cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Crosswell seismic and electromagnetic monitoring of CO2 sequestration

The quantitative estimation of changes in water saturation (S{sub W}) and effective pressure (P), in terms of changes in compressional and shear impedance, is becoming routine in the interpretations of time-lapse surface seismic data. However, when the number of reservoir constituents increases to include in situ gas and injected CO{sub 2}, there are too many parameters to be determined from seismic velocities or impedances alone. In such situations, the incorporation of electromagnetic (EM) images showing the change in electrical conductivity ({sigma}) provides essential independent information. The purpose of this study was to demonstrate a methodology for jointly interpreting crosswell seismic and EM data, in conjunction with detailed constitutive relations between geophysical and reservoir parameters, to quantitatively predict changes in P, S{sub W}, CO{sub 2} gas saturation (S{sub CO2}), CO{sub 2} gas/oil ratio (R{sub CO{sub 2}}), hydrocarbon gas saturation (S{sub g}), and hydrocarbon gas/oil ration (R{sub g}) in a reservoir undergoing CO{sub 2} flood.
Radiation damage in zircon and monazite

Monazite and zircon respond differently to ion irradiation and to thermal and irradiation-enhanced annealing. Monazite cannot be amorphized by 800 keV Kr+ ions at temperatures greater than 175°C; whereas, zircon can be amorphized at temperatures up to 740°C. The damage process (i.e., elastic interactions leading to amorphization) in radioactive minerals (metamictization) is basically the same as for the ion-beam-irradiated samples with the exception of the dose rate which is much lower in the case of natural samples. The crystalline-to-metamict transition in natural samples with different degrees of damage, from almost fully crystalline to completely metamict, is compared to the sequence of microstructures observed for ion-beam-irradiated monazite and zircon. The damage accumulation process, representing the competing effects of radiation-induced structural disorder and subsequent annealing mechanisms (irradiation-enhanced and thermal) occurs at much higher temperatures for zircon than for monazite. The amorphization dose, expressed as displacements per atom, is considerably higher in the natural samples, and the atomic-scale process leading to metamictization appears to develop differently. Ion-beam-induced amorphization data were used to calculate the α-decay-event dose required for amorphization in terms of a critical radionuclide concentration, i.e., the concentration above which a sample of a given age will become metamict at a specific temperature. This equation was applied to estimate the reliability of U-Pb ages, to provide a qualitative estimate of the thermal history of high-U natural zircons, and to predict whether actinide-bearing zircon or monazite nuclear waste forms will become amorphous (metamict) over long timescales.
Erratum to “Determination of Non–Adiabatic Scattering Wave Functions in a Born–Oppenheimer Model"

instead of ψ(x, t, ,±) = σ=± ψ(x, t, ,±). With this definition, Proposition 4.1 should be replaced by Proposition 4.1′ Assume H1, H2, H3 and C0. Then, for any 0 < β < 1/2, we have the following L(IR)–norm estimate as t → ±∞, ‖ψ(x, t, ) − (ψ−(x, t, ,±) + ψ(x, t, ,∓)) ‖ = O (1/|t|β). In eqn. (4.4), “ψ(x, t, ,−) =” should be replaced by “ψ−(x, t, ,−) ,” and the qualification “for negative x’s” should be added. Similarly, in the next sentence, the stipulation “for positive x’s” should be added. The proof of Proposition 4.1 should be amended as follows: Equation (7.14) should begin with
Solubility and Salting Behavior of Several β-Adrenergic Blocking Agents in Liquid and Supercritical Carbon Dioxide

The phase behavior of five β-adrenergic blocking agents (acebutolol, atenolol, nadolol, pindolol, and propranolol) were explored in liquid and supercritical carbon dioxide at (298, 308, and 318) K and at pressures between (80 and 275) bar. The solubility of the solids in carbon dioxide was experimentally determined by observing the cloud point using a variable-volume stirred vessel with visual access. Although these compounds are very similar structurally, each containing a secondary amine, alcohol, aromatic ring, and ether group, only pindolol was soluble in carbon dioxide under the conditions explored. The other four β blockers were observed to form yellow-brown salt complexes with carbon dioxide and did not show any appreciable solubility. It is believed that pindolol's lower basicity (having a Kb an order of magnitude lower than the other four compounds) prevented it from reacting with carbon dioxide, a Lewis acid, and salting out as the other four β blockers did.
Surface modeling in heart motion analysis

This paper presents a new approach for left ventricle surface modeling in the analysis of dynamic behavior of the heart from biplane cineangiograms. We decompose the motion and deformation analysis of the left ventricle into two stages by coarse-to-fine modeling the moving surface of the left ventricle. Such a two-step surface modeling enables us to formulate the complex motion analysis as a series of well-defined parameter estimation algorithms. We model the globally deformable surface by a parametrized family of surfaces known as superquadrics that are able to model expansion/contraction and twisting deformations. The deformation parameters are obtained by fitting the given 3-D data to the superquadric modeling primitives. The residues of such a fitting are the measure of local deformations that global modeling primitives are unable to abstract. These residues are then interpolated by spherical harmonic surface modeling primitives to form a residue surface. Local deformation tensor analysis of the left ventricle is therefore based on the overall surfaces constructed by superposition of local spherical harmonic residue surfaces on top of the global superquadric surfaces. Animations of the estimated dynamic surface are generated using scientific visualization techniques in order to vividly examine the complex spatial and temporal nature of the left ventricle. These animations are consistent with a priori knowledge of the left ventricle and hence show the success of the surface modeling algorithm.
Markedness and the grammar in lexical diffusion of fricatives

