cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
The Formation Process of Nanoparticles in Laser Materials Interaction

Nanoparticles formed in short pulsed laser materials interaction have strong effects on laser micro-machining, material surface processing, and thin film deposition. In this work, Molecular Dynamics (MD) simulations are conducted to attain physical origins and the nature of nanoparticle formation in picosecond laser materials interaction. The MD simulation reveals that nanoparticles originate from an intense vapor phase explosion process occurring after laser heating. This phase explosion is driven by an accumulated high pressure of the order of 30 MPa in the near surface region. It is observed that nanoparticles start coming out after laser heating as a result of the after-heating intense phase explosion. Also observed is that the pressure in nanoparticles undergoes a reduction because of the temperature decrease and atom re-construction in space. In addition, saturation of the nanoparticle yield is observed when the laser fluence reaches a certain level, which is a result of limited heat penetration depth during laser heating.Copyright © 2002 by ASME
An experimental demonstration of learning without awareness

In an attempt to demonstrate the existence of learning without awareness, 18 college students, instructed that ESP was to be studied, were given four trials of guessing card suits in standard decks. Motivation and knowledge of results were afforded. Unknown to the students, decks were arranged with suit sequences. A general learning curve resulted, with no indication of awareness, and group performance significantly exceeded probability expectancy. Existence of learning without awareness was supported.
The role of instance retrieval in understanding complex concepts

Conceptual combination studies have found that a property is often judged more salient in a complex concept than in its constituents. Medin and Shoben (1988), for example, found thatmetal is more typical thanwooden of the simple concept SPOON, whereaswooden is more typical thanmetal of the complex concept LARGE SPOON. We explored the possibility that suchtypicality reversals reflect a process ofinstance retrieval; that is, subjects base their typicality judgments on previously stored instances of LARGE SPOON. This hypothesis predicts that performance in a task requiring typicality judgments and one requiring instance retrieval would be correlated. Three experiments supported this prediction. Experiment 1 provided typicality reversals for a set of concepts. Subjects in Experiments 2 and 3 described instances of the concepts. Aspects of these descriptions were used to predict the reversals. The correlation between predicted and obtained typicality reversals was substantial, and higher for concepts for which subjects retrieved many instances.
Plasticity of dorsal root and descending serotoninergic projections after partial deafferentation of the adult rat spinal cord.

Plasticity of dorsal root (DR) and descending serotoninergic (5-HT) projections following dorsal rhizotomy fromL2 to S1 sparing L5 was studied by means of an intra-animal comparison in the adult rat spinal cord. Projections of the chronically and acutely spared root were compared by cholera-toxin conjugated horseradish peroxidase (CT-HRP) injected into the sciatic nerves as the transganglionic tracer. Projections in unoperated controls, operated controls (acute bilateral spared root), and in experimental animals (chronic spared root on one side and acute spared root on the other) were mapped and the density was measured with an image analysis system. Labeled DRG cells and motor neurons were counted to determine if there were differences in the delivery of the label between the two sides. Measurements of the area of the dorsal horn and, separately, of the superficial laminae were made to control for shrinkage. DR projections were symmetrical in operated and unoperated controls, but a significant increase in DR projection density was found from L6 to L3 in the dorsal horn and Clarke's nucleus at L1 on the chronic spared root side in animals in which an equal number of DRG cells was labeled on the two sides. Density of 5-HT immunoreactivity was symmetrical in controls. Ipsilateral to chronic spared root rhizotomy, the area fraction occupied by 5-HT projections increased in Clarke's nucleus and in the superficial dorsal horn of all partially deafferented segments except L5, the spared root segment. Partial deafferentation of the adult rat lumbosacral spinal cord may therefore elicit sprouting from the spared dorsal root and, outside of the dorsal root projection zone, sprouting from the spared descending 5-HT system. Plasticity of dorsal root projections and of 5-HT projections occur in different regions; in regions of the increased spared root projection, no increase is seen in 5-HT projections, suggesting that sprouting in the adult rat spinal cord is regulated, perhaps by competitive or hierarchical mechanisms.
Urinary excretion of cyclic 3',5'-adenosine monophosphate and cyclic 3',5'-guanosine monophosphate during and after pregnancy.

Urinary cyclic AMP and cyclic GMP excretions were measured in 24-h urine specimens obtained from 89 women at various times during their normal uncomplicated intrauterine pregnancies and from 49 women at various times after the births of their normal healthy infants. Cyclic AMP excretion increased steadily from the beginning of the second trimester or earlier until late in the third trimester, reaching a peak excretion approximately 40% greater than that of normal nonpregnant women. The cyclic AMP excretion dropped abruptly by the first day after parturition to levels which were not significantly different from those of normal nonpregnant women. In contrast, cyclic GMP excretion increased rapidly during the first trimester and remained relatively constant during the remainder of the pregnancy, reaching a peak excretion of about 140% greater than that of normal nonpregnant women. Furthermore, it decreased slowly toward normal levels, but was still significantly elevated six weeks after parturition. The fact...
Rapid Computation of Statistically Stable Particle/Feature Ratios for Consistent Substrate Stresses in Printed Flexible Electronics

