cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Where are we going and where have we been? Examining the effects of maps on spatial learning in an indoor guided navigation task

International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) safeguards inspectors are faced with the difficult task of learning the layout of complex nuclear facilities while being escorted through the facilities. This study addresses a gap in the literature regarding how to best support the development of inspectors’ spatial knowledge, given the constraint that they cannot bring digital devices into most nuclear facilities. We tested whether viewing a map before learning a guided route or carrying a map along the route enabled better spatial learning than having no exposure to a map. Moreover, we tested the impact of carrying maps with different levels of detail (simple 2D, simple 3D, or complex 2D maps) on spatial learning outcomes, as well as interactions between map type and individual differences in sense of direction. The results showed nearly opposite patterns of performance for participants with good and poor sense of direction scores. Participants with a good sense of direction showed higher levels of spatial knowledge when studying or carrying simple maps, whether 2D or 3D, but they did not benefit from using a complex map. Participants with a poor sense of direction showed lower levels of spatial knowledge when using a simple map relative to using no map or a complex map, suggesting that they did not attempt to use the complex map. For both groups of participants, referring to a simple map while learning a route decreased their awareness of their environment, as measured by response times on a memory test that included incidentally learned items.
Postpartum Depression Screening, Referral, and Follow-Up in Pediatric Primary Care: The HealthySteps Effect

BACKGROUND: Postpartum depression (PPD) is estimated to affect up to 20% of new mothers each year. Screening for PPD in the pediatric care setting provides an opportunity for dialogue and referral to treatment, and studies indicate that physician follow up improves maternal outcomes for PPD. HealthySteps for Young Children (HS) is a ZERO TO THREE national initiative supporting integrated pediatric care during the first three years of life. HS embeds an early childhood development specialist, the HealthySteps Specialist (HSS), into the care team. The HSS provides anticipatory guidance and …
The Ontology of Composition

This chapter addresses ontological questions concerning the composition of social structures and entities, and their relationships to the actors who compose them. Our theories and ordinary language refer to governmental structures, institutions, and organizations at a range of levels: actors and officials, agencies, knowledge systems, social networks, and offices and bureaus. The philosophical position of ontological individualism maintains that all social phenomena are ultimately constituted by the social actors who make them up. However, the chapter also recognizes that we need to recognize the reality of higher-level social entities—institutions, normative systems, social identities, power relations, and social networks. The chapter argues that it is legitimate to postulate the existence of social entities; but it argues that social entities, forces, and conditions must have microfoundations at the level of the social actors who compose them. The chapter discusses the idea of a social actor as a socially constituted and socially situated individual with mental frameworks that guide his or her choices of action.
DIFFERENTIAL EXPRESSION OF CB1 CANNABINOID RECEPTOR AND CANNABINOID RECEPTOR INTERACTING PROTEIN 1A IN LABOR

Abstract Background The endocannabinoid system is present in multiple organ systems and is involved in smooth muscle regulation, immune function, neuroendocrine modulation and metabolism of tissues. Limited data are available regarding the presence and role of this system in reproductive tissues. Components of the endocannabinoid system have been identified in myometrial and placental tissues. However, no study has investigated differential expression of the endocannabinoid system in labor. Objectives The purpose of this study was to identify and quantify two components of the endocannabinoid system, the CB1 cannabinoid receptor and cannabinoid receptor interacting protein 1a, in uterine and placental tissues, and to determine if there is differential expression in tissues exposed to labor. We hypothesized that CB1 cannabinoid receptor concentration would be altered in uterine and placental tissue exposed to labor as compared to tissues not exposed to labor. Study Design Uterine and placental tissue samples were collected in nine laboring and 11 non-laboring women undergoing cesarean delivery. CB1 cannabinoid receptor and cannabinoid receptor interacting protein 1a presence and quantification were evaluated using western blot and real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction. Statistical comparisons of laboring and non-laboring subjects were made for uterine and placental tissue using a Mann-Whitney test. Results The protein abundance of CB1 cannabinoid receptor in uterine tissue was significantly lower in tissues exposed to labor (p = 0.01). The protein abundance of cannabinoid receptor interacting protein 1a was lower in uterine tissue exposed to labor but did not reach statistical significance (p = 0.06). mRNA expression of CB1 cannabinoid receptor (p = 0.20) and cannabinoid receptor interacting protein 1a (p = 0.63) did not differ in labored compared to non-labored uterine tissues. Conclusions Our findings of diminished protein density of CB1 cannabinoid receptor in uterine tissue exposed to labor support the hypothesis that the endocannabinoid system plays a role in parturition. Our data add to the growing body of evidence indicating the endocannabinoid system is of importance for successful reproduction and support the need for additional research investigating this complex system as it pertains to labor.
Human genetic analyses of organelles highlight the nucleus, but not the mitochondrion, in age-related trait heritability

