cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
The Utility of Paraneoplastic Antibody Testing in the Diagnosis of Motor Neuron Disease (P7.076)

OBJECTIVE: Evaluate the role of paraneoplastic autoantibody testing in the diagnosis of motor neuron disease. BACKGROUND: Motor neuron disease (MND) is a group of progressive neurodegenerative disorders. There have been rare case reports of patients presenting as a paraneoplastic phenomenon, though the possibility that the MND and neoplasm are chance associations remains for these isolated reports. To our knowledge, there has not been a previous study to determine the usefulness of paraneoplastic antibody testing in the setting of MND. DESIGN/METHODS: Retrospective chart review study of patients with MNDs seen at the University of Washington Medical Center over the period from 2007 to 2014. RESULTS: Of 316 patients reviewed, 44[percnt] (n = 138) were evaluated by a paraneoplastic autoantibody panel sent to the Mayo Clinic. 73[percnt] (n = 101) were diagnosed with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), fulfilling possible, probable or definite revised El Escorial criteria, and 27[percnt] (n = 37) were diagnosed as having suspected ALS or another MND. Thirteen patients (9[percnt]) tested positive for at least one paraneoplastic antibody. Three of these patients had negative diagnostic testing for malignancy. The first patient had antibodies to both voltage gated calcium channel and ganglionic acetylcholine receptor and mediastinal lymphadenopathy that was shown by lymph node biopsy to be a reactive process rather than malignancy. The second patient had antibodies to GAD-65 and received a short course of corticosteroids and intravenous gammaglobulin with no improvement, subsequently dying. The third patient had antibodies to voltage-gated potassium channel and negative CT scans of the chest, abdomen and pelvis. CONCLUSIONS: The presence of paraneoplastic autoantibodies in patients with MND is rare and not typically associated with malignancy. Testing for paraneoplastic antibodies does not appear to change the diagnosis, management, or outcome in the setting of MND and is therefore of limited value. Study Supported by: Disclosure: Dr. Al-Bustani has nothing to disclose. Dr. Simonson has nothing to disclose. Dr. Marshall has nothing to disclose. Dr. Vetrovs has nothing to disclose. Dr. Wener has received royalty payments from Up To Date and MTS. Dr. Wener9s employer has received research support from BioRad Laboratories. Dr. Weiss has received personal compensation for activities with Walgreens, Grifols, and Nufactor. Dr. Weiss has received research support from Clinical Trials Research Unit/Northeast ALS Consortium and the ALS Therapy Alliance. Dr. Wang has nothing to disclose.
Conducting “Good” Equity Research in Mathematics Education: A Question of Methodology

Hostetler (2005) describes “good” education research as that which attends to the well-being of students, teachers, and communities. In this essay, the author proposes measuring equity-based research in mathematics education against Hostetler’s standard. She argues that current equity-based research has not adequately addressed the mathematical experiences of marginalized students due to its primary focus on the “achievement gap.” Such a focus leaves the social and political hierarchies that produce marginalization intact and unquestioned. She presents methodological diversity as a strategy for reconceptualizing mathematics education research in a way that addresses the more foundational quality and opportunity gaps that are at the root of equity issues in mathematics education. She also offers embracing methodological clarity, shifting the site of research, and pursuing interdisciplinary opportunities as three ways in which mathematics education researchers can begin to equip themselves to address equity-based mathematics education research in new and different ways that may better address the well-being of marginalized students.
Families of LDPC Codes Derived from Nonprimitive BCH Codes and Cyclotomic Cosets

Low-density parity check (LDPC) codes are an important class of codes with many applications. Two algebraic methods for constructing regular LDPC codes are derived -- one based on nonprimitive narrow-sense BCH codes and the other directly based on cyclotomic cosets. The constructed codes have high rates and are free of cycles of length four; consequently, they can be decoded using standard iterative decoding algorithms. The exact dimension and bounds for the minimum distance and stopping distance are derived. These constructed codes can be used to derive quantum error-correcting codes.
Fermented Meat, Poultry, and Fish Products

Understanding the technological, microbiological, and biochemical processes that occur during meat, poultry, and fish fermentation is essential for ensuring safe, palatable products. Dry and semidry sausages represent the largest category of fermented meat products, with many present-day processing practices having their origin in the Mediterranean region. This chapter talks about factors affecting color, texture, flavor, and appearance of fermented meats. Incorporation of sodium chloride, sodium or potassium nitrite and/or nitrate, glucose, and homofermentative lactic acid starter cultures in sausage formulas dramatically alters the ecology of the culture environment and chemical characteristics of finished products. The chapter also talks about chemical characteristics of fermented dry and semidry sausage products including cervelat, capicola and salami. Fish fermentation involves minimal bacterial conversion of carbohydrates to lactic acid but entails extensive tissue degradation by proteolytic and lipolytic enzymes derived from viscera and muscle tissues. Sauces have a predominantly salty taste and are derived from decanting or pressing fermented fish or shrimp after a 9-month to 1-year fermentation. The use of starter cultures in fermented meat products is a relatively recent practice compared with their use in fermented dairy foods and alcoholic beverages. More recent trends have been focused on starter cultures not only as fermentation tools but also for functional food purposes, to capitalize on their flavor-enhancing, bioprotective, and health-beneficial properties. The advantage of microbial activity is the reduction of nitrates, thus removing excess nitrate/ nitrite from the meat.
GaN/InGaN/GaN disk-in-wire light emitters: polar vs. nonpolar orientations

