cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Effects of chemical structure and precursor on optical properties, thermo-mechanical properties, and molecular orientation and order of thin films of stiff aromatic polyimides

Thin films of rigid poly(p-phenylene pyromellitimide) (PMDA-PDA) and semi-rigid poly(p-phenylene biphenyltetracarboximide) (BPDA-PDA), prepared by thermal imidization of the respective poly(amic acid) and poly(amic ethyl ester) precursors, were characterized with respect to their optical, thermomechanical and structural properties. Both polyimides exhibit an unusually large anisotropy between the in-plane and out-of-plane refractive indices, with Δn ranging from 0.198 to 0.216 for PMDA-PDA and from 0.230 to 0.242 for BPDA-PDA, nearly independent of the nature of the initial polyimide precursor, film thickness, and film preparation method. PMDA-PDA films exhibit low coefficients of thermal expansion (CTE's) of 6.5 and 8.2 ppm/δC for the acid-derived and the ester-derived polyimides, respectively. In comparison, the BPDA-PDA films show CTE values of 4.3 and 18.0 for the acid-derived and ester-derived samples, respectively, despite the small differences in their optical anisotropies. Wide-angle x-ray diffraction patterns obtained in reflection and transmission for the various samples reveal a strong in-plane chain orientation for both PMDA-PDA and BPDA-PDA polyimides, with somewhat better intermolecular packing order for the ester-derived polyimide films. These effects of chemical structure and precursor on properties and structures of the polyimide films are discussed in light of recent theoretical considerations of semiflexible polymers.
Role of silicon in diatom metabolism II. Endogenous nucleoside triphosphate pools during silicic acid starvation of synchronized Cylindrotheca fusiformis

Abstract 1. The endogenous 32P-labeled ribonucleoside (NTP) and deoxyribonucleoside (dNTP) triphosphate pools were examined during the light-dark synchronized division cycle of cells grown in the presence and absence of silicic acid. 2. The relative amounts of various NTPs at equilibrium were ATP > GTP > UTP > CTP . The ATP pool was approximately 10 times that of the other three nucleotides combined. In exponential cells the ATP/ADP ratio was 2.0 while in the synchronized cells it was 1.5–1.6 and did not change significantly during the division cycle. 3. The relative amounts of dNTPs were dATP > dGTP > dCTP > dTTP ; final pool size of the dNTPs was approximately 10 times smaller than that of the NTPs. At the onset of DNA synthesis, the dNTP pool represents about 3.6 % of the total cell DNA and would suffice for about 15 min of DNA synthesis. 4. In silicic acid-starved cells the build up and the final pool sizes of both NTPs and dNTPs did not differ significantly from that of control cells. Thus it seems unlikely that the cessation of DNA synthesis in silicic acid-starved cells results from lack of energy (ATP), or from lack of dNTP precursors for DNA synthesis. These results support the conclusion that the dNTP pools are tightly regulated at all times.
Correlated Local Atomic Displacements: The Microscopic Origins for Macroscopic Phenomena.

In many systems for which there are several atoms in the unit cell, the displacements of the atoms may be locally correlated even though there is no long range coherence. Such displacements can play an important role in determining various macroscopic properties. We consider several examples to demonstrate this phenomena - the local distortions in the colossal magneto-resistive (CMR) and charge-ordered manganites, magnetic field induced distortions in CMR materials that are connected to macroscopic magnetostriction, and correlated displacements of tetrahedral units within the negative thermal expansion material ZrW2O8. The distortions in the CMR materials observed using XAFS change rapidly just below Tc and are attributed to the formation of polarons as the temperature is increased through Tc. In the ferromagnetic state, the lattice is more ordered for CMR systems; consequently applying a magnetic field for T ∼ Tc should decrease the local distortions. Such an effect has been observed and is a much larger effect than the measured macroscopic magnetostriction. Finally, in ZrW2O8 the tetrahedral and octahedral units are found to be very rigid as expected. More surprising is that the width of the pair-distance distribution for the W-Zr atom-pair is also quite small, indicating that the W-Zr linkage is stiff. In contrast, for the W-W pair, the distribution width grows rapidly with T, indicating correlated displacements of two WO4 tetrahedral units.
Echocardiographic evaluation of cardiac rhabdomyoma in infants and children.

