cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
The Level and Composition of Consumption Over the Business Cycle: The Role of

We study how the level and composition of household expenditures changes over the business cycle for households at different positions in the income distribution. Using data from the Consumer Expenditure Survey, we find that transitory, state-specific increases in unemployment causes lower income groups to lower their total expenditure outlays, contrary to the prediction of the textbook account of consumption behavior. In addition, in bad economic times these groups raise the share of their total outlays devoted to relative fixed outlays like home or car payments. These adjustments are primarily concentrated among reductions in outlays devoted to entertainment and personal care expenditures. We find no similar effects for households at higher positions in the income distribution. It is difficult to attribute these differences across households to differences in credit constraints, both because the specific results for credit holdings are imprecisely estimated and because income losses experienced by higher SES households are so small that there is, for them, little need to adjust consumption.
Nuclear Resonance Fluorescence in Xe 131

The 637- and 723-keV states in ${\mathrm{Xe}}^{131}$ have been investigated by employing the technique of nuclear resonance fluorecence. The angular distribution of the resonantly scattered radiation from the 637-keV level is consistent with the assignment of either spin and parity ${\frac{5}{2}}^{+}$, decaying to the ground state predominantly by an $M1$ transition, or a spin and parity of ${\frac{7}{2}}^{+}$ with the decay to the ground state being pure $E2$. Considering the results of other investigators, a ${\frac{7}{2}}^{+}$ assignment appears to be the correct choice. Assuming a spin of $\frac{7}{2}$, the mean life of the 637-keV level is found to be 1.8 \ifmmode\pm\else\textpm\fi{} 0.8 psec. The fact that resonant scattering from the 723-keV level was observed with a source of gaseous ${\mathrm{II}}^{131}$ is attributed to Coulomb fragmentation of the ${({\mathrm{IXe}}^{131})}^{+}$ molecular ion formed following the $\ensuremath{\beta}$ decay of ${\mathrm{I}}^{131}$. The angular distribution of the resonantly scattered 723-keV $\ensuremath{\gamma}$ rays is consistent with a spin and parity assignment of ${\frac{5}{2}}^{+}$ to this level, and a pure $M1$ decay to the ground state. Our results indicate that the mean life of the 723-keV level is greater than 1.5 psec.
Is Viewing Mass Trauma Television Coverage Associated With Trauma Reactions in Adults and Youth? A Meta-Analytic Review

This study presents the findings of meta-analyses examining the association between viewing mass trauma television coverage and posttraumatic stress (PTS) outcomes as well as acute stress reactions (ASR) among adults and youth. A literature search identified 43 (N = 31,162) studies assessing the association between viewing mass trauma television coverage and PTS and four (N = 9,083) assessing the association with ASR. The overall size of the association between viewing television coverage and PTS, estimated using a random-effect model, was small but statistically significant, r = .17, 95% CI [.13, .22]. The moderator analysis examined eight preselected variables: man-made versus natural trauma, specific incident versus chronic stressor, adult versus youth sample, proximal versus distal event exposure, television only versus combined media form, specific content in coverage versus no specific content, quantification of media contact using numeric measurement versus subjective measurement versus a binary item, and posttraumatic stress symptoms (PTSS) versus posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) outcome. The analysis revealed a statistically significant moderation effect for the quantification of media contact (numeric vs. subjective vs. binary) only, which accounted for 19% of the observed heterogeneity. With a summary estimate of r = .26, 95% CI [.06, .44], the analysis of the ASR studies corroborated the PTS findings. The results suggest that clinicians and public health practitioners should discuss mass trauma television viewing with their patients and with the public. Limitations of the extant research are discussed.
Reexamining Rulemaking in an Era of Internet-Enabled Participation

Does the platform of rulemaking deliberation change the cast of characters participating in rulemaking exercises? Does an online environment affect what commenters say in their public comments? We ...
Association of mTOR Pathway Markers and Clinical Outcomes in Patients with Intermediate-/High-risk Prostate Cancer: Long-Term Analysis.

Abstract Introduction The mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) pathway is up-regulated in prostate cancer (PCa). We evaluated the tumor tissue expression of downstream mTOR targets in patients with intermediate- and high-risk (IR/HR) PCa and their ability to predict outcome after radical prostatectomy (RP). Patients and Methods Immunohistochemical (IHC) analysis using antibodies against PTEN, mTOR, p-mTOR, pAKT, pS6, and Ki-67 was performed on a tissue microarray constructed from formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded RP specimens. The marker expression was analyzed to determine their predictability for biochemical recurrence (BCR). Results Tumor tissue from 217 patients (86 IR/131 HR) was analyzed. The most frequent markers were p-mTOR, which was expressed in most cases (85%), whereas PTEN and pS6 were detected in 53% and 40% of the cases, respectively. Overexpression of PTEN (P = .02) and pS6 (P Conclusions Protein expression of downstream mTOR molecules was significantly associated with outcome of patients with IR and HR PCa. Markers of the mTOR pathway could be incorporated in clinical studies evaluating inhibitors of the signaling pathway for treatment selection in men with PCa.
Robust and nonrobust aspects of Atlantic meridional overturning circulation variability and mechanisms in the Community Earth System Model

AbstractRobust and nonrobust aspects of Atlantic meridional overturning circulation (AMOC) variability and mechanisms are analyzed in several 600-yr simulations with the Community Earth System Mode...
Association of CXCR2+ granulocytic myeloid derived suppressor cells with the development of cholangiocarcinoma: A possible target for intervention.

