cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
RED: A ReRAM-Based Efficient Accelerator for Deconvolutional Computation

Deconvolution is a key component in contemporary neural networks, especially, generative adversarial networks (GANs) and fully convolutional networks (FCNs). Due to extra operations of deconvolution compared to convolution, considerable degradation of performance, as well as energy efficiency is incurred when implementing deconvolution on the existing resistive random access memory (ReRAM)-based processing-in-memory (PIM) accelerators. In this article, we propose an ReRAM-based accelerator design, RED, for providing high-performance and low-energy deconvolution. We analyze the deconvolution execution on the existing ReRAM-based PIMs and utilize its interior computation pattern for design optimization. RED includes two major contributions: 1) pixel-wise mapping scheme and 2) zero-skipping data flow. Pixel-wise mapping scheme removes the zero insertion and performs convolutions over several ReRAM arrays and thus enables parallel computations with nonzero inputs. Zero-skipping data flow, assisted with customized input buffers design, enhances the computation parallelism and input data reuse. In evaluation, we compare RED against the existing ReRAM-based PIMs and CMOS-based counterpart with a variety of GAN and FCN models, each of which contains multiple deconvolution layers. The experimental results show that RED achieves a $4.0\times $ – $56.16\times $ speedup and a $1.05\times $ – $18.17\times $ energy efficiency improvement over previous related accelerator designs.
Risk Compensation, Behavior Choice, and the Enforcement of Drunk Driving Statutes

Combining well-known research results from the alcohol and driving literature with the concept of risk compensation, this paper provides some insight on the relationship between public information and the effective deterrence of drunk driving. Results suggest that our public information programs, although changing in the right direction, may be seriously counterproductive.
Texting with a Therapist Daily

Challenges of providing psychiatric-mental health services via telehealth technology (e.g., video conference, email, telephone, smartphone apps, text messaging) have come to the forefront during th...
Do Team Charters Help Team-Based Projects? The Effects of Team Charters on Performance and Satisfaction in Global Virtual Teams

In a sample of 1,891 teams (8,556 students) who completed an eight-week international business consulting project, half of the teams developed a team charter, half did not. Teams with charters saw ...
Waterfall low-frequency vibrations and infrasound: implications for avian migration and hazard detection.

Many researchers have suggested that birds may use natural infrasound sources for navigation and hazard avoidance. However, there is a need to define the sound levels and frequencies to characterize potential infrasound sources. This paper summarizes new measurements from Niagara Falls which define a stable, powerful infrasound source that could be detected by birds on a regional scale of over 400 km. Measurements made in the vicinity of Niagara Falls show that exceptional infrasonic pressure levels can occur in the regions of large waterfalls (> 100 Pa at a range of about 500 m). This paper reviews investigator assessments of avian use of infrasound. A review of the results of Cornell researchers on pigeon hearing provides a basis for estimating avian detection ranges of waterfalls. It is possible that migrating birds use sounds from waterfalls as beacons- a component of their “navigation toolbox” as well as infrasound for hazard avoidance.
Neural Network Chatbot With Advanced Voice Recognition For Banking Industry In Native Language

Chatbot (a Machine learning and NLP) is becoming crucial part which plays an important role in banking sector, many banks have adopted this technology. It is helping widely in customer services and drastically reducing queues in bank and also employees in bank to focus on complex problems than to get stuck on calls with sub-minimal problems or questions. All similar questions asked by customers fall into FAQs (Frequently Asked Questions), and answering to these questions, such task needs to be performed quick and easily, this can be achieved by chatbots, who will answer such question and save time of bank to answer such short questions and save time of user to wait for the answer by making calls, standing in queues. On the other hand, chatbots gives same experience which it gives you the very first time, unlike bank employee whose politeness varies as per the work load or level of queries. Bot is insomnia who works 24/7 which removes all work time barrier and allows customer to get answers to their questions. Voiced chatbot will be helpful for banks to improve customer service, by giving personalized experience, quick response to queries, and save time of user to constantly dial number of banks and be in waiting lists. Voiced Bank Bot as the name suggests will stop user from actually typing the queries, and naturally speaking with the bot who will analyze what user said and give quick services. Services which are delivered in customer’s convenient language removes the language as well as communication barrier. This important feature is achieved by Voiced Bank Bot, this feature attracts local people to use our chatbot who prefer to speak in their mother tongue. Voiced Bank Bot with all features is precisely a bank-based FAQ Bot
A Fault-Tolerant Distributed Vision System Architecture for Object Tracking in a Smart Room

