cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Surgical management of cervical myelopathy: indications and techniques for laminectomy and fusion

Abstract Background Cervical spondylotic myelopathy (CSM) is a commonly encountered surgical disease that may be approached through a variety of operative techniques. Operative goals in the treatment of CSM include effective neural element decompression and maintaining spinal stability to avoid delayed deformity progression and neurologic compromise. Determining the most appropriate operative approach requires careful consideration of the patient's clinical presentation and radiographic imaging. Purpose To review the indications and techniques for multilevel laminectomy and fusion in the treatment of CSM. Conclusions When indications permit, a multilevel laminectomy is an effective and safe method of neural element decompression. Recognizing the potential for spinal instability is essential to prevent neurologic compromise and intractable axial neck pain caused by deformity progression. A variety of techniques have been described to supplement the posterior tension band after laminectomy; however, lateral mass fixation has evolved into the preferred stabilization technique. Although clinical success is well documented, a successful outcome is dependent on a comprehensive, individualized evaluation of each patient presenting with CSM.
Measuring and modeling twilight’s purple light

During many clear twilights, much of the solar sky is dominated by pastel purples. This purple light's red component has long been ascribed to transmission through and scattering by stratospheric dust and other aerosols. Clearly the vivid purples of post-volcanic twilights are related to increased stratospheric aerosol loading. Yet our time-series measurements of purple-light spectra, combined with radiative transfer modeling and satellite soundings, indicate that background stratospheric aerosols by themselves do not redden sunlight enough to cause the purple light's reds. Furthermore, scattering and extinction in both the troposphere and the stratosphere are needed to explain most purple lights.
Simultaneous development of Fanconi syndrome and acute renal failure associated with cidofovir

found to be predictive of survival in a large study not including HIV-infected patients; most of these patients died within 3 months due to mucormycosis itself, and those who responded to antifungal treatment died because of the clinical progression of the underlying haematological malignancy. To our knowledge, this is the first report assessing a .2-year-long survival in a patient with both advanced HIV infection and a haematological malignancy. Such prolonged survival, despite the relapse of the underlying haematological disease, suggests that the weekly long-term administration of liposomal amphotericin B at high dosage might prevent the clinical and the radiological progression of mucormycosis, even if its complete eradication does not seem achievable. Additionally, this approach might allow the administration of a full dose chemotherapy for the underlying haematological disease. Liposomal amphotericin B has usually moderate long-term toxicity, involving primarily kidneys or liver; as a consequence, periodic evaluation of renal and hepatic parameters is required. The duration and the correct dosage of the maintenance treatment for rhinocerebral mucormycosis are both unknown. We might speculate that the antifungal treatment should be continued until the underlying cause of immune-suppression persists. At the moment, data on combination treatment for mucormycosis are only sporadically reported; therefore, the clinical implications of this approach are not well understood. Additionally, economic and careproviding implications need to be considered when treating these subjects for a prolonged period. The empirical administration schedule of liposomal amphotericin B proposed in this case report may represent a possible option to treat mucormycosis in rare conditions.
Development of a telemedicine curriculum

The University of Hawaii Medical School has begun a project to develop a curriculum in the use of telemedicine. The curriculum itself is to be made available via telecommunications technology. It is our supposition that physicians and other health care professionals will only begin to use telemedicine successfully once they have had an opportunity to learn how to implement this technology.
Perseveration and wandering as a predictor variable after brain injury

Perseveration and wandering are well recognized sequelae of traumatic brain injury. They are believed to arise as a constellation of behaviours from lesions involving the frontal, temporal, or parietal lobes or subcortical motor regions. Attention and memory deficits are believed to contribute to the presence of perseveration and wandering. Patients who perseverate and or wander after brain injury tend to have poorer outcomes and slower rates of progress. This prospective study is based on 32 consecutive admissions to a brain injury rehabilitation unit over a 4 month period. For each patient data was collected on perseverative behaviours, wandering, Functional Independence Measure, total number of rehabilitative days, supervision requirement at discharge and discharge disposition. Perseveration and wandering were assessed using the Agitated Behaviour Scale and clinical observations of the primary physician, physical and occupational therapist and speech language pathologist. Correlations between persevera...
Parallel computational microhydrodynamics: Communication scheduling strategies

The behavior of multiparticle systems in a viscous fluid, as governed by the Stokes equations, is computed by the coordinated use of multiple processors on a distributed memory parallel computer. The completed double-layer boundary integral equation method (CDL-BIEM) is used to convert the hydrodynamic mobility problems to a fixed-point problem, amenable to either synchronous or asynchronous iterative solution schemes. Parallel computational strategies, based on assigning particles to processors, are considered, and rules are derived to specify how often processors should exchange information. A spectral communication scheduling strategy, based on the spectral radius in pair-interaction problems, converges with fewer global iterations and effectively reduces the level of interprocessor communications, suggesting algorithm scalability to massively-parallel computers with hierarchical access to distributed memories. Stochastic schedules, which specify the probability that the information exchange occurs at every iteration, were also considered. For the same test problems, these strategies performed better than the point Jacobi iterations, but not as well as their deterministic counterparts. Scheduling strategies are extrapolated to larger problems, based on projections of memory and performance capabilities of the next generation of high-performance parallel supercomputers.
CoolCalc: A Long-Haul Truck Thermal Load Estimation Tool

