cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
When rebuilding no longer means recovery: the stress of staying put after Hurricane Sandy.

After a disaster, it is common to equate repopulation and rebuilding with recovery. Numerous studies link post-disaster relocation to adverse social, economic, and health outcomes. However, there is a need to reconsider these relationships in light of accelerating climate change and associated social and policy shifts in the USA, including the rising cost of flood insurance, the challenge of obtaining aid to rebuild, and growing interest in “managed retreat” from places at greatest risk. This article presents data from a survey of individuals who opted either to rebuild in place or relocate with the help of a voluntary home buyout after Hurricane Sandy. Findings show those who lived in buyout-eligible areas and relocated were significantly less likely to report worsened stress than those who rebuilt in place. This suggests access to a government-supported voluntary relocation option may, under certain circumstances, lessen the negative mental health consequences associated with disaster-related housing damage.
Innovations in radiotherapy and advances in immunotherapy for the treatment of brain metastases

Radiotherapy for brain metastases has evolved tremendously over the past four decades, allowing for improved intracranial control of disease with reduced neurotoxicity. The main technological advance was provided by volumetric modulated arc therapy (VMAT), a computer-controlled delivery method that has opened the door for single-isocenter multi-metastases stereotactic radiosurgery (SRS) and hippocampal avoidance whole brain radiation therapy (HA-WBRT). Other notable advances have occurred in the combination of immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICI) and radiosurgery. When these two modalities are combined in the proper sequence (within 30 days from each other), it provides promising results in the treatment of intracranial metastases from melanoma. There is emerging evidence of a synergistic interaction between ICI and SRS, providing better intracranial tumor control and lengthening the survival of patients afflicted by this common complication of cancer.
The evolution of surgical virtual education and telementoring: One surgeon's journey

The first era of the global proliferation of surgical advancements involved surgical infection rate and technique breakthroughs by Lister, Halsted, and others. This was propagated by letters, academic papers, and international visits. While success was achieved, it was at a suboptimal pace. In the current era of minimally invasive surgical approaches, these methods are inadequate. This paper chronicles the development and application of virtual learning and telementoring as force multipliers to speed procedural adoption and proliferation.
Evaluation of Integrated Variable Speed Limit and Lane Change Control for Highway Traffic Flow

Abstract A sudden lane drop on a freeway with high volume of vehicles can cause severe traffic congestion and safety issues. Forced lane changes near the bottleneck reduce the traffic mobility on all lanes and trigger the capacity drop phenomenon. Numerous studies have explored the effect of Variable Speed Limit (VSL) and Lane Change (LC) control on solving the bottleneck congestion, but only a few have taken the measurement or model uncertainties into considerations. In this paper, we design an integrated VSL and LC controller based on a modified multi-section Cell Transmission Model (CTM) to alleviate the freeway bottleneck congestion and reject uncertainties. The location of the most upstream speed sign is treated as a parameter and optimized using simulation data. We first evaluate the proposed controller without uncertainty to demonstrate its effectiveness in improving traffic flow. Then we incorporate the uncertainties in measurements and model parameters to examine the robustness of the control. The proposed combined VSL and LC controllers are demonstrated to be robust with respect to uncertainties. The bounds of allowable uncertainties are more sensitive when uncertainties lead to a reduction of speed limit commands than an increase.
A Novel Model for Encephalomyosynangiosis Surgery after Middle Cerebral Artery Occlusion-Induced Stroke in Mice

Background and Purpose: No effective treatment is available for most patients who suffer ischemic stroke. Development of novel treatment options is imperative. The brain attempts to self-heal after ischemic stroke via various mechanism mediated by restored blood circulation in affected region of brain but this process is limited by inadequate angiogenesis or neoangiogenesis. Encephalomyosynangiosis (EMS) is a neurosurgical procedure that achieves angiogenesis with low morbidity in patients with moyamoya disease, reducing risk of stroke. However, EMS, surgery has never been studied as an therapeutic option after ischemic stroke. Here we described a novel procedure and feasibility data for EMS after ischemic stroke in mice. Methods: A 60 mins of middle cerebral artery occlusion (MCAo) was used to induce ischemic stroke in mice. After 3-4 hours of MCAo onset/sham, EMS was performed. Mortality of EMS, MCAo and. MCAo+EMS mice was recorded up to 21 days after surgery. Graft tissue viability was measured using a nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide reduced tetrazolium reductase assay. Results: EMS surgery after ischemic stroke does not increase mortality compared to stroke alone. Graft muscle tissue remained viable 21 days after surgery. Conclusions: This novel protocol is effective and well-tolerated, may serve as novel platform for new angiogenesis and thus recovery after ischemic stroke. If successful in mice, EMS can a very feasible and novel treatment option for ischemic stroke in humans.
Amylolytic Isoenzymes of Thermoactinomyces vulgaris

Thermoactinomyces vulgaris strain 5 produced two electrophoretically different alpha-amylases. Precipitation with ammonium sulfate and acetone did not alter the electrophoretic mobilities of either amylase isoenzyme. Patterns of the hydrolysis products of amylose by the two amylase isoenzymes were essentially identical.
Assay of estriol-16α-(β-D-glucuronide) in pregnancy urine with a specific antiserum☆

