cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Effect of angiotensin II and angiotensin(1-7) on hematopoietic recovery after intravenous chemotherapy.

Abstract Purpose. Previous studies have shown that angiotensin peptides stimulate the proliferation of hematopoietic progenitors in vitro, promote survival after exposure to lethal irradiation as well as accelerate the recovery of white blood cells (WBC), i.e., lymphocytes, monocytes and neutrophils, and platelets. These changes in the level of formed elements in the blood after irradiation was thought to be due to increases in the numbers of bone marrow progenitors including myeloid, erythroid and megakaryocyte progenitors by the action of angiotensin peptides. In view of these findings, the effect of angiotensin peptides on recovery after chemotherapy was assessed. Materials and methods. The effect of angiotensin II (AII) and angiotensin(1–7) (A1–7) on the recovery of WBC and platelets in the blood, as well as the number of myeloid, erythroid and megakaryocyte progenitors in the bone marrow and the number of myeloid progenitors in the blood after intravenous administration of chemotherapeutic drugs was assessed in a mouse model. Results. In initial studies, subcutaneous administration of 10 or 100 µg/kg per day of AII starting either 2 days before or 2 days after intravenous administration of 5-fluorouracil (5FU) accelerated WBC recovery (return to baseline between 7 and 14 days). Further, consistent with previous observations, the number of myeloid progenitors in the bone marrow and blood was increased after systemic administration of angiotensin peptides. The comparability of A(1–7) and AII in their effect on hematopoietic recovery after chemotherapy was shown in subsequent studies. Daily administration of both AII and A(1–7) increased platelet numbers in the peripheral blood and myeloid, erythroid and megakaryocyte progenitors in the bone marrow. As 5FU is not a stem cell toxin, these studies were repeated with administration of A(1–7) initiated before or after intravenous cyclophosphamide. Following treatment with A(1–7) before cyclophosphamide the numbers of circulating WBC initially increased and then decreased starting on day 14. Following treatment with A(1–7) 2 days after cyclophosphamide the numbers of WBC and the numbers of myeloid progenitors increased in the peripheral blood and bone marrow. Conclusions. These findings suggest that angiotensin peptides accelerate hematopoietic recovery in multiple cellular lineages after chemotherapy, perhaps through an increase in the number of early hematopoietic progenitors.
Research on emotional schemas: A review of findings and challenges

In recent years, the field of emotion research has seen a marked increase in theories and studies of emotional schemas—core beliefs about emotions and emotional experiences. This review serves to o...
Additive effects of obesity and loneliness on C-reactive protein.

Obesity and loneliness are associated with C-reactive protein (CRP), a predictor of cardiovascular disease. It is unknown whether the co-presence of obesity and loneliness is associated with additional risk for clinically elevated CRP. The present study thus examines their independent and combined effects on elevated CRP in older adults. Data come from 10,912 respondents who completed the 2008 and 2010 waves of the Health and Retirement Study. Loneliness was measured using an 11-item Loneliness Scale and body mass index was calculated from technician measured height and weight. Our primary outcome is high sensitivity CRP (hsCRP). Survey-weighted logistic regression models were used to test whether loneliness and BMI category are independent predictors of CRP after adjusting for demographics and other inflammatory-related covariates. In the fully adjusted model for men, obesity (OR = 2.36, p 3.0. Among females, being overweight (OR = 1.75, p 3.0. Among both men and women, results from fully adjusted models indicated that loneliness was not associated with clinically elevated hsCRP (OR = 1.34, p = .0535; OR = 0.97, p = 0.6776, respectively).
Postoperative Hardware-Related Infection from Kytococcus schroeteri: Its Association with Prosthetic Material and Hematological Malignancies-A Report of a Case and Review of Existing Literature.

Introduction. Kytococcus schroeteri is an infrequently isolated Gram-positive coccus often encountered as a commensal bacterium. Only eighteen cases of human infection associated with this organism have been previously reported. Most of these cases involved patients with implanted prosthetic materials or patients with immunosuppressive conditions. It has been described in prosthetic valve endocarditis and in select patients with hematologic diseases but only one prior report as being involved in osteoarticular infections. Case Presentation. We describe a case of postsurgical osteoarticular hardware-related infection by K. schroeteri and discuss a possible association with implanted prosthetic material. Conclusion. Other clinical presentations of K. schroeteri, including reported infection syndromes, antimicrobial susceptibility profiles, and treatment outcomes, are also reviewed.
PoloTrac: A Water Polo Tracking and Advanced Statistics Application

PoloTrac is an iOS mobile application designed to allow coaches, players, and spectators to record water polo game events as they happen in real-time. PoloTrac contains features of a standard score-keeping application (such as a functioning scoreboard, clock, and foul counter), however, PoloTrac also calculates and produces post-game reports that provide advanced statistical output. This is accomplished by allowing the user to input the location, type, tactic, and outcome of every shot attempted during a match. These reports are intended to aid in determining player performance, team performance and the effectiveness of certain strategical methods on scoring goals. While PoloTrac contains features recommended by top collegiate water polo coaches, these features are designed to be accessible to users from all areas of water polo (from amateur to professional).
Effects of central and peripheral administration of an acute-phase protein, α-1-acid-glycoprotein, on feed intake and rectal temperature in sheep

