cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Three dimensional imaging using T-ray computed tomography

Summary form only given. T-ray computed tomography imaging has significant potential in a number of applications. It is capable of reconstructing the 3D structure and frequency dependent far-infrared optical properties of an object. Using the reconstructed material properties different substances may be uniquely identified despite being hidden within other opaque structures. Applications of this technology are foreseen in non-destructive mail/packaging inspection, semiconductor testing, quality control of plastics and certain biomedical applications where the absorption of THz is not prohibitive.
The distribution of early-type stars in the Mon-CMa-Pup-Vel region of the Milky Way

An overall uvby β photometric survey of the structure of the star-forming fields located toward the Monoceros-Canis Major-Puppis-Vela region of the Milky Way is presented.
[Reply to “Space Station?” by L.H. Meredith] On the future of the United States in space

It is no news that the space programs of the United States, both civil and military, have been acutely disabled since the Challenger accident in January 1986. Billions of dollars' worth of high-priority commercial, scientific, and military spacecraft are backing up in the launching queue, but within the civil sector, no effective effort has yet been made to remedy this disgraceful situation. In fact, the present inflexible policy runs in the opposite direction — that is, to worsen the situation. The likelihood of such a national disability was foreseen in testimony before a subcommittee of the Senate appropriations committee on June 29, 1971, by then—Senator Walter Mondale, Thomas Gold, Brian O'Leary, and myself. At that time, advocates of the development of a fleet of manned space shuttles promised the Congress that each of the proposed shuttles would deliver 50,000 pounds of payload into low Earth orbit at a launching cost of $100 per pound; that each shuttle would have a useful lifetime of 100 missions; that by the early 1980s the United States would be conducting 50 shuttle flights per year (i.e., about one per week) for civil purposes alone; and that all expendable launch vehicles would thereby be rendered obsolete.
Influence of Experience with Conflicting Information on Reactions to Subsequent Conflicting Information

(1960). Influence of Experience with Conflicting Information on Reactions to Subsequent Conflicting Information. The Journal of Social Psychology: Vol. 51, No. 2, pp. 367-385.
Evaluating Online Labor Markets for Experimental Research: Amazon.com's Mechanical Turk

We examine the trade-offs associated with using Amazon.com’s Mechanical Turk (MTurk) interface for subject recruitment. We first describe MTurk and its promise as a vehicle for performing low-cost and easy-to-field experiments. We then assess the internal and external validity of experiments performed using MTurk, employing a framework that can be used to evaluate other subject pools. We first investigate the characteristics of samples drawn from the MTurk population. We show that respondents recruited in this manner are often more representative of the U.S. population than in-person convenience samples—the modal sample in published experimental political science—but less representative than subjects in Internet-based panels or national probability samples. Finally, we replicate important published experimental work using MTurk samples.
Measurement of Static and Dynamic Soil Stress and Strain using In-ground Instrumentation

Little research has been done to understand the behavior of the soil during vibratory compaction and quality assurance and quality control (QA/QC) testing with light weight deflectometer (LWD) devices. A better understanding of the dynamic behavior of the soil in response to the loadings imparted by these devices will aid in the development of continuous compaction control (CCC) as well as the refinement and acceptance of rapid spot test devices such as the LWD. To this end, earth pressure cells (EPCs) and modified linear voltage displacement transducers (LVDTs) were installed between lifts of lightly plastic clay to measure in-situ stress and strain. With these sensors, the ground response was subsequently recorded during vibratory compaction. In addition, data was recorded during post compaction QA/QC testing with a prototype LWD device. The importance of EPC spacing, laboratory calibration, and field installation along with LVDT modification and field installation are discussed in detail. Preliminary vertical stress and strain results from a single layer study are presented.
Retinoic acid in psoriasis: its value for topical therapy with and without corticosteroids. Clinical, histological nd electron microscopical studies on forty-four hospitalized patients with extensive psoriasis.

SUMMARY Topical application of retinoic acid (RA, 0·1 and 0·3% in a cream base) in psoriasis over 3 weeks showed that low therapeutic effect and frequent irritation limit considerably its usefulness in this disease. Of twenty treated patients, six had irritation warranting discontinuation of therapy, thirteen showed improvement, but none cleared completely. However, the therapeutic value was increased and the incidence of irritation was reduced if corticosteroids (CO) were added to RA. Of twenty-four patients treated with RA + CO, eighteen were improved and four cleared completely. Combined treatment seemed also to be more effective than CO alone in the same vehicle. Light and electron microscopic studies after combined treatment showed reappearance of the keratohyaline, disappearance of parakeratosis and acanthosis and improvement of the dilated and fenestrated psoriatic capillaries. However, the number of tonofilaments was still decreased and some dermal changes were still present.
Stone circles: form and soil kinematics

