cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Seasonal Variation of Reproduction and Lipid Reserves in Some Subtropical Cyprinodontids

Abstract Seasonal variations in reproductive condition and fat content of cyprinodontids from eight populations in Florida and southern Texas were examined. In all species the spawning period is protracted. Cyprinodon variegatus may spawn throughout the year. Spawning in Fundulus similis apparently occurs during all months except November, December, and January, but is terminated during September in F. grandis. Cessation of spawning occurs during September in F. lineolatus, but during July in F. chrysotus. Adinia xenica may have a longer spawning season than the species of the Fundulus investigated. A seasonal variation in body fat content was observed in C. variegatus, A. xenica, F. grandis, F. lineolatus, and F. similis (from Texas, but not Florida). Maximum fat reserves and the seasonal variation in fat levels differed among the species studied. Seasonal variations in body fat content and gonadal size were not correlated in any of the species. Seasonal changes in standing crops of zooplankton and phyto...
Current and future inspection and maintenance challenges

Ever-increasing diversity of civilian aircraft inventory and continued technological advancements in aircraft materials, aircraft flight control equipment, testing equipment, and software methodologies are impacting aircraft inspection and maintenance practices. Current procedures deal mainly with issues related to structural and electrical or electronic integrity to assure continued airworthiness of operational aircraft. Techniques and methodologies for these are widely available, and training needs are well defined. Advances in technology, however, are yielding new and different aircraft, which require more sophisticated electronic instruments for navigation and control.A major issue is the continued reliability and airworthiness of avionics and development of adequate safeguards for these aircraft. Built-in test equipment, maintenance across terminals, and data bases defining inspection needs that are based on operational data, and software integrity, are also rapidly becoming important considerations in aircraft maintenance. In this era of declining funds and personnel resources, a cost-effective approach requires a fresh look at all phases of the current inspection and maintenance practices, including oversight and management. This paper provides a perspective on issues and challenges facing a civilian regulatory agency, specifically, the aircraft maintenance division in the FAA.
Cross-linking of [125I]β-endorphin to μ-opioid receptors during development

Abstract Radioiodinated human β-endorphin was cross-linked to opioid receptors from rat brain membranes using the bifunctional reagents bis-[2-(succinimidooxycarbonyloxy)ethyl] sulfone (BSCOES) and disuccinimidyl suberate (DSS). Major radiolabeled bands migrated with M r values of 65,000, 55,000 and 33,000, however the presence of the 55 kDa band was variable. The 65 kDa band was characterized as the μ-receptor: the binding of [ 125 I]β-endorphin to this band was displaced by μ-selective ligands and blocked by alkylation of the receptor by μ-specific, but not δ-specific alkylating agents. The cross-linked receptor underwent alterations in mol. wt. during development. Early in development, embryonic day 18 and postnatal day 1, the [ 125 I]β-endorphin-labeled material migrated as a single band of mol. wt. 55 kDa. By day 21 postnatally the higher mol. wt. band of 65 kDa was present, as was material of 53, 47 and 43 kDa. Although the protein labeled early in development migrated with a mol. wt. of 55 kDa similar to the δ-receptor isolated from NG108-15 neuroblastoma-glioma cells, competition studies suggest this protein is not the δ-receptor. The 65 kDa band, tentatively identified as the μ-receptor, was present in adults but not detected in neonates, despite competition binding data indicating the presence of μ-sites. The results suggest that the 55 kDa band found in the 1-day-old neonate may be an immature form of the μ-opioid receptor that undergoes posttranslational modification, perhaps glycosylation, during development.
The relationship between members' perceptions of their neighborhood organization and their involvement and perceived benefits from participation

A major resource of small voluntary neighborhood organizations is their members, who give their time and energy to the organization to improve their community. In recent years, there has been a revitalization of strategies that focus on engaging residents to volunteer for neighborhood-based organizations. The current study was guided by organizational empowerment theory and explored the relationship between resident members' perceptions of their neighborhood organization and their level of involvement and perceived personal and collective benefits from participation. The results demonstrated that members' perceptions of their neighborhood organizations' characteristics and effectiveness were more related to their perceived benefits from involvement than their level of participation. Members' perceptions of their neighborhood organizations' effectiveness, particularly the ability to make tangible community improvements, were the most related to their perceived benefits, including their ability to influence government policies, knowledge and skills in neighborhood and community development, and sense of community. Implications for research and practice are also discussed. © 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Room temperature thermal conductance of alkanedithiol self-assembled monolayers

Solid-solid junctions with an interfacial self-assembled monolayer (SAM) are a class of interfaces with very low thermal conductance. Au–SAM–GaAs junctions were made using alkanedithiol SAMs and fabricated by nanotransfer printing. Measurements of thermal conductance using the 3ω technique were very robust and no thermal conductance dependence on alkane chain length was observed. The thermal conductances using octanedithiol, nonanedithiol, and decanedithiol SAMs at room temperature are 27.6±2.9, 28.2±1.8, and 25.6±2.4MWm−2K−1, respectively.
EFFECT OF CONTINUOUS-POSITIVE AIRWAY PRESSURE, WEIGHT LOSS OR BOTH ON LARGE ARTERY STIFFNESS IN SUBJECTS WITH OBSTRUCTS SLEEP APNEA

