cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Grain growth and strength degradation of SiC monofilaments at high temperatures

The microstructural stability of SCS-6 SiC monofilaments was determined by measuring the average grain size, tensile strength and critical length of the fibres as a function of various annealings in vacuum (≈0.1 Pa) at different temperatures (1400–1600 °C). The average grain size, calculated from X-ray diffraction line broadening, increased from 23 nm for the as-received fibres to 46 nm for fibres annealed for 2 h at 1600 °C. The corresponding tensile strength measured at room temperature dropped from 3.6 GPa for the as-received fibres to ≈2 GPa for the treated fibres. Simultaneously, the average critical lengths, measured using the glass-slide technique decreased from 0.37 mm for the as-received fibres to an average of 0.23 mm for the heat-treated fibres. The degradation of the mechanical properties was attributed to a combination of coarsening of the β-SiC grains as well as interactions with the annealing environment, namely the vacuum hot-press chamber.
Nernst effect in superconducting films of tin and indium

Abstract Transverse voltages due to longitudinal temperature gradients have been observed in superconducting films of tin and indium. The entropy per flux quantum associated with a vortex of unit length is found to be an order of magnitude larger than the value calculated for a very large flux bundle, where the surface energy contribution can be neglected.
HEALTH VISITORS' ROLE IN PREDICTION OF EARLY CHILDHOOD INJURIES AND FAILURE TO THRIVE

Health visitors (registered nurses) in Aberdeen, Scotland, administered a brief “maternal attitude questionnaire” and recorded a subjective assessment of mother-child interaction at age 3-4 months on all 7,700 births within the city. During the first two years of life, 1,388 (20%) of these children presented with an injury or failure to thrive (FTT). This index group was matched at age 2 with children from the original group who had no such findings. Within the index group, 76% were seen for accidents, 10% for overtly negligent injuries, and 14% for suspected non-accidental injury or FTT. The questionnaire revealed no significant differences between the index and control groups; however, analysis of the health visitors' subjective assessments revealed that twice as many index children as control children received assessments of “moderate” to “great concern.“ A comparison of outcome variables within the index group revealed that these ratings related significantly to two variables: the higher the level of concern, the more likely an injury would be non-accidental and, within this group, the more likely an injury would be a serious hospitalized case. Of the total study population (2,776), 10% (218) were rated as “moderate” to “great concern.“ Two-thirds of these 218 children later presented with injuries or FTT which might have been prevented by intensive intervention.
Peace education for consensual peace: the essential role of conflict resolution 1

Peace education is a key for establishing and maintaining a consensual peace. Creating an effective peace education program involves five steps. First, a public education system must be established with compulsory attendance; all children and youth should attend so that students from the previously conflicting groups interact and have the opportunity to build positive relationships with each other. Second, a sense of mutuality and common fate needs to be established that highlights mutual goals, the ‘just’ distribution of benefits from achieving the goals, and a common identity. In schools, this is primarily done through the use of cooperative learning. Third, students should be taught the constructive controversy procedure to ensure they know how to make difficult decisions and engage in political discourse. Fourth, students should be taught how to engage in integrative negotiations and peer mediation to resolve their conflicts with each other constructively. Finally, civic values should be inculcated th...
Method of atmospheric density measurements during shuttle entry using ultraviolet-laser Rayleigh scattering

An analytical study and its experimental verification are described which show the performance capabilities and the hardware requirements of a method for measuring atmospheric density along the Space Shuttle flightpath during entry. Using onboard instrumentation, the technique relies on Rayleigh scattering of light from a pulsed ArF excimer laser operating at a wavelength of 193 nm. The method is shown to be capable of providing density measurements with an uncertainty of less than 1 percent and with a spatial resolution along the flightpath of 1 km, over an altitude range from 50 to 90 km. Experimental verification of the signal linearity and the expected signal-to-noise ratios is demonstrated in a simulation facility at conditions that duplicate the signal levels of the flight environment.
White Pearl—A chipping potato variety with high level of resistance to cold sweetening

White Pearl is a chipping cultivar with high level of resistance to cold sweetening. The cold-chipping capacity of White Pearl is better than the current chipping cultivars, including Atlantic, Snowden and NorValley. White Pearl has low glucose content and good chip color when processed directly after a 7-month storage period at 3.3 to 5.5 C. White Pearl tubers are similar to Snowden with a round oval shape, light netting, shallow eyes, white flesh, small to medium size, uniform shape, and are practically free of external and internal defects. The yield and specific gravity of White Pearl are medium. White Pearl is similar to Snowden in susceptibility to early blight, pink rot and soft rot, but it is slightly more resistant to common scab. White Pearl vines are susceptible to late blight, but can be managed effectively with fungicides. White Pearl is more sensitive to blackspot bruise than Atlantic or Snowden at 7.2 C, but is more resistant at higher temperatures. White Pearl is sensitive to metribuzin (Sencor), but not rimsulfuron (Matrix) or sulfentrazone (Spartan).
An electrospray ionization source for integration with microfluidics.

