cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Does a surgical simulator improve resident operative performance of laparoscopic tubal ligation

Objective The purpose of this study was to assess whether a surgical skills simulator laboratory improves resident knowledge and operative performance of laparoscopic tubal ligation. Study Design Twenty postgraduate year 1 residents were assigned randomly to either a surgical simulator laboratory on laparoscopic tubal ligation together with apprenticeship teaching in the operating room or to apprenticeship teaching alone. Tests that were given before and after the training assessed basic knowledge. Attending physicians who were blinded to resident randomization status evaluated postgraduate year 1 performance on a laparoscopic tubal ligation in the operating room with 3 validated tools: a task-specific checklist, global rating scale, and pass/fail grade. Results Postgraduate year 1 residents who were assigned randomly to the surgical simulator laboratory performed significantly better than control subjects on all 3 surgical assessment tools (the checklist, the global score, and the pass/fail analysis) and scored significantly better on the knowledge posttest (all P Conclusion Compared with apprenticeship teaching alone, a surgical simulator laboratory on laparoscopic tubal ligation improved resident knowledge and performance in the operating room.
Aluminum bioavailability from tea infusion

The objective was to estimate oral Al bioavailability from tea infusion in the rat, using the tracer (26)Al. (26)Al citrate was injected into tea leaves. An infusion was prepared from the dried leaves and given intra-gastrically to rats which received concurrent intravenous (27)Al infusion. Oral Al bioavailability (F) was calculated from the area under the (26)Al, compared to (27)Al, serum concentration x time curves. Bioavailability from tea averaged 0.37%; not significantly different from water (F=0.3%), or basic sodium aluminum phosphate (SALP) in cheese (F=0.1-0.3%), but greater than acidic SALP in a biscuit (F=0.1%). Time to maximum serum (26)Al concentration was 1.25, 1.5, 8 and 4.8h, respectively. These results of oral Al bioavailability x daily consumption by the human suggest tea can provide a significant amount of the Al that reaches systemic circulation. This can allow distribution to its target organs of toxicity, the central nervous, skeletal and hematopoietic systems. Further testing of the hypothesis that Al contributes to Alzheimer's disease may be more warranted with studies focusing on total average daily food intake, including tea and other foods containing appreciable Al, than drinking water.
Air Traffic Conflict Models

Semi-empirical random variable models of the expected number of air traffic conflicts as a function of air traffic density are derived. Model parameters are determined from analysis and simulation of real air traffic data. These models are applied to simulated air traffic scenarios to analyze conflict properties in various conflict resolution strategies. It is shown that under free routing conditions (i.e. aircraft do not necessarily fly along structured jet routes), the expected number of conflicts is well represented by a binomial random variable model. Using this model, it is further demonstrated how conflict resolution may cause a chain reaction, leading to an increased number of conflicts for all aircraft, and how the model may be used to predict the airspace capacity for a given conflict resolution strategy. In a separate study, it is shown that for an iterative horizontal-plane conflict resolution strategy, a random variable model with the geometric distribution closely matches empirical data. This model also predicts the aircraft density at which the airspace becomes saturated. It is shown how analysis of conflicts in the horizontal plane may be scaled and applied to the analysis of conflicts in 3-dimensional airspace. In this paper, probabilistic models of air traffic conflict situations are derived and analyzed to gain physical insight into the relationship between increasing air traffic density and the expected number of conflicts between aircraft. The first section examines the expected number of conflicts under both a structured routing system and under a free routing system. It is shown that a binomial random variable model closely matches observations of the number of conflicts when conflict resolution is not applied. The effect of conflict resolution maneuvering on the expected number of conflicts is also examined. An analytical model is derived, and simulation results are used to verify the model. The second main section of this paper introduces a model of the expected number of conflicts when an iterative approach to conflict resolution is taken. This model is examined to show how it may be used to predict maximum airspace capacity.
Application of single crystal superalloys for earth-to-orbit propulsion systems

Single crystal superalloys were first identified as potentially useful engineering materials for aircraft gas turbine engines in the mid-1960's. Although they were not introduced into service as turbine blades in commercial aircraft engines until the early 1980's, they have subsequently accumulated tens of millions of flight hours in revenue producing service. The space shuttle main engine (SSME) and potential advanced earth-to-orbit propulsion systems impose severe conditions on turbopump turbine blades which for some potential failure modes are more severe than in aircraft gas turbines. Research activities which are directed at evaluating the potential for single crystal superalloys for application as turbopump turbine blades in the SSME and advanced rocket engines are discussed. The mechanical properties of these alloys are summarized and the effects of hydrogen are noted. The use of high gradient directional solidification and hot isostatic pressing to improve fatigue properties is also addressed.
Development of a TLM to investigate the effect of a resistive interface in digital flat panel x-ray detectors