In this paper, we computationally evaluate and compare the performance of recently reported In0.25Ga0.75N/GaN disk-in-wire light emitting diodes (LED) grown in the polar (c-plane) and nonpolar (m-plane) crystallographic orientations in terms of built-in fields, electronic bandstructure and interband optical transition rates. The microscopically determined transi-tion parameters were then incorporated into a TCAD LED sim-ulator to obtain the device terminal characteristics. The m-plane structure was found to exhibit higher spontaneous emission rate and improved (along with a delayed droop) internal quantum efficiency (IQE) characteristic.
Epoxide functionalized molecular resists for high resolution electron-beam lithography

Chemically amplified resists would be a preferred option to non-amplified resists such as PMMA or ZEP for electron-beam lithography because of their much higher sensitivity and therefore faster write times, but are resolution limited compared to non-amplified resists due to photoacid diffusion. A chemically amplified molecular resist based on epoxide polymerization (4-Ep) has been developed that simultaneously has resolution of 35nm half-pitch, sensitivity of 20µC/cm2, and line edge roughness (3?) of 2.3nm. The resist combines the performance advantages of both a molecular and polymeric resist. The extensive cross-linking effectively limits photoacid diffusion during resist processing, thus allowing for high resolution.
Active Set Identification in Nonlinear Programming

Techniques that identify the active constraints at a solution of a nonlinear programming problem from a point near the solution can be a useful adjunct to nonlinear programming algorithms. They have the potential to improve the local convergence behavior of these algorithms and in the best case can reduce an inequality constrained problem to an equality constrained problem with the same solution. This paper describes several techniques that do not require good Lagrange multiplier estimates for the constraints to be available a priori, but depend only on function and first derivative information. Computational tests comparing the effectiveness of these techniques on a variety of test problems are described. Many tests involve degenerate cases, in which the constraint gradients are not linearly independent and/or strict complementarity does not hold.
Suppression of artifacts in phase-sensitive COSY

Abstract High repetition rates generate systematic errors in phase-sensitive COSY spectra because incomplete relaxation allows magnetization from one transient to carry over and interfere with the next. The resultant artifacts appear at integral multiples of the resonance offset in the F 1 , dimension. Product-operator calculations are used to predict permutations of the RF phase cycle in which these artifacts are canceled. The success of these permutations is tested experimentally. It is shown that the axial-peak suppression and dummy transients are vital for the suppression of repetition-rate artifacts, but that quadrature-image suppression is irrelevant. The best permutations of the phase cycle reduce repetition-rate artifacts to about 1% of their parent peaks when recycle delays three times less than the longitudinal relaxation time are used.
Bioethanol production: Status and prospects

Abstract Production of fuel ethanol from renewable lignocellulosic materials (“bioethanol”) has the potential to reduce burgeoning world dependence on petroleum while decreasing net emissions of carbon dioxide, the principal greenhouse gas. This paper reviews the benefits and status of bioethanol production technology, focusing mostly on recent developments in the United States of America. The composition of representative lignocellulosic biomass species is presented and processing options under investigation are described. Discussion of current research directions highlights recent breakthroughs that significantly improve the prospects for commercialization. The pace of recent developments suggests that large-scale bioethanol production facilities will come on line in the United States within the next several years.
Chromatographic resolution of enantiomers: 1H and 13C nuclear magnetic resonance studies of hydrogen bonding in chiral ureide ester-amide systems

Abstract Studies of the selectivity of hydrogen-bond formation in chromatographically important, chiral solute-solvent systems have been performed with the aid of 1 H and 13 C nuclear magnetic resonance techniques. These data are correlated with the results of vapor-pressure osmometric and gas chromatographic investigations of the same systems. Two chiral ureide ester stationary phases and several amide solutes have been examined and the only significant hydrogen-bond interaction appears to occur between the ester carbonyl of the stationary phase and the amide amido proton. A single point of attachment and steric repulsion interaction is inferred with the suggestion that the classical three-point model may be an overdetermined system.
Monte Carlo and experimental studies of nozzle flow in a low-power hydrogen arcjet

The flow in the nozzle of a small hydrogen arcjet intended for low-thrust propulsion is studied without arc ignition using numerical and experimental techniques. The flow conditions in the thruster indicate that low-density nonequilibrium effects will significantly influence the flow. Therefore, the numerical analysis is undertaken using a Monte Carlo approach. The experimental studies employ laser Raman scattering. Comparisons of the measured and computed results are made for total number density, rotational temperature, and for the number density of the first rotational level. The numerical results are found to be quite sensitive to the rotational relaxation rate, and a strong degree of thermal nonequilibrium is observed at the exit plane of the nozzle. Successful comparisons between experiment and analysis permit estimation of the rotational relaxation rate for hydrogen.
More than just another crowd, we need a waiting line instead

