cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Psychophysiologic reactivity in asthmatic children: a cholinergically mediated confluence of pathways.

ABSTRACT Objective The purpose of this study was to determine the suitability of a newly developed experimental paradigm, designed to assess relationships among emotional responsivity, physiologic (autonomic) reactivity, airway reactivity, and pulmonary function in asthmatic children under controlled conditions of ecologically valid emotional stimulation. Method Twenty-four children, aged 8 through 17, with moderate to severe asthma viewed the movie, E.T., the Extra-Terrestrial , while having their heart and respiration rate and oxygen saturation continuously measured and recorded. Airway reactivity was assessed by the methacholine challenge test, and pre- and postmovie pulmonary function by spirometry. Self-report of emotion was recorded for targeted scenes. Results Findings indicated that emotional responsivity and physiologic reactivity to the movie were associated with increased airway reactivity and with decreased pulmonary function. Conclusions The pattern of results suggests cholinergically mediated psychophysiologic pathways of emotional influence in the asthmatic process for some asthmatic children. A heuristic biopsychosocial model of these pathways is presented.
Correlation of the rates of solvolysis of diphenylphosphinyl chloride using an extended form of the Grunwald–Winstein equation

The specific rates of solvolysis of diphenylphosphinyl chloride (1) have been measured at 25.0 °C in 30 solvents. For six representative solvents, studies were made at several temperatures and activation parameters determined. These were used to calculate a value at 25.0 °C in 100% 2,2,2-trifluoroethanol (TFE) from values at higher temperatures. The 31 solvents gave a reasonable extended Grunwald–Winstein plot, correlation coefficient (R) of 0.920, which improved to 0.956 when the four TFE–ethanol points were excluded. The sensitivities (l and m) were similar to those obtained for dimethyl phosphorochloridate and phosphorochloridothionate and for N,N,N′,N′- tetramethyldiamidophosphorochloridate. As with the three previously studied solvolyses, an SN2 pathway is proposed for the solvolyses of 1. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Laryngoplasty for vocal cord medialization: An Alternative To Teflon®

Laryngeal framework surgery, using a Silastic implant placed between the thyroid cartilage and inner thyroid perichondrium for vocal cord medialization, offers an exciting new surgical option to intracordal Teflon injection for the relief of symptomatic unilateral vocal cord paralysis. A series of 11 patients who have undergone medialization laryngoplasty is presented. The advantages, technical details, and results of surgery are discussed.
Enhanced B Cell Expansion, Survival, and Humoral Responses by Targeting Death Receptor 6

Targeted disruption of death receptor (DR)6 results in enhanced CD4 � T cell expansion and T helper cell type 2 differentiation after stimulation. Similar to T cells, DR6 is expressed on resting B cells but is down-regulated upon activation. We examined DR6 � / � B cell responses both in vitro and in vivo . In vitro, DR6 � / � B cells undergo increased proliferation in response to anti‐immunoglobulin M, anti-CD40, and lipopolysaccharide. This hyperproliferative response was due, at least in part, to both increased cell division and reduced cell apoptosis when compared with wild-type B cells. Consistent with these observations, increased nuclear levels and
A closed-form solution to bearings-only target motion analysis

Bearings-only target motion analysis is a nonlinear state estimation problem in which the noise corrupted angle of arrival measurements of an emitted signal are used to obtain estimates of the source's range, bearing, course, and speed. The estimation process is complicated by unusual observability properties that render the quality of the estimate highly dependent on both the measurement noise levels and the source-observer geometry. Solutions that use recursive Kalman filtering approach or batch-style algorithms have been reported. The nonlinear batch style estimators for this process require iterative solution methods and under certain scenarios can be sensitive to initial conditions. Pseudolinear solutions that alleviate some of the difficulties with the iterative batch algorithms have been proposed. Although early versions of the pseudolinear filter suffered from biased estimates, subsequent improvements appear to have reduced the bias problem. This paper discusses a new pseudolinear solution based on the observable parameters from individual data segments defined by periods of constant observer velocity (termed "legs"). This solution is a true closed-form solution to the bearings-only target motion analysis problem. Although theoretically interesting, the technique does suffer under conditions of poor observability. A practical pseudolinear estimate, that does not suffer from the same observability problems, is developed and related to the first solution. Algorithm performance results, obtained from computer simulation, are presented. For the scenarios examined, the technique provides good state estimates under conditions of high observability. As observability conditions deteriorate, the solution does develop biases. However, it may still be useful for initializing an iterative nonlinear batch-style estimation algorithm.
Improving Multiplication Strategic Development in Children With Math Difficulties