Obesity and obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) have been associated with increased large artery stiffness. We assessed the effects of weight loss, continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) therapy, or their combination on carotid-femoral pulse wave velocity (cf-PWV), the gold-standard index of large
On applying incremental satisfiability to delay fault testing

The Boolean satisfiability problem (SAT) has various applications in electronic design automation (EDA) fields such as testing, timing analysis and logic verification. SAT has been typically applied to EDA as follows: (1) formulation of the given problem as a SAT instance (2) solution of the SAT instance. In this paper we present a method to simultaneously solve several closely related SAT instances using incremental satisfiability (ISAT). In ISAT, the decision sequence made for a "prefix" function is used to solve another set of functions which have a number of new constraints (extensions) added to the prefix function. Our experiments show that we can achieve significant gains in total runtime when we use this methodology as opposed to resetting the decision sequences and solving each instance from scratch. Application of ISAT to delay fault testing is presented by formulating incremental path sensitization as an ISAT problem. Non-robust tests for the combinational portion of ISCAS 89 circuits are generated using this method.
Cat Retinal Ganglion Cell Responses to Changing Light Intensities: Sinusoidal Modulation in the Time Domain

Action potentials were recorded from single axons of retinal ganglion cells in adult lightly anesthetized, paralyzed cats (intact eye). A small, sinusoidally time modulated stimulus was located in the most responsive portion of the receptive field center. The mean discharge frequency was monitored on a counter during the experiment and the responses over extended periods of time were recorded on tape and later averaged. Most of the cells were outside area centralis. A series of experiments showed that doses of muscle paralyzing agents several times larger than those commonly used in cat retinal ganglion cell experiments were needed for unfailing long-lasting eye immobilization. In a second series of experiments the mean discharge frequency of the cell, the peak-peak amplitude of the averaged response and the stimulus-response phase difference were studied as: (a) a function of modulation depth at constant frequency, (b) a function of stimulus frequency at constant depth of modulation. Only two of 31 cells exhibited (up to 40 per cent modulation) a mean discharge frequency independent of modulation depth, a response amplitude reasonably proportional to modulation depth, an almost constant stimulus-response phase difference and an averaged response whose shape was almost sinusoidal. The remaining cells failed to fulfill at least one of these requirements for linearity. For 6 cells modulation sensitivity curves were determined and found to have the same general shape as those subjectively determined in humans.
Separation of 1-butanol/2,3-butanediol using ZSM-5 zeolite-filled polydimethylsiloxane membranes

Abstract Mixed matrix membranes were prepared by incorporating ZSM-5 zeolite particles into polydimethylsiloxane. A uniform dispersion of the zeolite in the membrane was obtained. The membranes were characterized with scanning electron microscopy, and the effects of zeolite loading on membrane performance were evaluated. It was found that 80 wt.% ZSM-5 loading was optimal for selectivity. Further increase in the zeolite loading either improved the selectivity slightly or even lowered the membrane selectivity while the membrane permeability was consistently reduced. The improved separating performance of the filled membranes was attributed to the filler–polymer interactions, and the mass transfer contribution of surface flow through the zeolite pores. The advantage of the improved membrane performance was demonstrated in a simulated continuous operation enriching 2,3-butanediol in a mixture with 1-butanol from 5 to 99.5 wt.% as a retentate using both the filled and un-filled PDMS membranes. Results showed that the filled PDMS membrane improved the recovery of 2,3-butanediol significantly while achieving the same product purity.
Theory of Oscillating Absorber in a Chain Reactor

The response of a critical chain-reacting pile to a thermal neutron absorber which is oscillated back and forth inside the pile is calculated. It is shown that at frequencies which are low compared to the periods of delayed neutrons, the neutron intensity in the pile rises and falls as a whole, the shape of the stationary distribution always being maintained. As the frequency of the oscillation increases, the nature of the neutron response changes from the over-all fluctuation characteristic at low frequency to a propagated and attenuated neutron wave which emanates from the neighborhood of the oscillator. These neutron waves set up at high frequencies are entirely analogous to the familiar thermal waves which are established in Angstrom's method of measuring thermal conductivities. It is pointed out that since the pile equations are linear, the amplitude of the oscillating response is proportional to the total neutron absorption of the oscillated absorber, and therefore a known and an unknown absorber can be compared by observing the magnitude of the neutron oscillations caused by each.
EXPLICIT SOLUTIONS FOR NONLINEAR PARTIAL DIFFERENTIAL EQUATIONS USING BEZIER FUNCTIONS