The Shanghai World Expo attracted over 73 million visitors from May to October 2010 making it the most popular international exhibition in history. Aside from its many spectacular features, the Shanghai World Expo also became famous for its waiting lines, averaging over four hours for the most popular pavilions. This paper proposes an examination of those slow, too slow, human gatherings. From classical crowd psychology to the recent political theorizing of multitudes, the bulk of reflections carried forward on crowd phenomena have mainly paid attention to the (hyper)active, noisy, protesting crowds. In this article, I will use the example of these exceptional queues holding many thousands of longing visitors on the site of the 2010 World Expo in order to assert the need for an examination of the stagnant, inactive, and at times bored crowd. Another set of actors come into play: instead of riot control forces, Molotov cocktails, gas masks, barricades, and demonstrators, we have security guards, hats, umbr...
Brief Intervention for Women with Risky Drinking and Medical Diagnoses: A Randomized Controlled Trial

This is a randomized controlled trial of 511 eligible women treated for diabetes, hypertension, infertility, or osteoporosis on an outpatient basis to test the hypothesis that those randomized to a brief intervention (BI) will drink less than those in the control condition 12 months later. A secondary goal was to identify the characteristics associated with changes in drinking outcome. All 511 completed the initial alcohol assessment, and 96% completed the 12-month follow-up interview. Those receiving the BI also had 3- and 6-month interviews. Four outcomes were assessed: (a) mean drinks per drinking day, (b) percent drinking days, (c) binge episodes defined as four or more drinks per occasion, and (d) weeks of drinking exceeding the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism sensible drinking limits. Overall, there were no differences in drinking outcome by treatment group. Characteristics associated with changes in drinking, however, were identified to provide possible direction for future investigation.
On a geometric approach for discrete time decoupling problems

The success of the so-called geometric approach in extending to continuous time nonlinear systems many important results from linear system theory is well-documented. Recently this approach has been generalized to discrete time nonlinear systems and it now appears that a theory just as rich as the nonlinear continuous time one can be developed. The purpose of this paper is to present the underlying geometric ideas which have led to these developments.
On Today's Two‐Worlds Interpretation: Knowledge and True Belief in Plato

This paper presents arguments against two crucial elements of recent versions of the Two-Worlds interpretation of Plato. I argue first that in addition to knowledge of the forms, Plato allows beliefs about them as well. Then I argue that Plato sees knowledge as a state in which the subject is conscious of information about the forms. Thus, the infallibility of knowledge must be understood in a way that is consistent with its being informational. Finally, I argue that my conclusions about knowledge do not preclude the possibility that cognition of forms has a direct, nonrepresentational aspect.
Louisiana Appellate Practice and Procedure: An Overview for Legal Practitioners

Appellate practice and procedure is a specialized field. In several ways, the written and oral advocacy skills essential for success in appellate practice are very different from those used by trial court practitioners. This Article was written to highlight some of those differences and to recommend strategies for success in appellate practice. This Article, written by a seasoned appellate advocate and former Louisiana Supreme Court law clerk, provides a practical perspective on keys to successful appellate advocacy, using the governing rules and procedures of Louisiana’s judicial system as case study. In addition to detailing the various standards of review under which appellate courts consider appeals, this Article also emphasizes the importance of making a record of matters at the trial court, such that they are preserved for appellate review. In concluding, the Article makes recommendations on practice before the Louisiana Supreme Court, a court with discretion similar to the United States Supreme Court in that with the exception of specified matters as provided by law, the Louisiana Supreme Court reviews applications for certiorari to determine if it will adjudicate the merits of an applicant’s case.
Histomorphologic features of spontaneous and chemically-induced pulmonary neoplasms in B6C3F1 mice and Fischer 344 rats.

The histomorphologic features of spontaneous and chemically-induced lung neoplasms in male and female B6C3F1 mice and Fischer 344 rats are described. Primary pulmonary neoplasms in mice and rats we...
Stratigraphic subunits and control of ground in the Revett Formation, Coeur d'Alene Mining District, Idaho

Abstract Recent research on the Revett Formation of the Coeur d'Alene Mining District of northern Idaho indicates that mappable stratigraphic subunits extensively influence the spatial distribution of ground control hazards associated with mining-induced seismicity and falls of ground. In particular, heightened levels of mining-induced seismicity are linked to certain hard subunits of vitreous quartzite. Overcore stress measurements have shown that at least portions of these hard subunits also contain anomalously high, rotated stress fields. Furthermore, first-motion studies show that some large seismic events are driven by stress fields aligned with these hard subunits. An improved understanding of the relationship between vitreous quartzite subunits, in situ stress, and various ground control problems should provide engineers with opportunities to anticipate the spatial distribution of ground control hazard potential in a rock mass.
Influence of mycorrhizal fungi on fate of E. coli O157:H7 and Salmonella in soil and internalization into Romaine lettuce plants

