cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Tribological properties of magnetron-sputtered TiC coatings

Abstract Tribological properties, including friction, wear, and hardness, as well as microstructure, have been investigated using a pin-on-disk configuration for TiC coatings with different kinds of interlayers (Ti, Cr and Mo) of different thicknesses. Both stainless steel and alumina pins were alternately used. The wear tracks and cross-section microstructure of the TiC coatings with different interlayers were further characterized by optical microscopy or scanning electron microscopy (SEM). It is found that inserting a Cr or Ti interlayer between the coatings and substrates improves the friction, wear, hardness, and elastic modulus of the coatings, but inserting a Mo interlayer had the opposite effect. The influence of different kinds of interlayers, their thickness, as well as the TiC coating thickness on the tribological properties of the coatings are discussed.
Lomefloxacin Concentrations in Bone After a Single Oral Dose

Abstract We studied the penetration characteristics of lomefloxacin in bone in 30 patients with osteoarthritis undergoing total hip replacement. Patients were given a single oral 400 mg dose at various times from 1 to 12 hours prior to removal of bone samples. The peak plasma and bone (subchondral bone from femoral head) concentrations reached approximately 4.0 μg/mL at 2 hours post-dose and 3.0 μg/mL at 3 hours post-dose, respectively. At 12 hours post-dose both plasma and bone concentrations were still >1.0 μg/mL. Two hours after dosing the average bone-to-plasma ratio was >0.6. These data indicate that a single 400 mg oral dose of lomefloxacin attains bone concentrations that are above its usual minimum inhibitory concentrations for susceptible organisms.
Blast trauma: the fourth weapon of mass destruction.

Injury from blast is becoming more common in the non-military population. This is primarily a result of an increase in politically motivated bombings within the civilian sector. Explosions unrelated to terrorism may also occur in the industrial setting. Civilian physicians and surgeons need to have an understanding of the pathomechanics and physiology of blast injury and to recognize the hallmarks of severity in order to increase survivorship. Because victims may be transported rapidly to the hospital, occult injury to gas and fluid containing organs (particularly the ears, bowel and lungs) may go unrecognized. Information surrounding the physical environment of the explosion (whether inside or outside, underwater, associated building collapse, etc) will prove useful. Most of the immediate deaths are caused by primary blast injury from the primary blast wave, but secondary blast injury from flying debris can also be lethal and involve a much wider radius. Liberal use of X-ray examination in areas of skin punctures will help to identify a need for exploration and/or foreign body removal. Biologic serum markers may have a role in identifying victims of primary blast injury and assist in monitoring their clinical progress. Tertiary blast injury results from the airborne propulsion of the victim by the shockwave and is a source of additional blunt head and torso trauma as well as fractures. Miscellaneous (quaternary) blast injury include thermal or dust inhalation exposure as well as crush and compartment syndromes from building collapse. Any explosion has the potential to be associated with nuclear, biologic or chemical contaminants, and this should remain a consideration for healthcare givers until proven otherwise. Language: en
Phenotypic and Genetic Responses to Selection in a Meat Type Poultry Population

Abstract FOR applied reasons and from the standpoint of investigating bases for improvement of quantitative traits of poultry through selection, estimates of direct and correlated responses to selection are of great interest. Also the accuracy with which genetic changes due to selection can be predicted are of obvious importance. As stated by Comstock (1955) “The breeder, the human geneticist and the student of natural evolution are primarily interested in prediction. Those whose interests are devoted to quantitative genetics may disclaim interest in prediction but eventually must test the validity of their conclusions by their success in prediction.” Direct and correlated responses to selection for body weight and production traits of chickens have been reported by a number of investigators. Recent publications include those of Siegel (1962a, b, 1963); Maloney and Gilbreath (1962), Maloney et al. (1963) and Nordskog and Festing (1962). A considerable number of selection experiments with mice and Drosophila …
Digital Human Modeling: 3D Mock-Up and Motion Generation

In Chapter 6, we have extensively studied how to draw a robot arm in MATLAB TM and how to plan a motion and then animate it in a computer. To create a digital mannequin, the major procedures of generating every part and assembling them together are nearly the same as those for a robot drawing in principle. However, since a digital human consists of much more joints and segments along with more complex body surfaces, it will definitely be a more challenging job than creating a robot arm.
A Comprehensive Review of Effect Size Reporting and Interpreting Practices in Academic Journals in Education and Psychology.