565Background: Cholangiocarcinoma (CCA) is the second most common primary liver malignancy, with increasing incidence. Currently, surgical resection offers the only chance for cure, however the pro...
Contralateral prophylactic mastectomy and implications for breast reconstruction

Contralateral prophylactic mastectomy (CPM) rates have continued to rise in the United States, impacting all stakeholders including plastic and reconstructive surgeons. Multiple factors may be influencing this trend, including patient decision-making characteristics, knowledge about breast cancer disease and prognosis, advances in genetic testing and enhanced imaging capabilities, sociodemographic factors, and access to specialty surgical services such as breast reconstruction. In this review, the authors shed light on the current state of CPM and summarize the literature analyzing its increasing prevalence in the United States, as well as outline future directions for study and dissemination of knowledge from providers to patients surrounding this important and complex treatment decision.
Special Education Administrators’ Knowledge of Adapted Physical Education: A Pilot Study

Special education administrators have an influence over adapted physical education (APE) services, however little research to date has assessed special education administrators’ knowledge of APE se...
COVID-19: Prosthodontic Challenges and Opportunities in Dental Practice

The coronavirus disease (COVID-19) has spread globally. Dentists, dental specialists, dental assistants, dental staff, and patients are potentially at higher risk of COVID-19 infection during denta...
Academic motivation and the undergraduate business major

This research examines the motivation of undergraduate business students using the academic motivation scale. We examined the difference in motivation between business majors and a variety of nonbu...
Deep Learning-Based Auto-Segmentation and Evaluation of Vallecular Residue in Videofluoroscopy

Background: Pharyngeal residue is widely considered as an indicator of swallow impairment in videofluoroscopic studies. The volume of residue indicates potential risk for penetration-aspiration on subsequent swallows while the accuracy and measurement guidelines of residue volume estimation varies significantly among human judges and facilities. We aimed to use deep learning to reliably and efficiently estimate the residue volume in vallecular and classify the potential risk alert of penetration to clinicians. Methods: Patients with suspected dysphagia were recruited between 2015 to 2018. We selected 172 qualified residue samples from 3142 swallows. We first developed deep learning algorithm that can efficiently identify and segment the residue area remaining in vallecula. We split our dataset into three parts, with train, test1 (validation) and test2. In the training phase, we deployed transfer learning techniques and ensemble strategies on train dataset. The model was finally determined by its performance on validation dataset. The segmentation performance of this architecture was evaluated on test 2. We also derived $\%(C2-C4)^2$ residue scale using results from our segmentation algorithm and physiological measurement from our previous study. Findings: We tested the reliability among human raters. Testing on a held-out set of swallow cases, ensemble architecture achieved a dice coefficient of 0.72 and 0.70 of segment accuracy on segmentation, and a sensitivity of 0.92 in reference to $\%(C2-C4)^2$ measure scale. Interpretation: These findings demonstrate that automatic deep learning methods hold tremendous promise for improving objectivity in post-swallow residue evaluation, which has historically be a challenge due to carriable training and measurement methods. Funding: NIH Declaration of Interests: The authors declare no competing interests. Ethics Approval Statement: The Institutional Review Board at the University of Pittsburgh approved the protocol of this study and all participants were informed and signed the consent.
Simultaneous measurement of organic scintillator response to carbon and proton recoils

Background: Organic scintillators are widely used for neutron detection in both basic nuclear physics and applications. While the proton light yield of organic scintillators has been extensively studied, measurements of the light yield from neutron interactions with carbon nuclei are scarce.Purpose: Demonstrate a new approach for the simultaneous measurement of the proton and carbon light yield of organic scintillators. Provide new carbon light yield data for the EJ-309 liquid and EJ-204 plastic organic scintillators.Method: A 33-MeV $^{2}\mathrm{H}^{+}$ beam from the 88-Inch Cyclotron at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory was impinged upon a 3-mm-thick Be target to produce a high-flux, broad-spectrum neutron beam. The double time-of-flight technique was extended to simultaneously measure the proton and carbon light yields of the organic scintillators, wherein the light output associated with the recoil particle was determined using $np$ and $n\mathrm{C}$ elastic scattering kinematics.Results: The proton and carbon light yield relations of the EJ-309 liquid and EJ-204 plastic organic scintillators were measured over a recoil energy range of approximately 0.3 to 1 MeV and 2 to 5 MeV, respectively, for EJ-309, and 0.2 to 0.5 MeV and 1 to 4 MeV, respectively, for EJ-204.Conclusions: These data provide new insight into the ionization quenching effect in organic scintillators and key input for simulation of the response of organic scintillators for both basic science and a broad range of applications.
Mindfulness, cognitive functioning, and academic achievement in college students:the mediating role of stress.