In rodents, an acute-phase protein, α-1-acid-glycoprotein (AGP), was shown to provide a link between inflammation and suppression of feed intake by acting as a leptin receptor agonist. The objective of this study was to determine the effects of AGP on feed intake and rectal temperature in sheep. Ewes were ovariectomized, implanted with a cannula into a lateral ventricle of the brain, and kept indoors in individual pens. Feed intake and rectal temperature were determined for sheep in all experiments. In the first experiment, ewes (n = 4) received 1 of 4 treatments [0 (control), 0.012 (low), 0.06 (medium), or 0.30 (high) mg/kg BW AGP] into the lateral ventricle (ICV). All sheep received all treatments in a Latin square design balanced for carryover effects with 10 d between treatments. In the second experiment, ewes (n = 10) received 1 of 2 treatments (0 and 3 mg/kg BW of AGP) intravenously (IV) in a completely randomized design. In the third experiment, ewes (n = 19) received peripheral treatments (IV) of an antipyretic [0 (control) or 2.2 mg/kg BW flunixin meglumine (FLU)] 30 min before receiving central AGP [0 (control) or 0.3 mg/kg BW of AGP] in a completely randomized design. All data were analyzed using a mixed model analysis of variance and tested for effects of treatment, time, and the interaction of treatment and time. Cumulative 48-h feed intake after administration of treatments was also determined. In the first experiment, there was no effect of ICV treatment (P = 0.37) on feed intake rate or on cumulative feed intake (P = 0.31). There was an effect of ICV treatment (P = 0.002) on rectal temperatures, which were greater (P < 0.05) after the high dose of centrally administered AGP. In the second experiment, there was no effect of AGP administration IV on feed intake rate (P = 0.98), on cumulative feed intake (P = 0.41) or on rectal temperature (P = 0.71). In the third experiment, there was an effect of central AGP treatment (P < 0.0001) and an interaction of central AGP and time (P < 0.0001) on rectal temperature, whereas FLU had no effect (P = 0.93), demonstrating that AGP increased rectal temperatures regardless of antipyretic treatment. These results indicate that central AGP increases rectal temperature in sheep by pathways that do not involve prostaglandins. Further research is needed to determine whether AGP may be an important integrator of energy balance and inflammation.
Black Hollyhock: Postmodernity in the Text of Black Theology

After surveying Black theological treatments of postmodernity. This paper offers a reading of certain Derridean texts in a way that might be conducive to addressing the problem of racial aporetic l...
Effects of elasticity and flow ramp up on kinetics of shear banding flow formation in wormlike micellar fluids

We report experiments on spatiotemporal evolution of the velocity profiles in shear-banding wormlike micelles upon inception of the flow in a Taylor–Couette (TC) cell. Both moderately entangled and highly entangled solutions are considered over a broad range of fluid elasticity E. Fluid elasticity, E = Wi/Re, characterizes the relative importance of the elastic to inertial effects. For both moderately and highly entangled solutions, upon inception of the shear, and during the stress decay period, fluid moves in the opposite direction to that of the imposed motion in a subset of the gap beyond critical thresholds of elasticity and flow ramp up rate, which depend on the fluid entanglement density. Surprisingly, beyond a second critical threshold of the fluid elasticity, the transient backflow disappears in moderately entangled solutions, highlighting the importance of the micellar entanglement on transient evolution of the flow in shear banding systems. More interestingly, we report the formation of multibanded quasisteady velocity profiles under certain conditions of fluid elasticity and flow ramp up rate. The multibanded profiles are characterized by a low shear band near the inner cylinder, a high shear band in the middle of the TC gap, and another low shear band near the outer cylinder. Finally, we show that the apparent wall slip at the inner cylinder of the TC cell is more pronounced for highly entangled solutions and decreases as the fluid elasticity increases. Experimental observations are compared with the existing simulations of the Vasquez–Cook–McKinley model, and several suggestions are made for future simulations.
Appetite-Regulating Hormones in Human Milk: A Plausible Biological Factor for Obesity Risk Reduction?

BackgroundHuman milk contains appetite-regulating hormones that may influence infant growth and obesity risk.Research aimsWe evaluated whether leptin, peptide tyrosine-tyrosine (PYY), glucagon-like...
Ketamine: A New Look at an Old Drug

