cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Myosin Heavy Chain Expression in Mouse Extraocular Muscle: More Complex Than Expected

The primary function of a skeletal muscle is to generate force for movement. The ocular motor system specifies that extraocular muscles (EOMs) behave in a fashion fundamentally different from that of other skeletal muscles.1 The EOMs contract at high speeds and are constantly active, which necessitates that they be highly fatigue resistant. The degree of contractile force must also be modulated to precisely coordinate the movements of both eyes to allow clear vision. Contractile properties of a skeletal muscle, such as shortening velocity and force generation, are largely determined by the composition of myosin heavy chain (MyHC) isoforms.2,3 Precise characterization of MyHC expression is a fundamental requirement for understanding EOM contractile properties, and by extension, the manipulation of MyHC expression may have therapeutic implications for disorders of ocular motility. A striking feature of EOM is its expression of a diversity of MyHC isoforms. In addition to the isoforms typically observed in mammalian skeletal muscle—Myh 2 (fast, 2A), Myh 4 (fast, 2B), Myh 1 (fast, 2x), and Myh7 (type 1, slow)—mature EOMs express the two developmental isoforms Myh3 (embryonic) and Myh8 (neonatal), as well as the cardiac isoform Myh6 (α-cardiac) and the EOM-specific isoform Myh13.4–6 In marked contrast to other skeletal muscles, individual EOM fibers demonstrate variation in MyHC expression along their lengths and mixed expression of MyHC isoforms within a single fiber. MyHC expression also varies between the orbital and global regions and as a function of innervation.6 EOM MyHC expression has been systematically studied in humans,7 the rabbit,8 the rat,9–12 and the dog,13 but not in the mouse. The lack of detailed evaluation of murine MyHC expression limits the exploitation of the numerous transgenic models that have been produced to study cellular and molecular mechanisms of MyHC expression. A clear picture of the temporal and spatial distribution of MyHC isoforms is necessary to evaluate regulatory mechanisms and manipulate MyHC expression for therapeutic benefit. In this study, we examined the composition and developmental transition of MyHC isoforms in mice, with real-time PCR and immunohistochemistry at postnatal day (P)0, P21, and 3 months of age. We examined the longitudinal as well as cross-sectional expression patterns of each MyHC isoform, with the use of a panel of antibodies specific for MyHC isoforms. We further detail the coexpression of MyHC isoforms in single EOM fibers.
Spiral CT findings in a postoperative intrathoracic gastric herniation: a case report

A case is reported in which spiral CT was most the contributive imaging technique in the diagnosis of a postoperative intrathoracic gastric herniation. The coronal reformatted spiral CT images demonstrated very well the intrathoracic stomach located above a normally positioned left hemi-diaphragm. Compared with conventional CT, the multiplanar reconstruction capability provided by spiral CT allowed a much better delineation of the diaphragm in this case.
Ground-state properties of solid H 2 at high pressures

A simple variational calculation, based on a Heitler-London wave function, is used to describe the high-pressure properties of solid hydrogen at O K. The system properties are expressed as a power series in ħ, which is utilized to investigate the onset of classical behavior. The high-pressure results for the energy and the pressure-volume relation are in close agreement with a recent calculation which used the Domb-Salter approximation. Information is given on the pressure dependence of the two-body correlations in the solid.
On a CR Transversality Problem Through the Approach of the Chern–Moser Theory

In this paper, we give a geometric condition for a CR map, which sends a CR non-umbilical Levi non-degenerate hypersurface in ℂ n+1 into the hyperquadric in ℂ n+2 with the same signature, to be CR transversal.
Thrombin inhibitor perfluorocarbon nanoparticles for treatment and 19F tracking of acute thrombosis

of the 13th Annual SCMR Scientific Sessions - 2010 Meeting abst racts - A single PDF containing all
Turnover and Knowledge Loss: An Examination of the Differential Impact of Production Manager and Worker Turnover in Service and Manufacturing Firms

This research examines the comparative effects of production manager and worker turnover in service and manufacturing settings. We suggest that, due to the centrality of human action in services and the ability of manufacturers to insulate the technical core, service and manufacturing companies are differentially dependent on and impacted by the loss of production manager and worker knowledge. The results from a survey of 150 service and manufacturing firms provide partial support for this notion and show that turnover impacts these organizations differently. More specifically, we find that: (1) the negative impact of production worker turnover on firm performance is greater in service settings than in manufacturing settings; and (2) the negative impact of production worker turnover on firm performance is greater than the impact of production manager turnover in service firms. In addition, our findings show that organizational capital moderates the turnover�performance relationship for production workers in service firms.
Shared Readings: Modeling Comprehension, Vocabulary, Text Structures, and Text Features for Older Readers