This paper presents a methodology for generating solutions of non linear partial differential equations through Bezier functions. These functions define corresponding Bezier surfaces using a bipolynomial Bernstein basis function. The solution, or essentially the coefficients, is identified through design optimization. The set up is direct, elegantly simple, and involves minimizing the error in the residuals of the differential equations over the domain. No domain discretization is necessary. The procedure is not problem dependent and is adaptive through the selection of the order of the Bezier functions. Two examples: (1) the laminar flow over a flat plate; and (2) displacement of an ionic polymer-metal composite membrane are solved. Alternate solution to these problems is referenced in the paper.
DevS, a heme-containing two-component oxygen sensor of Mycobacterium tuberculosis

Mycobacterium tuberculosis can exist in the actively growing state of the overt disease or in a latent quiescent state that can be induced, among other things, by anaerobiosis. Eradication of the latent state is particularly difficult with the available drugs and requires prolonged treatment. DevS is a member of the DevS-DevR two-component regulatory system that is thought to mediate the cellular response to anaerobiosis. Here we report the cloning, expression, and initial characterization of a truncated version of DevS (DevS642) containing only the N-terminal GAF sensor domain (GAF-A) and of the full-length protein DevS. The DevS truncated construct quantitatively binds heme in a 1:1 stoichiometry, and the complex of the protein with ferrous heme reversibly binds O2, NO, and CO. UV-vis and resonance Raman spectroscopy of the wild-type protein and the H149A mutant confirm that His149 is the proximal ligand to the heme iron atom. While the heme-CO complex is present as two conformers in the GAF-A domain, a single set of [Fe-C-O] vibrations is observed with the full-length protein, suggesting that interactions between domains within DevS influence the distal pocket environment of the heme in the GAF-A domain.
Outcomes Assessment and the Faculty Culture: Conflict or Congruence?

The greatest challenge to developing an effective outcomes assessment system is the institutional culture of the faculty. This paper describes some characteristics of many engineering faculty cultures which create challenges and opportunities for those developing new outcomes assessment systems. Specific issues which the assessment team will face, and some approaches by which they can deal with the circumstances created by the faculty culture, are presented. By generating appropriate responses to the issues raised, the assessment team can develop specific, effective tactics for successfully developing and implementing an outcomes assessment system.
The efficacy of out-of-hospital needle and tube thoracostomy in major trauma victims

Study objectives: Aeromedical crews routinely use needle thoracostomy (NT) and tube thoracostomy (TT) to treat major trauma victims with potential tension pneumothorax; however, the efficacy of out-of-hospital NT and TT is unknown. We explore the efficacy of aeromedical NT and TT in major trauma victims. Methods: A retrospective medical record review was performed using aeromedical records during a 5-year period. Aeromedical crews, which consist of a flight nurse and either a flight paramedic or emergency medicine resident, respond to scene calls from 2 bases and are requested at the discretion of first responders. Indications for NT and TT are at crews' discretion but include unstable vital signs and a mechanism consistent with potential tension pneumothorax. All major trauma victims undergoing placement of NT or TT by aeromedical personnel were included. Patients with incomplete data were excluded. Descriptive statistics were used to report the incidence of air release, clinical improvement (improved breath sounds or compliance if intubated, decreased dyspnea if nonintubated), and vital signs improvements (systolic blood pressure increase to ≥90 mm Hg or increase by 5 mm Hg if 100 beats/min; SaO 2 increase if Results: A total of 136 procedures (89 NT and 47 TT) in 81 patients were included. Response rates to NT (60% overall, 32% vital signs) and TT (75% overall, 60% vital signs) were high. Vital signs improvements were observed more often in patients with a pulse and in nonintubated patients. There was no relationship between responsiveness to NT and a subsequent response to TT. Conclusion: Aeromedical crews appear to correctly identify major trauma victims at risk for tension pneumothorax. We were unable to identify a subgroup of patients for whom either a response or the absence of a response to either NT or TT was predictable.
Theoretical models in LC based bioanalytical method development.

Abstract Bioanalytical method development largely depends on the experience and the preference of the developer. Mathematical models could help in selecting the proper conditions to develop a selective and robust method, using liquid chromatography, liquid–liquid extraction, solid phase extraction and protein precipitation. This paper reviews the literature providing relevant equations and algorithms to model LC based bianalytical methods for the quantification of small molecules. By using the cited references, it will be possible to build models to describe the analytical methods either as an approximate impression or in a detailed way, incorporating many experimental variables. Special attention has been paid to matrix effects, the most important issues in bioanalysis and possible solutions to handle these issues are discussed. By proper use of the proposed models a more structured method development is accomplished, resulting in a description of the method that could be used for future use to control the complete bioanalytical method.
Numerical study of dispersion in the convective boundary layer

Abstract A simple one-dimensional turbulence model developed by Sun and Chang (1986a, J. clim. appl. Met . 25 ,1445–1453) is modified by including γ c (a reference potential temperature gradient) in the diffusion term of the heat equation to study the moist convective boundary layer. The results show that the stratification becomes neutral to slightly unstable in the middle and lower mixed layer but slightly stable in the upper mixed layer as observed, while the wind, moisture and eddy fluxes are very similar to those discussed by Sun and Chang. The results from the one-dimensional model are then applied to a two-dimensional dispersion model. The new concentrations are better than the previous results (Sun, 1986, Atmospheric Environment 20 , 1877–1886). The ground level concentration, the mean height of concentration, and vertical speed simulated from this higher order closure model are also in good agreement with field experiments, water tank simulations and results obtained from the statistical models.
Single-particle electrophoresis in nanochannels.