SUMMARY The OMS is always looking for an effective and safe anesthetic to use in outpatient surgery. As mentioned above, ketamine anesthesia does have many desirable properties. The question is whether or not the refinements currently recommended for ketamine anesthesia have curtailed enough of its un-desirable properties to warrant an increase in its use. I believe that they have. The addition of the benzodiazepines—especially midazolam—to low-dose ketamine anesthesia has not totally eliminated the problematic side effects but has helped to attenuate them. The only remaining drawback is the longer recovery time compared with other anesthetic techniques. If ketamine use increases, its manufacturers might feel compelled to evaluate the D isomer of ketamine for possible production. Its greater potency and lower rate of emergence phenomena may be better than the current racemic mixture. Infusion pumps may soon find their way into OMS offices. A study has shown that doses of fentanyl and ketamine were decreased by 45% and 43% when continuous infusion was used.66 In addition, intraoperative conditions were improved and recovery time decreased compared with the intermittent bolus technique. The sustained blood levels produced by continuous infusion take the guesswork out of the timing of supplemental anesthesia. Who knows what is else is on the horizon? It is hoped that that elusive, ideal anesthetic agent will be found soon. Until that time, ketamine appears to be an important drug to keep in our anesthetic armamentarium.
Understanding Disability: High-Quality Evidence in Research on Special Education Disproportionality:

This chapter examines how studies focused on the same topic—disproportionality in special education—can generate vastly different conclusions about its sources and causes. By analyzing existing dis...
3D-printed B4C collimation for neutron pressure cells.

A design for an incident-beam collimator for the Paris–Edinburgh pressure cell is described here. This design can be fabricated from reaction-bonded B4C but also through fast turnaround, inexpensive 3D-printing. 3D-printing thereby also offers the opportunity of composite collimators whereby the tip closest to the sample can exhibit even better neutronic characteristics. Here, we characterize four such collimators: one from reaction-bonded B4C, one 3D-printed and fully infiltrated with cyanoacrylate, a glue, one with a glue-free tip, and one with a tip made from enriched 10B4C. The collimators are evaluated on the Spallation Neutrons and Pressure Diffractometer of the Spallation Neutron Source and the Wide-Angle Neutron Diffractometer at the High Flux Isotope Reactor, both at Oak Ridge National Laboratory. This work clearly shows that 3D-printed collimators perform well and also that composite collimators improve performance even further. Beyond use in the Paris–Edinburgh cell, these findings also open new avenues for collimator designs as clearly more complex shapes are possible through 3D printing. An example of such is shown here with a collimator made for single-crystal samples measured inside a diamond anvil cell. These developments are expected to be highly advantageous for future experimentation in high pressure and other extreme environments and even for the design and deployment of new neutron scattering instruments.
The potential of the Thamnotoxkit microbiotest for routine detection of cyanobacterial toxins

An interlaboratory trial with 8 laboratories was organised for evaluating the potential of the Thamnotoxkit F™ microbiotest for toxicity detection of 5 toxin producing cyanobacteria (Anabaena flos-aquae, Microcystis aeruginosa, Cylindrospermopsis raciborskii, Aphanizomenon flos-aquae, Tychonema bourrellyi) and the green alga Selenastrum capricomutum (Raphidocelis subcapitata) as a control. The Thamnotoxkit F™ test is a 24h bioassay using, as test organisms, larvae of the freshwater anostracan crustacean Thamnocephalus. platyurus hatched from cysts. Dilution series were prepared from freeze-dried samples of microalgae which were submitted twice to freezing and melting before extraction of the water soluble cyanotoxins. The concentration series used for each microalgal extract ranged from 0.3 mg/ml to 5.0 mg/ml. All samples were tested twice at different time by each examiner, eventually yielding 16 independent results obtained from 3 parallels (48 data for each sample). The samples of C. raciborskii were only studied by 4 examiners and gave 8 results (24 data). The water extracts of An. flos-aquae and M. aeruginosa were the most toxic to T. platyurus inducing 100% mortality in all concentrations used, except the highest dilution in which the mortality was, however, still around 70-80%. The extracts of C. raciborskii also induced 100% mortality as from the 1.0 mg/ml concentration and Aph. flos-aquae killed all the test organisms at the 3.0 mg/ml dilution. Water extracts of T. bourrellyi only caused total mortality in the highest test concentration. The water extract of the control alga S. capricomutum only gave a significant toxicity effect (around 30%) on the crustaceans in the highest concentration.
SIMULATION STUDIES OF THE EFFECTS OF TURBOCHARGING AND REDUCED HEAT TRANSFER ON SPARK-IGNITION ENGINE OPERATION

A computer simulation of the four-stroke spark-ignition engine cycle has been used to examine the effects of turbocharging and reduced heat transfer on engine performance, efficiency and NOx emissions. The simulation computes the flows into and out of the engine, calculates the changes in thermodynamic properties and composition of the unburned and burned gas mixtures within the cylinder through the engine cycle due to work, heat and mass transfers, and follows the kinetics of No formation and decomposition in the burned gas. The combustion process is specified as an input to the program through use of a normalized rate of mass burning profile. From this information, the simulation computes engine power, fuel consumption and NOx emissions.
Inferring phylogenies from protein sequences by parsimony, distance, and likelihood methods.

