cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Influence of strain rate on the deformation and fracture response of a 6061-T6 Al–50 vol.% Al2O3 continuous-reinforced composite

Abstract The compressive mechanical properties of an aluminum–matrix composite unidirectionally reinforced with Al2O3 fibers have been measured and characterized as a function of loading orientation. The influence of strain rate and fiber orientation on the deformation and fracture response of a 6061 Al–50 vol.% Al2O3 continuous fiber-reinforced metal–matrix composite (MMC) aged to a T6 condition is reported. The stress–strain response of this composite was found to vary substantially as a function of loading orientation; the quasi-static yield changing from nominally 250 MPa transverse to the fibers to ∼1.7 GPa parallel to the fibers under ideal conditions. Increasing the strain rate to 2000 s−1 was observed to only slightly increase the yield strength of the composite for both orientations. The main failure mechanism has been identified to be kinking, although an upper bound seems to be attained when the fibers reach their compressive strength. The experimental results are consistent with a plastic kinking model for strain hardening composites. The failure response of the composite transverse to the fibers, under both uniaxial stress (quasi-static and dynamic) and uniaxial strain loading, displays a protracted but substantial load drop after yield followed by continued degradation in load carrying capacity. Lack of ideal parallel fiber construction was found to lead to systematic buckling failure of the alumina fibers through the sample under uniaxial loading.
A study of ULF wave foreshock morphology. I : ULF foreshock boundary

Abstract We have used ISEE 1 and 2 magnetometer data to determine the forward boundary of the upstream ULF wave foreshock. We first examine the presence and absence of ULF waves immediately upstream from the bow shock. The statistical results show that the ULF foreshock starts at θBn ∼ 50° on the bow shock, and fills the entire upstream region connected to the bow shock at smaller θBn. Then we examine the spacecraft crossing the ULF foreshock boundary when the interplanetary magnetic field is steady. The upstream boundary of the ULF foreshock is less sensitive to small changes of the IMF direction at larger cone angles and is well defined by the spacecraft position along the foreshock boundary for cone angles ⩾45°. This boundary corresponds to the guiding center trajectory of backstreaming ions with a velocity of ∼1.4vsw along the IMF, or a net guiding center velocity of ∼1.7vsw in the Earth's frame. However the boundary is not well defined when the IMF cone angle is small.
Pollen–pistil barriers to crossing in maize and teosinte result from incongruity rather than active rejection

Many popcorn strains cannot be fertilized by pollen of dent and flint strains although the reciprocal crosses are successful. Similarly, plants of some annual teosinte populations can fertilize maize but do not accept its pollen. Single genes or gene complexes govern these two unilateral barriers to crossing. Failure of fertilization could reflect active rejection by the pistil of pollen containing a contrasting allele (incompatibility). Alternatively, the pistil could require presence of a matching allele in pollen (congruity). To distinguish between these possibilities genetically, the receptivity to pollen having both alleles was determined. If there is active rejection, heteroallelic pollen would not be accepted; if presence of a matching allele is required, heteroallelic pollen would be accepted. In both the popcorn and teosinte crossing barrier systems, heteroallelic pollen functioned, consistent with the congruity model.
One-step fixation of atlantoaxial rotatory subluxation: technical note and report of three cases.

Objective To describe a successful one-step intraoperative reduction of atlantoaxial rotatory subluxation (AARS) using neuromuscular blockade and intraoperative traction. Methods While the patient was undergoing continuous somatosensory evoked potential monitoring, crown halo traction was applied under general anesthesia. A muscle relaxant was administered, and an intraoperative computed tomography scan was performed using the O-arm Surgical Imaging System in the supine position verifying adequate reduction. The patient was placed in the prone position, and a repeat image was obtained verifying persistent reduction in the position that the patient would undergo dorsal fixation. Occipitocervical fixation was then performed. Results This technique was performed successfully in three pediatric patients with chronic AARS. There were no complications related to the procedure. Conclusions Intraoperative traction and neuromuscular blockade achieved a one-step reduction before fixation for subacute and chronic irreducible AARS. This one-step reduction obviates preoperative traction, which is often inconvenient and not tolerated by pediatric patients. Successful reduction is also demonstrated in detail intraoperatively with three-dimensional imaging.
Reducing Stressful Aspects of Information Technology in Public Services.

Although information technology has made locating and organizing information faster and easier in many ways, it also constitutes a source of stress for both public services librarians and patrons. This study identifies a number of sources of technological stress, which include everything from poor typing skills to poor interface design. It also proposes several ways to reduce technological stress, such as implementing a system gradually, communicating with staff about what to expect, providing adequate training for librarians, creating proper documentation, choosing ergonomically sound hardware and software, selecting a well designed interface, and involving staff and patrons in system design.
Extensibility of isolated cell walls: Measurement and changes during cell elongation.