Purpose The objective of this study was to demonstrate the clinical presentation, echocardiographic findings, and morbidity and mortality rates for cardiac rhabdomyoma in Chinese infants and children by using echocardiography. Methods Two-dimensional echocardiography was performed at our institution from 1992 through 1999 on 12,800 children under 15 years of age. The diagnoses of cardiac rhabdomyoma were made primarily by echocardiography based on the presence of multiple tumors, cardiac tumors associated with tuberous sclerosis (TS), or histopathologic examination of surgical specimens. All patients were evaluated with 2-dimensional and Doppler echocardiography and then on follow-up examination every 3–6 months. Complete tumor regression was defined as no tumor visible by echocardiography. Partial tumor regression was defined as a decrease in tumor size of at least 15% from the previously measured size. Results A total of 29 tumors were found in 11 patients, 8 of whom had either TS or a family history of TS in 1 or more first-degree relatives. There were 9 boys and 2 girls 1 day–6.5 years old; (mean, 1.1 years). Three patients (newborns with heart failure) died, 2 after emergency surgery and 1 of intractable heart failure. The remaining 8 patients were managed conservatively and monitored for a mean duration of 3.3 years. Follow-up studies revealed that, of the 22 tumors in these 8 patients, 7 completely regressed, 7 partially regressed, and 8 remained stable. Our results showed no relationship between the tumor location and the regression rate (p = 0.34). Conclusions Cardiac rhabdomyoma often presents in TS patients with no major arrhythmia or hemodynamic obstruction. However, in symptomatic neonates with or without TS, cardiac rhabdomyoma is usually fatal. Meticulous prenatal screening and routine echocardiographic examinations of patients with TS can reveal subclinical or clinically occult cardiac rhabdomyomas. © 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Clin Ultrasound 28:381–386, 2000.
Hypoxia increases breast cancer cell-induced lymphatic endothelial cell migration.

Abstract Because tumors are characterized by hypoxic environments, we used a novel in vitro noninvasive magnetic resonance imaging assay to examine the influence of invasive MDA-MB-231 breast cancer cells on the invasion and migration of human dermal lymphatic microvascular endothelial cells (HMVEC-dLy) under normoxic and hypoxic conditions. Nonmalignant immortalized MCF-12A human mammary epithelial cells instead of cancer cells or chambers with HMVEC-dLy alone were used as controls for comparison. HMVEC-dLy cells were labeled with a T 2 contrast agent (Feridex), and their invasion and migration through extracellular matrix under normoxic and hypoxic conditions were monitored using magnetic resonance imaging. A significant increase in the invasion and migration of HMVEC-dLy cells was detected in the presence of cancer cells, which further increased significantly under hypoxic conditions. HMVEC-dLy cells formed interconnecting strands extending toward the cancer cells under normoxic but not under hypoxic conditions. Following reoxygenation, these interconnecting strands, extending from HMVEC-dLy cells toward the cancer cells, were observed. These data demonstrate the importance of hypoxia in lymphatic endothelial cell invasion and migration through extracellular matrix in the presence of cancer cells.
Optimal damped vibration absorber for narrow band random excitations: A mixed H2/H\infty optimization

Abstract This paper deals with the design of an optimal damped vibration absorber in the presence of a narrow band random excitation. This process is classified as a mixed H 2 / H ∞ optimization. Results from this optimization process are compared to those from the classical H ∞ (Den Hartog) and the H 2 solutions.
Received signal strength gradient estimation for mobile networks

This paper considers the question: As a receiver moves along a trajectory, is its received signal strength (RSS) increasing or decreasing? This is an important question for mobile receivers to answer in order to maintain or improve connectivity within the network. When signal strength maps are unavailable a priori, a receiver decides the answer based on its observations. We derive the maximum likelihood estimate (MLE) of signal strength at a particular location in Rayleigh/Rician fading and additive Gaussian noise. We estimate the slope of the gradient by making RSS estimates at multiple locations. By making estimates of the MLE variance, we can derive confidence in the gradient, which can be used to decide future movements.
Working for free? Motivations of participating in open source projects

The success of the Linux operating system has demonstrated the viability of an alternative form of software development: open source software, which challenges traditional assumptions about software markets. Understanding what drives open source developers to participate in open source projects is crucial for assessing the impact of open source software. The article identifies two broad types of motivations that account for their participation in open source projects. The first category includes internal factors such as intrinsic motivation and altruism, and the second category focuses on external rewards such as expected future returns and personal needs. The article also reports the results of a survey administered to open source programmers.
Toxicity of creosote‐contaminated sediment to field‐ and laboratory‐colonized estuarine benthic communities

Macrobenthic animal communities that colonized uncontaminated and creosote-contaminated sand (177, 844 and 4,420 μg/g, nominal) during 8 weeks were compared to assess effects of marine-grade creosote on community structure. Aquaria were colonized in the laboratory by planktonic larvae entrained in continuously supplied unfiltered seawater and in the field by animals that occurred naturally. Individuals and species in aquaria that contained 844 and 4,420 μg creosote/g sand were significantly fewer (α = 0.05) than those in the control. Abundance of animals in field-colonized communities contaminated with 177 μg/g creosote, but not in laboratory-colonized communities, also was less than that in the control. The lowest creosote concentration at either site that affected numbers of individuals or species was 844 μg/g for mollusks and 177 μg/g for echinoderms, annelids and arthropods. The Shannon-Weaver index of diversity, Simpson's index of dominance and the Bray-Curtis dissimilarity index differences were greater with each increase in creosote concentration. Rarefaction indices of diversity indicated that the distribution of individuals within species was about the same for laboratory and field assemblages of animals. Initial measured concentrations of creosote in sand (midrange concentration) decreased by 30% in the laboratory and by 42% in the field at the end of the 8-week test.
It is not just the poor kids: the use of AAE forms by African-American school-aged children from middle SES communities.

