cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Bone mass is preserved and cancellous architecture altered due to cyclic loading of the mouse tibia after orchidectomy.

Introduction: The study of adaptation to mechanical loading under osteopenic conditions is relevant to the development of osteoporotic fracture prevention strategies. We previously showed that loading increased cancellous bone volume fraction and trabecular thickness in normal male mice. In this study, we tested the hypothesis that cyclic mechanical loading of the mouse tibia inhibits orchidectomy (ORX)-associated cancellous bone loss. Materials and Methods: Ten-week-old male C57BL/6 mice had in vivo cyclic axial compressive loads applied to one tibia every day, 5 d/wk, for 6 wk after ORX or sham operation. Adaptation of proximal cancellous and diaphyseal cortical bone was characterized by μCT and dynamic histomorphometry. Comparisons were made between loaded and nonloaded contralateral limbs and between the limbs of ORX (n = 10), sham (n = 11), and basal (n = 12) groups and tested by two-factor ANOVA with interaction. Results: Cyclic loading inhibited bone loss after ORX, maintaining absolute bone mass at age-matched sham levels. Relative to sham, ORX resulted in significant loss of cancellous bone volume fraction (−78%) and trabecular number (−35%), increased trabecular separation (67%), no change in trabecular thickness, and smaller loss of diaphyseal cortical properties, consistent with other studies. Proximal cancellous bone volume fraction was greater with loading (ORX: 290%, sham: 68%) than in contralateral nonloaded tibias. Furthermore, trabeculae thickened with loading (ORX: 108%, sham: 48%). Dynamic cancellous bone histomorphometry indicated that loading was associated with greater mineral apposition rates (ORX: 32%, sham: 12%) and smaller percent mineralizing surfaces (ORX: −47%, sham: −39%) in the final week. Loading resulted in greater BMC (ORX: 21%, sham: 15%) and maximum moment of inertia (ORX: 39%, sham: 24%) at the cortical midshaft. Conclusions: This study shows that cancellous bone mass loss can be prevented by mechanical loading after hormonal compromise and supports further exploration of nonpharmacologic measures to prevent rapid-onset osteopenia and associated fractures.
Saltation through the blind spot

At least three localization illusions can be produced by varying the time relations between two stimuli. Two of these, phi motion and Bekesy’s illusion, have been induced in areas lacking receptors. To learn if this also occurred with the third illusion, sensory saltation, people reported their observations when Geldard’s visual rabbit was induced by stimulating points around the optic disk. The rabbit crossed the blind spot as well as other portions of the eyes, and the illusory point was often localized within the region of the blind spot. All three illusions can be localized in an area devoid of receptors.
Density-matrix functional method for electronic properties of impurities

We develop a density-matrix correlation-energy functional suitable for treating impurity sites with strong electronic correlations. The functional is based on a rigorous theorem about the form of such functionals as well as an exact inequality for the exchange-correlation energy. It is validated by comparison with exact results for small clusters, and is used to treat the electronic properties of an Anderson impurity in a random alloy.
Longitudinal nominal data analysis using marginalized models

Recently, marginalized transition models have become popular for the analysis of longitudinal data. Heagerty (2002) and Lee and Daniels (2007) proposed marginalized transition models for the analysis of longitudinal binary data and ordinal data, respectively. In this paper, we extend their work to accommodate longitudinal nominal data using a Markovian dependence structure. A Fisher-scoring algorithm is developed for estimation. Methods are illustrated with a real dataset and are compared with other standard methods.
Optoacoustic study of the infrared multiphoton excitation of ethylene

Abstract The optoacoustic effect was used to detect the infrared multiphoton excitation of ethylene as a function of laser wave length and laser energy fluence. The strong absorptions were observed at 949 cm −1 , 953 cm −1 and 939 cm −1 . The dependence of the energy absorption on the laser energy fluence shows that the absorption at 949 cm −1 is due to the resonance of the single quantum transition whereas the absorptions at 953 cm −1 and 939 cm −1 are due to the resonance of the double quantum transitions. The energy shift of the later transitions was explained in terms of Fermi resonance of the overtones of v 7 and v 8 modes. The onset of highly multiple quantum transitions were observed at high laser energy fluence.
Protein-Protein Docking with F2Dock 2.0 and GB-Rerank

Rezaul Chowdhury is with UT Austin; Muhibur Rasheed is with UT Austin; Maysam Moussalem is with UT Austin; Donald Keidel is with The Scripps Research Institute; Arthur Olson is with The Scripps Research Institute; Michel Sanner is with The Scripps Research Institute; Chandrajit Bajaj is with The Scripps Research Institute.
News sources and the Civil Rights Act of 1990

This study focuses on a topic for which news source diversity should be inherent: the reporting of civil rights legislation. A content analysis was conducted of all articles on the Civil Rights Act of 1990 published during 1990 in the Washington Post and the Atlanta Constitution. A total of 74 stories were coded for variables including source, affiliation, and description of the act The findings of the study are congruent with earlier research— journalists tend to rely on official sources and bureaucratic definitions of news. Civil rights groups were attributed less frequently than were official sources, and White House sources were the most commonly cited sources. News stories on the Civil Rights Act of 1990 tended to be linked to bureaucratic events, with most stories pegged on White House and Senate activity. Although the administration was successful in framing the act as a “quota bill,”; other descriptions made their way into the media, and editorials supported the legislation.
Characteristics of African American adolescent females who perceive their current boyfriends have concurrent sexual partners.

