cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Electronic spectroscopy of highly polar aromatics. XI. Luminescence of the cyanoanilines

Abstract The absorption and emission spectra of the three isomeric cyanoanilines have been investigated. Quantum yields and decay lifetimes are reported for both fluorescence and phosphorescence processes. It is shown that the lowest energy absorption band of p -cyanoaniline consists of two distinct electronic transitions of the 1 π * ← 1 π type, whereas, in the o - and m -cyanoanilines, the lowest energy absorption band consists of a single electronic transition of the 1 π * ← 1 π type. These conditions are consistent with absorption data, emission data and kinetic analyses. The largest ɸ P /ɸ F ratio is exhibited by the p -cyanoaniline and this observation is rationalized.
An alternative proof for the recursive formulae for computing the Moore-Penrose M-inverse of a matrix

In this paper we provide an alternative proof for the recursive formulae for the determination of the generalized Moore-Penrose M-inverse of a matrix through the direct verification of the four properties of Moore-Penrose M-inverse.
Pesticides, metals, microbials and venoms: the stuff of neurotoxicology

Handbook of Neurotoxicology (Vol. 1)edited by Edward J. Massaro, Humana Press, 2002. US$175 (hardback) (668 pages) ISBN 0 89603 795 9The Handbook of Neurotoxicology, written by an international collection of authors from academic, government and industry sectors, is divided into 4 major sections covering pesticides, metals, natural toxins of microbial origin and natural toxins of animal origin. Each section is edited by a section editor and each chapter is written in a consistent pattern, including information on the individual class of toxins with: (1) an introduction and a historical review; (2) clinical evidence of neurotoxicity; (3) mechanisms of action and recommended treatments, when known; and (4) future directions for research. Most chapters include chemical structures when applicable making the information useful to chemists interested in toxicology in addition to toxicologists interested in chemical structure evaluation.The book is not a comprehensive reference work in each subject but succinctly covers the most recent material. Strengths of the book include the fact that it covers many major classes of neurotoxins in a brief and accessible way. Compared with other recent publications on neurotoxicology [1.xSee all References, 2.xSee all References, 3.xSee all References], this book places more emphasis on new information about the molecular structure of receptors and ion channels that are targeted by neurotoxins. Highlights of this book include the chapters on marine toxins (saxitoxin, brevetoxin and sea anemone toxins), which are not surveyed in previous offerings. The chapters by William R. Kem are particularly comprehensive and well illustrated. Another particularly worthy chapter was written by Wei Zheng on the blood–brain barrier and blood–cerebral spinal fluid barriers. The roles of these often-overlooked brain structures in metal toxicity illustrate their importance and should stimulate research questions among neurotoxicologists.Depending on the route of administration and complexity of experimental system (in vitro versus in vivo), conflicting conclusions have been reached about properties of some of the substances discussed. In general, where controversy exists, the chapters of this book present a balanced picture. Most of the chapters require the reader to possess a broad-based knowledge in pharmacology and thus the book is not for new students of toxicology. However, this book will be a valuable addition to medical and institutional libraries and to the library of the professional neurotoxicologist.
Cognitive routing with the ETX metric

The emergence of cognitive radio network technology provides network nodes with abundant licensed and unlicensed channels to select for routing. Traditional routing methods that minimize hop count often do not leverage the full capabilities of cognitive radio users. They may select high lossy links or choose arbitrarily among the different paths of the same minimum length, regardless of the often large differences in throughput among those paths. In this paper, we propose a routing algorithm that incorporates the expected transmission count metric (ETX) to select high-quality channels for routing on a hop-by-hop basis. The ETX metric incorporates the effects of link loss ratios, and interference among the successive links of a path, as well as interference caused by licensed users' activity. Our routing algorithm utilizes all the available channels and selects channels with the best ETX value, allowing us to find paths with higher stability and higher throughput. Simulation in the NS-3 environment shows that our routing protocol has high packet delivery ratio, low end-to-end delay and low hop count in the presence of interference caused by licensed users.
Multiple Origins of Cyclodiene Insecticide Resistance in Tribolium castaneum (Coleoptera: Tenebrionidae)

