cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
A review of crosslinked fracturing fluids prepared with produced water

Abstract The rapidly increasing implementations of oilfield technologies such as horizontal wells and multistage hydraulic fracturing, particularly in unconventional formations, have expanded the need for fresh water in many oilfield locations. In the meantime, it is costly for services companies and operators to properly dispose large volumes of produced water, generated annually at about 21 billion barrels in the United States alone. The high operating costs in obtaining fresh water and dealing with produced water have motivated scientists and engineers, especially in recent years, to use produced water in place of fresh water to formulate well treatment fluids. The objective of this brief review is to provide a summary of the up-to-date technologies of reusing oilfield produced water in preparations of a series of crosslinked fluids implemented mainly in hydraulic fracturing operations. The crosslinked fluids formulated with produced water include borate- and metal-crosslinked guar and derivatized guar fluids, as well as other types of crosslinked fluid systems such as crosslinked synthetic polymer fluids and crosslinked derivatized cellulose fluids. The borate-crosslinked guar fluids have been successfully formulated with produced water and used in oilfield operations with bottomhole temperatures up to about 250 °F. The produced water sources involved showed total dissolved solids (TDS) up to about 115,000 mg/L and hardness up to about 11,000 mg/L. The metal-crosslinked guar fluids prepared with produced water were successfully used in wells at bottomhole temperatures up to about 250 °F, with produced water TDS up to about 300,000 mg/L and hardness up to about 44,000 mg/L. The Zr-crosslinked carboxymethyl hydroxypropyl guar (CMHPG) fluids have been successfully made with produced water and implemented in operations with bottomhole temperatures at about 250+ °F, with produced water TDS up to about 280,000 mg/L and hardness up to about 91,000 mg/L. In most of the cases investigated, the produced water involved was either untreated, or the treatments were minimum such as simple filtration without significantly changing the concentrations of monovalent and divalent ions in the water. Due to the compositional similarity (high salinity and hardness) between produced water and seawater, crosslinked fluids formulated with seawater for offshore and onshore jobs were also included. The crosslinked guar and derivatized guar fluids have been successfully formulated with seawater for operations at bottomhole temperatures up to about 300 °F. Operating costs have been significantly reduced when produced water or seawater is used to formulate fracturing fluids in place of fresh water. With various challenges and limitations still existing, the paper emphasizes the needs for new developments and further expansion of produced water reuse in oilfield operations.
Promotion of adipogenesis by neuropeptide Y during the later stages of chicken preadipocyte differentiation

Neuropeptide Y (NPY) promotes adipogenesis in both birds and mammals, although mechanisms in avians remain unclear. The objective of this study was thus to evaluate effects of NPY on chick preadipocyte proliferation and differentiation. Preadipocytes were treated with 0, 1, 10, or 100 nmol/L NPY and gene expression and cellular proliferation were evaluated at 12, 24, and 48 h. At 12 h posttreatment, mRNA abundance of topoisomerase II alpha (TOP2A), and thioredoxin-dependent peroxidase 2 was upregulated and NPY was downregulated in response to NPY (0 vs. 100 nmol/L) in preadipocytes. Cells were also treated with NPY during differentiation and harvested at 8, 10, and 12 days postinduction of differentiation. At day 8 postinduction of differentiation, there was increased lipid accumulation (0 vs. 10 and 100 nmol/L), expression of CCAAT/enhancer binding protein β and fatty acid binding protein 4 (FABP4) (0 vs. 100 nmol/L), and sterol regulatory element-binding protein (0 vs. 10 and 100 nmol/L) mRNA in NPY-treated cells. The number of proliferating cells decreased on day 8 in response to NPY (0 vs. 10 nmol/L). At day 10, FABP4 and Kruppel-like factor 7 mRNAs were downregulated (0 vs. 10 and 100 nmol/L, and 100 nmol/L, respectively), and at day 12, TOP2A mRNA was down-regulated (0 vs. 100 nmol/L) in response to NPY treatment. Activity of glycerol-3-phosphate dehydrogenase (G3PDH) was increased on days 10 and 12 in NPY-treated cells (0 vs. 100 nmol/L). Increased gene expression of proliferation markers in preadipocytes, and during differentiation increased expression of transcription factors and a fatty acid transporter, increased lipid accumulation, and increased activity of G3PDH suggest that NPY may enhance preadipocyte activity, adipogenesis, and promotes lipid accumulation throughout chicken adipocyte differentiation.
Post-Wagnerian Klangempfindungen: The Premieres of Maeterlinck Operas in Vienna

