cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Chronic manganese intoxication.

Six men developed chronic manganese intoxication while employed in a manganese ore crushing plant. Symptoms included somnolence, gait imbalance, slurred speech, and impaired fine movements. Signs included bradykinesia, postural instability, impaired arising ability, masked facies, and speech disorder. One patient was exceptional in that his major symptoms did not develop until three years after leaving exposure. Levodopa, up to 8 gm/day, was ineffective in three patients. Our cases and those in the literature indicate that, in the absence of rigidity or dystonia or both, levodopa is ineffective in chronic manganese intoxication. Intravenous edetic acid (EDTA) infusions were followed by temporary improvement in four individuals. Increased urinary excretion of manganese during edetic acid infusion was observed in our cases and in two controls and thus does not appear to assist in diagnosing chronic manganese intoxication.
Acetazolamide: Maternal toxicity, pattern of malformations, and litter effect

Thirty litters of C57BL 6J mice were administered intraperitoneally one of four doses (0, 500, 750, and 1,000 mg/kg maternal weight) of acetazolamide on day 9 of gestation. The fetuses were removed on day 18 and fixed, stained, cleared, and examined for the pattern of malformations. The forelimb postaxial limb deficiency was the most common abnormality, but forelimb postaxial polydactyly and a postaxial deficiency in the hindlimb were also observed. Males were significantly more likely to be malformed than females at all doses, in contrast to the predominance of females observed in rat fetuses exposed to acetazolamide (Scott et al.: Teratology 6:239-240, '73). The occurrence of limb malformations did not correlate with maternal weight loss, the birth weight of the fetus, or the position of the fetus in the uterus. A "litter effect" was demonstrated in that there was a nonuniform distribution of litters with different proportions of malformed fetuses.
Branch point reconstructors for discontinuous light phase functions

ABSTRACT The study of phase discontinuities caused by atmospheric turbulence is a recent research topic; their study might yield significant improvements in high-quality adaptive optics systems, laser weapons and laser communication. We present in this paper an introduction to discontinuities in the light phase. We also provide a geometrical description of phase discontinuities, a study of their effect on HartmannShack sensor measurements, as well as algorithms formeasuring discontinuous light phases and the position of phase discontinuities. Keywords: Phase reconstruction, discontinuous phase, branch point, branch cut, HartmannShack wave-frontsensor, adaptive optics 1. INTRODUCTION For more than twenty years, most of the studies concerning the measurement of the phase of light have assumed, for simplicity sake, that it was a continuous function of space.13 However, modern adaptive optics systems attainedsuch great advances4 that taking into account light-phase discontinuities is of major importance in high-performancesystems; in fact, phase discontinuities can greatly reduce the performance of adaptive optics systems.5'6
Immunologic responses in the lung.

Placing 'immunologic' as an adjective before a collection of lung diseases implies that the host has responded to the illness by reacting with distinctive airway and/or alveolar space cells and proteins, i.e. lymphocytes, macrophages, inflammatory cells, immunoglobulin (antibodies), possibly complement components and various cytokine mediators. Also implicit in the usage of the term is that certain research methods have been used to study the host response. Direct immunologic investigation of the human lung has advanced greatly by the use of fiberoptic bronchoscopy, available for the past 20 years, which has permitted sampling of the airways and alveolar space with bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL). Values for immune components in BAL have been established for normals and used to contrast abnormal findings in many forms of lung disease. Examples of these findings in pulmonary sarcoidosis and hypersensitivity pneumonitis are given. In contrast an immunologic deficiency, as may be found with acquired immunodeficiency syndrome, illustrates how a lack or imbalance in immune components can contribute to infection and chronic disease. Overall, the analysis of immune components in BAL fluid has contributed to improved concepts about the immunopathogenesis of many lung diseases.
Effect of Bisphosphonates on the Rapidly Growing Male Murine Skeleton

Bisphosphonates are effective for preventing and treating skeletal disorders associated with hyperresorption. Their safety and efficacy has been studied in adults where the growth plate is fused and there is no longitudinal bone growth and little appositional growth. Although bisphosphonate use in the pediatric population was pioneered for compassionate use in the treatment of osteogenesis imperfecta, they are being increasingly used for the treatment and prevention of bone loss in children at risk of hyperresorptive bone loss. However, the effect of these agents on the growing skeleton in disorders other than osteogenesis imperfecta has not been systematically compared. Studies were, therefore, undertaken to examine the consequences of bisphosphonate administration on the growth plate and skeletal microarchitecture during a period of rapid growth. C57Bl6/J male mice were treated from 18 to 38 days of age with vehicle, alendronate, pamidronate, zoledronate, or clodronate at doses selected to replicate those used in humans. Treatment with alendronate, pamidronate, and zoledronate, but not clodronate, led to a decrease in the number of chondrocytes per column in the hypertrophic chondrocyte layer. This was not associated with altered hypertrophic chondrocyte apoptosis or vascular invasion at the growth plate. The effects of pamidronate on trabecular microarchitecture were less beneficial than those of alendronate and zoledronate. Pamidronate did not increase cortical thickness or cortical area/total area relative to control mice. These studies suggest that bisphosphonate administration does not adversely affect skeletal growth. Long-term investigations are required to determine whether the differences observed among the agents examined impact biomechanical integrity of the growing skeleton.
Variable fluorescence in green sulfur bacteria