Abstract This study examined the production of African-American English (AAE) forms produced by 69 school-aged African-American children from middle socio-economic status (SES) communities to determine if age would influence: (a) the number of different types of AAE tokens and (b) the rate of dialect. Descriptive data revealed that there were more than 20 AAE morpho-syntactic forms collectively used by the children. The findings also indicated that factors of age, gender, and sampling context interacted in a variety of ways to influence these children’s production of the number of different types of AAE tokens, and the rate of dialect. Learning outcomes Readers should have (1) an increased awareness about the use of AAE forms in school-age children from middle SES homes; (2) a greater understanding of how the production of AAE might be influenced by age, gender, and sampling context.
Twentieth-Century Sea Surface Temperature Patterns in the Pacific during Decadal Moisture Regimes over the United States

Abstract Three great moisture anomalies were observed during the twentieth century over the western United States: a pluvial from 1905 to 1917, the Dust Bowl drought (1929–40), and the Southwestern drought of 1946–56. A composite analysis of the concurrent Pacific sea surface temperature (SST) field is used to infer the atmospheric circulation that may have been associated with these objectively defined decadal dry and wet periods. The early-twentieth-century pluvial occurred during a 13-yr SST regime with unusually cold water in the northern and northwestern North Pacific and in the eastern North Pacific. This pattern would favor a “Pineapple Express–like” mean storm track into the west. Warm ENSO-like conditions also observed during the pluvial would have favored an enhanced subtropical jet stream into the southwestern United States. The 11-yr Dust Bowl drought occurred during a poorly defined Pacific SST regime, although unusually cold water was present in the far western North Pacific. Weak warm SST c...
StepBrothers: inferring partially shared ancestries among recombinant viral sequences

Phylogeneticists have developed several statistical methods to infer recombination among molecular sequences that are evolutionarily related. Of these methods, Markov change-point models currently provide the most coherent framework. Yet, the Markov assumption is faulty in that the inferred relatedness of homologous sequences across regions divided by recombinant events is not independent, particularly for nonrecombinant sequences as they share the same history. To correct this limitation, we introduce a novel random tips (RT) model. The model springs from the idea that a recombinant sequence inherits its characters from an unknown number of ancestral full-length sequences, of which one only observes the incomplete portions. The RT model decomposes recombinant sequences into their ancestral portions and then augments each portion onto the data set as unique partially observed sequences. This data augmentation generates a random number of sequences related to each other through a single inferable tree with the same random number of tips. While intuitively pleasing, this single tree corrects the independence assumptions plaguing previous methods while permitting the detection of recombination. The single tree also allows for inference of the relative times of recombination events and generalizes to incorporate multiple recombinant sequences. This generalization answers important questions with which previous models struggle. For example, we demonstrate that a group of human immunodeficiency type 1 recombinant viruses from Argentina, previously thought to have the same recombinant history, actually consist of 2 groups: one, a clonal expansion of a reference sequence and another that predates the formation of the reference sequence. In another example, we demonstrate that 2 hepatitis B virus recombinant strains share similar splicing locations, suggesting a common descent of the 2 viruses. We implement and run both examples in a software package called StepBrothers, freely available to interested parties.
Grammar Dilemma: Teaching Grammar as a Resource for Making Meaning

Adopting a functional perspective that views grammar as a rich resource for making contextualized meanings in a culture- and language-specific way, the article reconsiders the role of explicit grammar instruction in developing communicative abilities of second language learners. It draws on two distinct but complementary research frameworks, Systemic Functional Linguistics and Cognitive Linguistics, and on their conceptualization of grammar as a semiotic tool that serves the functions it is called on to perform in a speech community and is shaped by a variety of historical, social, and biological factors. The article delineates pedagogical principles of functionally based grammar instruction and illustrates them by providing suggestions on how to teach two notoriously complex phenomena in German: clausal dative case and past tenses. It advocates presenting grammatical phenomena in the context of an entire text and creating a metalinguistic awareness that enables learners to make situationally appropriate linguistic choices consistent with those of native speakers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
Relationships between Intelligence and Concept Identification in Adulthood as a Function of Stage of Learning.

Three groups (n = 54) of participants aged 17-26, 39-51 and 59-76 were asked to solve two types of concept problems to investigate the intellectual correlates of concept identification as a function of stage of learning in adulthood. Predictions derived from the Gf-Gc theory of Horn and Cattell were partially supported in each age group. Differential ability-performance relations as a function of stage of learning were considerably less potent in the elderly versus the young and middle aged. Comparisons both within and between age groups suggested that a dynamic picture of interactions among organismic and task-related variables is preferable, reflecting structural changes in such relationships with practice and cohort membership.
Psychoanalysis of Dreams: Dream Theory and Its Relationship to Literature and Popular Culture: Freud, Billy Joel, Appelfeld, and Abe

