cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Nondestructive Characterization and Accelerated UV Testing of Browned Field-Aged PV Modules

Encapsulant browning is one of the most common degradation modes found in crystalline silicon field-aged photovoltaic modules. Browning, usually undetected unless severe, reduces the short-circuit current ( I sc) produced by a module. Therefore, field-aged browned modules have been subjected to accelerated UV testing to obtain true end-of-life activation energy for the encapsulant browning mechanism. A novel time- and resource-saving accelerated UV exposure testing method simultaneously allowing multiple module temperatures to be maintained in a single chamber run is presented. Six field-aged crystalline silicon modules of glass/backsheet construction (three each from BP Solar/Solarex MSX 60 and Siemens M55) with similar glass and encapsulant formulation were exposed to a UV dosage of 450 kWh/m2. Through passive heating, the average module temperatures for the BP Solar/Solarex modules were 60 °C, 77 °C, and 85 °C and those of Siemens M55 were 75 °C, 80 °C, and 837 °C. To study UV browning, the modules were intermittently characterized through visual imaging, UV fluorescence imaging, electroluminescence imaging, quantum efficiency measurements, module, and cell-level light I – V measurements. An I sc decrease corroborated the increased extent of browning with increased module temperature. For the BP Solar/Solarex modules, the Low T, Mid T, and the High T modules showed a 1.37%, 2.48%, and 3.26% I sc drop, respectively. The Siemens modules showed a 4.11%, 5.65%, and 6.95% I sc drop. The multiple cell-level I sc data points obtained for each module temperature increased provided statistical significance. Activation energy for encapsulant browning was calculated as 0.44 and 0.72 eV for MSX 60 and M55 modules, respectively.
Simulating Magnetic Circular Dichroism Spectra with Real-Time Time-Dependent Density Functional Theory in Gauge Including Atomic Orbitals

Magnetic circular dichroism (MCD) spectra are able to provide insights into the geometric, electronic, and magnetic properties of chemical systems. However, they can be challenging to understand and simulate given the need to simultaneously treat both the finite magnetic and optical fields. Thus, efficient simulations are desired to understand the spectra and resolve the molecular electronic states. Real-time dynamics are used widely in the simulation of electronic spectroscopies such as absorption as well as electronic circular dichroism, but simulating MCD with real-time dynamics is technically and theoretically challenging. In this work, we introduce a real-time dynamics-based ab initio method with a nonperturbative treatment of a static magnetic field with London orbitals for simulating the MCD spectra of closed shell systems. Effects of a magnetic field are included variationally in the spin-free nonrelativistic Hamiltonian. Real-time time-dependent density functional theory dynamics are then performed, from which we compute the response function in the presence of the external magnetic field, giving the MCD spectrum. The method developed in this paper is applied to simulate the MCD spectra for pyrimidine, pyrazine, and 1,4-naphthoquinone. Results are discussed and compared to the experiment.
Evaluating and using cloud computing for online hands-on learning

In an IT learning environment hands-on learning is central to one's learning. For many years traditional IT program instructors have been able to integrate hands-on approaches into the classroom. Although hands-on laboratory exercises are integral to a successful IT program, e-Learning students in IT do not have the same laboratory experience as onsite students. Consequentially, there is a problem with e-Learning IT students not acquiring all the essential hands-on skills with equipment used in the IT industry. In this paper, we present a solution which is based on private cloud computing and can be used to build a laboratory and learning environment for online hands-on IT courses. Students, as cloud clients, can access the server by web access through VPN connection.
Development of metalanguage for multimodal composing: A case study of an L2 writer’s design of multimedia texts

Abstract This study investigates a sixth-grade L2 writer’s composition of digital multimodal texts, and his development of the metalanguage of modal and intermodal resources of language and image. Based on a systemic functional approach to multimodal discourse analysis (SF-MDA) and principles of sociosemiotic ethnography, it examines both the student’s composing processes and his composed texts. In the writing center of an inclusive sixth-grade classroom in a U.S. elementary school, the student created multimodal PowerPoint slides explaining the greenhouse effect, and Glogster-based multimedia texts arguing for banning guns. The collected data include the student’s texts, interview responses, and observation notes. Grounded in SF-MDA, the analytical framework draws on codes such as employed modes, modal resources, intermodal relations, and constructed meanings (i.e., ideational, interpersonal, and textual). The findings suggest that a) the student employed linguistic and visual modes in the mediums drawing on concurrence and complementarity intermodal relations; b) the student used non-linguistic resources for the ideational meanings of texts as a primary semiotic mode; and c) the student developed awareness of intermodal relations and metafunctions of sign systems in a non-linear way. The findings contribute valuable insights into understanding L2 learners’ development of metalanguage for multimodal composing.
Is World Malaria Day an effective awareness campaign? An evaluation of public interest in malaria during World Malaria Day