The number of origins of pesticide resistance-associated mutations is important not only to our understanding of the evolution of resistance but also in modeling its spread. Previous studies of amplified esterase genes in a highly dispersive Culex mosquito have suggested that insecticide resistance-associated mutations (specifically a single-gene duplication event) can occur a single time and then spread throughout global populations. In order to provide data for resistance-associated point mutations, which are more typical of pesticide mechanisms as a whole, we studied the number of independent origins of cyclodiene insecticide resistance in the red flour beetle Tribolium castaneum. Target-site insensitivity to cyclodienes is conferred by single point mutations in the gene Resistance to dieldrin (Rdl), which codes for a subunit of a γ-aminobutyric acid (GABA) receptor. These point mutations are associated with replacements of alanine 302 which render the receptor insensitive to block by the insecticide. We collected 141 strains of Tribolium worldwide and screened them for resistance. Twenty-four strains contained resistant individuals. After homozygosing 23 of these resistance alleles we derived a nucleotide sequence phylogeny of the resistant strains from a 694-bp section of Rdl, encompassing exon 7 (which contains the resistance-associated mutation) and part of a flanking intron. The phylogeny also included six susceptible alleles chosen at random from a range of geographical locations. Resistance alleles fell into six clades and three clades contained both resistant and susceptible alleles. Although statistical analysis provided support at only the 5–6% level, the pattern of variation in resistance alleles is more readily explained by multiple independent origins of resistance than by spread of a single resistance-associated mutation. For example, two resistance alleles differed from two susceptible alleles only by the resistance-associated mutation itself, suggesting that they form the susceptible ancestors and that resistance arose independently in several susceptible backgrounds. This suggests that in Tribolium Rdl, de novo mutations for resistance have arisen independently in several populations. Identical alleles were found in geographically distant regions as well, also implying that some Rdl alleles have been exported in stored grain. These differences from the Culex study may stem both from differences in the population genetics of Tribolium versus that of mosquitoes and differences in mutation rates associated with point mutations versus gene duplication events. The Tribolium data therefore suggest that multiple origins of insecticide resistance (associated with specific point mutations) may be more common than the spread of single events. These findings have implications for the way in which we model the evolution and spread of insecticide resistance genes and also suggest that parallel adaptive substitutions may not be uncommon in phyletic evolution.
Pattern Analysis of Recorded Daydreams, Memories, and Personality Type:

Sunm1y.-56 undergraduates took the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator and recorded a memory and a daydream. The lamer rwo products were scored for seven characteristics. Interaction of personalicy variables and imagery were significant over-all; e.g., feeling types reported more vivid memories, extraverts showed more positive emotional tone in memories, and feeling types showed more intense emotional tone, etc. Memories were more vivid than daydreams. Analysis generated new hypotheses. Research on the relationship between imagery and personality may be characterized by two different, though at times overlapping, approaches. Beginning with Betts' ( 1909) short instrument measuring vividness of imagery and including Singer's (Singer & Antrobus, 1963) lengthy and complex inventory describing imagery processes, various imagery self-report scales have been correlated with personality self-report measures (Gallardo, 1981; Weissman, 1980). In particular, the extraversion/introversion personality dimension has garnered considerable attention in studies in which correlations were calculated for vividness (Van Dyne & Stava, 1981), memory tasks (Gralton, Hayes, & Richardson, 1979), degree of imagery (Gale, Morris, Lucas, & Richardson, 1972) based on self-report measures and/or tasks requiring imagery ability (Eysenck, 1967). The results of these studies have been somewhat inconclusive; however, DiVesta, Ingersoll, and Sunshine ( 197 1 ) pointed out the serious flaw of the self-report measures by noting the strong "social desirability" factor involved, e.g., more imagery is better. Extraverts are especially responsive to social expectations, and such research designs may induce the extraverts to give inflated imagery scores. A second approach to research on personality and imagery is a design which begins with experiences of imagery (daydreams, dreams, etc.) and analyzes their structure and pattern, and then, relates these inner experiences to cognitive processes (Starker, 1973). Starker (1974, 1977) developed a scale for rating daydreams and dreams looking at such aspects as length of daydream, bizarreness, affective polarity, etc. While Starker's work represents an important step toward including actual experience of imagery vs self-report, methodological weaknesses are apparent. The absence of interrater reliabilities and the use of one or two raters instead of. the preferred three raters reduces confidence in the general findings. A logical synthesis of these approaches would be to make some predictions as to the pattern of experience of imagery by people based upon a personality typology. A research design which uses actual experiences of imagery, analyzes
EZ ballot with multimodal inputs and outputs

Current accessible voting machines require many voters with visual, cognitive and dexterity limitations to vote with assistance, if they can vote at all. To address accessibility problems, we developed the EZ Ballot. The linear layout of the EZ ballot structure fundamentally re-conceptualizes ballot design to provide the same simple and intuitive voting experience for all voters, regardless of ability or input/output (I/O) device used. Further, multimodal I/O interfaces were seamlessly integrated with the ballot structure to provide flexibility in accommodating voters with different abilities.
An aerosol generator of high stability

This paper reports on the use of a syringe pump to provide a constant liquid flow to an atomizer to obtain an aerosol generator of high stability. This syringe-pump atomizer has also been used with a vaporizer-condenser to generate monodisperse DOP (di-octyl phthalate) aerosols in the 0.032 to l µm diameter range.
Exhaustion of the Frank–Starling mechanism in conscious dogs with heart failure induced by chronic coronary microembolization

