cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Material selection for the titan reversed-field pinch reactor

The operating conditions of a compact, high neutron wall loading fusion reactor severely limit the choices for structural, shield, insulator and breeder materials. In particular, the response of plasma-facing materials to radiation, thermal and pressure stresses, and their compatibility with coolants are of primary concern. Material selection issues were investigated for the compact, high mass power density TITAN reactor design study. In this paper the major findings regarding material performance are summarized. The retention of mechanical strength at relatively high temperatures, low thermal stresses, and compatibility with liquid lithium make vanadium-based alloys a promising material for structural components. The thermal creep behavior of V-3Ti-1Si and V-15Cr-5Ti alloys has been approximated. In addition, irradiation behavior including the effects of helium generation and coolant compatibility issues were investigated which led to the choice of V-3Ti-1Si as the primary structural material candidate for the liquid-lithium-cooled TITAN-I. For the water-cooled TITAN-II reactor, ferritic alloys are favored among structural material candidates. Depending on the choice of lithium salt dissolved in water, the radiolytic effects and corrosion characteristics of the aqueous breeding solution may be severe. LiOH and LiNO 3 have been identified as the most viable salts; however, the radiolytic and corrosion behavior of these salts in aqueous solutions differ substantially. The radiolytic behavior of the aqueous salt solutions has been examined and various molecular decomposition product yields were estimated for the TITAN-II irradiation conditions. Insulator material issues of concern include irradiation induced swelling and radiation-induced conductivity. Both issues have been investigated and operating temperatures for minimum swelling and dielectric breakdown strength have been identified for spinel (MgO-Al 2 O 3 ). The high heat flux and sputtering/erosion issues limit the choice of the materials for the divertor target plate. Mechanical properties of various tungsten-rhenium alloys have been investigated. A highly ductile W-Re alloy containing 26 atomic percent rhenium was identified as a viable plasma-facing material.
Relations of factor score estimates to their use.

Considerations of factor score estimates have concentrated on internal characteristics. This report considers external characteristics of four methods for determining factor score estimates; that is, relations of these estimates to measures on attributes not entered into the factor analysis. These external characteristics are important for many uses of factor score estimates. Findings are that different ones of the methods are appropriate for different uses.
More iteration space tiling

Subdividing the iteration space of a loop into blocks or tiles with a fixed maximum size has several advantages. Tiles become a natural candidate as the unit of work for parallel task scheduling. Synchronization between processors can be done between tiles, reducing synchronization frequency (at some loss of potential parallelism). The shape and size of a tile can be optimized to take advantage of memory locality for memory hierarchy utilization. Vectorization and register locality naturally fits into the optimization within a tile, while parallelization and cache locality fits into optimization between tiles.
Heat capacity and thermodynamic functions of MnBr2•4D2O and MnCl2•4D2O

Abstract The heat capacities of MnBr2 · 4H2O and MnCl2 · 4H2O have been experimentally determined from 10 to 300 K. The smoothed heat capacity and the thermodynamic functions (H°T H°0) andS°T are reported for the two compounds over the temperature range 10 to 300 K. The error in these data is thought to be less than 1%. A subtle heat capacity anomaly was observed in MnCl2 · 4H2O over the temperature range 52 to 90 K. The entropy associated with the anomaly is of the order 0.4 J/mole K.
Semi-classical ensemble Monte Carlo simulator using innovative quantum corrections for nano-scale n-channel FinFETs

We present a three-dimensional semi-classical ensemble Monte Carlo device simulator with novel quantum corrections. The simulator includes a beyond-Fermi treatment of Pauli-Exclusion-blocked scattering, and a valley-dependent treatment of various quantum confinement effects. Quantum corrections to the potential are used not only to model redistribution of carriers in real space, but also to model altered energy valley offsets and associated redistribution of carriers in k-space, and quantum-confined scattering rates, including a new approach to model surface roughness scattering. We illustrate the capabilities of the simulator using different levels of modeling, with an emphasis on modeling nano-scale FinFETs with degenerate carrier populations, including III-V devices.
Religious Experience and Public Cult: The Case of Mary Ann Van Hoof

This study focuses on the first year (1950) of the apparitions of the Virgin Mary reported by Mary Ann Van Hoof of Necedah, Wisconsin. It argues that Van Hoof's experiences met not simply the needs of the community-at-large, but also helped the seer draw meaning from an emotionally-deprived and abusive childhood. The study concludes by suggesting that public serial apparitions are complex events that should be examined for the light they shed on the interaction between the seer's personal characteristics and experiences and the public events that take shape around those experiences.
Eicosanoids in human ventricular cerebrospinal fluid following severe brain injury.