Higher trait mindfulness may be associated with better cognitive functioning and academic achievement in college students. Although mediating mechanisms are unclear, lower stress levels could explain this relationship. Participants: Cross-sectional online survey (n = 534; 33% non-white; Apr 2018 – Sep 2019). Path analysis tested Perceived Stress as a mediator between specific facets of trait mindfulness and three measures of self-reported cognitive functioning and academic achievement: Cognitive Abilities, Cognitive Concerns, and GPA. Perceived Stress fully or partially mediated the relationship between all facets of trait mindfulness and perceived cognitive functioning. Only Decentering, however, was associated with higher GPA as a function of lower stress. Lower stress can explain the link between higher trait mindfulness and better cognitive functioning, but not necessarily academic achievement. Future research is needed to address causality, examine objective measures of cognitive functioning, and extend this explanatory model to mindfulness training.
Long Drive Home

When Glen realizes no one else saw the accident, he impulsively lies about what happened---to the police, to his wife, even to Sara, who was in the backseat at the time of the crash. But a tenacious detective thinks Sara might have seen more than she knows, or more than her parents will let her tell. And when Glen tries to prevent the detective from questioning Sara, he finds himself in a high-stakes cat-and-mouse game that could end in a lawsuit or prison. What he doesn’t see coming is the reaction of his wife, Liz --a panicked plan that threatens to tear their family apart in the name of saving it.
Sporadic Solutions to Zero-One Exclusion Tasks

Zero-one exclusion is a family of distributed tasks indexed by n-bit Boolean signatures b[0], …b[n − 1]. We are interested in asynchronous computations where at most n + 1 asynchronous processes participate. They communicate with one another by reading and writing a shared memory, and halt after choosing a Boolean value. If m < n + 1 processes participate, then they must not all choose the value b[m − 1]. If all n + 1 processes participate, then they must not all choose the same value.
Expanding the repertoire of RP genes.

The neurosensory retina is a diaphanous sheet of nervous tissue that lines the inside surface of the posterior two thirds of the human eye. It is composed of a large number of cell types that are all essential for normal vision. The outermost layer of the retina is composed of cells that capture photons and then transduce this energy into a graded modulation of neurotransmitter release. There are two main classes of these photoreceptor cells  rods and cones. Rods allow us to see in extremely dim light, while the cones, which function in relatively bright light, participate in fine central vision and allow us to perceive colour. The rods outnumber the cones in the peripheral retina while the reverse is true in the retinal centre. Photoreception takes place in the 'outer segments' of the photoreceptors, which consist of highly ordered stacks of membranous disks that are packed with the structural and enzymatic proteins required for the phototransduction cascade. Given this level of complexity, it is remarkable that the entire photoreceptive surface of the human eye turns over every seven to ten days. A high protein turnover, coupled with the energy requirements of the ionic pumps involved in phototransduction, renders the retina one of the most metabolically active tissues in the body.
Acetylcholinesterase activity in developing skeletal muscle cells in vitro

Abstract Acetylcholinesterase activity has been demonstrated biochemically and cytochemically in developing chick embryo skeletal muscle cells growing in culture. The enzyme shows the same pattern of drug sensitivity as that of adult skeletal muscle acetylcholinesterase and in present in cultured myogenic cells before the time of cell fusion, the formation of myotubes, and the subsequent increase in rate of myosin synthesis. Myogenic cell fusion is accompanied, however, by a large increase in activity of acetylcholinesterase. The enzyme activity is restricted in these cultures to myogenic cells. Neighboring fibroblasts show no cytochemical responses when challenged with techniques showing intense activity in myoblasts and myotubes. In addition, evidence is presented which strongly suggests that acetylcholinesterase activity in dividing myogenic cells is not constant over the cell cycle.
Abstract 13917: Inhibition of GRK2 Prevents Cardiac Fibroblast-Mediated Maladaptive Ventricular Remodeling

Remote (non-infarct) territory fibrosis is a significant cause of post-myocardial infarction (MI) heart failure (HF). We have previously shown that increased activity of G protein-coupled receptor kinase-2 (GRK2) in adult human cardiac fibroblasts (CF) isolated from failing hearts is an important mechanism of cardiac fibrosis. This study investigates the potential therapeutic role of GRK2 inhibition on CF biology in vivo. Adult male rats underwent LAD ligation to induce post-MI HF. GRK2 was inhibited by intra-coronary adenoviral-mediated delivery of a GRK2 inhibitor (Ad-GRK2ct) immediately following LAD ligation (n=11). Control rats received a null adenovirus (n=10). Animals were studied prior to and up to 12 weeks (wks) post-MI and adenoviral delivery. There was a significant decline in LV function at 2 wks post-MI which was present through 12 wks [Fractional shortening: 0.35±0.01 vs. 0.52±0.01, p<0.01] in Ad-null rats vs. pre-MI. Remote territory (non-infarct area) fibrosis increased by 2 wks post-MI [6...
Utilizing science and engineering professionals in the classroom: How your workforce can positively impact STEM and your company's bottom line

