cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
In?situ observations of endotaxial growth of CoSi2 nanowires on Si(110) using ultrahigh vacuum transmission electron microscopy

We report in situ observations of the growth of endotaxial CoSi2 nanowires on Si(110) using an ultrahigh vacuum transmission electron microscope with a miniature electron-beam deposition system located above the pole-piece of the objective lens. Metal deposition at 750–850 °C results in formation of coherently strained silicide nanowires with a fixed length/width (L/W) aspect ratio that depends strongly on temperature. Both dimensions evolve with time as L, W ~ t1/3. To explain this behavior, we propose a fixed-shape growth mode based on thermally activated facet-dependent reactions. A second growth mode is also observed at 850 °C, with dimensions that evolve as L ~ t and W ~ constant. This mode is accompanied by formation of an array of dislocations. We expect that other endotaxial nanowire systems will follow coherently strained growth modes with similar geometrical constraints, as well as dislocated growth modes with different growth kinetics.
Seasoned Surgeons Assessed in a Laparoscopic Surgical Crisis

Maintenance of certification is a relatively new concept in the United States, and there is no mandatory retirement for surgeons. Our aim was to compare technical and team performance of surgeons of different ages in a simulated laparoscopic surgical crisis and validate a potential recredentialing tool for surgeons. Using a single-blinded protocol, the performance of six “Seasoned” surgeons >55 years (mean 64, range 55–83) was compared to six “control” surgeons <55 years (mean 46, range 34–53) in a simulation. Surgical teams established pneumoperitoneum, trocar access, and managed intraabdominal hemorrhage in a simulated laparoscopic cholecystectomy while videotaped as part of an IRB protocol. Surgeons’ performance was scored using validated technical and team performance scales. All of the “seasoned” surgeons relegated the use of unfamiliar technology to their assistants. All control surgeons achieved intraabdominal pneumoperitoneum themselves. Mean blood loss for seasoned surgeons and control surgeons was 2,555 versus 2,725 ml (NS), respectively. After recognition of bleeding in the unstable patient, senior surgeons converted to an urgent laparotomy case after 2.4 vs. 3.3 min for control group (NS). No difference was observed in overall technical and team abilities (p = NS). On debriefing, 85% of surgeons recommended simulation for training and recertification. Seasoned surgeons can use their assistant surgeon well to assure a safe and effective operation. Mandatory operating room retirement based on age may be arbitrary and should be replaced by performance measures. Simulation may prove a valuable tool for self -assessment and recredentialing.
High-speed liquid chromatography on cadmium-modified silica gel

Abstract A novel procedure for the preparation of low-surface-area porous silica adsorbents, modified by cadmium salts, is described. The salt is introduced concurrently with a reduction of the surface area of an inexpensive silica gel by hydrothermal treatment. The resulting materials contain mg/g amounts of the metal. Liquid chromatography on the cadmium-modified adsorbent is shown. Charge-transfer chromatography is favored when the salt is introduced at high hydrothermal temperature which yields ultra low surface area and dense cadmium population.
Neoplastic and proliferative disorders of the perinephric space.

The perinephric space is a well-marginated central compartment of the retroperitoneum, located between the anterior and posterior pararenal spaces. Various neoplastic and proliferative disorders can affect the perinephric space, and there is a wide array of imaging findings. Although many perinephric lesions may extend directly from the kidney and adrenal gland, other lesions occur in the perinephric space due to haematogenous spread, as part of a systemic disease, or by extension from an adjacent retroperitoneal compartment. Imaging plays a pivotal role in the diagnosis of perinephric diseases, as many of the disease processes affecting this space will not result in clinical signs or symptoms until the disease is at an advanced stage. Despite the often shared non-specific clinical and imaging findings among these disease processes, application of a categorical differential diagnosis based on the imaging characteristics will serve to narrow the differential diagnosis and direct further evaluation and treatment. In this article, the lesions have been categorized as soft-tissue rind [nephroblastomatosis, fibrosis, Erdheim–Chester disease (ECD), extramedullary haematopoiesis, lymphoma, infiltrating metastases], focal solid lesions (extension of renal or adrenal malignancies, melanoma metastases, treated lymphoma), fat-containing lesions (angiomyolipoma, liposarcoma, myelolipoma), and cystic lesions (lymphangiomas, abscesses). The aim of this article is to demonstrate and describe the key imaging features of several neoplastic and proliferative disorders that affect the perinephric space.
A response to Auster

I n the 1991 issue o f The American I Molefi Kete Spring Scholar, replied to Asante, a p r o p o n e n t of Afrocentrism, who accused me of being hopelessly Eurocentric. He wrote in reaction to the same article that Lawrence Auster now criticizes for being insufficiently Anglo-Saxon. I am t empted to in t roduce the two gent lemen to each other, and let them carry on their a rgument about Eurocentr ism without me. Like Auster, I believe that there is a c o m m o n American culture; that po in t was, in fact, a central claim of the article in the American Scholar with which he takes issue. My article stated that
Black San Francisco: The Struggle for Racial Equality in the West, 1900-1954. By Albert S. Broussard. Lawrence: University Press of Kansas, 1993. 323 pp. Hardbound, $35.00.