Distinct surface patterns are ubiquitous and diverse in soils of polar and alpine regions, where the ground temperature oscillates about 0°C. They constitute some of the most striking examples of clearly visible, abiotic self-organization in nature. This paper outlines the interplay of frost-related physical processes that produce these patterns spontaneously and presents unique data documenting subsurface soil rotational motion and surface displacement spanning 20 years in well-developed circles of soil outlined by gravel ridges. These sorted circles are particularly attractive research targets for a number of reasons that provide focus for this paper: (i) their exceptional geometric regularity captures the attention of any observer; (ii) they are currently forming and evolving, hence the underlying processes can be monitored readily, especially because they are localized near the ground surface on a scale of metres, which facilitates comprehensive characterization; and (iii) a recent, highly successful numerical model of sorted circle development helps to draw attention to particular field observations that can be used to assess the model, its assumptions and parameter choices, and to the considerable potential for synergetic field and modelling studies.
Targeted Introgression of a Wheat Stem Rust Resistance Gene by DNA Marker-Assisted Chromosome Engineering

Chromosome engineering is a useful strategy for transfer of alien genes from wild relatives into modern crops. However, this strategy has not been extensively used for alien gene introgression in most crops due to low efficiency of conventional cytogenetic techniques. Here, we report an improved scheme of chromosome engineering for efficient elimination of a large amount of goatgrass (Aegilops speltoides) chromatin surrounding Sr39, a gene that provides resistance to multiple stem rust races, including Ug99 (TTKSK) in wheat. The wheat ph1b mutation, which promotes meiotic pairing between homoeologous chromosomes, was employed to induce recombination between wheat chromosome 2B and goatgrass 2S chromatin using a backcross scheme favorable for inducing and detecting the homoeologous recombinants with small goatgrass chromosome segments. Forty recombinants with Sr39 with reduced surrounding goatgrass chromatin were quickly identified from 1048 backcross progenies through disease screening and molecular marker analysis. Four of the recombinants carrying Sr39 with a minimal amount of goatgrass chromatin (2.87–9.15% of the translocated chromosomes) were verified using genomic in situ hybridization. Approximately 97% of the goatgrass chromatin was eliminated in one of the recombinants, in which a tiny goatgrass chromosome segment containing Sr39 was retained in the wheat genome. Localization of the goatgrass chromatin in the recombinants led to rapid development of three molecular markers tightly linked to Sr39. The new wheat lines and markers provide useful resources for the ongoing global effort to combat Ug99. This study has demonstrated great potential of chromosome engineering in genome manipulation for plant improvement.
Inflammation biomarkers in vaginal fluid and preterm delivery

study question: Which inflammation biomarkers detected in the vaginal fluid are most informative for identifying preterm delivery (PTD) risk? summary answer: Elevated interleukin (IL)-6 at mid-trimester was associated with increased odds of spontaneous PTD at ,35 weeks and with PTD plus histologic chorioamnionitis (HCA), and had the greatest sensitivity for detecting these two PTD subtypes. what is known already: Maternal and/or fetal inflammation play a role in some preterm deliveries, therefore inflammation biomarkers might help to identify women at greater risk. study design, size, duration: We examined 1115 women from the Pregnancy Outcomes and Community Health Study, a cohort study conducted from September 1998 through June 2004, for whom data were available on mid-pregnancy inflammatory biomarkers. participants/materials, setting, methods: At enrollment at 16–27 weeks gestation, vaginal fluid samples were collected from a swab and 15 eluted biomarkers were measured using the Meso Scale Discovery multiplex electrochemiluminescence platform. Associations of biomarkers with PTD were examined, according to clinical circumstance, week at delivery and presence/absence of HCA. Weighted logistic regression was used to determine odds ratios (OR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI) adjusted for race. Sensitivity and specificity were compared between individual and multiple biomarkers, identified by a bootstrapping method. main results and the role of chance:Elevated IL-6 (.75th percentile) displayed the strongest association with spontaneous PTD ,35 weeks (OR 2.3; CI 1.3–4.0) and PTD with HCA (OR 2.8; CI 1.4–6.0). The sensitivity of IL-6 to detect spontaneous PTD ,35 weeks or PTD with HCA was 0.43 and 0.51, respectively, while specificity was 0.74 and 0.75, respectively. IL-6 plus IL1b, IL-6r, tumor necrosis factor-alpha or granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor increased specificity (range 0.84–0.88), but decreased sensitivity (range 0.28– 0.34) to detect both PTD subtypes. Results were similar when a combination of IL-6 and bacterial vaginosis (BV) was explored. Thus, the use of multiple biomarkers did not detect PTD subtypes with a greater sensitivity than IL-6 alone, and IL-6 is a specific but non-sensitive marker for the detection of spontaneous PTD. limitations, reasons for caution: Our ability to find small effect size associations between PTD and inflammation biomarkers (OR ,2.0) might have been limited by the modest number of less common PTD subtypes in our population (e.g. spontaneous delivery ,35 weeks, PTD accompanied by HCA) and by relatively higher variability for some cytokines, for example tumor necrosis factor-a, IL-12p70, IL-10 and granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor, that are less stable and commonly undetectable or detectable at low levels in human vaginal secretions. wider implications of the findings: Larger studies are needed to further explore a role of inflammation biomarkers in combination with other risk factors, including specific BV-associated organisms, for the prediction of PTD subtypes.
Productive and participatory: Basic education for high-performing and actively engaged workers