The role of the Frank-Starling mechanism in the regulation of cardiac systolic function in the ischemic failing heart was examined in conscious dogs. Left ventricular (LV) dimension, pressure and systolic function were assessed using surgically implanted instrumentations and non-invasive echocardiogram. Heart failure was induced by daily intra-coronary injections of microspheres for 3-4 weeks via implanted coronary catheters. Chronic coronary embolization resulted in a progressive dilation of the left ventricle (12+/-3%), increase in LV end-diastolic pressure (118+/-19%), depression of LV dP/dt(max) (-19+/-4%), fractional shortening (-36+/-7%), and cardiac work (-60+/-9%), and development of heart failure, while the LV contractile response to dobutamine was depressed. A brief inferior vena caval occlusion in dogs with heart failure decreased LV preload to match the levels attained in their control state and caused a further reduction of LV dP/dt(max), fractional shortening, stroke work and cardiac work. Moreover, in response to acute volume loading, the change in the LV end-diastolic dimension-pressure (DeltaLVEDD-DeltaLVEDP) curve in the failing heart became steeper and shifted significantly to the left, while the increases in LV stroke work and cardiac work were blunted. Thus, our results suggest that the Frank-Starling mechanism is exhausted in heart failure and unable to further respond to increasing volume while it plays an important compensatory role in adaptation to LV dysfunction in heart failure.
Recent studies of the cytochrome o terminal oxidase complex of Escherichia coli.

Abstract The cytochrome o complex is the predominant terminal oxidase in the aerobic respiratory chain of Escherichia coli when the bacteria are grown under conditions of high aeration. The oxidase is a ubiquinol oxidase and reduces molecular oxygen to water. Electron transport through the enzyme is coupled to the generation of a protonmotive force. The purified cytochrome o complex contains four or five subunits, two protoheme IX (heme b ) prosthetic groups, plus at least one Cu. The subunits are all encoded by the cyo operon. Sequence comparisons show that the cytochrome o complex is closely related to the aa 3 -type cytochrome c oxidase family. Gene fusions have been used to define the topology of each of the gene products. Subunits I, II, III and IV are proposed to have 15, 2, 5 and 3 transmembrane spans, respectively. The fifth gene product ( cyo E) encodes a protein with 7 membrane spanning segments, and this may also be a subunit of this enzyme. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy has been used to monitor CO bound in the active site where oxygen is reduced. These data provide definitive proof that the cytochrome o complex has a heme-copper binuclear center, similar to that present in the aa 3 -type cytochrome c oxidases. Site-directed mutagenesis is being utilized to define which amino acids are ligands to the heme iron and copper prosthetic groups.
Metabolic fate of the hepatotoxic anti-juvenile hormone precocene II in the rat☆

The metabolic fate of precocene II (6,7-dimethoxy-2,2-dimethyl-2H-benzo[b]pyran), a potent anti-juvenile hormone, was examined in male Sprague-Dawley rats. When a single intraperitoneal dose of [3H] precocene II was administered, approximately 34% of the administered dose was excreted within the first 24 h. Examination of the various urinary metabolites indicated that precocene II is metabolized to a stereoisomeric cis/trans mixture of the 3,4-dihydroxy-3,4-dihydroprecocene II. In addition, a mercapturic acid derivative of precocene II was tentatively identified. Thus, it is postulated that a highly reactive 3,4-epoxide intermediate is generated in vivo by the rat during oxidative metabolite.
A method for determining overall protein fold from NMR distance restraints

We describe a simple method for determining the overall fold of a polypeptide chain from NOE-derived distance restraints. The method uses a reduced representation consisting of two particles per residue, and a force field containing pseudo-bond and pseudo-angle terms, an ‘electrostatic’ term, but no van der Waals or hard shell repulsive terms. The method is fast and robust, requiring relatively few distance restraints to approximate the correct fold, and the correct mirror image is readily determined. The method is easily implemented using commercially available molecular modeling software.
Thyroxine administration prevents streptococcal cell wall-induced inflammatory responses.

Administration of streptococcal cell wall (SCW) preparation induces an inflammatory response in susceptible animals that is a model frequently used for rheumatoid arthritis. The degree of inflammation produced by SCW is greatly enhanced by low endogenous levels of glucocorticoids due to diminished hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal activity. Because decreased glucocorticoid production is known to occur in the hypothyroid state, we tested whether hypothyroidism would increase, and conversely, whether hyperthyroidism would decrease, the inflammatory responses to SCW. Adult female Sprague Dawley rats were fed a regular diet (control), L-T4 (T4; hyperthyroid), or 6-propyl-thiouracil (hypothyroid) in drinking water for 7 weeks. Hypothyroidism resulted in elevated plasma levels of TSH and hypothalamic preproTRH messenger RNA (mRNA) while reducing anterior pituitary POMC mRNA and plasma ACTH and corticosterone levels. In contrast, hyperthyroid rats produced opposite results: decreased measures of central thyroid fun...
Lithologic provenance modeling applied to the Late Cretaceous synorogenic Echo Canyon Conglomerate, Utah: A case of multiple source areas

Lithologic provenance modeling is a deductive technique for identifying matches between actual compositions of conglomerates and modeled conglomerate compositions from hypothetical source sections. The method is applied to the Echo Canyon Conglomerate in northeastern Utah, a Coniacian-Santonian synorogenic conglomerate generally assumed to have been derived from the Crawford thrust sheet. The Echo Canyon is problematic because it is composed of abundant quartzite clasts, most of which could have been derived from any of several source formations ranging in age from Proterozoic through Jurassic. Lithologic provenance modeling, paleocurrent data, and regional structural relations indicate that the Echo Canyon was derived from three separate stratigraphic sections exposed on the inactive Willard thrust sheet and the eastern flank of the Wasatch basement culmination.
A control system for mechanical ventilation of passive and active subjects