The Viennese premieres of Dukas’s Ariane et Barbe-bleue and Debussy’s Pelleas et Melisande in 1908 and 1911 occurred over a decade after Maeterlinck’s literary style and Fernand Khnopff’s paintings were praised by Secessionist critics, including Hermann Bahr and Ludwig Hevesi. In Vienna, fin-de-siecle discourse treats impressionism and symbolism as aesthetic outgrowths of Ernst Mach’s notion of ‘antimetaphysical’ modes of existence. This article explores the broader Viennese reception of symbolism and its influence on music criticism, which predominantly contends that Debussy and Dukas divert from Wagnerian techniques by cultivating Klangempfindungen (acoustical sensations) and anti-thematic symphonic approaches to generate musical equivalents to the poetic and painterly incitation of psychophysical stimuli. Julius Korngold and other prominent music critics, some of whom were Debussy’s and Dukas’s exact contemporaries, describe how symbolist compositional syntax emerges as a musical terrain that produces a stark contrast between the suspension of latency and frenetic episodes. Symbolist composers accentuate this contrast to increase sensitivity to a literary device at the core of Maeterlinck’s art: the protagonists’ fixation on environmental conditions and changes, descriptive imagery that apprises audiences of their emotional state.
Dynamic Assessment for 3- and 4-Year-Old Children Who Use Augmentative and Alternative Communication: Evaluating Expressive Syntax.

Purpose The developmental readiness to produce early sentences with an iPad communication application was assessed with ten 3- and 4-year-old children with severe speech disorders using graduated p...
Management of Male BRCA Mutation Carriers

Male breast cancer (MBC) accounts for <1% of all breast cancer diagnosed annually in the USA. Approximately 20% of affected men have a positive family history of breast cancer and 5–10% are associated with germline cancer susceptibility gene mutations. Unfortunately, with such small numbers, the research opportunities and data available on the biology, diagnosis, and management of male breast cancer have been limited. The management of male breast cancer, therefore, has been extrapolated from the available evidence derived in studies of female breast cancer, in particular, postmenopausal, estrogen receptor-positive (ER+) tumors. This strategy appears to be associated with similar overall outcomes when MBC patients are matched to female breast cancer (FBC) patients. However, increasing evidence has suggested that there are significant differences in the biology of MBC compared to the disease in females. These differences may eventually translate into alternative management options for MBC patients. Genetic susceptibility genes, in particular BRCA2, play a role in a subset of MBCs and offer an attractive springboard for a variety of biological studies that hold the promise of providing insight into this rare disease.
Structure, Function and Evolution of the Hsp60 Chaperonins

In 1973, Christian Anfinsen and coworkers noted that accelerated protein folding in intact cells and cell extracts suggested that a “disulfide interchange enzyme” might be present in vivo. This concept of catalyzed folding foreshadowed the discovery of ubiquitous protein chaperones. The chaperonin GroEL/GroES was identified serendipitously when GroE mutants of E. coli failed to grow bacteriophage λ and were also temperature sensitive. The GroEL/GroES proved to be a ubiquitous chaperone and heat shock protein in bacteria and eukaryotic organelles, with two back-to-back rings of seven subunits each, forming a cavity that enclosed nonnative proteins, capped by the separate GroES lid complex. Group II chaperonins were subsequently discovered in all of the Archaea and in the Eukaryote cytoplasm with a similar cage-like shape, only with a “built-in” lid instead of the GroES module of Group I chaperonins. These chaperones have been intensely studied for three decades and have provided deep insights into protein-folding mechanisms. Despite this, some aspects of chaperonin-induced protein folding remain controversial.
Particles Producing Strong Extinction in the Infrared

A summary of particle shapes, sizes and compositions which produce strong extinction per unit mass are presented. These particles are of considerable interest to the Army Smoke Program at Chemical Systems Laboratory.
Guest Editorial: Special Section on Reliability, Resilience, and Prognostics Modeling of Complex Engineering Systems

The seven papers included in this special section focus on reliability, resilience, and prognostics modeling of complex engineering systems. This topic has become very challenging due to factors such as complex physical interdependence and functional interactions among mechanical, electrical, software, and control subsystems, as well as the interactions with external environments. The difficulties of modeling the reliability and resilience as well as system performance prognostics of complex engineering system have been observed from many perspectives, e.g., 1) the schedule delays and cost overruns of major government and industry commercial programs, and 2) the challenges when planning and managing recovery activities of critical infrastructure damaged due to extreme events. When multiple sources of information and disparate data are available, how to monitor, model, and predict the system resilience and reliability over time of complex engineering systems becomes essential and critical for safe, reliable, resilient, and economic operations of most cyber-physical systems.
Chapter 61 – Image Informatics

This chapter discusses image informatics. The technical components for image acquisition, image handling, analysis, and interpretation are described, and applications in immunology are given. Progress in the understanding of tissues, their structure, function, and dynamics, and role in immunity critically relies on the precision and quality of information available. Improvements to obtain more structural information are not only critical to carry out a sensitive and reproducible phenotyping suitable for diagnosis of inflammation, but are also increasingly valuable to elucidate the downstream effects of gene function and gene products. Quantitative tissue information helps to model and understand the structure–functional relationships of cellular assemblies in normal and disease tissues and transplants. An automated morphometry in conjunction with image informatics—computer assisted imaging, data storage, analysis, and correlation of tissue images—serves this emerging requirement. Despite the enormous progress in digital microscopy and automated applications in cytology and molecular screening techniques, visual inspection remains the prevailing method for analyzing histological tissue sections in medical research, pharmacology, and clinical diagnostics. A discussion on high throughput image acquisition and digital tissue repositories is presented. Machine vision analysis of inflammation, object segmentation, and high-content morphometrical analysis are also presented.
Watch, Listen, and Learn

Technology impacts education - the way faculty teach and students learn. For example, faculty members utilize technology in the classroom to engage students and assess their understanding. Some examples of technological tools professors use in class include audience response system (clickers). Outside of the classroom, technology supplements classroom instruction without time and space constraints. For instance, professors record podcasts to review material and critique student memoranda. This article discusses some of the technology tools utilized by faculty and students.
Abstract 87: Brainstem Reflex Score Within 24 Hours of Hospital Admission Predicts Survival Post Cardiac Arrest

Background: Post Arrest Prognosis continues to be based on the neurologic exam at >72 hours. We investigated whether a novel, simple clinical tool at 24 hours could predict survival-to-discharge po...
Optical Properties of Water

Light is critical in structuring aquatic ecosystems. Seasonal variations in the heat energy provided by sunlight are responsible for thermal stratification and mixing regimes of aquatic systems. Sunlight used in photosynthesis (both terrestrial and aquatic) forms the foundation of all but the simplest microbial communities of aquatic ecosystems. This article addresses the fate of light in aquatic ecosystems. It starts with a discussion of the nature of light and the spectral output of the sun. Reflectance, scattering, and absorption in the atmosphere are addressed, along with the role of latitude, in regulating the incident flux of light at the surface of aquatic systems. Once light penetrates the air–water interface, it can either be scattered or absorbed. The inherent optical properties of absorptance, scatterance, and volume scattering function are defined as they pertain to aquatic systems. Wavelength-specific differences in scattering and absorption are discussed in the context of optically significant components of the water column such as dissolved organic carbon and phytoplankton. The diffuse attenuation coefficient is introduced as a parameter in defining the transparency of aquatic systems. Wavelength-specific differences in this parameter are discussed and placed in the context of a system's inherent optical properties. Finally, the environmental variability of transparency is illustrated using data from five Western Hemisphere lakes.
Aberrant conduction or ectopic beats

(2001). Aberrant Conduction or Ectopic Beats? Hospital Practice: Vol. 36, No. 7, pp. 13-14.
Sputtered Lead Zirconate Titanate Thin Films Deposited on Silicon-on-Sapphire Substrates

Sputtered Pb(Zr 52 Ti 48 )O 3 (PZT) thin films grown on 150 mm Silicon-on-Sapphire (SOS) substrates for RF MEMS applications. Film properties are compared to similar films deposited on 150 mm Si/SiO 2 wafers. PZT films deposited on SOS show improvement in PMAX (46.2 vs. 42.1 μV/cm2) and PREM (22.0 vs. 16.5 μV/cm2) over films deposited on Si. A decrease in maximum ϵr from 1027 (Si) to 927 (SOS) is also noted. Crystal structure is examined using x-ray diffraction, while ferroelectric P-E hysteresis curves, dielectric constant tuning, and loss tangentare studied using fabricated capacitor structures.
OjO Latino: A Photovoice Project in Recognition of the Latino Presence in Pittsburgh, PA

In recent years, the Latino population has increased rapidly in areas with traditionally low concentration of Latinos. In these emerging communities, Latinos often live scattered, confronting social isolation and social services not tailored to serve their cultural and linguistic needs. Latinos’ invisibility in Pittsburgh is evidenced by the absence of records of the Latino presence in the city’s museums and public archives. OjO Latino, a community engaged project, sought to advance the inclusion of the Latino community in Pittsburgh through Photovoice. This participatory expression methodology enables individuals to share their stories with the larger public through cultural and artistic expression. The intentional organization of the project as a group activity facilitated the transfer of power over the project to participants, creating solidarity and fomenting trust. During four meetings participants took part in a short photography training, discussed their photographs addressing the meaning of being Latino in Pittsburgh, and selected 34 photographs for exhibition organizing them in four themes: Work, Costumes, Family and Landscape and climate. OjO Latino held one exhibit in a community venue and another one at the university. In addition, the photographs are available in an electronic public repository. OjO Latino served a dual purpose of expanding the visibility of Latinos in and educating the larger community. The OjO Latino team got closer to the ways Latino immigrants see and experience the city. Their gaze challenged our own views and experiences and also spoke the saliency of nostalgia and social networks in their lives. The open discussion of what it means to be Latino in an emerging community and the opportunity to produce a visual account of it, along with the acknowledgment of the presence of this diverse population promote human rights, ethnic identity as well as mental and social health.
Benign Bile Duct Strictures and Bile Leaks

Endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP) is the first-line treatment for benign biliary strictures and bile leaks. There are several etiologies of benign biliary strictures, which are diagnosed via clinical symptoms, lab abnormalities, and imaging findings (US, CT, and MR). Posttransplant biliary anastomotic strictures and biliary strictures due to chronic pancreatitis present specific challenges for the endoscopist that require a nuanced approach involving ERCP with sphincterotomy and stent placement. The most common etiology of bile leaks is postsurgical, typically following cholecystectomy, liver transplant, or liver resection. ERCP with sphincterotomy and stent placement successfully treats >90% of leaks following cholecystectomy. Success rates are also high for leaks following liver transplant and liver resection, but not as high as post-cholecystectomy. The use of fully covered self-expanding metal stents (FCSEMS) in the treatment of biliary strictures and bile leaks has been examined and is preferred in patients with biliary strictures due to chronic pancreatitis but is usually reserved for refractory post-liver transplant bile duct strictures and bile leaks.
Networks, Geography of

Geography's recent post-structuralist turn has included a pronounced emphasis on relational conceptions of space. Central to this shift has been the use of networks to conceptualize geographical relations in an age of ferocious globalization and time–space compression. Empirically, networked geographies have been most commonly found in the analysis of economic issues. This article outlines several approaches to the theorization of networks: the rhizomes of Deleuze and Guattari, Latour's actor-network theory, the space of flows as put forth by Castells, commodity chain analysis, and Massey's power-geometries.
Acute myeloid leukemia with central nervous system extension and subdural seeding of vancomycin-resistant Enterococcus faecium after bilateral subdural hematomas treated with subdural daptomycin administration

Background We present a rare case of comorbid relapsed acute myeloid leukemia (AML) with the involvement of the central nervous system (CNS) and subdural seeding of vancomycin-resistant Enterococcus faecium (VRE). The safety profile, treatment approach with pharmacokinetic considerations, and evaluation of success for bilateral subdural administration of daptomycin after subdural hematoma (SDH) are assessed. Case description A 45-year-old male with a history of AML who underwent chemotherapy (induction with 7 + 3) was admitted to oncology with relapsed AML confirmed by bone marrow biopsy, complicated by neutropenic fever and VRE bacteremia. After acute neurological changes with image confirmation of mixed- density bilateral SDHs secondary to thrombocytopenia, the patient was admitted to the neurosurgery unit and underwent bilateral burr hole craniotomies for subdural evacuation with the placement of the left and right subdural drains. Culture of the subdural specimen confirmed VRE seeding of the subdural space. The patient received the first dose of daptomycin into the bilateral subdural spaces 2 days after evacuation and was noted to have acute improvement on neurological examination, followed by a second administration to the left subdural space 5 days after evacuation with bilateral drains pulled thereafter. Conclusion In this patient, the complication of relapsed AML may have contributed to the rare extension of VRE into the CNS space. Screening for patients at risk of AML with CNS involvement and addressing coagulopathy and risk of infection may help mitigate morbidity. Bilateral administration of subdural daptomycin bolus into the subdural space was tolerated and possibly contributed to the patient's neurological improvement during an extended hospital course.
Defective Regulated Exocytosis in Mast Cells from Synaptotagmin-2 Knockout Mice.

Abstract Synaptotagmins (Syts) are a family of membrane proteins present on a variety of intracellular organelles. They contain a short N terminus, a single transmembrane domain and two calcium binding C2 domains. Twelve Syt isoforms have been identified, in vertebrates. Syt-1 is the postulated calcium sensor in neuronal regulated exocytosis. Syt2 is functionally and structurally closely related to Syt1, it is the major Syt isoform in mast cells (MC) and it localizes on the MC secretory granules. MC are central effectors of allergic reactions and enhancers of host immune responses against bacterial infections. MC respond to a variety of stimuli with three effector mechanisms: secretion of preformed inflammatory mediators stored in their granules via regulated exocytosis, release of newly synthesized cytokines and chemokynes by constitutive exocytosis, and secretion of prostaglandins and leukotrienes by an exocytosis-independent mechanism. Based on the role of Syt1 in neuronal exocytosis, we postulate that Syt2 is the calcium sensor in MC regulated exocytosis. To investigate this possibility we generated a Syt2 knockout mouse using homologous recombination. Disruption of Syt2 results in low viability (around 14 days survival), growth impairment (approximately half size and weight of the control littermates) and severe ataxia and muscular weakness. We derived MC from bone marrow and lungs of 2 weeks-old Syt2−/− mice and control littermates (Syt2+/−, Syt2+/+). We found no morphological or developmental difference in Syt2−/− MC when compared with controls, and after 6 weeks in culture Syt2−/− MC have normal surface expression of FceRI and c-kit as measured by flow cytometry. However, we found a 50% inhibition in β-hexosaminidase and histamine release upon stimulation by IgE crosslinking, compatible with a defect in degranulation. Furthermore, other effector responses seem not to be compromised, as there was no difference in stimulated LTC4 release when compared with controls. Our data proves the essential role of Syt2 in MC regulated exocytosis. We are now performing additional functional assays and single-cell electrophysiology.
A Model-Free Approach to Distributed Transmit Beamforming

