cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
A Narratology of Postpartum Psychosis in an Orthodox Jewish Woman

Purpose The purpose of this study was to understand the experience of postpartum psychosis in an Orthodox Jewish woman. Design and Methods A case-based narratology using an unstructured interview was conducted to facilitate the telling of her story. Findings While the nurses were unable to recognize her symptoms in the hospital, her family members were also unable to recognize escalating symptoms once she returned home, until she became a danger to herself. Practice Implications Better recognition of symptoms, empathetic connections, cultural appreciation of faith-based rituals and their effect on patient isolation, and education of families and nursing staff may be vital components to successful recovery from postpartum psychosis.
Research on oral diseases and its impact on dental education and practice.

In recent years advances in dental research have marked the integration of dental science into the mainstream of biomedical research, with dental investigators employing the same cell and molecular biology techniques that have revolutionized the biosciences. Examples include the isolation and cloning of genes essential to the development of teeth and bones, discoveries of numerous extracellular factors that guide the growth and differentiation of cells and aid in tissue repair and regeneration, the development of a technique for producing human monoclonal antibodies, and the use of recombinant DNA techniques to generate mutant forms of oral bacteria. At the same time, dental research continues to make strides in more traditional pursuits. Thus, we are seeing continued advances in dental diagnostics, in the generation of new materials and methods for restorations and replacements of natural teeth, and an increase in approaches aimed at preventing or reversing the major dental diseases: dental caries and th...
Neuromolecular computing: a new approach to human brain evolution

Evolutionary approaches in human cognitive neurobiology traditionally emphasize macroscopic structures. It may soon be possible to supplement these studies with models of human information-processing of the molecular level. Thin-film, simulation, fluorescence microscopy, and high-resolution X-ray crystallographic studies provide evidence for transiently organized neural membrane molecular systems with possible computational properties. This review article examines evidence for hydrophobic-mismatch molecular interactions within phospholipid microdomains of a neural membrane bilayer. It is proposed that these interactions are a massively parallel algorithm which can rapidly compute near-optimal solutions to complex cognitive and physiological problems. Coupling of microdomain activity to permenant ion movements at ligand-gated and voltage-gated channels permits the conversion of molecular computations into neuron frequency codes. Evidence for microdomain transport of proteins to specific locations within the bilayer suggests that neuromolecular computation may be under some genetic control and thus modifiable by natural selection. A possible experimental approach for examining evolutionary changes in neuromolecular computation is briefly discussed.
Survival of prototype strains of somatic coliphage families in environmental waters and when exposed to UV low-pressure monochromatic radiation or heat.

Abstract The potential use of specific somatic coliphage taxonomic groups as viral indicators based on their persistence and prevalence in water was investigated. Representative type strains of the 4 major somatic coliphage taxonomic groups were seeded into reagent water and an ambient surface water source of drinking water and the survival of the added phages was measured over 90 days at temperatures of 23–25 and 4 °C. Microviridae (type strain PhiX174), Siphoviridae (type strain Lambda), and Myoviridae (type strain T4) viruses were the most persistent in water at the temperatures tested. The Microviridae (type strain PhiX174) and the Siphoviridae (type strain Lambda) were the most resistant viruses to UV radiation and the Myoviridae (type strain T4) and the Microviridae (type strain PhiX174) were the most resistant viruses to heat. Based on their greater persistence in water over time and their relative resistance to heat and/or UV radiation, the Myoviridae (type strain T4), the Microviridae (type strain PhiX174), and the Siphoviridae (type strain Lambda) were the preferred candidate somatic coliphages as fecal indicator viruses in water, with the Microviridae (type strain PhiX174) the most resistant to these conditions overall.
Union status and merger activity in the U.S.

Theories on merger activity and union membership suggest that conglomerate mergers should enhance the probability of managers employing nonunion workers, while nonconglomerate mergers should be associated with a greater probability of union membership. To test this hypothesis, a standard sample-selection derived union status equation is estimated which includes measures of three types of merger activity as explanatory variables. The findings suggest that being in an industry with substantial conglomerate mergers reduces the chance that a worker is a union member. All other types of mergers are positively associated with the probability of union membership. This pattern holds even after controlling for the possibility of merger endogeneity.
Cocaine intoxication, delirium, and death in a body packer

The authors describe a case of emergency department presentation of acute cocaine delirium in a cocaine "body packer," ie, an individual who attempted to smuggle cocaine by intracorporeal means. Treatment for cocaine intoxication was not initiated because the patient gave a false history; did not present with seizures, stupor or coma; had no deterioration in vital signs until late in the presentation; and presented with apparent psychiatric symptomatology, ie, delirium. Delirium should be treated by first identifying its cause and by attempting to remove the cause by appropriate medical and surgical techniques.
Mesenteric vein thrombosis following laparoscopic appendectomy