The objectives of this study were to determine the influence of a symbiotic arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) fungus on persistence of Salmonella and enterohemorrhagic Escherichia coli O157:H7 (EHEC) within soil, and survival within Romaine lettuce. Romaine seedlings were grown with or without AM fungi. Soil surrounding plants was inoculated with ca. 8 log CFU/plant of either Salmonella enterica or E. coli EHEC composites. Samples (soil, root, and shoot) were analyzed on days 1, 8, 15 and 22 for Salmonella and EHEC by direct plating and selective enrichment. Twenty-four hours after inoculation, populations of Salmonella and EHEC, respectively, were 4.20 and 3.24 log CFU/root, 2.52 and 1.17 log CFU/shoot, and 5.46 and 5.17 log CFU/g soil. By selective enrichment, samples tested positive for Salmonella or EHEC at day 22 at rates of 94 and 68% (shoot), 97 and 56% (root), and 100 and 75% (soil), respectively, suggesting that Salmonella has a greater propensity for survival than EHEC. Salmonella populations in soil remained as high as 4.35 log CFU/g by day 22, while EHEC populations dropped to 1.12 log CFU/g in the same amount of time. Ninety-two percent of all Romaine leaves in our study were positive for internalized Salmonella from days 8 to 22 and remained as high as 1.26 log CFU/shoot on day 22 in AM fungi+Romaine plants. There were no differences (P>0.05) between the survival of either pathogen based on the presence or absence of mycorrhizal fungi. Results of this study suggest that AM fungi do not affect the internalization and/or survival of either S. enterica or E. coli O157:H7 in Romaine lettuce seedlings. Our results should provide Romaine lettuce farmers confidence that the presence and/or application of AM fungi to crop soil is not a contributing factor to the internalization and survival of Salmonella or E. coli O157:H7 within Romaine lettuce plants.
Phonatory effects of supraglottic structures in excised canine larynges.

Summary The aim of this study is to determine how phonation is affected by the presence and by alteration in the position of the supraglottic structures. The study used three excised canine larynges. A series of pressure-flow experiments were completed first on the excised larynx with false folds and epiglottis intact, then with the epiglottis removed, and finally with the false folds removed. Aerodynamic and acoustic effects were quantified with the analysis of the pressure, flow, and audio signals. The results of the study indicated that (1) elevation of the epiglottis to upright position from a horizontal position decreased subglottal pressure, increased flow (decreased laryngeal resistance), and slightly decreased fundamental frequency; (2) vibration of the false vocal folds induced some irregularity into the acoustic output of the larynx; (3) the presence of the epiglottis and the false vocal folds enhanced the second partial of the acoustic signal; and (4) the absence of the epiglottis and false folds increased low-frequency noise (between 0 and 300Hz). Alteration in the position of the supraglottic structures affects laryngeal aerodynamics and acoustics, possibly due to biomechanical linkage with true vocal folds. When the supraglottic structures are present they act as resonators, enhancing the second partial and when they are absent (as in persons with supraglottic laryngectomy), low-frequency noise is increased perhaps due to the loss of boundary conditions or due to the presence of loose tissue.
Algorithm 741: least-squares solution of a linear, bordered, block-diagonal system of equations

A package of Fortran subroutines is presented for the least-squares solution of a system of overdetermined, full-rank, linear equations with single-bordered block-diagonal structure. This structure allows for a natural sequential processing, one block diagonal at a time, so that large systems can be handled even on smaller machines. Orthogonal transformations in the form of Householder reflections are used to factor the system. The routines make heavy use of the Levels 1, 2, and 3 BLAS.
Enhanced photorelaxation in aorta, pulmonary artery and corpus cavernosum produced by BAY K 8644 or N-nitro-L-arginine.

Summary Segments of endothelium-denuded aorta, pulmonary arterial rings and strips of corpus cavernosum from rabbits were superfused with Krebs medium. Photorelaxation elicited by ultraviolet light (366 nm) was significantly enhanced by either BAY K 8644 (20 nM) or N-nitro-L-arginine (100 and 500 μM) and was associated with increased cyclic GMP. This action of both drugs was greater in pulmonary artery than aorta and corpus cavernosum and peristed in vascular rings for 90 min after drug removal. The effect was significantly attenuated by hemoglobin (10 μM) but was unaltered by superoxide dismutase (30 u/ml). The mechanism of such photosensitization is presently unclear.
Nicotinic Acid Metabolism VI. PURIFICATION AND PROPERTIES OF α-METHYLENEGLUTARATE MUTASE (B12-DEPENDENT) AND METHYLITACONATE ISOMERASE

Abstract The conversion of α-methyleneglutarate (αMG) to dimethylmaleate (DMM) via methylitaconate (MeIT) is the reaction sequence that produces a symmetrical intermediate in the fermentation of nicotinic acid by Clostridium barkeri. αMG mutase catalyzes the isomerization of αMG in a B12 coenzyme-dependent reaction to form MeIT which in turn is isomerized to DMM by MeIT isomerase. Both enzymes are induced by growth on nicotinic acid and are not detectable in cells grown on glucose. The isomerase reaction favors the formation of DMM, whereas the mutase reaction favors the formation of αMG. Both reactions were demonstrated to be reversible. αMG mutase activity was assayed by coupling the formation of MeIT with the production of DMM in the presence of the isomerase. The purified mutase has an absolute requirement for cobamide coenzyme. The apparent Km values for αMG, α-(5,6-dimethylbenzimidazolyl)-cobamide coenzyme, α-(benzimidazolyl)-cobamide coenzyme, and α-(adenyl)-cobamide coenzyme are 7.14 x 10-3, 7.3 x 10-8, 3.0 x 10-7, and 1.25 x 10-6m, respectively. The most effective coenzyme, α-(5,6-dimethylbenzimidazolyl)cobamide coenzyme, is the same one that is synthesized in large amounts when C. barkeri is grown on nicotinic acid. No added cofactors are required for methylitaconate isomerase activity. The Km value is 6.2 x 10-3 m for methylitaconate and 4.0 x 10-3 m for dimethylmaleate. Both the mutase and the isomerase appear to be sulfhydryl proteins; neither requires metal ions for activity. A number of dicarboxylic acids are competitive inhibitors of αMG mutase but none of these affect MeIT isomerase activity.
Synthesis and Characterization of a Series of (Diphenyldipyrazolylmethane)copper Complexes as Possible Precursors to Type I Blue Copper Protein Active Site Models