This paper develops a statistically based computational method to rapidly determine stresses in flexible substrates during particle printing processes. Specifically, substrate stresses due to multiple surface particle contact sites are statistically computed by superposing point load solutions for different random particle realizations (sets of random loading sites) within a fixed feature boundary. The approach allows an analyst to rapidly determine the number of particles in a surface feature needed to produce repeatable substrate stresses, thus minimizing the deviation from feature to feature and ensuring consistent production. Three-dimensional examples are provided to illustrate the technique. The utility of the approach is that an analyst can efficiently ascertain the number of particles needed within a feature, without resorting to computationally intensive numerical procedures, such as the finite element method. [DOI: 10.1115/1.4029327]
Gas-phase photolysis of methylenecyclobutane, at 147.0 nm and 123.6 nm

Abstract The vacuum-ultra-violet photolysis of methylenecyclobutane was carried out in a static system using “gattered” xenon (147.0 nm) and krypton (123.6 nm) resonance lamps. Hydrogen, acetylene, ethylene, allene, methylacetylene, vinyl-acetylene, and 1,3-butadiene accounted for nearly 90% of the observable decomposition products. Identification of H atoms, vinyl, and propargyl radicals was made through the use of numerous additives such as NO, O2, H2S, D2S and CD3I. Six major primary processes were identified and primary quantum yields assigned for both 147.0 nm and 123.6 nm photolyses. Although photoionization was observed with an ionization efficiency of 0.20 at 123.6 nm, no ion-molecule reactions nor charge transfer processes were established.
Descriptive field symbols for inped soil macropores

Abstract A short hand notation for depicting inped soil macropores is presented. By utilizing symbols for macropore diameter, facial shape, pore length, inped shape and pore orientation; it is possible to quickly portray inped field macropores. Circles, ellipses, and triangles of differing dimensions are used to symbolize round, elliptical, and irregular facial shaped pores of different diameters. The pore length and orientation are symbolized by line length and line direction. The inped shapes (spherical, tubular, and elongated) are respectively represented by one line, two parallel lines, or three parallel lines within or intersecting the pore shape symbols. Field application of this methodology saves time and is valuable when numerous inped pores need to be depicted.
The role of plant resistance and tolerance to herbivory in mediating the effects of introduced herbivores

While the generally negative consequences of introduced species are well known, little is appreciated on the role of the evolutionary history of plants with herbivores in mediating the indirect impacts of herbivory. We examined how variation in plant resistance and tolerance traits can mediate the effects of herbivory and can have differential indirect impacts on other species and processes. We used two examples of a native and an introduced herbivore, Castor canadensis (American beaver) and Cervus elaphus (Rocky Mountain elk) with Populus spp. to test a conceptual model regarding possible outcomes of species interactions with native and exotic mammalian herbivores. Using these two herbivore test cases, we make two predictions to create testable hypotheses across systems and taxa: First, adaptive traits of tolerance or resistance to herbivory will be fewer when exotic species feed on plant species with which they have no evolutionary history. Second, historical constraints of species interactions will allow for negative feedbacks to stabilize the effects of herbivory by a native species. Overall, these two case studies illustrate that plant resistance and tolerance traits can mediate the indirect consequences of herbivory on associated interacting species. Specifically, when there is no evolutionary history between the plants and herbivores, which is often the case with species introductions, the effects of herbivory are more likely to reduce genetic variation and habitat mosaics, thus indirectly affecting associated species.
A NEW METHOD FOR THE SYNTHESIS OF 2-PYRIDINETHIOL CARBOXYLIC ESTERS

Abstract An effective and convenient synthesis of 2-pyridinethiol esters of carboxylic esters has been developed which involves the interaction of a carboxylate salt with the S-chloroformyl derivative of 2-pyridinethiol.
Generation of Transgenic C. elegans by Biolistic Transformation

The number of laboratories using the free living nematode C. elegans is rapidly growing. The popularity of this biological model is attributed to a rapid generation time and short life span, easy and inexpensive maintenance, fully sequenced genome, and array of RNAi resources and mutant animals. Additionally, analysis of the C. elegans genome revealed a great similarity between worms and higher vertebrates, which suggests that research in worms could be an important adjunct to studies performed in whole mice or cultured cells. A powerful and important part of worm research is the ability to use transgenic animals to study gene localization and function. Transgenic animals can be created either via microinjection of the worm germline or through the use of biolistic bombardment. Bombardment is a newer technique and is less familiar to a number of labs. Here we describe a simple protocol to generate transgenic worms by biolistic bombardment with gold particles using the Bio-Rad PDS-1000 system. Compared with DNA microinjection into hermaphrodite germline, this protocol has the advantage of not requiring special skills from the operator with regards to identifying worm anatomy or performing microinjection. Further multiple transgenic lines are usually obtained from a single bombardment. Also in contrast to microinjection, biolistic bombardment produces transgenic animals with both extrachromosomal arrays and integrated transgenes. The ability to obtain integrated transgenic lines can avoid the use of mutagenic protocols to integrate foreign DNA. In conclusion, biolistic bombardment can be an attractive method for the generation of transgenic animals, especially for investigators not interested in investing the time and effort needed to become skilled at microinjection.
Metabolic effects of insulin and insulin-like growth factor-I in endotoxemic rats during total parenteral nutrition feeding