The purpose of the present study was to examine the effectiveness of a strategic training program for improving students’ performance in solving multiplication problems. The participants were 3 third graders with math difficulties. In this teaching experiment, microgenetic analysis was used to analyze improvement in students’ strategic development and problem-solving accuracy. The instructional components included selective task assignment and OFSD (encouraging students to use Own strategy to solve problems, providing Feedback, asking for students’ Self-explanations, and explicit Demonstration of strategies when needed). The results showed that the three participants began the intervention at different strategic developmental levels and consequently were given differentiated tasks to promote their strategic development during the intervention. In response to the intervention, the three participants improved their problem-solving accuracy, use of advanced strategies, and flexibility in choosing backup stra...
Finite Element Analysis of Effective Thermal Conductivity of Filled Polymeric Composites

A novel method to predict the macroscopic effective thermal conductivity of filled composites, based on its microstructural characteristics is developed and validated. A finite element method which incorporates the effect of microstructural characteristics such as filler aspect ratio, interfacial thermal resistance, volume fraction, and filler and fiber dispersion to determine the effective thermal conductivity of a composite with circular and rectangular fillers is presented. Filler interactions and chain formation effects are included in the model. To overcome the laborious task of repeated finite element model generation, an algorithm which generates the positions and orientations of the fillers in the matrix is developed. The automated model development capability is used to create several microstructures for finite element analysis. The trends predicted by the finite element models are compared with existing analytical models and available experimental results. The advantage of this method over exist...
Most stable structure for hard spheres.

Computer simulations of the hard sphere model in the late 1950s see 1 for a review showed a liquid-solid phase transition at packing fractions in the range 0.49 to 0.54. Ever since that time there has been significant interest in determining the internal structure of that solid phase, since the model is one of the simplest possible showing both liquid and solid phases: the only interaction is that the spheres may not overlap. At least at high density, the solid is expected to have one of the structures associated with densest packing packing fraction /18 0.74, in particular, the face centered cubic fcc and hexagonal close packed hcp structures, which commonly appear in materials. In 1968 Stillinger and coworkers 2 used series expansions to try to answer the much simpler question of whether fcc or hcp is more stable. They computed the first three terms in a series for the entropy per sphere for both fcc and hcp and concluded that hcp had higher entropy per sphere and was therefore more stable; no error bars were given. We will extend this analysis to two more terms. Others used molecular dynamics or Monte Carlo simulations 3,4 to compare the fcc and hcp entropies, with inconclusive results. In 1997, using more advanced computer technology, Woodcock 5,6 did a molecular dynamics simulation and concluded that fcc is more stable, with error bars to back up this conclusion. The error bars and the magnitude of the entropy difference were called into question, but further simulations 7–9 agreed with Woodcock’s qualitative claim that fcc is more stable than hcp. Finally, a geometric approach was recently applied to the first nontrivial term in Stillinger’s expansion 10. This paper concerns the effort to extend the computation of the Stillinger expansion so as to determine the geometric mechanism behind stability. II. ANALYSIS We consider the hard sphere model of classical statistical mechanics in the canonical ensemble, consisting of the uniform distribution of configurations of nonoverlapping spheres at fixed packing fraction. The momentum variables
Neuronal adhesion and synapse organization in recovery after brain injury.

Few specific therapeutic targets exist to manage brain injury, despite the prevalence of stroke or traumatic brain injury. With traumatic brain injury, characteristic neuronal changes include axonal swelling and degeneration, and the loss of synapses, the sites of communication between neurons. This is followed by axonal sprouting and alterations in synaptic markers in recovery. The resulting changes in neuronal connectivity are likely to contribute to the effects of traumatic brain injury on cognitive functions and the underlying mechanisms may represent points of therapeutic intervention. In agreement, animal studies implicate adhesion and signaling molecules that organize synapses as molecular players in neuronal recovery. In this article, the authors focus on the role of cell surface interactions in the recovery after brain injury in humans and animals. The authors review cellular and synaptic alterations that occur with injury and how changes in cell adhesion, protein expression and modification may ...
Geology of the Alpine-Type Ultramafic Complex near Mount Stuart, Washington

A large alpine-type, mafic-ultramafic complex in the vicinity of Mount Stuart in Chelan County, Washington, consists chiefly of serpentinized harzburgite and uralitized augite gabbro with lesser amounts of pyroxenite and anorthositic gabbro. This complex was tectonically emplaced into metasedimentary and metavolcanic rocks of the Peshastin and Hawkins Formations, probably in Late Jurassic to Early Cretaceous time. The highly magnesian composition of the harzburgite, the high Ca and Al contsnts of the metagabbro, the tectonite fabric of these rocks, and the virtual absence of contact metamorphism are compatible with an origin at an active oceanic ridge or within a marginal basin. Primary textures and bulk modal compositions of volcanogenic sediments and flows in the Peshastin-Hawkins sequence are interpreted as evidence for an island-arc environment of deposition. Argillite, volcanic-derived epiclastic graywacke, sorted and unsorted breccia and tuff-breccia, and some pyroclastic rocks are associated with flows ranging in composition from basalt to quartz keratophyre. The mafic-ultramafic complex is interpreted as ophiolite that was thrust against older island-arc rocks in an arc-trench system that operated from late Paleozoic through Mesozoic time. The remains of the dismembered ophiolite are now found in intricate tectonic association with rocks of the former arc.
Optimal Security Investments in Networks of Varying Size and Topology