In recent years, distributed computer vision has gained a lot of attention within the computer vision community for applications such as video surveillance and object tracking. The collective information gathered by multiple cameras that are strategically placed has many advantages. For example, aggregation of information from multiple viewpoints reduces the uncertainty about the scene. Further, there is no single point of failure, thus the system as a whole could continue to perform the task at hand. However, the advantages arising out of such cooperation can be realized only by timely sharing of the information between them. This paper discusses the design of a distributed vision system that enables several heterogeneous sensors with different processing rates to exchange information in a timely manner in order to achieve a common goal, say tracking of multiple human subjects and mobile robots in an indoor smart environment.In our fault-tolerant distributed vision system, a resource manager manages individual cameras and buffers the time-stamped object candidates received from them. A User Agent with a given task specification approaches the resource manager, first for knowing the available resources (cameras) and later for receiving the object candidates from the resources of its interest. Thus the resource manager acts as a proxy between the user agents and cameras, thereby freeing the cameras to do dedicated feature detection and extraction only. In such a scenario, many failures are possible. For example, one of the cameras may have a hardware failure or it may lose the target, which moved away from its field of view. In this context, important issues such as failure detection and handling, synchronization of data from multiple sensors and sensor reconfiguration by view planning are discussed in the paper. Experimental results with real scene images will be given.
Calculation of Wing Profile Drag

IN the March issue of AIRCRAFT ENGINEERING Mr. Falkner establishes a new power index law for the skin friction coefficient of a flat plate with fully turbulent boundary layer.
Development of the Root-Knot Nematode Feeding Cell

The root-knot nematode feeding cell is a remarkable example of the reprogramming of plant cells by biotrophic pathogens. With the aid of molecules secreted into plant cells from three esophageal gland cells, the root-knot nematode Meloidogyne sp. orchestrates a fundamental change in those cells surrounding its head in the plant root. These cells expand in volume over tenfold and become a virtual factory for the production of cytoplasm that is a rich source of nutrients for the nematode. Because of the large size of the cells, Treub (1887) coined the term “giant-cell” to describe them. Giant-cells have attracted the attention of biologists for over 100 years (reviewed in Christie 1936) and they continue to challenge investigators that are using modern techniques in molecular biology, biochemistry, and microscopy to answer long-held questions. This chapter examines giant-cells from a cell biologist’s point of view, i.e., with an eye on identifying notable features of development at a cellular and subcellular level.
First principles computer model showing the effect of p-layer thickness and front contact barrier height on the performance of a-Si:H p-i-n solar cells

The performance of a-Si:H p-i-n solar cells with different p-layer thicknesses, front contact barrier heights, and front contact/p-layer hole transport mechanisms were modeled. The authors examined how p-layer material and contact quality influenced the results obtained, and they also explored the role that tunneling of holes across the barrier near the front contact can play in determining cell performance. It was found that, for active p-layer cells with the optimistic p-layer activation energy of 0.27 eV, cell performance is maximum for a p-layer thickness of about 100 AA. However, this maximum depends on the quality of the p-layer. Surprisingly, it was found that, for front contact barrier height values less than some critical value, cell performance, in the absence of tunneling, depends on the front contact barrier height regardless of the thickness or quality of the p-layer. >
Trends in Genomic Analysis of the Cardiovascular System

Abstract Objective.—To evaluate the opportunities afforded cardiovascular medicine by the comprehensive and integrative approaches of genomics in cellular physiology. We present a meta-analysis of ...
‘Discreteness fluctuations’ and relaxation in stellar dynamical systems

Analyse par une methode de perturbation des effets des «collisions» interstellaires comme des fluctuations discretes decrites par une equation de Boltzamann sans collisions, permettant d'en deriver une equation de Landau generalisee qui, pour le cas d'un systeme infini et heterogene, se reduit a l'equation standard de Landau ou de Fokker-Planck de la dynamique des collisions stellaires
Oxidation of one-carbon compounds to formate and carbon dioxide in rat liver mitochondria.

Abstract In rat liver mitochondria, swollen with phosphate and supplemented with NAD+, the oxidation of the methyl carbon of sarcosine to formate is enhanced by the addition of NADP+. No carbon dioxide is formed. Formaldehyde and serine, which are the only oxidation products of the methyl group in the absence of the pyridine nucleotides, are decreased by an amount equal to the formate produced. Carbon dioxide, as well as formate, is produced when the mitochondria are treated with EDTA, even without the addition of the pyridine nucleotides. When the mitochondria are exposed to pyrophosphate without added NAD+ and/or NADP+, all of the oxidized sarcosine-methyl can be recovered as formate, [3-C]serine, and carbon dioxide. Formaldehyde accumulates only if the system is supplemented with Mg2+. In the presence of NADP+ or the combined pyridine nucleotides, serine accumulation is depressed by an amount equal to the increase in carbon dioxide production. Both carbons of glycine and the 3-C of serine can also be oxidized to carbon dioxide in the pyrophosphate-treated mitochondria. The oxidation of the methyl carbon of S-adenosylmethionine to formaldehyde, [3-C]serine, formate, and carbon dioxide requires a whole homogenate supplemented with glycine. Neither exogenous formaldehyde nor formate is oxidized to carbon dioxide in any of the mitochondrial systems capable of converting sarcosine-methyl to carbon dioxide. Under conditions in which [N5,N10-14C-methylene]- and [N10-14C-formyl]tetrahydrofolate can be isolated as intermediate products of [14CH3]sarcosine, exogenous [N5,N10-14C-methylene]tetrahydrofolate can also be converted to [3-14C]serine, [14C]formate, and [14C]carbon dioxide.
Reading, writing and word processing: Toward a phenomenology of the computer age

Ethnographers “read” cultures and in writing inscribe memory into texts; in literature, a “reading” is a dialogue with a writer through the medium the text, and writing translates text into action. In a study of humanists using the microcomputer as a writing technology, changes were perceived in the phenomenology of writing, the writer's relation to the text, and the relation to the reader. Typists remarked that the computer enabled them to recover “a spoken voice” because the screen gave the text a processual and temporal form which replaced the inflexible typed page. Handwriters often remarked that the computer changed humanistic craft labor into industrial production: the screen gave privilege to the lexical in place of the graphic; the sentence replaced the paragraph as a unit of meaning; writing became a medium for transmitting information rather than an artistic performance. Humanists perceived that technical norms were embedded in technical culture and software, and that the computer marked a shift in the reward structure of their professions toward productivity and efficiency. This suggests three issues for the writing crafts of ethnographers. Electronic memory may replace the interpretive text, making fieldnotes public and treating them as information. The technical capacity to organize fieldnotes in data bases may shift the fieldworker's conception of knowledge from interpretation to information. And consuming the norms and concepts of technical culture may shift the craftlike norms of the field worker's culture. All earthly existence must ultimately be contained in a book. —Mallarme
Two Kinds of Definition in Spinoza's Ethics

Spinoza scholars have claimed that we are faced with a dilemma: either Spinoza's definitions in his Ethics are real, in spite of indications to the contrary, or the definitions are nominal and the propositions derived from them are false. I argue that Spinoza did not recognize the distinction between real and nominal definitions. Rather, Spinoza classified definitions according to whether they require a priori or a posteriori justification, which is a classification distinct from either the real/nominal or the intensional/extensional classification. I argue that Spinoza uses both a priori and a posteriori definitions in the Ethics and that recognizing both types of definitions allows us to understand Spinoza's geometric method in a new way. We can now understand the geometric method as two methods, one resulting in propositions that Spinoza considers to be absolutely certain and another resulting in propositions that Spinoza does not consider certain. The latter method makes use of a posteriori definition...
Total chromatic number of graphs with small genus

Abstract Given a graph G, a total k-coloring of G is a simultaneous coloring of the vertices and edges of G with k colors. Denote χve (G) the total chromatic number of G, and c(Σ) the Euler characteristic of a surfase Σ. In this paper, we prove that for any simple graph G which can be embedded in a surface Σ with Euler characteristic c(Σ), χve (G) = Δ (G) + 1 if c(Σ) > 0 and Δ (G) ≥ 13, or, if c(Σ) = 0 and Δ (G) ≥ 14. This result generalizes results in [3], [4], [5] by Borodin.
Differential degradation of myofibrillar proteins by four calcium-dependent proteinase activities from lobster muscle

Four calcium-dependent proteinases (CDPs I, IIa, IIb, and III) were isolated from lobster claw and abdominal muscles. In order to determine the substrate specificities of the CDPs, each enzyme was incubated with either native purified myosin or actomyosin from lobster deep abdominal muscles. After incubation in the presence or absence of 5 mM Ca2+, reaction mixtures were separated by sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis and examined in 2 ways: (1) the fragment patterns from the degradation of the myosin heavy chain were identified with immunoblotting, and (2) gels were stained with Coomassie blue and densitometrically scanned to quantify the degradation of the major myofibrillar proteins. CDPs IIa and IIb were the most effective in degrading myosin heavy chain, actin, troponin-T2, tropomyosin, troponin-I1 and -I5, troponin-C1, and myosin β-light chain; the major difference between the 2 enzymes was that CDP IIa also degraded myosin α-light chain. CDP III effectively hydrolyzed myosin heavy chain, actin, troponin-T2, tropomyosin, troponin-I5, troponin-C1, and myosin β-light chain. CDP I was the least efficient of the 4 CDPs in degrading myofibrillar proteins; only actin, troponin-T2, and troponin-I5 were readily hydrolyzed. All the CDPs recognized similar cleavage sites within the myosin heavy chain, since the proteolytic fragment pattern produced by each enzyme on the myosin heavy chain in reaction mixtures containing either actomyosin or myosin was essentially identical. These results show that the 4 CDPs share catalytic properties but differ in substrate specificities, particularly when presented with a complex assemblage of potential substrates. © 1993 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
Open-ended design and performance evaluation of a biometric speaker identification system

It is very important that biometrics education, particularly at the undergraduate level, keeps pace with the rapidly growing global market. This paper describes a senior level project in speech biometrics that fits in a variety of courses in order to reach out to many students. The project has broad learning outcomes, namely, enhanced application of math skills, software implementation skills, interest in biometrics, ability to carry out open-ended design and communication skills. Assessment results based on the analysis of the success of the students (refereed publications and enrolling in graduate programs), student surveys related to the learning outcomes and a target versus control group survey show that the project was successful.
The evaluation of office control in intermittent exotropia: a systematic approach.

The clinical assessment of control in childhood intermittent exotropia is difficult to characterize and document. Yet the quality of control often dictates when to proceed with treatment for X(T).A...
Multiconfiguration Hartree-Fock calculation of the photoionization of the excited Na 4d state.

The partial photoionization cross sections and asymmetry parameter of the excited state 2${\mathit{p}}^{2}$3p $^{2}$S of nitrogen have been calculated using the multiconfiguration Hartree-Fock method for continuum wave functions. The effects of electron correlation on the excited initial state, the ionic core state, and the final continuum state have been taken into account in an ab initio manner through the configuration-interaction procedure. It is found that the correlations do not change the result significantly from that obtained with Hartree-Slater and Hartree-Fock calculations. The present result of the asymmetry parameter is seen to be in excellent agreement with the experimental measurement of Pratt, Dehmer, and Dehmer [Phys. Rev. A 36, 1702 (1987)] performed at a single photon energy.
Like the Odyssey, Only Different: Olympian Omnipotence versus Karmic Adjustment in Pynchon's Vineland

In Vineland, Pynchon recalls the Odyssey in order to foreground crucial differences from its Western model of comprehending narrative outcomes as acts of Olympian or divine omnipotence. Instead, Vineland does something innovative with narrative power, establishing specific karmic character relationships that potentially ameliorate personal and national grievances and suffering and broadening our understanding of narrative power and outcomes beyond the heavy hand of judgment in order to register gentle karmic nudges.
Julia sets in the quaternions

Abstract Recent mathematical work on the dynamics of complex analytic functions has given rise to a new subject matter for computer graphics. The combination of mathematical theory and computer graphics has resulted in new insight into the nature of some of the simplest of mathematical objects. second-degree polynomials. Most of that work has focused on the possibilities within the two-dimensional complex plane. This article shows how these investigations may be extended to higher dimensions, resulting in fractals that naturally reside in the 4-dimensional quaternions. Particular attention is paid to the formula ax2 + b. A method is given for obtaining various interconnection patterns for the Julia sets in 4-space, and the results are displayed in 3-D computer graphics.
Connected components of graphs and reverse mathematics

Reverse mathematics provides powerful techniques for analyzing the logical content of theorems. The goal of this paper is to illustrate the use of these techniques in an accessible setting, relatively free of complicated coding. All the results assess the difficulty of decomposing graphs into connected components. In Theorems 2.5 and 3.1 and their corollaries, the degree of difficulty is measured by recursion theoretic complexity. In Theorem 4.5, an induction scheme acts as another measure of difficulty. Theorem 4.5 lies outside the hierarchical axiom scheme of reverse mathematics, revealing an interesting connection between set comprehension axioms and induction schemes.
398 CLEARANCE OF VASOPRESSIN BY THE FETUS AND NEWBORN

These studies were initiated in order to compare the volume and rate of distribution, the rates of metabolism and excretion of VP by the fetus to those of the newborn. Vasopressin - 2ng/kg was injected intravenously to six fetal and four neonatal lambs and VP levels were measured in sequential plasma and urine samples. Vasopressin disappeared from plasma as an exponential function composed of two components. The first phase, representing distribution, was similar in both the fetus and newborn with T½ of 1.75 minutes. The second phase, representing excretion and metabolism, was slightly faster in the fetus than newborn, T½ being 17 and 25 minutes respectively. Plasma concentrations extrapolated to zero time gave a volume of distribution of 285 ml/kg in the fetus and 225 ml/kg in the newborn. Data on urine concentrations show that when given as a bolus, fetal renal excretion of non-metabolized VP was minimal while in the neonate it represented 7-10% of the dose. These results indicate that the rate of distribution of VP is essentially the same in both the fetus and newborn but the volume of distribution is slightly higher in the fetus. Despite the lack of contribution of the fetal kidney, the rate of clearance of VP is slightly faster in the fetus suggesting a role for the placenta in the metabolism of VP.
Quantum-chromodynamic jet masses in hadronic collisions

In analogy to ${e}^{+}{e}^{\ensuremath{-}}$ annihilation, we discuss the QCD predictions for the broadening of the forward-backward jets in hadronic collisions, in terms of the expectations for the corresponding invariant-mass spectra.
Repetitive procurement of mature gametes from individual sea stars and sea urchins.

The various conventional methods of procuring ripe gametes from sea stars (1, 2), and sea urchins (3, 4, 6) are well suited for experiments in which large quantities or pooled lots of gametes from different individuals are required . It is often desirable, however, to perform experiments on a few cells, under well controlled conditions and from a single individual . For this purpose I have devised methods which permit repetitive procurement of healthy echinoderm eggs from a single animal for periods of a week or more . In addition, for various microscopic methods of observation and measurement, one may wish to select and use females whose eggs possess few light scattering or birefringent inclusions . The degree of optical clarity of eggs is fairly uniform for one individual, but can vary widely from one individual to another .
Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and deep vein thrombosis : a prevalent combination

