cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
A Problem Solving Approach for Teaching Engineering Laboratories

This paper presents the redevelopment method and process of the laboratory experiments for the Mechanics and Vibration Laboratory, MIME3390, in the Mechanical, Industrial, and Manufacturing Engineering Department at the University of Toledo. The redevelopment objective was to transform the learning process from a subject-based learning to a problem-solving learning. Particular objective was to provide the students with more hands-on experience and to challenge them by requesting the procedure for each laboratory experiment to be designed and carried out by each group of students. This senior level laboratory course consists of experiments in deformable solid mechanics including stress and deflection analysis, fatigue life evaluation, stability and mechanical vibration. Prerequisite courses for this laboratory are Mechanical Design I and Mechanical Vibrations. In line with the program objectives of the department, the following list of objectives has been defined for this course: "Upon successful completion of this course, the students should have: (1) become knowledgeable in the use of standard instrumentation for static and dynamic structural testing, such as strain gages, load frames, impact hammers, and spectrum analyzers; (2) reinforced material studied in previous mechanics and vibrations courses; (3) improved data analysis skills, and (4) further developed laboratory and technical writing skills." Prior to this redevelopment, as part of the subject-based approach, a classroom lecture preceded each laboratory session. The lecture consisted of the review of the theory pertaining to each experiment to help students refresh their knowledge on the subject. Additionally the description and procedure of the laboratory experiment was covered during this lecture. Prior to each class, the lecture notes, along with the laboratory procedures, were posted on the course website. The step-by-step instructions for each experiment were provided to assist the students in setting up and conducting each experiment. Throughout the semester, eleven experiments were performed. The students wrote individual reports on the experiments consisting of a summary of the acquired data, data analysis, and observations. However, due to the number of students and limited number of lab sessions it was difficult to provide the students with the real hands-on experience with the instrumentation and lab setup. As a result, during the lab the student mostly collected data according to the lab procedure and compiled a report that sometimes was inspired by samples of reports written by former students.© 2006 ASME
Modulation of calcium mobilization by guanosine 5'-O-(2-thiodiphosphate) in Xenopus oocytes.

We investigated the effect of intracellular loading of the non-hydrolyzable guanosine 5'-diphosphate analogue GDPsS on calcium mobilization by IP3 and on calcium influx in Xenopus oocytes. Assayed by two electrode voltage-clamp recording, GDPsS-loaded oocytes demonstrated a marked augmentation of the fast component of the response to IP3 injection, an attenuation of the slow component and an increase in membrane calcium permeability. These effects on calcium mobilization suggest that gdpβs may facilitate calcium translocation both across the plasma membrane and between different intracellular calcium pools.
Notes on the occurrence and distribution of the biocontrol agent, Allothrombium pulvinum Ewing (Acari, Trombidiidae), in a peach orchard in China

The occurrence and distribution of the biocontrol agent, Allothrombium pulvinum Ewing, were studied in a peach orchard in Shanghai, China. A. pulvinum has one generation per year. Larvae emerge in spring, deutonymphs in summer and adults in autumn. Adults go through an obligate reproductive diapause during winter and lay eggs in spring. The dispersion of adult mites in the orchard follows the negative binomial distribution. Adult mites are more abundant on the ridge than on the furrow in the orchard. Zusammenfassung Zum Vorkommen und zur Verteilung von Allothrombium pulvinum Ewing (Acari, Trombidiidae), einer rauberischen Milbe in Pfirsichplantagen Chinas Das Vorkommen und die Verteilung der rauberischen Milbe Allothrombium pulvinum wurde in einer Obstplantage in Shanghai, China, untersucht. A. pulvinum hat eine Generation pro Jahr. Die Larven erscheinen im Fruhjahr, die Deutonymphen im Sommer und die Adulten im Herbst. Die Adulten haben uber den Winter eine obligate Diapause und legen im Fruhjahr die Eier ab. Die Verteilung der adulten Milben in der Obstplantage entspricht der negativen Binomialverteilung. Die adulten Milben sind haufiger auf dem Furchenrain als in den Rillen zu finden.
Splitting of linear operators applied to the stationary Navier-Stokes equation

Abstract Discretization of the Navier-Stokes equation leads to the problem of solving ( M − N ( u )) u = f , where M is positive definite symmetric and N ( v ) skew symmetric. Recent results in linear iterative methods have developed algorithms for the solution of ( M − N ) u = f . We apply the linear methods and a process of linearization to the Navier-Stokes equation on the computer.
Focal Cryotherapy for Prostate Cancer

Focal therapy for prostate cancer has emerged an interesting concept as a less morbid option for the treatment of localized low-risk disease. Despite the growing interest in focal therapy, this approach has not yet gained sufficient popularity nor provided enough data to be discussed outside the experimental application. Herein we summarize the available data on focal cryotherapy and focus on the targets to be achieved in order to increase the applicability of focal cryotherapy to clinical practice. A cautious approach to candidate selection and generation of solid scientific data that would result in wide consensus on patient selection strategies and follow-up schemes would provide the tools necessary to take the path of focal therapy. Currently available focal cryotherapy data demonstrate excellent short-term results and a favorable quality-of-life profile. Although the future role of focal treatment is debated, a growing amount of science is generated in support of this minimally invasive approach.
Stochastic Averaging for a Hamiltonian System with Skew Random Perturbations