Null hypothesis significance testing has dominated quantitative research in education and psychology. However, the statistical significance of a test as indicated by a p-value does not speak to the practical significance of the study. Thus, reporting effect size to supplement p-value is highly recommended by scholars, journal editors, and academic associations. As a measure of practical significance, effect size quantifies the size of mean differences or strength of associations and directly answers the research questions. Furthermore, a comparison of effect sizes across studies facilitates meta-analytic assessment of the effect size and accumulation of knowledge. In the current comprehensive review, we investigated the most recent effect size reporting and interpreting practices in 1,243 articles published in 14 academic journals from 2005 to 2007. Overall, 49% of the articles reported effect size—57% of which interpreted effect size. As an empirical study for the sake of good research methodology in education and psychology, in the present study we provide an illustrative example of reporting and interpreting effect size in a published study. Furthermore, a 7-step guideline for quantitative researchers is also summarized along with some recommended resources on how to understand and interpret effect size.
Cyclic AMP Levels in the Developing Hamster Foetus: a Correlation with the Phasing of Foetal Antigen in Membrane Maturation

A profile of the level of cyclic adenosine monophosphate during the development of the hamster foetus has been determined. The low level of cyclic adenosine monophosphate seen at 9 and 10 days of gestation is quadrupled during the remaining days until birth. This higher level of cyclic adenosine monophosphate is maintained for at least three days after birth. Antigen phasing in the developing hamster foetus has been documented. Loss of ability of hamster foetus to protect adult hamsters against SV40 oncogenicity occurs at the same time that the level of cyclic adenosine monophosphate rises sharply. We suggest that cyclic adenosine monophosphate plays a role in the control of changes in foetal cell surfaces during gestation, and reversion to a foetal phenotype may be important in neoplastic transformation.
Synesthesia: A Colorful Word With a Touching Sound?

Synesthesia is a fairly common condition in which individuals experience atypical responses (such as color experiences) in association with certain types of stimuli (such as non-colored letters). Although synesthesia has been described for centuries, only very recently has there been an explosive growth of systematic scientific examinations of this condition. In this article, we review and critically evaluate current methods for both assessing synesthesia and examining its psychological basis, including the "test-retest" procedure, online battery assessments, and behavioral experiments. We highlight the limitations of these methods for understanding the nature of this complex condition and propose potential solutions to address some of these limitations. We also provide a set of characteristics that aid in distinguishing synesthesia from other closely related psychological phenomena.
Laser rapid thermal annealing enables tunable plasmonics in nanoporous gold nanoparticles

A novel laser rapid thermal annealing (LRTA) technique is reported to tune the plasmonic resonance of disk-shaped nanoporous gold (NPG) nanoparticles for the first time. LRTA alters both the external and internal geometrical parameters of NPG nanoparticles at temperatures significantly lower than the melting temperature of bulk gold or non-porous gold nanoparticles. With increasing annealing laser intensity, the average pore size increases, while the mean disk diameter decreases. These morphological changes lead to blueshifting of the localized surface plasmon resonance (LSPR), which subsequently fine-tunes the SERS performance by better aligning the excitation laser and Raman scattering wavelengths with the LSPR peak. This technique can provide an effective means to optimize NPG nanoparticles for various plasmonic applications such as photothermal conversion, light-gated molecular release, and molecular sensing.
Summer Rainfall and Winter Sparrow Densities: A Test of the Food Limitation Hypothesis

We used published data on winter sparrow densities (from Christmas Bird Counts) and summer precipitation to test the hypothesis that local densities of wintering sparrows in southeastern Arizona are affected by the abundance of food. Our analyses rest on the assumption, justified by previous studies, that the abundance of seeds available to wintering granivorous birds is correlated with the quantity of rainfall the previous summer. Our results strongly supported two a priori predictions: (1) the density of sparrows should be positively correlated with summer rainfall, and (2) the density of individual sparrow species should be positively correlated with the total density of all other sparrow species. Our findings provide further evidence that winter finch populations are food-limited and suggest that interspecific competition may be important in at least some avian communities. Received 3 December 1980, accepted 25 May 1981. OwE of the primary unresolved issues of cur- rent population and community ecology is the extent to which food supply and interspecific competition influence population size and community structure. Because competition is expected to occur primarily when essential re- sources are in short supply, the potential im- portance of competition can be assessed by determining how frequently and under what circumstances populations are resource-limit- ed. Several investigators have suggested that food is the most limited resource for many populations of small passerine birds and that intra- and interspecific competition for food plays a major role in determining population size and community structure (e.g. MacArthur 1958, 1964; MacArthur and MacArthur 1961,
Are Poor Neighborhoods Resource Deprived? A Case Study of Childcare Centers in New York*

Objective. Many social scientists believe poor mothers are better off in middle-class than in poor neighborhoods, partly because the latter are deprived of important institutional resources. We test whether poor neighborhoods are more likely to lack one critical institutional resource, the childcare center. Methods. We use geocoded data on all licensed centers in the City of New York, address matched to Census tracts. We estimate logit models of presence of center in tract, testing for the linear and nonlinear effects of tract poverty level after controlling for residential instability, joblessness, ethnic makeup, and other demographic factors. We complement the analysis with documentary, interview, and ethnographic data on centers in one poor and one nonpoor neighborhood in the city. Results. We find (1) that the probability of presence of a childcare center does not decrease as poverty level increases; (2) the relationship depends strongly on funding source, with privately funded centers being less likely and publicly funded ones more likely to be present in poor neighborhoods; and (3) at least two factors affect why poor neighborhoods are more likely to have certain centers, the local state and the (often neglected) nonprofit infrastructure. Conclusions. The findings suggest that poor mothers are not necessarily better off in middle-class neighborhoods in this respect. The market assumptions underlying the initial hypothesis should be modified. More empirical research on the effect of the nonprofit sector on the prevalence of neighborhood institutions is needed.
Top-down causation without top-down causes