Noxel flat panel X-ray detector (FPD) technologies are currently under development for advanced medical imaging applications. A typical detector consists of a method to detect X-rays, convert absorbed X-ray energy to charge, and perform readout of charge. New designs are increasingly complex and often require additional materials to enhance charge transport or structural properties of the detector. A resistive interface layer (RIL) may be used to perform any of these functional roles and its impact on FPD performance was investigated. In this work, we developed a transmission line model (TLM) to investigate the effect of RIL thickness and resistivity on charge transport and image quality of a FPD.
The crystal structure of poly(tetramethylene terephthalate)

The unit cell of poly(tetramethylene terephthalate) is triclinic with parameters a = 5.96 A, b = 4.83 A, c (fiber axis) = 11.62 A, α = 115.2. β = 99.9, and γ = 111.3°; space group P1, calculated crystalline density 1.41 g/cc. The plane of the benzene ring is found to be inclined by about 15° from the fiber axis, contributing to a shortening of the fiber period as compared to the period expected on the basis of analogy with other members of the terephthalate ester series. The remaining shortening of the fiber period occurs in the O°CH2°CH2segment of the chain. No abnormally short distances among neighboring chain atoms were observed. A typical texture pattern was found in specimens of this polymer that were cold rolled and subsequently annealed. In this texture the c axis of the unit cell is highly oriented in the rolling direction; the a and b axes of the unit cell are oriented preferentially so that the terephthalate residue lies as close as possible to the plane of rolling.
Predictors of ovarian malignancy in children: overcoming clinical barriers of ovarian preservation.

Abstract Background/Purpose Ovarian preservation is desirable in girls with benign ovarian masses. We aimed to 1) identify clinical predictors of malignant ovarian masses, 2) investigate how often ovarian tissue is present to preserve in benign masses, and 3) identify factors associated with successful ovarian preservation. Methods Retrospective analysis (1997–2012) of girls age 1–18years with an ovarian mass managed operatively. Data on presenting symptoms, imaging, biochemical markers, treatment, outcome, and pathology were extracted. Results We identified 150 patients. Large mass size, solid components, and elevated tumor markers (AFP, βHCG, and/or LDH) were significantly predictive of malignancy. All masses Conclusion Ovarian masses that are
Dynamic spectrum allocation in cognitive radio using hidden Markov models: Poisson distributed case

Cognitive radio networks can be designed to manage the radio spectrum more efficiently by utilizing the spectrum holes in primary users' licensed frequency bands. Recent studies have shown that the radio spectrum is poorly utilized by the licensed users even in urban geographical areas. This spectrum utilization can be improved significantly by making it possible for secondary users (who are not being served by the primary system) to access spectrum holes, i.e., frequency bands not used by licensed users. In this novel work, we use hidden Markov models (HMMs) to model and predict the spectrum occupancy of licensed radio bands. The proposed technique can dynamically select different licensed bands for its own use with significantly less interference from and to the licensed users. It is found that by predicting the duration of spectrum holes of primary users, the CR can utilize them more efficiently by leaving the band, that it currently occupies, before the start of traffic from the primary user of that band. We propose a simple algorithm, called the Markov-based channel prediction algorithm (MCPA), for dynamic spectrum allocation in cognitive radio networks. In this work, we present the performance of our proposed dynamic spectrum allocation algorithm when the channel state occupancy of primary users are assumed to be Poisson distributed. The impact of CR transmission on the licensed users is also presented. It is shown that significant SIR improvements can be achieved using HMM based dynamic spectrum allocation as compared to the traditional CSMA based approach. The results obtained using HMM are very promising and HMM can offer a new paradigm for predicting channel behavior in cognitive radio, an area that has been of much research interest lately.
The effect of levonorgestrel intrauterine device placement on serum CA-125 levels in healthy premenopausal women.

Age, y 33 ± 11 31 ± 12 Previously diagnosed with bacterial vaginosis 23 (24.0) 29 (17.7) Diagnosed with bacterial vaginosis more than once 10 (10.4) 13 (7.9) Current symptoms Itching 13 (13.5) 11 (6.7) Pain 4 (4.2) 8 (4.9) Increased vaginal discharge 9 (9.4) 17 (10.4) Odor 13 (13.5) 9 (5.5) Burning 12 (12.5) 11 (6.7) Smoker 15 (15.6) 26 (15.9) Chronic disease 23 (24.0) 33 (20.1) Tampon user 41 (42.7) 82 (50.0) Contraception No answer 0 (0.0) 4 (2.4) No contraception 16 (16.7) 30 (18.3) Pill 62 (64.6) 92 (56.1) Condom 15 (15.6) 43 (26.2) Other 13 (13.5) 25 (15.2) Change in sexual partner in the past 3 months 2 (2.1) 9 (5.5) Children 34 (35.4) 52 (31.7) Premature children 2 (2.1) 3 (1.8) Presence of Atopobium vaginae 23 (24.0) 7 (4.3)
Toxicology rewrites its history and rethinks its future: Giving equal focus to both harmful and beneficial effects