Mesenteric vein thrombosis is an uncommon complication following laparoscopic surgery. A review of the literature has shown that there is a higher incidence of thrombosis following laparoscopic bariatric procedures, including the gastric sleeve procedure and roux-en-y gastric bypass surgery. Additionally, pylephlebitis, thrombosis of portal or mesenteric veins, has been described following perforated appendicitis. However no report has described mesenteric vein thrombosis following laparoscopy for nonperforated appendicitis in the pediatric population. The cause of this thrombosis is hypothesized to be secondary to venous stasis secondary to insufflation during laparoscopy.
Asymmetric priority effects influence the success of invasive forest insects

1. Settlement timing is often an important factor in interspecific herbivore interactions, as early-arriving species may encounter higher resource availability and/or avoid induced defences. Despite the general importance of priority effects to the outcome of herbivore interactions, there has been little exploration of such interactions on woody host plants where their impact can only be measured over multiple years. 2. In the eastern U.S.A., two invasive species, the hemlock woolly adelgid Adelges tsugae and the elongate hemlock scale Fiorinia externa, share a native host, eastern hemlock Tsuga canadensis. Their interaction and its consequences were investigated for plant growth – hemlock saplings that had been inoculated with either A. tsugae or F. externa, starting in spring 2007, were cross-infested with the other insect in spring 2009. A set of uninfested trees was simultaneously infested with A. tsugae, F. externa, both, or neither insect (= control), and insect density and plant growth was assessed in all treatments. 3. Adelges tsugae settlement rates did not differ if it settled alone or simultaneously with F. externa, but were ∼45% lower on trees previously infested with F. externa. There was no difference in F. externa settlement rates, and plant growth did not differ substantively between any of the herbivore treatments. 4. At a temporal scale (i.e. multiple growing seasons) appropriate to interactions between woody plants and their herbivores, this work demonstrates that plant-mediated priority effects can substantially affect herbivore settlement and thus the outcome of interspecific competition.
On the mechanism of formation of loop prominences

A mechanism is suggested for the formation of loop-type prominences in solar-active regions following flare events. The mechanism is based on the already existing idea of compression of a coronal plasma element resulting in enhanced radiation and consequent cooling of the element. A model is suggested for such a compression based on the concept of a contracting, force-free filamentary structure. If the current in a filament increases with time, then there is a radial contraction of the filament. Since the coronal plasma is frozen into the magnetic field lines of the filament, a contraction of the filament causes a compression of the filamentary plasma. This model of compression is shown to be in approximate qualitative and quantitative agreement with observations.
Affirming Presence: Spiritual Life and Friendship with Adolescents with Developmental Disabilities.

If spirituality is, among other things, a matter of ‘connectedness’, then how do we nurture spirituality in adolescents with developmental disabilities who seem largely disconnected? This article advocates the practice of friendship as one important Christian model of spiritual connectedness that finds its origins in the initiative of God and addresses the fundamental human experience of loneliness and fear of negation. I argue that by participating together with adolescents with developmental disabilities in Christian practices, especially the practice of friendship, we open up spaces where their spirituality and ours will be nurtured.
National geodatabase of ocean current power resource in USA

Abstract Ocean currents represent an alternative source of clean energy given their inherent reliability, persistence and sustainability. The general ocean circulation is characterized by large rotating ocean gyres resulting in rapid ocean currents along the western boundaries because of the Coriolis Effect. The Gulf Stream system is formed by the western boundary current of the North Atlantic Ocean flowing along the east coast of the United States, and is of particular interest as a potential energy resource for the United States. This study presents a national database of ocean current kinetic energy resource derived from seven years of numerical model simulations to help advance awareness and market penetration for ocean current energy. A web based GIS interface is provided for dissemination of the national energy resource data: http://www.oceancurrentpower.gatech.edu/ . The website includes GIS layers of computed monthly and yearly mean ocean current speed and associated power density along the coastlines of the United States, as well as joint and marginal probability histograms for current velocities at a variable horizontal resolution of 4–7 km. Various tools are provided for viewing, identifying, filtering and downloading the data from this website. The Gulf Stream system, especially the Florida Current, concentrates the highest kinetic power density ( > 2000 W / m 2 ). The majority of the kinetic power and its variability are only present in relatively shallow water given the strong correlation with the surface wind stress. The kinetic energy flux in the Florida Current is estimated over 30 years to provide temporal variability of the undisturbed kinetic energy with high statistical significance. Available power of approximately 5 GW associated with the undisturbed natural flow condition from the Gulf Stream system is predicted based on hypothetical turbine parameters. Successful development of renewable energy generation requires further studies to account for more precise technical, economic and environmental constraints.
The structural and sedimentary evolution of the Cretaceous North Pyrenean Basin, southern France