Abstract Most age-related human diseases are accompanied by a decline in cellular organelle integrity, including impaired lysosomal proteostasis and defective mitochondrial oxidative phosphorylation. An open question, however, is the degree to which inherited variation impacting each organelle contributes to age-related disease pathogenesis. Here, we evaluate if organelle-relevant loci confer greater-than-expected age-related disease risk. As mitochondrial dysfunction is a “hallmark” of aging, we begin by assessing nuclear and mitochondrial DNA loci relevant to mitochondria and surprisingly observe a lack of enrichment across 24 age-related traits. Within nine other organelles, we find no enrichment with one exception: the nucleus, where enrichment emanates from nuclear transcription factors. In agreement, we find that genes encoding several organelles tend to be “haplosufficient,” while we observe strong purifying selection against protein-truncating variants impacting the nucleus. Our work identifies common variation near transcription factors as having outsize influence on age-related trait risk, motivating future efforts to determine if and how this variation contributes to age-related organelle deterioration.
Speaker Placement Agnosticism: Improving the Distance-based Amplitude Panning Algorithm.

Lossius et. al introduced the distance-based amplitude panning algorithm, or DBAP, to enable flexibility of loudspeaker placement in artistic and scientific contexts. The algorithm allows for arbitrary loudspeaker locations in a 2D plane so that a virtual sound source may navigate the 2D space. The gains for each speaker are calculated as a function of the source's distance to each loudspeaker, thus creating a sound field. This gives the listener the impression of a source moving through the field of loudspeakers. This paper introduces a heuristically developed robust variation of DBAP that corrects for faulty assumptions in the implementation of Lossius. Specifically, this paper develops a method for working with sound sources outside the field of loudspeakers in which the Lossius version produces distorted aural impressions and wildly undulating amplitudes caused by spatial discontinuities in the gains of the various loudspeakers. In smoothing the spatial impression of the virtual source, we are also able to eliminate the calculation of the convex hull entirely, a necessary component of the original implementation. This significantly simplifies and reduces the calculations required for any space in either two or three dimensions.
The Objects That Remain: Laura Levitt 2020. University Park, PA: The Pennsylvania State University Press. 165 pp., ISBN 978-0-271-08782-5.

In 2018, then-President Donald Trump told supporters in Kansas City, “Just remember: What you’re seeing and what you’re reading is not what’s happening. “Much ink has been spilled on that gaslighti...
Review of burn research for year 2014

Management of burn injuries requires treatments and interventions from many disciplines. Worldwide, burn patients suffer from physical and psychological challenges that impact their lives socially and economically. In this review, we will highlight a handful of the numerous articles published in multiple areas of burn care. The areas of burn care addressed in the article are: epidemiology; burn resuscitation, critical care, and infection; nutrition and metabolism; pain and rehabilitation; prevention and firefighter safety; psychology; and reconstruction and wounds. Language: en
Talking Back at School: Using the Literacy Classroom as a Site for Resistance to the School-to-Prison Pipeline and Recognition of Students Labeled “At-Risk”:

Teaching writing to students of high need in an urban school is simultaneously pedagogical, curricular, and political. Students labeled “at-risk” for school failure often have lowered expectations placed upon them from without that impact how they feel within. Compounding this problem of perception is the real issue of heightened surveillance on these students, including the disturbing trend of involving the police when students break the rules of the school; in addition, their own history of juvenile incarceration often exacerbates their school failure. This article addresses these issues in an urban context, as well as provides insight into literacy teaching that assists students in the acquisition of knowledge, literacy, and expression.
Optimal ordering of observations for fast sequential detection

The effect of the ordering of independent and non-identical observations on the average number of samples needed to make a decision in a sequential binary hypothesis test is analyzed in this paper. We show that among all permutations of ordering of the observations, the average sample number (ASN) is minimum for the order in which the area under the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve for each of the non-identically distributed observations is monotonically decreasing. The claim is verified by computing the ASN of a generalized sequential probability ratio test (GSPRT) for different orderings of observations, which are independent and non-identical Gaussian random variables, using a combination of analytical and numerical techniques.
Language and Social Identity

Language and Social Identity. Richard K. Blot, ed. Westport, CT: Praeger Publishers, 2003. 295 pp. Identity in Narrative:. Study of Immigrant Discourse. Anna De Fina. Amsterdam: John Benjamins, 2003. 251 pp. Negotiation of Identities in Multilingual Contexts. Aneta Pavlenko and Adrian Blackledge, eds.Clevedon, UK: Multilingual Matters, 2004. 349 pp.
Social Networking Among Health Sciences University Students: Examining Social Network Usage, Social Support, and General Well-Being

Social network sites (SNSs) are organized around users who join an internet network to engage in daily discussions and postings. Though research informs us about SNSs usage, no published research addresses the use of social network sites among health science professionals. This study examined the relationship between social network usage, social support, and general well-being among undergraduate and graduate students. This study provides results that identify significant relationships (p < .001) associated with SNS usage and the variables of social support and general well-being among this study population. These results can inform the use of SNSs in university health sciences educational programs.
Reference and Information Services An Introduction, 3rd Edition by Kay Ann Cassell and Uma Hiremath

