cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
A selective SEM study of grains from the Permian Yellow Sands of north- east England

Examination of some 70 sand grains from three exposures of Permian Yellow Sands in County Durham, north-east England, throws light on their environment of deposition. Although more than half of the surface of most grains is covered with features produced during diagenesis, the remainder bears abundant features, especially cleavage (‘upturned’) plates, indistinguishable from those on sand grains now being blown about in large hot deserts. The spacing of cleavage plates on a single sample of grains of Yellow Sands when compared with that produced today in known wind speeds suggests that the Permian grains were subjected to stronger winds than those now prevailing in parts of the Libyan and Algerian Sahara. No overprinted features indicative of shallow marine redeposition of the Yellow Sands have been recognized on any of the grains examined.
Sharecroppers, war, and social change in central Italy1

Abstract The fall of fascism and disruption of World War II made rapid change to the mezzadria (sharecropping) system of central Italy seem possible and timely. Similar efforts to improve the sharecroppers' position in the years immediately after World War I were terminated by the rise of fascism and fascist agricultural policies. More politically astute attempts failed after World War II as well, frustrated by landowner refusal to allow interference with private property and related traditions, and by De Gasperi's ‘Judgment’ that barely modified the system. Rather than fundamental change to make a ‘fairer’, more beneficial system for the sharecropper in the postwar years, the mezzadria system died out slowly during the subsequent decades as sharecropper youth chose to leave the land.
Effect of Nuclear Radiation on Magnet Insulation in High-Energy Accellerators

Magnet coil insulation consists of inorganic materials such as glass fiber, fillers, and organic thermosetting resins. Most of the usual insulation systems are damaged if subjected to high radiation levels such as those anticipated at the Stanford Linear Accelerator, where the expected dose rate may be as high as 1011 rads per year. This paper describes tests carried out at SLAC in which several commercially available insulations were found to deteriorate severely at total absorbed doses of as low as 1010 rads. Changes in molecular structure induced by radiation effects and degradation of electrical and mechanical properties are discussed. The development and testing of an organic insulation using pure Al2O3 filler which retained about 25% of its original strength at an absorbed radiation level of 3.25×1014 ergs.gr-l will be described. This insulation required minor changes in the usual winding and potting technique prevalent in the industry.
The scattering properties of cometary dust

Abstract The dust particles in different comets exhibit generally similar scattering properties. Polarization is characterized by a small negative branch at scattering angles θ >160° and a maximum of 15–25% near 90° in red light. The material is, on average, very dark, with geometric albedo of 3–5% at visual to near-infrared wavelengths for comets within 2.5 AU of the sun. The scattering properties are consistent with a mixture of silicate and carbonaceous material, as measured by the Halley space probes. In comparing comets, there is a correlation of stronger polarization, redder polarimetric color, higher albedo, stronger infrared silicate emission, and higher infrared color temperature. Aggregate particles having constituent grain size parameters X ⩾1.5 show promise in matching the observed scattering properties. An enhancement in the abundance of small silicate grains with X ∼1.5–2 at 0.5 μm wavelength may cause the higher polarization, higher albedo, and stronger silicate emission in comets such as Hale-Bopp.
Book Review: General Reconstructive Surgery

Gregory R. D. Evans, MD Garrett A. Wirth, MD General Reconstructive Surgery. Procedures in Reconstructive Surgery Series. Philadelphia, PA: Saunders Ltd; 2008. Hardcover and DVD. ISBN-10: 0702029254 ISBN-13: 978-0702029257 ![][1] One of the most useful books on my shelf, especially as I prepared for cases in the operating room or studied for the oral American board exams, was Operative Plastic Surgery , published in 2000 by McGraw-Hill and edited by Dr. Greg Evans. That textbook was a commonsense, organized, relevant approach to many of the bread-and-butter procedures in plastic surgery. To this day, I cite it as a necessary volume to those who ask for recommendations. I recently read the follow-up text General Reconstructive Surgery , which was coedited by Drs. Evans and Wirth. This book is one of a four-volume set meant … [1]: /embed/graphic-1.gif
Editorial: Occupation inference through detection and classification of biographical activities

Dealing with biographical information (e.g., biography generation, answering biography-related questions, etc.) requires the identification of important activities in the life of the individual in question. While there are activities that can be used in any biography (e.g., person was born on a particular date, person lived in a particular location, etc.), many activities used in biographies tend to be occupation-related, others are person-specific. Hence, occupation gives important clues as to which activities should be included in the biography. In this paper, we present a methodology for identifying a three-level hierarchy of biographical activities: those activities that apply to the general population, those activities that are occupation-related, and those activities that are person-specific. We use the obtained occupation-related activities as features for a multi-class SVM classifier to identify the occupation of a previously unseen individual. We also show that the activities automatically obtained from text can be used as features not only for a classification task but for a clustering task as well. We show that, given the correct number of clusters, people belonging to the same occupation are clustered together. At the same time, clustering people into a smaller number of classes allows the grouping of practitioners of the occupations that share a considerable number of occupation-related activities. Thus, analyzing descriptions of people belonging to various occupations, we can build a hierarchy of occupations.
Sharp Lp-bounds for a perturbation of Burkholderʼs Martingale Transform

