cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Differential executive functioning in young adulthood as a function of experienced child abuse

Abstract Introduction Previous research has shown cognitive dysfunction in adults with a history of child abuse. The purpose of the present study was to measure differences that exist in executive functioning skills between individuals who have been abused as children versus those without the history of childhood abuse. Methods The present study recruited 43 students from the University of North Dakota (33 women) between ages 18 and 23 years of age. The participants were administered several prescreening measures, including a measure of physical child abuse, emotional child abuse, and sexual child abuse. Based on responses to these measures, participants were grouped into a no-child-abuse group, a mild-child-abuse group, or a moderate-to-severe child abuse group. All participants were administered measures of executive functioning that included the Wisconsin Card Sorting Task, the Operation Span Task, and the Connors Continuous Performance Task with a simultaneous recording of electroencephalographic activity using a wireless 9 channel EEG system. Results There was a statistically significant main effect of child abuse group (no child abuse vs. moderate-to-high child abuse) for the EEG-derived probability of cognitive workload during the OSPAN. Beta bandwidths for individuals in the drug abuse group, which served as a covariate, were also found to be significantly attenuated during the Connors CPT. Conclusion Individuals that have been abused as children must use significantly more mental effort to complete executive functioning tasks as compared to their non-abused counterparts. Increased neurological effort could be used to explain poor decision-making skills that are common within the population.
Answer to October 2017 Photo Quiz.

Answer: Scedosporium prolificans . Scedosporium prolificans is a filamentous fungus that was discovered in greenhouse soil in 1974 ([1][1]). Scedosporium species are ubiquitous saprophytic fungi found in soil and polluted water. Infection is acquired following traumatic implantation or aspiration of
Allografts and Xenografts for Periodontal Plastic Surgical Procedures

The selection of surgical techniques and grafting materials is undoubtedly a critical component in the treatment of gingival recession defects. In order to provide top quality care, dental professionals are always in pursuit of treatment modality that provides maximal efficacy and predictability with minimal patient morbidity. The subepithelial connective tissue graft procedure, the gold standard, has been consistently proven to show excellent root coverage, but limited palatal tissue availability and potential morbidity associated with the harvesting process push dental practitioners to seek an alternative. The same holds true for peri-implant tissues—while autogenous grafts have served our purpose well, alternatives that can achieve similar results while avoiding a second intraoral wound (the donor sites) are preferred. The purpose of this review of recent studies is to evaluate the effectiveness and predictability of allografts and xenografts for root coverage procedures and around dental implants. The electronic database search was limited to the past 5 years and to the studies addressing root coverage procedures in the Miller class I and II gingival recession (even though the 2017 International Workshop suggested a new classification, the majority of research projects use the classic Miller classification). Search was also made for studies addressing soft tissue treatment around implants that were published during the same period. A total of 30 human clinical trials involving allografts (mainly acellular dermal matrix and placental membranes) and xenografts (porcine-derived collagen matrix) for treatment of gingival recession and a total of 19 clinical studies using allografts and xenografts to improve soft tissue quality around implants were selected. Based on the selected studies, acellular dermal matrix in combination with various flap designs appears to produce results similar to autogenous grafts in terms of mean root coverage and width of keratinized tissue. Other grafting materials, while less effective compared to autogenous grafts, still show some promise especially in patient-centered outcomes. For soft tissue quality improvement around implant sites, allografts and xenografts in general provide satisfactory clinical results. Multicenter, randomized clinical studies with large numbers of individuals and long-term outcomes may provide the most realistic answer for this topic.
Economics of Super-Intensive Recirculating Shrimp Production Systems

Abstract This chapter introduces tools to evaluate the economic feasibility of super-intensive recirculating shrimp production systems. Enterprise budgeting is used to develop a bio-economic model, including system design, capital investment, economies of scale, cost of production, net returns, and return on investment. Net present values and internal rates of return are presented. Several system sizes are compared to determine their effects on financial indicators. General marketing principles are introduced as a prelude to conducting price sensitivity analyses and discussing their effects on financial indicators.
Society and Speech-for-Self

This chapter discusses society in relation to language, undoubtedly the one single phenomenon that is preferentially adduced to explain the specific nature of human societies. In my estimation, this type of thinking puts the cart before the horse. I have argued a similar point many years ago in discussing the results of intensive research of deaf children (Furth, 1966). Whereas there I had to establish human logic as prior to the logical use of language, I argue here that societal relations must be presupposed and have to be present in the child’s mind prior to language to make societal language intelligible in the first place. Study 6 is intended to provide evidence for this view from a developmental constructivist perspective.
Phylogenomics and the Genetic Architecture of the Placental Mammal Radiation