We have demonstrated a new electrospray ionization (ESI) device incorporating a tip made from a shaped thin film, bonded to a microfluidic channel, and interfaced to a time-of-flight mass spectrometer (TOFMS). A triangular-shaped thin polymer tip was formed by lithography and etching. A microfluidic channel, 20 μm wide and 10 μm deep, was embossed in a cyclo olefin substrate using a silicon master. The triangular tip was aligned with the channel and bonded between the channel plate and a flat plate to create a microfluidic channel with a wicking tip protruding from the end. This structure aided the formation of a stable Taylor cone at the apex of the tip, forming an electrospray ionization source. This source was tested by spraying several solutions for mass spectrometric analysis. Because the components are all made by lithographic approaches with high geometrical fidelity, an integrated array system with multiple channels can be formed with the same method and ease as a single channel. We tested a multi...
Acoustic multipath identification with expectation-maximization

Deep-sea autonomous positioning is susceptible to unmodeled measurement errors. Acoustic range measurements for long baseline navigation are not normally distributed, a situation that erodes the robustness and precision of estimation techniques. A mixed-distribution model captures the combination of direct-path, multipath, and spurious returns common for acoustic localization in limited-range survey. Expectation-Maximization concurrently identifies the parameters of the model and characterizes the observations, converging on a model for homogeneous instrumented environments. The resulting representation aids autonomous navigation for precision applications.
Enabling strain hardening simulations with dislocation dynamics

Numerical algorithms for discrete dislocation dynamics simulations areinvestigated for the purpose of enabling strain hardening simulations of singlecrystals on massively parallel computers. The al ...
Nullification of Torus knots and links

It is known that a knot/link can be nullified, i.e. can be made into the trivial knot/link, by smoothing some crossings in a projection diagram of the knot/link. The minimum number of such crossings to be smoothed in order to nullify the knot/link is called the nullification number. In this paper we investigate the nullification numbers of a particular knot family, namely the family of torus knots and links.
Specific Gravity of Bovine Colostrum Immunoglobulins as Affected by Temperature and Colostrum Components

Abstract The effects of temperature and colostrum components on specific gravity in bovine colostrum were investigated. Thirty-nine first milking colostrum samples were collected from Holstein cows. The samples were assayed for α -tocopherol, fat, protein, total solids, and IgG. The concentrations of total solids, total protein, total IgG, and fat in colostrum were 26.6, 12.5, 3.7, and 9.4 g/100g, respectively. A range of 1.8 to 24.7μg/ml for α-tocopherol was measured in the colostrum samples. Specific gravity of the colostrum was measured using a hydrometer in increments of 5°C from 0 to 40°C. Specific gravity explained 76% of the variation in colostral total IgG at a colostrum temperature of 20°C. The regression model was improved only slightly with the addition of protein, fat, and total solids. The model for samples at 20°C was IgG (milligrams per milliliter) = 958 × (specific gravity) - 969. Measurement of specific gravity at variable temperatures necessitated inclusion of temperature in the model for estimation of IgG. Inclusion of the other components of colostrum into the model slightly improved the fit. The regression model for samples at variable temperatures was as follows: IgG (milligrams per milliliter) = 853 x (specific gravity) + .4 × temperature (Celsius degrees) - 866.
Unraveling Environmental Effects on Hydrogen-Bonded Complexes: Matrix Effects on the Structures and Proton-Stretching Frequencies of Hydrogen−Halide Complexes with Ammonia and Trimethylamine

Anharmonicity and matrix effects play important roles in determining the proton-stretching frequencies in hydrogen-bonded complexes of HCl and HBr with NH3 and N(CH3)3. These effects have been investigated through ab initio calculations carried out at MP2/aug‘-cc-pVDZ for complexes with HCl and at MP2/6-31+G(d,p) for complexes with HBr. The potential surfaces of these complexes are very anharmonic, since the region surrounding the global minimum may be very broad and relatively flat, or a second region of the surface, displaced from the global minimum, can be accessed in either the ground (v = 0) or the first excited (v = 1) state of the proton-stretching mode. As a result, two-dimensional anharmonic frequencies, particularly for the proton-stretching vibration, can be dramatically different from the corresponding harmonic frequencies. Moreover, the zero-point energy contribution to binding enthalpies based on harmonic vibrational frequencies can be significantly overestimated in some complexes. To model ...
Hematopoietic growth factors, signaling and the chronic myeloproliferative disorders

