cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
LONG-TERM RESULTS OF ARTIFICIAL URINARY SPHINCTERS IN CHILDREN ARE INDEPENDENT OF AGE AT IMPLANTATION

Purpose: The long-term success and efficacy of the artificial urinary sphincter for the management of neurogenic incontinence have been well documented. We evaluated if long-term results were affected by patient age at the time of sphincter placement.Materials and Methods: A retrospective review of the medical records of patients who underwent artificial urinary sphincter placement and had minimum of 10 years of followup was conducted. All patients with an intact sphincter were interviewed to assess current results. Patients were stratified into groups 1 and 2 if the sphincter was implanted before or after age 11 years, respectively, and the results were compared statistically.Results: An artificial urinary sphincter was placed in 45 children at Children’s Hospital of Michigan between October 1978 and August 1986, and medical records and followup were available for 32. Mean followup was 15.4 years. Of the 21 group 1 patients 12 (57%) have an intact sphincter after 26 revisions, and all are dry and 9 (75%)...
How epileptogenic are temporal encephaloceles

Encephaloceles are spontaneous or acquired abnormal herniations of the brain into congenital or acquired osseous-dural defects of the skull base or cranial vault.1 When located in the middle fossa, they may present with medically intractable epilepsy, recurrent meningitis, CSF fistulas, middle ear fluid, or unilateral hearing loss.1–3 Bony deficits may involve either the body or the greater wing of the sphenoid bone. Anteroinferior temporal encephaloceles, resulting from deficits of the horizontal portion of the greater sphenoidal wing laterally to the cranial base foramina of the sphenoidal bone, may be asymptomatic or lead to drug-resistant temporal lobe epilepsy.1 It has long been recognized that the epilepsy associated with such encephaloceles can be surgically treated.4,5
THE RESULTS OF EPIPHYSEODESIS AND FEMORAL SHORTENING IN RELATION TO EQUALIZATION OF LIMB LENGTH

I. Epiphyseodesis: 1. From the standpoint of the percentage of correction of the original discrepancy of limb length, only 20.7 per cent. of the results were classed as excellent (75 per cent. or more correction), and 23.1 per cent. of the results were poor (25 per cent. or less correction). This is chiefly a reflection on the timing of the operation and the selection of the epiphyses to be fused. 2. From the clinical standpoint, satisfactory results (final discrepancy of 2 centimeters or less) were obtained in 50 per cent. of the cases. 3. While, on the basis of our results, it is generally a mistake to perform epiphyseodesis for the correction of shortening in a female after the age of eleven years, and in a male after twelve and a half years, there were cases in our series which demonstrated that this is not always true. These exceptional cases tended to prove the inaccuracy of any method of predicting bone growth. 4. The development of bone deformities from unequal arrest of epiphyseal growth following operation was found in 20.7 per cent. of the cases. In eight cases, or 9.7 per cent., these deformities were too slight to affect the final result. They serve to emphasize the risk of the operation and the necessity for thorough fusion of the epiphyses. II. Femoral Shortening: 1. Shortening of the femur by a simple, satisfactory technique was performed in nineteen cases, with ages ranging from thirteen and a half to forty-two years. [See figure in the PDF file] 2. The average correction obtained in this group was 4.7 centimeters (1⅞ inches). There were no instances of delayed union, malunion, or non-union. 3. Complications occurred in three cases. Two patients had postoperative infections, one transient and the other requiring secondary surgery. Both cleared up with final good results. The third was a localized calcifying hematoma, causing limitation of knee flexion. A good result was obtained, following excision of the calcified mass.
Low-emittance tuning at the Cornell Electron Storage Ring Test Accelerator

In 2008 the Cornell Electron/Positron Storage Ring (CESR) was reconfigured from an electron/positron collider to serve as a test bed for the International Linear Collider damping rings. One of the primary goals of the CESR Test Accelerator (CesrTA) project is to develop a fast low-emittance tuning method which scales well to large rings such as the ILC damping rings, and routinely achieves a vertical emittance of order 10 pm at 2.085 GeV. This paper discusses the tuning methods developed at CesrTA to achieve low-emittance conditions. One iteration of beam-based measurement and correction requires about 10 min. A minimum vertical emittance of $10.3(+3.2/\ensuremath{-}3.4{)}^{\text{sys}}(\ifmmode\pm\else\textpm\fi{}0.2{)}^{\text{stat}}\text{ }\mathrm{pm}$ has been achieved at 2.085 GeV. In various configurations and beam energies the correction technique routinely achieves vertical emittance around 10 pm after correction, with rms coupling $l0.5%$. The measured vertical dispersion is dominated by beam position monitor systematics. The propagation of uncertainties in the emittance measurement is described in detail. Simulations modeling the effects of magnet misalignments, beam position monitor errors, and the emittance correction algorithm suggest the residual vertical emittance measured at the conclusion of the tuning procedure is dominated by sources other than optics errors and misalignments.
Understanding Risk Assessment in Arkansas Juvenile Court: Tips for the Practitioner in a Time of Change

