cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Wood charcoal combustion and the effects of water application

Abstract The ash layer formed at the burning surface is found to play a major role in establishing the combustion characteristics of wood charcoal. The dynamics of wood charcoal combustion are examined both experimentally and theoretically. The chemical kinetic rate parameters are determined after taking into account the effects of the ash layer on the heat and mass transfer to the burning surface. A correlation between the grain structure and the burning characteristics is observed. The effects of applying moisture to the burning surface are examined over a range of moisture and oxidizer (air) flow conditions. It is found that the application of a small amount of liquid water removes the ash layer and enhances the burning rate.
Publishing Tourism Geography Research

At the 2009 Annual Meeting of the Association of American Geographers held in Las Vegas, Nevada (22–27 March), geographers shared their experiences as participants in a stimulating and thought-prov...
Highly methanol-selective membranes for the pervaporation separation of methyl t-butyl ether/methanol mixtures

Abstract We have investigated the pervaporation separation of methyl t-butyl ether (MTBE)/methanol (MeOH) mixtures using composite membranes prepared by coating a thin film of a polystyrenesulfonate across the surface of a microporous alumina support membrane. Such composite membranes are designated PSS/Al2O3 composites in this paper. The results show that the PSS/Al2O3 composite membranes possess high MeOH transport selectivity, relative to MTBE. MeOH concentrations in the permeate were always greater than 99.5 wt% for all membranes and for all feed solution compositions studied. Membranes in the Mg2+-counter ion form (PSS-Mg) showed higher separation factors than membranes having Na+ as the counter ion (PSS-Na). Extremely high separation factors (25 000 to 35 000) were observed for the PSS-Mg/Al2O3 composite membrane of 27.5 mol% sulfonate.
Coreflood Study of Surfactant-Alternating-Gas Foam Processes: Implications for Field Design

The success of surfactant-alternating-gas (SAG) foam processes depends on foam behavior at very low liquid fractional flow f w - i.e., on whether and how foam breaks as it dries out during gas injection. It is difficult to conduct steady-state corefloods at extremely low f w , however. Therefore simulation studies of foam SAG processes rely on extrapolating steady-state data taken at much-higher values of f w . Unfortunately, grossly different results are predicted depending on how these data are extrapolated. This Berea coreflood study of SAG foam processes uses a unique coreflood apparatus in which both water saturation S w and capillary pressure P c are measured throughout the flood. Steady-state data were obtained to as low a value of f w as feasible, followed by continuous gas injection. Because S w and pressure drop were measured during this period, the fractional-flow function could be extrapolated below the range in f w of the steady-state data. During steady-state foam injection, for f w > 0.01, foam weakened and S w fell as f w decreased. Foam was stable to a remarkably high value of capillary pressure. Between f w = 0.008 and 0.002, foam weakened sharply, and, remarkably, reimbibition occurred: S w rose and P c fell as f w decreased. This suggests that the fractional-flow curve for foam is not single-valued. Stated differently, there are at least two steady states, a strong foam and weak foam state, over a range of water saturations, and the behavior observed depends on injection history. This sudden foam collapse and reversion to the weak foam behavior under dry conditions mirrors the sudden jump to strong foam state reported in studies of foam generation. For lower f w , and during gas injection, S w again declined as f w declined. Implications of these results for field design of foam SAG processes are discussed. In particular, we illustrate how to extrapolate from a properly designed coreflood to field scale 1D displacement using fractional-flow methods.
Maternal death in the 21st century: Clark et al

The article below summarizes a roundtable discussion of a study that was published in this issue of the Journal in light of its methods, relevance to practice, and implications for future research. Article discussed: Clark SL, Belfort MA, Dildy GA, Herbst MA, Meyers JA, Hankins GDV. Maternal death in the 21st century: causes, prevention, and relationship to cesarean delivery. Am J Obstet Gynecol 2008;199:36.e1-36.e5. The full discussion appears at www.AJOG.org , pages e7-e11.
Are our reproductive choices affected by aspects of socioeconomic resources

Commentary is provided on Perusses study showing correlations between social status and reproductive success in the number of children among French-Canadian men. Social status is correlated with frequency of sexual relations and not fertility. Perusses adaptation is viewed as more than a function of psychological mechanisms and cultural and reproductive success is interfered with by contraception and monogamy. Specifically of interest this author is Perusses ideas about occupational power and mechanisms of adaptation within generations. Current reproductive patterns are not solely reflected in numbers of sexual relationships or socioeconomic resources. Reproductive decisions are also affected by the judgement of resources available in the environment compared to other alternatives. Evidence is accumulating from Freedman and Thornton and Easterlin that there is a positive relationship between number of children and relative resources compared to ones past income or the past income of ones parents. The reproductive decision of now versus later has been examined by evolutionary theorists such as Belsky et al and Draper and Belsky and Dickeman who propose that stressful unpredictable environments yield early reproductive decisions and parental and child rearing relationships that are only temporarily cooperative. Based on animal life histories Hill and Law and Rubenstein find that when resources are unpredictable reproduction is unpredictable but the best strategy may be to reproduce when resources become available. Saving resources for the future or investing in ones own future growth and development is not advantageous. The suggestion is that human generational studies be conducted in order to test the adaptive relationship between resources and reproduction in industrialized societies rather than simply predicting based on social status. It is possible that resources reach a threshold level for reproduction and are relative.
Mitochondrial calcium and the permeability transition in cell death.

