cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Multi-hazard investigation and testing of steel-plate composite (SC) wall piers: Seismic and thermal loads

Abstract Design of structural walls in safety-related nuclear facilities needs to consider the combination of seismic and accident thermal loads. However, current codes provide limited procedural guidance for the analysis and design of walls for this load combination. Experimental studies were conducted to evaluate the cyclic in-plane response of steel-plate composite (SC) wall pier test units at ambient and typical accident temperatures (up to 232 °C). The test unit was subjected to two durations (1-hour and 3-hour) and magnitudes (149 °C and 232 °C) of surface temperatures in combination with cyclic in-plane loading. Accident temperatures result in the evolution of non-linear thermal gradients through the thickness of the test unit. The thermal gradients result in extensive concrete cracking, thus reducing the stiffness of the specimens. For surface temperature of 149 °C, the secant stiffness of the test unit reduced by 20% in comparison to the ambient secant stiffness. The reduction in secant stiffness was 40% for surface temperature of 232 °C. The lateral strength of flexure-controlled SC wall pier test unit subjected to typical accident temperatures was 25% higher than the strength corresponding to the initiation of compression yielding in the faceplates (at ambient temperatures). Evaluation of the experimental results suggests that the ambient strength equations for flexure-controlled SC wall piers can also be used to calculate the strength at typical accident temperatures (up to 232 °C). The stiffness for accident thermal loading combinations can be considered to linearly reduce from cracked stiffness at ambient temperature to fully cracked, i.e., steel only stiffness as the surface temperature increases up to typical accident values.
Strategies for Recruiting Non-Hispanic Black Men into the Field of Pediatrics

The focus of this work is on the root causes of the current lack of African American/non-Hispanic Black (NHB) men in the field of medicine and, especially, in pediatric medicine. The lack of diversity could serve to the detriment of the future directions of pediatric medicine. With supporting data, we argue that the low statistics of NHB men in the field reflect a social issue that can be resolved by the action of pediatricians across America. Therefore, we are convinced that the included information and suggested strategies are a valuable contribution to all scientific communities. Success of NHB male inclusion in medicine ultimately benefits the health of the public by facilitating cultural competence and increasing racial and ethnic concordance.
The petro-developmental state in Africa: Making oil work in Angola, Nigeria and the Gulf of Guinea

The past decade has witnessed a phenomenal upswing in the number of legislative and policy instruments seeking to promote local content, especially within resource-rich countries where governments ...
Using Equipercentile Equating to Link Scores of the CBCL and SDQ in Residential Youth

In data-driven residential care settings, it is sometimes necessary to change an established assessment tool due to cost and respondent burden. However, accurate assessment of youth functioning ove...
Probing Conformational Evolution and Associated Dynamics of Mg(N(SO2CF3)2)2·Dimethoxyethane Adduct Using Solid-State 19F and 1H NMR

Bis(trifluoromethanesulfonimide) or TFSI is widely used as a counter anion in electrolyte design due to its structural flexibility and chemical stability. We studied the conformational variations a...
Can urine dipstick test be an alternative to detect urinary tract infection in limited resource setting? - A validity study from Bangalore, India.

Background: Diagnosis of urinary tract infection (UTI) can be challenging as symptoms are nonspecific. The gold standard for the diagnosis of urine culture is not easily available in resource constrained settings. Hence, the need for affordable point of care diagnostic test could be an inexpensive alternative for urine culture or microscopy. The objective of the study was to validate the urine dipstick test to detect UTI in a resource constrained primary care setting. Methods: A diagnostic accuracy study was conducted in a health center in an urban slum by Bangalore Baptist Hospital. We included 136 patients suspected to have UTI. Patients were asked to give urine samples for urine dipstick analysis, urine microscopy, and urine culture and validity of the dipstick was analyzed. Results: A total of 136 patients fulfilling the inclusion criteria were recruited. Nitrite had higher specificity than leukocyte esterase (95% vs. 73%). Positive predictive value for nitrite and leukocyte was 84% and 51%, respectively. A combination of fever, dysuria along with lower abdominal pain had higher specificity (92%). Most common organism that was isolated was E. coli (56%) followed by S. aureus (13%). E. coli was susceptible to nitrofurontoin. Conclusion: Urine dipstick could be used as a simple diagnostic test in a limited resource setting for a rapid diagnosis and initiation of empirical antibiotic therapy. Urine dipstick for nitrite has a good specificity.
Safety and oncologic efficacy of robotic compared to open pancreaticoduodenectomy after neoadjuvant chemotherapy for pancreatic cancer.