This is an Accepted Manuscript of an article published by Taylor & Francis in Clinical Linguistics & Phonetics on 09 Jul 2009, available online: http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/0269920011011287
Design, synthesis and crystallization of a novel glucagon analog as a therapeutic agent.

Glucagon and glucagon-like peptide 1 (GLP-1) are drugs or drug candidates for the treatment of metabolic diseases such as diabetes and obesity. The native hormones have pharmacological deficiencies such as short half-life and poor solubility. A novel glucagon receptor agonist named glucagon-Cex has been designed, synthesized and crystallized. This peptide was highly soluble under physiological conditions and crystallized readily. The crystal diffracted X-rays to 2.2 A resolution and the diffraction was consistent with space group P23, with unit-cell parameters a = b = c = 48.20 A, α = β = γ = 90.0°. The crystals were suitable for a full structural determination to reveal the conformational differences between glucagon-Cex and the native hormone.
Gold Nanorod Bioconjugates

Gold nanorods have been stabilized, conjugated to antibodies, and characterized for biological applications. The stabilizing surfactant bilayer which surrounds gold nanorods was replaced by thiol terminated methoxypoly(ethylene glycol) so that the nanorods are stable in buffer solutions free of surfactant. Nanorod bioconjugation was accomplished with a heterobifunctional cross-linker, with antibody activity confirmed by a strip plate assay. Nanorod bioconjugates were characterized by independent measurements of the nanorod and antibody concentrations. The nanorod molar extinction coefficient was measured from dense yet well separated nanorod films to be 4.4 ± 0.5 × 109 M-1 cm-1, thus allowing quantitative determination of nanorod concentrations. However, a colorimetric protein assay overestimated the antibody concentration and is therefore likely perturbed by the presence of the nanorods electromagnetically and/or chemically.
The rhetoric of love: Voice in the Amoretti and the Songs and Sonets

The rhetorics of Elizabethan sonnets and metaphysical lyrics reflect differing perceptions of the phenomenon of love. The sonneteer's voice separates lover from loved one with formal syntax, bifurcated pronouns, and images of pursuit and entrapment. The metaphysical voice unites the lovers with direct address, shared dialectics, and images of physical and intellectual equality.
Estimation of stream-flow from alkalinity-determinations

Occasionally the engineer making stream-measurements is required to obtain data at locations where conventional methods are of little value. Such was the problem of Madison Lakes Survey. This Survey has been charged with determining the pollution entering the lakes from the Nine Springs Sewage Treatment Plant, the Yahara River, and several small creeks (Fig. 1). Strength of pollution was determined by chemical analysis of samples which gave the strength of the sample in parts per million (ppm) or pounds per million pounds and measurement of stream-flow rates in cubic feet per second or pounds per period of time.
TNF-α and Heart Failure The Difference Between Proof of Principle and Hypothesis Testing

Cachexia (from the Greek kakos, meaning bad, and hexis, a state of being) has both fascinated and challenged clinicians and scientists for many years. It has been known since the earliest descriptions of heart failure that cachexia can be associated with the late stages of the syndrome. Cachectin, a hormone that suppresses the expression of lipoprotein lipase and other anabolic enzymes in fat, was purified in 1985.1 Tumor necrosis factor (TNF) had been isolated much earlier, in the 1970s.2 After the purification of cachectin, the complementary DNAs and genes encoding each protein were cloned almost immediately and were shown to be identical.3 Cachectin and TNF were one and the same. Since then, considerable evidence has accumulated suggesting a role of TNF in various inflammatory conditions,4 and TNF-α is now known to be one of the most pleiotropic of all cytokines. Among a large number of cellular responses to TNF-α are immunoregulation, transcriptional regulation, cytotoxicity, and antiviral activity.5 Two distinct TNF-α receptors occur on multiple cell surfaces: a 55-kDa (TNF-R1) and a 75-kDa (TNF-R2) protein, with the TNF-R1 receptor subserving most of the activity of TNF, including cytotoxicity, fibroblast proliferation, bacterial resistance, prostaglandin E2 synthesis, antiviral activity, and induction of superoxide dismutase.5 The TNF-R2 receptor subserves T-cell proliferation, dermal necrosis, and insulin resistance, although there are overlapping activities between TNF-R1 and TNF-R2. The cytoplasmic domains of the 2 receptors are structurally different, suggesting distinctive evolutionary signal transduction pathways. Trimeric TNF-α binds to several cell-surface receptors simultaneously, crosslinking the receptors to initiate signal transduction. There is the possibility that shedding …
Well Grouting and Casing Temperature Increases