Abstract The chronic myeloproliferative diseases (CMDs) are a group of conditions characterized by unregulated blood cell production, that due either to excessive numbers of erythrocytes, leukocytes or platelets, or their defective function cause symptoms and signs of fatigue, headache, ruddy cyanosis, hemorrhage, abdominal distension, and the complications of vascular thrombosis. In the late 19th century Vaquez provided the first description of polycythemia vera (PV) and Hueck defined idiopathic myelofibrosis (IMF). In 1920, di Guglielmo established criteria for patients with essential thrombocythemia (ET). In 1951, Dameshek argued that these disorders, along with chronic myelogenous leukemia (CML) display many similar clinical and laboratory features [Dameshek W. Some speculations on the myeloproliferative syndromes. Blood 1951;6:372–5], and grouped them. In 2002, the World Health Organization expanded the definition of CMDs to also include chronic neutrophilic leukemia (CNL), chronic eosinophilic leukemia/hypereosinophilic syndrome (CEL/HES) and systemic mast cell disorder (SMCD) [Vardiman JW, Harris NL, Brunning RD. The World Health Organization (WHO) classification of the myeloid neoplasms. Blood 2002;100:2292–302]. While the molecular pathogenesis of CML is well known [Melo JV, Deininger MW. Biology of chronic myelogenous leukemia-signaling pathways of initiation and transformation. Hematol Oncol Clin North Am 2004;18:545–68], and the causes of CEL/HES and SMCD have been identified in about half of all cases [Gotlib J, Cools J, Malone III JM, Schrier SL, Gilliland DG, Coutre SE. The FIP1L1–PDGFRalpha fusion tyrosine kinase in hypereosinophilic syndrome and chronic eosinophilic leukemia: implications for diagnosis, classification, and management. Blood 2004;103:2879–91; Valent P, Akin C, Sperr WR, Horny HP, Metcalfe DD. Mast cell proliferative disorders: current view on variants recognized by the World Health Organization. Hematol Oncol Clin North Am 2003;17:1227–41], until very recently the etiologies of the three classically defined CMDs, PV, IMF and ET, were poorly understood. Each of these disorders is characterized by excessive hematopoiesis, a process usually dependent on one or more hematopoietic growth factors (HGFs). This review will focus on how our knowledge of the molecular mechanisms by which HGFs are produced, bind cell surface receptors and transduce survival and proliferative signals have provided the platform on which the multiple origins of CMDs can be understood and novel therapeutic interventions designed.
Fast and Accurate Modeling of Distributed RLC Interconnect and Transmission Line in Time and Frequency Domains

This paper presents the closed forms of the state space models and the recursive algorithms of the transfer function models for fast and accurate modeling of large scale complex systems of the evenly or unevenly distributed RLC interconnect and transmission lines. Considered models include the distributed RLC interconnect lines with or without external source and load connection. The effective closed forms do not involve any matrix inverse, factorization, or multiplication, thus dramatically reduce the computation complexity. Especially, the computation complexity of the closed forms for any evenly or unevenly distributed RLC interconnect line circuits is only O(1) or O(m) respectively, where m << N, N is the system order, and m represents the number of even sections which compose the uneven interconnect line. The features of new recursive algorithms are two recursive s-polynomials and their low computation complexity too. Illustration examples are provided to demonstrate the results in both time and frequency domains. The results can be applied to the RLC interconnect analysis and model reduction as a key to new approach, and to control systems with transmission lines, internet or delay lines.
The effects of dividend yield and dividend policy on common stock prices and returns

Abstract This paper suggests that it is not possible to demonstrate, using the best available empirical methods, that the expected returns on high yield common stocks differ from the expected returns on low yield common stocks either before or after taxes. A taxable investor who concentrates his portfolio in low yield securities cannot tell from the data whether he is increasing or decreasing his expected after-tax return by so doing. A tax exempt investor who concentrates his portfolio in high yield securities cannot tell from the data whether he is increasing or decreasing his expected return. We argue that the best method for testing the effects of dividend policy on stock prices is to test the effects of dividend yield on stock returns. Thus the fact that we cannot tell, using the best available methods, what effects dividend yield has on stock returns implies that we cannot tell what effect, if any, a change in dividend policy will have on a corporation's stock price.
The agricultural impacts of irrigation induced waterlogging and soil salinity in the Arkansas Basin

Agricultural production along the Lower Arkansas River of Colorado is being negatively affected as a result of irrigation induced waterlogging and soil salinization. This publication presents an estimate of these damages along a study area of approximately 65,000 irrigated acres for 3 different years. Estimates of the damage are generated by linking a detailed hydrologic model, calibrated from extensive field data, to an economic model that evaluates productivity losses within the study region. The hydrologic model provides a detailed estimate of the soil salinity levels and water table depths that occur throughout the region. Using geographic information system (GIS) software, the output from the hydrologic model is converted into field level data which are used to estimate the damages that are occurring upon each irrigated field across the study area. Previously published research that identifies the relationship between crop yield and soil salinization was used to estimate the impact of soil salinity on agricultural production. The relationship between crop yield and waterlogging was estimated econometrically using a synthesis of secondary data sources. The results indicate that the impact of waterlogging and soil salinization within this region is significant. Average annual losses to agricultural production along the study area were estimated to be approximately US$ 68/acre or US$ 4.3 million.
Development of forming limits for superplastic formed fine grain 7475 AI

