cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
FeAl-TiC cermets—melt infiltration processing and mechanical properties

Abstract TiC-based cermets were processed with iron aluminide, an intermetallic, as a binder by pressureless melt infiltration to near full density (>97% theoretical density). Phase equilibria calculations in the quaternary Fe–Al–Ti–C system at 1723 K by Thermocalc™ were performed to determine the solubility of TiC in liquid iron aluminide. Results show that molten Fe–40at.%Al in equilibrium with Ti 0.512 C 0.488 and graphite, dissolves 4.9 at.% carbon and 64 atomic ppm titanium. Due to the low values for the solubility of the carbide phases in liquid iron aluminide, melt infiltration of molten FeAl into TiC preforms is more successful than conventional liquid phase sintering to process cermets with carbide contents ranging from 70 to 90 vol.%, to greater than 97% of theoretical density. Hardness, bend strength and fracture toughness are reported. SEM observations of fracture surfaces suggest the improved fracture toughness to result from the ductility of the intermetallic phase. Evaluation of room temperature fracture toughnesses showed that relatively high fracture toughnesses (18 MPa m 1/2 ) can be obtained with iron aluminide as a binder. A systematic correlation of the ligament sizes with the fracture mode was performed. The results clearly show that FeAl ligaments larger than about 1.2 μm fracture by cleavage and those smaller in size fracture predominantly in a ductile manner. Slow crack growth experiments were performed with specimens immersed in water and in an oxygen atmosphere. The extent of environmental embrittlement was evaluated by comparing the work to fracture in water and oxygen, respectively. With additions of more than 20–40 vol.% TiC, the composites showed only small differences in the work of fracture, indicating that environmental embrittlement of iron aluminide is not severe when it is used as a binder in cermets.
Edge waves in the quantum Hall effect and quantum dots.

We have studied numerically the spectrum of low-energy excitations for quantum dots containing up to 400 electrons near densities corresponding to the quantum-Hall-effect filling fraction \ensuremath{\nu}=1. The results show that, despite strong Coulomb interaction effects, the edge modes are well described as weakly interacting chiral boson edge waves.
Device physics: no-nuisance noise.

‘Silence is golden’ is a maxim of limited applicability where stochastic resonance holds sway. The effect uses noise to boost signal output in certain systems — and has just been seen in oscillators on a very small scale.
Intersystem crossing relative rates from pulsed-excitation phosphorescence microwave double resonance

Abstract : A new phosphorescence microwave double resonance technique is described from which the ratios of the intersystem crossing (ISC) rates to the different zero-field (zf) levels can be determined. After short pulsed singlet-singlet excitation and at times short compared to the decay times of the different zf levels of T(1) (by spin lattice relaxation (SLR) or T(1) to S(0) unimolecular decay), the ratios of the ISC rates are equal to the ratios of the zf level populations. The latter can be determined from the observed changes in the phosphorescence intensity upon fast sweeping (or short-pulsing) of microwaves capable of saturating or inverting the populations of the zf levels. The method is demonstrated at 1.4K where the SLR is slow and the stringent requirements set upon the excitation and microwave pulse widths and the short delay times are eliminated. (Author)
DESIGNING NOISE BARRIERS USING EXPERT SYSTEM CHINA

The expert system is a relatively new application of artificial intelligence technology that is beginning to emerge in the field of civil engineering. This new computer‐aided tool has the potential to significantly affect the way today's civil engineer assesses and solves complex problems. An expert system named CHINA (Computerized Highway Noise Analyst) has been developed that is capable of interacting with an existing FORTRAN model that aids an engineer in acoustically designing a highway noise barrier. CHINA executes the design model, interprets the results, and decides if those results are valid. If they are not, CHINA determines new input parameters and re‐executes the design model until a satisfactory design is obtained. Three actual highway noise abatement problems are examined in detail and the design solution from CHINA and a human expert are compared. The results of this comparison indicate that CHINA is capable of designing highway noise barriers that are at least equal, in terms of performance...
Work Function Reduction by BaO: Growth of Crystalline Barium Oxide on Ag(001) and Ag(111) Surfaces

Ultrathin films of barium oxide were grown on Ag(001) and Ag(111) using the evaporation of Ba metal in an O2 atmosphere by molecular beam epitaxy. Ultraviolet photoemission spectroscopy reveals that films consisting of predominantly BaO or BaO2 result in Ag(001) work function reductions of 1.74 eV and 0.64 eV, respectively. On the Ag(001) surface, Ba oxide growth is initiated by two-dimensional nucleation of epitaxial BaO, followed by a transition to three-dimensional dual-phase nucleation of epitaxial BaO and BaO2. Three-dimensional islands of primarily BaO2(111) nucleate epitaxially on the Ag(111) substrate leaving large patches of Ag uncovered. We find no indication of chemical reaction or charge transfer between the films and the Ag substrates. These data suggest that the origin of the observed work function reduction is largely due to a combination of BaO surface relaxation and an electrostatic compressive effect.
INTERLEUKIN 2 ACTIVATION OF NATURAL KILLER CELLS RAPIDLY INDUCES THE EXPRESSION AND PHOSPHORYLATION OF THE Leu-23 ACTIVATION ANTIGEN

