cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Displacement Analysis of Two Special Cases of the TTTR Mechanisms

A pair of quartic polynomials in the tangent of the output angular displacement were derived for two TTTR mechanisms designed in such a way that the serially connected pairs of Hooke joints have their successive transverse axes parallel or mutually perpendicular. These results form the basis for an efficient reverse displacement analysis and for the design of a new group of robots with three serially connected Hooke joints which may prove to be attractive to industry
Liquid-vapor equilibrium of dilute aqueous solutions of ethanol and 2-propanol

An automated vapor pressure apparatus has been used to obtain highly precise values of the total pressure and composition of aqueous solutions of ethanol and of 2-propanol in the water-rich region at 25 and 35°C. From these results, values of the partial pressures and fugacities of the components and osmotic coefficients have been inferred. Interaction virial coefficients derived from the present results are compared with interaction parameters previously reported for alcohol molecules in dilute aqueous solution. A discussion is given of the relative importance of hydrophobic effects and hydrogen-bonding in producing the unusual thermodynamic properties of aqueous alcohol solutions.
CHARMM-GUI PACE CG Builder for solution, micelle, and bilayer coarse-grained simulations.

Coarse-grained (CG) and multiscale simulations are widely used to study large biological systems. However, preparing the simulation system is time-consuming when the system has multiple components, because each component must be arranged carefully as in protein/micelle or protein/bilayer systems. We have developed CHARMM-GUI PACE CG Builder for building solution, micelle, and bilayer systems using the PACE force field, a united-atom (UA) model for proteins, and the Martini CG force field for water, ions, and lipids. The robustness of PACE CG Builder is validated by simulations of various systems in solution (α3D, fibronectin, and lysozyme), micelles (Pf1, DAP12-NKG2C, OmpA, and DHPC-only micelle), and bilayers (GpA, OmpA, VDAC, MscL, OmpF, and lipid-only bilayers for six lipids). The micelle’s radius of gyration, the bilayer thickness, and the per-lipid area in bilayers are comparable to the values from previous all-atom and CG simulations. Most tested proteins have root-mean squared deviations of less th...
Out of the void

Space-time may seem very different from the particles that inhabit it, but what if they are one and the same thing? Davide Castelvecchi investigates
On Damage Strain Energy Release Rate Y

In the application of the theory of damage mechanics to solve a wide range of practical engineering problems, a generalized formulation of damage strain energy release rate Y is required. This is because the damage strain energy release rate Y, which is the thermodynamic conjugate force of damage variable D, is used to derive damage evolution equation. For the case of isotropic damage, the damage variable is degenerated to a scalar. Accordingly, the derivation of the damage strain energy release rate is relatively straightforward. However, it is much more involved in the case of anisotropic damage. Currently, no such generalized form of the damage strain energy release rate is available. This paper is intended to present the development of three formulations of damage strain energy release rate based on three different forms of the damage effect tensor M(D) for which D is a second order symmetric tensor. The realization of the anisotropic damage strain energy rate formulations makes it possible to obtain ...
A single spike model of predictive coding

Abstract The standard cortical model assumes that the meaning of a neuron's signal is contained in its firing rate. While that model has been used to interpret a voluminous amount of experimental data, it does not address the question of timing, or how recipient neurons can decode this signal in time to predict behavioral results. We propose a model based on coincident firing of large groups of neurons. We show using an example of predictive coding, how the cortex can support vast amounts of non-interfering parallel computation.
Correlation of NT-proBNP levels and cardiac iron concentration in patients with transfusion-dependent thalassemia major.

Abstract Iron-induced cardiotoxicity remains the leading cause of morbidity and mortality in patients with transfusion-dependent β-thalassemia major. Heart failure in these patients, which may be reversible but has a poor prognosis, is characterized by myocardial iron deposition-related early diastolic dysfunction. Amino-terminal pro-brain natriuretic peptide (NT-proBNP) is a sensitive biomarker for the detection of asymptomatic left ventricular dysfunction. In this study, we prospectively evaluated plasma NT-proBNP levels in 187 adult patients aged 19–54 years with β-TM. Possible correlations with the proposed recently cardiac iron concentration based on an equation derived from heart T2* assessment by MRI: [Fe] = 45.0 × [T2*]− 1.22 with [Fe] in milligrams per gram dry weight and T2* in milliseconds were explored. We found that: 143 patients had no cardiac hemosiderosis, defined as [Fe] 20 ms and 44 patients had cardiac hemosiderosis, defined as [Fe] > 1.2 mg/g dry weight. The main results of the study showed that: a) NT-proBNP levels were markedly increased in thalassemic patients (152.2 ± 190.1 pg/mL, ranged from 6.0 to 1336.0 pg/mL compared to normal control levels 40.1 ± 19.7 pg/mL, p 0.1), and d) no significant correlation was found between NT-proBNP levels and left ventricular ejection fraction values, (p > 0.3). Our study demonstrated for first time the significant association of NT-proBNP levels and cardiac iron concentration in patients with β-thalassemia major linking blood chemistry and imaging techniques. Multicenter studies of these parameters during iron chelation therapies are needed to validate their association and further exploit its clinical use.
Changes in hemodynamic parameters and cerebral saturation during supraventricular tachycardia.

Induced supraventricular tachycardia (SVT) during electrophysiology studies (EPS) can be associated with hemodynamic changes. Traditionally, invasive arterial blood pressure has been used for continuous monitoring of these changes. This prospective study evaluated the efficacy of near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) monitoring during SVT. The use of NIRS has expanded with evidence of its accuracy and benefit in detecting cerebral hypoperfusion. This study aimed first to determine the hemodynamic changes associated with electrophysiology testing for SVT and second to determine whether the hemodynamic changes are associated with similar changes in the cerebral saturation as determined by NIRS. The study enrolled 30 patients 5–20 years of age with a history of SVT who underwent an EPS. The demographic data included age, gender, weight, height, and type of SVT. Hemodynamic data (invasive blood pressure and heart rate), NIRS, bispectral index (BIS), end-tidal carbon dioxide, and pulse oximetry were collected before and during three episodes of induced SVT. The linear correlation coefficient (r) was measured to calculate the relationship of the changes in systolic blood pressure (SBP), diastolic blood pressure (DBP), and mean arterial pressure (MAP) to the changes in NIRS values during the SVT episodes. Data from 22 patients were collected. The induction of SVT was associated mainly with a change in SBP and a less prominent change in DBP and MAP from baseline. The changes in hemodynamic status were associated with minimal changes in cerebral saturations, as evidenced by an average absolute change in NIRS of <1 from baseline value. The changes in hemodynamics were correlated linearly with cerebral saturation. Changes in SBP, DBP, and MAP were correlated positively with changes in NIRS, as denoted by (r) values of 0.52, 0.57, and 0.67 respectively, and a P value less than 0.05 for all three association tests. Induction of SVT during electrophysiology testing is associated with hemodynamic changes, mainly in SBP. In this study, these hemodynamic changes resulted in a minimal decrease in cerebral perfusion, as evidenced by minimal changes in the cerebral saturation measured by NIRS (0.7% from baseline). Although the changes in the cerebral saturation were minimal, these changes were linearly correlated with the changes in the hemodynamics. This study is the first to demonstrate the possible application of NIRS monitoring during EPS and to document that despite changes in the hemodynamic status, the changes in cerebral oxygenation are minimal, thereby confirming the safety of EPS for SVT.
Naloxone inhibits arginine vasotocin- (AVT) induced prolactin release in urethane-anesthetized male rats in vivo.

Arginine vasotocin (AVT) (1 microgram) elicited a two-fold increase in serum prolactin (Prl) levels 10 min following its i.v. injection into urethane-anesthetized adult male rats. At 20 min after AVT administration serum Prl concentrations had essentially returned to preinjection levels. Prior treatment of the animals with 0.2 mg/kg body weight of naloxone (Nal), an opiate antagonist, completely blocked the Prl response to a single injection of AVT. Nal itself did not alter the titers of Prl at any time point. The results suggest that the in vivo Prl-releasing effect of AVT is mediated via an interaction with opiate receptors.
Relationship between asymmetric nodal expression and the direction of embryonic turning

Growth factors related to TGF-beta provide important signals for patterning the vertebrate body plan. One such family member, nodal, is required for formation of the primitive streak during mouse gastrulation. Here we have used a nodal-lacZ reporter allele to demonstrate asymmetric nodal expression in the mouse node, a structure thought to be the functional equivalent of the frog and chick 'organizer', and in lateral place mesoderm cells. We have also identified two additional genes acting with nodal in a pathway determining the left-right body axis. Thus we observe in inv mutant embryos that the sidedness of nodal expression correlates with the direction of heart looping and embryonic turning. In contrast, HNF3-beta(+/-) nodal(lacZ/+) double-heterozygous embryos display LacZ staining on both left and right sides, and frequently exhibit defects in body situs. Taken together, these experiments, along with similar findings in chick, demonstrate that elements of the genetic pathway that establish the left-right body axis are conserved in vertebrates.
Wnt/calcium signaling mediates axon growth and guidance in the developing corpus callosum.

It has been shown in vivo that Wnt5a gradients surround the corpus callosum and guide callosal axons after the midline (postcrossing) by Wnt5a-induced repulsion via Ryk receptors. In dissociated cortical cultures we showed that Wnt5a simultaneously promotes axon outgrowth and repulsion by calcium signaling. Here to test the role of Wnt5a/calcium signaling in a complex in vivo environment we used sensorimotor cortical slices containing the developing corpus callosum. Plasmids encoding the cytoplasmic marker DsRed and the genetically encoded calcium indicator GCaMP2 were electroporated into one cortical hemisphere. Postcrossing callosal axons grew 50% faster than pre-crossing axons and higher frequencies of calcium transients in axons and growth cones correlated well with outgrowth. Application of pharmacological inhibitors to the slices showed that signaling pathways involving calcium release through IP3 receptors and calcium entry through TRP channels regulate post-crossing axon outgrowth and guidance. Co-electroporation of Ryk siRNA and DsRed revealed that knock down of the Ryk receptor reduced outgrowth rates of postcrossing but not precrossing axons by 50% and caused axon misrouting. Guidance errors in axons with Ryk knockdown resulted from reduced calcium activity. In the corpus callosum CaMKII inhibition reduced the outgrowth rate of postcrossing (but not precrossing) axons and caused severe guidance errors which resulted from reduced CaMKII-dependent repulsion downstream of Wnt/calcium. We show for the first time that Wnt/Ryk calcium signaling mechanisms regulating axon outgrowth and repulsion in cortical cultures are also essential for the proper growth and guidance of postcrossing callosal axons which involve axon repulsion through CaMKII. © 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Develop Neurobiol 71: 269–283, 2011.
Hardware rip-up router with concurrent wavefront propagation

The design of a hardware maze router with concurrent source/target wavefront propagation is described. The new design requires fewer clock cycles to find a shortest path than existing designs, and allows for a more efficient implementation of rip-up and reroute. Extensions to multipoint nets and multilayer carriers are included.
Achieving Top Level Performance from a Multicultural Workforce

ABSTRACT Today the business environment calls for top level performance. This means employees and managers must be highly motivated. This paper suggests there is one overriding force that forms the foundation upon which other motivational techniques must be built or applied. The foundation is: respect for cultural differences. Other managerial techniques are presented herein, that when built upon this foundation provide for potential employee and managerial success.
Anti-estrogenic action of chlordecone in rat pituitary gonadotrophs in vitro.

Abstract Estradiol-17β (E 2 ) enhances the response of rat pituitary gonadotrophs to gonadotrophin-releasing hormone (GnRH) in vitro . This effect of E 2 on rat gonadotrophs in vitro was applied as a model to study the estrogenic or anti-estrogenic activity of chlordecone in gonadotrophs. Rat pituitary cell cultures were treated with E 2 (10 −10 m ), chlordecone (10 −7 to 10 −5 m ), or both before a 6-hr challenge of d -Lys 6 -GnRH (GnRH-A). Secretion of luteinizing hormone (LH) and follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) during the 6-hr of GnRH-A treatment was measured. Pretreatment of cells with E 2 for 2 days increased the GnRH-A-stimulated LH and FSH secretion approximately twofold. This effect of E 2 was antagonized by the coexistence of chlordecone in a dose-dependent manner. The effect of E 2 (10 −10 m ) could be totally abolished by 10 −6 m chlordecone. Further, chlordecone alone had little or no effect on basal secretion of LH and FSH, but it significantly suppressed the response of gonadotrophs to GnRH-A. [Mirex, a compound with a similar chemical structure to chlordecone, did not suppress GnRH-A-stimulated secretion of LH or FSH under any condition tested.] The present study demonstrated that chlordecone had two specific effects on rat pituitary gonadotrophs: (1) to antagonize the effects of estrogen, and (2) to reduce the response of gonadotrophs to GnRH-A. Thus, chlordecone is not estrogenic in rat pituitary cells in vitro .
Compliance with Codes of Ethical Conduct: The Effects of Authority and Proximity on Ethical Reasoning

Ethical failures at large, once-respected firms have dramatically illustrated that ethical behavior is of vital importance to organizations. Information technology may be one type of tool to help get widespread participation in ethical processes in distributed organizations to raise the level of awareness of ethical issues and ethics programs. This paper integrates Jones model of ethical decision making with Weaver and Trevino's findings on compliance with ethics programs to study ethical decision making. The study uses web-based discussion forums to examine the effects of authority and proximity (closeness to the subject) on moral reasoning concerning the punishment for a student guilty of cheating and intent of moral actors to comply with codes of ethics. It was found that authority and proximity affect ethical decisions, but the process did not increase intent to comply with the ethics code. Overall, participants seemed satisfied with the process and their decisions.
Identifying Mathematically Talented Elementary Students: Using the Lower Level of the SSAT

In this paper we report on the usefulness of an identification instrument for mathematically talented students in third through fifth grades. Talented students from Iowa and Texas took the Quantitative, Reading Comprehension, and Verbal sections of the Lower Level of the Secondary School Admission Test (SSAT-L), which was developed by the Educational Testing Service for fifth through seventh graders. Students' scores covered nearly the entire possible range of the test, indicating that the SSAT-L effectively differentiated among talented elementary students.
Local kinetic energy budget of high-frequency and intermediate-frequency eddies: winter climatology and interannual variability

The local budget of eddy kinetic energy (EKE) for both high-frequency (HF, 2–6 days) and intermediate-frequency (IF, 7–29 days) eddies are evaluated for Northern Hemisphere boreal winter using the 31-year (1979/80–2010/11) NCEP-DOE reanalysis. A new form of EKE equation is used to isolate the kinetic energy generation/destruction due to interactions among eddies of different timescales. The main source of HF EKE is baroclinic conversion that is concentrated in the mid-lower troposphere. Barotropic conversion mainly damps HF EKE and shows positive contributions to IF EKE on the northern flank of the winter-mean tropospheric jet. Interaction between HF and IF eddies acts as a sink for HF EKE and a main source for IF EKE, especially over the eastern ocean basins, confirming the substantial role of synoptic-scale transients in the development of IF phenomena such as atmospheric blocking. Large interannual variability is found for various EKE budget terms. The HF EKE response to El Nino is characterized by a dipole (tri-pole) anomaly over the North Pacific (North Atlantic). Baroclinic conversion is the main driver of the observed changes in HF EKE while barotropic conversion, interaction between HF and IF eddies, and energy flux convergence all play non-negligible roles in determining the final meridional structure of the HF EKE anomalies. Associated with El Nino, IF EKE generally decreases over the North Pacific and increases over the North Atlantic, which mainly result from changes in baroclinic conversion and EKE conversion due to eddy–eddy interactions. The latter is dominated by interaction between IF and LF (low-frequency, 30–90 days) eddies over the North Pacific, and by interactions between HF and IF eddies, and between IF and LF eddies over the North Atlantic.
Implementation-efficient reliability ratio based weighted bit-flipping decoding for LDPC codes

It was recently shown that the reliability ratio based bit-flipping (RRWBF) decoding algorithm for low-density parity-check (LDPC) codes performs best among existing bit-flipping-based algorithms. A new version of this algorithm is proposed such that decoding time is significantly reduced, especially when the iteration number is small and the code length is large. Simulation results showed the proposed version has up to 2322.39%, 823.90%, 511.79%, and 261.92% speedup compared to the original algorithm on a UNIX workstation for 10, 30, 50, and 100 iterations. It is thus much more efficient to adopt this version for simulation and hardware implementation. Moreover, this version of the RRWBF algorithm provides a more intuitive way of interpreting its superior performance over other bit-flipping-based algorithms.
From Utopian Hopes to Practical Politics: A National Revolution in a Rural Village

To begin a revolution is very difficult. To sustain it is even more difficult. To win it is almost impossible. But once you have won, then your troubles really begin. Stephen Bann states that Utopia “forms the concrete expression of a moment of possibility, which is however annihilated in the very process of being enunciated ” (Bann 1993:1, emphasis added). He traces this characteristic to Sir Thomas More, whose neologism Utopia puns on being both the Good Place ( eutopia ) and No Place ( Outopia ), and to the modern denial of this No Place, which he labels ”a ritual of double negation” (Bann 1993:1). The present essay focuses on one ethnographic instance of Utopia's annihilation by enunciation. I will demonstrate that, when the enunciation of Utopia requires the implementation of public policy, the process of creating the Good Place is undermined by the mundane demands of practical politics.
Measurement of Trazodone Using Solid-Phase Extraction and Wide-Bore Capillary Gas Chromatography with Nitrogen-Selective Detection

A method for the determination of the antidepressant drug trazodone is presented. 8-Hydroxyloxapine is used as the internal standard. A simple solid-phase extraction procedure utilizing disposable reversed-phase C18 columns is described. Samples are analyzed by gas chromatography with nitrogen-selective detection using a wide-bore capillary column with a permanently bonded, nonpolar stationary phase. The assay possesses linearity to 3.0 micrograms/mL, sensitivity to at least 0.25 microgram/mL, recovery averaging 96%, and between-run precision reflected by a CV of 5.6%. We conclude that the method reported here is ideally suited for monitoring therapeutic and toxic levels of trazodone.
Adaptive Optical Communication through Turbulent Atmospheric Channels

Free-space laser communication systems usually experience strong channel fading caused by atmospheric turbulence. Two optical communication schemes utilizing adaptive opticals at the transmitter are proposed. Numerical simulations show that the proposed schemes can significantly reduce the channel fading.
Direct Democracy and Individual Interest Group Membership

Direct democracy has been shown to increase the number and diversity of interest groups in American states, but no research has extended this finding to the individual level. Direct democracy may influence individual joining behavior through three distinct processes: first, by affecting the interest group population in a state, direct democracy should increase opportunity for joining. Second, direct democracy opens new policy areas for representation, which may increase the scope and level of political conflict and draw in new participants. Third, by providing more opportunities for involvement in policymaking, direct democracy may create a more engaged citizenry, spurring the joining of groups. We utilize data from the pooled General Social Survey merged with state-level measures of the presence and use of the initiative process. Using multilevel modeling to test the initiative’s effect on individual joining behavior, we find that the initiative does indeed foster greater levels of group membership.
Significance tests for the wavelet cross spectrum and wavelet linear coherence

Abstract. This work attempts to develop significance tests for the wavelet cross spectrum and the wavelet linear coherence as a follow-up study on Ge (2007). Conventional approaches that are used by Torrence and Compo (1998) based on stationary background noise time series were used here in estimating the sampling distributions of the wavelet cross spectrum and the wavelet linear coherence. The sampling distributions are then used for establishing significance levels for these two wavelet-based quantities. In addition to these two wavelet quantities, properties of the phase angle of the wavelet cross spectrum of, or the phase difference between, two Gaussian white noise series are discussed. It is found that the tangent of the principal part of the phase angle approximately has a standard Cauchy distribution and the phase angle is uniformly distributed, which makes it impossible to establish significance levels for the phase angle. The simulated signals clearly show that, when there is no linear relation between the two analysed signals, the phase angle disperses into the entire range of [−π,π] with fairly high probabilities for values close to ±π to occur. Conversely, when linear relations are present, the phase angle of the wavelet cross spectrum settles around an associated value with considerably reduced fluctuations. When two signals are linearly coupled, their wavelet linear coherence will attain values close to one. The significance test of the wavelet linear coherence can therefore be used to complement the inspection of the phase angle of the wavelet cross spectrum. The developed significance tests are also applied to actual data sets, simultaneously recorded wind speed and wave elevation series measured from a NOAA buoy on Lake Michigan. Significance levels of the wavelet cross spectrum and the wavelet linear coherence between the winds and the waves reasonably separated meaningful peaks from those generated by randomness in the data set. As with simulated signals, nearly constant phase angles of the wavelet cross spectrum are found to coincide with large values in the wavelet linear coherence between the winds and the waves. Not limited to geophysics, the significance tests developed in the present work can also be applied to many other quantitative studies using the continuous wavelet transform.
Uncertain benefits: Application of Bayesian melding to the Alaskan Way Viaduct in Seattle

Uncertainty is inherent in major infrastructure projects, but public decision-making for such projects ignores it. We investigate the uncertainty about the future effects of tearing down the Alaskan Way Viaduct in downtown Seattle, using an integrated model of housing, jobs, land use and transportation, on outcomes including average commute times. Our methodology combines the urban simulation model UrbanSim with the regional transportation model. We assess uncertainty using Bayesian melding, yielding a full predictive distribution of average commute times on 22 different routes in 2020. Of these routes, 14 do not include the viaduct and eight do. For the 14 base routes that do not include the viaduct, the predictive distributions overlap substantially, and so there is no indication that removing the viaduct would increase commute times for these routes. For each of the eight routes that do include the viaduct, the 95% predictive interval for the difference in average travel times between the two scenarios includes zero, so there is not strong statistical support for the conclusion that removing the viaduct would lead to any increase in travel times. However, the median predicted increase is positive for each of these routes, with an average of 6 min, suggesting that there may be some measurable increase in travel time for drivers that use the viaduct as a core component of their commute.
Characterizing processor thermal behavior

Temperature is a dominant factor in the performance, reliability, and leakage power consumption of modern processors. As a result, increasing numbers of researchers evaluate thermal characteristics in their proposals. In this paper, we measure a real processor focusing on its thermal characterization executing diverse workloads. Our results show that in real designs, thermal transients operate at larger scales than their performance and power counterparts. Conventional thermal simulation methodologies based on profile-based simulation or statistical sampling, such as Simpoint, tend to explore very limited execution spans. Short simulation times can lead to reduced matchings between performance and thermal phases. To illustrate these issues we characterize and classify from a thermal standpoint SPEC00 and SPEC06 applications, which are traditionally used in the evaluation of architectural proposals. This paper concludes with a list of recommendations regarding thermal modeling considerations based on our experimental insights.
Musculoskeletal morphology of the pelvis and pelvic fins in the lungfish Protopterus annectens

The West African lungfish (Protopterus annectens) performs benthic, pelvic fin-driven locomotion with gaits common to tetrapods, the sister group of the lungfishes. Features of P. annectens movement are similar to those of modern tetrapods and include use of the distal region of the pelvic fin as a “foot,” use of the fin to lift the body above the substrate and rotation of the fin around the joint with the pelvis. In contrast to these similarities in movement, the pelvic fins of P. annectens are long, slender structures that are superficially very different from tetrapod limbs. Here, we describe the musculoskeletal anatomy of the pelvis and pelvic fins of P. annectens with dissection, magnetic resonance imaging, histology and 3D-reconstruction methods. We found that the pelvis is embedded in the hypaxial muscle by a median rostral and two dorsolateral skeletal projections. The protractor and retractor muscles at the base of the pelvic fin are fan-shaped muscles that cup the femur. The skeletal elements of the fin are serially repeating cartilage cylinders. Along the length of the fin, repeating truncated cones of muscles, the musculus circumradialis pelvici, are separated by connective tissue sheets that connect the skeletal elements to the skin. The simplicity of the protractor and retractor muscles at the base of the fin is surprising, given the complex rotational movement those muscles generate. In contrast, the series of many repeating segmental muscles along the length of the fin is consistent with the dexterity of bending of the distal limb. P. annectens can provide a window into softtissue anatomy and sarcopterygian fish fin function that complements the fossil data from related taxa. This work, combined with previous behavioral examination of P. annectens, illustrates that fin morphologies that do not appear to be capable of walking can accomplish that function, and may inform the interpretation of fossil anatomical evidence.
Chemical Vapor Deposition of Conformal Alumina Thin Films

Deposition of highly conformal alumina thin films has been carried out by hydrolysis of the liquid alane precursor, AlH3(NMe2Et). Deposition onto Si wafers, quartz and carbon fibers were all carried out utilizing a hot-wall atmospheric pressure chemical vapor deposition (APCVD) system, while deposition onto ceramic particles was accomplished in a simple fluidized-bed APCVD reactor. Films were characterized by SEM, microprobe and electrical conductivity measurements. Growth rates were on the order of 40 - 80 A.min−1 at 165 °C. The conformality of the films was illustrated using silicon wafers that were etched prior to deposition.
Burning mouth syndrome and peripheral neuropathy in patients with type 1 diabetes mellitus.

Abstract Objective Burning mouth syndrome (BMS) has been attributed secondarily to diabetes, poor glycemic control, and diabetic neuropathy. The prevalence and predictor factors of BMS were compared in type 1 diabetes mellitus (T1DM) and nondiabetic subjects. Study design An assessment of 371 adult T1DM subjects and 261 control subjects participating in a cross-sectional epidemiological study of oral health complications of diabetes was performed. Subjects were participants of the Pittsburgh Epidemiology of Diabetes Complications study. Prevalence of BMS was determined by response to the following questions: "Do you now or in the last month had any persistent uncomfortable sensations in your mouth or tongue? If yes, would you describe the feeling as tingling, burning, sore, numb, or other?" Results Burning mouth syndrome symptoms were reported by 28 T1DM and control subjects (4.6%). Eleven had oral pathologies that might explain the BMS, including atrophy of the tongue papillae, fissured tongue, denture stomatitis, and candidiasis. The prevalence of BMS within the two groups with no pathologies was similar; 12/371 (3.2%) vs. 5/233 (2.1%). Multivariate analyses of the 12 T1DM subjects with BMS found significant associations for female gender ( P =.042) and a diagnosis of diabetic peripheral neuropathy ( P =.024). Conclusions In this T1DM population, BMS or related discomforts occurred slightly more frequently than in the control group. Symptomatic T1DM subjects were more likely to be female who had also developed peripheral neuropathy. These findings and other similarities between BMS and diabetic peripheral neuropathy suggest that a neuropathic process may be an underlying source of BMS in some patients who have no apparent oral abnormality.
Molecular definition of the identity and activation of natural killer cells

Using whole-genome microarray data sets of the Immunological Genome Project, we demonstrate a closer transcriptional relationship between NK cells and T cells than between any other leukocytes, distinguished by their shared expression of genes encoding molecules with similar signaling functions. Whereas resting NK cells are known to share expression of a few genes with cytotoxic CD8(+) T cells, our transcriptome-wide analysis demonstrates that the commonalities extend to hundreds of genes, many encoding molecules with unknown functions. Resting NK cells demonstrate a 'preprimed' state compared with naive T cells, which allows NK cells to respond more rapidly to viral infection. Collectively, our data provide a global context for known and previously unknown molecular aspects of NK cell identity and function by delineating the genome-wide repertoire of gene expression of NK cells in various states.
Lyme disease-associated glomerulonephritis

We report two cases of Lyme disease-associated glomerulonephritis. A 57-year-old female presented with rash, volume overload, hypertension and rapidly progressive glomerulonephritis. Biopsy confirmed an immune complex-mediated, membranoproliferative lesion. She was treated successfully with steroids and antibiotics. In a second case, a 40-year-old male, with a previously known microscopic hematuria, presented with rash, arthralgias, new proteinuria and gross hematuria following a tick bite. Biopsy revealed focal proliferative IgA nephropathy. Treatment with steroids and antibiotics resulted in rapid resolution of findings. Acute Lyme disease may contribute to the development of de novo, or activation of previously quiescent, immune-mediated glomerular disease.
Production of acetic acid by Clostridium thermoaceticum in batch and continuous fermentations

Batch and continuous fermentations with Clostridium thermoaceticum (ATCC 39073) using automatic pH control were conducted. The value of mu(max) obtained from batch fermentation was about 0.14 h(-1); acetate yield, which was both growth and non-growth associated, was about 2 mole of acetic acid/mole of glucose, compared with a theoretical maximum value of 3. This low yield, compared with literature data, may be explained by glucose loss through a combination of degradation routes. Continuous fermentation could be sustained for 1600 h or more without contamination problems. Continuous fermentation at high dilution rates indicates that mu(max) may be well above 0.17 h(-1) when fresh feed medium is used. Acetate yields in continuous fermentation were about 77% of theoretical or 2.3 mole of acetic acid/mole of glucose.
Transition Needs of Parents of Adolescents and Emerging Adults With Special Health Care Needs and Disabilities

The period of health care transition (HCT) for adolescents and emerging adults with special health care needs and disabilities involves a complex realignment of the parent-child relationship, including alterations in role responsibilities and decision making. The purpose of this systematic review was to analyze the research designs, methodology, and findings reported in studies of parents during this transition period to provide new insights for research and clinical practice. Results showed that parents were unable to clearly envision what the future held for their children and were not well prepared by the service system to anticipate future prospects. These parents have a myriad of needs that are not yet fully understood, as HCT research is in the early stages of development.
Surface and interfacial FT–IR spectroscopic studies of latexes. VIII. The effect of particle and copolymer composition on surfactant exudation in styrene-n-butyl acrylate copolymer latex films

Polarized attenuated total reflection Fourier transform infrared (ATR FT–IR) spectroscopy was used to identify the mobility and surfactant exudation of sodium dioctyl sulfocuccinate (SDOSS) surfactant molecules to the film–air (F–A) and film–substrate (F–S) interfaces in styrene/n-butyl acrylate (Sty/n-BA) latex films. It was found that, depending upon the latex particle composition, the surfactant molecules could be driven to the F–A or F–S interfaces. The primary factors that governed the direction of exudation were the compatibility of the latex components, interfacial film-substrate surface tension, and the chemical composition of the latex particles. Concentration, as well as orientation, of the hydrophilic SONa+ surfactant ends changed as a function of depth and the latex particle composition. © 1993 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
X-ray laser experiments using laser-vaporized copper-foil plasmas

Recent exploratory experiments used laser-vaporized copper films in a search for gain on 3s–3p transitions in neonlike Cu xx plasmas. The Naval Research Laboratory Pharos iii laser was operated at 100–330 J with mostly 2-nsec pulses. The plasma length, the laser energy and pulse shape, and the copper thickness were varied. Vacuum-ultraviolet and x-ray spectroscopy and pinhole photography measured axial emission, homogeneity, front–rear symmetry, and electron temperature. A novel slotted-copper-foil target showed similar characteristics. Spectral features from a selenium target are described. A distinct dependence of plasma expansion and radiative transport on the rise-time characteristics of the laser pulse is observed. Various explanations for the lack of distinguishable gain in these initial tests are discussed.
The Pepper Wreck, an early 17th-century Portuguese Indiaman at the mouth of the Tagus River, Portugal

Abstract Found in 1993 off the rocks of the fortress Sao Juliao da Barra, at the mouth of the Tagus River, the SJB2 shipwreck—or Pepper Wreck—was tentatively identified as the Portuguese Indiaman Nossa Senhora dos Martires, lost at this location on its return voyage from Cochin, in India, on 14 September 1606. Its archaeological excavation disclosed a collection of artefacts from the late 16th and the early 17th centuries and allowed the study of the surviving hull structure. The evidence suggests that the Pepper Wreck was a typical Portuguese Indiaman, similar to those described in Portuguese 16th century ship treatises, with a keel of around 27·7 m and an overall length of nearly 40 m.
Visibility-based persistent monitoring with robot teams

We study the problem of planning paths for a team of robots motivated by coverage, persistent monitoring and surveillance applications. The input is a set of target points in a polygonal environment that must be monitored using robots with omni-directional cameras. The goal is to compute paths for all robots such that every target is visible from at least one path. The cost of a path is given by the weighted combination of the length of the path (travel time) and the number of viewpoints along the path (measurement time). The overall cost is given by the maximum cost over all robot paths and the objective is to minimize the maximum cost. In its general form, this problem is NP-hard. In this paper, we present an optimal algorithm and a constant factor approximation for two special versions of the problem. In both cases, the paths are restricted to lie on a pre-defined curve in the polygon. We show that if the curve satisfies a special property, termed chain-visibility, then there exists an optimal algorithm for monitoring a given set of target locations. Furthermore, if we restrict the input polygon to the class of street polygons, then we present a constant-factor approximation which is applicable even if the set of target locations is the entire polygon. In addition to theoretical proofs, we also present results from simulation studies.
Box Office Political Theory: Political Theory Through the Non-Political

While the field of political science has experienced pedagogical advancement through the usage of media, methods for teaching political theory utilizing media yet remain impoverished. The incorporation of films into political science classes to illustrate class topics has become common practice among instructors. But to date it has remained unclear just how it can be incorporated effectively into teaching political theory.
Special Conditioning Exercises for Students with Low Scores on Physical Fitness Tests

Abstract Thirty-three male Freshmen who made low scores on the physical fitness tests when they entered the University of Iowa were given special conditioning exercises. Their progress for one semester was compared to that of 33 students taken at random from Freshman students who participated in regular physical education classes. The experiment group gained an average of seventeen points in comparison to an average gain of 11 points by the control group when the tests were repeated at the end of the semester. A low positive correlation was found, for the experiment group, between “gains” in physical fitness and grade point average.
The Role of HFTs in Order Flow Toxicity and Stock Price Variance, and Predicting Changes in HFTs’ Liquidity Provisions

This study examines relations between high frequency trading, order flow toxicity, stock price volatility during normal and high order flow toxicity periods, and predictability of changes in high frequency traders’ liquidity supply and demand. By employing Volume-synchronized probability of informed trading (VPIN) flow toxicity metric, we find a negative relation between high frequency trading and order flow toxicity. Our results also show that VPIN can be a good predictor of high frequency traders’ liquidity supply and demand changes. Finally, we find that high frequency traders’ impacts on stock price variance are not uniform and change with order flow toxicity levels of markets and stock volume.
The Application of the Physicochemical Properties of Boiling Bitterns to the Interpretation of Brine Migration Experiments Related to Salt Repositories

An important unresolved question with respect to employing mined cavities in bedded rock salt as high level radioactive waste repositories concerns the behavior of small quantities of included bittern brines (Mg, Na, K, Ca//C1, SO4, Br-H2O). These bittern brines have been shown to migrate at significant rates under the influence of a thermal gradient such as would be imposed by emplacement of high level waste (1). However, present estimates of the rate of migration of the bitterns range considerably because there is a lack of physicochemical data at the relevant compositions, concentrations, temperatures and pressures to solve the rate equations. This lack of appropriate physicochemical data for bitterns saturated with halite and the failure of theoretical models to address movement along grain boundaries have emphasized the need for field and large scale laboratory tests to measure the rate and quantities of brine which actually arrive at an individual waste canister (2, 3). In this report we present experimental data applicable to interpretation of the results of field and large-scale laboratory tests aimed at quantifying the brine migration phenomenon.
Cutaneous Water Loss in Small Birds

In recent years evaporative water loss (EWL) in birds has undergone extensive study. Although some investigators have assumed that because of the lack of sweat glands, all evaporation occurs in the respiratory tract, others have recognized the potential importance of avian skin as a site for evaporation. To date significant cutaneous evaporation has been reported in pigeons, Columba livia (Smith 1969; Smith and Suthers 1969), and Painted Quail, Excalfactoria chinensis (Bernstein 1969, 1970, 1971). This report provides data on both cutaneous and respiratory evaporation in four species of small birds native to mesic and xeric habitats. The results indicate that evaporation from the skin in all four species at thermoneutrality constitutes a major proportion of total EWL. Hence, with the documentation of cutaneous EWL in rodents (Tennent 1945; Chew 1955; Stupfel and Geloso 1959) and in reptiles (Chew and Dammann 1960; Bentley and SchmidtNielsen 1966; Dawson et al. 1966; and others), it can now be stated that the skin represents a major pathway for water loss in non-sweating representatives of all three classes of terrestrial vertebrates.
When Firms Change Direction

The article reviews the book “When Firms Change Direction,” by Anne S. Huff, James O. Huff, and Pamela S. Barr.
Modelling From Particle In-Flight to Coating Build-Up for Thermal Spray Processes

To obtain good quality coatings, spray parameters must be carefully selected. Due to the large variety in process parameters, it is difficult to optimize the process for each specific coating and substrate combination. In this paper, the process of particle in-flight, coating growth and pore formation has been analyzed by numerical simulation. Three sub-models, plasma-particle, splat formation and coating buildup, have been developed. A comprehensive three-dimensional computational code (LAVA3D-P) is used to predict the plasma flame formation, flame-particle interaction, and particle state and trajectory. Assuming each splat is disk-like shape and the flattening ratio, a ratio between the splat diameter and droplet diameter, can be calculated based on the interplay among particle kinetic energy, dissipation energy and solidification. A set of rules of coating buildup are proposed to predict the coating deposition and pore formation, considering the influences of particle size, velocity, temperature and location related to the substrate. Using this model we can obtain the porosity, surface roughness and thickness of the coating considering splat adhesion and quenching stresses. Although the current model has severe restrictions which attributes to many assumptions, it however, forms a foundation for further improvement of an advanced ceramic coating buildup model.Copyright © 2004 by ASME
First-Trimester Embryology: An Overview

Normal human development is a continuum. However, unfortunate interruptions in this ongoing process can result in abnormal development and subsequent congenital anomalies. These anomalies can be the result of many etiologic factors. Approximately 3 % or greater of pregnancies are complicated by congenital anomalies. The purpose of this chapter is to provide the clinician or sonographer with the essential basics of embryological and fetal development, to better understand mechanisms of normal and abnormal first-trimester human development. Understanding of these mechanisms is imperative for adequate evaluation of the first-trimester fetus in the ultrasound laboratory.
Design of technical thesis title:four kinds of biased phenomena and seven kinds of perfection persuing principle

In order to enhance the readability of the technical thesis,based on the edition practice,the author has analyzed the five kinds of biased phenomena which is the title(main title,subtitle)of technical thesis to have not succinct,the burden,improper,and abuse the function word either the position of hypothesized word improper or the stack substantive or leaves out the substantive and so on.Proposed the basic mentality of the main title to focuses succinct,smooth and accurate and the subtitle to focuses succinct,neat,the antithesis,and to take the form or the shape is near.Then proposed that the total principle of title designs:bases perfect,pursue perfect and pursue perfect,but does not make excessive demand perfect.The article does not need to use or the redundant word,firmly not use and available may not use the word,should better not use and can not use the word,does not use as far as possible.At the same time gives the 7 spots concrete principle of designing title:asks the low key,to simplify by deleting unnecessary content,to easily searches demanding precise,to keep the reasonable structure,in brief to ask smooth,to strives neatly when the structure appropriately same(or similar)and clean defined and non-redundant.