cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Africa-Asia Relations since the End of “Unipolar” Globalization: Focus on Education and Research

Abstract The role of education and research in social progress is vital. Since China was admitted into the World Trade Organization in 2001, its economic, financial and trade assistance with Africa has intensified, reflecting certain aspects of the claims associated with the Bandung Conference in 1955. And Japanese relations with Africa, which were at their peak from the end of 1980s through the beginning of the 1990s, have steadily been declining. Furthermore, as China has become the second largest economy in the World since 2010, it has begun projecting its influential power in Africa. Despite the newfound emergence of Chinese power in Africa, it is Japan that has created the strongest institutional support of its activities in the name of new Japan International Cooperation Agency ( JICA), which redefines Japan relationship with Africa through the TICAD initiative. The competition between these two powers can benefit Africa if she can build her political leverage in her own capacity to identify her priorities with confidence and determination. Using comparative and historical perspectives, this article focuses on the examination of the new trends regarding Chinese and Japanese assistance to Africa with a particular focus on education and research.
A direct cell quenching method for cell-culture based metabolomics

A crucial step in metabolomic analysis of cellular extracts is the cell quenching process. The conventional method first uses trypsin to detach cells from their growth surface. This inevitably changes the profile of cellular metabolites since the detachment of cells from the extracellular matrix alters their physiology. This conventional method also includes time consuming wash/centrifuge steps after trypsinization, but prior to quenching cell activity. During this time, a considerable portion of intracellular metabolites are lost, rendering the conventional method less than ideal for application to metabolomics. We report here a novel sample preparation method for metabolomics applications using adherent mammalian cells, which eliminates the time consumption and physiological stress of the trypsinization and wash/centrifuge steps. This new method was evaluated in the study of metabolic changes caused by 17α-ethynylestradiol (EE2) in estrogen receptor (ER)-positive MCF-7 and ER-negative MDA-MB-231 human breast cancer cell lines using NMR spectroscopy. The results demonstrated that our direct cell quenching method is rapid, effective, and exhibits greater metabolite retention, providing an increase of approximately a factor of 50 compared to the conventional method.
Residue Class Topologies

: A construction by the author of topologies on the rational field is generalized by considering the ring of rational integers as a special case of a discretely topologized subring of a field topologized by an absolute value.
Signal transduction and actin filament organization.

Abstract Small GTP-binding proteins of the Rho family appear to integrate extracellular signals from diverse receptor types and initiate rearrangements of F-actin. Active members of the Rho family, Rho and Rac, are now joined by Cdc42 which induces filopodia. Downstream of the Rho family proteins, actin polymerization may be induced by an increase in the availability of actin filament barbed ends. Actin organization may be affected by exposure of actin-binding sites on proteins such as vinculin and eznin.
Dynamic response and behavior of reinforced concrete slabs under impact loading

Abstract Reinforced concrete slabs are among the most common structural elements. In spite of the large number of slabs designed and built, the effect of their details on their behavior under impact loads are not always appreciated or properly taken into account. This experimental study was aimed at understanding the dynamic behavior of structural concrete slabs under impact loading to improve the state of the art of protective design. This study investigated the effects of different types of slab reinforcements and the applied impact loads on the dynamic response and behavior of reinforced concrete slabs. Three different types of 90×1524×3353 mm (3−1/2″×5′×11′) slabs were tested, as follows: First; using two 152×152 mm (6″×6″) meshes of welded steel wires located under 25 mm (1″) of concrete cover on both faces of the slab; second, with one 152×152 mm (6″×6″) mesh of No. 3 steel bars located at the middle of the slab thickness; and third, with two 152×152 mm (6″×6″) meshes of No. 3 steel bars located under 25 mm (1″) of concrete cover on both faces of the slab. The drop heights of the impact weight were 152, 305, and 610 mm (6″, 12″, and 24″), respectively.
The Resistant Line and Related Regression Methods

Abstract In a bivariate (x, y) scatterplot the three-group resistant line is that line for which the median residual in each outer third of the data (ordered on x) is zero. It was proposed by Tukey as an exploratory method resistant to outliers in x and y and suited to hand calculation. A dual plot representation of the procedure yields a fast, convergent algorithm, nonparametric confidence intervals for the slope, consistency, influence function, and asymptotic normality results. Monte Carlo results show that small sample efficiencies exceed their asymptotic values in important cases. Both breakdown and efficiency are adequate for exploratory work. Replacing medians by other M-estimators of location increases efficiency substantially without affecting breakdown or computational complexity. The method thus combines bounded influence and acceptable efficiency with conceptual and computational simplicity.
Ethics for the Pediatrician: The Evolving Ethics of Cochlear Implants in Children