Today's libraries provide reference and information services while operating in an environment of increasing electronic resources and new technologies that are balanced against traditional referenc...
Trial By Battle, Trial By Argument

When we, the inhabitants of the United States, want to resolve a legal dispute, we have a trial. Each party to the dispute hires a trained professional who presents arguments in favor of his principal's claim to a neutral judge or jury. The judge or jury is then required to reach a decision based on the arguments presented and the prevailing legal rules. This article attempts to obtain some perspective on trials by comparing them to their immediate predecessor, that is, the way legal disputes were resolved before trials, as we know them, came into existence. During the Middle Ages people also resolved legal disputes by what they called a trial, but it was trial by battle, an armed conflict between two opponents. Juxtaposing these two practices illuminates several serious problems with contemporary trials: their inherent inaccuracy, their reliance on professional champions to represent the parties, and their conscious antiquarianism. These features of contemporary trials have produced an excessively litigious society, led to the under-enforcement of social policy, and discouraged the development of alternative methods of resolving disputes. If we stand back from our own practice, and ask whether it is truly achieving its stated purposes, we may be able to achieve what people in the Middle Ages did when they dispensed with trial by battle and developed the mode of trial that we inherited from them. That is, we may be able to devise a distinctly new mode of resolving legal disputes that is appropriate to our own society, and that functions effectively for the next several hundred years.
An Inverse Scattering Algorithm for the Segmentation of the Luminal Border on Intravascular Ultrasound Data

Intravascular ultrasound (IVUS) is a catheter-based medical imaging technique that produces cross-sectional images of blood vessels and is particularly useful for studying atherosclerosis. In this paper, we present a novel method for segmentation of the luminal border on IVUS images using the radio frequency (RF) raw signal based on a scattering model and an inversion scheme. The scattering model is based on a random distribution of point scatterers in the vessel. The per-scatterer signal uses a differential backscatter cross-section coefficient (DBC) that depends on the tissue type. Segmentation requires two inversions: a calibration inversion and a reconstruction inversion. In the calibration step, we use a single manually segmented frame and then solve an inverse problem to recover the DBC for the lumen and vessel wall (*** l and *** w , respectively) and the width of the impulse signal *** . In the reconstruction step, we use the parameters from the calibration step to solve a new inverse problem: for each angle *** i of the IVUS data, we reconstruct the lumen-vessel wall interface. We evaluated our method using three 40MHz IVUS sequences by comparing with manual segmentations. Our preliminary results indicate that it is possible to segment the luminal border by solving an inverse problem using the IVUS RF raw signal with the scatterer model.
Natural Deduction for Intuitionistic Non-communicative Linear Logic

We present a system of natural deduction and associated term calculus for intuitionistic non-commutative linear logic (INCLL) as a conservative extension of intuitionistic linear logic. We prove subject reduction and the existence of canonical forms in the implicational fragment.
The semiconstrained court: public opinion, the separation of powers, and the u.s. supreme court's fear of nonimplementation

Numerous studies have found that elite and popular preferences influence decision making on the U.S. Supreme Court; yet, uncertainty remains about when, how, and why the Court is constrained by external pressure. I argue the justices are constrained, at least in part, because they fear nonimplementation of their decisions. I test this theory by utilizing a recent study of judicial power, which finds the Court enjoys greater implementation power in �vertical� cases (those involving criminal and civil liability) than in �lateral� cases (all others; e.g., those involving schools or government agencies). I find that Court constraint is strongest in important lateral cases�those cases in which implementation depends on support from nonjudicial actors. My findings suggest that Supreme Court constraint is driven by the justices' fear of nonimplementation and is, therefore, dependent on institutional context.
MOVEMENT IN A CONFLUENT 3T3 MONOLAYER AND THE CAUSES OF CONTACT INHIBITION OF OVERLAPPING