The effects of insulin and insulin-like growth factor-I (IGF-I) on protein, energy, and glucose metabolism were examined in endotoxemic rats receiving total parenteral nutrition (TPN) for 3 days. The endotoxemic model was induced by constant infusion of lipopolysaccharide (1 mg/kg · d) for 3 days. The TPN regimen provided 200 kcal/kg · d and 1.5 g protein/kg · d. The dosage of insulin (5 mU/kg · h) and IGF-I (20 μg/kg · h), either alone or in combination, was chosen to maintain normal levels of leucine and glucose in plasma during feeding. One normal control and 4 endotoxemic groups with different treatments (saline, IGF-I, insulin, or IGF-I and insulin) were included. The effects of endotoxin were compared between the group receiving endotoxin alone and normal controls, and the effects of insulin and IGF-I were compared within the endotoxemic groups. The results show that endotoxin significantly increased the mortality and induced a hypermetabolic state, and nutrition alone could not overcome the catabolism induced by endotoxin. However, administration of insulin and IGF-I enhanced protein preservation in muscle tissue in endotoxemic rats during TPN. This effect was greater for insulin either alone or in combination with IGF-I. Insulin also significantly reduced the mortality. There were no additive effects of these two anabolic hormones on any measured parameter in these experimental conditions.
Computational simulation of multi-pit corrosion process in materials

Corrosion is one of the most damaging mechanisms in many engineering materials and structures. A computational model that simulates the multi-pit corrosion damage initiation and growth in aircraft aluminum is developed. The computational model based on cellular automata approach uses the local rules governing the electrochemical reactions, and simulates them as a discrete dynamical system. The results of corrosion damage initiation and growth obtained from simulation are compared qualitatively as well as quantitatively to the experimental data obtained on engineered corrosion specimens from Raytheon Systems Company, Texas. The effect of various electrochemical parameters on the multi-pit corrosion initiation and growth obtained from the simulation are presented and discussed. The results presented illustrate the feasibility of the new cellular automata approach to model multi-pit corrosion damage initiation and growth in aircraft aluminum materials.
Environmental effects on molecular biomarkers expression in pancreatic and brain cancer

A complete understanding of the biological mechanisms regulating devastating disease such as cancer remains elusive. Pancreatic and brain cancers are primary among the cancer types with poor prognosis. Molecular biomarkers have emerged as group of proteins that are preferentially overexpressed in cancers and with a key role in driving disease progression and resistance to chemotherapy. The epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR), a cell proliferative biomarker is particularly highly expressed in most cancers including brain and pancreatic cancers. The ability of EGFR to sustain prolong cell proliferation is augmented by biomarkers such as Bax, Bcl-XL and Bcl-2, proteins regulating the apoptotic process. To better understand the role and effect of the microenvironment on these biomarkers in pancreatic cancer (PaCa); we analysed two pancreatic tumor lines (AsPc-1 and MiaPaCa-2) in 2D, 3D in-vitro cultures and in orthotopic tumors at different growth stages. We also investigated in patient derived glioblastoma (GBM) tumor cultures, the ability to utilize the EGFR expression to specifically deliver photosensitizer to the cells for photodynamic therapy. Overall, our results suggest that (1) microenvironment changes affect biomarker expression; thereby it is critical to understand these effects prior to designing combination therapies and (2) EGFR expression in tumor cells indeed could serve as a reliable and a robust biomarker that could be used to design targeted and image-guided photodynamic therapy.
Analysis of interferometrically measured wavelengths and their application as secondary standards of length

The present paper presents an interpretation of the validity of calculating weighted averages of interferometrically measured wavelengths to be used as secondary standards of length. Weighted averages of all the reported measurements of the wavelengths of thorium are obtained using the Ritz combination principle. A statistical analysis is also performed and the measurements are tested for internal and external consistency as well as for self-consistency. It is shown that there are systematic shifts between the different experiments which, when eliminated, permit calculation of a highly accurate set of Ritz standards that can be used as secondary standards of length. Finally it is concluded that the major part of the observed systematic shifts results from the differences in the standards used to calibrate the interferometers rather than from the light sources. Some of the conclusions of this work are also applicable to other interferometric measurements.
Exploring Trauma Among Homeless Men in Treatment for Substance Abuse: A Qualitative Approach