The juvenile justice system in Arkansas has changed substantially in the past century. Recently, the legislature has focused its efforts on reducing the commitment of juvenile offenders. In 1989, the Arkansas Senate found that the number of juveniles committed to Youth Services Centers was quickly increasing and many of the juvenile offenders in secure detention were not in need of commitment. The Arkansas General Assembly recommended that the Governor establish a committee to review and establish the criteria to commit a juvenile to the Youth Services Centers. The Center for the Study of Youth Policy (“CSYP”) analyzed case file information for the 365 male and 38 female youth committed to Youth Services Centers and the 106 juveniles committed to the Department of Corrections for the first nine months of 1989 as a basis for the committee report.
Analysis of control systems on symmetric cones

It is well known that exploiting special structure is a powerful way to extend the reach of current optimization tools to higher dimensions. While many linear control systems can be treated satisfactorily with linear matrix inequalities (LMI) and semidefinite programming (SDP), practical considerations can still restrict scalability of general methods. Thus, we wish to work with high dimensional systems without explicitly forming SDPs. To that end, we exploit a particular kind of structure in the dynamics matrix, paving the way for a more efficient treatment of a certain class of linear systems. We show how second order cone programming (SOCP) can be used instead of SDP to find Lyapunov functions that certify stability. This framework reduces to a famous linear program (LP) when the system is internally positive, and to a semidefinite program (SDP) when the system has no special structure.
Retrospective conversion of periodicals: a shoestring experience

To participate in automated serials check-in systems or online catalogs, libraries must convert their manual periodicals records into machine-readable form. This article describes retrospective conversion, using OCLC and currently available staff and resources, of an uncataloged periodicals collection. Various phases of the conversion project, including planning, staffing, training, inventorying, editing procedures and updating, are discussed, as are problems encountered and suggestions for improving efficiency and productivity.
Chemotherapy of Leukemia. V. Effects of 2,4,6-Triethylenimino-S-Triazine and Related Compounds on Transplanted Mouse Leukemia.∗:

Summary1. 42 compounds, of which 39 could be classed as triazines and 3 as ethylenimine ring compounds were screened for chemotherapeutic activity against Ak4 mouse leukemia. 2. 2,4,6-triethylenimino-s-triazine, 2,4-diethylenimino - 6 - amino - s - triazine, and hexamethylene diethylenurea significantly prolonged the survival time of mice injected with transplanted leukemia Ak4. 3. It would appear that the chemotherapeutic activity of the above compounds can be attributed to the ethylenimine structure. 4. Four other compounds containing either a triazine or an ethylenimine moiety showed a slight chemotherapeutic effect.
The Relative Role of Transplacental and Milk Immune Transfer in Protection Against Lethal Neonatal Herpes Simplex Virus Infection in Mice

The role of passive maternal immunity in neonatal herpes simplex virus (HSV) infection is controversial. C57BL/6 mice born to HSV-immune mothers had significantly greater survival than those born to nonimmune mothers after an intraperitoneal or oral HSV challenge. In subsequent experiments with intraperitoneal and oral HSV challenge, non-immune mice that were foster fed for one week by actively or passively immunized mothers were significantly protected. Injections of passive antibody postpartum in nonimmune mother mice resulted in detectable transfer of antibody to HSV to their infant mice via breast milk. In mice, maternal breast milk, not transplacentally derived antibody, protects neonates from low-dose HSV infection.
Correlates of Automobile Shopping Behavior

The kinds of shopping behavior exhibited by automobile purchasers have implications for both advertising and selling strategy. This article illustrates a methodology for studying shopping deportmen...
Snowy Owl Predation on Short-Eared Owls