Abstract Dysregulation of Ca2+ has long been implicated to be important in cell injury. A Ca2+-linked process important in necrosis and apoptosis (or necrapoptosis) is the mitochondrial permeability transition (MPT). In the MPT, large conductance permeability transition (PT) pores open that make the mitochondrial inner membrane abruptly permeable to solutes up to 1500 Da. The importance of Ca2+ in MPT induction varies with circumstance. Ca2+ overload is sufficient to induce the MPT. By contrast after ischemia–reperfusion to cardiac myocytes, Ca2+ overload is the consequence of bioenergetic failure after the MPT rather than its cause. In other models, such as cytotoxicity from Reye-related agents and storage-reperfusion injury to liver grafts, Ca2+ appears to be permissive to MPT onset. Lastly in oxidative stress, increased mitochondrial Ca2+ and ROS generation act synergistically to produce the MPT and cell death. Thus, the exact role of Ca2+ for inducing the MPT and cell death depends on the particular biologic setting.
High Performance Pipelined Process Migration with RDMA

-- Coordinated Checkpoint/Restart (C/R) is a widely deployed strategy to achieve fault-tolerance. However, C/R by itself is not capable enough to meet the demands of upcoming exascale systems, due to its heavy I/O overhead. Process migration has already been proposed in literature as a pro-active fault-tolerance mechanism to complement C/R. Several popular MPI implementations have provided support for process migration, includingMVAPICH2 and Open MPI. But these existing solutions cannot yield a satisfactory performance. In this paper we conduct extensive profiling on several process migration mechanisms, and reveal that ineffi-cient I/O and network transfer are the principal factors responsible for the high overhead. We then propose anew approach, Pipelined Process Migration with RDMA(PPMR), to overcome these overheads. Our new protocol fully pipelines data writing, data transfer, and data read operations during different phases of a migration cycle. PPMR aggregates data writes on the migration source node and transfers data to the target node via high through put RDMA transport. It implements an efficient process restart mechanism at the target node to restart processes from the RDMA data streams. We have implemented this Pipelined Process Migration protocol in MVAPICH2 and studied the performance benefits. Experimental results show that PPMR achieves a 10.7X speedup to complete a process migration over the conventional approach at a moderate(8MB) memory usage. Process migration overhead on the application is significantly minimized from 38% to 5% by PPMR when three migrations are performed in succession.
GTD-based transceivers for decision feedback and bit loading

We consider new optimization problems for transceivers with DFE receivers and linear precoders, which also use bit loading at the transmitter. First, we consider the MIMO QoS (quality of service) problem, which is to minimize the total transmitted power when the bit rate and probability of error of each data stream are specified. The developments of this paper are based on the generalized triangular decomposition (GTD) recently introduced by Jiang, Li, and Hager. It is shown that under some multiplicative majorization conditions there exists a custom GTD-based transceiver which achieves the minimal power. The problem of maximizing the bit rate subject to the total power constraint and given error probability is also considered in this paper. It is shown that the GTD-based systems also give the optimal solutions to the bit rate maximization problem.
Laboratory experiments with tilted convective plumes on a centrifuge: a finite angle between the buoyancy force and the axis of rotation

Author Posting. © Cambridge University Press, 2004. This article is posted here by permission of Cambridge University Press for personal use, not for redistribution. The definitive version was published in Journal of Fluid Mechanics 506 (2004): 217-244, doi:10.1017/S0022112004008572.
Codesign model for Xpatchf optimization

The Xpatch software package, used to generate very accurate electromagnetic scattering predictions, consists of two programs, Xpatchf and Xpatcht. These programs are for frequency domain and time domain analysis respectively. The research presented focuses on the frequency domain version, Xpatchf, which currently requires a significant amount of time to generate a scattering prediction for an average object. However, real-time radar signature prediction needs to perform these same calculations in less than one second. The objective of this research is to produce a functional codesign model of the Xpatch software to provide significant decrease in processing time.
An occasion for unselfing: Beautiful nature leads to prosociality

Past studies have documented interpersonal benefits of natural environments. Across four studies, we tested the hypothesis that exposure to more beautiful nature, relative to less beautiful nature, increases prosocial behavior. Study 1 yielded correlational evidence indicating that participants prone to perceiving natural beauty reported greater prosocial tendencies, as measured by agreeableness, perspective taking, and empathy. In Studies 2 and 3, exposure to more beautiful images of nature (versus less beautiful images of nature) led participants to be more generous and trusting. In Study 4, exposure to more beautiful (versus less beautiful) plants in the laboratory room led participants to exhibit increased helping behavior. Across studies, we provide evidence that positive emotions and tendencies to perceive natural beauty mediate and moderate the association between beauty and prosociality. The current studies extend past research by demonstrating the unique prosocial benefits of beautiful nature.
The action language: refining a behavioral modeling language

When modeling large-scale complex system behavior we believe there is merit in abandoning the once fashionable all-encompassing system modeling approach in favor of developing a set of models created in a variety of loosely coupled modeling languages. Loosely coupled languages are those that are considered to be nearly orthogonal with respect to their intention, but in reality may display a limited degree of trivial dependencies. We apply this approach toward component behavioral modeling to show how core behaviors of software components can be specified using a statecharts-like behavioral modeling language while elements of the behavior associated with implementation- or platform-specific concepts are modeled using a wholly separate language.
Grid cell firing may arise from interference of theta frequency membrane potential oscillations in single neurons

Intracellular recording and computational modelling suggest that interactions of subthreshold membrane potential oscillation frequency in different dendritic branches of entorhinal cortex stellate cells could underlie the functional coding of continuous dimensions of space and time. Among other things, these interactions could underlie properties of grid cell field spacing. The relationship between experimental data on membrane potential oscillation frequency (f) and grid cell field spacing (G) indicates a constant scaling factor H = fG. This constant scaling factor between temporal oscillation frequency and spatial periodicity provides a starting constraint that is used to derive the model of Burgess et al. (Hippocampus, 2007). This model provides a consistent quantitative link between single cell physiological properties and properties of spiking units in awake behaving animals. Further properties and predictions of this model about single cell and network physiological properties are analyzed. In particular, the model makes quantitative predictions about the change in membrane potential, single cell oscillation frequency, and network oscillation frequency associated with speed of movement, about the independence of single cell properties from network theta rhythm oscillations, and about the effect of variations in initial oscillatory phase on the pattern of grid cell firing fields. These same mechanisms of subthreshold oscillations may play a more general role in memory function, by providing a method for learning arbitrary time intervals in memory sequences.
An in vitro study of antacids; methods and modifying factors.

The in vitro conditions reported were arbitrarily established to permit a comparison of various methods and of various media for checking antacids. The data cannot be interpreted in terms of in vivo conditions because of the large number of biological variables. Three widely used in vitro antacid evaluation methods were examined using seven representative commercial antacid preparations. Each of the three methods gave different results, although the same order of in vitro effectiveness is maintained regardless of the method used. A comparative study was made of various simulated gastric juices and pooled human gastric juice. The addition of mucin to U. S. P. simulated gastric juice gave a titration curve and antacid response similar to that of human gastric juice.
Influence of diurnal variation in mesophyll conductance on modelled 13C discrimination: results from a field study

Mesophyll conductance to CO2 (gm) limits carbon assimilation and influences carbon isotope discrimination (Δ) under most environmental conditions. Current work is elucidating the environmental regulation of gm, but the influence of gm on model predictions of Δ remains poorly understood. In this study, field measurements of Δ and gm were obtained using a tunable diode laser spectroscope coupled to portable photosynthesis systems. These data were used to test the importance of gm in predicting Δ using the comprehensive Farquhar model of Δ (Δcomp), where gm was parameterized using three methods based on: (i) mean gm; (ii) the relationship between stomatal conductance (gs) and gm; and (iii) the relationship between time of day (TOD) and gm. Incorporating mean gm, gs-based gm, and TOD-based gm did not consistently improve Δcomp predictions of field-grown juniper compared with the simple model of Δ (Δsimple) that omits fractionation factors associated with gm and decarboxylation. Sensitivity tests suggest that b, the fractionation due to carboxylation, was lower (25‰) than the value commonly used in Δcomp (29‰) and Δsimple (27‰). These results demonstrate the limits of all tested models in predicting observed juniper Δ, largely due to unexplained offsets between predicted and observed values that were not reconciled in sensitivity tests of variability in gm, b, or e, the day respiratory fractionation.
EMBEDDED ULTRASONICS WITH PIEZOELECTRIC WAFER ACTIVE SENSORS FOR STRUCTURAL HEALTH MONITORING OF THIN-WALL STRUCTURES

The capability of embedded piezoelectric wafer active sensors (PWAS) to perform in-situ ultrasonic nondestructive evaluation (NDE) is explored. Laboratory tests are used to prove that PWAS can satisfactorily perform Lamb wave transmission and reception. Subsequently, pulse-echo method for crack detection in an aircraft panel is illustrated. For large area scanning, a PWAS phased array is used to create the embedded ultrasonics structural radar (EUSR). In conclusion, opportunities for implementation into structural health monitoring applications and further research needs are discussed.
Kinematics and estimated thrust production of swimming harp and ringed seals