We consider a stochastic process that arises due to small random perturbations of a particle moving along the orbits of a double-well Hamiltonian. The perturbing noise is assumed to have skewness along the infinity-shaped homoclinic orbit of the Hamiltonian. As the noise strength goes to zero, we characterize the limiting dynamics in terms of a graph-valued Markov process. The effort centers around the construction of certain perturbed test functions needed to prove convergence. Following Sowers, we accomplish this through the development of suitable corrector functions in a boundary layer near the homoclinic orbit.
Comparison of Reminder Methods in Selected Adolescents With Records in an Immunization Registry

Abstract Purpose The aim of this study was to assess the effectiveness and cost efficiency of three reminder/recall methods for improving adolescent vaccination rates using the San Diego Immunization Registry. Methods Parents of 5,050 adolescents whose records indicated they lacked one or more adolescent vaccines were identified from the San Diego Immunization Registry and contacted by telephone. Based on their preference, consenting participants were enrolled to receive either postal mail (n = 282), e-mail (n = 963), or text (n = 552) reminders for vaccination. The intervention groups were sent a series of up to three reminders. The vaccination completion rate was compared between the intervention groups and two control groups—the enrollment phone call–only group who declined to participate and a no contact group—using logistic regression. Results The participants who received any reminder were more likely (24.6% vs. 12.4%; p Conclusions All three reminder interventions were effective in improving adolescent vaccination rates. Although postal mail reminders were preferred by most participants, text messaging and e-mail were the more effective reminder methods. Text messaging and e-mail as reminder methods for receiving vaccinations should be considered for use to boost vaccination completion among adolescents.
The Memory Advantages of the Generation Effect: Age and Process Differences

This study examined the impact of age on the generation effect using measures of study time, recognition (d prime), cautiousness (beta), and judgment reaction time. Thirty-six younger and 36 older adults studied antonym pairs, half of which were intact and half of which were missing two adjacent interior letters requiring active encoding (generation) to complete the word. In general, older adults studied items longer; both younger and older adults studied items requiring generation longer than intact items. Subsequent recognition testing also revealed age-related memory differences and generation effect-related memory improvements, but no age by task interaction. Cautiousness data showed only differences due to encoding task with no age-related differences to indicate older adults were more cautious than younger adults. Response time data also revealed expected effects due to age-related slowing and generation (not previously demonstrated in the literature).
Microstructure and magnetic domain structure in Fe-Pt and Fe-Pd polytwinned alloys

Lorentz microscopy and conventional transmission electron microscopy have been used to characterize the unique magnetic domain configurations associated with the polytwinned microstructures in Fe-Pt and Fe-Pd alloys. The evolution of the domain structures during the disorder (Al) to order (L1/sub 0/) transformation occurring in these alloys has been followed and correlated with the development of the polytwinned state. A transition from serpentine configuration to bands of lenticular domains within emerging macrotwin plates has been revealed using Lorentz microscopy. Two types of domain walls have been identified, namely, crystallographic frozen and mobile walls within the polytwinned structures. A simple model of the domain configurations and local magnetization appears to describe the salient features of the magnetic structure in the Fe-Pt and Fe-Pd alloys. Lorentz microscopy has been used to measure the thickness of the walls in the fully ordered Fe-Pd alloy, giving an approximate value of delta approximately 50-100 AA. >
S3: a scalable sensing service for monitoring large networked systems

Efficiently operating and managing large scale distributed and federated systems is an extremely challenging problem. Current solutions are a combination of centralized management and significant over-provisioning of the infrastructure. With the explosion of new resource-intensive media applications and services, over provisioning of the infrastructure is no longer a viable option. Timely and accurate knowledge of the global environment (particularly the highly dynamic network path properties) is necessary for management of performance SLAs, just-in-time resource provisioning, near-optimal dynamic service placement and reuse, construction of network service overlays, and fast detection of failures and malicious attacks. Further, different applications require information about different aspects of the environment at different timescales. We propose S3, a Scalable Sensing Service, that achieves the above requirements and enables personalized sensing of the environment as dictated by applications.
Comparison of survival after successful percutaneous coronary intervention of patients with diabetes mellitus receiving insulin versus those receiving only diet and/or oral hypoglycemic agents