A problem confronting Snowy Owls (Nyctea scandiaca) in their southern incursions is the shortage of food. This difficulty is raised by the presence of other raptors that feed on small mammals. This note shows how little food is found by migrant Snowy Owls and indicates a complex temporary ecological solution. At Tatoosh Island, Washington (48024'N, 1240 44'W) on 25 November 1973, we observed a Snowy Owl near a cache of three dead Short-eared Owls (Asio flammeus). The latter appeared to have been killed and partially consumed. Their dorsal feathers had been ruffled, there were small wounds in the head, the pectoral musculature of two individuals had been eaten, and three of the six eyes devoured. We first saw the Snowy Owl when it was perched within 20 m of its alleged prey midden, during a time of severe food shortage for these large owls. In all, five Snowy Owls inhabited this small (6.5-ha) island. Of these, one was subsequently found dead, one was hand-caught by U.S. Coast Guard personnel, and the remaining three disappeared within 10 days. Total residence time of the owls on the island was less than three weeks, a further indication that this was unsuitable long-term habitat. The owls presumably left for the mainland, a distance of less than one mile. The island vegetation consisted almost entirely of thicket, primarily salal (Gaultheria shallon) and salmonberry (Rubus spectabilis). There were only seven small trees on the island. No non-domestic mammals exist there, and the condition of the dead owls makes unlikely the implication of domestic cats. Other raptors, especially Bald Eagles (Haliaeetus leucocephalus), occasionally visited the island. The circumstances strongly suggest, however, that the Snowy Owl had killed the Short-eared Owls. W. S. Brooks (Notes on birds from East Siberia and arctic Alaska 1915, in A. C. Bent, Life histories of North American birds of prey, Part 2, U.S. Natl. Mus. Bull. 170, 1938) previously reported Snowy Owls eating Short-eared Owls which he had trapped. Migrating Snowy Owls in the normal range of Short-eared Owls take similar prey items. Both species feed, perhaps preferentially, on small rodents (not known to occur on Tatoosh) and will also take small birds. The Snowy Owl has a broader diet and it appears to be more opportunistic (for instance, it has been known to eat fish and offal), especially during migration (A. K. Fisher, U.S. Dept. Agric. Bull. 3: 1-210, 1893). When a large raptor kills and feeds upon smaller raptors of the same trophic level, as has been often reported in the literature, the larger raptor in the process of procuring food also annihilates a potential competitor. We emphasize, however, that our data are too circumstantial to allow an evaluation
Experimental investigation of the statistical variance of modal parameters for a precision truss

9-CP EXPERIMENTAL INVESTIGATION OF THE STATISTICAL VARIANCE OF MODAL PARAMETERS FOR A PRECISION TRUSS Lee D. Peterson', Steven J. Bullock,2 and Scott W. Doeblingz University of Colorado Department of Aerospace Engineering Sciences Boulder, Colorado 80309-0429 ABSTRACT nu The statistical variances of identified modal parameters are investigated for a scale model interferometer truss structure. Modal frequency and damping errors are estimated from the noise sensitivity of a form of the Eigensystem Realization Algorithm, using noise levels estimated from the frequency domain coherence for each measured input-output pair. It is shown that the variance of the real and imaginary parts of the identified eigenvalues are approximately the same, which means that the variance in the damping ratio is approximately the relative error in the frequency. Overall, the frequency variance indicates the convergence of the identification algorithm for the identified mode, and can provide confidence in the selection of the Hankel matrix size and other parameters. There are, however, notable exceptions. For example, the variance is sometimes less than the change due to including more data in the curve fit, and anamolous modes due to the numerical properties of the algorithm sometimes have a low variance.
The Effect of Radiation Therapy after Radical Prostatectomy in Patients with Elevated Prostate Specific Antigen Levels

AbstractWe analyzed the effects of pelvic radiation therapy given to patients who had an elevated prostate specific antigen level after radical prostatectomy. Among men who previously received adjuvant radiation therapy and had appropriately stored serum 15 had elevated prostate specific antigen levels after radical prostatectomy but before radiation therapy. After radiation therapy the prostate specific antigen level decreased by more than 50% in 80% and to female levels in 53% of the patients. We also prospectively treated 29 men who had increasing levels of prostate specific antigen 9 to 95 months after radical prostatectomy but who were otherwise without evidence of disease by the usual criteria. However, 19 of the patients had local disease as evidenced by random needle biopsy of the urethrovesical anastomosis. Complications of radiation therapy were minimal and maximal prostate specific antigen decrease occurred by 6 months after treatment. In 82% of the patients prostate specific antigen levels dec...
No Loose Parts Necropsy Procedure for the Feedyard

The necropsy technique outlined accomplishes three important objectives: 1) examination of all body systems, including the CNS, with the speed required to complete the procedure in less than 30 minutes; 2) targets identification of infectious disease in body systems through lymph node pathology; and 3) minimizes hide damage and detached body parts, both of which create serious problems for rendering companies.
Case study: visual debugging of cluster hardware

This paper presents a novel use of visualization applied to debugging the Cplant/sup TM/ cluster hardware at Sandia National Laboratories. As commodity cluster systems grow in popularity and grow in size, tracking component failures within the hardware will become more and more difficult. We have developed a tool that facilitates visual debugging of errors within the switches and cables connecting the processors. Combining an abstract system model with color-coding for both error and job information enables failing components to be identified.
Selective decision directed channel estimation for UWA OFDM systems

In this paper we explore the performance of a selective decision directed channel estimation (CE) method for underwater acoustic (UWA) orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) based communications. The method is based on hard or soft selection of data sub-carriers that are used in the decision directed mode. Particularly, in the process of hard selection we choose those sub-carriers that have high signal-to-noise ratios (SNR), while in the process of soft selection we weight the data sub-carriers for reliable channel estimation. The latter approach is shown to be advantageous since the channel state information (CSI) from all data sub-carriers is exploited. We couple selective decision directed CE with different channel reconstruction methods such as least-squares (LS) with thresholding, orthogonal matching pursuit (OMP), and basis pursuit denoising (BPD). Our results indicate good performance improvements as compared to the block-by-block pilot-assisted CE with a uniform pilot grid for high spectral efficiency communications. Moreover, we explore the trade-offs resulting from using a varying number of pilots and/or decision directed data sub-carriers in terms of the overall system throughput and bit error rate (BER). Experimental results are obtained using real data measurements from the Mobile Acoustic Communication Experiment 2010 (MACE'10), conducted off the coast of Martha's Vineyard.
Racial coastal formation: The environmental injustice of colorblind adaptation planning for sea-level rise