Purpose Perceived partner concurrency, reporting that a current sexual partner has other sexual partners, may pose sexual health risks to adolescents. We examined the contextual characteristics of African American female adolescents who reported their current boyfriend was having concurrent sexual relationships.
Pentaferometer: a solid Sagnac interferometer

A solid two-beam Sagnac-type interferometer is described that is especially adapted for use with a microscope for Fourier excitation and emission fluorescence spectroscopy. Its advantages are its compactness and stability, and because it is an integral optical element, the need for eliminating vibration and for shielding from air currents is greatly reduced.
Biogenic Secondary Organic Aerosols: From Observations to Global Modeling: A Workshop Series for Early Career Scientists From the United States and Nordic Countries; Hyytiälä, Finland, 1–4 July 2007, and Tovetorp, Sweden, 11–15 August 2008

Globally, secondary organic aerosols (SOAs) from biogenic precursors surpass those from anthropogenic sources. These organic particles have important impacts on air quality and climate, the latter through their direct interactions with radiation and by the modulation of cloud condensation nuclei. These processes exert a substantial influence back upon the Earth system through links to the terrestrial carbon and water cycles. The questions that currently confront researchers working in the fields of biogenic SOAs (BSOAs) and their impact on the Earth system are numerous and multidisciplinary. Such challenges motivated a 2-year workshop series, with meetings held at Hyytiala Research Station (Finland) in 2007 and Tovetorp Research Station (Sweden) in 2008, which was attended by 25 early career scientists from the United States and Nordic countries. Five internationally distinguished researchers gave keynote lectures and contributed to scientific and professional development discussions.
A Coarse-Grained Molecular Dynamics Model for Sickle Hemoglobin Fibers

The intracellular polymerization of deoxy sickle cell hemoglobin (HbS) has been identified as the main cause of sickle cell disease. Therefore, the material properties and biomechanical behavior of polymerized HbS fibers have been a topic of intense research interest. A solvent-free coarse-grained molecular dynamics (CGMD) model has been developed and it represents a single hemoglobin fiber with four tightly bonded chains, each of which comprises soft particles. A harmonic spring potential, a bending potential, a torsional potential, and a Lennard-Jones potential are introduced along with a Langevin thermostat to simulate the behavior of a polymerized HbS fiber in the cytoplasm. The parameters of the potentials are identified via comparison of the simulation results with the experimentally measured values of bending and torsional rigidity of single HbS fibers. The proposed model is able to very efficiently simulate HbS fibers of 20 nm diameter and on the order of μm length-scale and μs time-scale. The model is validated by comparison with published experimental results and then it is used to investigate the interaction between two HbS fibers, and to study the fiber zippering process during heterogeneous fiber growth.Copyright © 2010 by ASME
Radiolabeled allylic isoprenoid pyrophosphates: Synthesis, purification, and determination of specific activity

Abstract A new procedure for the preparation of [1-3H]allylic isoprenoid pyrophosphates is reported. Tritium is introduced into dimethylallyl alcohol, geraniol, and farnesol by oxidation to the corresponding aldehydes followed by reduction with sodium [1-3H]borohydride. The alcohols are phosphorylated by conversion to allylic halides and treatment of the halides with tris-tetra-n-butylammonium hydrogen pyrophosphate. The pyrophosphates are purified by chromatography on cellulose. Specific activities are determined from the corresponding naphthoate esters whose concentrations can be measured accurately by ultraviolet spectroscopy. Alternatively, the specific activity of tritium is determined for the naphthoate esters prepared with [14C]naphthoic acid of known specific activity by measurement of 3 H 14 C ratios. The methods described should prove advantageous over existing procedures for radiochemical preparations of this class of metabolites.
Addendum to “on the bonding in Be22+”

The lowest excited state of Be22+ is 1Σu+, not 1Πu (as stated by the authors in a recent Letter). This state is metastable, supporting at least four vibrational levels with appreciable lifetimes. The bond length of the 1Σu+ state is significantly longer than the 1Σg+ ground state, leading to small Franck—Condon factors for the absorption from the lowest vibrational level of the ground state.
Restrained bondage in graphs

Let G=(V,E) be a graph. A set [email protected]?V is a restrained dominating set if every vertex not in S is adjacent to a vertex in S and to a vertex in V-S. The restrained domination number of G, denoted by @c"r(G), is the smallest cardinality of a restrained dominating set of G. We define the restrained bondage numberb"r(G) of a nonempty graph G to be the minimum cardinality among all sets of edges E^'@?E for which @c"r(G-E^')>@c"r(G). Sharp bounds are obtained for b"r(G), and exact values are determined for several classes of graphs. Also, we show that the decision problem for b"r(G) is NP-complete even for bipartite graphs.
Synthesis, Evaluation, and Computational Studies of Naphthalimide‐Based Long‐Wavelength Fluorescent Boronic Acid Reporters