The propulsive motions of swimming harp seals (Phoca groenlandica Erxleben) and ringed seals (Phoca hispida Schreber) were studied by filming individuals in a flume. The seals swam at velocities ranging from 0.6 to 1.42 m s-1. Locomotion was accomplished with alternate lateral sweeps of the hind flippers generated by lateral flexions of the axial body in conjunction with flexion of the flippers. The frequency of the propulsive cycle increased linearly with the swimming velocity, and the maximum angle of attack of the flipper decreased, but the amplitude remained constant. The kinematics and morphology of this hind flipper motion indicated that phocid seals do not swim in the carangiform mode as categorized by Lighthill (1969), but in a distinct mode that mimics swimming by thunniform propulsors. The hind flippers acted as hydrofoils, and the efficiency, thrust power and coefficient of thrust were calculated from unsteady wing theory. The propulsive efficiency was high at approximately 0.85. The thrust power increased curvilinearly with velocity. The drag coefficient ranged from 0.012 to 0.028 and was found to be 2.8-7.0 times higher than the theoretical minimum. The drag coefficient was high compared with that of phocid seals examined during gliding or towing experiments, indicating an increased drag encumbered by actively swimming seals. It was determined that phocid seals are capable of generating sufficient power for swimming with turbulent boundary layer conditions.
A distributed rerouting algorithm for mobile-mobile connections in connection-oriented networks

We present a distributed algorithm for rerouting to accommodate unlimited movement of mobile hosts in a mobile-mobile connection. The algorithm is source initiated-that is the source base station is responsible for the rerouting. The algorithm ensures that the establishment of non-optimal and incorrect paths is avoided and that no packets in the session are lost as there is always a path between the base stations in charge of the source and the destination. The design of this distributed algorithm ensures that the processing at the mobile hosts is kept to a minimum. In addition, the proposed framework for rerouting in mobile-mobile communications is independent of the type of rerouting scheme.
Sex Differences in Virtual Network Characteristics and Sexual Risk Behavior Among Emerging Adults

Emerging adults (EAs) aged 18–24 account for a large proportion of all sexually transmitted infections (STIs), HIV infections, and unintended pregnancies in the United States. Given the increased influence of online media on decision making, we examined how EA online networks were associated with sexual risk behaviors. We used egocentric network data collected from EAs aged 18–24 years old across the United States (N = 1,687) to examine how online social norms (e.g., acceptance of HIV infections, other STIs, and pregnancy) and network characteristics (i.e., network size and density; ties’ closeness, race, age, and sex similarities) were associated with participants’ unprotected vaginal intercourse in the last 30 days. Findings suggested that in male EAs, there was a strong association between online social norms, structural characteristics, and sexual risk behavior compared to females. Researchers and practitioners may wish to address online peer norms and EAs’ online network composition when developing o...
Overview of Ultrasound Theory and Techniques

Ultrasound is an increasingly popular and useful diagnostic and interventional imaging modality in contemporary pediatric surgical practice. Among its advantages are portability, real-time instantaneous visualization, wide availability, and lack of ionizing radiation. Relatively unique to ultrasound compared to other imaging is the heavy reliance on the individual skill of the user in determining the quality of the study; thus, a basic understanding of the fundamental theory and techniques of the technology can greatly enhance the practitioner’s ability to successfully employ it. Medical ultrasound images are created in a pulse-echo manner based on three principal processes: creation of a pulsed ultrasound wave, detection of its echoes, and formation of an image based on the time elapsed between pulse and echo. Also described in this chapter are commonly used ultrasound modes, types of probes, and practical considerations including ergonomics and knobology.
Bone resorption and turnover in health and disease.

Abstract Excessive bone loss is a common cause of disability and presents a major public health problem in western societies. The most common cause is age-related bone loss and osteoporosis, but other common diseases associated with increased bone resorption include malignant disease, primary hyperparathyroidism, and Paget's disease. Despite the frequency of these disorders and the suffering they cause, their pathophysiology still remains obscure. However, recent advances in techniques in bone cell biology are now providing new insights into the pathogenesis and treatment of diseases associated with increased bone resorption. These advances have been paralleled by improvements in techniques for non-invasive assessment of bone status in patients with the common metabolic bone diseases.
Mass Spectrometry and the Separation and Enrichment of Isotopes

Abstract Few discoveries in nature have enhanced scientific progress or achieved such widespread utility as have isotopes. Examples of their use can now be found in all the basic and biomedical sciences and with increasing frequency in such diverse disciplines as archeology, anthropology, and art history. Their strategic and military importance beginning in the late 1930s advanced the development of enrichment processes, while their use in commercial energy production has become a significant if controversial fact and factor in modern life. Just as mass spectrometry was of fundamental importance in elucidating the nature of isotopes and in their enumeration, so too have isotopes played an undeniably more prominent role on a daily, on-going basis in mass spectrometry than in any other field of scientific endeavor. Mass spectrometry was crucial for discovering and characterizing isotopes; it is central to the monitoring, measuring, evaluating, and certifying the results of isotope preparation; and it was itself one of the major methods of preparation for a significant period.
Relationship between Selected Postural Divergencies and Motor Ability