Abstract The United States’ deeply racialized history currently operates below the surface of contemporary apolitical narratives on vulnerability mitigation and adaptation to sea-level rise. As communities, regulatory agencies, and policy-makers plan for rising seas, it is important to recognize the landscapes of race and deep histories of racism that have shaped the socio-ecological formations of coastal regions. If this history goes unrecognized, what we label colorblind adaptation planning is likely to perpetuate what Rob Nixon calls the “slow violence” of environmental racism, characterized by policies that benefit some populations while abandoning others. By colorblind adaptation planning, we refer to vulnerability mitigation and adaptation planning projects that altogether overlook racial inequality—or worse dismiss its systemic causes and explain away racial inequality by attributing racial disparities to non-racial causes. We contend that responses to sea-level rise must be attuned to racial difference and structures of racial inequality. In this article, we combine the theory of racial formation with the geographical study of environmental justice and point to the ways racial formations are also environmental. We examine vulnerability to sea-level rise through the process of racial coastal formation on Sapelo Island, Georgia, specifically analyzing its deep history, the uneven racial development of land ownership and employment, and barriers to African American participation and inclusion in adaptation planning. Racial coastal formation’s potential makes way for radical transformation in climate change science not only in coastal areas, but other spaces as situated territorial racial formations.
Identification and characterization of viral defective RNA genomes in influenza B virus

Influenza B virus (FLUBV) is an important pathogen that infects humans and causes seasonal influenza epidemics. To date, little is known about defective genomes of FLUBV and their roles in viral replication. In this study, by using a next-generation sequencing approach, we analyzed total mRNAs extracted from A549 cells infected with B/Brisbane/60/2008 virus (Victoria lineage), and identified four defective FLUBV genomes with two (PB1∆A and PB1∆B) from the polymerase basic subunit 1 (PB1) segment and the other two (M∆A and M∆B) from the matrix (M) protein-encoding segment. These defective genomes contained significant deletions in the central regions with each having the potential for encoding a novel polypeptide. Significantly, each of the discovered defective RNAs can potently inhibit the replication of B/Yamanashi/166/98 (Yamagata lineage). Furthermore, PB1∆A was able to interfere modestly with influenza A virus (FLUAV) replication. In summary, our study provides important initial insights into FLUBV defective-interfering genomes, which can be further explored to achieve better understanding of the replication, pathogenesis and evolution of FLUBV.
Accuracy of tracking student's natural language in operation ARIES!, a serious game for scientific methods

OperationARIES! is an ITS that uses natural language conversations in order to teach research methodology to students in a serious game environment. Regular expressions and Latent Semantic Analysis (LSA) are used to evaluate the semantic matches between student contributions, expected good answers and misconceptions. Current implementation of these algorithms yields accuracy comparable to human ratings of student contributions. The performance of LSA can be further perfected by using a domain-specific rather than a generic corpus as a space for interpreting the meaning of the student generated contributions. ARIES can therefore accurately compute the quality of student answers during natural language tutorial conversations.
The Psychobiology of Sexual Orientation

From a sexological point of view regarding creation, in the beginning there was sex, and then sometime afterwards there was sexual orientation. While no one disputes that sex is a biological manifestation, the origins of sexual orientation, whether it is homosexual or heterosexual continue to be debated with some enthusiasm. Whether something so significant in the life of a human, the sex of sexual partner, is truly a matter of free will or choice is questionable. The current debate regarding explanations for differences in sexual orientation is marked by often rancorous disagreements about the extent, if any, of biological factors. In both popular media and in scholarly journals, the issue is pondered: “Is homosexuality (as well as lesbianism) to be understood by natural science, or is diversity in sexual orientation based solely upon social and cultural opportunities, circumstances, and/or outright individual choice?
Towards Self-Transfecting Nucleic Acid Nanostructures for Gene Regulation.