(1995). Black San Francisco: The Struggle for Racial Equality in the West, 1900-1954. By Albert S. Broussard. Lawrence: University Press of Kansas, 1993. 323 pp. Hardbound, $35.00. The Oral History Review: Vol. 22, No. 1, pp. 138-140.
Fast Poisson solvers for thermal analysis

Accurate and efficient thermal analysis for a VLSI chip is crucial, both for sign-off reliability verification and for design-time circuit optimization. To determine an accurate temperature profile, it is important to simulate a die together with its thermal mounts: this requires solving Poisson's equation on a non-rectangular 3D domain. This paper presents a class of eigendecomposition-based fast Poisson solvers (FPS) for chip-level thermal analysis. We start with a solver that solves a rectangular 3D domain with mixed boundary conditions in O(NlogN) time, where N is the dimension of the finite-difference matrix. Then we reveal, for the first time in the literature, a strong relation between fast Poisson solvers and Green-function-based methods. Finally, we propose an FPS method that leverages the preconditioned conjugate gradient method to solve non-rectangular 3D domains efficiently. We demonstrate that this approach solves a system of dimension 5.33e6 in only 11 Conjugate Gradient iterations, with a runtime of 171 seconds, a 6X speedup over the popular ICCG solver.
Renormalization and unitarity in higher derivative and nonlocal gravity theories

We review and discuss higher derivative and nonlocal theories of quantum gravity focusing on their UV and unitarity properties. We first consider the general fourth-order gravitational action, then actions containing derivatives up to any given fixed order, and discuss their UV divergences, fixed points and concomitant unitarity issues. This leads to a more general discussion of "asymptotic safety" and unitarity, which motivates the introduction of nonlocal theories containing derivatives to all orders arising from the expansion of entire functions. For such theories good UV behavior is visible at any finite truncation, but unitarity emerges only when derivatives to all orders are included.
Nondestructive assay of curium-contaminated transuranic waste drums

At the Plutonium Facility at Los Alamos National Laboratory, a series of non-destructive assays were performed on five transuranic waste drums containing non-actinide scrap metal that was potentially contaminated with weapons grade plutonium and trace quantities of curium. Typically, waste drums containing metal matrices are assayed for plutonium content using passive neutron coincidence counting techniques. The presence of trace quantities of 244Cm prevents this type of analysis because of the strong coincidence signal created by spontaneous fission of 244Cm. To discrimination between the plutonium and curium materials in the matrix, an active neutron measurement technique was used. A californium shuffler designed for measurement of uranium bearing materials was calibrated for plutonium in the active mode. The waste drums were then assayed for plutonium content in the shuffler using the active-mode calibration, which is relatively insensitive to the 244Cm contamination. The curium contamination levels were estimated from the difference between the active-mode measurement in the shuffler and a passive assay in a neutron coincidence counter. Far field gamma-ray measurements were made to identify additional radioactive contaminants and to corroborate the plutonium measurement results obtained from the active-mode assay. This report describes in detail the measurement process used for characterization of these waste drums. The measurement results and the estimated uncertainty will be presented.© (1999) COPYRIGHT SPIE--The International Society for Optical Engineering. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.
Immunization of Chukar Partridges Against Coccidia (Eimeria kofoidi and Eimeria legionensis) with Low Doses of Live Oocysts

SUMMARY. Experiments were conducted to determine whether chukar partridge (Alectoris chukar) chicks would develop protective immunity after inoculation with coccidia. Young chukar chicks in battery cages inoculated with 100 or more oocysts of Eimeria kofoidi or Eimeria legionensis had significant protection at challenge 4 wk later, as measured by greatly reduced oocyst shedding and improved weight gain as compared with unvaccinated, challenged controls. However, when birds were housed in litter pens and vaccinated by various regimens (including two species of chukar coccidia at 100/dose), coccidiosis rapidly spread through all treatments and caused significant mortality. Vaccination with Coccivac-T or with 100 oocysts of Eimeria dispersa did not prevent mortality resulting from accidental contamination, and feed treatment with a Lactobacillus competitive-exclusion product had no benefit. Most if not all of the mortality was from E. kofoidi. This study illustrated the natural fecundity of chukar coccidia i...
The day-of-the-week anomaly: the role of institutional investors in Japan

A large ‘day-of-the-week’ literature shows abnormal losses on Mondays. Recent articles for US stocks focus on the role of the type of investor. The central idea in these articles is that the marginal-price setting changes on Monday. To identify the type of investor, these articles look at the proportion of stock ownership held by individuals and institutions. For an out-of-sample test to the US market studies, we study the Japanese stock market. Consistent with the US results, Japanese day-of-the-week patterns show Monday losses and strong Monday losses predicted by Friday losses. However, we find no evidence that the type of investor influences the Monday loss or Friday-to-Monday autocorrelation.
Effect of chemical composition and physical structure of geotextiles on their durability