Abstract Recent evidence has shown that a variety of prostaglandins and leukotrienes can be produced in brain tissue after injury in animals. It has also been speculated that increases in brain prostaglandins occur in humans following injury. Ventricular cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) samples have been obtained from children with static lesions (controls) as well as children with acute brain injury and eicosanoids measured by immunologic techniques. Metabolites of prostacyclin (6-keto-PGF 1a ) and thromboxane A 2 (thromboxane B 2 ) were the major eicosanoids found in CSF, and levels of these compounds were increased 3–10 times in acutely injured patients. Prostaglandin E 2 was also found in lower amounts, although in one case its level was very high. Prostaglandin D 2 was also present, but in low amounts. No leukotrienes were found in CSF samples that were purified by HPLC prior to immunoassay. Elevated levels of hydroxyeicosatetraenoic acids (HETEs) were observed in those samples stored frozen, but these metabolites were most probably due to autooxidation of archidonic acid in CSF. Arachidonic acid concentration in CSF was typically found to be in the range of 10–200 ng/ml, but was found to be 5–10 fold higher in one severely injured patient. Thus, elevated free arachidonic acid and various oxygenated metabolites were observed in CSF following brain injury.
Embryonic origin and compartmental organization of the external genitalia

Genital malformations occur at a high frequency in humans, affecting ~1:250 live births. The molecular mechanisms of external genital development are beginning to be identified; however, the origin of cells that give rise to external genitalia is unknown. Here we use cell lineage analysis to show that the genital tubercle, the precursor of the penis and clitoris, arises from two populations of progenitor cells that originate at the lateral edges of the embryo, at the level of the posterior hindlimb buds and anterior tail. During body wall closure, the left and right external genital progenitor pools are brought together at the ventral midline, where they form the paired genital swellings that give rise to the genital tubercle. Unexpectedly, the left and right external genital progenitor pools form two lineage-restricted compartments in the phallus. Together with previous lineage studies of limb buds, our results indicate that, at the pelvic level, the early lateral mesoderm is regionalized from medial to lateral into dorsal limb, ventral limb, and external genital progenitor fields. These findings have implications for the evolutionary diversification of external genitalia and for the association between external genital defects and disruption of body wall closure, as seen in the epispadias-extrophy complex.
High pressure study of flexible fluorescent dye molecules in solid polymeric media. I. Julolidinemalononitrile

Abstract The pressure effect on the fluorescence of julolidinemalononitrile (JDMN) in several solid polymers has been studied. An increase of fluorescence intensity by a factor of 8 to 15 has been observed, in different polymers, within 120 kbar. Two general regions of pressure behavior have been distinguished, in all polymers. In the first pressure region (0–20 kbar), the amplification of fluorescence intensity is explained by a retardation of motion (twist) in the excited state by increasing pressure. This process is shown to be controlled by an energy barrier between two conformations of molecule (planar “P” and twisted “T”) in its excited state. The relaxation from one form to the other is a single process reflecting thus one possible twist of the malonitrile group. The exponential relation obtained between nonradiative rate for intramolecular twist ( k ′ nr ) and emitting state energy ( E fP ) implies the pressure insensitivity of the energy between intersection of the potential wells for “P” and “T” excited states relative to the “P” ground state. In the second pressure region (>40 kbar), the intensity decrease is controlled by the nonradiative rate k nr p for the originally excited state. It has been shown that the energy gap law is applicable to explain experimental data in this region.
XXXIV. On the principle of relativity

(1908). XXXIV. On the principle of relativity. The London, Edinburgh, and Dublin Philosophical Magazine and Journal of Science: Vol. 16, No. 93, pp. 419-422.
Ureteric obstruction by the right testicular vein: CT diagnosis

The close relationship of the ureter and gonadal blood vessels is often clearly demonstrated by computed tomography (CT). A case of ureteral obstruction in a man possibly caused by the crossing testicular vein is presented. Unlike the ovarian vein syndrome in women, which is often related to pregnancy and/or venous thrombosis, no predisposing factors were found.
Local rigidity of discrete groups acting on complex hyperbolic space.

The superrigidity theorem of Margulis, see Zimmer [17], classifies finite dimensional representations of lattices in semi-simple Lie groups of real rank strictly larger than 1. It is a fundamental problem to obtain the classification of finite dimensional representations of lattices in rank I semi-simple Lie groups. That this problem will be considerably harder than the previous one is suggested by the existence of continuous families of inequivalent representations or, in other words, the existence of non-trivial deformations. In Johnson-Millson [6] and Kourouniotis [8] such deformations were constructed for certain representations of lattices in SO(n, 1) based on a construction of Thurston called bending. The deformation space of the representation of a lattice F=SO(n, 1) obtained by restricting an inclusion SO(n, 1)-,SO(n+ l, 1) to F is of particular interest. If n > 2 the space of infinitesimal deformations is Hi(F, R "+1) where F acts on R "+1 by the restriction of the standard action of SO(n, 1). The space of infinitesimal deformations is non-zero for the standard arithmetic examples and the main point of the papers cited above was to establish that some of these infinitesimal deformations are integrable (in [6] it is also shown that some are not). In this paper, we study the complex analogue of the above example. We let F be a cocompact torsion free lattice in SU(n, 1) and consider the deformation space of the representation of F obtained by restricting an inclusion SU(n, 1)--*SU(n+I, 1). If n > l the space of infinitesimal deformations is H~(F, R)@H~(F, C,+ 1). In the first summand F acts trivially and the infinitesimal deformations are tangent to the obvious deformations obtained by deforming F in U(n, 1) by a curve of homomorphisms into the center of U(n, 1) (observe that the above inclusion factors as SU(n, 1)~U(n , 1)~SU(n+I, 1)). In the second summand F acts by the restriction of the standard action of SU(n, 1). This summand is non-zero for the standard arithmetic examples,
Initial North American experience with botulinum toxin type a for treatment of anismus