The genomes of placental mammals are being sequenced at an unprecedented rate. Alignments of hundreds, and one day thousands, of genomes spanning the rich living and extinct diversity of species offer unparalleled power to resolve phylogenetic controversies, identify genomic innovations of adaptation, and dissect the genetic architecture of reproductive isolation. We highlight outstanding questions about the earliest phases of placental mammal diversification and the promise of newer methods, as well as remaining challenges, toward using whole genome data to resolve placental mammal phylogeny. The next phase of mammalian comparative genomics will see the completion and application of finished-quality, gapless genome assemblies from many ordinal lineages and closely related species. Interspecific comparisons between the most hypervariable genomic loci will likely reveal large, but heretofore mostly underappreciated, effects on population divergence, morphological innovation, and the origin of new species.
Preoperative Radiographic Predictors of Hearing Preservation After Retrosigmoid Resection of Vestibular Schwannomas.

ObjectiveTo identify preoperative radiographic predictors of hearing preservation (HP) after retrosigmoid resection of vestibular schwannomas (VSs).Study DesignRetrospective case series with chart ...
Narrativity and Referential Activity Predict Episodic Memory Strength in Autobiographical Memories.

Narrativity has been proposed as an indicator of episodic memory strength when people discuss their past (Nelson and Horowitz in Discourse Processes 31:307–324, 2001. https://doi.org/10.1207/S15326950dp31-3_5 ). Referential Activity, the extent to which words convey a speaker's experience of being present in the event being described, has been independently hypothesized to indicate episodic memory strength (Maskit in J Psycholinguist Res, 2021. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10936-021-09761-8 ). These hypotheses are tested using a linguistic measure of narrativity and a computerized measure of referential activity to predict previous independent ratings of episodic memory strength that used the Levine et al. (Psychol Aging 17(4):677–689, 2002. https://doi.org/10.1037//0882-7974.17.4.677 ) measure of internal details in retold personal memories provided by Schacter (Addis et al. in Psychol Sci 19(1):33–41, 2008. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-9280.2008.02043.x ). Raters scored narrativity on four brief near and far past memories elicited from 32 subjects, using Nelson's narrative temporal sequence method based on Labov’s (J Narrat Life Hist 7(1–4):395–415, 1997. https://doi.org/10.1075/jnlh.7.49som ) analysis of spoken narratives of personal experience; computerized weighted scores of referential activity (WRAD) were obtained on these same 128 memories. Data analysis showed that narrative temporal sequences predict internal details and WRAD predict internal details. Adding WRAD to narrative temporal sequences improved the prediction of internal details.
GABAergic dysfunction, neural network hyperactivity and memory impairments in human aging and Alzheimer's disease.

In this review, we focus on the potential role of the γ-aminobutyric acidergic (GABAergic) system in age-related episodic memory impairments in humans, with a particular focus on Alzheimer's disease (AD). Well-established animal models have shown that GABA plays a central role in regulating and synchronizing neuronal signaling in the hippocampus, a brain area critical for episodic memory that undergoes early and significant morphologic and functional changes in the course of AD. Neuroimaging research in humans has documented hyperactivity in the hippocampus and losses of resting state functional connectivity in the Default Mode Network, a network that itself prominently includes the hippocampus-presaging episodic memory decline in individuals at-risk for AD. Apolipoprotein e4, the highest genetic risk factor for AD, is associated with GABAergic dysfunction in animal models, and episodic memory impairments in humans. In combination, these findings suggest that GABA may be the linchpin in a complex system of factors that eventually leads to the principal clinical hallmark of AD: episodic memory loss. Here, we will review the current state of literature supporting this hypothesis. First, we will focus on the molecular and cellular basis of the GABAergic system and its role in memory and cognition. Next, we report the evidence of GABA dysregulations in AD and normal aging, both in animal models and human studies. Finally, we outline a model of GABAergic dysfunction based on the results of functional neuroimaging studies in humans, which have shown hippocampal hyperactivity to episodic memory tasks concurrent with and even preceding AD diagnosis, along with factors that may modulate this association.
Salvage of a recalcitrant humeral shaft septic nonunion using a linked nail-plate fixation construct with intercalary allograft.

Open humeral shaft fractures comprise approximately 2% of all fractures of the humerus. Nearly 20% of open humeral shaft fractures will develop deep infection, increasing the risk of nonunion regardless of treatment method. Recalcitrant septic nonunion of the humeral shaft is a complex and challenging problem. Operative treatment should aim to eradicate infection, address bony defects, and establish a stable construct that affords early motion. We describe the case of a 38-year-old male with a recalcitrant humeral shaft septic nonunion following fixation of an open humeral shaft fracture. Management of the infection consisted of periodic surgical debridement and IV antibiotics, resulting in a 10 cm segmental defect. Definitive fixation was achieved using the combination of an antegrade intramedullary nail, intercalary femoral shaft allograft, compression plating, and autologous bone graft. In addition to achieving bony union, the patient regained his pre-injury ROM and function, which was clinically sustained at 2-year follow-up.
Earliest Evidence of Marine Habitat Use by Mammals