Abstract Geotextiles are expected to function effectively over long periods of time, and thus their durability under various environments is of utmost importance. The fibers that are most commonly used in geotextiles are stable to microbial degradation and to the acidity/alkalinity conditions encountered in most soils. Polyethylene and polypropylene polymers are subject to thermal oxidation and to photoxidation under UV radiation. These fibers can be stabilized adequately by the incorporation of antioxidants and UV stabilizers. While nylon and polyester are less prone to these degradations, antioxidants and stabilizers are incorporated to provide even greater stability. The physical structure of fibers is complex, and the properties of fibers reflects the chemical structure and the organization of the polymer chains. Orientation and crystallinity are of great importance as are the intermolecular cohesive forces between chains. Fabric properties depend on fiber properties and also on the geometric arrangement of the fibers in the yarn and on the constructional characteristics of the fabric.
On the captivity of the will: Sympathy, caring, and a moral sense of the human

We are concerned in this paper with the question of what more there is to human nature than cognition, with what it is to be a person (or animal) in the sense of something that would justify our sympathy. We examine pain, emotion, and the abrogation of values as sources of our sympathy for one another. We further argue that our sympathy over each of these unfortunate events is connected with our sense that they are beyond a person' s (or an animal' s) will. Computers, we suggest, ought not to engage our sympathy not because of their limited cognitive capacity, and not because they lack intent, but because their wills are too free.
Guided tissue regeneration in endodontic surgery by using a bioactive resorbable membrane.

Abstract Introduction Guided tissue regeneration is a valuable technique available to the endodontist because the quality, quantity, or extent of bone loss cannot be visualized by the surgeon until the tissue is reflected and the surgical site is exposed. Methods After repeated attempts at nonsurgical treatment, a patient with a recurring sinus tract over the distobuccal root of an upper molar ultimately had the distobuccal root resected, leaving a 10 × 10 mm bony defect. This dehiscence was filled with freeze-dried bone and covered with a flexible and absorbable bioactive membrane that was new to endodontics. Results Healing was uneventful, and bone regeneration was rapid and extensive as observed at the time of a second surgery just 5 months later. This can be attributed at least in part to the use of the bioactive membrane that contains an array of growth factors that enhance cell proliferation, inflammation, recruitment of progenitor cells, and metalloproteinase activity. Conclusions The use of the bioactive membrane in endodontic surgery should be considered to best restore the attachment apparatus to the tooth and prevent the downgrowth of a long junctional epithelium. The endodontist's attention must not be limited to the apical region alone.
The effects of caudocephalad (+Gz) acceleration on the initially curved human spine

Abstract A beam-column model of the human spine subjected to a caudocephalad (+Gz) acceleration is analyzed by the finite-difference numerical technique. It was shown that the previous analytical treatment of this problem by the assumed-mode method is valid only for either very low levels of the acceleration pulse or for very early times in the response, i.e. the loading is such that the initial configuration of the spine is little changed by the dynamics. Numerical results generated, using a 20 g step acceleration input, show that the initial configuration is so appreciably changed as to invalidate the results of the assumed-mode analysis. Any future extensions of similar continuum models of the human spine, to include other additional effects, should treat the use of classical analysis with caution and consider the efficacy of computer-aided numerical analysis by either the present finite-difference solution or the currently popular finite-element method.
Schwann cell processes guide regeneration of peripheral axons

Terminal Schwann cells overlying the neuromuscular junction sprout elaborate processes upon muscle denervation. We show here that motor axons use these processes as guides/substrates during regeneration; in so doing, they escape the confines of endplates and grow between endplates to generate polyneuronal innervation. We also show that Schwann cells in the nerve provide similar guidance. Axons extend from the cut end of a nerve in association with Schwann cell processes and appear to navigate along them. The processes extend from axotomized nerves at the same rate and in the same manner as they do from axon-containing nerves. The rate of process extension limits the rate at which axons regenerate. Thus, Schwann cell processes lead and guide peripheral regeneration.
Interaction of Brown Recluse Spider Venom on Cell Membranes: The Inciting Mechanism?