PURPOSE: Botulinum toxin type A (BTX-A), produced byClostridium botulinum,is a potent neurotoxin. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the efficacy of BTX-A for treatment of anismus. MATERIALS AND METHODS: All patients treated with BTX-A for anismus were evaluated. Eligibility criteria included a history of chronic assisted evacuation (laxatives, enemas, or suppositories), demonstration of anismus by cinedefecogram and electromyography, and failure of a minimum of three sessions of supervised biofeedback therapy (BF). Contingent on body mass, 6 to 15 units of BTX-A was injected bilaterally under electromyography guidance into the external sphincter or the puborectalis muscle. Treatment was repeated as necessary for a maximum of three sessions during a three-month period. Success was considered as discontinuation of evacuatory assistance and was evaluated between one and three months and again at up to one year. RESULTS: Between July 1994 and May 1995, four patients ranging from 29 to 82 years in age (2 females, 2 males) had anismus that failed to respond to between 3 and 15 biofeedback sessions. All patients improved between one and three months after BTX-A injection, and two had sustained improvement for a range of three months to one year. There was no morbidity or mortality associated with BTX-A injection. CONCLUSIONS: BTX-A is extremely successful for temporary treatment of anismus that is refractory to BF management. However, because the mechanism of action is short, longer term results are only 50 percent successful. Hopefully, modifications in the strain of BTX-A and dose administered will allow longer periods of success or a repeat trial of BF. Nonetheless, this preliminary report is very encouraging in offering a method of managing this recalcitrant condition.
Ethical Dilemmas of Do‐Not‐Resuscitate Orders in Surgery

One of the most troublesome ethical dilemmas that perioperative nurses face is do-not-resuscitate (DNR) orders for surgical patients. The principles of futility, informed consent, autonomy, and beneficence underpin ethical decision making about DNR orders in surgical patients.
A Self-Healing Framework for Web Services

Ajax-based web applications are designed to mimic more traditional desktop applications and require quick response times from the underlying Web services. However, since availability and performance of Web services cannot be guaranteed, response time and overall performance of Ajax-based applications can vary. In this paper we describe a framework for developing autonomic self-healing Web service-based applications that rely on the notion of differentiated services (i.e., services that provide common behavior with variable quality of service) in order to maintain required performance characteristics. We present the expected impact of the framework through the use of a theoretical QN model, demonstrate the framework with an example, and provide an evaluation of the technique.
Political Contribution Tax Credits and Citizen Participation

This article discusses political contribution tax credits, a campaign finance reform that seeks to encourage participation. Several states provide citizens with tax credits for part or all of their contributions to state or local candidates. Although a fewstudies have tried to estimate the budgetary impact of such programs, none has analyzed the effects of these tax credits on the propensity of citizens to contribute. We discuss the results of two surveys in one state with tax credits, Ohio— one survey each of the general public and of campaign contributors. Our results indicate that if citizens are made aware of the tax credits, they have the potential to attract donors who are more similar to the general public than the current pool of campaign contributors. Tax credits have the greatest effect on small contributors, on younger adults, and on less partisan individuals.
Gram-scale synthesis and crystal structures of [8]- and [10]CPP, and the solid-state structure of C60@[10]CPP

A cost-effective gram-scale synthesis of [8]- and [10]cycloparaphenylenes (CPPs) has been developed for the first time. Both [8]- and [10]cycloparaphenylene organized into herringbone geometries in the crystalline state with well-defined cylindrical cavities of 1.1 and 1.4 nm, respectively. With large amounts of material available, the highly efficient convex–concave π–π interactions between [10]CPP and C60 in the solid-state was validated by X-ray diffraction analysis.
A Prospective Analysis of Airborne Metal Exposures and Risk of Parkinson Disease in the Nurses’ Health Study Cohort

Background: Exposure to metals has been implicated in the pathogenesis of Parkinson disease (PD).Objectives: We sought to examine in a large prospective study of female nurses whether exposure to a...
Fabrication of Cell Patches Using Biodegradable Scaffolds with a Hexagonal Array of Interconnected Pores (SHAIPs).