The influence of diabetic treatment status on long-term outcome after percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) is unclear. Previous reports have suggested that patients who receive insulin treatment have worse long-term outcome compared with patients who do not need insulin. To determine the influence of diabetes treatment status on outcome after PCI, patients with diabetes mellitus who underwent successful PCI from January 1, 1996, to June 30, 2001, were divided into 2 groups based on whether or not they required insulin; patients with shock or recent (< or =7 days) myocardial infarction were excluded. Cox proportional hazards models were utilized to estimate the association between diabetes treatment status and long-term survival. One thousand one hundred four eligible diabetic patients were identified and divided into those treated with insulin (418 patients; median follow-up 35.5 months) and those treated with either an oral agent or diet alone (686 patients; median follow-up 27.9 months). Insulin-treated patients were less likely to be men, and had more previous coronary revascularizations, prior myocardial infarctions, and congestive heart failure on presentation. Angiographic and procedural characteristics were comparable. Unadjusted survival curves were constructed, demonstrating that insulin treatment was associated with worse survival than noninsulin treatment (p = 0.001). After adjusting for differences in baseline characteristics, insulin treatment did not adversely effect survival (odds ratio 1.10, 95% confidence intervals 0.77 to 1.58). Thus, among diabetic patients who underwent successful PCI, patients treated with insulin had worse survival. After adjusting for differences in baseline characteristics, insulin treatment was not independently associated with worse survival.
Congenital hypomyelinating neuropathy: A reversible case

A boy was born at 39 weeks gestation with severe weakness and hypotonia, fractured femurs, poor suck and swallow, and absent deep tendon reflexes. Electrodiagnostic studies revealed marked slowing of motor nerve conduction velocities and normal muscle electrical activity with no evidence of acute denervation. Muscle biopsy showed mild type 2 fiber predominance, and sural nerve biopsy revealed large axons without myelin, and axons with insufficient amount of myelin for their diameter. There was no evidence of inflammation or demyelination. Gradual clinical improvement in tone and strength occurred in a cephalocaudal direction. By 4 months, motor nerve conduction velocities and clinical examination were normal apart from absent deep tendon reflexes. On review at 19 months, motor development and neurological examination were completely normal. Pathogenesis of this reversible pathologically documented case of congenital hypomyelinating neuropathy is unclear. No evidence was found for an inflammatory, toxic, metabolic, or demyelinating cause. Abnormal expression of a developmental gene, as in reversible cytochrome oxidase deficiency, may be a cause of this neuropathy.
Dynamic test signal design for analog ICs

In this paper we present an approach to construct dynamic test signals for analog circuits. Using the integral measure for characterizing time-domain signals, we extend the minmax formulation of the static test problem to the dynamic case. A sub-optimal solution strategy, similar to dynamic programming methods is used to construct the test waveforms. The approach presented here may be used to construct input signals for an on-chip test scheme or for the selection of an external stimulus applied through an arbitrary waveform generator.
Psychiatric disorders: natural kinds made by the world or practical kinds made by us?

The concept of natural kind, a term of art in philosophy, is being increasingly appropriated by mental health professionals (1–4). First introduced in the 19th century, the notion of a natural kind has benefited from sustained philosophical attention over the past forty years (5–7). Newly developed ways of thinking about the concept are worth taking note of in psychiatry. Typical examples of natural kinds are chemical elements such as gold, biological species such as tiger, and infectious diseases such as tuberculosis. These all: a) are naturally occurring as opposed to artificial; b) have clearly demarcated boundaries separating members of the natural kind from non-members; c) possess observable features that are causally produced by internal properties; and d) these causal properties can be used to objectively validate category membership. Also, studying what instances of a kind have in common allows us to know what to expect of the kind in general. Few would claim that currently available psychiatric taxonomies classify natural kinds. Diagnostic co-occurrence and use of the not elsewhere and not otherwise specified codes are widespread, underlying pathological processes shared by all cases have not been discovered, and no diagnostically reliable biomarkers have been identified. In addition, treatments are frustratingly non-specific. A psychiatric taxonomy of natural kinds is at present only an aspirational ideal (8,9).
Amyloidosis in the Bottlenose Dolphin, Tursiops truncatus

Four cases of amyloidosis were recognized in a study population of 21 (19%) bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncatus) examined as part of an investigation of the causes of cetacean strandings along the Texas Gulf Coast. Amyloid deposition was mainly and most prominently in the corticomedullary regions of the kidneys and less consistently in the vessels of the spleen, lung, and heart and around acini of the palatal salivary gland and the thyroid gland. Pretreatment of sections with permanganate and sulfuric acid greatly diminished Congo red staining, suggesting the dolphin amyloid is of the AA variety.
FastSplats: optimized splatting on rectilinear grids

Splatting is widely applied in many areas, including volume, point-based and image-based rendering. Improvements to splatting, such as eliminating popping and color bleeding, occasion-based acceleration, post-rendering classification and shading, have all been recently accomplished. These improvements share a common need for efficient frame-buffer accesses. We present an optimized software splatting package, using a newly designed primitive, called FastSplat, to scan-convert footprints. Our approach does not use texture mapping hardware, but supports the whole pipeline in memory. In such an integrated pipeline, we are then able to study the optimization strategies and address image quality issues. While this research is meant for a study of the inherent trade-off of splatting, our renderer, purely in software, achieves 3- to 5-fold speedups over a top-end texture hardware implementation (for opaque data sets). We further propose a method of efficient occlusion culling using a summed area table of opacity. 3D solid texturing and bump mapping capabilities are demonstrated to show the flexibility of such an integrated rendering pipeline. A detailed numerical error analysis, in addition to the performance and storage issues, is also presented. Our approach requires low storage and uses simple operations. Thus, it is easily implementable in hardware.
Use of the spider limb positioner in oncologic lower extremity surgery