The existence of contact inhibition of nuclear overlapping (monolayering) has previously been interpreted to mean that intercellular contact locally inhibits the cell9s locomotory apparatus and hence that cells in a confluent monolayer should be immobilized. Garrod & Steinberg, however, observed gross movements and exchanging of nuclear nearest neighbour relationships in a confluent monolayer of chick epithelial-like cells. Data presented in the present report reveal that similar movements occur in confluent monolayers of mouse 3T3 fibroblasts, previously shown to display contact inhibition of speed, contact inhibition of overlapping, and postconfluence inhibition of cell division. Cytoplasmic boundaries frequently could not be resolved in the present study. However, during a 2.2-day period, more than one third of originally adjacent pairs of nuclei became separated by 1-5 intervening nuclei, and their average distance of separation increased more than 2-fold. Also, each nucleus was displaced, on average, more than one mean cell diameter in a random direction. These indications of gross cellular movements were seen during the stationary density phase of perfused culture, as well as during the doubling of cell density which occurs after confluence but before the stationary phase. If the intensity of cell-substratum adherence exceeds that of cell-cell adherence, this differential in adhesive strength could, by itself, produce the observed avoidance of overlapping, without invoking local inhibition of the cell9s internal ‘motor’ by contact. This differential adhesion hypothesis for contact inhibition of overlapping is consistent with the extensive movements very likely occurring in at least certain confluent monolayers. On the other hand, the probable existence of these movements seems less easily reconciled with the hypothesis that contact inhibition of overlapping results from contact-induced local paralysis of an intracellular locomotory apparatus, although this latter hypothesis is not excluded.
A class-chest for deriving transport protocols

The development of new transport protocols or protocol algorithms suffers from the complexity of the environment in which they an intended to run. Modeling techniques attempt to avoid this by simulating the environment. Another approach to promoting rapid prototyping of protocols and protocol algorithms is to provide a pre-built infrastructure that is common to transport protocols, so that the focus is placed on the protocol-specific aspects. The Meta-Transport Library is a library of C++ base classes that implement or abstract out the mundane functions of a protocol; new protocol implementations are derived from the base classes. The result is a fully viable user-level transport protocol implementation, with emphasis on modularity. The collection of base classes form a "class-chest" of tools from which protocols can be developed and studied with as little change to a normal Unix environment as possible.
Dysregulated MicroRNA Expression and Chronic Lung Allograft Rejection in Recipients With Antibodies to Donor HLA

The pathogenesis of chronic rejection, Bronchiolitis Obliterans Syndrome (BOS) following lung transplantation (LT) is poorly understood. We hypothesized that development of antibodies to HLA (DSA) is associated with dysregulation of microRNA (miRNA) that predisposes BOS. Towards this, miRNA profiling of mononuclear cells from 10 stable LT (DSA(-) BOS(-) ), 10 LT with DSA(+) BOS(-) (DSA group) and 10 LT with DSA(+) BOS(+) (BOS group) were performed. Prediction by mirPath indicated that differential miRNAs in DSA(+) BOS(-) compared to stable are significantly up-regulated (relative fold >2, p 2, p < 0.05). There was also significant enrichment of cell cycle and gap junction pathways. An inverse correlation between expression of two key miRNAs and their target genes were observed: miR-369-5p and miR-548d were down regulated in DSA(+) LT while their gene targets in TGF-β signal pathways were up-regulated. In addition, miR-628-5p and miR-134 were down regulated and their target genes (B cell development) were up-regulated. Therefore, we conclude that alloimmunity induced changes in miRNAs affecting the TGF-β and B cell receptor signal pathways play important roles in BOS development.
A simulation of the pointing performance of the Solar Optical Telescope

A simulation of the pointing performance of the Solar Optical TelescopeDavid J. BundasNASA /Goddard Space Flight CenterGreenbelt, Maryland 20771AbstractThe Solar Optical Telescope (SOT)' is a shuttle -based observatory designed to give moredetailed views of the Sun than has been possible using Earth -based observatories. It willbe able to resolve details on the Sun which subtend 0.1 arc seconds for continuous viewingperiods of up to several hours. When budgeted into the various error sources whichcontribute to the overall image quality, jitter of the telescope can contribute only0.03 arc seconds rms pointing error over the science observation periods. To meet thisstringent pointing requirement, several layers of control systems are utilized.They are: the shuttle itself, the Instrument Pointing System (IPS), the Prime FocusImage Control Functional System (PFICFS), and the Gregorian Focus Image Control FunctionalSystem (GFICFS).This paper is a discussion of the methodologies and simulations being developed at theGSFC for the purpose of studying the fine pointing stability of the SOT. The math modelsof the system are being built starting at the subsystem level and working to a full -upsimulation which includes structural, controls, and optical models of the combined
The Relationship of Selected Perceptual Measures of Diadochokinesis to Speech Intelligibility in Dysarthric Speakers With Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis

The current experiment explored the relationship of two perceptual measures of diadochokinetic (DDK) performance to speech intelligibility in 15 men with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). The pe...
Assessing the contribution of parks to physical activity using global positioning system and accelerometry.

AB Purpose: Parks offer a free option for physical activity in many communities. How much time people spend using parks and the contribution that parks makes to their physical activity is not known. This study describes patterns of park use and physical activity among a diverse adult sample. Methods: From five US states, 248 adults enrolled in or near 31 study parks. Participants wore a global positioning system (GPS) monitor (Qstarz BT-Q1000X) and an ActiGraph accelerometer (GT1M) concurrently for 3 wk. Parks were mapped from local and national park shape files. Park visits and travel to and from the parks were derived from the objective data. Results: Participants visited parks a median of 2.3 times per week, and park visits lasted a median of 42.0 min. Overall, participants engaged in a median of 21.7 min[middle dot]d-1 of moderate activity and 0.1 min[middle dot]d-1 of vigorous activity, with an average of 8.2% of all moderate and 9.4% of all vigorous activity occurring within the parks. Among those with at least one park visit (n = 218), counts per minute, moderate, moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA), number and time in MVPA bouts per day, and sedentary behavior were all higher on days when a park was visited compared with days when a park was not visited. Considering several definitions of active travel, walking or bicycling to and from the park added an additional 3.7-6.6 mean minutes of MVPA per park visit. Conclusions: Parks contributed as a place and destination for physical activity but were underused. One of the next steps in this line of inquiry is to understand characteristics of parks used more often as a place and destination for physical activity.
The focusing of responsibility: An alternative hypothesis in help‐demanding situations

The ‘diffusion of responsibility’ hypothesis as an explanation of helping behavior (or lack of same) is qualified by suggesting that the hypothesis applies only in non-interacting situations. It is hypothesized that interacting groups who are aware of a help-demanding situation actually focus the responsibility and, therefore, take action as a group more rapidly than will a non-interacting group. Evidence is gathered in a contrived help-demanding situation employing a 2 × 3 (sex × condition) in which three conditions — alone, non-interacting (pseudo) groups, and interacting groups — are used. The evidence substantiates the major hypothesis. Speculation is also presented concerning the relationship of the ‘alone’ condition to the interacting and non-interacting groups and concerning sex effects.
Restoration of depressed immune function in spinal cord injury patients receiving rehabilitation therapy.

Both natural and adaptive immune responses were strikingly decreased 2 weeks after injury in 49 spinal cord injuries, 28 tetraplegic and 21 paraplegic patients compared to agematched controls. All values are expressed as means. NK cell function decreased to 21.0% 2 weeks after spinal cord injury compared to 48.6% in controls. At 2 weeks, plasma ACTH values increased to 17.0 pg/ml in patients compared to 11.2 pg/ml in controls and urine free cortisol levels were elevated to 162.4 micrograms/24 h in patients compared to 53.6 ug/24 h in controls. T cell function decreased to 40.2% of normal (lymphocyte transformation) by 3 months post injury. T cell activation (IL-2R) was diminished, i.e., 183.4 ug/ml compared to 328.2 ug/ml in controls. With rehabilitation therapy, NK cell function increased to 41.6% by 7 months post injury. NK cell-mediated lysis diminished sharply between 7 and 9 months decreasing to 22.8% at 10 months and ultimately returning to the 2 week post injury level. Rehabilitation therapy contributed to the restoration of T cell function to 92.0% of normal by 6 months post injury where it remained for 6+ months. IL-2R values improved in parallel with lymphocyte transformation. Whereas NK cell-induced lysis remained depressed, i.e., 11.8% at 6 months and 11.4% at 12+ months in patients not receiving therapy, the restoration of NK cell function at 6 months to 40.6% in rehabilitated patients decreased to 23.0% with cessation of treatment. NK cell-mediated lysis values in cervical injury patients were significantly less than those in the thoracic injury group. FIM scores of the two paralleled their NK cell function. With rehabilitation therapy, NK cell-mediated lysis in the cervical group increased from 15.2% to 28.4%, whereas it improved in the thoracic group with therapy from 26.8% to 43.7%. With rehabilitation therapy, lymphocyte transformation in the cervical group increased from 37.3% to 85.6% and improved in the thoracic group from 48.4% to 88.9%. With rehabilitation therapy, FIM scores improved from 49.7 to 74.0 in the cervical group and from 79.8 to 97.3 in thoracic patients compared to 126 in controls of healthy age matched controls.
Residues in corn and soils treated with technical chlordane and high-purity chlordane (HCS 3260).

Mature corn grain and cobs grown in soils treated at planting with 1 and 2 lb active ingredient per acre of technical chlordane or HCS 3260 (high purity chlordane) were free of detectable insecticide residues (limit of sensitivity = 0.008 ppm). The stalk contained trace quantities of alpha- and/or gamma-chlordane. Whole corn plants harvested as for silage, 102 days after planting, contained about 0.03-0.04 ppm combined alpha- and gamma- chlordane, while heptachlor and heptachlor epoxide were not detected. Maximum ppm total residues in the upper 4 inches of soil were approximately twice the treatment rate in pounds in the case of technical chlordane and 3-4 times the treatment rate of HCS 3260. Fifty to 70% of these residues had dissipated after 1 year.
Fractional Fokker-Planck-Kolmogorov type equations and their associated stochastic differential equations

There is a well-known relationship between the Ito stochastic differential equations (SDEs) and the associated partial differential equations called Fokker-Planck equations, also called Kolmogorov equations. The Brownian motion plays the role of the basic driving process for SDEs. This paper provides fractional generalizations of the triple relationship between the driving process, corresponding SDEs and deterministic fractional order Fokker-Planck-Kolmogorov type equations.
Low-voltage dynamic control for DC electroosmotic devices