Abstract One hundred women students majoring in elementary education at the University of California at Los Angeles were given the Scott Motor Ability Battery of tests. They were also given a subjective postural screening by three experts in this area. Most of the items included in the posture screening were judged while the student was in movement, walking or bending forward or sideward. Correlations were computed between selected postural divergencies found in subjects and their motor ability, using the mean of the divergencies marked by three expert judges and the subject's motor ability. The result of these correlations indicated that very little if any relationship exists between postural divergencies and motor ability for the subjects in this study.
Teenager with a Bleeding, Red Papule.

Previously published Photo Quizzes are now featured in a mobile app. Get more information at http:// www.aafp.org/afp/apps. A 14-year-old boy presented with a tender red papule on his finger. He first noticed it two months earlier. It bled several times, especially when rubbed by his baseball mitt. He had no medical problems or allergies, and he was not taking any medications. He had no other similar skin lesions, and the review of systems was negative for bleeding problems, easy bruising, and frequent infections. Physical examination revealed a solitary bright-red papule on the distal lateral portion of his left fifth finger (Figure 1). On dermoscopy, the lesion was homogeneously red and surrounded by a white collarette of scale (Figure 2). There was no evidence of a pigment network, pigment globules, or dotted vessels.
Revision of the weevil genus Neotylopterus hustache (Coleoptera: Curculionidae).

The genus Neotylopterus includes 8 species of Tychiinae, 7 from the United States, and 1 (unconfirmed) from Bolivia. Larvae develop in seeds of plants of the genus Forestiera (Oleaceae). The U.S. species are keyed, described, illustrated, and their distributions mapped. Three species, N. ligustricolus, N. adamanteus , and N. transversus , all from Texas, are new; N. yavapaiensis Sleeper is placed in synonymy under N. varius (LeConte) (NEW SYNONYMY).
Synthesis of Water-Soluble, Thiolate-Protected Gold Nanoparticles Uniform in Size

By a modification of the method of Brust et al., water-soluble, thiolate-protected gold nanoparticles that are uniform in size were synthesized with no requirement for purification. The modification of the method was equilibration in the first step, which proved crucial for achieving size homogeneity. The thiol-to-gold ratio controlled the size of the particles, and the choice of thiol controlled the reactivity of the particles toward thiol exchange.
Study on the Effect of Psychological Nursing Intervention on Parturient Underwent Caesarean Section

Objective To discuss the effect of psychological nursing intervention on the anxiety and depression of parturient underwent caesarean section before and after operation. Methods 123 parturient underwent caesarean section from June 2008 to December 2009 were randomly divided into observation group and control group. The control group was given conventional nursing,while the observation group was performed mental nursing intervention on the basis of conventional nursing before,during and after operation. Anxiety and depression degree in the two groups were evaluated by SAS and SDS. Their shivering and vomiting conditions were observed and satisfactory degree toward anesthesia were inquired. Results ①The difference was significant between preoperative and postoperative scores of anxiety and depression (P 0.05); the difference of two groups' postoperative scores of anxiety and depression was statically significant (P 0.05); ② The difference of two groups' shivering and vomiting conditions was statically significant (P 0.05). Conclusion Psychological nursing in-tervention can obviously relief patients' anxiety and depression,which is helpful to the smooth implementation of cesarean section,and is worthy of reference.
Varying the GARP2-to-RDS Ratio Leads to Defects in Rim Formation and Rod and Cone Function.

Purpose The beta subunit of the rod cyclic nucleotide gated channel B1 (CNGB1) contains a proline/glutamic acid-rich N-terminal domain (GARP), which is also present in rods as a non–membrane-bound protein (GARP1/2). GARP2 and CNGB1 bind to retinal degeneration slow (RDS), which is present in the rims of rod and cone outer segment (OS) layers. Here we focus on the importance of RDS/GARP complexes in OS morphogenesis and stability.
Meatal Advancement and Glanuloplasty: An Operation for Distal Hypospadias

We report on 66 children who underwent repair of distal hypospadias with the meatal advancement and glanuloplasty technique. A 1-day procedure was all that was required in 52 children (80 per cent). Brief urinary diversion was used in only 3 patients. Excellent results were achieved in 63 children and in 3 boys minor cosmetic deficiencies were encountered but none required further surgery. Meatal advancement and glanuloplasty has proved to be a successful and reliable procedure in the properly selected child with distal hypospadias.
The Case for Women Mentoring Women