We argue that intelligible appeals to interlevel causes (top-down and bottom-up) can be understood, without remainder, as appeals to mechanistically mediated effects. Mechanistically mediated effects are hybrids of causal and constitutive relations, where the causal relations are exclusively intralevel. The idea of causation would have to stretch to the breaking point to accommodate interlevel causes. The notion of a mechanistically mediated effect is preferable because it can do all of the required work without appealing to mysterious interlevel causes. When interlevel causes can be translated into mechanistically mediated effects, the posited relationship is intelligible and should raise no special philosophical objections. When they cannot, they are suspect.
Cosmology and the standard model

We consider the properties of an ensemble of universes as function of size, where size is defined in terms of the asymptotic value of the Hubble constant (or, equivalently, the value of the cosmological constant). We assume that standard model parameters depend upon size in a manner that we have previously suggested, and provide additional motivation for that choice. Given these assumptions, it follows that universes with different sizes will have different physical properties, and we estimate, very roughly, that only if a universe has a size within a factor $\sqrt{2}$ of our own will it support life as we know it. We discuss implications of this picture for some of the basic problems of cosmology and particle physics, as well as the difficulties this point of view creates.
A Multi-class Incremental and Decremental SVM Approach Using Adaptive Directed Acyclic Graphs

Multi-class approaches for SVMs are based on composition of binary SVM classifiers. Due to the numerous binary classifiers to be considered, for large training sets, this approach is known to be time expensive. In our approach, we improve time efficiency using concurrently two strategies: incremental training and reduction of trained binary SVMs. We present the exact migration conditions for the binary SVMs during their incremental training. We rewrite these conditions for the case when the regularization parameter is optimized. The obtained results are applied to a multi-class incremental / decremental SVM based on the Adaptive Directed Acyclic Graph. The regularization parameter is optimized on-line, and not by retraining the SVM with all input samples for each value of the regularization parameter.
Transfer effects in adaptation to prismatic displacement

Twenty Ss wore a 20 diopter displacement prism while they practiced tracking a moving target and when they performed a second task requiring location of a stationary target. Results showed significant transfer of adaptation effects to performance on the second task, and showed a limited aftereffect upon removal of the prism. Massed and distributed practice on the tracking task produced differences in tracking performance, but no differences in the amount of transfer or in the aftereffect. Ten control Ss showed no adaptation and no aftereffect.
Tumor necrosis factor α and epidermal growth factor regulation of collagenase and stromelysin in adult porcine articular chondrocytes

Chondrocyte-derived metalloproteases have been postulated to play a role in the degradation of articular cartilage during the development of chronic arthritic disorders. TNFα (tumor necrosis factor alpha), an inflammatory mediator released by activated macrophages, has been detected in the synovial fluid of patients with rheumatoid diseases. We have found that TNFα is a potent stimulator of collagenase and stromelysin mRNA accumulation, collagenase activity, and immunoprecipitable stromelysin in monolayer cultures of adult porcine articular chondrocytes. In contrast EGF (epidermal growth factor), which stimulates collagenase and/or stromelysin synthesis in fibroblast systems, stimulated minimal amounts of these enzymes at both the message and protein levels. Nuclear run-on transcription analysis demonstrated that the TNFα-stimulated increase in stromelysin and collagenase message levels was, at least partially, due to increased transcription. Elevated transcription of these genes, in response to TNFα, was apparent by at least 2 hours post-stimulation. The degree of c-fos and c-jun stimulation by TNFα EGF did not correlate with the levels of collagenase and stromelysin message stimulated by these factors. EGF stimulated significant accumulation of both c-fos and c-jun mRNAs while only very low amounts of these messages were stimulated by TNFα. Our data suggests that TNFα may contribute to articular cartilage degradation by stimulating chondrocyte-derived matrix metalloproteases. In addition the regulation of metalloprotease genes in chondrocytes may be different from their regulation in fibroblasts.
The Plant Polyester Cutin: Biosynthesis, Structure, and Biological Roles

Cutin, a polyester composed mostly of oxygenated fatty acids, serves as the framework of the plant cuticle. The same types of cutin monomers occur across most plant lineages, although some evolutionary trends are evident. Additionally, cutins from some species have monomer profiles that are characteristic of the related polymer suberin. Compositional differences likely have profound structural consequences, but little is known about cutin's molecular organization and architectural heterogeneity. Its biological importance is suggested by the wide variety of associated mutants and gene-silencing lines that show a disruption of cuticular integrity, giving rise to numerous physiological and developmental abnormalities. Mapping and characterization of these mutants, along with suppression of gene paralogs through RNA interference, have revealed much of the biosynthetic pathway and several regulatory factors; however, the mechanisms of cutin polymerization and its interactions with other cuticle and cell wall components are only now beginning to be resolved.
Young children's preconceived notions about robots, and how beliefs may trigger children's thinking and response to robots