The story of the ethical controversy over cochlear implants is unique in some ways and paradigmatic in others. It is unique in the ways that it was shaped by the history of deafness, and of cultural responses to deafness, in the United States. The story is paradigmatic in two ways. First, cochlear implantation was an innovative therapy that was introduced into practice without adequate study. Promising early trials led to FDA approval, although long-term outcome data from rigorous studies were lacking. In this respect, the story of cochlear implants is similar to the history of other innovations that were introduced without rigorous evaluation, innovations such as supplemental oxygen, extracorporeal membrane oxygenation, or corticosteroids for bronchopulmonary dysplasia. Cochlear implants also are paradigmatic of a particular type of ethical dilemma in which advocacy groups claim to know better what is best for children than do the children's parents or doctors. This controversy happened during the Baby Doe debate in the 1980s, when advocacy groups claimed that doctors and parents were conspiring to discriminate against children with disabilities. Ultimately, the US Supreme Court invalidated that interpretation of disability rights. Instead, parents and doctors working together are given discretion to make decisions about what is best for children. With regard to cochlear implants for children, the NAD realizes that they are walking a fine line. As one NAD spokesperson said, "We don't say that hearing parents aren't qualified to make decisions about their deaf children. We say that they need to have contact with deaf people if they're going to make educated decisions". The same could be said for pediatricians. There are 4,000 to 8,000 infants born each year in the United States with severe hearing impairment. Their parents will have to make decisions about what is best. Pediatricians need to understand the options and be prepared to help parents sort through the complex data and multiple options in order to arrive at the decision that is best for themselves and their child. Understanding the ethical controversy over cochlear implants will help.
Regular exercise, hormone replacement therapy and the age-related decline in carotid arterial compliance in healthy women.

Objective: Carotid arterial compliance is reduced with age in sedentary estrogen-deficient women, contributing to the development of cardiovascular disorders. We determined the effects of regular aerobic exercise, hormone replacement therapy (HRT), and their interaction on carotid arterial compliance using a combination of cross-sectional and intervention study designs. Methods: Cross-sectionally, we studied three groups of healthy postmenopausal women (50–80 years): 20 sedentary not taking HRT; 24 sedentary taking HRT; and 14 endurance-trained not taking HRT; and 11 sedentary premenopausal controls (20–37 years). In the intervention study, 12 sedentary postmenopausal women (58±3 years) who were taking HRT were studied before and after participation in a 3-month aerobic exercise (walking) program. Carotid arterial compliance was measured via simultaneous common carotid artery ultrasound imaging and applanation tonometry. Results : Cross-sectional study . Carotid arterial compliance was lower ( P <0.001) in all three postmenopausal groups compared with premenopausal women. Among the postmenopausal groups, arterial compliance was 33–43% higher in the sedentary HRT and endurance-trained women than in their sedentary estrogen-deficient peers. Intervention study . Arterial compliance increased ( P <0.05) by ∼40% to levels that were no longer different than premenopausal women. Conclusions: HRT use and regular aerobic exercise are associated with augmented carotid arterial compliance in healthy postmenopausal women. Moderate, short-term aerobic exercise can restore carotid arterial compliance in previously sedentary postmenopausal women taking HRT.
Multimode Tree Coding of speech with backward pitch prediction and perceptual pre- and post-weighting

A low delay and low complexity Multimode Tree Coder with backward pitch predictor is proposed. For the Multimode Tree Coding, the speech is classified into five different modes, and each mode is coded at a suitable bit-rate using a tree coder with perceptual pre- and post-weighting filters. In order to improve the speech quality without increasing the delay, a backward pitch predictor is added into the the Voiced mode. The results show that the pitch predictor does improve the PESQ-MOS. In addition, the PESQ-MOS of the Multimode Tree Coder is equivalent to the PESQ-MOS of AMR-NB at 12.2 kbps and G.728 at 16 kbps while the computational complexity is lower than AMR-NB and G.728 and the delay is lower than AMR-NB.
OFDM blind carrier offset estimation: ESPRIT

In orthogonal frequency-division multiplex (OFDM) communications, the loss of orthogonality due to the carrier-frequency offset must be compensated before discrete Fourier transform-based demodulation can be performed. This paper proposes a new carrier offset estimation technique for OFDM communications over a frequency-selective fading channel. We exploit the intrinsic structure information of OFDM signals to derive a carrier offset estimator that offers the accuracy of a super resolution subspace method, ESPRIT.
ArchStudio 4: An Architecture-Based Meta-Modeling Environment

We will demonstrate ArchStudio, an environment for software architecture modeling and meta-modeling. We will also showcase a set of innovative architecture-centric applications that use ArchStudio technologies as their basis.
Inelastic diffraction data and the effective omeron trajectory

Abstract A further analysis of inelastic diffraction data at the ISR and SPS-Collider confirms the relatively flat s -independent P omeron trajectory in the high-| t | domain, 1 t | 2 , reported earlier by the UA8 Collaboration. At | t |=1.5 GeV 2 , α =0.92±0.03 is in agreement with the trajectories found in diffractive photoproduction of vector mesons at HERA. This suggests a universal fixed P omeron trajectory at high-| t |. We also show that a triple-Regge P omeron-exchange parametrization fit to the data requires an s -dependent (effective) P omeron trajectory intercept, α (0), which decreases with increasing s , as expected from unitarization (multi- P omeron-exchange) calculations. α (0) = 1.10 at the lowest ISR energy, 1.03 at the SPS-Collider and perhaps smaller at the Tevatron.
Who enrolls in the Medicare Part D prescription drug benefit program? Medication use among patients with heart failure.