This paper assesses how medicine adopted the threshold dose-response to evaluate health effects of drugs and chemicals throughout the 20th century to the present. Homeopathy first adopted the biphasic dose-response, making it an explanatory principle. Medicine used its influence to discredit the biphasic dose-response model to harm homeopathy and to promote its alternative, the threshold dose-response. However, it failed to validate the capacity of its model to make accurate predictions in the low-dose zone. Recent attempts to validate the threshold dose-response indicate that it poorly predicts responses below the threshold. The long marginalized biphasic/hormetic dose-response model made accurate predictions in these validation studies. The failure to accept the possibility of the hormetic-biphasic dose-response during toxicology's dose-response concept formative period, while adopting the threshold model, and later the linear no-threshold model for carcinogens, led toxicology to adopt a hazard assessment process that involved testing only a few very high doses. This created the framework that toxicology was a discipline that only studied harmful responses, ignoring the possibility of benefit at low doses by the induction of adaptive mechanisms. Toxicology needs to assess the entire dose-response continuum, incorporating both harmful and beneficial effects into the risk assessment process.
Reduced Incidence of Prevotella and Other Fermenters in Intestinal Microflora of Autistic Children

High proportions of autistic children suffer from gastrointestinal (GI) disorders, implying a link between autism and abnormalities in gut microbial functions. Increasing evidence from recent high-throughput sequencing analyses indicates that disturbances in composition and diversity of gut microbiome are associated with various disease conditions. However, microbiome-level studies on autism are limited and mostly focused on pathogenic bacteria. Therefore, here we aimed to define systemic changes in gut microbiome associated with autism and autism-related GI problems. We recruited 20 neurotypical and 20 autistic children accompanied by a survey of both autistic severity and GI symptoms. By pyrosequencing the V2/V3 regions in bacterial 16S rDNA from fecal DNA samples, we compared gut microbiomes of GI symptom-free neurotypical children with those of autistic children mostly presenting GI symptoms. Unexpectedly, the presence of autistic symptoms, rather than the severity of GI symptoms, was associated with less diverse gut microbiomes. Further, rigorous statistical tests with multiple testing corrections showed significantly lower abundances of the genera Prevotella, Coprococcus, and unclassified Veillonellaceae in autistic samples. These are intriguingly versatile carbohydrate-degrading and/or fermenting bacteria, suggesting a potential influence of unusual diet patterns observed in autistic children. However, multivariate analyses showed that autism-related changes in both overall diversity and individual genus abundances were correlated with the presence of autistic symptoms but not with their diet patterns. Taken together, autism and accompanying GI symptoms were characterized by distinct and less diverse gut microbial compositions with lower levels of Prevotella, Coprococcus, and unclassified Veillonellaceae.
Historical increase in the number of factors measured by commercial tests of cognitive ability: Are we overfactoring?

Abstract A historical increase in the number of factors purportedly measured by commercial tests of cognitive ability may result from four distinct pressures including: increasingly complex models of intelligence, test publishers' desires to provide clinically useful assessment instruments with greater interpretive value, test publishers' desires to include minor factors that may be of interest to researchers (but are not clinically useful), and liberal statistical criteria for determining the factor structure of tests. The present study examined the number of factors measured by several historically relevant and currently employed commercial tests of cognitive abilities using statistical criteria derived from principal components analyses, and exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses. Two infrequently used statistical criteria, that have been shown to accurately recover the number of factors in a data set, Horn's parallel analysis (HPA) and Minimum Average Partial (MAP) analysis, served as gold-standard criteria. As expected, there were significant increases over time in the number of factors purportedly measured by cognitive ability tests ( r = .56, p = .030). Results also indicated significant recent increases in the overfactoring of cognitive ability tests. Developers of future cognitive assessment batteries may wish to increase the lengths of the batteries in order to more adequately measure additional factors. Alternatively, clinicians interested in briefer assessment strategies may benefit from short batteries that reliably assess general intellectual ability.
Psychometric Properties of the Children’s Depression Inventory: An Item Response Theory Analysis Across Age in a Nonclinical, Longitudinal, Adolescent Sample

The purpose of this study was to investigate psychometric properties of the Children’s Depression Inventory within a nonclinical and longitudinal sample (8th and 12th grades). Using the Rasch ratin...
EPIDEMIOLOGIC AND METABOLIC STUDIES OF A GOITER ENDEMIC IN EASTERN KENTUCKY.