Abstract A rapid, direct radioimmunoassay for estriol-16α-(β-D-glucuronide) in pregnancy urine has been developed by use of immunogens in which the estriol glucuronide hapten is linked through positions 2 or 4 of ring Δ to bovine serum albumin or agarose gel. The resultant antibodies cross react less than 1 per cent with other estriol conjugates, estradiol conjugates, or unconjugated estrogens. Pregnanediol-3-glucuronide cross reacts less than 0.5 per cent. This high degree of specificity of the antibodies allows for a 10,000-fold dilution of pregnancy urine to be assayed directly without interference from other steroids or urinary constituents. Good linear correlation was obtained for urinary estriol glucuronide equivalents measured in the same subjects by our routine colorimetric method which separates and measures free estriol after hydrolysis. With an accelerated antibody-antigen equilibration of 20 minutes at 40°, 10 samples can be easily processed in less than 90 minutes. The method also allows for the evaluation of variations in the excretion pattern of one estrogen conjugate in normal and high-risk pregnancies.
Theory of collapse and protostar formation

Interstellar clouds must increase in density by a factor of more than 1020 in order to form stars. Because observations of the phases intermediate between dense interstellar clouds and pre-main-sequence stars are difficult, theoretical solutions presently provide the primary means for exploring the collapse phase of protostellar formation. The mathematical formulation of the protostellar collapse problem is presented, and various methods employed in solving the equations are outlined. This tutorial emphasizes the numerical approach to the study of the nonlinear, time dependent evolution of collapsing interstellar clouds, including self-gravit at ion, rotation, and radiative transfer. Results are summarized for the restricted cases of spherical and axisymmetric symmetry, as well as for fully three dimensional evolutions, and briefly compared to observations of star formation.
0.5 Micron Gate CMOS Technology Using E-Beam/Optical Mix Lithography

A high performance CMOS process using mix e-beam/optical lithography has been developed for VLSI applications. The 0.5 ?m channel devices are fabricated with shallow N+ and P+ source/drain junctions. Self-aligned silicide on gate and diffusions reduces the sheet resistance to 5 ohm/sq.. The shallow retrograde N-well formed by multiple high energy phosphorous implants without a drive-in a allows the use of thin P/P+ epi for latch-up control.
Loperamide-induced expression of immune and inflammatory genes in Collies associated with ivermectin sensitivity

This study evaluated the impact of the ABCB1-1Δ mutation in Collies which exhibited toxicity toward ivermectin, on changes in gene expression when given the unrelated ABCB1 substrate loperamide, to identify potential biomarkers predictive of drug safety. Thirty-two healthy intact Collies consisting of dogs with either a wild-type, heterozygous mutant, or homozygous mutant genotype were used. Whole blood samples were collected from Collies at 0 or 5 h following administration of loperamide at a dose of 0.10 mg/kg. Whole-genome gene expression microarray was conducted to examine for changes in gene expression. Microarray analysis identified loperamide-induced changes in gene expression which were specifically associated with ivermectin-sensitive phenotypes in Collies possessing the ABCB1-1Δ mutation. Gene pathway analysis further demonstrated that the altered genes are involved in immunological disease, cell death and survival, and cellular development. Thirteen genes, including CCL8 and IL-8, were identified. Collie dogs harboring ABCB1-1Δ mutation which also exhibited toxicity toward ivermectin demonstrated systematic responses following loperamide treatment exhibited by altered expression of genes involved in immune and inflammatory signaling pathways. Genes such as CCL8 and IL-8 are potential biomarkers in whole blood that may predict the safety of loperamide in dogs with ABCB1-1∆ mutation associated with ivermectin sensitivity.
The potential for experimenter bias effects in word recognition experiments

Word recognition experiments that involve comparisons between two different matched sets of words allow for possible experimenter bias if there are many equally well-matched pairs to choose from. The possible extent of this bias depends on the experimenter’s intuitive knowledge of the likely difficulty of individual items. This is assessed by asking a number of experimenters to decide which of two frequency-matched words would produce the fastest reaction time in a lexical decision experiment, and then comparing their predictions with actual data. All experimenters demonstrated substantial above-chance accuracy, which was unrelated to the amount of experience they had in the field. It was concluded that the experimenters could potentially produce spurious effect sizes ranging from 16 to 38 msec.
Synthesis and characterization of layered Li1−x(Ni0.5Co0.5)1−yFeyO2(0 ≤ (1 − x) ≤ 1 and 0 ≤ y ≤ 0.2) cathodes

