe in developing modern social policies. But, as Theda Skocpol shows in this historical analysis, the United States actually pioneered generous social spending for many of its elderly, disabled and dependent citizens. During the late 19th century, competitive party politics in American democracy led to the rapid expansion of benefits for Union Civil War veterans and their families. Some Americans hoped to expand veterans' benefits into pensions for all of the needy elderly and social insurance for workingmen and their families. But such hopes went against the logic of political reform in the Progressive era. Generous social spending faded along with the Civil War generation. Instead, the U.S. nearly became a unique maternalist welfare state as the federal government and more than 40 states enacted social spending, labour regulations, and health education programmes to assist American mothers and children. As Skocpol shows, many of these policies were enacted even before American women were granted the right to vote. Banned from electoral politics, they turned their energies to creating huge, nation-spanning federations of women's clubs, which collaborated with reform-minded professional women to spur legislative action across the country. Blending original historical research with political analysis, Skocpol shows how governmental institutions, electoral rules, political parties and earlier public policies combined to determine both the opportunities and the limits within which social policies were devised and changed by reformers and politically active social groups over the course of the late 19th and early 20th centuries.
A Method for the Identification of the Types of Macrofracture of Structural Materials by the Parameters of the Wavelet Transform of Acoustic-Emission Signals

We study the specific features of acoustic-emission signals accompanying the macrofractures of materials with different structures. For this purpose, we use the results of the analysis of the local features of acoustic-emission signals by using their continuous wavelet transforms. According to the criterion used for the identification of the types of macrofracture, we analyze brittle, ductile-brittle, and ductile fractures. We also establish the typical differences between signals according to the frequency bandwidth, duration of emission, and changes in the values of predominant frequency.
Visual field effects of classical migraine.

Although classical migraine is known to produce lateralized sensory disturbances (e.g., visual "fortification" structures), its effect on higher order processes is unknown. Here four lateralized visual tasks were repeatedly presented to a single subject (the author) over a 2 1/2-year span, during both classical migraine attacks and headache-free periods. Attacks varied as to inferred hemispheric locus. All four tasks ("words," "typing," "bar graphs," and "locations") produced significant or marginally significant visual field (VF) by condition interactions, results generally consistent with a phasic impairment of function in the migrainous hemisphere. A content analysis of notes made during the attacks suggests that among other symptoms, alphabetic indistinctiveness and spatial disturbances are characteristics of left and right hemisphere attacks, respectively. Aspects of the results argue against any major influence of demand characteristics.
Empirical likelihood ratio confidence interval estimation of best linear combinations of biomarkers

A novel smoothed empirical likelihood (EL) approach that incorporates kernel estimation of the area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC) to construct nonparametric confidence intervals of AUC based on the best linear combination (BLC) of biomarkers is proposed. The method has several advantages including the feasibility to use gradient-based techniques for fast computation of BLC coefficients and to employ powerful likelihood methods without specification of underlying data distributions. Simulation results show that the new method performs well even when the distribution of biomarkers is skewed, a situation commonly met in practice. A data set from a clinical experiment related to atherosclerotic coronary heart disease is used to illustrate the efficiency of the proposed method.
How to Perform and Interpret MR Sleep Studies for Obstructive Sleep Apnea in Children

It is estimated that up to 3% of all children are affected by obstructive sleep apnea (Donnelly 2005; Guilleminault et al. 1982; Ali et al. 1993, 1994; Owen et al. 1996; Rosen 1999; Owens et al. 1998). This common disorder is increasingly being associated with substantial morbidity. Obstructive sleep apnea has been shown to cause excessive daytime sleepiness, hyperactivity, attention deficit disorder, poor hearing, failure to thrive, and physical debilitation (Donnelly 2005; Guilleminault et al. 1982; Ali et al. 1993, 1994; Owen et al. 1996; Rosen 1999; Owens et al. 1998). Many of these morbidities such as hyperactivity and attention deficit disorder may greatly improve or resolve altogether with appropriate management of obstructive sleep apnea. In fact, many patients who are labeled with attention deficit disorder actually have underlying obstructive sleep apnea.
Large-Scale Topology Optimization Using Parameterized Boolean Networks