ABSTRACT This paper presents data from qualitative interviews of ten homeless men attending a substance abuse treatment agency in the Southeast. Each subject participated in a one time in-depth qualitative interview focused on his family background, mental health, treatment experiences, and trauma. Qualitative analyses found that this sample of substance abusing homeless men reported a high prevalence of depression, family dysfunction, trauma, and a pattern of several previous treatment experiences for substance abuse and/or mental health. Findings imply that in order to promote long-lasting positive outcomes in substance abuse recovery, mental health stability, and quality of life, treatment professionals need to address complex and interrelated issues that often surround this underserved population.
The effects of the tension-free vaginal tape on voiding function: a prospective evaluation

The impact of tension-free vaginal tape (TVT) on voiding function was studied in a cohort of 103 patients. Voiding was assessed with quality of life questionnaires, non-invasive urine flow and voiding pressure–flow studies both preoperatively and 1 year postoperatively. Paired t-tests and Wilcoxon’s signed ranks tests were used for analysis. Data from 65 patients were analyzed. Subjective voiding function did not change; however, maximum flow rates decreased by up to 43%: from 29 ml/s to 16 ml/s on free flow studies. This was associated with a 27% increase in detrusor pressure at maximum flow: from 15 to 19 cmH2O. Postvoid residuals were not clinically different, changing from a median of 15 ml to 30 ml postoperatively. Thirty-eight patients (37%) required postoperative catheterization for urinary retention (median duration 4 days). We concluded that the TVT sling reduces maximum flow rates without clinically significant effects on detrusor pressure, residual urine or subjective voiding.
Role of δ-opioid receptors in mediating the aversive stimulus effects of morphine withdrawal in the rat

An unbiased place preference conditioning procedure was used to examine the role of delta-opioid receptors in mediating the aversive effects of opioid withdrawal. Rats were implanted s.c. with two pellets each containing placebo or 75 mg morphine. Single-trial conditioning sessions with saline and the opioid receptor antagonists naloxone (0.001-1.0 mg/kg, s.c.), naltrindole (0.01-3.0 mg/kg, s.c.) or naltriben (0.01-3.0 mg/kg, s.c.) commenced 4 days later. During these conditioning sessions, physical signs of withdrawal were also quantified. Tests of conditioning were conducted on day 5. Naloxone in doses of 0.01-1.0 mg/kg produced significant conditioned place aversions in morphine-implanted animals. A dose of 0.01 mg/kg produced few physical withdrawal signs whereas higher doses resulted in marked wet dog shakes, body weight loss ptosis and diarrhea. No such effects were observed in control (placebo-implanted) animals. Administration of the selective delta-opioid receptor antagonists naltrindole and naltriben produced dose-related place aversions in morphine-implanted animals. The magnitude of these effects did not differ from that observed with naloxone. The minimum effective doses of naltrindole and naltriben were 0.1 mg/kg. Doses of 0.1-1.0 mg/kg produced few, if any, somatic signs of withdrawal whereas higher doses of these antagonists only produced diarrhea and wet-dog shakes. Other withdrawal signs were absent. In contrast to the opioid receptor antagonists tested, the dopamine D1 receptor antagonist SCH23390 failed to produced conditioned place aversions or physical signs of withdrawal in morphine-pelleted animals. These data demonstrate that the selective blockade of either delta- or mu-opioid receptors is sufficient to induce conditioned aversive effects in morphine-dependent animals. They also indicate that physical symptoms associated with precipitated morphine withdrawal differ depending upon the opioid receptor antagonist employed.
A choice probability characterization of generalized extreme value models

A set of necessary and sufficient conditions is established for the representability of choice probabilities by additive random utility models with generalized extreme value (GEV) distributions of utilities. These conditions yield an operational testing procedure for GEV-representability which does not require explicit construction of the underlying distribution of utilities. In addition, this characterization of GEV models reveals a number of their underlying behavioral features.
ShowMe: A Remote Collaboration System that Supports Immersive Gestural Communication

ShowMe is an immersive mobile collaboration system that allows a remote user to communicate with a peer using video, audio and hand gestures. We explore the use of a Head Mounted Display and depth camera to create a system that (1) enables a remote user to be immersed in another user's first-person's point of view and (2) offers a new way for the remote expert to provide guidance through three dimensional hand gestures and voice. Using ShowMe both users are present in the same physical environment and can perceive real-time communication from one another in the form of 2-handed gestures and voice.
Outage Probabilities of Imperfect LCMV Beamforming with Dominant Interferer Cancellation

The outage probability performance of a wireless system with linear constrained minimum variance (LCMV) beamforming is investigated in this paper. LCMV beamforming is able to perfectly cancel a number of dominant interferers while other interferers remain. A simplified beamforming model is used to derive closed-form outage probability expressions considering the impact of LCMV beam patterns on various interferers. One important aspect of this paper is the consideration of the directions of arrivals (DOA) of the dominant intcrferers and the exact beam patterns in the outage performance evaluations of LCMV beamforming systems. Another aspect is that bcamform- ing impairments such as DOA estimation errors are considered. Numerical results of the outage probability are presented to illustrate the impact of DOA's of the dominant interferers and the impact of beamforming impairments.
Influence of chain length on the in vitro hydrolysis of model ester prodrugs by ocular esterases