During the Cretaceous, the North Pyrenees of southern France suffered complex deformation. The relatively deep marine North Pyrenean Basin formed, a narrow band of rock adjacent to the North Pyrenean fault was metamorphosed, Iherzolite was emplaced, and the Bay of Biscay opened. Compression during the Late Cretaceous and Tertiary Pyrenean orogeny overprinted and partially masked this earlier history. In order to better understand the regional tectonics off the Cretaceous northern Pyrenees and, specifically, the early history of the North Pyrenean Basin, we compiled and then palinspastically restored a geologic map of the western North Pyrenees. Lithofacies, paleotransport, and isopach maps for the early deposits of the basin, and a pre-Albian palinspastic subcrop map show that the basin was an east-west-elongate, fault-bounded trough at least 300 km long and from 40 to 60 km wide, containing a siliciclastic composite sedimentary package as much as 4,700 m thick. Detailed structural and stratigraphic studies of the Massif d9Igountze-Mendibelza, which is located along the southern limit of the North Pyrenean Basin in the western Pyrenees, suggest that its Cretaceous cover was deposited against an active, relatively low-angle listric normal fault. This fault is on strike with the North Pyrenean fault zone, a major long-lived zone of deformation in the central and eastern North Pyrenees.
The use of nonopioid drugs in management of chronic orofacial pain

Although controversial, opioid analgesics have been prescribed for patients with chronic facial pain. Based primarily on survey data and a few well-controlled clinical trials, long-term opioid treatment provides adequate pain reduction in 41% to 100% of patients with chronic nonmalignant pain. However, only 25% of chronic facial pain patients reported adequate pain relief with chronic opioid treatment. Work, home, and school function are generally reestablished or maintained during chronic opioid treatment, but 25% to 38% of patients remain dysfunctional, and one study indicated that 20% of patients became dysfunctional during treatment. Chronic opioid treatment is associated with many transient side effects; constipation, dizziness, nausea, vomiting, itching, and fatigue have been reported in 5% to 42% of patients taking opioids over 1 year. Although survey studies suggest that the risks of addiction are low in typical patients, drug abuse rates up to 17.3% and prescription abuse rates up to 27.6% were reported within groups of chronic opioid users. Chronic opioid use induces analgesic tolerance and physical dependence, which may result in a serious abstinence syndrome in users and children born to users. Chronic opioid use also may induce harmful immune system changes, diminish cognitive and motor function, and produce nociceptive hyperexcitability. This article shows that the use of long-term opioids for chronic facial pain is not justified based on the available data. Despite these perceived problems, there is anecdotal evidence that chronic facial pain patients will respond positively to opioid analgesics. In our experience, the pain assessment scale and a modification of the World Health Organization's three-step analgesic ladder, which prescribes nonopioid analgesics, can be the starting point for the successful management of chronic facial pain.
A Theoretical and Empirical Assessment of India as an Emerging World Power

“We concluded [in 1979] that if one took a twenty-five year perspective, then India would loom large as a crucial factor in America's policies toward all of Asia, and beyond. Sufficient evidence is...
Computer simulations in the design of ion beam deflection systems

Computer codes for the simulation of ion beams and Laplace fields have been employed for the analysis of ion implanter deflection systems. As implanter energies have increased to over 400 kV the deflection systems needed to scan the beam over ever larger wafers with more stringent implant uniformity requirements have become rather large and difficult to design. The computer codes have permitted the optimization of these systems to minimize both the size and distortions while maximizing the deflections obtained. The simulations have led to the design of optimized deflection systems utilizing straight or curved electrodes which are shorter and in most cases easier to manufacture. Design iterations can be evaluated in hours on the computer rather than weeks required for the precision laboratory testing to obtain equivalent information.
The Obsolete “Anti-Market” Mentality: A Critique of the Substantive Approach to Economic Anthropology

the impact on the field of the writings of Karl Polanyi and his followers, a clear-cut dichotomy has emerged between scholars who maintain that "formal" economic theory is applicable to the analysis of "primitive" and "peasant" economies and those who believe that it is limited in application to the market-oriented, price-governed economic systems of industrial economies.2 Prior to the publication of Trade and Market in the Early Empires (Polanyi, et al., 1957), economic anthropology (to the extent that it dealt with behavioral theory as opposed to being exclusively concerned with material goods and/or subsistence technology) represented a single field of inquiry, with the majority of its practitioners believing that formal economic theory could contribute to anthropology. However, after the publication of this substantivist magnum opus, the field underwent a bifurcation into two discrete spheres of discourse. Although several attempts have been made by various scholars to provoke a meaningful dialogue with the substantivists, their critiques have failed to elicit any such exchange of views." Thus the field is presently characterized by a "split-level" dialogue in which the proponents on the two dominant views of economics-in-anthropology are talking past one another and are operating within separate spheres of discourse. Many anthropologists are still apparently unfamiliar with the scope and content of the critiques of substantivist economics, while substantivist views continue to find expression in the literature without manifesting any noticeable
Comparison of wick and fibreoptic catheters in measurement of interstitial pressures in burned extremities