Green sulfur bacteria possess a complex photosynthetic machinery. The dominant light harvesting systems are chlorosomes, which consist of bacteriochlorophyll c, d or e oligomers with small amounts of protein. The chlorosomes are energetically coupled to the membrane-embedded iron sulfur-type reaction center via a bacteriochlorophyll a-containing baseplate protein and the Fenna-Matthews-Olson (FMO) antenna protein. The fluorescence yield and spectral properties of these photosynthetic complexes were investigated in intact cells of several species of green sulfur bacteria under physiological, anaerobic conditions. Surprisingly, green sulfur bacteria show a complex modulation of fluorescence yield upon illumination that is very similar to that observed in oxygenic phototrophs. Within a few seconds of illumination, the fluorescence reaches a maximum, which decreases within a minute of illumination to a lower steady state. Fluorescence spectroscopy reveals that the fluorescence yield during both processes is primarily modulated on the FMO-protein level, while the emission from chlorosomes remains mostly unchanged. The two most likely candidates that modulate bacteriochlorophyll fluorescence are (1) direct excitation quenching at the FMO-protein level and (2) indirect modulation of FMO-protein fluorescence by the reduction state of electron carriers that are part of the reaction center.
A unified model for diffractive and inelastic scattering of a light atom from a solid surface

Abstract A simple model for gas-surface scattering is presented which permits treatment of inelastic effects in diffractive systems. This model, founded on an impulsive collision assumption, leads to an intensity distribution which is just a sum of contributions from n-phonon scattering events. Furthermore, by using a convenient form for the repulsive interaction potential, analytic expressions are obtained for the elastic and one-phonon intensities that are in qualitative agreement with experimental results.
Delirium in older adults with cancer : Implications for practice and research

PURPOSE/OBJECTIVES To provide a comprehensive review of the literature and existing evidence-based findings on delirium in older adults with cancer. DATA SOURCES Published articles, guidelines, and textbooks. DATA SYNTHESIS Although delirium generally is recognized as a common geriatric syndrome, a paucity of empirical evidence exists to guide early recognition and treatment of this sequelae of cancer and its treatment in older adults. Delirium probably is more prevalent than citations note because the phenomenon is under-recognized in clinical practice across varied settings of cancer care. CONCLUSIONS Extensive research is needed to formulate clinical guidelines to manage delirium. A focus on delirium in acute care and at the end of life precludes identification of this symptom in ambulatory care, where most cancer therapies are used. Particular emphasis should address the early recognition of prodromal signs of delirium to reduce symptom severity. IMPLICATIONS FOR NURSING Ongoing assessment opportunities and close proximity to patients' treatment experiences foster oncology nurses' mastery of this common exemplar of altered cognition in older adults with cancer. Increasing awareness of and knowledge delineating characteristics of delirium in older patients with cancer can promote early recognition, optimum treatment, and minimization of untoward consequences associated with the historically ignored example of symptom distress.
Policy Bounds for Markov Decision Processes

This paper demonstrates how a Markov decision process MDP can be approximated to generate a policy bound, i.e., a function that bounds the optimal policy from below or from above for all states. We present sufficient conditions for several computationally attractive approximations to generate rigorous policy bounds. These approximations include approximating the optimal value function, replacing the original MDP with a separable approximate MDP, and approximating a stochastic MDP with its deterministic counterpart. An example from the field of fisheries management demonstrates the practical applicability of the results.
Effect of Thermal Phonon Pair Breaking on Superconducting Fluctuations

Previous experimental measurements of the paraconductivity for various materials show varying degrees of agreement with the Aslamazov-Larkin theory. Our measurements indicate that this behavior can be understood if one includes the Maki-Thompson fluctuation term with a thermal pair-breaking interaction plus an additional pair-breaking parameter proportional to the resistance per unit area of the film.
Acne: Androgens and microbiology

Acne, the most prevalent disease of the skin, is a multifactorial follicular disorder in which androgens and microbiology are essential for the occurrence of the pathogenic events that characterize it. The role of the androgen is to stimulate the development and secretory activity of the sebaceous gland, which performs several important actions in the etiopathogenesis of acne. The anaerobic diphtheroid Propionibacterium acnes, a resident organism in acne-susceptible follicles, is directly responsible for much of the inflammation in acne. This review deals with a description of these events and the therapeutic modalities that have been developed in an attempt to counteract them.
An improved control system for a remotely operated vessel