In a small community located in an endemic goiter area in Eastern Kentucky, 33.1% of the entire population was found to have enlarged thyroid glands. Below the age of 40 there was no difference in the goiter prevalence rates of the sexes. Dietary iodine deficiency of the population as determined by iodide blood levels, estimated daily urinary iodine excretion, and dietary iodine intake, was not demonstrated as a primary factor. The most striking difference between goitrous and nongoitrous individuals living in the same community was an increased absolute iodine uptake (AIU, μg/hr) in those persons with thyroid enlargement. The elevated AIU's were accompanied by normal PBI concentrations in the serum, suggesting an intrathyroidal metabolic defect in iodine utilization or positive iodine balance with storing of iodine in the thyroid. Genetic and environmental factors were also investigated. The geographic distribution of households with goitrous persons was random, but the distribution of goiter within hous...
Deriving mode invariants from SCR specifications

This paper introduces a formal analysis method to derive modeclass invariants from software cost reduction (SCR) specifications. SCR specifications can be used to specify event-driven systems. Mode invariants in SCR specifications are used to capture safety features that must be ensured during software development. This new method derives mode invariants from well-defined, consistent SCR specifications by transforming an SCR mode transition table into one matrix and two vectors to describe the conditions before and after a mode transition occurs, a comparison algorithm then derives single mode invariants. A case study of a cruise control system shows that the algorithm is capable of determining the same mode invariants that were proved via model checking in earlier investigations.
An optimal spatial configuration of sample sites for air pollution monitoring.

Abstract A novel sampling design is proposed that optimizes the spatial configuration of sampling sites and captures maximum intraurban variability in ambient air pollution with a minimum sample size. Unlike the classical sampling design, a deterministic approach is adopted and the redundancy in the site selection is minimized by controlling for spatial autocorrelation. The proposed design was tested and implemented in a medium-sized midwestern city. The analysis suggested that 32 sites were adequate to capture more than 95% of the total variance in airborne particulate 10 µm or less in aerodynamic diameter (PM10). A list of 20 households was prepared around each of the 32 sites. Households were approached in order of their distance from these sites until one was recruited for intensive indoor and outdoor air pollution monitoring from spring through fall of 2008. Finally, 30 households located around the optimal sites participated in the study. One set of four photometric and gravimetric samplers was depl...
Localization and mapping of CO2 fixation genes within two gene clusters in Rhodobacter sphaeroides.

Abstract Two fructose 1,6-bisphosphatase structural genes (fbpA and fbpB) have been identified within two unlinked gene clusters that were previously shown to contain the Rhodobacter sphaeroides sequences that code for form I and form II ribulose 1,5-bisphosphate carboxylase-oxygenase and phosphoribulokinase. The fbpA and fbpB genes were localized to a region immediately upstream from the corresponding prkA and prkB sequences and were found to be transcribed in the same direction as the phosphoribulokinase and ribulose 1,5-bisphosphate carboxylase-oxygenase genes based on inducible expression of fructose 1,6-bisphosphatase activity directed by the lac promoter. A recombinant plasmid was constructed that contained the tandem fbpA and prkA genes inserted downstream from the lac promoter in plasmid pUC18. Both gene products were expressed in Escherichia coli upon induction of transcription with isopropyl beta-D-thiogalactoside, demonstrating that the two genes can be cotranscribed. A Zymomonas mobilis glyceraldehyde 3-phosphate-dehydrogenase gene (gap) hybridized to a DNA sequence located approximately 1 kilobase upstream from the form II ribulose 1,5-bisphosphate carboxylase-oxygenase gene. Although no corresponding gap sequence was found within the form I gene cluster, an additional region of homology was detected immediately upstream from the sequences that encode the form I and form II ribulose 1,5-bisphosphate carboxylase-oxygenases.
A preliminary assessment of the Nactus pelagicus species group (Squamata: Gekkonidae) in New Guinea and a new species from the Admiralty Islands

The Slender-toed Geckos (Nactus) currently have four recognized species in New Guinea, and these species divide intotwo sister clades: a pelagicus clade and a vankampeni clade (Heinicke et al. 2010). The latter contains three dwarf species.The former consists of five bisexual populations, of which numerous New Guinea populations are uncharacterized no-menclaturally and lumped under the epithet ‘pelagicus.’ This report and description of a new species of the pelagicus group from Manus Island in the Admiralty Islands encourages us to offer a preliminary assessment of morphology and diversity in New Guinea ‘pelagicus’ populations.
The Prospects for Economic Dualism

Economics is a policy science. It has been so from the beginning. In the Middle Ages the Church promulgated a doctrine of just price and a prohibition against usury. The enforcement of just price allowed the Church to institute price controls. Country roads were isolated and they carried light traffic by contemporary standards. The infrequent inns on these roads had little competition and could charge what the market would bear. The doctrine of just price was devised to limit the monopoly pricing of such enterprises. The prohibition against usurious rates of interest was an ecclesiastical monetary policy. Unable to regulate the supply of money, the Church pursued the Keynesian option of setting interest rates.
Want to Create Value? Exceed What the Stock Market Expects Your Company Will Return

Financial metrics such as earnings, earnings per share growth, economic value added (EVA®--the residual income or loss above or below the opportunity cost of capital), or even the percent increase in economic value added to not correlate with the total return to shareholders, according to our analysis. Only changes in the stock market's "expectations" of these metrics correlate with total return to shareholders. This paper introduces Expectations-based Management.
Flash sterilization: carefully measured haste.

