cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Airborne observations of total RONO2: New constraints on the yield and lifetime of isoprene nitrates

Formation of isoprene nitrates (INs) is an important free radical chain termination step ending production of ozone and possibly affecting formation of secondary organic aerosol. Isoprene nitrates also represent a potentially large, unmeasured contribution to OH reactivity and are a major pathway for the removal of nitrogen oxides from the atmosphere. Current assessments indicate that formation rates of isoprene nitrates are uncertain to a factor of 2–3 and the subsequent fate of isoprene nitrates remains largely unconstrained by laboratory, field or modeling studies. Measurements of total alkyl and multifunctional nitrates (ΣANs), NO2, total peroxy nitrates (ΣPNs), HNO3, CH2O, isoprene and other VOC were obtained from the NASA DC-8 aircraft during summer 2004 over the continental US during the INTEX-NA campaign. These observations represent the first characterization of ΣANs over a wide range of land surface types and in the lower free troposphere. ΣANs were a significant, 12–20%, fraction of NOy throughout the experimental domain and ΣANs were more abundant when isoprene was high. We use the observed hydrocarbon species to calculate the relative contributions of ΣAN precursors to their production. These calculations indicate that isoprene represents at least three quarters of the ΣAN source in the summertime continental boundary layer of the US. An observed correlation between ΣANs and CH2O is used to place constraints on nitrate yields from isoprene oxidation, atmospheric lifetimes of the resulting nitrates and recycling efficiencies of nitrates during subsequent oxidation. We find reasonable fits to the data using sets of production rates, lifetimes and recycling efficiencies of INs as follows (4.4%, 16 h, 97%), (8%, 2.5 h, 79%) and (12%, 95 min, 67%). The analysis indicates that the lifetime of ΣANs as a pool of compounds is considerably longer than the lifetime of the individual isoprene nitrates to reaction with OH, implying that the organic nitrate functionality is at least partially maintained through a second oxidation cycle.
Touring beyond the nation: a transnational approach to European tourism history

Touring beyond the nation: a transnational approach to European tourism history, edited by Eric G.E. Zuelow, Burlington, VT, Ashgate, 2011, 250 pp., US$119.95 (hardback), ISBN 978-0-7546-6656-1 Tou...
Stereocontrolled Iodolactonization of Acyclic Olefinic Acids: The trans and cis Isomers of 4,5‐Dihydro‐5‐Iodomethyl‐4‐Phenyl‐2(3H)‐Furanone

Stereocontrolled iodolactonization of acyclic olefinic acids: The trans and cis isomers of 4,5-dihydro-5-iodomethyl-4-phenyl-2(3H)-furanone intermediate: 3-phenyl-4-pentenoic acid product: trans iodolactone product: cis-iodolactone product: methyl (3RS,4RS)-4,5-epoxy-3-phenylpentanoate Keywords: addition, to CC; annulation, heterocyclic-[3]; annulation, heterocyclic-[5]; cyclization, condensation; cyclization, oxidative cyclization; epoxide formation; hydrolysis, esters and lactones; rearrangements
A traffic priority language for collision-free navigation of autonomous mobile robots in dynamic environments

This paper presents a generic traffic priority language, called KYKLOFORTA, used by autonomous robots for collision-free navigation in a dynamic unknown or known navigation space. In a previous work by X. Grossmman (1988), a set of traffic control rules was developed for the navigation of the robots on the lines of a two-dimensional (2-D) grid and a control center coordinated and synchronized their movements. In this work, the robots are considered autonomous: they are moving anywhere and in any direction inside the free space, and there is no need of a central control to coordinate and synchronize them. The requirements for each robot are i) visual perception, ii) range sensors, and iii) the ability of each robot to detect other moving objects in the same free navigation space, define the other objects perceived size, their velocity and their directions. Based on these assumptions, a traffic priority language is needed for each robot, making it able to decide during the navigation and avoid possible collision with other moving objects. The traffic priority language proposed here is based on a set of primitive traffic priority alphabet and rules which compose pattern of corridors for the application of the traffic priority rules.
Effects of Cigarette Smoke Generated by Different Smoking Machines on Pulmonary Macrophages of Mice and Rats

C57BL/6 male mice and Sprague Dawley male rats were exposed to cigarette smoke generated by different smoking machines. Animals inhaled 20% smoke from the Kentucky 2A1 Reference cigarette twice daily 7 days per week for 1 to 5 weeks. Microscopic assessment of lung tissue revealed no abnormal manifestations in animals exposed to smoke in the different smoking machines. However, pulmonary macrophages from lungs of animals exposed to smoke in one of the machines contained crystalline material resembling aluminum silicate. It was determined that this material originated from a structural component of the machine and not from cigarette smoke. It was also observed that smoke generated in the different smoking machines did not elevate equally the intraspecie and interspecie population size of the pulmonary macrophages. The present study points out the need in research dealing with tobacco smoke inhalation for careful evaluation and monitoring of the smoke generation and delivery systems, as well as for awareness of inherent differences in biological responses to smoke among species.
Geomagnetic polarity reversal rate for the Phanerozoic