Orthopedic extremity surgery presents a unique set of restraints and difficulties relative to other surgical specialties. Among these is the positioning of heavy limbs in sometimes awkward positions for long periods of time. Ideal positioning of an extremity allows accurate and precise surgery to occur at otherwise difficult to access joints and proximal bones and soft tissues. Numerous solutions to this problem have been proposed, one such solution is the Smith and Nephew Spider Limb Positioning System. The table-mounted pneumatic arm features three fully articulating joints and a simple repositioning mechanism. Classic uses of the Spider Limb Positioner System include shoulder and elbow surgery, total knee replacement and ankle procedures. In our institution, the Spider Limb Positioner is used primarily for shoulder arthroscopy and total shoulder arthroplasty. In addition, we have had success using the system for orthopedic oncology cases. This manuscript addresses the conventional as well as unconventional uses implemented at our institution. Limb positioning in orthopedics provides a unique challenge for prepping, draping and surgery. The use of positioning aids can improve exposure, decrease contamination and reduce the risk of surgeon strain. Our institution has developed a solution to positioning of heavy lower limbs for hip disarticulation via the Smith and Nephew 'Spider'. This pneumatic, full articulating device used primarily for shoulder surgery can be modified to allow lower extremity use in the setting of hip disarticulation. This paper describes the standard and novel use of this device.
Avoiding ambiguity in beamspace processing

In direction finding of narrow-band signals using antenna arrays with a large number of elements, the so-called beamspace matrix is often used to project the measurements into a lower dimension subspace. This reduces computation time and allows for parallel processing. On the other hand, beamspace preprocessing may introduce ambiguity, i.e., spurious estimated directions. We show that when the null space of the beamspace matrix is suitably designed, ambiguity within any sector of interest can be avoided.
Patent activity and financial performance of publicly traded companies in the U.S. pharmaceutical industry: The role of local economic conditions

This article looks at the spatial distribution of patent activity among publicly traded companies in the U.S. pharmaceutical industry. Data for two time periods show that patent introductions tend to favor the Northeast. Significant locational variations are uncovered in the innovation performance of firms in this industry. These variations are hypothesized to reflect the localized economic conditions that characterize Porter’s model of competitive advantage (the diamond paradigm). Our analysis suggests that patent counts respond positively to the degree of spatially concentrated production (density of competition). Furthermore, findings suggest that local business conditions play an important role in the innovation and financial performance of U.S. pharmaceutical companies.
MOBMAC - an energy efficient and low latency MAC for mobile wireless sensor networks

Numerous MAC protocols have been proposed for stationary wireless sensor networks (WSNs). However, there have been very few approaches proposed to make the MAC layer in WSNs suitable for mobile scenarios. We propose a new MAC layer protocol called MOBMAC to support mobility in WSNs. MOBMAC uses an adaptive frame size approach to overcome the effect of frame losses caused by the Doppler shifts in mobile scenarios. An extended Kalman filter (EKF) is used to predict the frame size for each transmission, which enhances the energy efficiency of the system and minimizes latencies. Our study shows that under mobile scenarios, the MOBMAC reduces energy consumption by 60% and shows decrease of 25% in latency in comparison with the well known base protocol $SMAC. Our study also includes the contribution of a more realistic physical layer implementation model in ns-2, which processes the received frame based not only on the fading characteristics of the signal but also on the SNR and relative velocity between the communicating sensor nodes.
Quantum Effects in Device Structures Due to Submicron Confinement in One Dimension

The advent of improved materials growth technologies (e.g., Molecular Beam Epitaxy (MBE) and Metallorganic Chemical Vapor Deposition (MOCVD)) combined with improved device processing and sophisticated fabrication techniques has made possible a number of physical investigations that could not have been carried out just a few years ago. In concert with this, the thrust toward submicron and ultrasubmicron device feature sizes has also brought into focus several problem areas that were not previously considered, and has unearthed interesting new phenomena, both of which result from spatial confinement on a submicron scale in one dimension i.e., the direction perpendicular to the surface of the structure. Thus, the submicron dimension is not associated with lateral feature size. The structures to be discussed behave in many ways as two dimensional systems from the point of view of their electronic properties. However, the results have more general significance. These investigations can be viewed as studies of presently available submicron systems whose goal is an improved understanding of all aspects of the electronic properties of structures that are confined in one or more dimensions (either physically or electrically) on a submicron scale. In fact, Si MOS devices have recently been fabricated in which one of the two lateral dimensions is also confined on a submicron scale (1000 A° to 8000 A°) by definition of the device gate, and in which the device quality is sufficiently high to observe apparent quantum size effects at low temperatures. These devices behave as nearly one dimensional structures at very low temperature.
In-house trauma attendings: is there a difference?