In the United States, intercity long-haul trucks idle approximately 1,800 hrs annually for sleeper cab hotel loads, consuming 838 million gallons of diesel fuel per year. The objective of the CoolCab project is to work closely with industry to design efficient thermal management systems for long-haul trucks that keep the cab comfortable with minimized engine idling. Truck engine idling isprimarily done to heat or cool the cab/sleeper, keep the fuel warm in cold weather, and keep the engine warm for cold temperature startup. Reducing the thermal load on the cab/sleeper will decrease air conditioning system requirements, improve efficiency, and help reduce fuel use. CoolCalc is an easy-to-use, simplified, physics-based HVAC load estimation tool that requires no meshing, hasflexible geometry, excludes unnecessary detail, and is less time-intensive than more detailed computer-aided engineering modeling approaches. It is intended for rapid trade-off studies, technology impact estimation, and preliminary HVAC sizing design and to complement more detailed and expensive CAE tools by exploring and identifying regions of interest in the design space. This paper describesthe CoolCalc tool, provides outdoor long-haul truck thermal testing results, shows validation using these test results, and discusses future applications of the tool.
Indirect source impact analysis--carbon monoxide modeling.

This paper reviews current methods and models used in estimating the impacts of indirect sources on CO air quality, an important process in rapidly growing areas. The paper gives an overview of the modeling process, reviews how to obtain fleet average emission factors, presents a commonly used set of worst-case meteorology, identifies dispersion models available for predicting local CO concentrations and tells how to predict an 8-hour average CO concentration given a 1-hour prediction. The paper also discusses background CO concentrations and some of the issues involved in choosing reasonable receptor locations. Several problems exist with indirect source impact analysis—in both the technical area and the policy area. Increased effort is needed to correct these problems, especially to quantify the probability of the worst-case meteorology and to define the locations of reasonable receptors.
Comprehensive characterization of an individual’s LINE-1 insertion profile using next generation sequencing data

Background The Long Interspersed Nuclear Element-1 (LINE-1) is an active retrotransposon capable of affecting cellular phenotype in terms of repressing or stimulating the expression of neighboring genes, and even modifying genetic structure via retrotransposition. New LINE-1 insertion events are occurring constantly in somatic cells. They also occur in germline cells resulting in an estimated 1 new LINE-1 element for every 30 live births. As a result of this activity, in each individual, there are estimated to be several thousand LINE-1 elements, with on the order of 1/3 of these elements differing in genotype, homozygous present, homozygous absent, or heterozygous between any two individuals. Given its potential impact on cellular phenotype and function, it is essential to fully characterize an individual’s LINE-1 insertion profile in terms of number of insertion sites, and the sequence and genotype of each insertion.
Long-Term Potentiation

Long-term potentiation is an activity-dependent strengthening of synapses that is thought to underlie memory. Keywords: long-term potentiation; synaptic plasticity; learning; memory
Fatty acid conjugates of xenobiotics

In this review, we discuss the formation and toxicity of fatty acid conjugates of xenobiotics. Conjugates formed in vivo and in vitro and those detected as contaminants are reviewed. Due to the lipophilic nature of these conjugates, they may accumulate in various body organs and cause toxic manifestations. In vivo formation of these fatty acid conjugates appears to be catalyzed by enzyme(s). Fatty acid ethyl esters are the most widely studied esters and have been implicated in the onset or pathogenesis of myocardial and pancreatic diseases in alcoholics. In experimental animals, studies on 2-chloroethyl linoleate, palmitoylpentachlorophenol and oleoyl and linoleoyl anilides clearly indicate that lipid conjugates of xenobiotics are involved in target organ toxicity. These findings warrant further detailed studies to isolate and identify other fatty acid conjugates and to evaluate their toxicity. Thorough toxicokinetic and metabolic studies are also needed to identify putative toxic agents. Identifying these agents could help in understanding the mechanism of pathogenesis associated with lipid conjugation. Finally fatty acid conjugates of drugs (prodrugs), have been shown to have increased half-lives and long-lasting dose-response. Thus these conjugates may be useful for enhancing the therapeutic potential of drugs and should be explored further.
Finite word-length effects in m-D digital filters with singularities on the stability boundary