Abstract Layered Li(Ni 0.5 Co 0.5 ) 1− y Fe y O 2 cathodes with 0 ≤ y ≤ 0.2 have been synthesized by firing the coprecipitated hydroxides of the transition metals and lithium hydroxide at 700 °C and characterized as cathode materials for lithium ion batteries to various cutoff charge voltages (up to 4.5 V). While the y = 0.05 sample shows an improvement in capacity, cyclability, and rate capability, those with y = 0.1 and 0.2 exhibit a decline in electrochemical performance compared to the y = 0 sample. Structural characterization of the chemically delithiated Li 1− x (Ni 0.5 Co 0.5 ) 1− y Fe y O 2 samples indicates that the initial O3 structure is maintained down to a lithium content (1 − x ) ≈ 0.3. For (1 − x ) y = 0 sample, an O1 type phase is formed for the y = 0.05, 0.1 and 0.2 samples. Monitoring the average oxidation state of the transition metal ions with lithium contents (1 − x ) reveals that the system is chemically more stable down to a lower lithium content (1 − x ) ≈ 0.3 compared to the Li 1− x CoO 2 system. The improved structural and chemical stabilities appear to lead to better cyclability to higher cutoff charge voltages compared to that found before with the LiCoO 2 system.
A comprehensive model for nylon melt equilibria and kinetics

A model for handling the effect of water on nylon equilibria and kinetics has been developed and tested. Observed variations in the equilibria and kinetics are attributed to microscopic phenomena, not an empirical expression. The equilibrium variation is modeled based on two states of water in the nylon melt, and the kinetic variation is modeled as due to a changing dielectric constant. All reactions are assumed to be acid catalyzed. Results are good at water to polymer ratios ranging from 0.01 to 30 and from temperatures from 200 to 280°C. The model framework also allowed the calculation of interchange rates and ring oligomer concentrations. The model is compared with published data and other proposed models.
Purification and characterization of rat pancreatic fatty acid ethyl ester synthase and its structural and functional relationship to pancreatic cholesterol esterase.

Formation of fatty acid ethyl esters (FAEEs, catalyzed by FAEE synthase) has been implicated in the pathogenesis of chronic pancreatitis. In previous studies, we demonstrated that FAEE synthase, purified from rat liver microsomes, is identical to rat liver carboxylesterase (pI 6.1), and structurally and functionally different than that from pancreas. In this study, we purified and characterized rat pancreatic microsomal FAEE synthase, and determined its relationship with rat pancreatic cholesterol esterase (ChE). Since most of the serine esterases express p-nitrophenyl acetate (PNPA)-hydrolyzing activity as well as synthetic activity to form fatty acid esters or amides with a wide spectrum of alcohols and amines, respectively, we used PNPA-hydrolyzing activity to monitor the purification of FAEE synthase during various chromatographic purification steps. Synthesizing activity towards FAEEs, fatty acid methyl esters, and fatty acid anilides was measured only in the pooled fractions. At each step of purification (ammonium sulfate saturation, Q Sepharose XL, and heparin-agarose column chromatographies, and high performance liquid chromatography (anion exchange and gel filtration)) synthetic as well as hydrolytic activities copurified. Using ethanol, methanol, or aniline as substrates, the ester or anilide synthesizing activity of the purified protein was found to be 8709, 13000, and 2201 nmol/h/mg protein, respectively. The purified protein displayed a single band with an estimated molecular mass of ∼68 kD upon SDS-PAGE under reduced denaturing conditions, cross-reacted with antisera against rat pancreatic ChE and showed 100% N-terminal sequence homology of the first 15 amino acids to that of rat pancreatic ChE. These results suggest that the purified protein has broad substrate specificity towards the conjugation of endogenous long chain fatty acids with substrates having hydroxyl and amino groups and is identical to ChE. © 2003 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Biochem Mol Toxicol 17:338–345, 2003; Published online in Wiley InterScience (www.interscience.wiley.com). DOI 10.1002/jbt.10097
Aerodynamic symmetry of aircraft and guided missiles

A technique is developed thai takes advantage of the inherent configurational symmetries of aircraft and guided missiles to eliminate some force and moment derivatives. Starting with the Principle of Material Indifference, tensor analysis is employed to derive two simple conditions for vanishing aerodynamic derivatives. The results apply to derivatives of arbitrary order, taken with respect to linear and angular velocities, linear accelerations, and control surface deflections. Two charts are presented that sift out the vanishing derivatives up to second order for missiles with tetragonal symmetry, and up to third order for aircraft with reflectional symmetry.
Not beyond output–input: evidence on service productivity change from input–output models

This paper utilizes data from a series of seven regional input–output models for Washington State to document labor productivity change from 1963 through 2002. The paper documents broad contours of structural change in the Washington State economy, and changes in the level of labor needed to deliver a constant level of final demand, given changes in interindustry structure and labor requirements. The paper also decomposes changes in the level of labor demand due to productivity change, technical input–output relations, and changes in final demand. Service industries are found to be prominent sources of labor productivity improvement.
RFID Explained:A Primer on Radio Frequency Identification Technologies

Abstract This lecture provides an introduction to Radio Frequency Identification (RFID), a technology enabling automatic identification of objects at a distance without requiring line-of-sight. Electronic tagging can be divided into technologies that have a power source (active tags), and those that are powered by the tag interrogation signal (passive tags); the focus here is on passive tags. An overview of the principles of the technology divides passive tags into devices that use either near field or far field coupling to communicate with a tag reader. The strengths and weaknesses of the approaches are considered, along with the standards that have been put in place by ISO and EPCGlobal to promote interoperability and the ubiquitous adoption of the technology. A section of the lecture has been dedicated to the principles of reading co-located tags, as this represents a significant challenge for a technology that may one day be able to automatically identify all of the items in your shopping cart in a ju...
A necessary and sufficient extreme point solution for checking robust stability of polytopes of matrices