Evidence for the earliest invasion of the marine realm by mammals was previously restricted to Eocene (48.6–37.8 Ma) skeletal remains. We report incontrovertible ichnofossil evidence for brackish-water habitat use by at least two mammalian species in southern Wyoming during the late Paleocene (58 Ma). These are the first Paleocene mammal trackways recorded in the United States and only the fourth documented in the world. Multiple tracks preserved in restricted marine deposits represent animals repeatedly walking across submerged to partially emergent tidal flats. Hundreds of tracks are preserved in planform and cross-sectional exposure within five horizons along a 1032 m tracksite. Four prints exhibit five clear toe imprints, while two others distinctly display four toes. Some tracks penetrate beds populated by dwelling traces of marine bivalves and polychaetes in the upper layers and sea anemones at the base. Candidates for the five-toed tracemakers are pantodonts such as Titanoides, Barylambda, and Coryphodon, which have been recovered from late Paleocene strata throughout western North America. The four-toed tracks provide the earliest evidence of previously-undescribed large artiodactyls and/or tapiroids, mutually supporting recent molecular phylogenetic studies that place the origin of Cetartiodactyla near the Cretaceous-Paleogene boundary (~ 67.7 Ma). Collectively, these trackways irrefutably demonstrate the utility of ichnological data in reconstructing the evolutionary history and adaptive behaviors of extinct taxa beyond the evidence provided by body fossils alone.
Supply Chain Concentration and Cost of Capital

This study examines the impact of supply chain concentration on firm’s financing costs. We show that purchasing firms engaging in multiple supplier relationships are subject to higher firm risk and cost of equity. This effect is more pronounced when the supplier’s financial performance deteriorates or when the purchasing firm’s purchase demand is large. We also provide evidence that lower supply chain concentration increases firm’s cost of debt. Lenders charge higher interest rate on the bank loans to compensate for additional risk implied from managing multiple supplier relationships, in particular when the loan is unsecured. Finally, our results are robust to combining the suppliers producing similar output and endogeneity issues.
From atomic clocks and gyroscopes to human lung imaging: the improbable course of DoD-supported research on optically-polarized spins

Summary form only given. The original rationale was to perfect high-quality atomic frequency standards, based on optically pumped Rb or Cs gas cells. This led to the successful development of practical atomic clocks that are widely used today, for example, in GPS satellites. Optically pumped magnetometers were another successful product of this research. The basic research and development involved in studies of spin-exchange polarization of noble-gas nuclei led to the development of magnetic resonance imaging of human lungs.
Hop Kilning Temperature Sensitivity of Dextrin-Reducing Enzymes in Hops

Kilning represents a considerable energy input in the production of hops and has a direct impact on hop quality. This study investigates how kilning temperature impacts the dextrin-reducing enzymes...
Lessons learned from a pilot intuitive eating intervention for college women delivered through group and guided self-help: qualitative and process data

Although disordered eating is prevalent in college women, most will not receive treatment, and existing approaches have limitations. Thus, novel and accessible approaches are warranted. However, few behavioral health interventions progress beyond initial implementation, underscoring the importance of feasibility and acceptability data to guide intervention development and refinement. Stakeholder perspectives can enrich these data, as they can highlight potential mechanisms to investigate in larger randomized-controlled trials (RCTs). The current study examined participant and leader feedback from an 8-week pilot intuitive eating (IE) intervention for college women with disordered eating delivered through group and guided self-help (GSH) modalities. Participants (N = 71) and leaders (N = 8) completed anonymous weekly surveys and exit questionnaires. Overall, the intervention was acceptable and feasible for both participants and leaders. Unique benefits of each modality, such as validation and support in group, and individualization and convenience in GSH, contributed to participant satisfaction and efficacy. Moreover, potential mechanisms of intervention effects, such as interoceptive awareness and self-compassion, were cited in both conditions, and should be explored in a future, fully-powered RCT. Areas for potential refinement include extending the intervention, assessing a hybrid treatment, online delivery, and careful design of a control condition to isolate the intervention's mechanisms of change.
First Amendment Sentence Mitigation: Beyond a Public Accountability Defense for Whistleblowers