This chapter describes the barriers to democracy in the workplace, while challenging workplace educators to develop programs that contribute to organisational efficiency and enable workers to attain high levels of control and responsibility. The author argues that worker education should facilitate both technical efficiency and high levels of worker participation and gives examples of how this can be done.
Athermalizing and Trimming of Slotted Silicon Microring Resonators With UV-Sensitive PMMA Upper-Cladding

This letter experimentally demonstrates significant reduction in the resonance thermal sensitivity of the slotted silicon microring resonators by exploiting polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA) as upper-cladding. We investigate the resonance temperature dependence on the slot width with and without PMMA upper-cladding. The experimental results show that the temperature dependence is reduced from 91 pm/degC for a regular microring resonator to 27 pm/degC for the PMMA-clad slotted microring resonator. The ultraviolet (UV) sensitive PMMA upper-cladding also allows the resonance wavelengths of slotted microring resonators shift by 0.5 nm under UV light trimming. With the demonstrated schemes, each individual optical component can be athermalized and precisely registered to standard wavelengths for a future multiwavelength optically interconnected computing system-on-a-chip.
Analysis and guidelines for high-speed VLSI system interconnections

A description is given of the modeling and analysis procedures used to generate system-level wiring rules and net delay equations for IBM's 1.0- mu n CMOS standard-cell design system VLSI products. Business rationale, circuit and package models, and analysis methods are reviewed, as is a sample of the result in a midrange processor environment. High-performance single and multichip packages are used in the analysis, as are high-reliability under- and over-voltage specifications. These choices target the analysis for high-cost, high-performance applications. >
Models of Verbal Working Memory Capacity: What Does It Take to Make Them Work?

Theories of working memory (WM) capacity limits will be more useful when we know what aspects of performance are governed by the limits and what aspects are governed by other memory mechanisms. Whereas considerable progress has been made on models of WM capacity limits for visual arrays of separate objects, less progress has been made in understanding verbal materials, especially when words are mentally combined to form multiword units or chunks. Toward a more comprehensive theory of capacity limits, we examined models of forced-choice recognition of words within printed lists, using materials designed to produce multiword chunks in memory (e.g., leather brief case). Several simple models were tested against data from a variety of list lengths and potential chunk sizes, with test conditions that only imperfectly elicited the interword associations. According to the most successful model, participants retained about 3 chunks on average in a capacity-limited region of WM, with some chunks being only subsets of the presented associative information (e.g., leather brief case retained with leather as one chunk and brief case as another). The addition to the model of an activated long-term memory component unlimited in capacity was needed. A fixed-capacity limit appears critical to account for immediate verbal recognition and other forms of WM. We advance a model-based approach that allows capacity to be assessed despite other important processing contributions. Starting with a psychological-process model of WM capacity developed to understand visual arrays, we arrive at a more unified and complete model.
THE CONFLICT BETWEEN INTERPERSONAL RELATIONS AND ABSTRACT SYSTEMS IN EDUCATION

Abstract In this essay, Benjamin Endres examines how teaching is caught between the ideals of formal, systemic institutions, on the one hand, and the ideals of more intimate or personal relations, on the other. Endres uses Anthony Giddens’s account of “abstract systems” and “pure” relations to suggest that the tension that teachers face is not only the result of opposing ideologies or philosophies of teaching, but it is the product of conflicting undercurrents in modern social and economic life. Although there is no simple solution to the ambiguous and contested status of teaching, Endres points to two examples of how the interpersonal dimensions of teaching may gain recognition and support by the institutional system of schooling: research on the effects of class size and legal guarantees for individualized educational plans in the area of special education. He concludes by emphasizing the particular challenge of cultivating interpersonal relations for the most disadvantaged students.
Demands and Withdrawal in Newlyweds: Elaborating on the Social Structure Hypothesis

Why is it that, when interacting about a marital problem, wives are more likely to make demands, whereas husbands are more likely to withdraw? The social structure hypothesis suggests that wives are more likely to demand because marital relationships tend to favor husbands, who are accordingly more committed to maintaining the status quo. To elaborate on this explanation, the current study used observational data to examine correlates of demand and withdraw behaviors in 82 newlywed couples. Analyses revealed that: (a) sex differences in demand/withdraw emerged only during discussions of problems selected by wives, (b) these differences were driven by differences in rates of demanding, not withdrawal, (c) demand and withdraw behaviors were not significantly associated in newlyweds, and (d) both behaviors were associated in predicted ways with how important the topic was to each spouse.
Discrete linear Hamiltonian eigenvalue problems

Abstract This paper introduces general discrete linear Hamiltonian eigenvalue problems and characterizes the eigenvalues. Assumptions are given, among them the new notion of strict controllability of a discrete system, that imply isolatedness and lower boundedness of the eigenvalues. Due to the quite general assumptions, discrete Sturm-Liouville eigenvalue problems of higher order are included in the presented theory.
Information extraction from images of paper-based maps

The design of a system to extract information automatically from paper-based maps and answer queries related to spatial features and structure of geographic data is considered. The foundation of such a system is a set of image-analysis algorithms for extracting spatial features. Efficient algorithms to detect symbols, identify and track various types of lines, follow closed contours, compute distances, find shortest paths, etc. from simplified map images have been developed. A query processor analyzes the queries presented by the user in a predefined syntax, controls the operation of the image processing algorithms, and interacts with the user. The query processor is written in Lisp and calls image-analysis routines written in Fortran. >
Evolutionary history of the uterine serpins.