Addresses the issue of developing a finitely computable necessary and sufficient test for checking the robust stability of a polytope of matrices and provides a complete solution to the problem in the form of an extreme point result. The result uses the fact that the robust stability problem can be converted to a robust nonsingularity problem involving the original matrix and the associated Kronecker Lyapunov matrix. The special nature of the Kronecker Lyapunov matrix is exploited with the introduction of a new concept labeled real axis nonsingularity. Another important concept introduced is that of virtual matrix family. The virtual matrix concept indirectly captures the interior of the uncertain matrix family. Using measures labeled weighted real axis determinant and real axis nonsingularity scalar which are positive for an asymptotically stable matrix, the proposed necessary and sufficient condition involves checking if a set of real axis nonsingularity matrices (formed in terms of the vertex matrices in the Kronecker Lyapunov space) are asymptotically stable or not. This condition thus involves the eigenvalue information of the higher dimensional matrices in the Kronecker Lyapunov space. The proposed methodology is illustrated with a variety of examples. The importance of this result and possible extensions of this result are discussed.
Relations between emotion, memory, and attention: evidence from taboo stroop, lexical decision, and immediate memory tasks.

This article reports five experiments demonstrating theoretically coherent effects of emotion on memory and attention. Experiments 1–3 demonstrated three taboo Stroop effects that occur when people name the color of taboo words. One effect is longer color-naming times for taboo than for neutral words, an effect that diminishes with word repetition. The second effect is superior recall of taboo words in surprise memory tests following color naming. The third effect is better recognition memory for colors consistently associated with taboo words rather than with neutral words. None of these effects was due to retrieval factors, attentional disengagement processes, response inhibition, or strategic attention shifts. Experiments 4 and 5 demonstrated that taboo words impair immediate recall of the preceding and succeeding words in rapidly presented lists but do not impair lexical decision times. We argue that taboo words trigger specific emotional reactions that facilitate the binding of taboo word meaning to salient contextual aspects, such as occurrence in a task and font color in taboo Stroop tasks.
The Metaphysical-Religious Dimension of Günter Eich's Träume

“Wacht auf, denn eure Traume sind schlecht Bleibt wach, weil das Entsetzliche naher kommt.” Although Giinter Eich's radio play, Traume (1951), has been readily discussed from a political-historical perspective, the metaphysical-religious dimension of this work has received only peripheral attention. As a work of art, this play constitutes far more than a mere protest against the dreams of restoration which Eich and his countrymen shared shortly after World War II. It is a profound statement on the exigencies of life in general. In addition to revealing the metaphysical dimension of the play, this essay also focuses upon the existentialistic predicament of man as reflected in each of the Dream segments. The apparent contradiction between the express belief in the freedom of the individual to act, and the recurrent image of man's basic imprisonment in an alienating world, is resolved only when the polarity between the political-historical and metaphysical-religious dimensions at work in Eich's language is revealed.
Seasonal and Diel Abundance of Viruses and Occurrence of Lysogeny/Bacteriocinogeny in the Marine Environment

To understand the role of viruses in the marine environment, it is important to know the factors affecting their temporal distribution and the abundance of lysogens. We therefore performed a seasonal and a diel study on viral distribution in Tampa Bay, Florida, USA, and detected the abundance of lysogens and bacteriocinogens amongst marine bacterial isolates from diverse marine environments. We investigated the distribution of viruses, bacterial direct counts, chlorophyll a (chl a), salinity and temperature during a 13 mo period in the Tampa Bay estuary. The results indicated that the viral population had a strong seasonal pattern with the highest concentrations (2.0 f 0.8 X 10') in the summer and lowest (4.8 k 1.4 X 106) in the winter Viral abundance was negatively correlated with salinity ( r = -0.8031, and positively correlated with chl a concentration (r = 0.725). A dlel study in a seawater mesocosm indcated that viral abundance did not vary on a diel rhythm, but rather peaked after a maximumin bacterial abundance and chl a. Dissolved DNA concentrations displayed diel rhythmicity, suggesting that viruses were not the main source of dissolved DNA. An estimation of the percentage of the bacterial standing stock lysed by viruses based on 4 h intervals ranged from 3.0 to 53.3 % per day. Screening bacterial isolates for the presence of inducible prophages indicated that 43 % were lysogens or bacteriocinogens, suggesting that lysogeny and bacteriocinogeny are common in the marine environment.
Analysis of the UV/Vis and CD spectral line shapes of carotenoid assemblies: spectral signatures of chiral H-aggregates.

Using vibronic exciton theory we evaluate the absorption and CD spectra of lutein and lutein diacetate aggregates, which have previously been described as card-packed H-aggregates and head-to-tail J-aggregates, respectively. The dramatically different spectral line shapes for both aggregates are shown to arise from strongly and weakly coupled H-aggregates consisting of helical arrays of chromophores. For lutein, the aggregates consist of tightly packed stacks of individual carotenoid molecules, while lutein diacetate aggregates resemble nematic liquid crystals. For both aggregates the agreement between experiment and theory is excellent. Analytical expressions for the absorption and CD spectra are presented, highlighting the spectral signatures of weakly coupled H (and J)-aggregation arising from distortions in the single-molecule Franck−Condon progression.
Impacts of Carbon and Flooding on Soil Microbial Communities: Phospholipid Fatty Acid Profiles and Substrate Utilization Patterns

Phospholipid fatty acid (PLFA) profiles provide a robust measure that can be used to fingerprint the structure of soil microbial communities, and measure their biomass. A replicated field trial, with gradients in substrate and O2 availability created by straw incorporation and flooding was used to test the ability of PLFA to discriminate soil microbial communities in different management regimes. Another objective was to test the usefulness, on a large scale, of some of the proposed interpretations of PLFA biomarkers. Using a direct gradient statistical analysis method, PLFA profiles were found to be very sensitive to flooding and straw treatments. Relative abundances of monounsaturated fatty acids were reduced with flooding and increased with added carbon, consistent with their proposed interpretations as indicators of aerobic conditions and high substrate availability. The cyclopropyl fatty acids were not useful as taxonomic indicators of respiratory type, although their responses were consistent with their proposed use as growth condition indicators. Branched fatty acids decreased, as a group, in response to high substrate conditions. A specific biomarker for Type II methanotrophs was not found in this rice soil, even under high carbon, low O2 conditions, which resulted in methane exposure in the soil. Direct comparison of PLFA and substrate utilization patterns indicated that Biolog patterns are highly selective, and do not reflect compositional changes in soil communities.
Nanostructured DLC-Ag Composites for Biomedical Applications

We have synthesized novel diamondlike carbon coatings with silver nanoparticles embedded into the DLC film. The size of silver nanoparticles that are confined into layered structures has been varied from 5 nm to 50 nm using an ingenious pulsed laser deposition technique. The size of nanoparticles was found to be remarkably uniform within 15%. We have characterized these samples using high-resolution cross-section TEM and STEM-Z contrast techniques, electron energy loss spectroscopy (EELS), Raman, nanohardness, adhesion, and biocompatibility measurements. In the STEM-Z, where the contrast is proportional to atomic number 2 , we have obtained the details of the atomic structure of silver particles. We have correlated the microstructure with hardness and adhesion properties. The EELS was used in conjunction with STEM-Z to obtain sp 3 /sp 2 bonding ratio. This ratio was compared with Raman result to provide an average bulk value. The role of silver nanoparticles is surmised to provide a reservoir of electrons for antimicrobial activity on the surface, as revealed by our biocompatibility tests.
Methodologies for Evaluating Investment in Electronic Data Interchange

Reluctance of organizations to invest in electronic data interchange (EDI, Internet-based EDI, and XML/EDI) is largely due to their inability to assess the return on these investments. We identify prescriptive and evaluative methodologies for analyzing investment in EDI: nonfinancial methods, purely financial methods, and financial and strategic consideration methods. We also show how computer simulation can be used as a tool for assessing EDI. Evaluating the benefits resulting from EDI implementation was illustrated through the well-known Beer Game. Our analysis and review also identifies difficulties involved in assessing the benefits of EDI in supply chains.
Fiscal variables and growth: A cross-sectional analysis

This paper examines the impact of the key fiscal variables — taxes, expenditures, and deficits — on economic growth performance, using a reduced-form model and cross-sectional data for a sample of 76 developed and developing countries for the period 1972–81. Its simultaneous consideration of fiscal variables overturns the results of some existing studies. While taxes seem negatively associated with GDP growth, they are concommitant with a higher rate of growth when their benefits in terms of reducing deficits are taken into account. The positive association of government expenditures with GDP growth is rendered negative when their impact on deficits are factored in. Deficits are contractionary, and deficit-reducing tax increases and expenditure cuts are positively associated with growth. A balanced budget expansion of taxes and expenditures is negatively associated with growth. When separating the sample into low-, middle- and high-income countries, these results hold only for the second group indicating that the level of development influences the linkages between fiscal variables and GDP growth.
Pb diffusion in zircon