In designing ester prodrugs to improve corneal drug bioavailability, it is important to consider the influence of chain length on both corneal permeation and hydrolysis of the prodrug. However, the second factor has received relatively little attention. The purpose of this study was to evaluate whether the ocular hydrolysis of a homologous series of α-and β-napthyl esters was influenced by chain length. Solutions of each ester were incubated with selected ocular tissues and fluids of adult albino rabbits. For the α-series peak hydrolytic rate was reached at the caproate (C6) ester, coinciding with minimization in the value of the Michaelis-Menten constant (Km) and maximization in the value of maximum velocity (Vmax). For the β-series peak hydrolytic rate was reached at the valerate (C5) ester. In contrast to the α-series this was primarily due to a large increase in value for Km. These findings indicate that the rate of ocular esterase-mediated hydrolysis varies within a homologous series of esters, and t...
Transition of β to α phase in isotactic polypropylene

Abstract In samples of isotactic polypropylene, the influence of the nucleation agent chinacridine permanent red E3B on the crystallization rate and content of α and β modifications and on the rate and mechanism of the β → α transition was investigated using x-ray diffraction, DSC microcalorimetry, and electron microscopy. It was found that, though E3B increases the content of the β phase, it is also a very efficient nucleation agent for the α-phase crystallization. The β → α transition occurring above 140°C could be characterized by a gradual melting and annealing of the β phase, accompanied by a surface crystallization of the α phase on lateral faces of β lamellae by a mechanism similar to cross-branching of α lamellae.
Approximation accuracy, gradient methods, and error bound for structured convex optimization

Convex optimization problems arising in applications, possibly as approximations of intractable problems, are often structured and large scale. When the data are noisy, it is of interest to bound the solution error relative to the (unknown) solution of the original noiseless problem. Related to this is an error bound for the linear convergence analysis of first-order gradient methods for solving these problems. Example applications include compressed sensing, variable selection in regression, TV-regularized image denoising, and sensor network localization.
Blunted stress cortisol reactivity and failure to acclimate to familiar stress in depressed and sub-syndromal children

Abstract Depressed adults have shown blunted or elevated cortisol reactivity in response to various forms of psychosocial stress. However, there have been few studies of cortisol reactivity in children who had early onset depression or a history of depression during the preschool–school period. The present study utilized a laboratory stress paradigm and collected salivary cortisol from preschoolers at baseline (ages 3–5 years) and 24-month follow-up (ages 5–7 years). Repeated-measures multivariate analyses of variance (MANOVAs) were used to compare cortisol reactivity to mild stress between children with Major Depressive Disorder (MDD), elevated symptoms of depression (sub-syndromal MDD), and healthy controls. For healthy children, a quadratic cortisol reactivity curve was found at baseline ( n =73), which appeared flatter under similar stressful situations at follow-up ( n =14), which may reflect acclimation to the paradigm. In contrast, children with MDD ( n =46) and sub-syndromal MDD ( n =76) showed a peak cortisol response to the novelty of lab arrival and then reduced and blunted responses to stressors at baseline. These cortisol responses persisted at follow-up in children with a history of MDD ( n =41) or sub-syndromal MDD ( n =73). These results suggest that the hypothalamic–pituitary–adrenal (HPA) axis shows a blunted response to stress and failed to acclimate to familiar stressful situations in depressed and sub-syndromal depressed children.
The Capacity of Primordial Follicles in Fetal Bovine Ovaries to Initiate Growth In Vitro Develops During Mid-Gestation and Is Associated with Meiotic Arrest of Oocytes

In cattle and other species in which the pool of resting, primordial follicles is formed during fetal life, little is known about the regulation of the early stages of ovarian follicular development. We used histological morphometry and a combination of observations in vivo and experiments in vitro to study the timing and regulation of follicle formation and the acquisition of the capacity of primordial follicles to initiate growth in cattle. In vivo, primordial, primary, and secondary follicles were first observed around Days 90, 140, and 210 of gestation, respectively. The long interval between the first appearance of primordial and primary follicles suggests that primordial follicles are not capable of activating when they are first formed, or they are inhibited from activating. This hypothesis was confirmed by the finding that most primordial follicles in pieces of ovarian cortex obtained from fetal ovaries older than 140 days activated (i.e., initiated growth) after 2 days in vitro, whereas follicles in cortical pieces from 90- to 140-day-old fetal ovaries did not. We tested the hypothesis that the oocytes of newly formed primordial follicles are not in meiotic arrest and found that before Day 141, most oocytes ( approximately 73%) were in prediplotene stages of prophase I, whereas after Day 140, the majority of oocytes ( approximately 85%) had arrested at the diplotene stage. This observation was further confirmed by the finding that levels of mRNA for YBX2, a protein associated with meiotic arrest, were 2.3 times higher in ovarian cortical pieces isolated after versus before Day 141. Primordial follicles in cortical pieces from 90- to 140-day-old fetal ovaries did activate during a longer, 10-day culture, but activation could be inhibited by adding estradiol or progesterone, but not dihydrotestosterone (all at 10(-6) M). Fetal ovaries secreted estradiol in vitro, and secretion by ovaries from 83 to 140-day-old fetuses declined precipitously ( approximately 30-fold) with age, consistent with the hypothesis that estradiol inhibits activation of newly formed primordial follicles in vivo. In summary, the results show that newly formed primordial follicles do not activate in vivo or within 2 days in vitro and that capacity to activate is correlated with achievement of meiotic arrest by the oocyte and can be inhibited by estradiol, which fetal ovaries actively produce around the time of follicle formation.
Mesenchymal Hamartoma of the Liver Associated with Features of Beckwith-Wiedemann Syndrome and High Serum Alpha-Fetoprotein Levels:

A 5-month-old girl with clinical features of Beckwith-Wiedemann syndrome (BWS), including a repaired omphalocele, an earlobe crease, enlarged adrenal glands, renal size discrepancy, and hyperinsulinemic hyperglycemia, presented with a 1.9-cm liver nodule. Markedly increased serum alpha-fetoprotein (AFP) levels (1,060,000 mg/L), highly suspicious for hepatoblastoma, were detected, and resection of the liver mass was performed. Histologic sections showed features characteristic of a mesenchymal hamartoma of the liver (MHL). No features of embryonal or fetal hepatocellular proliferation or heterologous stromal components were noted. By immunohistochemistry, the hepatocytes expressed AFP, but no nuclear accumulation of beta-catenin was present. Electron microscopy revealed normal, mature hepatocytes. Here we address the diagnostic challenge of the uncommon association of MHL and BWS in the setting of markedly elevated serum AFP levels. In addition, we analyze the unusual pancreatic lesion (focal endocrine adenomatosis) leading to severe hyperinsulinemic hypoglycemia in a patient with possible BWS. We emphasize that MHLs may present with markedly increased serum AFP levels, mimicking hepatoblastomas, and may also be part of the expanding spectrum of findings of BWS.
Nonequilibrium and nonlinear dynamics in Berea and Fontainebleau sandstones: Low‐strain regime

[1] Members of a wide class of geomaterials are known to display complex and fascinating nonlinear and nonequilibrium dynamical behaviors over a wide range of bulk strains, down to surprisingly low values, e.g., 10−7. In this paper we investigate two sandstones, Berea and Fontainebleau, and characterize their behavior under the influence of very small external forces via carefully controlled resonant bar experiments. By reducing environmental effects due to temperature and humidity variations, we are able to systematically and reproducibly study dynamical behavior at strains as low as 10−9. Our study establishes the existence of two strain regimes separated by eM. At strains below eM the material is nonlinear and quasi-equilibrium thermodynamics applies as evidenced by the success of Landau theory and a simple macroscopic description based on the Duffing oscillator. At strains above eM the behavior becomes truly nonequilibrium, as demonstrated by the existence of material conditioning, and Landau theory no longer applies. The main focus of this paper is the study of the first region, but we also comment on how our work clarifies and resolves previous experimental conflicts, as well as suggest new directions of research.
Why Do We Have the Rights We Do

1. The question “Why do we have the rights we do?” obviously presupposes that we do have some rights; that is, that propositions of the form ‘We have the right to x,’ or of the form ‘We have the right to do (or to have) x,’ are true for certain values of x. The same issues would arise if the original question had been formulated, or were to be reformulated, as it sometimes is, in a purely existential manner, viz., “Why are there the rights there are?” I believe there is no difference between the two questions except a verbal one; at least, both of them share the same existential presupposition to the effect that there are certain rights. I mention this point for two reasons. One is merely to acknowledge the trivial but true point that the question in my title does have an existential presupposition. The second and more important point is that since I shall have very little to say about any actual rights, I would not want anyone to infer from my silence that I do not think we have any rights. I accept the presupposition of my original question, but I shall not dwell upon it.2. One might ask my original question and mean by rights, legal rights, that is, rights identified through the legal provisions of some legal system. That is not the sense in which I pose the question. It is true that a legal positivist would be able to give no intelligible meaning to my question except by treating it as equivalent to asking, “Why do we have the legal rights we do?” However, since I am not a legal positivist, I want my question understood in another way.
Cellulase production in continuous culture by Trichoderma reesei on xylose-based media.