The author addresses stability robustness with respect to finite word-length conditions for multidimensional (m-D) digital filters with singularities on the distinguished boundary. In particular, it is shown that all purely first-order digital filters with nonessential singularities of the second kind (NSSKs) are asymptotically stable under certain types of nonlinearities. Even bounded-input, bounded-output (BIBO)-unstable m-D digital filters with singularities on the distinguished boundary proved to be asymptotically stable in the first-order case. The results are then extended to certain classes of higher-order m-D digital filters. It is demonstrated that, although linear m-D digital filters with NSSKs on the distinguished boundary have no margin of stability in the l/sub 1/, l/sub 2/ or asymptotic sense, they might exhibit a rather robust asymptotic behavior with respect to nonideal effects such as finite word-length conditions. >
Issues in applying advance directives to psychiatric care in the United States

Created while competent, psychiatric advance directives (PADs) are legal documents that specify treatment preferences and may also include designation of a surrogate decision maker for use during later periods of acute illness in which competent decision making is impaired. The paper begins with an overview of the potentially therapeutic effects of PADs and then addresses four areas in which legislation and methods of implementing PADs need to consider implications of therapeutic jurisprudence: competence to create PADs, when to activate them, whether revocation should be permitted during incapacity and circumstances for overriding PADs. The paper draws on the research carried out in the US by the author and sponsored by the National Institute of Mental Health. The ways in which issues have been resolved in practice in the US point to applications in other jurisdictions.
Uniaxial Compressive and Shear Buckling in Orthotropic Sandwich Plates by an Improved Theory

Abstract It has been known for some time that the effect of shear deformation on buckling load is important for built-up columns, sandwich plates, and composite-material elements. In 1948, Haringx found that a sufficiently short helical spring cannot be made to buckle and that the transverse force acting in the plane is normal to the central line in the unloaded state but not in the deflected state. Here, the Haringx approach is extended to problems of compressive and shear buckling in rectangular sandwich plates. These problems are solved by the Galer-kin and energy methods, respectively. The results obtained show that the compressive and shear buckling loads calculated by the present theory are in good agreement with existing experimental data. The predicted buckling loads are greater than those predicted by classical Engesser-type sandwich plate theory, and the differences become greater as the shear flexibility increases.
Convergence of some time inhomogeneous Markov chains via spectral techniques

We consider the problem of giving explicit spectral bounds for time inhomogeneous Markov chains on a finite state space. We give bounds that apply when there exists a probability π such that each of the different steps corresponds to a nice ergodic Markov kernel with stationary measure π. For instance, our results provide sharp bounds for models such as semi-random transpositions and semi-random insertions (in these cases π is the uniform probability on the symmetric group).
Cell surface changes in the Candida albicans mitochondrial mutant goa1Δ are associated with reduced recognition by innate immune cells.

Summary We have previously characterized several fungal-specific proteins from the human pathogen Candida albicans that either encode subunits of mitochondria Complex I (CI) of the electron transport chain (ETC) or regulate CI activity (Goa1p). Herein, the role of energy production and cell wall gene expression is investigated in the mitochondria mutant goa1Δ. We show that downregulation of cell wall-encoding genes in the goa1Δ results in sensitivity to cell wall inhibitors such as Congo red and Calcofluor white, reduced phagocytosis by a macrophage cell line, reduced recognition by macrophage receptors, and decreased expression of cytokines such as IL-6, IL-10 and IFN-γ. In spite of the reduced recognition by macrophages, the goa1Δ is still killed to the same extent as control strains. We also demonstrate that expression of the epithelial cell receptors E-cadherin and EGFR is also reduced in the presence of goa1Δ. Together, our data demonstrate the importance of mitochondria in the expression of cell wall biomolecules and the interaction of C. albicans with innate immune and epithelial cells. Our underlying premise is thatmitochondrial proteins such as Goa1p and other fungal-specific mitochondrial proteins regulate critical functions in cell growth and in virulence. As such, they remain as valid drug targets for antifungal drug discovery.
Inflatable antenna for cubesats: Motivation for development and antenna design