Nanoscale structures of therapeutic nucleic acids have shown enormous potential to help clinicians realize the promise of personaliz ed medicine using gene-specific treatments. With the advent of better sequencing through bioinformatic approaches and advancements in nucleic acid stabilization chemistries, the field of synthetic nucleic acid nanomaterials has advanced tremendously. This review focuses on an emerging strategy geared at gene silencing without the use of traditional polycation-based transfection agents and discusses how such nanostructures are being chemically tailored to navigate biological systems to improve their circulation time and biodistribution. We also address important challenges moving forward, including quantification of delivery and the multiplexing of sequences for regulating gene networks – a goal well suited for this unique class of materials.
How Workplace Isolation Impacts Performance: An Abstract

As virtual sales teams grow and as salespeople continue to work remote, the notion of workplace isolation, or the extent of separation from others, will prevail. As organizations continue to locate their salespeople closer to their customers, perceptions of being disconnected from others in the organization and feelings of loneliness will inadvertently be created. This also results in a loss of informal learning, emotional support, camaraderie, and direct social interactions with other coworkers. Extant literature has shown that workplace isolation is indeed a major concern with dire consequences on employees. Despite the pervasiveness of isolation, existing research provides little empirical theoretical insight about how isolation influences performance. In the sales literature, scant research has examined the existence and consequences of workplace isolation, and little is known about the effects on individual sales performance as well as any underlying processes. If the ultimate goal of sales managers is to achieve higher sales performance, then an understanding of how and the process by which isolation impedes performance is imperative. As such, we use social learning theory (SLT) to identify and empirically explore the mechanisms in which workplace isolation impacts salesperson performance. In accordance with SLT, our results show that workplace isolation indirectly impacts salesperson performance via knowledge, informal communications, and commitment. This suggests that when salespeople work remote and are not around others in their organizations, they miss out on valuable interacting and learning opportunities. Managers can take steps to offset workplace isolation by increasing the frequency of informal communication between employees, bolstering commitment, and promoting knowledge sharing.
Research Techniques Made Simple: Parabiosis to Elucidate Humoral Factors in Skin Biology

Circulating factors in the blood and lymph support critical functions of living tissues. Parabiosis refers to the condition in which two entire living animals are conjoined and share a single circulatory system. This surgically created animal model was inspired by naturally occurring pairs of conjoined twins. Parabiosis experiments testing whether humoral factors from one animal affect the other have been performed for more than 150 years and have led to advances in endocrinology, neurology, musculoskeletal biology, and dermatology. The development of high-throughput genomics and proteomics approaches permitted the identification of potential circulating factors and rekindled scientific interest in parabiosis studies. For example, this technique may be used to assess how circulating factors may affect skin homeostasis, skin differentiation, skin aging, wound healing, and, potentially, skin cancer.
Host-microbiome protein-protein interactions capture mechanisms in human disease

Abstract Host-microbe interactions are crucial for normal physiological and immune system development and are implicated in a wide variety of diseases, including inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), colorectal cancer (CRC), obesity, and type 2 diabetes (T2D). Despite large-scale case-control studies aimed at identifying microbial taxa or specific genes involved in pathogeneses, the mechanisms linking them to disease have thus far remained elusive. To identify potential mechanisms through which human-associated bacteria impact host health, we leveraged publicly-available interspecies protein-protein interaction (PPI) data to find clusters of microbiome-derived proteins with high sequence identity to known human protein interactors. We observe differential targeting of putative human-interacting bacterial genes in metagenomic case-control microbiome studies. In nine independent case studies, we find evidence that the microbiome broadly targets human proteins involved in immune, oncogenic, apoptotic, and endocrine signaling pathways in relation to IBD, CRC, obesity and T2D diagnoses. This host-centric analysis strategy provides a mechanistic hypothesis-generating platform for any metagenomics cohort study and extensively adds human functional annotation to commensal bacterial proteins. One-sentence summary Microbiome-derived proteins are linked to disease-associated human pathways by metagenomic and protein-protein interaction analyses.
Techno-economic analysis and life cycle assessment for electrochemical ammonia production using proton conducting membrane

Abstract Green ammonia production is facing increasing interest on a global scale as a hydrogen carrier for power generation as well as fertilizer for food production. The conventional Haber-Bosch method for ammonia synthesis is energy demanding, requires high purity hydrogen, and is based on fossil fuels. A preliminary techno-economic model for electrochemical ammonia synthesis at near ambient pressure using feed rates of 32 metric ton/day for hydrogen and 135 metric ton/day for nitrogen is presented in this study. Various pathways using different methods for nitrogen generation and hydrogen production were investigated to gain insight into added energy savings per metric ton of ammonia. Electrochemical synthesis using electrolysis for hydrogen and cryogenic nitrogen was found to be a potentially viable pathway for green ammonia. The profitability metrics including discounted cash flow rate of return, net present value and discounted payback period were estimated to be 8%, $40 MM, and 4–6 years respectively for this pathway. The cost of electricity, conversion rate, and conversion efficiency dominate the tonnage cost of ammonia and were used to assess the feasibility of the model. A life cycle assessment was also conducted to assess the environmental impact of a well to product ammonia process.
What is the role of axonal ion channels in multiple sclerosis

Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a chronic inflammatory disease of the CNS leading to demyelination and neurodegeneration.1 During myelination, axons undergo important rearrangements of cell adhesion molecules, ion channels, and cytoskeletal proteins generating organized molecular domains, reversed during demyelination.2 Myelinated axons have a selective distribution of ion channels, which depends on the expression of scaffold and adhesion molecules.3 There is increasing evidence that ion channels in myelinated axons have a major role in the pathodynamics of MS and thus provide potential targets for axonal protection.
Reducing Sparse Motion Artifacts in MR-Thermometry Using Robust Principal Component Analysis