Electrophoretic mobilities and particle sizes of individual Hepatitis B Virus (HBV) capsids were measured in nanofluidic channels with two nanopores in series. The channels and pores had three-dimensional topography and were milled directly in glass substrates with a focused ion beam instrument assisted by an electron flood gun. The nanochannel between the two pores was 300 nm wide, 100 nm deep, and 2.5 μm long, and the nanopores at each end had dimensions 45 nm wide, 45 nm deep, and 400 nm long. With resistive-pulse sensing, the nanopores fully resolved pulse amplitude distributions of T = 3 HBV capsids (32 nm outer diameter) and T = 4 HBV capsids (35 nm outer diameter) and had sufficient peak capacity to discriminate intermediate species from the T = 3 and T = 4 capsid distributions in an assembly reaction. Because the T = 3 and T = 4 capsids have a wiffle-ball geometry with a hollow core, the observed change in current due to the capsid transiting the nanopore is proportional to the volume of electroly...
Macroscopic treatment of nuclear dynamics

Abstract A qualitative classification of nucleus-nucleus reactions into four types is described, a consequence of the existence of up to three “milestone configurations” that a fusing system may be faced with. These considerations lead to phenomenological formulae for fusion and compound-nucleus cross-sections that may be compared with experiments by the use of “rectilinear cross section plots”. Examples of more specific model calculations of nuclear reactions employing the “Chaotic Regime Dynamics” are described. Some misunderstandings regarding the Wall and Wall-and-Window formulae, underlying this type of dynamics, are discussed in the appendix.
Optimal control of the end-temperature in a semi-infinite rod

The temperature distribution in a semi-infinite rod is controlled by heat input at one end. The objective is to keep the temperature at this end of the rod close to a given value, without excessive heat input. This distributed parameter optimal control problem is reformulated as a calculus of variations problem for the optimal end-temperature. An explicit solution is derived, and its general properties are examined. Two example cases are provided to illustrate the results.
Examining Writing Performance and Self-Perception for Low Socioeconomic Young Adolescents

The present case study investigated the impact of a short-term summer literacy approach on writing performance and self-perception of writing for young adolescents of low-income families residing in urban housing projects. The approach offered intensive literacy engagement to offset summer achievement loss; assisted ethnic-minority, low socioeconomic youth achieve state benchmarks in the English language arts; and pioneered research on writer self-perception for this population. Findings from pre/post use of a normed writer self-perception scale, Chi-square analysis of a camp experience survey, participant interviews and a program exit survey revealed that the 250 youth entering grades five through seven and engaged in extensive writing prompted by reading, discussion, and use of graphic organizers believed their progress and ability to write positively improved. Progress in writing was objectively measured by pre/post writing accounts of a favorite experience evaluated by calibrated raters using the state rubric system. The results of a dependent t-test evidenced a significant increase in writing performance with 157 participants increasing, 56 decreasing, and 37 achieving the same score between pre/post evaluation. A bivariate correlation comparing postwriting scores with postresults of four self-perception subscales revealed significant correlations at the .01 level.
Media’s moral messages: assessing perceptions of moral content in television programming

This study extends the examination of moral content in the media by exploring moral messages in television programming and viewer characteristics predictive of the ability to perceive such messages. Generalisability analyses confirmed the reliability of the Media’s Moral Messages (MMM) rating form for analysing programme content and the existence of 10 moral themes prevalent in television media. Standard regression analyses yielded evidence indicating viewers’ moral expertise, as measured by the Defining Issues Test (DIT), familiarity with the programme and level of education predicted their ability to perceive moral messages in a television drama popular in the USA at the time of data collection. Identification of patterns in moral content represented in television programming, as well as knowledge of how viewer characteristics relate to their ability to perceive such content, can provide parents and educators with a means for better comprehending messages regarding human interaction to which they or the...
Heat stress limits for the sedentary worker.

Performance on four sedentary tasks was monitored during temperatures of 85°F, 95°F, and 105°F WBGT for work periods up to 2 hours. Results were compared with limits recommended for occupational safety and health regulations. It is suggested that this limit is not a single line, but rather a range of temperature-time combinations. Further, man's compensating nature during short exposures supports a higher temperature limit for brief work bouts.
He(I) photoelectron spectrum of tetra-N-butylammonium iodide and bromide in solution. The effects of surface activity

Abstract The He(I) photoelectron spectra of tetra-N-butylammonium iodide and bromide in ethane-1,2-diol have a peak at 11 eV assigned to the cation in addition to the 2 P 3/2 and 2 P 3/2 peaks of the anions (the latter unresolved in the bromide at 7.6 eV but lying at 8 and 7 eV in the iodide). No halide peaks could be found with solutions of either NaI or N-methylpyridazinium iodide in ethanediol at the same concentration as used in the above (0.3 M) and this is attributed to migration from the surface, both salts raising the surface tension of the solution above that of pure ethanediol. Tetra-N-butylammonium iodide lowers the tension. In propylene carbonate, where changes in tension are small, all three salts give halide peaks at a concentration of 0.3 M. In formamide, where NaI raises the tension, no I − peaks can be found at concentrations below 1.8 M.
The relationship between changes in learning and memory after right unilateral electroconvulsive therapy.