Public accountability defenses for whistle-blowers who reveal national security information to the media or the public have largely failed. Courts have rejected such arguments and Congress has not provided a statutory defense. This Article argues that the appropriate place to consider public accountability factors in whistle-blower cases is at sentencing. Courts can take, and have taken, substantive First Amendment rights into consideration at sentencing as mitigating factors. Courts do so rarely and cautiously, usually in moments of perceived breakdown in the political processes that facilitate the more typical role of individual rights as limits on government action. Examining historical sentencing practices in fugitive slave rescue and conscientious objector cases, this Article demonstrates the historical validity of taking substantive constitutional interests into account at sentencing — and that the constitution does not evaporate with a verdict. This Article also argues that a moment of breakdown is occurring with regards to the Espionage Act and use of rights as limitations on government action. Because of this failure, courts should implement sentence mitigation on the basis of First Amendment interests in whistle-blower cases, providing an immediate pragmatic solution and potentially prompting a more sustainable long-term approach to government whistle-blowers.
The German Misappropriation Origins of Trademark Antidilution Doctrine: A Translation of the 1924 Odol Opinion of the Landgericht Elberfeld, Transition and Coherence in Intellectual Property Law: Essays in Honour of Annette Kur (Niklas Bruun, Graeme B. Dinwoodie, Marianne Levin & Ansgar Ohly eds., 2021)

The 1924 opinion of the Elberfeld Landgericht in the Odol case is the foundational text of the concept of trademark dilution. The American lawyer Frank Schechter relied heavily on it in his seminal 1927 article The Rational Basis of Trademark Protection. As part of a Festschrift honoring Prof. Dr. Annette Kur, this chapter presents a full English translation of the Odol opinion side-by-side with the original German text. As the opinion makes clear, Odol was not a trademark case. It was a misappropriation case that happened to involve a trademark. Though Schechter quoted extensively from the Odol opinion in his 1927 article, he took pains to conceal the fact that the case was based on misappropriation law, going so far as to omit and replace with an internal ellipsis the opinion’s core holding, that it is “contrary to good morals to appropriate the fruits of another’s labor” by using another’s famous mark. Schechter bowdlerized the Odol opinion in this manner apparently to conform the concept of dilution to the prevailing legal realism of his time. His distortion of the Odol case is likely at least partly responsible for the great muddle of confusion that has surrounded the concept of trademark dilution ever since.
Focusing light into scattering media with ultrasound-induced field perturbation.

Focusing light into scattering media, although challenging, is highly desirable in many realms. With the invention of time-reversed ultrasonically encoded (TRUE) optical focusing, acousto-optic modulation was demonstrated as a promising guidestar mechanism for achieving noninvasive and addressable optical focusing into scattering media. Here, we report a new ultrasound-assisted technique, ultrasound-induced field perturbation optical focusing, abbreviated as UFP. Unlike in conventional TRUE optical focusing, where only the weak frequency-shifted first-order diffracted photons due to acousto-optic modulation are useful, here UFP leverages the brighter zeroth-order photons diffracted by an ultrasonic guidestar as information carriers to guide optical focusing. We find that the zeroth-order diffracted photons, although not frequency-shifted, do have a field perturbation caused by the existence of the ultrasonic guidestar. By detecting and time-reversing the differential field of the frequency-unshifted photons when the ultrasound is alternately ON and OFF, we can focus light to the position where the field perturbation occurs inside the scattering medium. We demonstrate here that UFP optical focusing has superior performance to conventional TRUE optical focusing, which benefits from the more intense zeroth-order photons. We further show that UFP optical focusing can be easily and flexibly developed into double-shot realization or even single-shot realization, which is desirable for high-speed wavefront shaping. This new method upsets conventional thinking on the utility of an ultrasonic guidestar and broadens the horizon of light control in scattering media. We hope that it provides a more efficient and flexible mechanism for implementing ultrasound-guided wavefront shaping. A wavefront shaping technique with ultrasound-induced optical field perturbation is demonstrated, which provides an efficient and flexible mechanism to implement noninvasive and addressable optical focusing into scattering media.
Tissue and Organ Systems of Animals

The human red blood corpuscle (RBC) represents a highly differentiated structure adapted to serve in combining with, transporting, and releasing oxygen and carbon dioxide under appropriate conditions which involve the partial pressure of these gases in different regions of the body. The RBC is formed principally in the bone marrow and the stem cells have large numbers of polyribosomes for synthesizing hemoglobin, a complex protein-containing iron, which is its eventual major constituent. When fully formed, the RBC no longer has a nucleus or those organelles typical of other cells. In human males there are approximately 5.5 million RBC’s per cubic millimeter of blood, and each has a life span in the circulating blood of about four months. (The appearance of RBC’s in normal blood smears stained with the Giesma method is illustrated in Fig. 1. From such images, it is difficult to determine that the natural shape of the RBC in mammals is a biconcave disc. This shape, however, is clearly demonstrated in the SEM (Figs. 2 and 3).
On the Proper Definition of Cognitive Ethology

Publisher Summary This chapter discusses cognitive ethology. The study of cognitive processes in animals has emerged as a major field of study. The last 30 years have seen two scientific revolutions in the study of animal behavior. The first one was the cognitive revolution that originated in psychology, and second, the Darwinian behavioral ecology revolution that originated in biology. This had a tremendous impact on both psychologists and biologists. As a result, these two scientific research programs were combined into a single approach—simultaneously cognitive and Darwinian— and are most appropriately called cognitive ethology. The comparative psychology of cognition follows directly from the theory of evolution. It is highly probable that with mankind the intellectual faculties have been mainly and gradually perfected through natural selection. This is a very clear statement in favor of taking an evolutionary view of cognition. Each program has generated new sets of auxiliary hypotheses and, in the process of testing these hypotheses—and discarding and refining them as research proceeded—many new and unexpected phenomena have been uncovered. Several studies, observations, and examples have explained the progress of scientific research.
Agencies in Crisis?: An Examination of State and Federal Agency Emergency Powers

That state and federal agencies have emergency powers, is well known. Much less is known about the process and circumstances under which these powers are exercised — subjects that divide scholars into two theoretical camps. Scholars on one side assert that ample agency discretion in time of need is not only desirable, but it is laudable in the pursuit of efficiency and “deossification” of regulatory action. Scholars on the other side contend that emergency powers are so broadly granted, and representative procedure is so easily abandoned, that the inevitable result is agency unaccountability and aggrandizement. In response, this article presents new empirical research that shows a startling rise in the actual use of federal emergency power (the “good cause” exemption) and extensive use by certain state agencies of their comparable emergency rulemaking powers. After conducting a novel and comprehensive normative analysis, this article concludes by offering an approach to reharmonize the efficiency/public participation trade-off for emergency rulemaking at both the state and federal level: (i) to restrict federal agency emergency powers in language and structure and (ii) to increase agency flexibility at the state level. This article is incredibly timely, as not only has the general level of emergency rulemaking increased, but federal and state administrative agencies must now gird themselves for an increased burden on agencies that regulate health insurance programs. In this arena in particular, the empirical evidence reveals intense tension between administrative efficiency and public participation and a compelling need for an immediate rebalancing of these competing interests.
Tracking people in indoor environments

Tracking the movement of people in indoor environments is useful for a variety of applications including elderly care, study of shopper behavior in shopping centers, security etc. There have been several previous efforts at solving this problem but with limited success. Our approach uses inexpensive pressure sensors, placed in a specific manner, that allows us to identify multiple people. Given this information, our algorithm can track multiple people across the floor even in the presence of large sensor error. The algorithm we develop is evaluated for a variety of different movement patterns that include turning and path crossing. The error in correct path detection is shown to be very small even in the most complex movement scenario. We note that our algorithm does not use any a priori information such as weight, rfid tags, knowledge of number of people, etc.
Reliability analysis and comparison of two fail-op/fail-op/fail-safe architectures

Two different fault-tolerant architectural concepts for a computer node to be used in a distributed embedded environment have been developed to meet the requirements that the system can sustain at least two independent, nonsimulation hardware failures and remain operational. The architectures are distinguished by the organization of their fault-tolerant algorithm hardware. An analysis is made of these two architectures, and several issues on the reliability analysis of such complex architectures are addressed. Techniques are developed to reduce the complexity of the reliability model. An analysis of the interrelationship between the number of retries and their effect upon system reliability for different average transient lifetimes has also been performed. >
Representational Inequality in the U.S. States

This project uses multilevel modeling techniques to estimate state-level policy preferences for more and less affluent Americans. We then relate these preferences to actual state policy to assess the responsiveness of state policymakers to public preferences and the extent to which that responsiveness differs for the poor, the middle-class and the affluent. Finally, we examine the influence on representation and representational inequality of state-level characteristics like economic inequality, party competition, partisan polarization, campaign finance regulations, interest group environment, term limits, and legislative professionalization. This paper details our analytic strategy and presents some preliminary results based on the first 12 policy issues we have examined.
Improving Combinatorial Optimization Algorithms through Record Keeping in Constructive Multistart Search

Constructive multistart search algorithms are commonly used to address combinatorial optimization problems; however, constructive multistart search algorithm performance is fundamentally affected by two factors: i The choice of construction algorithm utilized and ii the rate of state space search redundancy. Construction algorithms are typically specific to a particular combinatorial optimization problem; therefore, we first investigate construction algorithms for iterative hill climbing applied to the traveling salesman problem and experimentally determine the best performing algorithms. We then investigate the more general problem of utilizing record-keeping mechanisms to mitigate state space search redundancy. Our research shows that a good choice of construction algorithm paired with effective record keeping significantly improves the quality of traveling salesmen problem solutions in a constant number of state explorations. Particularly, we show that Bloom filters considerably improve time performance and solution quality for iterative hill climbing approaches to the traveling salesman problem.
Effect of Sulfate and Organic Carbon Supplements on Reductive Dehalogenation of Chloroanilines in Anaerobic Aquifer Slurries