Abstract Introduction Outcomes of patients who met trauma activation criteria were examined before and after implementation of in-house attending call. Materials and Methods Outcomes for the out-of-house period (OH) (February 1, 2001 to October 31, 2002) were compared with the in-house period (IH) (November 1, 2002 to June 30, 2004). Measures included overall mortality, length of stay (LOS) in the hospital, intensive care unit (ICU) and emergency department, and preventable deaths. Results A total of 2,019 trauma activations were studied (1,036 OH, 983 IH). The groups were equivalent on admission. There was no difference in hospital LOS, ICU LOS, ventilator days, or overall mortality. Preventable deaths occurred in 8.1% of the OH group and in 1.0% of the IH group (P Conclusions Aggregate statistics and the use of surrogate markers to determine outcomes may not accurately portray the impact of attending surgeons on the quality of care. Implementation of in-house call resulted in a decreased incidence of preventable deaths.
Randomized clinical trial of thalidomide, cyclosporine, and prednisone versus cyclosporine and prednisone as initial therapy for chronic graft-versus-host disease

Abstract Chronic graft-versus-host disease (CGVHD) is a major cause of morbidity following allogeneic bone marrow transplantation. Thalidomide is active in salvage therapy for high-risk or resistant CGVHD. In a prospective randomized trial, we tested initial therapy with thalidomide. Patients with extensive CGVHD were randomized to receive either cyclosporine and alternate-day prednisone (n = 27, no-thalidomide [no-thal] group) or cyclosporine, prednisone, and thalidomide (200-800 mg/day; n=27, thal group). Although most patients responded, initial therapy with thalidomide did not improve control of CGVHD. Response rates were 83% versus 89% at 2 months (P = .7), 88% versus 84% at 6 months (P > .8) and 85% versus 73% at 1 year (P = .5) in the thal and no-thal groups, respectively. Multivariate analysis revealed related donor transplant (odds ratio [OR] = 11.3; P=.03) and de novo or quiescent onset of CGVHD (OR = 7.7; P=.04) to be significant predictors of good early response, whereas a platelet count of > or=100,000/microL was a significant predictor of good response (OR = 10.4; P=.04) at 1 year. Survival for the thal and no-thal groups was similar at 1 year (66% versus 74%) and 2 years (66% versus 54%, P=.85). Multivariate analysis revealed progressive onset CGVHD (relative risk [RR] = 4.2; P=.01), unrelated donor (RR = 5.7; P Biol Blood Marrow Transplant 2001;7(5):265-73.
The Effects of Prenatal Use of Folic Acid and Other Dietary Supplements on Early Child Development

Objective Our objective was to evaluate in an exploratory framework the effects of prenatal use of folic acid and other dietary supplements on child development at around 3 years of life.
Chemical characterization of organic constituents from sulfide‐rich produced water using gas chromatography/mass spectrometry

Dichloromethane extracts of oil field wastewater samples collected over a period of 3 months were characterized using gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (GC/MS). Concentrations and profiles of semivolatile organics exhibited significant change during the sampling period. All seven produced water samples contained benzene, toluene, xylenes, fatty acids, phenols, N, N-dimethylalkylamines, and elemental sulfur. Elemental sulfur levels, including suspended particles, ranged from 0.6 to 42 mg/L. The polysulfide heterocycles 3,5-dimethyl-1,2,4-trithiolane, 3,6-dimethyl-1,2,4,5-tetrathiane, 4,6-dimethyl-1,2,3,5-tetrathiane, and 3,7-dimethyl-1,2,4,5,6-pentathiepane were found in a single produced water sample collected midway through the sampling period. Combined concentrations of these substances reached 41 mg/L. The appearance of polysulfide heterocycles occurred after a near stoichiometric drop in elemental sulfur levels concurrent with samples reaching the pH reported as optimum for sulfhydrogenase-mediated reduction of elemental sulfur, yet samples of similar pH collected later did not contain these unusual organosulfur compounds. Putative precursors of polysulfide heterocycles are hydrogen sulfide, resulting from elemental S(0) reduction, and acetaldehyde. Changes in profiles of other produced water constituents implicate microbial reduction of elemental sulfur as a critical determinant of levels and types of organosulfur compounds in produced waters.
Mystery of biphasic defibrillation waveform efficacy is it calcium

In this issue of the Journal , Hwang et al. ([1][1]) proposed that differential effects on the calcium transient underlie the greater efficacy of biphasic over monophasic waveforms for cardiac defibrillation. Biphasic waveforms have supplanted monophasic ones in internal as well as external
Combustion of thermite mixtures based on mechanically alloyed aluminum–iodine material