Cell patches are widely used for healing injuries on the surfaces or interfaces of tissues such as those of epidermis and myocardium. Here we report a novel type of porous scaffolds made of poly(d,l-lactic-co-glycolic acid) for fabricating cell patches. The scaffolds have a single layer of spherical pores arranged in a unique hexagonal pattern and are therefore referred to as “scaffolds with a hexagonal array of interconnected pores (SHAIPs)”. SHAIPs contain both uniform pores and interconnecting windows that can facilitate the exchange of biomacromolecules, ensure homogeneous cell seeding, and promote cell migration. As a proof-of-concept demonstration, we have created skeletal muscle patches with a thickness of approximately 150 μm using SHAIPs. The myoblasts seeded in the scaffolds maintained high viability and were able to differentiate into multi-nucleated myotubes. Moreover, neovasculature could efficiently develop into the patches upon subcutaneous implantation in vivo.
A word processing-linked FORTRAN data base of journal and book references

A FORTRAN program for the creation and main­ tenance of a direct-access file of journal and book refer­ ences is described. References stored in the file can be accessed by an access number, an author name, or a key­ word and written to a user-designated "runoff file" in American Psychological Association (APA) format. Such a data base can be kept as a library of references to be accessed for a bibliography or literature compilation. The problem of maintaining an organized file of jour­ nal and book references is common to all researchers. In­ dex card files are often time-consuming to maintain and have become outdated in research laboratories where papers and proposals are typically prepared using word processing systems on a laboratory computer. The pur­ pose of this program is to simplify the task of preparing a paper or proposal by making use of an active data base ofjournal and book references in connection with a word processing system.
Algorithm refinement for the stochastic Burgers' equation

In this paper, we develop an algorithm refinement (AR) scheme for an excluded random walk model whose mean field behavior is given by the viscous Burgers' equation. AR hybrids use the adaptive mesh refinement framework to model a system using a molecular algorithm where desired while allowing a computationally faster continuum representation to be used in the remainder of the domain. The focus in this paper is the role of fluctuations on the dynamics. In particular, we demonstrate that it is necessary to include a stochastic forcing term in Burgers' equation to accurately capture the correct behavior of the system. The conclusion we draw from this study is that the fidelity of multiscale methods that couple disparate algorithms depends on the consistent modeling of fluctuations in each algorithm and on a coupling, such as algorithm refinement, that preserves this consistency.
“Speaking Up” and “Speaking Out”: Examining “Voice” in a Reading/Writing Program with Adolescent African Caribbean Girls:

This account examines three significant moments in a weekly reading and writing workshop in order to reflect on the problematic notion of “coming to voice” for African Caribbean girls aged 14 to 15...
A new geometry-based plan for inserting flexible needles to reach multiple targets

The tip of a flexible needle with a bevel tip approximately follows a planar arc when it is inserted into soft tissue only with the force applied to the needle along the needle axis. The direction of the arc can be controlled by the rotation input around the needle axis. This flexible and steerable needle has been shown to have a considerable potential in clinical applications due to its maneuverability and steerability. Beyond the needle insertion to a single destination, this paper concerns obtaining needle trajectories that reach multiple targets. Specifically, we propose an algorithm for the insertion of a flexible needle to travel from a single insertion point (i.e. port) to multiple targets. The insertion is motivated by the observation that multiple targets can be reached by the flexible needle through a combination of insertion, partial retraction, turning, and reinsertion of the flexible needle. In this paper we develop an insertion algorithm that minimizes tissue damage during the needle insertion to multiple targets. To this end, a cost function which computes the length of needle trajectory that can be thought of as the tissue damage is defined, and is minimized. Through the minimization, we find the optimal insertion parameters such as the port location, the insertion direction at the port, the targeting order, the turning angles, and the lengths of forward insertions and retractions. To reduce the computation time, we perform workspace analysis for this approach to filter out the no-solution cases. We present numerical examples of the simulated needle insertion for multiple targets with and without obstacles and show the benefit of the proposed method in terms of the tissue damage and the number of skin punctures. Extensions of the proposed approach to more complex cases such as more than three target points and maneuvering around spherical obstacles are also discussed.
Recommendations for a culturally relevant Internet-based tool to promote physical activity among overweight young African American women, Alabama, 2010-2011.

INTRODUCTION Innovative approaches are needed to promote physical activity among young adult overweight and obese African American women. We sought to describe key elements that African American women desire in a culturally relevant Internet-based tool to promote physical activity among overweight and obese young adult African American women. METHODS A mixed-method approach combining nominal group technique and traditional focus groups was used to elicit recommendations for the development of an Internet-based physical activity promotion tool. Participants, ages 19 to 30 years, were enrolled in a major university. Nominal group technique sessions were conducted to identify themes viewed as key features for inclusion in a culturally relevant Internet-based tool. Confirmatory focus groups were conducted to verify and elicit more in-depth information on the themes. RESULTS Twenty-nine women participated in nominal group (n = 13) and traditional focus group sessions (n = 16). Features that emerged to be included in a culturally relevant Internet-based physical activity promotion tool were personalized website pages, diverse body images on websites and in videos, motivational stories about physical activity and women similar to themselves in size and body shape, tips on hair care maintenance during physical activity, and online social support through social media (eg, Facebook, Twitter). CONCLUSION Incorporating existing social media tools and motivational stories from young adult African American women in Internet-based tools may increase the feasibility, acceptability, and success of Internet-based physical activity programs in this high-risk, understudied population.
A Systematic Classification Investigation of Rapid Intensification of Atlantic Tropical Cyclones with the SHIPS Database