Objective We retrospectively analysed the relative search interest of malaria to (1) assess the relationship between Internet searches for malaria and rates of infection in 11 countries considered 'high burden' by WHO in 2019 and to (2) determine the ability of World Malaria Day on April 25 to generate interest in the disease. Methods Using Google Trends, we sought to determine the relative popularity of the topic of Malaria over 4 years (2015-2019). Worldwide and country-specific searches for 'malaria' were used to assess the influence the international awareness day has on global and local interest in malaria. In order to determine whether a relationship exists between Internet searches and the disease burden of malaria, the information gathered from Google Trends was then compared with reports of morbidity and mortality of malaria from the 2019 World Malaria Report. Results Globally, a negative mean difference in relative search volume was observed between World Malaria Day and the control periods of -2.46 (95% CI: -5.57 to 0.66). The relative search volume for malaria-related search terms increased by 2.91% (±4.60) from January 2015 to 1 July 2019 in the 5 countries with the highest malaria disease burden. A positive correlation (r = 0.804) was found between per capita infections and malaria Internet search interest in addition to deaths per 1000 residents and malaria relative search interest (r = 0.663) between 2015 and 2018. Conclusion Initiatives such as World Malaria Day may help raise public awareness concerning a specific disease, prompting individuals to seek out additional information. This is especially important in high-burden countries where access to the Internet is steadily growing. In these circumstances, having quality and easily accessible information is vital in the continuing fight against malaria.
Pyoderma gangrenosum confined to the irradiated chest wall of the reconstructed breast

Pyoderma gangrenosum (PG) is a diagnosis of exclusion worsened by surgical debridement. This report presents two atypical manifestations of PG in the reconstructed breast, whereby the disease is only confined to the irradiated chest wall tissue bed, sparing the abdominal donor sites and the contralateral reconstructed breast.
A Semiparametric Method for Valuing Residential Locations: Application to Automated Valuation

This paper is motivated by automated valuation systems, which would benefit from an ability to estimate spatial variation in location value. It develops theory for the local regression model (LRM), a semiparametric approach to estimating a location value surface. There are two parts to the LRM: (1) an ordinary least square (OLS) model to hold constant for interior square footage, land area, bathrooms, and other structural characteristics; and (2) a non-parametric smoother (local polynomial regression, LPR) which calculates location value as a function of latitude and longitude. Several methods are used to consistently estimate both parts of the model. The LRM was fit to geocoded hedonic sales data for six towns in the suburbs of Boston, MA. The estimates yield substantial, significant and plausible spatial patterns in location values. Using the LRM as an exploratory tool, local peaks and valleys in location value identified by the model are close to points identified by the tax assessor, and they are shown to add to the explanatory power of an OLS model. Out-of-sample MSE shows that the LRM with a first-degree polynomial (local linear smoothing) is somewhat better than polynomials of degree zero or degree two. Future applications might use degree zero (the well-known NW estimator) because this is available in popular commercial software. The optimized LRM reduces MSE from the OLS model by between 5 percent and 11 percent while adding information on statistically significant variations in location value.
GENETIC STRUCTURE NOT DETECTED IN NORTHERN IDAHO AND NORTHEAST WASHINGTON WESTERN TOAD (ANAXYRUS BOREAS) POPULATIONS

Western Toads (Anaxyrus boreas) are widely considered to be of conservation concern, and have high genetic variability both continentally and locally. Previous research has identified 3 major genetic clades of Western Toads in North America. We collected tissue samples from 47 larval toads representing 16 different collection sites in northern Idaho and northeastern Washington. For each sample we sequenced a 269 base-pair section of the mitochondrial cytochrome c oxidose I (COI) gene. We also downloaded COI sequences from GenBank, which had been used in a previous study to identify geographic clades. We used PAUP to build phylogenies in which our samples did not align geographically with each other or form distinct clades within the continental phylogeny. Our samples did, however, group in the expected Northwestern clade which was identified in a previous study. The toads examined in our study area show no evidence of cryptic diversity within the section of COI we examined and our data support the current taxonomic assignment to Anaxyrus boreas.
The evolution of monogamy is associated with reversals from male to female bias in the survival cost of parasitism

The extent to which parasites reduce host survival should depend upon how hosts balance trade-offs between reproduction and survival. For example, parasites are predicted to impose greater survival costs under polygynous or promiscuous mating systems in which competition for mates favours increased reproductive investment, particularly in males. We provide, to our knowledge, the first comparative test of the hypothesis that the mating system of the host is an important determinant of (i) the extent to which parasites reduce survival, and (ii) the extent to which males and females differ in the survival cost of parasitism. Using meta-analysis of 85 published estimates of the survival cost of parasitism from 72 studies of 64 species representing diverse animal lineages, we show that parasites impose a mean 3.5-fold increase in the odds of mortality on their hosts. Although this survival cost does not differ significantly across monogamous, polygynous and promiscuous mating systems, females incur a greater survival cost than males in monogamous species, whereas males incur a greater survival cost than females in polygynous and promiscuous species. Our results support the idea that mating systems shape the relative extent to which males and females invest in reproduction at the expense of defence against parasites.
Model Problems for Fish Schooling