Abstract Chemical diffusion of Ti under anhydrous conditions at 1 atm and under fluid-present elevated pressure (1.1–1.2 GPa) conditions has been measured in natural zircon. The source of diffusant for 1-atm experiments was a ZrO2–TiO2–zircon mixture, with experiments run in crimped Pt capsules. Diffusion experiments done in the presence of H2O–CO2 fluid were run in a piston-cylinder apparatus, using a source of ground TiO2, ZrSiO4 and SiO2, with oxalic acid added to produce H2O–CO2 vapor and partially melt the solid source material, yielding an assemblage of rutile + zircon + melt + vapor. Nuclear reaction analysis (NRA) with the resonant nuclear reaction 48Ti(p,γ)49V was used to measure diffusion profiles for both sets of experiments. The following Arrhenius parameters were obtained for Ti diffusion normal to cover the temperature range 1350–1550 °C at 1 atm: D Ti = 3.33 × 10 2 exp ( − 754 ± 56 kJ mol − 1 / R T ) m 2 s − 1 . Ti diffusivities were found to be similar for experiments run under fluid-present conditions. A fit to all of the data yields the Arrhenius relation D = 1.34 × 102 exp(− 741 ± 46 kJ mol− 1/RT) m2 s− 1. These data suggest that zircon should be extremely retentive of Ti chemical signatures, indicating that the recently-developed Ti-in-zircon crystallization geothermometer [Watson, E.B., Harrison, T.M., 2005. Zircon thermometer reveals minimum melting conditions on earliest Earth. Science 308, 841–844] will be quite robust in preserving temperatures of zircon crystallization. Titanium diffuses somewhat faster in zircon than larger tetravalent cations U, Th, and Hf, but considerably more slowly than Pb, the REE, and oxygen; hence Ti crystallization temperatures may be retained under circumstances when radiometric ages or other types of geochemical information are lost.
SU‐GG‐T‐222: How Accurate Is the Gold Seeds‐Based IGRT in Determining True Prostate Shifts

Purpose: To answer the important question of gold seeds‐based IGRT for prostate cancer: what is the upper‐bound accuracy in determining true prostate shifts? Method and Materials: A cylindrical phantom was constructed using tissue‐equivalent plastic. Four pieces of circular bolus of 1 cm in thickness and 5 cm in diameter were stacked together and attached to a thin circular plastic plate inside the phantom to mimic the prostate gland. Three cylindrical gold seeds of 0.8×3 mm were implanted at different locations. The phantom was scanned on a Brilliance Big Bore CT scanner with a slice thickness of 2 mm. The acquired CTimages were transferred to an AQsim for treatment planning. Two pairs of orthogonal setup beams with gantry angles of 315°/45° and 0°/90° were created. Corresponding DCRs were reconstructed and transferred to Varian Varis for beam delivery. On a Varian 21EX CLINAC equipped with an aSi500 portal imager, the phantom was setup to a LINAC ISO that has known shifts relative to the CT scan ISO. The portal images of the four setup beams were acquired using the standard clinical mode. The three shifts relative to the CT scan ISO were then determined by manually registering the portal images with the corresponding DCRs using Varian Vision. The same procedure was repeated at different dates. Results: With theoretical shifts of 1, 0.9, and 1.4 cm in longitudinal, lateral, and vertical directions, respectively, the measured mean shifts were 0.994, 0.975, and 1.075 cm for 315°/45° setup beams and 1.00, 0.830, and 1.090 cm for 0°/90° setup beams. Conclusion: Considering all other compounding factors in vivo, we believe that the accuracy in determining prostate shifts will not exceed ±0.2, ±0.2, and ±0.5 cm in longitudinal, lateral, and vertical directions, respectively.
Side-chain cholesteric liquid crystalline polymers containing menthol and cholesterol—synthesis and characterization

A series of new cholesteric side-chain liquid crystalline polymers were prepared containing cholesteric monomer and nonmesogenic chiral monomer. All polymers were synthesized by graft polymerization using polymethylhydrosiloxane as backbone. The mesomorphic properties were investigated by differential scanning calorimetry, polarizing optical microscopy and X-ray diffraction measurements, and temperature-changing solidistic optical rotation. The chemical structures of the monomers and polymers obtained were confirmed by Fourier transform infrared and proton nuclear magnetic resonance spectra. M1 showed cholesteric phase during the heating and the cooling cycle. Polymer P1 were chiral smectic A phase, whereas P2–P7 were cholesteric phase. Experimental results demonstrated that nonmesogetic chiral moity offered the possibility of application because of its lower glass-transition temperature, and the glass-transition temperatures and isotropization temperatures reduced, and the ranges of the mesophase temperature changed abruptly at first and then smoothly with increasing the content of chiral agent.
High-Resolution X-Ray Microstructural Study of Single Crystals of YBa2Cu3O7-y

Single crystals of YBa2Cu3O7-y were studied by transmission Laue photography and monochromatic diffraction techniques, using the Cornell High Energy Synchrotron Source and a rotating anode x-ray source. A new type of twinning, with two orthorhombic domains rotated exactly 90 degree about the c axis, was observed in one sample and the conventional (110) type twinning in another sample with nominally identical growth conditions. A high resolution diffraction study of the sample with the conventional (110) twinning shows that measured orthorhombicity (proportional to oxygen ordering parameter) varies from one domain to another.
KIMS—a knowledge-based computer vision system for production line inspection

Abstract the aim of this paper is to discuss a generic expert system prototyped for image analysis and interpretation tasks. The system christened KIMS is a knowledge-based image management system which oversees the entire process of image processing, segmentation, feature extraction, knowledge representation along with an expandable capability for image understanding task. We discuss the architecture of KIMS, its modeling environment, and demonstrate its usefulness with photo-to-image inspection as applied to a manufacturing line.
SENSORY PROPERTIES OF EXTRUDED CORN MEAL RELATED TO THE SPATIAL DISTRIBUTION OF PROCESS CONDITIONS