Abstract Electroosmotic micropumps can find wide applications in laboratories-on-a-chip. While much progress has been accomplished, local and reconfigurable control of fluids remain an active research area in microfluidics, as this ability is essential to mixing and convection to speed up the reaction or analysis processes. This paper explores field-induced electroosmosis, also known as gate control technique, to achieve dynamic flow control. The gate-controlled electroosmotic devices are built using modified soft lithography technique. The gate electrode directly contacts the fluids, providing high efficiency in modulating zeta potential at the fluid-channel interface and hence efficient flow regulation. The flow velocity can be locally manipulated by applying low gate voltages (−2 V to +2 V). The flow rates are improved by 112% with negative gate voltages (0 V to −2 V), 0.61 μL/min up to 1.29 μL/min. The flow reversal is observed to start at an applied gate voltage of about +1.3 V. Moving fluid back and forth will greatly enhance mixing. The device design is scalable to accommodate various applications, portable in size, and can be readily interfaced with other microfluidic components, suitable for LOC applications.
Quantum physics: Electrons in perfect drag

A neat experiment shows that if a current is sent through one of two adjacent conducting layers placed in a strong magnetic field, a quantum effect generates an exactly equal but opposite current in the other layer. See Letter p.481 An electronic current flowing in one conductor can induce a current in another spatially separated from the first through repulsive electron–electron forces known as Coulomb interactions. The resulting 'drag current' is usually small, but it has been thought possible that in certain cases this can be of equal magnitude to the drive current. This prediction is now fulfilled with the demonstration of 'perfect' drag in a bilayer two-dimensional electron system in which a layer of electrons is coupled to another layer with an equal number of holes, together capable of forming an exciton condensate. The authors show conclusively that a current of electrons in the first layer can drive an equal current of the opposite sign in the second layer.
Charge-transfer salts of carbonylmetalates as outer-sphere ion pairs in photochemical and thermal electron transfer

Abstract Highly colored, crystalline salts result from the combination of the carbonylmetalates Co(CO) 4 − , Mn(CO) 5 − and HFe(CO) 4 − with perphenyl-phosphonium and sulfonium cations. The unique colors are associated with the interionic charge-transfer interactions of carbonylmetalates acting as electron donors and the onium cations as electron acceptors by the independent evaluation of their anodic and cathodic redox potentials E p a and E p c , respectively. Such charge-transfer salts exist as unperturbed contact ion pairs in the solid state and in solution, as is shown by their carbonyl (IR) spectra which establish the presence of Co(CO) 4 − , Mn(CO) 5 − and HFe(CO) 4 − in T d , D 3h and C 3 symmetry of the undistorted anions. The rich photochemistry that accompanies the charge-transfer activation of these outer-sphere ion pairs is described and it is mechanistically placed in the context of photoinduced electron transfer followed by the facile reactions of phosphoranyl(sulfuranyl) and 17-electron carbonylmetal radical pairs. The analogous thermal annihilation of the iodonium salt Ph 2 I + Mn(CO) 5 − proceeds via an adiabatic electron transfer that is facilitated by an isoergonic driving force based on the enhanced reduction potential of Ph 2 I + .
Delta-modules and their quasi-injective hulls

A right R-module M is called a Δ-module if R has the decending chain condition on annihilators of subsets of M. The purpose of this paper is concerned with determining when the injective hull or the quasi-injective hull of a Δ-module is a Δ-module by utilizing the prime ideals of the ring.
Evaluation of an Organic Iron Product (F4 C-60) in Broiler Diets

Abstract Fifty broiler chicks were randomly assigned to each of 12 pens. Three treatments consisted of basal ration, basal ration plus 500 ppm of F4C-60 (an organic iron product), and basal ration plus 1000 ppm F4 C-60. Carcass quality evaluation determined that an increase in percentage of breast muscle of approximately .9% was shown when F4 C-60 was included in the feed. Feed efficiency was not affected by the addition of F4C-60. However, 52-day body weights were increased significantly when 1000 ppm of F4C-60 was added.
The Effect of Using Trunk Control Pelvic Movement Exercise in the Sitting and Standing Positions on the Relative Impulse of Hemiplegic Patients

[Purpose] The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of using trunk control pelvic movement (TCPM) exercises with changes in the body position on the relative impulse in hemiplegic patients. [Subjects] Thirty-seven hemiplegic patients were randomly divided into 3 groups: control group (CG, n=12), sitting exercise group (SIEG, n=12), and standing exercise group (STEG, n=13) [Methods] A F-Scan System was used to measure the relative impulse of foot pressure on the hemiplegic side during walking. [Results] After the exercise, the relative impulses of the hallux and 2nd, 3rd metatarsal heads in SIEG and STEG were significantly increased during walking. [Conclusion] These results suggest that TCPM exercise in the sitting and standing positions is effective at improving foot pressure on the hemiplegic side. In addition, propulsion during push off was increased in the standing position.
Plant DNA extraction using silica