A study of 25 expert teachers and their shared reading lessons in grades 3–8 suggests that teachers focus their modeling during shared reading in four categories: comprehension, vocabulary, text structures, and text features.
The synthesis and antitumor properties of a series of water soluble carboxylato-( 1,2-diaminocyclohexane) platinum(II) complexes

Abstract Water soluble carboxylato-(1,2-diaminocyclohexane)- platinum(II) complexes have been synthesized and their mode of coordination characterized by elemental analysis and infrared spectra. Preliminary in vitro and in vivo screening tests for anti-tumor activity of these complexes against L1210 murine leukemia were performed. The results indicate that this class of complexes have good in vivo efficacy that can be greatly increased multiple drug administration.
SU-E-T-605: Validation of a GPU-Based Fast Deformable Image Registration Platform for 4D Treatment Planning Application

Purpose: Computational speed and geometric accuracy are important considerations in the application of deformable image registration (DIR) in radiotherapy. The goal was to use clinical data to validate for geometric accuracy, a DIR and atlas‐based auto‐segmentation (ABAS, CMS‐Elekta) platform programmable on a Graphics Processing Unit (GPU) which is capable of improving registration speeds up to 100 fold. Methods: We restricted our validation to intra‐patient registration application although the platform can be used for inter‐patient registration. Ten respiratory phase‐ dependent 3DCT image‐sets per patient for 9 patients were used. Demon's algorithm, as implemented in the research release of ABAS, was used to propagate clinician‐contoured regions of interests (ROIs) from the reference phase, chosen as the exhale, to the rest of the phases via deformation vector fields (DVFs) generated by deformably registering each image‐set to the reference. These ROIs shall be called DVF‐generated ROIs. Using the same window/level setting, clinician‐contoured ROIs were created on the other phases. To compare two ROIs for overlap, we defined an overlap index (OI) as the ratio of overlapping volume to the overlapping plus non‐overlapping volume, a related but more conservative index compared to the commonly used dice coefficient (overlapping/average volume). Results: The average OI computed for the DVF‐generated ROIs and the clinician‐contoured ROIs on the inhale phase across all patients were tumor (80% +/−6.3%); esophagus (72.0% +/−5.7%); heart (87.1% +/−3.9%); liver (90.6% +/−1.2%); cord (77.1% +/−5.9%); right lung (94.5% +/−1.5%); left lung (94.6% +/− 1.7%). Further qualitative analysis via visual inspection by the same clinician resulted in the verification of the DVF‐generated ROIs across all phases with a total of 592 out of 594 ROIs receiving satisfactory accuracy scores. Conclusions: This work verifies that in addition to high registration speed capability, the ABAS‐platform programmed on the GPU can achieve accuracy levels required for intra‐patient image registration related applications.
The impact of universal suicide-prevention programs on the help-seeking attitudes and behaviors of youths.

Background: While the ultimate goal of adolescent suicide-prevention efforts is to decrease the incidence of death by suicide, a critical intermediary goal is directing youths toward effective sour...
A Hybrid Epidemiologic Study Design Useful in Estimating Relative Risk

Abstract A type of hybrid retrospective design for epidemiologic studies within defined populations is considered. The design requires “exposure” information for the complete population of cases and for a random sample of the original population at risk (PAR). Assuming that the only stochastic feature occurs with the random sampling of the PAR, confidence intervals for incidence rates and relative risk (R) are developed in conjunction with PAR sample size requirements. Analysis by stratification is discussed and a numerical example included.
High-Tc superconductors on buffered silicon: materials properties and device applications

Abstract The discovery of ceramic superconductors with critical temperatures that overlap the operating temperatures of most silicon devices has led to efforts to incorporate these materials into current silicon technology. Recent progress in the growth of the cuprate thin film superconductor YBa 2 Cu 3 O 7 − δ (YBCO) on buffered silicon has resulted in the development of new electronic devices. The advances in superconductor microelectronics have been remarkable compared with most other materials technologies. This paper begins with a review of the processing of the silicon substrate surface using hydrogen termination technology. Several film deposition techniques are described, namely pulsed laser deposition, metal-organic chemical vapor deposition and multi-target sputtering. The in situ growth of YBCO and buffer film on silicon substrates is also reviewed. The structural and superconducting properties of YBCO thin films are summarized. The p-type nature of YBCO gives rise to an internal electric field which can provide a basis for applications in a new class of field effect transistors. A buffer layer is necessary to prevent barium and copper in the stoichiometric YBCO compound from diffusing into the silicon substrate. The structures and electrical properties of different oxide and conducting buffers, such as yttria-stabilized zirconia (YSZ), MgO, SrTiO 3 , CeO 2 , CoSi 2 and RuO 2 , are presented. The use of these buffer layers between YBCO and Si not only serves to stabilize the YBCO/Si structure, but also provides electrical insulation or conduction in this multilayer system. The stability of this layered structure is determined to a large extent by the properties of the buffer layer and its interfaces with YBCO and Si. A detailed description of the buffer/Si and buffer/YBCO interfacial structures is given. Interfaces in a YBCO-on- buffered-Si system have been shown to impact critically on its electrical properties. The superconductor-insulator-semiconductor (SuIS) capacitor can serve as a building block for fabrication of three-or four-terminal devices such as SuIS field effect transistors (SuISFETs). The applications of superconducting thin films on buffered silicon range from single-layer superconducting interconnects to those based on fabrications of complex multilayer circuits. This paper gives a detailed description of the synthesis, processing and device physics of the SuIS capacitor or diode. Comparisons with other superconducting thin film devices, such as Josephson junctions and microwave filters and resonators, are also made. Finally, results from the fabrication and characterization of SuISFETs are presented.
Musical taste cultures and taste publics revisited: A research note of new evidence