The venom from the brown recluse spider, Loxosceles reclusa, contains one or more factors which produce skin necrosis. A dermonecrotic factor with sphingomyelinase D activity was purified from the spider's venom sacs which produced skin necrosis when injected intradermally in rabbits. Adsorption of the dermonecrotic activity occurred following incubation with isolated membranes from different cell types or different species in a dose-responsive fashion. Since injection of the complex in rabbits produced skin necrosis, a specific antibody that inhibits the dermonecrotic activity and sphingomyelinase activity was used to identify the venom fraction on the plasma membrane of erythrocytes with electron microscopy. Initiation of cutaneous inflammatory reaction may result from high-affinity interaction of a venom component in the brown recluse spider venom and cell membranes.
Effects of Upstream Wake Phasing on Transonic Axial Compressor Performance

The effect on rotor work, of the phase of an upstream wake relative to the rotor, is examined computationally and analytically for a transonic blade row. There can be an important impact on time-mean performance when the time-dependent circulation of the shed vortices in the wake is phase-locked to the rotor position, as occurs when there is strong interaction between rotor static pressure field and upstream vanes. The rotor work is found to depend on the path of the wake vortices as they travel through the blade passage; for configurations examined, the calculated change in time-mean rotor work was approximately three percent. It is shown that the effect on work input can be analyzed in terms of the influence of the time-mean relative stagnation pressure nonuniformity associated with the unsteady (but phase-locked) wake vortex flow field, in that changes in vortex path alter the location of the nonuniformity relative to the rotor. Lower pressure rise and work input occurs when the rotor blade is embedded in a region of low time-mean relative stagnation pressure than when immersed in a region of high relative stagnation pressure. In addition to the work changes, which are an essentially two-dimensional effect, it is demonstrated that the location of the wake may affect the tip clearance flow, implying a potential impact on pressure rise capability and rotor stability limits. Model calculations are presented to give estimates of the magnitude and nature of this phenomenon.Copyright © 2009 by ASME
Review of smart material technologies for active parachute applications

The performance (drag, lift, stability, etc.) of a parachute is a function of the physical properties of the canopy fabric (such as porosity) and geometry of the canopy (such as air-vent openings). These variables typically remain constant during descent and therefore the parachute retains constant drag and lift. The ability to change these variables and the parachute drag and lift characteristics during flight will greatly widen the performance envelope of a parachute, the maneuverability, and versatility of the airdrop mission. This paper provides a literature review of existing smart material technologies in an effort to improve the performance characteristics and enhance the safety of existing parachutes and parafoils by incorporating these advanced materials into parachute systems.
Automated polishing procedure for the metallographic preparation of high-temperature superconducting ceramics

Abstract Since the discovery of high-transition temperature (>90K) superconductors, attempts have been made to find additional oxide compounds with this superconducting property. Several new superconductors with critical temperatures of over 90K have been discovered during the past few years. Two such ceramics are YBa2Cu3O7−x and superconductors made with bismuth (Bi1.7PbCa2Sr2CaOx). The multiphase microstructures of these materials are very complex and exceedingly difficult to property prepare for metallographic evaluation. Further, some of the microstructural phases present in these materials react with water in the alumina polishing abrasives slurries. Metallographic specimen preparation of these ceramic superconductors by conventional methods is a laborious task with reproducible results often difficult to achieve. Consequently, a preparation technique based on the use of an automatic polishing machine was investigated. A reliable metallographic preparation procedure has been developed using the Struers Prepamatic automatic polishing machine. This procedure provides rapid, high-quality, reproducible results with a considerable savings of manual labor. Additionally, a simple modification to the polishing machine configuration provided a means of sample preparation with nonaqueous liquids. The advantages of this automatic polishing procedure will be described and illustrated with photomicrographs.
Gauge theories with tensors from branes and orientifolds

We present brane constructions in type-IIA string theory for N=1 supersymmetric SO and Sp gauge theories with tensor representations using an orientifold six-plane. One limit of these setups corresponds to N=2 theories previously constructed by Landsteiner and Lopez, while a different limit yields N=1 SO or Sp theories with a massless tensor and no superpotential. For the Sp-type orientifold projection, a comparison with the field-theory moduli space leads us to postulate two new rules governing the stability of configurations of D-branes intersecting the orientifold. Lifting one of our configurations to M theory by finding the corresponding curves, we rederive the N=1 dualities for SO and Sp groups using semi-infinite D4 branes. {copyright} {ital 1998} {ital The American Physical Society}
The Technique of Exorcism

In the curious collection of lapidary and magical lore known as the Kyranides directions are given for making a ring with certain special virtues. The stone is to be νeμeσίτης, which is explained as a name given to a stone chipped from an altar of Nemesis made of λίθος κραταιός. We can only translate those words as “hard stone,” but the expression seems to be a technical term for a particular stone which we cannot identify. Upon such a stone a figure of Nemesis is to be carved; she is represented as a maiden resting her foot upon a wheel, holding in her left hand a cubit-rule (πῆχυς), in her right a twig (ῥάβδος). The writer concludes, ἐὰν οὖν τὸν δακτύλιον τοῦτον προσeνέγκῃς δαιμονιζομένῳ, παραῦτα ὁ δαίμων ἐξομολογήσας ἑαυτὸν φeύξeται. These words are the occasion for this paper; but before proceeding to discuss them, something should be said about the design prescribed in the passage.
Modeling Molecular Interactions Arising From Adsorbed Biological Species on the Microcantilever Biosensor Surface