Abstract We have performed simultaneous compartmental pressure monitoring in 14 burned extremities using both the established wick catheter and the recently developed fibreoptic cathether system. Initial pressures recorded by both systems correlated well. Discrepancies in subsequent values were considered to be either due to improper limb positioning or because of catheter damage or obstruction. Both systems are position sensitive, but the problem can be minimized by careful anchoring of the catheters. The fibreoptic catheter is more fragile, but the wick catheter, despite a constant slow infusion of heparinized fluid, is liable to obstruct. While it has proven difficult to compare cost-effectiveness for the two systems, it is our impression that the fibreoptic system offers advantages in terms of ease of placement and maintenance and long-term reliability of measurements. Experience from other burn groups with the two systems will be important. Finally, the parallel use of the two catheters emphasizes the potential fallibility of either system, and the necessity of applying clinical judgement in evaluating circumferentially burned extremities even though direct pressure monitoring is employed.
Histochemical characterization of muscle differentiation

Abstract A histochemical study of fiber differentiation was conducted on the longissimus muscle of pigs varying in age from 1 day to approximately 24 weeks. The longissimus, as well as other muscles of the pig, is favorable for developmental studies because of the characteristic arrangement of the three fiber types within the fascicles. Differentiation of fiber types was not detectable in the newborn pig. Red fibers were detectable by 1 week. The differentiation of intermediate and white fibers, however, was slower, but all three fiber types were clearly distinguishable by 4-weeks of age. Throughout development there was a gradual increase in area percent composed of white fibers and a decline in area percent of both red and intermediate fibers. Myosin-ATPase and phosphorylase reactions were most sensitive for early detection of fiber type differentiation while the NADH-TR reaction showed a gradual change. The developing white fibers showed a substantial NADH-TR reaction for about 4 weeks. The mean fiber area increased more rapidly in white fibers than in either red or intermediate fibers. The unusual clump distribution of red fibers was evident at the same time that differentiation was detectable.
Precursor limitations in methyl jasmonate-induced Catharanthus roseus cell cultures

Jasmonates enhance the expression of various genes involved in terpenoid indole alkaloid (TIA) biosynthesis in Catharanthus roseus. We applied precursor feeding to our C. roseus suspensions to determine how methyl jasmonate (MJ) alters the precursor availability for TIA biosynthesis. C. roseus suspensions were induced with MJ (100 μM) on day 6 and fed loganin (0.30 mM), tryptamine (0.15 mM), loganin plus tryptamine, or geraniol (0.1–1.0 mM) on day 7. While MJ increased ajmalicine production by 3-fold, induced cultures were still limited by terpenoid precursors. However, both induced and non-induced cultures became tryptamine-limited with excess loganin. Geraniol feeding also increased ajmalicine production in non-induced cultures. But MJ appeared to increase geraniol availability in induced cultures, due presumably to the increased expression of Dxs with MJ addition.
On supercharging: Electrostatic aspects

[1] Charged-beam emissions control the spacecraft potential if the beam current is higher than the ambient plasma currents. There are important questions as to the upper limit of the beam current that can be emitted into the ambient plasma and the upper limit of the spacecraft potential that can be induced. The usually accepted view is that the beam current emitted reaches its upper limit when the spacecraft potential energy reaches the beam energy. In this view any attempt to emit a current beyond the critical value would result in partial beam return, while both the effective beam current emitted and the spacecraft potential would remain unaffected. Surprisingly, results from three recent beam experiments in space show that the spacecraft potential energy can exceed the beam energy when very high beam currents are emitted. This phenomenon is called supercharging. The experimental results show that the expected limits on the beam current emitted and the spacecraft potential achieved appear to be incorrect. We offer two physical explanations. In the first one the beam energy is higher than expected. For example, the extra energy can be due to the beam space charge or the nonmonoenergetic beam energy distribution. For an unneutralized beam the beam space charge near the beam exit point can be significant. The potential energy of the beam space charge is converted into kinetic energy as the beam diverges. The total beam particle kinetic energy becomes more than its initial value. Scattering of beam particles with each other can spread the beam energy to lower and higher values. The beam particles with higher energies than the spacecraft potential escape. The second explanation concerns a common measurement technique using long booms for measuring spacecraft potential. The measurement represents the potential difference between the tip of a boom and that of a spacecraft. The tip of a long boom is commonly assumed to be at the ambient plasma potential. We stress that the boom can be charged, however, especially during high beam current emissions. As a result of boom charging, the measurement exceeds the true potential difference between the spacecraft and the ambient plasma. Both explanations concern possible misinterpretations of the measurements.
Boll Weevil Control with Insecticide Applied in Sprays with Narrow-Spectrum Droplet Sizes

Results of tests initiated in 1967 to determine the effect of size of spray droplets on boll weevil control showed that adequate control could be obtained with 0.125 Ib per acre of azinphosmethyl applied in ultra-low-volume (ULV) sprays with droplet sizes of 140, 200, or 300 µ at 4- to 5-day intervals. The treatments were as effective as a wide spectrum of droplet sizes applied with a spinning-disc sprayer. Azinphosmethyl applied at 0.0625 lb per acre on a 4- to 5-day schedule in a ULV spray in droplet sizes of 100 and 140 µ was as effective as when it was applied in a wide spectrum of droplet sizes at 0.125 or 0.0625 lb/acre. Sprays with droplet sizes of 200µ gave marginal control when used to apply azinphosmethyl in a ULV spray at 0.0625 lb/acre on a 4- to 5-4day schedule and control with 300 µ droplets under the same conditions was inadequate.
Interpretation of proper nouns for information retrieval