Background Patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) are at increased risk for venous thromboembolism (VTE). We analyzed a large US deep vein thrombosis (DVT) registry to explore the profile of patients with COPD and VTE. Methods Demographics, symptoms, risk factors, prophylaxis, and initial management of 668 (12%) patients with COPD were compared to 3,907 patients without COPD from a prospective registry of 5,451 consecutive patients with ultrasound-confirmed DVT at 183 institutions in the United States. Results COPD patients with DVT were older (median 72.5 years vs. 68.0 years, P < 0.0001) and more likely to be male (52.3% vs. 44.8%, P = 0.0004). They were more likely to be inpatients at the time of diagnosis of DVT (62.0% vs. 51.9%, P < 0.0001). COPD patients were more likely to be admitted to the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) (27.7% vs.19.8%, P = 0.0003), more likely to require mechanical ventilation (23.2% vs. 13.6%, P < 0.0001), and more likely to receive inferior vena caval (IVC) filters (19.1% vs. 15.1%, P = 0.009). COPD patients more often had concomitant pulmonary embolism (PE) (22.8% vs.17.8%, P = 0.005) as well as concomitant congestive heart failure (29.5% vs. 12.5%, P < 0.0001). Conclusions DVT patients with COPD have a greater medical acuity than other DVT patients. This results in more frequent IVC filter insertion.
Extrinsic cotton effects associated with affinity labeled MOPC 315 myeloma protein

Abstract Affinity labeling of MOPC 315 myeloma protein with m-nitro benzene diazonium fluoroborate (MNBDF) resulted in a significant decrease in association constant and number of binding sites expressed for nitrophenol ligands. An absorption spectrum indicative of exclusive formation of diazo tyrosine was observed with over 90% of the affinity label being present on the light chains. Protection of the active site with excess e-DNP-L-lysine-HC1 prevented incorporation of the affinity label. Circular dichroic examination of the labeled protein in the 300nm–600nm spectral region revealed three extrinsic cotton effects to accompany the modification by MNBDF. Denaturation of the modified protein by guanidine-HCl resulted in disappearence of the three CD bands. The usefulness of diazo probes in antibody active site exploration is discussed.
NEUTRAL WEAK INTERACTION CURRENTS

The consequences of postulating that the strangeness-conserving weak interactions are symmetric in isotopic spin space (i.e., the leptons paired in isotopic spin doublets) are traced, with special attention to the resultant neutral weak currents and possible experiments to detect such currents. Far from being excluded experimentally, this theory in fact leads generally to only very difficult-to-detect effects such as elastic neutrino-nucleon scattering (order $G$ in amplitude). Circular dichroism (microwave frequencies) of first excited hydrogen is expected. Other possible experimental subjects are also discussed.
Prediction of Radial Distance of Extraprostatic Extension From Pretherapy Factors

Purpose Extraprostatic extension (EPE) of tumor conveys an adverse prognosis in early-stage prostate cancer. Previous studies reported on the linear and radial distance of EPE (EPEr) as measured from the prostate edge. In this study, the correlation of the EPEr from a large whole mount prostatectomy series was determined with respect to the needle biopsy and prostatectomy specimen findings. Methods and Materials In a 24-month period, 404 patients underwent radical prostatectomy and the specimens were whole mounted. The preoperative records, biopsy findings, and EPEr from these specimens were evaluated. Results The range of the EPEr distance was 0.0–5.7 mm. A three-category model was used that included 283 patients (70%) with no EPE, 59 (15%) with “near EPE” (range, 0.01–0.59 mm), and 62 (15%) with “far EPE” (≥0.6 mm). Univariate analysis revealed that patient age and prostate volume did not correlate with EPEr, in contrast to all other factors evaluated. Multivariate analysis identified the preoperative serum prostate-specific antigen, the percentage of cancer in the biopsy cores, and clinical tumor stage as significant. However, the Gleason score was not associated with the EPEr. Greater discrimination was possible in estimating the probability of extension in the “near” category than in the “far” category. Conclusion EPEr is associated with the preoperative prostate-specific antigen level, percentage of cancer in the biopsy cores, and clinical tumor stage. These data might be useful in planning local therapies for prostate cancer, but additional studies identifying factors associated with EPEr beyond 3–5 mm could have relevance regarding the appropriate radiotherapeutic management strategies.
Quantitative analysis of exhaled carbonyl compounds distinguishes benign from malignant pulmonary disease

Objectives The analysis of exhaled breath is a promising noninvasive tool for the diagnosis of lung cancer, but its clinical relevance has yet to be established. We report the analysis of exhaled volatile carbonyl compounds for the identification of specific carbonyl cancer markers to differentiate benign pulmonary disease from early-stage lung cancer and to compare its diagnostic accuracy with positron emission tomography (PET) scans. Methods Aminooxy-coated silicon microchips were used for the selective capture of exhaled carbonyls by an oximation reaction. Breath samples were collected then directed through the silicon chips by applying a vacuum. Carbonyl adducts were analyzed by Fourier transform mass spectrometry. Eighty-eight control subjects, 107 patients with lung cancer (64 stage 0, I, or II), 40 patients with benign pulmonary disease, and 7 patients with a solitary pulmonary metastasis participated. Analysis of cancer markers was performed blinded to the pathologic results. Results Four carbonyls were defined as cancer markers with significantly higher concentrations in patients with lung cancer. The number of increased cancer markers distinguished benign disease from both early and stage III and IV lung cancer. For early-stage disease, defining greater than 2 increased markers as diagnostic of lung cancer resulted in 83% sensitivity and 74% specificity. PET scans for this same cohort resulted in 90% sensitivity but only 39% specificity. Markers normalized for 3 of the 4 markers after resection of the lung cancer. Conclusions Analysis of specific exhaled carbonyls can differentiate early lung cancer from benign pulmonary disease. Breath analysis was more specific than PET for a lung cancer diagnosis. Judicious use of these data may expedite the care of patients with lung cancer.
Room temperature phosphorescence of diazepam and its application to the determination of diazepam in serum and in a tablet formulation