Magnetic Resonance Imaging is one of the most prevalent, reliable, and comprehensive thermal monitoring methodology to measure tissue temperature changes during thermal therapies. The proton resonance frequency shift (PRFS) technique is a widely MRI thermal imaging method. However, the PRFS method is sensitive to inter-frame motions that may result in incorrect temperature change profiles. Considering each MRI temperature image as a superposition of a temporally correlated background and a sparse matrix representing motion artifacts, we aim to recover the low-rank matrix from corrupted observations using robust principal component analysis. This problem is solved using iterative soft thresholding of the singular values of both low-rank and sparse matrices and singular value thresholding techniques. We apply this method to MRI observations with artificial introduced motion artifacts and the results indicate that the proposed approach is effective in recovering the clean temperature profiles from noisy observations during heating procedures with average of 81% decrease in RMSE.
Investigation of the irradiation effects in additively manufactured 316L steel resulting in decreased irradiation assisted stress corrosion cracking susceptibility

Abstract While additive manufacturing (AM) is an area of increasing interest to the nuclear industry, there are significant research and development needs prior to successful implementation of additively manufactured components into reactors. AM steel behaves differently than traditional wrought material, as has been observed in numerous mechanical testing studies. The nuclear industry must also understand the material response to irradiation. This work examines the irradiation damage and the irradiation assisted stress corrosion cracking behavior (IASCC) of both proton irradiated AM and wrought 316L steel. For IASCC testing, specimens were strained to 4% plastic strain in a simulated boiling water reactor environment (288°C, 0.2 µS/cm). Transmission and scanning electron microscopy, confocal microscopy, and X-ray computed tomography were used to examine coupons of the material as well as tensile bars used in the IASCC testing. This work found that the wrought 316L was more susceptible to IASCC than the AM steel, however, some IASCC was observed in the AM steel when tested with the tensile axis parallel to the build direction. Electron microscopy has shown significantly fewer radiation induced voids formed in the AM steel. While the pre-existing pore network in the AM steel may act as a sink to point defects, this is not expected to be the major factor in the reduced swelling observed in the AM steel. The lower density of radiation induced voids was expected to contribute to the IASCC resistance by decreasing the localization of deformation in the irradiated specimens, however, severity of localized deformation in AM steel, measured in dislocation channel spacing and height, was similar or more severe to that found in wrought. The presence of severe cracking in the wrought specimens did not allow for a direct comparison of localized deformation severities between the AM and wrought steel.
Options on a Traded Account: Vacation Calls, Vacation Puts and Passport Options

In this article we study options on a traded account. In terms of the actions available to the buyer, the options we study are more general than a class of options known as "passport options"; in terms of the model of the underlying asset they are more restrictive. Using probabilistic techniques, we find the value of these options, the optimal strategy of the buyer, and the hedging strategy the seller should use in response to a (not necessarily optimal) strategy by the buyer.
Synthesis of colloidal SeTe nanoalloy by pulsed laser ablation in deep eutectic solvents to be used as anticancer treatment

Biocompatible colloidal nanomaterials are of great interest in the biomedical field due to their ability to modulate redox reactions that translates into antioxidant aides. Common wet syntheses processes utilized to obtain chalcogens nanoparticles have limitations such as low yield, high cost and use environmentally unfriendly chemical precursors and solvents. Pulsed laser ablation in liquids (PLAL) has shown to be an affordable, clean and rapid technique to produce chalcogen nanoparticles. Among the chalcogens, selenium (Se) has well-known capabilities of regulating the glutathione to reduced glutathione (GSH/GSSG) ratio, an established marker of ROS antioxidant activity in eukaryotic cells. Recently there has been an interest to include heavier chalcogens, e.g., tellurium (Te), in biological enzymatic interactions; however, due to its relative cytotoxicity, use of Te nanoparticles as an alternative to reduce glutathione, has not been fully investigated. In this work, we introduce the synthesis and characterization of a selenium-tellurium (SeTe) nano-alloy by PLAL using a deep eutectic solvent (DES), water and acetone as the liquid phase to exploit DES’s biocompatible composition and its influence on the PLAL synthesis kinetics that result in production of polycrystalline, sub-100nm nanoparticles. To investigate the formation of nano-alloy, we compare the features and properties of colloidal nanoparticles produced by PLAL at three wavelengths, 1064, 532 and 355 nm, respectively. We test bioactivity of SeTe nano-alloys, using A-375 (malignant melanoma) and C-33A (epithelial retinoblastoma) cells through assessing viability and proliferation to determine their capabilities towards use as anticancer treatments.
A Rare Case of Plasma Cell Leukemia Meningitis (5238)