A novel parameterization concept for structural truss topology optimization is presented in this article that enables the use of evolutionary algorithms in design of large-scale structures. The representational power of Boolean networks is used here to parameterize truss topology. A genetic algorithm then operates on parameters that govern the generation of truss topologies using this random network instead of operating directly on design variables. A genetic algorithm implementation is also presented that is congruent with the local rule application of the random network. The primary advantage of using a Boolean random network representation is that a relatively large number of ground structure nodes can be used, enabling successful exploration of a large-scale design space. In the classical binary representation of ground structures, the number of optimization variables increases quadratically with the number of nodes, restricting the maximum number of nodes that can be considered using a ground structure approach. The Boolean random network representation proposed here allows for the exploration of the entire topology space in a systematic way using only a linear number of variables. The number of nodes in the design domain, therefore, can be increased significantly. Truss member geometry and size optimization is performed here in a nested manner where an inner loop size optimization problem is solved for every candidate topology using sequential linear programming with move-limits. The Boolean random network and nested inner-loop optimization allows for the concurrent optimization of truss topology, geom
Carboxysomes and Their Structural Organization in Prokaryotes

Carboxysomes are the archetypical examples of primitive proteinaceous organelles found in bacteria, collectively termed bacterial microcompartments (BMCs). Recent studies using current techniques for imaging and structural elucidation have resulted in a quantum leap of our mechanistic understanding of structure/function relationships in these bacterial inclusions. Bioinformatic analysis of the rapidly growing collection of sequenced bacterial genomes has revealed that BMCs of different types appear to be widely employed by microbes to organize their metabolism in much the same way that eukaryotes use sensu stricto organelles. This review focuses on some recently revealed properties of carboxysomes and points out pressing open questions. Some of these questions have remained unanswered since the discovery of carboxysomes; others have been raised by more recent discoveries.
Effect of Energy and Protein on Performance, Egg Components, Egg Solids, Egg Quality, and Profits in Molted Hy-Line W-36 Hens

SUMMARY An experiment was conducted to determine the influence of dietary energy on performance, egg composition, egg solids, egg quality, and profits of Hy-Line W-36 hens fed different protein levels. The experiment was designed as a 4 × 3 factorial arrangement with 4 added dietary energy levels (0, 79, 158, and 238 kcal of ME/kg) and 3 protein levels (14.89, 16.06, and 17.38%). The basal diets of 17.38, 16.06, and 14.89% protein contained 2,751, 2,784, and 2,815 kcal of ME/kg, respectively. This study lasted 12 wk. Molted Hy-Line W-36 hens (n = 1,440) in phase 1 (70 wk of age) were randomly divided into 12 treatments (8 replicates of 15 hens per treatment). Protein had a significant effect on egg production, egg mass, feed intake, feed conversion, egg weight, percentage of egg shell components, yolk color, and yolk and albumen weight. As dietary energy increased from 0 to 238 kcal of ME/kg by addition of poultry oil, feed intake linearly decreased. Increasing dietary energy also significantly increased BW and egg yolk color. As dietary energy increased, percentage yolk solids increased at the 2 greater dietary protein levels, whereas egg-specific gravity linearly decreased at the 17.38% protein level. Increasing dietary energy and protein significantly improved feed conversion. Increasing protein intake significantly increased albumen and yolk weight but had no influence on yolk, albumen, or whole egg solids. Because feed ingredient and egg prices vary, there can be no fixed ideal dietary energy level for optimal profits during molt phase 1 (70 to 81 wk).
INVITED EDITORIAL COMMENT: On the Art of Investing According to Keynes

1. Mark E. Holder 1. is an associate professor of finance at Kent State University in Kent,OH . 2. Richard J. Kent 1. is a professor of economics at Kent State University in Kent,OH . Keynes was an extremely successful investor. In addition to actively managing his personal portfolio,
Electron cyclotron resonance ion reactive etching of GaAs in chlorine-methane

Abstract Highly anisotropic ECR etching of sub-half-micron features in GaAs and AlGaAs using a Cl 2 CH 4 mixture is reported. Etch depths greater than 1 μm with aspect ratios nearing 5:1 were achieved while maintaining vertical sidewalls, sharp transitions and smooth etched surface.
Apoptotic Regulation of T Cells and Absence of Immune Deficiency in Virus-Infected Gamma Interferon Receptor Knockout Mice