Background Dispensing data from Medicare Part D standalone prescription drug plans are now available, but characteristics of enrollees with heart failure have not been well described. Methods and Results We identified 81 874 patients with prevalent heart failure as of January 1, 2010, in a nationally representative 5% sample of Medicare beneficiaries. We classified patients according to enrollment in a Medicare Part D plan as of January 1, 2010. Demographic characteristics, comorbid conditions, and prescriptions were compared by enrollment status. A total of 49 252 (60.2%) were enrolled in a Medicare Part D plan as of January 1. Enrollees were more often women, black, and of lower socioeconomic status. Enrollees with heart failure more often filled prescriptions for loop diuretics than angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors or angiotensin receptor blockers, β-blockers, or aldosterone antagonists. During the first 4 months of 2010, 5444 (12.3%) reached the coverage gap, and 566 (1.3%) required catastrophic coverage beyond the gap. Conclusions Medicare beneficiaries with heart failure differ significantly according to enrollment in Part D prescription drug plans and represent a population underrepresented in clinical efficacy trials. Many face the coverage gap, and few select Medicare Part D plans that provide coverage during the gap. Linking Medicare Part D event data with clinical registries could help to determine whether eligible enrollees are undertreated for heart failure.
Man Corn: Cannibalism and Violence in the Prehistoric American Southwest. Christy G. Turner and Jacqueline A. Turner. University of Utah Press, Salt Lake City, 1999

Human sacrifice and cannibalism, the potential for institutionalized violence or warfare, witchcraft or sorcery, and ritual executions are emotionally charged issues; but some anthropologists and other learned scholars now suggest that these activities and behaviors occurred in the American Southwest, a region usually depicted for peace, harmony, tranquility, and spirituality. Christy Turner, Regents' Professor in the Department of Anthropology at Arizona State University, and his late wife, Jacqueline (1934-1996), are the co-authors of Man Corn. The book's title derives from the Nahuatl word tlacatlaolli, a "sacred meal of sacrificed human meat, cooked with corn." The Nahuatl and Mesoamerican connections are more than coincidental. The idea for this volume was conceived in 1958, and Christy dedicates the volume to the memory of his wife. They comment (p. 8) that "re­search on cannibalism has not been free of controversy or political and professional censuring" and they cite instances where their work has been disbelieved, dismissed, or admonished.
On the application of system identification and model validation methods for constructing multivariable anesthesia response models

Investigates the use of multivariable pharmacodynamic models for describing patient response to anesthesia. The main modeling paradigm considered is that of uncertain systems, with the eventual goal of developing robust feedback control methods for automated anesthesia delivery. The authors present an approach to modeling anesthetic response in which multi-input multi-output state-space models are considered as a means of describing the relations that exist between a variety of patient endpoints such as heart rate, mean arterial pressure and EEG signals, to anesthetic inputs and external stimuli. The main focus of the discussion is on the construction of linear time-invariant models via standard system identification methods applied to data from a clinical study of volunteers. The use of model validation techniques for the construction of uncertain systems models and model validation purposes is also discussed.
A neurobiological interpretation of semiotics: meaning vs. representation

The author contends that there are no representations in brains, only meanings. A meaning is the focus of an activity pattern that occupies the entire available brain. It is constructed through intentional action and learning from the consequences of the action. Communication between brains requires the construction of representations that express meanings and elicit meanings in other brains. These representations have no meanings in themselves. One aim of artificial intelligence is to build "meaning machines", that can initiate actions in the context of broadly assigned goals and learn about their environments from the received results of their own actions. A prototypical device is described that is based in experimental nonlinear brain dynamics and implemented with differential equations. Studies of the neurodynamics of sensory cortices during conditioned responses of trained animals to learned stimuli have supported the development of a mathematical model of the nonlinear dynamic processes by which meaning is constructed. A second order linear ordinary differential equation with compression of output by an asymmetric static sigmoid function describes each node as a neural population. The nodes are coupled by weighted connections, and the set of equations is solved by numerical integration. The parameters are optimized to give aperiodic attractors simulating observed brain activity. The attractors are stabilized with biologically modeled additive noise.
Glutamine Metabolism Is Essential for Human Cytomegalovirus Infection