(1981). Musical taste cultures and taste publics revisited: A research note of new evidence. Popular Music and Society: Vol. 8, No. 1, pp. 2-9.
Circadian activity of topical 0.05% betamethasone dipropionate in human skin in vivo

The influence of treatment duration, vehicle, and time of day of application on topical 0.05% betamethasone dipropionate uptake into human stratum corneum and the resulting skin-blanching response was investigated in human subjects. Drug uptake into stratum corneum and the resulting skin color changes measured with a chromameter demonstrate an equilibrium delay. Maximal drug uptake occurred at 2 h, whereas maximal skin color changes occurred 6 h after a single application. Extent of decreased skin color was dependent on vehicle, treatment duration, and time of day of application. Time of maximal decreased skin color occurred at midnight independent of vehicle, treatment duration, or time of day of application. This time of maximal drug activity coincides with the well-known time period of lowest circulating cortisol concentrations (2000-0400 h). Application of a single 2- or 6-h dose of the 0.05% cream at 1600 h produced more extensive and prolonged changes in skin color over 24 h than a 0900-h application in the same subject. These data demonstrate that the extent and duration of topical corticosteroid activity in human skin is influenced by vehicle, treatment duration, and time of day of application. The prolonged changes in skin color measured with a single dose applied at 1600 h suggest that a once-a-day dosing regimen in the late afternoon may be sufficient for dermatologic therapy. Elucidation of these circadian responses with topical corticosteroids may provide a rational basis for the future re-evaluation of the appropriate therapeutic regimen with this class of drugs in dermatologic medicine.
Factor Demands of Louisiana Rice Producers: An Econometric Investigation

A Diewert-flexible (dual) cost function was used to derive a system of conditional factor demand equations for Louisiana rice producers. Generalized Leontief cost and factor share equations were fitted for the 1955-87 period using Zellner's SURE system estimation procedure. The Aitken parameter estimates reveal that: (1) the optimal input mix of rice farmers varies with production scale, (2) the factor-augmenting technical change is labor and chemical saving but seed using, (3) pairwise input substitutions are limited, and (4) factor demands are own-price inelastic. An implication is that Louisiana rice farmers will not appreciably alter their factor utilizations when relative input prices change.
Critical Chain Exercises

Critical Chains project management focuses on holding buffers at the project level vs. task level, and managing buffers as a project resource. A number of studies have shown that Critical Chain project management can significantly improve organizational schedule fidelity (i.e., improve the proportion of projects delivered on time) and reduce average project duration, by reducing the unproductive time spent waiting for predecessor tasks to complete. Classroom exposition of Critical Chains requires mental models. Manufacturing examples, and particularly work in progress building up in front of specific bottleneck machines on the factory floor, have been effective examples for many years. Since many fewer practitioners have manufacturing experience than previously, the factory floor mental model does not work well with them. We describe a series of three “games” which have been used to teach managers and project managers about Critical Chains, and also used by the author in graduate Project Management courses the last two years. This paper describes more careful preparation for these simulations, to make them more useful in the classroom. Specifically, we more carefully define the setup, sequencing, instructions, and monitoring of each of the exercises, and develop a set of discussion questions for each exercise designed to lead the students to specific conclusions about the impacts of challenging objectives, multi-tasking, and the impact of randomness and batch size. We develop a pre-/post-test to assess student learning, and will use these to compare student learning before and after the modified improvements in the games.
ABO incompatible high-titer renal transplantation without splenectomy or anti-CD20 treatment

Most successful protocols for renal transplantation across ABO incompatible (ABOi) barriers have utilized splenectomy as part of the pre-conditioning process. We recently described successful ABOi transplantation using anti-CD20 monoclonal antibody in lieu of splenectomy. In the current study, we hypothesized that plasmapheresis (PP) and low dose CMV hyper-immunoglobulin (CMVIg) alone would be sufficient to achieve successful engraftment of ABOi kidneys. We describe four blood type incompatible patients who received live donor renal transplants from A1 (two patients), A2 (one patient), and B (one patient) donors. All patients started with antihuman globulin (AHG) phase titers of 64 or higher and were pre-conditioned with PP/CMVIg but not splenectomy or anti-CD20. All 4 patients underwent successful transplantation and have a mean current serum creatinine of 1.1 (range: 0.9-1.2). There were no episodes of antibody mediated rejection. Rapid allograft accommodation may limit the need for long-term antibody suppression provided by splenectomy or anti-CD20, thereby eliminating the added infectious risk of these modalities and removing another disincentive to ABOi transplantation.
Further progress in atom transfer radical polymerizations conducted in a waterborne system

An improved atom transfer radical polymerization (ATRP) process was developed for use in a waterborne miniemulsion system. To conduct a successful ATRP in a heterogeneous waterborne system, it is of great importance to ensure control over the polymerization process while preserving colloidal stability. Efforts devoted to optimization of reaction conditions and improvement in the overall productivity of the process allowed the development of a novel, practical initiation system for ATRP suitable for use in a miniemulsion procedure that can provide copolymers of well-defined composition (e.g., block copolymers) and topologies (e.g., multiarm polymer).
Neighbour-regulated mortality: the influence of positive and negative density dependence on tree populations in species-rich tropical forests

Density-dependent mortality has long been posited as a possible mechanism for the regulation of tropical forest tree density. Despite numerous experimental and phenomenological investigations, the extent to which such mechanisms operate in tropical forests remains unresolved because the demographical signature of density dependence has rarely been found in extensive investigations of established trees. This study used an individual-based demographical approach to investigate the role of conspecific and heterospecific neighbourhood crowding on tree mortality in a Panamanian and a Malayan tropical forest. More than 80% of the species investigated at each site were found to exhibit density-dependent mortality. Furthermore, most of these species showed patterns of mortality consistent with the Janzen‐Connell hypothesis and the rarely explored hypothesis of species herd protection. This study presents some of the first evidence of species herd protection operating in tree communities.
Percutaneous Transabdominal Embolization of Thoracic Duct Lacerations in Animals

Purpose To develop percutaneous techniques for lacerating the thoracic duct (TD) and to assess the efficacy of percutaneous TD embolization. Materials and Methods The TD was catheterized by means of antegrade or antegrade-retrograde techniques after the lymphographically opacified cisterna chyli (CC) was punctured in five swine and one dog. The TD was lacerated by fluid overdistention ( n = 1), perforated with stiff guide wires ( n = 3) or a 5-F styletted catheter ( n = 1), or macerated by rotational guide-wire trauma ( n = 1). The TD was percutaneously embolized in five animals with steel ( n = 2) and platinum ( n = 3) coils. The CC containing a metal target was recatheterized 2–7 days after embolization. Results All types of TD trauma led to mediastinal extravasation. The one chylothorax was induced by the 5-F styletted catheter. The TD of four animals was promptly thrombosed with coils. In the fifth animal, the TD failed to thrombose 3 days after embolization, probably because of the use of an undersized platinum arc coil. There were no immediate or delayed complications. Necropsy in five animals was unremarkable. The sixth animal was alive and well at 4 months. Conclusions Percutaneous transcatheter TD trauma led to mediastinal extravasation in all six animals, but chylothorax occurred in only one animal. TD coil embolization led to duct thrombosis in four of five animals with no early or late complications. The technique has potential clinical applications for localization and selective embolization of TD leaks in debilitated patients.
Feminist Gerontology and Old Men

This article outlines feminist gerontology and shows how its focus on power relations lends insight into the lives of those people disadvantaged by them as well as the people privileged by social inequalities. To illustrate the latter, I discuss how feminist gerontology might examine old men, using the topic of health as an example. For instance, arrangements that maintain privilege in young adulthood and middle age can lead to poor health in old age. These practices of masculinity include physical risk in competition with other men, neglect of social networks and medical care, and avoidance of any self-report of emotional strain. However, with its focus on diversity, feminist gerontology also emphasizes that experiences of manhood, aging, and health vary by one’s location in a network of inequalities.
A multidisciplinary approach to seismic hazard in southern California

Abstract A serious obstacle facing seismic hazard assessment in southern California has been the characterization of earthquake potential in areas far from known major faults where historical seismicity and paleoseismic data are sparse. This article attempts to fill the voids in earthquake statistics by generating “master model” maps of seismic hazard that blend information from geology, paleoseismology, space geodesy, observational seismology, and synthetic seismicity. The current model suggests that about 40% of the seismic moment release in southern California could occur in widely scattered areas away from the principal faults. As a result, over a 30-yr period, nearly all of the region from the Pacific Ocean to 50 km east of the San Andreas Fault has a greater than 50/50 chance of experiencing moderate shaking of 0.1 g or greater, and about a 1 in 20 chance of suffering levels exceeding 0.3 g . For most of the residents of southern California, thelion9s share of hazard from moderate earthquake shaking over a 30-yr period derives from smaller, closer, more frequent earthquakes in the magnitude range (5 ≦ M ≦ 7) rather than from large San Andreas ruptures, whatever their likelihood.
Beat radiation from dipoles near a photonic band edge