Synchronization of spontaneous breathing with breaths supplied by the ventilator is essential for providing optimal ventilation to patients on mechanical ventilation. Some ventilation techniques such as Adaptive Support Ventilation (ASV), Proportional Assist Ventilation (PAV), and Neurally Adjusted Ventilatory Assist (NAVA) are designed to address this problem. In PAV, the pressure support is proportional to the patient's ongoing effort during inspiration. However, there is no guarantee that the patient receives adequate ventilation. The system described in this article is designed to automatically control the support level in PAV to guarantee delivery of patient's required ventilation. This system can also be used to control the PAV support level based on the patient's work of breathing. This technique further incorporates some of the features of ASV to deliver mandatory breaths for passive subjects. The system has been tested by using computer simulations and the controller has been implemented by using a prototype.
THE LINGUISTIC ASPECT OF WINTU'. ACCULTURATION

IT IS a relatively easy matter to detect foreign words entering a culture along with a new trait, and words coined to apply to a borrowed trait. The more indirect effect on the vocabulary, however, the falling into disuse of terms and grammatical forms as a result of white contact is less obvious. In fact, it was long the custom to consider the latter as negligible, perhaps due to the fact that this aspect of acculturation has rarely been made the subject of specific and systematic investigation in the field.' It is because of this dearth that I feel justified in presenting my own meager material on this subject, though it is merely suggestive rather than conclusive. In my material I depend entirely on recorded ethnographic texts and on conversations,2 as I paid no attention to the problem in the field. I
New oral anticoagulants for the treatment of venous thromboembolism: understanding differences and similarities.

Venous thromboembolism (VTE) is a major cause of morbidity, mortality, and healthcare expenditure. In the United States, approximately 0.1 % of the population experiences an initial VTE event each year. Anticoagulation therapy is the cornerstone of acute VTE treatment and for prevention of recurrent VTE events. Conventional anticoagulants, including heparin, low-molecular-weight heparins, fondaparinux, and vitamin K antagonists are widely used but have limitations. Newer oral anticoagulant agents, including direct thrombin inhibitors (e.g., dabigatran etexilate) and direct factor Xa inhibitors (e.g., rivaroxaban, apixaban, and edoxaban) have been developed to attempt to overcome some of the limitations of conventional anticoagulant therapy. These new oral agents have been evaluated for safety and efficacy in large, randomized clinical trials in the treatment and secondary prevention of VTE with results that are comparable to conventional therapy. Dabigatran, rivaroxaban, apixaban, and edoxaban are important new treatment options for patients with VTE. In this review, we compare these new agents and their associated clinical trials in VTE treatment.
Growth and stability of measles virus

Abstract The growth of measles virus in Hep-2 cultures has been investigated. Maturation of the first new virus occurred 15–18 hours after inoculation, but no virus was released into the fluid phase for 27–30 hours. Even after this time the major part of the active virus remained with the cells. At 37° the virus had a half-life of about 2 hours. Thus there was little accumulation of live virus in tissue culture fluid but during the period of active virus production there was an equilibrium between release and decay. The virus was relatively stable when suspended in media at 0° of pH 6 to 9, but titer was rapidly lost at 4.5 and lower.
Reply to comment by E. L. Miller et al. on “Geodynamics of synconvergent extension and tectonic mode switching: Constraints from the Sevier-Laramide orogen”

[1] We welcome the comment from Miller et al. [2012] and the opportunity to address their concerns and to expand on several aspects of the proposed geodynamic model in Wells et al. [2012]. Many of the points raised in the comment concern Late Cretaceous crustal anatexis and extension, aspects of the proposed geodynamic model that were developed in more detail in Wells and Hoisch [2008]. We address each of their three main points below.
Children and the Elderly Interaction and Morale

This paper examines the extent to which frequency of interaction with adult offspring influences the morale of their elderly parents. Data were collected in the spring of 1975 from a sample of resi...
Neural Tube Closure Defects caused by Cytochalasin

NEURAL tube closure defects in humans account for two of the most severe congenital malformations, anencephaly and meningomyelocele. Because both types usually occur unassociated with a genetic pattern and their incidence varies widely in different national and social groups1, identification of specific environmental agents that might interrupt neurulation is important. The experiments reported here suggest that cytochalasin B specifically interrupts neurulation.
Evaluation of copper Chemical-Vapor-Deposition films on glass and Si(100) substrates