This paper looks at network security from a game-theoretic point of view. Through the formulation and examination of increasingly complex scenarios, we formulate a model for utility-based security decisions. We look at the decision for one person to buy security software for herself and to buy security software in the context of two or more people. By modeling security as a public good, we examine externalities that players impose upon each other. We then examine Olson's theory of groups in a network security context to evaluate the effect of network size on optimal decision-making. We also discuss network topologies to investigate the limitations of the common game-theoretic interdependent security models. We conclude that these models work well for small to medium-sized networks with fairly uniform topologies.
Generalised computer program for power-system analysis

The paper gives details of a set of power-system analysis programs based on a common-input array and on a common-impedance-matrix form of solution. The latter has enabled all the conventional items of analysis, and also relay performance, to be integrated into one program, yielding maximum computer efficiency and minimum data handling. This is described in the first section of the paper. The next section develops the theory to indicate how the usual machine approximations can be replaced by more detailed representation, still within the frame work of the matrix method. Also described here are the means by which the effects of governors, voltage regulators, induction-motor loads and other nonlinear devices can be included. The last two sections of the paper show how this analysis is extended to large power systems, using ‘tearing’ techniques, and how unbalanced fault calculations are carried out. Throughout the paper, the authors illustrate the way in which the programs have been written as a tool for practising engineers, and not as a substitute for them.
Pervasive exposure to violence and posttraumatic stress disorder in a predominantly African American Urban Community: The Detroit neighborhood health study

Exposure to traumatic events is common, particularly among economically disadvantaged, urban African Americans. There is, however, scant data on the psychological consequences of exposure to traumatic events in this group. We assessed experience with traumatic events and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) among 1,306 randomly selected, African American residents of Detroit. Lifetime prevalence of exposure to at least 1 traumatic event was 87.2% (assault = 51.0%). African Americans from Detroit have a relatively high burden of PTSD; 17.1% of those who experienced a traumatic event met criteria for probable lifetime PTSD. Assaultive violence is pervasive and is more likely to be associated with subsequent PTSD than other types of events. Further efforts to prevent violence and increase access to mental health treatment could reduce the mental health burden in economically disadvantaged urban areas.
Model reference adaptive control for vehicle active suspension systems

A model reference adaptive control (MRAC) technique for vehicle active suspension subsystems is presented. The MRAC automatically self-tunes the active suspension so that disturbance and vibration of a vehicle is reduced to a level determined by an ideal conceptual suspension reference model. The Lyapunov stability method was used in the design of the MRAC. It is shown that the MRAC suspension can accommodate large variances in sprung load and suspension component characteristics and achieves significant improvements over the passive suspension. Real-time simulation and animation (RTSA) software was developed to provide a visual aid for understanding and interpreting the performance of the MRAC suspension. >
The role of cholesterol and sphingolipids in chemokine receptor function and HIV-1 envelope glycoprotein-mediated fusion

Background HIV-1 entry into cells is a multifaceted process involving target cell CD4 and the chemokine receptors, CXCR4 or CCR5. The lipid composition of the host cell plays a significant role in the HIV fusion process as it orchestrates the appropriate disposition of CD4 and co-receptors required for HIV-1 envelope glycoprotein (Env)-mediated fusion. The cell membrane is primarily composed of sphingolipids and cholesterol. The effects of lipid modulation on CD4 disposition in the membrane and their role in HIV-1 entry have extensively been studied. To focus on the role of lipid composition on chemokine receptor function, we have by-passed the CD4 requirement for HIV-1 Env-mediated fusion by using a CD4-independent strain of HIV-1 Env.
The Specialty Board Movement at the Crossroads: Reaction to the Paper by Kevin B. Weiss, MD

Dr. Weiss[1][1] has provided an excellent overview of the evolution of certification boards and the many environmental forces that will shape their future. I concur that boards are indeed at a crossroads—they can continue to function primarily as professional, self-regulatory bodies or they can
Excited-State Reactions

In the preceding chapters we saw many examples of excited-state reactions. By an excited-state reaction we mean a molecular process which changes the structure of the excited-state fluorophore, and which occurs subsequent to excitation. Such reactions occur because light absorption frequently changes the electron distribution within a fluorophore, which in turn changes its chemical or physical properties. The best-known example of an excited-state reaction is that of phenol, which in neutral solution can lose the phenolic proton in the excited state. Deprotonation occurs more readily in the excited state because the electrons on the phenolic hydroxyl groups are shifted into the phenol ring, making this hydroxyl group more acidic.
History of science: When eugenics became law

Victoria Nourse reviews a study on a historic US misuse of biology, the case of Buck v. Bell.
G Protein-Gated Inwardly Rectifying Potassium Channel Subunit 3 Knock-Out Mice Show Enhanced Ethanol Reward.