Grouting of water wells is commonly done to increase the well life and to protect the water supply. When Portland cement-based grouts cure, a by-product of the process is heat of hydration which causes increased temperatures in the vicinity of the well casing. Since thermoplastic casing materials lose significant strength at elevated temperatures, it is important to know what range of temperature increases might be associated with the grouting operation. A series of experiments has been performed to determine these temperature increases. Wells were simulated in the laboratory and temperatures monitored throughout the casing-grout-soil system. Results indicate that under certain circumstances the casing temperature could increase by as much as 180° F; however, for nominal 1 1/2-inch grout thicknesses, casing temperature increases between 17° F and 26° F were measured.
Particular Universals—Universal Particulars: Biopolitical Metaphors and the Emergence of Nationalism in Europe (1650–1815)

Summary Based on Max Weber's concept of Kulturnation and Hans Blumenberg's project of metaphorology, this essay argues that modern nations follow distinct cultural programmes that are inherent to their national ideas. Each national idea is propagated by a particular biopolitical metaphor, which performs a transfer from practical or scientific ideas about how nature structures and organises life to cultural ideas about how human lives should be socially and politically organised. The essay examines the emergence of the principal metaphors of grafting in England (Great Britain), of regeneration and elective affinities in France, and of organic self-generation in Prussia (Germany). The fact that each nation claims for its particular national idea the status of a universal principle constitutes the intrinsic paradox of nationalism.
Syntactic and Pragmatic Codes in Communication

This essay argues for the existence of two codes termed pragmatic and syntactic. A code is a system of signs that are interactionally relevant to contexts, appropriateness, genres, and situations. The essay offers a perspective on the problem of how language users both converge on meaning, and thereby establish stability and predictability in interaction, and develop individualized semantic scripts that are activated in interaction. The codes are positioned along a psycholinguistic—sociolinguistic continuum. The pragmatic code is theoretically and linguistically linked to the oral style in which context and shared background are very important. The syntactic code is less context driven and more explicit and differentiated. The two codes are distinguished on the basis of issues in meaning, comprehension, reasoning, context, fragmentation-integration, involvement-detachment, and the level of planning.
Strong chemisorption of mercury at the HgSi(111) interface

Abstract A strongly chemisorbed Hg species is observed following adsorption of Hg on Si(111) at 110 K. Photoemission intensities suggest that initial Hg adsorption occurs into subsurface sites. Mercury induces a √3 × √3 LEED pattern at moderate exposures (10–20 L) or upon annealing at 10 langmuir Hg exposures. At higher exposures (> 30 L), a LEED 1 × 1 pattern develops. Contrary to what is observed for mercury adsorption on several metal surfaces, some mercury atoms are still left on the Si surface even after flashing the crystal to 1250°C.
High Flow Priapism Associated with Sickle Cell Disease

AbstractPriapism associated with sickle cell disease is classically described as a low flow state. We report 2 cases of high flow priapism associated with sickle cell disease. High flow priapism has previously been reported almost exclusively in patients with traumatic rupture of the cavernous artery. Neither of our patients had historical or radiographic findings consistent with injury to the penile vasculature. One patient was treated unsuccessfully with intracorporeal injection of methylene blue and 1 underwent successfully bilateral pudendal artery embolization. The pathophysiological mechanism(s) responsible for the production of high flow priapism in patients with sickle cell disease is not known.
Solar variability and its implications for the human environment

Abstract Solar variability can affect human activities in a variety of ways, from changing our climate to disrupting power distribution facilities and shortening the orbital lifetime of satellites. This tutorial paper will be concerned only with effects on the surface environment that can have a direct impact on our everyday life, such as variations in the stratospheric ozone layer that shields us from harmful ultraviolet radiation, and changes in global climate that can hinder or delay the detection of climate changes that might result from our own technological activities. The emphasis is on potential mechanisms, rather than on reported correlations between solar and terrestrial parameters, but reference to certain observations will be made. Realization of a potential impact of solar variability on our local environment has progressed a long way in the last few decades, from denial to partial acceptance, but a complete assessment of its reality and magnitude remains a distant goal.
Modern Management of Laryngotracheal Stenosis