Thin films of pure copper have been deposited on glass and Si(100) substrates using copper acetylacetonate [Cu(acac)2] and copper HexaFluoroAcetylacetonate [Cu(HFA)2] sources. A thermal, cold-wall, reduced pressure (3325–5985 Pa) Metal-Organic Chemical Vapor Deposition (MOCVD) process was employed. The effect of H2O vapor on the grain size, deposition rate, and resistivity was examined. Electrical resistivities of 2.4 μω cm for copper films deposited on Si(100) and 3.44 μω cm for copper films deposited on glass at substrate temperatures of 265° C and a [Cu(acac)2] source temperature of 147° C with the use of H2O vapor were measured. When [Cu(HFA)2] was used, the substrate temperature was 385° C and the source temperature was 85° C. An activation energy for the copper film deposition process was calculated to be 22.2 kJ/mol in the case of the [Cu(acac)2] source. A deposition rate of 11 nm/min was obtained with Cu(acac)2 as the source and the rate was 44.4 nm/min with the Cu(HFA)2 source; both were obtained with the use of H2O vapor. No selectivity was observed with either source for either substrate. The deposited films were fully characterized using XRD, LVSEM, SAXPS, and RBS.
Hearts of oak and jolly tars? Heroism and insanity in the Georgian navy

During the war against Napoleon, physician Gilbert Blane estimated that insanity was seven times more common in the navy than among the general population. Blane did not have any explanation for this, but presumed it had something to do with sailors frequently banging their heads against the wooden beams of the ship under the influence of alcohol. Today we immediately think of post-traumatic stress disorders, although we hesitate to make a retrospective diagnosis two centuries later. Eighteenth- and early nineteenth-century sailors not only faced extreme physical but also great mental challenges, and the aim of this research project is to see how they dealt with these, whether these challenges were reasonably well overcome, suffered from quietly, placed into the physical realm, compensated by alcohol, religion and other remedies, or indeed responsible for filling Georgian madhouses with sailors. On the surface, the sailors' response to these challenges was to cultivate an extreme idea of masculinity that ...
A method for probing machine optics by constructing transverse real space beam distributions using Beam Position Monitors

At the Spallation Neutron Source (SNS) in Oak Ridge, we sought to measure the transverse tilt and profile of the beam at several locations in our Ring to Target Beam Transport (RTBT) line where we did not have wire scanners. A new method was proposed and used to construct the transverse real space beam distributions from Beam Position Monitor (BPM) signals to probe the machine optics. In this paper, we outline this method and present an experiment demonstrating this technique, and we qualitatively compare the results with profiles taken using wire scanners.
Ultrasensitive Gas-Phase Chemical Sensing Based on Functionalized Photonic Crystal Nanobeam Cavities

Photonic crystal nanobeam cavities with high-quality factors are very sensitive to the changes of the dielectric properties of their surroundings. Utilizing this high sensitivity and by applying chemical functionalization, an ultrasensitive chemical sensor for gases based on a nanobeam cavity was demonstrated. A limit of detection of 1.5 parts-per-billion (ppb) in ambient conditions, determined from the noise level of the system, was achieved for nerve agent simulant methyl salicylate. The nanobeam cavity’s nonlinear thermo-optical bistability is also utilized to realize a threshold detector for cumulative chemical exposure.
Diseases of the Thyroid Gland

The present volume is written from the author's large surgical and pathological experience with patients having disorders of the thyroid gland. Sections are devoted to the normal morphology of the thyroid gland and its general pathology. The various manifestations of thyroid gland disorders in childhood, non-toxic and toxic nodular goiters, and diffuse toxic goiter are treated in regard to pathogenesis, pathology, clinical manifestations, and treatment. In addition accounts of the inflammatory states of the thyroid gland, myxedema, thyroidal neoplasms, and aberrant goiters are given. A special chapter is devoted to the important relationship between toxic goiter and heart disease under the designation “cardiotoxic goiter.” The hospital management of goiter patients, including pre- and post-operative care, the complications of surgery, and the after-course of the patients are treated at length. Finally there are sections on surgical anatomy and the technique of operative procedures.
The Neo-Constitutionalism of the Latin American Left: The Case of the Resistance Front of Honduras

In the last years we have been hearing a lot about a ‘turn to the Left’ in Latin America. The talk has primarily been about countries like Venezuela, Ecuador, and Bolivia, and also about Argentina, Brazil, Uruguay, and Paraguay. They are given as examples of countries undergoing deep socio-economic, political, and cultural transformations. Honduras did not make it on to the list, not until recently with the coup d’etat of June 2009 and the mass resistance movement that formed in its aftermath. Its adherence to the Boliviarian Alliance for the Americas or ALBA in 2008 passed unnoticed, as much else that had been happening in the country for decades. This in part explains why the coup sent shock waves throughout Latin America. There has been a lot of contradictory commentary about the coup in Honduras in terms of what it means for the social experimentation that has been taking place in other countries. Does the coup mean that we are entering “neo-golpismo” or an unstoppable chain of coups in the region that will restore US hegemony and destroy the “Socialismo del Siglo XXI”? Or perhaps the contrary, the global rejection of the coup in Honduras demonstrates the political muscle that the New Leftist regimes have developed and reveals the weakness of US power in the region. Others interpreted the coup in Honduras even as a coup against the US president Obama, as his early reactions to the coup revealed some fissures between the presidency and the Pentagon. For some (particularly the right-wing in the US) Obama himself could be seen as part of the turn to the Left in the western hemisphere, as the first African-American president in the US to be seen en par with Evo Morales, the first Amerindian president in Latin America. And yet as more US-backed coup
Rheo-Optical Evidence of a Flow-Induced Isotropic-Nematic Transition in a Thermotropic Liquid-Crystalline Polymer