Background G protein-gated inwardly rectifying potassium (GIRK) channels contribute to the effects of a number of drugs of abuse, including ethanol. However, the roles of individual subunits in the rewarding effects of ethanol are poorly understood. Methods We compare conditioned place preference (CPP) in GIRK3 subunit knock-out (GIRK3−/−), heterozygote (GIRK3+/−), and wild-type (WT) mice. In addition, the development of locomotor tolerance/sensitization and the effects of EtOH intoxication on associative learning (fear conditioning) are also assessed. Results Our data show significant EtOH CPP in GIRK3−/− and GIRK3+/− mice, but not in the WT littermates. In addition, we demonstrate that these effects are not due to differences in EtOH metabolism, the development of EtOH tolerance/sensitivity, or associative learning abilities. While there were no consistent genotype differences in the fear conditioning assay, our data do show a selective sensitization of the impairing effects of EtOH intoxication on contextual learning, but no effect on cued learning. Conclusions These findings suggest that GIRK3 plays a role in EtOH reward. Furthermore, the selectivity of this effect suggests that GIRK channels could be an effective therapeutic target for the prevention and/or treatment of alcoholism.
Phosphate bonding on noncrystalline Al/Fe-hydroxide coprecipitates.

Poorly crystalline minerals have high sorption capacities for environmentally important chemical species, but molecular-level mechanisms of sorption on complex mineral assemblages remain largely unknown. We determined the distribution of orthophosphate (PO4) bonding between Al and Fe in relation to structural properties of Al/Fe-hydroxide coprecipitates. Phosphate was sorbed at concentrations between 0.042 and 0.162 mol P mol–1 Al+Fe on coprecipitates containing 0, 20, 50, 75, or 100 mol % of metal as Al. Phosphorus XANES analyses showed preferential bonding of PO4 for Al on coprecipitates with 20 and 50 mol % Al, and no preference for either metal at 75 mol % Al, consistent with X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) analyses of near-surface metal distributions. Structural ordering and the Fe-hydroxide domain size in coprecipitates decreased with increasing Al proportion, as shown by X-ray diffraction (XRD) and Fe EXAFS analyses. Structural interactions in coprecipitates imparted unique PO4 sorption prop...
A Size-Proportionate Bijective Encoding of Lambda Terms as Catalan Objects Endowed with Arithmetic Operations

We describe a size-proportionate bijection between lambda terms in a compressed de Bruijn notation and the Catalan family of combinatorial objects implemented as a Haskell type class, that has as instances binary trees and multiway-trees with empty leaves, as well as standard bitstring-represented natural numbers.
Major complications of acute and chronic liver disease.

SUMMARY Many advances have been made in the understanding, diagnosis, and management of severe complications of liver disease. The pathogenesis of hepatic encephalopathy remains a challenge. Several toxins including ammonia, mercaptans, short-chain fatty acids, benzodiazepine-like substances, GABA-like substances, and impaired glutamatergic neurotransmission are at the top of the list of candidates. Use of the benzodiazepine antagonists is an experimental but promising new therapy in patients with hepatic encephalopathy. In patients with cirrhosis, spontaneous bacterial peritonitis (SBP) remains a common and highly lethal complication. The diagnosis of SBP is based on the polymorphonuclear cell count in the ascites and confirmed by culture of ascitic fluid. Early diagnosis and aggressive treatment has reduced mortality of SBP from greater than 90 per cent to 30 to 50 per cent. The appearance of cerebral edema in severe acute hepatocellular failure is associated with high mortality and conventional neurologic signs may be unreliable indicators of brain swelling. Current management of cerebral edema in fulminant hepatocellular failure may include early placement of an extradural sensor for continuous monitoring of intracranial pressure, so that short-term measures can be instituted making later liver transplantation safer. Coagulopathy remains a serious problem in patients with liver disease. Exchange plasmapheresis is a promising short-term adjuvant therapy. However, liver transplantation should be considered the definitive treatment for fulminant hepatocellular failure. The gastroenterologist often encounters multiorgan failure in patients with severe liver disease. Liver transplantation is now an important therapeutic consideration in almost every patient with severe, irreversible liver disease. Efforts should be targeted to early diagnosis of irreversible disease and coordination of patient care with a liver transplant center.
Update on corticosteroids for diabetic macular edema

Diabetic macular edema (DME) remains an important cause of visual loss. Although anti-vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) agents are generally used as first-line treatments for patients with center-involving DME, there is an important role for corticosteroids as well. Corticosteroids may be especially useful in pseudophakic patients poorly responsive to anti-VEGF therapies, in patients wishing to reduce the number of required injections, and in pregnant patients. Intravitreal triamcinolone acetonide has been used for many years but is not approved for this indication. An extended-release bioerodable dexamethasone delivery system and an extended-release nonbioerodable fluocinolone acetonide insert have both achieved regulatory approval for the treatment of DME. All intravitreal corticosteroids are associated with risks of cataract progression, elevation of intraocular pressure, and endophthalmitis. There is no current consensus regarding the use of corticosteroids, but they are valuable for selected patients with center-involving DME.
Pelvic Lymph Node Dissection: Robotic Surgery Efficiency and Space-Creation Techniques to Achieve an Extended Template

As established in the previous chapter by Nguyen et al. from Berne, Switzerland, the extended template of pelvic lymph node dissection will capture more positive nodes and more uniquely positive nodes. In this chapter, we review a step-by-step method to expose the similar extent of anatomy for optimized cancer staging and control. Our focus is on manipulating the anatomy, retrieving the obvious lymph nodes, and then the more difficult-to-reach lymph nodes.
Variation-Aware Low-Power Buffer Design

Process variation (PV) is a consequence of manufacturing imperfections, which may lead to degraded performance or higher leakage power. In this paper, we focus on the design of an intelligent buffer that logically reorders the entries in FIFO buffer to minimize overall leakage power consumption. The buffer architecture, called IntelliBuffer, has been designed and evaluated in 90 nm and 32 nm CMOS technology. Our synthesized results show that our proposed design is as fast as a conventional buffer structure, while providing the ability to reduce power consumption significantly. When our buffer was used in a network-on-chip (NoC) implementation, we obtained 24% leakage savings at 90 nm, and savings of 28% at 32 nm. To further validate the efficacy of our proposed design, we incorporated IntelliBuffer into ViChaR, a recently introduced dynamic buffer management system for NoC routers. Experimental results indicate a marked reduction in ViChaR's leakage power consumption (21% at 90 nm) when IntelliBuffer is employed.
Applying Vector Software Concepts to the Quantitation of Polymer Systems

In the application of today’s FT-IR systems to polymer science, the ease and the success of that application oftentimes is not the result of a benefit purely derived from Fourier transform infrared. Often the benefit to the analysis results from the ability to use some new accessory or the ability to apply an analytical concept to better advantage in conjunction with FT-IR. So too can there be new benefits and new improvements to methods through software and applied mathematics. Such is the basis for this description of vector concepts applied to the quantitation of polymer samples.
Rat supraspinatus tendon responds acutely and chronically to exercise

The line between beneficial exercise and overuse has not been elucidated. This study defines the acute and chronic temporal response to exercise of supraspinatus tendon in an in vivo model. We foun...
Comparison of Complications, Trends, and Costs in Endoscopic vs Microscopic Pituitary Surgery: Analysis From a US Health Claims Database

Background Microsurgical and endoscopic techniques are commonly utilized surgical approaches to pituitary pathologies. There are limited data comparing these 2 procedures. Objective To evaluate postoperative complications, associated costs, and national and regional trends of microscopic and endoscopic techniques in the United States employing a nationwide database. Methods The Truven MarketScan database 2010 to 2014 was queried and Current Procedural Terminology codes identified patients that underwent microscopic and/or endoscopic transsphenoidal pituitary surgery. International Classification of Diseases codes identified postoperative complications. Adjusted logistic regression and matched propensity analysis evaluated independent odds for complications. Results Among 5886 cases studied, 54.49% were microscopic and 45.51% endoscopic. The commonest surgical indications were benign pituitary tumors. Annual trends showed increasing utilization of endoscopic techniques vs microscopic procedures. Postoperative complications occurred in 40.04% of cases, including diabetes insipidus (DI; 16.90%), syndrome of inappropriate antidiuretic hormone (SIADH; 2.02%), iatrogenic hypopituitarism (1.36%), fluid/electrolyte abnormalities (hypoosmolality/hyponatraemia [5.03%] and hyperosmolality/hypernatraemia [2.48%]), and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) leaks (CSF rhinorrhoea [4.42%] and other CSF leak [6.52%]). In our propensity-based model, patients that underwent endoscopic surgery were more likely to develop DI (odds ratio [OR] = 1.48; 95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.28-1.72), SIADH (OR = 1.53; 95% CI = 1.04-2.24), hypoosmolality/hyponatraemia (OR = 1.17; 95% CI = 1.01-1.34), CSF rhinorrhoea (OR = 2.48; 95% CI = 1.88-3.28), other CSF leak (OR = 1.59; 95% CI = 1.28-1.98), altered mental status (OR = 1.46; 95% CI = 1.01-2.60), and postoperative fever (OR = 4.31; 95% CI = 1.14-16.23). There were no differences in hemorrhagic complications, ophthalmological complications, or bacterial meningitis. Postoperative complications resulted in longer hospitalization and increased healthcare costs. Conclusion Endoscopic approaches are increasingly being utilized to manage sellar pathologies relative to microsurgery. Postoperative complications occur in both techniques with higher incidences observed following endoscopic procedures.
Molecular characterization of gene regulatory networks in primary human tracheal and bronchial epithelial cells