A bioinformatics analysis was conducted on the four members of the uterine serpin (US) family of serpins. Evolutionary analysis of the protein sequences and 86 homologous serpins by maximum parsimony and distance methods indicated that the uterine serpins pro- teins form a clade distinct from other serpins. Ancestral sequences were reconstructed through- out the evolutionary tree by parsimony. These suggested that some branches suffered a high ratio of nonsynonymous to synonymous mutations, suggesting episodes of adaptive evolution within the serpin family. Analysis of the sequences by neutral evolutionary distance methods suggested that the uterine serpins diverged from other serpins prior to the divergence of the mammals from other vertebrates. The porcine uterine serpins are paralogs that diverged from a single common ancestor within the Sus genus after pigs separated from other artiodactyls. The uterine serpins contain several protein kinase C and tyrosine kinase phosphorylation sites. These sites may be important for the lymphocyte-inhibitory activity of OvUS if, like other basic proteins, OvUS can cross the cell membrane of an activated lymphocyte. Internalized OvUS could serve as an alternative target to protein kinases important for the mitogenic response to antigens. J. Exp. Zool. (Mol. Dev. Evol.) 288:165-174, 2000. © 2000 Wiley-Liss, Inc. Uterine serpin (US) is a protein that is secreted under the influence of progesterone from the en- dometrial glands of sheep (Moffatt et al., '87; Ing et al., '89; Leslie and Hansen, '91), cattle (Leslie and Hansen, '91; Mathialagan and Hansen, '96) and pigs (Malathy et al., '90). Studies on OvUS have suggested that these proteins may mediate the immunosuppressive effects of progesterone to allow for tolerance of the fetal allograft during mid- to late pregnancy (reviewed in Hansen, '98). The proteins have been classified as members of the serpin superfamily of proteinase inhibitors based on the alignment of their sequences (Ing and Roberts, '89; Malathy et al., '90; Mathialagan and Hansen, '96). However, no target serine pro- teinase has been identified for this group of pro- teins although OvUS has some inhibitory activity to pepsin A and pepsin C (Mathialagan and Hansen, '96). Additionally, OvUS bound to mem- bers of the pregnancy associated glycoproteins (Mathialagan and Hansen, '96), an inactive group of aspartic proteinases produced by the binuclear cells of the syncytiotrophoblast (Xie et al., '91, '94, '95, '97) and to the growth factor, activin (Mc- Farlane et al., '99). Modern methods of bioinformatics model the phylogeny of a protein family (reviewed in Benner et al., '98). Other analyses can identify motifs within the sequence of a protein that may be of biological significance. The objective of this study was to perform bioinformatics analyses on the uterine serpin family of proteinase inhibitors as a means of determining how these proteins may have evolved from other serpins and to determine if the proteins contain peptide motifs that may explain their biochemical and immunobiological activities.
Clustering-Based Multichannel MAC Protocols for QoS Provisionings Over Vehicular Ad Hoc Networks

Making the best use of the dedicated short range communications multichannel architecture, we propose a cluster-based multichannel communications scheme that can support not only public-safety message delivery but also a wide range of future multimedia (e.g., video/audio) and data (e.g., e-maps, road/vehicle traffic/weather information) applications. Our proposed scheme integrates clustering with contention-free and/or -based medium access control (MAC) protocols. In our scheme, the elected cluster-head vehicle functions as the coordinator to collect/deliver real-time safety messages within its own cluster and forward the consolidated safety messages to the neighboring cluster heads. In addition, the cluster-head vehicle controls channel assignments for cluster-member vehicles transmitting/receiving nonreal-time traffics, which makes the wireless channels more efficiently utilized for vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V) nonreal-time data transmissions. Our scheme uses the contention-free MAC within a cluster and the contention-based IEEE 802.11 MAC among cluster-head vehicles such that the real-time delivery of safety messages can be guaranteed. Under our proposed scheme, we develop an analytical model to study the delay for the consolidated safety messages transmitted by the cluster-head vehicles. Based on this analytical model, we derive the desirable contention-window size, which can best balance the tradeoff between the delay of safety messages and the successful rate of delivering safety messages. The extensive simulation results show that, under various highway traffic scenarios, our proposed scheme can efficiently support the nonreal-time traffics while guaranteeing the real-time delivery of the safety messages.
On Optimal Watermarking Schemes in Uncertain Gaussian Channels

This paper describes the analytical derivation of a new watermarking algorithm satisfying optimality properties when the distortion of the watermarked signal is caused by a Gaussian process. We also extend previous work under the same assumptions and obtain more general solutions.
Delineation of the minimal encephalitogenic epitope of proteolipid protein peptide91–110 and critical residues required for induction of EAE in HLA-DR3 transgenic mice