A partir d'une breve analyse de quelques exemples issus de la litterature ou de chansons populaires americaines, les AA. examinent quelques aspects des relations multiples et complexes, et des influences reciproques, dans la culture moderne, entre theorie et interpretation psychanalytique des reves d'une part, et culture populaire et litterature d'autre part.
Prototype for a large-scale static timing analyzer running on an IBM Blue Gene

This paper focuses on parallelization of the classic static timing analysis (STA) algorithm for verifying timing characteristics of digital integrated circuits. Given ever-increasing circuit complexities, including the need to analyze circuits with billions of transistors, across potentially thousands of process corners, with accuracy tolerances down to the picosecond range, sequential execution of STA algorithms is quickly becoming a bottleneck to the overall chip design closure process. A message passing based parallel processing technique for performing STA leveraging an IBM Blue Gene/L supercomputing platform is presented. Results are collected for a small industrial 65 nm benchmarking design, where the algorithm demonstrates speedup of nearly 39 times on 64 processors and a peak of 119 times (without partitioning costs, speedup is 263 times) on 1024 processors. With an idealized synthetic circuit, the algorithm demonstrated 259 times speedup, 925 times speedup without partitioning overhead, on 1024 processors. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first result demonstrating scalable STA on the IBM Blue Gene.
Imaging Metal-on-Metal Hip Replacements: the Norwich Experience

Adverse reaction to metal debris is a relatively recently described and often a silent complication of metal-on-metal (MOM) total hip replacements (THR). The Norfolk & Norwich University Hospital has been performing metal artefact reduction (MARS) MRI for 8 years in a variety of different types of MOM THR. The aims of this review are to describe the experience of using MARS MRI in Norwich and to compare our experience with that published by other groups. A MEDLINE keyword search was performed for studies including MRI in MOM THR. Relevant publications were reviewed and compared with published data from the Norfolk & Norwich University Hospital. The similarities and differences between these data were compared and possible explanations for these discussed. MARS MRI appears to be the most useful tool for diagnosing, staging and monitoring adverse reactions to metal debris (ARMD). There appears to be no clinically useful association between clinical and serological markers of disease and the severity of MR findings. Although severe early ARMD is associated with significant morbidity, mild disease is often stable for years. If patients with normal initial MR examinations develop ARMD, this usually occurs 7 years. A 1-year interval between MRI examinations is reasonable in asymptomatic patients. There is a general international consensus that ARMD is prevalent in symptomatic and asymptomatic patients with MOM THR and that while appearances vary with the type of prosthesis, there are characteristic features that make MARS MRI essential for diagnosis, staging and surveillance of the disease.
Caring Science, Mindful Practice: Implementing Watson’s Human Caring Theory by Kathleen Sitzman and Jean Watson

Jean Watson is a highly regarded nurse theorist, and the practice of mindfulness in nursing is an emerging concept. This work is an excellent addition to any nursing collection interested in Watson...
Genetic factors in the ontogeny of spoken language: evidence from monozygotic and dizygotic twins

Recent controversy about the innateness of language has awakened interest in the genetic basis of linguistic development. In this study, we analysed more extensively data from Mather & Black (1984).in order to test the hypothesis that the speech articulation of monozygotic (MZ) twins would be qualitatively more similar than that of age- and sex-matched dizygotic (DZ) twins. Analyses revealed that 4–year-old MZ twin pairs were significantly more likely to misproduce the same sounds on an articulation test than were DZ twin pairs, and that DZ twins were no more likely to share errors than were children who were both genetically and environmentally unrelated. There was no evidence that MZ twins made more similar errors than DZ twins, and indeed it was difficult to make this determination since only broad categories of error (substitution, distortion, omission) were available for analysis. The greater amount of genetic material shared by MZ twins, and the presumably more similar morphology of their speech mechanisms, may have caused certain sound patterns to be of more nearly equal difficulty for both members of a MZ pair. However, these findings need to be confirmed with phonetically more detailed analyses.
Modeling of radiographic retrievals: a Markov chain analysis

A Markov chain model is studied and evaluated in determining the retrieval rates of an analog film library and an electronic grayscale display system in an image management network (PACS). This model provides a reasonable representation of retrieval rates since Markov chains depend only upon the current and previous state of the chain. The model requires identification of the states of the chain, one-step transition probabilities between the states, and the initial probabilities of occurrence of the states. The use of the model is demonstrated with three examples. The results of the model are in agreement with measured data.© (1993) COPYRIGHT SPIE--The International Society for Optical Engineering. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.
Conservation Connecting Multiple Scales of Place

This chapter stretches the notion of place and its role in conservation by exploring interactions across multiple scales via new forms of governance. This process may enable rural, resource-dependent communities, previously deemed incapable of asserting much influence on decision-making, to engage in extra-local relationships to better serve their community interests. Theoretical explorations of place, scale, community and regional fields, and governance are followed by a summary of emerging place-based influences on decision-making in the context of recent widespread landscape disturbance in north central Colorado. In this case, new relationships were forged via expanding place and multi-scale linkages and innovative forms of governance.
Socioeconomic status as an independent predictor of physiological biomarkers of cardiovascular disease: evidence from NHANES.