Publisher Summary This chapter focuses on the inferring phylogenies from protein sequences by parsimony, distance, and likelihood methods. The set of possible amino acid states in the Protein Parsimony (PROTPARS) algorithm has 23 members, these being the 20 amino acids plus the possibilities of a gap and a stop codon. Serine is counted not as one amino acid but as two, corresponding to the two islands of serine codons in the genetic code. Distance matrix methods calculate for every pair of sequences an estimate of the branch length separating them, where branch length is the product of time and rate of evolution. The chapter also discusses the development of maximum likelihood methods for inferring phylogenies from protein data. These methods used the highly oversimplified model of symmetric change among amino acids, and they could not handle more than three or four sequences in the tree in a reasonably exact way. Researchers on the analysis of RNA sequences have found that there is a synergism among inferences of phylogeny, alignment, and structure. Structure-based hidden Markov models (HMMs) have been used to improve the sequence alignment of proteins, although without taking phylogeny into account.
C5a induction of human interleukin 1. Synergistic effect with endotoxin or interferon-gamma.

Interleukin-1 (IL-1) is a potent cytokine which possesses the ability to mediate systemic acute phase responses as well as local tissue inflammation. In these studies, we have examined the ability of C5a and C5a des Arg to induce IL-1 production in vitro. Human C5a and C5a des Arg were purified to homogeneity and were found to stimulate IL-1 release from freshly obtained human mononuclear cells into the extracellular medium. Only 2 hr of exposure to the purified complement components were necessary in order to stimulate IL-1 production. The minimal concentration of C5a required was 25 ng/ml, whereas 125 ng/ml of C5a des Arg induced comparable amounts of IL-1. This dose relationship was maintained at higher concentrations (150 ng/ml vs 750 ng/ml, respectively). That the effect was due to the anaphylatoxins themselves, and not endotoxin contamination, was shown by negative Limulus amebocyte lysate tests and employing preincubation of C5a/C5a des Arg with polymyxin B. The latter blocked a wide dose range of endotoxin-stimulated IL-1 production. However, when endotoxin was added to C5a or C5a des Arg, significant synergism in the stimulation of IL-1 production was observed, occurring at various concentrations of either agent. A similar synergism with C5a/C5a des Arg was seen with interferon-gamma. In these studies, IL-1 production was measured by bioassay employing cloned D . 10 . G4 . 1 murine T cells and by radioimmunoassay for human IL-1 beta; using C5a/C5a des Arg as stimulants, there was a high degree of correlation (r = 0.82) between the two assays. Since traumatic, infectious, and inflammatory diseases may result in the simultaneous appearance of these stimuli, the synergism described herein is likely to be clinically relevant.
The Foreign Account Tax Compliance Act and Foreign Insurance Companies: Better to Comply than to Opt Out

As corporations continue to engage in international commerce, they must remain ever cognizant of the myriad tax laws with which they must comply. In response to the recession that was sparked by the global financial crisis of 2007–08, the United States implemented the HIRE Act of 2010. Included in this legislation is a new tax scheme to capture unpaid overseas tax. Known as the Foreign Account Tax Compliance Act (FATCA), this law requires foreign financial institutions to either provide extensive client documentation and reporting to the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) or withhold a large percentage of each payment these financial institutions make to clients covered by FATCA. While this law imposes new requirements on many foreign corporations, it poses particular issues for foreign insurance companies.This Note examines the influence FATCA will have on foreign insurance companies. It introduces FATCA, reviews the ineffectiveness of prior U.S. laws to capture duly owed offshore taxes, and discusses how FATCA aims to overcome the shortcomings of prior laws. It also details clarifications to FATCA that the IRS has provided. Next, Part III analyzes the costs of FATCA to foreign corporations and provides various means by which foreign corporations can comply with the law. Part III continues by introducing how foreign insurance companies can satisfy FATCA’s requirements. It also examines Internal Revenue Code Section 953(d), a unique statutory alternative to FATCA compliance that is available solely to foreign insurance companies. Finally, Part IV recommends against this statutory alternative for most foreign insurance companies based on the limited scope of the alternative and the countless expenditures the alternative requires.
At Ease in Between: The Middle Position of a Scholar-Practitioner

This essay explores the recent state of the field of Buddhist Studies in the United States and how scholar-practitioners of Buddhism might position themselves within these institutional contexts. I propose that Buddhists scholar-practitioners have two major responsibilities vis-a-vis our students: 1) encourage students to “sympathetically understand” the tradition and 2) develop some critical perspective on a tradition with its lengthy history, multiplicity of sectarian forms, and great diversity of ways in which the religion has had and continues to have impact on culture, art, politics, and so forth.
Estimation of 3d geometry of microtubules using multi- angle total internal reflection fluorescence microscopy

With the ultimate goal to quantify important biological parameters of microtubules, we present a method to estimate the 3D positions of microtubules from multi-angle TIRF data based on the calibrated decay profiles for each angle. Total Internal Reflection Fluorescence (TIRF) Microscopy images are actually projections of 3D volumes and hence cannot alone produce an accurate localization of structures in the z-dimension, however, they provide greatly improved axial resolution for biological samples. Multiple angle-TIRF microscopy allows controlled variation of the incident angle of the illuminating laser beam, thus generating a set of images of different penetration depths with the potential to estimate the 3D volume of the sample. Our approach incorporates prior information about intensity and geometric smoothness. We validate our method using computer simulated phantom data and test its robustness to noise. We apply our method to TIRF images of microtubules in PTK2 cells and compare the distribution of the microtubule curvatures with electron microscopy (EM) images.
The Shape of the Disk: Clues from the Kinematics of Disk Stars

It is a tall task to determine the structural parameters of one’s own galaxy much less any deviations from axisymmetry. Nonetheless, after hard work, the existence of asymmetries has been reported and discussed in the literature from a wide variety of sources (most recently, Nakai & Nishiyana 1994). Now, in order to understand Milky Way evolutionary history, it is our job to determine the origin and intrinsic structure of these asymmetries.
Test process optimization: closing the gap in the defect spectrum

This paper describes our methodology of tuning the test process of the Motorola Operations and Maintenance Center product to systematically reduce field defects. The benefits include improved test cases, reduced defects and the availability of up to date field data for feature verification.
Investigation of antiferromagnetic ordering along chains of coupled nanomagnets

This paper investigates dipolar ordering phenomena in chains of deep-sub micron size, strongly coupled nanomagnets by Magnetic Force Microscopy. We will examine effects influencing the length of antiferromagnetic ordering in these chains. Experimental observations will be compared to single-domain simulations and we will discuss methods to achieve the possible longest-range ordering.
The Engineering of Fault-Tolerant Distributed Computing Systems

We view the design of fault-tolerant computing systems as an engineering endeavor. As such, this activity requires understanding the theoretical limitations and the scope of the feasible designs. We survey the impact that various environment characteristics and design choices have on the resultant system properties. We propose a single metric—the system reliability—as an appropriate measure for exploring tradeoffs among a potentially-large design space.
Memory CD4 T Cells Induce Selective Expression of IL-27 in CD8+ Dendritic Cells and Regulate Homeostatic Naive T Cell Proliferation

Naive T cells undergo robust proliferation in lymphopenic conditions, whereas they remain quiescent in steady-state conditions. However, a mechanism by which naive T cells are kept from proliferating under steady-state conditions remains unclear. In this study, we report that memory CD4 T cells are able to limit naive T cell proliferation within lymphopenic hosts by modulating stimulatory functions of dendritic cells (DC). The inhibition was mediated by IL-27, which was primarily expressed in CD8+ DC subsets as the result of memory CD4 T cell–DC interaction. IL-27 appeared to be the major mediator of inhibition, as naive T cells deficient in IL-27R were resistant to memory CD4 T cell-mediated inhibition. Finally, IL-27–mediated regulation of T cell proliferation was also observed in steady-state conditions as well as during Ag-mediated immune responses. We propose a new model for maintaining peripheral T cell homeostasis via memory CD4 T cells and CD8+ DC-derived IL-27 in vivo.
Spin-Orbit Coupling and Other Relativistic Effects in Atoms and Molecules

Publisher Summary This chapter focuses on the recommended method for the inclusion of spin-orbit coupling and other relativistic effects for molecules containing heavy elements, considering computational complexity and accuracy factors that is one based on ab initio REPS. The calculation of accurate wave functions for systems containing heavy elements requires addressing the difficulties of the treatment of large numbers of electrons and the subtleties of electron correlation. This is not intended as a general review of relativity in chemistry or quantum mechanics, nor even of effective potential procedures, but is rather a critical discussion, including a limited number of applications, of the background, approximations, and implications of techniques developed by the present authors and collaborators and colleagues. The underlying assumption behind all methods for defining effective core potentials (EP) is the frozen core approximation. That is, the intrinsic reliability of core-valence separability. However, substantial savings are not realized by this approximation alone because of the radical oscillations of the valence orbitals in the region near the nuclei. An accurate procedure for performing calculations that incorporate spinorbit and other relativistic effects, and that represents intermediate coupling states for molecules containing heavy atoms, is based on A-S coupling in conjunction with the use of the ab initio REP-based spin-orbit operator and extended configuration interaction.
An intelligent neuro-controller based on system parameter estimation

To enhance intelligent control system performance, an on-line procedure for sensing and adapting to changes in the dynamics of the controlled plant is essential. A methodology that uses a neural network for plant failure accommodation is presented. The main idea is to constantly monitor system input-output signals for off-nominal behavior (failures) and to use this information to generate appropriate control actions. Based on this idea, an integrated, intelligent neuro-control system consisting of a baseline controller, a system parameter estimator, a failure detector, and a failure accommodator is constructed. Using a continuous stream of plant input-output data, the parameter estimator computes plant parameter estimates and sends them to the failure detector. The failure detector analyzes the system's condition using these parameter estimates and reports its results to the failure accommodator. Using these results, the failure accommodator computes baseline controller coefficient values that are appropriate for the current plant dynamics. New coefficient values are continuously downloaded to the baseline controller to insure stable system operation and to accommodate failures in the plant as they occur. Results from a preliminary simulation, conducted on the control of a tilt-rotor airplane, showed that the intelligent controller is able to maintain system stability even in cases of severe changes in the airplane dynamics.
Recent development in Flexible Electronics

Following the success of the semiconductor and flat panel displays, Flexible Electronics is expected to become the next wave industry. The characteristic of Flexible Electronics is not only reduced production cost and they have lightweight, thinner, non-breakable and new forms to create many new applications. It can be leveraging Taiwan's fast integration capability to create new products and applications. The target industries are flexible AMOLED displays and electronic papers, flexible lighting modules with LED, flexible photovoltaics, flexible pressure and touch sensors, and flexible speakers, and so on. In addition, there are developments of related materials, processes, facilities and scenario prototype products. Taiwan's industry had built an electronics paper supply chains, will drive rapid development of eReader market. The real color of the electronic paper and soft products will appear soon in the market. High differentiation of flexible sensors, speakers and lighting sheets are developing markets.
The Reliability of Ultrasound Measurements of the Median Nerve at the Carpal Tunnel Inlet.