Most of the unknown words in texts which degrade the performance of natural language processing systems are proper nouns. On the other hand, proper nouns are recognized as a crucial source of information for identifying a topic in a text, extracting contents from a text, or detecting relevant documents in information retrieval (Rau, 1991).
Generalization of computing systems: the architecture and organization

Modern computers are primarily binary. Proposed in this paper is a new generalized computing system, by which a number system of any arbitrary radix can be manipulated directly without encoders and decoders. The feature of being able to vary the radix is achieved by pulse counting with alterable carry conditions. The architecture and the organization of the new system are also drastically different from those of existing computers. Instead of the adder being the basic functional structure, the heart of the system consists essentially of an adder, subtractor, multiplier and an accumulator integrated into one inseparable unit. Introduced in this paper is a unified system design suitable for all computing systems and also the concept of a universal building block which can be shared both by the arithmetic unit and the memory. As a memory element, the universal building block is capable of storing a digit of any given radix rather than just binary. Instead of communicating between the binary registers and the...
(±)‐2‐Oxocyclododecaneacetic Acid: Structure and Hydrogen‐Bonding Pattern of a Large‐Ring γ‐Keto Acid

In the title compound, C 14 H 24 O 3 , the ring adopts a typical 'square' [3333] cyclododecane conformation and enantiomeric pairs of molecules form centrosymmetric dimers across the cell corners by mutual hydrogen bonding of carboxy groups, O(2)...O(3)(-x, 2 - y, -z) [2.662(4)A]. The ketonic 0(1) atom does not participate in the hydrogen bonding but has a close contact [2.487(3) A] with the ring H(12B)(x - 1, y, z) atom of an adjacent molecule. The observed carboxy C-O and C=O bond lengths and angles correspond to accepted values for a well ordered dimer.
Isotope-powered satellites for shuttle launches

In order to demonstrate the impact of the space shuttle system on isotope-powered satellite design, a point design was considered. The exercise selected is a nuclear-powered version of the U.S. Air Force Space Test Program Standard Satellite (STPSS). This may be a developing program that would fly in the 1980's. It is conceived primarily as a standardized satellite to be used for various experimental and operational demonstration-type payloads. A detailed consideration of the design provides a method to illustrate the effects of the shuttle constraints and requirements, as well as the impact of nuclear power on the satellite itself. The objective was to satisfy performance requirements and launch constraints, without optimizing the configuration because of limited time and effort.
Innominate artery cannulation and antegrade cerebral perfusion for aortic arch reconstruction in infants and children.

Purpose:Innominate artery cannulation has been widely adopted as a means to perform aortic arch reconstruction with continuous cerebral perfusion in the newborn. Although this technique has been su...
Sequential photooxidation of a Pt(II) (diimine)cysteamine complex: intermolecular oxygen atom transfer versus sulfinate formation.

The thiolato complex [platinum(II) (bipyridine)(N,S-aminoethanethiolate)]+Ch– (1) undergoes sequential reactions with singlet oxygen to initially form the corresponding sulfenato complex [platinum(II) (bipyridine)(N,S(═O)-aminoethansulfenate)]+ (2) followed by a much slower reaction to the corresponding sulfinato complex. In contrast with many platinum dithiolato complexes, 1 does not produce any singlet oxygen, but its rate constant for singlet oxygen removal (kT) is quite large (3.2 × 107 M–1 s–1) and chemical reaction accounts for ca. 25% of the value of kT. The behavior of 1 is strikingly different from that of the complex platinum(II) (bipyridine)(1,2-benzenditholate) (4). The latter complex reacts with 1O2 (either from an external sensitizer or via a self-sensitized pathway) to form a sulfinato complex. These two very different reactivity pathways imply different mechanistic pathways: The reaction of 1 with 1O2 must involve O–O bond cleavage and intermolecular oxygen atom transfer, while the reactiv...
Gas-phase study of the group VI transition metal tricarbonyl complexes by negative-ion photoelectron spectroscopy

Photoelectron spectra are reported for Cr(CO)3-, Mo(CO)3- and W(CO)3- anions prepared from the corresponding metal hexacarbonyls in a flowing afterglow ion source. The 488.0 nm spectra were obtained at an electron kinetic energy resolution of 5 meV using a newly constructed apparatus. The spectra exhibit transitions between the ground electronic states of the anions and the neutral molecules, and they show weak activity in the symmetric CO stretching, MC stretching, MCO bending and CMC bending vibrational modes. The observed vibrational structure indicates that the anions, like the neutral molecules, have C3v equilibrium geometries. Force constants estimated for the neutral M(CO)3 molecules from the fundamental vibrational frequencies measured here are consistent with stronger metal-ligand bonding in the coordinatively unsaturated complexes than in the corresponding hexacarbonyls. Franck-Condon analyses of the spectra indicate only small differences between the equilibrium bond lengths and bond angles of the anions and the corresponding neutral molecules. The electron affinity pattern observed among the three group VI metal tricarbonyls is compared with characteristic trends within triads of transition metal atoms, and within the coinage metal dimer series. This comparison, combined with the results of previously reported theoretical calculations, suggests that the extra electron in the M(CO)3- anions occupies an sp hybrid orbital. Electron affinities of 1.349 eV, 1.337 eV, and 1.859 eV (all +/- 0.006 eV) are obtained for Cr(CO)3, Mo(CO)3, and W(CO)3 respectively.
Rohmer's Salon