Forming limits in conventional sheet metal forming are given by strain levels obtainable prior to the onset of a localized neck or tear in the sheet. While the external appearance of such a neck is not observed in superplastic metals until strains become quite large, the formation of internal cavities could dictate the tolerable levels of strain in formed components. In this paper, these useful strain limits for a superplastic 7475 Al alloy have been explored. The approach used was to establish the influence of strain state (uniaxial, plane strain, and balanced biaxial) on the inception and growth characteristics of cavities and to correlate the extent of cavitation with material properties. Based on these data, it was then possible to establish strain states for which little or no loss in properties was observed, and thereby to define forming limits for superplastic forming this material. These results, coupled with comparisons against strains developed in actual parts as well as analytically predicted strains, show that a wide range of structural parts can be superplastically formed within the constraints of the recommended forming limits.
Artificial neural system modeling of Monte Carlo simulations of polymers

In this work, a neural network was used to learn features in potential energy surfaces and relate those features to conformational properties of a series of polymers. Specifically, we modeled Monte Carlo simulations of 20 polymers in which we calculated the characteristic ratio and the temperature coefficient of the characteristic ratio for each polymer. We first created 20 rotational potential energy surfaces using MNDO procedures and then used these energy surfaces to produce 10000 chains, each chain 100 bonds long. From these results we calculated the mean-square end-to-end distance, the characteristic ratio and its corresponding temperature coefficient. A neural network was then used to model the results of these Monte Carlo calculations. We found that artificial neural network simulations were highly accurate in predicting the outcome of the Monte Carlo calculations for polymers for which it was not trained. The overall average error for prediction of the characteristic ratio was 4,82%, and the overall average error for prediction of the temperature coefficient was 0,89%.
Energy confinement studies of lower hybrid current driven plasmas in the Alcator C tokamak

Energy confinement is studied in lower hybrid current driven (LHCD) plasmas in Alcator C in the density range e = (1?8) ? 1013 cm?3. In LHCD plasmas, the stored energy in the electron tail, Wtail, can be a significant fraction of the total stored energy, Wtot, especially at lower densities. At sufficiently low densities, the confinement time of the high energy electrons is expected to become shorter than their collisional slowing down time, and direct energy losses from the electron tail can become important in the overall power balance. The global energy confinement time, defined as is found to be comparable to or exceed that in ohmically heated (OH) plasmas at low densities e 3 ? 1013 cm?3, where a steady state current can be maintained with relatively low RF power. However, at higher densities where substantially more RF power is needed (relative to the Ohmic power required to maintain a similar plasma), a deterioration of relative to Ohmic confinement, similar in magnitude to that predicted by the neutral beam heated L-mode scaling, is observed. Theoretical modelling with the aid of a ray tracing Fokker-Planck transport code suggests that the deteriorated confinement in this high density, high power regime may be attributed to an enhanced bulk electron thermal diffusivity. In a combined OH-LHCD plasma, a value of greater than the Ohmic value is obtained as long as the applied RF power does not significantly exceed the Ohmic power.
Requirements for p53 and the ATM gene product in the regulation of G1/S and S phase checkpoints

We investigated the requirements for protein p53 and the ATM gene product in radiation-induced inhibition of DNA synthesis and regulation of the cyclin E/ and cyclin A/cyclin dependent kinases (Cdks). Wild type (WT) mouse lung fibroblasts (MLFs), p53(-/-) knock-out MLFs, normal human skin fibroblasts (HSF-55), and human AT skin fibroblasts (GM02052) were used in the investigations. The absence of p53 had no significant effect on the inhibition or recovery of DNA synthesis throughout the S phase, as determined from BrdU labeling and flow cytometry, or the rapid inhibition of cyclin A/Cdks. Gamma radiation (8 Gy) inhibited DNA synthesis and progression into G2 during the first 3 h after irradiation, and the recovery of these processes occurred at similar rates in both WT and p53(-/-) MLFs. The cyclin A/Cdks were inhibited 55-70% at 1 h after irradiation in both cell types, but p21WAF1/Cip1 levels or p21 interaction with Cdk2 did not increase in the irradiated p53(-/-) MLFs. Although p53(-/-) MLFs do not exhibit prolonged arrest at a G1 checkpoint, radiation did induce a rapid 20% reduction and small super-recovery of cyclin E/Cdk2 within 1-2 h after irradiation. Similar inhibition and recovery of cyclin E/Cdk2 previously had been associated with regulation of transient G1 delay and the inhibition of initiation at an apparent G1/S checkpoint in Chinese hamster cells. In contrast, loss of the ATM gene product abrogated transient cyclin E/Cdk2 inhibition, most inhibition of DNA synthesis and all, but a 10-15% inhibition, of the cyclin A/Cdks. The results indicate that neither p53 nor p21 is required for transient inhibition of cyclin E/Cdk2 associated with the G1/S checkpoint or for inhibition of DNA synthesis at 'checkpoints' within the S phase. Conversely, the ATM gene product appears to be essential for regulation of the G1/S checkpoint and for inhibition of DNA replication associated with the inhibition of cyclin A/Cdk2. Differential aspects of DNA synthesis inhibition among cell types are presented and discussed in the context of S phase checkpoints.
NOTES ON THE BIONOMICS OF THE MILKWEED BEETLE TETRAOPES TETROPHTHALMUS (FORST.) (CERAMBYCIDAE)