Previously, we have reported that proteolipid protein (PLP) peptide 91-110 can induce experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE) in HLA-DR3 transgenic (tg) mice. Here we, report that residues spanning 97-108 are the minimal epitope required for induction of EAE in DR3 mice. Utilizing a series of alanine-substituted peptides, positions 99, 101, 102, 103, 104, and 106 are identified as residues necessary for an immune response. Further analysis indicated that amino acid isoleucine (99), aspartate (102) and lysine (104) are anchor residues facilitating binding to HLA-DR3 molecules. These results may have applications in the future design of peptide based immunotherapy.
Effect of sorption on contaminant oxidation in activated persulfate systems

Sorption of hydrophobic contaminants to soils and subsurface solids is a significant limitation for the in situ chemical oxidation (ISCO) remediation of contaminated sites. A recently developed ISCO reagent, activated persulfate, was investigated for its potential to provide enhanced treatment of sorbed contaminants, a phenomenon that has previously been observed in catalyzed H(2)O(2) propagations (CHP; modified Fenton's reagent). Perchloroethylene (PCE) and hexachlorocyclopentadiene (HCCP) were sorbed to diatomaceous earth and treated with CHP, iron (II)-citrate-activated persulfate, and base-activated persulfate. Gas-purge desorption was used to measure the maximum natural rate of desorption of the compounds. Enhanced treatment of both sorbed probe compounds was observed in CHP reactions, with PCE and HCCP destruction occurring more rapidly than their respective rates of gas-purge desorption. However, probe compound loss in both formulations of activated persulfate was equal or less than the rates of gas-purge desorption, indicating that enhanced treatment of the sorbed contaminants did not occur in the persulfate reactions. Activated persulfate treatment is likely ineffective for hydrophobic compounds that are sorbed to soils and subsurface solids, and is probably more effective for compounds that are not limited by desorption.
Crustal Rotation and Fault Slip in the Continental Transform Zone in Southern California

Computations from global plate circuits show that since the end of Oligocene time (24 Ma) the Pacific plate has moved northwestward relative to southern California 1072 ± 122 km (J. Stock and P. Molnar, 1988). During part of this period displacement across the San Andreas fault was 315 ± 15 km (5% error?). Paleomagnetic data infer that the Transverse Ranges crustal blocks rotated clockwise since 16 Ma, about 86 degrees west of the fault and 41 degrees on the east. These rotations were simultaneous with NW- SE dextral shear distributed on faults in non-rotating crust north and south of the Transverse Ranges. This shear is computed to be 265 ± 38 km west of the San Andreas and 110 ± 11 km east of it. The sum of the distributed shear and San Andreas slip is 690 ± 42 km.This sum is 382 ± 129 km less than the displacement between the plates. The difference is significant, and the missing displacement should be looked for in the eastern Mojave Desert (east of the Granite Mountain fault) and west of the western Transverse Ranges (west of the Hosgri fault). Because the timing of the rotations and slip on the San Andreas are also known, the partitioning of displacements across southern California can be described as a function of time. During Early Miocene time 45 km of dextral slip occurred on the northern San Andreas fault. An area of extended crust in the Mojave Desert also rotated 50 degrees clockwise during this time. During Middle Miocene time most of the shear occurred north and south of the western Transverse Ranges as they rotated almost 60 degrees. During this same interval the Tehachapi Mountains rotated clockwise about 41 degrees and the northern San Andreas fault may have slipped 30 km. During Late Miocene time the rotation rate decreased in the west. The northern San Andreas fault slipped about 55 km which may have been transferred to the San Gabriel fault and faults in the southern California borderland. Since Late Miocene time the western Transverse Ranges rotated 30 to 40 degrees and the San Andreas slipped 185 km north of the Transverse Ranges and 240 km in southern California. The eastern Transverse Ranges and portions of the central Mojave Desert rotated 41 degrees clockwise, presumably at the same time.
Field turbidity method for the determination of lead in acid extracts of dried paint

Lead, which can be found in old paint, soil, and dust, has been clearly shown to have adverse health effects on the neurological systems of both children and adults. As part of an ongoing effort to reduce childhood lead poisoning, the US Environmental Protection Agency promulgated the Lead Renovation, Repair, and Painting Program (RRP) rule requiring that paint in target housing built prior to 1978 be tested for lead before any renovation, repair, or painting activities are initiated. This rule has led to a need for a rapid, relatively easy, and an inexpensive method for measuring lead in paint. This paper presents a new method for measuring lead extracted from paint that is based on turbidimetry. This method is applicable to paint that has been collected from a surface and extracted into 25% (v/v) of nitric acid. An aliquot of the filtered extract is mixed with an aliquot of solid potassium molybdate in 1 M ammonium acetate to form a turbid suspension of lead molybdate. The lead concentration is determined using a portable turbidity meter. This turbidimetric method has a response of approximately 0.9 NTU per µg lead per mL extract, with a range of 1–1000 Nephelometric Turbidity Units (NTUs). Precision at a concentration corresponding to the EPA-mandated decision point of 1 mg of lead per cm2 is <2%. This method is insensitive to the presence of other metals common to paint, including Ba2+, Ca2+, Mg2+, Fe3+, Co2+, Cu2+, and Cd2+, at concentrations of 10 mg mL−1 or to Zn2+ at 50 mg mL−1. Analysis of 14 samples from six reference materials with lead concentrations near 1 mg cm−2 yielded a correlation to inductively coupled plasma-atomic emission spectroscopy (ICP-AES) analysis of 0.97, with an average bias of 2.8%. Twenty-four sets of either 6 or 10 paint samples each were collected from different locations in old houses, a hospital, tobacco factory, and power station. Half of each set was analyzed using rotor/stator-25% (v/v) nitric acid extraction with measurement using the new turbidimetric method, and the other half was analyzed using microwave extraction and measurement by ICP-AES. The average relative percent difference between the turbidimetric method and the ICP-AES method for the 24 sets measured as milligrams of lead per cm2 is −0.63 ± 32.5%; the mean difference is −2.1 ± 7.0 mg lead per cm2. Non-parametric and parametric statistical tests on these data showed no difference in the results for the two procedures. At the federal regulated level of 1 mg of lead per cm2 paint, this turbidimetric method meets the performance requirements for EPA's National Lead Laboratory Accreditation Program (NLLAP) of accuracy within ±20% and has the potential to meet the performance specifications of EPA's RRP rule.
Bubble nucleation in liquids