Objective: We investigated whether the ability to learn new information, as opposed to recall information, would change significantly in depressed individuals treated by low- or high-dose right unilateral electroconvulsive therapy and tested whether change in learning explained changes in recall. Method: Fifty-four depressed patients randomized to receive right unilateral electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) at approximately 2.25 times their seizure threshold (ST) or at doses greater than 2.25 times ST were evaluated for verbal and figural memory as well as verbal and figural learning both pre- and post-ECT. A subset of scores from the Rey Auditory Visual Learning Test and the Rey Figure Test were analyzed using analysis of variance and linear regression techniques. Results: Scores reflecting verbal learning decreased by a mean of approximately 50% immediately after a completed course of ECT as compared with pre-ECT verbal learning scores. Stratification of effect by dose of electrical charge revealed trends that did not achieve statistical significance. Approximately 8% of the change in delayed verbal recall was predicted by changes in verbal learning. Figural learning was not significantly changed in the aggregate (pre- versus post-treatment) or when the effect was stratified by electrical charge. Conclusions: Verbal learning scores declined immediately after ECT, but the change in learning scores explained only a minor part of the observed changes in verbal recall. These findings support the notion that the deficits in delayed recall after ECT represent a relatively specific cognitive effect that is not completely explained by changes in other aspects of cognition such as learning.
Kinetic estimation of the base sequence complexity of poly(a)-containing mrna in ehrlich-ascites-tumor cells and its abundance in nuclear rna.

Poly(A)-containing messenger RNA was isolated from polysomes of Ehrlich ascites tumor cells, and analyzed for sequence complexity by hybridization to its complementary DNA. The results indicate the presence of about 27,000 diverse mRNA species in mouse Ehrlich ascites tumor cells. Total nuclear RNA was also hybridized to cDNA transcribed from polysomal poly(A)-containing mRNA up to an rot of 3,000 M . s. It was found that all classes of the polysomal poly(A)-containing mRNA sequences were also present in the nucleus, although the distribution varied. About 2% of the total nuclear RNA sequences were expressed as total polysomal poly(A)-containing mRNA. We also report that the total percentage of the haploid mouse genome transcribed in Ehrlich cells is significantly higher than that found in other mouse cells previously examined for poly(A)-containing mRNA sequence complexity.
Electric heating pad burns

Patients with sensory deficits are especially prone to heating pad burns. Two cases are reported of patients with anesthetic skin who received partial and full-thickness burns of their feet from an electric heating pad. These burn injuries could have been prevented if the patients understood the potential hazard of heating pads.
Studies on simplified ergoline derivatives. A general six‐step synthesis of phenyl‐substituted 4‐methyl‐3,4,4a,5,6,10b‐hexahydrobenzo[f]quinolin‐1‐(2H)‐one analogs

This communication outlines the development of a novel, general synthetic route to substituted α-tetralones 5, their subsequent conversion to the α,β-unsaturated ketones 11, and an improved, one-step transformation of 11 to the tricyclic title compounds 1. Thus, substituted derivatives of 1 can be prepared in six steps from simple benzaldehydes, or, in three steps from more readily available α-tetralones.
Symptom Control: PALLIATIVE CARE

Symptom control has become increasingly recognized as an important goal in patient care. In this article, advances in symptom assessment, and various definitions of symptom improvement are reviewed. Theoretical concepts underlying symptom control and clinically significant change are presented, as well as the role of symptom control as an endpoint in clinical trials. Symptom control is then surveyed in two broad categories for selected symptoms. The first area is therapy related symptoms, secondary to chemotherapy, radiation, hormonal therapy, and surgery. Symptoms reviewed include chemotherapy related mucositis, emesis, fatigue; hot flashes; and radiation related dermatitis, xerostomia, and mucositis. The second area is palliative oncologic approaches to disease-related symptoms. Results in palliative chemotherapy, palliative radiation therapy, cancer pain, and lack of appetite are summarized. Areas requiring further research are noted. Findings are presented in both a clinical and research context to he...
Computational studies on the mechanical properties of diamond nanotoroids

Abstract Diamond nanotoroids are a new class of carbon nanostructures with interesting theoretical properties and are ideal for studying the elastic and plastic deformation behavior of diamond nanorods. Various sizes of diamond nanotoroids, along with a carbon nanotube, a carbon nanotube toroid, and a diamond nanorod were simulated using molecular dynamics. We tested these compounds for stability and compared our calculated values for the ultimate tensile strength and the Young’s modulus over a range of strain rates to those reported in the literature and attempted to explain any discrepancies found between our results and those reported. The results of these simulations suggest the tensile strength of diamond nanotoroids would be many times stronger than conventional materials and this novel material has potential for use in many demanding applications.
Fermi energy and electron density in a narrow strip of semimetal bismuth