IL-2 potentiates both growth and cytotoxic function of T lymphocytes and NK cells. Resting peripheral blood NK cells can respond directly to rIL-2, without requirement for accessory cells or cofactors, and enhanced cytotoxicity can be measured within a few hours after exposure to this lymphokine. In this study, we describe an activation antigen, Leu-23, that is rapidly induced and phosphorylated after IL-2 stimulation of NK cells and a subset of low buoyant density T lymphocytes. Previously, it has been uncertain whether all NK cells or only a subset are responsive to IL-2. Since within 18 h after exposure to IL-2, essentially all NK cells express Leu-23, these findings indicate that all peripheral blood NK cells are responsive to stimulation by IL-2. The Leu-23 antigen is a disulfide-bonded homodimer, composed of 24-kD protein subunits with two N-linked oligosaccharides. Appearance of this glycoprotein on NK cells is IL-2 dependent and closely parallels IL-2-induced cytotoxicity against NK-resistant solid tumor cell targets.
Individual experience-based foraging can generate community territorial structure for competing ant species

To gain additional territory while defending existing territory, animals must acquire and use information regarding resource characteristics and competitive pressure. For social organisms like ants, individual workers have experiences to acquire information, but territory establishment is a colony level behavior. Colony behavior, in turn, affects community structure. Here, I investigate how an individual ant’s previous experience affects its future foraging behavior and how individual behaviors can scale up to community territorial structure for two coexisting Formica species. To do this, I combine a field survey, a multi-agent computer simulation, and a manipulation experiment. The field survey shows that workers of both species co-occur on many trees early in the season, but ants on trees become segregated by species as the season progresses. The simulation demonstrates how this segregated spatial distribution can result from ants using a foraging strategy in which individuals show a preference for foraging sites based on previous experience. The experiment suggests that these ants are indeed capable of experience-based foraging behavior; ants preferentially return to sites where they have had positive experiences and avoid sites where they have had negative experiences. Results from this study suggest that spatially explicit information can be collected and stored by individuals to facilitate colony territorial structure, and that future investigations of community territory formation should include effects of individual previous experience.
The neurons and their postnatal development in the basilar pontine nuclei of the rat.

Abstract The development of basilar pontine neurons was investigated utilizing a variety of Golgi techniques in female Sprague-Dawley rats ranging in age from 0 (birth) to 120 days. Basilar pontine neurons in 120-day old animals demonstrated many of the characteristic morphological features observed in adult animals. The perikarya of these neurons exhibited a variety of shapes, gave rise to from 2–7 dendrites, and ranged in size from 8–45 μm. Dendritic patterns were generally divisible into four groups. The most common pattern was a multipolar arrangement of relatively long dendrites, the surfaces of which were studded with a variety of protrusions. The next two most common patterns each exhibited a sparse complement of dendritic appendages but differed in other respects. One was characterized by stout, gradually tapering dendrites arising from large somata while the other possessed perikarya of intermediate sizes and long, thin dendrites of uniform caliber. The final and least common pattern was a bipolar configuration comprised of infrequently branching dendrites originating from small, ovoid or spindle-shaped cell bodies. Surface appendages were present only in small numbers on such neurons. Axons of adult basilar pontine neurons were found to arise from either the somata or a proximal dendrite and appeared on occasion to give rise to collaterals within the pontine gray. At birth, the perikarya of basilar pontine cells were small and irregular in shape. Dendrites and axons were thin, short and displayed bulbous growth cones on their terminal segments and along their lengths. By the end of the first postnatal week, the dendrites had become more uniform in diameter, while the cell bodies had increased considerably in size. Surface appendages on somata and dendrites first appeared 10–12 days after birth, differing from the adult in their greater density and wider distribution. The end of the second postnatal week was marked by a major dendritic growth spurt which continued until Day 16. At that time, most basilar pontine neurons attained adult dendritic patterns. A gradual disappearance of proximal dendritic appendages coupled with the persistence of distal surface appendages was also noted during the second postnatal week. This process was completed by postnatal Day 24 when the basilar pontine neurons appeared to attain adult morphology.
Mechanisms for the discrete aurora — A review

The V-shock is identified as the primary mechanism for the acceleration of electrons responsible for the discrete aurora. A brief review of the evidence supporting the V-shock model is given, including the dynamics of auroral striations, anomalous motion of barium plasma at high altitudes and in-situ observations of large electric fields. The V-shock is a nonlinear, n = 0 ion cyclotron mode soliton, Doppler shifted to zero frequency. The V-shock is also shown to be a generalization of the one-dimensional double layer model, which is an ion acoustic soliton Doppler shifted to zero frequency. The essential difference between the double layer theory and the theory for the oblique, current-driven, laminar electrostatic shock is that the plasma dielectric constant in directions perpendicular to the magnetic field is c 2/V /2 , where V a is the Alfven velocity; but the plasma dielectric constant parallel to the magnetic field is unity. Otherwise, in the limit that the shock thickness perpendicular to the magnetic field is much larger than an ion gyroradius, the equations describing the double layer and the oblique shock are the same. The V-shock, while accounting for the acceleration of auroral electrons, requires an energy source and mechanism for generating large potential differences perpendicular to the magnetic field. An energy source is the earthward streaming protons coming from the distant magnetospheric tail. It is shown how these protons can be energized by the cross-tail electric field, which is the tailward extension of the polar cap dawn-to-dusk electric field. The local, large cross-field potential differences associated with the V-shock are seen to be the result of a non-linear, E × B drift turbulent cascade which transfers energy from small- to large-scale sizes. Energy at the smallest scale sizes comes from the kinetic energy in the ion cyclotron motion of the earthward streaming protons, which are unstable against the zero-frequency flute-mode instability. The review points out the gaps in our understanding of the mechanism of the diffuse aurora and the mechanism of the auroral substorm.
Early Fathering as a Predictor of Later Psychosocial Functioning Among Preschool Children with Behavior Problems