Objectives Laryngotracheal stenosis is a complex problem resulting most often from intubation, trauma,or autoimmune disease. Management options include dilation or airway reconstruction including laryngotracheoplasty (LTP), cricotracheal resection (CTR), and tracheal resection (TR). We describe our experience with management of this difficult problem. Study design Retrospective chart review of patients treated for laryngotracheal stenosis between January 1995 and July 2005 at an academic, tertiary referral center. Methods A total of 127 patients were treated during the study period. Patients were followed, and hospital records were reviewed. Results There were 38 male and 89 female patients with an average age of 55.5 years treated for laryngotracheal stenosis resulting from intubation (64), idiopathic (25) or autoimmune disease (18), radiation (9), trauma (5), prior surgery (4), and relapsing polychondritis (2). Thirty-three percent were treated for grade I stenosis, 44% grade II, 19% grade III, and 4% grade IV. Seventy percent of patients undergoing initial dilation required a subsequent procedure. LTP, CTR, or TR was performed in 43%, 48%, 71%, and 100% of patients with grade I through IV stenosis, respectively. Among 76 patients undergoing LTP, CTR, or TR, 24 (32%) required a subsequent intervention. Among 36 patients treated with primary LTP, CTR, or TR, only 10 (28%) required further therapy. Twenty-two of 35 (63%) tracheostomy-dependent patients were ultimately decannulated. Three patients died in the immediate postoperative period. Conclusions Patients undergoing dilation for laryngotracheal stenosis require multiple procedures. However, major reconstructive procedures are well tolerated and currently represent a viable primary treatment for laryngotracheal stenosis.
Ethylene evolution from 2-chloroethylphosphonic Acid.

2-Chloroethylphosphonic acid (CEPA. "Amchem 66-329", "Ethrel"; ref. 1), a new plant growth regulator, degrades to yield ethylene in an alkaline solution. When applied to plants, it has been very effective in causing responses characteristic of ethylene treatment (3, 4, 6, 7). The formation of ethvlene or its alkene homologs from CEPA or its homologs was studied and deFcribed in detail in 1963 by Maynard and Swan (5) including the probable reaction mechanism. Nevertheless, several reports have since appeared describing the same reaction wi.thout citing (4, 8) or properly acknowledging (3) their work. Some investigators (7) have since suggested that the growth regulatory action of CEPA is due to the stimulation of ethylene production within the plant tissues without discussing the fact that CEPA itself is the ethylene producer. The chemical mechanism of ethylene production from CEPA suggested by Maynard and Swan (5) involves the nucleophilic attack on -the phosphonate dianion by a water molecule and the concerted elimination of chlorine, leading to direct formation of phosphate and chloride as shown in equation (I). Probably the OH-ion may also serve as an nucleophile in the reaction.
It's not the growth attenuation, it's the sterilization!

The doctors and the hospital in the Ashley case made a major error. They should have sought a court order before proceeding with sterilization. Instead, they relied upon ethics committee review. Et...
Transitions between B-DNA and Z-DNA: A dilemma

The intramolecular conformational change which occurs in double-stranded (dG-dC) oligonucleotides and polynucleotides in high salt solutions is currently assumed to be a transition between the presently accepted structures for B-DNA and Z-DNA. However, a serious dilemma results from the fact that these two structures are from topologically different families of helical duplexes. Mechanisms for interconversion between the two forms, under typical experimental conditions, are highly improbable from a physical-chemical viewpoint. The alternative possibility is that the structure of one of the forms in the transition is not as assumed. The resulting dilemma is addressed and alternative relationships between right- and left-handed DNA forms are discussed.
Patterning Porous Oxides within Microchannel Networks

A continuing challenge for materials chemists and engineers is the ability to create multifunctional composite structures with well-defined superimposed structural order from nanometer to micrometer length scales. Materials with three-dimensional structures ordered over multiple length scales can be prepared by carrying out colloidal crystallization and inorganic/organic cooperative self-assembly within microchannel networks. The resulting materials show hierarchical ordering over several discrete and tunable length scales ranging from several nanometers to micrometers. These patterned porous materials hold promise for use as advanced catalysts, sensors, low-k dielectrics, optoelectronic and integrated photonic crystal devices.
Effect of dietary fat on individual long-chain fatty acyl-CoA esters in rat liver and skeletal muscle.

The effect of dietary fat on the long-chain acyl-CoA ester profile of liver and skeletal muscle was investigated by feeding weanling rats 12%-fat diets composed of high-linoleic safflower oil (73% 18∶2n−6), high-oleic safflower oil (70% 18∶1n−9) or olive oil (70% 18∶1n−9) for six and ten weeks. Approximately 50% of both hepatic and skeletal muscle acyl-CoA esters comprised linoleoyl-CoA or oleoyl-CoA with high-linoleic or oleic feeding, respectively. Total hepatic acyl-CoA ester concentration was 40% higher (p<0.05) in rats fed 12% fat compared with controls fed a 4%-fat diet. These data demonstrate that the long-chain acyl-CoA ester profile of liver and skeletal muscle reflects the dietary fatty acid profile.
Disrupted states of vortex flow and vortex breakdown

Flow visualization studies and laser Doppler anemometer measurements on swirling water flows reveal six distinct types of very large amplitude disturbance modes of the vortex core. Three, ’’axisymmetric’’ and spiral vortex breakdowns, and the ’’double helix,’’ have been described by others. A definite order of evolution in parameter space (Reynolds number and circulations) occurs, and is described. Puzzling responses of the axisymmetric and spiral vortex breakdowns to imposed flow transients reported previously are confirmed here, and are traced to the shedding of starting and stopping vortices from swirl vanes. Conclusions bearing upon the validity of some theories of vortex breakdown are possible from the data.
An introduction to the experimental versus the pragmatic paradigm in evaluation