AbstractIn hopes of better understanding the rapid intensification (RI) of tropical cyclones, the classification technique as a data mining process is used in this mining experiment. The mining results are expected to increase accurate forecasting abilities for RI through exhaustive data distillation. In this work, the Statistical Hurricane Intensity Prediction Scheme (SHIPS) database for the Atlantic basin during the period 1982–2009 is used as the data source and the Waikato Environment for Knowledge Analysis (WEKA) software is used for various classifier implementations. As in most classification applications, accuracies in model building with training data may be high. However, accuracies with testing data usually deteriorate. Various special steps are carried out in an effort to improve the accuracy. These steps include setting the cost parameters for overcoming the unbalanced RI samples, temporal averages of variable values for more accurate environmental estimation, feature filtering for irrelevant...
THE HIGH MOUNTED BRAKE LAMP: A CAUSE WITHOUT A THEORY.

Studies are described that formed the basis for the Federal high mounted brake light standard and some that have been done since. One purpose of this paper is to show how some details of the new Standard are hard to derive based on the underlying research. In addition, there was no adequate theory of driver performance upon which the standard was based. Although experimental field studies forecast reductions in rear-end crashes of about 50%, analyses of actual reductions in rear-end crashes since the standard took effect estimated them to be 22% to 3.5%.
Selection on codon bias

In a wide variety of organisms, synonymous codons are used with different frequencies, a phenomenon known as codon bias. Population genetic studies have shown that synonymous sites are under weak selection and that codon bias is maintained by a balance between selection, mutation, and genetic drift. It appears that the major cause for selection on codon bias is that certain preferred codons are translated more accurately and/or efficiently. However, additional and sometimes maybe even contradictory selective forces appear to affect codon usage as well. In this review, we discuss the current understanding of the ways in which natural selection participates in the creation and maintenance of codon bias. We also raise several open questions: (i ) Is natural selection weak independently of the level of codon bias? It is possible that selection for preferred codons is weak only when codon bias approaches equilibrium and may be quite strong on genes with codon bias levels that are much lower and/or above equilibrium. (ii ) What determines the identity of the major codons? (iii ) How do shifts in codon bias occur? (iv) What is the exact nature of selection on codon bias? We discuss these questions in depth and offer some ideas on how they can be addressed using a combination of computational and experimental analyses.
Vaginal birth of twins after a previous Cesarean section.

Objective : To determine whether a vaginal birth of twins after a Cesarean section carried greater risk than for a singleton gestation as well as determining whether there was a similar likelihood of successful vaginal birth. Methods : A retrospective study was carried out of all twin pregnancies in which vaginal birth was attempted after a Cesarean section, in 1991-99. The next three consecutive singleton pregnancies in which vaginal birth was attempted after a Cesarean section were also evaluated. Comparisons were made for successful vaginal birth after Cesarean section complications (blood loss, uterine rupture or dehiscence, hysterectomy, chorioamnionitis and neonatal morbidity). Where appropriate, &#104 2 tests of association or Student's t tests were used. Significance was set at p < 0.05. Results : A total of 19 twin pregnancies met the study criteria. There were 57 controls. Gestational ages differed slightly (twin pregnancies, 36.3 weeks; controls, 39.3 weeks). The success rate of vaginal birth a...
Influence of Undegradability of Protein in the Diet on Intake, Daily Gain, Feed Efficiency, and Body Composition of Holstein Heifers

Thirty-two Holstein heifers with body weights (BW) between 213 and 231 kg were randomly assigned to one of four treatments for the 50-d trial. Treatments consisted of four percentages of rumen-undegradable protein (RUP) (31, 43, 50, and 55% of total N) at 100% of National Research Council recommendations for total digestible nutrients and crude protein. Total mixed diets composed of corn silage, ground barley straw, soybean meal, blood meal, urea, and minerals were formulated for a mean daily BW gain of 0.60 kg. Ration RUP percentage was varied by shifting protein sources. Mean dry matter intake (grams per kilogram of BW0.75) was 97.6, 84.4, 77.8, and 73.5 for 31% RUP (soybean meal), 43% RUP (blood and soybean meal), 50% RUP (blood meal with urea), and 55% RUP (blood meal) treatments, respectively. Daily gain was 0.84, 0.89, 0.91, and 0.96 kg/d, respectively. Intake of digestible energy (megacalories per kilogram of BW0.75 per day) was 0.28, 0.24, 0.22, and 0.21, respectively, and feed efficiency (megacalories of digestible energy per kilogram of BW gain) was 20.6, 16.1, 15.2, and 13.3, respectively. Dry matter intake (grams per kilogram of BW0.75), digestible energy intake, feed efficiency, daily BW gain, and hip height differed with respect to treatment. There were no differences in growth, wither height, or heart girth because of treatments. Changes in percentage of empty body fat as estimated by urea space procedures was 6.73, 4.67, 6.67, and 7.32, respectively, and did not differ with respect to treatments. These results indicate that increasing the RUP percentage in the diets of growing heifers improves feed efficiency and increases BW gain.
Application of acute maximal exercise to protect orthostatic tolerance after simulated microgravity