A series of copper complexes employing the neutral, bidentate, pyrazole-based ligand diphenyldipyrazolylmethane was synthesized and fully characterized by various techniques, including elemental analysis, EPR, and structure elucidation by single-crystal X-ray diffraction. The structures of compounds 3−8 reveal variable coordination environments at the copper center, ranging from square pyramidal to tetrahedral, depending on the steric bulk at the pyrazole periphery and on the identity of the counterion. Cyclic voltammetry data on these compounds show a positively shifted reduction potential as compared to those observed employing the negatively charged pyrazolylborates or β-diketiminates. These results indicate that these compounds may lead to (thiol)copper complexes that more accurately reproduce the reduction potentials observed during electron-transfer processes in blue copper proteins. (© Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, 69451 Weinheim, Germany, 2004)
Methods for Assessing Single-Case School-Based Intervention Outcomes

The purpose of this article is to present various single-case outcome assessment methods for evaluating school-based intervention effectiveness. We present several outcome methods, including goal attainment scaling, visual analysis, trend analysis, percentage of non-overlapping data, single-case mean difference effect size, reliable change index, and convergent evidence scaling. The strengths and limitations of each of these methods are discussed, along with the potential practice applications. We conclude the article with a suggested display format for single-case intervention outcomes.
On-orbit alignment and imaging performance of the HST advanced camera for surveys

The Advanced Camera for Surveys (ACS), installed in the Hubble Space Telescope in March 2002, has significantly extended HST’s imaging capabilities. We describe the on-orbit optical alignment procedures and results, detailing the excellent image quality performance achieved. Comparison is made with the instrument specifications, ground test results and published performance expectations. The residual aberration content over the field of each channel is described and compared with the optical model, and various other performance measures, including sharpness and encircled energy are treated. The effects of the telescope focus oscillations due to thermal variations ("breathing") and image positional stability are also discussed.
Reisert compound studies. VI. The condensation of aldehydes with 2-benzoyl-1,2-dihydroisoquinaldonitrile†‡

In 1958 McEwan and coworkers (4) reported the condensation of the lithium salts of 1-benzoyl-1,2-dihydroquinaldonitrile and 2-benzoyl-1,2-dihydroiso-quinaldonitrile (I) with aldehydes to form esters of secondary alcohols containing the 2-quinoyl or 1-iso-quinoyl (II) group bonded to the carbinol carbon atom. This method was used to devise from appropriate Reissert compounds a convenient synthesis of papaverinol (5) and some attractive intermediates for eventual conversion to the ipecac alkaloids (6).
Materials Selection for High Temperature (750°–1000°C) Metallic Recuperators for Improved Efficiency Microturbines

The incorporation of a primary surface recuperator is one method for significantly improving the energy efficiency of a microturbine. The goal of this work is to employ laboratory testing of foil material (≈ 75-125μm or 3-5 mil thickness) to select alloys for higher temperature (750°−1000°C, 1400-1800°F) recuperator performance based on creep strength and corrosion resistance. Alloys of interest are high-Cr, Ni-base superalloys such as alloy 625 and aluminum-containing alloys such as Haynes alloy 214 and Plansee alloy PM2000, which is an oxide-dispersed FeCrAl. The interest in the latter two alloys is based on their corrosion resistance. Particularly in exhaust gas environments, chromia surface oxides are not sufficiently protective at high temperatures to achieve desired lifetimes. The formation of a slow-growing external alumina scale confers exceptional corrosion resistance for this application.Copyright © 2001 by ASME
A DFT study of the interstitial chemical shifts in main group element centered hexazirconium halide clusters

A density functional theoretical study aimed at correlating the chemical shifts of interstitial atoms and electronic structures of main-group-centered hexazirconium halide clusters has been performed and analyzed within the framework of perturbation theory. The influence of bridging halides on electronic structure was studied with two series of model compounds [(Zr6Z)X12](H2O)6n+ (Z = B, C; X = Cl, Br, I). The effect of terminal ligands on electronic structure was investigated with model compounds [(Zr6B)Cl12]L6+ (L = H2O, PH3, HCN, and OPH3). There is a qualitative inverse proportionality between the chemical shifts and the calculated energy gaps between two Kohn−Sham orbitals, ΔE(t1u*− t1u), where t1u and t1u* orbitals are the bonding and antibonding orbitals that result from the interaction between the zirconium cage bonding orbitals and the interstitial 2p orbitals. Chemical shielding properties of the interstitial atoms were further calculated with the gauge-including atomic orbitals (GIAO) method.
3α,5α-THP in the midbrain ventral tegmental area of rats and hamsters is increased in exogenous hormonal states associated with estrous cyclicity and sexual receptivity