Eric Rohmer's films are repeatedly concerned with love affairs and matchmaking schemes, and they feature social occasions during which much of the talk concerns intimacy and romance. However, according to Leo Bersani and Ulysse Dutoit, they also explore alternatives to such eroticism and such conversation——especially strange and nonsexual connections between characters and their environment.
Exponential stabilization of nonholonomic mobile robots

Abstract The problem of point-to-point control design for differentially steered nonholonomic mobile robots is considered in this paper. The control variables are derived using Lyapunov’s stability technique and are piecewise continuous. The proposed control law guarantees the exponential stability of the closed-loop system and ensures the convergence of the position and the orientation of the robot to their desired fixed values.
Macroalgae of the Hawaiian Islands: 23 Additional Stream Segments

The Hawaiian Islands are located 3700 km from the nearest continental land mass and as such provide an interesting research opportunity to study freshwater organisms intolerant of seawater. The freshwater biota have been only partially studied with little research on the stream macroalgae. The only previous study to focus solely on stream macroalgae, reported 25 new species to the Hawaiian Islands from 34 stream segments sampled. The purpose of our study was to expand the sampling of streams to better determine macroalgal distributions and species richness. Twenty-three additional stream segments (seven on Oahu, eight on Kauai and eight on Hawaii) were sampled for macroalgae. The physical and chemical parameters of each stream were measured. Stream segments ranged greatly in size from 1.2 to 40 m in width. Water temperature was relatively uniform (about 21 °C) but other chemical parameters differed from site to site (pH 5.5–8.9, specific conductance 20–200 mS/cm). Mean species richness per stream segment was 3.9 with one to eight species collected per segment. Ninety populations of 44 infrageneric taxa were identified from the Cyanobacteria (20), Chlorophyta (18), Rhodophyta (3) and Chrysophyta (3). The most abundant taxa were Spirogyra sp. 2, Audouinella pygmaea and Phormidium retzii. All three of these species are cosmopolitan. Twenty-two of the taxa are new records for streams in the Hawaiian Islands. The large percentage (50%) of new taxa suggests that more research is needed to fully catalog the Hawaiian stream macroalgal diversity.
Transglutaminase is a Therapeutic Target for Oxidative Stress, Excitotoxicity and Stroke: A new Epigenetic Kid on the Cns Block

Transglutaminases (TGs) are multifunctional, calcium-dependent enzymes that have been recently implicated in stroke pathophysiology. Classically, these enzymes are thought to participate in cell injury and death in chronic neurodegenerative conditions via their ability to catalyze covalent, nondegradable crosslinks between proteins or to incorporate polyamines into protein substrates. Accumulating lines of inquiry indicate that specific TG isoforms can shuttle into the nucleus when they sense pathologic changes in calcium or oxidative stress, bind to chromatin and thereby transduce these changes into transcriptional repression of genes involved in metabolic or oxidant adaptation. Here, we review the evidence that supports principally a role for one isoform of this family, TG2, in cell injury and death associated with hemorrhagic or ischemic stroke. We also outline an evolving model in which TG2 is a critical mediator between pathologic signaling and epigenetic modifications that lead to gene repression. Accordingly, the salutary effects of TG inhibitors in stroke may derive from their ability to restore homeostasis by removing inappropriate deactivation of adaptive genetic programs by oxidative stress or extrasynaptic glutamate receptor signaling.
Timelines: Feudalism, Secularity and Early Modernity

This essay advances an argument regarding the structure of periodisation and the ways in which it limits critique of imperial historiography. It focuses first on the history and structure of medieval/modern periodisation and its relationship to the more recently popular ‘early modern’, and then turns briefly to the historiography of feudalism, an important anchor of the period concept, ‘the Middle Ages’. It then attends in more detail to the historiography of secularisation, particularly the recent tendency to find a secularising impulse in the texts of ‘early modern’ authors such as Vitoria and Grotius, which ultimately reinscribes the imperial logic that Subaltern Studies has worked to critique.
Thermal stability of Ni/NiO multilayers

