cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
A Deep Learning approach for Diagnosis of Mild Cognitive Impairment Based on MRI Images

Mild cognitive impairment (MCI) is an intermediary stage condition between healthy people and Alzheimer’s disease (AD) patients and other dementias. AD is a progressive and irreversible neurodegenerative disorder, which is a significant threat to people, age 65 and older. Although MCI does not always lead to AD, an early diagnosis at the stage of MCI can be very helpful in identifying people who are at risk of AD. Moreover, the early diagnosis of MCI can lead to more effective treatment, or at least, significantly delay the disease’s progress, and can lead to social and financial benefits. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), which has become a significant tool for the diagnosis of MCI and AD, can provide neuropsychological data for analyzing the variance in brain structure and function. MCI is divided into early and late MCI (EMCI and LMCI) and sadly, there is no clear differentiation between the brain structure of healthy people and MCI patients, especially in the EMCI stage. This paper aims to use a deep learning approach, which is one of the most powerful branches of machine learning, to discriminate between healthy people and the two types of MCI groups based on MRI results. The convolutional neural network (CNN) with an efficient architecture was used to extract high-quality features from MRIs to classify people into healthy, EMCI, or LMCI groups. The MRIs of 600 individuals used in this study included 200 control normal (CN) people, 200 EMCI patients, and 200 LMCI patients. This study randomly selected 70 percent of the data to train our model and 30 percent for the test set. The results showed the best overall classification between CN and LMCI groups in the sagittal view with an accuracy of 94.54 percent. In addition, 93.96 percent and 93.00 percent accuracy were reached for the pairs of EMCI/LMCI and CN/EMCI, respectively.
Signal Processing for Passive Radar

•Improved surveillance• Extended detection and tracking ranges •Detect more targets • Safeguard and reduce number of high value assets
Heterogeneous Response in Rabbit Fetal Diaphragmatic Hernia Lungs After Tracheal Occlusion.

Abstract Background Fetal tracheal occlusion (TO) is an experimental therapeutic approach to stimulate lung growth in the most severe congenital diaphragmatic hernia (CDH) cases. We have previously demonstrated a heterogeneous response of normal fetal rabbit lungs after TO with the appearance of at least two distinct zones. The aim of this study was to examine the fetal lung response after TO in a left CDH fetal rabbit model. Methods Fetal rabbits at 25 d gestation underwent surgical creation of CDH followed by TO at 27 d and harvest on day 30. Morphometric analysis, global metabolomics, and fluorescence lifetime imaging microscopy (FLIM) were performed to evaluate structural and metabolic changes in control, CDH, and CDH + TO lungs. Results Right and left lungs were different at the baseline and had a heterogeneous pulmonary growth response in CDH and after TO. The relative percent growth of the right lungs in CDH + TO was higher than the left lungs. Morphometric analyses revealed heterogeneous tissue-to-airspace ratios, in addition to size and number of airspaces within and between the lungs in the different groups. Global metabolomics demonstrated a slower rate of metabolism in the CDH group with the left lungs being less metabolically active. TO stimulated metabolic activity in both lungs to different degrees. FLIM analysis demonstrated local heterogeneity in glycolysis, oxidative phosphorylation (OXPHOS), and FLIM “lipid-surfactant” signal within and between the right and left lungs in all groups. Conclusions We demonstrate that TO leads to a heterogeneous morphologic and metabolic response within and between the right and left lungs in a left CDH rabbit model.
Minority carrier diffusion in InGaAs/InP P–i–N heterojunctions for photodetector arrays

InGaAs/InP double-heterostructure P–i–N diodes of various junction areas are characterized at room temperature and modeled using TCAD. Biasing the guard ring allows one to quantify the dark current contributions to the central diode from Shockley–Read–Hall (SRH) generation in the depletion region as well as the junction perimeter leakage. The latter is determined to be 1.4 ± 0.3 pA/cm based on an interface trap density of 106 cm−2 at the InGaAs/InP interface, whereas the depletion region contributes 2.0 ± 0.2 nA/cm2 based on a nonradiative SRH lifetime of 0.8 ms. Unbiasing the test structures results in up to an order of magnitude increase in dark current due to minority carrier diffusion; modeling yields a minority carrier diffusion length of 70 µm, which is in agreement with the experimentally extracted value of (65 ± 5) µm using separate test structures on the same wafer. This corresponds to a hole mobility of 570 cm2/Vs at room temperature for a doping concentration of 5 × 1015 cm−3. The calibrated model is then verified by predicting the dark current of 25 × 25 and 15 × 15 μm2 pixels; the results are in good agreement compared to measurements of 100 pixel test arrays.
Minimal Geodesics of the Isosceles Three Body Problem