The progestin 5α-pregnan-3α-ol-20-one (3α,5α-THP) facilitates sexual receptivity when applied to the midbrain ventral tegmental area (VTA) of rodents. The concentration of 3α,5α-THP in the midbrain was investigated in hormonal states associated with hormonally-dependent changes in behavior, notably increases in sexual receptivity in rodents. Rats and hamsters were ovariectomized, treated with vehicle, estradiol benzoate (EB), or EB+progesterone (EB+P). 3α,5α-THP was measured by radioimmunoassay in plasma, whole brain, cortex, hippocampus, hypothalamus, midbrain, and amygdala. 3α,5α-THP was further localized in cortex, CA1 region of the hippocampus, ventral medial hypothalamus, VTA, and dorsolateral amygdala by immunocytochemistry (ICC). 3α,5α-THP concentrations were highest in cortex and hippocampus. Midbrain concentrations of 3α,5α-THP were greater than in the hypothalamus or amygdala. In rats, 3α,5α-THP was increased after EB and further elevated following P administration. In hamsters, similar levels of 3α,5α-THP were seen after EB or EB+P. Overall, 3α,5α-THP was increased in the midbrain VTA of rats and hamsters that were administered hormone regimens that are associated with estrous variations and enhancement of sexual receptivity in rats and hamsters.
Doping fluctuation-driven magneto-electronic phase separation in La1?xSrxCoO3 single crystals

In recent years it has become clear that complex oxides provide an exceptional platform for the discovery of new physics as well as a considerable challenge to our understanding of correlated electrons. The tendency of these materials to display nanoscale electronic and magnetic inhomogeneity is a good example. Here, we have applied a variety of experimental techniques to investigate this magneto-electronic phase separation in a model system —the doped cobaltite La1−xSrxCoO3. Comparing experimental data over a wide range of doping with statistical simulations, we conclude that the magneto-electronic inhomogeneity is driven solely by inevitable local compositional fluctuations at nanoscopic length scales. The phase separation is thus doping fluctuation-driven rather than electronically driven, meaning that more complex electronic phase separation models are not required to understand the observed phenomena in this material.
Structural Alignment of the (+)-trans-anti-Benzo[a]pyrene-dG Adduct Positioned Opposite dC at a DNA Template−Primer Junction†

This study reports on the solution conformation of the covalent (+)-trans-anti-[BP]dG adduct (derived from the binding of the highly mutagenic and tumorigenic (+)-anti-benzo[a]pyrene diol epoxide to the N2 of deoxyguanosine) positioned opposite dC at a junctional site in the d(A1-A2-C3-[BP]G4-C5-T6-A7-C8-C9-A10-T11-C12-C13)·d(G14-G15-A16-T17-G18-G19-T20-A21-G22-C23) 13/10-mer DNA sequence. The 13-mer represents the template strand containing the junction [BP]dG4 lesion while the complementary 10-mer models a primer strand which extends upto and is complementary to the modified dG4 residue. The solution conformation has been determined by initially incorporating intramolecular and intermolecular proton−proton distances defined by lower and upper bounds deduced from NOESY spectra as restraints in molecular mechanics computations in torsion angle space and subsequently through restrained molecular dynamics calculations based on a NOE distance and intensity refinement protocol. The duplex segment retains a mi...
Immediate Breast Reconstruction with the Free TRAM Flap

: At M. D. Anderson Cancer Center, immediate breast reconstruction with the free transverse rectus abdominis myocutaneous (TRAM) flap is the standard of care for those women desiring reconstruction after mastectomy. We have found the free TRAM to be safe, more reliable, cosmetically superior and comparable in resource cost when compared to other techniques of reconstruction. As expertise in microsurgical techniques continue to spread, hopefully, the advantages offered by the free TRAM will become available to more patients.
DIVERSITY OF BONDING IN METHYL ATE ANIONS OF THE FIRST- AND SECOND-ROW ELEMENTS

CCSD/6-311++G(2d,2p) quantum-chemical calculations carried out in conjunction with rigorous analysis of the computed electronic wave functions reveal the existence of four different types of methyl...
An Adaptive Meshless Method for Modeling Large Mechanical Deformation and Contacts

Growing new robotic applications in agriculture, food-processing, assisted surgery and haptics, which requires handling of highly deformable objects, present a number of design challenges; among these are methods to analyze deformable contacts. Recently, meshless methods (MLM), which inherit many advantages of finite element method (FEM) and yet need no explicit mesh structure to discretize geometry, have been proposed as an attractive alternative to FEM for solving engineering problems where automatic re-meshing is needed. This paper offers an adaptive MLM (automatically inserting nodes into large error regions) for solving contact problems. We employ the sliding line algorithm with the penalty method to handle contact constraints; it does not rely on small displacement assumptions and thus, it can solve non-linear contact problems with large deformation. Along with three practical applications, we validate the method against results computed using commercial FEM software and analytical solutions.
Nanoporous Organosilicas: Periodic Materials Synthesized with Surfactant Templates in Acidic Media