Described here is a method that uses silicon dioxide (silica) to extract whole genomic plant DNA of high molecular weight. The protocol is presented in a microcentrifuge format, and yields were approximately 2–4 μg per 200 mg of plant leaf tissue. The method involves fewer steps than many previous extraction protocols and, as shown here for 4 taxonomically distant angiosperms, produces DNA suitable for digestion with restriction endonucleases. The use of commercial kits is not required; the silica costs are comparatively inexpensive (<$0.03 per tube); and CTAB, rather than the more expensive guanidine thiocyanate salt, is used.
User Satisfaction with EDI: An Empirical Investigation

This study was undertaken to identify antecedents of user satisfaction with EDI systems by surveying key end users of EDI in a variety of firms across the United States. Although there is much empirical evidence about factors underlying EDI adoption and implementation, there is little information from the perspective of the end user. The vast majority of what we know about EDI success or failure is based on the EDI manager's or IT perspective. However, there is evidence that suggests if users are not satisfied with a system, they will not use it. Thus, a study of user satisfaction with EDI can provide firms seeking to better leverage their EDI investment with a different and useful perspective on factors that underlie EDI. Two findings indicate that the greater the perceived benefits of EDI, the greater the user satisfaction; and the more compatible EDI is with existing organizational practices and systems, the more satisfied the users are with the system. Although EDI managers may have suspected this was true, empirical support of heretofore largely anecdotal evidence has several implications for successfully managing EDI adoption and integration. These implications hold not only for the adopting firm, but also for firms that may require, or are considering requiring, trading partners to implement EDI. Finally, implications for future EDI research are discussed.
Dynamic thermal analysis of a concentrated photovoltaic system

Concentrated photovoltaic (PV) technology represents a growing market in the field of terrestrial solar energy production. As the demand for renewable energy technologies increases, further importance is placed upon the modeling, design, and simulation of these systems. Given the U.S. Air Force cultural shift towards energy awareness and conservation, several concentrated PV systems have been installed on Air Force installations across the country. However, there has been a dearth of research within the Air Force devoted to understanding these systems in order to possibly improve the existing technologies. This research presents a new model for a simple concentrated PV system. This model accurately determines the steady state operating temperature as a function of the concentration factor for the optical part of the concentrated PV system, in order to calculate the optimum concentration that maximizes power output and efficiency. The dynamic thermal model derived is validated experimentally using a commercial polysilicon solar cell, and is shown to accurately predict the steady state temperature and ideal concentration factor.
Successful Repair of an Atrioesophageal Fistula After Catheter Ablation for Atrial Fibrillation

Catheter ablation of arrhythmias can result in the rare but devastating complication of an atrioesophageal fistula. This complication can be associated with significant neurologic morbidity and high mortality and requires a high index of suspicion to facilitate life-saving surgical intervention. Herein, we report the successful repair of an atrioesophageal fistula after catheter ablation for atrial fibrillation.
Effect of the GABA-agonist Baclofen on Bronchial Responsiveness in Asthmatics

Abstract Gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) is a central inhibitory neurotransmitter. Recently, the presence of GABA and its receptors has been confirmed in peripheral tissues, including the lungs. GABA and the GABA agonist baclofen have been shown in animal studies to inhibit airway responsiveness to various bronchoconstricting agents. The results of these investigations suggest the possibility of a role for baclofen in the therapy of human airway hyperreactivity. To investigate this question, a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, cross-over study was performed to evaluate the effect of a 14-day course of oral baclofen (10 mg three times daily) on pulmonary function and bronchial responsiveness to methacholine in a group of six stable asthmatics. In five of six subjects, hyperresponsiveness was enhanced after therapy with baclofen. Mean (± SEM) log PC 20 pre-and post-baclofen were 0.160 ± 0.247 and −0.223 ± 0.282, respectively ( P =0.023). Baseline pulmonary function (FEV 1 ) was unaffected by baclofen. The mechanism(s) underlying this apparent paradoxical enhancement by baclofen of bronchial responsiveness remains speculative, but may be relevant to the recently-proposed concept of dysfunction in asthmatics of prejunctional GABA receptors, whose normal role may be to inhibit cholinergic contraction of bronchial smooth muscle.
Application of the Itch Severity Score in patients with moderate-to-severe plaque psoriasis: Clinically important difference and responder analyses.