Purpose To determine the interrater and intra-rater reliability of ultrasound (US) measurement of the cross-sectional area (CSA) of the median nerve at the carpal tunnel inlet. Methods Three examiners of varying levels of experience performed US measurements of the CSA of the median nerve at the carpal tunnel inlet of both wrists of 11 healthy volunteers. Each examiner was blinded to the measurements of the other examiners. The measurements were repeated 2 weeks later in random order to test intra-rater reliability. The Lin concordance correlation coefficient (LCCC) for interrater and intra-rater reliability was calculated. Results The overall inter-rater LCCC was 0.59 (95% confidence interval [CI], 0.41–0.73). Intra-rater LCCC varied based on examiner experience. The senior author had an intra-rater LCCC of 0.91 (95% CI, 0.80–0.96), the hand fellow had an intra-rater LCCC of 0.45 (95% CI, 0.17–0.66), and the first-year resident had an intra-rater LCCC of 0.78 (95% CI, 0.55–0.90). Conclusions There is moderate agreement among examiners of varying levels of experience when measuring the CSA of the median nerve at the carpal tunnel inlet. Examiner experience affected intra-rater reliability of measurements; an experienced examiner had nearly perfect agreement compared with moderate agreement for less experienced examiners. Type of study/level of evidence Diagnostic III.
Textures and radiosity: controlling emission and reflection with texture maps

In this paper we discuss the efficient and accurate incorporation of texture maps into a hierarchical Galerkin radiosity algorithm. This extension of the standard algorithm allows the use of textures to describe complex reflectance and emittance patterns over surfaces, increasing the realism and complexity of radiosity images. Previous approaches to the inclusion of textures have either averaged the texture to yield a single color for the radiosity computations, or exhaustively generated detail elements—possibly as many as one per texture pixel. The former does not capture important lighting effects due to textures, while the latter is too expensive computationally to be practical.To handle texture maps requires a detailed analysis of the underlying operator equation. In particular we decompose the radiosity equation into two steps: (i) the computation of irradiance on a surface from the radiosities on other surfaces, and (ii) the application of the reflectance operator r to compute radiosities from irradiances. We then describe an algorithm that maintains hierarchical representations of both radiosities and textures. The numerical error involved in using these approximations is quantifiable and a time/error tradeoff is possible. The resulting algorithm allows texture maps to be used in radiosity computations with very little overhead.
Transmission Electron Microscopy Study of the Formation of FAU-Type Zeolite at Room Temperature

FAU-type zeolite was synthesized at room temperature to study the mechanism of its formation. The sluggish crystal growth kinetics at ambient conditions permitted us to track down the entire sequence of crystallization events from the formation of the initial gel to the complete transformation into a zeolite-type material. The processes taking place at the nanometer scale were studied by transmission electron microscopy (TEM). The crystalline character of the particles observed during the induction period was determined by in situ synchrotron XRD analysis. The study was completed by ex situ X-ray diffraction (XRD), infrared (IR), dynamic light scattering (DLS), N2 adsorption measurements and chemical analyses. The combined TEM/synchrotron XRD analysis of the initial crystallization stage revealed that zeolite nuclei were formed during the homogenization (1.5 h) of the initial reactants. Nevertheless, a relatively long induction period (10 days) was observed. During this period, extensive exchange between ...
Probability of ponderosa pine infestation by mountain pine beetle in the Colorado Front Range

Abstract Insect-caused tree mortality, fires, and pathogens are primary disturbance agents in forest ecosystems. The mountain pine beetle, Dendroctonus ponderosae Hopkins, is a bark beetle that can cause extensive mortality in ponderosa pine, Pinus ponderosa Lawson, along the Colorado Front Range. Despite the history of outbreaks of this insect in Colorado, no models have been developed to estimate the probability of infestation. Thirty-five clusters of one infested and three baseline plots were established from 1998 to 2000 in the Arapaho-Roosevelt National Forest in north-central Colorado to develop empirical models of probability of infestation based on forest conditions. Mountain pine beetle-infested plots exhibited higher basal area and stand density index (SDI) for ponderosa pine and for all tree species combined, and higher number of ponderosa pine trees per hectare. Within infested plots, infested trees were larger in diameter at breast height and in the dominant and co-dominant crown positions. A classification tree model indicated that the likelihood of infestation by mountain pine beetle is 0.71 when ponderosa pine basal area is >17.1 m2/ha at the stand level. A second plot-level model indicated that the probability of infestation increased with increasing ponderosa pine SDI, ponderosa pine quadratic mean diameter, and total basal area. For individual trees within infested plots the likelihood of infestation was 0.77 for dominant or co-dominant trees >18.2 cm in diameter at breast height. Results are consistent with other studies that have documented increased likelihood of infestation or enhanced mortality levels or both as a result of higher host type stocking. The simple models developed should help to guide silvicultural treatments and restoration efforts by establishing stocking levels below which mountain pine beetle-caused mortality is less likely, particularly in the dry sites and poor growing conditions characteristic of the Colorado Front Range.
Fourier transform ion cyclotron resonance versus time of flight for precision mass measurements