Boronic acids that change fluorescence properties upon sugar binding are very useful for the synthesis of carbohydrate sensors. Along this line, boronic acids that fluoresce beyond 500 nm are especially useful. A series of boronic acid fluorescent reporter compounds based on the 4-amino-1,8-naphthalimide structure have been synthesized (1a-d) and evaluated under near physiological conditions. These compounds showed good water solubility and significant changes in fluorescence properties after binding with sugars, with the emission wavelength being at around 570 nm. Analogues in this series with different substitutions showed similar properties. We have also examined the mechanism of the observed fluorescence changes for these compounds.
Assessment of buckling-restrained braced frame reliability using an experimental limit-state model and stochastic dynamic analysis

Buckling-restrained braces (BRBs) have recently become popular in the United States for use as primary members of seismic lateral-force-resisting systems. A BRB is a steel brace that does not buckle in compression but instead yields in both tension and compression. Although design guidelines for BRB applications have been developed, systematic procedures for assessing performance and quantifying reliability are still needed. This paper presents an analytical framework for assessing buckling-restrained braced frame (BRBF) reliability when subjected to seismic loads. This framework efficiently quantifies the risk of BRB failure due to low-cycle fatigue fracture of the BRB core. The procedure includes a series of components that: (1) quantify BRB demand in terms of BRB core deformation histories generated through stochastic dynamic analyses; (2) quantify the limit-state of a BRB in terms of its remaining cumulative plastic ductility capacity based on an experimental database; and (3) evaluate the probability of BRB failure, given the quantified demand and capacity, through structural reliability analyses. Parametric studies were conducted to investigate the effects of the seismic load, and characteristics of the BRB and BRBF on the probability of brace failure. In addition, fragility curves (i.e., conditional probabilities of brace failure given ground shaking intensity parameters) were created by the proposed framework. While the framework presented in this paper is applied to the assessment of BRBFs, the modular nature of the framework components allows for application to other structural components and systems.
Twentieth century simulation of the southern hemisphere climate in coupled models. Part 1: large scale circulation variability

The ability of five, global coupled climate models to simulate important atmospheric circulation characteristics in the Southern Hemisphere for the period 1960–1999 is assessed. The circulation features examined are the Southern Hemisphere annular mode (SAM), the semi-annual oscillation (SAO) and the quasi-stationary zonal wave 3 (ZW3). The models assessed are the National Center for Atmospheric Research Community Climate System Model Version 3 (CCSM3), the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation Mark 3, the Geophysical Fluid Dynamics Laboratory Model, the Goddard Institute for Space Studies Model ER (GISS-ER) and the UK Meteorological Office Hadley Center Coupled Model Version 3. The simulations were compared to the NCAR–NCEP reanalyses. The models simulate a SAO which differs spatially from the observed over the Pacific and Indian oceans. The amplitudes are too high over the southern ocean and too low over the midlatitudes. These differences are attributed to a circumpolar trough which is too deep and extends too far north, and to the inability of the models to simulate the middle to high latitude temperature gradient. The SAM is well-represented spatially by most models but there are important differences which may influence the flow over the Pacific and in the region extending from the Ross to Weddell Seas. The observed trend towards positive polarity in the SAM is apparent in the ensemble averages of the GISS-ER and CCSM3 simulations, suggesting that the trend is due to external forcing by changes in the concentration of ozone and greenhouse gases. ZW3 is well-represented by the models but the observed trend towards positive phases of ZW3 is not apparent in the simulations suggesting that the observed trend may be due to natural variability, not external forcing.
Pulmonary function changes in wheelchair athletes subsequent to exercise training.

The purpose of this investigation was to determine the pulmonary function and aerobic fitness of wheelchair athletes and assess changes in these values subsequent to an upper-body interval training programme (ITP). Eight male members of the United States national collegiate champion wheelchair basketball team were tested prior to and after an 8 week ITP. Each subject trained (30 min; 3 times per week) on a wheelchair ergometer (WERG) at a power output which would elicit 80% of maximum HR reserve. Before and after training, measurements were obtained at rest, during WERG exercise at 10,20 and 30 W, and during maximal exercise. Static lung volumes and timed forced expiratory volumes measured by spirometry were unchanged by training. Submaximal exercise pulmonary ventilation and oxygen uptake values were similar before and after training, but maximal exercise ventilation (KEmax) increased from 100 to 1311 min−1. In addition, the ratio of KEmax to maximum voluntary ventilation (12s) increased significantly fr...
The effect of mortality salience and belief in afterlife on the manifestation of homonegativity

If derogation of out-groups serves the function of bolstering self-esteem, it is possible that this effect can be counteracted by means of existential relief. Two variables were presented in a 2 × 2 factorial to a population of primarily college students: a mortality salience (MS) variable and an afterlife variable, in which participants read “scientific” accounts that either supported or denied the existence of a literal afterlife. Homonegativity was utilised as a dependent measure of out-group derogation. In the predicted manner, mortality salience and afterlife variables interacted to predict significantly different levels of homonegativity. When participants were subconsciously primed with MS, their psychological need to derogate dissimilar others was significantly lowered if they were assured of an afterlife. These results demonstrate that the effects of MS can be attenuated by presenting existential relief through assurance of literal afterlife.
Automated search method for AFM and profilers

A new automation software creates a search model as an initial setup and searches for a user-defined target in atomic force microscopes or stylus profilometers used in semiconductor manufacturing. The need for such automation has become critical in manufacturing lines. The new method starts with a survey map of a small area of a chip obtained from a chip-design database or an image of the area. The user interface requires a user to point to and define a precise location to be measured, and to select a macro function for an application such as line width or contact hole. The search algorithm automatically constructs a range of possible scan sequences within the survey, and provides increased speed and functionality compared to the methods used in instruments to date. Each sequence consists in a starting point relative to the target, a scan direction, and a scan length. The search algorithm stops when the location of a target is found and criteria for certainty in positioning is met. With today's capability in high speed processing and signal control, the tool can simultaneously scan and search for a target in a robotic and continuous manner. Examples are given that illustrate the key concepts.
Synthesis of nanocrystalline REBO3 (RE=Y, Nd, Sm, Eu, Gd, Ho) and YBO3:Eu using a borohydride-based solution precursor route

A solution precursor route has been used to synthesize a series of nanocrystalline rare-earth borates. Amorphous precursor powders are precipitated during an aqueous reaction between RE{sup 3+} and NaBH{sub 4}, and the isolated powders can be annealed in air at 700 deg. C to form YBO{sub 3}, NdBO{sub 3}, SmBO{sub 3}, EuBO{sub 3}, GdBO{sub 3}, and HoBO{sub 3}. YBO{sub 3}:Eu formed using this strategy shows red-orange emission properties that are similar to high-quality nanocrystals prepared by other methods. The materials have been characterized by FTIR spectroscopy, powder XRD, SEM, DSC, UV-Vis fluorimetry, and TEM with EDS and element mapping. - Graphical abstract: Amorphous nanoscopic precursor powders are formed through the aqueous reaction of RE{sup 3+} with NaBH{sub 4}. Once isolated, the powders can be annealed at 700 deg. C in air to form a series of nanocrystalline REBO{sub 3} orthoborates. Nanocrystalline YBO{sub 3}:Eu formed using this strategy shows red-orange emission properties when excited with UV light.
Export growth performance of less-developed countries

Abstract This paper has two purposes: (1) to estimate own-price, cross-price, and income elasticities of export demand for a sample of 41 LDCs; and (2) to test whether relative export growth performance of LDCs can be explained in terms of differing values of these elasticities. The study finds that, in conformance with the theory specified, export growth is enhanced by a smaller ownprice elasticity, a larger cross-price elasticity, and a larger income elasticity.
Time-dependent WKB expansion for the non-relativistic coulomb propagator

Abstract An approximation to the non-relativistic Coulomb propagator, correct to second order in ħ, is derived. The result is expressed in terms of the auxiliary variables introduced in the solution of the corresponding Hamilton-Jacobi equation. Higher-order contributions can be computed as required, but no explicit summation of the expansion has yet been found.
The Liaison Psychiatrist and the Outpatient Hemodialysis unit Part I: Reliability and Validity of Staff Assessments of Patient Compliance on a Hemodialysis unit

The use of staff ratings as an outcome measure in adaptation to hemodialysis studies is discussed, and the absence of reliability or validity of such ratings is emphasized. Staff ratings for global impressions of patient compliance are collected in an outpatient hemodialysis unit, inter-rater reliability is calculated, and the rating averages are correlated with three biological markers. A high degree of exact inter-rater agreement is found and correlation of ratings with inter-dialysis weight gain, mean BUN, and mean K are determined.
Electrocorticographic Frequency Alteration Mapping of Speech Cortex during an Awake Craniotomy: Case Report

Objective: Traditional electrocortical stimulation (ECS) mapping is limited by the lengthy serial investigation (one location at a time) and the risk of afterdischarges in localizing eloquent cortex. Electrocorticographic frequency alteration mapping (EFAM) allows the parallel investigation of many cortical sites in much less time and with no risk of afterdischarges because of its passive nature. We examined its use with ECS in the context of language mapping during an awake craniotomy for a tumor resection. Clinical Presentation: The patient was a 61-year-old right-handed Caucasian male who presented with headache and mild aphasia. Imaging demonstrated a 3-cm cystic mass in the posterior temporal-parietal lobe. The patient underwent an awake craniotomy for the mapping of his speech cortex and resection of the mass. Intervention: Using a 32-contact electrode array, electrocorticographic signals were recorded from the exposed cortex as the patient participated in a 3-min screening task involving active (patient naming visually presented words) and rest (patient silent) conditions. A spectral comparison of the 2 conditions revealed specific cortical locations associated with activation during speech. The patient was then widely mapped using ECS. Three of 4 sites identified by ECS were also identified passively and in parallel by EFAM, 2 with statistical significance and the third by qualitative inspection. Conclusion: EFAM was technically achieved in an awake craniotomy patient and had good concordance with ECS mapping. Because it poses no risk of afterdischarges and offers substantial time savings, EFAM holds promise for future development as an adjunct intraoperative mapping tool. Additionally, the cortical signals obtained by this modality can be utilized for localization in the presence of a tumor adjacent to the eloquent regions.
Changes in chromosomal DNA replication patterns in developing frog embryos