Abstract Let { d k } k ⩾ 1 be a real martingale difference in L p [ 0 , 1 ) , where 1 p ∞ , and { e k } k ⩾ 1 ⊂ { ± 1 } . We obtain the following generalization of Burkholderʼs famous result. If τ ∈ [ − 1 2 , 1 2 ] and n ∈ Z + then ‖ ∑ k = 1 n ( e k d k , τ d k ) ‖ L p ( [ 0 , 1 ) , R 2 ) ⩽ ( ( p ⁎ − 1 ) 2 + τ 2 ) 1 2 ‖ ∑ k = 1 n d k ‖ L p ( [ 0 , 1 ) , R ) , where ( ( p ⁎ − 1 ) 2 + τ 2 ) 1 2 is sharp and p ⁎ − 1 = max { p − 1 , 1 p − 1 } .
Advertising and behavior control

Advertisers often have been accused of using techniques which manipulate and control the behavior of consumers and hence violate their autonomy. Some of these techniques are puffery, subliminal advertising, and indirect information transfer. After examining both criticisms and defenses of such practices, this paper presents an analysis of four of the concepts involved in the debate — the concepts of autonomous desire, rational desire, free choice, and control. Applying the results to the case of advertising, it is shown that advertising cannot be found guilty of intrinsically or frequently violating the consumer's autonomy in any of the relevant senses of this notion.
Deliberate exposure and blocking of obsessive-compulsive rituals: Immediate and long-term effects.

The present experiment was designed to examine the separate and combined effects of exposure and blocking of ritualistic behavior on obsessive-compulsive symptoms. Thirty-two patients with a primary diagnosis of obsessive-compulsive disorder were assigned to one of three treatment groups: exposure in vivo only, response prevention only and the combination of these two procedures. Assessments were conducted before treatment, three days after completion of treatment, and at follow-ups 3, 6, and 12 months later. All three groups were significantly improved on most measures of symptomatology, with some tendency for partial loss of gains at follow-up, particularly for the single-component treatments. Overall, combined treatment produced greater changes in anxiety and rituals than did the single component treatments. There was some evidence for the specificity of the treatment effects: exposure affected anxiety to contaminants significantly more than did response prevention; a tendency for the latter procedure to impact more on ritualistic behavior was also observed. Possible mechanisms which may be operative during these procedures are discussed in light of conceptualizations of processing of fear-associated information.
A Gaussian Approximation to the Distribution of a Definite Quadratic Form

Abstract Let Qk = Σk j-1 cj(xj + aj)2 be a definite quadratic form in independent standardized Gaussian variables, xj, EQk = 01. The normalizing transformation (Qk/01)h is investigated, where h is determined by the first three moments of Qk. A new Gaussian approximation to the noncentral chi-square (x2) distribution is found for which the coefficient of skewness is smaller than a cube root transformation in the literature. Our transformation specializes to the cube root transformation of Wilson and Hilferty for the central x2 distribution. The approximation is simple to apply and compares well with other approximations in a number of cases studied numerically.
Bone mass continues to increase at the hip after parathyroid hormone treatment is discontinued in glucocorticoid-induced osteoporosis: results of a randomized controlled clinical trial.

Glucocorticoid-induced osteoporosis is the most common secondary cause of osteoporosis. In this 24-month study, we report changes in bone turnover and bone mass after 12 months of daily injections of human parathyroid hormone 1–34 [hPTH(1–34)] and 12 months off treatment in postmenopausal women (mean age, 63 years) with osteoporosis treated with glucocorticoid and hormone replacement therapy. Response to the treatment was assessed with bone mineral density (BMD) measurements of the lumbar spine by quantitative computed tomography (QCT); BMD measurements of the lumbar spine, hip, and forearm by dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA); and biochemical markers of bone turnover. The mean (± SEM) change in BMD of the lumbar spine by QCT and DXA in the PTH group at 24 months was 45.9 ± 6.4% and 12.6 ± 2.2% (p < 0.001). The change in total hip and femoral neck BMD was not significant at 12 months but increased to 4.7 ± 0.9% (p < 0.01) and 5.2 ± 1.3% at 24 months, respectively, as compared with a relatively small change of 1.3 ± 0.9% and 2.6 ± 1.7% in the estrogen-only group. The mean percent differences in BMD of the lumbar spine by QCT and DXA between the groups at 24 months were 43.1% and 11.9%, respectively (p < 0.001). The mean percent differences over the estrogen-only group in hip BMD were 3.4% for total hip (p < 0.01) and 2.6% for femoral neck at 24 months. Biochemical markers of bone turnover increased to more than 150% during the first 6 months of therapy, remained elevated throughout the 12-month treatment period, and returned to baseline values within 6 months of discontinuing the PTH treatment. These results suggest that PTH dramatically increases bone mass in the lumbar spine and hip in postmenopausal women with glucocorticoid-induced osteoporosis who are taking hormone replacement therapy. However, the maximum effect of this anabolic agent on bone mass at the hip after 12 months of treatment requires at least 6–12 months after the PTH treatment is discontinued (J Bone Miner Res 2000;15:944–951)
Association of cardiolipin and cytochrome oxidase