Theoretical and experimental aspects of homogeneous and heterogeneous bubble nucleation are reviewed. Recent developments in nucleation theory, which include hydrodynamic and diffusion constraints, gas phase nonidealities, and heterogeneous nucleation are discussed. A large number of the measured limits of superheat of pure components are close to 88 to 90% of the critical temperature. Where calculations can be made, these measurements are in agreement with predictions from classical nucleation theory. Measurements of the limits of superheat of mixtures are useful for understanding one proposed mechanism for the dangerous phenomena known as contact vapor explosions.
Sympathetic nervous activity and arterial blood pressure control in conscious rat during rest and behavioral stress

The object of this experiment is to analyze the neural control of arterial blood pressure (BP) during rest and a sudden behavioral stress. Sprague-Dawley rats were classically conditioned by following a 15-s tone (CS+) with a 0.5-s tail shock. Bipolar renal nerve electrodes and a caudal artery catheter were implanted. Two days later BP and sympathetic nervous activity (SNA) were recorded in the behaviorally trained animals. The CS+ evoked a large initial increase in BP (peak, 14 +/- 5 mmHg, mean +/- SD; n = 12) that lasted 3.9 +/- 0.8 s. An abrupt (latency = 0.16 +/- 0.03 s), short (duration = 0.58 +/- 0.12 s), and intense (4.09 +/- 1.02 times average control) burst in sympathetic activity preceded this first component (C1) of the BP conditional response. The size of C1 was related to the magnitude of the SNA burst. SNA then fell below control; this quiet period preceded a fall in BP after the C1 peak. Pressure rose again (C2; peak = 6 +/- 3 mmHg, average increase = 3 +/- 3 mmHg) for the remainder of the CS+. SNA increased to 1.24 +/- 0.14 of control during this second component of the BP conditional response. Ganglionic blockade eliminated the BP and SNA conditional response (n = 3). The C1 pressure increase appears to result from an "open-loop" process in which a brief barrage of nerve activity governs BP changes lasting several seconds. The quite period probably results from a negative feedback (i.e., baroreflex) relationship between SNA and BP.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
Fundamental Difference in Reductive Lithiations with Preformed Radical Anions versus Catalytic Aromatic Electron‐Transfer Agents: N,N‐Dimethylaniline as an Advantageous Catalyst

The reductive lithiation of phenyl thioethers, or alkyl chlorides, by either preformed aromatic radical anions or by lithium metal and an aromatic electron-transfer catalyst, is commonly used to prepare organolithiums. Revealed herein is that these two methods are fundamentally different. Reductions with radical anions occur in solution, whereas the catalytic reaction occurs on the surface of lithium, which is constantly reactivated by the catalyst, an unconventional catalyst function. The order of relative reactivity is reversed in the two methods as the dominating factor switches from electronic to steric effects of the alkyl substituent. A catalytic amount of N,N-dimethylaniline (DMA) and Li ribbon can achieve reductive lithiation. DMA is significantly cheaper than alternative catalysts, and conveniently, the Li ribbon does not require the removal of the oxide coating when DMA is used as the catalyst.
Evaluating the Toxicity of the Analgesic Glutaminase Inhibitor 6-Diazo-5-Oxo-L-Norleucine in vitro and on Rat Dermal Skin Fibroblasts