The present study examined the role of early fathering in subsequent trajectories of social emotional and academic functioning of preschool children with behavior problems. Participants were 128 preschool-aged children (73 boys, 55 girls) with behavior problems whose biological fathers took part in a longitudinal study. Children were 3 years of age at the beginning of the study and were assessed annually for 3 years. Early paternal depressive symptoms predicted many aspects of children’s outcome 3 years later, including externalizing and internalizing problems, social skills deficits, and lower cognitive and academic functioning, and predicted changes in children’s externalizing, internalizing, and social problems across the preschool years. Paternal socioeconomic status (SES) also consistently predicted children’s later functioning across these domains. Furthermore, self-reported paternal attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) symptoms and laxness, as well as observed frequent commands were associated with later externalizing problems in children. Paternal depressive symptoms and laxness mediated the relation between paternal ADHD symptoms and child functioning. Results suggest that aspects of early father functioning play an important role in the psychosocial, cognitive, and academic development of preschool-aged children with behavior problems.
Rheological characteristics of goat and sheep milk

Rheology represents the properties of both solid and liquid foods, where texture is the rheology related to solid foods, and viscosity is the rheology of fluid foods. Three categories of tests measure textural characteristics of solids foods, empirical (ball compressor, penetrometer, curd tension meter), imitative (texturometer, texture profile analysis [TPA]), and fundamental tests (small amplitude oscillatory shear analysis [SAOSA], torsion analysis [TA]). Regardless of animal species, milk casein gels are mainly responsible for the rheological properties of cheese and other dairy products. In normal fluid milk, the viscosity is affected by the state and concentrations of fat, protein, temperature, pH, and age of the milk. Average milk viscosity has been determined for goats at 2.12 cPas, sheep 2.48 cPas, camels 2.8 cPas, buffaloes 2.2 cPas, and cows 1.7 cPas. Heating decreases the dynamic viscosity, but it increases at the point of coagulation. Sheep and goat milk have the same proteins as cow milk, but their proportions and genetic polymorphs differ widely, which explains different rennetabilities and considerable rheological variations in cheesemaking. Casein micelle structure is similar in goat, sheep, and cow milk, but differs in composition, size and hydration. Sheep milk has caseins richer in calcium than cow caseins, it is also very sensitive to rennet, because of higher β/αs-casein ratio, and coagulation proceeds faster than in cow milk. Rheological studies with Monterey Jack cheese from goat milk found “knitting” with progressing aging time, less hardness, less shear stress values, and more rubberiness. High correlations were noted between SAOSA scores and proteolysis in cheeses. Terrincho sheep cheese showed increased hardness, fracturability, gumminess, chewiness, yelloweness, decreased adhesiveness, resilience, and cohesiveness during ripening. Frozen storage of soft goat cheeses had minimal effects on textural qualities, which has valuable market implications. Feta cheeses showed increased compactness and porosity, when goat milk had been added to sheep milk. Yogurt studies, including Labneh from the Middle East, found highest viscosity for sheep followed by goats, cows, and camels, and viscosity increased with solids contents. Three different transient viscosity stages were described mathematically, and camel milk varied least in viscosity during yogurt gelation. Viscosity decreased with increasing angular velocity of the inner cylinder, suggesting that yogurt behaved as a shear-thinning non-Newtonian fluid. Rheological properties are important monitors of quality control in dairy processing and in scientific research.
Arenas and Attitudes: A Note on Political Efficacy in a Federal System

Most research on political attitudes has ignored the influence of political context on attitude structure. This paper investigates political efficacy at the national and provincial levels of the Canadian federal system using 1983, 1984, and 1988 survey data. Confirmatory factor analyses of alternative measurement models reveal that efficacious attitudes are structured in terms of separate internal and external factors at the two levels of government. The degree of articulation in attitude structure varies strongly and inversely with regional differences in the similarity of national and provincial party systems.
Fine structure of a collodarian radiolarian (Sphaerozoum punctatum Mu¨ller 1858) and cytoplasmic changes during reproduction

Abstract Sphaerozoum punctatum is a colonial radiolarian possessing siliceous spicules. Numerous cells are embedded within a common gelatinous matrix. A large vacuole, apparently containing a lipid reserve, occurs at the center of the cell. The peripheral cytoplasm contains smaller vacuoles, tubular mitochondria, Golgi bodies, single membrane organelles resembling peroxisomes and numerous nuclei possessing prominent patches of condensed chromatin. The central capsule membrane fine structure resembles that inCollozoum inerme Mu¨ller 1858 (a skeleton-less colonial radiolarian). Dinoflagellate zooxanthellae are enclosed within ectoplasmic sheaths and the spicules are surrounded by a thin cytoplasmic envelope, a feature also observed in noncolonial, skeleton-bearing Radiolaria. During reproduction, the endoplasm forms flagellated swarmers containing prominent nuclei surrounded by a thin layer of cytoplasm with lipid inclusions. Dividing nuclei contain internal microtubules attached to the inner surface of the nuclear membrane at each pole. The central capsule membrane persists during early stages of swarmer development.
Kant's Refutation of the Cosmological Argument