The room temperature phosphorescence (RTP) properties of diazepam were investigated. The filter papers Whatman No. 1, DE-81 and P-81 were tested as substrates and compounds of I(-), Tl(I), Ag(I), Pb(II) and Hg(II) were evaluated as heavy atom enhancers. The RTP of diazepam spotted from neutral (pH approximately 6.2) and acidic (pH approximately 1.6) solutions were compared. The largest RTP signal for diazepam was obtained from Whatman No. 1 in the presence of Hg(II) in an acidic environment. The absolute limits of detection ranged from 0.5 to 1.9 ng depending on the experimental conditions. RTP was evaluated as a simple, rapid and sensitive screening method for toxic levels of diazepam in serum and for the analysis of diazepam in pharmaceutical formulation (tablets).
A novel dithering algorithm to reduce the electro-magnetic interference (EMI) in single phase DC/AC inverters

In this paper, the reduction of the electromagnetic emission interference (EMI) from DC/AC inverters through periodic dithering on the switching frequency of the pulse width modulated (PWM) signal is investigated. The effect of the various parameters involved in the dithering concept are studied which leads to proposing an optimum dithering method to reduce the EMI. The most important parameters involved in dithering are the dithering frequency range, rate of change of the dithering and the phase of the dithering signal. The effect of each of these parameters is studied and the values that give the best reduction are found. Moreover, analytical expressions for the EMI production mechanism are derived to be used for comparison purpose. The theoretical prediction for the dithering scheme that provide the best reduction in the EMI are found to be accurate through both simulation and experimental results.
Proteomic and physiological responses of Kineococcus radiotolerans to copper.

Copper is a highly reactive, toxic metal; consequently, transport of this metal within the cell is tightly regulated. Intriguingly, the actinobacterium Kineococcus radiotolerans has been shown to not only accumulate soluble copper to high levels within the cytoplasm, but the phenotype also correlated with enhanced cell growth during chronic exposure to ionizing radiation. This study offers a first glimpse into the physiological and proteomic responses of K. radiotolerans to copper at increasing concentration and distinct growth phases. Aerobic growth rates and biomass yields were similar over a range of Cu(II) concentrations (0–1.5 mM) in complex medium. Copper uptake coincided with active cell growth and intracellular accumulation was positively correlated with Cu(II) concentration in the growth medium (R2 = 0.7). Approximately 40% of protein coding ORFs on the K. radiotolerans genome were differentially expressed in response to the copper treatments imposed. Copper accumulation coincided with increased abundance of proteins involved in oxidative stress and defense, DNA stabilization and repair, and protein turnover. Interestingly, the specific activity of superoxide dismutase was repressed by low to moderate concentrations of copper during exponential growth, and activity was unresponsive to perturbation with paraquot. The biochemical response pathways invoked by sub-lethal copper concentrations are exceptionally complex; though integral cellular functions are preserved, in part, through the coordination of defense enzymes, chaperones, antioxidants and protective osmolytes that likely help maintain cellular redox. This study extends our understanding of the ecology and physiology of this unique actinobacterium that could potentially inspire new biotechnologies in metal recovery and sequestration, and environmental restoration.
Aortic root dilatation complicates Ehlers-Danlos syndrome

Although aortic root dilatation (ARD) is a well-known complication of the Marfan syndrome, it has generally been believed to be a rare finding in Ehlers-Danlos syndrome (EDS). Based on experience with a few cases, we performed a prospective cohort study to determine the prevalence of aortic root dilatation in the Ehlers-Danlos syndromes. Aortic measurements by two dimensional echocardiography were performed on 77 consecutive children and adults in a clinic population who had Ehlers-Danlos syndrome types I, II, or III (1988 Berlin classification) or the classical or hypermobile types of EDS (1997 Villefranche Nosology). There were 32 males and 45 females. The average age at first echocardiogram was 24.7 years with a range of 1-62 years. Twenty-eight percent (22/77) of patients in the study population had ARD, as defined by a measurement > +2 S.D above population based norms (Roman et al., Am. J. Card. 64:507-512); the average age at the time of ARD diagnosis was 22.4 years with a range of 5-62 years. Thirteen of 46 individuals with the classical form of EDS (types I/II) and 9 of 31 individuals with the hypermobile form (type III) had ARD, with males and females being similarly affected. Prevalence of ARD was similar at both clinical centers. At one center (CHMC), 4 of the 12 individuals with ARD were referred on the basis of possible ARD, and the diagnosis of EDS was made subsequently. Removing these four cases as a possible source of ascertainment bias would reduce prevalence from 28% (12/45) to 20% (8/41). These results indicate that ARD is a relatively common finding in EDS. Larger cross-sectional studies and longitudinal studies are indicated to refine prevalence data, to correlate ARD with genotype, and to determine progression of ARD and its clinical significance.
Nanomaterials: Sticky but not messy.