We review recent work on model systems for body-vortex and body-body interactions in a fluid, related to fish schooling. The studies show a variety of structured and disordered dynamics which can occur when vortices interact with passive and actively-driven deformable bodies. The energy savings due to body-vortex interactions depend strongly on the geometric arrangement of multiple bodies and/or ambient vortices, the phases of the bodies’ motions relative to those of the vortices and other bodies, and the rigidity of flexible appendages.
Dysregulated host inflammatory response in rats with fatal encephalitic Rift Valley Fever (VIR5P.1021)

Rift Valley Fever virus (RVFV) is a zoonotic arbovirus capable of causing widespread outbreaks with severe morbidity, mortality, and socioeconomic consequences. Most patients develop an acute febrile disease but recover, while a small subset of infected humans develop more severe disease including hemorrhagic manifestations, meningoencephilitis, or retinitis resulting in blindness. Inbred rats have been shown to be a good model of severe human RVF. Lewis rats are highly resistant to subcutaneous inoculation with RVFV, but develop uniformly fatal encephalitis after exposure to low doses of RVFV by inhalation. Elevated levels of M-CSF and MCP-1 are seen in the blood on day 4 post-exposure concurrent with granulocytosis and thrombocytopenia that continues until death. IL-1β and GRO/KC, the rat homolog of IL-8, peaked slightly on day 4 p.i., decreased briefly, and were highly elevated in the blood of moribund rats. In the brain, many pro-inflammatory cytokine levels, including IL-1α, IFN-γ, and IL-18, were found to be greatly elevated at day 5 post-exposure, which coincides with the earliest detection of virus in the brain. Pathological evaluation of brain tissue indicates an influx of lymphocytes and neutrophils that corresponds with the onset of neurological signs and severe disease in the Lewis rats. These data suggest that the host immunological response may be contributing to the pathogenesis of RVFV in the brain and the outcome of infection.
CD4+CD25+ suppressor T cells: more questions than answers

Several mechanisms control discrimination between self and non-self, including the thymic deletion of autoreactive T cells and the induction of anergy in the periphery. In addition to these passive mechanisms, evidence has accumulated for the active suppression of autoreactivity by a population of regulatory or suppressor T cells that co-express CD4 and CD25 (the interleukin-2 receptor alpha-chain). CD4+ CD25+ T cells are powerful inhibitors of T-cell activation both in vivo and in vitro. The enhancement of suppressor-cell function might prove useful for the treatment of immune-mediated diseases, whereas the downregulation of these cells might be beneficial for the enhancement of the immunogenicity of vaccines that are specific for tumour antigens.
An Examination of Vertical Equity over Two Reassessment Cycles

This article examines vertical equity in the assessment of single-family homes over two assessment cycles in Bellingham, Washington. The two assessment periods, which are four years apart, followed two differing property appreciation periods. The 1992 reassessment followed an explosion in home values, while the 1996 reassessment came after more moderate price appreciation. The assessed value/market value ratio is the basic tool of this study with actual sales prices assumed to be market value. Utilizing a database of 721 home sales from January, 1990 to December, 1992, this study's empirical analysis suggests regressive vertical inequity in 1992. This situation appears to have changed in 1996. Results from a second database consisting of 835 home sales from January, 1994 through December, 1996, suggest a substantial reduction in vertical inequity. Overall, it appears that the County Assessor's office addressed the previous problem with positive results for the average property taxpayer of Whatcom County.
The prisoner of war.

The prisoner of war (POW) experience is greatly influenced by the environmental and sociocultural factors of the particular captivity setting. Among the most important coping mechanisms are communication, maintenance of military social structure, and personality flexibility. Following repatriation some former POWs develop psychiatric disorders, most commonly 1) medico-psychiatric disorders due to illness, physical trauma, or nutritional deficit, 2) post-traumatic stress disorder, 3) adjustment disorder, 4) depression, 5) anxiety disorders, 6) substance use disorders, and 7) family problems. The severity of captivity and the presence or absence of social supports during and after the POW experience play major roles in the recovery or illness that may occur after repatriation.
Social Workers in Politics: A National Survey of Social Work Candidates and Elected Officials

This research identified 416 social workers who have run for local, state, or federal elected office, the largest number of such social workers identified and surveyed. The Civic Voluntarism Model was used to describe the factors leading to their political engagement. This model examines the resources, recruitment, and expertise of individuals and how those factors play into their public involvement. This model begins to describe the path these social workers took to elected office, and can help determine the opportunities for social work education and professional social work organizations who would like to influence this process. These results can be used to increase the number of social workers who seek elected office.
GC/MS in Clinical Chemistry. P. Gerhards, U. Bonns, J. Sawazki, J. Szigan, and A. Wertmann. Weinheim, Germany: Wiley-VCH, 1999, 241 pp. ISBN 3-527-29623-9.