This paper presents a general framework for modeling resonance frequency changes induced due to the surface stress arising from the adsorption of biological species on the surface of the microcantilever biosensors. Very few works have dealt with the effect of surface stress on the resonance frequency shifts of microcantilevers and mainly assume a simple model for the vibrating microcantilever beam. In the proposed modeling framework, the nonlinear terms due to beam's flexural rigidity from macro- to micro-scale as well as varying nature of the longitudinal force resulting from the surface stress are considered. It is demonstrated that through applying the mathematical expression formulated in this paper, desired biological species can be easily and accurately detected.Copyright © 2006 by ASME
Graphs with the maximum or minimum number of 1-factors

Recently Alon and Friedland have shown that graphs which are the union of complete regular bipartite graphs have the maximum number of 1-factors over all graphs with the same degree sequence. We identify two families of graphs that have the maximum number of 1-factors over all graphs with the same number of vertices and edges: the almost regular graphs which are unions of complete regular bipartite graphs, and complete graphs with a matching removed. The first family is determined using the Alon and Friedland bound. For the second family, we show that a graph transformation which is known to increase network reliability also increases the number of 1-factors. In fact, more is true: this graph transformation increases the number of k-factors for all k>=1, and ''in reverse'' also shows that in general, threshold graphs have the fewest k-factors. We are then able to determine precisely which threshold graphs have the fewest 1-factors. We conjecture that the same graphs have the fewest k-factors for all k>=2 as well.
β-Glycosidase Activity toward Different Glycosidic Forms of Isoflavones

Isoflavones, a group of soybean components that significantly contribute to human health and disease prevention, exist in various chemical forms. The enzyme activity can be very sensitive to molecu...
Thermal phonon transport in n-type Ge and Si☆

Abstract The thermal conductivity and thermoelectric power of n-type Ge are known to depend on the chemical species of the donor. This is explained in terms of phonon scattering by a relaxation process of donor electrons.
WE-G-BRB-02: MU-EPID an EPID Based Tool for IMRT Quality Assurance.

Purpose: A software program (MU‐EPID) has been developed to perform patient specific IMRT pre‐treatment QA verification using an electronic portal imaging device.Methods: The software converts measured images of intensity modulated beams delivered to an EPID, into fluence maps that can be imported in the treatment planning system. The dose can then be calculated in the patient anatomy and compared against the patient's treatment plan for QA purposes. We first benchmarked the software using as a patient a cylindrical phantom. An aSi‐1000 EPID mounted on a Varian Novalis linear accelerator was used for the image acquisition. Finally, IMRT plans from different treatment sites were used to further validate this in‐ house software. QA analysis was performed by evaluation of isodose distributions, DVH comparison and 2D gamma analysis. Results: The validation study with the cylindrical phantom showed that the dose to the ion chamber measurement point was in good agreement with both the original treatment plan and the MU‐EPID reconstructed dose. Similar results were found for the clinical cases that we studied. A gamma analysis of the dose to the isocenter plane was performed for each plan. Using 3% and 3 mm as the evaluation criteria, resulted in an average of 97.44% of pixels passing the analysis (gamma<1). Good agreement was also observed for the DVH, isodose and profile comparisons between the clinically delivered IMRT plan and the MU‐EPID derived dose calculation. Conclusions: The results of the present investigation suggest that MU‐EPID can be used in a clinical environment and can be used for patient specific QA for IMRT plans. This work has been supported by the SCOA
Investigating sputtered Cu 2 Si 1−x Sn x S 3 [CSTS] for earth abundant thin film photovoltaics

This study investigates the synthesis of chalcopyrite Cu 2 Si 1−x Sn x S 3 (CSTS) thin films for photovoltaic solar cell absorber layers. Preliminary results indicate that layered sputtering of Cu, Sn, and Si followed by annealing in a sulfur atmosphere at 500°C does not provide adequate mixing or sulfur incorporation. Annealing/sulfurizing a homogeneous co-sputtered film of Cu, Sn, and S lead to CSTS formation, although low sulfur incorporation and undesired copper sulfide phase formation resolved. Sputtering from sulfide targets may lead to formation of CSTS.
Determining pair interactions from structural correlations

We examine metastable configurations of a two-dimensional system of interacting particles on a quenched random potential landscape and ask how the configurational pair correlation function is related to the particle interactions and the statistical properties of the potential landscape. Understanding this relation facilitates quantitative studies of magnetic flux-line interactions in type-II superconductors, using structural information available from Lorentz microscope images or Bitter decorations. Previous work by some of us supported the conjecture that the relationship between pair correlations and interactions in pinned flux-line ensembles is analogous to the corresponding relationship in the theory of simple liquids. The present paper aims at a more thorough understanding of this relation. We report the results of numerical simulations and present a theory for the low-density behavior of the pair-correlation function, which agrees well with our simulations and captures features observed in experiments. In particular, we find that the resulting description goes beyond the conjectured classical liquid-type relation and we remark on the differences.
Osler's maneuver, pseudohypertension, and true hypertension in the elderly