Inspired by the feet of the gecko lizard, researchers have tweaked a conventional plasma etching chamber so that it can make reusable adhesives that could have applications in the semiconductor industry.
Safety and effectiveness of a preoperative allergy clinic in decreasing vancomycin use in patients with a history of penicillin allergy

Background We developed a clinical pathway to optimize the use of antimicrobials by decreasing vancomycin use in preoperative patients with a history of penicillin allergy. Objective To decrease the use of vancomycin in surgical patients with a self-reported penicillin allergy. Methods In June 2002, same-day allergy consultation and penicillin skin testing were made available for preoperative patients with self-reported penicillin allergy at the preoperative evaluation (POE) clinic. We reviewed the penicillin allergy skin test results, recommendations, and β-lactam antibiotic administration outcomes from July 1, 2002, to September 16, 2003. Results A total of 1,204 of 11,819 patients were evaluated for β-lactam allergy at the POE clinic. Of these, 1,120 were approved by the institutional review board for inclusion in the study and 9 were excluded from the study. Of the remaining 1,111 patients, 1,030 (93%) underwent skin testing for penicillin allergy. Forty-three (4%) had a positive skin test result to penicillin. A total of 947 (85%) of the 1,111 patients with a history of β-lactam allergy were advised to use a β-lactam antibiotic, and 164 (15%) were advised to avoid β-lactams. A total of 955 patients (86%) actually received preoperative antibiotics. Of these 955 patients, 716 (75%) received cefazolin, and only 149 (16%) received vancomycin compared with 30% historical controls ( P Conclusions Establishment of a clinical pathway in a preoperative clinic that includes allergy consultation and penicillin skin testing reduced vancomycin use to only 16% in surgical patients with a history of β-lactam allergy.
Performance of Learning Disabled University Students on the Woodcock-Johnson Psycho-Educational Battery, Part II: Tests of Achievement

Identification and diagnosis of learning disabilities (LD) at the university level involves the appraisal of intelligence and achievement. This study examined the adequacy of one of the most popular individual achievement tests, the Woodcock-Johnson Psycho-Educational Battery, Part II: Tests of Achievement, with an LD university sample. The scores of 68 subjects referred to the University Program for Learning Disabled Students were analyzed. Means and standard deviations for each cluster and for each subtest were computed. Following this procedure, each test was analyzed to ascertain internal consistency of the subtests and clusters, item order, and ceiling effects. A notable lack of correspondence in item order between the normative population and this sample was observed on three of the subtests (Proofing, Word Attack, and Humanities), raising the question of validity of ceiling rules when testing LD university students. Ceiling effects were not as pervasive as those reported in studies with regular col...
Perceived Levels of Frustration During Clinical Situations in Athletic Training Students

Context: Athletic training students (ATSs) are involved in various situations during the clinical experience that may cause them to express levels of frustration. Understanding levels of frustratio...
A Framework for Research and Evaluation into the Effects of Managed Care on the Pharmaceutical Marketplace

(1998). A Framework for Research and Evaluation into the Effects of Managed Care on the Pharmaceutical Marketplace. Journal of Pharmaceutical Marketing & Management: Vol. 12, No. 2-3, pp. 109-116.
Three principles of representation for semantic networks

Semantic networks are so intuitive and easy to use that they are often employed without much thought as to the phenomenon of semantic nets themselves. Since they are becoming more and more a tool of artificial intelligence and now database technology, it is appropriate to focus on the principles of semantic nets. Such focus finds a harmonious and consistent base which can increase the semantic quality and usefulness of such nets. Three rules of representation are presented which achieve greater conceptual simplicity for users, simplifications in semantic net implementations and maintenance, and greater consistency across semantic net applications. These rules, applied to elements of the net itself, reveal how fundamental structures should be organized, and show that the common labeled-edge semantic net can be derived from a more primitive structure involving only nodes and membership relationships (and special nodes which represent names). Also, the correlation between binary and n-ary relations is presented.
IND-directed safety and biodistribution study of intravenously injected cetuximab-IRDye800 in cynomolgus macaques.