CubeSats and small satellites have potential to provide means to explore space and to perform science in a more affordable way. As the goals for these spacecraft become more ambitious in space exploration, moving from Low Earth Orbit (LEO) to Geostationary Earth Orbit (GEO) or further, the communication systems currently implemented will not be able to support those missions. One of the bottlenecks in small spacecraft communication systems is represented by antennas' size, due to the close relation between antenna gain and dimensions. Current antennas for CubeSats are mostly dipole or patch antennas with limited gain. Deployable (not inflatable) antennas for CubeSats are currently being investigated, but these solutions are affected by the challenge of packaging the whole deployable structure in a small spacecraft. The work that we propose represents the first attempt to develop an inflatable antenna for CubeSats. Inflatable structures and antennas can be packaged efficiently occupying a small amount of space, and they can provide, once deployed, large dish dimension and correspondent gain. Inflatable antennas have been previously tested in space (Inflatable Antenna Experiment, STS-77). However they have never been developed for small spacecraft such as CubeSats, where the packaging efficiency, the deployment, and the inflation represent a challenge. Our study explores for the first time the possibility of developing such antenna in a way compatible with CubeSat dimensions and constraints. The research provides answers on the possible dimensions for an inflatable antenna for small satellites, on the gain and resolution that can be achieved, and on the deployment and inflation mechanism compatible with CubeSat. Future work in the development of the antenna will include the test of the antenna in flight during a specific technical demonstration mission. The article is structured as follows: context and motivation for Cubesat inflatable antenna are described; then a study to design the antenna which achieves the required performance metrics, while respecting the constraints imposed by CubeSat structure, is presented.
Assessing Peer Review in the Quest for Improved Medical Services: Part II:

The first part of this article explored the flaws in the operation of peer review in two contexts: selection of articles for journal publication and decision-mak ing in the award of research grants...
Robust audio watermarking using frequency selective spread spectrum theory

A new method is proposed for robust audio watermarking using direct-sequence spread spectrum in combination with the subband decomposition of the audio signal. The method exploits the frequency masking characteristics of the human auditory system (HAS) and inserts the watermark into a randomly selected frequency band of the input audio signal. Performance of the proposed system is evaluated for robustness to signal manipulations such as contamination with additive noise, resampling, compression, filtering, multiple watermark insertion, and random chopping. Experimental results show that the capacity of the proposed watermarking scheme is relatively high compared with existing spread spectrum based audio watermarking schemes.
AMC metamaterials for low-profile antennas mounted on or embedded in composite platforms

In this paper we introduce a novel technique for the synthesis of thin, planar, easily fabricated AMC surfaces that do not posses a complete PEC backing, unlike the conventional FSS AMCs. These planar AMC structures are realized via two cascaded FSSs, the parameters of which are optimized by a GA for the design goals of achieving a highly reflective composite structure with AMC behavior.
Helicobacter pylori Glutamine Synthetase Lacks Features Associated with Transcriptional and Posttranslational Regulation

Helicobacter pylori urease, produced in abundance, is indispensable for the survival of H. pylori in animal hosts. Urea is hydrolyzed by the enzyme, resulting in the liberation of excess ammonia, some of which neutralizes gastric acid. The remaining ammonia is assimilated into protein by glutamine synthetase (EC 6.3.1.2), which catalyzes the reaction: NH3 + glutamate + ATP→glutamine + ADP + Pi. We hypothesized that glutamine synthetase plays an unusually critical role in nitrogen assimilation by H. pylori. We developed a phenotypic screen to isolate genes that contribute to the synthesis of a catalytically active urease. Escherichia coli SE5000 transformed with plasmid pHP808 containing the entire H. pylori urease gene cluster was cotransformed with a pBluescript plasmid library of the H. pylori ATCC 43504 genome. A weakly urease-positive 9.4-kb clone, pUEF728, was subjected to nucleotide sequencing. Among other genes, the gene for glutamine synthetase was identified. The complete 1,443-bp glnA gene predicts a polypeptide of 481 amino acid residues with a molecular weight of 54,317; this was supported by maxicell analysis of cloned glnA expressed in E. coli. The top 10 homologs were all bacterial glutamine synthetases, including Salmonella typhimurium glnA. The ATP-binding motif GDNGSG (residues 272 to 277) of H. pylori GlnA exactly matched and aligned with the sequence in 8 of the 10 homologs. The adenylation site found in the top 10 homologs (consensus sequence, NLYDLP) is replaced in H. pylori by NLFKLT (residues 405 to 410). Since the Tyr (Y) residue is the target of adenylation and since the H. pylori glutamine synthetase lacks that residue in four strains examined, we conclude that no adenylation occurs within this motif. Cloned H. pylori glnA complemented a glnA mutation in E. coli, and GlnA enzyme activity could be measured spectrophotometrically. In an attempt to produce a GlnA-deficient mutant of H. pylori, a kanamycin resistance cassette was cloned into the Tth111I site of H. pylori glnA. By using the standard technique of allelic exchange mutagenesis, no verifiable glutamine synthetase double-crossover mutant of strain UMAB41 could be isolated, suggesting that the mutation is lethal. We conclude that glutamine synthetase is critical for nitrogen assimilation in H. pylori and is active under all physiologic conditions.
School Vouchers and Home Prices: Premiums in School Districts Lacking Public Schools