The recently updated Global Paleomagnetic Database provides an opportunity to construct a preliminary model of long-term magnetic polarity reversal behavior for the last 570 My. After filtering for quality, a sub-set of data from this global database is used to estimate relative reversal frequency, and the results show the expected long intervals of low reversal rate during the Cretaceous Normal and Permo-Carboniferous Reversed Superchrons. In addition to the established superchrons, these new results indicate a long period of very low reversal rate in the Ordovician, which may be a previously unidentified superchron, and an additional short period of anomalously low reversals at the Jurassic/Triassic boundary. If the Ordovician reversal rate anomaly is a single polarity superchron, it represents the third major change in reversal rate within the Phanerozoic, with approximately 200 My between the CNS, the PCRS and the new Ordovician reversed interval.
Large induced trees in Kr -free graphs

For a graph G, let t(G) denote the maximum number of vertices in an induced subgraph of G that is a tree. In this paper, we study the problem of bounding t(G) for graphs which do not contain a complete graph K"r on r vertices. This problem was posed twenty years ago by Erdos, Saks, and Sos. Substantially improving earlier results of various researchers, we prove that every connected triangle-free graph on n vertices contains an induced tree of order n. When r>=4, we also show that t(G)>=logn4logr for every connected K"r-free graph G of order n. Both of these bounds are tight up to small multiplicative constants, and the first one disproves a recent conjecture of Matousek and Samal.
miR-21 is targeted by omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acid to regulate breast tumor CSF-1 expression

Increasing evidence shows the beneficial effects of fish oil on breast cancer growth and invasion in vitro and in animal models. Expression of CSF-1 (colony stimulating factor-1) by breast cancer cells acts as potent activator of malignancy and metastasis. In this report, we used two human breast cancer cell lines, MDA-MB-231 and MCF-7, to show that the bioactive fish oil component DHA (docosahexaenoic acid) inhibits expression of CSF-1 and its secretion from these cancer cells. We found that the tumor suppressor protein PTEN regulates CSF-1 expression through PI 3 kinase/Akt signaling via a transcriptional mechanism. The enhanced abundance of microRNA-21 (miR-21) in breast cancer cells contributes to the growth and metastasis. Interestingly, DHA significantly inhibited expression of miR-21. miR-21 Sponge, which derepresses the miR-21 targets, markedly decreased expression of CSF-1 and its secretion. Furthermore, miR-21-induced upregulation of CSF-1 mRNA and its transcription were prevented by expression of PTEN mRNA lacking 3'-untranslated region (UTR) and miR-21 recognition sequence. Strikingly, miR-21 reversed DHA-forced reduction of CSF-1 expression and secretion. Finally, we found that expression of miR-21 as well as CSF-1 was significantly attenuated in breast tumors of mice receiving a diet supplemented with fish oil. Our results reveal a novel mechanism for the therapeutic function of fish oil diet that blocks miR-21, thereby increasing PTEN levels to prevent expression of CSF-1 in breast cancer.
A floating-gate transmission-line model technique for measuring source resistance in heterostructure field-effect transistors

A simple technique to measure the parasitic source and drain resistances in heterostructure field-effect transistors (HFETs) is presented. The technique makes use of the unavoidable gate leakage current of a typical HFET under bias. Floating-gate measurements with current flowing from the source to the drain are carried out in a set of devices with different gate lengths. Extrapolation to zero gate length unequivocally and simultaneously yields both the source and drain resistances. No special test-pattern structure is required. The technique is demonstrated in In/sub 0.52/Al/sub 0.48/As/n/sup +/-In/sub 0.53/Ga/sub 0.47/As metal-insulator doped semiconductor field-effect transistors. >
Solution thermochemistry of humic substances—I. Acid-base equilibria of humic acid

Abstract The technique of titration calorimetry has been used to characterize the acidic functional groups of humic acid. Both the concentrations of acidic functional groups and the thermodynamic parameters ( pK a , ΔH a , etc.) for ionization of these functional groups were determined. The calculated values confirm the generally accepted opinion that humic acid contains both carboxyl and phenolic hydroxyl groups. Furthermore, at least one-third of the phenolic hydroxyl groups are not ortho to carboxyl groups and thus cannot participate in chelation of metal ions via salicylate-like complexing sites. The nature of the remaining two-thirds of the phenolic hydroxyl groups is still unknown.
Escitalopram attenuates posterior cingulate activity during self evaluation in healthy volunteers