The title of this book is something of a misnomer. The authors focus exclusively on gas chromatography–mass spectrometry (GC/MS) in toxicology. In Germany, where this book was written, toxicology usually is considered under the broader discipline of clinical chemistry. In the United States, these two subjects often are considered as distinct, especially forensic and environmental toxicology. Thus, a more appropriate title might be “GC/MS in Toxicology”. The book is divided into four sections. The first section, which deals with fundamental principles of analysis by GC/MS, includes theoretical aspects, injection techniques, columns and carrier gases, detectors, and quantification. The second section, on drug screening, covers epidemiology, methods of sample …
Simple modification to improve usefulness of the Bacti-Cinerator.

Abstract A simple inoculating loop support is described which frees both hands for other operations or permits the use of two loops.
Computing the Mordell-Weil Group

A better title for this chapter might have been “Computing the Weak Mordell-Weil Group”, since we will be concerned solely with the problem of computing generators for the group E(K)/mE(K).However, given generators for E(K)/mE(K), a finite amount of computation will always yield generators for E(K). (See (VIII.3.2) and (exer. 8.18).) Unfortunately, there is no comparable algorithm currently known which is guaranteed to give generators for E(K)/mE(K)in a finite amount of time!
Invasive Asian earthworms of the genus Amynthas alter microhabitat use by terrestrial salamanders

Invasive earthworms are rapidly transforming detrital communities in North America. Recent studies have investigated the effects of European earthworms, whereas Asian earthworms, such as species of...
Influence of two-dimensional hygrothermal gradients on interlaminar stresses near free edges

Interlaminar stresses are determined for mechanical loading, uniform hygrothermal loading, and gradient moisture loading through implementation of a finite-element computer code. Nonuniform two-dimensional hygroscopic gradients are obtained from a finite-difference solution of the diffusion equation. It is shown that hygroscopic-induced stresses can be larger than those resulting from mechanical and thermal loading, and that the distribution of the interlaminar normal stress may be changed significantly in the presence of a two-dimensional moisture gradient in the boundary layer of a composite laminate.
A look at the future of pediatric therapeutics: an investigator's perspective of the new pediatric rule.

This brief discussion focuses on how events of the past and the present affect the future of pediatric drug regulation and, in my opinion, how the scientific accomplishments of these same periods will challenge the mode and the means of regulatory actions in the future. The era of drug therapy overlaps the era of pediatric drug regulation; the former can be arbitrarily divided into three periods: the past, the present, and the future. For this discussion, the past is defined as the years before the pediatric regulations of 1979, the present is the 15-year period between 1980 and 1994, and the future encompasses the 15-year period between 1994 and 2010. Examples of drugs in the different periods, generally, are antiinfectives, because my therapeutic background is in pediatric infectious diseases (Table 1). View this table: Table 1. The Era of Pediatric Drug Regulation Characteristically, during this period successful drugs were so-called majors; they had enormous popularity, wide use among practitioners, and limited experimental trials. Indications were obvious at the outset of therapeutic use, and dosing regimens were found by trial and error among the general public, including the pediatric patient population. The limited screening in animals resulted in the marketing of some very beneficial drugs which, in the present, would not have survived. Most of the drugs listed had, or continue to have, major therapeutic use and benefit, although over time most also were found to have significant side effects or toxicity. Experience with these agents has resulted in the compilation of useful experiences and information. Some of this has resulted in new guidelines for drug therapy in pediatric populations. For example, experience with penicillin G broadened our understanding of antimicrobial therapeutics. It was used to anchor nontoxic, high-dose, multiroute antibiotic regimens. Doses exceeding 2 g intravenously as a bolus were found to lead to …
High temperature superconducting opening switches

A continuing challenge in power systems and pulsed power applications is the development of reliable, high current opening switches. The opening switch is a particularly critical component in inductive energy storage systems. The high temperature superconductor materials have the unique property of becoming superconducting at or near liquid nitrogen temperatures. By manipulating the current density and the external magnetic field of these materials, they can be made to switch from a zero resistance state to a normal (resistive) state. Because they have zero resistance in the superconducting state, they have zero losses when closed, and do not load the system. In the open state, a resistance of several milliohms may be present. This is appropriate for switching currents into certain low resistance loads. This paper presents a description of possible applications of these switches in inductive energy storage systems, as well as data on the performance of various switch configurations. Maximum currents switched are approximately 100 amps, with potential scaling up to 3000 amps or higher. The switches are triggered using either a self generated magnetic field or an external field of up to 3.5 Tesla.
An Unusual Aquaporin-Like Metalloid Boric Acid Channel in Arabidopsis