Abstract Background C-reactive protein, homocysteine, cholesterol, and fibrinogen are known to vary by socioeconomic status (SES). Using a nationally representative study, we examined whether these factors vary independently of all other known risk factors, such as diet, exercise, and genetic predisposition. Methods We analyzed the 1999–2002 National Health Examination and Nutrition Survey using logistic regression models. Results We found that high-density lipoprotein cholesterol blood levels increase with income and educational attainment after controlling all known risk factors for elevated cholesterol (e.g., diet, exercise, and family history). Blood levels of C-reactive protein are inversely associated with income and education. Homocysteine blood levels are inversely associated with income even after controlling for blood folate level. A non-significant inverse relationship between homocysteine levels and educational attainment was also observed. Blood levels of low-density lipoprotein cholesterol and fibrinogen were not significantly associated with income or education. Conclusions Levels of “good” (high density lipoprotein) cholesterol increase with income and education even after controlling for factors known to place people at risk of high cholesterol. Stress differences by social class may play a role.
Birds before there were no dinosaurs

Mesozoic Birds: Above the Heads of Dinosaurs. Edited by Luis M. Chiappe and Lawrence M. Witmer. University of California Press, Berkeley. 2002. 520 pages. Cloth $95.00. This dense, collected volume comes with all of the summits and declivities expected of the genre. Because of the pace of new discoveries, particularly in China, the manuscript was out of date well before it reached the hands of a printer, and by the editors' own admission the book is incomplete for lacking treatment of important groups such as Ichthyornithiformes and most of the Hesperornithiformes. For certain omissions, however, the editors may be praised as sparing us from further exposure to futility. Regarding the origin of avian flight, for example, they take the position that “so much has been written on the subject, with so little positive outcome, that another dedicated review was not warranted.” By comparison with other collections of papers on early birds, this volume is commendable for sticking pretty closely to the subject of actual birds rather than dinosaurs. Nevertheless, the sustaining ichor flowing through it is the cladistic hypothesis of the origin of birds from theropod dinosaurs. This is not without detractors and the debate is usually never less than rancorous. The opening chapter by Larry Witmer summarizes the conflict with a measured and sedate tone sure to win plaudits from those weary of the usual plangent clangor, yet for all of his seeming moderation, Witmer, too, descends into bombast and propaganda. Speaking of the early Cretaceous Caudipteryx from China, he says (p. 14): “The presence of unambiguous feathers in an unambiguously nonavian theropod has the rhetorical impact of an atomic bomb, rendering any doubt about the theropod relationships of birds ludicrous.” But Caudipteryx is anything but an unambiguous theropod and the theropod origin can …
Effect of Optical Potentials on Angular Correlation Parameters

Angular correlation parameters and differential cross sections are calculated in the distorted-wave approximation for 40–200-eV electron impact excitation of the 2′P state of helium. Initial- and final-channel distorted waves are calculated as eigenfunctions of a complex optical potential. The optical potential consists of a static Hartree-Fock atomic potential, a polarization potential term, an exchange distortion term, and an imaginary term representing electron absorption into other open channels. The appropriate inelastic scattering T matrix is obtained for non-Hermitian operators. Effects of polarization, exchange, and absorption are examined individually and collectively and the results are compared with experimental data.
Restricting Portrayals of Film Violence to Reduce the Likelihood of Negative Effects in Viewers: Did the Framers of the Motion Picture Production Code Get It Right?

Abstract Recent social scientific research into the potential negative effects of viewing media violence has focused on the context in which violence is depicted and found that some ways of depicting violence may carry greater risks of negative effects for viewers than others. When this research is compared to the Motion Picture Production Code's restrictions on depictions of film violence, there is an amazing degree of overlap between the two, despite the fact that at the time the Code was written, during 1929 and 1930, there was no such research in existence on which its drafters could rely.
Liberal Communitarian Approach to Privacy and Security

Liberal communitarian philosophy (developed by the author2) assumes that nations face several fully legitimate normative and legal claims and that these claims can be neither maximized nor fully reconciled, as there is an inevitable tension among them. It follows that society must work out some balance among the conflicting claims rather than assume that one will always trump the others. This chapter applies this approach to the balance between security and privacy.3
Problems of Karyotypic Variability in The Family Characidae (Pisces, Characiformes) with the Description of Somatic Karyotypes for Six Species of Tetras

SUMMARYSomatic karyotypes of 6 species belonging to the subfamily Tetragonopterinae, family Characidae, are described: Hyphessobrycon scholzei—2n = 50 = 8M + 20SM + 8ST + 14A; H. herbertaxelrodi—2n = 52 = 10M, SM + 42ST, A; H. flammeus—2n = 52 = 18M, SM + 32ST + 2A; Hasemania marginata—2n = 50 = 12 M + 18SM + 10ST + 10A; Hemigrammus hyanuary—2n = 52 = 22M, SM + 30ST, A; Nematobrycon palmeri—2n = 50 = 8M, SM + 10ST + 32A. On the basis of karyotypic evolution in the family Characidae there are numerous inversions which have produced high morphological variability of karyotypes with simultaneous relatively constant diploid chromosome numbers. The process of karyotype symmetrization have no a stable direction even in lower taxa that have been resulted in the appearance of sufficient differencies between congeneric species and between species of closed genera on such characteristic as the arm chromosome number. The problem of ancestral karyotypic structure and some karyotaxonomical problems are discussed.
Validation of a Measure of Family Resilience among Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans.