Objective: To report a rare case of plasma cell leukemia with neurological manifestations. Background: Plasma cell leukemia (PCL) is a rare (1–4% of plasma cell malignancies) and aggressive plasma cell dyscrasia which even more rarely invades the central nervous system (CNS). The neurological manifestations can include cerebral, cranial nerve, spinal cord, and nerve root infiltration. Prognosis is poor and survival is about 2–6 months even with aggressive treatment. We report a patient with PCL whose relapse presented with CNS involvement. Design/Methods: A 43-year-old man with history of PCL status post haploidentical stem cell transplant presented with a one week history of progressive left sided weakness. Examination showed left sided weakness with 4/5 muscle strength on MRC scale. His left upper extremity strength and reflexes in the left arm decreased over the next day. There were no cranial nerve deficits or sensory findings on exam. Results: MRI of the brain showed a new small parenchymal enhancement within the left superior temporal gyrus. MRI spine showed extraosseous expansion into the epidural space at T12 without cord compression. MRI brain and spine did not explain his neurological findings. Lumbar puncture showed protein 72mg/dL, glucose 117mg/dL (serum glucose 223mg/dL), and nucleated cell count of 188/mm3 (97% of which were atypical cells). Immunophenotypic analysis detected approximately 80% monoclonal plasma cells expressing bright CD38, CD56 (small subset), dim CD138 and cytoplasmic lambda. Together with review of the Wright stained cytology preparation this was consistent with CNS plasma cell leukemia. Conclusions: The clinical presentation suggested rapidly progressing infiltration of left upper extremity nerve roots. CSF demonstrated leukemic meningitis. He was treated with intrathecal chemotherapy with Methotrexate which showed cytologic improvement. Disclosure: Dr. Sadeghi has nothing to disclose. Dr. Liu has nothing to disclose. Dr. Fatani has nothing to disclose. Dr. Barger has nothing to disclose.
Concrete Coupled Walls: Earthquake Tests

Tests of six approximately one-twelfth scale reinforced concrete coupled walls under seismic loading are described; the results are compared to collapse mechanisms calculated by conventional means. Five structures were subjected, on an earthquake simulator, to the base acceleration record measured at El Centro, California, during the Imperial Valley earthquake of 1940; one was subjected to slow cyclic loading into the inelastic range. The major variables in the study were the strength and stiffness of the connecting beams. In evaluating the experimental results, the effect of microcracking on the initial stiffness of the structure is noted, as are the effects of higher mode response in the accelerations, base shear and base moment. Using lateral loading in the shape of the first mode, the collapse mechanisms for the test structures, varying with strength and stiffness of the connecting beams, were determined.
SU-E-I-22: A Comprehensive Investigation of Noise Variations Between the GE Discovery CT750 HD and GE LightSpeed VCT

Purpose: To quantify and compare the noise properties between two GE CT models-the Discovery CT750 HD (aka HD750) and LightSpeed VCT, with the overall goal of assessing the impact in clinical diagnostic practice. Methods: Daily QC data from a fleet of 9 CT scanners currently in clinical use were investigated – 5 HD750 and 4 VCT (over 600 total acquisitions for each scanner). A standard GE QC phantom was scanned daily using two sets of scan parameters with each scanner over 1 year. Water CT number and standard deviation were recorded from the image of water section of the QC phantom. The standard GE QC scan parameters (Pitch = 0.516, 120kVp, 0.4s, 335mA, Small Body SFOV, 5mm thickness) and an in-house developed protocol (Axial, 120kVp, 1.0s, 240mA, Head SFOV, 5mm thickness) were used, with Standard reconstruction algorithm. Noise was measured as the standard deviation in the center of the water phantom image. Inter-model noise distributions and tube output in mR/mAs were compared to assess any relative differences in noise properties. Results: With the in-house protocols, average noise for the five HD750 scanners was ∼9% higher than the VCT scanners (5.8 vs 5.3). For the GE QC protocol, average noise withmore » the HD750 scanners was ∼11% higher than with the VCT scanners (4.8 vs 4.3). This discrepancy in noise between the two models was found despite the tube output in mR/mAs being comparable with the HD750 scanners only having ∼4% lower output (8.0 vs 8.3 mR/mAs). Conclusion: Using identical scan protocols, average noise in images from the HD750 group was higher than that from the VCT group. This confirms feedback from an institutional radiologist’s feedback regarding grainier patient images from HD750 scanners. Further investigation is warranted to assess the noise texture and distribution, as well as clinical impact.« less
TORTURE AND JUST WAR

I offer an argument for why torture, as an act of state-sponsored force to gain information crucial to the well-being of the common good, should be considered as a tactic of war, and therefore scrutinized in terms of just war theory. I argue that, for those committed to the justifiability of the use of force, most of the popular arguments against all acts of torture are unpersuasive because the logic behind them would forbid equally any act of mutilating or killing in battle. I will also argue that looking at torture through the perspective of the just war tradition forces us to place strictures on the practice that make it hard to justify, helps us to see why torture should never be legalized, helps us to clarify when circumstances might justify torture, and suggests what sort of character is required to recognize when those circumstances have occurred.
Peptidyl‐α‐Hydroxyglycine α‐Amidating Lyase (PAL)