Abstract Background Robust methods to culture primary airway epithelial cells were developed several decades ago and these cells provide the model of choice to investigate many diseases of the human lung. However, the molecular signature of cells from different regions of the airway epithelium has not been well characterized. Methods We utilize DNase-seq and RNA-seq to examine the molecular signatures of primary cells derived from human tracheal and bronchial tissues, as well as healthy and diseased (cystic fibrosis (CF)) donor lung tissue. Results Our data reveal an airway cell signature that is divergent from other epithelial cell types and from common airway epithelial cell lines. The differences between tracheal and bronchial cells are clearly evident as are common regulatory features. Only minor variation is seen between bronchial cells from healthy or CF donors. Conclusions These data are a valuable resource for functional genomics analysis of airway epithelial tissues in human disease.
Parallel boron nitride nanoribbons and etch tracks formed through catalytic etching

One-dimensional (1D) catalytic etching was investigated in few-layer hexagonal boron nitride (hBN) films. Etching of hBN was shown to share a number of similarities with that of graphitic films. As in graphitic films, etch tracks in hBN commenced at film edges and occurred predominantly along certain crystal directions of its lattice, though it was shown that the tracks were generally narrower than those of few-layer graphene under similar processing conditions. It was also shown that catalytic hydrogenation can occur completely through a few-layer hBN film, demonstrating that this process can be used in the formation of isolated low-dimensional nanoscale structures from other layered 2D materials beyond graphene. This ability for thin hBN films to be etched completely through allowed for a crystalline substrate to guide the etching process, which was demonstrated with the successful etch track formation of few-layer hBN on single-crystalline sapphire substrates. The substrate-guided etching resulted in parallel few-layer hBN nanoribbons having an average width of 32 nm and spacing of 13 nm.
Malignant Bone Tumors

Primary bone cancers can metastasize. They are very rare conditions but should be intervened upon early. Most common form is osteosarcomas.
The aging penis: Erectile dysfunction

Over 30 million men and their partners suffer the effects of erectile dysfunction. Erectile dysfunction results in significant psychological, social and physical morbidity; requiring a comprehensive and compassionate approach by the health care provider. The article reviews the epidemiology, pathophysiology and clinical presentation of erectile dysfunction. It provides a comprehensive, outcome-based evaluation of current treatment modalities.
A Model for Cochlear Vibrations Based on Feedback from Motile Outer Hair Cells

In a previous paper (Geisler, 1986), a model of the effect of outer hair cell (OHC) motility on the movements of a radial strip of the cochlear partition was presented. When that model, slightly modified and extended, is incorporated into a simulation of the entire cochlea, it produces output with characteristics which match, to a surprising degree, those of the observed (or inferred) vibration patterns of the basilar membrane.
Dietrich von Hildebrand: Master of Phenomenological Value-Ethics

Dietrich von Hildebrand was born in Florence in 1889, the son of the great German sculptor, Adolf von Hildebrand. He was educated by tutors at home until he began his university studies in Munich in 1906. Between 1909 and 1911 he spent several semesters studying with Husserl in Gottingen. He was profoundly formed by Husserl’s Logische Untersuchungen (Logical Investigations), which gave him a fundamental philosophical orientation that he never lost. In Gottingen he also studied with Husserl’s assistant, Adolf Reinach, whom he always venerated as his real teacher in philosophy. Max Scheler lived in Gottingen at this time, and in fact shared an apartment with von Hildebrand, who acknowledged receiving immeasurably much for his moral philosophy from his fifteen-year association with Scheler. In 1912 von Hildebrand received his doctorate in Gottingen with a dissertation entitled “Die Idee der sittlichen Handlung” (The idea of moral action).1 Husserl wrote in his evaluation of it: “I almost want to say that the genius of Adolf von Hildebrand has been inherited by his son, the author, as a philosophical genius.” He also said that von Hildebrand “astonishes the reader by an incomparably intimate knowledge of the various formations of affective consciousness and their objective correlates.”2 Husserl published the dissertation in its entirety in his Jahrbuch fur Philosophie und phanomenologische Forschung in 1916. It has recently come to light that Husserl made repeated use of it in his own research.3
Coal and water in the desert: Environmental geology of coal resources development near lake Powell, U.S.A.

Construction of Glen Canyon Dam, completed on the Colorado River in 1963, created Lake Powell, a large reservoir in the canyonlands of northern Arizona and southern Utah, U.S.A. Lake Powell represents a readily available water supply for development of large Cretaceous coalfields in the arid Colorado Plateau province. At present, coal on the Navaho and Hopi Indian Reservations at Black Mesa, Arizona, is stripmined and burned in a powerplant cooled by Lake Powell water. Northwest of, and adjacent to, Lake Powell is the Kaiparowits coalfield which is estimated to contain 40 billion tons of coal ranging in rank from sub-bituminous C to high volatile bituminous A. Proposed future developments in the Kaiparowits coalfield involve underground mining and mine-mouth power-plants that will use Lake Powell water as coolant and transmit electricity to metropolitan centres of the southwest United States, such as Los Angeles. An interdisciplinary research team (Lake Powell Research Project) of 30 scientists, equally representing natural and social sciences, has been studying the Lake Powell region for the past 4 years. Geologic and hydrologic information has been used in conjunction with sociological, economic, and legal studies to assess and predict the impact of coal mining and powerplants on the semprimitive desert environment, on the Navajo Nation, and on rural communities in southern Utah. The western states in the U.S. are turning to coal as an important source of energy for electrical power generation. Current plans for the generation of large amounts of electrical energy bring into focus a number of issues: (1) how will the demand for water needed for processing the electricity affect the expectations of agricultural interests in the southwest U.S.; (2) to what degree will emissions from power-plants pollute the skies above the many national parks surrounding the coalfields; (3) what will be the public reaction to this pollution; (4) how severe will be the socio-economic impact of industrialization upon the present rural, sparsely populated communities in the area; and (5) what implications will this industrialization have for the transportation network of the southwest U.S.?
Dynamics and Control of In-Flight Wing Tip Docking