A direct rheo-optical characterization of the flow-induced isotropic-nematic (I-N) transition in a semiflexible thermotropic liquid-crystalline polymer (TLCP) was investigated, using a specially constructed apparatus enabling in-situ optical microscopic observations at elevated temperatures, along with cone-and-plate rheometry. For the investigation, an aromatic polyester, poly((phenylenesulfonyl)- p-phenylene 1,10-decamethylenebis(4-oxybenzoate)) (PSHQ10), was synthesized via solution polymeri- zation. Above the equilibrium isotropic-nematic transition temperature for this polymer, T ) 170.5 °C, application of steady-state shear flow above a certain critical value of shear rate, A o c, produces a first- order I-N transition, with A o c increasing with temperature. This transition is evidenced by the formation of elongated nematic (birefringent) domains in the isotropic matrix, accompanied by a drastic decrease in shear viscosity ( ). Remarkably, the nematic domains that form for A o> A o care optically uniform under cross-polarized optical microscopy; i.e., they are apparently free of disclinations (defects), typical of textured TLCPs. The flow-induced I-N transition in PSHQ10 is found to be reversible; i.e., upon cessation of shear flow, the domains melt to the original isotropic phase and the dynamic moduli rise toward the pretransition values. The observed flow-induced I-N transition may find important applications, such as envisaging new routes for processing TLCPs with better mechanical properties and helping to understand bioprocesses such as silk thread spinning.
The 100 Most Eminent Psychologists of the 20th Century

A rank-ordered list was constructed that reports the first 99 of the 100 most eminent psychologists of the 20th century. Eminence was measured by scores on 3 quantitative variables and 3 qualitativ...
Compromising Positions: Or, the Unhappy Transformations Of a “Transformative Intellectual”

This essay chronicles the author's attempts to enact his own ethical and political ideals within a university system that often seems inhospitable to these goals and aspirations. Beginning from the notion that organizational life is in part defined by the struggles between individual “creativity” and institutional “constraint,” the essay describes the author's often unsuccessful efforts to reconcile professional self-identity with institutional reality and his persistent failure to achieve a workable balance between private goals and organizational demands. The author's commitment to critical scholarship and transformative pedagogy is interrogated in light of postmodern understandings of power, resistance, and the place of the critical intellectual in the university system. The essay concludes with a consideration of how an explicit embrace of the ethical might serve as the starting point for professional renewal, though such a project is also seen to hold its own set of very real paradoxes and contradictions.
Nanosecond Laser Ablation of Titanium in Air and Water: The Time-Resolved Observation and Post-Process Characterizations

Titanium has lots of competitive applications in aerospace, biomedical and many other areas due to its special properties. However, the machining of titanium using conventional mechanical approaches often has serious tool wear and low efficiency. Laser ablation can potentially provide a good solution for titanium micromachining. In this paper, nanosecond laser ablation of titanium in air and water has been studied. The laser ablation rate, laser-induced plasma, the ablated surface profile and chemical composition change have been studied, and the results are discussed.Copyright © 2010 by ASME
Analysis and Semantic Querying in Large Biomedical Image Datasets

Biomedical image analysis plays an important role in diagnosing, prognosing, and treating complex diseases. The authors describe a set of techniques for analyzing, processing, and querying large image datasets using semantic and spatial information.
Simulation of SECM Approach Curves for Heterogeneous Metal Surfaces

Many alloys possess a heterogeneous surface exhibiting a varying electron transfer rate across the surface. For example, the aluminum alloy AA 2024-T3 consists of Cu-containing intermetallic inclusions that are rather sparsely distributed within the Al alloy matrix. The electron transfer rate on the matrix and at the Cu sites can be estimated from probe approach curves using scanning electrochemical microscopy (SECM). Such information is useful for understanding corrosion of the alloy and/or electrodeposition (e.g., of polymer coatings) on the alloy. While measurement of the electron transfer rate on the matrix is straightforward, measurement at the Cu sites is problematic since these sites are small (on the micron scale) and are surrounded by matrix at which electron transfer may also occur, a situation that has not been modeled previously. In this work we use COMSOL Multiphysics software to generate approach curves for an irreversible electron transfer reaction at a site of small dimension surrounded by a matrix that exhibits slower (or faster) electron transfer rate. Of particular interest are the influences of site size and the ratio of the rate constants (at the site and matrix) on the approach curves. Initial attempts at fitting experimental data with this alloy model are also described.
Acute Pain and Posttraumatic Stress After Pediatric Injury

Objective Using a prospective, longitudinal design, we examined the relationship between acute pain and posttraumatic stress symptoms (PTSS) in youth following injury. Methods Children aged 8–17 years who sustained an injury (N ¼ 243) and their parents participated in baseline interviews to assess children’s worst pain since injury. 6 months later, participants completed follow-up interviews to assess child PTSS. Results Pain as assessed by the Color Analogue Pain Scale (CAS) predicted PTSS 6 months after injury, even when controlling for demographic and empirically based risk factors. On the other hand, pain as assessed by the Faces Pain Rating Scale was not a significant independent predictor of PTSS. Conclusions The CAS may be a useful addition to existing screening tools for PTSS among children. Additional research is warranted to understand underlying mechanisms linking acute pain and PTSS to improve assessment, prevention, and treatment approaches and promote optimal recovery after pediatric injury.
Women's health and end-of-life decision making