We consider a model for two nearly identical, slightly detuned dipoles that radiate in frequency near a photonic band edge such that one dipole is in the band while the other is in the gap. The dipole in the gap does not radiate directly, but its presence can be detected by beats that occur in the power output of the dipole that is in the band. Hence it is possible to detect properties of and perhaps to excite gap dipoles if they are coupled by local modes to dipoles that are located in the frequency band.
Sampling and Estimating Average Pruning Weights in Concord Grapes

Pruning weights are a useful indication for growers of vine size within their production systems. However, pruning weights are rarely collected in commercial situations, as there is little information to help growers determine how many samples to measure. An intensive study of individual vine pruning weights was undertaken over three years in a Concord (Vitis lambruscana Bailey) block at the Lake Erie Research and Extension Laboratory, New York. The population variances associated with individual and aggregated neighboring vine measurements were used to determine random sampling schemes to assist growers. A sampling scheme based on 23 random interpost samples (3-vine sampling) is suggested as a good compromise to minimize the time associated with sampling and to maximize the accuracy of measurement and the value of the information. A spatial analysis of the variance indicates that the same sampling scheme could be extrapolated to block sizes larger than the survey area (0.93 ha), provided that the management and environmental conditions can be considered uniform over the larger block.
Odor discrimination using a hybrid-device olfactory biosensor

Current trends in artificial nose research are strongly motivated by knowledge of biological olfactory systems, but are primarily confined to improving pattern recognition strategies for data derived from a relatively simple sensor array. Biological olfactory systems are able to discriminate weak, transient, broad-band signals ranging over a poorly-defined parameter space, and therefore outperform current artificial nose systems in several respects. A biological olfactory sense organ, the insect antenna, has been exploited in a hybrid-device biosensor. An algorithm was developed to analyze the electrophysiological responses recorded from a sensor array comprised of antennae from different species of insects. A training period during which the array was exposed to known target odors established response signatures for those odors. Subsequent odor stimuli were then classified using a forced-choice nearest neighbor technique. As odorants arrived in discrete packets in the turbulent air stream, individual sensor response events lasted less than one second, and could be classified with accuracy dependant on the differential tuning of the sensor array to the compounds being classified.
Locomotor repertoire of the larval zebrafish: swimming, turning and prey capture

Larval zebrafish (Brachydanio rerio) are a popular model system because of their genetic attributes, transparency and relative simplicity. They have approximately 200 neurons that project from the brainstem into the spinal cord. Many of these neurons can be individually identified and laser-ablated in intact larvae. This should facilitate cellular-level characterization of the descending control of larval behavior patterns. Towards this end, we attempt to describe the range of locomotor behavior patterns exhibited by zebrafish larvae. Using high-speed digital imaging, a variety of swimming and turning behaviors were analyzed in 6- to 9-day-old larval fish. Swimming episodes appeared to fall into two categories, with the point of maximal bending of the larva's body occurring either near the mid-body (burst swims) or closer to the tail (slow swims). Burst swims also involved larger-amplitude bending, faster speeds and greater yaw than slow swims. Turning behaviors clearly fell into two distinct categories: fast, large-angle escape turns characteristic of escape responses, and much slower routine turns lacking the large counterbend that often accompanies escape turns. Prey-capture behaviors were also recorded. They were made up of simpler locomotor components that appeared to be similar to routine turns and slow swims. The different behaviors observed were analyzed with regard to possible underlying neural control systems. Our analysis suggests the existence of discrete sets of controlling neurons and helps to explain the need for the roughly 200 spinal-projecting nerve cells in the brainstem of the larval zebrafish.
Dynamic view of decision domains for the design of active DSS

Active decision support systems must be able to operate in two different modes. The traditional mode consists of their performing tasks under the explicit control of the user. The active mode consists of their performing some reasoning of their own and taking initiatives. The active mode requires that they have a knowledge-base related to the domain of the decision. The author addresses the contents and the organization of the knowledge base. A generic architecture is proposed; it integrates the database and the model base of the DSS (decision support system). The advantages of this architecture in the context of active as well as traditional DSS are discussed. >
A time‐implicit high‐order compact differencing and filtering scheme for large‐eddy simulation