This paper presents a model-free solution to distributed transmit beamforming using mobile agents. Each agent is equipped with an antenna and the agents represent the individual elements in an antenna array. The agents are tasked to coordinate their relative location, phase offsets, and amplitude to construct a desired beam-pattern. As a prospective solution, we propose a model-free optimization algorithm based on real-time feedback that does not require a model that maps the control parameters (relative location, phase offsets, and amplitude) to a radiation pattern. We evaluate the performance of proposed approach for different motion constraints. Numerical results are presented to validate the theory.
How Much Is Too Much

Risk assessment has proven to be a valuable tool in setting U.S. environmental policy. However, its use in countries with weak regulatory institutions and fundamental environmental problems is questionable, unless consideration is given to the strength and competence of the country’s regulatory institutions to carry out recommendations that derive from such analyses.
Enhancement of OpenJDK biased locking for infrequent lock contention

Java has a built-in synchronization mechanism and there are many research works to optimize the mechanism by reducing use of costly operations, such as OS monitors and atomic operations. OpenJDK implements biased locking to eliminate all synchronization-related atomic operations for uncontended locks. However, atomic operations are still observed in Hadoop map tasks even though a map task is single-threaded. This paper presents a scenario where a map task causes infrequent lock contentions and an enhancement to help biased locking work better in such situation. Our enhancement includes a new mechanism to profile lock usages, new transitions to enforce those high profiled locks to continue benefit from biased locking, and a mechanism to bypass lock state transition during deoptimization. It accelerated TPC-DS queries execution by 5% on average. We also verified it reduced lock-related atomic operations by up to 50% for map task.
Decision Making with “Gray Swan” events

“Gray Swan” has been defined by Nassim Taleb as a rare and highly consequential event that, unlike absolutely unforeseen Black Swan events, can be expected. This paper describes an approach to designing a decision support system, which monitors uncertain and ambiguous dynamic environments characterized by both regular and Gray Swan events. It is capable of producing probable explanations of the situations, identifying asymmetric threats, and acting to prevent catastrophic consequences or mitigate their impact while operating under resource and time constraints. The proposed system incorporates decision makers' attitudes toward risk and uncertainty while considering regular and Gray swan events characterized by uncertain catastrophic outcomes. Use case results are presented
COVID-19 y el corazón

The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), in less than one year, has been causing havoc to the world's public health. With more than 35 million reported cases, more than 1 million fatalities worldwide, and the persistently growing number of infections; a resolution to this health crisis is not visualized in the short- or mid-term. Besides the pulmonary complications, the medical community has called attention to the cardiac compromise. In this brief article we review the most important aspects of COVID-19 related myocardial injury, the possible mechanisms, the prognostic implications and the possible persistent myocardial injury and physical activity restrictions in patients who recovered from the infection.
Do sexually selected weapons drive diversification

Sexual selection is often thought to promote speciation. This expectation is largely driven by the fact that sexually selected traits can influence mating patterns and contribute to reproductive isolation. Indeed, some comparative studies have shown that clades with sexually selected traits have increased rates of speciation and diversification. However, these studies have almost exclusively focused on one mechanism of sexual selection: female choice. Another widespread mechanism is male-male competition. Few empirical studies (if any) have investigated the role of this alternative mechanism in driving diversification. Nevertheless, recent reviews have suggested that male-male competition can increase speciation rates. Here, we investigated whether traits associated with precopulatory male-male competition (i.e., sexually selected weapons) have promoted speciation and diversification in insects. We focused on three clades with both weapons and suitable phylogenies: leaf-footed and broad-headed bugs (Coreidae+Alydidae; ∼2850 species), stick insects and relatives (Phasmatodea; ∼3284 species), and scarab beetles (Scarabaeoidea; ∼39,717 species). We found no evidence that weapon-bearing lineages in these clades have higher rates of speciation or diversification than their weaponless relatives. Thus, our results suggest that precopulatory male-male competition may not have strong, general effects on speciation and diversification in insects, a group encompassing ∼60% of all described species.
Investigational new drugs against glioblastoma

Abstract This chapter provides a timely overview of new drugs under development for glioblastoma therapy. First, we describe the challenges to drug development that are specific to glioblastoma and inherent issues that explain the high failure rate of late phase clinical trials against these tumors. We identify measures that have the potential to overcome current challenges especially if applied early during drug development, preclinical testing, and clinical translation. We focus on agents that target tumor cell-autonomous mechanisms in primary glioblastoma that represents 90%–95% of glioblastoma diagnoses. Druggable targets in glioblastoma cells are described in a topology-based fashion including agents and strategies directed at (i) DNA, DNA repair, and DNA integrity including novel approaches to DNA alkylation, PARP, DNA protein kinase, and telomerase inhibition; (ii) epigenetic determinants of chromatin structure and gene transcription, including histone deacetylase and methylase inhibitors; (iii) modulators of cell cycle and apoptosis, including CDK4/6 inhibitors, drugs that interfere with the mitotic spindle, MDM2, Wee-1 and protein phosphatase 2A inhibitors and caspase activators; (iv) protein homeostasis, including proteasome and neddylation inhibitors; and (v) upstream cellular signaling pathways, including EGFR, PI3K/AKT/mTOR and MEK inhibitors. We also briefly discuss drug delivery and synthetic lethality approaches that may open new avenues for otherwise potentially effective drugs.
Divergent processes drive parallel evolution in marine and freshwater fishes.