The isosceles three-body problem with nonnegative energy is studied from a variational point of view based on the Jacobi–Maupertuis metric. The solutions are represented by geodesics in the two-dimensional configuration space. Since the metric is singular at collisions, an approach based on the theory of length spaces is used. This provides an alternative to the more familiar approach based on the principle of least action. The emphasis is on the existence and properties of minimal geodesics, that is, shortest curves connecting two points in configuration space. For any two points, even singular points, a minimal geodesic exists and is nonsingular away from the endpoints. For the zero energy case, it is possible to use knowledge of the behavior of the flow on the collision manifold to see that certain solutions must be minimal geodesics. In particular, the geodesic corresponding to the collinear homothetic solution turns out to be a minimal for certain mass ratios.
Considering delay of cholecystectomy in the third trimester of pregnancy

Current guidelines support laparoscopic cholecystectomy as the treatment of choice for pregnant women with symptomatic gallbladder disease, regardless of the trimester. Early intervention has remained the standard of care, but recent evidence has challenged this practice in pregnant women. We sought to compare surgical and maternal–fetal outcomes of antepartum versus postpartum cholecystectomy in New York State. Between 2005 and 2014, the New York Statewide Planning and Research Cooperative System (SPARCS) database was queried for patients who underwent cholecystectomy within 3 months before (antepartum cholecystectomy, APCCY: n = 82) and after (postpartum cholecystectomy, PPCCY: n = 5040) childbirth to approximate third-trimester operations. All patients who underwent cholecystectomy during pregnancy (n = 971) were extracted to evaluate inter-trimester differences. Subgroup analysis compared APCCY patients who were not hospitalized within 1 year before APCCY (n = 80) and PPCCY patients who were hospitalized within 1 year before childbirth (n = 29) for symptomatic biliary disease. Multivariable generalized linear regression models were used to characterize the association between timing of cholecystectomy and several primary outcomes: length of stay (LOS), 30-day non-pregnancy, non-delivery readmission (NPND), bile duct injury (BDI), composite maternal outcome (antepartum hemorrhage, preterm delivery, cesarean section), any complications, and fetal demise. Third-trimester APCCY women had longer LOS (Ratio: 1.44, 95% CI [1.26–1.66], p < 0.0001) and greater incidence of preterm delivery (OR 2.54, 95% CI [1.37–4.43], p = 0.0019). Cholecystectomy timing was not independently associated with differences in composite maternal outcome (p = 0.1480), BDI (p = 0.2578), 30-day NPND readmission (p = 0.7579), any complications (p = 0.2506), and fetal demise (2.44% versus 0.44%, p = 0.0545). Subgroup analysis revealed no differences in any of the seven outcomes. New York Statewide data suggest that although laparoscopic cholecystectomy is safe in pregnancy, delay of cholecystectomy should be discussed in the third trimester due to an increased risk for preterm delivery.
Fathers' Heightened Stress Responses to Recounting their NICU Experiences Months after Discharge: A Mixed Methods Pilot Study.

Objective The acute and traumatic events associated with having a newborn who requires admission to the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) may elicit long-term concerns for parents postdischarge. Cognitive processing of taxing events influences recurring stress responses, which can be inferred via biomarkers such as salivary cortisol (sCort) and skin conductance (SC). In addition, personal narratives provide an important insight into individual perceptions and coping strategies. The current pilot study aimed to (1) test the hypotheses that fathers' sCort and SC would peak in response to stress induction and decrease during recovery, (2) examine associations among stress biomarkers and stress perceptions, (3) explore fathers' narratives using thematic analysis, and (4) integrate fathers' narrative themes with their stress responsivity. Study design Using a convergent mixed methods approach, we enrolled 10 fathers of infants formerly cared for in NICU who underwent a Trier Social Stress Test including recounting their NICU experience months postdischarge. Stress responsivity was measured via sCort and SC, while stress perceptions were identified by using the Perceived Stress Scale and Distress Thermometer-Parent. Personal narratives were explored by using thematic analysis. Results The significant rise in fathers' sCort and SC in response to stress induction was reflected in narrative themes including loss, worry, and role strain. Subsequently, fathers' sCort and SC returned to baseline, which was illustrated by themes such as role strength, coping, and medical staff interactions. Fathers' stress measured by PSS was lower than that required for mental health referral, and did not correlate with stress biomarkers. Conclusion Salivary cortisol and skin conductance are useful biomarkers of paternal stress responsivity and recovery. Thematic analysis identified fathers' NICU stressors and coping strategies that mirrored their stress responsivity patterns. Further studies are needed to more broadly examine the sociodemographic variables that influence stress reactivity and perceptions in parents of infants formerly cared for in NICU. Key points · Stress associated with NICU stay is impactful on fathers and may have long-term implications.. · Salivary cortisol and skin conductance are useful noninvasive stress biomarkers.. · Fathers' coping strategies included infant bonding, partner relationship, and trust building..
Lincoln, the Constitution, and the Fragile American Republic