Abstract The effects of NiO multilayer additions to pulsed-laser deposited nanocrystalline Ni on the grain growth and texture evolution during annealing have been studied using a combination of in situ annealing in the transmission electron microscope and the recently developed transmission electron backscatter diffraction technique. Grain growth in pure Ni proceeds in an abnormal manner with a small number of grains growing rapidly at the expense of the surrounding nanocrystalline matrix. The addition of NiO layers in the Ni suppressed grain growth and twin formation upon annealing, with increasing oxide content resulting in decreasing extent of grain growth. In pure Ni, the post-annealing texture was found to be composed of a strong {001} texture coupled with the four {122} twin variants from the {001}. With the addition of NiO, annealing twinning, and hence the {122} orientation, was suppressed and instead the final texture was composed of the {001} and {111} orientations.
The Relative Importance of Oxidation Pathways and Clouds to Atmospheric Ambient Sulfate Production as Predicted by the Regional Acid Deposition Model

The development and use of a version of the Regional Acid Deposition Model/Engineering Model (RADM/EM) called the Comprehensive Sulfate Tracking Model (COMSTM) is reported. The COMSTM is used to diagnose the relative contributions of each sulfate production pathway to the total atmospheric ambient sulfate predicted by RADM. Thirty meteorological cases are used to aggregate the results into annual estimates. For the operational RADM (denoted RADM 2.6), nonprecipitating cloud production of ambient sulfate dominates over precipitating cloud production, and the hydrogen peroxide pathway dominates over four other aqueous formation routes. Gas-phase production of sulfate contributes less than 40% of the ambient budget. Further, the COMSTM is used to explore the sensitivity of the RADM`s cloud water and rainwater pH`s and ambient sulfate predictions to uncertainties in the ammonia emissions inventory. By developing correction factors to improve in-cloud and deposited ammonia, and utilizing them in the COMSTM, it is shown that the uncertainties should have a minimal effect on predicted cloud water and rainwater pH`s and on the overall ambient sulfate budget in the operational RADM 2.6. 27 refs., 8 figs., 3 tabs.
LIMITING RESOURCES, DISTURBANCE, AND DIVERSITY IN PHYTOPLANKTON COMMUNITIES

Phytoplankton diversity, limiting resources, and disturbance were studied in two reservoirs, Eagle Mountain Lake (EML) and Joe Pool Lake (JPL), in north Texas, USA, for three summer growing seasons and two winters. Availabilities of phosphorus, nitrogen, and silicon were measured as chemical concentrations, and availability of light was measured as irradiance during the photoperiod, averaged over the depth of the surface mixed layer. A resource was defined as limiting whenever its availability fell below a threshold, treated as a parameter to be fitted. Depth of the surface mixed layer and wind speed were taken as indices of disturbance associated with episodic mixing. Hydrological disturbance was gauged by rainfall, inflow, and the variation of lake level. We found that diversity was strongly and significantly correlated with the number of limiting resources in one lake (JPL), but not the other (EML). The onset of nitrogen and phosphorus limitation during the summer growing season is associated with increased phytoplankton diversity in JPL. Regression modeling detected decreasing relationships between diversity and disturbance indices in one lake (JPL), but concave-down relationships in the other (EML), though the peaks of these relationships did not lie within the usual range of disturbance. Predictive regressions for diversity incorporating both limiting resources and disturbance were partitioned into unique and shared effects of these factors. There was a large unique effect of the number of limiting resources in JPL, but otherwise the shared effects were large relative to unique effects.
Comparison of low‐dose oral pulse methotrexate and placebo in the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis. A Controlled Clinical Trial

One hundred eighty-nine patients with rheumatoid arthritis were entered into a prospective, controlled, double-blind multicenter trial comparing placebo and methotrexate (MTX). One hundred ten patients completed 18 weeks of therapy. No remissions were seen, but patients able to tolerate low-dose pulse MTX therapy were significantly improved, compared with patients receiving placebo therapy, for all clinical variables measured, including joint pain/tenderness and swelling counts, rheumatoid nodules, and patient and physician assessment of disease activity. MTX treatment demonstrated statistically significant improvement over placebo in patients with anemia, elevated erythrocyte sedimentation rate, and rheumatoid factor. However, nearly one-third of the patients receiving MTX were withdrawn for adverse drug reactions, of which elevated levels of liver enzymes was the most common. Pancytopenia occurred in 2 patients taking MTX. All adverse drug effects resolved without sequelae. MTX appears to be effective in the treatment of active rheumatoid arthritis but requires close monitoring for toxicity.
A Biconjugate Gradient FFT Solution for Scattering by Planar Plates

ABSTRACT An efficient numerical solution of the scattering by planar perfectly conducting or resistive plates is presented. The electric field integral equation is discretized using roof–top subdo–main functions as testing and expansion basis and the resulting system is solved via the biconjugate gradient (BiCG) method in conjunction with the fast Fourier transform (FFT). Unlike other formulations employed in conjunction with the conjugate gradient FFT (CG–FFT) method, in this formulation the derivatives associated with the dyadic Green's function are transferred to the testing and expansion basis, thus reducing the singularity of the kernel. This leads to substantial improvements in the convergence of the solution as demonstrated by the included results.
Fission Track Ages of Deep Sea Glasses