Evolutionary comparisons between major environmental divides, such as between marine and freshwater systems, can reveal the fundamental processes governing diversification dynamics. Although processes may differ due to the different scales of their biogeographic barriers, freshwater and marine environments nevertheless offer similar opportunities for diversification in benthic, demersal, and pelagic habitats. Here, we compare the evolutionary patterns and processes shaping teleost diversity both in each of these three habitats and between marine and freshwater systems. Using specimens from the National Museum of Natural History, we developed a dataset of linear measurements capturing body shape in 2,266 freshwater and 3,344 marine teleost species. With a novel comparative approach, we contrast the primary axis of morphological diversification in each habitat with the major axis defined by phylogenetic signal. By comparing angles between these axes, we find that fish in corresponding habitats have more similar primary axes of morphological diversity than would be expected by chance, but that different historical processes underlie these parallel patterns in freshwater and marine environments. Marine diversification is more strongly aligned with phylogenetic signal and shows a trend toward lineages occupying separate regions of morphospace. In contrast, ecological signal appears to be a strong driver of diversification in freshwater lineages through repeated morphological evolution in densely packed regions of morphospace. In spite of these divergent histories, our findings reveal that habitat has driven convergent patterns of evolutionary diversification on a global scale.
A Giant Intramedullary Spinal Tumor.

Intramedullary tumors of the spinal cord account for 2%–4% of all central nervous system tumors. Surgical resection with intraoperative neuromonitoring, although challenging, remains the mainstay of treatment with the goal to prevent neurologic decline. We present a case of an unusual anaplastic glioma of the thoracic spinal cord in a 42-year-old male that spanned 7 vertebral levels and could not be definitively characterized using the 2021 World Health Organization Classification of Central Nervous System Tumors.
Performance metrics for configurable computing

Summary form only given. Metrics determine what kind of conclusions may be drawn from benchmark results, and also affect how benchmarks must be performed. The metrics in use in scientific computing benchmarks address mainly four questions: 1. How can a given algorithm be characterized? 2. How good is an algorithm to solve a problem on a given implementation? 3. How good is a machine across multiple problems? and 4. How effectively does an implementation algorithm combination scale? When evaluating architectural and packaging options for an architecture, one commonly encounters the problem of meeting performance requirements within the constraints of weight, volume and power envelope as well as the amount of computation performance that can be realized with a given physical envelope. This assessment process can be guided by a metric that we have found to be relatively consistent in past applications. It incorporates throughput in million operations per second (MOPS), weight (and implicitly volume) in kilograms, and power in watts. The MOPS/(kg.watt) ratio has been used to evaluate technology and packaging tradeoffs.
Measurement of Truck and Vehicle Noise

General methods of identifying noise sources in vehicles are reviewed: subjective assessment, selective operation, selective wrapping, frequency analysis, change of excitation frequency or speed, acoustic mapping, surface velocity, acoustic intensity, and surface intensity. Two methods for studying truck noise sources are discussed in more detail: near-field measurement, and the coherence technique. Results of these two methods are compared with those of a third technique in which the same truck with different sources wrapped and then sequentially exposed was driven past a microphone using the SAE (Society of Automotive Engineers) J366b test. Also described are two stationary indoor standard tests for measuring vehicle noise: reduced drive-by simulation, and sound power. These tests could be used to supplement (or replace) the SAE J366b drive-by test in some cases. Data obtained using these three tests on the same truck are compared.
Cancer of the skin in blacks: II. A review of thirty-six black patients with squamous cell carcinoma of the lip

Cancer of the lip in blacks is rare, according to the literature. Using information obtained from the Tumor Registry of Charity Hospital of Louisiana in New Orleans, we discuss data on thirty-six black patients having a total of thirty-seven squamous cell carcinomas of the lip during the years 1948 to 1979. The overall mortality was 19.4%, with metastasis developing from lower lip lesions in seven cases.
Low-quality fuel problems with advanced engine materials

Demands for high efficiency and power in the future will bring the use of advanced materials including ceramics, composites and augmented metals in engines and other technologies. In many cases, th...
Liberalism, Imperialism, and the Historical Imagination: Nineteenth-Century Visions Of A Greater Britain