Reliable sterilization of surgical gowns, linens and instruments, implanted devices and innumerable other items essential to medical care is one of the oldest and most basic measures for the prevention of nosocomial infection, dating back to the epochal studies of Pasteur and Koch over a century ago. Precise delineation of the temperature, pressure, and exposure times required for reliable killing of pathogenic microorganisms, including heat-resistant sporulating bacteria, by pressurized steam was one of the major early technologic achievements permitting institutions to carry out reprocessing and sterilization safely. In the early part of this century, microbiologists and clinicians began to seek further assurances of sterility of reprocessed items,' beyond monitoring the temperature, pressure, and exposure time of the autoclave cycle, and suspensions of bacterial spores came into use as a biological means of monitoring steam sterilization.'3 In the late 1950s, commercially manufactured biological indicators, consisting of standardized preparations of Bacillus stearothermophilus spores with defined heat-kill characteristics, began to be used in US hospitals. At present, biological indicators utilizing B stearothermophilus spores for heat sterilizers and Bacillus subtilis var
Divided Attention in Using Robotic Surgical Systems

Current surgical robots require surgeons to divide their attention between performing the surgery and driving the robot. Our goal was to examine how this division of attention, as imposed by the new technology, affects the surgeon's performance and memory. We expected that combining the various sources of attentional demands on the robotic console would lead to better performance. Twelve subjects were tested using three interface designs: 1) LCD menu separated from operative site, 2) menu overlay on the operative site, and 3) voice control. Results showed that voice control was the fastest in delivering a command to the robot. Error rates and confidence levels were not significantly affected by the interfaces. This research has implications for designing future surgical robots to enhance the efficiency and safety of surgical procedures.
Racial and Ethnic Health Care Disparities Among Women in the Veterans Affairs Healthcare System: A Systematic Review.

Abstract Background Women are a rapidly growing segment of patients who seek care in the Veterans Affairs (VA) Healthcare System, yet many questions regarding their health care experiences and outcomes remain unanswered. Racial and ethnic disparities have been well-documented in the general population and among veterans; however, prior disparities research conducted in the VA focused primarily on male veterans. We sought to characterize the findings and gaps in the literature on racial and ethnic disparities among women using the VA. Methods We systematically reviewed the literature on racial and ethnic health care disparities exclusively among women using the VA Healthcare System. We included studies that examined health care use, satisfaction, and/or quality, and stratified data by race or ethnicity. Results Nine studies of the 2,591 searched met our inclusion criteria. The included studies examined contraception provision/access (n = 3), treatment of low bone mass (n = 1), hormone therapy (n = 1), use of mental health or substance abuse–related services (n = 2), trauma exposure and use of various services (n = 1), and satisfaction with primary care (n = 1). Five of nine studies showed evidence of a significant racial or ethnic difference. Conclusion In contrast with the wealth of literature examining disparities both among the male veterans and women in non-VA settings, only nine studies examine racial and ethnic disparities specifically among women in the VA Healthcare System. These results demonstrate that there is an unmet need to further assess health care disparities among female VA users.
Research on site oscillating impulse withstand voltage test mehod for oil filled transformer

In order to meet the need of site oscillating impulse withstand voltage test for oil filled transformer,based on Marx loop theory,according to the structure characteristic of the transformer,puts forward the method of bringing test voltage and test connection.The simulation calculation and test shows that to connect inductance coil in the Marx loop which constitute the impulse voltage generator with double exponential waveform,can bring the oscillating impulse voltage waveform accord with IEC 60060-3 standard.
Genetic analysis of Echovirus 30isolated from hand-foot-mouth disease cases and healthy controls from Shandong,China in 2010

Objective To characterize the Echovirus 30(ECHO30)strains isolated in 2010from hand-footmouth disease(HFMD)patients and healthy controls in Shandong,China.Methods Stool specimens were collected for virus isolation in RD and Hep-2cells.Genotyping was done by RT-PCR of the VP1region and sequencing analysis.Homology and phylogenetic analysis were conducted.Results Eight ECHO30strains were isolated from stool specimens of HFMD cases,and 10from healthy controls.The isolates from these two populations shared high homology at nucleotide level(92.7%-98.6%),and all isolates were grouped into one branch in the phylogenetic tree.The nucleotide homology with Linyi isolates are relatively high(96.7%-98.7%)but lower with the prototype strain(79.6%-81.3%).Conclusions The nucleotide sequences of ECHO30strains isolated from HFMD patients and healthy controls share high homology,indicating the viruses from the two populations had the same origin,and healthy control carriers might be one of infectious sources of HFMD patients.
A study on the method of threaded connection electronic equipment

A type of electronic equipment occurred screw loose fault in vibration test.This paper focus on the threaded connection used to fasten the parts of electronic equipment.The affection of tighten-up tension,the group assignment of screw joints and the breaking of thread stress have been analyzed.A threaded connection of nonlinear finite element simulation analysis method is provided.Finally,combined with the actual situation,it puts forward the design improvements to solve the screw loose problem.A kind of design method of screw joints is submitted in this paper.
NMR study of rat diaphragm exposed to metabolic and compensated metabolic acidosis