Continuous exposure of embryonic explants to thymidine-H3 was used to determine patterns of late-replicating DNA synthesis, i.e. DNA synthesized during the last quarter of the S period, in chromosomes from different germ layers of developing frog embryos (Rana pipiens). Autoradiographic localization of silver grains over chromosomes 1, 7 and 8, as well as unkaryotyped chromosomes, revealed that patterns of late-replicating DNA are similar in determined cells that will undergo different pathways of differentiation. In undetermined early gastrula cells and in differentiated tailbud dorsal axial cells (nerve tube, somites and notochord) more sites of DNA synthesis were late-replicating in chromosomes 1, 7 and 8 and in unkaryotyped chromosomes than in cells of the neural plate-dorsal mesoderm of neurulae where differentiation is occurring and in neurula endoderm where determination is taking place.
Brief Decentralized control and disturbance attenuation for large-scale nonlinear systems in generalized output-feedback canonical form

A global decentralized robust adaptive output-feedback dynamic compensator is proposed for stabilization, tracking, and disturbance attenuation of the decentralized generalized output-feedback canonical form. This represents the largest class for which decentralized robust adaptive output-feedback tracking and disturbance attenuation results are currently available. The system is allowed to contain unknown parameters multiplying output-dependent nonlinearities, and, also, unknown nonlinearities satisfying certain bounds. Under the assumption that a constant matrix can be found for each subsystem to achieve a certain property, it is shown that reduced-order observers and backstepping controllers can be designed to achieve practical stabilization of the tracking error in each subsystem in the presence of bounded disturbance inputs. Sufficient conditions under which asymptotic tracking and stabilization can be achieved are also obtained. Signal gains from disturbance inputs to tracking errors are presented in the input-to-output-practical-stability and integral-input-to-output-practical-stability frameworks. A particular case in which the standard L"2-gain disturbance attenuation is achieved is also provided.
Three-dimensional laser imaging system for measuring wound geometry.

Background and Objective: A low cost laser imager was designed and fabricated for measurement of wound geometry. Methods: The accuracy of the imager was validated using reference depressions of known dimensions. Perimeter, area, and volume were compared to planimetric and packing techniques on simulated wound models. Results: Wound tracing and alginate measurement methods required approximately 20 times longer for the reference standards, and 11 times longer for the simulated wounds than with the laser scanning method (LSM). LSM consistently overestimated the reference perimeter by 0.73 ± 0.20 cm and the area by 0.98 ± 0.62 cm 2 . Volume estimates were not statistically different. The tracing method underestimated the perimeter by 0.34 ± 0.27 cm and the area by 1.07 ± 1.09 cm 2 . Volume measurements by the alginate method were not statistically different. The perimeters of the simulated wounds averaged 1.29 ± 0.27 cm greater using the LSM than obtained by the tracing method, and areas greater by 2.02 ± 1.30 cm 2 . Volume scans averaged 1.04 ± 0.61 cm 3 greater than by the alginate method.
COMPARISON OF ALGORITHMS FOR REPLACING MISSING DATA IN DISCRIMINANT ANALYSIS

We examined the impact of different methods for replacing missing data in discriminant analyses conducted on randomly generated samples from multivariate normal and non-normal distributions. The probabilities of correct classification were obtained for these discriminant analyses before and after randomly deleting data as well as after deleted data were replaced using: (1) variable means, (2) principal component projections, and (3) the EM algorithm. Populations compared were: (1) multivariate normal with covariance matrices ∑1=∑2, (2) multivariate normal with ∑1≠∑2 and (3) multivariate non-normal with ∑1=∑2. Differences in the probabilities of correct classification were most evident for populations with small Mahalanobis distances or high proportions of missing data. The three replacement methods performed similarly but all were better than non - replacement.
Self-reported reproductive health in women with tuberous sclerosis complex

Little is known about sex-specific manifestations of tuberous sclerosis complex. Inactivating mutations in the TSC1 and TSC2 genes cause tuberous sclerosis complex, and recent evidence points to a crucial role for these genes in maintaining appropriate ovarian function. The main objective of this study was to estimate reproductive dysfunction in a sample of women with tuberous sclerosis complex. We designed a three-part questionnaire that included demographic information, reproductive history, and tuberous sclerosis complex history, and developed strict criteria to assess patterns in menstrual cyclicity; we analyzed 182 responses from female adult members of the Tuberous Sclerosis Alliance. More than one-third of women in our sample displayed some degree of menstrual irregularity, and their reported miscarriage rate was 41%. More than 4% of women had reproductive histories suggestive of premature ovarian insufficiency, higher than the general population estimate of 1%. Our data reveal an underappreciated aspect of tuberous sclerosis complex in affected women, suggesting that a further exploration of the role the tuberous sclerosis complex genes play in reproductive function is warranted. Genet Med 15 12, 966–971.
Design tips: Measurement follies