Both Fourier transform ion cyclotron resonance and ICR time-of-flight mass spectroscopy have been applied to precision atomic mass measurements. This paper reviews the status of these approaches and compares their limitations.
A Simple Example of Under-correction in the Iterative Solution of Self-consistent Steady Electromagnetic Field Problems

Abstract An iterative method of solution of the familiar Langmuir planar diode problem is formulated and solved analytically. By comparing the solution with the exact one, the speed of convergence of the method is determined. It is shown that this speed of convergence could be considerably increased by under-correcting the potential or current density on consecutive iterations.
An Exploratory Examination of Spiritual Well-Being, Religiosity, and Drug Use Among Incarcerated Men

This study examines the relationships among spirituality, religiosity, and drug use among incarcerated males. Data were collected from 661 male prison inmates from four Kentucky State Correctional ...
Intronic polyadenylation signal sequences and alternate splicing generate human soluble Flt1 variants and regulate the abundance of soluble Flt1 in the placenta

The gene FLT1 produces at least two transcripts from a common transcription start site: full-length Flt1 contains 30 exons encoding a membrane-bound VEGF receptor; soluble Flt1 (sFlt1) shares the f...
Inference for Marginal Means in Contingency Tables with Conditional Independence

Abstract Consider a three-way contingency table with factors A, B, and C. Assume factors A and B are independent for each given level of factor C. Inference procedures concerning the marginal means of the levels of factor A are studied. Maximum likelihood estimators, unbiased estimators, and uniformly minimum variance unbiased estimators are obtained. Exact variance formulas for the estimators are obtained. Large sample theory is developed and used for testing and confidence intervals. A variety of sampling models and generalizations are studied, including the case in which the number of levels of factor C is infinite. An example concerned with vaccine evaluation is given.
High dose-rate induced temperature artifacts: thermometry considerations for simultaneous interstitial thermoradiotherapy.

Abstract Purpose: The goal of the present study was to investigate the effect of high dose-rate radiation on a flouroptic thermometry system commonly used during microwave hyperthermia. Methods and Materials: Measurements were performed by placing the flouroptic thermometry sensors at distances of ≤ 1.5, 5, 10, and 15 mm from a remote afterloading high dose-rate 192 Ir source in a water bath (at two different temperatures) and in a tissue equivalent radiation bolus medium. A simulated volumetric clinical setup using a radiation bolus medium was performed with thermometry sensors placed at 1.5, 7.5, 8.4, and 10.6 mm from a scanning high dose-rate source. Results: It was found that high dose-rate radiation caused thermometry artifacts greater than 1.5°C within 2 min for flouroptic thermometers placed 1.5 mm from a 5 Ci activity high dose-rate source. Simple calculations showed that artifacts of this magnitude could not be due to any heating caused by the energy deposited by the high dose-rate source. The artifact decayed, but was still evident 24 h after the exposure. The effect strongly depended on distance with a 0.7°C artifactual increase in temperature seen for the probe 5 mm from the high dose-rate source. Moreover, experiments performed under conditions that represented a clinical setup with a 7 Ci high dose-rate source showed that for exposure times of 10 s, at distances of 1.5 mm, significant artifacts (> 0.5°C) are produced. Conclusions: These findings indicate that high dose-rate-induced temperature artifacts should be taken into account in the quality assurance procedures for the treatment of patients with simultaneous interstitial thermoradiotherapy.
INSTA-EXAM: A Card-Based Exam Preparation System that Eliminates Repeated Typing and Proofreading

(1984). INSTA-EXAM: A Card-Based Exam Preparation System that Eliminates Repeated Typing and Proofreading. Teaching of Psychology: Vol. 11, No. 1, pp. 48-49.
Quality-in-Doing: Competence and Occupation

This paper explores the connection between occupation and competence, or “quality-in-doing,” through an exploration of competence across a number of disciplines and theorists. John Dewey's concepts of functional coordination, habit, and imagination, Lev Vygotsky's views on cultural-historical development, intermentality, and fossilization, and Pierre Bourdieu's ideas on habitus, field, and capital are presented as part of an argument for a more robust theoretical underpinning of the basic sociocultural features, development, and consequences of competence as an undeniable function of occupation from a transactional perspective. I contend that competence creates essential space for describing skillfulness and effectiveness in doing, being and becoming (Wilcock, 1998) and mends dichotomies between social/individual, internal/external, and action/condition which are central to a transactional understanding of occupation (Dickie, Cutchin, & Humphry, 2006). Competence is deserving of clear articulation and att...
Application of Smart Materials for Noise and Vibration of Hydraulic Systems

As market demands vehicles with higher performance, lower fuel consumption, and less emission, hybrid vehicles receive increasing attention. Hybrid technologies have been developed for both passenger and heavy-duty vehicles. Hydraulic hybrid is a technology that is specifically suitable for heavy SUVs and trucks. Despite beneficial aspects of hydraulic systems in reducing the fuel consumption and increasing the launch acceleration for these vehicles, hydraulic vibration and noise is barrier in commercializing this technology. Many studies have been performed on noise and vibration problems of hydraulic systems and many solutions have been proposed. This paper, after introducing the hydraulic hybrid vehicle technology and conventional hydraulic systems in vehicles, reviews the state of the art of the solutions developed for hydraulic noise and vibration. The focus is on the sources of hydraulic noise and vibration. Different approaches for reducing the noise and vibration in hydraulic systems have been reviewed with an emphasis on the application of smart materials. These existing solutions are examined and evaluated for mitigating noise and vibration in hydraulic hybrid vehicles.© 2007 ASME
Comparisons of soluble proteins and isozymes for seven Pythium species and applications of the biochemical data to Pythium systematics

Seven homothallic Pythium species were compared using SDS-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis of soluble proteins and starch gel isozyme analysis. Similarities in soluble protein banding patterns and isozyme phenotypes were detected for morphologically distinct species. However, morphologically similar species ( P. aphanidermatum vs. P. deliense and P. arrhenomanes vs. P. graminicola ) were not always distinguishable. Cluster and principle component analysis of data from both soluble proteins and isozymes generally grouped the isolates by species. Levels of intraspecific variation differed between species with each technique. Implications of the results from protein electrophoresis and isozyme analysis for Pythium systematics are discussed.
QEEG and Evoked Potentials in Central Nervous System Lyme Disease

Quantitative EEG, flash visual evoked potentials, auditory evoked potentials to common and rare tones, and median nerve somatosensory evoked potentials were obtained from 12 patients with active CNS Lyme disease and from 11 patients previously treated for active CNS Lyme disease. Abnormal QEEG and/or EPs were found in 75% of the active Lyme disease patients and in 54% of the post CNS Lyme disease patients. Three different types of neurophysiological abnormality were observed in these patients including QEEG slowing, possible signs of cortical hyperexcitability, and focal patterns indicating disturbed interhemispheric relationships. In patients tested before and after treatment QEEG and EP normalization was associated with clinical improvement.
The effect of sodium bicarbonate or potassium bicarbonate on acid-base status and protein and energy digestibility in swine

Abstract Three experiments were conducted to evaluate the effects of Na or K on acid-base status and nutrient utilization in young growing pigs. These studies were carried out to develop a better understanding of the growth response to alkaline salts of these minerals that have been observed in lysine-deficient swine. In experiment 1, a 2×2 factorial arrangement of 2.2 g/kg vs. 7.4 g/kg Na and ad libitum vs. meal feeding regimens was used to evaluated the effects of Na on blood acid-base variables. Na was supplemented as the alkaline salt, NaHCO 3 . For each treatment regimen, blood samples were collected via indwelling vena cava catheters every 2 hr for 28 hr. Sodium supplementation increased (P 3 − and base excess and tended (P 3 (1.3% or 2.6%) or KHCO 3 (3.0%) on apparent nutrient digestibility and nitrogen balance was investigated utilizing pigs fitted with simple T cannulas in the ileum near the ileocecal junction. A 4×4 Latin square design was used. KHCO 3 or 2.6% NaHCO 3 increased (P 3 had no effect (P 3 decreased (P 3 on gastrointestinal pH was studied. No effects (P>0.05) were observed in the stomach, duodenum, jejunum, ileum, cecum or colon. NaHCO 3 or KHCO 3 alter the acid-base balance of the pig. However, their growth-promoting effects in lysine-deficient pigs are not due to enhanced lysine or protein digestibility
Detection models: Experimental tests with electrocutaneous stimuli

Contemporary psychophysical procedures were employed to determine the nature of the process for detecting rectangular electrical pulses delivered to the skin. Earlier experiments had shown that the somatosensory system is exceedingly responsive to small changes in the energy of an electrocutaneous stimulus, suggesting that sensory noise may be relatively unimportant in this modality. However, a rating scale study showed that both the high-threshold theory and Luce’s low-threshold theory cannot describe the detection process. The form of the ROC curve is consistent with a signal-detection model that assumes a greater variance for the signal plus noise distribution than for the noise distribution. Additional support for signal detection theory came from an experiment that examined the likelihood of a correct second choke when the first was incorrect in a four-alternative forced-choice paradigm. Therefore, the sensory excitation caused by internal noise can sometimes be greater than the excitation produced by an added stimulus. Electrocutaneous detection differs from auditory or visual in that d’ increases at a greater rate as stimulus intensity changes.