We tested the hypothesis that one bout of maximal exercise performed at the conclusion of prolonged simulated microgravity would improve blood pressure stability during an orthostatic challenge. Heart rate (HR), mean arterial blood pressure (MAP), norepinephrine (NE), epinephrine (E), arginine vasopressin (AVP), plasma renin activity (PRA), atrial natriuretic peptide (ANP), cardiac output (Q), forearm vascular resistance (FVR), and changes in leg volume were measured during lower body negative pressure (LBNP) to presyncope in seven subjects immediately prior to reambulation from 16 days of 6 degrees head-down tilt (HDT) under two experimental conditions: 1) after maximal supine cycle ergometry performed 24 h before returning to the upright posture (exercise) and 2) without exercise (control). After HDT, the reduction of LBNP tolerance time from pre-HDT levels was greater (P = 0.041) in the control condition (-2.0 +/- 0.2 min) compared with the exercise condition (-0.4 +/- 0.2 min). At presyncope after HDT, FVR and NE were higher (P < 0.05) after exercise compared with control, whereas MAP, HR, E, AVP, PRA, ANP, and leg volume were similar in both conditions. Plasma volume (PV) and carotid-cardiac baroreflex sensitivity were reduced after control HDT, but were restored by the exercise treatment. Maintenance of orthostatic tolerance by application of acute intense exercise after 16 days of simulated microgravity was associated with greater circulating levels of NE, vasoconstriction, Q, baroreflex sensitivity, and PV.
Equity Issues and the Disappearing Rights Offer Phenomenon

This article presents a theoretical model based on the Myers-Majluf framework that attempts to explain the choice of public companies among alternative methods for issuing seasoned equity primarily in terms of differences in “information-asymmetry” and “adverse selection” costs. The key insight is that a “pure” (or uninsured) rights offering is likely to be the lowest-cost flotation method only in cases where a large fraction of current shareholders are expected to subscribe to the offering (i.e., only when expected shareholder takeup is high). In such cases, direct flotation costs are much lower than those associated with book-built underwritten offerings to (mainly) new investors. Even more important, because heavily subscribed rights offerings also involve minimal potential for transfer of wealth between existing and new shareholders (since they are mostly the same people), adverse selection costs are not a concern. But as the expected shareholder takeup falls—say, because increases in corporate size cause risk-averse, wealth-constrained shareholders to diversify their investments—the potential for costly wealth transfers from issuing mis-priced equity leads companies to consider underwriter certification of the new issue. This is evidenced in the data by a systematic move from pure rights offerings first towards rights with standby underwriting as shareholder takeup falls and—for sufficiently low shareholder takeup—to fully marketed firm commitment offerings. This adverse selection framework for corporate equity issuance can be used to explain a number of well-documented phenomena in financial markets: • the disappearance of rights offerings among publicly traded U.S. industrial companies, as well as the notable switch by such companies in all developed economies from pure rights to underwritten offers, as growth leads to less concentrated ownership structure; • the continuing widespread use of rights issues in foreign jurisdictions characterized by smaller and relatively closely held firms; • the more frequent use of rights by public utilities (with less discretion over issue policy and more limited possibilities for wealth transfers) than industrial issuers; • the use of large shareholder subscription precommitments (to signal high shareholder takeup) in pure rights but not in standby rights offers; • the neutral average market response to announcements of pure rights offerings, as compared to the negative response to standby rights offerings, and the still more negative reactions to firm commitment underwritten offerings; • the absence in cases of pure rights offers of the stock price runups that precede firm commitments and, to a lesser extent, standbys; and • the preference of financially distressed companies for rights offers (as a last resort).
A clash of rights: should smoking tobacco products in public places be legally banned?

There is little question that smoking tobacco products is an important contributor to the development of many kinds of cancer, as well as to morbidity through its effects on lungs, blood vessels, and other vital organs and processes. Virtually all thoracic surgeons advise their patients who smoke to stop smoking because of the risks it poses to health, both short-term and long-term. Yet, it is a valid question to ask whether or not or to what extent these medical facts constitute justification of coercive action against smokers through enactment of laws. There seems to be strong sentiment among thoracic surgeons in support of such laws, probably driven largely by their personal experiences with the pathology that smoking visits on those who are exposed to it. They are not as vocal, however, about the need for laws to control other destructive habits, such as eating too much (obesity is also a major cause of morbidity) or drinking too much (prohibition of alcohol early in the last century was not notably successful in reducing the damage caused by drinking, and was eventually repealed). Much discussion in the popular media and medical literature has focused on what might be gained by legal prohibition of smoking in public places, but relatively little discussion has focused on what might be lost by enacting such laws. To put the arguments of both sides of this issue on the table for our inspection and thoughtful consideration, we present the case of a conflicted legislator who is also a thoracic surgeon. The Case of the Ambivalent Surgeon Dr Thomas Brady, a thoracic surgeon, has never had strong political inclinations, but he is very concerned that politicians seem to have little appreciation of the complexities of the contemporary healthcare system. In a moment of what he would have considered lunacy when he was younger, he decided to run for public office. He
Physiological control of germline development.

The intersection between developmental programs and environmental conditions that alter physiology is a growing area of research interest. The C. elegans germ line is emerging as a particularly sensitive and powerful model for these studies. The germ line is subject to environmentally regulated diapause points that allow worms to withstand harsh conditions both prior to and after reproduction commences. It also responds to more subtle changes in physiological conditions. Recent studies demonstrate that different aspects of germ line development are sensitive to environmental and physiological changes and that conserved signaling pathways such as the AMPK, Insulin/IGF, TGFβ, and TOR-S6K, and nuclear hormone receptor pathways mediate this sensitivity. Some of these pathways genetically interact with but appear distinct from previously characterized mechanisms of germline cell fate control such as Notch signaling. Here, we review several aspects of hermaphrodite germline development in the context of “feasting,” “food-limited,” and “fasting” conditions. We also consider connections between lifespan, metabolism and the germ line, and we comment on special considerations for examining germline development under altered environmental and physiological conditions. Finally, we summarize the major outstanding questions in the field.
Artificial neural networks for 3-D motion analysis-Part II: Nonrigid motion

For pt. I see ibid., p. 1386-93 (1995). An approach applying artificial neural net techniques to 3D nonrigid motion analysis is proposed. The 3D nonrigid motion of the left ventricle of a human heart is examined using biplanar cineangiography data, consisting of 3D coordinates of 30 coronary artery bifurcation points of the left ventricle and the correspondences of these points taken over 10 time instants during the heart cardiac cycle. The motion is decomposed into global rigid motion and a set of local nonrigid deformations which are coupled with the global motion. The global rigid motion can be estimated precisely as a translation vecto and a rotation matrix. Local nonrigid deformation estimation is discussed. A set of neural nets similar in structure and dynamics but different in physical size is proposed to tackle the problem of nonrigidity. These neural networks are interconnected through feedbacks. The activation function of the output layer is selected so that a feedback is involved in the output updating. The constraints are specified to ensure stable and globally consistent estimation. The objective is to find the optimal deformation matrices that satisfy the constraints for all coronary artery bifurcation points of the left ventricle. The proposed neural networks differ from other existing neural network models in their unique structure and dynamics. >
Mathematics education as sociopolitical: prospective teachers’ views of the What, Who, and How

In this article, I introduce a framework—the What, Who, and How of mathematics—that emerged from studying my teaching of prospective teachers and their views of the social and political dimensions of mathematics teaching and learning. The What, Who, How framework asks us to consider What messages we send about mathematics and the world, Whose perspectives are represented in mathematics, and How mathematical concepts and our world are related. I situate each aspect of the framework in the literature on social justice and critical mathematics and provide examples of prospective teachers’ views. The What, Who, How serves as a tool to understand prospective teachers’ views, to navigate a broad range of literature on social justice mathematics, and a means of informing the practice of teachers and teacher educators.
Elucidation and Pharmacological Targeting of Novel Molecular Drivers of Follicular Lymphoma Progression

Follicular lymphoma, the most common indolent subtype of non-Hodgkin lymphoma, is associated with a relatively long overall survival rate ranging from 6 to 10 years from the time of diagnosis. However, in 20% to 60% of follicular lymphoma patients, transformation to aggressive diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL) reduces median survival to only 1.2 years. The specific functional and genetic determinants of follicular lymphoma transformation remain elusive, and genomic alterations underlying disease advancement have only been identified for a subset of cases. Therefore, to identify candidate drivers of follicular lymphoma transformation, we performed systematic analysis of a B-cell-specific regulatory model exhibiting follicular lymphoma transformation signatures using the Master Regulator Inference algorithm (MARINa). This analysis revealed FOXM1, TFDP1, ATF5, HMGA1, and NFYB to be candidate master regulators (MR) contributing to disease progression. Accordingly, validation was achieved through synthetic lethality assays in which RNAi-mediated silencing of MRs individually or in combination reduced the viability of (14;18)-positive DLBCL (t-DLBCL) cells. Furthermore, specific combinations of small-molecule compounds targeting synergistic MR pairs induced loss of viability in t-DLBCL cells. Collectively, our findings indicate that MR analysis is a valuable method for identifying bona fide contributors to follicular lymphoma transformation and may therefore guide the selection of compounds to be used in combinatorial treatment strategies.
Compulsive Shift or Cultural Blind Drift? Literary Theory, Critical Rhetoric, Feminist Theory and Institutional Economics