There are several controversial questions in the literature pertaining to the life history of the milkweed beetle, Tetraopes tetrophthalmus . I made an attempt to find the solution to some of these questions during the fall of 1939 and spring and summer of 1940. The results of this study are offered herewith. The milkweed hosts of this insect were abundant along railroads near Urbana, and it was largely in such situations that these investigations were carried out.
In vivo thymulin treatments enhance avian lung natural killer cell cytotoxicity in response to infectious bronchitis virus

Previous work has shown that in vitro thymulin treatments have the ability to enhance natural killer (NK) cell cytotoxicity. The purpose of the experiments presented here was to examine the in vivo effects of thymulin on avian NK cell activity in response to a viral infection. Five and a half-week-old K-strain chickens infected with avian infectious bronchitis virus (IBV) served as the model for these experiments. Daily thymulin injections began at varying time points prior to or post-infection. The controls received daily injections of the ZnCl(2)-containing carboxymethyl-cellulose (CMC) diluent. A 51Cr-cytolytic release assay was used to determine the activity of the NK cells harvested via lung lavage from the respiratory tracts of infected chickens. The results of these experiments showed that in vivo thymulin treatments enhance NK cytotoxicity. The greatest enhancement of NK cytotoxicity was observed at 10 days post-infection in those chickens that began receiving thymulin after infection. These results suggest that thymulin may not only have a role in enhancing immunosurveillance but also in enhancing the response of the innate immune system following infection. Dose-response experiments found that the 50 ng/100 g body weight (Bwt) dose significantly depressed the cytolytic activity of the NK cells in comparison to either the 10 ng/100 g Bwt dose or the control.
Effect of organic vapors on the molecular conformation of non-doped polyaniline

Abstract A series of studies have been carried out on polyaniline (emeraldine base; EB) thin films deposited on glass substrates from aqueous solutions of polymerizing aniline (“ in-situ ” EB-I film). These films exhibit a Vis/UV spectrum in which the exciton peak has an absorption maximum at ~600 nm. Exposure of EB-I film to NMP vapor results in a red-shift of the exciton peak to ~650 nm (EB-II film). Doping of EB-II film by aq. HCl vapor gives a more delocalized electronic structure and higher electrical conductivity than those of the doped EB-I film. It is concluded that EB-I and EB-II exist in “tight coil” and “expanded coil” conformations respectively which do not change on doping in aqueous HCl.
CURVES ON SURFACES

Abstract The notation of t/i-numbers is used to describe all possible curves on surfaces.
Anisotropy and the splitting of PS waves

The PS wave is radially polarized in an isotropic spherically symmetric Earth owing to the P to SV conversion at the free surface. If we choose stations with weak SKS splitting to minimize the effect of the receiver, we can measure the anisotropy beneath the bounce point of the PS wave. We find that with a deep source and epicentral range of 90° < Δ < 125°, the PS phase can be distinguished from other phases. Owing to the limitation of recent large deep events with epicentral range between 90° and 125°, we analyze data from stations in North America and events beneath the Bonin Islands and the Fiji Islands. For events in these two regions, the bounce points of the PS wave are roughly located northwest of the Kuril Islands and near the Nova-Canton Trough in the central Pacific, respectively. Because the first Fresnel zone for the PS wave at this distance range is roughly 700 km across, each PS splitting observation must be interpreted as a local average of anisotropic properties. The average direction of the fast axis of anisotropy below the Nova-Canton Trough region is N104.2°E with a standard deviation 12.7° and a typical delay time of 1.8 s. Landward of the Kuril Islands, the average direction of the fast axis is N127.6°E clockwise from north, and the standard deviation is 11.3°, with a typical delay time of 1.2 s. We have compared the fast axis with the direction of fossil seafloor spreading and with the present-day absolute plate motion. The fast axis of anisotropy at the Nova-Canton Trough agrees well with the direction of absolute plate motion, and poorly with the complex fossil spreading pattern. This suggests that significant upper-mantle shear anisotropy exists in this part of the central Pacific, and is consistent with mineral alignment owing to strain associated with present-day plate motion. Similarly, the fast axis beneath the Kuril Islands parallels the convergent motion of the slab. Coupled-mode synthetics constructed with the ‘strong’ Born approximation can be used to model the interaction of the PS waves with anisotropic structure that has a horizontal axis of symmetry. We use all free oscillations up to 35 mHz in the calculation. The coupled-mode synthetics show shear-wave splitting with delay time and fast axis consistent with the ray theory prediction.
Neutral thermospheric dynamics observed with two scanning Doppler imagers: 1. Monostatic and bistatic winds