Introduction 1. Imagining Great Britain: Union, Empire and the burden of history: 1800-30 2. Imagining a British India: history and the re-construction of Empire 3. Imagining a Greater Britain: the Macaulays and the liberal romance of Empire 4. Re-imagining a Greater Britain: J. A. Froude: counter-romance and controversy 5. Greater Britain and the 'lesser breeds': liberalism, race and evolutionary history 6. Indian liberals and Greater Britain: the search for union through history Epilogue: from liberal imperialism to conservative unionism: losing the thread of progress in history.
Flux Motion Effects in Tl-Ca-Ba-Cu-O Thin Films

Flux motion effects, flow and creep, have been identified as one of the major problem areas in high temperature superconductors. In this paper, we examine these effects in polycrystalline thin films of the Tl-Ca-Ba-Cu-O high temperature superconductors. Films with transport critical current densities to 9×105 A/cm2 at 77 K and no weak-link behavior have been obtained. The activation energy for flux motion as a function of temperature has been determined by static magnetization and magnetotransport measurements. Estimated activation energies at 77 K from these techniques are 200 meV at 50 mT and 41 meV at 1 T, respectively. We discuss a new superconducting device, the superconducting flux flow transistor, fabricated from photolithographically patterned films, that utilizes switching between the superconducting and flux flow states as the active device mode. These devices show the potential for operation to 60 GHz utilizing the current films
Learning Skills and Motivation: Correlates to Superior Academic Performance

This paper describes a study that was conducted at a mid-sized public state-university in the mid-south, USA, to examine various factors affecting student academic performance. In this study, the 10-scale Learning and Study Strategies Inventory (LASSI) assessment device was administered. This set of scales measures students’ receptivity to skills and strategies that purportedly enhance one’s ability to learn and successfully perform in an academic setting. Results from this instrument showed that the single most influential learning and study skill promoting positive academic performance was level of intrinsic motivation. To explore the individual aspects of motivation, the 8-scale Downing Self-Assessment Questionnaire was also administered. The Downing questionnaire examines motivational factors, for example, behaviors and beliefs, which might maximize one’s potential for positive achievement in college. Along with motivation, the subscale measuring an attitude of life-long learning significantly predicted academic performance. The results of this study have pedagogical implications for helping students maximize their academic performance in college.
A Woman with a Lower Lip Nodule: What Is Your Diagnosis?

Angiolymphoid hyperplasia with eosinophilia (ALHE), also known as epitheliod hemangioma is an uncommon benign vascular tumor of the skin. It usually presents as nodules and erythema over the ears, forehead, or scalp. Histologically, the lesion is composed of a combination of immature blood vessels, endothelial cells with distinct epitheliod appearance and chronic inflammatory cell infiltration with numerous eosinophils. Such a case occurring on the lower lip of a 55-year-old woman is presented. The lesion was completely excised with clear margins. Surgical resection is the preferred mode of treatment and is curative.
Is DNA Alive? a Study of Conceptual Change through Targeted Instruction.

We are involved in a project to incorporate innovative assessments within a reform-based large-lecture biochemistry course for nonmajors. We not only assessed misconceptions but purposefully changed instruction throughout the semester to confront student ideas. Our research questions targeted student conceptions of deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) along with understanding in what ways classroom discussions/activities influence student conceptions. Data sources included pre-/post-assessments, semi-structured interviews, and student work on exams/assessments. We found that students held misconceptions about the chemical nature of DNA, with 63 % of students claiming that DNA is alive prior to instruction. The chemical nature of DNA is an important fundamental concept in science fields. We confronted this misconception throughout the semester collecting data from several instructional interventions. Case studies of individual students revealed how various instructional strategies/assessments allowed students to construct and demonstrate the scientifically accepted understanding of the chemical nature of DNA. However, the post-assessment exposed that 40 % of students still held misconceptions about DNA, indicating the persistent nature of this misconception. Implications for teaching and learning are discussed.
Polymer precursor synthesis of high Tc superconductors

Free standing oxygen deficient perovskite Y1Ba2Cu3OX has been synthesized from polymer precursors. As prepared the material is comprised of crystallites of uniform and extensively interconnected morphology. The decrease of resistivity with temperature is perfectly linear, the onset of TC occurs at 92.4 K and TC (90%-10%) is ca. 1K. This precursor method of synthesis requires much lower temperature and shorter time than the usual ceramic techniques. Both free standing films and fibers can be obtained which is not possible otherwise.
The effect of including polarization functions on the geometrical parameters calculated for pyridine.