ABSTRACTAlthough interactions within veterans' families may support or inhibit resilient coping to stress and trauma across the deployment cycle, research on family resilience has been hampered by the lack of a brief assessment. Using a three-stage mixed method study, we developed and conducted preliminary validation of a measure of family resilience tailored for Iraq and Afghanistan veterans (IAVs), the Family Resilience Scale for Veterans (FRS-V), which was field-tested using a survey of 151 IAVs. Our findings indicate the resulting six-item measure shows strong initial reliability and validity and supports the application of existing models of family resilience in this population.
Biogenic inputs to ocean mixing

Recent studies have evoked heated debate about whether biologically generated (or biogenic) fluid disturbances affect mixing in the ocean. Estimates of biogenic inputs have shown that their contribution to ocean mixing is of the same order as winds and tides. Although these estimates are intriguing, further study using theoretical, numerical and experimental techniques is required to obtain conclusive evidence of biogenic mixing in the ocean. Biogenic ocean mixing is a complex problem that requires detailed understanding of: (1) marine organism behavior and characteristics (i.e. swimming dynamics, abundance and migratory behavior), (2) mechanisms utilized by swimming animals that have the ability to mix stratified fluids (i.e. turbulence and fluid drift) and (3) knowledge of the physical environment to isolate contributions of marine organisms from other sources of mixing. In addition to summarizing prior work addressing the points above, observations on the effect of animal swimming mode and body morphology on biogenic fluid transport will also be presented. It is argued that to inform the debate on whether biogenic mixing can contribute to ocean mixing, our studies should focus on diel vertical migrators that traverse stratified waters of the upper pycnocline. Based on our understanding of mixing mechanisms, body morphologies, swimming modes and body orientation, combined with our knowledge of vertically migrating populations of animals, it is likely that copepods, krill and some species of gelatinous zooplankton and fish have the potential to be strong sources of biogenic mixing.
The effects of increased acetylcholine levels during feeding on subsequent acquisition and extinction of barpressing

This study was designed to determine the effects of increased acetylcholine levels during daily feeding on extinction performance of a subsequently learned instrumental response. Two groups of Ss were employed, one receiving physostigmine injections prior to home cage feeding and the other receiving placebo injections. All Ss were then trained on a discrete-trial FR 10 schedule of reinforcement followed by extinction. The results indicated that the drug-injected group showed greater resistance to extinction of the subsequently learned barpress response. These data were interpreted as supporting the hippocampal theta-frustration hypothesis (Glazer, 1972).
Life Cycle of the Phosphoria Formation—From Deposition to the Post-Mining Environment.J. R. Hein, Editor. Pp. 635. Amsterdam, Elsevier. 2004. ISBN 0-444-51132-6. Price: $250.

The Permian Phosphoria Formation and associated rocks are a major source of phosphate and are important petroleum source and reservoir rocks in the western United States. This volume contains 22 papers that summarize the state of understanding of the Phosphoria Formation that, due to its importance as a primary source of economic phosphate, focus on the Meade Peak member. The Phosphoria Formation, however, is not only comprised of the phosphate and organic matter-rich Meade Peak member, but also includes the spiculitic Rex Chert, the organic matter- and phosphate-rich Retort, and the silty and spiculitic Tosi Chert members. These rock units are interbedded with rocks of the carbonate-dominated Park City Formation. Sedimentary phosphate is an important source of phosphorus and is usually interpreted to result from oceanic up-welling-driven marine productivity. Most ancient deposits are found in epicontinental settings, and may or may not be associated with significant organic-rich and siliceous sediments. The Phosphoria Formation was deposited in an epicontinental embayment on a paleoshelf that was almost flat; the angle of the paleoshelf ranged from 0.04° to 0.22°. The very low angle of the paleoshelf and the epicontinental setting have important implications for models of ancient phosphate deposit formation. The Phosphoria Formation spans a temporal transition between two radically different global climate regimes. Low CO …
Industrial test and power characteristics of electroslag remelting withdrawing with bifilar mode

In this paper, the power characteristics of electroslag remelting with bifilar mode is analyzed theoretically, the results show that the interelectrode distanced,the depth of electrodes immersed into the molten slag pool and the electrode filling ratio are the main factors which affect the current path and its distribution in the slag pool. And the temperature field in slag pool with bifilar mode is simulated numerically, the results show the fact that the power supply in double electrode series moves up the high-temperature region in the slag pool which contributes to increase the rate of melting with the solidification quality of the ingots not influenced,compared with the high-temperature region far away from the metal-slag interface in the traditional single power supply. Besides, the industrial tests have shown that the ESR ingot with bifilar mode has a good internal solidification quality when its melting speed is increased to two times, indicating that the relationship between the melting speed and the ingot solidification quality is weaken on the condition that the high-temperature region moves up.
Evaluation on Intervention Effect of Air Sanitary Quality in Hot Pot Restaurants in Minhang District of Shanghai City