T is well known that Kant offers a refutation of the cosmological argument for the existence of God on the grounds that this proof surreptitiously invokes the ontological argument, an argument which we will with Kant assume to be false. I shall show in this paper that this refutation, while it is frequently taken to be valid,' is in fact fallacious. I shall then offer an explanation as to why Kant thought he needed a refutation such as this at all. The cosmological argument for the existence of God is the proof from the contingency of the world (a contingentia mundi). According to Kant, the argument unfolds in two stages. The first stage is as follows:
Hypothermic storage of feline kidneys for transplantation: successful ex vivo storage up to 7 hours.

Objective—To describe the effect of hypothermic storage on transplanted feline kidneys. Study Design—Kidneys were stored in University of Wisconsin (UW) sodium gluconate (n = 3) or phosphate-buffered sucrose (n = 5) solutions before transplantation. Animal Population—Eight cats with renal failure and seven normal cats as kidney donors. Methods—Kidneys were perfused through the renal artery with cold (10°C) storage solution and immersed in the solution on ice until transplantation. Results—Mean ex vivo storage time was 4.8 ± 0.36 hours (range, 3.5 to 7 hours). Seven recipient cats survived surgery. Five of the cats had decreased serum creatinine concentrations from a mean of 8.2 mg/dL (range, 4.0 to 15.8 mg/dL) preoperatively to 1.7 mg/dL (range, 1.3 to 2.2 mg/dL) within 4 days of surgery. In one cat, serum creatinine concentration dropped from 15.1 to 3.7 mg/dL in 3 days, but the cat developed a ureteral stricture that required revision. One graft did not function, and the cat died on day 19. The mean postoperative survival time of cats that were discharged from the hospital (n = 6) was 254 days (range, 49 to 717 days) at the time of this report. Long-term renal function (>60 days postoperatively; n = 5) was excellent with mean serum creatinine concentrations of 1.6 ± 0.15 mg/dL. Conclusions—Hypothermic storage is feasible for short-term preservation of feline kidneys. The maximal length of feasible storage remains unknown. Clinical Relevance—Hypothermia protects against ischemia-induced nephron loss during ex vivo manipulation of the allograft and allows longer safe vascular anastomosis times. Short-term hypothermic storage also provides time to accommodate modifications in scheduling or anesthetic management of the recipient operation.
Antithrombotic Therapy in Patients With Saphenous Vein and Internal Mammary Artery Bypass Grafts Following Percutaneous Transluminal Coronary Angioplasty

1.It is standard practice, in patients undergoing coronary angioplasty, to administer heparin during the procedure. The usual dose is 10,000 U administered intravenously, followed by a continuous infusion or intermittent heparin to maintain therapeutic levels. We found no evidence to indicate that this standard should be modified. 2.There is no evidence that prolonged (18 to 24 h) heparin is of any benefit over a few hours in preventing acute thrombosis in patients who had uncomplicated procedures (level II). 33 Based upon standard practice, heparin for 16 to 24 h is administered for unstable angina, complex lesions, multivessel angioplasty, and a suboptimal result. 3.Antiplatelet agents (in addition to heparin) reduce periprocedural coronary thrombosis and are indicated (level I and II studies). 26 , 27 4.Aspirin alone was as effective as aspirin plus dipyridamole (level II). 30 5.The dose of aspirin that was used in most studies was 650 mg/day to 990 mg/day 26 , 27 , 30 (although sometimes with dipyridamole), and aspirin was started before the angioplasty. Lower doses of aspirin (80 mg/day), started one day before the angioplasty, were also effective (level II). 29 6.The evidence that antiplatelet agents may prevent or modify late restenosis is inconsistent 26 (level II), 28 (level IV), 36 (level I). 7.Warfarin, in small size studies, was not effective in preventing late restenosis (level II), 38 but it was not worse than aspirin (level II). 39
Overlapping solid solubility in mechanically alloyed Fe-Ni and Fe-Cu

Solid solutions formed by mechanical alloying in the negative heat of mixing Fe-Ni system and the positive heat of mixing Fe-Cu system were studied. X-ray absorption near edge structure (XANES) spectroscopy data were analyzed to obtain the phase fractions and phase compositions for various overall compositions across the bcc/fcc two-phase region. For both systems, at each nominal composition of the powder mixture, the two solutions formed both have the same composition as the overall alloy. It is concluded that the two-phase coexistence represents an extended region of overlapping solubility for the two phases, rather than the usual two-phase region or a clear switchover at the concentration where the two phases have the same free energy. In terms of these features, the two binary systems, one with negative heat of mixing and one with positive heat of mixing, behave the same way. The external forcing action of mechanical alloying at low temperatures drives the system toward composition homogenization. There is no stable or metastable equilibrium, and the common tangent construction and lever rule are not applicable. What results is a novel two-phase coexistence which is defined by a region of overlapping solubility, rather than the normal solubility gap. That there can be two polymorphs at each composition even after the long ball-milling treatment represents a new type of steady-state two-phase coexistence that is completely different from the normal two-phase region dictated by thermodynamics.
The Power and Cooling Interconnection of the 200-GeV Synchrotron Magnets