Many peptide hormones and neuropeptides require an amidated carboxy terminal for full biological activity. This reaction is carried out in two steps: hydroxylation of a C-terminal glycine and cleavage of the C N bond with the release of glyoxylate. The enzyme peptidyl-α-hydroxyglycine α-amidating lyase (PAL; EC 4.3.2.5) catalyzes the second step of this reaction, N-dealkylation of the peptidyl-α-hydroxyglycine to generate the α-amidated peptide and glyoxylate. The X-ray crystal structure of the PAL catalytic core (PALcc), alone and in complex with the nonpeptidic substrate α-hydroxyhippuric acid, shows that PAL folds as a six-bladed β-propeller. The active site is formed by a Zn2+ ion coordinated by three histidine residues; the substrate binds to this site with its α-hydroxyl group coordinated to the Zn2+ ion. A tyrosine residue (Tyr654) at the active site acts as the catalytic base for hydroxyl deprotonation, an unusual role for tyrosine residue. In the reaction mechanism, proposed on the basis of the structure and validated by biochemical analysis of site-directed PALcc mutants, the substrate α-hydroxyl that coordinates the catalytic Zn2+ directly is deprotonated by Tyr654. The generation of the required tyrosinate is aided by an arginine residue that, together with the Zn2+, lowers the pKa of the catalytic tyrosine. 3D Structure Keywords: peptidyl-α-hydroxyglycine α-amidating lyase (PAL); amidated peptides; catalytic zinc; tyrosinate catalytic base; hydroxyhippuric acid
Surface characterization of supported PtPd bimetallic clusters using infrared spectroscopy

Abstract The feasibility of determining the surface composition of a series of supported PtRu bimetallic cluster catalysts using infrared spectroscopy has been explored. The nominal bulk compositions of Ru in these samples were 10, 22, 38, 62, and 80 atom%; total metal content of each sample was 6% by weight. The infrared absorption bands of CO (g) selectively adsorbed on Pt sites and those of NO(g) selectively adsorbed on Ru sites were stable in vacuo at room temperature. As the concentration of Ru was increased, there was a gradual shift in the frequencies of these bands indicating the weakening of the CO bond and strengthening of the NO bond. Prolonged exposure of each bimetallic catalyst (fully covered by both CO and NO) to NO(g) resulted in reaction between NO(g) and CO (ads) yielding CO2(g) and N2O(g). As the content of Ru was increased, there was a corresponding increase in the NO-band intensity and a decrease in the CO-band intensity. If both extinction coefficients and stoichiometric coefficients are taken to be independent of surface composition, a simple linear correlation between the absorbance ratio and the bulk metal composition was obtained, suggesting that the composition of the surface changed in the same way as that of the bulk. Such a plot provides a quick and inexpensive method of determining surface compositions of supported PtRu cluster catalysts.
Body Like a Rocket: Performing Technologies of Naturalization

This article examines how athletes embody and perform technologies in ways that question the "natural" human form. Through a historical review of the political implications of science and technology in the modern Olympics and a close analysis of Speedo bodysuit swimwear featured since the 2000 Summer Olympics, I explore how technologies produce boundaries between "natural" bodies fit for competition and deviant bodies along lines of power. The interaction of material technologies and athletic bodies allow both the athlete and viewing community to participate in myths of human progress that is both separate from and reliant on technological enhancement. The sporting event becomes simultaneously a performance of the natural abilities of the human body and the physical enhancement of human ability through a high-tech product available for purchase to anyone with enough capital. Building on the work of feminist and science studies scholars, a close analysis of the material-discursive production of technologies reveals the tangled political investments of powerful groups, nations, and corporations in perpetuating modern narratives of progress. These networks mobilize technologies to define what constitutes "natural" human bodies, creating power differentials across subject positions of gender, class, race, nationality, and ability.
Generalized River Routing - Algorithms and Performance Bounds (Extended Abstract)

Traditional restrictions on river routing confine the connecting wires to the channel between the terminal rows. In [3] these restrictions were somewhat relaxed, thereby permitting a limited type of routing outside of the channel. In this paper we consider a further relaxation of the traditional constraints and consider a new class of “generalized” river routings. We show that this new class contains routings that are significantly more compact than those previously considered. In addition, we give a fast polynomial time algorithm for producing optimal routings in this new class. The running time of this algorithm is the best possible and is identical to the time required to produce optimal river routings under the traditional model.
The resource reallocation costs of fixed and flexible exchange rates

Abstract This paper questions the view that resource reallocation costs are a disadvantage of a flexible exchange rate system relative to a fixed exchange rate. It is shown that reallocation costs of a flexible exchange rate are not necessarily greater than and indeed may be less than, those under a fixed exchange rate. A method is developed for testing this hypothesis. Applying the technique to Canadian exchange rate policy for 1953–1977 provides a counterexample to the view that reallocation costs are a disadvantage of flexible exchange rates.