With the growing need to inspire young minds in STEM areas, Science and Engineering professionals along with their employers are working to identify the best possible method to accomplish just this. Currently, many approaches are being utilized, such as summer camp programs, in school visits, large STEM events and student mentoring programs. This paper takes a focused look at how placing Science and Engineering professionals in the classroom may be the most robust and cost effective approach for STEM outreach. This paper outlines methods, approaches, benefits found, results and lessons learned from in-school pilot programs related to this approach. Overall, this paper is intended to aid educators, Science and Engineering Professionals and their employers to broaden STEM and STEaM education.
Social Power as an Exchangeable Resource for Distributed Multi-Agent Systems

An innovative model of structuring agent control based on the implicit concept of transferring a portion of social power upon a series of requests for delegation being offered. Existing models are examined and evaluated. We present the concept of social power as a resource that is exchanged within an agent group instead of a static power structure or one based on dynamic rank. Evely time an agent commands another agent, the power structure within the agent group is redistributed Providing intuitive validation, our simulation results for a single agent using our model of power generation and decay are explored.
Health and Financial Fragility: Evidence from Car Crashes and Consumer Bankruptcy

This paper assesses the importance of adverse health shocks as triggers of bankruptcy filings. We view car crashes as a proxy for health shocks and draw on a large sample of police crash reports linked to hospital admission records and bankruptcy case files. We report two findings: (i) there is a strong positive correlation between an individual's pre-shock financial condition and his or her likelihood of suffering a health shock, an example of behavioral consistency; and (ii) after accounting for this simultaneity, we are unable to identify a causal effect of health shocks on bankruptcy filing rates. These findings emphasize the importance of risk heterogeneity in determining financial fragility, raise questions about prior studies of "medical bankruptcy," and point to important challenges in identifying the triggers of consumer bankruptcy.
Selection of optimal precision levels and specifications considering measurement error

Measurement errors are unavoidable during any inspection process due to the inherent design of measurement systems and the fluctuation of environmental elements and human errors. The economic and statistical effects of two types of inspection errors should be considered when optimizing the inspection policy. This paper investigates two issues that are important in designing the inspection policy: the determination of specifications and the selection of precision levels for the inspection machine or sensor. For both the “target-the-best” and the “smaller-the- better” quality characteristics, penalty costs and probabilities of two types of inspection errors are incorporated in the optimization to reflect the economic and statistical effects. The total cost to the whole system including both the producer and the consumer is minimized in the decision-making process. The optimal specification limits and the precision level of the inspection machine are determined by solving the optimization model. Numerical examples and sensitivity analysis are given to illustrate the proposed optimization model for both types of quality characteristics.
Developing Servant Leadership Through Counselor Community Engagement: A Case Example

Counselor leadership is vital to advocating for both client wellness and the profession, yet there is little to inform the profession regarding leadership development and practice. A three-year counselor community engagement (CCE) project that provided an opportunity to explore the role of servant leadership and Principles and Practices of Leadership Excellence (PPLEs) is presented. Description of the CCE, project challenges and solutions, implications for practice, and suggestions for future research are provided.
Where the Progressive and the Resultative Meet: Imperfective Aspect in Japanese, Chinese, Korean and English

This paper surveys the progressive and resultative morphology of Japanese, Chinese, Korean and English, and argues that although the distinction between perfective and imperfective is the most fundamental of aspectual distinctions, analysis of these languages reveals that this distinction can sometimes be murky. A unified account of the imperfective morphology in these languages is presented which relies on the interaction of inherent aspect and viewpoint aspect markers (Smith 1991). It is suggested that the differences among these languages are the results of the different patterns and degrees of grammaticization of their imperfective markers.
Passive mode-locking by use of waveguide arrays.

A novel mode-locking technique is presented in which the intensity-dependent spatial coupling dynamics of a waveguide array is used to achieve temporal mode-locking in a passive optical fiber laser. By use of the discrete, nearest-neighbor spatial coupling of the waveguide array, low-intensity light can be transferred to the neighboring waveguides and ejected (attenuated) from the laser cavity. In contrast, higher-intensity light is self-focused in the waveguide and remains largely unaffected. Numerical studies of this pulse-shaping mechanism (intensity discrimination) show that using current waveguide arrays and standard optical fiber technology produces stable and robust mode-locked soliton-like pulses.
Rheology of foams and highly concentrated emulsions. II. experimental study of the yield stress and wall effects for concentrated oil-in-water emulsions

Abstract It is shown that the yield stress, τ0, of foams and highly concentrated emulsions is given by τ 0 = 1.277 (γ/R 32 )φ 1 3 F max (φ) , where γ is the interfacial tension, φ is the volume fraction of the dispersed phase, F max (φ) is the mean, dimensionless contribution to the yield stress per drop, and R32 is the surface-volume mean drop radius. F max (φ) was determined experimentally from measurements of τ0 in a concentric-cylinder viscometer for well-characterized oil-in-water emulsions of varying φ (>0.75); it was found to increase sharply with φ, as expected on the basis of a previously developed two-dimensional model. The simple dependence of τ0 on γ has been verified; the dependence of τ0 on R32, however, was found to be more complex, probably as a result of the finite thickness of the aqueous films separating the droplets. Slip between the emulsion and the viscometer walls has been studied in detail, and has been expressed in terms of the “fluidity” ϕw of the boundary layer as a function of the wall stress, τ ( ϕ w ≡ h w η w (where hw and ηw are the effective thickness and viscosity of the boundary layer), was found to be zero below a small but finite slip yield stress (τw)0, and then to increase rapidly with τ. Surface roughness is probably responsible for (τw)0. Various factors affecting ϕw and (τw)0 have been elucidated.
A qualitative and quantitative evaluation of amantadine in the treatment of Parkinson's disease☆