Abstract A small amount of cardiolipin (diphosphatidyl glycerol) is tightly bound to cytochrome oxidase. The stoichiometry approaches one molecule of cardiolipin per molecule of cytochrome a. Solvent extraction and phospholipase treatments which remove or destroy other phospholipids and the bulk cardiolipin do not effect this tightly bound cardiolipin. Potential oxidase activity and membrane formation potential are lost when the tightly bound cardiolipin is removed. This cardiolipin is very similar in fatty acid composition to the total mitochondrial cardiolipin.
Contrasting models of library work group performance

The performance of 43 library work groups was assessed by means of supervisor's ratings. Characteristics of the groups' tasks, membership, leadership, structure, and process were measured by averaging their members' responses to factors of theWork Group Survey. Subsets of groups were formed by classifying the 43-group population into “professional” vs. “nonprofessional” samples. Correlates of group performance were determined for each. In the professional groups, the unique correlates of performance were (1) expertise, (2) mature interpersonal processes, and (3) task goal clarity. In contrast, the correlates of performance in the nonprofessional groups were (1) performance-contingent rewards, (2) member retention, (3) supervisory behavior, and (4) workflow efficiency. The implications of these findings for both organization theorists and change agents are discussed.
New measurement of the altitude dependence of the atmospheric muon intensity

We present a new measurement of atmospheric muons made during an ascent of the High Energy Antimatter Telescope balloon experiment. The muon charge ratio ${\ensuremath{\mu}}^{+}/{\ensuremath{\mu}}^{\ensuremath{-}}$ as a function of atmospheric depth in the momentum interval 0.3--0.9 GeV/c is presented. The differential ${\ensuremath{\mu}}^{\ensuremath{-}}$ intensities in the 0.3--50 GeV/c range and for atmospheric depths between $4--960\text{ }\text{ }\mathrm{g}/{\mathrm{c}\mathrm{m}}^{2}$ are also presented. We compare these results with other measurements and model predictions. We find that our charge ratio is $\ensuremath{\sim}1.1$ for all atmospheric depths and is consistent, within errors, with other measurements and the model predictions. We find that our measured ${\ensuremath{\mu}}^{\ensuremath{-}}$ intensities are also consistent with other measurements, and with the model predictions, except at shallow atmospheric depths.
INVESTIGATION OF IMPACT STRESSES INDUCED IN LABORATORY DYNAMIC COMPACTION OF SOFT SOILS

The majority of currently available analytical tools to predict ground stresses due to impact are based on linear spring-dashpot dynamic models. Although these simple models adequately represent stiff ground possessing linear visco-elastic behaviour, they suffer from two striking limitations when applied to relatively softer ground; (1) the inability to account for the permanent deformation resulting from impact, (2) failure to incorporate stiffness changes of softer soil within the impact duration. In this paper, the authors present an improved analytical approach formulated on the basis of a series of laboratory impact tests, to address the shortcomings of the current dynamic models in relation to soft soils. In this procedure, the impact zone is modelled as three distinct zones; (1) a zone beneath the falling weight undergoing non-linear axial deformation while being in vertical motion, (2) an inner zone immediately surrounding zone 1 with non-linear shear deformation, and (3) an outer zone undergoing a relatively lower degree of (linear) shear deformation. The soil constitutive parameters pertinent to the model are obtained from a modified dynamic compression test that simulates the impact conditions. It is shown that analytical predictions of the impact stress history and penetration are in agreement with test results. The findings are useful in the exploration of dynamic compaction techniques that will be effective in soft soil improvement.
Common-emitter current gain of Al/sub x/Ga/sub 1-x/As/GaAs/GaAs heterojunction bipolar transistors operating at small collector current

A recently developed current gain model, which accounts for high-current effects and can adequately characterize the current gain at high collector current, is improved by including both interfacial and bulk space-charge-region recombination currents, resulting in a comprehensive model that predicts the current gain more accurately at small collector currents. Comparison of the model and measured data for an Al/sub 0.25/Ga/sub 0.75//GaAs/GaAs heterojunction bipolar transistor is included in support of the model. >
Genetic loci affecting bone structure and strength in inbred COP and DA rats.