Abstract This article provides a historical and conceptual framework for the six case studies that follow in this Special Feature section. About 100 years ago, psychology led the social sciences in a “Declaration of Independence” from philosophy. This declaration was supported by the development of Comte's philosophy of positivism, which argued for the superiority of knowledge derived from experimental science over that which came from scholarly interpretation and theory that was not empirically based. The theoretical and technological success of the physical sciences during the first half of the 20th century fueled psychology's commitment to the hypothesis-testing, laboratory-based experimental paradigm. However, for a variety of reasons (e.g., the lack of substantive accomplishments of the experimental paradigm in the social sciences and growing criticism of positivism in the philosophy community), over the past 30 years there has been a breakdown of consensus on the use of the experimental paradigm in psychology, and two alternative models have been developed: a pragmatic paradigm and a hermeneutic paradigm, both based on an epistemology of social constructionism. Although the field of program evaluation has attempted from its beginning to maintain a strong link to the experimental paradigm, in recent years it has been forced by its commitment to real-world program impact to adopt in a more systematic manner aspects of the pragmatic and hermeneutic paradigms. This Special Feature section examines the practical implications of adopting aspects of both the experimental and the pragmatic paradigms in a particular evaluation study. Specifically, the authors of the six case studies were asked to describe and analyze their experiences in terms of whether the two paradigms functioned in their study in a contrasting, conflicting, or complementary manner. The authors were asked to consider a variety of areas of impact, such as research design, data collection methodology, the response of peers, and communication of results.
Effect of oral contraceptive use on platelet prothrombin converting (platelet factor 3) activity

Abstract Platelets obtained from women using estrogen-progesterone oral contraceptives are evaluated for activity as cofactor for Factor Xa-catalyzed prothrombin activation. Donor platelet-rich plasma is diluted into a standard platelet-poor plasma to minimize variations in plasma Factor X and prothrombin concentrations. Activation is initiated with Russell's viper venom, arrested at intervals with EDTA, and residual prothrombin is measured. Compared with controls, platelets from women using oral contraceptives promote an increase in both rate and extent of prothrombin activation, with control and test groups falling into non-overlapping populations. The increased prothrombin activation correlates with an increase in antithrombin III consumption. Enhanced antithrombin III consumption explains the decreased serum antithrombin III levels among women using oral contraceptives.
Correction to "A Bioelectric Inverse Imaging Technique Based On Surface Laplacians"

IV. CONCLUSION The perforated Si-based microelectrode arrays described in this work are robust, easy to handle and show no noticeable deterioration after repeated use. The three-dimensionality of the Pt microelectrodes allows good electrical connections with nervous tissue as well as the possibility to perform measurements on membrane-tissue sandwiches to be achieved. Specifically developed for the organotypic slice cultures, these arrays represent a powerful tool for monitoring electrophysiological activity of slice cultures over extended periods of time, for pharmacological and toxicological studies. ACKNOWLEDGMENT
GROWTH OF (11N) ORIENTED BI-CA-SR-CU-O FILMS BY LIQUID PHASE EPITAXIAL METHOD

Films of BCSCO superconductor of the Bi{sub 2}CaSr{sub 2}Cu{sub 2}O{sub x} composition have been grown by the liquid phase epitaxy method (LPE) using a partially closed growth chamber. The films were grown on (110) NdGaO{sub 3} substrates by slow cooling under optimized conditions below the peritectic melting point (885{degree}C) of Bi{sub 2}CaSr{sub 2}Cu{sub 2}O{sub 8}. Optimization of parameters, such as seed rotation, soak of initial growth temperature and growth period results in the formation of the 2122 phase of BCSCO. XRD measurements show that the films grown on (110) NdGaO{sub 3} have a preferred (11n)-orientation. The best values of zero resistance transition (T{sub c0}) and critical current density ( J{sub c}) obtained for films grown on (110) NdGaO{sub 3} substrates are 87 K and 5.7{times}10{sup 4} A/cm{sup 2} (at 20 K), respectively. The films grown at rotation rates of less than 30 and more than 80 rpm are observed to be associated with a sub-phase in the Bi{sub 2}CaSr{sub 2}Cu{sub 2}O{sub 8} system. Electron microprobe analysis indicates the composition of this sub-phase to be Bi{sub 0.07}Ca{sub 0.93}Sr{sub 2}Cu{sub 5}O{sub 8}. Higher growth temperatures ({gt}860{degree}C) also encourage the formation of this phase. {copyright} {ital 1997 Materials Research Society.}
Relations between pesticide use and riverine flux in the Mississippi River basin

In an intensive subcontinental study of pesticides in surface waters of the United States, concentrations of 26 high-use pesticides were measured at nine sites in the Mississippi River basin from May 1991 through March 1992. Calculated total fluxes were combined with agricultural-use data to estimate the percentage of applied pesticide reaching the mouths of the Mississippi River and six major tributaries. For most pesticides, the riverine flux was less than 2% of the mass applied agriculturally. The fluxes were only marginally related to runoff-potential ratings based solely on the pesticides' chemical and environmental properties. The insecticide diazinon was detected frequently in rivers draining the three basins with the highest population densities, apparently as a result of urban use.
Isolation and molecular characterization of the porcine transforming growth factor beta type I receptor (TGFBR1) gene