AbstractThe Itch Severity Score (ISS), a 0–10 numeric rating scale, was used to assess pruritus due to psoriasis in a Phase 2 b trial of tofacitinib, a novel oral Janus kinase inhibitor. 197 patients with moderate-to-severe plaque psoriasis were randomized to tofacitinib 2, 5 or 15 mg twice daily, or placebo. The ISS was recorded daily from baseline to week 2 and at study visits. Following good and recommended research practice, we performed analyses to examine the clinically important differences (CID) (between-group difference or within-group difference) and clinically important responders (CIR) (within-patient change) for the ISS. The CID and CIR were defined using Patient Global Assessment of psoriasis as an anchor and were estimated with a longitudinal model. A CID on the ISS was 1.64 and, by day 10, the mean changes from baseline in ISS values for the tofacitinib doses (placebo-adjusted) exceeded CID. A CIR on the ISS was a 30% improvement from baseline and, at week 12, 87.2% to 100% of patients rec...
Contour-gain vector quantization

An information-theory motivation for considering a contour-gain codebook structure is given and an iterative contour-gain vector quantizer (CGVQ) algorithm allowing optimization of the shape codebook for a fixed-gain codebook is described. Numerical results are presented for CGVQ encoding of first-, second-, and tenth-order Gauss-Markov sources, and a clear improvement over SGVQ (shape-gain vector quantizer) performance is demonstrated. Numerical results are also presented for CGVQ waveform encoding of speech, and again an improvement over SGVQ performance is demonstrated. The perceptual quality of the encoded speech was roughly equivalent for the two models. >
From brain passage to cell adaptation: the road of human rabies vaccine development

A major challenge for global rabies prevention and control is the lack of sufficient and affordable high quality vaccines. Such candidates should be pure, potent, safe, effective and economical to produce, with broad cross-reactivity against viral variants of public health and veterinary importance. The history of licensed human vaccines reviewed herein demonstrates clearly how the field has evolved to the current state of more passive development and postexposure management. Modern cell culture techniques provide adequate viral substrates for production of representative verified virus seeds. In contrast to outdated nervous tissue-based rabies vaccines, once a suitable substrate is identified, production of high titer virus results in a major qualitative and quantitative difference. Given the current scenario of only inactivated vaccines for humans, highly cell-adapted and stable, attenuated rabies viruses are ideal candidates for consideration to meet the need for seed viruses in the future.
“Look Out for the Football Players and the Frat Boys”: Autoethnographic Reflections of a Gay Teacher in a Gay Curricular Experience

Abstract The choice of a teacher to be “out” in the classroom is perhaps unadvisable, possibly joyous, potentially disastrous, positively political, and just plain hard. For me, the choice to be out in the classroom has met with some consequences that do not match my expectations. This essay is an autoethnographic writing performance of my identity as a gay man and a teacher. To begin, I offer the narrative context in which I first approached the classroom as an openly gay teacher. I merge that narrative with a theoretically-infused reflection on some of my experiences with male learners across the text of The Laramie Project (Kaufman, 2002). I conclude with a few things I believe myself to have learned about pedagogy and understandings of sexuality between myself and those persons who encounter me as “teacher.”
Variations in Symptom Prevalence and Clinical Correlates in Younger Versus Older Youth with Obsessive–Compulsive Disorder

Few studies have examined the phenomenology of obsessive–compulsive disorder (OCD) in younger children. A sample of 292 treatment seeking youth with a primary diagnosis of OCD was divided into the young child (3–9 years old) and older child (10–18 years old) groups. Overall OCD severity did not differ between groups. However, older youth demonstrated stronger intensity of obsessive and compulsive symptoms, while younger children were rated as having less resistance and control of compulsions. Older youth exhibited increased occurrence of comorbid depression, and an increased occurrence of sexual, magical thinking, and somatic obsessions, as well as, checking, counting and magical thinking compulsions. Conversely, the group of younger children exhibited significantly poorer insight, increased incidence of hoarding compulsions, higher rates of comorbid attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder, disruptive behavior, and parent-rated anxiety, and more frequently exhibited hoarding compulsions. These differences suggest domains to consider when screening for OCD among younger/older pediatric cohorts.
Ifosfamide: A clinical review

Although ifosfamide first underwent clinical trials 15 years ago, it has largely been ignored by the American oncology community until the last few years. Earlier concerns about dose-limiting hemorrhagic cystitis have been mitigated by the development of effective urothelial protectors such as mesna. Furthermore, ifosfamide is not completely cross-resistant with cyclophosphamide. Ifosfamide has activity in a variety of disseminated refractory solid tumors that do not traditionally respond to conventional alkylating agent therapy, specifically refractory germ cell tumors, soft tissue sarcomas, and malignant lymphomas. The decreased myelosuppression and lack of apparent cross-resistance compared with cyclophosphamide make ifosfamide an ideal drug for inclusion in combination chemotherapy. While clarification of the differences between ifosfamide and cyclophosphamide is ongoing, ifosfamide may eventually replace cyclophosphamide in conventional combination chemotherapy regimens for a variety of solid tumors. At present, it has clear-cut major activity in refractory germ cell tumors and has become an integral component of a curative salvage regimen.