This paper examines young children's beliefs and preconceived notions about robots. Robots have several features (e.g., boundary-like features, human-like features, and room for imagination) that may elicit social responses and trigger serious thinking in children. An in-depth interview was conducted with 77 children between the ages 4- to 7-years old to examine how they perceive and understand robots. The findings revealed the type of prior knowledge and beliefs children revert to, and how age influenced how they see and interpret robots. The findings may assist researchers when designing human-robot interaction with young children.
Drusen Volume and Retinal Pigment Epithelium Abnormal Thinning Volume Predict 2-Year Progression of Age-Related Macular Degeneration.

Purpose To analyze the value of novel measures of retinal pigment epithelium–drusen complex (RPEDC) volume to predict 2-year disease progression of intermediate age-related macular degeneration (AMD). Design Prospective, observational study. Participants Three hundred forty-five AMD and 122 non-AMD participants enrolled in the Age Related Eye Disease Study 2 Ancillary Spectral-Domain (SD) Optical Coherence Tomography (OCT) study. Methods High-density SD OCT macular volumes were obtained at yearly study visits. The RPEDC abnormal thickening (henceforth, OCT drusen) and RPEDC abnormal thinning (RAT) volumes were generated by semiautomated segmentation of total RPEDC within a 5-mm-diameter macular field. Main Outcome Measures Volume change and odds ratio (OR) with 95% confidence intervals (CI) for progression to advanced AMD with choroidal neovascularization (CNV) or central geographic atrophy (GA). Results Complete volumes were obtained in 265 and 266 AMD eyes and in 115 and 97 control eyes at baseline and at year 2, respectively. In AMD eyes, mean (standard deviation) OCT drusen volume increased from 0.08 mm 3 (0.16 mm 3 ) to 0.10 mm 3 (0.23 mm 3 ; P −4 mm 3 (20.8 × 10 −4 mm 3 ) to 18.4 × 10 −4 mm 3 (46.6 × 10 −4 mm 3 ; P P = 0.002). Odds of developing CNV increased by 31% for every 0.1-mm 3 increase in baseline OCT drusen volume (OR, 1.31; 95% CI, 1.06–1.63; P = 0.013). Greater baseline RAT volume was associated with significant 2-year increase in RAT volume ( P P P 3 increase in baseline RAT volume (OR, 1.32; 95% CI, 1.14–1.53; P Conclusions Macular OCT drusen and RAT volumes increased significantly in AMD eyes over 2 years. These quantitative SD OCT biomarkers predict 2-year AMD progression and may serve as useful biomarkers for future clinical trials.
Child Welfare, Education, Inequality, and Social Policy in Comparative Perspective

Using international data on child well-being and educational attainment, this article compares child well-being in the United States to member countries in the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD). Multiple measures of child well-being are analyzed, such as material well-being (including poverty, unemployment, and income inequality), child health and safety (birth weight, infant mortality, health care, and childcare), educational attainment, and family and peer relationships (including generational cleavages). Using Bronfenbrenner's ecological systems theory as an organizational framework, the impact and interrelatedness of these systems on educational attainment are examined, with parallels drawn between a nation's social policies, child well-being, and educational attainment. The author asserts that social policy in the United States is more comprehensive than is commonly believed, although the redistributive benefits of social policies are allocated much differently compared to...
Hepatic Fibrosis and Cirrhosis

Liver fibrosis is the presence of scar tissue in the liver. Although it varies in location within the liver, especially in early disease, the liver scar uniformly represents both an excess of extracellular matrix (ECM) and a shift in the quality of that matrix. Cirrhosis is the term applied to the final stage of fibrosis, the common end result of progressive fibrosis from all etiologies. Although it is in one sense the far end of the fibrosis spectrum, the term cirrhosis reflects architectural rearrangements rather than the quantity of abnormal matrix, specifically the formation of parenchymal nodules surrounded by scar tissue [1].
Research and Water Resources Planning

Research related to water resources planning has emerged as one of the most important areas in water resources research. Emphasis is on research needs as related to planning centers on aspects of plan formulation and evaluation. Other research areas of interest to planning involve ecologic-hydrologic relationships and studies of environment and man. The horizon of water resources research is already a broad one and may be expected to expand as various disciplines gain perspective on their role in the research. Although research dealing with the technique and methodology is of immediate concern, research organized to better define the interrelated hydrologic and ecologic effects of water and developments as well as other water research should yield information of increasing value to water planners. Much of the research related to water planning can be pursued effectively in a multidisciplinary framework that should include significant participation by engineers.
Abstract B10: Colorectal cancer and screening knowledge: A focus group investigation