T he recent American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) Committee on Ethics (COE) opinion titled End-of-Life Decision Making: Understanding the Goals of Care, is helpful in its clarity and simplicity but striking for its lack of any new or bold recommendati0ns.i The document essentially reviews now well-established ethical and legal standards for the right to decide and the right to refuse medical treatment at the end of life. The adult competent patient has the almost absolute right to refuse any treatment, whether it be at the end of life or at any other point in medical care. The COE opinion also reviews clear and well-established principles in ethics and law dealing with the right to refuse treatment of an incompetent patient who, while previously competent, had completed an advance directive such as a living will, durable power of attorney, or designated a health care proxy. Pressing areas not addressed by the COE opinion include what to do when an incompetent patient has not issued an advance directive, as well as when a patient who is incompetent has never been competent. Questions arise surrounding who should act as an appropriate surrogate decision maker and what the scope and limits of surrogates acting in the best interests of the incompetent patient are. Also not addressed in the COE opinion are the more contemporary questions, such as what the limits of the right to demand treatment at the end-of-life are. As we approach the 21s.t Century, questions persist regarding the ethical and legal ramifications of such problems as medical futility, marginally beneficial care, medically necessary care, and distributive justice. This commentary will address three areas discussed in the ACOG COE opinion that are particular to obstetricians and gynecologists (ob/gyns). First is the role of ob/gyns in discussing advance directives with terminally ill women. Although I agree that ob/gyns may have the opportunity to explore these issues with their patients, one might question whether they are adequately trained or able to carry out this function. I also question the motive of ACOG in labeling all ob/gyns as providers who serve their patients in a primary care role. Second, I will address the issue of decisional bias against women. This is
Bronchioloalveolar Carcinoma Masquerading as Pneumonia

Bronchioloalveolar carcinoma (BAC) is a relatively rare adenocarcinoma that typically arises in the lung periphery and grows along alveolar walls, without destroying the lung parenchyma. It is often multicentric and may arise from a previously stable scar. Because the parenchyma is preserved and because BAC may arise simultaneously in multiple lobes, the chest radiograph and symptoms (cough, chest pain, and sputum production) may be indistinguishable from pneumonia or other noninfectious inflammatory processes (eg, hypersensitivity pneumonitis or bronchiolitis obliterans). The clinician should suspect BAC if what otherwise appears to be pneumonia lacks fever or leukocytosis or does not respond to antibiotics. BAC accounts for 2.6-4.3 % of all lung cancers. On a radiograph, BAC often appears as a solitary nodule, but may also appear as a patchy, lobar or multilobar infiltrates, often with air bronchograms indistinguishable from pneumonia. Positron-emission tomography does not help distinguish BAC from pneumonia. Among BAC patients, 62% present without symptoms and with only an abnormal radiograph, whereas 38% present with symptoms of cough, chest pain, and sputum production. Bronchoscopy is usually normal. Preoperative diagnosis with transbronchial biopsy, bronchoscopic cytology examination, or expectorated sputum cytology is more common with the diffuse or multicentric forms. Cure depends on complete resection. A trial of antibiotics and reassessment of clinical findings is a reasonable approach, but biopsy or cytology is the only means of ruling in malignancy and ruling out other etiologies, so biopsy should always be considered when a presumed pneumonia does not respond to antibiotics. I saw a 61-year-old man whose initial diagnosis was pneumonia. He took a 10-day course of oral azithromycin, but his symptoms and chest radiograph were unchanged. A tomogram showed interstitial prominence and peripheral air-space disease in the right upper and lower lobes. Transbronchial biopsy of the right upper lobe showed Clara cells, with substantial atypia and various nuclear-cytoplasmic ratios. The underlying pulmonary architecture was preserved and no invasive component was seen. The diagnosis was changed to nonmucinous BAC. Pneumonectomy was successful and he was cancer-free for about 10 months, after which the cancer returned and from which he eventually died.
Direct measurement of through-plane thermal conductivity and contact resistance in fuel cell materials

An experimental study to determine the through-plane thermal conductivity of dry Nafion ® , various diffusion media, catalyst layer, and the thermal contact resistance between diffusion media and a metal plate as a function of temperature and pressure was performed. Dry Nafion ® thermal conductivity was determined to be 0.16 ± 0.03 W m −1 K −1 at room temperature, which decreases to 0.13 ± 0.02 W m −1 K −1 at 65 ◦ C. Diffusion media thermal conductivity was found to be function of PTFE content and manufacturer, and was 0.48 ± 0.09 W m −1 K −1 for untreated and 0.22 ± 0.04 W m −1 K −1 for 20 wt.% PTFE treated SIGRACET ® diffusion media, respectively. Toray diffusion media thermal conductivity was measured to be 1.80 ± 0.27 W m −1 K −1 at 26 ◦ C and decreases to 1.24 ± 0.19 W m −1 Ka t 73 ◦ C. The thermal contact resistance between Toray carbon paper and aluminium bronze material was determined to vary from 6.7 × 10 −4 to 2.0 × 10 −4 m 2 KW −1 for an increase in compression pressure from 0.4 to 2.2 MPa. The equivalent thermal conductivity of a 0.5 mg cm −2 platinum loaded catalyst layer was estimated to be 0.27 ± 0.05 W m −1 K −1 .A one-dimensional analytical model was also used to estimate the temperature drop in the fuel cell components. A maximum of 3–4 ◦ C temperature drop can be expected for a 200m thick SIGRACET ® diffusion media at 1 A cm −2 . The thermal properties characterized should be useful to help
Produktdifferenzierung für Software-as-a-Service-Anbieter