ABSTRACTThe authors argue that there will be a critical mass of women in leadership positions in kinesiology and across higher education for substantial gender-based mentoring to take place in the 21st century. First, the current state of women in higher education leadership, trends in mentoring, and the reasons it is important for women who have aspirations to advance in their careers are examined. The authors argue that it is important to have access to gender-based guidance and support that are critical to successful leadership into the future. The authors advocate for a focused, purposeful type of mentoring supported by relational-cultural theory and narrative practice. Men will continue to be important mentors for women, but the authors argue that, at the same time, women also need to have access to the perspectives of other women who have forged the way into higher education administration.
Creating a competence argument to support a safety case

This paper describes the salient aspects discovered whilst generating an early Competence Management System (CMS). The approach used a spreadsheet to compare engineers against the programme competency requirements which was an effective method of highlighting team competency gaps. Key areas highlighted are the significance of a programme schedule, and the importance of detailed technical processes and procedures. The CMS was necessary to address safety and business risks and was shared with the customer to engender confidence in the company's ability to undertake the safety programme. (6 pages)
Atomistic modeling of nanoparticle generation in short pulse laser ablation of thin metal films in water

Laser ablation in liquids is actively used for generation of clean colloidal nanoparticles with unique shapes and functionalities. The fundamental mechanisms of the laser ablation in liquids and the key processes that control the nanoparticle structure, composition, and size distribution, however, are not yet fully understood. In this paper, we report the results of first atomistic simulations of laser ablation of metal targets in liquid environment. A model combining a coarse-grained representation of the liquid environment (parameterized for water), a fully atomistic description of laser interactions with metal targets, and acoustic impedance matching boundary conditions is developed and applied for simulation of laser ablation of a thin silver film deposited on a silica substrate. The simulations, performed at two laser fluences in the regime of phase explosion, predict a rapid deceleration of the ejected ablation plume and the formation of a dense superheated molten layer at the water-plume interface. The water in contact with the hot metal layer is brought to the supercritical state and transforms into an expanding low density metal-water mixing region that serves as a precursor for the formation of a cavitation bubble. Two distinct mechanisms of the nanoparticle formation are predicted in the simulations: (1) the nucleation and growth of small (mostly ⩽10nm) nanoparticles in the metal-water mixing region and (2) the formation of larger (tens of nm) nanoparticles through the breakup of the superheated molten metal layer triggered by the emergence of complex morphological features attributed to the Rayleigh-Taylor instability of the interface between at the superheated metal layer and the supercritical water. The first mechanism is facilitated by the rapid cooling of the growing nanoparticles in the supercritical water environment, resulting in solidification of the nanoparticles located in the upper part of the mixing region on the timescale of nanoseconds. The computational prediction of the two mechanisms of nanoparticle formation yielding nanoparticles with different characteristic sizes is consistent with experimental observations of two distinct nanoparticle populations appearing at different stages of the ablation process.
Chapter 4: From Property to Privacy: The Eighteenth Century Background

The word privacy appears only once in The Federalist. In the 69th essay, Hamilton uses it to refer to the setting in which New York State politicians make clandestine political deals. Hamilton’s privacy has only a modest connection to modern usage. It is significant, though, because it underscores the founding generation’s equivocal commitment to the concept. The framers weren’t hostile to privacy. But because their core commitment was to republicanism, they reasoned in terms of a conception of freedom that gave higher priority to public participation in the polity than it did to cultivation of personal life. To account for privacy’s enhanced prestige, one therefore has to rely on a genealogy of constitutional rights—on a narrative that traces privacy from its original role as an afterthought in American political discourse to its current role as a central component of individual liberty. In particular, a genealogy has to focus on the emergence of privacy rights from the shell of explicitly protected property rights. This chapter inaugurates the needed genealogy by examining Madison’s 1792 essay on property. In its “larger and juster sense,” Madison writes, the term property refers to all rights an individual can properly claim as his own in that they leave others to a like advantage. Madison, it’s important to note, didn’t identify privacy as a component of this “larger and juster sense” of property. But the very fact that privacy, like property, rights hinge on exclusionary practices indicates the potential for an unfolding genealogy of privacy rights in American constitutional thought.
Two Distinct Pathways Support Gene Correction by Single-Stranded Donors at DNA Nicks

Nicks are the most common form of DNA damage. The mechanisms of their repair are fundamental to genomic stability and of practical importance for genome engineering. We define two pathways that support homology-directed repair by single-stranded DNA donors. One depends upon annealing-driven strand synthesis and acts at both nicks and double-strand breaks. The other depends upon annealing-driven heteroduplex correction and acts at nicks. Homology-directed repair via these pathways, as well as mutagenic end joining, are inhibited by RAD51 at nicks but largely independent of RAD51 at double-strand breaks. Guidelines for coordinated design of targets and donors for gene correction emerge from definition of these pathways. This analysis further suggests that naturally occurring nicks may have significant recombinogenic and mutagenic potential that is normally inhibited by RAD51 loading onto DNA, thereby identifying a function for RAD51 in maintenance of genomic stability.
3D strength surfaces for ankle plantar- and dorsi-flexion in healthy adults: an isometric and isokinetic dynamometry study