The proposed system for connecting the power and water to the main-accelerator magnets is designed to require a minimum of maintenance. Its design permits remote-controlled manipulator removal should this be necessary at some future date. Copper pipes conduct both power and low-conductivity water to the magnets. All connections in the cooling-bus system, the connections to it, and connections within the magnet coil manifolds are either brazed or welded.
Ten years of pneumococcal‐associated haemolytic uraemic syndrome in New Zealand children

Aim: To describe the epidemiology, clinical features, management and outcome of pneumococcal-associated haemolytic-uraemic syndrome (P-HUS) in New Zealand over the past decade. Methods: A retrospective chart review of children with P-HUS from 1998 to 2007 that were prospectively reported to the New Zealand Paediatric Surveillance Unit. P-HUS was defined as microangiopathic haemolytic anaemia (Hb <100 g/L with fragmented red blood cells), thrombocytopaenia (platelet count <130 × 109/L), acute renal impairment with oliguria and elevated plasma creatinine, and confirmed or suspected pneumococcal infection. Results: Eleven children (nine male, two female), predominately Maori and Polynesian (10 children) were studied. The median age was 8.5 months. The median duration of hospitalisation was 25 days. Of the infections, 10 were confirmed pneumococcal (six pneumonia, four meningitis) and one pneumonia was suspected pneumococcal (culture negative, however T activation positive). Nine patients required dialysis for a median duration of 13 days. One child with meningitis died after therapy was withdrawn because of severe neurological injury. One patient developed end stage kidney disease and two further children had evidence of persisting renal sequelae at follow-up. Conclusions: Pneumococcal disease remains an important public health problem in New Zealand children, particularly those of Maori and Pacific Island ethnicity. P-HUS should be considered in pneumococcal disease associated with severe haematological and renal abnormalities. These children should be monitored long-term, as they are at risk of permanent renal injury.
Multiplex Polymerase Chain Reaction Tests for Detection of Pathogens Associated with Gastroenteritis

A wide range of enteric pathogens can cause infectious gastroenteritis. Conventional diagnostic algorithms are time-consuming and often lack sensitivity and specificity. Advances in molecular technology have provided new clinical diagnostic tools. Multiplex polymerase chain reaction (PCR)-based testing has been used in gastroenterology diagnostics in recent years. This article presents a review of recent laboratory-developed multiplex PCR tests and current commercial multiplex gastrointestinal pathogen tests. It focuses on two commercial syndromic multiplex tests: Luminex xTAG Gastrointestinal Pathogen Panel and BioFire FilmArray gastrointestinal test. Multiplex PCR tests have shown superior sensitivity to conventional methods for detection of most pathogens.
Effect of Rofecoxib on the Pharmacokinetics of Chronically Administered Oral Contraceptives in Healthy Female Volunteers

The effect of rofecoxib, a highly selective cyclooxygenase (COX)-2 inhibitor, on the pharmacokinetics of ethinyl estradiol (EE) and norethindrone (NET), two common components of a combination oral contraceptive product, was examined. A double-blind, two-period crossover study was conducted in 18 healthy women who received ORTHO-NOVUM 1/35, a combination of EE (35 microg) and NET (1 mg), concurrently for 14 days with either 175 mg rofecoxib or matching placebo during two consecutive menstrual cycles. Plasma was sampled for EE, NET, sex hormone binding globulin (SHBG), and albumin. The AUC(0-24 h) geometric mean ratio (GMR: rofecoxib/placebo) with corresponding 90% confidence interval (CI) of EE and NET was 1.13 (1.06, 1.19) and 1.18 (1.13, 1.24), respectively. The Cmax GMR of EE and NET was 1.06 (0.98, 1.16) and 1.04 (0.99, 1.09), respectively. In each case, the 90% CIs satisfied the predefined bioequivalence limits of (0.80, 1.25). Measures of SHBG and albumin and routine clinical and laboratory safety parameters showed no clinically meaningful changes. The addition of rofecoxib to the oral contraceptive was not associated with any clinically important changes in EE or NET pharmacokinetics and thus would not be anticipated to influence the efficacy of this contraceptive regimen.
Stereotactic Radiosurgery for Pituitary Adenomas: A Review of the Literature

Objective: Pituitary adenomas are very common neoplasms and represent between 10 and 20% of all primary brain tumors. Historically, the treatment armamentarium for pituitary adenomas included medical management, microsurgery, and fractionated radiotherapy. More recently, radiosurgery has emerged as a viable treatment option. The goal of this research is to define accurately the efficacy, safety, and role of radiosurgery for treatment of pituitary adenomas.
Correlates of fatigue in older women with heart failure