Aim: To explore Mexican American men and women9s opinions of what would be the content and structure of informative and effective decision aids for colorectal cancer (CRC) that would optimize decision making of preventative measures and screening procedures. Methods: A qualitative study consisting of 5 focus groups (3 of women and 2 of men) was conducted. The criteria for eligibility consisted of being 50 years or older, El Paso county resident, Hispanic, and fluent in English. All focus groups were held at the University of Texas at El Paso and lasted on average 1 hour. Upon arrival, participants were asked to sign a consent form stating their voluntarily participation and completed a demographic questionnaire. After each focus group session, participants were debriefed and received a $20 gift certificate. A trained moderator led each focus group session, using as a guide a set of questions previously established by the team of researchers. All focus group sessions were recorded with the consent of all participants and kept confidential. All recordings were transcribed by two different assistants and evaluated to find major themes and sub‐themes. The transcriptions and themes were then entered into the program ATLAS.ti 5.2. A coding framework was developed based on the participants9 comments. Broad topics and salient points were identified to evaluate overlapping themes. Results: A total of 23 individuals participated in the focus groups. The majority of the participants (73.9%) were married women, almost half were employed (43.5%), and more than a third had some college training (40%). There were 6 major themes found across focus group sessions: current knowledge, barriers, external controls, desired information, decision aid tools, and elements of persuasion. We found that not only participants lacked education about CRC and screenings but across focus groups, participants had some misleading information such as Hispanics are not at risk for CRC, men are more prone to CRC, CRC isnot hereditary, and CRC cannot be diagnosed on its early stages. Furthermore, participants shared, based on their past experience, various means to communicate and educate the community in an effective manner. Conclusion: In spite of the large body of information on CRC and screening, there were many misconceptions and lack of meaningful knowledge across focus groups. However, faith, fate, and family play a large role as decision aid tools in getting screened. Perhaps, future studies might focus their efforts on one or all three components. Furthermore, networks of family and friends seem effective dissemination tools to advocate CRC screening. These networks would be efficient in dissipating misinformation and reducing fear of procedures with the accurate information. Furthermore, according to their suggestions, several decision aid tools should be incorporated and presented together as one large and more comprehensive decision aid tool to help individuals make informed decisions. Citation Information: Cancer Prev Res 2010;3(1 Suppl):B10.
Lateral and cross-channel movement of young-of-the-year winter flounder (Pseudopleuronectes americanus) in Waquoit Bay, Massachusetts

Limited lateral and cross-channel movement of young-of-the-year winter flounder was found during June and July 1988 and 1989 in Waquoit Bay, Massachusetts. Flounder were injected subcutaneously with acrylic paint and released at two locations on opposite sides of a channel in 1988, and in one open bay location in 1989. Recapture occurred one and three weeks after the last release date in 1988, and one week after release in 1989. In 1988, of the 275 recaptured fish, 98% were within 100 m of the release site, two (0.73%) were found on opposite sides of the channel, and three (1.09%) were found more than 200 m from the release site. Similarly, in 1989, 90% of 54 recaptured fish were within 100 m of the release site. These results indicate that lateral and cross-channel movements of young-of-the-year winter flounder are limited in the summer months.
New roles for 1,1-diamino-2,2-dinitroethene (FOX-7): halogenated FOX-7 and azo-bis(diahaloFOX) as energetic materials and oxidizers.

The syntheses and full characterization of two new halogenated 1,1-diamino-2,2-dinitroethene (FOX-7) compounds and three halogenated azo-bridged FOX-7 derivatives are described. Some of these new structures demonstrate properties that approach those of the commonly used secondary explosive RDX (cyclo-1,3,5-trimethylene-2,4,6-trinitramine). All the compounds display hypergolic properties with common hydrazine-based fuels and primary aliphatic amines (ignition delay times of 2–53 ms). This is a new role that has yet to be reported for FOX-7 and its derivatives. Their physical and energetic properties have been investigated. All compounds were characterized by single-crystal X-ray crystallography, elemental analysis, infrared spectra, and differential scanning calorimetry. These new molecules as energetic materials and hypergolic oxidizers contribute to the expansion of the chemistry of FOX-7.
Aeroelastic Effects of Spinning Missiles

.The accurate computation of forces and moments is of paramount importance in the computation of the maneuvering response of an aerospace vehicle, particularly for spinning missiles. For spinning missiles, the combination of body spin and angle of attack creates a force, called the Magnus force, at right angles to the lift vector. This force induces a moment that can perturb the dynamic stability of the missile, and flight control of the vehicle is no longer ensured. The solution for axisymmetric configurations can be predicted with steady-state algorithms. The addition of control surfaces creates an additional opposing lateral force and the flow is no longer steady and unsteady methods must be used to compute the solution. The purpose of the current work is to examine the aeroelastic effects on the aerodynamic performance of a spinning missile with dithering canards utilizing a fully-coupled computational aeroelastic approach. The nonlinearity of the flow field (e.g. moving shocks) and the complicated aerodynamic interactions at the canard- and finbody junctures necessitates the use of a computational aeroelasticity approach.
Weak Acidity of Vinyl CH Bonds Enhanced by Halogen Substitution