Clearly one of the central organizing foci of Marc Tool’s contributions to institutional thought is the thesis put forward in his 1980 Presidential address to the Association for Institutional Thought where he argued that a compulsive shift towards institutional analysis was underway. He argued that the reactionary counter revolution going on at that time would not overtake this tendency (Tool 1986, p. 181-202). I think it is relatively safe to say that Tool’s observation was correct, but that some qualification and elaboration is required. The qualification is as follows—the move towards institutional analysis has occurred, but it has not been a move to institutional economics. Since Tool’s address the movement away from mainstream orthodoxy has increased. However the dominant tendency remains away from (or beyond) orthodoxy, not towards institutionalism. This tendency can be demonstrated by: 1) The increased interest in heterodox traditions, the proliferation (or fragmentation) of heterodox positions, and the creation of new proto-schools of thought—all building on themes recognizable within institutionalism. This increased interest in heterodoxy manifests itself in the formation of new scholarly organizations, the founding of new journals, and expanded discussions of institutionalist themes in existing journals within heterodoxy. 2) The serious reconsideration of the methodology of positive economics within the mainstream and the widespread consternation about and interest in reopening the question of methodology by mainstream and heterodox methodologists, historians of thought, economic historians and those interested in the philosophical foundations of economics. 3) The increased interest by orthodox economists in the creation of social institutions, the processes of institutional adjustment, and the evolution of economic systems. This interest can be seen by the growth of such sub-fields as public choice, transactions cost analysis, law and economics, and property rights theorizing increasingly identified as the “new institutionalism.” 4) The increased interest in conservative alternatives to orthodox economics such as Austrian economics.
Influence of Internet in Students’ Attention to Lectures in Classrooms Equipped with Computers

To investigate whether students pay attention to the lecture when they are in classrooms equipped with computers, I observed the behavior of 43 students in two distinct undergraduate courses in a Southeastern university during eight class periods. I recorded whether students were surfing the internet during the class period or paying attention to the lecture. Results indicate that the majority of students were not surfing the internet. However, some students surfing the internet were also able to take notes of the lecture. Results also show that the number of students surfing the internet decreased as the lecture progressed. I discuss some possible reasons for the observed patterns of behavior.
Enhancing direct laser patterning of Si wafers by polystyrene films

Interferential irradiation of high power laser pulses can produce arrays of periodic nanostructures on surfaces. Patterning Si wafers directly by high power laser pulses indicates that the trench depth is limited to the laser pulse intensity. We present our recent studies on direct laser patterning of polystyrene coated Si wafers, which are irradiated interferentially by high power laser pulses. Polystyrene films were formed on silicon wafers with thickness controlled based on a previously developed method. Interferential irradiations of laser pulses are applied on the polystyrene coated Si wafer. The laser pulse intensities are varied along with other interferential parameters such as interference angle and laser wavelengths of 532, 355, and 266nm. The polystyrene film is dissolved to expose the patterned Si surfaces. Atomic force microscopy (AFM) images from the patterned Si surfaces indicate that the area covered with the films has trenches deeper than those on bare Si wafers patterned at the same laser intensity. Furthermore, studies of AFM images indicate that the thicker the polystyrene coating, the deeper the trenches that are produced by direct laser patterning Si surfaces. The enhancement and modification due to polymer films may enhance the security features by improving the quality of holograms.
Chronic cutaneous chest wall fistula and gallstone empyema due to retained gallstones.

We report a case of a 72-year-old man who presented with a persistent pleural effusion and painful abscess in the right lower chest wall 6 months following a laparoscopic cholecystectomy. The patient subsequently developed a chronic cutaneous chest wall fistula requiring a large resection and complex closure. The complication was likely secondary to intraoperative spillage of gallstones. While previous reports describe gallstone spillage in the abdominal cavity as benign, this case illustrates that stones left in the abdominal cavity can potentially lead to significant morbidity. Therefore, stones should be diligently removed from the abdominal cavity when spillage occurs. In addition, it is important that operative notes reflect the occurrence of stone spillage so stones may be suspected when a patient presents with an abdominal or thoracic infection following a cholecystectomy.
Successful Photographic Techniques through Night Vision Devices

The storage of information on photographic film has long served the scientist in maintaining and preserving a permanent record of experiments. In our particular field of endeavor, electro-optics, the role of photography has been of particular importance. To demonstrate a night vision device to a large group of people requires either a large dark room or that you take these people into the field at night. The use of motion pictures and still photographs allows us to demonstrate our developmental achievements at any time as well as allowing us to preserve a permanent record of system performance throughout its developmental life.