When exposed to hypercapnia, several muscles deteriorate with respect to their mechanical performance. Exposure to metabolic acidosis and, perhaps surprisingly, to compensated metabolic acidosis has the same effect on the diaphragm. The mechanisms involved in these effects remain unclear. If the diaphragmatic intracellular pH (pHi) is assumed to decrease with hypercapnia, to remain unchanged during metabolic acidosis, and to increase during compensated metabolic acidosis, it would appear that different mechanisms must be responsible for the depreciation in the diaphragm's mechanical performance. The present experiments using 31P nuclear magnetic resonance (31P-NMR) spectroscopy were undertaken to determine the effect of metabolic acidosis and compensated metabolic acidosis on pHi and on high-energy phosphate metabolites in the resting rat diaphragm. A whole diaphragm was slightly stretched while being stitched onto a fiberglass mesh. The area approximated that at functional residual capacity. It was superfused in the NMR sample tube with a phosphate-free Krebs-Ringer bicarbonate solution [( HCO3-] = 6 meqO equilibrated with either 95% O2-5% CO2 or 98.75% O2-1.25% CO2). Spectra were acquired during 15-min intervals for control (30 min of normal Krebs-Ringer bicarbonate superfusate, equilibrated with 95% O2-5% CO2), for 120 min of exposure to either form of acidosis and for 60 min of recovery with normal superfusate. The pHi decreased rapidly during metabolic acidosis but did not change significantly during compensated metabolic acidosis. In both forms of acidosis, phosphocreatine declined gradually but not significantly, whereas ATP and inorganic phosphate did not change at all. The results suggest that HCO3- passes freely through the diaphragmatic sarcolemma, very much like the cardiac sarcolemma.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
A puzzle about death’s badness: Can death be bad for the paradise-bound?

Since at least the time of Epicurus, philosophers have debated whether (and how) death could be bad for the one who has died, since (it is typically assumed) death is a permanent experiential blank. But a different (and hitherto unexplored) puzzle about death’s badness arises when we consider the death of a person who is paradise-bound. The first purpose of this paper is to develop this puzzle. The second purpose of this paper is to suggest and evaluate several potential attempts to solve the puzzle. After rejecting two seemingly attractive suggestions, I argue that there are two types of solution to the puzzle that can succeed. The first type of solution simply denies that death can be bad for the paradise-bound. I argue that the main worry for this type of solution, namely that it gives up (with respect to the paradise-bound) the common-sense view about death’s badness, is only a prima facie worry. The second type of solution maintains that death can be bad for the paradise-bound because it can deprive her of certain goods, which allows those who are attracted to this type of solution to adopt the deprivation account of death’s badness. I consider three views of the relation between the paradise-bound and paradise that are consistent with the deprivation account, connecting my discussion of paradise with the extant literature on death’s badness.
A Fully Coupled Nonlinear Scheme for Time-Domain Modeling of High-Power Microwave Air Breakdown

In this paper, the air breakdown problem encountered with high-power microwave operation is modeled using a fully coupled nonlinear Newton scheme in the time domain. As a highly nonlinear process, the air breakdown is resulted from the complicated electromagnetic–plasma interactions, which can be described by a coupled system where Maxwell’s equations govern the electromagnetic fields, and a simplified plasma fluid equation governs the plasma current. The resulting nonlinear Maxwell’s equations are solved by the time-domain finite-element method with a proposed Newton’s method, while the simplified plasma fluid equation is solved with another point-wise Newton’s method. These two sets of equations are coupled together using a proposed inner–outer iterative scheme to guarantee the convergence and accuracy of the numerical solution. Numerical examples are presented to characterize the nonlinear phenomenon of the breakdown process and the self-sustaining property of the plasma current.
Central Guidance of a Decentralized Public Service: the Case of the Education System

There is nothing in their whole society that gives such clear insights into the Japanese character as their education system. When the Japanese finally decided to educate their whole population, they did so with a drive and zeal and degree of commitment which was awesome. The corporate world has not been the sole creators of a race of over-achievers. It has really been one of the grateful beneficiaries of a school system which is one of the most structured and demanding in the world. But that system is also one in which stress is deliberately applied to five-year-olds, and 15-year-olds are confronted with “make or break” decisions that can affect their entire lives.
The Persistent Paradigm for ‘Modernizing’ River Basins: Institutions and Policies in Ethiopia

In view of the nearly unprecedented level of destruction of human life and natural resources from dam development, the question arises as to how such a policy could come into play without major questioning and challenge. The following is an effort to answer this question, by tracing the trajectory of the river basin development policy involving the Ethiopian state and international development forces—from its beginnings to the Gibe III dam. Citing alleged priorities of the ‘national interest,’ and programs for economic ‘growth and transformation,’ the Ethiopian government and international development banks, together with Kenyan government cooperation, have for decades actively pursued Omo basin hydrodam and dam enabled agricultural development. The nexus of institutions most central to the design, implementation and legitimation of major hydrodams and their associated river basin development is structured in such a way as to prioritize macro economic and political objectives with the externalization of the well-being—in the Ethiopia case, the very survival—of local residents who are among the most marginalized and vulnerable to destruction from this development.
Enhancing application performance using heterogeneous memory architectures on a many-core platform