THE results of K : Ar measurements on several deep sea basalts1,2 have been interpreted as indicating that the basaltic outflows on the crest of the East Pacific Rise are fairly young (<1 m.y.), that there is no systematic increase in age with distance from the Rise of three sea mounts studied, and that excess Ar is a frequent component of deep sea rocks. This excess of argon means that K : Ar ages on deep sea materials must be regarded as maxima until the extent of the excess is determined for each sample. The excess is probably produced by K-decay before eruption and is frozen into the rock as it cools. It is therefore associated with the hydrostatic pressure and with the rapidity of cooling of each sample (that is, with the glass content). The presence of glass in terrestrial (non-pelagic) rocks is usually thought to indicate the possibility of Ar loss (so that K : Ar ages of glassy materials may indicate only minimum ages) and so it was clear that an independent means of dating these rocks would help substantiate our interpretations.
Absorbance of Feulgen-stained bull sperm.

IN earlier communications1,2 it was suggested that both the absorbance and the geometrical dimensions of Feulgen-stained somatic cell nuclei were dependent variables of a common, independent variable, which was considered to be to the ‘growth process’.
Mortality in captive baboons with seizures: A new model for SUDEP?

Because the baboon is a model of primary generalized epilepsy, we were interested in mortality of captive animals with a history of witnessed seizures. Causes of natural death were investigated in 46 seizure baboons (SZ) and 78 nonepileptic controls (CTL), all of which underwent a complete pathologic examination at the Southwest Foundation for Biomedical Research (SFBR) in San Antonio. SZ animals died at a younger age than the control baboons (p < 0.001). Almost all epileptic baboons that died suddenly without an apparent cause (SZ-UKN), had pulmonary congestion or edema without evidence of trauma, systemic illness, or heart disease, compared to nine controls (12%) (p < 0.001), most of which demonstrated evidence of a concurrent illness. Serosanguineous bronchial secretions were found in 15 SZ-UKN baboons (58%), but in only three controls (4%) (p < 0.001). Chronic multifocal fibrotic changes in myocardium were noted in only three (12%) of SZ-UKN baboons and one control baboon. Based upon these results, untreated seizures appear to reduce the life expectancy of captive baboons. Sudden unexpected death in epilepsy (SUDEP) may be a common cause of natural death in epileptic baboons.
Defending the FL Requirement in the Liberal Arts Curriculum

The writer recently sat on a university committee formed for the express purpose of considering the role of modern and classical languages as a required part of the liberal arts core curriculum. The arguments here presented—both pro and con foreign language requirement—reflect the ideas and opinions primarily of colleagues outside the foreign language profession and provide numerous insights into the thoughts of those very individuals to whom we must repeatedly justify the foreign language requirement. An awareness of these arguments can prove most beneficial to foreign language teachers, administrators, and researchers at virtually every level of education.
Simulating Explosive Detonations Within Multiroom Buildings

The detonation of an explosive charge within a building produces complex propagating blast pressures that are strongly influenced by the building’s room layout and construction of interior walls. This paper looks at the effects of internal blast on common, non-structural steel stud or wood stud walls and unreinforced CMU walls in various multi-room configurations. Their blast response is investigated through experimental and numerical models with the goal of quantifying the blast pressure propagation into rooms adjacent to the blast. Risk assessments to power generation facilities should consider the potential for an explosive event within control buildings or other support facilities. These events could be an accidental explosion or the result of a terrorist action. A better understanding of the failure mechanisms and pressure transmission characteristics of typical power generation facility structures will lead to improved vulnerability assessments of these types of structures and the critically important control equipment located within them.Copyright © 2013 by ASME
Design of nanosensing platform based on zinc oxide nanowire arrays

In this work, we demonstrate fabrication of a nanosensing platform for detecting hazardous p-nitrophenol vapors. ZnO nanowire arrays were synthesized on insulating sapphire substrate through chemical vapor deposition process (CVD) in a customized furnace. Nanowire surfaces were chemically functionalized with an optically active receptor to achieve synergistic opto-electronic response from the device. Photoluminescence studies were conducted to validate optical sensing mechanism. Electrical measurements of the pristine and functionalized nanowire array devices provided evidence to support opto-electronic operation of the sensing device. Furthermore, a prospective circuit design to obtain, process and transmit data from an unmanned platform to a remote location is presented.
Photodetectors For High Speed Image Scanners On GaAs

Recent research into overlapping metal-gate charge-coupled devices on gallium arsenide has shown that meander channel image scanners can be produced using the more conventional scanner architecture familiar to silicon-based CCD imagers. In these conventional structures the photodetectors have front surface sensitivity and are placed along-side the CCD channel. There exist certain important applications where this type of architecture is preferred: among them are a) linear edge scanners for optical waveguide arrays, and b) large two-dimensional image scanners where wafer thinning is impractical for backside illumination. Using anodically isolated overlapping metal-gate CCD structures both linear and meander-channel two-phase devices have been produced on GaAs. The meander structure offers the optimum ratio of detector area to total device area. Its availability now on GaAs offers high speed scanning rates that exceed those of silicon based devices by at least an order of magnitude.