As shown by the rates of proton–deuteron exchange in ethylenes with halogen substituents, the weak acidity of vinyl CH bonds is enhanced by halogen substitution. Relative rates of exchange in basic deuterium oxide reflect the relative acidities. Substitution in the α position has the strongest effect. Less electronegative halogens such as bromine increase the acidity more than does fluorine. The vinyl CH acid strengths correlate closely with the energies of deprotonation of isolated molecules into isolated anions, as computed with the MP2/cc-pVQZ model. The smaller deprotonation energies are associated with the stronger acids. Atomic charges from a natural bond order analysis done with the MP2/aug-cc-pVQZ model show that the negative charge becomes more dispersed in the anions of the stronger acids. Results are given for 13 haloethylenes and for 6 halogen-substituted butadienes, cyclopropenes, and a cyclobutene.
Adhesion Failure in Bonded Rubber Cylinders Part 1: Internal Penny-Shaped Cracks

Rubber disks bonded between flat parallel metal plates are often used as adhesion test specimens such as ASTMD 429 1999, Method A. 1 However, the mechanics of adhesion failure (debonding) for this geometry have not been fully analyzed previously. Therefore, a study has been conducted of the strain energy release rate (tearing energy) for bonded rubber disks having cracks at the rubber-to-metal bond. In this paper, we consider internal penny-shaped cracks. A future paper will discuss external ring cracks. Finite element analysis was used to determine the tearing energy as a function of crack length for disks of various dimensions (shape factors). The crack configurations considered were an internal penny shaped crack located at the center of either one or both rubber-to-metal bonds. The rubber was assumed to be linearly elastic and nearly incompressible. For any bonded disk held in constant tension, the tearing energy was found to be a non-linear function of crack length. For small cracks, the tearing energy was linearly related to the crack length. As the crack grew, the tearing energy increased until it passed through a maximum value. The peak tearing energy was found to depend on the height of the disk. Finally, for large cracks, the tearing energy decreased as the crack grew. Analytical and empirical models were developed and shown to be in good agreement for both small and large cracks in disks of different dimensions.
Three-photon process for producing a degenerate gas of metastable alkaline-earth-metal atoms

An excitation scheme for transferring alkaline-earth-metal atoms from their ground state to metastable states is proposed, where the employed three-photon process is demonstrated to have transfer efficiencies as high as about 90% and can be managed to avoid momentum transfer to the degenerate gas during the excitation.
Galactosylceramides in human plasma.

The purpose of this investigation was to establish levels of cerebrosides in human plasma as a guide in investigating cerebroside levels in destructive and demyelinating central nervous system disorders. As an increase in plasma galactosylceramide may accompany myelin breakdown, this test may serve as a means of monitoring diseases such as multiple sclerosis. Cerebrosides and lactosylceramides were analyzed in 50-ml. pooled plasma samples from patients with nonneurologic diseases. Particular attention was given to the determination of the proportions of galactosylceramide in the cerebroside fraction; the normal levels were 6–12%. Gas–liquid chromatography and mass spectrometry confirmed that this glycolipid was galactosylceramide and established the fatty acid composition. It was also confirmed that plasma cerebrosides consist of both glucosylceramide and galactosylceramide with normal and hydroxy fatty acids.
Long-Term Survival and Freedom From Reoperation After Placement of a Pulmonary Xenograft Valved Conduit.

Background The optimal choice for pulmonary valve replacement (PVR) remains controversial. This study hypothesized that xenografts used for PVR would result in prolonged long-term survival and freedom from reoperation. Methods Children and adults with congenital heart disease requiring PVR using a xenograft from 1980 to 1985 were reviewed. In all cases, the xenograft valve was either sewn or manufactured into a Dacron conduit, and the conduit was sewn to the pulmonary artery bifurcation. Clinical data were analyzed, and survival and freedom from reoperation were determined using Kaplan-Meier analysis. Results Twenty-four patients received a xenograft for PVR at 14.6 ± 5.6 years. Conduit size ranged from 21 to 27 mm. Most patients received a Carpentier-Edwards valved conduit (n = 17), followed by a Hancock valved conduit (n = 5) and an Ionescu-Shiley valve sewn into a Dacron graft (n = 2). No perioperative deaths occurred. Reoperation was required mainly for pulmonary stenosis (72.7%), followed by pulmonary insufficiency (18.2%), or both stenosis and insufficiency (9%). Freedom from reoperation was 90%, 56%, 43%, and 14% at 10, 20, 25, and 30 years, respectively. At most recent follow-up the was only death, which was related to severe biventricular failure 25 years after conduit implant. Conclusions PVR using a xenograft valved conduit results in prolonged freedom from reoperation and excellent long-term survival. These data, which provide long-term follow-up information on xenograft valves after PVR.
“The Laureate Hearse Where Lyric Lies”: The Making of Romantic Apostasy