Abstract In an ultrathin film of semimetal bismuth, the electrons and holes would perform two-dimensional motions in the film plane due to the quantum size effect. When the width is reduced while the length is kept fixed, the film turns itself into a narrow strip and its two-dimensional energy spectrum would be subject to another quantum size effect. Numerical evaluations have been carried out of the Fermi energy and of the electron/hole density in a narrow strip of bismuth as functions of the variable width. Both functions exhibit oscillatory variations in accordance with the size effect. Both the vanishing-wave-function and the vanishing-gradient boundary conditions have been studied and contrasting results have been obtained. As the width is sufficiently reduced, the semimetallic strip would become semiconducting if the vanishing-wave-function boundary condition is applied; or the strip would become highly conductive if the vanishing-gradient boundary condition is applied.
Epidemiology of Facial Fracture Injuries

PURPOSE: Injuries resulting from accidents are a leading cause of mortality and morbidity. The objective of this study was to present epidemiologic estimates of hospital-based emergency department (ED) visits for facial fractures in the United States. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The Nationwide Emergency Department Sample for 2007 was used. All ED visits with facial fractures were selected. Demographic characteristics of these ED visits, causes of injuries, presence of concomitant injuries, and resource use in hospitals were examined. All estimates were projected to national levels and each ED visit was the unit of analysis. RESULTS: During 2007 in the United States, 407,167 ED visits concerned a facial fracture. Patients' average age for each ED visit was 37.9 years. Sixty-eight percent of all ED visits concerned male patients, and 85,759 ED visits resulted in further treatment in the same hospital. Three hundred fourteen patients died in EDs, and 2,717 died during hospitalization. Mean charge per each ED visit was $3,192. Total United States ED charges were close to $1 billion. Mean hospitalization charges (ED and inpatient charges) amounted to $62,414. Mean length of stay was 6.23 days, and total hospitalization time in the entire United States was 534,322 days. Frequently reported causes of injuries included assaults (37% of all ED visits), falls (24.6%), and motor vehicle accidents (12.1%). CONCLUSIONS: The management of maxillofacial fractures in EDs across the United States uses considerable resources. The public health impact of facial fractures is highlighted in the present study. Language: en
Composite porous membrane for protecting high‐performance fibers from ultraviolet–visible radiation

High-strength fibers are used to produce high-strength-to-weight-ratio materials for applications such as composites, soft and hard body armor, bulletproof vests, and tendons for scientific balloons. Unfortunately, these fibers degrade when they are exposed to ultraviolet–visible (UV–vis) radiation. The objective of this research was to develop systems to improve the UV resistance of such fibers. Composite porous membranes from a polyurethane (PU) matrix loaded with rutile titanium dioxide (TiO2) nanoparticles were developed to protect a braid made of polybenzobisoxazole (PBO) yarns. The PU membranes loaded with TiO2 nanoparticles were prepared by a phase-inversion technique. The effects of the amount of TiO2 nanoparticles on the composite membrane morphological structure and UV–vis light transmission were evaluated. The results show that when the concentration of TiO2 nanoparticles was increased, the porosity of the membrane and its UV–vis blocking effectiveness increased. The UV–vis protection was evaluated by the wrapping of the PBO braid with the composite membranes and exposed to UV–vis radiation. The strength loss of the PBO fiber due to exposure was decreased from 75% for the unprotected sample to 7.8% for the protected sample in the PU loaded with 4% TiO2 nanoparticles. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci., 2013
Robotic Surgery — Squeezing into Tight Places

A surgical robot is a collection of wristed “servant” tools called manipulators, which receive digital instructions from an interfaced computer. As an otolaryngologist, Dr. Norman Berlinger used to perform microscopic middle-ear surgery in a space the size of a pistachio shell. He writes that too many of these operations were struggles.
SWEET ontology coverage for earth system sciences

Scientists in the Earth and Environmental Sciences (EES) domain increasingly use ontologies to analyze and integrate their data. For example, the NASA’s SWEET ontologies (Semantic Web for Earth and Environmental Terminology) have become the de facto standard ontologies to represent the EES domain formally (Raskin 2010). Now we must develop principled ways both to evaluate existing ontologies and to ascertain their quality in a quantitative manner. Existing literature describes many potential quality metrics for ontologies. Among these metrics is the coverage metric, which approximates the relevancy of an ontology to a corpus (Yao et al. (PLoS Comput Biol 7(1):e1001055+, 2011)). This paper has three primary contributions to the EES domain: (1) we present an investigation of the applicability of existing coverage techniques for the EES domain; (2) we present a novel expansion of existing techniques that uses thesauri to generate equivalence and subclass axioms automatically; and (3) we present an experiment to establish an upper-bound coverage expectation for the SWEET ontologies against real-world EES corpora from DataONE (Michener et al. (Ecol Inform 11:5–15, 2012)), and a corpus designed from research articles to specifically match the topics covered by the SWEET ontologies. This initial evaluation suggests that the SWEET ontology can accurately represent real corpora within the EES domain.
Development of adrenergic innervation in the puppy kidney.