Emerging data from multi-institutional and national databases suggest that robotic pancreaticoduodenectomy is safe and feasible for pancreatic adenocarcinoma. Nevertheless, there are limited reports evaluating its safety and oncologic efficacy following neoadjuvant chemotherapy. This is a retrospective study from the 2010–2016 National Cancer Database comparing the postoperative, pathological and long-term oncologic outcomes between robotic pancreaticoduodenectomy (RPD) and open pancreaticoduodenectomy (OPD) for pancreatic adenocarcinoma following neoadjuvant chemotherapy. We identified 155 (5%) RPD and 3329 (95%) OPD following neoadjuvant chemotherapy. The use of the robot increased from 3 cases in 2010 to 50 cases in 2016. RPD patients were more likely to receive adjuvant chemotherapy and to be treated at academic centers. After adjustment, RPD was associated with a higher proportion of adequate lymphadenectomy, receipt of adjuvant chemotherapy, decreased rate of prolonged length of stay, and similar 90-day mortality. There was no difference in median overall survival between RPD and OPD (25.6 months vs. 27.5 months, Log Rank p = 0.879). The 1-, 3- and 5-year overall survival rates for RPD were 83%, 36% and 22% and for OPD were 86%, 38% and 22%. After adjustment, the use of robotic surgery was associated with similar overall survival compared to the open approach (HR 1.011, 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.776–1.316). Following neoadjuvant chemotherapy, RPD is associated with similar short- and long-term mortality with the advantage of shorter length of stay, higher proportion of adequate lymphadenectomy and receipt of adjuvant chemotherapy.
Marketing research: Innovation, experiential learning, and student engagement

The following article outlines the importance of classroom engagement through use of innovative group projects within a marketing research class. Project findings address learning engagement, stude...
Five-Year Outcomes for Refractory B-Cell Lymphomas with CAR T-Cell Therapy.

Long-Term Follow-up of CAR T-Cell–Treated Lymphoma Progression-free survival at 5 years was 31% in patients with diffuse large B-cell lymphoma and 43% in patients with follicular lymphoma. A total ...
Tuning the surface energies in a family of poly-3-alkylthiophenes bearing hydrophilic side-chains synthesized via direct arylation polymerization (DArP)

Recent work has identified surface energy as a key figure of merit in predicting the morphology of bulk heterojunction organic solar cells and organic alloy formation in ternary blend organic solar cells. An efficient way of tuning surface energy in conjugated polymers is by introducing functionalised side chains. Here, we present a systematic study on a family of poly(3-hexylthiophene) (P3HT)-based random copolymers bearing five different functionalised side chains (ester, ether, diether, carbamate, nitrile) prepared by direct arylation polymerization (DArP) in terms of their effectiveness in tuning surface energy. This study also exemplifies the superior functional group tolerance in DArP compared to more traditional polymerization procedures. Water droplet contact angle measurements revealed that especially carbamates are highly effective in tuning surface energy, increasing the surface energy from 21.2 mN m−1 with P3HT to 25.5 mN m−1 and 28.6 mN m−1 in 25% and 50% carbamate functionalized copolymers, respectively. Importantly, by introducing a two-carbon-spacer between the conjugated backbone and the functional group, optical and electronic properties of P3HT could be largely maintained in the copolymers as determined by UV/Vis, cyclic voltammetry and space charge limited current hole mobility.
Estimation and Selection Properties of the LAD Fused Lasso Signal Approximator

The fused lasso is an important method for signal processing when the hidden signals are sparse and blocky. It is often used in combination with the squared loss function. However, the squared loss is not suitable for heavy tail error distributions nor is robust against outliers which arise often in practice. The least absolute deviations (LAD) loss provides a robust alternative to the squared loss. In this paper, we study the asymptotic properties of the fused lasso estimator with the LAD loss for signal approximation. We refer to this estimator as the LAD fused lasso signal approximator, or LAD-FLSA. We investigate the estimation consistency properties of the LAD-FLSA and provide sufficient conditions under which the LAD-FLSA is sign consistent. We also construct an unbiased estimator for the degrees of freedom of the LAD-FLSA for any given tuning parameters. Both simulation studies and real data analysis are conducted to illustrate the performance of the LAD-FLSA and the effect of the unbiased estimator of the degrees of freedom.
Index-Linked Trading and Stock Returns

I consider a model of index-linked trading in which a fraction of investors trade an index product that holds the market portfolio (e.g., an ETF). The remaining investors build portfolios by evaluating stocks individually. Investors are equally informed and choose portfolios to maximize their expected utility. In equilibrium, price impact from trading the index product is not equal across stocks. Index-linked trade generates cross sectional differences in returns and volatilities. Furthermore, uncertainty about indexing demand generates risk premiums in expected returns and their magnitudes depend on firm fundamentals. The findings lend theoretical support to existing studies and provide new predictions.
Adherence to index-based dietary patterns in childhood and BMI trajectory during the transition to adolescence: the EPOCH study.