Purpose The use of receptor-targeted antibodies conjugated to fluorophores is actively being explored for real-time imaging of disease states; however, the toxicity of the bioconjugate has not been assessed in non-human primates.
Stratification Economics and Grassroots Development: The Case of Low–Income Black Women Workers in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic:

This article examines the implications of racial, gender, and class stratification on the economic and social opportunities of low-income women, predominantly of African descent, working in the export processing zones and as domestic workers in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic. Using the foundational precepts of stratification economics, this article provides qualitative empirical data from participant-observation which exemplifies the systematic processes of stratification that women workers experienced and the implications of stratification for social and economic opportunities. I find that intersectional race, class, and gender hierarchy persistent in the midst of a neoliberal market economy. In this case study, intersectional hierarchy serves to devalue the women worker's contributions to the market and suppresses their wages to the benefit of employers but to the detriment of women workers.
Redistributive Policy and Devolution: Is State Administration a Road Block (Grant) to Equitable Access to Federal Funds?

Over the last several decades, block grants have been a key instrument by which policy authority is devolved from federal to state governments. Whether the block grant approach produces more effective redistributive policy management (on equity or efficiency grounds) is an open and central question. We focus on the equity dimension by positing an explanatory framework that links access to federal block grant funding to the transaction costs associated with intergovernmental grant contracting. We argue that grant access is a function of both state-level institutional choices and the administrative capacity of local governments-which combine to influence the salient transaction costs associated with grant contracting. We apply our theoretic framework to the non-entitlement portion of the Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) program and analyze granting data across distinct institutional settings. We find that local administrative capacity is a key to access, indicating that some localities most in need are least equipped to capture grants, which raises equity concerns. However, the specific way in which states structure arenas of grant competition can make access more equitable. In short, we show that state-level institutional arrangements critically affect access to federal block grant funds when those funds are allocated through competitive grant contracting to local governments.
Correlation of metabolism with tissue carbon and nitrogen turnover rate in small mammals

Stable isotopes have proven to be a useful tool for deciphering food webs, examining migration patterns and determining nutrient resource allocation. In order to increase the descriptive power of isotopes, an increasing number of studies are using them to model tissue turnover. However, these studies have, mostly by necessity, been largely limited to laboratory experiments and the demand for an easier method of estimating tissue turnover in the field for a large variety of organisms remains. In this study, we have determined the turnover rate of blood in mice and rats using stable isotope analysis, and compared these rates to the metabolic rates of the animals. Rats (Rattus norvegicus) (n=4) and mice (Mus musculus) (n=4) were switched between isotopically distinct diets, and the rate of change of δ13C and δ15N in whole blood was determined. Basal metabolic rates (as CO2 output and O2 consumption per unit time, normalized for mass) were determined for the rats and mice. Rats, which were an order of magnitude larger and had a slower metabolic rate per unit mass than mice (0.02 vs. 0.14 O2/min/g), had a slower blood turnover than mice for 13C (t 1/2 =24.8 and 17.3 days, respectively) and 15N (t 1/2 =27.7 and 15.4 days, respectively). A positive correlation between metabolic rate and blood isotopic turnover rate was found. These are the only such data for mammals available, but the literature for birds shows that mass and whole-body metabolic rates in birds scale logarithmically with tissue turnover. Interestingly, the mammalian data graph separately from the bird data on a turnover versus metabolic rate plot. Both mice and rat tissue in this study exhibited a slower turnover rate compared to metabolic rate than for birds. These data suggest that metabolic rate may be used to estimate tissue turnover rate when working with organisms in the field, but that a different relationship between tissue turnover and metabolism may exist for different classes of organisms.
PROBABILISTIC STABILITY ANALYSIS OF EARTH SLOPES

Abstract A method of probabilistic analysis of three-dimensional limit equilibrium stability of long earth slopes is presented and its application to earth embankment design is discussed. The method accounts for the spatial variability of the shear strength. It is in principle capable of accommodating frictional and cohesive components of shear strength as well as a spectrum of drainage conditions. The probabilistic model predicts that slope failure events involving very long or very short widths of the failure zone are highly improbable. The paper evaluates the probability of a sliding failure at a specific location, as well as the risk that a failure will occur anywhere along a slope of given total length.
Role of active site tyrosines in dynamic aspects of DNA binding by AP endonuclease.

AP endonuclease (AP endo), a key enzyme in repair of abasic sites in DNA, makes a single nick 5′ to the phosphodeoxyribose of an abasic site (AP-site). We recently proposed a novel mechanism, whereby the enzyme uses a key tyrosine (Tyr171) to directly attack the scissile phosphate of the AP-site. We showed that loss of the tyrosyl hydroxyl from Tyr171 resulted in dramatic diminution in enzymatic efficiency. Here we extend the previous work to compare binding/recognition of AP endo to oligomeric DNA with and without an AP-site by wild type enzyme and several tyrosine mutants including Tyr128, Tyr171 and Tyr269. We used single turnover and electrophoretic mobility shift assays. As expected, binding to DNA with an AP-site is more efficient than binding to DNA without one. Unlike catalytic cleavage by AP endo, which requires both hydroxyl and aromatic moieties of Tyr171, the ability to bind DNA efficiently without an AP-site is independent of an aromatic moiety at position 171. However, the ability to discriminate efficiently between DNA with and without an AP-site requires tyrosine at position 171. Thus, AP endo requires a tyrosine at the active site for the properties that enable it to behave as an efficient, processive endonuclease.