1. The technique of measuring the extensibility of isolated cell walls with an extensometer (Instron technique) has been modified so that compliance values which characterize the plastic and elastic extensibility are obtained (DP and DE, respectively). 2. DP and DE values are influenced by the conditions under which the measurements are made. DP is affected by the rate of extension, the applied force and the presence of the protoplast. DE is inversely proportional to the applied force but is independent of the presence of the protoplast. Because of retarded elastic behaviour and of hysteresis in the elastic extension-stress curves, measurement of DE during extension and relaxation gives different values. 3. Irreversible extension as determined in this procedure appears to be due primarily to strain-hardened plastic deformation with a minor component due to some form of viscoelastic flow. Auxin increases the extensibility by acting on the strain-hardening function. 4. Changes in DP and DE which occur during the course of auxin-induced cell elongation of Avena coleoptile sections have been determined. DP increases following addition of auxin, reaches a maximum after 90–120 min, and then remains constant for up to 24 hours. Sucrose has no effect on the change in DP. DE shows smaller but similar changes. 5. An increase in IAA concentration up to 5×10-5 M produces similar increases in growth rate and DP. When IAA is raised to higher levels, DP remains constant while the growth rate drops. 6. These results are in agreement with the concept that auxin exerts its effect on cell elongation by regulating wall extensibility but indicate that the growth rate is also influenced by other factors such as the osmotic potential of the cells.
Electrochemical detection of carbohydrates at nickel‐copper and nickel‐chromium‐iron alloy electrodes

Nickel-copper and nickel-chromium-iron alloy electrodes are employed in the amperometric detection of carbohydrates after anion-exchange liquid chromatographic separation. The sugars are oxidized at the Ni(III) oxyhydroxide sites formed on the electrode surface at potentials of approximately 0.45 V (versus Ag/AgCl reference electrode). The set potential for the electrochemical detection of carbohydrates is optimized on a signal-to-noise (S/N) ratio analysis at different potential values. The detection limits for glucose, based on an S/N ratio of 3, are 15 and 1 picomoles at the nickel-copper and the nickel-chromium-iron alloy electrodes, respectively. The electrodes' response was also assessed with respect to the detection of sugar alcohols, mono-, and disaccharides.
Chronic exogenous kisspeptin administration accelerates gonadal development in basses of the genus Morone

article i nfo Article history: The present study assesses the effects of chronic administration of peptides to fish, termed kisspeptins, which are the products of the KISS1 and KISS2 genes, and have been shown to control the development of puberty in animals. Using ecologically and commercially important species (white bass, Morone chrysops, striped bass, Morone saxatilis, and their hybrid) as comparative models, we determined that repeated bi-weekly injections (over 7 weeks) differentially accelerate puberty, as evidenced by increases in the prevalence of spermatozoa in the testes of juvenile fish. Moreover, in sexually mature fish, kisspeptin treatment led to increased gonad weight, gonadosomatic index, and spermatocrit in some white and striped bass. Additionally, mature white bass treated with kisspeptins showed an advancement in oocyte development as determined by histological examination. These gonadal changes occurred in the absence of any photothermal manipulation or hormone injections. To date, this is the first description of kisspeptin-mediated pubertal initiation in fish, and the first evidence that kisspeptins could modulate gonad maturation. Although it remains to be determined how kisspeptins may best be utilized in practice, our findings are a basis for future studies to characterize the molecular underpinnings of the KISS system in various fish species.
Spatial density estimation based segmentation of super-resolution localization microscopy images

Super-resolution localization microscopy (SRLM) is a new imaging modality that is capable of resolving cellular structures at nanometer resolution, providing unprecedented insight into biological processes. Each SRLM image is reconstructed from a time series of images of randomly activated fluorophores that are localized at nanometer resolution and represented by clusters of particles of varying spatial densities. SRLM images differ significantly from conventional fluorescence microscopy images because of fundamental differences in image formation. Currently, however, quantitative image analysis techniques developed or optimized specifically for SRLM images are lacking, which significantly limit accurate and reliable image analysis. This is especially the case for image segmentation, an essential operation for image analysis and understanding. In this study, we propose a simple SRLM image segmentation technique based on estimating and smoothing spatial densities of fluorophores using adaptive anisotropic kernels. Experimental results showed that the proposed method provided robust and accurate segmentation of SRLM images and significantly outperformed conventional segmentation approaches such as active contour methods in segmentation accuracy.
Multilayer Laser Sintering of HAp/Ti Nanoparticles Onto Metallic Implants

Novel methodology of laser sintering of mixture of mixture of bio-ceramics and metallic nanoparticles on metallic implants is introduced in current work. Feasibility of this method is demonstrated using a multiphysics numerical simulation. Treating laser beam as electromagnetic (EM) wave, EM module is coupled with heat transfer (HT) module. The EMHT scheme analyzes the interaction between laser-nanoparticles which ends up with temperature raise within the sample. As a demonstration, HAp and Ti nanoparticles are employed to be sintered on titanium substrate. Processing parameters such as laser power, beam radius, scan speed, and layer thickness are studied, and correlation between these parameters and final temperature is presented. Effects of mixing ratio and nanoparticle size are also examined. Considering effects of mixing ratios and particle sizes, the following coating scheme is proposed for future experiments: varying HAp concentration from 100% to 0% at 10% intervals from coating surface to coating/substrate interface, and meanwhile, varying particle diameters from 500 nm to 100 nm at 100 nm intervals.Copyright © 2009 by ASME
Grazia Deledda's La Madre and the Problem of Tragedy

(1968). Grazia Deledda's La Madre and the Problem of Tragedy. Symposium: A Quarterly Journal in Modern Literatures: Vol. 22, No. 1, pp. 62-71.
Further evidence that the serotonin receptor in the rat stomach fundus is not 5HT1A or 5HT1B.

The nature of the receptor mediating serotonin contraction in the rat stomach fundus has not been clearly associated with either 5HT1 or 5HT2 receptors. We have explored the possibility that such receptors in the rat fundus may better correlate with 5HT1A or 5HT1B receptor subtypes as defined by radiolabeled ligand binding studies with brain cortical membranes. Meta chlorophenylpiperazine (CPP) and meta trifluoromethylphenylpiperazine (TFMPP), selective ligands for the 5HT1B receptor and LY165163, a selective ligand for the 5HT1A receptor, have been evaluated for their agonist and antagonist activity at serotonin receptors in the rat stomach fundus. CPP and TFMPP were partial agonists in the rat stomach fundus whereas LY165163 showed no agonist activity in this smooth muscle in concentrations up to 10−4M. All three phenylpiperazines antagonized serotonin-induced contractions in the rat stomach fundus. The affinity for serotonin receptors in the rat fundus was similar for all three phenylpiperazines in spite of the reported selectivity of MCPP and TFMPP for 5HT1B and of LY165163 for 5HT1A receptors. Furthermore, the affinity of these agents for serotonin receptors in the rat stomach fundus did not agree with their reported affinity for either 5HT1A or 5HT1B binding sites in rat cortical membranes. Thus, the similarity in affinities of these phenylpiperazine derivatives for serotonin receptors mediating contraction in the rat fundus along with their different affinities for 5HT1A and 5HT1B binding sites argues against the possibility that the serotonin receptor in the rat fundus is of the 5HT1A or 5HT1B subtype of serotonin receptor.
One-dimensional model for transition metals and their alloys

We develop the one-dimensional analogs of multiple-scattering theory and Korringa-Kohn-Rostoker band theory. The muffin-tin coherent-potential approximation turns out to be quite simple in one dimension when written in terms of the logarithmic derivatives of the radial Schr\"odinger equation. We develop a one-dimensional model for transition metals which includes the effects of hybridization and resonant scattering. Using this model we calculate the change in the density of states owing to the addition of a single impurity. A number of surprising effects which are outside the realm of tight-binding models and which seem to have three-dimensional analogs are observed.
Factors in Diagnosing the Learning Disabled Analysis of Judgmental Policies

Examines the decision-making processes of administrators, psychologists, teachers, and nurses in their judgments about the learning disabled based upon a theoretical framework provided by Brunswick (1952). Judges were first asked to rate the value of cues considered in judgments about the learning disabled including academic achievement, behavior disorder, intellectual functioning, neurological indicators, and socioeconomic status. Judges were next asked to rate the severity and make a placement recommendation for hypothetical case histories. Next, these data were used to calculate linear stepwise multiple regression equations approximating the judgmental processes of the different judges. The results indicated that judges did differ with respect to the weights assigned specific cues but were similar in their ratings of severity level and recommended educational placement. The obtained regression equations reflected the differential weighting of cues with academic achievement and behavior disorder account...
Kinetic and feasibility studies of ultrafiltration of viscous xanthan gum fermentation broth

Abstract Ultrafiltration of xanthan gum solution as an alternative method to alcohol precipitation for xanthan gum recovery from dilute fermentation broth was studied. A polysulfone membrane hollow fiber (with 500 000 MWCO) tubular cartridge was used. The xanthan fermentation broth, which is highly viscous at its normal concentration of ∼2.5 (w/v)%, was concentrated to 13.5 (w/v)% or higher, with a recovery yield of ∼95% or higher. During ultrafiltration, the flux remained almost constant for xanthan concentrations up to ∼8%. It then decreased dramatically as the xanthan concentration increased beyond 8%. The decreased filtrate flux can be attributed to the decreased pumping (shear) rate and the increased viscosity that resulted at higher xanthan concentrations. When the xanthan concentration was held constant during ultrafiltration, the filtrate flux remained almost unchanged for the entire 2-h period studied, suggesting that the process was stable and no significant fouling occurred. In general, the filtrate flux decreased with increasing xanthan concentration and increased with increasing pumping (shear) rate and trans-membrane pressure difference. Changing the solution pH had a slight effect on the viscosity of xanthan solution, but did not affect the filtration performance. Even under high-shear-rate conditions, ultrafiltration did not give any observed adverse effects on the rheological properties and molecular weight of the xanthan polymer. Thus, ultrafiltration can be used to concentrate xanthan broth from fermentation by a factor of five or higher, thereby reducing the amount of alcohol needed for xanthan recovery by at least 80%.
Hydrocarbons in the Mediterranean Sea, 1974–1975

Abstract Hydrocarbons in the Mediterranean Sea were analyzed from 1 m depth during the winter of 1974–1975. Petroleum hydrocarbons averaged from 6.9 to 25.8 μg/l, with the Alboran Sea and the area off Libya having the highest concentrations. The freshest petroleum material was found off Libya and in the Tyrrhenian Sea. Considerable amounts of biologically produced hydrocarbon material were also present (0.8–22.8 μg/l). They could only be identified semi-qualitatively but appeared to be quite similar, with the exception of the material from the Tyrrhenian Sea.
Thermal counterflow in a diverging channel: a study of radial heat transfer in He II

Abstract Heat transfer in superfluid helium is studied in a channel which imposes a radial 1/ r divergence in the heat flux density, q ( r ). A very sensitive AuFe thermocouple/SQUID system is employed to measure the temperature difference between various radial positions along the channel. Both laminar and turbulent dissipation are observed. The Gorter-Mellink mutual friction model, used to describe the turbulent thermal dissipation in channels of uniform cross-section, is applied locally to this diverging flow. Comparison of the turbulent dissipation measured over two sections of the channel shows that the Gorter-Mellink model alone is inadequate to describe the thermal resistance of He II in this non-uniform flow. Effects such as a suppression of the turbulence at the channel entrance or a transition to turbulence at some position within the channel may contribute to the discrepancy. Until these effects are carefully understood, use of the Gorter-Mellink model alone to characterize radial heat transfer in He II is highly suspect, even at high heat flux densities.
Using Experience in Clinical Problem Solving: Introduction and Framework

While much recent interest exists in the cognitive processes involved in clinical reasoning, a much-neglected area is the role of experience in diagnosis and treatment. A model of experience's role in commonsense problem solving is developed and a model of clinical reasoning that incorporates experience is proposed. Understanding the role of experience in clinical reasoning has two important implications. First, it will enable the building of better computerized reasoning systems for decision support and advisement. Such systems will be easy for clinicians to follow and will be able to take advantage of the similarities between novel cases in their reasoning. Second, it will enable the development of more effective teaching strategies that might result in more efficient learning environments and more accurate and reliable clinical reasoning. Two major contributions that experience makes to problem solving are identified. First, it provides exemplars to aid in hypothesis formation during classification, plan selection, and error recovery. Second, it triggers and contributes to refinement and modification of problem-solving knowledge. A model of the interaction between problem solving and experience is presented, including reasoning processes that make use of previous experience and a well-developed memory model that allows retrieval of individual experiences from memory as needed. The components of clinical reasoning are placed into the problem-solving model and thus propose places in the clinical reasoning cycle where one expects to see each experiential reasoning component.
The effect of gamma radiation on cell enlargement and size distribution of strain L.

Abstract The effect of radiation (500–1500 R) on the enlargement and size distribution of Strain L cells in monolayer culture was studied. The average cell volume, total culture volume, total cell number and cell size distribution were correlated with the degree of radiation injury and recovery during a 4-day postirradiation (PI) period. Cultures irradiated with 500 R resulted in an inhibition in cell division and giantism followed by recovery, a moderate depression in culture volume, and shifts in cell size distribution toward normal values during the 4-day PI period. Cultures irradiated with 1000 and 1500 R also showed dose-correlated inhibition of cell multiplication and giantism. However, these doses had virtually equivalent effects on total culture volume and cell size distribution. The increase in cell size was directly proportional to the three doses used. Cultures irradiated with 1000 R (on the 4th day PI) showed size changes which reflect a recovery process the cells undergo after the initial enlargement. These data support the view that the factors associated with cell divisior are much more sensitive than those associated with cell growth.
Performance of orthogonal short-time Fourier signaling over doubly dispersive channels

Orthogonal short-time Fourier (STF) basis functions are natural for communication over channels that are selective in both time and frequency. However, the STF basis functions in general interfere with each other due to the loss of orthogonality by channel dispersion. It is shown that the channel spread factor, the product of multipath and Doppler spreads, plays a key role in determining system performance. Smaller spread factors result in lower interference. A set of appropriately chosen STF basis functions serve as approximate channel eigenfunctions. A simple and approximately optimal pulse scale adaptation rule is derived to minimize interference by matching pulse properties to channel characteristics. It is also shown that ergodic capacity of doubly dispersive channels deviates from that of flat fading channels as channel spread factor increases. In particular, moments of the eigenvalue distribution of dispersive channels agree with those of flat fading channels up to certain order that is inversely proportional to channel spread factor.
The Mechanical Power Output of a Tettigoniid Wing Muscle During Singing and Flight

1. The mesothoracic wings of tettigoniid insects are used in song production and flight; the metathoracic wings in flight only. In Neoconocephalus triops the wing stroke frequency during flight is about 25 Hz; the frequency during singing about 100 Hz. 2. The twitch duration of mesothoracic, first tergocoxal (Tcxl) wing muscles is only about one-half the duration of the upstroke or downstroke portion of the wing cycle. During tethered flight the Tcxl muscles are activated on each cycle with short bursts of action potentials, each burst typically containing four action potentials. Activating the muscles with brief, tetanizing bursts increases the duration of muscle activity and the mechanical power output per wing cycle above that obtainable with single twitch contractions of the muscle. 3. The mechanical power output was determined for mesothoracic Tcxl muscles undergoing sinusoidal length change and stimulated phasically in the length cycle. At 25 Hz, the power at optimum muscle strain and optimum stimulus phase was 5 Wkg −1 at 30°C for muscles activated with single stimulus per cycle and about 33 Wkg −1 for muscles activated with bursts of stimuli in the normal pattern of flight. 4. The maximum power output at 100 Hz, the singing frequency, was 18 Wkg −1 . This was achieved with a single stimulus per wing cycle. 5. From published values of oxygen consumption by tettigoniids during singing, it is concluded that the efficiency of conversion of metabolic to mechanical power during singing is about 3%.
The Role of Care Neglect and Supervisory Neglect in Childhood Obesity in a Disadvantaged Sample

Objective Assess the roles of care neglect and supervisory neglect, and the moderating influence of child age on childhood obesity. Study Design Child BMI, parental care neglect, and supervisory neglect were assessed in an ethnically diverse sample of 571 young children from two Midwestern States. Hierarchical linear regression was used to assess the influence of both forms of neglect and the moderating role of age. Results Fifteen percent of the children were overweight and 16.3% were obese. Care neglect significantly correlated with child BMI for younger but not older children, while supervisory neglect significantly correlated with child BMI for older but not younger children. Conclusions The impact of two types of neglect on obesity varied across age, highlighting the importance of differentiating between types of neglectful parenting when addressing the high rate of childhood obesity in disadvantaged children.
Robust and passive model order reduction for circuits containing susceptance elements

Numerous approaches have been proposed to address the overwhelming modeling problems that result from the emergence of magnetic coupling as a dominant performance factor for ICsand packaging. Firstly, model order reduction (MOR) methods have been extended to robustly capture very high frequency behaviors for large RLC systems via methods such as PRIMA[8] with guaranteed passivity. In addition, new models of the magnetic couplings in terms of susceptance (inverse of inductance) have shown great promise for robust sparsification of otherwise intractable inductance coupling-matrix problems [3--5]. However, model order reduction via PRIMA for circuits that include susceptance elements does not guarantee passivity. Moreover, susceptance elements are incompatible with the path tracing algorithms that provide the fundamental runtime efficiency of RICE [10]. In this paper a novel MOR algorithm, SMOR, is proposed as an extension of ENOR [11] which exploits the matrix properties of susceptance-based circuits for runtime efficiency, and provides for a numerically stable, provably passive MOR using a new or-thonormalization strategy.
Soft X-Rays As A Tool To Investigate Radiation-Sensitive Sites In Mammalian Cells

It is now clear that the initial geometrical distribution of primary radiation products in irradiated biological matter is fundamental to the observed end-point (cell killing, mutation induction, chromosome aberrations, etc.) In recent years much evidence has accumulated, indicating that, for all radiations, physical quantities averaged over cellular dimensions (micrometers) are not good predictors of biological effect, and that energy deposition processes at the nanometer level are critical. Thus irradiation of cells with soft x rays whose secondary electrons have ranges of the order of nanometers is a unique tool for investigating different models for predicting the biological effects of radiation. We demonstrate techniques whereby the biological response of the cell, and the physical details of the energy deposition processes may be separated or factorized, so that given the response of a cellular system to, say soft x rays, the response of the cell to any other radiation may be predicted. The special advantages of soft x rays for eliciting this information and also information concerning the geometry of the radiation sensitive structures within the cell are discussed.© (1984) COPYRIGHT SPIE--The International Society for Optical Engineering. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.
Finite element analysis of monofilament woven fabrics under uniaxial tension

Mechanical behavior of woven fabrics under tensile load is complex because their deformation could result from the combined effects of tension, compression, bending, and shear. In this study, the tensile behavior of woven fabrics is simulated using finite element method. The input parameters are the mechanical properties of constituent yarns obtained from tensile and friction coefficient tests and the geometry of woven fabric repeating unit. First, a 3D geometric model of the repeating unit based on Pierce’s model was built using computer-aided design tools. Then, finite element analysis which incorporates material properties, frictional contact, and periodic boundary conditions was implemented using ANSYS. A non-linear mechanical behavior was defined. Frictional contact algorithm for the cross-sectional zone of the repeating unit and periodic boundary conditions to the contour of the repeating unit was implemented. Numerical simulation data and experimental data were compared, which showed good agreement.
Clustering of risk behaviours among African American adults

Objectives:Individuals may engage in more than one risk behaviour at any given time. The extent to which risk behaviours cluster among African American adults has been largely unexplored. This stud...
Autonomous versus Merged Marketing Departments: The Impact of Current Department Structure and Previous Restructuring Experience on Faculty Perceptions

This study details faculty perceptions concerning administrative structure and its impact on issues such as collegiality or student success. Faculty members in autonomous marketing departments are compared with those in combined units. Then, faculty never involved with departmental change are compared with faculty previously involved splitting marketing into an autonomous unit, those with merger experience, and those who have experienced both a split and merger. Participants currently housed in autonomous marketing departments and individuals who have never experienced any departmental change are most satisfied with their department structure. Individuals with merger experience and those in combined departments are least satisfied.
Inversion of Lamb waves in Shearwave Dispersion Ultrasound Vibrometry (SDUV)

Close to half of the heart failures are due to diastolic dysfunction which is accompanied by stiffening of the left-ventricular myocardium. Our group has recently proposed the use of Shearwave Dispersion Ultrasound Vibrometry (SDUV) to excite and track Lamb waves to quantify viscoelasticity of the myocardium. SDUV measures dispersion velocities using the phase gradient method which assumes presence of a single wave mode and absence of wave reflections. Direct inversion is a method for estimating wave velocity and attenuation that only requires the displacement versus time signal and is therefore more robust. In this study, we compare the results of measuring Lamb wave velocity and attenuation using the phase gradient and amplitude decay, and the direct inversion.
TpRe(L)(Br)2 (Tp = hydridotris(pyrazolyl)borate); L = tBuNC, PMe3, pyridine (py), 1‐methylimidazole (MeIm))

ReC14H19BBr2N7, (MW 642.18), InChI = 1S/C9H10BN6.C5H9N.2BrH.Re/c1-4-11-14(7-1)10(15-8-2-5-12-15)16-9-3-6-13-16;1-5(2,3)6-4;;;/h1-10H;1-3H3;2*1H;/q-1;;;;+3/p-2 InChIKey = FCDUFFXUGSMZHE-UHFFFAOYSA-L ReC12H19BBr2N6P, (MW 635.12), InChI = 1S/C9H10BN6.C3H9P.2BrH.Re/c1-4-11-14(7-1)10(15-8-2-5-12-15)16-9-3-6-13-16;1-4(2)3;;;/h1-10H;1-3H3;2*1H;/q-1;;;;+3/p-2 InChIKey = DMONZYYKEGPHIV-UHFFFAOYSA-L ReC14H15BBr2N7, (MW 638.12), InChI = 1S/C9H10BN6.C5H5N.2BrH.Re/c1-4-11-14(7-1)10(15-8-2-5-12-15)16-9-3-6-13-16;1-2-4-6-5-3-1;;;/h1-10H;1-5H;2*1H;/q-1;;;;+3/p-2 InChIKey = LEIPHPJKNWANFK-UHFFFAOYSA-L ReC13H16BBr2N8, (MW 641.15) InChI = 1S/C9H10BN6.C4H6N2.2BrH.Re/c1-4-11-14(7-1)10(15-8-2-5-12-15)16-9-3-6-13-16;1-6-3-2-5-4-6;;;/h1-10H;2-4H,1H3;2*1H;/q-1;;;;+3/p-2 InChIKey = GRXGJBQYVJRXMZ-UHFFFAOYSA-L (reagents used as precursors to complexes with dihapto-bound aromatic molecules) Physical Data: brown to brick-red microcrystalline solids. Solubility: all insoluble in H2O and hexanes; somewhat soluble in most other organic solvents, with the MeIm system being the least soluble. Purification: recrystallization from toluene or 1,2-dimethoxy-ethane (DME) and hexanes. Handling, Storage, and Precautions: compounds can be stored at room temperature in air.
Stabilizing Soft Fine-Grained Soils with Fly Ash

The objective of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of self-cementing fly ashes derived from combustion of sub- bituminous coal at electric power plants for stabilization of soft fine-grained soils. California bearing ratio CBR and resilient modulus Mr tests were conducted on mixtures prepared with seven soft fine-grained soils six inorganic soils and one organic soil and four fly ashes. The soils were selected to represent a relatively broad range of plasticity, with plasticity indices ranging between 15 and 38. Two of the fly ashes are high quality Class C ashes per ASTM C 618 that are normally used in Portland cement concrete. The other ashes are off-specification ashes, meaning they do not meet the Class C or Class F criteria in ASTM C 618. Tests were conducted on soils and soil-fly ash mixtures prepared at optimum water content a standardized condition, 7% wet of optimum water content representative of the typical in situ condition in Wisconsin, and 9-18% wet of optimum water content representative of a very wet in situ condition. Addition of fly ash resulted in appreciable increases in the CBR and Mr of the inorganic soils. For water contents 7% wet of optimum, CBRs of the soils alone ranged between 1 and 5. Addition of 10% fly ash resulted in CBRs ranging between 8 and 17 and 18% fly ash resulted in CBRs between 15 and 31. Similarly, Mr of the soil alone ranged between 3 and 15 MPa at 7% wet of optimum, whereas addition of 10% fly ash resulted in Mr between 12 and 60 MPa and 18% fly ash resulted in Mr between 51 and 106 MPa. In contrast, except for one fly ash, addition of fly ash generally had little effect on CBR or Mr of the organic soil.
Substra: a framework for automatic generation of integration tests