Trichoderrna reesei (QM 9414) produced cellulase in continuous culture, on media containing xylose (1%) supplemented with sorbose (0.3%) to induce cellulase production. Maximum cell mass of 4.54 kg/m3 occurred at pH 40 and a dilution rate of 0.0391 h-' where residual substrate was 0.43 kg/m3, but no cellulase was produced. Maximum cellulase production of 0.69 FPU occurred at pH 3.5 and a dilution rate of 0.0110 h-', where cell mass production was 2.56 kg/m3 and residual substrate was 0.15 kg/m3. Monod kinetic constants, corrected for endogenous metabolism, were 0.091 h-', 0.469 kg/m3, 0.00923 h-', and 0.470 kg cells/kg xylose at pH 3.5, for the maximum specific growth rate, Michaelis-Menten coefficient, endogenous metabolism coefficient, and yield coefficient, respectively. Specific growth rate fitted a maturation time model, which predicted decreasing maturation time with increasing pH.
Knowledge, Thought, and the Case for Dualism

Preface 1. Setting the stage 2. Distinctions - versions of physicalism and dualism 3. Ontological priorities - taking phenomenology seriously 4. Knowledge arguments revisited 5. Indirect thought and informative identity 6. An ontologically liberating skepticism - the last hope for physicalism 7. Objections and replies 8. The ubiquitous self - a brief postscript.
Heterogeneous chemistry and reaction dynamics of the atmospheric oxidants, O3, NO3, and OH, on organic surfaces

Heterogeneous chemistry of the most important atmospheric oxidants, O3, NO3, and OH, plays a central role in regulating atmospheric gas concentrations, processing aerosols, and aging materials. Recent experimental and computational studies have begun to reveal the detailed reaction mechanisms and kinetics for gas-phase O3, NO3, and OH when they impinge on organic surfaces. Through new research approaches that merge the fields of traditional surface science with atmospheric chemistry, researchers are developing an understanding for how surface structure and functionality affect interfacial chemistry with this class of highly oxidizing pollutants. Together with future research initiatives, these studies will provide a more complete description of atmospheric chemistry and help others more accurately predict the properties of aerosols, the environmental impact of interfacial oxidation, and the concentrations of tropospheric gases.
Characterizing Pipe Wall Demand: Implications for Water Quality Modeling

It has become generally accepted that water quality can deteriorate in a distribution system through reactions in the bulk phase and at the pipe wall. These reactions may be physical, chemical, or microbiological in nature. Perhaps one of the most serious aspects of water-quality deterioration in a network is the loss of disinfectant residual that can weaken the barrier against microbial contamination. Recent studies have suggested that one factor contributing to the loss of disinfectant residuals is internal corrosion of the pipe wall material. Recent studies have suggested that in older unlined metal pipes, the loss of chlorine residual may increase with increasing flow rates. To systematically assess the effect of free chlorine loss in corroded metal pipes, subject to changes in velocity, the authors conducted a study under controlled conditions in a specially constructed pipe loop located at the U.S Environmental Protection Agency’s (U.S. EPA’s) Test and Evaluation (T&E) Facility in Cincinnati, Ohio. ...
GENERATING MARKETING IDEAS WHEN FORMAL RESEARCH IS NOT AVAILABLE

While worldwide revenues for the 44 leading market research companies exceeded $1.5 billion in 1985, there are still many marketing executives who can't afford to institute a full research program. Small, growing firms, for example, often need capital for other endeavors. Even larger companies have been slashing research budgets recently due to financial belt‐tightening. What are they to do? Where are they to get direction for new products, services, promotions, advertising, and so forth, if not from the research department?
A State-Level Comparative Analysis of the GAP and NLCD Land-Cover Data Sets

Two nationwide land-cover mapping efforts, the GAP Analysis Program (GAP) and the USGS National Land Cover Data (NLCD) program, address the need for intermediate-scale land-cover information to support a diverse user community. The data sets are comparable, but have different objectives, classification systems, and methodologies. A comparative analysis of the GAP and NLCD data sets is needed throughout the United States to determine their relative strengths and limitations and better inform the user community of their applicability for various applications. This study conducted comparative analyses of the GAP and NLCD data sets for Kansas. The data sets were generalized to a common set of land-cover classes, and pixellevel comparisons were made at the state and ecoregion levels. The GAP and NLCD had an overall classification agreement of 67 percent at the state level, with most of the classification disagreement occurring between cropland and grassland. The cropland area classified by GAP was comparable to cropland area estimates reported by the USDA, while NLCD appeared to underestimate cropland and overestimate grassland. The single-date/multiple-data source classification approach and the sub-optimal early-spring dates of Landsat TM data used to produce NLCD resulted in substantial confusion in croplandgrassland discrimination. The multiple-date classification approach used by Kansas GAP provided better discrimination of most land-cover classes. Some classification disagreement, however, was attributable to methodological differences between GAP and NLCD. Accuracy assessment found an overall accuracy of 87 percent for GAP and 81 percent for NLCD, and GAP had higher accuracies for most individual land-cover classes. The Kansas GAP and NLCD land-cover products were found to be comparable in terms of characterizing broad scale land-cover patterns, but the Kansas GAP land-cover map appears to be more appropriate for localized applications that require detailed and accurate land-cover information.
Diagnostic and therapeutic challenges in the thrombotic thrombocytopenic purpura and hemolytic uremic syndromes