My essay examines how Lincoln’s devotion to the American constitutional union determined how he pursued a greater protection of rights for blacks in the United States. Before 1854, his politics reflected little urgency regarding the equal protection of the laws for blacks in a nation governed by a majority-white citizenry. He was willing to maintain the union at the cost of extending the tenure of slaveholding in certain American states because it was the best chance for selfgovernment to survive and ultimately extend its benefits to all of America’s inhabitants. This was true for Lincoln as long as slavery was understood to be “in the course of ultimate extinction.” However, by the 1850s white Americans in the free states became increasingly indifferent to the spread of black slavery, exemplified by the growing allure of the doctrine of “local popular sovereignty” espoused by Stephen A. Douglas in 1854. Passage of Douglas’s Kansas-Nebraska Act of 1854 signaled to Lincoln a shift in public opinion that threatened the pursuit of justice for all, regardless of color. Lincoln began to address the natural rights of blacks in America in a way that returned white Americans to the ideals and practices of the Declaration of Independence as the surest means of preserving their own liberties. Given the tenuous hold that these principles had on white Americans, Lincoln was unwilling to adopt an abolitionist approach to pursuing the full protection of rights for blacks — an approach he believed would further entrench white prejudice against blacks and undermine the establishment of natural rights as the only legitimate basis of American self-government. The fragility of America as a union of freedom-loving people, despite the existence of slavery in several of the states, led Lincoln to go slow on protecting the rights of blacks, but also moved him to suggest what justice required in a way that he thought would appeal to both their self-interest and humanity.
BLINDNESS, VISUALITY AND THE ETHICAL TURN

This paper explores the epistemic and ethical questions posed by cinematic representations of blindness. How do experiences of the blind challenge and extend the notion of visuality? At stake is an understanding of blindness not simply as a negation of vision but as a fundamentally different mode of being—an understanding that puts pressure on, and decenters, standard paradigms of perception, cognition and human subjectivity. Drawing on the Australian film Proof (1992), I argue for a politics of representation that acknowledges and accommodates the irreducible difference that constitutes the experience of blindness.
Reforming the Universal Service Fund for the Digital Age

The federal Universal Service Fund program is in crisis. This observation is neither exaggerated nor controversial. Congress overhauled the program in 1996, ostensibly to assure that as the telecommunications industry transitioned from monopoly to competition, providers would continue to assist those who could not afford basic service. But in the fifteen years since, the fund has doubled in size to $8 billion annually, much of which is spent on projects having little to do with the traditional goals of universal service. The Federal Communications Commission has admitted that the system distorts investment in myriad ways, while the Government Accountability Office has criticized the program for an appalling lack of oversight. At the same time, advances in technology mean that the fund’s cost is drawn from a shrinking base of interstate and international telecommunications revenue, which has caused the USF surcharge paid by consumers on all interstate calls to skyrocket from 3% in 1998 to 17.9% at the beginning of 2012. To the Commission’s credit, it adopted a sweeping 750-page order in late 2011 that brought much-needed reforms to the High-Cost Fund, the biggest and most problematic portion of the Universal Service program. The Commission also began shifting the program’s focus from ordinary telephone to broadband service, recognizing the importance of high-speed Internet access to modern society. But as significant as those reforms are, and as difficult as they will be to achieve, they represent only the first step toward the transformation needed. Over the next five years, the Commission should refocus the Universal Service program on what ought to be its renewed core mission: assisting consumers who cannot afford broadband access, through market-based, consumer-empowering initiatives that befit an increasingly competitive broadband marketplace. And it should abandon the antiquated and rickety contribution mechanism currently in place, by funding these initiatives instead from the general treasury.
Angiomyxoma of the nasal dorsum treated by Mohs surgery

Cutaneous angiomyxomas are myofibroblastic neoplasms with locally aggressive behaviour and a high risk of recurrence. We describe a case of a solitary cutaneous angiomyxoma presenting on the nasal dorsum of a 28-year-old man, excised with Mohs surgery using permanent section control and repaired with an advancement flap. Histology showed myxoid nests of bland CD34-positive and vimentin-positive stellate and spindled cells in the deep dermis and abundant thin-walled blood vessels. An echocardiogram, performed to rule out the possibility of a cardiac myxoma with cutaneous embolisation, was normal.
Taxes and the Success of Non-Tax Market-Based Environmental Regulatory Regimes

Environmental economists and policymakers often advocate market-based environmental regulatory regimes. While market-based regimes may be structured as Pigouvian taxes, other market-based regimes, such as tradable pollution permit regimes and conservation easements, rely upon private transactions in environmental degradation rights to achieve regulatory goals. In general, once the choice is made to adopt a non-tax-based regime, it is almost always the case that tax concerns are not discussed. Policymakers err, however, in viewing a choice against the use of an environmental tax regime as rendering tax concerns irrelevant. I argue that tax concerns, and tax structures, can have significant effects upon the function and ultimate success of non-tax market-based environmental regulatory regimes. To demonstrate this point, I consider the U.S. federal income tax treatment of two market-based environmental regulatory devices - conservation easements and tradable pollution emission allowances. In particular, I argue that the current income tax treatment may frustrate the environmental goals of the devices. For example, donating or selling a conservation easement may result in the deferral or even the elimination of gains or losses. While the possibility of deferring or eliminating a gain may encourage property holders to sell or donate conservation easements - a result presumably consistent with environmental goals - it is also true that the deferral or elimination of a loss may discourage property holders from selling or donating conservation easements. And there is little reason to think that the presence of an unrealized gain (or loss) with respect to a piece of property correlates to desirability of obtaining a conservation easement with respect to that property. As an example on the tradable emission allowance side, the rules for establishing the tax basis in grandfathered emission allowances actually work to discourage the trading of permits. However, trading is key to tradable emission allowance regimes achieving their promise - improvement in environmental quality at the lowest possible cost. Thus, the tax structure frustrates the market for allowances, and with it the environmental goals of the regime. The notion that the tax treatment of market-based environmental regulatory devices should be evaluated from the perspective of environmental policy does not mean that tax policy concerns should be ignored or compromised. Neither, however, should environmental policy concerns. Moreover, environmental and tax policy concerns should be aligned to the extent that that is possible.
Dielectric properties and low temperature relaxation studies of doped TGS single crystals