Previous studies have shown that the Copenhagen 2331 (COP) and Dark Agouti (DA) rats have significant differences in bone structure and strength despite their similar body mass. Thus, these inbred rat strains may provide a unique resource to identify the genetics underlying the phenotypic variation in bone fragility. A sample of 828 (405 males and 423 females) COP × DA F2 progeny had extensive phenotyping for bone structure measures including cortical bone area and polar moment of inertia at the femur midshaft and total, cortical and trabecular bone areas, for the lumbar vertebra 5 (L5). Bone strength phenotypes included ultimate force, stiffness and work to failure of femur and L5. These skeletal phenotypes were measured using peripheral quantitative computed tomography (pQCT) and mechanical testing. A whole-genome screen was conducted in the F2 rats, using microsatellite markers spaced at approximately 20 cM intervals. Genetic marker maps were generated from the F2 data and used for genome-wide linkage analyses to detect linkage to the bone structure and strength phenotypes. Permutation testing was employed to obtain the thresholds for genome-wide significance (p<0.01). Significant QTL for femur structure and strength were identified on chromosome (Chr) 1 with a maximum LOD score of 33.5; evidence of linkage was found in both the male and female rats. In addition, Chrs 6, 7, 10, 13, 15 and 18 were linked to femur midshaft structure. QTL linked to femur strength were identified on Chrs 5 and 10. For L5 vertebrae, Chrs 2, 16, and 18 harbored QTL for cortical structure and trabecular structure for L5 was linked to Chrs 1, 7, 12, and 18. One female-specific QTL for femur ultimate force was identified on Chr 5, and two male-specific QTL for L5 cortical area were found on Chrs 2 and 18. Our study demonstrates strong evidence of linkage for bone structure and strength to multiple rat chromosomes.
Gene Delivery of a Viral Anti-Inflammatory Protein to Combat Ocular Inflammation

Abstract Inflammation of the retina is a contributing factor in ocular diseases such as uveitis, diabetic retinopathy, and age-related macular degeneration (AMD). The M013 immunomodulatory protein from myxoma virus has been shown to interfere with the proinflammatory signaling pathways involving both the NLRP3 inflammasome and NF-κB. We have developed and characterized an adeno-associated viral (AAV) vector that delivers a secretable and cell-penetrating form of the M013 protein (TatM013). The expressed TatM013 protein was secreted and blocked the endotoxin-induced secretion of interleukin (IL)-1β in monocyte-derived cells and the reactive aldehyde-induced secretion of IL-1β in retinal pigment epithelium cells. The local anti-inflammatory effects of AAV-delivered TatM013 were evaluated in an endotoxin-induced uveitis (EIU) mouse model after intravitreal injection of mice with an AAV2-based vector carrying either TatM013 fused to a secreted green fluorescent protein (GFP) tag (sGFP-TatM013) or GFP. Express...
Geometry of Reactant Centers in the CoII-Substrate Radical Pair State of Coenzyme B12-Dependent Ethanolamine Deaminase Determined by Using Orientation-Selection-ESEEM Spectroscopy

The distances and orientations among the C5‘ methyl group of 5‘-deoxyadenosine, the radical-bearing C1 carbon of the substrate radical, and the low spin (S=1/2) CoII in cob(II)alamin in the active site of coenzyme B12-dependent ethanolamine deaminase from Salmonella typhimurium have been characterized in the CoII-substrate radical pair state by using two-pulse X-band electron spin−echo electron paramagnetic resonance (ESE-EPR) and electron spin−echo envelope modulation (ESEEM) spectroscopies in the disordered solid state. Our approach is based on the orientation-selection created in the EPR spectrum of the biradical by the axial electron−electron dipolar interaction. Simulation of the ESE-EPR line shape yielded CoII-radical exchange and dipole interaction terms, which were used to calculate the CoII-C1 distance of 11.1 A and the dependence of the EPR line shape on the angle between the CoII-C1 axis and the magnetic field vector. ESEEM spectroscopy performed at four magnetic field values addressed the coup...
Associations between eating occasions and places of consumption among adults

The objective of this study was to determine whether places of consumption are associated with types of eating occasions. Data on dietary behaviors of 226 adults in five U.S. cities were collected in food diaries for one week. Types of eating occasions and places of consumption were recorded. Eating occasions were defined as occurrences of meal, snack, beverage, and non-fruit dessert consumption. Nearly one-third of eating occasions occurred at non-designated eating places. Repeated measure generalized linear models were used to assess the associations between types of eating occasions and places where food was consumed. Snacking on low-nutrient foods were more likely to occur in non-designated eating places. Snacking was more likely at work than at home, and sugar sweetened beverage consumption was more likely at food service outlets than at home. The finding that places of consumption were associated with different types of eating occasions suggests that contextual characteristics of a place are important in individual eating behaviors. Policies and programs aiming to promote healthy eating should leverage contextual characteristics of eating environments.
Aqueous solubilities of praseodymium, europium, and lutetium sulfates