This work investigates a high-order numerical method which is suitable for performing large-eddy simulations, particularly those containing wall-bounded regions which are considered on stretched curvilinear meshes. Spatial derivatives are represented by a sixth-order compact approximation that is used in conjunction with a tenth-order non-dispersive filter. The scheme employs a time-implicit approximately factored finite-difference algorithm, and applies Newton-like subiterations to achieve second-order temporal and sixth-order spatial accuracy. Both the Smagorinsky and dynamic subgrid-scale stress models are incorporated in the computations, and are used for comparison along with simulations where no model is employed. Details of the method are summarized, and a series of classic validating computations are performed. These include the decay of compressible isotropic turbulence, turbulent channel flow, and the subsonic flow past a circular cylinder. For each of these cases, it was found that the method was robust and provided an accurate means of describing the flowfield, based upon comparisons with previous existing numerical results and experimental data. Published in 2003 by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Organic LED Pixel Array on a Dome

We fabricated an array of organic LED (OLED) pixels on a dome of clear polymer foil. The array is first formed on the flat polymer substrate and then is shaped to the dome. During the shaping process, the polymer substrate and the metal interconnect undergo plastic deformation while the OLED pixels remain intact. The OLED pixels have comparable I-V characteristics before and after deformation, but the luminous efficiency was reduced by the deformation, apparently as a consequence of fractures in the aluminum cathode. The demonstration of OLED displays on a spherical surface is an important advance in the fabrication of conformally shaped electronics.
Cognitive mechanisms underlying instructed choice exploration of small city maps

We investigated the cognitive mechanisms underlying the exploration and decision-making in realistic and novel environments. Twelve human subjects were shown small circular U.S. city maps with two locations highlighted on the circumference, as possible choices for a post office (“targets”). At the beginning of a trial, subjects fixated a spot at the center of the map and ultimately chose one of the two locations. A space syntax analysis of the map paths (from the center to each target) revealed that the chosen location was associated with the less convoluted path, as if subjects navigated mentally the paths in an “ant's way,” i.e., by staying within street boundaries, and ultimately choosing the target that could be reached from the center in the shortest way, and the fewest turns and intersections. The subjects' strategy for map exploration and decision making was investigated by monitoring eye position during the task. This revealed a restricted exploration of the map delimited by the location of the two alternative options and the center of the map. Specifically, subjects explored the areas around the two target options by repeatedly looking at them before deciding which one to choose, presumably implementing an evaluation and decision-making process. The ultimate selection of a specific target was significantly associated with the time spent exploring the area around that target. Finally, an analysis of the sequence of eye fixations revealed that subjects tended to look systematically toward the target ultimately chosen even from the beginning of the trial. This finding indicates an early cognitive selection bias for the ensuing decision process.
Kalman filtering for fuzzy discrete time dynamic systems

Abstract This paper uses Kalman filter theory to design a state estimator for noisy discrete time Takagi–Sugeno (T–S) fuzzy models. One local filter is designed for each local linear model using standard Kalman filter theory. Steady state solutions can be found for each of the local filters. Then a linear combination of the local filters is used to derive a global filter. The local filters are time-invariant, which greatly reduces the computational complexity of the global filter. The global filter is shown to be unbiased and (under certain conditions) stable. In addition, under the approximation of uncorrelatedness among the local models, the global filter is shown to be minimum variance. The proposed state estimator is demonstrated on a vehicle tracking problem and a backing up truck–trailer example.
Treatment Possibilities of the New Biology

I sometimes describe the possible treatments for spinal injury in terms of the three Rs: restoration, repair, and regeneration of the nervous system. There is less overlap in these three categories than one would think.
Continuous-Time Feedback Control With Finite-Time Boundedness and H∞ Performance Criteria

For advanced control applications, research into the use of linear matrix inequalities has yielded a notable amount of work in the area of nonlinear systems. Linear Matrix Inequalities can be formed through the application of desired performance criteria to a general system. By proper selection of a Lyapunov energy function, sufficient conditions to satisfy the performance objectives can be realized. The performance criteria, typically chosen for the application, define the objectives associated with the control. This work presents a control method for discrete-time systems with finite-time boundedness and H∞ performance criteria. The design of the controller corresponds to a system existing with bounded model uncertainties, and in the presence of L2 type external disturbances. Through the use of a linear state feedback control, sufficient conditions which guarantee the finite-time stability and H∞ performance objectives are achieved via the solution of a Linear Matrix Inequality. MATLAB application and simulation is carried out using the field oriented control of a permanent magnet synchronous generator in order to effectively demonstrate the effectiveness of this control strategy in the wind energy conversion system application.Copyright © 2015 by ASME
Redefining Success as a Public Defender: A Rallying Cry for Those Most Committed to Gideon's Promise

Public Defenders fall short of their obligations to clients every day for reasons beyond their control. However, constantly failing to be able to achieve justice for those they are charged with serving can drive even the most committed public defenders from the profession. This article reframes the definition of success for public defenders and seeks to inspire those who do the work to continue fighting to make Gideon's promise a reality.
Characterizing wind power resource reliability in southern Africa