Several kinds of dopants (alanine, LiVO/sub 3/ and valine) doped TGS were grown from solution by slow cooling method. Temperature dependence dielectric spectra were measured to study the variation of transition temperature, K/sub max/ and room temperature dielectric constant depending on the dopants. Furthermore, several pieces were selected to investigate the positional inhomogeneities of the same sample. D-E hysteresis loop measurements were done to check for the internal bias field (E/sub b/). We could not get a high figure of merit (p/K) in valine doped TGS because of low temperature relaxation around -10/spl deg/C, although it has three times higher pyroelectric coefficient than that of alanine at transition temperature (T/sub C/).
PEDIATRIC NON-ALCOHOLIC FATTY LIVER DISEASE: A GROWING PROBLEM

Following the epidemic of pediatric obesity, non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is becoming the commonest cause of chronic hepatopathy in children with exponential increase of its prevalence. The consequences of this phenomenon are the onset, also in children and adolescents, of metabolic comorbidities previously seen only in adults, with alarming effects on quality of life and life expectancy. It is estimated that non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH), the advanced form of fatty liver, will represent in the near future the main indication for liver transplantation with consequent increase of organ demand and direct and indirect costs. In a recent issue of Pediatrics Today, Fitzpatrick and Hadzic provide a concise and comprehensive overview on actual knowledge on NAFLD in pediatric setting (1). In the recent years many advances have been made in the pathogenesis/risk factors and therapeutic approach in children with NAFLD/NASH. As stated in this review, geEditorial
Boa: An Enabling Language and Infrastructure for Ultra-Large-Scale MSR Studies

Abstract Mining software repositories (MSR) on a large scale is important for more generalizable research results. Large collections of software artifacts are openly available (e.g., SourceForge has more than 350,000 projects, GitHub has more than 10 million projects, and Google Code has more than 250,000 projects), but capitalizing on this data is extremely difficult. This chapter serves as a reference guide for Boa, a language and infrastructure designed to decrease the barrier to entry for ultra-large-scale MSR studies. Boa consists of a domain-specific language, its compiler, a dataset that contains almost 700,000 open source projects as of this writing, a back end based on MapReduce to effectively analyze this dataset, and a Web-based front end for writing MSR programs. This chapter describes how researchers and software practitioners can start using this resource.
Dietary Factors in Calcium Nephrolithiasis

■ Objective: To review dietary factors implicated in the pathogenesis of calcium nephrolithiasis and the pathophysiological mechanisms proposed for each. ■ Data sources: Data were obtained from English language articles published between 1950 and 1991 addressing the evaluation and therapy of patients with nephrolithiasis. The articles are indexed in the National Library of Medicine's MEDLINE data base. ■ Study selection: Studies selected for inclusion in this review were those that identified and discussed dietary factors in the pathophysiology of calcium nephrolithiasis. ■ Data extraction: References were reviewed by the authors with emphasis on study size, randomization, and statistical analysis. ■ Data synthesis: Renal stone formation is the result of genetic, metabolic, and environmental factors. The most important environmental factors relate to diet. Assessment of dietary sodium, calcium, phosphorus, oxalate, protein, fiber, fluid, and exogenous vitamins is mandatory in the initial evaluation of the patient with renal stones. Instruction to correct identified dietary excesses or deficiencies is the first therapeutic intervention for all patients, including those in whom additional drug therapy is ultimately required. ■ Conclusions: Nutritional intervention is central to the evaluation, therapy, and long-term monitoring of the patient with calcium nephrolithiasis.
Lack of effect of warfarin on uric acid concentration

Uric acid concentrations reportedly are increased in patients being treated with warfarin. We measured uric acid in 40 patients before and during warfarin administration. The mean pre- and post-warfarin uric acid concentrations for our patients were 0.39 mmol/L and 0.40 mmol/L, respectively, not a significant difference. Further observations of hyperuricemic patients started on warfarin are needed to prove that their risk of gout is not increased.
Practices to Improve Group Creativity: A Longitudinal Field Investigation