A component-based software system consists of well-encapsulated components that interact with each other via their interfaces. Software integration tests are generated to test the interactions among different components. These tests are usually in the form of sequences of interface method calls. Although many components are equipped with documents that provide informal specifications of individual interface methods, few documents specify component interaction constraints on the usage of these interface methods, including the order in which these methods should be called and the constraints on the method arguments and returns across multiple methods. In this paper, we propose Substra, a framework for automatic generation of software integration tests based on call-sequence constraints inferred from initial-test executions or normal runs of the subsystem under test. Two types of sequencing constraints are inferred: shared subsystem states and object define-use relationships. The inferred constraints are used to guide automatic generation of integration tests. We have implemented Substra with a tool and applied the tool on an ATM example. The preliminary results show that the tool can effectively generate integration tests that exercise new program behaviors.
Elimination of the ρ1 Subunit Abolishes GABACReceptor Expression and Alters Visual Processing in the Mouse Retina

Inhibition is crucial for normal function in the nervous system. In the CNS, inhibition is mediated primarily by the amino acid GABA via activation of two ionotropic GABA receptors, GABAA and GABAC. GABAA receptor composition and function have been well characterized, whereas much less is known about native GABAC receptors. Differences in molecular composition, anatomical distributions, and physiological properties strongly suggest that GABAA receptors and GABAC receptors have distinct functional roles in the CNS. To determine the functional role of GABAC receptors, we eliminated their expression in mice using a knock-out strategy. Although native rodent GABAC receptors are composed of ρ1 and ρ2 subunits, we show that after ρ1 subunit expression was selectively eliminated there was no GABAC receptor expression. We assessed GABAC receptor function in the retina because GABAC receptors are highly expressed on the axon terminals of rod bipolar cells and because this site modulates the visual signal to amacrine and ganglion cells. In GABACρ1 null mice, GABA-evoked responses, normally mediated by GABAC receptors, were eliminated, and signaling from rod bipolar cells to third order cells was altered. These data demonstrate that elimination of the GABACρ1 subunit, via gene targeting, results in the absence of GABAC receptors in the retina and selective alterations in normal visual processing.
Honoring Their Way: Counseling American Indian Women.

The authors review current literature on issues facing American Indian (AI) women and discuss implications for providing culturally sensitive counseling with these women. A case study of a Dine (Navajo) woman living within mainstream society and holding true to her traditional cultural beliefs illustrates how a culturally responsive approach to counseling AI women is integral for individual counseling with this population. Los autores revisan la literatura actual en asuntos afectando a mujeres Indias Americanas (AI) y discuten las implicaciones para proporcionar el aconsejar sensible culturalmente con estas mujeres. Un caso de una mujer Dine (navajo) que vive dentro de la sociedad convencional y mantiene valida a sus creencias culturales tradicionales que ilustra como un enfoque culturalmente receptivo a aconsejar mujeres Indias Americanas es integral para el aconsejo individual con esta poblacion.
HDR VolVis: high dynamic range volume visualization

In this paper, we present an interactive high dynamic range volume visualization framework (HDR VolVis) for visualizing volumetric data with both high spatial and intensity resolutions. Volumes with high dynamic range values require high precision computing during the rendering process to preserve data precision. Furthermore, it is desirable to render high resolution volumes with low opacity values to reveal detailed internal structures, which also requires high precision compositing. High precision rendering will result in a high precision intermediate image (also known as high dynamic range image). Simply rounding up pixel values to regular display scales will result in loss of computed details. Our method performs high precision compositing followed by dynamic tone mapping to preserve details on regular display devices. Rendering high precision volume data requires corresponding resolution in the transfer function. To assist the users in designing a high resolution transfer function on a limited resolution display device, we propose a novel transfer function specification interface with nonlinear magnification of the density range and logarithmic scaling of the color/opacity range. By leveraging modern commodity graphics hardware, multiresolution rendering techniques and out-of-core acceleration, our system can effectively produce an interactive visualization of large volume data, such as 2.048/sup 3/.
Single temperature calibration method for die level temperature sensors

Thermal test chips are widely used to develop electronic packaging thermal solutions and to evaluate electronic package assembly processes. Temperature sensors are an integral component on thermal test chips. Unfortunately, each temperature sensor must be calibrated in order for them to be effective. Each calibration can take up to one hour to complete. In a time when increasing sample sizes and shorter development cycles are taxing current equipment and manpower resources, new calibration techniques must be established to keep development costs down. This paper discusses simplified calibration procedures, which can significantly reduce the time needed for temperature sensor calibration. The simplified calibration procedures utilize single-resistance measurements either at room temperature or at the anticipated test temperature. For four different test chip designs included in this study, calibration error variations of less than /spl plusmn/0.6/spl deg/C at a /spl plusmn/2/spl sigma/ confidence level are possible. The simplified calibration procedures can be applied to any resistor type temperature sensor which has a linear correlation between its electric resistive properties and temperature.
Cancer Genetics: Risks and Mechanisms of Cancer in Women with Inherited Susceptibility to Epithelial Ovarian Cancer

Epithelial ovarian cancer (EOC) is a highly lethal malignancy, mostly due to the fact that the majority of cases are not detected until the disease has progressed to an advanced stage. The reason for this is that unlike endometrial cancer and cervical cancers, there are no unique symptoms associated with early (and more treatable) disease and there is currently no effective screening protocol. While most cases of EOC are not associated with an inherited predisposition, a small percentage of cases are so characterized, with such women at an increased risk not only for developing EOC but also for developing the disease at an earlier age than is observed in the general population. Nonetheless, there are effective interventions to reduce the likelihood of developing EOC. In high-risk women, consideration of such interventions should be entertained during the reproductive years; however, these interventions either temporarily (e.g., breast feeding, oral contraceptives) or permanently (e.g., tubal ligation, bilateral salpingo-oophorectomy) prevent pregnancy. It is thus imperative to identify such women early so as to offer preventive measures; conversely, the offering of such interventions must be coordinated with a frank discussion of pregnancy aspirations and family planning. Currently, the optimal approach to determine a women’s risk for developing EOC is evaluating one’s family history and offering genetic testing to those women at increased risk for having mutations in cancer susceptibility genes associated with EOC. While oncofertility is usually associated with individuals currently being treated for cancer, women at increased risk for developing EOC based on a genetic predisposition should likewise be considered for oncofertility counseling and potentially for novel fertility-sparing interventions.
Global databases will yield reliable measures of global biodiversity

For decades, paleobiologists have treated global diversity estimation as a straightforward problem (Miller 2000): count up the known higher taxa in each geological time interval, make a diversity curve, and go straight ahead to analyzing and interpreting the trends. However, global diversity curves recently have come under attack from all sides. Some researchers argue that although traditional curves are strongly affected by sampling biases (e.g., Smith 2001; Peters and Foote 2002), these biases can be corrected by assembling large, locality-level databases with detailed contextual information (Alroy et al. 2001). Others point to the large gap between true total global richness and the meager head counts the fossil record has to offer, and conclude that workers should focus exclusively on local and regional diversity (Jackson and Johnson 2001). Here I argue that although further fieldwork surely is needed, understanding global diversity in the short term remains a tractable goal—as long as we move quickly to build a discipline-wide, globally extensive paleontological database.
Development and measurement of a microwave microplasma source

This research focuses on experimental characterization of a microwave microplasma source based on split ring resonators that is simple, cost-effective, and light weight. With the use of split ring resonator design, microplasma discharges are generated using a variety of different microstrip structures. As a result, this will determine how the plasma properties, such as electron density and temperature, differ with these structures. By connecting a microwave input source to an SMA connector on a microstrip structure and its ground plate, the electromagnetic fields are transferred through a ring geometry of the microstrip into a small air gap (approximately 500 microns). Teflon is used as the dielectric substrate and copper is used to create the microstrip. The frequency and input power of the microwave source is varied from 0.9 GHz to 1.0 GHz and 1–5 W, respectively. The experiment studies how the plasma properties are affected by the thickness of the microstrip (500 – 1000 nm). The electron density and temperature are measured experimentally with optical emissions spectroscopy as they are important plasma properties for various applications. Previous measurements have been recorded by other researchers but it has never been considered how the thickness of the microstrip might change the plasma properties. This research will lead to a better understanding of the microplasma properties and how they vary within a split ring resonator device.
The effectiveness of two comprehensible-input approaches to foreign language instruction at the intermediate level

Abstract Fourth semester students of Spanish as a foreign language at the university level in the US participated in two kinds of comprehensible-input based instruction, an extensive reading class that combined assigned and self-selected reading, and a ”Reading-Discussion” class that consisted of assigned reading, debates and discussions. Students in both classes outperformed those in a traditionally taught class on a check-list vocabulary test and on a grammar test. The Reading-Discussion group outperformed the Traditional students on a cloze test ( P =0.105), but there was no difference between Traditional and Reading students on the cloze. The results confirm the efficacy of comprehensible-input based pedagogy at the intermediate level.