When the reigning Poet Laureate, Henry James Pye, died in August 1813, Leigh Hunt promptly addressed the matter on the front page of the Examiner, displaying it prominently as that week’s ‘Political Examiner.’ Rather than speculate, as might have been anticipated, as to who might be picked to succeed Pye, Hunt saw the vacancy as an opportunity to abolish an arcane office which he considered politically as well as poetically indecent – indeed, ‘noxious.’ Not opposed to the ornamental trappings of monarchy per se, Hunt singled out the Laureateship as not simply absurd but actually ‘contagious’ and finally degrading both to the Sovereign and to the Laureate. A pernicious office, ‘paid for annually flattering the Prince to his face in so many set terms, whatever may be his merits or demerits’ (‘Office’ 513), the Laureateship stigmatizes its occupant as the king’s officially sanctioned verse-maker (versificator regis) at the same time as it compromises the dignity of the ruler who would bestow a sinecure upon a rhyming flatterer.
January 1976–March 1977

Between the beginning of January 1976 and the end of March 1977, the new Cambodian regime continued to consolidate its power and eliminate its perceived enemies, albeit increasingly from within its own ranks. The regime’s paranoia, fuelled by ideology and historical animosity, also caused relations between Cambodia and its neighbours to remain strained. Nevertheless, interstate tensions were generally played down by all sides during this period. The divisions that would later determine Western and international responses to events in Cambodia were not yet so sharply drawn at this time. For this reason, Western governments could consider the human rights situation in Cambodia separate from the larger geopolitical interests which would be of primary importance soon after. As Western journalists and Cambodia watchers attempted to peer through the “Khmer curtain”, a certain consensus slowly began to emerge regarding allegations of human rights abuses in Cambodia. This increase in attention to human rights began to exert pressure on Western governments, which started to consider preliminary responses.
Mining At Most Top-Kp Spatiotemporal Co-occurrence Patterns in Datasets with Extended Spatial Representations

Spatiotemporal co-occurrence patterns (STCOPs) in datasets with extended spatial representations are two or more different event types, represented as polygons evolving in time, whose instances often occur together in both space and time. Finding STCOPs is an important problem in domains such as weather monitoring, wildlife migration, and solar physics. Nevertheless, in real life, it is difficult to find a suitable prevalence threshold without prior domain-specific knowledge. In this article, we focus our work on the problem of mining at most top-Kp of STCOPs from continuously evolving spatiotemporal events that have polygon-like representations, without using a user-specified prevalence threshold.
Psychological Testing That Matters: Creating a Road Map for Effective Treatment,

Bram and Peebles present an approach to using assessment data that is clinically sophisticated and provides an important connection between testing and treatment. In this way they demonstrate how a...
Training For Vitreous Surgery: Animal Surgery

Vitreous surgery calls for the surgeon’s skilled and thorough practice with surgical situations and sophisticated technical instruments along with good clinical judgement. In order to avoid any risk to the patients, it is therefore advisable for the surgeon, at the beginning, to train for this delicate operation on animals. Although monkey eyes are more similar to human ones from the anatomic point of view, it seems better for economical and practical reasons to practice vitrectomy on the eyes of rabbits.
Renal Function Considerations for Stroke Prevention in Atrial Fibrillation

Renal impairment increases risk of stroke and systemic embolic events and bleeding in patients with atrial fibrillation. Direct oral anticoagulants (DOACs) have varied dependence on renal elimination, magnifying the importance of appropriate patient selection, dosing, and periodic kidney function monitoring. In randomized controlled trials of nonvalvular atrial fibrillation, DOACs were at least as effective and associated with less bleeding compared with warfarin. Each direct oral anticoagulant was associated with reduced risk of stroke and systemic embolic events and major bleeding compared with warfarin in nonvalvular atrial fibrillation patients with mild or moderate renal impairment. Renal function decrease appears less impacted by DOACs, which are associated with a better risk-benefit profile than warfarin in patients with decreasing renal function over time. Limited data address the risk-benefit profile of DOACs in patients with severe impairment or on dialysis.
Conflict Analysis in ‘World Class’ Cities: Urban Renewal, Informal Transport Workers, and Legal Disputes in Lagos

This paper focuses on the disconnect between, on the one hand, the neoliberal aspirations to make Lagos a model megacity for the twenty-first century and, on the other hand, the precarious temporality of the present in which many informal workers weave their routine existence. In particular, the paper examines the corrupt and violent manner in which the Lagos State Road Traffic Law of 2012 has been adapted by the government to restrict the space and mobility of informal workers as a function of making Lagos a ‘world class’ megacity and ‘Africa’s big apple.’ Focusing on commercial motorbike-taxi (okada) riders and their association, the analysis extends to how one group of informal workers in Lagos are responding to neoliberal urban planning that impinge on their opportunities in, and rights to, the city. In this way, the paper illuminates our rather tenuous understanding of how informal workers exercise agency as they attempt to intervene in the unequal processes of urban renewal projects.
Genetic and Environmental Controls on the Establishment of the Invasive Grass, Phalaris arundinacea