Nanoporous organosilicas have been synthesized by the acid-catalyzed hydrolysis and condensation of bis(triethoxysilyl)ethane (BTSE) using a hydrothermal approach. Cetyltrimethylammonium chloride (CTAC), polyoxyethylene(10) cetyl ether (Brij 56), and polyoxythylene(10) stearyl ether (Brij 76) were employed as structure directors using the surfactant template method. The surfactants were extracted from the nanoscopic composite precipitates with acidified ethanol. The resulting nanoporous organosilicas have been characterized by nitrogen gas sorption, powder X-ray diffraction, and high-resolution thermogravimetric analysis. While the organosilicas synthesized with CTAC exhibit large surface areas (1000 m2/g) and pore volumes (1.0 cm3/g), they form relatively disordered matrixes as evidenced by broad pore size distributions and X-ray diffraction patterns. Brij 56 gives periodic nanoporous organosilicas with pore diameters 36−39 A. The use of brij 76 as the structure director gave better quality organosilicas...
Electronically‐controlled, portable, cone penetrometer

Abstract An electronically‐controlled, portable, cone penetrometer was designed, built, and tested. The penetrometer was driven electrically through a linear actuator. Cone position was sensed by a 10‐turn potentiometer, and force was sensed with an electronic load cell. A laptop computer controlled the linear actuator and recorded signals from the sensors through a data logger equipped with a serial interface. The penetrometer was capable of driving the cone at 0.84 cms‐1 (±5%) over a load range of 0 to 180 kg. The system allowed force and position excursion limits to be set through software and provided data sets at 1‐cm increments to depths of 45 cm and forces to 2,000 N. The penetrometer demonstrated good repeatability among closely spaced probings when force per unit cone area was plotted against depth.
Evidence for an involvement of the μ-type of opioid receptor in the modulation of learning

Pavlovian conditioning of the rabbit's nictitating membrane response was used to determine whether the retardation of learning produced by enkephalin derivatives was mediated through an action on μ- or δ-opioid receptors. Intraventricular injection of the highly selective μ-agonist, [D-Ala2, MePhe4, Gly-ol5] enkephalin (DAMGO) significantly retarded (2 nmol) or completely blocked (20 nmol) the acquisition of conditioned responses. The retarded or blocked acquisition of conditioned responses produced by DAMGO could still be detected when the rabbits were tested two days after cessation of drug injections, suggesting that DAMGO had affected learning and not simply performance of conditioned responses. Intraventricular injection of a comparable dose (20 nmol) of the highly selective δ-agonist, [D-Pen2.5] enkephalin (DPDPE) did not retard learning. A higher dose of DPDPE (200 nmol), which would be expected to act at both μ- and δ-receptors, did produce a retardation of acquisition that was comparable to the effects of a 2-nmol dose of DAMGO. However, unlike DAMGO, the retardation of learning produced by this dose of DPDPE appeared to be due, at least in part, to a reduction in the aversive properties of the unconditioned stimulus. The retardation of learning produced by 2 nmol of DAMGO and 200 nmol of DPDPE was due to an action on an opioid receptor because this effect was blocked by a subcutaneous injection of naloxone (2.5 μmol/kg), a specific opioid antagonist. The stereoselective effects of the μ-opioid agonist levorphanol further confirmed that the retarded learning was mediated through actions at the μ-opioid receptor. Autoradiographic studies indicated that a 2-nmol, intraventricular dose of DAMGO achieved contents greater than 1 pmol/mg in tissue lying within 2 mm of the lateral ventricle, third ventricle and cerebral aqueduct. These data suggest that enkephalins produce a retardation of learning through an effect on the μ-type of opioid receptor and that at least one locus of their actions is produced at periventricular sites lying within 2 mm of the ventricles. It was concluded that the μ-type of opioid receptor was normally involved in the modulation of learning and that such modulation would be expected to be most prominent during environmental conditions that have been demonstrated to produce a large release of endogenous enkephalins.
Does every patient with prenatal hydronephrosis need voiding cystourethrography

AbstractPurpose: Prenatal ultrasound has allowed early identification of urinary tract abnormalities that may require urological followup or early intervention. While all children with prenatal hydronephrosis should undergo ultrasound within the first few weeks of life, we believe that there is a subset of postnatal hydronephrosis for which voiding cystourethrography can be avoided if careful observation is continued.Materials and Methods: For 5 years 175 infants with a history of prenatal hydronephrosis were evaluated by ultrasound. Of 60 infants with less than Society for Fetal Urology grade II unilateral or bilateral hydronephrosis 44 underwent voiding cystourethrography as part of the early evaluation and 16 were observed without voiding cystourethrography. Four infants for whom we would routinely obtain voiding cystourethrography were excluded from study due to severe prenatal hydronephrosis, renal duplication, hydroureter, ipsilateral small or echogenic kidney and grade II or higher hydronephrosis.R...
Experimental Verification of the Flexibility-Based Damage Locating Vector Method