6-diazo-5-oxo-l-norleucine (DON) is a glutamine antagonist produced naturally by Streptomyces. It inhibits several glutamine-dependent enzyme pathways. Of particular note is its inhibitory effect on the mitochondrial enzyme, glutaminase (GLS), the primary producer of neuronal glutamate. Glutamate is an excitatory neurotransmitter released by primary sensory peripheral nerve terminals and spinal synaptic terminals during pain signaling. Previous work using the tail incision and inflammatory models of pain has demonstrated that a single application of the glutaminase inhibitor, DON, into a surgical incision or the paw of arthritic animals results in pain relief. Even though this compound shows promise as a therapeutic agent, limited data exist regarding its dermal toxicity. As a first approach, we evaluated the effect of several concentrations of DON, on the viability, mitochondrial oxidative capacity and proliferation of rat skin fibroblasts, and then examined the effect of DON after incubation with human liver microsomes on proliferation. Finally, we evaluated DON treated rat skin (tail and hind paw) for cellular necrosis, inflammation and mitotic bodies. No significant effects (p > 0.05) of DON were noted on apoptosis, necrosis, and mitochondrial activity in experiments with cultured rat skin fibroblasts. Flow cytometry revealed the absence of apoptosis in cells treated at the IC50 of 232.5 μM. Enhanced toxicity post-exposure to human microsomes was not observed when compared to DON alone. The H&E staining of the rat skin revealed no obvious pathology in the DON treatment group (10 mM). DON has no/minimal cellular toxicity in vitro on dermal fibroblasts at concentrations that effectively provide analgesia. The local application of concentrations greater than the in vitro IC50 for DON revealed no in vivo skin toxicity. These data provide results indicating zero-to-minimal cellular toxicity with DON and support the further investigation of DON as an analgesic.
Exact recovery threshold in the binary censored block model

Given a background graph with n vertices, the binary censored block model assumes that vertices are partitioned into two clusters, and every edge is labeled independently at random with labels drawn from Bern(1 − e) if two endpoints are in the same cluster, or from Bern(e) otherwise, where e ∈ [0; 1/2] is a fixed constant. For Erdős-Renyi graphs with edge probability p = a log n/n and fixed a, we show that the semidefinite programming relaxation of the maximum likelihood estimator achieves the optimal threshold equation for exactly recovering the partition from the labeled graph with probability tending to one as n → ∞. For random regular graphs with degree scaling as a log n, we show that the semidefinite programming relaxation also achieves the optimal recovery threshold aD(Bern(1/2)∥Bern(e)) > 1, where D denotes the Kullback-Leibler divergence.
Soft-Tissue Injuries of the Hand and Wrist in Racquet Sports

Participants in racquet sports are prone to a host of soft-tissue injuries to their hands and wrists owing to the direct impact of the handle as well as the repetitive stretching that occurs as the wrist is forcefully whipped into extremes of position. Tendinitis can occur in all tendons but is most common in the first dorsal compartment, flexor carpi ulnaris, flexor carpi radialis, and extensor carpi ulnaris. Ligamentous tears can produce instability patterns that, if unrecognized, can become chronic disabilities. Vessels and nerves can be compromised by repetitive blunt trauma to the structures themselves or by entrapment by surrounding structures. Prompt diagnosis will allow for the appropriate treatment and eliminate the need for vague terms such as "wrist sprain." The goal of early recognition and treatment is to allow the player to get back to the court and prevent the development of chronic discomfort or permanent impairment.
Inertial Coriolis Force Perturbations of Arm and Head Movements Reveal Common, Non-Vestibular Mechanisms

Pitch or roll head movements made during passive rotation tend to be nauseogenic and disorienting. Traditionally these effects have been associated exclusively with the unusual pattern of vestibular stimulation, often termed Coriolis, cross-coupled stimulation (CCS), generated by such movements (Johnson, et al., 1951; Graybiel and Johnson, 1963). Models have been developed to explain the contribution of semicircular canal and otolith activation to disorientation and motion sickness (Guedry and Benson, 1978). In the course of experiments on the etiology of space motion sickness, we found that the nauseogenic and disorienting effects of head movements during rotation were highly gravitoinertial force (GIF) dependent, being greatly lessened in 0 g and greatly heightened in 1.8 g relative to 1 g baseline values (Graybiel et al.,1977; Lackner and Graybiel, 1984). This was the case despite maintaining the patterns of semicircular canal activation constant across different GIF levels.
Do Attorneys for Children in Protection Proceedings Make a Difference? A Study of the Impact of Representation Under Conditions of High Judicial Intervention

The major focus of this article is an empirical analysis of the use of attorneys as guardians ad litem in North Carolina, assessing whether or not the presence of an attorney representing the child’s interest made any difference in a court’s custodial disposition of the case. The article also provides brief discussions of the development of the idea that children in protection proceedings need representation and the problems for attorneys in the role of representative. The analysis found that the presence of guardians ad litem produced no overall effects that would be considered beneficial by the standards developed for the North Carolina study. The article concludes with recommendations for improving the representation system.
Forced cubic Schrödinger equation with Robin boundary data: continuous dependency result

For the cubic Schrodinger equation iu t = u xx + k | u | 2 u , 0 ≤ x, t u(x , 0) = u 0 ( x ) ∈ H 2 [0, ∞), and Robin boundary data u x (0, t ) + α u (0, t ) = R(t) ∈ C 2 [0, ∞) (where α is real), we show that the solution u depends continuously on u 0 and R .
Measuring M2 values for On-Wafer Vertical Cavity Surface Emitting Lasers

We report on M2 measurements taken for on-wafer vertical cavity surface emitting lasers (VCSELs). We measured M2 for oxide-confined VCSELs and photonic crystal (PhC) VCSELs of similar lasing aperture sizes.
Combustion response of a premixed swirl injector to longitudinal acoustic oscillations