Abstract Halogen-containing reactive materials could be used for mitigating the spread of hazardous, active biological microorganisms aerosolized as a result of explosion. Here we present experimental results on combustion of mechanically alloyed aluminum–iodine (Al·I 2 ) powder mixed with Fe 2 O 3 , CuO, MoO 3 , Bi 2 O 3 , and I 2 O 5 . The mixtures were compacted into pellets and ignited with a CO 2 laser. High-speed video recording was used for observations. Mixtures of the Al·I 2 powder with Fe 2 O 3 did not ignite, while mixtures of this powder with the other oxides exhibited a self-sustained propagation of the combustion front with similar burn rates. Comparison experiments with a finer, micron-sized Al powder have shown a more rapid combustion of mixtures based on metal oxides and, in contrast, a slower and unsteady combustion of Al/I 2 O 5 thermite. These observations are interpreted based on the analysis of reaction mechanisms.
Anisotropic swelling and microcracking of neutron irradiated Ti3AlC2–Ti5Al2C3 materials

Abstract Mn + 1AXn (MAX) phase materials based on Ti–Al–C have been irradiated at 400 °C (673 K) with fission neutrons to a fluence of 2 × 1025 n/m2 (E > 0.1 MeV), corresponding to ~ 2 displacements per atom (dpa). We report preliminary results of microcracking in the Al-containing MAX phase, which contained the phases Ti3AlC2 and Ti5Al2C3. Equibiaxial ring-on-ring tests of irradiated coupons showed that samples retained 10% of pre-irradiated strength. Volumetric swelling of up to 4% was observed. Phase analysis and microscopy suggest that anisotropic lattice parameter swelling caused microcracking. Variants of titanium aluminum carbide may be unsuitable materials for irradiation at light water reactor-relevant temperatures.
Ectopic jejunal pacemakers and enterogastric reflux after Roux gastrectomy: Effect of intestinal pacing

Abstract The aims of this study were to determine whether ectopic pacemakers are present in the Roux limb of dogs after vagotomy and Roux gastrectomy, whether these pacemakers lead to enterogastric reflux, and whether abolishing the pacemakers with electric pacing might correct such reflex, were it to occur. In five dogs that had undergone gastric vagotomy and Roux gastrectomy and five dogs that had undergone gastric vagotomy and Billroth I gastrectomy (controls), myoelectric activity of the Roux limb or duodenum was recorded during saline infusion (154 mmol/L NaCl) or nutrient (Meritene) infusion into the limb or the duodenum. Reflux of infusate into the stomach was determined via a gastric cannula. Tests in Roux dogs were done with and without limb pacing. Roux dogs showed ectopic pacemakers in the Roux limb that drove the pacesetter potentials of the limb in a reverse, or orad, direction during 76% of the recordings; Billroth dogs rarely had such pacemakers (p less than 0.001). Enterogastric reflux occurred in both groups of dogs but was greater during phase III of the interdigestive migrating myoelectric complex in Roux dogs (12% +/- 6%) than in Billroth dogs (3% +/- 1%; p less than 0.05). Pacing abolished the ectopic pacemakers in the Roux dogs and reduced enterogastric reflux from 12% +/- 6% to 3% +/- 2% when phase III was present (p less than 0.05). In conclusion, the Roux limb was driven by ectopic pacemakers that contributed to, but were not solely responsible for, jejunogastric reflux. Pacing abolished the ectopic pacemakers and decreased reflux when phase III was present in the limb.
Cheating or cheated? Surviving secondary exit exams in a neoliberal era

Cheating on exams is a rampant and highly developed practice among youth in the Arab world, often involving elaborate networks, advanced technology and adult authorities. Rather than viewing cheating as mere laziness or immorality, this article interrogates the social meanings of cheating by comparing the practices and discourses of cheating on high-stakes high school exit exams – the tawjihi in Jordan and the Baccalaureat in Morocco. Using informal networks to obtain higher grades, and thereby better futures, cheating is one way youth contest the putative meritocracy of the state to reclaim a sense of control over their lives. Ironically, cheaters develop twenty-first century skills of collaboration, networking and creativity outside the school in order to evade the nation’s formal system of educational sorting. We argue that cheating illuminates the declining effectiveness of the public school in the nation-building project and the simultaneous emergence of the outcomes-oriented ‘neoliberal student’.
Ovarian carcinomas with transitional cell carcinoma pattern

The authors report 88 cases of ovarian carcinoma containing areas of transitional cell carcinoma (TCC). The tumors were found in women 28-76 years old (mean, 51 years). Fifteen patients presented with stage II, 59 with stage III, and 14 with stage IV disease. Ten neoplasms were composed of only TCC, 48 were predominantly TCC, and 30 had foci of TCC but the predominant component was serous, endometrioid, undifferentiated, or unclassified adenocarcinoma. After the primary resection of the neoplasm, 76 patients received chemotherapy, 4 received chemotherapy and radiotherapy, and 5 received radiotherapy only; 2 refused further treatment and 1 patient died immediately after the first operation. Estimated five-year survival rates were 37% for the entire group and 41% for those who received chemotherapy. Favorable prognostic indicators, statistically significant, were low clinical stage, predominant TCC in the primary tumor, and a negative second-look operation. Other prognostic indicators were the amount of residual tumor after the first operation and tumor differentiation. When the primary neoplasm was predominantly TCC, another prognostic indicator was the type of carcinoma present in the metastases. Five-year follow-up shows that 56% of the patients whose metastases were predominantly TCC have no evidence of disease, whereas only 7% of the patients whose metastases are predominantly non-TCC are disease-free. The authors' study indicates that ovarian carcinomas containing predominant TCC pattern have an excellent response to different chemotherapy regimens. Tumor recurrences and lack of response to chemotherapy are often associated with a change in the histologic appearance of the metastatic lesion.
Cabbage Looper: Effect of Pre-Release Acclimation on Response of Males to Pheromone in the Field