Project Link! is a NASA-led effort to study the feasibility of multi-aircraft aerial docking systems. In these systems, a group of vehicles physically link to each other during flight to form a larger ensemble vehicle with increased aerodynamic performance and mission utility. This paper presents a dynamic model and control architecture for a system of ftxed-wing vehicles with this capability. The dynamic model consists of the 6 degree-of-freedom ftxed-wing aircraft equations of motion, a spring-damper-magnet system to represent the linkage force between constituent vehicles, and the NASA-Burnham-Hallock wingtip vortex model to represent the close-proximity aerodynamic interactions between constituents before the linking occurs. The control architecture consists of a guidance algorithm to autonomously drive the constituents towards their linking partners and an inner-loop angular rate controller. A simulation was constructed from the model, and the flight dynamic modes of the linked system were compared to the individual vehicles. The main contributions of this work are twofold. First is the introduction of close-proximity aerodynamic effects to create a realistic simulation framework for this problem. Second is the application of a sophisticated leader-follower guidance algorithm to achieve in-air wingtip docking. Simulation results for both before and after linking are presented.
Educational Equipoise and the Educational Misconception; Lessons from Bioethics

Some advances in bioethics regarding ethical considerations that arise in the context of medical research can also be relevant when thinking about the ethical considerations that arise in the context of SoTL research. In this article, I aim to bring awareness to two potential ethical challenges SoTL researchers might face when playing a dual role of teacher and researcher that are similar to the challenges physicians face in their dual role of physician and researcher. I argue that two commonly discussed concerns in bioethics—the need for clinical equipoise and the possibility of a therapeutic misconception—have analogies when conducting some types of research on students. I call these counterparts educational equipoise and the educational misconception .
Diversification and Evolution of Vancomycin-Resistant Enterococcus faecium during Intestinal Domination

Vancomycin-resistant Enterococcus faecium (VRE) is a leading cause of hospital-acquired infections. This is particularly true in immunocompromised patients, where the damage to the microbiota caused by antibiotics can lead to VRE domination of the intestine, increasing a patient's risk for bloodstream infection. In previous studies we observed that the intestinal domination by VRE of patients hospitalized to receive allogeneic bone marrow transplantation can persist for weeks, but little is known about subspecies diversification and evolution during prolonged domination. Here we combined a longitudinal analysis of patient data and in vivo experiments to reveal previously unappreciated subspecies dynamics during VRE domination that appeared to be stable from 16S rRNA microbiota analyses. Whole-genome sequencing of isolates obtained from sequential stool samples provided by VRE-dominated patients revealed an unanticipated level of VRE population complexity that evolved over time. In experiments with ampicillin-treated mice colonized with a single CFU, VRE rapidly diversified and expanded into distinct lineages that competed for dominance. Mathematical modeling shows that in vivo evolution follows mostly a parabolic fitness landscape, where each new mutation provides diminishing returns and, in the setting of continuous ampicillin treatment, reveals a fitness advantage for mutations in penicillin-binding protein 5 (pbp5) that increase resistance to ampicillin. Our results reveal the rapid diversification of host-colonizing VRE populations, with implications for epidemiologic tracking of in-hospital VRE transmission and susceptibility to antibiotic treatment.
Writing between the Lines: Examining Unprompted Handwritten Student Comments on a Campus Climate Survey

ABSTRACTThis study used data from an in-person paper-and-pencil climate survey administered to students in a random sample of classes at a four-year southeastern university. Respondents (N = 248) l...
Information Technology Career Preparation for Rural Areas

ABSTRACTOne component of postsecondary education needed for economic recovery and development relates to blue-collar industries, jobs requiring some postsecondary training but less than a four-year...
A multispectral, extinction-based diagnostic for drop sizing in optically dense diesel sprays:

Diesel sprays present a challenging environment for detailed quantitative measurement of the liquid field, and to date, there have been only a few efforts to characterize drop sizes within the family of Engine Combustion Network (ECN) diesel sprays. Drop sizing diagnostics, including optical microscopy and Ultra-Small Angle X-ray Scattering (USAXS), have been recently demonstrated in Spray A/D ECN activities, but little data exist to validate these results. This work therefore seeks to extend the available ECN data on the liquid phase field and provide a new comparative data set for assessment of previous ECN drop sizing measurements. In particular, this work presents the development of a two-wavelength, line-of-sight extinction measurement to examine liquid volume fraction and the corresponding droplet field in high-pressure fuel sprays. Here, extinction of lasers emitting at 10.6 μm and 0.633 μm are used for the measurement. To enable quantification of the liquid field in optically dense regions of the spray, a transfer function is developed to account for the influence of multiple scattering. The developed diagnostic is then applied to n-dodecane sprays from the ECN Spray A and Spray D injectors at varying fuel rail pressures and atmospheric chamber condition. Overall, the results show a reasonable agreement with droplet sizes measured using USAXS, as well as from more recent measurements using a Scattering-Absorption Measurement Ratio (SAMR) technique also developed in our group. This is particularly the case near the spray periphery, where on average, less than 40% difference in the measured Sauter mean diameter is observed. Nonetheless, an apparent discrepancy is observed between drop sizes from different diagnostics close to the jet centerline (i.e. nearly 100% difference between available data for Spray D injector). Moreover, the presented diagnostic shows an improved capability in the dilute regions of the spray, where x-ray-based diagnostics are generally subject to high noise and low signal sensitivity.
Environmental Sustainability of Liquid-Based ChemicalSynthesis of Si Nanotube as Anode for Lithium-Ion Batteries

Si nanotubes (NTs) have been widely studied as a promising anode material for next-generation lithium-ion batteries (LIBs). The potential environmental impacts of their fabrication are significant ...
A predator-based psychosocial stress animal model of PTSD in females: Influence of estrous phase and ovarian hormones.

Abstract Traumatized women are more likely than traumatized men to develop post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Still, the inclusion of females in animal models of PTSD has largely been avoided, likely due to the variable hormone profile of female rodents. Because a valid animal model of PTSD that incorporates females is still needed, we examined the influence of estrous stage and ovarian hormones on the female rat response to a predator-based psychosocial stress model of PTSD. Female Sprague-Dawley rats were exposed to psychosocial stress or control conditions for 31 days. Stressed rats were given two cat exposures and daily social instability; control rats were handled daily. Beginning on Day 32, rats underwent physiological or behavioral testing. In Experiment 1, vaginal smears were collected on days of the first and second cat exposures and each day of behavioral testing to determine estrous stage. In Experiments 2 and 3, ovariectomized or sham control rats were exposed to stress or control conditions. Then, they were given behavioral testing (Exp 2), or their hearts were isolated and subjected to ischemia/reperfusion on a Langendorff isolated heart system (Exp 3). Chronic stress increased anxiety-like behavior, irrespective of estrous stage or ovariectomy condition. Ovariectomized females displayed greater startle responses and anxiety-like behavior than sham rats. Stress had no impact on myocardial sensitivity to ischemic injury; however, ovariectomized females exhibited greater ischemia-induced infarction than sham rats. These findings suggest that ovarian hormones may prevent anxiety-like behavior and be cardioprotective in non-stressed controls, but they do not interact with chronic stress to influence the development of PTSD-like sequelae in female rats.
Ways to Minimize Volume (Weight) and Increase the Bearing Capacity of Rigid Pavement

The objective of research is finding of a possibility economy of rigid pavement weight and volume of material. The subject of the research is a mathematical model of rigid pavement in the form of a multilayer structure on an elastic foundation. The method of a research consists in modeling the behavior of rigid pavement in the form of a set of equations. These equations reflect the change in the stress-strain state of such structures. The system of equations takes into account the geometric nonlinearity of the work of materials and makes it possible to investigate the influence of various parameters on the values of stresses and displacements. Critical force coefficient and stress of shells are calculated by Bubnov-Galerkin. The formation way of the elastic foundation allows modeling the spreading layers with various characteristics. Use of two-layer model allows considering of a surface course and base course of road pavement designing (for example concrete and crushed stone). The graphs show the patterns of change of the stress of rigid pavement when changing the characteristics. The form of rigid pavement allowing to maintain big loadings is exposed to improvement. Findings shows the possibility of optimizing the geometric parameters of the design and achieving the savings in weight and volume of the consumable material.
Coping with Interrogations

Sun Tzu (circa 490 BC/1988), among others, has emphasized the importance of obtaining information about the enemy from those who know the enemy best. Throughout the history of warfare, the capturing and interrogation of enemy soldiers has thus provided a vital source of information (Keegan, 1993). A prisoner of war (POW) can potentially provide invaluable facts about the status of the adversary, and a number of methods for tapping this information can be used: formal interrogations, informal chats, or unobtrusive surveillance (Watson, 1978). The flow of information and its value during this process will depend on a number of factors, including the knowledge and skill of the interrogator, the resistance and fighting spirit of the prisoner, and the nature of the interactions between the two (Gal & Mangelsdorff, 1991; Richardson, 1978).