Emergent teams are ad hoc part-time teams of strangers with very different perspectives who are asked by their company to come together and solve novel strategic problems. Most research on creativity has focused on individuals, with relatively little research on practices to improve group creativity. In this study we build upon our earlier qualitative research and longitudinally surveyed members of 31 different teams varying in the level of emergence. At three points in time, we asked team members about the practices they used to manage their creative process, focusing particularly on two practices: maintaining engagement, and co-creating shared boundary objects. We found that, these practices affected the customer's assessment of the team's innovativeness, but the timing of when these practices were introduced was critical. Implications for design of information systems includes 1) allowing members to maintain their engagement with the team's process even as they leave to attend to other activities and then rejoin the team, and 2) facilitate the co-creation of shared boundary objects early in the team's process. For managers, this research suggests the need to train team members in these two practices in order to further the innovative process.
Resolution requirements for aero-optical simulations

Analytical criteria are developed to estimate the error of aero-optical computations due to inadequate spatial resolution of refractive index fields in high Reynolds number flow simulations. The unresolved turbulence structures are assumed to be locally isotropic and at low turbulent Mach number. Based on the Kolmogorov spectrum for the unresolved structures, the computational error of the optical path length is estimated and linked to the resulting error in the computed far-field optical irradiance. It is shown that in the high Reynolds number limit, for a given geometry and Mach number, the spatial resolution required to capture aero-optics within a pre-specified error margin does not scale with Reynolds number. In typical aero-optical applications this resolution requirement is much lower than the resolution required for direct numerical simulation, and therefore, a typical large-eddy simulation can capture the aero-optical effects. The analysis is extended to complex turbulent flow simulations in which non-uniform grid spacings are used to better resolve the local turbulence structures. As a demonstration, the analysis is used to estimate the error of aero-optical computation for an optical beam passing through turbulent wake of flow over a cylinder.
Electrodermal responses in the sociopath

Sociopathic Ss were compared to a non-sociopathic control group with respect to base level and magnitude and frequency of elicited and emitted GSRs. The sociopathic Ss’ GSR patterns did not differ significantly from controls on the measures of base level and elicited GSR. The sociopaths’ rate of spontaneous GSR emission was not significantly altered by the introduction of shock anticipation and was significantly lower than controls under the same shock threat stress condition.
Three-dimensional non-cohesive earthen dam breach model. Part 2: Validation and applications

Our proposed three-dimensional dam breach model is tested using one field test from the European Community funded IMPACT project. Results show that this three-dimensional model accurately predicts the peak breach discharge and final breach width for this case. It is shown that the three-dimensional model is capable of simulating the breaches that develop in different locations along a hypothetical long non-cohesive dam while accounting for variations in the natural valley topography, including symmetrical and asymmetrical settings. Our results show that both the breach location and reservoir shape have a significant effect on the peak breach discharge and the outflow hydrograph shape. Different inflow hydrographs were found not to significantly change the peak breach discharge rate for the hypothetical reservoir and spillway. Comparisons with laboratory and field dam breach tests and one historically breached dam show that the real shape of the breach channel during the breach process is successfully modeled.
Behavioral Training For Pill-Swallowing Difficulties In Young Children with Autistic Disorder

Introduction: Difficulty with swallowing pills is a common problem, leading to noncompliance with treatment recommendations. Many young children with autistic disorder (AD) who also show comorbid symptoms associated with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) have difficulty swallowing pills. This pilot study describes our experience in teaching pill-swallowing skills to 4 children with AD who also had comorbid symptoms associated with ADHD. Methods: Four children, aged 5–;6.5 years, were enrolled for pill-swallowing training, 3 of the children were Caucasian boys and 1 child was a Hispanic girl. All children met the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 4th edition (DSM-IV) diagnostic criteria for AD and ADHD-like symptoms. The children's verbal IQ ranged from 54–96, their nonverbal IQ ranged from 85–107, and the Preschool Language Scale-3 total language score ranged from 50–98. Results: At the end of the pilot study, 2 children (50%) successfully learned to swallow the study ca...
Yield anisotropy effects on buckling of circular tubes under bending

Abstract Relatively thin-walled tubes bent into the plastic range buckle by axial wrinkling. The wrinkles initially grow stably but eventually localize and cause catastrophic failure in the form of sharp local kinking. The onset of axial wrinkling was previously established by bifurcation analyses that use instantaneous deformation theory moduli. The curvatures at bifurcation were predicted accurately, but the wrinkle wavelengths were consistently longer than measured values. The subject is revisited with the aim of resolving this discrepancy. A set of new bending experiments is conducted on aluminum alloy tubes. The results are shown to be in line with previous ones. However, the tubes used were found to exhibit plastic anisotropy, which was measured and characterized through Hill’s quadratic anisotropic yield function. The anisotropy was incorporated in the flow theory used for prebuckling and postbuckling calculations as well as in the deformation theory used for bifurcation checks. With the anisotropy accounted for, calculated tube responses are found to be in excellent agreement with the measured ones while the predicted bifurcation curvatures and wrinkle wavelengths fall in line with the measurements also. The postbuckling response is established using a finite element model of a tube assigned an initial axisymmetric imperfection with the calculated wavelength. The response develops a limit moment that is followed by a sharp kink that grows while the overall moment drops. The curvature at the limit moment agrees well with the experimental onset of failure. From parametric studies of the various instabilities it is concluded that, for optimum predictions, anisotropy must be incorporated in both bifurcation buckling as well as in postbuckling calculations.
Bile pigments in fishes: a review