Acute viral infections often induce a transient period of immune deficiency in which the host’s T cells fail to proliferate in response to T-cell mitogens and fail to make an antigen-specific memory recall response. This has been associated with the enhanced sensitivity of these highly activated T cells to undergo apoptosis, or activation-induced cell death (AICD), upon T-cell receptor ligation. Here we show that gamma interferon receptordeficient (IFN-g R 2/2 ) mice mount a T-cell response to lymphocytic choriomeningitis virus (LCMV) infection but fail to undergo the transient immune deficiency. Instead, their T cells were hyperproliferative and relatively, but not completely, resistant to AICD. The immune response returned to homeostasis, but with delayed kinetics, in parallel with delayed clearance of the virus. Wild-type mice receiving high doses of disseminating LCMV Clone 13 are known to undergo clonal exhaustion of their virus-specific cytotoxic T lymphocytes (CTL). To determine whether this process was mediated by AICD associated with IFN-g or with Fas-Fas ligand interactions, LCMV-specific precursor CTL frequencies were examined in LCMV Clone 13-infected IFN-g R 2/2 or lpr (Fas-deficient) mice. In both instances, viral persistence was established and CTL precursors were
A simple strategy for calibrating the geometry of light sources

We present a methodology for calibrating multiple light source locations in 3D from images. The procedure involves the use of a novel calibration object that consists of three spheres at known relative positions. The process uses intensity images to find the positions of the light sources. We conducted experiments to locate light sources in 51 different positions in a laboratory setting. Our data shows that the vector from a point in the scene to a light source can be measured to within 2.7/spl plusmn/4/spl deg/ at /spl alpha/=.05 (6 percent relative) of its true direction and within 0.13/spl plusmn/.02 m at /spl alpha/=.05 (9 percent relative) of its true magnitude compared to empirically measured ground truth. Finally, we demonstrate how light source information is used for color correction.
Thermal Rectification in Graphene and Carbon Nanotube Systems Using Molecular Dynamics Simulations

We investigate the thermal rectification phenomena in asymmetric graphene and carbon nanotube systems using molecular dynamics (MD) simulations. The effects of various parameters, including mean temperature, temperature difference, and system size on rectification factor have been studied. In homogenous triangular graphene nanoribbons (TGNR), the heat current is normally higher from wide to narrow end than that in the opposite direction, resulting in a positive rectification factor. The rectification factor increases further for a double layered T-GNR. It is also found that varying the parameters like mean temperature can result in reverse of the sign of thermal rectification factor. In the case of carbon nanotube (CNT) - silicon system, the heat current is higher when heat flows from CNT to silicon. The thermal rectification factor is almost independent of the diameter of CNT. In both cases, the rectification factor increases with the imposed temperature difference.
A new optimization approach to the general single machine earliness-tardiness problem

In this paper, we consider the single-machine earliness-tardiness (E-T) scheduling problem with distinct release dates, due dates, and E-T costs. The problem is formulated using dynamic programming. The solution procedure embodies a new hybrid optimization approach called generalized dynamic programming (GDP), which incorporates techniques from two methodologies: dynamic programming and branch-and-bound. An assignment-based lower bound is employed in branch-and-bound. We test 135 random instances with up to 30 jobs to evaluate the algorithm's performance. It shows that the GDP approach achieves much better results than linear programming-based branch-and-bound algorithms such as those included in the commercial package, CPLEX.
The Financial Action Task Force and Global Administrative Law

This paper focuses on the lawmaking power of the Financial Accounting Task Force, (“FATF”) as an international organization and how its work is now being consolidated by being incorporated within the G20's framework for global financial reform. FATF reform therefore constitutes an end run around governments and professional societies to implement legal reforms to combat money laundering and terrorism.FATF reforms to combat money laundering and terrorism have raised high level discussions within leading law societies, like the American Bar Association in the U.S. that is providing a push back to the FATF 40 9, as well as the October 2008 Lawyer Guidance. By contrast, such discussions around FATF money laundering and terrorism financing laws are conspicuously absent in developing countries, where FATF reforms are being promoted through well-funded aid programs and training of government officials, but not to those in the private sector, including those in the real estate industry, the legal profession and accountants. This paper contrasts recent legislation in Kenya implementing the FATF’s anti-money laundering standards with the continuing discussion within the American Bar Association and the fact that no State in the European Union has even considered similar obligations on lawyers, the real estate industry or other gatekeepers subject to the FATF’s anti-money laundering and anti-terrorism financing standards.
Conflicting phylogenetic patterns caused by molecular mechanisms in mitochondrial DNA sequences.