Vermont has numerous school districts lacking traditional public schools. In these jurisdictions, families are provided school vouchers. Using a sample of 2,933 single-family home purchase transactions, we examine residential property values in areas with vouchers as compared to those with assigned schools. We find robust evidence that these vouchers increase home values. We also find that home values are increasing in the number of alternative schooling options available within reasonable commuting distances. Finally, homes with access to schools that are better than the closest school, as defined by standardized test scores, sell at a higher price where vouchers exist. Thus, we conclude Vermont’s housing market places a premium on school voucher access availability, and this premium increases if families have access to more and better schools.
A new teratogenic agent applied to amphibian embryos

It has been demonstrated that the application of the magnetic probe to Drosophila pupae has a pronounced influence on the pattern of morphogenesis (Levengood, 1966). In addition to morphological abnormalities, there was a retardation of development which continued to occur without further treatment in succeeding generations. A theoretical basis for these disturbances has been proposed (Levengood, 1967). The present study was undertaken to find out whether comparable developmental disturbances would be produced in vertebrates. Amphibian eggs and embryos were exposed to magnetic probes at various stages of development. The results demonstrate that a brief treatment of early amphibian embryos produces several types of abnormalities, some of which are not expressed until the climax stage of metamorphosis. The magnetic probe devices used in these experiments have been previously described in detail (Levengood, 1966). The probe coils contain a core with a 1 in. section at one end prepared with a conical taper down to a final diameter of 0·125 mm with the tip machined flat.
Non-ECG-gated MDCTA of infracardiac total anomalous pulmonary venous connection in neonates and young infants

To compare the diagnostic accuracy of non-electrocardiogram-gated (non-ECG-gated) multidetector computed tomography angiography (MDCTA) with transthoracic echocardiography (TTE) in the evaluation of infracardiac total anomalous pulmonary venous connection (TAPVC) in neonate and infant patients. Nine patients aged from 2 days to 3 months were included in this study. All clinical and imaging data were reviewed. Compared with findings from surgery, the diagnostic accuracy of MDCTA and TTE was calculated in three respects: the path of the drainage vein, the drainage site, and the stenosis of the vein. Images acquired from all patients were eligible for diagnosis and reconstruction. The sites of the drainage point were all clarified and the drainage vessels were oriented by axial and reconstructed images. Stenosis was found at 13 sites, including mild stenosis at the diaphragmatic level (n = 3), distortion or stenosis at the drainage site (n = 5), and hypogenesis of the pulmonary vein branch (n = 5). TTE misdiagnosed the upward-flowing collateral vessels as the drainage veins in 2 patients and misidentified the drainage site in 7 patients, yielding an accuracy of 77.8% and 22.9%, respectively. It identified stenosis at four sites at the drainage site in concordance with MDCTA. The hypogenesis of the pulmonary vein branch was not detected and the stenosis at the diaphragmatic level was not suggested by TTE. For infracardiac TAPVC, non-ECG-gated MDCTA is superior to TTE and can facilitate the preoperative evaluation when combined with TTE.
Meister Eckhart'S Conception Of Union With God

Although Meister Eckhart himself might have been puzzled by the term, he is traditionally known as a mystic. The designation surely does apply, in the sense that Eckhart sought and recommended a kind of union between the soul and God. But as soon as one proceeds to analyze the precise nature of that union, difficulties abound. In recent literature it has become clear that the Christian mystical tradition has employed various distinct concepts of union with God, and scholars have inquired what sort of union one or another mystic sought. This effort has been made, for example, in studies of John Tauler and The Cloud of Unknowing. In examining these and other mystics, particularly those of the Western medieval tradition, scholars have asked whether they viewed union with God as a momentary experience or as an ongoing way of life, and whether they saw this union as continuous and compatible with ordinary religious experience and knowledge or as discontinuous and incompatible. The present article will attempt to answer such questions in regard to Meister Eckhart, in hopes of clarifying an aspect of his thought which, though fundamental, is most commonly approached only tangentially in the literature.
Optimal Control of the Plasma Azimuthal Velocity Profile by Feedback $E\times B$ Actuation in HELCAT

Active control of the flow shear, which is related to the radial derivative of the azimuthal flow, is a key factor in reducing the cross-field turbulence-driven particle transport in a magnetically confined plasma column. Once a desired radial azimuthal velocity profile and its associated level of turbulent fluctuations are identified, the challenge of systematically achieving and sustaining it still remains. In this paper, a model-based feedback controller is proposed to overcome this challenge in helicon-cathode (HELCAT). This linear, dual-source, magnetized-plasma, laboratory device employs concentric ring electrodes to mitigate the turbulent plasma transport by generating a sheared radial electric field and modifying the flow profiles by E×B actuation. A linear-quadratic-integral optimal feedback controller is designed to minimize a weighted combination of the tracking error and the control effort with an ultimate goal of regulating the radial azimuthal velocity profile around a prescribed desired profile even with external disturbances and perturbed initial conditions. Numerical simulations show the effectiveness of the proposed controller in shaping the azimuthal flow profile in HELCAT. The proposed control solution has the potential of being used as a systematic tool for physics-oriented studies in laboratory plasmas such as those achieved in HELCAT.
The Taxing Power, the Sixteenth Amendment, and the Meaning of ‘Incomes,’

This article examines the debates leading to the enactment of the 1894 income tax, which the Supreme Court struck down in 1895, and the Sixteenth Amendment, ratified in 1913, and concludes that an income tax and a tax on consumption were understood to be fundamentally different types of taxes. The author argues that the term “taxes on incomes” in the Sixteenth Amendment should be interpreted with that distinction in mind. The Amendment was intended to make a “tax on incomes,” and only a tax on incomes, possible without the apportionment that would otherwise be required for a direct tax. For a tax that is direct but is not a tax on incomes, however, a category that includes direct-consumption taxes, the apportionment rule remains in effect.
Electrical Transport and Network Percolation in Graphene and Boron Nitride Mixed-Platelet Structures.

Percolating network of mixed 2D nanomaterials (2DNs) can leverage the unique electronic structures of different 2DNs, their interfacial doping, manipulable conduction pathways, and local traps. Here, we report on the percolation mechanism and electro-capacitive transport pathways of mixed-platelet network of hexagonal boron nitride (hBN) and reduced graphene oxide (rGO), two isostructural and isoelectronic 2DNs. The transport mechanism is explained in terms of electron hopping through isolated hBN defect traps between rGO (possibly via electron tunneling/hopping through “funneling” points). With optical bandgaps of 4.57 and 4.08 eV for the hBN-domains and 2.18 eV for the rGO domains, the network of hBN with rGO exhibits Poole–Frenkel emission-based transport with mean hopping gap of 1.12 nm (∼hBN trilayer) and an activation barrier of ∼15 ± 0.7 meV. Further, hBN (1.7 pF) has a 6-fold lower capacitance than 1:1 hBN:rGO, which has a resistance 2 orders of magnitude higher than that of rGO (1.46 MΩ). These c...
The dimensions of the right ventricular outflow tract and pulmonary arteries in tetralogy of Fallot and pulmonary stenosis.

Studies were undertaken of the eineangiograms in 196 consecutive patients entering two institutions with tetralogy of Fallot and pulmonary stenosis, none of whom had previously undergone a surgical procedure. The median age of the patients at the time of the study was 5.9 months. The diameters of the right ventricular infundibulum, pulmonary trunk, and the entirety of the right and left pulmonary arteries were measured (in millimeters), corrected for magnification, and expressed in standard deviation units (Z-values). The median values of the cineangiographically determined diameters of the right ventricular infundibulum and pulmonary trunk were smaller than those of 95% of normal individuals. The median values throughout the right and left pulmonary arteries were within the range of normal. Those of the distal branches of both the right and left pulmonary arteries were similar to the mean values in normal individuals. However, great variability of the dimensions between individuals, and along the pathway in individuals, characterized patients with tetralogy of Fallot. Diffuse narrowing of the pathways both proximally and distally was uncommon. The relation between the diameters of the pulmonary “anulus” and of the distal pulmonary trunk and origin of the left pulmonary artery explained the difficulty of extending an enlarging patch into a wide area distally in some patients. (J T horac C ardiovasc S urg 1992;103:692-705)
Does fluoromethane form a hydrogen bond with water

Fluorinated organic compounds have become increasingly important in the pharmaceutical and agricultural industries. However, even the simplest aspects of these compounds are still not well understood. For instance, it is an open question as to whether fluoroorganics can form a hydrogen bond. To answer this question, this work compares the complex CH3F···HOH with 10 other complexes including the water dimer, the water–ammonia dimer, the methane–water dimer, and the methane dimer, among others. The features that are compared include binding energy and its electrostatic and dispersive components, geometry, vibrational frequencies, charge transfer, and topological analysis of the electron density. All of these are consistent with a hydrogen bond forming in CH3F···HOH. Moreover, all features of this dimer appear to be quite similar in kind, although slightly lesser in degree, than the corresponding features of the water dimer.
Lack of mutation–histopathology correlation in a patient with Proteus syndrome

Proteus syndrome (PS) is characterized by progressive, disproportionate, segmental overgrowth, and tumor susceptibility caused by a somatic mosaic AKT1 activating mutation. Each individual has unique manifestations making this disorder extremely heterogeneous. We correlated three variables in 38 tis
Variability in Testing for Antineutrophil Cytoplasmic Antibodies: A Survey of Participants in the College of American Pathologists Proficiency Testing Program.

Context.—Variability in testing for antineutrophil cytoplasmic antibodies (ANCAs) contributes to confusion and controversy related to testing for vasculitis and other ANCA-associated diseases. Obje...
Regulation of dopamine synthesis in rat brain striatal synaptosomes.

The properties of dopamine synthesis in rat brain striatal synaptosomes were examined. Addition of catecholamines inhibited the conversion of tyrosine to dopamine, with 50% inhibition occurring at 0.5 µM dopamine. Cocaine antagonized the dopamine-induced inhibition of synthesis to an extent similar to its blockade of dopamine uptake. Stimulation with depolarizing concentrations of veratridine produced a calcium-dependent increase in the conversion of tyrosine to dopamine. Strontium, although less effective, could substitute for calcium in the veratridine-induced stimulation. Veratridine treatment was associated with a significant decline in the specific activity of tyrosine in the tissue, a finding consistent with the concept that the increased rate of dopamine formation is caused by an activation of synthesis rather than by preferential labeling of the precursor. The decrease in tyrosine specific activity was due to a decreased accumulation of tyrosine produced by veratridine. The veratridine-induced inhibition of tyrosine accumulation appears to be related to the ability of the alkaloid to alter sodium permeability, since it was blocked by tetrodotoxin. The tyrosine apparent Km for synthesis was much lower than the apparent Km for tyrosine uptake and, along with the apparent V max for synthesis, was significantly increased by veratridine. In contrast to dopamine synthesis from tyrosine, synthesis from dopa was not inhibited by the addition of dopamine, nor was it activated by veratridine. These studies indicate that isolated synaptosomal preparations respond to depolarizing agents with an activation of tyrosine hydroxylation, a property which suggests their suitability as a useful model for studying synthesis regulation in the central nervous system. ACKNOWLEDGMENT The authors gratefully acknowledge the enzyme kinetic computer programs provided by Mr. Glen Elliott.
On Information Loss in AdS 3 /CFT 2

We discuss information loss from black hole physics in AdS3, focusing on two sharp signatures infecting CFT2 correlators at large central charge c: ‘forbidden singularities’ arising from Euclidean-time periodicity due to the effective Hawking temperature, and late-time exponential decay in the Lorentzian region. We study an infinite class of examples where forbidden singularities can be resolved by non-perturbative effects at finite c, and we show that the resolution has certain universal features that also apply in the general case. Analytically continuing to the Lorentzian regime, we find that the non-perturbative effects that resolve forbidden singularities qualitatively change the behavior of correlators at times t ∼ S BH , the black hole entropy. This may resolve the exponential decay of correlators at late times in black hole backgrounds. By Borel resumming the 1/c expansion of exact examples, we explicitly identify ‘information-restoring’ effects from heavy states that should correspond to classical solutions in AdS3. Our results suggest a line of inquiry towards a more precise formulation of the gravitational path integral in AdS3.
What Faculty Offices Can Teach

“Good rooms enable good teaching.” T. Vaughan (1991) Discussions about how physical environments impact student learning often center on the layout and placement of classrooms. In the law clinic context, these discussions also focus on the design of clinic office spaces. Much less attention has been paid to how clinical faculty members can (and do) use their own offices to create physical spaces that advance clinical learning goals and pedagogy. This poster presentation shows how clinical faculty members are turning their faculty offices into collaborative and motivational learning spaces by paying attention to the design and decoration of their offices.
Privacy protection via appliance scheduling in smart homes

Smart grid, managed by intelligent devices, have demonstrated great potentials to help residential customers to optimally schedule and manage the appliances' energy consumption. Due to the fine-grained power consumption information collected by smart meter, the customers' privacy becomes a serious concern. Combined with the effects of fake guideline electricity price, this paper focuses an on-line appliance scheduling design to protect customers' privacy in a cost-effective way, while taking into account the influences of non-schedulable appliances' operation uncertainties. We formulate the problem by minimizing the expected sum of electricity cost and achieving acceptable privacy protection. Without knowledge of future electricity consumptions, an on-line scheduling algorithm is proposed based on the only current observations by using a stochastic dynamic programming technique. The simulation results demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed algorithm using real-world data.
Proofs of binomial and geometric series expansions under a probabilistic microscope with real-life examples

This paper begins with a new and complete probabilistic proof of the well-known binomial theorem. Then, it broadens the same spirit for handling a useful infinite series of which the well-known geometric series forms a special case. Also included are applications of the theorems and real-life examples.
Drawing on Religion in the Desistance Process: Paying Attention to Race and Ethnicity:

Religion is important in the lives of many ex-offenders. This study uses data from the Pathways to Desistance Study data set to examine the impact of religiosity on criminal desistance and drug use...
Average probability of packet error with diversity reception over arbitrarily correlated fading channels: Research Articles