Medial cortex is critically involved in self-referential processing. Little is known about how SSRIs affect medial cortical activity during self-assessment. We hypothesized that 3 week oral administration of escitalopram 10mg per day would alter activity related to self-referential processing in medial cortex. Fifteen healthy females performed a self-assessment task during fMRI on two occasions – once after 3 weeks of placebo and once at the end of 3 weeks of escitalopram. Task conditions involved responding “yes” or “no” to whether various positive and negative adjectives described the subject (i.e., “self” evaluation trials) or the subject’s best friend (i.e., “other” evaluation trials), whereas the comparison condition involved responding whether the valence of various adjectives was positive or negative (i.e., “word” evaluation trials). Behaviorally after escitalopram, subjects less frequently endorsed that negative adjectives described themselves. Three main neuroimaging results were observed: (1) increased activation in medial prefrontal cortex and posterior cingulate related to self minus word evaluation trials, (2) increased activation in posterior cingulate related to escitalopram minus placebo for self and word evaluation trials, (3) drug by task interactions in the insula, cerebellum and prefrontal cortex. These results show that SSRIs change medial cortical activity and may alter self-evaluation.
The radiological diagnosis of pneumonia in the adult: A commentary

Almost ten years ago, an issue of Seminars in Roentgenology (Vol. 15, No 1) reviewed the radiological aspects of the pneumonias in depth. This article is an effort to update that material and to provide some personal opinions and prejudices. The broad topic of opportunistic lung infection will not be discussed
Azimuth variation in microwave backscatter over the Greenland Ice Sheet

Scatterometer backscatter measurements are becoming an important tool for monitoring the dynamic behavior of the Greenland Ice S heet. However, most Greenland studies assume constant backscatter for varying azimuth angles. Detailed analysis of scatterometer data sets show non-negligible (1-2 dB) azimuth modulation. The magnitude and orientation of the azimuth modulation observed by SeaWinds, NSCAT, and ERS are documented herein. The dominate factor is second order azimuth modulation, which is largest for C-band (ERS). For SeaWinds, the h-pol azimuth modulation is larger than for v-pol.
Determinants of Swe1p degradation in Saccharomyces cerevisiae.

Swe1p, the sole Wee1-family kinase in Saccharomyces cerevisiae, is synthesized during late G1 and is then degraded as cells proceed through the cell cycle. However, Swe1p degradation is halted by the morphogenesis checkpoint, which responds to insults that perturb bud formation. The Swe1p stabilization promotes cell cycle arrest through Swe1p-mediated inhibitory phosphorylation of Cdc28p until the cells can recover from the perturbation and resume bud formation. Swe1p degradation involves the relocalization of Swe1p from the nucleus to the mother-bud neck, and neck targeting requires the Swe1p-interacting protein Hsl7p. In addition, Swe1p degradation is stimulated by its substrate, cyclin/Cdc28p, and Swe1p is thought to be a target of the ubiquitin ligase SCFMet30 acting with the ubiquitin-conjugating enzyme Cdc34p. The basis for regulation of Swe1p degradation by the morphogenesis checkpoint remains unclear, and in order to elucidate that regulation we have dissected the Swe1p degradation pathway in more detail, yielding several novel findings. First, we show here that Met30p (and by implication SCFMet30) is not, in fact, required for Swe1p degradation. Second, cyclin/Cdc28p does not influence Swe1p neck targeting, but can directly phosphorylate Swe1p, suggesting that it acts downstream of neck targeting in the Swe1p degradation pathway. Third, a screen for functional but nondegradable mutants of SWE1 identified two small regions of Swe1p that are key to its degradation. One of these regions mediates interaction of Swe1p with Hsl7p, showing that the Swe1p-Hsl7p interaction is critical for Swe1p neck targeting and degradation. The other region did not appear to affect interactions with known Swe1p regulators, suggesting that other as-yet-unknown regulators exist.
Electrocution and Fires Involving 120/240-V Appliances

The most serious accidents with 120/240-V appliances are probably those involving electric shock and fire. To aid in the investigation of such incidents, some fundamental concepts are presented for the accident investigator. For electric shock cases a knowledge of the effects of electricity on the human body and the electrical parameters related to these effects is important. Since most shock cases involve a question as to the path of current to ground or whether the grounding was proper, present day grounding procedures are described for appliances. To aid in investigations of accidents involving older equipment or systems, a history of the National Electrical Code's (NEC) grounding requirements and allowable use of double insulation for cord- and plug-connected equipment is included. In the investigation of fires of possible electrical origin, the investigator is usually confronted with arc damage that either caused the fire or was caused by the fire. A discussion of the fundamentals of electric arcs and of circuit protection is presented to aid in this determination.
Differences in glance behavior between drivers using a rearview camera, parking sensor system, both technologies, or no technology during low-speed parking maneuvers.