patterns from the noise (Farris, 1983). Even with transition or compositional bias, the directionality and phylogenetic distribution of mutations may remain largely random. However, the existence of deterministic mutation processes could cause serious complications in phylogenetic analyses by skewing the distribution of homoplastic characters to suggest spurious hypotheses of relationships. Recent reports have re? vealed nonrandom patterns of mutation in eukaryotic nuclear (Selker, 1990; Kricker et al., 1992) and bacteriophage (Cunningham et al., 1997) genomes. Here we analyze a peculiar distribution of riucleotide varia? tion in mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) of a cyprinid fish and suggest that nonrandom homoplasy in molecular data may be more widespread than is currently recognized. Sequence duplications are a common fea? ture of animal mtDNAs (Rand, 1993), par? ticularly in the control region. Duplicated se-
Acquired Activated Protein C Resistance Caused by Lupus Anticoagulants

Lupus anticoagulants (LA) can cause acquired activated protein C resistance (APC-R), but the clinical significance is unclear. To investigate thrombosis and acquired APC-R in patients with LA, we enrolled all 132 patients undergoing hypercoagulability testing with positive LA results and in whom APC-R (with factor V-deficient plasma) was performed during a 2.5-year period. Among 121 patients without factor V Leiden, 24.0% had acquired APC-R; retrospective and prospective (mean follow-up, 2.0 years) thrombotic events were analyzed. The distribution of venous vs arterial thrombosis was different for APC-R vs no APC-R (P = .0064). The majority (19/29 [66%]) with acquired APC-R experienced venous thrombosis, whereas a minority experienced arterial thrombosis (9/29 [31%]; P = .017). The opposite pattern occurred among patients without APC-R (arterial thrombi more common than venous thrombi). After excluding thrombotic events more than 5 years from a positive LA test, venous thrombosis occurred in 62% with (18/29) vs 32% without (29/92) APC-R (P = .0045); and arterial thrombosis in 28% with (8/29) vs 51% without (47/92) APC-R (P = .033). Patients with acquired APC-R due to LA had more venous thrombosis than did patients with LA without APC-R and experienced venous more often than arterial thrombosis.
Monitoring for medication errors in outpatient settings

Background: Vigilant reporting of medication errors and adverse drug events (ADEs) is needed to understand and reduce the extent of this problem in dermatology. Various systems are already in place in inpatient settings. Objective: To review existing medication error reporting systems related to outpatient settings with emphasis on topical medications associated with dermatological diseases. Method: Search terms ‘medication error’, ‘outpatient settings’, ‘barriers’, ‘medication use process’, ‘CPOE’ (computerized prescriber order entry), ‘dermatological conditions’ and ‘skin disorders’ were used. Results: The rate of medication-related incidents range as high as 4.49 per 1000 to 24.1 per 1000 inpatient days. The most common error type was patient error, accounting for 56% of errors. Other errors that occurred were prescription errors (13%), delivery errors (13%), availability errors (10%), and reporting errors (8%). CPOE systems can increase medication safety, while introducing other problems including fau...
A Theoretical Study of Cold Air Damming

Abstract The dynamics of cold air damming are examined analytically with a two-layer steady state model. The upper layer is a warm and saturated cross-mountain (easterly or southeasterly onshore) flow. The lower layer is a cold mountain-parallel (northerly) jet trapped on the windward (eastern) side of the mountain. The interface between the two layers represents a coastal front—a sloping inversion layer coupling the trapped cold dome with the warm onshore flow above through pressure continuity. An analytical expression is obtained for the inviscid upper-layer flow with hydrostatic and moist adiabatic approximations. Blackadar's PBL parameterization of eddy viscosity is used in the lower-layer equations. Solutions for the mountain-parallel jet and its associated secondary transverse circulation are obtained by expanding asymptotically upon a small parameter proportional to the square root of the inertial aspect ratio—the ratio between the mountain height and the radius of inertial oscillation. The geometr...
A Characterization of Those Processes Finitarily Isomorphic to a Bernoulli Shift