Abstract Up to half of the geriatric population has been reported to have arterial hypertension and, therefore, an augmented risk of heart attack, stroke, congestive heart failure, and sudden death. Recent studies indicate that mechanisms serving to elevate arterial pressure in the elderly diametrically differ from those in younger patients with similar elevation of arterial pressure. Elderly hypertensive patients have a low cardiac output, elevated vascular resistance, impaired tissue flow, and increased arterial stiffness. Arterial stiffness, if marked, can give rise to pseudohypertension—an entity often responsible for inappropriate diagnosis and inappropriate therapy in the geriatric population. Pseudohypertension can be suspected from a simple bedside maneuver that was hinted at by Sir William Osler almost a century ago. Arterial hypertension seems to accelerate the physiologic process of aging in the cardiovascular system and threatens, therefore, to set the biologic clock at a faster pace. Hopefully, antihypertensive agents more closely tailored to underlying mechanisms of pressure elevation will reverse hypertensive damage to target organs and thereby reset the aging process of the cardiovascular system at a slower pace.
Determination of Apparent Protein Digestibility in Feeds for Channel Catfish

Abstract Digestibility studies of channel catfish were conducted with purified rations and commercial catfish feeds. The chromium oxide indicator method used in this study appeared to be satisfactory for determining apparent protein digestibility in foods with channel catfish. Desirable features of our procedure were that the fish consumed food approximating 2% of body mass voluntarily and feces for determining digestion coefficients were collected exclusively from the rectum. Derived digestion coefficients with practical diets indicated that digestion coefficients in livestock feeding tables for concentrated feedstuffs may be applied to catfish feeds.
Contamination control of the SABER cryogenic infrared telescope

The SABER instrument (Sounding of the Atmosphere using Broadband Emission Spectroscopy) is a cryogenic infrared sensor on the TIMED spacecraft with stringent molecular and particulate contamination control requirements. The sensor measures infrared emissions from atmospheric constituents in the earth limb at altitudes ranging from 60 to 180 km using radiatively-cooled 240 K optics and a mechanically-refrigerated 75 K detector. The stray light performance requirements necessitate nearly pristine foreoptics. The cold detector in a warm sensor presents challenges in controlling the cryodeposition of water and other condensable vapors. Accordingly, SABER incorporates several unique design features and test strategies to control and measure the particulate and molecular contamination environment. These include internal witness mirrors, dedicated purge/depressurization manifolds, labyrinths, cold stops, and validated procedures for bakeout, cooldown, and warmup. The pre-launch and on-orbit contamination control performance for the SABER telescope will be reviewed.
Sjögren's syndrome-like disease in mice with T cells lacking class 1A phosphoinositide-3-kinase

Abstract Sjogren's syndrome (SS) is an autoimmune disease that is characterized by infiltration of exocrine tissues, resulting in xerostomia (dry mouth) and keratoconjunctivitis sicca (dry eyes). Here, we show that mice with T cell-specific loss of class IA phosphoinositide 3-kinase function develop organ-specific autoimmunity that resembles the human disease SS. Most mutant mice aged 3–8 months develop corneal opacity and eye lesions due to irritation and constant scratching. These mice display cardinal signs of primary SS such as marked lymphocytic infiltration of the lacrimal glands, antinuclear antibodies in the serum, and elevated titer of anti-SS-A antibody, in the absence of kidney pathology. Immunofluorescence studies show the presence of numerous CD4+ T cells with a smaller number of CD8+ T cells and B cells in the lacrimal glands. CD4+ T cells from these mice exhibit aberrant differentiation in vitro. These results indicate that aberrant T cells with impaired class IA phosphoinositide 3-kinase signaling can lead to organ-specific autoimmunity. In addition, the mouse model described here represents a tool to study the pathogenesis and treatment of SS. autoantibodies autoimmunity T lymphocyte
Growth behavior and growth defects of carbon nanotubes

Abstract The growth behavior and growth defects of carbon nanotubes have been examined by high resolution electron microscopy. Results have shown that both axial extension and radial thickening mechanisms are involved in the growth of carbon nanotubes. Depending on the nucleation conditions, a tube can have either a circular or a polyhedral cross-section. However, the growth mechanisms for the circular tubes and for the polyhedral tubes are apparently the same. The existence of nanotube-nanoparticle assemblies suggests that the formation processes of tubes and of particles are closely related. Several growth defects have been identified in the present study, such as incomplete sheets, U-turn growth, disordered sheet stacking, growth step, dividing wall, curved tube, and sharp bend. The mechanisms involved in the formation of these defects have been discussed. Graphitic sheets are found to possess a great flexibility. The smallest tube observed in the present study has a diameter of approximately 0.7 nm, corresponding to the diameter of a C60 molecule. Excess illumination by electron beam will result in radiation damage of tubes. The radiation damage takes place over the entire illuminated area while the growth defects only occur in limited regions.
Effects of Size and Uncompacted Voids of Aggregate on Mortar Flow Ability