Gallbladder (GB) bile of most cyclostomes, elasmobranchs, and teleosts contains appreciable amounts of biliverdin (BV) and bilirubin (BR) conjugates with lesser amounts of unconjugated BR in certain species. Certain elasmobranch and teleost species have been reported to have primarily BV or BR in bile. The appearance of the enzyme BV reductase, which converts BV to BR in mammals, evolved quite early in the evolution of vertebrate species; however, exceptions exist in certain fishes, amphibians, reptiles, and mammals whose bile contains primarily BV. Nearly all analytical studies on bile pigment composition in fishes to date have utilized only GB bile, which may or may not always be representative of the pigments excreted in freshly collected hepatic duct bile. The concentration of BV and BR in GB bile of fishes increases markedly during prolonged fasts. From the limited data currently available, there appears to be no systematic development from primitive to advanced forms in the appearance of certain bile pigments in fishes. While bile of most aquatic species contains appreciable amounts of both BV and BR, it is interesting that the bile of most terrestrial avian and reptilian forms contains primarily BV. The serum of fishes, except for certain bony species such as eels (Anguilleformes) and cottids (Scorpaeniformes), is a light yellow color due to the presence of BR and is similar to that observed in higher vertebrates. Serum from certain eels and cottids is bluish green in color due to the presence of a variety of chromoproteins that contain BV firmly bound as the prosthetic group.
A frequency study of a clamped-clamped pipe immersed in a viscous fluid conveying internal steady flow for use in energy harvester development as applied to hydrocarbon production wells

Hydrocarbon extraction companies are seeking novel methods to generate and store power in down hole applications. Specifically, a robust energy harvesting system, capable of withstanding the harsh environmental and operational demands at the bottom of production wells, is desired to power commercially available well monitoring devices. The wide variety of well configurations makes this a challenging problem. Although some variables relating to the production tube are well defined by American Petroleum Institute standards, other variables may vary widely and be time dependent, such as annulus fluid properties. A first order task, then, is to characterize and understand the dynamics of a well through a study of changes in natural frequency over the broad range of inputs possessing moderate to high uncertainty. This paper presents the results of an analytical frequency study which illustrates the effect of a select set of variables on the first natural frequency of a producing well. Specifically, axial force effects, fluid flow effects, and hydrodynamic effects, by means of a hydrodynamic function, are investigated. Due to the nature of the hydrodynamic function, the model is derived in the frequency domain and solved using the spectral element method.
Bayesian Validation of Computer Models

Computer models are mathematical representations of real systems developed for understanding and investigating the systems. They are particularly useful when physical experiments are either cost- prohibitive or time-prohibitive. Before a computer model is used, it often must be validated by comparing the computer outputs with physical experiments. This article proposes a Bayesian approach to validating computer models that overcomes several difficulties of the frequentist approach proposed by Oberkampf and Barone. Kennedy and O’Hagan proposed a similar Bayesian approach. A major difference between their approach and ours is that theirs focuses on directly deriving the posterior of the true output, whereas our approach focuses on first deriving the posteriors of the computer model and model bias (difference between computer and true outputs) separately, then deriving the posterior of the true output. As a result, our approach provides a clear decomposition of the expected prediction error of the true outpu...
Hydrogen-atom abstraction by atomic fluorine. Vibrational spectrum of the F+CH3F reaction products trapped in solid argon

Abstract When the products of the interaction between methyl fluoride and F atoms, produced in a microwave discharge, are frozen in a large excess of argon at 14 K, infrared absorptions previously assigned to CH 2 F, HCF, and [CH 3 F+HF] appear. The reaction of F atoms in the solid also leads to the appearance of prominent absorptions of the [CH 2 F+HF] hydrogen-bonded complex. At higher F-atom concentrations, absorptions of CH 2 F 2 and of [CH 2 F 2 +HF] become prominent. A revised assignment is proposed for CD 2 F. At wavelengths shorter than 280 nm, CH 2 F photodecomposes, producing CF. The photodecomposition of [CH 2 F+HF], which has a somewhat higher energy threshold, leads to the appearance of [CF+HF]. A detailed discussion of the chemical reactions and photodecomposition processes characteristic of these experiments is presented.
Fluctuating asymmetry and exogenous stress in fishes: a review