When di-, tri-, and tetrachloroaniline were incubated in methanogenic groundwater slurries, they were reductively dehalogenated by the aquifer microbiota. 2,3,4-Trichloroaniline was metabolized by two pathways. Primary dehalogenation occurred at either the meta or ortho position of this substrate to form 2,4- and 3,4-dichloroaniline, respectively. The latter chemical could be stoichiometrically converted to 3-chloroaniline. 2,3,4,5-Tetrachloroaniline was degraded by the sequential removal of halogens from the para and then the ortho position to form 3,5-dichloroaniline. An additional pathway was observed with this substrate when the aquifer slurries were amended with butyrate. That is, halogens could be removed from both the meta and ortho positions of tetrachloroaniline. The amendment of sulfate to methanogenic aquifer slurries slowed the rate of 2,3,4,5-tetrachloroaniline degradation and increased the amount of substrate channeled through the additional pathway. The reported intermediates or end products are identified by their chromatographic mobility and mass-spectral profiles.
Perturbation analysis of the equation for the transport of dissolved solids through porous media. II. Basic non-linear problem

Abstract Singular perturbation methods are used to treat analytically the problem of steady one-dimensional flow in a porous column, assuming non-linear exchange equilibrium and concentration-dependent diffusivity, when the Peclet number is large. The breakdown of the original problem into a non-linear outer problem, which is hyperbolic and of first order, and an inner problem which is equivalent to a set of ordinary differential equations, greatly facilitates analysis. The development and movement of concentration discontinuites (jumps) within the flow is examined via the outer expansion, the first term of which neglects diffusion entirely. The next term gives a first estimate of diffusion effects. It is found that material diffusing towards a discontinuity increases its speed, as would be expected. In the neighborhood of a discontinuity, a state of quasi-equilibrium exists between diffusion and convective effects due to the relative velocity between the characteristics and the discontinuity. A quasi-steady diffusion zone of thickness O (e) exists, in contrast to the zone, O ( e 1 2 t 1 2 ), which forms in the linear case. The first term of the inner expansion is matched both ahead of and behind the jump with the aid of only one arbitrary function of integration; the second function remains undetermined. At the next order, this function is evaluated as a shift of origin of the inner expansion to match the displacement of the jump due to diffusion. However, at this next order of matching, a new undetermined function appears. Extensions of the method to more general cases of non-linear, non-equilibrium exchange, and when source terms are present, are discussed briefly.
A 63 element 1.75 dimensional ultrasound phased array for the treatment of benign prostatic hyperplasia.

Prostate cancer and benign prostatic hyperplasia are very common diseases in older American men, thus having a reliable treatment modality for both diseases is of great importance. The currently used treating options, mainly surgical ones, have numerous complications, which include the many side effects that accompany such procedures, besides the invasive nature of such techniques. Focused ultrasound is a relatively new treating modality that is showing promising results in treating prostate cancer and benign prostatic hyperplasia. Thus this technique is gaining more attention in the past decade as a non-invasive method to treat both diseases. In this paper, the design, construction and evaluation of a 1.75 dimensional ultrasound phased array to be used for treating prostate cancer and benign prostatic hyperplasia is presented. With this array, the position of the focus can be controlled by changing the electrical power and phase to the individual elements for electronically focusing and steering in a three dimensional volume. The array was designed with a maximum steering angle of ± 13.5° in the transverse direction and a maximum depth of penetration of 11 cm, which allows the treatment of large prostates. The transducer piezoelectric ceramic, matching layers and cable impedance have been designed for maximum power transfer to tissue. To verify the capability of the transducer for focusing and steering, exposimetry was performed and the results correlated well with the calculated field. Ex vivo experiments using bovine tissue were performed with various lesion sizes and indicated the capability of the transducer to ablate tissue using short sonications. A 1.75 dimensional array, that overcame the drawbacks associated with one-dimensional arrays, has been designed, built and successfully tested. Design issues, such as cable and ceramic capacitances, were taken into account when designing this array. The final prototype overcame also the problem of generating grating lobes at unwanted locations by tapering the array elements.
Selective regulation of current densities underlies spontaneous changes in the activity of cultured neurons

We study the electrical activity patterns and the expression of conductances in adult stomatogastric ganglion (STG) neurons as a function of time in primary cell culture. When first plated in culture, these neurons had few active properties. After 1 d in culture they produced small action potentials that rapidly inactivated during maintained depolarization. After 2 d in culture they fired large action potentials tonically when depolarized, and their properties resembled very closely the properties of STG neurons pharmacologically isolated in the ganglion. After 3–4 d in culture, however, their electrical properties changed and they fired in bursts when depolarized. We characterized the currents expressed by these neurons in culture. They included two TTX-sensitive sodium currents, a calcium current, a delayed-rectifier-like current, a calcium-dependent potassium current, and two A-type currents. The changes in firing properties with time in culture were accompanied by an increase in inward and decrease in outward current densities. A single-compartment conductance-based model of an STG neuron was constructed by fitting the currents measured in the biological neurons. When the current densities in the model neuron were matched to those measured for the biological neurons in each activity state, the model neuron closely reproduced each state, indicating that the changes in current densities are sufficient to account for the changes in intrinsic properties. These data indicate that STG neurons isolated in culture change their intrinsic electrical properties by selectively adjusting the magnitudes of their ionic conductances.
Defect-tolerant adder circuits with nanoscale crossbars

Current manufacturing of molecular electronics introduces defects, but circuits can be implemented by including redundant components. We identify reliability thresholds for implementing binary adders in the crossbar approach to molecular electronics. These thresholds vary among different implementations of the same logical formula, giving a tradeoff between yield and circuit area. For instance, one implementation has at least 90% yield with up to 30% defects for an area 1.8 times larger than the minimum required for a defect-free crossbar.
Cytopathologic study as an aid to the diagnosis of vesicular dermatoses

Abstract The differential diagnosis of pemphigus vulgaris, erythema multiforme, bullous pemphigoid, herpes simplex, bullous lichen planus, and Darier's disease may be greatly aided by the study of smears made by scraping the lesions which occur in the oral cavity. The nature of the cytopathologic changes and the number, variety, and arrangement of cells in the smear must be thoughtfully correlated with the clinical features of each case and with the known histopathologic characteristics of the diseases in order to identify the specific disease. Early diagnosis is important, for the prognosis and therapy differ for the different conditions.
An X to K a -Band fully-integrated stacked power amplifier in 45 nm CMOS SOI technology

An X to K a -Band fully-integrated power amplifier (PA) designed with 8 stacked transistors is implemented in a 45 nm CMOS SOI technology. The stacked configuration allows the PA to deliver high output power over a wide bandwidth while each transistor is biased under low drain-source voltage. At 18 GHz, the PA under a bias supply of 9.6 V measures a saturated output power P SAT and linear output power P 1dB of 27 dBm (0.5 Watt) and 24.5 dBm, respectively, with a peak power-added efficiency PAE of 11.8%. For the frequencies measured from 10 to 32 GHz, the P SAT , and P 1dB are above 23.9 dBm and 18.8 dBm, respectively.
Extensions of the significance test for one-parameter signal detection hypotheses

The basic models of signal detection theory involve the parametric measure,d′, generally interpreted as a detectability index. Given two observers, one might wish to know whether their detectability indices are equal or unequal. Gourevitch and Galanter (1967) proposed a large sample statistical test that could be used to test the hypothesis of equald′ values. In this paper, their large two sample test is extended to aK-sample detection test. If the null hypothesisd 1′=d 2′=...=d K ′ is rejected, one can employ the post hoc confidence interval procedure described in this paper to locate possible statistically significant sources of variance and differences. In addition, it is shown how one can use the Gourevitch and Galanter statistics to testd′=0 for a single individual.
Frequency of foreshocks

IN February 1975, the Chinese Seismological Bureau successfully predicted a magnitude 7.3 earthquake near Haicheng, Liaoning Province. From their reports, it is obvious that many methods such as radon count, abnormal animal behaviour, seismic velocity, and tilt and telluric current anomalies were considered in making the long term prediction1. The short term prediction, however, was based primarily on foreshock activity2,3. That foreshocks were important in the prediction raises the question of how common they are. We here analyse the frequency of foreshocks before shallow earthquakes with magnitudes greater than 7. Our findings show that 44% of all large shallow events in the world from 1950 to 1973 had fore-shocks large enough to be teleseismidally recorded, and that 21% of the large earthquakes that occurred in China between 1900 and 1949 had foreshocks large enough to be noted in local records.
Cryotherapy for Conjunctival Lymphoid Tumors

Lymphoid tumors of the conjunctiva traditionally are treated with radiation therapy. Twelve patients with 42 lymphoid tumors were treated with liquid nitrogen spray and were followed up for 26 to 139 months (mean, 75 months). Twenty-eight (67%) tumors resolved with a single treatment, 39 (93%) with a second treatment, and 41 (98%) with a third treatment. Systemic lymphoma developed in two (17%) of 12 patients. These results are comparable to those with radiation therapy. The results of this case series indicate that cryotherapy for certain conjunctival lymphomatous tumors may be a viable option, because of fewer ocular and systemic complications and lower cost.
Departments of history

Bruce Gibb ponders a future without chemistry departments — and explains why this is a good thing.
Declining negative consequences related to alcohol misuse among students exposed to a social norms marketing intervention on a college campus