The Major Instrinsic Protein/aquaporin superfamily is an ancient family with a conserved protein fold that forms a channel that mediates the bidirectional transport of water and uncharged solutes. The evolution of land plants was accompanied by a major diversification of the MIP gene family that resulted in the acquisition of new transport functions. Among these divergent plant specific MIP subfamilies are the “nodulin 26 intrinsic proteins” (NIPs), based on structural and functional homology to soybean nodulin 26. NIPs are divided into three subfamilies (NIP I, II and III) which show low to absent water permeability but have acquired the ability to transport a variety of uncharged solutes ranging from glycerol to boric acid to protonated lactic acid. In the present work we characterize the transport and gating properties of an unusual NIP II protein from Arabidopsis pollen microspores, AtNIP7;1 which is related to the boric acid channels AtNIP6;1 and 5;1, necessary for the uptake of this critical micronutrient. Functional characterization of NIP7;1 shows that unlike NIP5;1 and NIP6;1 which form constitutive boric acid channels, the intrinsic boric acid transport activity of NIP7;1 is extremely low. Molecular modeling suggests that a conserved tyrosine residue (Tyr 81) located in the transport pore stabilizes a closed conformation of the pore. Molecular dynamics simulation suggests that the closed conformation is stabilized by hydrogen bonding between the Tyr81 hydroxyl group and Arg 220 of the canonical “aromatic-arginine” selectivity filter. Since boric acid is both essential nutrient as well as a toxic compound at high concentrations, it is proposed that Tyr 81 modulates transport and provides an additional level of regulation of uptake of boric acid in male gametophyte development.
Near Optimal Control Of Flexible Robots

This paper deals with an exact state-space dynamic model for a manipulator with a single flexible link. The Bernoulli-Euler beam equations are used to derive the matrix transfer function. This transfer function can be used to describe the link or beam displacement at any position along the beam. A 6th order state model is derived and the opttmal linear regulator controller is determined. It is shown that using a "raised cosine" reference command signal yields a smooth yet quick response. Finally unmodeled modes are added to the plant making it 8th order. The controller and observer are based on the 6th order model. In the performance degrades significantly; however the addition of a very simple law pass filter operating on the control signal restores the behavior to excellent quality.
Computer-based neuro-vision system for color classification of french fries

French fries are one of the frozen foods with rising demands in domestic and international markets. Color is one of the critical attributes for quality evaluation of french fries. This study discusses the development of a color computer vision system and the integration of neural network technology for objective color evaluation and classification of french fries. The classification accuracy of a prototype back-propagation network developed for this purpose was found to be 96%.© (1995) COPYRIGHT SPIE--The International Society for Optical Engineering. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.
Determination of the optical purity and absolute configuration of threo-methylphenidate by proton nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy with chiral solvating agent.

Abstract The direct determination of both the optical purity and absolute configuration of threo -methylphenidate has been accomplished in a simple, specific, and accurate manner by 1 H-NMR spectroscopy. The enantiomeric resonances of threo -methylphenidate were effectively resolved in CDCl 3 solution by the addition of the chiral solvating agents (R)-(−)-(S)-(+)-2,2,2,-trifluoro-1-(9-anthryl)ethanol. Optical purities were determined on the basis of the intensities of the enantiomeric ester methyl proton resonances; the assignment of enantiomeric configurations was based on the relative field positions of these resonances and the examination of molecular models. The analysis of synthetic enantiomeric mixtures of threo -methylphenidate by the proposed NMR method resulted in assay values that agreed closely with the known quantities of each enantiomer in the mixtures tested. The mean ±SD recovery value for the (2 S ,2′ S -(−)- threo -enantiomer, amounting to 99.9 ± 0.6% of added ( n = 10), correlated well with that previously found by 1 H-NMR spectroscopy with a chiral Eu(III) shift reagent. However, the present approach is simpler, shows less reliance on reagents and solvents of a high purity, and does not require strict anaerobic working conditions.
Asteroid hyalosis and vision loss after posterior capsulotomy

We describe the case of a 77-year-old man with asteroid hyalosis who had phacoemulsification and implantation of a plate-haptic intraocular lens (IOL). Intraoperatively, a tear occurred in the anterior capsule, and vision loss occurred 3 months after a neodymium:YAG posterior capsulotomy. Because of the asteroid hyalosis, a posteriorly dislocated IOL, which occurred after the capsulotomy, was difficult to diagnose. Careful retinoscopy established the aphakic condition of the eye, and the B-scan ultrasonography indicated the IOL's location.
The Joule-Thomson Effect in Nitrogen