The response of male Trichoplusia ni (Hubner) released in the field was affected by the prerelease conditions of acclimation. Thus, 37 percent of the moths held at near-ambient out-of-door conditions were captured in pheromone-baited traps; only 13 percent of the moths held at a constant 11°C were recovered. Prerelease acclimation could therefore significantly affect success or failure of a program of population suppression involving use of sterile male cabbage loopers in a relatively small area.
A Simplified Inflow Model of a Helicopter Rotor in Forward Descent

A helicopter rotor in a descent flight encounters its own wake, resulting in a doughnutshaped ring around the rotor disk, known as the Vortex Ring State (VRS). In order to investigate flight dynamic behavior of a helicopter in VRS condition, a new inflow model called the ‘Vortex Rings Model’ has recently been proposed for axial descent. The current study extends the Vortex Rings Model to the case of inclined descent, i.e., forward flight descent. The new model is validated using flight test results of the Dauphin helicopter from the literature. It is shown that the VRS boundary prediction using the new model correlates well with flight test results of the Dauphin helicopter.
The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly: Reflections of a Counterclerk

Everyone has strong feelings about Justice Scalia. Lionized by the political right and demonized by the left, he has been among the most polarizing figures in American public life over the course of the last halfcentury.1 It is hardly surprising, then, that in the weeks since Justice Scalia’s death, the public discourse surrounding his legacy has exhibited something of a split personality. There have, of course, been plenty of appropriately respectful—even admiring—tributes from some of the Justice’s ideological adversaries;2 and here and there one of the Justice’s champions has acknowledged, with a hint of lament, the acerbic quality of some of his opinions and public comments.3 For the most part, however, the Justice has been depicted as a flat character—or, more accurately, one of two flat characters: He is, on the one hand, the stalwart champion of law and judicial restraint—a paragon of integrity interested only in the dictates of legal texts and willing to cast aside his personal preferences to make way for outcomes commanded by sources he is bound to obey and powerless to change.4 And
No Mean Accomplishment

Christian Allusions in the Novels of Thomas Pynchon is a useful addition to Peter Lang's series American University Studies. Professor Price, noting both the American college student's staggering ignorance of the Bible and the widening popularity of Pynchon's fiction in college literature classes, has constructed a well-organized guide to the Christian allusions which occur throughout Pynchon's work, concentrating on those in his first sustained fiction, V. (Nearly four-fifths of Price's book is devoted to V.; a coda of about twenty pages is given over to Gravity's Rainbow; The Crying of Lot 49 is conspicuously omitted.) In addition to detailing Christian references in V., Price attempts to relate those references to what she calls, after the film-editing theories of Sergei Eisenstein, Pynchon's "giant montage of the ailing twentieth century." In this latter respect she offers little that is new to Pynchon scholars. By her own admission her primary function is to annotate, to elucidate and connect the vast network of Christian allusions in V. Thus Price's book is at its best when providing information which enables the reader to make more learned judgments about the significance of the multiple patterns of Christian references in V. and Gravity's Rainbow. This is not to say that Price avoids interpreting the allusions she has skillfully uncovered, only that her interpretations are rarely as illuminating as the scholarly biblical findings she makes available to the reader. This is no mean accomplishment, especially with a book like V., the central symbol of which is the Lady V. herself, an appallingly mechanized, inanimate re-imagination in a Godless, materialistic age of the traditional symbol of maternity, love and order represented by the biblical figure of Mary, the virgin mother of Christ.
Motivation for Staying in College Differences Between LEP (Limited English Proficiency) and Non-LEP Hispanic Community College Students

The study investigated motivational differences and higher education outcomes between limited English proficiency (LEP) Hispanic students compared with non-LEP Hispanic students. With a sample of 6...
Hereditary diabetes in the KK mouse: an overview.