[Objective]To understand the indoor air quality of different scale hot pot restaurants,provide the basis for making standards.[Methods]Before and after intervention,the air quality of different scale hot pot restaurants (each 30 restaurants for large,medium and small scale) were evaluated by experimental epidemiology.[Results]Before and after intervention,the qualified rate of temperature,relative humidity,carbon monoxide,carbon dioxide,wind velocity and formaldehyde in hot pot restaurants were 77.78% and 95.56%,47.78% and 96.67%,36.67% and 92.22%,40.00% and 81.11%,72.22% and 90.00%,70.00% and 80.00%,respectively.[Conclusion]After intervention,the indoor air quality of hot pot restaurants improved markedly.The supervision should be strengthened to implement the intervention measures.
Association of quantitative magnetic resonance imaging parameters with histological findings from MRI/ultrasound fusion prostate biopsy.

INTRODUCTION Purpose of this pilot study was to correlate quantitative parameters derived from the multiparametric magnetic resonance imaging (MP-MRI) of the prostate with results from MRI guided transrectal ultrasound (MRI/TRUS) fusion prostate biopsy in men with suspected prostate cancer. MATERIALS AND METHODS Thirty-nine consecutive patients who had 3.0T MP-MRI and subsequent MRI/TRUS fusion prostate biopsy were included and 73 MRI-identified targets were sampled by 177 cores. The pre-biopsy MP-MRI consisted of T2-weighted, diffusion weighted (DWI), and dynamic contrast enhanced (DCE) images. The association of quantitative MRI measurements with biopsy histopathology findings was assessed by Mann-Whitney U- test and Kruskal-Wallis test. RESULTS Of 73 targets, biopsy showed benign prostate tissue in 46 (63%), cancer in 23 (31.5%), and atypia/high grade prostatic intraepithelial neoplasia in four (5.5%) targets. The median volume of cancer-positive targets was 1.3 cm3. The cancer-positive targets were located in the peripheral zone (56.5%), transition zone (39.1%), and seminal vesicle (4.3%). Nine of 23 (39.1%) cancer-positive targets were higher grade cancer (Gleason grade > 6). Higher grade targets and cancer-positive targets compared to benign lesions exhibited lower mean apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) value (952.7 < 1167.9 < 1278.9), and lower minimal extracellular volume fraction (ECF) (0.13 < 0.185 < 0.213), respectively. The difference in parameters was more pronounced between higher grade cancer and benign lesions. CONCLUSIONS Our findings from a pilot study indicate that quantitative MRI parameters can predict malignant histology on MRI/TRUS fusion prostate biopsy, which is a valuable technique to ensure adequate sampling of MRI-visible suspicious lesions under TRUS guidance and may impact patient management. The DWI-based quantitative measurement exhibits a stronger association with biopsy findings than the other MRI parameters.
The Mucopolysaccharides of the Ground Substance in Ischemic Edema

Ischemic edema is authoritatively viewed as a unique entity, which should be distinguished, for example, from vasogenic, cytotoxic, and hydrocephalic cerebral edema. The mucopolysaccharides (MPSS) of the ground substance of the human brain in hypoxia and ischemia were studied histochemically, since these greatly influence the water content of normal and edematous tissues. The neutral MPS were disclosed by periodic acid-Schiff staining, and the acidic MPS (glycosaminoglycans) by the metachromatic staining with toluidine blue after saponification.
Infrared vibrational nanocrystallography and nanoimaging

Molecular solids and polymers can form low-symmetry crystal structures that exhibit anisotropic electron and ion mobility in engineered devices or biological systems. The distribution of molecular orientation and disorder then controls the macroscopic material response, yet it is difficult to image with conventional techniques on the nanoscale. We demonstrated a new form of optical nanocrystallography that combines scattering-type scanning near-field optical microscopy with both optical antenna and tip-selective infrared vibrational spectroscopy. From the symmetry-selective probing of molecular bond orientation with nanometer spatial resolution, we determined crystalline phases and orientation in aggregates and films of the organic electronic material perylenetetracarboxylic dianhydride. Mapping disorder within and between individual nanoscale domains, the correlative hybrid imaging of nanoscale heterogeneity provides insight into defect formation and propagation during growth in functional molecular solids.
Unboiling an Egg: An Introduction to Circular Dichroism and Protein Refolding

A signature of life is that biological molecules occur as a single stereoisomer with respect to each chiral center, and this is echoed in the structures of biological polymers. Thus, circular dichroism (CD) has emerged as a hallmark of biomolecular structures. The tangible and familiar phenomenon of raw egg white’s conversion from transparent fluid to rubbery white solid, upon boiling, was exploited to relate protein molecular structure measured by CD, to macroscopic material properties. Specifically, students employed a denaturant solution to dissolve hard-boiled egg white back into solution, and then upon dilution of the denaturant recovered CD signatures of structure. This experiment is adaptable to students from high school to early in graduate school, and provides an accessible introduction to the use of CD for characterizing protein secondary structure. It is a class favorite due to its demonstration of the surprising possibility of reversing the protein aggregation that underlies the solidity of ha...
Phase-Field Modeling of θ′ Precipitation Kinetics in W319 Alloys

Understanding and predicting the morphology, kinetics and hardening effects of precipitates are critical in improving the mechanical properties of Al-Cu-based alloys through controlling the temperature and duration of the heat treatment process. In this work, we present a comprehensive phase-field framework for simulating the kinetics of θ′ precipitates in W319 alloys, integrating the thermodynamic and diffusion mobility databases of the system, the key precipitate anisotropic energy contributions from literature and first-principles calculations, as well as a nucleation model based on the classical nucleation theory. By systematically performing phase-field simulations, assuming the precipitate peak number densities determined from experiments, we optimize the model parameters to obtain the best possible match to the average diameters, thicknesses and volume fractions of precipitates from experimental measurements at 190, 230 and 260 °C. With these parameters available, the phase-field simulations can be performed at other aging temperatures. The possible extensions of the current phase-field model for more accurate prediction of the precipitate behaviors in W319 alloys will also be discussed.
Universal Integral Controllers for Robotic Manipulators 1

Abstract As a standard model for a rigid multilink robotic manipulator, we consider a MIMO nonlinear system of uniform vector relative degree {2,...,2}, which has a globally defined normal form with no zero dynamics. We consider a trajectory following problem for a class of smooth bounded time-varying vector reference signals. We design an output feedback integral controller that ensures ultimately bounded tracking error which could be made as small as required. In addition, if the reference signal has a constant limit, the output approaches this limit. The controller is robust with respect to parameter uncertainties, decentralized, saturated, and simple to implement. Locally, it is a PID regulator with derivatives estimated via a linear highgain observer. Regional (and semiglobal) practical (and asymptotic) stability is shown with the help of a vector Lyapunov function and a technique, typical for "continuous" sliding mode control.
Optical molecular imaging-guided radiation therapy part 2: Integrated x-ray and fluorescence molecular tomography

Purpose Differentiating tumor from its surrounding soft tissues is challenging for x-ray computed tomography (CT). Fluorescence molecular tomography (FMT) can directly localize the internal tumors targeted with specific fluorescent probes. A FMT system was developed and integrated onto a CT guided irradiator to improve tumor localization for image guided radiation. Methods The FMT system was aligned orthogonal to the cone beam CT onboard our previously developed image guided small animal arc radiation treatment system (iSMAART). Through rigorous physical registration, the onboard CT provides accurate surface contour which is used to generate three-dimensional mesh for FMT reconstruction. During FMT experiments, a point laser source perpendicular to the rotating axis was used to excite the internal fluorophores. The normalized optical images from multiple projection angles were adopted for tomographic reconstruction. To investigate the accuracy of the FMT in locating the tumor and recovering its volume, in vivo experiments were conducted on two breast cancer models: MDA-MB-231 cancer xenograft on nude mice and 4T1 cancer xenograft on white mice. Both cancer cell lines overexpress the epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR). A novel fluorescent poly(lactic-co-glycolic) acid (PLGA) nanoparticle conjugated with anti-EGFR was intravenously injected to specifically target the breast cancer cells. Another ex vivo experiment on a mouse bearing a surgically implanted Indocyanine Green-containing glass tube was conducted, to additionally validate the precision of FMT guided radiation therapy. Results The FMT can accurately localize the single-nodule breast tumors actively targeted with fluorescent nanoparticles with localization error <0.5 mm calculated between the centers of mass of tumors in FMT and CT. The reconstructed tumor volume in FMT was significantly correlated with that in the iodinated contrast-enhanced CT (R2=0.94, P<0.001). The FMT was able to guide focal radiation delivery with submillimeter accuracy. Conclusion Using the tumor-targeting fluorescent probes, the iSMAART with onboard FMT system can accurately differentiate tumors from their surrounding soft tissue, guide precise focal radiation delivery, and potentially assess tumor response in cancer research. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.
The Theory of Information and Knowing: Ontology Epistemology Reality

In this monograph, we shall concern ourselves with the morphology of non-standard information structure and its effects on the controllability of socio-natural decision-choice systems. In doing so, a number of questions tend to arise. The primary questions center on the concept and the definition of information. Given the concept and the definition of information, the derived questions involve the concepts of standard and non-standard information structures, their transformations and communications.
A Public Ethics Approach Focused on the Lives of Diverse LGBTQ Homeless Youth

How can an ethical-analytical framework focused on social equity help illuminate the challenges faced by lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and questioning (LGBTQ) youth of color, particularly th...