Abstract A double-blind crossover trial of amantadine vs. placebo was carried out involving 42 patients with Parkinson's disease: 64 per cent of the patients on amantadine experienced subjective improvement compared to 21 per cent on placebo. A comprehensive battery of qualitative and quantitative tests was carried out on each patient on entry to the study, after previous standard treatment was discontinued or reduced to a minimal tolerable dose, while on placebo, and while on amantadine, at 3 week intervals. Almost all relevant symptoms and physical signs improved, and the neurologists judged amantadine superior to placebo in 74 per cent of the patients. Quantitative measurement revealed significant improvement in 10 of 19 tests of simulated activities of daily living, in several tests of strength and station, and in all tests of coordination and gait. When the amantadine scores were compared to the placebo scores, an average improvement of 29 per cent occurred in the simulated activities of daily living, 14 per cent in tests of coordination, 11 per cent for gait and 3 per cent for strength. Sensation and neuropsychologic performance were unaffected and side effects were minimal. Comparison of amantadine scores with entry scores obtained when the patients were on standard anti-Parkinsonian medications suggested that amantadine may also be superior to classical medications. The response to amantadine was not related to age, sex, or severity of disease, but those who responded were found to have a significantly longer duration of illness. Amantadine is a nontoxic, easily administered drug useful in the treatment of Parkinson's disease. It should be emphasized that the quantitative tests used in this study yielded interval data. This resulted in more valid comparisons with normal, particularly when expressed in terms of the percent of the age-matched normal function. Finally, this is the first report which describes a battery of quantitative tests designed to measure in part the effect of a drug on activities of daily living. It could be that these results were the most indicative of a significant effect in this experiment, since it is an improvement in the accomplishment of activities of daily living, not neurological tests, by which a patient with Parkinsonism bases his judgement of the effectiveness of a non-toxic treatment.
Rhinovirus (RV)-Induced Interleukin-8 (IL-8) Production in Respiratory Epithelial Cells is Mediated by H2O2 and is Inhibited by N-Acetyl Cysteine (NAC) † 690

A direct correlation has been reported between the severity of common cold symptoms and the concentration of IL-8 in nasal secretions from volunteers with experimental RV colds. The purpose of these studies was to examine the mechanism by which RV infection stimulates IL-8 elaboration. All studies were done in a transformed respiratory epithelial cell line (BEAS-2b). Increased fluorescence staining of carbonyl groups and activation of dichlorofluorescein diacetate was seen in RV-challenged cells suggesting an increase in oxidative stress. Quantitative measurement of H2O2 with a colorimetric assay revealed H2O2 concentrations of 4.74 ± 2.04 μM and.40 ±.49 μM in media from challenged and control cells four hours after virus challenge, respectively (p<0.01). Stimulation of BEAS-2b cells with H2O2 resulted in elaboration of IL-8. Treatment of BEAS-2b cells with NAC significantly inhibited RV-induced IL-8 elaboration. IL-8 concentrations in supernatant media were 183 ± 64 pg/ml and 44 ± 4 six hours after virus challenge in treated (20 mM NAC) and untreated cells, respectively. In spite of the effect of NAC on IL-8 elaboration, RV stimulated increases in H2O2 concentration were not affected by NAC. These results demonstrate that H2O2 is produced in respiratory epithelial cells in response to RV infection and is a potential mediator of RV-induced IL-8 elaboration. NAC inhibits RV-induced IL-8 by a mechanism other than inhibition of H2O2 production.
Autologous Chondrocyte Implantation

Autologous chondrocyte implantation (ACI) has been performed in more than 4,500 patients and, when appropriately indicated, provides durable hyaline-like repair tissue with consistent clinical results. ACI is primarily indicated for full-thickness articular cartilage injuries of the femoral condyles and trochlea. Emerging evidence suggests that it may also have a role in the treatment of patellar defects. The success of ACI is in part attributed to its ability to resolve the limitations of other techniques that are at best palliative or reparative with limited capacity to restore hyaline or hyaline-like tissue. Lesions of the femoral condyles and trochlea can be expected to respond favorably to treatment in greater than 85% of all patients, both clinically and subjectively with follow-up at 2 to 9 years. Patients with multiple lesions or lesions involving the patella have not responded as well, but up to 70% still show improvement with more consistent results if ACI is accompanied by a patellar realignment procedure when indicated.
Integration of parallel computation and dynamic mesh refinement for transient spray simulation