The effects of aggregate characteristics on the flow ability of mortar mixtures were investigated. Two types, five single-sized and three graded fine aggregate were considered. Uncompacted voids of the aggregates were measured. Flow properties of 166 mortar batches made with different aggregates, sand-to-cement ratios (s/c) and water-to-cement ratios (w/c), were evaluated using the modified ASTM C109 flow table test method. The results indicated that in addition to w/c, the content, uncompacted voids, and size of aggregate all significantly affect mortar flow ability. Generally, aggregate having higher uncompacted void content provides its mortar with a lower flow. When aggregate content was low (s/c = 1), aggregate size had little effect on the flow ability of the mortar; when aggregate content was high (s/c = 3), aggregate size significantly influenced the mortar flow ability. The mortar with graded aggregate has better flow ability than the mortar with single-sized particles. River sand provides a mortar with better flow ability when compared to limestone. A statistical model was developed to predict the flow ability of mortar. The model can also be used to study the effect of different parameters on mortar flow properties.
Leader Deception Influences on Leader–Member Exchange and Subordinate Organizational Commitment

Deception is a common and daily occurrence in organizations. Despite this, little is known about how leader deception influences follower perceptions and commitment to the leader and the broader organization. This laboratory experiment uses a low-fidelity simulation task to investigate the effects of leader deception on follower perceptions of leader–member exchange (LMX) and follower commitment to the organization. Moderating effects of financial outcomes that resulted from deception, or who gained from deception, were also tested. Results showed negative effects of leader deception on follower LMX perceptions and affective commitment. Leader financial gain worsened the effects of leader deception on LMX compared with organizational financial gain. Implications of these findings are discussed.
Regulating the American Family

The article offers an interpretive synthesis of recent scholarship on family law and government regulation of the family. It traces changes in family law from the colonial era to the present and concludes with an analysis of family law as a discourse involving four broad themes: the law's social functions; the social values upheld by law; the relative responsibility of private individuals and the larger society for enforcing values; and the ways in which the law intervenes in family affairs.
Influences of hand posture and hand position on compatibility effects for up-down stimuli mapped to left-right responses: evidence for a hand referent hypothesis.

Unimanual left-right responses to up-down stimuli show a stimulus-response compatibility (SRC) effect for which the preferred mapping varies as a function of response eccentricity.Responses made in the right hemispace and, to a lesser extent, at a midline position, are faster with the up-right/ down-left mapping than with the up-left/down-right mapping, but responses made in the left hemispace are faster with the up-left/down-right mapping.Also, for responses at the midline position, the preferred mapping switches when the hand is placed in a supine posture instead of the more usual prone posture.The response eccentricity effect can be explained in terms of correspondence of asymmetrically coded stimulus and response features, but it is not obvious whether the hand posture effect can be explained in a similar manner.The present study tested the implications of a hypothesis that the body of the hand provides a frame of reference with respect to which the response switch is coded as left or right.As was predicted by this hand referent hypothesis, Experiment 1 showed that the influence of hand posture (prone and supine) on orthogonal SRC was additive with that of response location. In Experiment 2, the location of the switch relative to the hand was varied by having subjects use either a normal grip in which the switch was held between the thumb and the index finger or a grip in which it was held between the little and the ring fingers.The magnitudes of the mapping preferences varied as a function of the grip and hand posture in a manner consistent with the hand referent hypothesis.
Mode Partition Noise In Nearly Single Mode Lasers With Multiple Side Modes

The power penalty estimation for fiber optic communication due to mode partition noise in nearly single mode lasers is discussed. Nearly single mode lasers are modeled here as those with a single dominant mode and n side modes with significant strength. The dropout rate of each side mode obeys exponential distribution. The combined distribution of the dropout rate for n side modes is derived here. This distribution is combined with the statistically independent Gaussian receiver noise in estimating error probability and hence the power penalty. Calculations show that to ensure a 10 -12 error rate, the ratio of the main mode to the side modes must be greater than 57:1 for one side mode and greater than 67:1 for two side modes.
Feasibility of utilizing sweet potato solids in extrusion cooking / Extrusión de pulpa de batata:

A fractional factorial design of four variables at two levels each was employed to assess the feasi bility and best parameter for extruding sweet potato solids (SPS) using a single screw extruder. It was determined that a high expansion ratio is a desired quality factor for this type of snack food, due to its contribution to textural perception. Preliminary trials on extrusion of sweet potato solids as the sole component in the feed resulted in brittle, dense, and burnt extrudate. The high sugar content (65% total sugar) of the sweet potato solids was cited as the cause of these attrib utes, consequently it was necessary to incorporate wheat flour into the feed to provide a starch matrix for expansion and to reduce sugar concentration. The controlled parameters were screw speed, barrel temperature, feed moisture content, and SPS level in the feed. Among all possible combinations of controlled parameters, the highest expansion ratio was obtained at a screw speed of 220 rpm, temperature profile of 110, 105, 115 and 105 °C, 13% feed moisture content, 50% sweet potato solids, and 0.5% leavening agent.
Optimal Control for Holonomic and Nonholonomic Mechanical Systems with Symmetry and Lagrangian Reduction