The transforming growth factor beta (TGF beta) family is essential for normal growth and development of different organ systems. Here we describe the isolation and molecular characterization of the full-length cDNA and the determination of the genomic DNA sequence of the porcine TGFBR1 gene. The full-length TGFBR1 cDNA 1813 bp contains an open reading frame (ORF) of 1512 bp encoding a TGFBR1 protein of 503 amino acids with a calculated molecular weight (Mw) of 56.4 kDa. A BAC clone harboring the porcine TGFBR1 gene was isolated and sequenced. The results of genomic and cDNA sequences of the porcine TGFBR1 gene demonstrated that it spans a transcription unit of 62,182 bp consisting of nine exons ranging from 125 to 354 bp, and eight introns ranging from 1003 to 29,441 bp. A shorter porcine TGFBR1 isoform resulting from the alternative splicing of exon 7 in porcine TGFBR1 cDNA was detected. The shorter TGFBR1 isoform contained a 1140 bp ORF encoding 379 amino acids with a calculated Mw of 41.7 kDa. The core promoter of porcine TGFBR1 gene lacks a TATA box but contains GC boxes and CAAT boxes. Multiple transcription initiation and termination sites were identified in untranslated regions (UTR) resulting in the size of 5'-UTR varying from 15 to 62 bp, and the length of 3'-UTR varying from 169 to 228 bp. Quantitative real time PCR results showed that the TGFBR1 transcript was ubiquitously expressed in all tissues examined (i.e. fat, adrenal, brain, spinal cord, muscle, mandibular lymph node, thymus, bone marrow, uterus, spleen, testis, kidney, liver, and ovary). A total of eighty-five gene polymorphisms (77 SNPs and 8 indels) were detected in the porcine TGFBR1 gene by utilizing a panel of DNA from eight diversified pig breeds (Yorkshire, Chinese Meishan, Berkshire, Duroc, Hampshire, Landrace, Large White and Pietrain). The minor allele frequencies of these nucleotide variations varied from 0.13 to 0.5 with an average of 0.26. In addition, seventeen microsatellites were identified throughout the genomic sequence of the porcine TGFBR1 gene.
Guiding supersonic projectiles using optically generated air density channels

We investigate the feasibility of using optically generated channels of reduced air density to provide trajectory correction (guiding) for a supersonic projectile. It is shown that the projectile experiences a force perpendicular to its direction of motion as one side of the projectile passes through a channel of reduced air density. A single channel of reduced air density can be generated by the energy deposited from filamentation of an intense laser pulse. We propose changing the laser pulse energy from shot-to-shot to build longer effective channels. Current femtosecond laser systems with multi-millijoule pulses could provide trajectory correction of several meters on 5 km trajectories for sub-kilogram projectiles traveling at Mach 3.
Uncertainty, Climate Change and Nuclear Power

Long time-horizon environmental risks with potential for global impacts have increased in visibility over the past several decades. Such issues as climate change, the nuclear fuel cycle, persistent synthetic chemicals, and stratospheric ozone depletion share some characteristics, including inter generational impacts, strongly decoupled incidence of risks and benefits, substantial decision stakes and extreme uncertainty. What is not well understood are the similarities and differences among sources and implications of uncertainty among these global environmental threats, especially those associate with current and future human behavior. This describes the uncertainties associated with managing two global concerns: the nuclear (fission) fuel cycle and anthropogenic climate change. It finds that the two issue share some common uncertainties, some highly differentiated uncertainties and some interdependent uncertainty. It argues that these uncertainties preclude simple conclusions about the tradeoffs between risks from anthropogenic climate change and those from nuclear power. It concludes that a framework that treats uncertainty as an aspect of management, not as an analytical challenge, will both improve options for effective policy making and provide direction for useful (from a policy perspective) future research.
Hospital management of a patient with factitial dermatitis

A 64-year-old male with a 40-year history of dermatologic disorders is presented. The patient carries diagnoses of neurodermatitis and suspected myosis fungoides on which has been superimposed a factitial dermatitis requiring increasingly extended hospitalizations. Given a very disturbed home life and personality style, the patient showed no incentive for change, and his family and caregivers became increasingly frustrated and distraught. An operant behavioral approach proved helpful to staff in standardizing care and setting realistic expectations. This led to a reversal of a downward course and to a coordinated discharge.
Barriers to autism screening in family medicine practice: a qualitative study.