Diabetes and its complications cause increased morbidity and mortality in man. Despite numerous studies, the pathogenesis of these complications is poorly understood. This is partly due to the lack of large and well-controlled human studies. To this end, researchers have been forced to develop animal models of human diabetes. In such animals, the maintenance of controlled environmental conditions and selective breeding over several generations with a large number of offspring can easily be accomplished. This allows for extensive investigation in a relatively short period of time.
MO-E-BRC-02: MRI-Guided Online Adaptive Radiotherapy: The UCLA Approach to Quality Management

Online adaptive radiation therapy has the potential to ensure delivery of optimal treatment to the patient by accounting for anatomical and potentially functional changes that occur from one fraction to the next and over the course of treatment. While on-line adaptive RT (ART) has been a topic of many publications, discussions, and research, it has until very recently remained largely a concept and not a practical implementation. However, recent advances in on-table imaging, use of deformable image registration for contour generation and dose tracking, faster and more efficient plan optimization, as well as fast quality assurance method has enabled the implementation of ART in the clinic in the past couple of years. The introduction of these tools into routine clinical use requires many considerations and progressive knowledge to understand how processes that have historically taken hours/days to complete can now be done in less than 30 minutes. This session will discuss considerations to perform real time contouring, planning and patient specific QA, as well as a practical workflow and the required resources. Learning Objectives: 1.To understand the difficulties, challenges and available technologies for online adaptive RT. 2.To understand how to implement online adaptive therapy in a clinical environment and to understand the workflow and resources required. 3.To understand the limitations and sources of uncertainty in the online adaptive process I have research funding from ViewRay Inc. and Philips Medical Systems.; R. Kashani, I have research funding from ViewRay Inc. and Philips Medical Systems.; X. Li, Research supported by Elekta Inc.
Technique of upper gastrointestinal endoscopy.

Although the indications and therapeutic applications of upper gastrointestinal endoscopy continue to evolve, the essential principles involved in performing diagnostic procedures have remained remarkably constant. This article reviews the techniques involved in performing complete, reproducible, efficient, and safe examinations. All aspects of the process, including patient preparation, intubation and navigation within the upper gastrointestinal tract, and ancillary diagnostic methods, are covered in detail. Alternatives to standard maneuvers are provided to help maximize the overall diagnostic yield in the wide variety of circumstances encountered in most practices.
Lab Activity Question Queue Software

Lab activities in computer science courses provide instructors with opportunities to individually tutor students on concepts, problem solving, and techniques. Students who are stuck and in need of this assistance during a lab are sometimes too focused on attracting a lab instructor's attention. This time spent unproductively waiting is a missed opportunity to practice the skills and techniques of getting unstuck. This poster describes software developed for use during lab activities that allows students to put their name in a queue when they have a question. Using the software gives students the ability to focus on their lab activity and practice getting unstuck while waiting for lab instructor assistance.
Effects of endorphins on motor behavior, striatal dopaminergic activity and dopaminergic receptors

The recent discoveries of endogenously produced opioid peptides in the brain (Hughes et al., 1975; Hughes, 1975; Simantov and Snyder, 1975; Pasternak et al., 1975; Terenius and Wahlstrom, 1975), have suggested that these opioid peptides may be involved in the pathogenesis of schizophrenia and other psychiatric illnesses. The endorphin hypothesis of schizophrenia was also supported by preliminary findings that the concentration of an opioid-like substance, that binds to opiate receptors, was raised in the cerebrospinal fluid of schizophrenics and that these elevated levels decreased to normal when the patients improved clinically (Terenius et al., 1976).
Automated Versus Visual Segmental Scoring Are We Ready to Replace the Art of Regional Wall Motion Assessment

Echocardiography is the most widely used noninvasive test for assessing the structure and function of the heart, accounting for 14% of overall Medicare expenditures for imaging in 2007.1 Despite the availability of a variety of validated quantitative methods for assessing chamber size and cardiac function, many elements of echocardiographic interpretation remain qualitative rather than quantitative. This is particularly true of the assessment of regional wall motion. Notwithstanding progress in the field of myocardial perfusion echocardiography2 and earlier efforts to quantitate regional function with acoustic quantitation3 and Doppler tissue imaging-based methods,4 echocardiographic assessment of regional wall motion remains the principal method by which echocardiographers make the diagnosis of coronary disease. Moreover, the ability to visually identify stress-induced regional wall motion abnormalities is the foundation for stress echocardiography. Article see p 47 The ability to reproducibly and reliably detect regional wall motion abnormalities is an essential skill for any physician interpreting echocardiograms and conceded to be one of the most difficult skills to acquire.5 Consequently, an automated quantitative approach to assessing regional function would be invaluable as a tool for the interpretation of echocardiograms for teaching and research and could prove useful in training echocardiographers. The study of Liel Cohen6 in this issue of Circulation: Cardiovascular Imaging proposes just such a tool. In their article, the authors report their evaluation of a semiautomated method of measuring regional longitudinal strain to develop segmental scores, classifying segments as normal, hypokinetic, or akinetic/dyskinetic/aneurysmal. As the authors note, strain analysis based on speckle tracking as opposed to angle-dependent Doppler tissue imaging methods is appealing because it avoids translation artifact and angle dependence. Twelve expert echocardiographers of the Israeli Echocardiography Research Group at 9 major Israeli cardiology centers used this approach as well as qualitative visual segmental scoring in 15 patients …