The 2nd generation Intel® Xeon Phi processor (codenamed Knights Landing) is Intel's first self-booting Xeon Phi processor that is aimed at the HPC market. Like its predecessor, KNL is a many-core, highly threaded processor featuring an innovative on-die mesh interconnect and an on-package high bandwidth memory MCDRAM in addition to DRAM DDR-2400, which makes it possible for many HPC applications to achieve much higher performance by leveraging heterogeneous memory configuration. In this paper, we look at the programming challenges for software developers to create and manipulate data using different memory modes and a heap management API to satisfy the ever-increasing demand for high bandwidth and low latency. We start with a functional KNL architecture introduction with an emphasis on the memory subsystem and memory usage model, followed by the utility tools required to run the applications under various scenarios. We then present a profiler-based heterogeneous memory optimization framework for all memory-bandwidth-intensive applications. The new memory object features in Intel® VTune™ Amplifier will be introduced and discussed. Finally, we show how to leverage different kinds of memory by using a user extensible memory heap management API also known as memkind API. Throughout our discussions, we will use a classic streaming application in quantitative finance, the Black-Scholes benchmark. We show how to highlight the memory bottleneck using the new memory profiling features in the Intel VTune Amplifier and how to achieve high bandwidth by removing the bottleneck and by allocating memory threads between different types of memory. In the end, we show the peak performance we can achieve on KNL by using a combination of MCDRAM and DDR.
Examining the Potential Gender Gap in Online Health Information-Seeking Behaviors Among Digital Natives

This investigation focused on gender differences in young adults related to health consciousness and online health information seeking. Contrary to prior research, gender was not a significant predictor of either health consciousness or health information-seeking behavior. Furthermore, health consciousness was found to be a more influential predictor of online health information-seeking behaviors than gender.
Imaging of Extragalactic Radio Sources with the VSOP Space VLBI Mission

In September 1996 the first dedicated VLBI spacecraft, VSOP, will be launched. This Japanese spacecraft operating in conjunction with ground-based VLBI arrays such as the EVN or VLBA will enable observers to routinely undertake VLBI observations with maximum baseline lengths of 2.6 Earth diameters and a resolution of 55 µas at the highest operating frequency of 22 GHz. In this paper we present a brief overview of the imaging capability of the VSOP mission together with an example of an imaging simulation.
Whose data? Problematizing the ‘gift’ of social labour:

Eric Schmidt, Executive Chairman of Google, and Jared Cohen, Founder and Director of Google Ideas, contend that ‘for governments and companies’, the user-generated content that constitutes big data...
A Model-Based Personalized Cancer Screening Strategy for Detecting Early-Stage Tumors Using Blood-Borne Biomarkers

An effective cancer blood biomarker screening strategy must distinguish aggressive from non-aggressive tumors at an early, intervenable time. However, for blood-based strategies to be useful, the quality and quantiy of the biomarker shed into the blood and its relationship to tumor growth or progression must be validated. To study how blood biomarker levels correlate with early-stage viable tumor growth in an mouse model of human cancer, we monitored early tumor growth of engineered human ovarian cancer cells (A2780) implanted orthotopically into nude mice. Biomarker shedding was monitored by serial blood sampling, while tumor viability and volume was monitored by bioluminescence imaging and ultrasound imaging. From these metrics we developed a mathematical model of cancer biomarker kinetics in different compartments that accounts for biomarker shedding from tumor and healthy cells, biomarker entry into vasculature, biomarker elimination from plasma and subject-specific tumor growth. We validated the model in a separate set of mice where subject-specific tumor growth rates were accurately predicted. To illustrate clinical translation of this strategy, we allometrically scaled model parameters from mouse to human and used parameters for PSA shedding and prostate cancer. In this manner, we found that blood biomarker sampling data alone was capable of enabling the detection and discrimination of simulated aggressive (2-month tumor doubling time) and non-aggressive (18-month tumor doubling time) tumors as early as 7.2 months and 8.9 years before clinical imaging, respectively. Our model and screening strategy offer broad impact in their applicability to any solid cancer and the biomarkers they shed, thereby allowing a distinction between aggressive vs. non-aggressive tumors using blood biomarker sampling data alone.
Social Network Centrality and Newcomer Socialization

Newcomer orientation programs, in the form of corporate university training, are gaining popularity among both U.S. and multinational firms. One of the benefits of a corporate university is to faci...
The Use of State-Transition Methodology for the Development of Factory Automation

Abstract A laboratory program is described that was developed in the Department of Electrical Engineering at Michigan Technological University. The program introduces undergraduate students to concepts of discrete-event control and the application to factory automation. The primary emphasis is placed on various programming concepts using state-transition techniques, and the utilization of this methodology is shown to produce a very understandable and systematic description of sequential control functions (that may include concurrent or hierarchical control). The students use computers and controllers to implement small versions of realistic manufacturing tasks.
Impact of Metabolic Syndrome on the Morbidity and Mortality of Patients Undergoing Panniculectomy