The development of the adrenergic innervation of the puppy kidney from birth to two months of age was studied with the fluorescence histochemical method of Falck and Hillarp in conjunction with chemical analyses for catechol-amines in the cortex and medulla of the kidney. At birth adrenergic fibers were found entering the kidney with the renal arteries and following the arterial supply into the inner cortex. In this area the fibers were found in association with the interlobular arteries and afferent arterioles. Fibers were also seen in the neogenic zone of the cortex until the fourteenth day after birth when this area disappeared. From the fourteenth to fifty-sixth day the adrenergic fibers were found extending to the interlobular arteries and afferent arterioles of the developing cortex. The levels of norepinephrine measured in the cortex during the first two months after birth reflected the increasing number of adrenergic nerves. In the medulla vasa recta were present at birth; norepinephrine and fluorescent fibers, however, were not found until 21 days. At this time nerves were found emerging in bundles from the arcuate connective tissue sheath and joining the vasa recta in the outer medulla. At subsequent ages the number of fibers in each bundle and the norepinephrine levels increased.
Corrigendum to “Relationships between material properties and CT scan data of cortical bone with and without metastatic lesions” [Medical Engineering & Physics 25 (2003) 445–454]

a Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, University of California, Irvine, CA 92697, USA b Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, and Center for Biomedical Engineering, University of California, Irvine, CA 92697, USA c Chao Family Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of California Irvine Medical Center, Orange, CA 92868, USA d Department of Radiological Sciences, University of California, Irvine, CA 92697, USA
HEMODYNAMIC BASIS FOR CLINICAL MANIFESTATIONS OF PATENT DUCTUS ARTERIOSUS.

Abstract A prosthesis made of silicone rubber has been developed for insertion between the aorta and pulmonary artery of dogs. The size of the communication can be controlled in the closed-chest, unanesthetized animal. The hemodynamic effects of complete acute opening and closing of the shunt have been studied in 35 dogs. The basic hemodynamic changes are related to a decrease in systemic vascular resistance, an increase in pulmonary blood flow, and direct transmission of aortic pressure to the pulmonary artery. When the shunt is opened, there is an immediate decrease in aortic and left ventricular systolic pressure, a rise in pulmonary arterial, left atrial, and left ventricular end-diastolic pressure, an increased stroke volume, and an increased heart rate. A systolic gradient between the left ventricle and the aorta frequently develops when the shunt is opened, and is probably related to the high stroke volume which occurs. The pulmonary arterial pressure tracing shows a triphasic contour when the shunt is open; left ventricular ejection is slightly prolonged, but the right ventricular ejection period is markedly reduced. This explains the paradoxical splitting of the second sound, which is also observed in some patients with patent ductus arteriosus. Systemic blood flow is moderately reduced, but pulmonary blood flow is increased about twofold. Pulmonary diastolic blood flow is markedly increased, so that peripheral pulmonary blood flow becomes much more continuous. During diastole, blood flows perferentially into the low-resistance shunt and pulmonary vascular system, and a marked backflow during diastole occurs in the descending aorta distal to the shunt. The animals varied in their ability to tolerate the shunt. After the initial responses, some dogs showed a gradual increase in aortic stroke volume and left ventricular systolic pressure, and tolerated the shunt well. Others developed a “failure response” that was characterized by a continuing fall in aortic stroke volume and left ventricular systolic pressure, with a rise in left ventricular end-diastolic, left atrial, and pulmonary arterial pressures.
Revision of the biostratigraphy of the Chatham Group (Upper Triassic), Deep River basin, North Carolina, USA

Abstract Paleontological evidence from the Upper Triassic Chatham Group in the three subbasins of the Deep River basin (North Carolina, USA) supports a significant revision of the ages assigned to most of this non-marine continental sedimentary sequence. This study confirms an early(?) or mid-Carnian age in the Sanford subbasin for the base of the Pekin Formation, the lowest unit of the Chatham Group. However, diagnostic late Carnian palynomorphs have been recovered from coals in the lower part of the Cumnock Formation in the Sanford subbasin, and from a sample of the Cumnock Formation equivalent in the Wadesboro subbasin. Plant megafossils and fossil verebrates from rocks in the Sanford subbasin also support a late Carnian age for the Cumnock Formation and its equivalents. The overlying Sanford Formation, which has not yet been dated paleontologically, probably includes beds of Norian age, as over 1000 m of strata may be present between the Cumnock Formation coals (dated here as late Carnian) and the top of the Sanford Formation. This chronostratigraphic interval appears similar to, but slightly longer than, that preserved in the Dan River-Danville and Davie County basins 100 km to the northwest. Our evidence, therefore, indicates that the Chatham Group was deposited over a much longer time interval [early(?) to mid-Carnian through early Norian] than previously was believed.
Mediated transfer in a four-stage, stimulus-equivalence paradigm

The four-stage, stimulus-equivalence mediation paradigm was investigated in a paired-associate learning experiment. The first three stages were presented as self-paced PA learning tasks, and the fourth stage was presented as a matching task. All lists were composed of 6 pairs of 2-syllable nouns. Recall-practice trials were given on the first list following second-list learning, and on all three PA lists following third-list learning. The results indicated a significant amount of mediated transfer on the matching task and suggested that S s who mediate on any pair mediate on all pairs.
Mitochondrial function and insulin resistance in overweight and normal-weight children.

Background: Obesity has become an epidemic in children, associated with an increase in insulin resistance and metabolic dysfunction. Mitochondrial function is known to be an important determinant of glucose metabolism in adults. However, little is known about the relationship between mitochondrial function and obesity, insulin resistance, energy expenditure, and pubertal development in children. Methods: Seventy-four participants, 37 overweight (≥85th percentile body mass index for age and sex) and 37 normal-weight (<85th percentile) without personal or family history of diabetes mellitus were enrolled. Subjects were evaluated with an oral glucose tolerance test, metabolic markers, resting energy expenditure, Tanner staging, and 31P magnetic resonance spectroscopy of skeletal muscle for mitochondrial function. Results: Overweight and normal-weight children showed no difference in muscle ATP synthesis [phosphocreatine (PCr) recovery after exercise] (32.4 ± 2.3 vs. 34.1 ± 2.1, P = 0.58). However, insulin-re...
SPATIAL VARIATION IN INOCULUM POTENTIAL OF VESICULAR‐ARBUSCULAR MYCORRHIZAL FUNGI CAUSED BY FORMATION OF GOPHER MOUNDS

Summary Two sites in California, on serpentine soil bearing annual grassland, were studied. Spatial (horizontal and vertical) variation in inoculum potential of vesicular-arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi in soils was measured by a bioassay. Unvegetated gopher mounds had significantly lower inoculum potentials than did undisturbed soils. The decreased inoculum potential in gopher mounds is attributed to the reduced amount of inoculum in subsurface soil brought to the surface during formation of mounds. A difference in inoculum potential between two distinct types of vegetation (grass-or forb-dominated) was also found.
The Community College Accountability Network: Understanding Institutional Accountability at Aspen Grove Community College.

This article reports on a qualitative, interpretive case study examining how trustees, administrators, faculty members, and staff members at a rural community college understand their institution’s accountability environment. Data analysis and interpretation established that participants conceptualized institutional accountability as dialogic, involving ongoing communication with state authorities, employers, students, high schools, and universities about the formal and informal expectations assigned to the college. In addition, participants’ understandings of accountability were shaped by their specific roles and responsibilities within the institution. The study’s findings suggest the need for further research on how local institutional contexts influence institutional responses to accountability expectations.
Antioxidant Properties of Human Colostrum

Because it has recently been hypothesized that human milk is antiinflammatory, the effects of aqueous human colostrum on human polymorphonuclear leukocyte (PMN) respiratory burst activity and selected enzymatic activities was examined. Aqueous colostrum was found to spontaneously reduce ferricytochrome C in a concentration-dependent manner, prohibiting use of the standard assay to measure superoxide production. It also caused a significant concentration-dependent prolongation of the lagtime from stimulation of PMN with phorbol myristate acetate to the appearance of hydrogen peroxide. Substitution of an enzymatic peroxide-generating system for PMN did not alter the effect of colostrum. Colostrum also suppressed myeloperoxidase activity and lysozyme activity, but not beta-glucuronidase activity in PMN lysates. Inclusion of colostrum in an in vitro assay of PMN-mediated cell detachment significantly suppressed this PMN-mediated effect. These data demonstrate that aqueous human colostrum significantly interferes with PMN oxygen metabolic and enzymatic activities that are important in the mediation of acute inflammation.
The Quest for a New Paradigm: A Need to Rewire the Way We Think

This article aims to give a glimpse of what is involved in making changes from traditional constructs to new constructs in three fields: physics, medicine, and communication. It seemed reasonable to start with an understanding of what other disciplines and professions were doing in shifting their paradigms and the problems of abandoning the cozy comfort of familiar ways of thinking and doing things. Suggestions have been made for the environment and aging in terms of how we can proceed and welcome the promise of new and rewarding opportunities.
A finite difference delay estimation approach to the discretization of the time domain integral equations of electromagnetics

In this paper, we introduce a method of temporal discretization based on finite differences, or, more generally, a mapping from the Laplace (s) domain to the z- transform domain. The idea is very old, and goes by the name "convolution quadrature" in the math literature [3], and "filter design by approximation of derivatives," or "the bilinear transformation" in the signal processing literature [4]. Assuming the spatial discretization does not give rise to unstable eigenvalues, this new finite difference delay estimation (FDDE) method has completely predictable stability and accuracy properties. First- and second-order unconditionally stable methods can be derived, and since no basis functions are involved, no shadow region arises. While FDDE has important efficiency disadvantages relative to MOT, these can be mitigated by fast methods.