Producing electricity from wind is attractive because it provides a clean, low-maintenance power supply. However, wind resource is intermittent on various timescales, thus occasionally introducing large and sudden changes in power supply. A better understanding of this variability can greatly benefit power grid planning. In the following study, wind resource is characterized using metrics that highlight these intermittency issues; therefore identifying areas of high and low wind power reliability in southern Africa and Kenya at different time-scales. After developing a wind speed profile, these metrics are applied at various heights in order to assess the added benefit of raising the wind turbine hub. Furthermore, since the interconnection of wind farms can aid in reducing the overall intermittency, the value of interconnecting near-by sites is mapped using two distinct methods. Of the countries in this region, the Republic of South Africa has shown the most interest in wind power investment. For this reason, we focus parts of the study on wind reliability in the country. The study finds that, although mean Wind Power Density is high in South Africa compared to its neighboring countries, wind power resource tends to be less reliable than in other parts of southern Africa—namely central Tanzania. We also find that South Africa’s potential varies over different timescales, with higher reliability in the summer than winter, and higher reliability during the day than at night. This study is concluded by introducing two methods and measures to characterize the value of interconnection, including the use of principal component analysis to identify areas with a common signal.
Even a Pooled Analysis Does Not Resolve the Debate of Electrophysiology Testing in Brugada Syndrome

Since the first description,1 investigative work into the pathophysiology and clinical management of Brugada syndrome (BrS) has been active. Like other channelopathies, BrS is a cause of sudden cardiac arrest (SCA) in young, otherwise healthy, individuals. Initially attributed to the loss of sodium channel function, BrS has also been attributed to the loss of calcium channel function. Thus, the disease is not solely a sodium channelopathy, but rather related to an imbalance between inward and outward currents during phase 1 of the action potential. The hallmark ECG feature is a type 1 pattern of a coved ST-segment elevation of ≥2 mm followed by a negative T wave, present in >1 right precordial lead (V1 through V3), occurring either spontaneously or provoked with a sodium channel antagonist. However, the ECG in BrS can demonstrate type 1, 2, or 3 patterns, or be normal; and these changes can occur either spontaneously or be related to autonomic tone, physiological parameters (eg, fever), and ECG lead position. BrS, therefore, is a dynamic disease, influenced by ethnicity, sex, genotype, autonomic tone, regionally abnormal myocardium,2 and varied physiological and pharmacological stimuli. With this interplay of pathophysiology, risk stratification of patients with BrS ECG pattern is challenging. Programmed electric stimulation (PES) has been reported to be a useful tool for risk stratification; however, this recommendation is controversial.3–11 Article see p 622 In this issue of Circulation , Sroubek et al12 report on the relationship between inducible malignant ventricular arrhythmias with PES and future occurrence of the primary outcome, defined as SCA or appropriate implantable cardiac defibrillator (ICD) shock therapy. The database consists of multicenter pooled participant-level data from prospective studies identified from a literature search. Included patients were those who underwent PES, who had a spontaneous or sodium channel …
Improved Sensitivity MEMS Cantilever Sensor for Terahertz Photoacoustic Spectroscopy

In this paper, a microelectromechanical system (MEMS) cantilever sensor was designed, modeled and fabricated to measure the terahertz (THz) radiation induced photoacoustic (PA) response of gases under low vacuum conditions. This work vastly improves cantilever sensitivity over previous efforts, by reducing internal beam stresses, minimizing out of plane beam curvature and optimizing beam damping. In addition, fabrication yield was improved by approximately 50% by filleting the cantilever's anchor and free end to help reduce high stress areas that occurred during device fabrication and processing. All of the cantilever sensors were fabricated using silicon-on-insulator (SOI) wafers and tested in a custom built, low-volume, vacuum chamber. The resulting cantilever sensors exhibited improved signal to noise ratios, sensitivities and normalized noise equivalent absorption (NNEA) coefficients of approximately 4.28 × 10(-10) cm(-1)·WHz(-1/2). This reported NNEA represents approximately a 70% improvement over previously fabricated and tested SOI cantilever sensors for THz PA spectroscopy.
Dating Historical Sites: The Importance of Understanding Time Lag in the Acquisition, Curation, Use, and Disposal of Artifacts

Each object has a lifespan in which it is made, transported, marketed, used, and discarded. Although the manufacturing date range for artifacts may be known, we should not equate the manufacturing range for an object type with the use range for a particular object. Studies from several locations indicate ceramic artifacts have lifespans of as much as 15 years and more in a household before being discarded. Ceramics can be poor sources for dating sites if used without considering the cultural contexts in which they are used, yet ceramics are the artifact class used most often in dating sites.
Effect of Prolactin Upon Milk Secretion in the Spinal Cord-Sectioned Rat.∗:

SummaryMilk secretion in the six abdominal mammary glands of lactating rats was assessed after spinal cord transection at T-11 and after prolactin replacement, to further define the role of somatic sensory pathways in the suckling-induced release of prolactin. The six pectoral mammary glands were rendered nonfunctional by ligation of the main milk ducts on postpartum day 2. Somatic sensory denervation of the 6 abdominal mammary glands was accomplished on day 10–11. Each mother nursed 6 young. The growth of litters of cord-transected lactating rats was greatly reduced in comparison to that of sham-operated rats. Prolactin (17 IU) plus oxytocin (1 IU) 3 × daily resulted in significant improvement in litter growth and in food and water intake of the mothers in comparison with oxytocin-injected control rats, but was without detectable effect upon the loss in maternal body weight which follows spinal cord transection. Litter growth following prolactin treatment was less than that of sham-operated rats. Prolact...
RESEARCH ON HOMOGENEOUS RESERVOIR PRESSURE PERFORMANCE

In this paper,the Laplace space solution to dimensionless reservoir pressure and dimensionless bottom hole pressure of variable flow problem is studied,which takes into consideration the effect of two types of inner boundary conditions(wellbore storage,skin factor)and three kinds of outer boundary conditions(constant pressure outer boundary,closed outer boundary,infinite boundary)by using the homogeneous reservoir model.The inter-relation among these pressure distribution formula is studied emphatically,a general formula is induced from it,and then a further discussion is carried out.All these work in this paper has profound meaning to well test analysis theory,so to well test analysis software applying.
Of Human Fear and Indifference

To speak of western attitudes toward the orangutan in past and present is to evoke at once the ambivalent concept of “nature”. Humankind has continued to make decisions on who and what is “in” nature and what ranking order and importance is to be assigned to nature and the living things deemed to be part of it. This paper proposes that we can glean from a study of shifting attitudes toward nature why there have been such shifts in the way orangutans were and are being perceived and treated. First, we briefly introduce some major thinkers concerned with nature and natural law in the pre-modern era. These are addressed again below because their views had profound implications for the way we view any species deemed to be part of nature. In the second section, the paper compresses popular writing and attitudes toward orangutans into a framework of the broad social and economic trends of modern times.
Basics of Gas Exchange

The ultimate goal of pulmonary gas exchange is adequate tissue oxygen (O2) delivery and carbon dioxide (CO2) elimination. This exchange of gas is a multistep process that begins with ventilation and movement of gas from the atmosphere through the various generations of airways into the alveoli of the lungs. Oxygen quickly diffuses across the alveolar-capillary membrane into red blood cells (RBCs), allowing for transport of O2 to the tissues. The final step in gas exchange occurs in the tissues as oxygen diffuses into cells to meet the metabolic demands of the body. Similarly, CO2 diffuses from the cells into RBCs at the tissue level and is transported to the alveolar capillaries to be exhaled into the atmosphere. Given the multiple steps involved in gas exchange for both O2 and CO2, there are a number of points in which this process may become disrupted. Despite the complexity of this process, pulmonary gas exchange is generally remarkably effective. This process usually leads to the adequate elimination of CO2 and to the delivery of O2 to tissues and organs well in excess of the body’s metabolic demands.
Synthesis of Amides and Related Compounds

The chemistry of amides has a long history, and since the end of the last century a plethora of synthetic methods has been developed.
Incidence of wound complications in cesarean deliveries following closure with absorbable subcuticular staples versus conventional skin closure techniques

Abstract Objective To determine if there is a significant difference in composite wound complications among traditional closure techniques versus absorbable subcuticular staple closure. Study design This study is a retrospective cohort study of cesarean sections performed from January through September of 2014. Composite wound complications included surgical site infection, separation, and fluid collection. Medical records were reviewed and data including the patient demographics, comorbidities, closure type and wound complications were recorded. Patients with incomplete data were excluded. Data were analyzed with ANOVA or Fisher exact test, according to data type. Results Of the 186 patients identified, 176 patients were included in the data analysis ( n =83 suture, n =49 traditional staple, n =44 the absorbable subcuticular staple). The groups were similar in all demographic categories; labor prior to delivery, estimated blood loss, and medical and pregnancy related comorbidities. The overall incidence of wound complications at our institution during this study was 5.7%. The incidence of complications among the suture and subcuticular staple closure was not significantly different (3.6% versus 0%, p =0.3), however there were significantly less complications in the suture and subcuticular staple closure groups when compared to traditional staple closure (14.3%) ( p =0.03 and p =0.01, respectively). Conclusion Herein, we report a decreased incidence of composite wound complications with subcuticular staple closure versus traditional staple closure in patients undergoing cesarean section. Absorbable subcuticular staple closure represents a convenient, safe and cost-effective closure technique.