Human fibroblasts infected with human cytomegalovirus (HCMV) were more viable than uninfected cells during glucose starvation, suggesting that an alternate carbon source was used. We have determined that infected cells require glutamine for ATP production, whereas uninfected cells do not. This suggested that during infection, glutamine is used to fill the tricarboxylic acid (TCA) cycle (anaplerosis). In agreement with this, levels of glutamine uptake and ammonia production increased in infected cells, as did the activities of glutaminase and glutamate dehydrogenase, the enzymes needed to convert glutamine to α-ketoglutarate to enter the TCA cycle. Infected cells starved for glutamine beginning 24 h postinfection failed to produce infectious virions. Both ATP and viral production could be rescued in glutamine-starved cells by the TCA intermediates α-ketoglutarate, oxaloacetate, and pyruvate, confirming that in infected cells, a program allowing glutamine to be used anaplerotically is induced. Thus, HCMV infection activates the mechanisms needed to switch the anaplerotic substrate from glucose to glutamine to accommodate the biosynthetic and energetic needs of the viral infection and to allow glucose to be used biosynthetically.
Metastatic carcinoid unresponsive to radiation therapy presenting as a lacrimal fossa mass.

Abstract A case of metastatic carcinoid tumor presenting as a lacrimal fossa mass is described. This appears to be only the fourth case report of metastatic carcinoid to the orbit and the first to include ultrasound evaluation. The tumor mass did not regress despite radiation therapy as documented on serial ultrasound examinations. Therapeutic implications of this finding are discussed. Metastatic carcinoid tumors are reviewed.
Formalisms to support the definition of processes

This paper emphasizes the importance of defining processes rigorously, completely, clearly, and in detail in order to support the complex projects that are essential to the modern world. The paper argues that such process definitions provide needed structure and context for the development of effective software systems. The centrality of process is argued by enumerating seven key ways in which processes and their definitions are expected to provide important benefits to society. The paper provides an example of a process formalism that makes good progress towards the difficult goal of being simultaneously rigorous, detailed, broad, and clear. Early experience suggests that these four key characteristics of this formalism do indeed seem to help it to support meeting the seven key benefits sought from process definitions. Additional research is suggested in order to gain more insights into needs in the area of process definition formalisms.
Readers’ interpretations of visual and verbal narratives of a National Geographic story on Saudi Arabia

Using a National Geographic magazine story on Saudi Arabia as a case study, this article examines how pictures and text in a photo story interact to produce meaning for readers. Specifi cally, it investigates how participants’ perceptions of Saudi Arabia differed when they were exposed only to the text of the article, only to its photographs, or to both text and photographs, using focus group interviews. Participants exposed only to the text saw it as a cohesive narrative. The ‘photos only’ groups tended to jump between photographs without a linear pattern. The ‘text and photos’ groups perceived the photo story as composed of two competing narratives, which made them uncomfortable. In addition, readers exposed to the visual narrative – even when combined with the textual narrative – expressed more stereotypical views of the subjects than those exposed to the text only. The photographs appeared to detract from the text’s ability to generate a more complex understanding of Saudi culture.
Analytical electrostatic model of silicon conical field emitters. I

We present an analytical electrostatic model for a conical field emitter surrounded by a circular gate. The model is based on a radially symmetric orthonormal expansion of the potential throughout all space in the basis of Legendre functions of nonintegral degrees. The "bowling pin" model (BPM) makes it possible to calculate the total emission current and electron trajectories. The calculated values of the emitted current are in good agreement with the data. The value for the tip radius of curvature (ROC) obtained as the adjustable parameter in the model is in good agreement with that obtained from independent numerical modeling of the same devices.
Simulations of dense atomic hydrogen in the Wigner crystal phase

Abstract Path integral Monte Carlo simulations are applied to study dense atomic hydrogen in the regime where the protons form a Wigner crystal. The interaction of the protons with the degenerate electron gas is modeled by Thomas–Fermi screening, which leads to a Yukawa potential for the proton–proton interaction. A numerical technique for the derivation of the corresponding action of the paths is described. For one density of r s = 200 ( ρ = 2100 g cm - 3 for hydrogen), the melting properties are studied using the Lindemann ratio, the structure factor, and free energy calculations. Anharmonic effects in the crystal vibrations are analyzed.
Osteoprotegrin and the bone homing and colonization potential of breast cancer cells

Breast cancer cells preferentially metastasize to bone, leading to the formation of primarily osteolytic lesions. Osteoprotegerin (OPG) plays multifactorial roles in the development of osteolytic bone metastases. An increase in the ratio of receptor activator of nuclear factor kappaB ligand (RANKL) to OPG increases osteoclastogenesis within the bone microenvironment. OPG also acts as a survival factor for cancer cells by protecting them from tumor necrosis factor-related apoptosis-inducing ligand (TRAIL) mediated apoptosis. This study compares OPG production in vitro in a number of breast cancer cell lines exhibiting both differences in metastatic capacity and in preferential metastasis to bone. Our studies demonstrated that OPG expression by MDA-231, MDA-MET, and MDA-231/K cancer cells was directly correlated with bone specific homing and colonization potential but not with metastasis of cancer cells to other organs; both in IL-1 beta stimulated and control cells. We also demonstrated expression of other bone-related markers including type I collagen, osteocalcin, osteopontin, and Runx2 in these cells. However, the generally lower expression of these markers in the bone selective cell line MDA-MET suggested that increased OPG expression in the bone specific variant was not merely a consequence of enhanced osteomimicry by these cells but that it has a significant role in the metastatic process. Co-culture of breast cancer cells with osteoblastic cells (hFOB 1.19) led to an overall downregulation in OPG production, which was not affected by the bone homing and colonization potential of the cell lines, suggesting that OPG alone is not indicative of osteolytic bone activity by breast cancer cells.
Polarization Considerations for Optical Systems