[1] Doppler-shift measurements of the thermospheric 630.0 nm emission recorded by two spatially separated imaging Fabry-Perot spectrometers in Alaska have been combined to infer F region horizontal wind vectors at approximately 75 locations across their overlapping fields-of-view. These “bistatic” horizontal wind estimates rely only on an assumption regarding the local vertical wind (and assume a common observing volume), and thus represent a more direct measurement of the wind than do the monostatic (single-station) vector wind fields routinely inferred by these instruments. Here we present comparisons between both the independently derived monostatic wind fields from each instrument and the bistatic wind estimates inferred in their common observing volumes. Data are presented from observations on three nights during 2010. Two principal findings have emerged from this study. First, the monostatic technique was found to be capable of estimating the actual large-scale wind field reliably under a large range of geophysical conditions, and is well suited to applications requiring only a large-scale, ‘big picture’ approximation of the wind flow. Secondly, the bistatic (or tristatic) technique is essential for applications requiring detailed knowledge of the small-scale behavior of the wind, as for example is required when searching for gravity waves.
Binaries Like to Be Twins: Implications for Doubly Degenerate Binaries, the Type Ia Supernova Rate, and Other Interacting Binaries

A recently published sample of 21 detached eclipsing binaries in the Small Magellanic Cloud provides a valuable test of the binary mass function for massive stars. We show that 50% of detached binaries have companions with very similar masses, q = M2/M1 > 0.87, where M1 and M2 denote the masses of the two binary components, M1 ≥ M2. A Salpeter relative mass function for the secondary is very strongly excluded, and the data are consistent with a flat mass function containing 55% of the systems and a "twin" population with q > 0.95 containing the remainder. We survey the existing literature on binary mass ratios and conclude that a significant twin population (of order 20%-25%) exists in binaries that are likely to interact across a broad range of stellar masses and metallicity. Interactions involving twins have distinctly different properties from those involving stars of unequal mass; the secondaries will tend to be evolved, and common-envelope evolution is qualitatively different. The implications of such a population for both binary interactions and star formation are substantial, and we present some examples. We argue that twin systems may provide a natural stellar population to explain the recently proposed prompt channel for Type Ia supernovae, and the presence of a twin population dramatically reduces the maximum inferred merger rate between neutron stars (NSs) and black holes relative to the NS-NS merger rate. Twins may also be important for understanding the tendency of white dwarf and NS binaries to be nearly equal in mass, and inclusion of twins in population studies will boost the blue straggler production rate.
Intermediate products of atmospheric oxygen reduction and the integrity of metal—organic coating interface

Abstract The mechanisms of delamination and undercoating corrosion in systems protected by organic material(s) remain unclear. The observed types of failure have been interpreted in various mechanistic terms having a common assumption that the hydroxyl ions generated at the metal surface as products of the reduction of atmospheric oxygen are responsible for the loss of protective properties. The possibility of formation of superoxide and/or peroxide species and the effects of their chemical interaction with the coating seem to have been neither considered nor studied. They are presently discussed in terms of the concentration and stability of peroxide species and of a possible mechanism of their attack on the organic coating. Results of the recent rotating ring—disc electrode (RRDE) studies of the mechanism of oxygen reduction at steel and zinc surfaces in alkaline media are summarized and compared. Although the actual mechanism differs somewhat, peroxyl ions are present as stable products of oxygen reduction in the entire interfacial potential region corresponding to the oxide-covered surfaces in both the passive and prepassive potential regions. Only at bare and/or adsorbed-hydrogen-covered metal surfaces are hydroxyl ions the only final products. The mechanistic effects of the presence of a number of foreign anions at the zinc and steel interfacial regions were studied using the RRDE method. A possible connection between the presence of certain anions and corrosion protective properties are discussed. Further mechanistic considerations of delamination and undercoating corrosion should take into account the presence of the highly aggressive peroxide and nascent superoxide ions whose decomposition may involve destructive chemical interaction with organic material and/or other components of the coated system.
Evaluation of three-dimensional accelerometers to monitor and classify behavior patterns in cattle

Cattle behavior is potentially a valuable indicator of health and well-being; however, natural movement patterns can be influenced by the presence of a human observer. A remote system could augment the ability of researchers, and eventually cattle producers, to monitor changes in cattle behavior. Constant video surveillance allows non-invasive behavior monitoring, but logging the movement patterns on individual animals over long periods of time is often cost prohibitive and labor intensive. Accelerometers record three-dimensional movement and could potentially be used to remotely monitor cattle behavior. These devices collect data based on pre-defined recording intervals, called epochs. Our objectives were to (1) determine if accelerometers can accurately document cattle behavior and (2) identify differences in classification accuracy among accelerometer epoch settings. Video-recorded observations and accelerometer data were collected from 15 crossbred beef calves and used to generate classification trees that predict behavior based on accelerometer data. Postural orientations were classified as lying or standing, while dynamic activities were classified as walking or a transition between activities. Video analysis was treated as the gold standard and logistic regression models were used to determine classification accuracy related to each activity and epoch setting. Classification of lying and standing activities by accelerometer illustrated excellent agreement with video (99.2% and 98.0% respectively); while walking classification accuracy was significantly (P<0.01) lower (67.8%). Classification agreement was higher in the 3s (98.1%) and 5s (97.7%) epochs compared to the 10s (85.4%) epoch. Overall, we found the accelerometers provided an accurate, remote measure of cattle behavior over the trial period, but that classification accuracy was affected by the specific behavior monitored and the reporting interval (epoch).
Prognostic value of patient-reported symptom interference in patients with late-stage lung cancer

Patient-reported outcomes (PROs) have been found to be significant predictors of clinical outcomes such as overall survival (OS), but the effect of demographic and clinical factors on the prognostic ability of PROs is less understood. Several PROs derived from the 12-item Short-Form Health Survey (SF-12) and M. D. Anderson Symptom Inventory (MDASI) were investigated for association with OS, with adjustments for other factors, including performance status. A retrospective analysis was performed on data from 90 patients with stage IV non-small cell lung cancer. Several baseline PROs were added to a base Cox proportional hazards model to examine the marginal significance and improvement in model fit attributable to the PRO: mean MDASI symptom interference level; mean MDASI symptom severity level for five selected symptoms; SF-12 physical and mental component summaries; and the SF-12 general health item. Bootstrap resampling was used to assess the robustness of the findings. The MDASI mean interference level had a significant effect on OS (p = 0.007) when the model was not adjusted for interactions with other prognostic factors. Further exploration suggested the significance was due to an interaction with performance status (p = 0.001). The MDASI mean symptom severity level and the SF-12 physical component summary, mental component summary, and general health item did not have a significant effect on OS. Symptom interference adds prognostic information for OS in advanced lung cancer patients with poor performance status, even when demographic and clinical prognostic factors are accounted for.
Pseudostertagia bullosa (Nematoda: Trichostrongyloidea) in artiodactyl hosts from North America: redescription and comments on systematics.

A relationship for Pseudostertagia bullosa within the trichostrongyloids has been enigmatic or unresolved. Studies of the synlophe in males and females of P. bullosa revealed a tapering system anterior to the deirids and a pattern of parallel ridges extending to near the caudal extremity in both lateral and median fields. Structurally, the synlophe differs considerably from that seen among the Cooperiinae and exhibits homoplasy with respect to ridge systems among some Ostertagiinae. Other structural characters due to symplesiomorphy, homoplasy or because they represent autapomorphies do not serve to reveal the putative relationships for P. bullosa with other trichostrongyloids. Although somewhat equivocal, the 2-2-1 pattern of the bursa and position of rays 2 and 3 suggest an association with the Cooperinae, as postulated by Durette-Desset and others. Pseudostertagia bullosa appears to be a species that has survived in the pronghorn, Antilocapra americana, a relictual pecoran artiodactyl that occurs in xe...
Epilepsy and brain tumors in infancy and adolescence

Four boys and four girls with brain tumors who were admitted to our department in the last 8 years are herein described. They presented with epileptic fits, which began before the age of 14 years, with neither intracranial hypertension nor localizing signs during the first 6 months of the illness. The length of time between the first fit and the diagnosis of a tumor ranged from 2 months to 11 years (median of 3 years), during which period all patients but one received anticonvulsant therapy. The nontreated patient was under psychiatric treatment for 1 year. The electroencephalographic evolution was disconcerting, showing asymmetry of the recording with association of slow polymorphic waves and acute irregular waves, suggesting encephalitis. The neuroradiological diagnosis was made by cerebral arteriography in one patient and in the others by angiography and CT scans (which revealed hypodense cerebral areas in five cases and hyperdense areas in the other two). The histology of the tumor was that of a grade I astrocytoma in six cases; a grade III oligondendroglioma in one case, and a meningioma in the other. All patients underwent surgical treatment. Four also received radiation therapy, two for a partially excised astrocytoma and one each for an oligodendroglioma and a meningioma. Postoperatively, all patients were put on anticonvulsant drug therapy. There were no mortalities. To date, only one astrocytoma has recurred. The sequellae observed were hemiparesis in one case and marked psychomotor deficit in another. These two patients also still have epileptic fits. The others are all psychologically and neurologically normal, and two are now off antiepileptic drugs.
Application of heated thermistors to speed measurements in thermohaline solutions