The aqueous solubilities of finely divided Pr2(SO4)3·8H2O(cr), Eu2(SO4)3·8H2O(cr), and Lu2(SO4)3·8H2O(cr) have been measured as a function of time at 25°C using isothermal saturation. Solubilities of the latter two salts showed a steady decrease with time, whereas Pr2(SO4)3·8H2O(cr) showed no such variation within the accuracy of the determinations. The turbidities of these filtered saturated solutions also decreased with time, and indicate that some colloidal rare earth sulfates were present. These colloidal particles (<0.2 μm) have a large surface area, which contributes to the Gibbs energy of the solid phase, thus giving rise to enhanced solubilities. The micro-particles also grow with time, thereby reducing the surface area contribution to the Gibbs energy and also leaving fewer particles to pass through the filters. Extrapolation of solubilities to infinite time gives the solubilities of macrocurstalline Eu2(SO4)3·8H2O and Lu2(SO4)3·8H2O. Previous solubility data for Lu2(SO4)3, at 20 and 40°C, yield an interpolated value at 25°C that is about 30% low. Densities were also measured at several concentrations of each salt.
Evaluating dispatching consequences of automatic vehicle location in emergency services

Abstract Automatic vehicle location (AVL) systems present to the dispatcher of emergency response units (e.g., police cars, ambulances) the estimated real time locations of units within his service area. Building on a recently developed hypercube queuing model, this paper presents a Markov process model for computing the operating characteristics of the radio-dispatched fleet operating under a policy that dispatches the closest available unit to each call for service (implying use of a perfect resolution AVL system). The model accommodates a realistic description of the service area and rather general spatial deployment policies for units. In implementing the model for efficient computer execution, the focus is on computation and storage minimizing procedures for generating the state-to-state Markov transition rates. One useful technique involves the effective application of a recently developed backward regenerative unit-step tour of the hypercube. The algorithmic procedures generalize to computer solutions of MIMIN queuing systems with distinguishable servers, different customer classes, and a cost structure for assigning servers (who may be in one of several “postures”) to customers of each class. The paper concludes with a realistic nine-unit police example that indicates the general ways in which AVL dispatching improves (and degrades) system performance.
Further studies of radio transmission in geophysical investigations

At previous meetings of the Section of Terrestrial Magnetism and Electricity of the American Geophysical Union, the apparent correlations of the intensity of radio reception with solar activity and the positions of the Moon have been reported, adding some further evidence to the interrelation of radio transmission to cosmic phenomena. In earlier reports to the Section of Geodesy of the Union small variations in latitude and longitude have likewise appeared to correlate with the position of the Moon at the time star—observations are made.
Apparatus modifications for experimental cryogenic surgery of cancer.

Abstract A device has been described to conveniently position and hold several microthermocouples for measuring temperature changes in tissues subjected to cryogenic temperatures. Probe sleeves with different tip surface areas and configurations were fashioned to study variations in surface contact and heat transfer to tumor implants. Tumors were frozen until an iceball of standard size was achieved, extending visibly beyond gross tumor margins into normal adjacent tissues. The effects of varying probe-tip surface area and number of freezes were evaluated with respect to temperature changes in the frozen tissues and effectiveness of tumor control. Wide ranges of tissue temperature change resulted from varying these conditions, even though the visible iceball size was kept constant. Repeated freezing with either probe tip increased tumor cure rates. Relatively large tip-to-tumor contact area produced greater depth of subfreezing temperatures more promptly in the target area and led to superior tumor control as compared to the smaller probe.
Low-power 3D nano/CMOS hybrid dynamically reconfigurable architecture

In order to continue technology scaling beyond CMOS, diverse nanoarchitectures have been proposed in recent years based on emerging nanodevices, such as nanotubes, nanowires, etc. Among them, some hybrid nano/CMOS reconfigurable architectures enjoy the advantage that they can be fabricated using photolithography. NATURE is one such architecture that we have proposed recently. It comprises CMOS reconfigurable logic and CMOS fabrication-compatible nano RAMs. It uses distributed high-density and fast nano RAMs as on-chip storage for storing multiple reconfiguration copies, enabling fine-grain cycle-by-cycle reconfiguration. It supports a highly efficient computational model, called temporal logic folding, which makes possible more than an order of magnitude improvement in logic density and area-delay product, significant power reduction, and significant design flexibility in performing area-delay trade-offs.In this article, we extend NATURE in various dimensions, evaluating various FPGA approaches in the context of today's emerging technologies. First, we explore the introduction of embedded coarse-grain modules in the fine-grain NATURE architecture and present a unified dynamically reconfigurable architecture, which can significantly enhance NATURE's computation power for data-dominated applications. Second, we explore a 3D architecture for NATURE in which the nano RAM for reconfiguration storage is on one layer and the rest of the CMOS logic on another layer. This leads to further improvements in logic density and performance. Finally, we explore the possibility of using FinFETs, an emerging double-gate CMOS technology, to implement NATURE. Since power consumption is an important consideration in the deep nanometer regime, especially for FPGAs, we present a back-gate biasing methodology for flexible threshold voltage adjustment in FinFETs to significantly reduce NATURE's power consumption. Simulation results demonstrate the efficacy of the proposed methods.
Cylindrical flow of a fluid containing deformable structures