Evaluation and management of patients with suspected thrombotic thrombocytopenic purpura (TTP) continue to be a critical challenge for hematologists. The diagnostic criteria are not precise, often causing uncertainty about whether it is appropriate to initiate plasma exchange (PEX), the essential treatment for TTP. Initiation of PEX remains a clinical decision; severe ADAMTS13 (< 10% activity) deficiency alone is neither sufficiently sensitive nor specific for the diagnosis of TTP. However, patients who do have severe acquired ADAMTS13 deficiency define the characteristic clinical features of TTP, the response to treatment, and the long-term outcomes. Patients with severe acquired ADAMTS13 deficiency are predominantly young women and the relative frequency of blacks is increased. Patients may present with only microangiopathic hemolytic anemia and thrombocytopenia, neurologic and renal abnormalities are often not present, fever rarely occurs; the complete "pentad" of these clinical features almost never occurs in current practice. Response to PEX is typically rapid but may not be sustained when PEX is stopped. Use of corticosteroids and rituximab has decreased the number of PEX treatments required to achieve a remission and has resulted in fewer PEX-related major complications. Relapse (in approximately 40% of patients) may be the most apparent risk after recovery, but long-term health outcomes are also very important. Minor cognitive abnormalities are common, the frequency of depression is increased, and the frequency of hypertension is increased. Careful long-term follow-up of TTP patients is essential.
Prediction-based flow control for network-on-chip traffic

Networks-on-Chip (NoC) architectures provide a scalable solution to on-chip communication problem but the bandwidth offered by NoCs can be utilized efficiently only in presence of effective flow control algorithms. Unfortunately, the flow control algorithms pub-lished to date for macronetworks, either rely on local information, or suffer from large communication overhead and unpredictable delays. Hence, using them in the NoC context is problematic at best. For this reason, we propose a predictive closed-loop flow con-trol mechanism and make the following contributions: First, we develop traffic source and router models specifically targeted to NoCs. Then, we utilize these models to predict the cases of possible congestion in the network. Based on this information, the proposed scheme controls the packet injection rate at traffic sources in order to regulate the total number of packets in the network. Evaluations involving real and synthetic traffic patterns show that the proposed controller delivers a superior performance compared to the traditional switch-to-switch flow control algorithms.
Modified momentum strategies in commodity futures markets

This project examined the profitability of applying momentum-investing strategies to commodity futures markets. Momentum strategies exploit short-term price continuation of securities by buying the highest performers, selling the lowest performers, and holding the positions for short periods of time. This project focused on twenty of the highest volume futures contracts and narrowed the scope of the time horizon to the past ten years. This time horizon showed that the institutionalization of momentum strategies in commodity futures markets has not eroded the potential profit opportunities as first reported by Miffre and Rallis in 2006 [1]. In fact, the institutionalization of these strategies appears to have improved their performance.
State Spending on Higher Education Capital Outlays.

This paper explores the role that state spending on higher education capital outlays plays in state budgets by considering the functional form of the relationship between state spending on higher education capital outlays and four types of state expenditures. Three possible functional forms are tested: a linear model, a quadratic model, and the balance wheel model. The balance wheel model posits that in good economic times, higher education is funded at a higher rate than other state budget categories. In bad economic times, higher education is often one of the first state budget categories to be cut and is cut more deeply than other state budget categories due, in part, to its ability to tap into alternative revenue streams. We find that capital outlays do not conform to the balance wheel model. Instead they appear to have a quadratic relationship with other state budget categories. We discuss the policy implications of these findings for both higher education leaders and state policymakers.
Analysis within and between graphs: observed user strategies in immunobiology visualization

We present an analysis of two user strategies in interactive data analysis, based on an observational study of four researchers in the immunology domain. Screen captures, video records, interviews, and verbal protocols are used to analyze common procedures in this type of visual data analysis, as well as how these procedures differ among these users. Our findings present a case where skilled users can approach a similar problem with diverging analysis strategies. In the group we observed, strategies fell within two broad categories: within-graph analysis, in which a user generates a few graph layouts and interacts heavily within them, and between-graph analysis, in which a user generates a series of graphs and switches between them in sequence. Differences in strategies lead to distinct interaction patterns, and are likely to be best supported by different interface designs. We characterize these observed strategies and discuss their implications for scientific visualization design and evaluation.
Study of NiFe/SiO2 Nanocomposites

(Ni75Fe25)v/(SiO2)1-v nanocomposites with v =0.5, 0.7, and 1.0, where 75 denotes the atomic percent of Ni in the Ni-Fe alloy phase and v denotes the volume fraction of the magnetic constituent in the composite, were synthesized using a wet chemical approach. The x-ray diffraction and TEM experiments show that the synthetic NiFe/SiO2 is a two-phase composite system in that an amorphous insulating SiO2 layer coats each Ni-Fe particle. The Ni-Fe particle is in a fcc Ni-Fe alloy state. Its size can be controlled over a rather large range between 5 nm to 70 nm by adjusting the reaction parameters. Particular attention was paid to reduce the chemical reaction temperature so as to insure the smallness of the particle size. Meanwhile, measurements of the saturation magnetization indicated that the higher the heat treatment temperature, the more complete the chemical reaction to form the Ni-Fe alloys from precursor materials.