The quality determining factors of extruded products are affected by the temperature, shear and pressure generated by any input to the extruder during the short residence time (< 120s). Although the relationship of process history to measurable product qualities has been established, sensory qualities have not been well correlated to these process responses. Sensory attributes of extruded corn meal products were investigated and correlated to measured physical properties in this study. Corn meal was extruded in a twin screw extruder (Baker Perkins MPF 50/25; LD ratio 15:1) with step increases in screw speed from 200-400 rpm, and moisture from 16-22%. Principal component analysis (PCA) of main factors from sensory color, crispness, and adhesiveness was correlated to process torque, pressure and temperature. Spatial distribution of process response and product attributes showed crispness to be dependent on extrusion temperature. Porosity and adhesiveness were not correlated to any measured process response. PCA analysis identified significant differences in the effects of moisture and screw speed input to the extruder on product properties.
Effects of temperature on ventilation and acid-base status in the black racer snake, Coluber constrictor

Abstract 1. 1. Ventilation, arterial blood gases and pH were measured at body temperatures (Tb) of 15, 25 and 35°C in unanesthetized black racer snakes ( Coluber constrictor ). 2. 2. Arterial pH and bicarbonate concentration varied inversely with Tb, whereas ventilation, arterial P co 2 , and P o 2 varied directly with Tb. 3. 3. The slope of the pH-Tb relationship (−0.007 pH/°C) was not sufficient to maintain arterial relative alkalinity constant. 4. 4. We conclude that some factor other than the maintenance of a constant arterial relative alkalinity determines ventilation as Tb changes in this species.
Maximum likelihood estimation of direction-of-arrival for broad-band sources via dynamic programming

An analysis is presented to estimate the number of broadband sources by sensor arrays and to compute the maximum likelihood estimator (MLE) of their direction-of-arrival (DOA) based on the dynamic programming algorithm. The approach is devised in the frequency domain. With proper selection of the number of elements, the distance between elements, and the step size, the global maximum for the log-likelihood function (LLF) can be obtained. Otherwise, the global maximum is not guaranteed. Simulation results are presented and studied to demonstrate the performance of the proposed method. >
Complete Remission of Hepatitis B Virus-Associated Nephrotic Syndrome from IgA Nephropathy Following Peginterferon Therapy

Hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection is a major cause of acute and chronic hepatitis, cirrhosis, and hepatocellular carcinoma. HBV has also been associated with various common and uncommon glomerular diseases, including IgA nephropathy (IgAN). We report a patient with chronic HBV infection who presented with atypical features of IgAN with management and long-term follow-up. Much of the data on the treatment of HBV-associated glomerular diseases come from patients with membranous nephropathy, whereas the information on treatment of other glomerulopathies remains largely anecdotal. To the best of our knowledge, treatment of an adult patient with HBV-associated nephrotic syndrome from IgAN with pegylated interferon has not been previously reported. Treatment with pegylated interferon alfa-2b in our patient resulted in complete clinical remission of the nephrotic syndrome as well as a dramatic decrease in HBV viral load. Patient continued to remain in clinical remission 5 years after treatment.
Problems in Extrapolation Illustrated with Space Shuttle O-Ring Data

Abstract Many standard techniques for model selection, model fitting, and diagnostics can be inappropriate in extrapolation problems. We illustrate some pitfalls using a data set analyzed by Dalai, Fowlkes, and Hoadley—the data on space shuttle O-ring damage available at the time of the decision to launch the shuttle Challenger. The aim of the analysis is to estimate the probability of failure for a launch at 31 degrees, the temperature at which the Challenger was launched, and to use that estimate to decide whether the launch should have been postponed. We conclude, first, that the usual procedures of model selection, model fitting, and diagnostics do not tell the whole story about the probability of failure at 31 degrees and, second, that a decision analysis of the launch question leads to a robust conclusion that the launch should have been postponed.
Abstract 365: Autocrine vascular endothelial growth factor signaling mediates survival and chemoresistance of human colorectal cancer cells

Proceedings: AACR 101st Annual Meeting 2010‐‐ Apr 17‐21, 2010; Washington, DC Introduction. Although the effects of VEGF on angiogenesis and vascular function are well known, the autocrine effects of VEGF on tumor cell function remain to be elucidated. We studied phenotypic changes in human colorectal cancer (CRC) cells with homologous deletion of VEGF alleles to determine any potential autocrine/intracrine role of VEGF on tumor cell function. Methods. The human CRC cell lines HCT116 and LS174T with homologous recombination-mediated deletion of VEGF alleles were generated previously (Dang et al, Can Res 2006). To exclude the effect of exogenous VEGF, the cells were grown in low serum condition for all assays. MTT assay was used to detect changes in cell growth. Migration and invasion were determined using modified Boyden chamber assays. Cell death and apoptosis were assessed by FACS analysis following PI and Annexin V/PI staining respectively. Changes in protein levels of VEGF signaling intermediates and mediators of apoptosis were evaluated by Western blotting. Chemosensitivity was determined by FACS analysis following 5-FU treatment and PI staining of cells. Results. Loss of VEGF expression decreased cell growth and increased spontaneous apoptosis in CRC cells. Cells null for VEGF demonstrated increases in migration and invasion. Loss of VEGF expression also increased the sensitivity of cells to the cytotoxic effects of the chemotherapeutic drug, 5-FU, as shown by increased cell death and apoptosis. These effects are mediated via upregulation of the pro-apoptotic mediators cleaved caspase-3 and PARP and, downregulation of the anti-apoptotic mediator survivin. In addition, loss of VEGF led to increased levels of PlGF, SDF-1 and phosphorylated VEGFR-1 in CRC cells. Conclusion. Loss of autocrine/intracrine VEGF signaling leads to an increase in spontaneous apoptosis and chemosensitivity of colon cancer cells. In addition, loss of VEGF signaling led to increases in PlGF and SDF-1, suggesting that loss of VEGF signaling can lead to induction of compensatory pathways that may be mediated by numerous cell types in the tumor microenvironment. These findings have implications for a better understanding of mechanisms of action for VEGF targeted therapies when combined with chemotherapy in patients with metastatic CRC. Citation Format: {Authors}. {Abstract title} [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 101st Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2010 Apr 17-21; Washington, DC. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2010;70(8 Suppl):Abstract nr 365.
Photoelectrochemical investigations of disorder in surface films induced by ion implantation

Abstract Photoelectrochemical techniques have been used to study ion implanted oxide films on titanium and hafnium. The disorder induced by the implantation process is well reflected in photocurrent spectra as well as the potential dependence of the photocurrent. This is due to a large number of localized states created by the interaction of impinging ions of high kinetic energy with the host lattice. In hafnium oxide the disorder is reflected in the localized states created within the bandgap, whereas in titanium oxide it is reflected rather in the localization of the conduction band. The results indicate the ability of photoelectrochemistry to investigate structural properties under in situ conditions.
Cloning and functional expression of a cDNA encoding a mouse type 2 neuropeptide Y receptor.

Abstract A cDNA clone homologous with the human neuropeptide Y (NPY)-Y2 receptor has been isolated from a mouse brain cDNA library. Analysis of the predicted amino-acid sequence indicates that the polypeptide encoded by this cDNA is 94% homologous to the human NPY-Y2 receptor. In Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) cells expressing the mouse NPY-Y2 receptor, an increase in intracellular Ca2+ and inhibition of forskolin-induced cAMP accumulation were observed due to stimulation with NPY, NPY-(13–36) and peptide YY, but not with pancreatic polypeptide or [Leu31,Pro34]NPY. The fact that the NPY-induced increase in intracellular Ca2+ and inhibition of forskolin-induced cAMP accumulation were eliminated by pretreatment with pertussis toxin suggests that the NPY-Y2 receptor couples to PTX-sensitive G-protein(s), probably Gi/Go, in CHO cells.
THE ACCRETION DISK AND WHITE DWARF IN THE U GEMINORUM TYPE DWARF NOVAE UZ SERPENTIS AND SS AURIGAE DURING QUIESCENCE

We have carried out high-gravity model atmosphere and accretion disk synthetic spectral fits for the U Geminorum type dwarf novae during quiescence. For UZ Ser, we find that the far-UV spectrum is best fitted with a log g = 8, Teff = 27,000 K photosphere with abundances near solar. The best-fit accretion disk model for UZ Ser has Mwd = 1.0 M⊙, disk inclination i = 75°, and = 10-9 M⊙ yr-1. For SS Aur, the best-fit model photosphere has Teff = 30,000K, log g = 8, and solar composition abundances, while the best-fit accretion disk model has Mwd = 1.0 M⊙, i = 41°, and = 10-10 M⊙ yr-1. These accretion rates are discussed in connection with the critical accretion rates predicted by the disk instability theory. Whether a white dwarf or a disk accounts for the far-UV spectra, they must be quite hot. If indeed the white dwarf dominates the far-UV light, then UZ Ser and SS Aur add two important temperatures in support of the conclusion that the accreting white dwarfs above the period gap are a factor of 1.5–2 times hotter than the accreting cataclysmic variable degenerates in systems below the period gap.
Influence of Diffusion in the Underlying Metal during Oxidation of Iron Containing Small Amounts of Copper and Nickel

The residual element copper in recycled steels embrittles grain boundaries, causing a surface cracking phenomenon known as hot shortness. Embrittlement is caused by a copper-rich liquid phase that forms at the oxide/metal interface during steel oxidation. Another residual element, nickel, enriches along with copper and reduces hot shortness cracking. The mechanisms by which nickel affects copper enrichment behavior have not yet been adequately studied. This work examines the effects of nickel and copper on the oxidation behavior and oxide/metal interface microstructure of iron. Iron-0.3 wt% copper alloys containing 0.1 wt% nickel and 0.05 wt% nickel were compared. Pure iron was used as a reference material. Alloy samples were oxidized in air at 1150°C. The parabolic oxidation rates for both alloys were found to decrease by a factor of two from that of pure iron. Both alloys had perturbed oxide/metal interfaces consisting of alternating solid/liquid regions. The interface development is due to stabilization of perturbations in the solid/liquid interface. The interface morphology can also explain the observed decrease in oxidation rate.