This special issue of Optical Engineering contains 13 papers surveying polarization considerations for optical systems. Papers representing the thin film, solar astronomy, optical design, optical data storage, and optical communications communities are included, attesting to the broad interest in polarization issues.
The future of behavioral health.

A thoughtful regulatory framework is needed to guide the evolution of the behavioral health care industry and to encourage high performance standards.
Ashy Dermatosis (Erythema Dyschromicum Perstans)

Ashy dermatosis, also known as erythema dyschromicum perstans (EDP), is a rare dermatosis that was first described in El Salvador by Ramirez in 1957 [1]. It typically presents as asymptomatic, chronic, slowly progressive ashy-gray hyperpigmented macules on the trunk and proximal extremities.
Comparison of Switching and Biofilm Formation between MTL-Homozygous Strains of Candida albicans and Candida dubliniensis

Candida albicans and Candida dubliniensis are highly related species that share the same main developmental programs. In C. albicans, it has been demonstrated that the biofilms formed by strains heterozygous and homozygous at the mating type locus (MTL) differ functionally, but studies rarely identify the MTL configuration. This becomes a particular problem in studies of C. dubliniensis, given that one-third of natural strains are MTL homozygous. For that reason, we have analyzed MTL-homozygous strains of C. dubliniensis for their capacity to switch from white to opaque, the stability of the opaque phenotype, CO2 induction of switching, pheromone induction of adhesion, the effects of minority opaque cells on biofilm thickness and dry weight, and biofilm architecture in comparison with C. albicans. Our results reveal that C. dubliniensis strains switch to opaque at lower average frequencies, exhibit a far lower level of opaque phase stability, are not stimulated to switch by high CO2, exhibit more variability in biofilm architecture, and most notably, form mature biofilms composed predominately of pseudohyphae rather than true hyphae. Therefore, while several traits of MTL-homozygous strains of C. dubliniensis appear to be degenerating or have been lost, others, most notably several related to biofilm formation, have been conserved. Within this context, the possibility is considered that C. dubliniensis is transitioning from a hypha-dominated to a pseudohypha-dominated biofilm and that aspects of C. dubliniensis colonization may provide insights into the selective pressures that are involved.
Effects of Small Environmental Changes on Developing Silkworm Eggs

Nunome (1943) reported that a slight increase or decrease in atmospheric pressure during incubation of silkworm eggs increased survival ratio in the embryonal and larval stages. Yokoyama (unpublished) found that a slightly reduced pressure during the last day or two of embryonic life seemed to accelerate larval development. Cook (1945) claimed that less than 10% as many mealworms metamorphosed when kept in pure oxygen at 170 mm. total pressure as in air at 760 mm., but failed to give age, instar, mortality or feeding data. In an attempt to analyze further these effects, oxygen uptake and rate of development were measured in eggs after subjection to a 30 mm. Hg reduction in atmospheric pressure. The data are recorded at this time because there is no present possibility of extending the analysis.
Coverage of Diabetic Ulcer of the Heel by Muscle Transposition A Case Report

A 57-year-old diabetic female presented with heel ulcerations of the weight-bearing area and the lateral side. She had previously undergone a left below knee amputation. At operation, surrounding tissue of the ulcers was excised and a combined flap composed of flexor digitorum brevis muscle and abductor digiti minimi muscle was elevated and transferred with free skin graft over the flap. Though the transferred muscle flap survived in its entirety, the skin graft over the muscle resulted in total necrosis. Then, the necrosed skin graft was debrided and this defect was covered with split-thickness skin graft. The wound healed without any complications.
DEA-based production efficiency analysis of leading livestock enterprises in Fujian

Production efficiency is the embodiment of the enterprise competitiveness;leading enterprises are the representative of agricultural industrialization,research on production efficiencies of leading agricultural enterprises could better assess the competitive dynamics of specific industries.Taking one hundred and sixty one leading livestock enterprises in nine cities in Fujian as research object,using the region as decision unit,this paper applied DEA method to evaluate production efficiencies of livestock enterprises in nine cities,calculated the values of regional production efficiency and the gaps between these regions,indicated directions for improvement to their efficiency.Accordingly,the paper suggests corresponding countermeasures to address the problems existing in leading livestock enterprises in Fujian Province.
Differential dynamic microscopy of weakly scattering and polydisperse protein-rich clusters