Collecting environmental data in coastal bays presents several challenges to the scientist. One of the most pressing issues is how to efficiently and reliably gather data in shallow water areas-environments that often preclude the use of traditional boats. Obstacles that are encountered in such environments include difficulty in covering large territories and the presence of inaccessible areas due to a variety of reasons, such as soft bottoms or contamination. There is also a high probability of disturbing the test area while placing the sensors. This paper outlines the development of a remotely operated boat and its real-time control system.© (2006) COPYRIGHT SPIE--The International Society for Optical Engineering. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.
Analytical Solution for Stochastic Response of a Fractionally Damped Beam

This paper presents a general analytical technique for stochastic analysis of a continuous beam whose damping characteristic is described using a fractional derivative model. In this formulation, the normal-mode approach is used to reduce the differential equation of a fractionally damped continuous beam into a set of infinite equations, each of which describes the dynamics of a fractionally damped spring-mass-damper system. A Laplace transform technique is used to obtain the fractional Green's function and a Duhamel integral-type expression for the system's response. The response expression contains two parts, namely, zero state and zero input. For a stochastic analysis, the input force is treated as a random process with specified mean and correlation functions. An expectation operator is applied on a set of expressions to obtain the stochastic characteristics of the system. Closed-form stochastic response expressions are obtained for white noise for two cases, and numerical results are presented for one of the cases. The approach can be extended to all those systems for which the existence of normal modes is guaranteed.
Extensional tectonics in northern Utah-southern Idaho, U.S.A., and the 1934 Hansel Valley sequence

Abstract The Hansel Valley-Pocatello Valley region of northern Utah and southern Idaho is one of the most seismically active areas of the eastern Basin and Range. Study of the seismicity of this region provides insight into the crustal processes taking place near the physiographic boundary between the Basin and Range and the Middle Rocky Mountains. This study presents source parameters determined for the March 12, 1934 Hansel Valley, Utah, mainshock and largest aftershock. These results are then integrated with studies of regional and local seismicity to determine better the tectonic processes currently active in the region.
Measures of Vocal Attack Time for Healthy Young Adults

Summary Objective To determine the vocal attack time (VAT) in a healthy young adult population. Study Design Sound pressure (SP) and electroglottographic (EGG) recordings were obtained for 57 female and 55 male subjects while performing multiple tokens of three tasks (sustained /a/, “always,” and “hallways”) at comfortable pitch and loudness. Methods Generalized sinusoidal models were obtained for SP and EGG signals to compare rates of amplitude change. VAT was computed from the time lag of the cross-correlation function using a fully automated process accompanied by operator validation. Results Adjusted mean VAT values were significantly shorter for females than for males. There was no systematic effect of age on VAT. However, 25- to 29-year-old men showed longer VAT than did the other age and sex subgroups. Conclusions Normative data are presented for a new measure of the duration of vocal initiation, VAT. Acquiring this measure requires very little intervention by the user and, thereby, eliminates the influence of subjective decision making. Although beyond the scope of this article, we suggest several factors that might underlie VAT as a function of speaker sex and age.
THORIUM AND URANIUM CONTENTS OF SOME SANDSTONES

Abstract Average values have been obtained by gamma-ray spectrometry for the thorium and uranium contents of some orthoquartzites and graywackes. The Atoka and Jackfork quartz sandstones of western Arkansas average approximately 4 ppm thorium and 1 ppm uranium. The Umpqua and Tyee graywackes of western Oregon average approximately 7 ppm thorium and 2 ppm uranium. Weighted average concentrations for all sandstones are 5·5 ppm thorium and 1·7 ppm uranium. Much of the radioactivity, particularly in the graywackes, is carried by heavy minerals such as biotite and zircon. The average concentrations in sand-sized material are. therefore, lower and may be estimated as 3 ppm thorium and 1 ppm uranium. Sand-sized quartz and other minerals deposited in hydraulic equilibrium probably have average concentrations in the neighborhood of those of the Atoka and Jackfork orthoquartzitos, namely: 4 ppm thorium and 1 ppm uranium.
Simple analytic modeling of software contention

Being able to model contention for software resources (e.g., a critical section or database lock) is paramount to building performance models that capture all aspects of the delay encountered by a process as it executes. Several methods have been offered for dealing with software contention and with message blocking in client-server systems. We present in this paper a simple, straightforward, easy to understand and implement, approach to modeling software contention using queuing networks. The approach consists of a two-level iterative process. Two queuing networks are considered: one represents software resources and the other hardware resources. Multiclass models are allowed and both open and closed queuing networks can be used at the software layer. Any solution technique----exact or approximate--can be used at any of the levels. This technique falls in the general nature of fixed-point approximate models and is similar in nature to other approaches. The main difference lies in its simplicity.
Intellectual property conundrum for the biological sciences.