Fluctuating asymmetry (FA), which has been examined in a variety of plants and animals, is widely promoted as a useful bioindicator of exogenous stressors in habitats, whether of natural or anthropogenic origin. Wildlife managers and researchers often use a specific group of organisms as an indicator of the health of a given habitat. The purpose of this review is to demonstrate that FA can be an effective fish biomonitoring tool by presenting a vote counting meta-analysis of 81 fish FA studies published between 1966 and the first half of 2009. The vote counts were analyzed with the G test for independence to determine whether the probability of observing significant morphological asymmetry is determined by character type, exogenous stressor type, or fish order. The information obtained from these papers and their analysis is then used to outline areas in which FA studies can be improved: (1) carefully considering character choice; (2) distinguishing between asymmetry types; (3) determining the level of measurement error in between-sides character variation; (4) determining baseline FA levels in populations; (5) increasing the number of laboratory studies which corroborate field observations of FA; (6) conducting true replications of studies to validate previous findings. Only with more critical experimental design and data analysis can FA be used as a powerful tool for assessing environmental degradation.
Effect of intra‐operative end‐tidal carbon dioxide partial pressure on tissue oxygenation

Postsurgical infection risk is correlated with subcutaneous tissue oxygenation. Mild hypercapnia augments cutaneous perfusion. We tested the hypothesis that peripheral tissue oxygenation increases as a function of arterial PCO2 in surgical patients. Twenty patients were randomly assigned to intra-operative end tidal PCO2 of 3.99 (control) or 5.99 kPa (hypercapnia). All other anaesthetic management was per protocol. Tissue oxygen partial pressure, transcutaneous oxygen tension, cerebral oxygen saturation, and cardiac output were measured. Mean (SD) subcutaneous tissue oxygen tension was 8.39 (1.86) kPa in control and 11.84 (2.53) kPa hypercapnia patients (p = 0.014). Cerebral oxygen saturation was 55 (4)% for control vs. 68 (9)% for hypercapnia (p = 0.004). Neither cardiac index nor transcutaneous tissue oxygen tension differed significantly between the groups. Mild intra-operative hypercapnia increased subcutaneous and cerebral oxygenation. Increases in subcutaneous tissue oxygen partial pressure similar to those observed in patients assigned to hypercapnia are associated with substantial reductions in wound infection risk.
FC++: Functional tools for object‐oriented tasks

FC++ is a library for programming functionally in C++. Compared to other C++ functional programming libraries, FC++ is distinguished by its powerful type system which allows the manipulation of parametrically polymorphic functions (e.g., passing them as arguments to other functions and returning them as results). In this paper, we show how FC++ can be used in common object-oriented programming tasks. We demonstrate FC++ implementations of several common design patterns (Adapter, Builder, Command, and more). Compared to conventional C++ implementations of these patterns, our implementations are either simpler (in that fewer classes/dependencies are needed), more efficient, or more type-safe (thanks to parametric polymorphism and type inference). Copyright © 2002 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Force constants of methane. Infrared spectra and thermodynamic functions of isotopic methanes

Abstract General quadratic valence force constants have been calculated for the symmetrical methanes ( CY 4 ) using the most recent experimental data. The F and G matrix elements are given for the isotopic species CY 3 Z and CY 2 Z 2 ( Y and Z are H, D, or T). The fundamental frequencies of CY 3 Z and CY 2 Z 2 were calculated using the CY 4 force constants. Most of the fundamental frequencies of these isotopic methanes were observed. The anharmonic corrections are discussed. From the force constants, zeta values were calculated for the degenerate vibrations of CY 3 Z . The thermodynamic quantities − (F 0 − E 0 0 ) T , (E 0 − E 0 0 ) T , S 0 , C p 0 , C p 0 , and equilibrium constants for the various H, D, and T isotope exchange equilibria are given at seven temperatures from −180°C to +1000°C.
Macro- to microscale strain transfer in fibrous tissues is heterogeneous and tissue-specific.

Mechanical deformation applied at the joint or tissue level is transmitted through the macroscale extracellular matrix to the microscale local matrix, where it is transduced to cells within these tissues and modulates tissue growth, maintenance, and repair. The objective of this study was to investigate how applied tissue strain is transferred through the local matrix to the cell and nucleus in meniscus, tendon, and the annulus fibrosus, as well as in stem cell-seeded scaffolds engineered to reproduce the organized microstructure of these native tissues. To carry out this study, we developed a custom confocal microscope-mounted tensile testing device and simultaneously monitored strain across multiple length scales. Results showed that mean strain was heterogeneous and significantly attenuated, but coordinated, at the local matrix level in native tissues (35–70% strain attenuation). Conversely, freshly seeded scaffolds exhibited very direct and uniform strain transfer from the tissue to the local matrix level (15–25% strain attenuation). In addition, strain transfer from local matrix to cells and nuclei was dependent on fiber orientation and tissue type. Histological analysis suggested that different domains exist within these fibrous tissues, with most of the tissue being fibrous, characterized by an aligned collagen structure and elongated cells, and other regions being proteoglycan (PG)-rich, characterized by a dense accumulation of PGs and rounder cells. In meniscus, the observed heterogeneity in strain transfer correlated strongly with cellular morphology, where rounder cells located in PG-rich microdomains were shielded from deformation, while elongated cells in fibrous microdomains deformed readily. Collectively, these findings suggest that different tissues utilize distinct strain-attenuating mechanisms according to their unique structure and cellular phenotype, and these differences likely alter the local biologic response of such tissues and constructs in response to mechanical perturbation.
A review of irradiation effects on LWR core internal materials - Neutron embrittlement