Nanoparticle dynamics impact a wide range of biological transport processes and applications in nanomedicine and natural resource engineering. Differential dynamic microscopy (DDM) was recently developed to quantify the dynamics of submicron particles in solutions from fluctuations of intensity in optical micrographs. Differential dynamic microscopy is well established for monodisperse particle populations, but has not been applied to solutions containing weakly scattering polydisperse biological nanoparticles. Here we use bright-field DDM (BDDM) to measure the dynamics of protein-rich liquid clusters, whose size ranges from tens to hundreds of nanometers and whose total volume fraction is less than 10(-5). With solutions of two proteins, hemoglobin A and lysozyme, we evaluate the cluster diffusion coefficients from the dependence of the diffusive relaxation time on the scattering wave vector. We establish that for weakly scattering populations, an optimal thickness of the sample chamber exists at which the BDDM signal is maximized at the smallest sample volume. The average cluster diffusion coefficient measured using BDDM is consistently lower than that obtained from dynamic light scattering at a scattering angle of 90°. This apparent discrepancy is due to Mie scattering from the polydisperse cluster population, in which larger clusters preferentially scatter more light in the forward direction.
A nose too far: regional differences in olfactory receptor neuron efficacy along the crayfish antennule.

The olfactory sense organs of crayfish are aesthetasc sensilla, arrayed along the distal half of the lateral antennular flagella on each side of the animal. The sensillar array is sparse at its proximal origin, where each annulus houses only a single aesthetasc, and it is most dense distally, with occasionally up to six aesthetascs residing on each antennular annulus. Previous studies have tacitly assumed that the aesthetascs are co-equal in their functional properties. We restricted exposure of small zones of aesthetascs to odorant along the array, from near its proximal origin, its midpoint, and its termination near the tip of the lateral flagellum, while recording neural responses within the ipsilateral olfactory lobe of the brain. Simultaneous combinations of zonal exposure to odorant gave proportionally larger central responses, indicative of spatial summation of peripheral inputs. Surprisingly, however, zonal effectiveness was not equal; stimulating even small numbers of aesthetascs near the proxima...
Vaginal Immunization Against Urinary Tract Infection

Abstract In an attempt to lessen susceptibility to induced urinary tract infections, rats were immunized by a non-traumatic, non-parenteral, intra-vaginal route. Up to 8 weeks following vaginal immunization against Escherichia coli 06, there was decreased adherence of viable E. coli 06 to the rats’ bladder epithelium. Scanning electron microscopy of the urothelium revealed that immunized rats had less epithelial swelling, exfoliation, and surface mucin disruption than non-immunized control animals. Immunized animals also cleared an induced E. coli 06 infection from the kidneys and bladder faster than control animals. Vaginal immunization may offer a new approach to prophylaxis and treatment of ascending urinary tract infections.
Updating antimicrobial susceptibility testing: introduction.

1. Cynthia B. Schofield, MPH, MT (CAMT)[⇑][1] 1. VA San Diego Healthcare System (retired), San Diego, CA 1. Address for Correspondence: Cynthia B. Schofield, MPH, MT (CAMT), VA San Diego Healthcare System (retired), 7050 Weller St., San Diego, CA, (858) 450-9651, cschofield{at}san.rr.com 1. Identify the challenges of reporting and interpreting antimicrobial susceptibility testing results. 2. Describe the current methods utilized to determine AST results. 3. Discuss the correlation of AST results with patient outcome. Controversy exists concerning breakpoints or interpretive criteria, which are the values that determine the antimicrobial susceptibility testing (AST) categories susceptible, intermediate and resistant, the clinical predictive value of the minimal inhibitory concentration (MIC) criteria and the method of reporting AST results.1,2,3 Agreement between the physician and the clinical laboratory regarding the laboratory's interpretation, prediction and reporting of AST results is a potential source of conflict. While the physician's primary concern relates to the therapeutic dosing and the patient's clinical outcome, the latter is bound by the often inflexible type of standardization promoted by the Clinical and Laboratory Standards Institute (CLSI).1,3 Methods of testing, rigidity of quality control and adherence to the annually updated guidelines of the CLSI are paramount in the United States. A different concept is used by the European Committee on Antimicrobial Susceptibility Testing (EUCAST). This system uses separate values and clinical breakpoints to note a microorganism as wild type (WT) or non-wild type (NWT). An organism lacking mechanisms of acquired or mutational resistance is used to define WT. The presence of one or more mechanisms of resistance defines NWT when an antibiotic is considered. The purpose of the EUCAST system is to detect small and large changes in susceptibility that will reflect the constantly evolving mechanisms of antimicrobial resistance. Variation in breakpoints from one system to another contributes to the complexity of interpretation and obscurity of prediction value most noted by physicians.1 In cases of acute infection, patients are treated empirically as bacterial identification and susceptibility reporting… ABBREVIATIONS: MIC-minimal inhibitory concentration; AST-antimicrobial susceptibility testing; CLSI-Clinical and Laboratory Standards Institute; EUCAST-European Committee on Antimicrobial Susceptibility Testing; WT-wild type; NWT-non-wild type; UTI-urinary tract infection; MDR-multi-drug resistant; ESBL-extended-spectrum beta lactamase 1. Identify the challenges of reporting and interpreting antimicrobial susceptibility testing results. 2. Describe the current methods utilized to determine AST results. 3. Discuss the correlation of AST results with patient outcome. [1]: #corresp-1
Phase-matching in dirac-cone-based zero-index metamaterials

Using nonlinear scattering theory, we simulate nonlinear signal generation in 2-dimensional zero-index metamaterials based on a photonic Dirac cone at the Γ point. We observe unique phase-matching in multiple simultaneous directions as the index approaches zero.
The use of glycol ethers to help reduce amorphous organic matter (AOM) in palynological preparations

A beneficial technique, using glycol ethers, to help reduce the amount of amorphous organic matter (AOM) in palynological preparations is described. A brief history of glycol ethers, and their historical applications, is also discussed. The technique, which is relatively simple, inexpensive and rapid, can easily be applied as a terminal step to most maceration schedules. The technique does not appear to have any deleterious effect on palynomorphs, but testing treated and non-treated residues is recommended. Two examples, one Late Devonian and one Middle Pennsylvanian in age, are provided to illustrate the effectiveness of glycol ethers in removing AOM.
A layout-aware approach for improving localized switching to detect hardware Trojans in integrated circuits

Malicious activities and alterations to integrated circuits have raised serious concerns to government agencies and the semiconductor industry. The added functionality, known as hardware Trojan, poses major detection and isolation challenges. In this paper, we present a method to localize design switching to any specific region independent from test patterns. The new architecture allows activating any target region and keeping others quiet which reduces total circuit switching activity. This helps magnify the Trojan's contribution to the total circuit transient power by increasing Trojan-to-circuit switching activity (TCA) and power consumption. The proposed method is aimed at improving the efficiency of power-based side-channel signal analysis techniques for detecting hardware Trojans. Our simulation results demonstrate the efficiency of the method in significantly increasing TCA.
Non-contact home health monitoring based on low-cost high-performance accelerometers

Many current home health monitoring systems are based on wearable sensors, which may compromise patient compliance and adherence due to the irritation or inconvenience of wearing, maintaining and charging such devices. In addition, most existing systems can only acquire limited relevant data and thus fall short of clinical value. In an effort to address these limitations, this paper reports the initial study of non-contact home health monitoring based on custom-designed low-cost ultrasensitive accelerometers. These sensors were developed based on a unique cascaded asymmetric-gapped cantilever structure and achieved a resolution orders of magnitude better than the ones used in smart phones and other wearable devices. Using these new sensors, we successfully demonstrated non-contact recording of ballistocardiogram (BCG), caused by the momentum of blood flow during cardiac cycle, mainly from beds, but also from the floor, chairs and sofas. Heart rate, respiration, and other physiological information can be extracted from the BCG data. We also demonstrated 3-dimensional (3-D) BCG measurement capability by mounting 3 sensors to the bed in orthogonal directions. 3D BCG not only offers richer vital signs potentially, but also enables identification of postures and thus more accurate tracking of BCG variation. This research may lead to a new home health monitoring system, which is not only unobtrusive, attendance-free, low-cost, but also offers rich physiological information.
Enhancing Student Learning and Development in Cross-Border Higher Education

Internationalization and globalization has been a growing trend for higher education institutions. From recruiting international students to long term and short term study abroad programs, colleges...
Fluorescent Imaging Evaluation of Lidocaine Distribution Following Bier Block in the Upper Extremity.

Introduction Bier block regional anesthesia has been used as an alternative to general anesthesia for years. Despite multiple theories and multiple techniques to delineate the location of the action of lidocaine during Bier block anesthesia, there has not been a consensus on the location of action. The purpose of this study was to use fluorescent imaging to further investigate the site of action of lidocaine during Bier block. Materials and methods Three patients with carpal tunnel syndrome underwent open carpal tunnel release with Bier block anesthesia performed in the standard fashion with 1cc of Indocyanine green (IcG) mixed with lidocaine. Fluorescent images were obtained at the time of injection and after 10 minutes to allow patients to reach the level of surgical anesthesia. Repeated imaging was obtained at the time of completion of the procedure or at 30 minutes of tourniquet time. Results At time 0, IcG was distributed along the superficial venous system of the hand and forearm. At 10 minutes, the distribution of IcG was within the capillary system and infiltrating the dermis. The distribution later saturated the capillary beds and remained present until release of the tourniquet. Conclusions The authors demonstrate that some lidocaine action occurs at the cutaneous level during the administration of a Bier block. Due to limited field depth of view provided by the SPY® Elite System (Novadaq Technologies Inc., Mississauga, Canada), we are unable to draw any conclusions as to the distribution of the IcG or lidocaine at the level of the larger nerves at the site of the tourniquet.
Design and Fabrication of the 1.9 K Magnet Test Facility at BNL, and Test of the First 4-m-Long MQXF Coil

The future high luminosity upgrade of the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) at CERN will include 20 4.2-m-long Nb3 Sn high gradient quadrupole magnets, which will be components of the triplets for two LHC insertion regions. In order to test these and four preproduction models, the vertical superconducting magnet test facility of the Superconducting Magnet Division (SMD) at Brookhaven National Laboratory (BNL) has been upgraded to perform testing in superfluid He at 1.9 K and 1 bar, the operational condition at the LHC. This has involved extensive modification of the 4.5 K cryogenics plant, including piping, compressors, and other upgraded components; a new vertical test cryostat, which can accept larger diameter magnets; a modernized power supply system upgraded with IGBT switches and fast shutoff capability, and that can supply 24 kA to test high field Nb3Sn magnets; and completely new data acquisition, signal analysis, and control software and hardware, allowing for fast, high precision, large volume data collection. This paper reports on the design, assembly, and commissioning of this upgraded test facility, and presents results of the first magnet test performed.
Action Rules for Sentiment Analysis on Twitter Data Using Spark

Action Rules are vital data mining method for gaining actionable knowledge from the datasets. Meta actions are the sub-actions to the Action Rules, which intends to change the attribute value of an object, under consideration, to attain the desirable value. The essence of this paper to propose a new optimized and more promising system, in terms of speed and efficiency, for generating meta-actions by implementing Specific Action Rule discovery based on Grabbing strategy (SARGS) algorithm. For this, we perform a comparative analysis of meta-actions generating algorithmic implementation in Apache Spark driven system and conventional Hadoop driven system using the Twitter social networking data and evaluate the results. We perform corpus based Sentimental Analysis of social networking data, and test the total time taken by both the systems and their sub components for the data processing. Results show faster computational time for Spark system compared to Hadoop MapReduce for implementing the meta-action generation methods.
Analysis and management of chronic testicular pain.

AbstractA total of 45 patients was seen in consultation between May 1980 and April 1989 for chronic unilateral or bilateral orchialgia, defined as intermittent or constant testicular pain 3 months or longer in duration that significantly interferes with the daily activities of the patient so as to prompt him to seek medical attention. We analyzed 34 patients available for followup in terms of socioeconomic parameters, etiology and duration of pain, associated urological symptomatology, specific treatment and results of therapy. Of the patients 31 underwent surgical treatment after failing medical management (24 orchiectomies, 10 epididymectomies, 5 orchiopexies and 1 hydrocelectomy). Of 10 patients who underwent epididymectomy 9 underwent subsequent orchiectomy as definitive treatment. Of 15 patients who underwent inguinal orchiectomy 11 (73%) reported complete relief of pain, while 4 had partial relief. Of the 9 patients who underwent scrotal orchiectomy 5 (55%) reported complete relief of pain, 3 had pa...
Novel Temporary Treatment for a Severe Case of Syndrome of Trephined.

Background Syndrome of the trephined is a unique neurosurgical condition that is seen in patients that have undergone craniectomy. While the symptoms of the condition range from mild to severe, the only definitive treatment for the condition is replacement of the bone flap. This article presents a novel, temporary treatment for syndrome of the trephined in a patient with severe symptoms who was unable to undergo immediate cranioplasty due to infection. Case Description A 25-year-old gentleman with a history of trauma resulting in hydrocephalus, craniectomy, and eventually ventriculoperitoneal shunt placement presented with a cranial wound infection requiring removal of his bone flap. While being treated with antibiotics, with his bone flap removed, he developed severe syndrome of the trephined. An emergency bedside procedure was developed and executed to treat his condition. Conclusions Treating syndrome of the trephined with an external suction device proved useful and lifesaving fort the patient presented. Such a device can be made with common supplies found within any hospital. The technique used to treat the patient is novel and may be useful for others to consider if ever faced with a similar situation.
“Imagined Territory: The Republic of China’s 1955 Veto of Mongolian Membership in the United Nations”

In 1955, Jiang Tingfu, representing the Republic of China ( ROC ), vetoed Mongolia’s entry into the United Nations. In the 26 years the ROC represented China in the United Nations, it only cast this one veto. The ROC ’s veto was a contentious move because Taipei had recognized Mongolia as a sovereign state in 1946. A majority of the world body, including the United States, favored Mongolia’s admission as part of a deal to end the international organization’s deadlocked-admissions problem. The ROC ’s veto placed it not only in opposition to the United Nations but also its primary benefactor. This article describes the public and private discourse surrounding this event to analyze how ROC representatives portrayed the veto and what they thought Mongolian admission to the United Nations represented. It also examines international reactions to Taipei’s claims and veto. It argues that in 1955 Mongolia became a synecdoche for all of China that Taipei claimed to represent, and therefore ROC representatives could not acknowledge it as a sovereign state.