The ankle is an important component of the human kinetic chain, and deficits in ankle strength can negatively impact functional tasks such as balance and gait. While peak torque is influenced by joint angle and movement velocity, ankle strength is typically reported for a single angle or movement speed. To better identify deficits and track recovery of ankle strength after injury or surgical intervention, ankle strength across a range of movement velocities and joint angles in healthy adults is needed. Thus, the primary goals of this study were to generate a database of strength values and 3-dimensional strength surface models for plantarflexion (PF) and dorsiflexion (DF) ankle strength in healthy men and women. Secondary goals were to develop a means to estimate ankle strength percentiles as well as examine predictors of maximal ankle strength in healthy adults. Using an isokinetic dynamometer, we tested PF and DF peak torques at five joint angles (−10° [DF], 0° [neutral], 10° [PF], 20° [PF] and 30° [PF]) and six velocities (0°/s, 30°/s, 60°/s, 90°/s, 120°/s and 180°/s) in 53 healthy adults. These data were used to generate 3D plots, or “strength surfaces”, for males and females for each direction; surfaces were fit using a logistic equation. We also tested predictors of ankle strength, including height, weight, sex, and self-reported physical activity levels. Torque-velocity and torque-angle relationships at the ankle interact, indicating that these relationships are interdependent and best modeled using 3D surfaces. Sex was the strongest predictor of ankle strength over height, weight, and self-reported physical activity levels. 79 to 97 % of the variance in mean peak torque was explained by joint angle and movement velocity using logistic equations, for men and women and PF and DF directions separately. The 3D strength data and surface models provide a more comprehensive dataset of ankle strength in healthy adults than previously reported. These models may allow researchers and clinicians to quantify ankle strength deficits and track recovery in patient populations, using angle- and velocity-specific ankle strength values and/or strength percentiles from healthy adults.
Oral IL-10 suppresses colon carcinogenesis via elimination of pathogenicCD4+ T-cells and induction of antitumor CD8+ T-cell activity

An oral sustained-release formulation of Interleukin-10 suppressed tumor growth and enhanced survival in the APCmin/+/Bacteroides fragilis spontaneous colon cancer model. Therapeutic benefit was associated with a 5-fold reduction in CD4+RORγt+Foxp3-IL-17+ T-helper cell, CD4+RORγt+Foxp3+IL-17+ pathogenic T-regulatory cell and CD4+RORγt-Foxp3+IL-17- conventional T-regulatory cell numbers and a concurrent 2-fold enhancement in CD8+ T-cell activity in the colon. Selective subset depletion and functional blockade studies demonstrated that at steady-state CD4+RORγt+IL-17+ T-cell subsets and CD4+Foxp3+ cTreg supported tumorigenesis, whereas CD8+ cytotoxic T-lymphocytes impeded tumor progression following IL-10 therapy. Suppression of tumor growth by CD8+ T-cells was associated with enhanced tumor infiltration and cytotoxic granule exocytosis. These findings establish the utility of oral IL-10 as a potential new therapeutic in the management of colon cancer and shed light on the cellular mechanisms that underlie its antitumor activity.
A longitudinal analysis of the impact of child custody loss on drug use and crime among a sample of African American mothers.

Abstract This study examines the influence of child custody loss on drug use and crime among a sample of African American mothers. Two types of custody loss are examined: informal custody loss (child living apart from mother but courts not involved), and official loss (child removed from mother’s care by authorities). Methods Using data from 339 African American women, longitudinal random coefficient models analyzed the effects of each type of custody loss on subsequent drug use and crime. Results indicated that both informal and official custody loss predicted increased drug use, and informal loss predicted increased criminal involvement. Findings demonstrate that child custody loss has negative health implications for African American mothers, potentially reducing their likelihood of regaining or retaining custody of their children. Conclusions This study highlights the need to integrate drug treatment and other types of assistance into family case plans to improve reunification rates and outcomes among mothers, children, and families. Additionally, the finding that informal loss predicts increased drug use suggests that community-based efforts within the mother’s social network could be implemented to intervene before child welfare system involvement becomes necessary.
Aortic Root Dilation: Do Patients With Marfan Syndrome Fare Worse Than Those With Marfanoid Features?