In the United States, one in five adolescents are obese. Index-based dietary patterns are measures of the overall diet that have the potential to serve as valuable obesity risk stratification tools. However, little is known about the association between adherence to index-based dietary patterns in childhood and BMI during the transition from childhood to adolescence. To prospectively examine the relationship between adherence to three index-based dietary patterns in childhood and BMI trajectory during the transition to adolescence. The study included 581 children enrolled in a Colorado prospective cohort study conducted between 2006 and 2015. Dietary intake was assessed with the Block Kids Food Frequency Questionnaire at age 10 years. Scores were calculated for the Healthy Eating Index—2010 (HEI-2010), the alternate Mediterranean (aMED) diet, and the Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension (DASH) diet. Weight and height were assessed via anthropometry at two research visits (ages 10 and 16 years), with interim clinical measurements extracted from Kaiser Permanente medical records. Separate mixed models were used to assess the association between each diet index score and BMI over a 6-year period. Models were stratified by sex and adjusted for age, race/ethnicity, income, and exposure to gestational diabetes. Median (IQR) number of BMI assessments was 14 (10–18). Among girls, for every ten-unit increase in HEI-2010 score, there was an average 0.64 kg/m2 decrease (p = 0.007) in BMI over time, after adjustment for covariates. Among girls, there was no association between BMI and aMED (β = −0.19, p = 0.24) or DASH (β = 0.28, p = 0.38). Among boys, there was no statistically significant association between BMI and HEI-2010 (0.06, p = 0.83), aMED (0.07, p = 0.70), or DASH (0.42, p = 0.06). Efforts to prevent adolescent obesity could benefit from considering the degree of adherence to federal dietary guidance, as assessed by the HEI, in the period preceding adolescence, especially among girls.
Sparking curiosity and engagement through online curriculum

SYMPOSIUM SUMMARY In 2020, classrooms across the country abruptly transitioned to emergency remote learning in response to COVID-19. Instructors quickly searched for guidance on ways to present course material in an online format that would still allow for course learning outcomes to be met. Perhaps the greatest challenge cited by instructors was engaging students when face-to-face meetings were not an option. This becomes an even greater challenge in poultry and animal science curricula that encourage hands-on learning. Most first year students are unaware of the opportunities in the animal agricultural industries and engagement in the classroom is one way to spark curiosity and interest in the subject matter. The abrupt change to online teaching challenged many instructors to rethink their teaching strategies and explore teaching pedagogies to engage students in an online student-centered learning environment. An outcome from this challenge was an increased comfort and efficacy, for both students and instructors, of applying pedagogical approaches to enhance online learning. A symposium at the 2021 Poultry Science Association brought together instructors of poultry and animal science courses from across the country to discuss the challenges and successes of implementing on-line instruction and engagement in response to COVID-19. A consistent commentary among the participants of the symposium concerned an increased desire for collaboration and dialog concerning effective pedagogical approaches among instructors of poultry and animal science courses. Thus, a summary of the symposium's presentations, as well as thoughts from a student panel, concerning effective online teaching and learning is presented.
Fages' Theorem for Programs with Nested Expressions

We extend a theorem by Francois Fages about the relationship between the completion semantics and the answer set semantics of logic programs to a class of programs with nested expressions permitted in the bodies of rules. Fages' theorem is important from the perspective of answer set programming: whenever the two semantics are equivalent, answer sets can be computed by propositional solvers, such as sato, instead of answer set solvers, such as smodels. The need to extend Fages' theorem to programs with nested expressions is related to the use of choice rules in the input language of SMODELS.
False Localizing Exam In A Lumbar Spinal Epidural Abscess (SEA): Right Paraspinal Pain And Contralateral Leg Weakness (P7.306)

OBJECTIVE: Lumbar SEA presenting as crossed symptoms of right paraspinal pain and contralateral leg weakness. BACKGROUND: Spinal epidural abscess is a serious condition that can lead to profound neurological deficit or death if left untreated. Staphylococcus aureus is the most commonly identified organism and it reaches the epidural space either by direct spread from adjacent tissues or hematogenous dissemination. DESIGN/METHODS:Case report RESULTS: A 67-year-old breast cancer patient with past history of L5 laminectomy was admitted with a 2 day history of fever, chills and acute right lower back pain. Patient had a central intravenous indwelling catheter placed 10 days earlier for treatment of inflammatory breast cancer. Neurological exam on admission was noted for pain in the right paraspinal region at the L4-L5 level. She had a positive straight leg raising sign on the left with weakness of the left hip extensors, left knee flexors and ankle dorsiflexion. Left knee and ankle jerks were abolished. MRI of lumbar spine showed the previous right L5 laminectomy with an abscess in the surgical bed spreading in the epidural space compressing the left L4-L5 and L5-S1 neural foramina. She immediately underwent surgical drainage of the abscess which resulted in almost spontaneous resolution of left leg weakness and right lower back pain. Removed catheter tip and blood culture grew Staphylococcus aureus. CONCLUSIONS: This case illustrates an interesting presentation of a SEA with crossed findings of pain on the right paraspinal region and neurological deficits on the left lower extremity. This “false localizing” presentation was the result of the infection affecting the previous right laminectomy and tracking to compress the left neural foramina. Whereas undiagnosed SEA often result in serious, irreversible neurological deficits, prompt diagnosis and treatment permitted full recovery of neurological function in this case. Study Supported by: none Disclosure: Dr. Laengvejkal has nothing to disclose. Dr. Kim has nothing to disclose. Dr. Kijsirichareanchai has nothing to disclose. Dr. Tantikittichaikul has nothing to disclose. Dr. DeToledo has nothing to disclose.
Supersonic flow past circular cones at high angles of yaw, downstream of separation