This study characterized the use of various fields of view during low-speed parking maneuvers by drivers with a rearview camera, a sensor system, a camera and sensor system combined, or neither technology. Participants performed four different low-speed parking maneuvers five times. Glances to different fields of view the second time through the four maneuvers were coded along with the glance locations at the onset of the audible warning from the sensor system and immediately after the warning for participants in the sensor and camera-plus-sensor conditions. Overall, the results suggest that information from cameras and/or sensor systems is used in place of mirrors and shoulder glances. Participants with a camera, sensor system, or both technologies looked over their shoulders significantly less than participants without technology. Participants with cameras (camera and camera-plus-sensor conditions) used their mirrors significantly less compared with participants without cameras (no-technology and sensor conditions). Participants in the camera-plus-sensor condition looked at the center console/camera display for a smaller percentage of the time during the low-speed maneuvers than participants in the camera condition and glanced more frequently to the center console/camera display immediately after the warning from the sensor system compared with the frequency of glances to this location at warning onset. Although this increase was not statistically significant, the pattern suggests that participants in the camera-plus-sensor condition may have used the warning as a cue to look at the camera display. The observed differences in glance behavior between study groups were illustrated by relating it to the visibility of a 12–15-month-old child-size object. These findings provide evidence that drivers adapt their glance behavior during low-speed parking maneuvers following extended use of rearview cameras and parking sensors, and suggest that other technologies which augment the driving task may do the same.
Chronic subcutaneous brain natriuretic peptide therapy in asymptomatic systolic heart failure.

Aims We have previously reported that asymptomatic systolic heart failure (HF) is characterized by an impaired renal response to volume expansion due to lack of activation of urinary cGMP which is corrected by subcutaneous (SQ) BNP. In the current study, we sought to define the cardiorenal response to intravascular volume expansion after 12 weeks of SQ BNP therapy. Methods and results We utilized a double-blinded, placebo-controlled study to compare 12 weeks of twice-daily SQ BNP 10 µg/kg (n = 22) or placebo (n = 12) in asymptomatic systolic HF. Subjects underwent two study visits: baseline and after 12 weeks of therapy. At each study visit, echocardiography, renal, and neurohumoral assessments were performed before and after intravascular volume expansion. The primary endpoint was change in urinary sodium excretion in response to volume expansion at 12 weeks, and we observed a greater increase in urinary sodium excretion [166 (77, 290) vs. 15 (−39, 72) mEq/min; P = 0.02] with SQ BNP treatment vs. placebo. Secondary endpoints included change in urine flow and glomerular filtration rate (GFR) in response to volume expansion at 12 weeks. We observed a significant increase in urine flow (P < 0.01) and trend for differential response in GFR (P = 0.08) with SQ BNP treatment vs. placebo. Conclusion Among patients with asymptomatic systolic HF, twice-daily SQ BNP therapy improved the cardiorenal response to volume expansion at 12-week follow-up. Further studies are warranted to determine if these beneficial physiological observations with chronic natriuretic peptide administration translate into a delay in the progression to symptomatic HF.
Sampling Approaches on Collecting Internet Statistics in the Digital Economy

The Internet�s complexity restricts analysis or simulation to assess its parameters. Instead, actual measurements provide a reality check. Many statistical measurements of the Internet estimate rare event probabilities. Collection of such statistics renders sampling methods as a primary substitute. Within the context of this inquiry, we have presented the conventional Monte Carlo approach to estimate the Internet event probability. As a variance reduction technique, Importance Sampling is introduced which is a modified Monte Carlo approach resulting in a significant reduction of effort to obtain an accurate estimate. This method works particularly well when estimating the probability of rare events. It has great appeal to use as an efficient sampling scheme for estimating the information server density on the Internet. In this chapter, we have proposed the Importance Sampling approaches to track the prevalence and growth of Web service, where an improved Importance Sampling scheme is introduced. We present a thorough analysis of the sampling approaches. Based on the periodic measurement of the number of active Web servers conducted over the past five years, an exponential growth of the Web is observed and modeled. Also discussed in this chapter is the increasing security concerns on Web servers.
Seasonal incidence of Trichoplusia ni and Autographa californica (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) on alfalfa, cotton, and lettuce in the Imperial Valley of California

Populations of Trichoplusia ni (Hubner) and Autographa californica (Speyer) were monitored in alfalfa, cotton, and lettuce in the Imperial Valley of California. Both species were found in all three crops with T. ni predominant in cotton and lettuce. In alfalfa T. ni was predominant during most of the year, but A. californica was more abundant during March and April. Populations of T. ni were highest in spring, early summer, and late fall; A. californica populations were highest during spring.
Dye-impregnated paper strips for staining bacteria.

Paper strips impregnated with stains and chemicals for bacterial staining (Gugol Scientific Corporation, distributed by Wampole Laboratories) were evaluated. The quality of staining 100 Gram-positive and 80 Gram-negative microorganisms was compared with Hucker's modification. Over-decolorization of strip-stained Gram-positive organisms was the most frequent cause of inconsistency. Paper strip “acid-fast” stain was compared with the Ziehl-Neelsen technic for 90 mycobacteria and nine Nocardia strains. Mycobacteria and Nocardia were consistently well stained by the paper strip technic; however, Nocardia were not stained by the true acid-fast method. Ninety-five clinical smears, stripstained by physicians on the wards, were evaluated. Ease of performance and stability of reagents make the paper strip technics practical for use in clinics, wards, and small bncteriologic laboratories.
Recovery of renal function in a child after prolonged, complete ureteral obstruction.