Abstract The potential which heated thermistors have for speed measurements in the mixed layers of a thermohaline solution has been considered. Probes of varying bead diameter have been developed, and it was found that problems related to probe directionality and recalibration could be reduced to acceptable levels by using a bead of 2.41 mm diameter. With such a probe speeds could be resolved to within an uncertainty of ±0.5 mm/s with a time constant of approximately 1 s. The probe was tested in a laboratory thermohaline solution for mixed layer conditions simulating those of a solar pond. Significant spatial and temporal speed fluctuations were measured in mixed layers driven by bottom heating and/or an imposed recirculating flow. Relative to the mean speed, fluctuations were most pronounced and spatially random in heated layers and least pronounced in mixed layers driven solely by the recirculating flow.
Analytic registration of spatially and spectrally disparate co-located imaging sensors achieved by matching optical flow

A multi-spectral imaging system can be defined as a combination of electro-optic imagers that are mechanically constrained to view the same scene. Subsequent processing of the output imagery invariably requires a spatial registration of one spectral band image to geometrically conform to the imagery from a different sensor. This paper outlines a procedure to leverage motion estimation of a pair of video sequences to determine a transformation that minimizes the disparity in optical flow between the sequences.
Improved Oxidation Life of Segmented Plasma Sprayed 8YSZ Thermal Barrier Coatings

Unconventional plasma sprayed thermal barrier coating (TBC) systems were produced and evaluated by interrupted or cyclic furnace oxidation life testing. First, approximately 250 µm thick 8YSZ coatings were directly sprayed onto grit blasted surfaces of PWA 1484, without a bond coat, to take advantage of the excellent oxidation resistance of this superalloy. For nominal sulfur (S) contents of 1 ppmw, total coating separation took place at relatively short times (200 h at 1100°C). Reductions in the S content, by melt desulfurization commercially (0.3 ppmw) or by hydrogen (H2) annealing in the laboratory (0.01 ppmw), improved scale adhesion and extended life appreciably, by factors of 5–10. However, edge-initiated failure persisted, producing massive delamination as one sheet of coating. Secondly, surfaces of melt desulfurized PWA 1484 were machined with a grid of grooves or ribs (∼250 µm wide and high), resulting in a segmented TBC surface macrostructure, for the purpose of subverting this failure mechanism. In this case, failure occurred only as independent, single-segment events. For grooved samples, 1100 °C segment life was extended to ∼1000h for 5 mm wide segments, with no failure observed out to 2000 h for segments ≤2.5 mm wide. Ribbed samples were even more durable, and segments ≤6 mm remained intact for 2000 h. Larger segments failed by buckling at times inversely related to the segment width and decreased by oxidation effects at higher temperatures. This critical buckling size was consistent with that predicted for elastic buckling of a TBC plate subject to thermal expansion mismatch stresses. Thus, low S substrates demonstrate appreciable coating lives without a bond coat, while rib segmenting extends life considerably.
ELECTROMYOGRAPHY OF THE PERINEAL FLOOR

Electromyography is the study of minute potentials produced by the depolarization of the muscle membrane ; they may be useful in the diagnosis of pelvic floor disorders. Either surface or needle electrodes may be used, depending on the type of information desired. Innervation deficits may be indicated by abnormal potentials observed in resting or active muscle. Electromyography is also useful in assessing coordination between bladder contraction and sphincter relaxation.
Employing dust particle chains as a wakefield diagnostic

Dust particles often form vertical chains due to the influence of the wakefield produced by streaming ions in the plasma sheath produced within an experimental dusty plasma. These particle chains are proving to be a unique diagnostic tool for investigating the physics behind the basic properties of the ion wakefield in the plasma sheath. In this paper, an experimental method is presented for investigating the wakefield employing a new oscillation technique designed to perturb a two-particle vertical chain. Damped attenuated oscillations are generated via an external dc bias on the lower electrode. A fast Fourier transform is used to produce a spectrum of the oscillation data collected, and a center of mass oscillation is identified.
Positions of double bonds in the monounsaturated alk-1-enyl groups from the plasmalogens of human heart and brain

Abstract The phospholipids of human heart were found to include 16.3 per cent alk-1-enyl acyl glycerophosphorylcholines and 14.9 per cent alk-1-enyl acyl glycerophosphorylethanolamines. A sample of human brain with both gray and white matter contained 0.9 per cent of the former and 22.4 per cent of the latter. Alkyl-1,3-dioxolane derivatives of the alk-1-enyl groups were prepared. The octadecenyl dioxolanes accounted for 18 per cent of the choline plasmalogens and 23 per cent of the ethanolamine plasmalogens from heart and 43 per cent of the ethanolamine plasmalogens from brain. The 18:1 dioxolanes from the heart plasmalogens had a 64:36 distribution of 9,10 and 11,12 double bonds whereas the corresponding value was 30:70 for the brain plasmalogens.