In this paper we establish necessary conditions for optimal control using the ideas of Lagrangian reduction in the sense of reduction under a symmetry group. The techniques developed here are designed for Lagrangian mechanical control systems with symmetry. The benefit of such an approach is that it makes use of the special structure of the system, especially its symmetry structure, and thus it leads rather directly to the desired conclusions for such systems. Lagrangian reduction can do in one step what one can alternatively do by applying the Pontryagin maximum principle followed by an application of Poisson reduction. The idea of using Lagrangian reduction in the sense of symmetry reduction was also obtained by Bloch and Crouch [Proc. 33rd CDC, IEEE, 1994, pp. 2584--2590] in a somewhat different context, and the general idea is closely related to those in Montgomery [Comm. Math. Phys., 128 (1990), pp. 565--592] and Vershik and Gershkovich [Dynamical Systems VII, V. Arnold and S. P. Novikov, eds., Springer-Verlag, 1994]. Here we develop this idea further and apply it to some known examples, such as optimal control on Lie groups and principal bundles (such as the ball and plate problem) and reorientation examples with zero angular momentum (such as the satellite with moveable masses). However, one of our main goals is to extend the method to the case of nonholonomic systems with a nontrivial momentum equation in the context of the work of Bloch, Krishnaprasad, Marsden, and Murray [Arch. Rational Mech. Anal., (1996), to appear]. The snakeboard is used to illustrate the method.
Incorporation of realistic delivery limitations into dynamic MLC treatment delivery

The clinical implementation of IMRT involves the use of a number of complex software-based systems, typically including an inverse planning system, a leaf sequencer, and a computer-controlled treatment delivery system. The inverse planning system determines the desired fluence patterns, the leaf sequencer translates those fluence maps into leaf trajectories, and the control system delivers those trajectories. While verification of intensity-modulated treatment fields has focused primarily on the dosimetric aspects of delivery, accurate delivery of the intended fluence distribution is dependent upon both the leaf sequencer and delivery control systems. Leaf sequencing algorithms typically do not incorporate many control system limitations, and this can lead to discrepancies between planned and delivered sequences. In this work, simple and complex fields were sequenced for the dynamic sliding window technique using different leaf speeds and tolerance settings to identify various limitations of the accelerator control system. This work was conducted on a Varian 2100 EX equipped with a Millennium 120 leaf MLC. The identified limitations were then incorporated into the sequencing algorithm using a limiting leaf velocity (less than the maximum leaf velocity), the leaf position tolerance, and the communications delay in the control system. Collision avoidance in leaf pairs was found to depend on a control system-enforced minimum gap between leaves and led to acceleration effects. By incorporating these effects into the leaf sequencing algorithm, dynamic sliding-window leaf sequences were produced which did not require beam interruptions or dose rate modulations for the parameter values used in calculating the sequence (dose rate, tolerance, leaf speed, and total monitor units). Incorporation of control system limitations into the leaf sequencing algorithm results in IMRT fields that are delivered with the prescribed constant dose rate, require less time to deliver, and have well-defined, calculable transmission dose characteristics.
Structure of hemoglobin reconstituted with mesoheme

Abstract We have compared the structure of the met form of mesohemoglobin, in which the home vinyl groups are reduced to ethyl substituents, with that of native horse methemoglobin by X-ray difference Fourier techniques. In contrast to deuterohemoglobin, in which complete removal of the 2 and 4-vinyl groups of the heme resulted in only minor and highly localized structural perturbations, we find numerous small changes in the tertiary structure of met mesohemoglobin. In addition to localized perturbations in the immediate vicinity of the 2 and 4 positions similar to those found in met deuterohemoglobin, the structural alterations in met mesohemoglobin also include changes in the angle of tilt of both the α and β-hemes. Coupled to these changes in heme tilt are extensive rigid body motions of several helices and globin regions in direct contact with the hemes. The ethyl substituents at positions 2 and 4 of the heme groups also adopt different orientations relative to the vinyls that they replace.
Modifications to the NIST reference measurement procedure (RMP) for the determination of serum glucose by isotope dilution gas chromatography/mass spectrometry

The definitive method (DM), now known as the reference measurement procedure (RMP), for the analysis of glucose in serum was originally published in 1982 by the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST). Over the years the method has been subject to a number of modifications to adapt to newer technologies and simplify sample preparation. We discuss here an adaptation of the method associated with serum glucose measurements using a modified isotope dilution gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (ID-GC/MS) method. NIST has used this modified method to certify the concentrations of glucose in SRM 965b, Glucose in Frozen Human Serum, and SRM 1950, Metabolites in Human Plasma. Comparison of results from the revised method with certified values for existing Standard Reference Materials (SRMs) demonstrated that these modifications have not affected the quality of the measurements, giving both good precision and accuracy, while reducing the sample preparation time by a day and a half.