Abstract We report a case of demonstrable renal function after restoration of continuity to an upper pole system totally obstructed for 85 days. Since it is not known how long total ureteral obstruction in the human can be followed by return of useful renal function, salvage of such obstructed units should be attempted whenever feasible.
Standard laparoscopic versus robotic retromuscular ventral hernia repair

Laparoscopic ventral hernia repair (LVHR) demonstrates comparable recurrence rates, but lower incidence of surgical site infection (SSI) than open repair. Delayed complications can occur with intraperitoneal mesh, particularly if a subsequent abdominal operation is required, potentially resulting in bowel injury. Robotic retromuscular ventral hernia repair (RRVHR) allows abdominal wall reconstruction (AWR) and extraperitoneal mesh placement previously only possible with open repair, with the wound morbidity of LVHR. All LVHR and RRVHR performed in our institution between June 2013 and May 2015 contained in the Americas Hernia Society Quality Collaborative database were analyzed. Continuous bivariate analysis was performed with Student’s t test. Continuous nonparametric data were compared with Chi-squared test, or Fisher’s exact for small sample sizes. p values <0.05 were considered significant. We compared 103 LVHR with 53 RRVHR. LVHR patients were older (60.2 vs. 52.9 years; p = 0.001), but demographics were otherwise similar between groups. Hernia width was similar (6.9 vs. 6.5 cm, p = 0.508). Fascial closure was achieved more often with RRVHR (96.2 vs. 50.5 %; p < 0.001) and aided by myofascial release in 43.4 %. Mesh was placed in an intraperitoneal position in 90.3 % of LVHR and extraperitoneal in 96.2 % of RRVHR. RRVHR operative time was longer (245 vs. 122 min, p < 0.001). Narcotic requirement was similar between LVHR and RRVHR (1.8 vs. 1.4 morphine equivalents/h; p = 0.176). Seroma was more common after RRVHR (47.2 vs. 16.5 %, p < 0.001), but SSI was similar (3.8 vs. 1 %, p = 0.592). Median length of stay was shorter after RRVHR (1 vs. 2 days, p = 0.004). Direct hospital cost was similar (LVHR $13,943 vs. RRVHR $19,532; p = 0.07). RRVHR enables true AWR, with myofascial release to offset tension for midline fascial closure, and obviates the need for intraperitoneal mesh. Perioperative morbidity of RRVHR is comparable to LVHR, with shorter length of stay despite a longer operative time and extensive tissue dissection.
An argument for renewed focus on epidemiology for public health

Abstract Purpose Although epidemiology has an indispensable role in serving public health, the relative emphasis of applications of epidemiology often tend toward individual-level medicine over public health in terms of resources and impact. Methods We make distinctions between public health and medical applications of epidemiology to raise awareness among epidemiologists, many of whom came to the field with public health in mind. We discuss reasons for the overemphasis on medical epidemiology and suggest ways to counteract these incentives. Results Public health epidemiology informs interventions that are applied to populations or that confer benefits beyond the individual, whereas medical epidemiology informs interventions that improve the health of treated individuals. Available resources, new biomedical technologies, and existing epidemiologic methods favor medical applications of epidemiology. Focus on public health impact and methods suited to answer public health questions can create better balance and promote population-level improvements in public health. Conclusions By deliberately reflecting on research motivations and long-term goals, we hope the distinctions presented here will facilitate critical discussion and a greater consciousness of our potential impact on both individual and population-level health. Renewed intentions towards public health can help epidemiologists navigate potential projects and ultimately contribute to an epidemiology of consequence.
Effects of Sound Speed Fluctuations Due to Internal Waves in Shallow Water on Horizontal Wavenumber Estimation

There is considerable current interest in the influence of water-column variability on acoustic propagation and its effects on geoacoustic inversion. In general, the effect of sound speed fluctuations due to internal waves in the water column is to promote the coupling of energy between propagating acoustic modes. The effects of mode coupling include fluctuations in individual modal amplitudes and arrival times along with time spreading of the original pulses. In contrast to the broadband case, little research has been conducted on the effects of internal waves on cw modal-based inversion methods. These techniques require estimates of the propagating modal eigenvalues for a cw point source field as input data to the inversion algorithm. In much of the literature, wavenumber estimation is performed with the assumption that pressure is given by an adiabatic mode sum. Changes in modal content as a function of range are then attributed to local changes in the waveguide boundaries, specifically, the bottom. For a shallow-water waveguide including internal waves, the adiabatic assumption is violated and estimates of local wavenumber content is affected. This paper addresses the nature of the these affects on the wavenumber estimation problem. In particular, numerical studies of internal wave effects are conducted with respect to identification and bias of individual modes along with the ability to resolve closely spaced eigenvalues. Preliminary results for a weak internal wave field show that mode coupling leads to an enhancement of the wavenumber spectral estimates due to the energizing of weak modes that were previously not excited.
Appointing the Best and the Brightest: Observations From the Riverworld Committee