Closed form expressions for the average probability of packet error (PPE) are presented for no diversity, maximum ratio combining (MRC), selection combining (SC) and switch and stay combining (SSC) diversity schemes. The average PPE for the no diversity case is obtained in two alternative expressions assuming arbitrarily correlated Nakagami and Rician fading channels. For the MRC case, L diversity branches are considered and the channel samples are assumed to follow Nakagami distribution and to be arbitrarily correlated in both time and space. For the SC diversity scheme with L diversity branches, two bounds on the average PPE are derived for both slow and fast fading channels. The average PPE in this case is obtained in an infinite integral form for Nakagami channels while it is reduced to a closed form expression for the Rayleigh case. The average PPE is also derived in the case of SSC diversity with dual branches for both slow and fast Rayleigh fading channels. The new formulas are applicable for all modulation schemes where the conditional probability of error has an exponential dependence on the signal-to-noise ratio. The average PPE is then used to obtain a modified expression for the throughput for network protocols. In general, the diversity gain exhibits a little diminishing effect as the number of diversity branches increases. In addition, the system is found to be more sensitive to the space correlation than to the time correlation. The effects of different system parameters and diversity schemes are studied and discussed. Specific figures about the system performance are also provided. Copyright © 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.This work was presented in part in the IEEE Vehicular Technology Conference (VTC'02 Fall), Vancouver, B.C., Canada, September 2002 and in part in the IEEE Globecom conference (GLOBECOM'02), Taipei, Taiwan, November 2002.
Radial modes of laterally stiffened piezoelectric disc transducers for ultrasonic collimated beam generation

Abstract We numerically investigate the resonance and vibration characteristics of radial modes of laterally stiffened piezoelectric disc transducers. Lateral stiffening is modelled using a spring and vibration characteristics of the piezo-disc are investigated with increasing lateral stiffness. It is found that the resonant frequency response of the radial modes follows an asymptotic behaviour approaching that of a clamped disc with increasing lateral stiffness. The radial mode vibration pattern of the discs is also found to be affected by lateral stiffness. While the vibration pattern of a free disc corresponds to a Bessel function, laterally stiffened discs show edge-effects where they depart from the Bessel-like behaviour. In addition, a fully clamped piezo-disc is found to have an extra side-lobe when compared to a free disc. Ultrasonic beam profiles generated from radial modes of laterally stiffened discs are numerically investigated. It is found that the free piezo-disc generates a Bessel beam that has multiple side-lobes. Increasing the lateral stiffness results in a significant reduction of side-lobes in the beam profile. This technique of generating a collimated beam with side-lobe reduction finds significant applications in imaging through concrete, drilling mud, and other highly attenuating materials.
Relationships between physical‐geochemical soil properties and erodibility of streambanks among different physiographic provinces of Tennessee, USA

Erosion of cohesive soils in fluvial environments is dependent on physical, geochemical and biological properties, which govern inter-particle attraction forces and control detachment rates from stream beds and banks. Most erosion rate models are based on the excess shear stress equation where the soil erodibility coefficient (kd) is multiplied by the difference between the boundary hydraulic shear stress (τb) and the soil critical shear stress (τc). Both kd and τc are a function of soil properties and must be obtained through in-situ field or laboratory testing. Many studies have generated predictive relationships for kd and τc derived from various soil properties. These studies typically were conducted in watersheds within a single physiographic region with a common surficial geology and/or investigated a limited number of soil properties, particularly geochemical properties. With widely reported differences in relationships between τc and soil properties, this study investigated differences in predictive relationships for τc among different physiographic provinces in Tennessee, USA. Erodibility parameters were determined in the field using a mini-jet test device. Among these provinces, statistically four unique clusters were identified from a dataset of 128 sample sites and these data clusters were used to develop predictive models for τc to identify dominant properties governing erosion. In these clusters, 16 significant physical and geochemical soil properties were identified for τc prediction. Among these soil properties, water content and passing#200 sieve (% soil less than 75 μm) were the dominant controlling prameters to predict τc in addition to clay % (< 2 μm), bulk density, and soil pore water chemistry. This study suggests that unique relationships exist for physiographic provinces that are likely due to soil physiochemical processes associated with surficial geology that determine minerology properties of the cohesive soil.
Language and categorization in monolinguals and bilinguals

People assume that objects labelled alike belong to the same category. Here we asked whether the role of labels in categorization depends on individuals' language experience, linguistic abilities, and/or cognitive abilities. We compared monolinguals' and bilinguals' use of phonologically licit words (zeg), illicit words (gsz), and non-linguistic frames (in addition to a baseline condition with no additional cues) in forming novel categories. For both groups, licit words affected categorization more than frames, especially in the absence of perceptual evidence for category boundaries; illicit words also shifted categorization preferences compared to frames. Furthermore, linguistic abilities predicted reliance on both licit and illicit words, and bilingualism predicted reliance on illicit words in categorization. Thus, in both monolinguals and bilinguals, novel (and even unconventional) linguistic labels act as unique category markers but their use in categorization depends on individual language processing skills (and, in some cases, exposure to a second language).