The calculation of viscous supersonic flow over circular cones at high angles of yaw was partially carried out by Fletcher and Holt (1976) and by Holt and Chan (1979). The flow field was calculated as the interaction between the outer inviscid flow and an inner conical boundary layer flow. The latter was treated by the orthonormal version of the Method of Integral Relations (M.I.R.) (Fletcher and Holt, 1975) and continued up to the cross flow separation line.
RNA Structure and Function: Modified Nucleosides

The sections in this article are 1 Introduction: History 2 Approaches to Modified Nucleoside Heteronuclear Magnetic Resonance and Dynamics 3 Monomers to RNA Domains: NMR Solution Conditions, Importance, and Difficulties 4 Homonuclear 1D and 2D NMR of Modified Nucleoside-Containing Domains 5 The Future of Modified Nucleoside NMR 6 Acknowledgements 7 Biographical Sketch Related Articles
Design challenges for very high data rate UWB systems

Ultrawideband (UWB) is a promising radio technology for networks delivering extremely high data rates at short ranges. In this paper, different approaches to the physical layer system design for such networks are studied, and some of the challenges and opportunities inherent in their design and implementation are compared. For example, the use of extremely short duration pulses offers great possibilities for position location, but makes the timing synchronization task more complex. The ultra-wide bandwidth offers excellent frequency diversity and multipath resolution, but the channel estimation and multipath combining tasks are correspondingly more challenging. A pulse based UWB system (or impulse radio, IR-UWB) and a novel pulsed multicarrier UWB system are compared, emphasizing timing acquisition and performance in multipath. Some other differences, including interference avoidance, equalization, etc. are briefly dealt with.
The Effect of 2,3-Diphosphoglyceric Acid on the Changes in β-β Interactions in Hemoglobin during Oxygenation

Abstract During the binding of oxygen to the artificial intermediate of saturation of hemoglobin, α2+cnβ2, a significant change in the interactions between the two β subunits is observed. The same change in interaction is found both in the presence and absence of the hemoglobin effector 2,3-diphosphoglyceric acid (DPG). The observed change in β-β interactions even in the absence of DPG suggests that contacts between the two β chains contribute to cooperativity as well as a bridge formed by the DPG molecule.
A 5-dimensional monopole.

The Kaluza-Klein idea assimilates gauge fields to gravity by comprehending gauge-transformations as diffeomorphism (“coordinate transformations”). Although this can be done for any choice of gauge group, the original U(1)-theory has the distinction of requiring only a single fundamental field: it is nothing but 5-dimensional gravity with a specific choice of metric and topology to represent the vacuum. Since you have already heard this theory described, I will sketch it only in enough detail to fix notation.
A family of delayed rectifier Kv1 cDNAs showing cell type-specific expression in the squid stellate ganglion/giant fiber lobe complex.

Squid giant axons are formed by giant fiber lobe (GFL) neurons of the stellate ganglion (SG). Other large motoneurons in the SG form a parallel system. A small family of cDNAs (SqKv1A–D) encoding Kv1 α-subunits was identified in a squid ( Loligo opalescens ) SG/GFL library. Members have distinct 5′ untranslated regions (UTRs) and initial coding regions, but beyond a certain point (nucleotide 34 of SqKv1A) only nine differences exist. 3′ UTRs are identical. Predicted α-subunits are nearly identical, and only the N termini differ significantly, primarily in length. RNase protection assays that use RNA isolated from specific SG regions show that SqKv1A mRNA is expressed prominently in the GFL but not in the SG proper. SqKv1B yields the opposite pattern. SqKv1D also is expressed only in the SG. SqKv1C expression was not detectable. In situ hybridizations confirm these results and reveal that SqKv1B mRNA is abundant in many large neurons of the SG, whereas SqKv1D expression is limited to small isolated clusters of neurons. SqKv1A and B are thus the predominant Kv1 mRNAs in the SG/GFL complex. Activation properties of SqKv1A and B channels expressed in oocytes are very similar to one another and compare favorably with properties of native delayed rectifier channels in GFL neurons and large SG neurons. The Kv1 complement in these squid neurons thus seems to be relatively simple. Several differences exist between cloned and native channels, however, and may reflect differences in the cellular environments of oocytes and neurons.
La metáfora de la vida. Herder, su filosofía de la historia, y la historia de un desencuentro

Oscurecida par la gloria de sus contemporaneos, la figura de Herder (17441803), segun se quejan sus bi6grafos, no ha sido aiin objeto de la valoraci6n que merece.! Presa por el doble movimiento de ser a la vez elevada a la categoria de simbolo de la emergencia de 10 "otto" de la raz6n,2 y reducida al papel de mera disparadora de tendencias que solo adquieren forma a comienzos del siglo pas ado, su obra habria de ser, segtin suele decirse, mas debatida que leida.3 Frente a quienes creyeron ver en el el origen de la "era del biologismo", quien instala en el pensamiento occidental una nueva
Alternative Uses of Highway Rights-of-Way: Accommodating Renewable energy technologies

In recent years, the capacity, generation, and consumption of energy derived from renewable sources have grown significantly on a global level. To increase renewable energy production in the near term, state and local transportation agencies have recently expressed more interest in installing decentralized renewable energy technologies on spaces not traditionally considered for energy generation. Many transportation agencies have demonstrated the viability of utilizing the highway right-of-way (ROW) for decentralized renewable energy production. Following these leads, several U.S. state departments of transportation are exploring similar prospects, given that the ample lands that they manage are in proximity to power loads and, in some cases, have already been disturbed or are no longer held for their environmental attributes. From a highway ROW perspective, however, considerable economic, ecological, legal, and political uncertainties are related to whether accommodating renewable energy technologies can...
GUIDING OUT-MIGRATING JUVENILE SEA LAMPREY (PETROMYZON MARINUS) WITH PULSED DIRECT CURRENT

Non-physical stimuli can deter or guide fish without affecting water flow or navigation and therefore have been investigated to improve fish passage at anthropogenic barriers and to control movement of invasive fish. Upstream fish migration can be blocked or guided without physical structure by electrifying the water, but directional downstream fish guidance with electricity has received little attention. We tested two non-uniform pulsed direct current electric systems, each having different electrode orientations (vertical versus horizontal), to determine their ability to guide out-migrating juvenile sea lamprey (Petromyzon marinus) and rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss). Both systems guided significantly more juvenile sea lamprey to a specific location in our experimental raceway when activated than when deactivated, but guidance efficiency decreased at the highest water velocities tested. At the electric field setting that effectively guided sea lamprey, rainbow trout were guided by the vertical electrode system, but most were blocked by the horizontal electrode system. Additional research should characterize the response of other species to non-uniform fields of pulsed DC and develop electrode configurations that guide fish over a range of water velocity. Published 2013. This article is a U.S. Government work and is in the public domain in the USA. Supporting information may be found in the online version of this article.
Extinction and reacquisition performance as a function of sucrose-solution rewards and numbers of acquisition trials.

Hungry rats (n = 76) received straight runway acquisition training at 1 of 3 sucrose reinforcement magnitudes (20 licks, 5% solution; 20 licks, 50% solution; or 100 licks, 50% solution) for 1 of 3 ...
Metallurgy of additive manufacturing: Examples from electron beam melting

Abstract The metallurgy of selected metal and alloy components fabricated by additive metallurgy using electron beam melting (EBM) is presented for a range of examples including Ti-6Al-4V, Co-Cr-Mo super alloy, Ni-base super alloy systems (Inconel 625, 718 and Rene 142), Nb and Fe. Precursor and pre-alloyed powders are preheated and selectively melted using a range of EBM process parameters including beam scan strategies, beam current variations, and cooling rate features. Microstructures and residual mechanical properties are discussed for selected systems in contrast to more conventional wrought and cast products. Novel features of EBM fabrication include columnar microstructural architectures which result by layer-by-layer melt-solidification phenomena.
Degradation in the biaxial stress-to-failure properties of Type 316 stainless steel exposed to cesium oxides

Abstract Tubular specimens of 20% cold-worked Type 316 stainless steel were exposed to cesium oxides at 660° C for varying times. Grain-boundary corrosion occurred, and the penetration depths varied from 0 to 250 μm. After the exposure treatment, the specimens were pressurized with helium to investigate the effect of corrosion on the stress-failure properties of the steel at temperatures between 593 and 760°C. It was found that the time to failure for the exposed specimens could be predicted from the unexposed-specimen data by assuming that the effect of grain-boundary corrosion is equivalent to the reduction in the thickness of the tube wall. At all temperatures, a decrease in the average diametral strain rate caused the type of failure to change from rupture to pinhole. The pinhole failure was found to be predominantly associated with intergranular fracture mode and the rupture with transgranular fracture mode.
Dimension-six CP -violating operators of the third-family quarks and their effects at colliders

We list all possible dimension-six $\mathrm{CP}$-violating ${\mathrm{SU}}_{c}(3)\ifmmode\times\else\texttimes\fi{}{\mathrm{SU}}_{L}(2)\ifmmode\times\else\texttimes\fi{}{\mathrm{U}}_{Y}(1)$-invariant operators involving the third-family quarks, which can be generated by new physics at a higher energy scale. The expressions of these operators after electroweak symmetry breaking and the induced effective couplings $\mathrm{Wt}\overline{b}$, $\mathrm{Xb}\overline{b}$, and $\mathrm{Xt}\overline{t}$ $(X=Z,\ensuremath{\gamma},g,H)$ are also presented. We evaluate sample contributions of these operators to $\mathrm{CP}$-odd asymmetries of transverse polarization of the top quark in single top quark production at the upgraded Fermilab Tevatron, the same polarization effect in top-quark\char21{}top-antiquark pair production at the NLC, and the $\mathrm{CP}$-odd observables of momentum correlations among the top quark decay products at the NLC. The energy and luminosity sensitivity in probing this $\mathrm{CP}$-violating new physics is also studied.
Assessment of robotic thymectomy using the Myasthenia Gravis Foundation of America Guidelines.