This essay uses the fictitious setting of the Riverworld to bring together some of the great-and not-so-great--minds that have contributed to our development over the past two thousand years. It examines their thoughts as they relate to a current topic: recruiting top-level administrators who are both technically competent and responsive to the values of the system they serve. The essay does not reach any firm conclusions, but rather leaves the reader to find his or her own answers to the questions it raises.
Formal Probabilistic Analysis of a Virtual Fixture Control Algorithm for a Surgical Robot

With the ever-growing interest in the usage of minimally-invasive surgery, surgical robots are also being extensively used in the operation theaters. Given the safety-critical nature of these surgeries, ensuring the accuracy and safety of the control algorithms of these surgical robots is an absolute requirement. However, traditionally these algorithms have been analyzed using simulations and testing methods, which provide in-complete and approximate analysis results due to their inherent sampling-based nature. We propose to use probabilistic model checking, which is a formal verification method for quantitative analysis of systems, to verify the control algorithms of surgical robots. The paper provides a formal analysis of a virtual fixture control algorithm, implemented in a neuro-surgical robot, using the PRISM model checker. We have been able to verify some probabilistic properties about the out-of-boundary problem for the given algorithm and found some new insights, which were not gained in a previous attempt of using formal methods in the same context. For validation, we have also done some experiments by running the considered algorithm on the Al-Zahrawi surgical robot.
Assessment and Management of Somatoform and Conversion Symptoms

Somatoform and conversion symptoms are common elements of inpatient and outpatient medical practice. Somatization has been called “one of medicine’s blind spots,” where the assumptions of Cartesian dualism can discourage the gathering of useful ideographic information and negatively impact efforts at successful treatment. From our perspective, the presence of somatoform and conversion factors demonstrates the need for continuous refinement of individualized assessment and treatment practices tailored to fit the constraints of clinical, operational, and financial parameters inherent in clinical settings. The pragmatic value of variety in clinical presentations is that it remind us that the focus of medical treatment is fundamentally to alleviate disease and suffering in the patient. To meet this responsibility, we are continually confronted with two dilemmas. First, the more we learn about the human being, the more we are confronted by the futility of Cartesian dualism in assuming that physical and mental factors are independent rather than interdependent. Second, the heterogeneity of human experience and response to illness reminds us that the science of medicine (or any other applied discipline for that matter) may be precise but successful application is often an art based on the accommodation of information and experience. The authors’ setting is a residency training program at a 200-bed hospital in the rural charity system of the Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center. The patient population is generally the uninsured or poor with limited resources or ability to seek treatment elsewhere. Most contact is with internal medicine clinic or family practice inpatients and outpatients, with service extending to all departments and specialty services at the hospital. Responsibilities include teaching, resident training, consulting, neuropsychological and psychological testing service, crisis intervention, management and treatment of general medical, behavioral and psychiatric conditions, as well as directing all research projects at the facility. This is accomplished by two clinical psychologists and a clinical trials coordinator for research management. Such an environment may be seen by some as restrictive for the practice of traditional clinical psychology, but in reality the setting is an opportunity to work with physicians and develop models of functional interdependence in disease management with the reality of limited institutional and financial resources. These limitations often dichotomize patient care into models such as psychiatric vs. medical to meet the demand for care and feasibility
Zero divisor graphs of commutative graded rings

We study a natural generalization of the zero divisor graph introduced by Anderson and Livingston to commutative rings graded by abelian groups, considering only homogeneous zero divisors. We develop a basic theory for graded zero divisor graphs and present many examples. Finally, we examine classes of graphs that are realizable as graded zero divisor graphs and close with some open questions.
The compensation of busy directors: An international analysis

Abstract Using international data from 49 countries, we examine how director busyness affects global compensation. Prior literature reports conflicting evidence regarding the effect that multiple directorships has on firm value and performance. Some studies find that busy directors have skills and connections that benefit the firm while other research concludes that busy directors are too distracted to provide adequate monitoring. We determine that busy directors receive higher total compensation which is consistent with their greater skills and extensive networks. Busy directors, however, receive a significantly higher percentage of equity-based compensation which is consistent with their limited time for monitoring. This compensation structure is associated with improved market-to-book ratios, ROA, and profit margins. Finally, we discover that compensation committee members do not receive higher total compensation, but a lower percentage is equity linked.
Systematic Enhancement of Thermoelectric Figure of Merit in Edge-Engineered Nanoribbons