Geometrical parameters for pyridine have been calculated using the 6-31G, 6-31G* (5D), 6-31G** (6D), and 6-31G(2 × 6D) basis sets. Comparisons are made with a microwave substitution structure and with results of other ab initio calculations reported in the literature. Particular attention is paid to the influence of polarization functions on the magnitude of the ring angle, 〈C6 N1 C2 , which is analogous to the ipso angle in monosubstituted benzene derivatives.
Glucocorticoid-induced down regulation of transforming growth factor-β1 in adult rat lung fibroblasts

Transforming growth factor-β1 mRNA and transforming growth factor β activity are decreased with exposure of normal adult rat lung fibroblasts to dexamethasone. Dexamethasone caused a decrease in transforming growth factor-β1 mRNA within 2 hours, which was sustained at least over a 24-hour period. The decrease in transforming growth factor-β1 mRNA was dose related. Dexamethasone treatment of rat lung fibroblasts also resulted in a decrease of transforming growth factor β activity as determined by the mink lung cell growth inhibition assay. These data indicate that glucocorticoids may regulate collagen synthesis at least in part through the mediation of transforming growth factor-β1 in rat lung fibroblasts.
The law of stretched systems in action: exploiting robots

Robotic systems represent new capabilities that justifiably excite technologists and problem holders in many areas. But what affordances do the new capabilities represent and how will problem holders and practitioners exploit these capabilities as they struggle to meet performance demands and resource pressures? Discussions of the impact of new robotic technology typically mistake new capabilities for affordances in use. The dominate note is that robots as autonomous agents will revolutionize human activity. This is a fundamental oversimplification (see Feltovich et al., 2001) as past research has shown that advances in autonomy (an intrinsic capability) have turned out to demand advances in support for coordinated activity (extrinsic affordances). The Law of Stretched Systems captures the co-adaptive dynamic that human leaders under pressure for higher and more efficient levels of performance will exploit new capabilities to demand more complex forms of work (Woods and Dekker, 2000; Woods and Hollnagel, 2006). This law provides a guide to use past findings on the reverberations of technology change to project how effective leaders and operators will exploit the capabilities of future robotic systems. When one applies the Law of Stretched Systems to new robotic capabilities for demanding work settings, one begins to see new stories about how problem holders work with and through robotic systems to accomplish goals. These are not stories about machine autonomy and the substitution myth. Rather, the new capabilities trigger the exploration of new story lines about future operations that concern: how to coordinate activities over wider ranges, how to expand our perception and action over larger spans through remote devices, and how to project our intent into distant situations to achieve our goals..
Post-column detection by on-line photolysis-electrochemistry in liquid chromatography; application to the determination of phenylalanine in human urine.

Abstract On-line, post-column photochemical derivatization for liquid chromatography—electrochemical detection (LC—hν—EC) has been employed for the analysis of phenylalanine in urine. The method is highly sensitive and selective. The quantitative results show good precision and reproducibility. It can be used easily and has the clinical use of diagnosing phenylketonuria disease.
Thiazolidinedione drugs block cardiac KATP channels and may increase propensity for ischaemic ventricular fibrillation in pigs.

Aims/hypothesis Opening of ATP-sensitive potassium (KATP) channels during myocardial ischaemia shortens action potential duration and is believed to be an adaptive, energy-sparing response. Thiazolidinedione drugs block KATP channels in non-cardiac cells in vitro. This study determined whether thiazolidinedione drugs block cardiac KATP channels in vivo.
Hypervelocity impact tests and simulations of single whipple bumper shield concepts at 10km/s

Abstract A series of experiments has been performed to evaluate the effectiveness of a Whipple bumper shield to orbital space debris at impact velocities of ∼ 10 km/s. Upon impact by a 19 mm (0.87 mm thick, L/D ∼0.5) flier plate, the thin aluminum bumper shield disintegrates into a debris cloud. The debris cloud front propagates axially at velocities of ∼14 km/s and expands radially at a velocity of ∼7 km/s. Subsequent loading by the debris on a 3.2 mm thick aluminum substructure placed 114 mm from the bumper penetrates the substructure completely. However, when the diameter of the flier plate is reduced to 12.7 mm, the substructure, although damaged is not perforated. Numerical simulations performed using the multi-dimensional hydrodynamics code CTH also predict complete perforation of the substructure by the subsequent debris cloud for the larger flier plate. The numerical simulation for a 12.7 mm flier plate, however, shows a strong dependence on assumed impact geometry, i. e., a spherical projectile impact geometry does not result in perforation of the substructure by the debris cloud, while the flat plate impact geometry results in perforation.
Evaporation of sessile drops under combined diffusion and natural convection

Abstract Experiments were conducted to investigate the range of applicability of a commonly used assumption for evaporation models of sessile drops, that the transport mechanism that controls the evaporation is vapor diffusion. The evaporation rates of sessile drops of 3-methylpentane, hexane, cyclohexane, and heptane were measured. The radius of the drop contact line was constant during the measurements and drops of radius from 1 mm to 22 mm were studied. It was found that a diffusion-controlled evaporation model underpredicts the evaporation rate from 36% to 80% depending on the drop size. The increase in the evaporation rate was attributed to a second transport mechanism, natural convection of the vapors, and an empirical model was developed for conditions of combined diffusive and convective transport. Over the broad range of volatilities and drop sizes studied, the evaporation rates computed using the combined transport model agree with the measured values with less than 6% root mean square error.