In recent years, numerous approaches have been proposed for detecting damage in structures, in which the flexibility-based damage locating vector (DLV) method is one of the promising techniques. By computing a set of load vectors from the change of the flexibility matrix before and after damage and then applying them as static forces to the undamaged analytical model for static computation, the DLV method is able to locate damage in structures. The main purpose of this paper is to experimentally verify this method. Following a brief introduction and discussion of the motivation for the flexibility-based method, an overview of the DLV method and construction of the flexibility matrix from limited sensor information is presented. The DLV method is then experimentally verified employing a 5.6 m (18 ft)-long three-dimensional truss structure. To simulate damage in the structure, the original truss member is replaced by one with reduced stiffness. Experimental results show that the DLV method can successfully detect the damage using a limited number of sensors and modes.
Concept of group and the theory of shape perception

This paper considers shape constancy, which is a fundamental perceptual phenomenon. Shape constancy refers to the fact that the percept of the shape of a given object remains constant despite changes in the object's retinal image. The image may change because of changes in the orientation of the object relative to the observer. In conventional approaches based on the concept of groups of transformations, formulating a theory of shape constancy requires that a group that adequately represents the viewing conditions be identified first. As a results, a given theory holds only for the assumed group, and therefore many theories are needed, one theory for each viewing condition. It is conjectured that explaining shape constancy requires a new approach, in which one theory holds across different viewing conditions. In this new approach, shape constancy is explained by using geometrical properties of image formation under perspective. Image formation is not represented by a group of transformations, but it leads to a theory that is more general than prior theories it explains shape constancy in the case of monocular and binocular viewing for both the stationary and the active observer.
Computations of dilatancy and yield surfaces for assemblies of rigid frictional spheres

This paper is concerned with the Reynolds dilatancy and shear strength of idealized granular media. The first part of the paper offers a calculation of dilatancy in rigid-sphere assemblies based on the theoretical estimate previously proposed by J. D. Goddard (Proc. 11th Int. Congress of Rheology (ed. P. Moldenaers and R. Kuenings; Elsevier, Amsterdam 1992) 141-142) as a generalization of the classical work of O. Reynolds (Phil. Mag. 20 (1885) 469-481). This new estimate yields an analytical expression for the dilatancy of two-dimensional isotropic assemblies of disks with arbitrary size distribution. Only a few special cases of three-dimensional assemblies could be treated analytically, but a stochastic (Monte Carlo) calculation is readily implemented. The estimates of the present method are roughly three times those of Reynolds, and it is argued that the two types of estimate represent opposite bounds for the dilatancy and strength of frictionless sphere assemblies. The second part of the paper summarizes results from a detailed particle-mechanics (discrete-element) computer simulation of rigid-sphere assemblies, based on the recently developed quasi-static method of Zhuang, Didwania and Goddard (J. Comput. Phys. 121 (1995) 331-346). Dilatancies and yield cones are computed for various mono- and polydisperse assemblies of rigid frictional spheres subject to simple monotonic deformations, of the type encompassed by the 'cubical triaxial' test of soil mechanics. At large plastic strains, the computed yield surfaces bear a striking resemblance to the empirical Lade-Duncan yield surface of soil mechanics, which is adopted as a convenient referential basis for presenting the simulations. Many of the computed yield cones exhibit a lack of convexity at small strain, which may suggest a plastic instability that is suppressed in the current simulations, a matter proposed for further investigation. The results presented here suggest that frictional-sphere assemblies may mimic the shape and evolution of yield surfaces at small confining pressures for certain real non-cohesive granular media, if not the absolute magnitudes of yield strength.
Equilibrium Inflation as Determined by a Policy Committee

Building upon the work of Kydland and Prescott [1977], Barro and Gordon [1983b] developed a model explaining excess, socially suboptimal inflation as the result of a policy game between the monetary authority and wage setters in an economy. In a follow-up paper Barro and Gordon [1983a] modified their original model to achieve a lower inflation rate by allowing the monetary authority to acquire a reputation for good behavior. In essence, this extension models monetary policy as the outcome of an infinitely repeated game between a monetary authority and wage setters. In this game wage setters adopt punishment rules for "bad" monetary authority behavior, where bad behavior is an inflation rate higher than expected. This extended model of Barro and Gordon, and hence the conclusions derived from it, is open to several criticisms (see, for example, Canzoneri [1985] and Rogoff [1987]). First, the results hinge on the theory of infinitely repeated games and thus would appear to be of questionable relevance in any economy with finitely lived policy makers. Second, and more fundamentally, it is difficult to accept the description of policy as a game between the monetary authority and wage setters. One can accept that under certain circumstances an individual wage setter would adopt punishment rules of the type Barro and Gordon discussed, if the individual thought all wage setters were doing so. What is left unexplained in the Barro and Gordon analysis is how or why each individual wage setter, when left alone, would think and act in such a manner. It would seem that some formal coordination among wage setters would be needed to establish punishment rules, which suggests a limited applicability of the model to countries with a dominant union or with an aggregate wage-setting authority. (Of course, this criticism is relevant to other papers in this literature: for example, Backus and Driffill [1985] and aspects of Canzoneri [1985].) The purpose of this paper is to demonstrate how these criticisms can be voided and how the Barro and Gordon [1983a] results can be rehabilitated by modeling monetary policy more realistically