The combustion response of a prernixed swirl injector to longitudinal acoustic oscillations has been studied. Two approaches have been utilized to construct a systematic analysis for flow motions under steady and unsteady conditions. A 3D steady-state flow calculation is first conducted to form a basis for the analysis of unsteady flow motions. The formulation is based on the complete conservation equations with finite-rate chemical kinetics and is solved numerically using a preconditioning technique. Detailed mean flowfields are investigated in depth. The predicted flame shape shows good agreement with experimental observations. An approximate integral technique which incorporates the steady-state results is then developed to study the injector flame response to acoustic disturbances impinging from upstream and downstream regions. The acoustic transmission and reflection properties of the flame region are obtained over a broad range of frequency and operating conditions. (Author)
Chapter 13 – Van der Waals Forces between Particles and Surfaces

Publisher Summary This chapter presents a study of van der Waals forces between particles and surfaces. van der Waals forces play a central role in all phenomena involving intermolecular forces. While they are not as strong as Coulombic or H-bonding interactions, they are always present and can be important both at small and large separations. van der Waals interaction between macroscopic particles and surfaces is large, even when the bodies are not in contact. In a medium, the interaction strength is reduced by about an order of magnitude and under certain conditions, it can become repulsive. The chapter begins by deriving the van der Waals interaction energies in a vacuum for pairs of bodies of different geometries. The chapter explains the van der Waals force laws for bodies of different geometries. It then discusses the strength of van der Wall forces between bodies in a vacuum or air. The Lifshitz theory of van der Waals forces is presented, and the concept of particle–surface interactions is explained. The nonretarded Hamaker constants are calculated on the basis of the Lifshitz theory. The chapter also explains the concepts of surface and adhesion energies, surface energies of metals, and forces between surfaces with adsorbed layers.
Cauchy’s Theorem, Second Part

We wish to give a general global criterion when the integral of a holo-morphic function along a closed path is 0. In practice, we meet two types of properties of paths: (1) properties of homotopy, and (2) properties having to do with integration, relating to the number of times a curve “winds” around a point, as we already saw when we evaluated the integral $$\int {\frac{1} {{\zeta - z}}d\zeta }$$ along a circle centered at z. These properties are of course related, but they also exist independently of each other, so we now consider those conditions on a closed path y when $$\int\limits_r {f = 0}$$ for all holomorphic functions f, and also describe what the value of this integral may be if not 0.
Adhalin Deficiency and Muscular Dystrophy

A 13-year-old boy previously diagnosed with Becker’s muscular dystrophy and dilated cardiomyopathy was studied at the University of Wisconsin, Madison, and the University of Iowa College of Medicine, Iowa City, and was found to have a deficiency of the dystrophin-associated glycoprotein, adhalin.
The HMM-based model for evaluating recommender's reputation

There is limited research on evaluating an agent's reputation as a recommender. A key challenge is that a recommender's reputation is affected by both the recommender's trustworthiness and the recommender's expertise, including the recommender's trust knowledge of others and the reliability of the recommender's trust evaluation models. We give an ordered depth-first search with threshold (ODFST) algorithm to find the optimal referral chain. We then develop a hidden Markov model (HMM) based approach to measure an agent's reputation as a recommender. This approach models chained recommendation events as an HMM. The features of the trust model are: (1) no explicit requirement of chained recommendation reputations; (2) flexible recommendation network with presence of loops; and (3) integration of learning speed into trust evaluation reliability. The experimental results showed the convergence and reliability of the proposed trust model
E-025 First Reported Case of Mechanical Thrombectomy for Acute Ischemic Stroke in an Individual with a Total Artificial Heart

Background With the results of recent thrombectomy trials, endovascular therapy (EVT) is standard of care in appropriately selected patients with acute ischemic stroke (AIS). We report the first case of mechanical thrombectomy for a patient supported by a total artificial heart (TAH) with AIS. Clinical Presentation A 37 year old male patient with ischemic cardiomyopathy was found to have right gaze preference, left facial droop, and global aphasia 9 days following implantation of a TAH. Prior to ictus, antithrombotic regimen included daily aspirin and heparin infusion at therapeutic levels. Acute imaging revealed a 6 mm left M2 thrombus with associated perfusion mismatch seen in the left MCA territory along with a smaller matched perfusion defect seen in the right MCA territory. Intervention Following confirmation of lesion amenable to mechanical thrombectomy, patient underwent successful TICI 3 revascularization of the left MCA territory with a Solitaire stent retriever. Repeat perfusion imaging revealed resolved left MCA territory mismatch with persistent right MCA matched defect. His speech improved to an expressive aphasia following revascularization. Conclusion EVT has been proven to be safe and efficacious for AIS. Prior reports have demonstrated benefit for patients with concurrent mechanical circulatory support devices; however, our report is the first case demonstrating efficacy with a TAH device. Presence of mechanical circulatory support devices should not exclude EVT in individuals with AIS. Disclosures M. Nezhad: None. P. Eboli: None. M. Austin: None. K. Schlick: None. M. Alexander: None.
Optical pattern recognition using photorefractive media

An overview of the field of optical pattern recognition using photorefractive media is presented. The topics include spatial light modulation, parallel image subtraction, parallel spectrum subtraction, and real time optical correlation.