Austenitic stainless steels (SSs) are used extensively as structural alloys in the internal components of light water reactor (LWR) pressure vessels because of their relatively high strength, ductility, and fracture toughness. However, exposure to neutron irradiation for extended periods not only changes the microstructure and microchemistry of these steels, but also degrades their fracture properties. The existing data on irradiated austenitic SSs are reviewed to determine the effects of key parameters such as material type and condition and irradiation temperature, dose, and dose rate on neutron embrittlement. Differences in the radiation-induced degradation of fracture properties between LWR and fast-reactor irradiations are also discussed. The results are used to (a) define a threshold fluence above which irradiation effects on fracture toughness of the material are significant, (b) evaluate the potential of neutron embrittlement under LWR operating conditions, and (c) assess the potential effects of voids on fracture toughness.
The effects of cypermethrin (Excis) and azamethiphos (Salmosan) on lobster Homarus americanus H. Milne Edwards larvae in a laboratory study

This research assessed the effects of two chemicals, cypermethrin (Excis) and azamethiphos (Salmosan), used in the treatment of sea lice Lepeophtheirus salmonis (Kroyer) on American lobster Homarus americanus H. Milne Edwards larvae under laboratory conditions. Larvae were exposed to concentrations of 5, 0.5, 0.05, 0.005 and 0 p.p.b. cypermethrin and 100, 10, 1, 0.1 and 0 p.p.b. azamethiphos for durations of 5, 30 and 60 min, 6 and 12 h in artificial seawater. Both treatment chemicals caused significant mortality (P < 0.05) of the lobster larvae below the recommended treatment doses of 5 p.p.b. cypermethrin for 1 h and 100 p.p.b. azamethiphos for 1 h. Temperature affected mortality significantly (P < 0.05). and interactions between treatment duration and treatment concentration were also significant (P < 0.05). LC50 values calculated for the treatment durations ranged from 0.66 to 0.058 p.p.b. at 10 °C and 1.69–0.365 p.p.b. at 12 °C for cypermethrin, and 33.9–1.3 p.p.b. at 10 °C and 50.4–0.9 p.p.b. at 12 °C for azamethiphos treatment, at the above treatment durations. The lowest LC50 values correspond to ≈ 1/90th of the recommended treatment dose for cypermethrin (Excis) at 12 °C and 1/14th at 10 °C; and 1/110th of the recommended treatment dose for azamethiphos (Salmosan) at 12 °C and 1/75th at 10 °C. The research determined variations in observed behavioural treatment effects on lobster larvae exposed to both cypermethrin and azamethiphos (temperature × treatment duration × treatment concentration; cypermethrin P < 0.001, azamethiphos P = 0.008). The pattern of effects that occurred at each temperature were, however, similar (cypermethrin P = 0.764; azamethiphos P = 0.218), and ‘intensity of effect’ of the treatment chemicals was positively correlated with an increasing treatment concentration high (r2 = 0.915, r2 = 0.905).
Effects of damage to the monoamine axonal constituents of the medial forebrain bundle on reactivity to foot shock and ingestive behavior in the rat

Abstract Rats suffering damage to the medial forebrain bundle evidenced significant decreases in forebrain norepinephrine and 5-hydroxytryptamine as compared to controls; the threshold amount of shock required to elicit a jump response decreased significantly in rats with lesions in the medial forebrain bundle. Rats with lesions in which norepinephrine, but not 5-hydroxytryptamine, was reduced (norepinephrine group) showed a comparable significant decrease in jump threshold. The jump threshold of rats in which 5-hydroxytryptamine, but not norepinephrine, was reduced by midbrain raphe lesions did not change significantly. These results support the conclusion that damage to the ascending norepinephrine axon system is responsible for medial forebrain bundle lesion induced increases in pain sensitivity, as assessed by reactivity to noxious levels of foot shock. Rats in which forebrain dopamine was reduced showed a loss of body weight which was significantly different from the weight gains shown by the control animals. Four of the animals with lesions in the medial forebrain bundle and four of the norepinephrine group animals showed increases in body weight that were well above the weight gains observed in any control animals. Forebrain dopamine level of the norepinephrine group increased significantly over the control level; a number of reasons for this increase, and its possible functional implications, are discussed.
A reexamination of the derivation of the equilibrium supersaturation curve for soluble particles

In his derivation of the equilibrium supersaturation curve for soluble particles, Koehler treated the van't Hoff factor as a constant. McDonald points out that this factor is actually a function of the droplet molality. In this paper, equilibrium supersaturation relation is rederived following Koehler's approach, except that the van't Hoff factor is treated as a variable in the derivation. The resulting equation is considerably more complicated than the result obtained by Koehler. A simple substitution of a variable van't Hoff factor into Koehler's familiar equation that was derived assuming a constant van't Hoff factor results in a fairly significant error. 10 refs., 4 figs., 1 tab.