This study developed parallel computing schemes to enhance the computational efficiency of engine spray simulations when adaptive mesh refinement was used. Spray simulations have been shown to be grid dependent and thus fine mesh is often used to improve solution accuracy. In this study, dynamic mesh refinement adaptive to the spray region was developed and parallelized. The change of element numbers in dynamic mesh refinement posed difficulties in developing parallel computing schemes for the purpose of achieving good load balance and low communication overhead. In this work, the cost of communication re-initialization was minimized by performing only necessary data gathering, scattering, mapping and property update that involve local mesh refinement at each adaptation. The implementation was first validated by comparing the predicted spray penetrations and structures under different conditions. Results using local mesh refinement are the same as those using the uniformly fine mesh. This approach was also shown to effectively remove the artifacts related to the algorithms of spray modeling. Furthermore, the parallel implementation was validated by comparing the liquid penetrations using both the fine mesh and the coarse mesh with local refinement using different numbers of processors. The present computational schemes were then used to simulate transient sprays in three different engine geometries including a cylindrical chamber, a 2-valve engine, and a direct-injection gasoline engine. Various spray conditions and grid resolutions were tested in the three geometries to assess the computational efficiency. Reasonable speed-ups were obtained for the test cases with both single-jet and six-jet injections. The six-jet injection has mixed influences on the parallel performance in different geometries compared to the single-jet injection. The reason can be related to the domain partitioning along with local mesh refinement in different geometries. It was also found that the parallel performance for the 2-valve engine geometry suffered from the extensive snapping activities required during valve motion as compared to the other two cases without valve motion.
Tropical Coupled Rossby Waves in the Pacific Ocean-Atmosphere System

Abstract Gridded fields of TOPEX/Poseidon sea level height (SLH) and National Centers for Environmental Prediction sea surface temperature (SST) and meridional surface wind (MSW) anomalies are constructed monthly on a 2° grid over the Pacific Ocean for nearly 6 years from 1993 to 1998. Time–longitude diagrams of monthly SLH, SST, and MSW anomalies from 10° to 22° lat yield significant peak spectral energy density in zonal wavenumber-frequency spectra for periods of 1–2 yr near the free Rossby wave dispersion curve. Subsequently, temporal and spatial filtering of these SLH, SST, and MSW anomalies finds them propagating westward over the interior tropical Pacific Ocean in fixed phase with one another. Significant squared coherence exists between filtered SLH and SST (SST and MSW) anomalies over the entire latitude band, yielding significant phase differences ranging over 90° ± 45° (−70° ± 45°) at 10°S and 14° lat and ranging over 90° ± 45° (0° ± 45°) at 18° and 22° lat. Over the entire latitude domain warm ...
1003-7 Primary Pulmonary Hypertension: Invasive and Noninvasive Monitoring in Patients Receiving Continuous Intravenous Flolan Infusion

Patients (Pts) with primary pulmonary hypertension (PPH) pose a difficult management problem. There are few effective therapies and hemodynamic monitoring is needed to document response. Flolan, a prostaclyin, is being used as a long term continuous infusion in patients with documented PPH. The purpose of the study was to use Doppler-Echocardiography (Echo) to monitor pts receiving Flolan. We used Echo to measure the maximum systolic pressure gradient between the right ventricle and atrium (ΔP) and cardiac output (CO) and compared them to right heart catheterization (Cath) in 30 patients with PPH. 19 of these pts went on to receive Flolan for more than one month and were followed with serial Echo studies to monitor hemodynamic response. Methods Invasive right heart measurements and thermodilution CO were performed during the initial evaluation and followed rapidly by Echo. Tricuspid regurgitant velocities, aortic flow and aortic root area were performed at the initiation of therapy and at follow-up visits. Care was taken to align the regurgitant jets with the Doppler transducer to maximize velocity measurements. The echocardiographer was blinded to the Cath data. The formula ΔP = 4V2 was used where V is the tricuspid regurgitant velocity The CO was obtained using the velocity time integral for aortic flow × the aortic area × HR. Results The correlation between Echo and Cath data for ΔP and CO were good with r = 0.91 and 0.89 (p l 0.001) respectively The average noninvasive follow-up period for the 19 patients receiving Flolan was 7.3 months with a range of 1–15. The mean ΔP before treatment was 94 mmHG demonstrating the severity of the PPH. After treatment, 52% (10/19) pts had a decrease in the ΔP of 31–55%. An additional 26% (5/19) had a drop in ΔP of 4–19%. CO increased in 63% of the pts. Conclusion Echo measurements correlate well with Cath measurements in PPH pts. Pts receiving continuous infusions of Flolan for treatment of PPH experience a decrease in ΔP which can be monitored noninvasively using Echo. The persistence of this decline in ΔP and its relationship to clinical outcome needs further study.
Production of Rutin From Buckwheat

Methods for the extraction and purification of rutin from either green or dried buckwheat meal are described. The best solvent and extraction time for optimum yields of rutin were determined by comparing and evaluating various solvents. For the green plant ten minutes extraction time with hot 85 per cent isopropyl alcohol is recommended. For buckwheat meal 70 to 85 per cent isopropyl alcohol, either hot or cold, is the most efficient extraction solvent for rutin.
Probabilistic model of fatigue fracture of carbon nanostructures