The measurements were made with the same apparatus and procedure as in the case of argon. The effect of the known impurities in the nitrogen, namely argon and oxygen, can be safely neglected. The data for the isenthalpic curves are given in detail and are plotted. The values of the Joule-Thomson coefficient, $\ensuremath{\mu}$, over the field (-150 to 300\ifmmode^\circ\else\textdegree\fi{}C and 1 to 200 atmos.) are calculated, plotted and tabulated as functions of pressure and temperature. Both upper and lower branches of the inversion curve are measured and the whole inversion curve plotted. The isenthalpic curves, the Joule-Thomson coefficient, and the inversion curve in nitrogen are exceedingly like the corresponding phenomenon in air and in argon. ${C}_{p}$ is spread over the pressure range and agrees well with the values of Deming and Shupe, and of Mackey and Krase.
A study of solar flare soft X Rays and their relation to particle events observed with IMP 8

Data from the Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory charged particle measurement experiment aboard IMP 8 was used to study solar flare events and find correlations between soft X rays (4-17 A) and particle events. The results show that a greater probability exists of observing a proton event if the observed soft X ray flare has a relatively large decay time. It is also found that the H-alpha brightening area is a good indicator of the strength of the soft X ray burst. Results also show that the strength of the soft X ray burst can be used to estimate a probability that a proton event will occur, along with the strength of that particle event.
Basal joint osteoarthritis of the thumb: ligament reconstruction and tendon interposition versus hematoma distraction arthroplasty.

Purpose Thumb basilar osteoarthritis is common. Several surgical options exist. Studies have evaluated outcomes in separate cohorts but have not compared methods. Our study compared the functional outcome of ligament reconstruction and tendon interposition (LRTI) suspension arthroplasty and hematoma distraction arthroplasty (HDA) by patient questionnaires, clinical measurements, and radiographic measurements to see whether there is validity in exclusively using either LRTI or HDA. Methods In this retrospective study, patients received LRTI (12 thumbs in 11 patients) or HDA (9 thumbs in 9 patients) according to the attending surgeon's preference, one exclusively performing LRTI and the other HDA. Patient perception was evaluated with a QuickDASH questionnaire and 10-point pain visual analog scale (VAS). Potential QuickDASH scores range from 0 to 100, with lower scores indicating better function. Clinical evaluation examined grip strength, tip pinch, and lateral pinch in kilograms-force, and range of motion. Measurements were compared with those from the contralateral hand and published normal values. Stressed and unstressed radiographs assessed metacarpal proximal and lateral migration and first web space. Chart review documented surgical times. Results The LRTI and HDA scored similarly on QuickDASH. Most reported excellent pain relief. Average grip, tip pinch, and lateral pinch were also similar in both groups. None achieved significance. Comparisons with contralateral hand and published normal results showed that LRTI and HDA were comparable. All except 2 could oppose to little finger base. With stress, additional proximal migration was similar. Web space was preserved with both procedures. LRTI took 54 minutes longer. Conclusions The LRTI and HDA were comparable on all levels of objective and subjective measurements. Both groups satisfied the principal goals to provide a stable, mobile, pain-free thumb. Type of study/level of evidence Therapeutic III.
Observing intercultural communication: A proposal of theory and method

Abstract Techniques for analyzing intercultural communication should minimize subjective intrusion by observers and maximize the potential benefit of analysis to communicators. Interchange between communicators is defined transactionally as events involving simultaneous change in (1) a communicator, (2) other communicators encountered by that communicator, and (3) what is known about these encounters. Interchange in dyadic communication is explained in terms of an ABX model, which is phenomenal rather than objective for an observer and in which X signifies mutual experience between communicators A and B. X is the focus of empirical investigation by the observer, who conducts parallel interviews with A and B and cross checks them. Comparison of different sets of interviews indicates which variables are persistent in intercultural communication. Research procedures are proposed for rigorous evaluation of the transactional model.
Electron Capture to Continuum States

The energy spectra for forward ejected electrons in ion-atom collisions exhibit a cusp-shaped feature peaked in energy and angle at v?e = v?i, where v?e and v?i are the electron and projectile ion velocities respectively. Studies of 1.6 - 3.8 MeV/A Cq+, Oq+, and Siq+ ions traversing various targets have been carried out using the BNL and ORNL Tandem Van de Graaff accelerators to determine the dependencies of yields and shapes for forward electron peaks on the variables: projectile Zl, target, and projectile velocity vi. Comparisons of these experimental results and current theoretical predictions are made and obvious disagreements are pointed out.
Time-lapse microscopy of early embryogenesis in Caenorhabditis elegans.

Caenorhabditis elegans has often been used as a model system in studies of early developmental processes. The transparency of the embryos, the genetic resources, and the relative ease of transformation are qualities that make C. elegans an excellent model for early embryogenesis. Laser-based confocal microscopy and fluorescently labeled tags allow researchers to follow specific cellular structures and proteins in the developing embryo. For example, one can follow specific organelles, such as lysosomes or mitochondria, using fluorescently labeled dyes. These dyes can be delivered to the early embryo by means of microinjection into the adult gonad. Also, the localization of specific proteins can be followed using fluorescent protein tags. Examples are presented here demonstrating the use of a fluorescent lysosomal dye as well as fluorescently tagged histone and ubiquitin proteins. The labeled histone is used to visualize the DNA and thus identify the stage of the cell cycle. GFP-tagged ubiquitin reveals the dynamics of ubiquitinated vesicles in the early embryo. Observations of labeled lysosomes and GFP:: ubiquitin can be used to determine if there is colocalization between ubiquitinated vesicles and lysosomes. A technique for the microinjection of the lysosomal dye is presented. Techniques for generating transgenenic strains are presented elsewhere (1, 2). For imaging, embryos are cut out of adult hermaphrodite nematodes and mounted onto 2% agarose pads followed by time-lapse microscopy on a standard laser scanning confocal microscope or a spinning disk confocal microscope. This methodology provides for the high resolution visualization of early embryogenesis.
XIII. The anomalous dispersion of sodium vapour

(1902). XIII. The anomalous dispersion of sodium vapour. The London, Edinburgh, and Dublin Philosophical Magazine and Journal of Science: Vol. 3, No. 13, pp. 128-144.
Response of the electric activity in the human stomach to water and a solid meal.

The gastric electric activity paces the contractions of the stomach and can be measured noninvasively using surface electrodes placed on the abdomen. In this paper, response of the gastric electric activity to water and a solid meal was investigated using surface electrodes. Applying an improved recording technique, power spectral analysis and statistical analysis methods, the gastric electric activity in preprandial, postwater and postprandial states was measured and analysed from ten healthy volunteers. To more convincingly show the effect of water and the solid meal on the gastric slow wave and gastric motility, simultaneous recordings of the cutaneous EGG and manometric activities in the stomach were performed in three gastroparetic patients. It was found that water does not induce contractions of the stomach, but the gastric slow wave amplitude increases (p<0·05) and frequency decreases (p<0·05). The solid meal results in an increase in both the amplitude (p<0·01) and the frequency (p<0·02) of the gastric slow wave. It appears that the postprandial EGG amplitude increases because of a combination of stomach contractions and gastric distension bringing the stomach closer to the recording electrodes. The slow wave frequency, however, correlates well with stomach contractions.
Recovering Japan’s urban past: Yoshida Nobuyuki, Tsukada Takashi, and the cities of the Tokugawa period

Abstract This article offers some personal reflections on important recent work that has been done in the field of Japanese urban social history. It focuses particularly on the contributions of Yoshida Nobuyuki and Tsukada Takashi to our understanding of key aspects of urban society during the “early modern” Tokugawa period. It also aims to provide some initial thoughts about the intellectual milieu in which these two scholars’ interest in urban history began to develop in the 1970s. Specifically it considers the role of Yamaguchi Keiji in encouraging the study of Tokugawa period cities, in large part as a response to Hani Gorō’s provocative suggestion in 1968 that Japan had no significant urban tradition of its own. The article concludes by suggesting that, in contrast to Japan in recent decades, the assumption that cities were of relatively little importance for the development of Japanese society before 1868 has gone largely unchallenged in the English-language historiography on the period. For this reason, scholars working in English have a great deal to learn from the work that Yoshida, Tsukada and their extensive network of colleagues in Japan, have done over the past three decades.
Global Identification of Variability Factors and Its Application to the Statistical Worst-Case Model Generation

A novel methodology is presented to generate the worst-case model including extraction of its compact model parameters. This method enables physically accurate worst-case prediction in the early stage of device development concurrently. It is found through the intensive TEG analysis and TCAD simulation that correlations between process factors have a significant impact on the worst-case corner estimation. A new extraction method of compact model parameters based on error propagation analysis is developed to consider correlations between parameters.
Effect of Buckling Modes on the Fatigue Life and Damage Tolerance of Stiffened Structures

The postbuckling response and the collapse of composite specimens with a co-cured hat stringer are investigated experimentally and numerically. These specimens are designed to evaluate the postbuckling response and the effect of an embedded defect on the collapse load and the mode of failure. Tests performed using controlled conditions and detailed instrumentation demonstrate that the damage tolerance, fatigue life, and collapse loads are closely tied with the mode of the postbuckling deformation, which can be different between two nominally identical specimens. Modes that tend to open skin/stringer defects are the most damaging to the structure. However, skin/stringer bond defects can also propagate under shearing modes. In the proposed paper, the effects of initial shape imperfections on the postbuckling modes and the interaction between different postbuckling deformations and the propagation of skin/stringer bond defects under quasi-static or fatigue loads will be examined.
A Turbocharged, Spark-Ignition Engine: Results From an Engine Cycle Simulation Including the Second Law of Thermodynamics

The use of turbocharging systems for spark-ignition engines has seen increased interest in recent years due to the importance of fuel efficiency, and in some cases, increased performance. An example of a possible strategy is to use a smaller displacement engine with turbocharging rather than a larger engine without turbocharging. To better understand the tradeoffs and the fundamental aspects of a turbocharged engine, this investigation is aimed at determining the energy and exergy quantities for a range of operating conditions for a spark-ignition engine. A 3.8 liter automotive engine with a turbocharger and intercooler was selected for this study. Various engine performance and other output parameters were determined as functions of engine speed and load. For the base case (2000 rpm and a bmep of 1200 kPa), the bsfc was about 240 g/kW-h. At these conditions, the second law analysis indicated that the original fuel exergy was distributed as follows: 34.7% was delivered as indicated work, 16.9% was moved via heat transfer to the cylinder walls, 23.0% exited with the exhaust gases, 20.6% was destroyed during the combustion process, 2.5% was destroyed due to inlet mixing processes, and 1.9% was destroyed due to the exhaust processes. The turbocharger components including the intercooler were responsible for less than 1.0% of the fuel exergy destruction or transfer.Copyright © 2009 by ASME
Reduced-order fluid/structure modeling of a complete aircraft configuration

The proper orthogonal decomposition (POD) method is applied to the computational fluid dynamics (CFD)-based reduced-order aeroelastic modeling of a complete F-16 fighter configuration, in order to assess its potential for the solution of realistic aeroelastic problems. The limitation of such a computational approach to a fixed free-stream Mach number is addressed by a Mach-adaptation strategy that interpolates the angle between two POD subspaces rather than the POD basis vectors directly. The predicted aeroelastic frequencies and damping ratio coefficients are compared with counterparts obtained from full-order nonlinear simulations and from flight test data. The results of these comparisons, including in the transonic regime, reveal a good potential of POD-based reduced-order modeling for the near real-time prediction of aircraft flutter using CFD technology.
Management of Vitreous Cavity Hemorrhage Following Pars Plana Vitrectomy for Diabetic Retinopathy

Vitreous cavity hemorrhage is a frequent problem following diabetic vitrectomy, and can be managed by either vitreous cavity lavage or outpatient fluid-air exchange procedures. Visual acuities of 6/60 or better and clear vitreous cavities were obtained in 18% of aphakic lavage cases, 47% of lavage cases combined with lens removal, 47% of phakic lavage cases, one of three aphakic exchange cases, and 68% of phakic exchange cases. Iris neovascularization was a major complication of the aphakic eyes occurring in 76% of aphakic lavage cases, 67% of lavage cases combined with lens removal, 14% of phakic lavage cases, all three of the aphakic exchange cases, but in only 25% of phakic exchange cases.
SPECTROGRAPHIC ANALYSIS OF ANIMAL VOCALIZATIONS: IMPLICATIONS OF THE “UNCERTAINTY PRINCIPLE”

ABSTRACT Many animal vocalizations are non-periodic, frequency-modulated signals. Because this type of signal varies simultaneously in two dimensions, time and frequency, spectrographic measurement is constrained by the “uncertainty principle”: to increase accuracy of measurement in one dimension we must sacrifice accuracy of measurement in the other dimension. Although this trade-off is unavoidable, inherent in the measurement of frequency, for any particular frequency-modulated, non-periodic signal, there is an intermediate, optimal setting of spectrographic bandwidth, equal to the square root of the average rate of change of the measured signal. This optimal bandwidth minimizes the time-frequency smear, and thus permits the most accurate measurement of the instantaneous frequency. Investigators analyzing the microstructure of animal vocal signals therefore should choose their analyzer bandwidths to match the signals under study.
Strategic Alliance Structuring: A Game Theoretic and Transaction Cost Examination of Interfirm Cooperation

Maintaining robust cooperation in interfirm strategic alliances poses special problems. Such relationships have received growing attention in recent research grounded in game theory, which has suggested that some alliance structures are inherently more likely than others to be associated with high opportunity to cheat, high behavioral uncertainty, and poor stability, longevity, and performance. The present study merged these theoretical insights with the logic of transaction cost economics in a general model of alliance structuring and tested it with data from 111 interfirm alliances. Findings generally supported the model and hypotheses, suggesting the need for a greater focus on game theoretic structural dimensions and institutional responses to perceived opportunism in the study of voluntary interfirm cooperation.
RNA helicases: emerging roles in viral replication and the host innate response.

RNA helicases serve multiple roles at the virus-host interface. In some situations, RNA helicases are essential host factors to promote viral replication; however, in other cases they serve as a cellular sensor to trigger the antiviral state in response to viral infection. All family members share the conserved ATP-dependent catalytic core linked to different substrate recognition and protein-protein interaction domains. These flanking domains can be shuffled between different helicases to achieve functional diversity. This review summarizes recent studies, which have revealed two types of activity by RNA helicases. First, RNA helicases are catalysts of progressive RNA-protein rearrangements that begin at gene transcription and culminate in mRNA translation. Second, RNA helicases can act as a scaffold for alternative protein-protein interactions that can defeat the antiviral state. The mounting fundamental understanding of RNA helicases is being used to develop selective and efficacious drugs against huma...