Metabolic syndrome (MetS) is defined as the concomitant disease process of obesity and at least two of the following variables: diabetes, hypertension, hypertriglyceridemia, or reduced high-density lipoprotein. These entities are well established as risk factors for complications following surgery. Obese patients are particularly prone to the development of MetS. The authors therefore aimed at elucidating the impact of MetS on the perioperative panniculectomy outcomes. The American College of Surgeons National Surgical Quality Improvement Program database was analyzed for all primary procedures of panniculectomy from 2010 through 2015. The cases were stratified based on the presence or absence of MetS and evaluated for demographic data, intraoperative details, and their morbidity and mortality within 30 days after surgery. A total of 7030 cases were included in this study. Patients with MetS (6.2%) were of significantly worse health, required more emergency admissions (p = 0.022), longer hospitalization (p < 0.001), and more frequently inpatient procedures (p < 0.001) compared to the control group without MetS (3.8%). Plastic surgery was the predominant specialty operating on 79.5% of all cases. Surgical (23.3 vs. 8.7%) complications, readmission (8.7 vs. 3.0%), and reoperations (6.9 vs. 3.1%) rates were all significantly higher in patients with MetS that those without (p < 0.001). One fatality occurred in each cohort (0.23 vs. 0.02%, p = 0.010). Comorbidities are not uncommon in patients undergoing panniculectomy, especially in those diagnosed with MetS. Health-care providers need to be aware of the increased morbidity and mortality in this high-risk subgroup and need to consider preoperative optimization and management before proceeding with surgery. This journal requires that authors assign a level of evidence to each article. For a full description of these Evidence-Based Medicine ratings, please refer to the Table of Contents or the online Instructions to Authors www.springer.com/00266 .
Hanging Out a Counseling Shingle: FAQ

This chapter discusses numerous questions related to publicity, promotion, and packaging. The qualifications for becoming a philosophical counselor are also explained in the chapter. One can often find a wise person, who gives excellent advice on all kinds of practical matters, among family elders, or among elders of almost any community or tribe. Friends can also be very helpful. While anyone blessed with a combination of common sense, experience, insight, and compassion can provide useful counsels, such a person is not necessarily a philosophical counselor. Nor is anyone, who simply earns a PhD in Philosophy, necessarily a philosophical counselor; academic degrees alone are not enough. An average professor of philosophy is not a philosophical counselor because, although he possesses more than enough philosophical expertise, and can apply philosophical conceptions in abstract or hypothetical contexts, he has little or no conception of how to apply them to actual human problems.
Review of: Treating the public: charitable theater and civic health in the early modern Atlantic world

Rachael Ball's Treating the Public is a study of playhouses and acting companies in both Spain and the Anglo-Atlantic world and their mission to fund charitable works in several Spanish and New Wor...
A Qualitative Study to Assess How Primary Care Versus Psychiatric Providers Evaluate and Treat Pediatric Patients With Irritability

Objective To determine how primary care versus specialist practitioners assess and treat school-aged children with irritability. Methods Seventeen providers from family medicine, pediatrics, and psychiatry participated in in-depth interviews from June to August 2016 about the process they use to evaluate irritability. Data on demographic traits and measures of confidence were also collected. Results Primary care (family medicine and pediatrics) participants expressed frustration over the lack of time and specialized knowledge they had to accurately assess children with irritability, even though they were often the first clinician consulted when problems arose. There were clear and sometimes contradictory differences between how practitioners with a general versus specialized practice assessed mental health status in the clinic setting. Input on treatment approaches revealed that medication prescription was more common by primary care participants, and therapy was preferred by the psychiatry participants. Conclusions Overall, family medicine and pediatric practitioners were significantly less confident in their ability to evaluate mental health status, while child and adolescent psychiatry participants were supportive of having more initial triage and possible treatment occur at the primary care level, suggesting a need for more training about childhood irritability in the primary care setting.
The Griffiths Nasolacrimal Catheter

This nasolacrimal catheter has been extremely successful and is now the standard technique in the author’s hands. It is simpler, faster, and more successful than other methods of maintaining nasal ostium patency in DCR surgery. It is well tolerated by the patient and is easily removed in the office setting.
Divided by Gender: An Interview with Jane Elliott

On the day after Martin Luther King, Jr. was assassinated in 1968, a third-grade teacher in Riceville, Iowa felt impelled to give her students a visceral experience of discrimination that they would never forget. She divided them into two groups and told them one was genetically inferior to the other. The next day, she reversed the hierarchy. It was a powerful exercise the children never forgot, and one which propelled teacher Jane Elliott to national attention. Our editor interviewed Elliott 40 years later, on February 4, 2008, just before the Democratic nomination process, on the topic of “Hate and Gender.”