Those stationary stochastic processes measurably isomorphic to an independent process have been characterized by Ornstein and Weiss (6), (7), (8), as those satisfying a condition called “very weak Bernoulli”. A measure preserving transformation is often also continuous with respect to some natural topology. The topology which will most interest us here is that, on a countable state stochastic process, generated by the cylinder sets, i.e., if the outputs of the system are the symbols R1, R2, ..., we can view the underlying probability space as {R1, ...}z with its product topology.
Lewis Acid Zeolites for Biomass Conversion: Perspectives and Challenges on Reactivity, Synthesis, and Stability

Zeolites containing Sn, Ti, Zr, Hf, Nb, or Ta heteroatoms are versatile catalysts for the activation and conversion of oxygenated molecules owing to the unique Lewis acid character of their tetrahedral metal sites. Through fluoride-mediated synthesis, hydrophobic Lewis acid zeolites can behave as water-tolerant catalysts, which has resulted in a recent surge of experimental and computational studies in the field of biomass conversion. However, many open questions still surround these materials, especially relating to the nature of their active sites. This lack of fundamental understanding is exemplified by the many dissonant results that have been described in recent literature reports. In this review, we use a molecular-based approach to provide insight into the relationship between the structure of the metal center and its reactivity toward different substrates, with the ultimate goal of providing a robust framework to understand the properties that have the strongest influence on catalytic performance for the conversion of oxygenates.
Additive Manufacturing of Reactive In Situ Zr Based Ultra-High Temperature Ceramic Composites

Reactive in situ multi-material additive manufacturing of ZrB2-based ultra-high-temperature ceramics in a Zr metal matrix was demonstrated using LENS™. Sound metallurgical bonding was achieved between the Zr metal and Zr-BN composites with Ti6Al4V substrate. Though the feedstock Zr power had α phase, LENS™ processing of the Zr powder and Zr-BN premix powder mixture led to the formation of some β phase of Zr. Microstructure of the Zr-BN composite showed primary grains of zirconium diboride phase in zirconium metal matrix. The presence of ZrB2 ceramic phase was confirmed by X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis. Hardness of pure Zr was measured as 280 ± 12 HV and, by increasing the BN content in the feedstock, the hardness was found to increase. In Zr-5%BN composite, the hardness was 421 ± 10 HV and the same for Zr-10%BN composite was 562 ± 10 HV. It is envisioned that such multi-materials additive manufacturing will enable products in the future that cannot be manufactured using traditional approaches particularly in the areas of high-temperature metal–ceramic composites with compositional and functional gradation.
Post Metallization Damage Recovery Using Rapid Thermal Processing (RTP)

Furnace annealing after plasma processing and other process steps such as implantation and contact formation in advanced CMOS processing are extensively used to improve the overall device characteristics. With an ever emerging trend towards lower thermal budget processing and the unique capabilities of RTP to provide that along with flexibility to change process ambients, we present the results of our experiments to do low temperature mixed gas and pure hydrogen anneals in RTP and study its effects on junction leakage and transistor characteristics. Recently, with the advent of the contact plug technology, the sintering function is not as important as the alloy effect on the transistor and junction device parameters. Therefore, the requirements for the alloy are more related to threshold voltage, (Vt) uniformity and reduced junction leakage. The key is that the hydrogen atoms diffuse far into the silicon to reach the dangling bonds at the field edge and by the transistors. The hydrogen rapid thermal processor (HRTP) can accomplish the basic device annealing function as long as there is sufficient time for hydrogen diffusion and reaction time. The aluminum metallization limits the temperature to 500°C due to increased metal roughness and increased metal resistance. Also, the hotter temperatures compete in the reaction by breaking hydrogen bonds as well as satisfying the dangling silicon bonds. The best ambient gas was at 100% hydrogen flow at low pressure with HRTP times in excess of one minute.
Comments on “Growth and the Quality of Foreign Direct Investment” by Laura Alfaro and Andrew Charlton

This paper explores the notion that not all types of foreign direct investment are created equal. In particular, the paper makes two important contributions. First, the authors document a persistent use of industrial policy in targeting certain forms of incoming foreign investment. Countries favor some types of foreign investment over others through tax holidays, regulations, investment promotion, and facilitation of entry. Second, the authors then identify whether targeted foreign direct investment (FDI) results in higher growth. They find that it does. They also find that FDI in credit-constrained sectors or sectors with more human capital leads to higher growth. These results are robust to correcting for endogeneity of FDI.
Problems and solutions of no-fault trip criterion in security and stability control system

In order to improve the reliability of the security and stability control system, this paper proposes some criterions against mal-operation which can prevent the no-fault trip's misjudgment. Because the no-fault trip criterion is only based on local electrical quantities, it will misjudge when some disturbances occur. It researches the stability criterion of safety and stability calculation analysis and points out that we should design the criterions against mal-operations according to the specific problems. The no-fault trip criterion combined the proposed criterions against mal-operations has been widely used in the grid. Operation experience show that it can ensure the system's timeliness and security, so the criterions against mal-operations are reliable.
The Baetylus Theorem—The Central Disconnect Driving Consumer Behavior and Investment Returns in Wearable Technologies

The Wearable Technology market may increase fivefold by the end of the decade. There is almost no academic investigation as to what drives the investment hypothesis in wearable technologies. This paper seeks to examine this issue from an evidence-based perspective. There is a fundamental disconnect in how consumers view wearable sensors and how companies market them; this is called The Baetylus Theorem where people believe (falsely) that by buying a wearable sensor they will receive health benefit; data suggest that this is not the case. This idea is grounded social constructs, psychological theories and marketing approaches. A marketing proposal that fails to recognize The Baetylus Theorem and how it can be integrated into a business offering has not optimized its competitive advantage. More importantly, consumers should not falsely believe that purchasing a wearable technology improves health.
Reactivities of Quinone Methides versus o-Quinones in Catecholamine Metabolism and Eumelanin Biosynthesis.

Melanin is an important biopolymeric pigment produced in a vast majority of organisms. Tyrosine and its hydroxylated product, dopa, form the starting material for melanin biosynthesis. Earlier studies by Raper and Mason resulted in the identification of dopachrome and dihydroxyindoles as important intermediates and paved way for the establishment of well-known Raper–Mason pathway for the biogenesis of brown to black eumelanins. Tyrosinase catalyzes the oxidation of tyrosine as well as dopa to dopaquinone. Dopaquinone thus formed, undergoes intramolecular cyclization to form leucochrome, which is further oxidized to dopachrome. Dopachrome is either converted into 5,6-dihydroxyindole by decarboxylative aromatization or isomerized into 5,6-dihydroxyindole-2-carboxylic acid. Oxidative polymerization of these two dihydroxyindoles eventually produces eumelanin pigments via melanochrome. While the role of quinones in the biosynthetic pathway is very well acknowledged, that of isomeric quinone methides, however, remained marginalized. This review article summarizes the key role of quinone methides during the oxidative transformation of a vast array of catecholamine derivatives and brings out the importance of these transient reactive species during the melanogenic process. In addition, possible reactions of quinone methides at various stages of melanogenesis are discussed.
Vitamins and Neural Tube Defects

The use of vitamin supplements by women around the time of conception was examined and compared in those having babies with neural tube defects, those with still births or some other type of malformation, and in women who had normal babies.
Estimation of relative free energies of binding using pre-computed ensembles based on the single-step free energy perturbation and the site-identification by Ligand competitive saturation approaches

Accurate and rapid estimation of relative binding affinities of ligand-protein complexes is a requirement of computational methods for their effective use in rational ligand design. Of the approaches commonly used, free energy perturbation (FEP) methods are considered one of the most accurate, although they require significant computational resources. Accordingly, it is desirable to have alternative methods of similar accuracy but greater computational efficiency to facilitate ligand design. In the present study relative free energies of binding are estimated for one or two non-hydrogen atom changes in compounds targeting the proteins ACK1 and p38 MAP kinase using three methods. The methods include standard FEP, single-step free energy perturbation (SSFEP) and the site-identification by ligand competitive saturation (SILCS) ligand grid free energy (LGFE) approach. Results show the SSFEP and SILCS LGFE methods to be competitive with or better than the FEP results for the studied systems, with SILCS LGFE giving the best agreement with experimental results. This is supported by additional comparisons with published FEP data on p38 MAP kinase inhibitors. While both the SSFEP and SILCS LGFE approaches require a significant upfront computational investment, they offer a 1000-fold computational savings over FEP for calculating the relative affinities of ligand modifications once those pre-computations are complete. An illustrative example of the potential application of these methods in the context of screening large numbers of transformations is presented. Thus, the SSFEP and SILCS LGFE approaches represent viable alternatives for actively driving ligand design during drug discovery and development. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Unsuspected Malignancy During Percutaneous Nephrolithotomy: The Snake in the Grass.

Abstract Squamous cell carcinoma of the upper tract (SCC-UT) is a rare neoplasm that disproportionately affects patients with longstanding nephrolithiasis. Diagnosis is challenging and typically comes at late stages; as such, the prognosis is poor. The absence of a reliable diagnostic predictor for SCC highlights the need to keep the diagnosis in mind for at-risk patient populations. In this study, we describe a small case series of rapidly progressive SCC-UT incidentally discovered during percutaneous nephrolithotomy.
Quantitative 68Ga-DOTATOC PET/CT in Patients with Metastatic or Recurrent Neuroendocrine Tumors.

1649 Objectives We aimed to quantitatively evaluate the distribution of [68Ga]DOTA(0)-Phe(1)-Tyr(3)-octreotide (DOTATOC) in tumor lesions and in unaffected organs of patients with metastatic or recurrent neuroendocrine tumors (NETs) using PET/CT imaging. Methods Twenty-six patients (14 male; 63±11 years) with histopathology proven recurrent or metastatic NET, referred for restaging work-up, underwent a standard vertex to mid-thighs PET/CT, acquired approximately 50 min after the IV. administration of 185 MBq of 68Ga-DOTATOC. Radiopeptide uptake was measured using maximum standardized uptake value (SUVmax) obtained by region of interests (ROIs) drawn in lesions with a diameter of at least 1 cm in the CT images. The three lesions with highest uptake per patient were used for analysis. Physiologic 68Ga-DOTATOC uptake was also measured in organs expressing variable density of somatostatin receptors, including the pituitary gland, spleen, unaffected liver and lung. Histopathological features and proliferation indexes were used to define tumor grade. Results Of the 17 patients with G1 NET tumors, 68GaDOTATOC SUVmax was higher than in the 9 patients with G2 tumors, when the lesion with highest uptake was considered (35.5±26 vs 21±10). Similar trend was observed when calculating the average of the 3 lesions with highest uptake (28.8±17.2 vs 16±7), and when comparing control organs, such as the pituitary gland (8±4 vs 6±1.6) and the spleen (26.7±13 vs 18±17). Proliferation index k1-67 was more elevated in G2 tumors when compared to G1 tumors (6.5±4 vs 2.6±4, P Conclusions This pilot study suggests that quantitative 68Ga DOTATOC PET is useful to characterize NET lesions. This information, alongside with the assessment of somatostatin receptors in organs with no evidence of tumor, could be integrated for a more accurate imaging interpretation, and in the treatment decision algorithm.
CpG DNA switches on Th1 immunity and modulates antigen-presenting cell function.

DNA containing CpG motifs, which are present in bacterial DNA but suppressed in mammalian DNA, can stimulate immune cells and modulate immune responses. A CpG motif consists of an unmethylated CpG dinucleotide flanked by two 5’ purines and two 3’ pyrimidines (Krieg et al. 1995). CpG motifs are similar to palindromic sequences identified earlier in bacille Calmette-Guerin DNA, which increase the cytolytic function of natural killer (NK) cells (Yamamoto et al. 1992), and immunostimulatory sequences, which increase the immunogenicity of DNA vaccines (Sato et al. 1996). Bacterial DNA or oligodeoxynucleotides (ODN) containing CpG motifs can stimulate B cells (Krieg et al. 1995; Sun et al. 1997), macrophages (Stacey et al. 1996; Sparwasser et al. 1997b), dendritic cells (Jakob et al. 1998; Sparwasser et al. 1998), and NK cells (Yamamoto et al. 1992; Ballas et al. 1996).
The Interaction Between Knowledge, Strategies, Metacognition, and Motivation

Abstract An important topic within both psychology and education is the investigation of the causes of individual and group differences in academic-related performance. In this chapter, I will be reviewing research conducted in my laboratory addressing how knowledge and strategies independently and interactively work to affect performance, metacognition and motivation. Defining knowledge in terms of a spreading activation system and strategies in terms of goal-oriented, intentional process, I argue that (1) knowledge can have an independent effect on performance, (2) knowledge affects how you perceive the task and consequently what strategies might be employed, (3) knowledge has an impact on metacognitive judgments about the strategies and (4) knowledge has an impact on whether people independently choose to use the strategy again.
Comparative Pharmacokinetics of Coumarin Anticoagulants III: Factors Affecting the Distribution and Elimination of Bishydroxycoumarin (BHC) in Isolated Liver Perfusion Studies

The kinetics of elimination of BHC in man is unusual in that the apparent first-order rate constant for elimination appears to decrease with increasing dose. No such dose dependency is apparent in rats and certain other species of animals. The purpose of this study was to determine if this difference in BHC elimination kinetics is due to a difference in the interaction of BHC with plasma proteins of rats and man. Isolated rat livers were perfused with a mixture of red blood cells from rats and plasma from donor rats or man (two concentrations) which contained various concentrations of BHC. The concentration of BHC was determined periodically in the perfusate and terminally in the liver. It was found that the apparent rate constant for the metabolism of BHC in isolated perfused rat livers is affected by the initial concentration of drug and by the source and concentration of plasma proteins, and that it is a function mainly of the distribution of BHC between liver and plasma. There is a significant difference in the affinity of BHC to plasma proteins from man and rat, respectively, and there appears to be also a difference in the relative importance of the factors which affect BHC elimination in man and rats.
The Investment Detective

Students must evaluate eight projects' cash flows and rank the projects in terms of their economic attractiveness. Students can use all possible criteria [net present value (NPV), internal rate of return (IRR), return on investment (ROI), profitability index, and payback]. This case introduces the valuation and comparison of capital investments. With advanced students, the case can be used to review the effects of unequal project lives and uncertain discount rates. Student and instructor worksheet files are available for use with the case and teaching note. Excerpt UVA-F-0813 Rev. Mar. 21, 2016 The Investment Detective The essence of capital budgeting and resource allocation is a search for good investments in which to place the firm's capital. The process can be simple when viewed in purely mechanical terms, but a number of subtle issues can obscure the best investment choices. The capital-budgeting analyst, therefore, is necessarily a detective who must winnow bad evidence from good. Much of the challenge is in knowing what quantitative analysis to generate in the first place. Suppose you are a new capital-budgeting analyst for a company considering investments in the eight projects listed in Exhibit1. The CFO of your company has asked you to rank the projects and recommend the “four best” that the company should accept. In this assignment, only the quantitative considerations are relevant. No other project characteristics are deciding factors in the selection, except that management has determined that projects 7 and 8 are mutually exclusive. . . .
Portable multi-dimensional gas chromatography device for rapid field analysis of chemical compounds

We report the progress made in the past few years in the development of a high performance portable multi-dimensional gas chromatography (GC) device that is capable of rapidly analyzing a large number of compounds with high sensitivity. We discuss the multi-dimensional GC architecture and its components, followed by a few field analysis examples using our portable GC devices.
A New Random Variable Normalizing Transformation With Application to the GLRT

A means of converting a random variable into an approximate standard normal is described. It is an extension of the transformation inherent in the use of the exponential embedded family approach to multifamily likelihood ratio testing, which helps explain why the transformation employed corrects the deficiencies of the generalized likelihood ratio test.
A Systematic Review of Concomitant Bullous Pemphigoid and Psoriasis

BackgroundMany reports in the medical literature describe patients with concurrent psoriasis and bullous pemphigoid (BP), but little is known about these patients.Objective:To characterize patients...