Policy regarding academically generated biomedical intellectual property (IP) has been shaped by two important events: the Vannevar Bush report to then President Roosevelt in 1945 and the Bayh-Dole Act of 1980. This policy, which vests the intellectual property produced from federally funded biomedical research from the government to the academic institution, was designed to promote technology transfer and thus promote the health of the U.S. economy. However, the policy has led to significant challenges, particularly in implementation. Here it is argued that the difficulties are due to differences in the structure of motivations between biomedical scientists, institutional officials, and private sector entrepreneurs. Understanding these differences may lead to a review of policy with the goal of enhancing technology transfer for the future. Anat Rec (Part B: New Anat) 277B:5–9, 2004. © 2004 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
Determinants of Dollarization: The Banking Side

Dollarization in financial intermediation has exhibited a widely diverse pattern across countries. Empirical work relating it to macroeconomic variables has had only limited success in explaining the phenomenon. This paper presents a two-currency banking model to show that deposit and loan dollarization are determined by a broader set of factors. These include interest rates and exchange rate risk, as well as structural factors related to costly banking, credit market imperfections, and availability of tradable collateral. The direction in which dollarization tends to move with macroeconomic shocks is shown to depend on those factors as well as on initial dollarization levels.
State Capacity and Bureaucratic Autonomy in the Early United States: The Case of the Army Corps of Topographical Engineers

This article reconsiders early American state capacity through a close examination of the U.S. Army Corps of Topographical Engineers. The topographical corps, a bureau in the antebellum War Department, developed a form of conditional bureaucratic autonomy far earlier than recognized in previous scholarship, giving it a central role in shaping national economic development policies, especially in the nation's periphery. Unlike robust bureaucratic autonomy, such as that described by Daniel Carpenter (2001, 2010; see footnote 4), conditional autonomy is highly contingent and can quickly fracture if the surrounding environment changes. The long-serving chief of the corps, Col. John J. Abert, shaped the opinions of his supposed principals by managing the ideas, information, and proposals directed to them. When faced with challenges, the corps proved to be a flexible organization that adapted its methods to accomplish its preferred ultimate goals using different instruments. In the end, however, the corps' autonomy was threatened when it became involved in the sectional politics surrounding the potential building of a transcontinental railroad line. Once the corps lost several of the conditions supporting its autonomy, its downfall was swift. This article thus joins a recent wave of scholarship highlighting strengths within the early American state by foregrounding the role of the armed forces in statebuilding.
Understanding Marital Satisfaction and Couple Type as Functions of Relational Expectations

The present study examined the role played by relational expectations in determining marital satisfaction and in discriminating between married couple types. The discrep ancy between one's expectations for his or her spouse's relntiorral behavior and one's perceptions of his or her spouse's actual behavior significantly predicted marital sutisfaction. Discrepancy scoresfor the relational dimensions of intimacy, distance, equality/ trust, dominance, and noncomposurelarousal appear to be most central in predicting satisfaction. While agreement between spouses on relational expectations significantly predicted satisfaction, expectationlperception discrepancies were reoealed to be stronger predictors than agreement scores. There were no dvferences in relational expectations when compared across couple type; however, intimacy and noncomposure/arousul displayed significant diflerences when compared across wives' individual marital type. Overall, intimacy, noncomposurdarousal, and equalityltrust played central roles in understanding marital satisfaction.
Spatial dynamics, social norms, and the opportunity of the commons

The most important message of Levin (Ecol Res 21:328–333, 2006) is that “Ecologists and economists have much incentive for interaction.” Recent studies that account for evolutionary processes and local interactions support this view by obtaining results that run counter to conventional wisdom within resource economics. A second major message of the article is that to meet environmental challenges, humanity must develop social norms that enhance cooperative responses. Successful examples of resource management systems back up norms with economic incentives: rewards for good behavior and punishments for bad. Economic incentives are especially important if rapid and large changes in human behavior are desired.
SBS threshold for single mode and multimode GRIN fibers in an all fiber configuration

We investigate stimulated Brillouin scattering (SBS) threshold in single mode and multimode fibers in an all fiber network. The pump is a single mode fiber pigtail attached to a diode. We find the theory and experiment agree for both single mode and multimode GRIN fibers. We modify the bulk SBS threshold equation for use with fibers by properly accounting for mode sizes and modal dispersion.
Intramolecular Quenching of Porphyrin Fluorescence by a Covalently Linked Ferrocene in DNA Scaffolding

Intramolecular quenching of fluorescence from a cationic porphyrin by a covalently attached ferrocene in both solution and DNA is reported. Two ferrocenyl porphyrins have been prepared, tris(4-N-methylpyridiniumyl), mono(phenyl-OCH2CH2ferrocene)porphyrin, P3Fc, and cis-bis(4-N-methylpyridiniumyl), bis(phenyl-OCH2CH2ferrocene)porphyrin. Binding studies for P3Fc indicate that intercalation of the porphyrin moiety into DNA occurs at low ionic strength (10 mM NaCl); outside binding of the complex is favored at increased ionic strength (100 mM NaCl). The outside binding of P3Fc at high ionic strength is attributed to the hydrophobicity of the molecule, which causes it to undergo salt-induced stacking in aqueous solution. The photophysical properties of P3Fc are examined in MeOH, in phosphate buffer, and in the presence of double-stranded DNA. Efficient quenching of the photoexcited singlet state of the porphyrin by electron transfer from the appended ferrocene is observed in MeOH and buffer solutions with aver...
Root growth, water relations and mineral uptake of young ‘Delicious’ apple trees treated with soil- and stem-applied paclobutrazol

Abstract Paclobutrazol (2R,3R + 2S,3S)-1-(4 chlorophenyl)-4,4-dimethyl-2-(1,2,4-trizol-1-yl) pentan-3-ol), at 25, 50 and 150 mg active ingredient, was applied as a soil drench or stem application to 1-year-old ‘Topred Delicious’ apples. Root growth measured as relative root surface area was reduced by both soil and stem applications. There was no significant difference in dry weight of the root tissue. The root-to-leaf-area ratio was significantly increased in paclobutrazol-treated plants. Water relations measured as leaf conductance and leaf water potential were significantly influenced by paclobutrazol. Leaf conductance was higher in paclobutrazol-treated plants when the plants were turgid, as well as under some water stress. Leaf water potential was significantly higher in treated plants. There were no significant differences in the total nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium and magnesium levels found in the leaf or root tissue.
XML Does Real Programmers a Service

In this paper, having morphed their external personae to become almost mainstream, the future looks bright for real programmers. The author discusses the evolution of the programming profession.
Trust-Based Prayer Expectancies and Health Among Older Mexican Americans

This study assesses the health-related effects of trust-based prayer expectancies, which reflect the belief that God answers prayers at the right time and in the best way. The following relationships are evaluated in our conceptual model: (1) older Mexican Americans who attend worship services more often tend to develop a closer relationship with God; (2) people who feel close to God will be more likely to develop trust-based prayer expectancies; (3) people who endorse trust-based prayer expectancies will have greater feelings of self-esteem; and (4) higher self-esteem is associated with better self-rated health. The data support each of these relationships.
Magnetocaloric effects in Ni–Mn–X based Heusler alloys with X=Ga, Sb, In

The Mn-based Heusler alloys encompass a rich collection of useful materials from highly spin-polarized systems to shape memory alloys to magnetocaloric materials. In this work we have summarized our studies of magnetostructural transitions from paramagnetic austenite to ferromagnetic martesite phases at TMC in Ni 2 MnGa-based alloys (Ni 2 Mn 0.75 Cu 0.25-x Co x Ga, Ni 2 Mn 0.70 Cu 0.30 Ga 0.95 Ge 0.05 , Ni 2 Mn 1-x Cu x Ga, Ni 2+x Mn 1-x Ga, and Ni 2 Mn 0.75-x Cu x Ga), and martensitic transitions from the ferromagnetic austenite to the martesite state in off-stoichiometric Ni-Mn-(In/Sb) Heusler alloys. The phase transition temperatures and respective magnetic entropy changes (AS) depend on composition in these systems and have been determined from magnetization measurements in the temperature interval 5-400 K, and in magnetic fields up to 5T. It is shown that, depending on the composition and doping scheme the "giant" ΔS = 40-60 J/(kgK) (for a field change of 5T) can be observed in the temperature range (300-360 K) for the Ga-based alloys. The interplay between or coupling of the various transitions in Ni 2 Mn(Mn,X) systems with X = Sb and In leads to exchange bias effects, giant magnetoresistance, and both inverse and "normal" magnetocaloric effects.
Steroid transformations by the corpuscles of Stannius and the body kidney of Salmo gairdnerii (Teleostei).

Abstract The corpuscles of Stannius and the body kidney of the rainbow trout, Salmo gairdnerii , convert in vitro at 11.5° progesterone-4- 14 C into labeled 11-deoxycorticosterone, 5α-pregnanedione, and 5β-pregnanedione, in addition to a number of unknown metabolites. Steroids were identified by their mobilities on thin-layer chromatograms, derivative formation, and recrystallization to constant specific activity with corresponding authentic preparations. Comparison of the product yield-time curves indicates that, under identical conditions, the amount of 11-deoxycorticosterone formed in the incubates of body kidney was at least six times greater than in those of Stannius corpuscles. More 5β-pregnanedione than 5α-pregnanedione was produced by the kidney, whereas the converse occurred with the Stannius corpuscles. 11β- and 17α-Hydroxylase activities were absent in both tissues, and steroid conjugation was also not observed. On the basis of these findings, any assignment of distinctive corticosteroidogenic function to the corpuscles of Stannius of the rainbow trout seems unjustified.
Beer in Good Times and Bad: A U.S. State-Level Analysis OfEconomic Conditions and Alcohol Consumption

The current paper uses U.S. state-level shipments data from 1970 to 2007 as provided by The Beer Institute (formerly the United States Brewers’ Association) to estimate pooled time-series models of annual beer consumption on economic and demographic variables. To estimate these relationships, this paper uses common correlated effects (CCE) estimators to control for unobserved common effects and to allow for heterogeneous responses across units. The empirical analysis finds that beer consumption is in fact cyclical, varying negatively with the unemployment level, a result at variance with previous research. Beer is a normal good, with previous findings that excise taxes have a negative effect on consumption are supported. Demographics have a significant and material effect on consumption with larger share of young adults in the population implying greater consumption of beer per capita.
Metabolic Homeostasis: HDACs Take Center Stage

Hormonal regulation of glucose and lipid metabolism is pivotal for metabolic homeostasis and energy balance. Two studies in this issue of Cell (Mihaylova et al., 2011 and Wang et al., 2011) introduce a new conserved signaling mechanism controlling catabolic gene expression: class IIa histone deacetylases (HDACs) regulate Foxo activity in Drosophila and mice.
Lattice Boltzmann Model for Flow and Heat Transfer of Nanofluids in a Microchannel

A thermal lattice Boltzmann model for investigating the flow and heat transfer process of the mixtures of the pure liquid and nanoparticles (nanofluids) in the microchannel has been developed. The external and internal forces, such as buoyancy, gravity, drag and Brownian force, and the mechanical and thermal interactions among the nanoparticles and their impact on the equilibrium velocity have been introduced. Along with a Gauss white noise model for Brownian motion, the double-distribution-function (DDF) approach is used to derive the velocities and temperatures of nanofluids in a microchannel. Some numerical computations of this model have been performed and several results have been provided in this paper. It has been found that the temperature distribution of the nanofluids in the microchannel is quite different from that of pure water flowing through a channel. Due to the random motion of the suspended nanoparticles under the action of various forces, the temperature distribution of the nanofluids seems to be irregular and the temperature distribution in the vertical direction becomes flatter compared to that for pure water in a channel. The distribution morphology and the volume fraction of the nanoparticles play a vital role in enhancing the heat transfer of the nanofluids. Numerical results also demonstrate that the distribution of the suspended nanoparticles leads to a fluctuation of the Nusselt number of the nanofluids in the direction of the main flow. Nusselt number also increases with an increase in the inlet Reynolds number.Copyright © 2005 by ASME
Plasma secretory phospholipase A2-IIa as a potential biomarker for lung cancer in patients with solitary pulmonary nodules

Background Five-year survival for lung cancer has remained at 16% over last several decades largely due to the fact that over 50% of patients are diagnosed with locally-advanced or metastatic disease. Diagnosis at an earlier and potentially curable stage is crucial. Solitary pulmonary nodules (SPNs) are common, but the difficulty lies in the determination of which SPN is malignant. Currently, there is no convenient and reliable biomarker effective for early diagnosis. Secretory phospholipase A2-IIa (sPLA2-IIa) is secreted into the circulation by cancer cells and may allow for an early detection of lung cancer.
Protecting Privacy in Signal Processing

While not explicitly stated in the U.S. Constitution, the rights of privacy for many aspects of our lives including religious beliefs, personal possession, and personal information are protected under the Bill of Rights. Nonetheless, news about different forms of privacy invasion has become a daily affair. From the sale of personal information to identity theft, from Google and YouTube surrendering user data to the mining of phone metadata by the National Security Agency, the number of ways that our privacy can be invaded seems to increase at an alarming rate.
Factor Invariance Assessment of the Dean–Woodcock Sensory–Motor Battery for Patients With ADHD Versus Nonclinical Subjects

The current study examined the measurement invariance of the Dean–Woodcock Sensory–Motor Battery (DWSMB) for children diagnosed with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and an age- and gender-matched nonclinical sample. The DWSMB is a promising new instrument for assessing a wide range of cortical and subcortical sensory and motor skills and has been shown to conform to a three-factor latent structure for the nonclinical population. Because this instrument is used with a broad spectrum of individuals, including those with ADHD, it is important to verify that it does indeed measure the same constructs in the same way. The results of the invariance analyses showed that there were specific indicators on the DWSMB that were not invariant between the two groups, though the majority of the measurement model was found to be invariant. Specifically, several tasks that required sustained attention were not as effective for individuals with ADHD as they were for nonclinical subjects. In addition, certai...
Repair of severed peripheral nerves: comparison of the "de Medinaceli" and standard microsuture methods.

Abstract The return of function following transection of the rat sciatic nerve has been assessed after repair by either (i) standard microsurgical techniques (i.e., the use of microsutures to coapt the severed ends) or (ii) the new repair technique introduced by de Medinaceli and coworkers. The regeneration after transection was compared with that following sciatic nerve crush, i.e., a lesion in which the return of function is near optimal. Return of function was monitored serially using walking track analysis (i.e., the sciatic functional index, which indicates overall functional performance), the ability to spread the toes (which indicates intrinsic function in the foot), and the determination of muscle twitch tension of the middle digit. Function in the nerve crush group returned to within the normal range by 53 days, but function in the transection and repair groups did not return to normal before the rats were perfused at 85 postoperative days. However, the function regained when nerves were repaired with the de Medinaceli technique was significantly superior to that regained after repair with microsutures. Histological examination of the repair site (at 85 days) revealed that the regenerated nerve fibers in the de Medinaceli group crossed the site of anastomosis in a relatively orderly fashion, whereas they were more randomly arranged when microsutures were used. However, there was no statistical difference between the two groups in the number of regenerated fibers present in the distal stump. The increase in function in the de Medinaceli group may therefore arise primarily from an increase in the proportion of regenerating fibers which reach appropriate targets. If this explanation is correct, then a similar improvement in function may not occur in cases where a nerve graft is interposed between the severed ends of nerve.
A Single Intervention: A Visit to the Family

The following letter is reported unchanged except for disguised names. Concern with repairing disrupted relationships of adult members of a family with their own parents has been a matter of growing interest to a number of family therapists; Bowen (1), Boszormenyi-Nagy (2), and Framo (3), among others have stressed the importance of sending family members back to their families of origin. This report makes no effort to formulate the process in any particular theoretical framework (i.e., as reestablishing connectedness after an “emotional cut-off” or rebalancing a ledger of fairness, or whatever) but is intended only to illustrate the kind of outcome one may hope for in prescribing such a maneuver. It is offered simply as a clinical note. The letter needs little prefatory explication. Mr. Jack Newburgher had been a patient in psychoanalytic treatment for four years, with a quite successful outcome. On two occasions in the course of his therapy a joint session had been held with Mr. Newburgher and his wife, Muriel, when changes in his behavior had precipitated crises in the marital relationship. His therapy had terminated about two years before the visit referred to in the letter. Mr. Newburgher had called and asked for a joint consultation with Muriel about an acute family problem they were experiencing. Some — not all — of the background material was described, not nearly as coherently as it is reported in Muriel's letter, but in sufficient detail to make it plain that she was in distress about having to withdraw completely from her parents and that their family was in disarray as a consequence of her distress. The acuteness of the emotional disturbance, against a background of a lifelong adversary relationship between Muriel and her father and a history of ten years of illness on her fathers' part, suggested that the distress was the product of Muriel's anxiety and guilt over a decision to cut herself off completely from her parents. As a consequence, Muriel was urged to visit her family of origin, with the caveat that she might indeed discover them to be malignantly self-centered people indifferent to their effect on her and her family, but that she would at least have the gratification of having tried. The reference to “speaking French” was to the therapist having suggested that, on the other hand, she might find that her parents expressed their feelings in a different modality from her definitions of how feelings should be expressed, much as though their native tongue were French and she were insisting that they must speak to her in English.
In vivo measurement of ADC change due to intravascular susceptibility variation

The apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) of extravascular tissue water in rat brains was measured in response to step-wise injections of the superparamagnetic intravascular contrast agent AMI-227. These data were normalized and compared with measured changes in R2* and blood magnetic susceptibility. Linear regression showed that ADC changes 33%/ppm shift of intravascular susceptibility and 0.43% s(-1) change in R2*. These changes correspond to a predicted ADC change of approximately 6% for a change between fully oxygenated and fully deoxygenated blood. The source of these ADC changes was confirmed to be background gradients within the sample by the use of diffusion weighting with bipolar gradients of odd symmetry designed to cancel such background gradient effects on ADC. The results suggest that diffusion-weighted imaging is sensitive to blood-oxygenation and may provide a means of measuring changes in blood oxygen. They also provide estimates of the potential contribution of susceptibility changes to changes in ADC that occur, for example, in stroke and seizure.
Race, Solidarity, and Citizenship

Juliet Hooker, Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2009, 228 pp Turf Wars: Territory and Citizenship in the Contemporary State Bettina Ng'weno, Palo Alto, CA: Stanford University Press, 2007, 299 pp T...
Cognitive impairment in bipolar disorder in old age: Literature review and findings in manic patients ☆

Abstract Background Descriptions of aged patients with bipolar (BP) disorder have commented on cognitive impairments. However, the literature regarding cognitive test performance in this population has apparently been scant. Method 1. We reviewed studies reporting cognitive performance in aged BP patients. 2. We compared the performance of elderly BP manic patients and aged community comparison subjects on the Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) and the Mattis Dementia Rating Scale (DRS). Results 1. Seven published studies of cognitive measures in aged BP patients were identified. They utilized different assessment methods and addressed different illness states, but they indicate impairments in these patients. 2. In our sample, the manic patients ( n = 70) had lower MMSE scores and DRS scores than did the comparison subjects ( n = 37). In these patients, cognitive scores were not significantly associated with Mania Rating Scale scores. Limitations The patients in our study were assessed cross-sectionally, and they were treated naturalistically. Conclusions Manic or depressed BP elders have impaired cognitive function; in some patients these impairments may persist. Research characterizing these impairments and their clinical implications is warranted.
COUPLED CHEMICAL OSCILLATORS ON A Pt/SiO2 CATALYST DISK

Oscillatory reaction rates were investigated during CO and ethylene oxidation on three thin disks with different compositions of active Pt/SiO2 catalyst and inactive silica. A disk with a single active area of millimeter size, exhibited regular synchronized oscillations, whereas a similar disk with two active areas shows the superposition of two regular oscillators with weak coupling between them via heat conduction. When a disk made of catalyst only is used, oscillations appear chaotic and irregular with different areas of the catalysts oscillating independently. A mechanism involving the reignition of crystallites and the propagation of this process in relation to the spatial distribution of the catalyst is proposed to explain the results.
Is It Economic Growth or Socioeconomic Development?: A Cross-Sectional Analysis of the Determinants of Infant Mortality

Some recent studies suggest narrowly defined economic growth is the key to reducing the infant mortality rate. A host of new studies emerged in reaction to this assertion. These new studies emphasize the role of increased health expenditures in reducing infant mortality rates. Analyzing the infant mortality rate using cross-sectional data for provinces in Turkey, this paper first ranks provinces by their level of socioeconomic development, and then tests both linear and nonlinear regression models to explore the relationship between the infant mortality rate and the indicators of socioeconomic development. This paper contributes to the infant mortality literature by providing additional insights into the determinants of infant mortality using consistently measured cross-sectional data for the provinces within a developing country. Our findings indicate that per capita gross domestic product is a significant determinant of the infant mortality rate, but the relationship is not a linear one.
Music Research: A Handbook

Laurie J. Sampsel (2009). New York: Oxford University Press. 323 pp., $39.95. ISBN: 13 978‐0‐19‐517119‐8 (hardcover) It is unfortunate, but not rare, for a music student to experience music bibliog...
Analysis of pyruvate kinase-deficiency mutations that produce nonspherocytic hemolytic anemia.

Abstract The intron sequences of the human L-type pyruvate kinase gene (PKLR) were determined by using primers selected from the known cDNA sequence. Oligonucleotide primers for these determined intron sequences were used to sequence the exons. When this technique was applied to the DNA of 10 unrelated patients with pyruvate kinase deficiency, the following eight different mutations in the coding region were detected: del391-393, A401, C464, G721, A1076, T1456, T1484, A1529. The A1529 mutation was found repeatedly in unrelated individuals, even in the homozygous state. The context with respect to a polymorphism at nt 1705 was compatible with a single origin for this mutation, and it may represent a balanced polymorphism. In normal subjects, five differences from the published cDNA sequence were documented.
Modal Scaling from Known Mass Perturbations

When the identification of a linear system is carried out without deterministic input information the scaling constants that connect the eigensolution to the matrices of the physical system are not determined. One way to generate information to compute these constants is by testing the structure with known modifications and examining how the eigensolution changes. Closed-form uncoupled expressions have been derived from this idea by requiring that the changes in the frequencies, or the mode shapes, be small. For general modifications, however, the solution is currently sought in the less convenient framework of a nonlinear optimization. This paper presents a new formulation that can accommodate arbitrary modifications yet retains the computational advantages of a closed-form solution. Results from a statistical simulation study suggest that the new expression is not only computationally attractive, but can lead to improvements in accuracy when compared to the existing alternatives.
Formation and crystallization of amorphous phases in the TiBeAl system

Abstract Binary and ternary alloys in the TiBeAl system with compositions close to the TiTiBe 2 eutectic (with 37.5 at.% Be) were rapidly solidified using the arc-hammer splat technique. Samples were characterized by X-ray diffraction and transmission electron microscopy (TEM), and the compositional extent of amorphous phase formation was defined. Temperatures for the formation of crystalline phases were determined by differential scanning calorimetry, and microstructures after exposure at different temperatures were determined by TEM. Additions to the existing TiBe binary phase diagram are proposed, as are corrections to the published ternary diagram.
A Case of Cervical Spinal Cord Glioblastoma Diagnosed with MR Diffusion Tensor and Perfusion Imaging

Intramedullary glioblastomas in adult patients have rarely been reported. We describe magnetic resonance (MR) imaging findings, include findings on diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) and dynamic susceptibility contrast perfusion weighted imaging (PWI) in a case of autopsy-confirmed glioblastoma in a 72-year-old man. Serial MR examinations, DTI and PWI, and positron emission tomography examinations were performed. The tumor involved the medulla oblongata and the upper cervical spinal cord. Traditional MR imaging findings were unclear with regard to the differential diagnosis between intramedullary glioma or a tumefactive demyelinating lesion, but an increase in regional cerebral blood volume and a decrease in fractional anisotropy of the lesion correctly suggested a high-grade glioma. MR PWI and DTI may prove helpful to diagnose glioblastoma of the cervical cord when other imaging features are inconclusive.