Abstract Presented evaluation of risk of fatigue fracture of carbon nanostructures (CN) is based on: (a) the criterion of the threshold of the dissipated energy of tensile stresses, and (b) simulation of stochastic character of fracture by the failures in queueing system. The assessments of probability of fatigue fracture of CN in conditions of uniaxial tension, plane torsion and uniaxial compression are done.
TU-A-108-09: Reduction of Treatment Times for Breath-Hold Patients in a Spot-Scanning Proton Machine Through the Use of Mini-Ridge Filters

Purpose: Study the feasibility of synchrotron‐based spot‐scanning proton therapy for breath‐hold patients by reducing treatment time through the use of a Mini‐Ridge Filter (MRF) to increase the width of the Bragg peaks. Methods: Five spot‐scanning nozzles were simulated in TOPAS[1]: four with MRFs of varying maximal thicknesses (6.15mm‐24.6mm) and one without an MRF. The MRF ridges were aligned transverse to the beam, with the number of ridges (4–16) proportional to MRF thickness. The material thickness of these ridges approximately followed a Gaussian distribution. Using these simulations, Monte Carlo data was generated for Eclipse machine commissioning. For each nozzle, standard and stereotactic (SR) lung phantom treatment plans were created and assessed for delivery time and plan quality. Results: Use of an MRF resulted in a reduction of the number of energy layers needed in treatment plans, thereby decreasing the number of synchrotron spills needed and hence treatment time. For normal plans, treatment time without an MRF was 65 seconds per field, whereas all four of the MRF plans had treatment times of less than 30 seconds per field‐sufficiently low for breath‐hold. For SR plans, the shortest treatment time achieved was 47 seconds per field, compared to 94 seconds without an MRF. The time reduction had diminishing gains as the MRF thickness increased. PTV coverage and dose uniformity was comparable across all plans; however, the average dose to the surrounding lung increased from 45% of the prescription dose with no MRF up to 54% (worst case with MRF). Conclusion: An MRF can be used to reduce treatment time to aid breath‐hold treatments without compromising plan quality. To balance treatment time and normal tissue dose, the ideal choice was shown to be the thinnest MRF which achieves the timing necessary for breath‐hold.References: J. Perl et al., Med. Phys. 39, 6818
Analysis of 100 pharmaceuticals and their degradates in water samples by liquid chromatography/quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry.

Abstract A straightforward methodology for the chromatographic separation and accurate mass identification of 100 pharmaceuticals including some of their degradation products was developed using liquid chromatography/quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry (LC/Q-TOF-MS). A table compiling the protonated or deprotonated exact masses for all compounds, as well as the exact mass of several fragment ions obtained by MS–MS is included. Excellent chromatographic separation was achieved by using 3.5 μm particle size columns and a slow and generic 30-min gradient. Isobaric and isomeric compounds (same nominal mass and same exact mass, respectively) were distinguished by various methods, including chromatography separation, MS–MS fragmentation, and isotopic signal identification. Method reporting limits of detection ranged from 1 to 1000 ng/L, after solid-phase extraction of 100 mL aqueous samples. The methodology was successfully applied to the analysis of surface water impacted by wastewater effluent by identifying many of the pharmaceuticals and metabolites included in the list. Examples are given for some of the most unusual findings in environmental samples. This paper is meant to serve as a guide for those doing analysis of pharmaceuticals in environmental samples, by providing exact mass measurements of several well known, as well as newly identified and environmentally relevant pharmaceuticals in water samples.
Mrówka maximal almost disjoint families for uncountable cardinals

Abstract We consider generalizations of a well-known class of spaces, called by S. Mrowka, N ∪ R , where R is an infinite maximal almost disjoint family (MADF) of countable subsets of the natural numbers N. We denote these generalizations by ψ = ψ ( κ , R ) for κ ⩾ ω . Mrowka proved the interesting theorem that there exists an R such that | β ψ ( ω , R ) ∖ ψ ( ω , R ) | = 1 . In other words there is a unique free z-ultrafilter p 0 on the space ψ. We extend this result of Mrowka to uncountable cardinals. We show that for κ ⩽ c , Mrowka's MADF R can be used to produce a MADF M ⊂ [ κ ] ω such that | β ψ ( κ , M ) ∖ ψ ( κ , M ) | = 1 . For κ > c , and every M ⊂ [ κ ] ω , it is always the case that | β ψ ( κ , M ) ∖ ψ ( κ , M ) | ≠ 1 , yet there exists a special free z-ultrafilter p on ψ ( κ , M ) retaining some of the properties of p 0 . In particular both p and p 0 have a clopen local base in βψ (although β ψ ( κ , M ) need not be zero-dimensional). A result for κ > c , that does not apply to p 0 , is that for certain κ > c , p is a P-point in βψ.
Uncertainty analysis and allocation of joint tolerances in robot manipulators based on interval analysis