Objective: To examine the relative contribution of psychologic factors and physical symptoms to the variance in fatigue in older women with heart failure. Methods: Eighty women who had been hospitalized in the previous 12 months for heart failure were interviewed. Fifty-seven women completed second interviews 18 months after the first interview. Results: Fatigue was the most frequently occurring physical symptom at both measurement times, and it significantly increased with time. Other physical symptoms contributed uniquely to the variance in fatigue at both measurement times, but psychologic factors did not. At time 1, sleep difficulties, chest pain, and weakness each explained unique variance in fatigue. At time 2, dyspnea was the only variable that explained unique variance in fatigue (9%). Dyspnea also explained a significant portion of the variance (7%) in time 2 fatigue, when time 1 fatigue was controlled. Conclusions: Fatigue in older women with heart failure is related more to other physical symptoms than psychologic factors.
Coordination copolymerization of severely encumbered isoalkenes with ethylene: enhanced enchainment mediated by binuclear catalysts and cocatalysts.

This contribution describes the implementation of the binuclear organotitanium “constrained geometry catalysts” (CGCs), (μ-CH2CH2-3,3‘){(η5-indenyl)[1-Me2Si(tBuN)](TiMe2)}2[EBICGC(TiMe2)2; Ti2] and (μ-CH2-3,3‘){(η5-indenyl)[1-Me2Si(tBuN)](TiMe2)}2[MBICGC(TiMe2)2; C1−Ti2], in combination with the bifunctional bisborane activator 1,4-(C6F5)2BC6F4B(C6F5)2 (BN2) in ethylene + olefin copolymerization processes. Specifically examined are the classically poorly responsive 1,1-disubstituted comonomers, methylenecyclopentane (C), methylenecyclohexane (D), 1,1,2-trisubstituted 2-methyl-2-butene (E), and isobutene (F). For the first three comonomers, this represents the first report of their incorporation into a polyethylene backbone via a coordination polymerization process. C and D are incorporated via a ring-unopened pathway, and E is incorporated via a novel pathway involving 2-methyl-1-butene enchainment in the copolymer backbone. In ethylene copolymerization, Ti2 + BN2 enchains ∼2.5 times more C, ∼2.5 times mo...
The implications of inflammation in odontogenic keratocysts

The histologic features of 112 odontogenic keratocysts (OKC's) were examined from both a clinical and histopathological perspective with emphasis on the microscopic presence of inflammation and its relationship to transformation of the classic epithelial cyst lining found in OKC's to a nonkeratinized lining characteristic of common inflammatory odontogenic cysts. Eighty-five (76%) of these cases exhibited inflammation. The sensitivity of inflammation as a predictor of this aforementioned transformation is 100%, and its positive predictive value is 88%. The specificity of the same parameters remains high at 73%. Using previous studies, the implications of these findings on the biologic behavior of OKC's is discussed with special reference to therapeutic considerations.
Entangled photon generation in microresonators via accidental degeneracies

A scheme is proposed in which widely spaced narrowband entangled photons may be produced through a four-wave mixing process in a chip-scale ring resonator, conserving both momentum and energy via an accidental degeneracy.
The short-term temperature response to smoke from oil fires

The short-term effect of smoke, similar to that being emitted from the Kuwaiti oil fields, on the ground temperature of the afffected region was investigated using a numerical model of atmospheric dynamics, aerosol microphysics, and radiative transfer similar to that used previosly by Westphal and Toon (1991). Results show that, after one diurnal cycle beneath smoke plumes of moderate visible absorption, ground cooling and ground warming were both possible; the response of the ground temperature and the boundary layer dynamics depended on the surface characteristics, with desert exhibiting the strongest cooling of all the land types used.
Audit fees and discretionary accruals: compensation structure effect

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to examine the relationship between discretionary accruals (DAs) and audit fees and whether this relationship is affected by the chief financial officer's (CFO) compensation structure.Design/methodology/approach – Using a large sample of cross‐sectional firms over the period 2000‐2006, multiple ordinary least square regression models are estimated.Findings – The paper finds that there is a positive and significant association between DAs and audit fees. Evidence shows that this relationship is significantly higher as CFO's bonuses increase and that this relationship is moderated as CFO's salaries increase. It is also found that income‐increasing DAs are positively and significantly related with audit fees and that increase in CFO's bonuses signifies this positive relationship.Research limitations/implications – Results may change during the current financial crisis (i.e. 2007‐present) due to the increased regulatory scrutiny of executive compensation.Practical implic...
Spectral-function sum rules in a relativistic quark model

The current-meson couplings are calculated using a relativistic quark model. It is shown that the couplings of the highly excited pseudoscalar mesons are inversely proportional to the particle mass, whereas couplings of vector and axial-vector mesons are proportional to the masses. Spectral functions obtained from these couplings approximate the quark-parton results and satisfy current-algebra sum rules to the leading order in mass.
Microwave Detection of Cosmic Ray Air Showers at the Pierre Auger Observatory, an R&D Effort

Abstract The measurement of microwave emission from air showers initiated by ultra-high energy cosmic rays may open the possibility of developing a novel detection technique. This new technique possesses the advantage of the ﬂuorescence detection technique -the reconstruction of the longitudinal shower proﬁle -combined with a 100% duty cycle, minimal atmospheric attenuation and the use of low cost commercial equipment. Placing prototype detectors at the Auger site provides for coincidence detection of air showers using established methods, ultimately assessing the feasibility of detecting air showers through microwave radiation. Two complementary techniques are currently being pursued at the Pierre Auger Observatory. MIDAS (Microwave Detection of Air Showers), AMBER (Air-shower Microwave Bremsstrahlung Experimental Radiometer), and FDWave are prototypes for large imaging dish antennas. EASIER (Extensive Air Shower Identiﬁcation using Electron Radiometer), the second technique, utilizes horn antennas located on each Auger Surface Detector station for detection of microwave emission. MIDAS is a self-triggering system while AMBER, FDWave and EASIER use the trigger from the Auger detectors to record the microwave emission. The development status and future plans for these measurements is reported.
Stepwise Multiple Comparison Procedures

Abstract This article proposes two new stepwise multiple comparison significance tests which control the experimentwise type I error rate and compares these tests with some existing procedures. The new (step-up) tests begin by examining the gaps between adjacent ordered sample means, then the three stretches, etc., until the range is reached. This reverses a procedure (step-down) proposed by Ryan (1960). Tables for the new tests were constructed using improved Monte Carlo techniques. A simulation study showed that one of the new step-up tests and a modification of the Ryan procedure provided significantly greater power than the commonly used Tukey honestly significant difference test.
Controller and Estimator Design for Regulation of Film Thickness, Surface Roughness, and Porosity in a Multiscale Thin Film Growth Process

This work focuses on simultaneous regulation of film thickness, surface roughness, and porosity in a multiscale model of a thin film growth process using the inlet precursor concentration as the manipulated input. Specifically, under the assumption of continuum, a partial differential equation model is first derived to describe the dynamics of the precursor concentration in the gas phase. The thin film growth process is modeled via a microscopic kinetic Monte Carlo simulation model on a triangular lattice with vacancies and overhangs allowed to develop inside the film. Closed-form dynamic models of the thin film surface profile and porosity are developed and used as the basis for the design of model predictive control algorithms to simultaneously regulate film thickness, surface roughness, and porosity. Both state feedback and porosity estimation-based output feedback control algorithms are presented. Simulation results demonstrate the applicability and effectiveness of the proposed modeling and control approach by applying the proposed controllers to the multiscale model of the thin film growth process.
Paediatric trauma on the Last Frontier: an 11-year review of injury mechanisms, high-risk injury patterns and outcomes in Alaskan children

Background . Paediatric trauma system development in Alaska is complicated by a vast geographic coverage area, wide regional variations in environment and culture, and a lack of available published data. Objective . To provide a detailed description of paediatric trauma mechanisms, high-risk injury patterns and outcomes in Alaska. Design . This retrospective study included all children aged 17 years or younger in the State of Alaska Trauma Registry database admitted with traumatic injury between 2001 and 2011. Each injury record was reviewed individually and assigned a mechanism based on Centers for Disease Control E-codes. Geographic definitions were based on existing Emergency Medical Services regions. Mechanisms were compared by geographic region, patient demographics, injury characteristics and outcome. Subgroup analysis of fatal injuries was performed to identify causes of death. Results . Of 5,547 patients meeting inclusion criteria, the most common mechanisms of injury were falls (39%), motor vehicle collisions (10%) and all-terrain vehicle (ATV) accidents (9%). The overall case fatality rate was 2%. Mechanisms with the greatest risk of death were gunshot wounds (21%), pedestrians struck by motorized vehicles (9%) and motor vehicle collisions (5%). These 3 mechanisms accounted for 15% of injuries but 60% of deaths in the overall cohort. Injury patterns involving combined central nervous system (CNS) and torso injuries were unusual but especially lethal, occurring in 3% of patients but carrying a case fatality rate of 18%. Although the distribution of mechanisms was generally similar for each geographic region, ATV and snowmobile injuries were significantly more common in remote areas (23% remote vs. 7% non-remote, p < 0.0001). Conclusions . Mechanisms of paediatric trauma in Alaska have widely varying impacts on outcome and show some variation by region. Highest-risk mechanisms include gunshot wounds and motorized vehicle-related accidents. Prevention efforts should give special attention to CNS injury prevention, ATV and snowmobile safety in remote areas, and optimization of management of multisystem trauma. Further studies should investigate predictors of outcome in greater detail. Keywords: Alaska; injury; epidemiology; youth; resource utilization (Published: 6 August 2014) Citation: Int J Circumpolar Health 2014, 73 : 25066 - http://dx.doi.org/10.3402/ijch.v73.25066
Control of Pseudomonas aeruginosa algZ Expression by the Alternative Sigma Factor AlgT

AlgZ controls Pseudomonas aeruginosa alginate synthesis by activating algD, yet algZ expression is not detectable in nonmucoid strains. Mobility shift and Western blot assays revealed that algZ expression requires the sigma factor AlgT. The mapped algZ transcription start site revealed a consensus AlgT-dependent promoter that, when mutated, substantially reduced algZ transcription.
Copper-rich nucleoprotein generated by micrococcal nuclease