Aim We explored potential barriers to adoption of recommended screening for autism by family physicians at 18- and 24-month well-child visits. Background The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends early detection and intervention of autism through the use of a standardized autism-specific screening tool on all children at the 18- and 24-month well-child visits. However, not all family physicians screen for autism. Methods Three focus groups and six semi-structured interviews were conducted with 15 family physicians in the Kansas City metropolitan area. Verbatim transcripts were inductively coded; data were analyzed using standard text analysis. Findings Participants had differing views on the increased incidence of autism. Most participants attributed the increase to changes in diagnostic criteria. There was no consensus on the benefit of implementing universal screening for autism during the 18- or 24-month visit. Many preferred to identify potential problems through general developmental assessments and observations. No participants used specific screening tools for autism, and only one participant was aware of such a tool (M-CHAT). Lack of adequate training on child development and screening methods as well as limited availability of community-based resources to manage children with autism was seen as major barriers to routine screening. Suggested solutions included working toward a stronger evidence base, improving physician training and continuing education, and making systemic changes in healthcare. In conclusion, universal screening for autism at the 18- and 24-month visits is not widely accepted, nor is it implemented by family physicians.
40-Gb/s Wavelength-Division-Multiplexing Passive Optical Network with Centralized Lightwave Source

We propose and experimentally demonstrate a 40-Gb/s wavelength-division-multiplexing passive optical network (WDM-PON) with a centralized directly-modulated laser (DML) source for the first time. In the central office (CO), a DML operating at 42.8- Gb/s with high driven bias and low extinction ratio (ER) is employed for carrying downstream data. In the remote node (RN) or optical network unit (ONU), a narrow-band optical filter is used to re-shape the pulse and optical spectrum for increasing the ER of DML signals and re-set phase correlation between the adjacent bits to increase the dispersion tolerance. On the other hand, the low-ER DML signals before the optical filter are re-modulated by an external intensity modulator driven by the upstream signal and then sent back to the CO. In this way, a 40-Gb/s centralized WDM-PON access system with low-cost configuration is realized.
Fragmentation of suddenly heated liquids

Fragmentation of free liquids in Inertial Confinement Fusion reactors could determine the upper bound on reactor pulse rate. The x-ray ablated materials must cool and recondense to allow driver beam propagation. The increased surface area caused by fragmentation will enhance the cooling and condensation rates. Relaxation from the suddenly heated state will move a liquid into the negative pressure region under the liquid-vapor P-V dome. The lithium equation of state was used to demonstrate that neutron-induced vaporization uses only a minor fraction of the added heat, much less than would be required to drive the expansion. A 77% expansion of the lithium is required before the rapid vaporization process of spinodal decomposition could begin, and nucleation and growth are too slow to contribute to the expansion.
Growth Retardation, Early Death, and DNA Repair Defects in Mice Deficient for the Nucleotide Excision Repair Enzyme XPF

Xeroderma pigmentosum (XP) is a human genetic disease which is caused by defects in nucleotide excision repair. Since this repair pathway is responsible for removing UV irradiation-induced damage to DNA, XP patients are hypersensitive to sunlight and are prone to develop skin cancer. Based on the underlying genetic defect, the disease can be divided into the seven complementation groups XPA through XPG. XPF, in association with ERCC1, constitutes a structure-specific endonuclease that makes an incision 5' to the photodamage. XPF-ERCC1 has also been implicated in both removal of interstrand DNA cross-links and homology-mediated recombination and in immunoglobulin class switch recombination (CSR). To study the function of XPF in vivo, we inactivated the XPF gene in mice. XPF-deficient mice showed a severe postnatal growth defect and died approximately 3 weeks after birth. Histological examination revealed that the liver of mutant animals contained abnormal cells with enlarged nuclei. Furthermore, embryonic fibroblasts defective in XPF are hypersensitive to UV irradiation and mitomycin C treatment. No defect in CSR was detected, suggesting that the nuclease is dispensable for this recombination process. These phenotypes are identical to those exhibited by the ERCC1-deficient mice, consistent with the functional association of the two proteins. The complex phenotype suggests that XPF-ERCC1 is involved in multiple DNA repair processes.
Comparison of Stresses in Al Lines Under Various Passivations

Thermal stresses in pure Al lines passivated with a baseline 1000A oxide and additional passivations of 0.5μm oxide, 1μm polymer, or 0.5μm, 1μm, or 2μ nitride were analyzed. Results from finite element analysis and X-ray measurements were compared, and samples were examined in a high voltage SEM for stress voids. For unvoided samples, calculated and measured results showed good correlation, while results for the voided samples showed little correlation due to stress relaxation through voiding. Initial in-situ electromigration test results showed that electromigration voids can occur at stress void sites.
Unraveling the Immigrant Paradox: Academic Engagement and Disengagement Among Recently Arrived Immigrant Youth

Many studies have pointed to a troubling phenomenon known as the “immigrant paradox.” Despite an initial advantage length of residence in the United States appears to be associated with declining academic achievement and aspirations. To date, this line of research has taken a largely cross-sectional approach, comparing first, second, and third generations. The Longitudinal Immigrant Student Adaptation Study (LISA) combines longitudinal, interdisciplinary, and comparative approaches to document the patterns of adaptation of 408 recently arrived immigrant origin youth from Central America, China, the Dominican Republic, Haiti, and Mexico over the course of five years. Here, we present data that demonstrate patterns of academic engagement and achievement of these youths over time, as well as a structural equations model (SEM) that sheds light on the factors contributing to these patterns. These data suggest that supportive relationships significantly mediate the academic engagement and outcomes of immigrant ...
An energy saving, factory-validated disturbance decoupling control design for extrusion processes