It is important to understand how your test equipment operates so you can make proper and reasonable conclusions from the indications you observe. Unfortunately, very few universities teach classes on `how equipment works' and so often students and graduates approach measurements as more of a `black box' approach and believe the measurement results simply because they believe measurements are never wrong! In truth, a measurement will certainly always provide you with an answer, but the real question is whether or not you actually got the result to the question you “thought” you were asking! This article will examine how some test equipment works and some common misuses and the resulting incorrect conclusions.
Erratum: Nucleation of Electrodeposited Lithium Metal: Dendritic Growth and the Effect of Co-Deposited Sodium [J. Electrochem. Soc., 160, D337 (2013)]

In the paper. the metal deposition rate, k, was obtained by comparing the current observed during deposition to the 1-D or 3-D growth model derived previously. 1,2 However, the fitting of the observed current to the derived growth equations was inappropriate because not all of the assumptions in the derivations were met. Specifically, the calculation of the area of all nuclei in Eq. 1 of the original paper (reproduced below) requires integration of the number of nuclei and an area function based on the geometry. Because a different analytical form for the nucleation rate was used in the original paper, the area calculation was incorrectly stated i = Areanuclei · N · knF [1] This is corrected here by calculating the area empirically, based on an analysis of the scanning electron microscopy (SEM) images taken. Using the correct area, the values for k were re-calculated and shown below.Thenewvaluesshownherehavethesamegeneraltrendandare numerically close to the original values. All of the discussion topics and conclusions in the original paper are correct and fully supported. The calculated values of k for the deposition of lithium metal from the 1M Li + ethylene carbonate:dimethyl carbonate electrolyte (EC:DMC) in the original Fig. 5 used the growth rate from Fig. 4 of the original paper, N = 4.5e8*ln(t+1), where N is the number of nuclei per unit area and t is the time in seconds. This has been changed and a corrected Fig. 5 is shown below. The exact area of the nuclei was measured using SEM images and the
The Most Important Duty of a Mentor Remains His Availability

We interview Dr. Jean Morisset, an internationally recognized leader in the field of pancreatic physiology. His work on the regulation of pancreatic secretion by hormones and the parasympathetic nervous system has been fundamental to the understanding of pancreatic adaptation to diet in normal as well as pathological conditions. Here he provides advices for young investigators starting in the field of pancreatic research and emphasizes the key role of the relationship mentor-mentee during the career development.
“Mere Matter:” Causality, Subjectivity and Aesthetic Form in Erasmus Darwin

In his two-part medical treatise Zoonomia (1794-1796), Erasmus Darwin—physician, scientist, popular poet and grandfather of Charles Darwin—begins with a conception of living matter in order to envision an organic system of nature, in which the individual and the environment are not only interdependent, but also reciprocally determining. This essay contextualizes Darwin’s materialism within a wider debate over the status of “mere matter” in the Romantic era through a reading of section 39 of Zoonomia, “Of Generation,” alongside David Hartley’s psychological theories and Joseph Priestley’s thinking on the nature of matter. I argue that the perceived threat of materialism lies in the ways in which these systems of thought rethink the operation of causality, reorient conceptions of teleology, and thus rewrite the nature of the relationship between the human subject and material nature. A reading of the critical contemporary reactions to Darwin’s popular poetry further suggests that the same shifting conceptions of teleology, causality, and subjectivity drive Romantic era revolutions in aesthetic form.
Facial nerve regeneration in the silicone chamber: The influence of nerve growth factor

The role of nerve growth factor (NGF) was examined in the neural repair of adult rabbit facial nerves using an in vivo preparation. A 35-microliters nerve growth chamber was created by suturing the proximal and distal ends of a transected facial nerve (superior buccal branch) into a silicone tube. A gap of 8 mm in the chamber remained after removal of a 5-mm piece of nerve and insertion of the proximal and distal stumps into the tube. Animals were operated bilaterally; one side of the chamber was filled with NGF and the contralateral side was filled with Ringer's solution. Regeneration of the nerves was examined 1 to 5 weeks following the surgery. The caliber of the nerve bundle, the distribution pattern of regenerating motoneurons, axon number per fascicle, size distribution, and the total number of cells were compared to the preoperative morphology pattern found for that animal. Each buccal branch served as its own control. The NGF-filled chambers demonstrated an overall larger caliber of nerve regeneration at 5 weeks and a higher density distribution of axon growth at 3 and 5 weeks. In the early regeneration case (3 weeks), the axon growth profile exhibited more fascicles and less axons than the preoperative controls. In the more advanced state (5 weeks), the fascicle number was reduced and the axon number was increased. After 5 weeks of regeneration the number of fascicles was still more than that found in the preoperative state. Axon size at 5 weeks was 80% that of the preoperative controls and the thickness of the myelin sheath was less than the preoperative level. The histogram of the size distribution revealed the same distribution as in the preoperative control section.
A simple Hessian-based 3D mesh adaptation technique with applications to the multigroup diffusion equations

Abstract A simple error estimation and mesh adaptation procedure is proposed for the multigroup multi-dimensional diffusion equations. The procedure estimates the values of the second-order derivatives of the current numerical solution to drive the mesh refinement. Different spatial meshes are obtained for each component of the multigroup flux in order to follow the physics appropriately. This requires the proper handling of the group coupling terms arising in the multigroup diffusion equations. Results are presented in 2D and 3D.
Distribution of Donors and Acceptors in High-Purity Germanium Crystals

The axial and radial dependence of the netconcentrations of donors and acceptors in high-purity germanium has been investigated. The methods include dc-conductivity measurements on Czochralski grown crystals, Hall effect experiments on full area slices, collimated alpha particle probing on detectors, and C-V measurements on detector arrays. Some quantitative correlations between the results of the different methods are presented. Many of the crystals exhibit internal junctions, whose influence on the properties of high-purity germanium detectors will be discussed.
Exploring the relative reactivities of the hydroxyl groups of monosaccharides by molecular modeling and molecular mechanics

Abstract The molecular modeling program STR3DI.EXE, and its molecular mechanics module, QVBMM, were used to simulate, and evaluate, the stereo-electronic effects in the mono-alkoxides of the 4,6- O -ethylideneglycopyranosides of allose, mannose, galactose and glucose. This study has confirmed the ability of these molecular modeling tools to predict the regiochemistry and reactivity of these sugar derivatives, and holds considerable implications for unraveling the chemistry of the rare monosaccharides.
Life-Shortening by Whole-and Partial-Body X-irradiation in Mice

Data are presented from studies on mice which indicate how varied the life-shortening effects of partialand whole-body exposure can be and the difficulties in attempting to extrapolate from one to the other. They also indicate how tenuous the quantitative estimates of life shortening in man must be when they are based on the relatively incomplete data currently available for experimental animals. (C.H. )
Desmopressin acutely decreases tachycardia and improves symptoms in the postural tachycardia syndrome.

Background Postural tachycardia syndrome (POTS) induces disabling chronic orthostatic intolerance with an excessive increase in heart rate on standing, and many patients with POTS have low blood volume. Increasing blood volume is a promising approach to this problem. Objective To test the hypothesis that desmopressin (DDAVP) will attenuate the tachycardia and improve symptom burden in patients with POTS. Methods In this protocol, patients with POTS (n = 30) underwent acute drug trials with DDAVP 0.2 mg orally and placebo, on separate mornings, in a randomized crossover design. Blood pressure, heart rate, and symptoms were assessed while seated and after standing for up to 10 minutes prior to and hourly for 4 hours following study drug. Results The standing heart rate was significantly lower following DDAVP than placebo (101.9 ± 14.5 beats/min vs 109.2 ± 17.4 beats/min; P Conclusions Oral DDAVP significantly attenuated tachycardia and improved symptoms in POTS. The safety profile of this approach would need to be examined before it can be recommended for routine treatment of these patients.
Recurrent or refractory primary central nervous lymphoma: therapeutic considerations

Primary central nervous system lymphoma (PCNSL) is an uncommon variant of extranodal non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL) that involves the brain, leptomeninges, eyes or spinal cord without evidence of systemic disease. Despite the high complete remission rate achieved with aggressive first-line therapy, 10-35% of PCNSL are treatment refractory and 35-60% of patients relapse. Standard therapy for recurrent or refractory disease has not yet been established, although retrospective data suggests improvement in survival with salvage therapy. The reported survival after relapse of PCNSL varies between 2 months and 24 months, with most series reporting an average of 4-12 months. The outcomes depend on whether treatment is instituted or not, suggesting a need for treatment guidelines for these patients. We review therapeutic approaches and their outcomes in recurrent or refractory PCNSL.
Eletricidade para o bombeamento de água subterrânea: limitações e oportunidades para respostas adaptativas às mudanças climáticas

Globally, groundwater use is intensifying to meet demands for irrigation, urban supply, industrialization, and, in some instances, electrical power generation. In response to hydroclimatic variability, surface water is being substituted with groundwater, which must be viewed as a strategic resource for climate adaptation. In this sense, the supply of electricity for pumping is an adaptation policy tool. Additionally, planning for climate-change mitigation must consider CO2 emissions resulting from pumping. This paper examines the influence of electricity supply and pricing on groundwater irrigation and resulting emissions, with specific reference to Mexico – a climate-water-energy ‘perfect storm’. Night-time power supply at tariffs below the already-subsidized rates for agricultural groundwater use has caused Mexican farmers to increase pumping, reversing important water and electricity conservation gains achieved. Indiscriminate groundwater pumping, including for virtual-water exports of agricultural produce, threatens the long-term sustainability of aquifers, non-agricultural water uses, and stream-aquifer interactions that sustain riparian ecosystems. Emissions resulting from agricultural groundwater pumping in Mexico are estimated to be 3.6% of total national emissions and are equivalent to emissions from transporting the same agricultural produce to market. The paper concludes with an assessment of energy, water, and climate trends coupled with policy futures to address these challenges.
An Empirical Evaluation of the Use of Fixed Cutoff Points in RMSEA Test Statistic in Structural Equation Models