Nuclei from calf thymus tissue digested with micrococcal nuclease under nonchelating conditions yielded soluble nucleoprotein enriched in copper. Following limited digestion, the ratio of μg Cu:mg DNA was inversely related either to percent solubility of chromatin or to levels of enzyme maintaining an enzyme:A 260 ratio of 0.059. The enzyme appeared to cleave preferentially regions of chromatin where copper is localized, releasing no additional metal upon further digestion. Moreover, the highest copper: DNA ratio was always associated with the least-digested sample. The distribution between copper and angiotensin II (AII) in chromatin fragments following slight nuclease digestion suggests a possible link between copper and nuclear AII binding. When nuclei are incubated with AII prior to digestion and dialysis, solubilized chromatin contained about three times more copper than buffer control. Metal profiles generated from gel (A-5 M) chromatography for these samples were distinctive: copper peaks appeared near or adjacent to linker DNA regions, and in the case of AII, coincided with fragments containing specific AII receptors; thus, there appears to be an enrichment of copper in these active nucleoprotein fragments.
The founding members of xeroderma pigmentosum group G produce XPG protein with severely impaired endonuclease activity.

Of the eight human genes implicated in xeroderma pigmentosum, defects in XPG produce some of the most clinically diverse symptoms. These range from mild freckling to severe skeletal and neurologic abnormalities characteristic of Cockayne syndrome. Mildly affected xeroderma pigmentosum group G patients have diminished XPG endonuclease activity in nucleotide excision repair, whereas severely affected xeroderma pigmentosum group G/Cockayne syndrome patients produce truncated XPG proteins that are unable to function in either nucleotide excision repair or the transcription-coupled repair of oxidative lesions. The first two xeroderma pigmentosum group G patients, XP2BI and XP3BR, were reported before the relationship between xeroderma pigmentosum group G and Cockayne syndrome was appreciated. Here we provide evidence that both patients produce truncated proteins from one XPG allele. From the second allele, XP2BI generates full-length XPG of 1186 amino acids containing a single L858P substitution that has reduced stability and greatly impaired endonuclease activity. In XP3BR, a single base deletion and alternative splicing at a rare noncanonical AT–AC intron produces a 1185 amino acid protein containing 44 internal non-XPG residues. This protein is stably expressed but it also has greatly impaired endonuclease activity. These four XPG products can thus account for the severe ultraviolet sensitivity of XP2BI and XP3BR fibroblasts. These cells, unlike those from xeroderma pigmentosum group G/Cockayne syndrome patients, are capable of limited transcription-coupled repair of oxidative lesions. Our results suggest that the L858P protein in XP2BI and the almost full-length XPG protein in XP3BR are responsible for this activity and for the absence of severe early onset Cockayne syndrome symptoms in these patients.
The Bhagamoya relic bowl inscription

Nouvelle edition et traduction commentee de cette inscription kharosthi, deja publiee par H. W. Bailey (JRAS 1982, 2). Elle fournit des informations importantes sur la dynastie des Apracaraja (a laquelle apartient le roi Bhagamoya). L'A. etudie en detail son histoire.
Bit error rates of IR-UWB transceiver types at sub-nyquist sampling rates

Impulse-radio (IR) ultra-wideband (UWB) communications can be achieved with various transceiver architectures. Even though matched filtering is the optimal signal detection technique with Nyquist rate sampling, differentially coherent and non-coherent transceiver architectures may be favorable at lower rate samples. In this paper, we present a unified performance analysis approach for different IR-UWB transceiver types employing various modulation options and using the captured energy statistics at sub-Nyquist sampling rates. Energy capture versus robustness against noise is demonstrated as a trade-off for stored-reference transceivers. Theoretical results are verified via simulations
Light-Guided Etching for III-V Semiconductor Device Fabrication

The rapid, ultraviolet-induced aqueous etching produces vertical, high aspect features in GaAs samples of different crystal orientations. Much of the speed and anisotropy of the etching is attributed to the formation of efficient hollow, optical waveguides. These guides have been characterized by measuring the optical loss and the field distribution within the guide. The optical loss is typically small and does not restrict the etching of deep features.
High vitamin E and selenium elevate, whereas diphenyl-para-phenylenediamine plus caffeine lowers liver fat in alcohol-fed rats

We have previously produced a robust model of ethanol addiction in rats using a high-fat, alcohol-containing diet. Substitution of carbohydrate for fat in this diet greatly ameliorated the deleterious effect of alcohol, particularly the accompanying fatty liver. In the present study, we examined the role of certain antioxidants when added to the addictive, high-fat, alcohol-containing diet. Antioxidants such as vitamin E, diphenyl-para-phenylenediamine, and selenium, as well as cranberry powder and soy protein have been shown to prevent oxidative stress that can lead to cell death. The liver is particularly vulnerable to oxidative stress because of excessive fat accumulation subsequent to insults such as high-fat diets and/or alcohol abuse. Because caffeine has been shown to reduce body fat accumulation in mice, this drug was also included in some experiments, either combined with or separate from antioxidant-enriched diets. It was observed that high doses of vitamin E and of selenium significantly increased liver fat accumulation in rats fed the alcohol-containing diet. Diphenyl-para-phenylenediamine combined with caffeine significantly reduced liver fat accumulation. Neither soy protein nor cranberry powder exerted significant effects on the alcohol-induced fatty liver. These observations indicate that high doses of vitamin E and selenium may be deleterious to liver function especially in the presence of high-fat diets and/or alcohol consumption.