Abstract Objective To discover whether patients with aortic root dilation and leptosomic features but without a diagnosis of Marfan syndrome (MFS) fare similarly to patients with MFS. Methods Of 124 patients with aortic root dilation identified from August 1, 1994, through October 31, 2012, 66 had MFS and 58 had leptosomic features but did not meet the Ghent criteria. Genetic testing was performed in 35% of patients (n=43). We compared z scores and aortic root diameters for patients who presented with aortic root dilation with and without an MFS diagnosis and with and without aortic root repair. Results No difference existed in initial aortic root diameters between groups ( P =.15); however, mean ± SD z scores for patients without MFS and with MFS were 3.1±2.3 vs 4.5±3.2 ( P =.005). Fourteen of 58 patients (24%) without MFS and 35 (53%) with MFS underwent aortic root operations ( P z scores remained similar at follow-up ( P =.20), as did 10-year survival: MFS, 100%; no MFS, 94.1% ( P =.98). No significant difference was found for mean ± SD root diameter (no MFS, 38.9±7.3 mm; MFS, 35±8.6 mm; P =.06) or z score (no MFS, 2.4±2.0; MFS, 2.1±2.0; P =.53) for patients who underwent surgery. Two patients in each group had aortic root dissections. Conclusion Similar rates of aortic dissection between the 2 groups warrant further study regarding patients with leptosomic features but no diagnosis of MFS. Aortic root dilation progressed similarly in patients who did not undergo surgery.
Variations in cancer care for adolescents and young adults (AYAs) with ductal carcinoma in situ.

NCCN guidelines recommend tamoxifen (TAM) for adjuvant treatment of ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS). TAM has side effects that can potentially complicate treatment recommendations and patient acceptance. It is unknown how well-accepted this recommended therapy is for the adolescent and young adult (AYA) patient population with DCIS. The NCDB was used to identify patients aged 15-39 with DCIS treated between 2000 and 2012. Patient demographic, socioeconomic, and treatment data were collected. Chi-squared test and multivariate analysis were used for statistical assessment. A total of 3988 women were identified of which 1795 (45%) were recommended for endocrine therapy. Age > 30 (OR 1.31, 95%CI 1.01-1.70), Black (OR 1.40, 95% CI 1.12-1.65), or Asian (OR 1.45, 95% CI 1.08-1.94) race, treatment at a nonacademic facility (OR 0.71, 95% CI 0.56-0.91), geographic location of treating facility, receipt of radiation (OR 5.30, 95% CI 4.59-6.11), and negative margins (OR 2.14, 95% CI 1.47-3.11) were significant predictors of recommendation for endocrine therapy. Of those recommended, 1484 (83%) accepted treatment. Age, race, and annual income were significant variables affecting acceptance. Overall, only 37.2% (1484 of 3988) of women in this study initiated endocrine therapy for treatment of DCIS. Our results demonstrate that little over a third of patients in the AYA cohort receive endocrine therapy as treatment for DCIS. The bias appears to lie in physician recommendation because when recommended, the majority of patients accept treatment. Factors exist both medical and nonmedical that appear to influence these treatment decisions.
On Looking Ahead to Mitigate Threats to Population Health: A Public Health of Consequence, June 2018.

The article discusses the potential adoption of public health approaches that anticipate health consequences prior to them reaching epidemic proportions. Topics include the use of enhance surveillance approaches to take into account cause of death, toxicology, and scene investigation findings to determine heroin-related mortality, the association between early sexual initiation or sexual behavior with substance abuse and obesity, and an increase in healthcare expenditures prior to people becoming homeless.
Emetine and Related Bases

No new alkaloids in this series have been isolated. However, the structure of ankorine has been revised1 and that of alangiside has been established with certainty.2
Primary prevention of child abuse.

In 1993, the U.S. Advisory Board on Child Abuse and Neglect declared a child protection emergency. Between 1985 and 1993, there was a 50 percent increase in reported cases of child abuse. Three million cases of child abuse are reported in the United States each year. Treatment of the abuser has had only limited success and child protection agencies are overwhelmed. Recently, efforts have begun to focus on the primary prevention of child abuse. Primary prevention of child abuse is defined as any intervention that prevents child abuse before it occurs. Primary prevention must be implemented on many levels before it can be successful. Strategies on the societal level include increasing the "value" of children, increasing the economic self-sufficiency of families, discouraging corporal punishment and other forms of violence, making health care more accessible and affordable, expanding and improving coordination of social services, improving the identification and treatment of psychologic problems, and alcohol and drug abuse, providing more affordable child care and preventing the birth of unwanted children. Strategies on the familial level include helping parents meet their basic needs, identifying problems of substance abuse and spouse abuse, and educating parents about child behavior, discipline, safety and development. Language: en
Horticultural Performance of Ethylene Insensitive Petunias

To determine the potential for use of biotechnology to produce ethylene insensitive floriculture crops, we designed several experiments to measure horticultural performance of transgenic CaMV35S-etr1-1 petunias. Delayed floral senescence is observed at varying degrees in transgenic plants depending on production environment. Flowers grown in cooler greenhouse environments show greater delays in pollination-induced and natural flower senescence than those grown in warmer environments. Fruit set of self pollinated CaMV35S-etr1-plants was reduced compared to wild type plants, and was also dependent on production environment. Transgenic plants grown in warmer environments showed reduced fruit set after self pollination compared to those grown in cooler environments. Fruit ripening is delayed, and adventitious root formation is significantly reduced in transgenic CaMV35S-etr1 plants compared to wild type plants. These observations lead us to suggest that tissue specific ethylene insensitivity will be required to produce ethylene insensitive floriculture crops with extended flower life.