Many uncertain factors influence the accuracy and repeatability of robots. These factors include manufacturing and assembly tolerances and deviations in actuators and controllers. The effects of these uncertain factors must be carefully analyzed to obtain a clear insight into the manipulator performance. In order to ensure the position and orientation accuracy of a robot end effector as well as to reduce the manufacturing cost of the robot, it is necessary to quantify the influence of the uncertain factors and optimally allocate the tolerances. This involves a study of the direct and inverse kinematics of robot end effectors in the presence of uncertain factors. This paper focuses on the optimal allocation of joint tolerances with consideration of the positional and directional errors of the robot end effector and the manufacturing cost. The interval analysis is used for predicting errors in the performance of robot manipulators. The Stanford manipulator is considered for illustration. The unknown joint variables are modeled as interval parameters due to the inherent uncertainty. The cost-tolerance model is assumed to be of an exponential form during optimization. The effects of the upper bounds on the minimum cost and relative deviations of the directional and positional errors of the end effector are also studied.
Curie-temperature enhancement in ferromagnetic semiconductor superlattices

Curie temperatures in ferromagnetic semiconductor superlattices are calculated self-consistently within mean-field theory and the effective bond orbital model of the superlattice band structure. Assuming a null valence-band offset and a constant average hole density of ${10}^{20}{\mathrm{cm}}^{\mathrm{\ensuremath{-}}3},$ the Curie temperature for a GaAs/GaMnAs ``digital alloy'' superlattice is found to be enhanced over its value in a bulk GaMnAs alloy with the same average Mn fraction. This enhancement results from the formation of a hole potential well, induced by the exchange interactions, in the vicinity of the thin magnetic layer. We further show that much larger enhancements may be possible in structures incorporating an Al(Ga)As nonmagnetic barrier layer having a large valence-band offset relative to GaMnAs. This structure creates a much deeper well that much more effectively confines the hole wave functions to the vicinity of the layers with the high Mn concentrations.
Bispectral analysis of spacecraft radio scintillation

Strong intensity scintillations are characterized by a positively skewed probability density function. For such non-Gaussian processes, the power spectrum is not a complete statistical description. In this paper I present the simplest of the higher-order spectra, the bispectrum, of interplanetary intensity scintillation (IPS) data taken in the transition between weak and strong scattering. The bispectrum is the Fourier transform of the third-order lagged product, ⟨x(t)x(t + τ 1)x(t + τ 2)⟩. As the spectrum gives the contribution to the variance from two Fourier components having frequencies that add to zero, the bispectrum gives the contribution to the third moment from the product of three Fourier components having frequencies that add to zero. The bispectra computed here are of the monochromatic S-band beacon onboard the Pioneer Venus spacecraft. This use of a monochromatic point source eliminates complications in the interpretation caused by filtering,of the third moment by finite bandwidth and finite ...
Enhanced endoscopy in inflammatory bowel disease

Spectroscopy and OCT are two new methods for imaging the gastrointestinal mucosa. They both rely on the interaction of light within a tissue and have been adapted for use with endoscopes. It is unlikely that any one type of imaging modality will be able to reliably diagnose the presence of microscopic dysplasia. However, combining different methods may prove to be extremely accurate for detecting dysplasia and may therefore obviate a need for taking tissue biopsies. For instance, LSS may be most helpful in detecting early dysplasia because it is sensitive to changes in nuclear size and crowding. As more cells become dysplastic, fluorescence may play a role in defining changes in content of collagen or markers of metabolism (i.e. NADH). Finally, reflectance spectroscopy becomes useful in detecting characteristic changes in the tissue architecture as dysplasia progresses to invasive cancer. Using all three types of spectroscopy at once ("tri-modal spectroscopy") has proven to be extremely accurate for classifying Barrett's mucosa as either dysplastic or nondysplastic [9]. Our current method for detecting microscopic dysplasia relies upon random biopsies and interpretation of histology by pathologists. Interobserver agreement among even experienced pathologists regarding the presence or absence and degree of dysplasia in histologic specimens is not consistent [50]. Spectroscopy and OCT may ultimately provide new methods for accurately diagnosing dysplasia in real-time, without the need for tissue processing, and without the interobserver variations of histologic interpretation.
Development of analog circuit design automation tool

In this paper, the performance of Genetic Algorithm (GA) and the key genetic operators are evaluated to identify the most suitable combination to be adopted for automating the design of analog circuits. The GA based design approach to select component values of an analog circuit to meet the desired specifications, is discussed and successfully demonstrated using a prototypical tool. A user friendly console provides an interactive simulation environment and Berkeley SPICE is the tool used for simulating analog circuits. Design of internals of the Complementary MOSFET (CMOS) Operational Amplifier for a specified bandwidth and design of a circuit using Bipolar Junction Transistor (BJT) Operational Amplifier for a specified closed loop gain are presented as applications. The methods used are generic and can be applied to all analog circuits.
Production and culture of microspore-derived plants of Tradescantia paludosa☆

Abstract Microspore-derived embryoids of Tradescantia paludosa Anders and Woods were produced from anthers plated aseptically on media containing 10% sucrose and incubated under several temperature regimes. Well-differentiated embryoids developed into plants upon transfer to minimal medium, while relatively undifferentiated embryoids transferred to media containing 6 (γ, γ-diamethylallyl-amino)-purine (2iP) developed roots, but not shoots. Cytological examination of embryoid root tips revealed that those derived from promiototic microspores were either haploid or diploid, while those derived from postmitotic microspores were diploid. Haploid and isogenic diploid Tradescantia plants could have advantages over diploid ones for the detection of environmental mutagens.