Abstract This is an investigation of the steady axial and angular flow of a non-rigid micro (structured) fluid in an infinitely long cylinder. The analytic solutions to the equations of motion obtained here reveal a number of interesting results. These include multimaxima velocity profiles, counter pressure gradient flow and velocity profiles similar to those for turbulent flow in a cylinder. Possible applications of the theory are discussed.
EFFECT OF SIZE MATCHING FOR ULTRASENSITIVE DETECTION OF PROTEIN BIOMARKERS

"Label-free" biomolecule sensors are designed and fabricated utilizing polystyrene microparticles and gold nanoparticles as sensing elements for quantification of the ultrasensitive cardiac biomarker troponin-T. A powerful diagnostic tool electrochemical impedance spectroscopy, used to characterize significant changes at biomolecular level, has been employed to detect troponin-T at 10 fg/mL sensitivity in phosphate buffered saline. This paper presents the theory, modeling and experimental study on the behavior of micro and nanoparticles under the influence of applied sinusoidal potential. This paper also demonstrates the advantages of utilizing gold nanoparticles to amplify electrical impedance signals obtained due to particle–biomolecule conjugation for designing electrical immunoassays for detecting troponin-T. The results indicate that electrode design and particle scaling are critical factors that determine the performance for rapid biomolecular analysis. Size-based scaling enhances sensitivity by amplifying the measured signal by an order of 10 when the sizes of the particles were reduced from 5 μm to 5 nm.
Predictions of the bond length and vibrational frequency of Ge2

Abstract We present a pseudopotential local spin density calculation of the bond length, vibrational frequency, and binding energy for the 3 Σ g − state of the germanium dimer. Predictions for the equilibrium bond length and vibrational frequency are given. An overestimate of the binding energy is obtained; this is consistent with other local spin density calculations for sp bonded diatomic molecules.
Atrial fibrillation and flutter outcomes and risk determination (AFFORD): design and rationale.

Summary Background Atrial fibrillation (AF) is the most common sustained arrhythmia affecting over 700,000 individuals in Japan and 2.2 million in the USA. The proper management of patients with AF is critical due to the well-documented association with heart failure and stroke. A strategy to better define the emergency department (ED) management, admission decisions, and spectrum of risk from low to high is needed. Methods and subjects The atrial fibrillation and flutter outcomes and risk determination investigation is a prospective, observational cohort study to develop a multivariable clinical prediction rule that accurately estimates risk for adverse outcomes in patients presenting to the ED with symptomatic AF. We will enroll 430 patients at 2 sites who present to the ED with symptomatic AF defined as a new or established diagnosis of AF or atrial flutter that require ED evaluation for a complaint thought related to their rhythm disturbance. The study's endpoint is to develop an accurate, objective, internally validated, reliable clinical prediction rule to risk-stratify ED patients presenting with AF exacerbations. The rule will incorporate patient history and examination findings and laboratory studies obtained upon ED presentation, as well as trends over the first 2 h of care. This investigation's primary outcome is the incidence of any AF-related adverse event at 5 days and 30 days. We expect to complete the study by the end of 2014. The study was registered at Clinicaltrials.gov NCT01138644 .
What We Know About Homelessness Among Mentally Ill Persons: An Analytical Review and Commentary

Although extensive research on the homeless mentally ill population has been conducted, existing studies have failed to answer three important questions: the prevaknce of chronic mental illness amo...
The ethics of claiming a 60% reduction in HIV acquisition from voluntary medical male circumcision

To the Editor: Dr Masukume recommends that we avoid using the relative risk reduction (RRR) statistic in counselling men on the benefits of voluntary medical male circumcision (VMMC). He makes the following important points that epidemiologists frequently emphasise: RRR is a measure of association that is difficult for patients to understand and a different statistic, i.e. number needed to treat (NNT) (or in this case, number needed to prevent HIV infection), is often a preferable statistic to use when counselling patients about any medical intervention.
Stress positron emission tomography is safe and can guide coronary revascularization in high-risk patients being considered for transcatheter aortic valve replacement.

The safety and accuracy of regadenoson stress positron emission tomography (PET) in patients with significant aortic stenosis (AS) is unknown. In patients undergoing surgical aortic valve replacement, coronary artery bypass grafting for coronary artery disease is standard, but the appropriate revascularization strategy in patients undergoing TAVR is uncertain. Stress PET may identify patients that benefit from revascularization. Fifty consecutive patients who were referred for consideration of TAVR and underwent a stress PET study were retrospectively identified. We assessed major adverse cardiac events and significant decreases in systolic blood pressure. The percentage of jeopardized myocardium was determined by combining ischemic and hibernating myocardium. Our patients were high risk with a mean Society of Thoracic Surgeons mortality score of 11.4% and had severe AS with a moderately reduced left ventricular ejection fraction (EF) (mean aortic valve area of 0.78 ± 0.25 cm2 and mean EF of 39 ± 16%). There were no major adverse events during testing. Transient hypotension occurred in 16% of the patients. Revascularization was performed in 44% of patients, and 91% of these patients had revascularization to territories jeopardized on PET. These patients had substantial jeopardized myocardium (median 19%), and only 3 patients underwent revascularization despite less than 10% jeopardized myocardium. Stress cardiac PET with regadenoson can be performed safely in patients with severe AS. Results of the PET study can accurately direct subsequent revascularization.
Computational studies on the electrocyclizations of 1-amino-1,3,5-hexatrienes.

Electrocyclizations of 1,3,5-hexatrienes containing up to four electron-donating and/or electron withdrawing substituents have been studied computationally using the hybrid density functional, B3LYP. Electron donating substituents at positions C-1 and C-5 decrease activation barriers by 0.3 to 2.3 kcal/mol. Introducing of an electron-withdrawing group, CO2Me, at C-4 further decreases the activation energy by 7 kcal/mol. Electron-withdrawing groups (NO2, SO2Ph and CN+Me2) at C-2 have a profound effect of 17−25 kcal/mol on the activation energy.
Feminist Transformation Deconstructing Prisons and Reconstructing Justice With Criminalized Women

The prison therefore functions ideologically as an abstract site into which undesirables are deposited, relieving us of the responsibility of thinking about the real issues afflicting those communities from which prisoners are drawn in such disproportionate numbers. This is the ideological work that the prison performs; it relieves us of the responsibility of seriously engaging with the problems of our society, especially those produced by racism, and, increasingly, global capitalism.
Intra-articular Injections of the Ankle and Foot

Diagnostic injections of the foot are helpful in evaluating the cause of pain in patients who are candidates for arthrodesis, especially when pain management with medication has failed. The clinical diagnosis is often difficult in these cases, and imaging, including CT and MRI, may prove poor or misleading indicators of the pain source (Newberg 1998; Michell et al. 1995; Khoury et al. 1996). Surgical therapy is often altered by the results of such diagnostic injections (Newberg 1998; Lucas et al. 1997). Specifically, the decision of which and how many joints to fuse can be aided by these procedures (Chow and Brandser 1998). Pain relief from the diagnostic injection of an anesthetic correlates well with symptomatic relief from arthrodesis (Chow and Brandser 1998; Khoury et al. 1996).
The relationship between pulmonary emphysema and kidney function in smokers.

Background It has been reported that the prevalence of kidney dysfunction may be increased in patients exposed to tobacco with airflow obstruction. We hypothesized that kidney dysfunction would associate with emphysema rather than with airflow obstruction measured by the FEV 1 . Methods Five hundred eight current and former smokers completed a chest CT scan, pulmonary function tests, medical questionnaires, and measurement of serum creatinine. Glomerular filtration rates (eGFRs) were estimated using the method of the Chronic Kidney Disease Epidemiology Collaboration. Quantitative determinants of emphysema and airway dimension were measured from multidetector chest CT scans. Results The mean age was 66 ± 7 years, and mean eGFR was 101 ± 22 mL/min/1.73 m 2 . Univariate and multivariate analysis showed a significant association between radiographically measured emphysema and eGFR: Participants with 10% more emphysema had an eGFR that was lower by 4.4 mL/min/1.73 m 2 ( P = .01), independent of airflow obstruction (FEV 1 ), age, sex, race, height, BMI, diabetes mellitus, hypertension, coronary artery disease, patient-reported dyspnea, pack-years of smoking, and current smoking. There was no association between eGFR and either FEV 1 or quantitative CT scan measures of airway dimension. Conclusions More severe emphysema, rather than airflow obstruction, is associated with kidney dysfunction in tobacco smokers, independent of common risk factors for kidney disease. This finding adds to recent observations of associations between emphysema and comorbidities of COPD, including osteoporosis and lung cancer, which are independent of the traditional measure of reduced FEV 1 . The mechanisms and clinical implications of kidney dysfunction in patients with emphysema need further investigation.
SUMO2 is essential while SUMO3 is dispensable for mouse embryonic development

Small ubiquitin-like modifier (SUMO1–3) conjugation plays a critical role in embryogenesis. Embryos deficient in the SUMO-conjugating enzyme Ubc9 die at the early postimplantation stage. Sumo1−/− mice are viable, as SUMO2/3 can compensate for most SUMO1 functions. To uncover the role of SUMO2/3 in embryogenesis, we generated Sumo2- and Sumo3-null mutant mice. Here, we report that Sumo3−/− mice were viable, while Sumo2−/− embryos exhibited severe developmental delay and died at approximately embryonic day 10.5 (E10.5). We also provide evidence that SUMO2 is the predominantly expressed SUMO isoform. Furthermore, although Sumo2+/− and Sumo2+/−;Sumo3+/− mice lacked any overt phenotype, only 2 Sumo2+/−;Sumo3−/− mice were found at birth in 35 litters after crossing Sumo2+/−;Sumo3+/− with Sumo3−/− mice, and these rare mice were considerably smaller than littermates of the other genotypes. Thus, our findings suggest that expression levels and not functional differences between SUMO2 and SUMO3 are critical for normal embryogenesis.
Mayflies (Ephemeroptera) of the Far Western United States. Part 3: California