Background Robotic thymectomy is an emerging treatment for myasthenia gravis. However, the Myasthenia Gravis Foundation of America clinical research standards have been infrequently adopted in the surgical literature. Methods Twenty-six patients underwent robotic thymectomy for myasthenia gravis between 2003 and 2008, performed by a single surgeon using the da Vinci system (Intuitive Surgical; Sunnyvale, CA) through a four-port right-sided approach. Results Mean operative times were 68 ± 25 minutes of robotic system activation and 127 ± 35 minutes from incision to closure. There were no intraoperative or postoperative mortalities; the most common intraoperative complication was desaturation after single-lung ventilation, for which four procedures were converted to open. On histologic examination, there were five thymomas. The average follow-up after surgery was 26 months. Median preoperative and postoperative Myasthenia Gravis Foundation of America disease classifications were 2 and 0, respectively, reflecting a statistically significant decrease in symptoms ( p Conclusions Robotic thymectomy is a safe and efficacious treatment option for myasthenia gravis. There were no notable differences in patient demographics compared with previously published reports of open thymectomies. Furthermore, surgical and neurologic outcomes in this series compare favorably with conventional approaches in the literature. Of those with follow-up greater than 6 months, 82% of patients undergoing robotic thymectomy demonstrated significant clinical improvement postoperatively, indicating that this approach in concert with optimized medical management is an effective treatment for myasthenia gravis.
An Analysis of the Factors Affecting Dynamic Tension Measurements with the Pulsating Bubble Surfactometer

Abstract The pulsating bubble surfactometer (PBS) measurement of surface tension from the pressure difference across the air/water interface and the bubble radius is analyzed theoretically. Sample calculations indicate that deformation of small bubbles due to gravity introduces a small error in the PBS measurements. This error can be accounted for. When the bubble is created, induced convection may accelerate the dynamic adsorption of Triton X-100 surfactant solutions. The effects of an inertial term, bulk shear viscosity, gas flow in the connecting capillary, and surface dilatational viscosity on the dynamic pressure response are calculated. Among these factors, only the surface dilatational viscosity may play an important role in the measurements, and it plays a minor role in the examples considered for frequencies less than 100 cycles/min (rpm). The results were applied to new oscillatory data on sodium dodecylsulfate (SDS) and Triton X-100 solutions at 25°C. In these systems, most or all of the pressure amplitude response is due to surface tension effects.
Effect of delamination face overlapping on strain energy release rate calculations

Abstract The strain energy release rate is often used as a fracture mechanics parameter to describe delamination propagation and onset in composites, and is conveniently evaluated using finite element analysis. A common problem encountered in analysis is overlapping (interpenetration) of the delamination faces if these faces are not constrained. This paper examines the effect of overlapping on strain energy release rate calculated using the virtual crack closure method in conjunction with 3-dimensional anisotropic finite element analysis. A bilinear gap element was used between the delamination faces to prevent these faces from overlapping. Three problems were studied: (1) laminates with an embedded crack and embedded delaminations; (2) laminates with free edge delaminations; and (3) end-notched flexure specimens. The results of this investigation indicated that overlapping has a significant effect on the component values of G I and G II as well as on the total strain energy release rate. It was also found that end effects can create non-uniform energy release rates along the crack front in edge delamination problems due to twisting of the sublaminate with unsymmetrical lay-up, so that 3-dimensional finite element analysis is required.
Gene expression analysis of plasmablastic lymphoma identifies downregulation of B-cell receptor signaling and additional unique transcriptional programs

Gene expression analysis of plasmablastic lymphoma identifies downregulation of B-cell receptor signaling and additional unique transcriptional programs
Beyond Belief: Epistemic Evaluation of Religious Experiences

In this response, the author argues that to include religion as a subject of study without treating it as a possible contender of truth by evaluating religious claims in a public manner unfairly prejudges their epistemic status and is patronizing to the variety of religious worldviews; it also disrespects the institution of public schooling by making light of its responsibility to explore questions of truth based on relevant evidence. The alternative view that I propose insists that genuine respect is achieved neither through inclusion or exclusion per se, but by offering students opportunities to subject religious claims and experiences to rigorous epistemic analysis. In this approach, religion is treated as a contender for truth, and students are helped, in this arena as in others, to develop habits of mind and skills that will enable them to become reasonable, thoughtful, and autonomous thinkers.
AN EVALUATION OF THE STRATEGIC PETROLEUM RESERVE PROGRAM OF THE UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY

The United States Department of Energy is required by law to plan, acquire, store, and maintain a Strategic Petroleum Reserve of crude oil and petroleum products. This is to be used if there is an interruption in crude oil supply. The plan is described and then analyzed with a linear programming model. The results show that the plan is generally well formulated.
Severe hypoglycemia was associated with increased risk for adverse clinical outcomes in type 2 diabetes

Source Citation Zoungas S, Patel A, Chalmers J, et al. Severe hypoglycemia and risks of vascular events and death. N Engl J Med. 2010;363:1410-8. 20925543
Auld Lang Syne [AP-S Turnstile]

“Technological innovation” is more than just invention. It is a process, often long and costly, of transforming new scientific knowledge into feasible technology, introducing it to use, and making its benefits available to the public. “Technical integration” is intended to emphasize the more subtle flow of an intangible - engineering information and understanding. Not only has Bell Labs innovated, but it also showed the world technical integration of the innovations. The Bell System Technical Journal was a key enabler for this achievement.
Understanding the loss of trust in large banks

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to explore a stakeholder trust model of organizations and applies the model to diagnose the loss of trust in large banks (Universal and Investment Banks) after the global financial crisis (GFC). Prescriptions for the repair of trust are offered along with the diagnosis. Design/methodology/approach – The theoretical underpinnings of the stakeholder trust model of organizations are supported using the literature in marketing and management. Case study data on large and community banks are used to explore differences in these type of banks as they relate to trustworthiness as articulated in the stakeholder trust model of organizations. Findings – The stakeholder trust model of organizations and six dimensions of trustworthiness help to explain why trust eroded in large banks during the GFC but increased or remained stable among some community banks. This diagnosis of the loss of trust also points to interventions that will be necessary to restore trust going forward amo...
A large area detector for neutrons between 2 and 100 MeV

A neutron detector sensitive from 2 to 100 MeV is described. The detector is designed for high altitude balloon flight to measure the flux, energy and direction of albedo neutrons from the earth and to search for solar neutrons. A neutron scatter from a proton is required in each of two liquid scintillator tanks spaced 1 meter apart. The energy of the recoil proton in the first tank is obtained from pulse height analysis of the scintillator output. The energy of the recoil neutron is obtained from its time of flight between the tanks. The detector has been calibrated with 15.3 MeV neutrons and mu mesons. The minimum detectable flux is 10(-4) neutron/sq cm/sec at a counting rate of one per minute; the energy resolution is 12% at 15 MeV and 30% at 100 MeV. The angle between the incoming neutron and the recoil neutron is measured to + or - 10 deg.
Clinical use of Peirce--General Electric membrane oxygenator.

Abstract The new Peirce-General Electric copolymer membrane oxygenator combined with a Sarns roller pump was used clinically for the first time on 24 children undergoing open-heart operations. The children ranged in age from 5 to 48 months (mean 27 months) and weighed between 3.6 and 16 kg. (mean 9 kg.). The priming volume averaged 120 ml. of blood for the 1-square-meter oxygenator and 240 ml. for the 2-square-meter oxygenator. The duration of perfusion varied from 36 to 180 minutes (mean 96 minutes), depending upon the complexity of the repair. During perfusion, flow rates averaged 127 ml. per kilogram of body weight with a pO 2 average of 350 mm. Hg (range 54 to 670). There was no significant change in acid-base balance during or immediately after the perfusion. Serum hemoglobin averaged 13.1 mg. per 100 ml. preoperatively, increased to 61.4 mg. per 100 ml. at the completion of the perfusion, and decreased to 18.4 mg. per 100 ml. by 24 hours postoperatively. Platelet count preoperatively averaged 228,000 and decreased to 119,000 at the conclusion of the perfusion; it increased to an average of 129,000 twenty-four hours after operation. There was no excessive bleeding postoperatively resulting from coagulation defects. The copolymer membrane has been shown in this group of patients to be an effective, reliable, and safe oxygenator for total cardiopulmonary bypass.
Atresia of internal thoracic artery grafts following placement to noncritically obstructed vessels

Four patients postcoronary bypass surgery, utilizing the left internal thoracic artery as a jump graft, were found to have atresia of either the proximal segment (2 patients) or the distal interposition segment (2 patients) of this graft. In all 4 cases the atretic portion of the graft was the segment that had been anastomosed to a noncritically obstructed vessel. The segment anastomosed to the severely narrowed portion of the vessel functioned normally and approximated the target vessel size. Cathet. Cardiovasc. Diagn. 42:298–301, 1997. © 1997 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
Swedish television as a mechanism for language planning and policy

The function of the public service broadcasting company Sveriges Television (Swedish Television) as a component of the Swedish ecology of language planning and policy is examined. Analysis of recent policy documents as well as data about television programming illuminates how television serves as a language planning mechanism. It is shown that television is explicitly framed as a tool for status planning through regulations about the relative positions of different languages in this domain. The management of content in Swedish, national minority languages, and other languages, in turn, suggests that Sveriges Television is also implicitly engaged in discourse planning that (re)produces the current linguistic hierarchy in Sweden through the representation of multilingualism.
Examination of Coal and Ash Samples by PIXE Method for Gas Turbine Applications

A new technique, PIXE - Particle Induced X-Ray Emission, for analyzing concentration of trace elements with a detection concentration in parts per million is presented in this paper.PIXE is performed on a sample by using a proton beam. The experimental results are obtained from a number of coal and ash samples useful for the combined cycle power plants. The technique is useful for deposit analysis and analysis of eroded and corroded surfaces. This technique can identify depth of deposit and chemical constituents simultaneously.Copyright © 1984 by ASME
Editorial: BioDB: An ontology-enhanced information system for heterogeneous biological information

This paper presents BIODB, an ontology-enhanced information system to manage heterogeneous data. An ontology-enhanced system is a system where ad hoc data is imported into the system by a user, annotated by the user to connect the data to an ontology or other data sources, and then all data connected through the ontology can be queried in a federated manner. The BIODB system enables multi-model data federation, i.e., it federate data that can be in different data models including, relational, XML and RDF, sequence data and so on. It uses an ontologically enhanced system catalog, an ontological data index, an association index to facilitate cross-model data mapping, and a new algorithm for ontology-assisted keyword queries with ranking. The paper describes these components in detail, and presents an evaluation of the architecture in the context of an actual application.
High level ab initio and density functional theory calculations of the dissociation energies, ionization energies, geometrical variations, and vibrational modes of ground and excited CO2, CO2+, and CO22+

The potential energy surface of CO22+ ( 3Σg−) is investigated with HF, MP2, MP4, CBS-Q, G1, G2MP2, G2, G3B3, and B3LYP/6-311++G(3df,3pd) methods. Density functional theory shows the lowest dissociation channel of this compound to be the formation of CO+ ( 2Σ+)+O+ ( 4Su) and to have a barrier of around 2 eV as well as a dissociation energy of around −3.2 eV. Thus we propose that with enough correlation it is possible to accurately predict the energies of dissociation and barrier widths and heights to test for the stability of a particular molecular species. We also propose a refinement of current understanding by observing HOMO–LUMO gaps, Lowdin and Mulliken bond orders (to test for bond orbital overlap and hence qualitatively describe bonding and fragmentation in these complexes) and predicted spectrum for such studies as ZEKE spectroscopy (to study cationic states) and REMPI (to study the first excited states) of these class of molecules and, we hope, provide future insight into larger and more interesting systems. © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. Int J Quantum Chem, 2001
Electron scattering from impurities in alkali metals

Abstract A model calculation has been carried out using a Yukawa type potential to investigate the possibility of a p-wave resonance or a p-bound state suggested to interpret the spin flip scattering cross section and the giant diamagnetism in impure alkali metals.
Spiral whispering-gallery resonators

High-Q whispering-gallery modes with unidirectional emission are present in spiral - shaped microresonators despite completely chaotic ray dynamics. We demonstrate that formation of such modes is due to dynamical localization, and develop the theory of this effect.
Atomic hydrogen cleaning of EUV multilayer optics

Recent studies have been conducted to investigate the use of atomic hydrogen as an in-situ contamination removal method for EUV optics. In these experiments, a commercial source was used to produce atomic hydrogen by thermal dissociation of molecular hydrogen using a hot filament. Samples for these experiments consisted of silicon wafers coated with sputtered carbon, Mo/Si optics with EUV-induced carbon, and bare Si-capped and Ru-B4C-capped Mo/Si optics. Samples were exposed to an atomic hydrogen source at a distance of 200 - 500 mm downstream and angles between 0-90° with respect to the source. Carbon removal rates and optic oxidation rates were measured using Auger electron spectroscopy depth profiling. In addition, at-wavelength peak reflectance (13.4 nm) was measured using the EUV reflectometer at the Advanced Light Source. Data from these experiments show carbon removal rates up to 20 A/hr for sputtered carbon and 40 A/hr for EUV deposited carbon at a distance of 200 mm downstream. The cleaning rate was also observed to be a strong function of distance and angular position. Experiments have also shown that the carbon etch rate can be increased by a factor of 4 by channeling atomic hydrogen through quartz tubes in order to direct the atomic hydrogen to the optic surface. Atomic hydrogen exposures of bare optic samples show a small risk in reflectivity degradation after extended periods. Extended exposures (up to 20 hours) of bare Si-capped Mo/Si optics show a 1.2% loss (absolute) in reflectivity while the Ru-B4C-capped Mo/Si optics show a loss on the order of 0.5%. In order to investigate the source of this reflectivity degradation, optic samples were exposed to atomic deuterium and analyzed using low energy ion scattering direct recoil spectroscopy to determine any reactions of the hydrogen with the multilayer stack. Overall, the results show that the risk of over-etching with atomic hydrogen is much less than previous studies using RF discharge cleaning while providing cleaning rates suitable for EUV lithography operations.
A constitutive model of polyacrylate interpenetrating polymer networks for dielectric elastomers

A physically based method is proposed to represent interpenetrating polymer networks and their electromechanical behavior. The mechanical behavior of the material is nonlinear elastic and the electromechanical coupling arises from electrostatic effects often called the Maxwell stress effect. Ha et al. have synthesized interpenetrating polymer networks (IPNs) that invalidate the need for an external pre-stretch mechanism in dielectric elastomers. IPNs of acrylic elastomer and 1, 6-hexanediol diacrylate were successfully synthesized to create free-standing films with preserved prestretch. This results in a dual polymer network, with one polymer network in tension and the other in compression. The prestretch is preserved chemically in the dominant network. The internal prestretch is accompanied by an overall stiffening of the dual polymer network leading to compromised actuation strains. A mechanistically simple representation of the networks is proposed by means of a model of two springs in parallel, replaced by an equivalent single spring. A material parameter is introduced to account for the effect of the weight percent of the secondary network. The effect of the additive on the preserved prestretch in the primary network and hence the overall stress strain response is determined. Specifically, a modified Ogden strain energy function is proposed that describes the mechanical behavior of the new interpenetrating polymer network. The electromechanical response of the material is described using a previously presented constitutive formulation that works well for single network polymers. The model results indicate that ideally an interpenetrating polymer network DE should not stiffen when the secondary network is formed to avoid reduced actuation strains.