This paper is focused on the design and factory testing of a disturbance decoupling control (DDC) approach for hose extrusion processes. A unique dynamic DDC strategy, based on the active disturbance rejection control (ADRC) framework, is designed and implemented in programmable logic control (PLC) code for temperature regulation in the volumetric flow of a polymer single-screw extruder. With the DDC method, it is shown that a largely unknown square multivariable system is readily decoupled by actively estimating and rejecting the effects of both the internal plant dynamics and external disturbances. The proposed DDC approach requires very little information on plant model and has the inherent disturbance rejection ability, and it proves to be a great fit for the highly nonlinear and multivariable extrusion processes. Recently, the DDC design strategy has been put under rigorous test at Parker Hannifin Parflex hose extrusion plant. Across multiple production lines for over eight months, the product performance capability index (Cpk) was improved by 30 percent and energy consumption is reduced over 50 percent. The production line data demonstrates that ADRC is a transformative control technology with great potentials in streamline factory operations, saving energy and improving quality, all at the same time.
Dietary fatty acid composition alters magnesium metabolism, distribution, and marginal deficiency response in rats *

Based on dietary intake recommendations, magnesium deficiency commonly occurs throughout the world. However, widespread pathological conditions induced by dietary magnesium deficiency have not been identified. This discrepancy may be caused by other dietary factors ameliorating or exacerbating the response to a marginal magnesium deficiency and/or the length of the deficiency. Thus, a study was performed to determine whether the n-6/n-3 fatty acid composition of the diet affects the response to marginal magnesium deprivation, and whether the effect was dependent upon the length of deprivation. Weanling female rats were fed diets containing 250 mg/kg magnesium in a factorial arrangement with dietary variables of supplemental magnesium at 0 or 250 mg/kg (total of 250 or 500 mg/kg) and fat sources of 75 g/kg corn oil or 65 g/kg fish (menhaden) oil plus 10 g/kg linoleic acid. After 8 and 12 weeks on their respective diets, each rat was placed in a metabolic cage for a 16-hour collection of urine. After 13 weeks, the rats were anesthetized with ether for the collection of plasma and organs. Marginal magnesium deficiency was confirmed by decreased urinary excretion and femur, tibia and vertebrae concentrations of magnesium. Dietary oil influenced the effect of marginal magnesium deficiency on magnesium metabolism, distribution and oxidative stress indicators. Fish oil, but not corn oil, significantly decreased urinary magnesium excretion and increased kidney magnesium concentration. Femur magnesium was significantly decreased by marginal magnesium deficiency in rats fed fish oil but not in rats fed corn oil, and liver magnesium concentration was decreased by fish oil. Marginal magnesium deficiency increased plasma extracellular superoxide dismutase and cysteine (component of glutathione) in rats fed corn oil but not in rats fed fish oil. Urinary prostaglandin E₂ excretion was significantly decreased by marginal magnesium deficiency at 8 weeks, but not at 12 weeks; an increase between weeks 8 and 12 in marginally magnesium-deficient rats fed fish oil caused this change in significance. The findings show that the dietary fatty acid composition affects the response of rats to marginal magnesium deprivation. The findings also indicate that dietary or physiological factors affecting oxidative stress could affect the response to marginal magnesium deficiency, and that a response to a dietary change that takes time to develop, such as an increase in dietary n-3 fatty acids, may result in signs of marginal deficiency being different over time.
Meaning of the perturbation theory for a class of multiple-well anharmonic oscillators

It is proved that the Borel sum of the Rayleigh-Schrodinger perturbation expansion eigenvalue of the triple well anharmonic oscillators p2 + x2 − 2g2nx2n+2 + g4nx4n+2, g > 0, n = 2.3,… is a complex eigenvalue of a different problem. Its relation with the eigenvalues of the original Hamiltonian is discussed.
Benzotriazole Adsorption on Cu2O(111) Surfaces: A First-Principles Study

The adsorption of benzotriazole (BTAH) on Cu2O(111) was investigated with use of first-principles density functional theory calculations. Two possible adsorption structures were considered for both one-quarter and full adsorption coverage. We found that BTAH strongly chemisorbs (1.2−1.5 eV) onto Cu2O(111) by forming a chemical bond with a surface copper atom through nitrogen sp2 lone pairs, and a hydrogen bond with a surface oxygen atom through a C−H or N−H proton. The chemical interaction between the surface copper site and the molecule is the combined effect of a strong lone-pair → hybrid Cu-dz2spz σ-donation and a relatively weak dyz → 6π* back-donation. Vibration calculations were carried out to predict the BTAH−Cu2O stretching frequencies for both adsorption structures. The calculated stretching frequency (381 and 428 cm-1) could overlap with the BTAH benzene-ring torsion band. An estimate for the BTAH−Cu vibrational frequency (226 and 223.4 cm-1 for two adsorption modes, respectively) is in good agr...