Whether an exotic species becomes integrated into a community or aggressively takes it over depends upon many interacting factors. Using contextual analyses, we combined genetic data about an invasive plant with information about the neighboring species, the community, and the environment to determine what factors enable a genotype or species to invade. We transplanted 50 individuals of each of three clones of the invasive grass Phalaris arundinacea, reed canary grass, into 150 random locations within a Vermont pasture. For each individual, we recorded clonal identity, neighbor identity, community indices (species richness and species diversity), and an environmental variable (soil moisture). The response variables were survivorship, above-ground biomass, below-ground biomass and the ratio of above- to below-ground biomass. Clonal identity affected both survivorship and below-ground biomass. The fastest tillering clone had poor survivorship but survivors produced a large amount of below-ground biomass, making this clone more likely to successfully overwinter. Neighbor species affected above- and below-ground biomass. Reed canary grass produced more above- and below-ground biomass when Anthoxanthum odoratum, a common pasture grass species, was abundant. Community attributes also influenced growth. Although we expected diverse plots to repel the invasion, plants in the more diverse plots had higher amounts of below-ground biomass. Finally, environmental effects also influenced growth. Reed canary grass produced more above-ground biomass in wetter plots, confirming that it does well under wet conditions.
It’s My Heart: Why Not My Data?

I am a cardiologist. I am also a patient with a potentially life-threatening heart condition. Like millions of other patients, I cannot see the information about my own heart that is being recorded by a cardiac implantable electronic device. The reason I can’t is not based on any technical limitation. It is the result of a choice by the device’s manufacturer to reveal clinical data only to doctors, not to patients. That arrangement is typical, and it is also inappropriate, anachronistic, and dangerous. In my own practice, I have learned the value of engaging patients in their own care. That comes in part from the humbling nature of clinical experience, in which some good outcomes have come from patients ignoring my advice, and some bad outcomes have followed their taking it, and with the recognition that I (and medicine in general) do not have all the answers to patients’ questions. Maturing as a clinician means I recognize that there are few absolutely right or wrong care plans, and that patient preferences, informed by the best medical information available, ought to shape clinical decision making. My journey as a patient started in 2008, when I learned that I have a relatively unusual variant of hypertrophic cardiomyopathy. Although I am asymptomatic, a recent article1 challenged my sense of well-being. It reported that a cohort of patients with findings similar to mine had a prognosis worse than previously appreciated, with a relatively high risk of arrhythmic sudden cardiac death. …
Impolite High Speed Interfaces with Asynchronous Pulse Logic

We present a design solution that allows design of higher-than-core rate operation with techniques that avoid PLL/DLL blocks to provide higher speed timing. Many modern integrated circuits (ICs) have high speed interfaces which operate at higher cycle rates than the core of the IC. As a result of the higher-than-core rate, these interfaces are not directly representable in the core sequential logic. Asynchronous pulse logic offers an alternative design method for high speed interfaces with similar performance, simpler circuitry and without resorting to high-power logic cells such as emitter coupled logic. Formal and practical considerations for constructing high-speed interfaces are described. Gate designs and timing information for example cases are presented. These cases suggest that 80% improvements on rate compared traditional clocked logic are possible.
The Entropy Based Approach to Modeling and Evaluating Autonomy and Intelligence of Robotic Systems

This review paper presents the Entropy approach to modeling and performance evaluation of Intelligent Machines (IMs), which are modeled as hierarchical, multi-level structures. It provides a chronological summary of developments related to intelligent control, from its origins to current advances. It discusses fundamentals of the concept of Entropy as a measure of uncertainty and as a control function, which may be used to control, evaluate and improve through adaptation and learning performance of engineering systems. It describes a multi-level, hierarchical, architecture that is used to model such systems, and it defines autonomy and machine intelligence for engineering systems, with the aim to set foundations necessary to tackle related challenges. The modeling philosophy for the systems under consideration follows the mathematically proven principle of Increasing Precision with Decreasing Intelligence (IPDI). Entropy is also used in the context of N-Dimensional Information Theory to model the flow of information throughout such systems and contributes to quantitatively evaluate uncertainty, thus, autonomy and intelligence. It is explained how Entropy qualifies as a unique, single, measure to evaluate autonomy, intelligence and precision of task execution. The main contribution of this review paper is that it brings under one forum research findings from the 1970’s and 1980’s, and that it supports the argument that even today, given the unprecedented existing computational power, advances in Artificial Intelligence, Deep Learning and Control Theory, the same foundational framework may be followed to study large-scale, distributed Cyber Physical Systems (CPSs), including distributed intelligence and multi-agent systems, with direct applications to the SmartGrid, transportation systems and multi-robot teams, to mention but a few applications.