The mayfly fauna of California consists of 155 species in 44 genera among 15 families. Previous data and new data (from 23 major collections) are given for all species and include first published state data for 53 of the species. In addition, 1,720 new county records involving all 58 California counties are given for 140 of the species. Less than 10 percent of the species appear endemic to California
Early Goal-Directed Therapy in Severe Sepsis and Septic Shock Revisited: Concepts, Controversies, and Contemporary Findings

Studies of acute myocardial infarction, trauma, and stroke have been translated into improved outcomes by earlier diagnosis and application of therapy at the most proximal stage of hospital presentation. Most therapies for these diseases are instituted prior to admission to an ICU; this approach to the sepsis patient has been lacking. In response, a trial comparing early goal-directed therapy (EGDT) vs standard care was performed using specific criteria for the early identification of high-risk sepsis patients, verified definitions, and a consensus-derived protocol to reverse the hemodynamic perturbations of hypovolemia, vasoregulation, myocardial suppression, and increased metabolic demands. Five years after the EGDT publication, there has been much discussion generated with regard to the concepts of EGDT, as well as debate fueled regarding diagnostic and therapeutic interventions. However, during this time period further investigations by the primary investigators and others have brought additional contemporary findings. EGDT modulates some of the components of inflammation, as reflected by improved organ function. The end points used in the EGDT protocol, the outcome results, and the cost-effectiveness have subsequently been externally validated, revealing similar or even better findings than those from the original trial. Although EGDT is faced with challenges, a coordinated approach to sepsis management is necessary to duplicate the progress in outcomes seen in patients with conditions such as acute myocardial infarction, stroke, and trauma.
Structure of littoral-zone fish communities in relation to habitat, physical, and chemical gradients in a southern reservoir

How the distribution and abundance of organisms vary across environmental gradients can reveal factors important in structuring aquatic communities. We sampled the littoral-zone fish community in a large reservoir (Lake Texoma) on the Texas–Oklahoma (U.S.A.) border that has pronounced environmental gradients from up- to downlake and between major tributary arms. Our objective was to evaluate the predictability of the littoral-zone fish-community structure from a suite of environmental variables. A stepwise multiple-regression model, with environmental factors at independent variables, explained 64% of the variation in fish species richness across sample sites. The number of species was positively associated with water-column productivity and total Kjedahl nitrogen, and negatively associated with Secchi depth and benthic productivity. Canonical correspondence analysis, with environmental factors as independent variables, explained 63% of the variation in fish-community structure across sites. Equal proportions of the variation in community structure were explained by variables that have strong gradients within the reservoir (e.g., Secchi depth and water-column productivity) and those that represent local habitat variables (e.g., shoreline aspect and substrate type).
Basic anatomy and physiology of olfaction and taste

The chemical senses of taste and smell are important to survival and quality of life. Both senses rely on the binding of odorant molecules to receptors located on the receptor cells. Olfaction and gustation have complex systems of coding, but they display differing methods for coding the receptor stimulus. Both have numerous central projections that allow for the perception and interpretation of these important sensory inputs.
Embedding Leadership in Civil Engineering Education

Leadership is a key element in meeting the needs of the civil engineering profession in an era of heightened global competition. Consulting and construction executives intent on maintaining a competitive edge are calling upon educators to produce civil engineers capable of leading multidisciplinary teams, combining technical ingenuity with business acumen, and effectively communicating narrow engineering endeavors within a comprehensive social framework. Our industry is challenging undergraduate schools to broaden curricula beyond the intellectual endeavors of design and scientific inquiry to the greater domain of professional leadership. Many agree that formal leader development must be incorporated into engineering education programs to respond to the professional demands of practicing engineers; however, the means of achieving the objectives within tightly constrained curricula are debated. This paper explores the changing nature of civil engineering in a globally competitive environment, reviews the issues in realigning civil engineering education, identifies key leadership skills relevant to engineering, and proposes solutions for developing leaders at our undergraduate institutions.
Autonomous Time-Frequency Morphological Feature Extraction Algorithm for LPI Radar Modulation Classification

An autonomous (no human operator intervention) feature extraction algorithm that can be used for classification of low probability of intercept (LPI) radar modulations using time-frequency (T-F) images is presented. The approach uses erosion and a new adaptive threshold binarization algorithm embedded within a recursive dilation process to autonomously determine the modulation energy centroid (radar's carrier frequency). The modulation is then cropped from the original T-F image and the adaptive algorithm is used again to compute a binary feature vector for input into a multi-layer perceptron classification network. Classification results for five simulated radar modulations are shown to demonstrate the feature extraction approach and quantify the performance of the algorithm.