This article is an empirical evaluation of the choice of fixed cutoff points in assessing the root mean square error of approximation (RMSEA) test statistic as a measure of goodness-of-fit in Structural Equation Models. Using simulation data, the authors first examine whether there is any empirical evidence for the use of a universal cutoff, and then compare the practice of using the point estimate of the RMSEA alone versus that of using it jointly with its related confidence interval. The results of the study demonstrate that there is little empirical support for the use of .05 or any other value as universal cutoff values to determine adequate model fit, regardless of whether the point estimate is used alone or jointly with the confidence interval. The authors' analyses suggest that to achieve a certain level of power or Type I error rate, the choice of cutoff values depends on model specifications, degrees of freedom, and sample size.
Prioritized analog cooperative relaying in multiple access relay networks

We consider a multiple access relay network where multiple sources send independent data simultaneously to a common destination through multiple relay nodes. We present three prioritized analog cooperative relaying schemes that provide different quality of service (QoS) to different sources while being relayed at the same time in the same frequency band. The three schemes take the channel variations into account in determining the relay encoding (combining) rule, but differ in terms of whether or how relays cooperate. Simulation results on the symbol error probability and outage probability are provided to show the effectiveness of the proposed schemes
Pathophysiology and prevention of acute renal failure associated with thoracoabdominal or abdominal aortic surgery

Despite many advances in vascular surgery over the last decade, the incidence and attendant mortality of postoperative acute renal failure (ARE) have not declined substantially) This is especially true for patients having surgery for ruptured ancurysms 1 and, to a lesser extent, those requiring temporary total renal ischemia (TRI), for example, resection ofthoracoabdominal (TAA) or suprarenal aortic ancurysms 2 and renal revascularization procedures. For example, 7% of patients having surgery for extensive TAAs sustained ARE, that required hemodialysis (a 5% incidence for those with normal preoperative renal function but 17% for patients with preoperative renal insufficiency). 2 Rigorous, multivariate statistical analysis in this article 2 identified preoperative renal insufficiency as the only independent, significant determinant of postoperative ARE. Interestingly, the apparent association between ARE and other variables, including extent of TAA, heart disease, aortic damp time, age, rupture, and aortic dissection was not statistically significant. 2 It is also important to realize that modern methods of supportive care (including total parcnteral nutrition, optimal hemodynamic monitoring, and aggressive hemodialysis) have not lowered the high mortality that accompanies this complication1-9; indeed, such supportive measures occasionally appear only to prolong the time before a seemingly inevitable cascade of multisystem failure supervenes (frequently punctuated by overwhelming sepsis), from which the patient ukimately dies. In the experience of Crawford et al. 2 with resection of TAA, fully
An Accurate Molecular Structure of Phenyl, the Simplest Aryl Radical

The phenyl radical (C6H5.) is the prototypical σ-type aryl radical and one of the most common aromatic building blocks for larger ring molecules. Using a combination of rotational spectroscopy of singly substituted isotopic species and vibrational corrections calculated theoretically, an extremely accurate molecular structure has been determined. Relative to benzene, the phenyl radical has a substantially larger C-Cipso-C bond angle [125.8(3)° vs. 120°], and a shorter distance [2.713(3) A vs. 2.783(2) A] between the ipso and para carbon atoms.
Joint incremental codeword and power adaptation in CDMA systems

In this paper we present a distributed algorithm for joint codeword and power adaptation in the uplink of a Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA) system. The algorithm uses incremental updates for codewords and powers of individual users such that their corresponding signal-to-interference plus-noise ratios (SINR) at the receiver are maximized subject to specified power constraints. Updates are based on a steepest descent method which is a widely used digital signal processing technique, and which can be easily implemented in a wide range of hardware for communication systems. The proposed algorithm is analyzed and illustrated with numerical examples obtained from simulations.
GIGANTEA is a nuclear protein involved in phytochrome signaling in Arabidopsis.

In a genetic screen of available T-DNA-mutagenized Arabidopsis populations for loci potentially involved in phytochrome (phy) signaling, we identified a mutant that displayed reduced seedling deetiolation under continuous red light, but little if any change in responsiveness to continuous far-red light. This behavior suggests disruption of phyB, but not phyA signaling. We have cloned the mutant locus by using the T-DNA insertion and found that the disrupted gene is identical to the recently described GIGANTEA (GI) gene identified as being involved in control of flowering time. The encoded GI polypeptide has no sequence similarity to any known proteins in the database. However, by using β−glucuronidase-GI and green fluorescent protein-GI fusion constructs, we have shown that GI is constitutively targeted to the nucleus in transient transfection assays. Optical sectioning by using the green fluorescent protein-GI fusion protein showed green fluorescence throughout the nucleoplasm. Thus, contrary to previous computer-based predictions that GI would be an integral plasmamembrane-localized polypeptide, the data here indicate that it is a nucleoplasmically localized protein. This result is consistent with the proposed role in phyB signaling, given recent evidence that early phy signaling events are nuclear localized.