Nanomaterials provide unique promise to thermoelectric energy conversion owing to their possible phonon confinement and reduced thermal conductivity. These effects can, in particular, occur in nano...
A method for integrating utility analysis into an expert system for design evaluation under uncertainty

In mechanical design, there is often unavoidable uncertainty in estimates of design performance. Evaluation of design alternatives requires consideration of the impact of this uncertainty. Expert heuristics embody assumptions regarding the designer's attitude towards risk and uncertainty that might be reasonable in most cases but inaccurate in others. We present a technique to allow designers to incorporate their own unique attitude towards uncertainty as opposed to those assumed by the domain expert's rules. The general approach is to eliminate aspects of heuristic rules which directly or indirectly include assumptions regarding the user's attitude towards risk, and replace them with explicit, user-specified probabilistic multiattribute utility and probability distribution functions. We illustrate the method in a system for material selection for automobile bumpers.
Aberrant Protein Kinase C Cascades in Alzheimer’s Disease

Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is characterized by the dysfunction and eventual death of selected sets of central nervous system cortical neurons. This deterioration of neurons is responsible for the cognitive impairment of patients. The reason for this neuronal death is not known. In 1981, Appel proposed that the lack of a neurotrophic factor might be responsible for neuronal loss in AD. Two years later, Hefti suggested that NGF may be the neurotrophic factor missing in AD. However, normal levels of NGF mRNA have been found in AD brain (Goedert et al., 1986), indicating that a new hypothesis might be necessary to explain neuronal dysfunction and loss in AD. Indeed, we now know that many classes of neurons that are not responsive to NGF are also lost in AD. Furthermore, there is direct evidence for increased neurotrophic activity in AD brain (Uchida et al., 1988), suggesting that rather than a generalized deficit of trophic factors, a defect exists in the responsive machinery within the target cells.
Learning Viewpoint Invariant Representations of Faces in an Attractor Network

In natural visual experience, different views of an object or face tend to appear in close temporal proximity as an animal manipulates the object or navigates around it, or as a face changes expression or pose. A set of simulations is presented which demonstrate how viewpoint invariant representations of faces can be developed from visua1 experience by capturing the temporal relationships among the input patterns. The simulations explored the interaction of temporal smoothing of activity signals with Hebbian learning (Foldiak, 1991) in both a feedforward layer and a second, recurrent layer of a network. The feedforward connections were trained by Competitive Hebbian Learning with temporal smoothing of the post-synaptic unit activities (Bartlett and Sejnowski, 1996b). The recurrent layer was a generalization of a Hopfield network with a lowpass temporal filter on all unit activities. The combination of basic Hebbian learning with temporal smoothing of unit activities produced an attractor network learning rule that associated temporally proximal input patterns into basins of attraction. These two mechanisms were demonstrated in a model that took gray level images of faces as input. Following training on image sequences of faces as they changed pose, multiple views of a given face fell into the same basin of attraction, and the system acquired representations of faces that were approximately viewpoint invariant.
Tranquilizers, Stimulants, and Enhancers of Cognition

For patients with cognitive dysfunction, the appropriate use of neurotransmitter specific medication may permit independent living. This article examines a variety of tranquilizers, stimulants, and enhancers of cognition and evaluates which may be most effective given their side effect profiles.
Evidence and Role of Rhythmic Organization in Early Vocal Development in Human Infants

Abstract Well before infants are thought to be using language, they typically produce striking sequences of apparently rhythmic vocalizations. These sequences, called babbling, may be one foundation for the development of spoken language. This paper considers the evidence for rhythmic organization in these and other early vocalizations and offers suggestions for their possible roles in the development of speech and language.
Changing patterns of yoruba parenting in Nigeria

This chapter explores the patterns of Yoruba parenting, beginning with the process of marriage, childbearing and rearing, into relief the importance of wife as a mother, it briefly compares the persona of the wife with that of the concubine. Yoruba parenting is presented as the gradual socialization of the child in the values, expectations and practices of adult Yoruba life. Parenting efforts gradually allow the child to imbibe, through enculturation, the fundamental wisdom behind adult views about life, its challenges, its triumphs and failures. The first principle of this parenting style is making the child understand that she is part of a group that cares and expects respect in return. The second principle is that the child becomes gradually aware of the template of socialization known as Omoluwabi. It teaches her to be deferential to her elders, hardworking and frugal as well as to be ready to help others in need. The values, norms, rules and cosmology that the child learns stress the importance of seniority as an organizational principle. She is taught that her humanity is affirmed by the reciprocity of care from others. The chapter ends on the comparative analysis of styles of parenting between the Japanese concept of Amae and the Batswana concept of Botho as they replicate the Yoruba concept of Omoluwabi.
Capital markets responses to environmental performance in developing countries