Der Markt fur das neue Softwarebereitstellungsmodell Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) hat eine beachtliche Grose erreicht und weist weiterhin starke Wachstumsraten auf. Durch eine Produktdifferenzierung konnen Anbieter ihre Marktposition verbessern und Gewinne vergrosern, in dem sie sich erfolgreich im Spannungsfeld von Kundenakquise, Preissetzung und Kosten bewegen. Im Rahmen dieses Beitrags werden zunachst die Unterschiede bei der Differenzierung von SaaS-Produkten im Vergleich zu auf klassischem Wege bereitgestellter Software untersucht. Dann wird ein mikrookonomisches Modell zur Gewinnmaximierung von SaaS-Anbietern vorgestellt, in welchem die Granularitat der Softwareservices optimiert wird. Der Kernbeitrag dieser Arbeit liegt darin, einen Ansatz zur Formalisierung von Uberlegungen zur Produktdifferenzierung bei SaaS-Angeboten zu liefern und zudem variable Reproduktionskosten in einem derartigen Modell fur Web-basierte Softwareangebote erstmalig zu berucksichtigen. Das Modell wird anhand eines Fallbeispiels mit Daten eines SaaS-Anbieters verdeutlicht.
Age and a single day-14 β-HCG can predict ongoing pregnancy following IVF

The current study was undertaken to investigate the use of beta human chorionic gonadotrophin (beta-HCG) concentration and other significant factors to predict the likelihood of an IVF pregnancy progressing to detection of cardiac activity by ultrasound, and to create data tables which can be used for patient counselling. A retrospective data analysis was undertaken of 1374 IVF cycles performed from January 1997 to July 2007, resulting in 662 pregnancies. Maternal age (P = 0.0005), day-14 (P < 0.001) and day-16 (P < 0.001) post-oocyte aspiration beta-HCG concentrations were found to be significant in predicting pregnancy outcome. Multiple logistic regression modelling revealed that the most accurate predictive model used a single day-14 beta-HCG concentration and maternal age. Day-14 and day-16 beta-HCG concentrations were highly correlated, with the addition of a day-16 concentration adding no additional predictive value. Ongoing pregnancy rates were proportional to day-14 beta-HCG concentration and inversely proportional to maternal age. The multiple pregnancy incidence increased proportionally with the initial beta-HCG concentration. Thus, for the counselling of patients following IVF, a single day-14 post-oocyte-aspiration beta-HCG concentration and maternal age are most predictive of the pregnancy continuing to detection of cardiac activity by ultrasound.
A global address space framework for locality aware scheduling of block-sparse computations

In this paper, we present a mechanism for automatic management of the memory hierarchy, including secondary storage, in the context of a global address space parallel programming framework. The programmer specifies the parallelism and locality in the computation. The scheduling of the computation into stages, together with the movement of the associated data between secondary storage and global memory, and between global memory and local memory, is automatically managed. A novel formulation of hypergraph partitioning is used to model the optimization problem of minimizing disk I/O. Experimental evaluation using a sub-computation from the quantum chemistry domain shows a reduction in the disk I/O cost by up to a factor of 11, and a reduction in turnaround time by up to 49%, as compared to alternative approaches used in state-of-the-art quantum chemistry codes.
Peripheral vascular complications of coronary angioplasty by the femoral and brachial techniques

In order to monitor the incidence and types of peripheral vascular complications in a single institution, we prospectively entered 1,579 coronary angioplasty cases into a computer data base during the years 1991 and 1992. Various periprocedural risk factors were analyzed. The patients were followed closely to identify complications that occurred outside the laboratory or after discharge from the hospital. Peripheral vascular complications occurred in 37 patients (2.37%) and included hematoma 20 (1.27%), retroperitoneal bleeding 7 (.44%), false aneurysm 6 (.38%), occlusion 1 (.06%), infection 2 (.13%), and cholesterol emboli 1 (.06%). Risk factors for complications by multivariate analysis were older age, female gender, and clinical evidence of peripheral vascular disease. Other factors potentially related to vascular trauma or bleeding tendency that were not risk factors in this series were clinical presentation, use of heparin or thrombolytic agents, blood clotting parameters, and arterial sheath size. There was no significant difference between the femoral and brachial approaches in frequency of complications (2.5% vs. 1.6%), but femoral complications tended to carry greater morbidity.