Objective: The authors examined whether alcohol-related negative consequences decreased among students exposed to an intervention. Participants: Beginning in 1999, approximately 2,500 randomly selected undergraduates from a 4-year US university annually participated in a Web-based survey over 6 years. Methods: The educational intervention used social norms initiatives. Main outcome measures included recall of intervention, estimated blood alcohol content (eBAC) when drinking, and 10 negative consequences from alcohol within the past year. Results: First-year students recalling exposure had lower odds of negative consequences (odds ratio [OR] = 0.78, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 0.64-0.95) and of having an eBAC higher than .08 (OR = 0.76, 95% CI = 0.62-0.92). Over the 6 study years, the odds among all participants of experiencing (a) none of 10 alcohol consequences nearly doubled (OR = 2.13, 95% CI = 1.82-2.49) and (b) multiple consequences decreased by more than half (OR = 0.43, 95% CI = 0.36-0.50). Con...
The role of stress state on hydrogen cracking in Fe-Si single crystals

Abstract While state-of-stress effects have long been known to play a major role in hydrogen embrittlement, there has been little direct evidence outside of thickness effects on threshold stress intensities. Also, there have been recent mechanisms proposed suggesting that enhanced plasticity effects may be more dominant than enhanced decohesion effects. If true, this would mandate different state of stress effects. The goal here was to settle this issue in at least one material, that being a semi-ductile, iron base single crystal. This was achieved by examining the crack initiation site under various loading and hydrogen interaction conditions in precracked Fe-3wt.%Si single crystals oriented in {001} and {001} . A strong dependency of hydrogen-induced cracking on the state of stress was evidenced by the consistent nature of a mid-section initiation stage and tunneling behaviour during crack propagation. This plane stress vs plane strain effect was quantified by analysing both small scale yielding and discretized dislocation computer solutions of the stress field. It was shown that the former did not provide sufficient stress and hydrogen in the local sense while the latter provided both high stress and hydrogen enrichment to cause decohesion. Finally, an assessment is made as to whether surface observations are helpful in sorting out the micromechanical aspects of cracking. This is addressed by examining surface plasticity with respect to the interior crack profile.
Heterogeneity in contact dynamics: Helpful or harmful to forwarding algorithms in DTNs?

In this paper we focus on how the heterogeneous contact dynamics of mobile nodes impact the performance of forwarding/routing algorithms in delay/disruption-tolerant networks (DTNs). To this end, we consider two representative heterogeneous network models, each of which captures heterogeneity among node pairs (individual) and heterogeneity in underlying environment (spatial), respectively, and examine the full extent of difference in delay performances they cause on forwarding/routing algorithms through formal stochastic comparisons. We first show that these heterogeneous models correctly capture non-Poisson contact dynamics observed in real traces. Then, we consider direct forwarding and multicopy two-hop relay protocol and rigorously establish stochastic/convex ordering relationships on their delay performances under these heterogeneous models and the corresponding homogeneous model, all of which have the same average inter-contact time over all node pairs. We show that heterogeneous models predict an entirely opposite ordering relationship in the delay performances depending on which of the two heterogeneities is captured. This suggests that merely capturing non-Poisson contact dynamics - even if the entire distribution of aggregated inter-contact time is precisely matched, is not enough and that one should carefully evaluate the performance of forwarding/routing algorithms under a properly chosen heterogeneous network setting. Our results will also be useful in correctly exploiting the underlying heterogeneity structure so as to achieve better performance in DTNs.
Properties of ZnO films deposited onto InP by spray pyrolysis

Abstract The properties of thin films of ZnO deposited onto single-crystal p-type InP by spray pyrolysis were investigated. The films are uniform and polycrystalline, and exhibit an optical transmission above 85%. The film sheet resistance exhibits a broad peak as a function of deposition temperature, and post-deposition annealing in hydrogen yields resistivities as low as (6−8)×10 -3 ωcm and sheet resistances of 85–100 ω/□. Variations in orientation, grain size, purity and stability as functions of spray parameters and post-deposition processing are presented, and the correlation between film structure, conductivity and stability is discussed.
Censor dot gov: the Internet and press freedom 2000

Abstract The rapidly growing volume of news and information on the Internet poses immediate problems for governments intent on influencing or controlling the ideas accessible in cyberspace. Old methods of censoring news and information are being remodeled to cope with the new communication technologies. This article examines some of the new methods of controlling information flows. These legislative and juridical actions in democratic as well as less-than-democratic states belie early assumptions that the content of Internet flows would be uncontrollable by governments. To place press freedom in context worldwide, the paper includes the latest (January 2000) Freedom House assessments in 186 countries. The study found that press controls are becoming subtler and less detectable in Europe, Latin America and where “Asian values” are projected to control internal and external news and information flows. For 400 years, governments learned to censor each new medium — newspapers, radio and television — as it appeared. The paper acknowledges that the Internet provides the greatest challenge to censors, but they are striving to master electronic forms of communication. The independence of the Internet, the study concludes, becomes the newest test of a government's will to encourage and sustain a free press.