Firms in developing countries are often said to have no incentives to invest in pollution control because they typically face weak monitoring and enforcement of environmental regulations. But the inability of formal institutions to control pollution through fines and penalties may not be as serious an impediment to pollution control as is generally argued, contend the authors. Capital markets may react negatively to news of adverse environmental incidents (such as spills or violations of permits) as well as positively to the announcement that a firm is using cleaner technologies. The authors assess whether capital markets in Argentina, Chile, Mexico, and the Philippines react to the announcement of firm-specific environmental news. They show that: I) Capital markets react positively ( the firms' market value increases) to the announcement of rewards and explicit recognition of superior environmental performance. ii) They react negatively (the firms' value decreases) to citizens' complaints. Environmental regulators in developing countries could 1) harness market forces by introducing structured programs to release firm-specific information about environmental performance, and 2) empower communities and stakeholders through environmental education programs.
Capacity Linear Evaluation for Production Line Based on Production Course

Production capacity is evaluated through analysis on production course in this paper. Firstly in order to simplify and describe the production line with complicated property, the manufacturing resources with close relations are accumulated into a manufacturing vertex. Consequently the directed network model is constructed. Secondly through analysis on the production course and performance state of manufacturing resources, the affecting factors and parametric definitions are given. Then the linear evaluation model of production capacity is built by means of defining the available capacity and load of manufacturing vertex. Finally the capacity evaluation constrained by limited manufacturing resources is solved by linear programming. And an actual aero-engine blade production line is regard as an example to validate the algorithms in this paper.
Laparoscopic transanal minimally invasive surgery (L-TAMIS) versus robotic TAMIS (R-TAMIS): short-term outcomes and costs of a comparative study

Transanal minimally invasive surgery (TAMIS) has gained worldwide popularity as a method for the local excision of rectal neoplasms. However, it is technically demanding due to limited working space. Robotic TAMIS offers potential enhanced dexterity and ability while allowing for a more aggressive resection with a stable platform. The objective of this study was to review a single institution experience between laparoscopic (L-TAMIS) and robotic TAMIS (R-TAMIS) for treatment of rectal neoplasms and determine if there are significant differences on outcomes. Forty consecutive patients with rectal neoplasms underwent L-TAMIS or R-TAMIS by two colorectal surgeons from January 2012 to April 2017. We retrospectively reviewed a prospectively maintained database to analyze demographics, peri-operative data, pathology, post-operative complications, and cost. There were no significant differences between L- and R-TAMIS on patient demographics. R-TAMIS showed a statically significant increase in cost of surgery by $880. Median direct cost of L-TAMIS was $3562 compared to $4440.92 for R-TAMIS (p = 0.04). Wider range of total duration for L-TAMIS is likely due to the variability of body habitus and location of rectal neoplasm, which can significantly limit L-TAMIS compare to R-TAMIS. There was a trend toward decreased blood loss in the R-TAMIS group. Mortality was 0% in both groups. After reviewing our experience, we conclude there is no significant difference between L- and R-TAMIS other than total direct cost. We confirmed that both L- and R-TAMIS are safe and associated with low morbidity. The limitations of this study include its small sample size. In the future, we hope to show promising data on R-TAMIS with increased sample size and experience, which may allow for transanal resection not previously feasible. Studies with long-term follow-up assessing oncological and functional results will be mandatory.
Heavy alkaline earth π-complexes with doubly-reduced polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons of variable sizes

Abstract Barium (II) π-complexes with two planar polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), anthracene and fluoranthene, have been prepared by direct alkaline earth metal reduction reactions in THF in the presence of 1,2-diiodoethane (DIE), used as an activator. The products have been crystallographically characterized to reveal their mixed-ligand composition, {[Ba(I)(THF)3]22+[C14H10]2–} (1) and {[Ba(I)(THF)3]22+[C16H10]2–} (2). A similar strontium (II) product, {[Sr(I)(THF)4]22+[C10H8]2-} (3), has been synthesized using potassium-naphthalenide ligand-exchange reaction starting with SrI2. In 1 and 2, Ba(II) ions are π-complexed by doubly-reduced PAHs with the planarity of the dianions being preserved upon reduction and metal binding. In contrast, the naphthalene dianion in 3 adopts a non-planar geometry with a dihedral angle of 15.2°. The M–Ccentroid distances of 2.754 (6) A and 2.755 (14) A in 1 and 2, respectively, are longer than that in 3 (2.600 (2) A). The coordination environment of alkaline earth metal ions is completed by iodide ligands and coordinated THF molecules. The X-ray structural investigation confirmed the formation of the iodide-bridged 1D polymers in barium products, {[Ba (μ-I) (THF)3]22+[C14H10]2–}∞ (1) and {[Ba (μ-I) (THF)3]22+[C16H10]2–}∞ (2) vs. a discrete strontium complex with terminal iodide ligands in 3.
Core and Ligand Group Orbitals

Before we proceed with illustrative applications of MOVB theory some clarifying comments regarding the fundamental ingredients of the theory are in order: