cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Measuring Growth in Education.

The authors argue that the usefulness and legitimacy of measuring student growth depend upon the purpose for which the scores will be used. The investigator or instructor should not attempt to discriminate among individual students on the basis of gain scores because of the unreliability of such scores. The ranking of students in terms of gains is almost always too unreliable to be useful or defensible. On the other hand, the problem of unreliability creates much less difficulty when one is interested in measuring overall treatment effectiveness or in discriminating among situations rather than individuals. The authors conclude that there are many situations in education in which the measurement of student growth is possible, justifiable, and informative.
Biodistribution of the lipophilic complexes 59Fe(RsalH2)3tach (R = H, NO2 and OMe) and 68Ga(NO2salH2)3tach

A series of highly lipophilic comploffs 59Fe(RsalH2)3tach (R = H, NO2, OMe) and 68Ga(NO2salH2)3tach have been evaluated in vivo as potentially clinically useful agents.
Quasars as Cosmological Probes: The Ionizing Continuum, Gas Metallicity, and the W λ -L Relation

Using a realistic model for line emission from the broad emission line regions of quasars, we are able to reproduce the previously observed correlations of emission-line ratios with the shape of the spectral energy distribution (SED). In agreement with previous studies, we find that the primary driving force behind the Baldwin effect (Wλ ∝ Lβ, β < 0) is a global change in the SED with quasar luminosity, in that more luminous quasars must have characteristically softer ionizing continua. This is completely consistent with observations that show (1) a correlation between Luv, αox, and αuvx; (2) correlations of SED shape-sensitive line ratios with αox, αuvx, and Luv; and (3) correlations between line equivalent widths and αox, αuvx, and Luv. However, to explain the complete lack of a correlation in the Wλ(N V)-Luv diagram, we propose that the more luminous quasars have characteristically larger gas metallicities (Z). As a secondary element, nitrogen's rapidly increasing abundance with increasing Z compensates for the losses in Wλ(N V) emitted by gas illuminated by softer continua in higher luminosity quasars. A characteristic relationship between Z and L has an impact on the Wλ-Luv relations for other lines as well. For a fixed SED, an increasing gas metallicity reduces the Wλ of the stronger metal lines (the gas cools), as well as that of Lyα and especially He II (because of the increasing metal opacity), while the weaker lines (e.g., C III] λ1909) generally respond positively. The interplay between the effects of a changing SED and Z with L results in the observed luminosity-dependent spectral variations. All of the resulting dependences on Luv are within the range of the observed slopes.
Low power, high PVT variation tolerant central pattern generator design for a bio-hybrid micro robot

This paper presents a low power circuit design for an electronic nervous system composed of central pattern generator (CPG) to control a biomimetic robot that mimics the lamprey swimming system. The circuit has been designed using 65nm CMOS technology model at 0.8V supply. The design challenges of narrow voltage design margin and high sensitivity to parameter variation are addressed by circuit optimization techniques as well as amplitude and time parameter scaling. The electronic CPG consists of electronic neurons connected through electronic synapses, where the behaviors of the neuron and synapse adopt Hindmarsh-Rose (HR) dynamics to replicate biological neurons and a first order chemical synapse model is utilized to achieve active synapses. The simulation results validate the electronic CPG performance at 0.8V supply voltage with parameter variation tolerance of 5% dissipating 3.28mW. The die size of the chip is 1.1mm2 including I/O pads.
Transient nonlinear optical response from excitation induced dephasing in GaAs

The leading contribution to the polarization dependent four-wave-mixing signal is shown to result from density induced dephasing processes. Experimental observations are in qualitative agreement with theoretical calculations based on the semiconductor Bloch equations where dephasing due to excitonic screening has been taken into account.
Acid catalyzed isomerization of bicyclic alkenes: a facile betweenanene synthesis

Isomerization of cis-bicyclo[10.8.0]eicos-1(12)-ene (1a) and cis-bicyclo[10.10.0]docos-1(12)-ene (1b) to [10.8]- and [10.10]betweenanene (2a and 2b) has been effected by sulfuric acid. In both cases, the betweenanene isomers were found to predominate at equilibrium (70/30 2a/1a and 95/5> 2b/1b).
Finite-time consensus of networked Lipschitz nonlinear agents under communication constraints

In this paper, we study the finite-time consensus problem for a team of networked Lipschitz nonlinear agents under communication constraints, where each agent has a limited sensing range. Because the induced interaction graph is typically state-dependent and dynamic, we propose a distributed nonlinear control algorithm that is capable of preserving the initial interaction patterns. By using tools from nonsmooth analysis, we present conditions on the initial interaction graph and the control gain such that finite-time consensus can be reached. More specifically, an upper bound of the convergence time is derived via a two-step analysis.
A compact microfluidic gradient generator using passive pumping

Creating and maintaining a precise molecular gradient which is stable in space and time are essential to studies of chemotaxis. This paper describes a simple, compact, and user-friendly microfluidic device using a passive pumping method to drive liquid flow to generate a stable concentration gradient. A fluidic circuit is designed to offset the effects of the pressure imbalance between the two inlets. After loading approximately the same amount of culture media containing different concentrations of a certain chemotactic agent into the two inlet reservoirs, a linear concentration gradient will be automatically and quickly established at the downstream. Our device takes advantage of passive pumping and is compact enough to fit into a Petri dish, which is an attractive feature to biologists. Furthermore, this microfluidic gradient generator offers a platform for a facile way of long-term imaging and analysis using high-resolution microscopy.
Contralateral Hyperhidrosis After Cerebral Infarction Clinicoanatomic Correlations in Five Cases

Background Excessive sweating from cerebral infarction has been reported rarely in the available stroke literature, and its pathophysiological mechanisms and clinical significance have remained obscure. In addition, there have been no reports that medullary infarction results in only contralateral hemihyperhidrosis without ipsilateral Horner’s syndrome. In the hope of increasing recognition of this phenomenon, we describe five patients with hyperhidrosis, including two patients with medullary infarction, and discuss the clinicoanatomic correlations. Case Descriptions Contralateral hyperhidrosis occurred in two patients with large strokes involving both superficial cortical and deep subcortical structures of the middle cerebral artery territory and in two patients with medullary infarctions. Bilateral hyperhidrosis of the face was noted in one patient with basilar artery thrombosis and bilateral cerebellar and pontine infarctions. The hyperhidrosis typically involved the face and arm and was transient, lasting from 2 days to 2 months. No associated Horner’s syndrome, hypothalamic dysfunction, or other autonomic dysfunction was observed. Conclusions The phenomenon of hyperhidrosis might be attributed to a lesion of a putative sympathoinhibitory pathway that controls sweating. This pathway might originate in the cortex, possibly in the operculum, and make terminal connections with the contralateral thoracic spinal cord. Our observations suggest that the fibers of this putative pathway may be very close to the corticospinal tract.
Mouse genetics 2011: meeting report.

Mouse Genetics 2011 was organized by the Genetics Society of America in Washington, DC, as a joint meeting of the 25th International Mammalian Genome Conference and the 10th Complex Traits Community Meeting. While celebrating the incredible progress made by the field in the last 25 years, this year’s joint meeting illuminated the incredible possibility for the future. As genomelevel studies have revolutionized the pace for discovering the genetic underpinnings of human disease, an unprecedented opportunity exists for integrating those findings with model organism genetics to achieve the common goals of both understanding and improving human disease. The keynote address, Verne Chapman Lecture, plenary presentations, and numerous platform talks all described work highlighting advances where the interface of mouse models and human genetics has led to an extraordinary understanding of the mechanisms of a disease or propelled a discovery into clinical development. Overarching themes: highlights from the keynote address and Verne Chapman Lecture
Plant Development: Slowing Root Growth Naturally

What determines organ size? A screen for plant strains showing natural variation in root length has identified a novel gene that modulates root growth rate by controlling cell division and elongation at the root tip.
The effect of delayed reward on the development of positive attitudes toward persons

Abstract On the basis of a theory of interpersonal attraction in which positive attitudes toward persons are conceptualized as implicit anticipatory goal responses (rg-sg), it was predicted that greater liking would be developed toward a stimulus person consistently associated with immediate reward than toward one consistently associated with delayed reward. 32 first grade subjects, treated individually, performed a simple task in the presence of each of two adult assistants, one of whom was always associated with immediate reward (14 trials) while the other was always associated with a 10-second delay (14 trials). For a control group of 16 subjects both of the assistants were paired with an equal number of immediate and delayed rewards. All subjects alternated their trials between one adult helper and the other, in a partially predetermined order. On three dependent measures of attraction, a direct question regarding which helper was liked best, a 15-step liking scale, and evaluative semantic differential judgments, significant differences were found between experimental and control subjects in their relative liking of the two assistants. On two other measures, results were in the predicted direction but not statistically reliable. The data are discussed in terms of positive effects of immediate reward and possible negative effects of delay attributed to frustration.
Antimicrobial Stewardship and Urinary Tract Infections

Urinary tract infections are the most common bacterial infections encountered in ambulatory and long-term care settings in the United States. Urine samples are the largest single category of specimens received by most microbiology laboratories and many such cultures are collected from patients who have no or questionable urinary symptoms. Unfortunately, antimicrobials are often prescribed inappropriately in such patients. Antimicrobial use, whether appropriate or inappropriate, is associated with the selection for antimicrobial-resistant organisms colonizing or infecting the urinary tract. Infections caused by antimicrobial-resistant organisms are associated with higher rates of treatment failures, prolonged hospitalizations, increased costs and mortality. Antimicrobial stewardship consists of avoidance of antimicrobials when appropriate and, when antimicrobials are indicated, use of strategies to optimize the selection, dosing, route of administration, duration and timing of antimicrobial therapy to maximize clinical cure while limiting the unintended consequences of antimicrobial use, including toxicity and selection of resistant microorganisms. This article reviews successful antimicrobial stewardship strategies in the diagnosis and treatment of urinary tract infections.
Anger Management Leadership Groups: A Creative Intervention for Increasing Relational and Social Competencies with Aggressive Youth.

School counselors (SCs) have a wide range of responsibilities in schools, such as administrative, disciplinary, and counseling duties (Dahir & Stone, 2009). Due to the large number of responsibilities, SCs sometime struggle with developing programs to meet relational needs of at-risk students. The purpose of this article was to provide SCs with a creative, hands-on approach to use with youth struggling with anger and relational issues. SCs in four schools collaborated with a mental health counselor to implement a school-based anger management group that focused on creating leadership abilities and improving relational competencies of students. A pretest–posttest design revealed significant changes in participants' anger and leadership ability.
Integrated operations scheduling with delivery deadlines

Delivery deadlines constraints including shipping and processing time.Capacitated suppliers and processing centers.Supplier selection and order assignment.Partial relaxation and threshold based heuristic algorithm.Computational testing in terms of three practical parameters. An integrated scheduling problem of supply and distribution operations in a make-to-order supply chain is considered. The supply chain consists of contracted suppliers, capacitated processing centers, and many demand points. Processing centers customize and/or configure semi-finished products supplied by suppliers to finished products in terms of the requirements of demand points: order quantity and delivery deadline. The problem is to find the assignment of both suppliers and demand points to processing centers and the schedules for supply and distribution operations such that the total costs of shipping and penalty that unfulfilled customer orders incur are minimized, subject to network capacity and deadline constraints. In this paper, a heuristic algorithm is developed, based on partial relaxation and median threshold, which makes it possible to avoid dealing with the generalized assignment problem, a strongly NP-hard problem, in the solution process. Computational tests are performed over test cases randomly generated to assess the performance of the proposed algorithm. As compared to the use of commercial optimization package, CPLEX, computational results show that the proposed algorithm is able to find a good near-optimal solution to this problem with remarkably less computational time.
Retinal versus central processes in determining averaged evoked response waveforms.

Abstract Random dot stereograms permit the separation of central, perceptual, from peripheral, retinal effects of the stimulus. Anaglyph versions of such stereograms were used to reassess whether perception of stimulus content alters the waveform of averaged evoked brain responses to photic stimuli in human subjects. The evoked responses were shown to be sensitive to stimulus color, microstructure, and the perception of three-dimensional stimuli, but not to changes in the figural content of the stimuli.
Application of Finite Element Analysis for Determination of Load Share, Real Contact Ratio, Precision of Motion, and Stress Analysis

A loaded gear drive with point contact between tooth surfaces is considered. The principal curvatures and directions at a current point of tangency, the contact paths on tooth surfaces, and the transmission errors caused by misalignment we consider as known. In this paper the following topics are covered: (1) Determination of the contact force and its distribution over the contact ellipse; (2) Determination of the tooth deflection, the load share, and the real contact ratio; and (3) Stress analysis by application of the finite element method. The discussed approach is illustrated with a numerical example.
Mojave-Yavapai boundary zone, southwestern United States: A rifting model for the formation of an isotopically mixed crustal boundary zone

The boundary between the Paleoproterozoic Mojave and Yavapai crustal provinces in the southwestern United States is a 75-km-wide zone characterized by complex, isotopically mixed (Pb) crust, similar to other transitional crustal and lithospheric boundaries worldwide. Mojave crust is more isotopically evolved than the juvenile crust of the Yavapai province, indicating an older crustal component. Several areas of isotopically juvenile rocks within and near the boundary zone correspond to exposures of coeval >1.73 Ga supracrustal rocks that contain pillow basalts and bimodal metavolcanic sequences. We suggest that regions of juvenile crust within the Mojave province and its boundary zone represent rift basins, produced by extension or transtension near the eastern margin of the province, into which primitive basaltic lavas and bimodal volcanic sequences were erupted. The largest region of juvenile material within the boundary zone is bound to the west by a series of coincident, N-trending isotopic, geochemical, metamorphic, and geophysical discontinuities that may represent a fundamental, buried crustal structure, perhaps a rift margin. We propose that the distinct isotopic signature of the boundary zone persisted through subsequent deformational events, including the one that juxtaposed the two provinces. If our model for the formation of the boundary zone is correct, its isotopically mixed character is at least partly an artifact of the precollision history of the eastern Mojave province, and may not solely reflect the processes that juxtaposed the two provinces. Formation of new crust by rifting may represent an underappreciated form of crustal growth during the Paleoproterozoic that is distinct from arc accretion. Models for the formation of complex crustal boundary zones must consider the early, prejuxtaposition history of terranes in interpreting their geochemical and geophysical characteristics.
Stop “Going Over” Exams! The Multiple Benefits of Team Exams:

This article describes the use of team exams as a means of postexam feedback and explains the benefits of their use. Team exams are a simple procedure for those who use exams in their classrooms. Team exams can be a valuable experiential exercise in management classes but offer educational benefits in any class. Among the benefits of team exams are accurate feedback and active engagement of students in postexam review. Team exams can also serve to check the validity of exam questions and reduce the angst often associated with “going over” exams.
HFE Hemochromatosis and Hepatic Sarcoid

A 57-year-old white woman had serum ferritin 793 ng/mL, HFE C282Y homozygosity, elevated serum angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) levels, 3+ hepatocyte iron, cirrhosis, hepatic granulomas, and portal hypertension. Her 37-year-old son had ferritin 869 ng/mL, C282Y/wt, elevated ACE levels, 2+ hepatocyte iron, bridging fibrosis, and hepatic granulomas. Her daughters had HFE C282Y/H63D and C282Y/wt, respectively; neither had a hemochromatosis phenotype, sarcoid, or severe liver disease. All 4 subjects had nonalcoholic hepatic steatosis. Sarcoid did not segregate with the human leukocyte antigen-A and -B haplotype shared by the proband, her son, and 1 daughter. Phlebotomy to achieve iron depletion in the proband and her son yielded 1.6 and 1.5 g iron, respectively; their ACE levels remained elevated. We reviewed previous reports of 4 patients with hemochromatosis and sarcoid. We conclude that a combination of sarcoid, steatosis, and excessive hepatocyte iron caused cirrhosis or hepatic fibrosis in the proband and her son.
High temperature aging of YSZ coatings and subsequent transformation at low temperature

Abstract As-deposited thermal barrier coatings (TBC) made of yttria-stabilized zirconia (8YSZ) have the meta-stable, tetragonal-prime crystal structure. Although this is not the stable equilibrium form of 8YSZ, this crystallographic structure is remarkably resistant to transformation to the equilibrium mixture of cubic and monoclinic phases over thousands of hours at typical TBC use temperatures. Nevertheless, with high-temperature aging, Y3+ ions diffuse to their equilibrium positions and the structure slowly evolves into a mixture of t′, yttria-poor tetragonal and yttria-rich cubic phase. After cooling, no monoclinic phase is present but it forms slowly over time at low temperatures (including room temperature). The kinetics of this low temperature transformation after heat treatment at 1425 °C has been quantified from room temperature to 150 °C using both Raman spectroscopy and X-ray diffraction, and appears to be thermally activated. Insufficient data are yet to be accumulated to identify the microscopic mechanism of the transformation but the kinetics is consistent with a diffusion-controlled mechanism.
Temperature‐sensitive periods of sex determination in emydid turtles

In many turtles sex differentiation is controlled by the incubation temperature of the embryo, with low temperatures producing males, high temperatures producing females. This study investigates the developmental period of temperature-sensitivity in two species of emydid turtles, using different combinations of incubation at a male-determining temperature (25 degrees C) and at a female-determining temperature (31 degrees C). The sensitive period extends throughout much of the middle third of development. Sex is more readily influenced by 25 degrees than by 31 degrees, however, so that maleness can be determined much earlier in development than can femaleness. Comparison of these results with a previous study of snapping turtles indicates that the sensitive period occupies somewhat the same developmental interval in these different turtles. However, in snapping turtles, the female-determining temperature used (30 degrees) is more influential than the male-determining temperature (26 degrees), in contrast with these results from emydids.
Matrix ordering strategies for process engineering: graph partitioning algorithms for parallel computation

Abstract The solution of large-scale chemical process simulation and optimization problems using parallel computation requires algorithms that can take advantage of multiprocessing when solving the large, sparse matrices that arise. Parallel algorithms require that the matrices be partitioned in order to distribute computational work across processors. One way to accomplish this is to reorder the matrix into a bordered block-diagonal form. Since this structure is not always obtained from the equation generation routine, an algorithm to reorder the rows and columns of the coefficient matrix is needed. We describe here a simple graph partitioning algorithm that creates a bordered block-diagonal form that is suitable for use with parallel algorithms for the solution of the highly asymmetric sparse matrices arising in process engineering applications. The method aims to create a number of similarly sized diagonal blocks while keeping the size of the interface matrix, which may represent a bottleneck in the parallel computation, reasonably small. Results on a wide range of test problems indicate that the reordering algorithm is able to find such a structure in most cases, and requires much less reordering time than previously used graph partitioning methods.
Identification of DNA repair and damage induced proteins from Neurospora crassa.

The response of Neurospora crassa to DNA damage induced by UV irradiation has been studied using two-dimensional polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (2-D PAGE). Whole cell extracts of irradiated and untreated cultures were compared. Five polypeptides that show changes in response to DNA damage have been identified. Several mutagen sensitive strains of Neurospora were also tested for polypeptide changes on 2-D PAGE. Profiles of whole cell extracts of these mutant strains were compared to wild type. Two changes were observed in the meiotic mutant, mei-3 and one change was detected in the excision repair mutant, upr-1. Two changes were also detected in the allelic mutants, uvs-3 and nuh-4. Profiles of uvs-3 and nuh-4 revealed one polypeptide that was missing and another polypeptide which appeared to shift to a more basis position. This same shift was detected in wild type after induction by UV irradiation or heat shock.
Solubility, ionic conductivity and viscosity of lithium salts in room temperature ionic liquids

Lithium salts used in batteries have poor solubility in many common room temperature ionic liquids, such as 1-ethyl-3-methylimidazolium bis(trifluoromethylsulfonyl)imide (EMITFSI). Lithium salt solutions in ionic liquids that contain the thiocyanate anion, in contrast, can be prepared at concentrations as high as 4 M. The solubility of three common lithium salts (LiClO4, LiSCN and LiTFSI) used in lithium batteries were measured for four room temperature ionic liquids including 1-butyl-3-methylimidazolium hexafluorophosphate (bmimPF6), 1-butyl-3-methylimidazolium acetate (bmimACET), 1-butyl-3-methylimidazolium thiocyanate (bmimSCN) and EMITFSI. The solubility was determined using Fourier Transform Infrared Attenuated Total Reflectance spectroscopy (FTIR-ATR), which was an efficient method for determining electrolyte solubility in electrolyte solvents. The ionic conductivity of room temperature ionic liquids with thiocyanate containing anions with high concentrations of lithium salts was determined using AC impedance. There was an optimal lithium salt concentration in the ionic liquid in terms of maximum ionic conductivity for the solutions.
Management of purulent pericarditis and esophagopericardial fistula secondary to metastatic colon adenocarcinoma

Purulent pericarditis with esophagopericardial fistula secondary to metastatic colon disease is uncommon. Current reports in the literature describe successful palliation via endoluminal esophageal stent insertion. We present our management strategy for a difficult case in which (complete) esophageal occlusion by tumor burden precluded endoscopic passage of the guide wire required to successfully perform such a procedure. Simple tube pericardiostomy is presented as an alternative procedure that produced a satisfactory outcome. This surgical procedure is an appropriate palliative alternative when an endoscopic procedure is not feasible, and is much less invasive than the surgical palliative procedures reported in the literature.
Measurement of Viscosity of Densifying Glass-Based Systems by Isothermal Cyclic Loading Dilatometry

This study describes the isothermal cyclic loading dilatometry (ICLD) technique to measure the viscosity of glass-based materials. We demonstrate its merit relative to constant-load techniques in minimizing the stress history effects (changes in shrinkage anisotropy and sample microstructure) that arise due to the application of an external load. A constant-load test overestimates the viscosity by an order of magnitude compared with a cyclic load test. To obtain accurate viscosity data, maximum loading rates and longer unloading periods are desirable as they reduce effects of shrinkage anisotropy on viscosity values. Representative data for a low-temperature cofired ceramic (LTCC) material are reported. Nonparametric statistical tests revealed insignificant differences between the viscosity data sets at 5% significance level and thus indicate good reproducibility of the testing methodology.
Arthroscopic-Assisted Treatment of Coronoid Fractures

Purpose: Little information exists regarding arthroscopic treatment of coronoid fractures; this study reports outcomes in a series of patients. Methods: Forty-one coronoid fractures were identified by retrospective chart review; 7 were treated arthroscopically; 6 with >12 months of available follow-up. Regan–Morrey fracture types were II (n = 4) and III (n = 3). The age of the patients averaged 37 years; the mechanism of injury was a fall in 6 patients and a motocross accident in 1 patient. Fracture fixation included: plate-and-screws following arthroscopic reduction (1); screws (2) and threaded Steinmann pins (2); 2 fractures were debrided. Three patients had immediate (2) or delayed (1) lateral ulnar collateral ligament repair. Results: Follow-up averaged 31.8 months. The range of motion averaged 9° to 133° in flexion–extension and 87°/79° in prono-supination. Mayo Elbow Performance scores were 100 in 5 of 6 patients and unavailable in 1 patient. Complications included asymptomatic heterotopic ossification (1) and delayed ulnar neuropathy (1). Conclusions: In our series of coronoid fractures treated with arthroscopic means, all patients had a functional, pain-free result. All patients returned to preoperative avocations and occupations. Level of Evidence: Level IV, therapeutic case series.
Strict regulation of gene expression from a high-copy plasmid utilizing a dual vector system.

High-copy plasmids are useful for producing large quantities of plasmid DNA, but are generally inadequate for tightly regulating gene expression. Attempts to suppress expression of genes on high-copy plasmids often results in residual or “leaky” production of protein. For stringent regulation of gene expression, it is often necessary to excise the gene of interest and subclone it into a low-copy plasmid. Here, we report a dual plasmid technique that enables tight regulation of gene expression driven by the lac promoter in a high-copy vector. A series of plasmids with varying copies of the lacIq gene have been constructed to permit titration of the LacI protein. When a high-copy plasmid is transformed along with the appropriate lacIq-containing plasmid, tight gene regulation is achieved, thus eliminating the need to subclone genes into low-copy plasmids. In addition, we show that this dual plasmid technique enables high-copy gene expression of a protein lethal to Escherichia coli, the ccdB protein. In principle, this technique can be applied to any high-copy plasmid containing the popular pUC replication of origin and provides an easier means of obtaining rigid control over gene expression.
Clinicians’ Perception of Head-of-Bed Elevation

Background Head-of-bed elevation of 30 degrees to 45 degrees is important in preventing ventilator-associated pneumonia, but clinicians' perception and determination of head-of-bed elevation are not widely reported. Objectives To (1) document the accuracy of clinicians' perception of head-of-bed elevation, (2) document methods clinicians use to determine the head-of-bed angle, and (3) assess knowledge of recommended head-of-bed elevation. Methods Clinicians (n = 175) viewed a simulated patient with head of bed elevated 30 degrees and elevation gauge concealed. They answered 3 questions: What is the level of the head of the bed? What head-of-bed elevation is associated with decreased incidence of ventilator-associated pneumonia? When providing care, how do you routinely determine the head-of-bed elevation? Results Fifty percent of 89 registered nurses and 53% of 39 physicians identified head-of-bed elevation correctly (+/-5 degrees ). Head-of-bed elevation was perceived accurately by 86% of 21 respiratory therapists, 63% of 16 medical assistants, and 50% of 10 physical/occupational therapists. Ninety-five percent of nurses and respiratory therapists, 79% of physicians, 90% of physical/occupational therapists, and 46% of medical assistants correctly identified the head-of-bed angle associated with decreases in occurrence of ventilator-associated pneumonia. Techniques for determining the angle varied; 58% of respondents reported using the gauge. Conclusions Head-of-bed angle was perceived correctly by 50% to 86% of clinicians. Nurses tended to underestimate the angle, whereas other clinicians tended to overestimate. Nurses, respiratory therapists, and physical/occupational therapists showed the best understanding of the correct angle for minimizing occurrence of ventilator-associated pneumonia. Elevation gauges were most often used to determine the angle.
Relativistic LCGTO‐FF calculations of quantum‐size effects in plutonium films

Linear combinations of Gaussian-type orbital–fitting function (LCGTO-FF) calculations have been used to study quantum size effects in the work function and surface energy of unrelaxed ultra-thin (001) films of fcc (δ) plutonium (Pu), up to five layers thick. Relativistic effects are included in the calculations using the second-order Douglas–Kroll–Hess transformation, at the fully- and scalar relativistic levels of approximation, i.e., with and without spin-orbit coupling terms included. In both approximations, the surface energy is found to be rapidly convergent, while the work function exhibits a significant quantum size effect up to the largest thickness considered. The (001) surface energies predicted are notably larger than the (111) surface energies found in similar calculations. The predicted work functions for the (001) and (111) surfaces agree to within the computational uncertainty due to the residual quantum size effect. © 2005 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Int J Quantum Chem, 2005
Externalizing Psychopathology and the Error-Related Negativity

Prior research has demonstrated that anti-social behavior, substance-use disorders, and personality dimensions of aggression and impulsivity are indicators of a highly heritable underlying dimension of risk, labeled externalizing. Other work has shown that individual trait constructs within this psychopathology spectrum are associated with reduced self-monitoring, as reflected by amplitude of the error-related negativity (ERN) brain response. In this study of undergraduate subjects, reduced ERN amplitude was associated with higher scores on a self-report measure of the broad externalizing construct that links these various indicators. In addition, the ERN was associated with a response-locked increase in anterior theta (4–7 Hz) oscillation; like the ERN, this theta response to errors was reduced among high-externalizing individuals. These findings suggest that neurobiologically based deficits in endogenous action monitoring may underlie generalized risk for an array of impulse-control problems.
Effects of Sotalol on the Circadian Rhythmicity of Heart Rate and QT Intervals With a Noninvasive Index of Reverse-Use Dependency

BACKGROUND: The effects of sotalol on the 24-hour profile of the QT interval relative to that of the heart rate (HR) may be helpful in determining the time course of the drug's action in controlling cardiac arhythmias. This has not been previously determined. Thus, the objective of the current study was to evaluate the influence of the drug on the circadian rhythmicity of HR and QT intervals from Holter recordings in ambulatory patients. Reverse-use dependency (RUD) of sotalol was also studied noninvasively from Holter recordings. METHODS AND RESULTS: Holter recordings of 18 patients with ventricular arrhythmias were analyzed before and after 3-7 days of treatment with sotalol. We developed and used a signal processing system. A new noninvasive index to evaluate RUD was defined and applied to sotalol as a test agent. Sotalol significantly reduced HR from 76.9 +/- 3.2 to 60.0 +/- 1.1 (P <.001). The mean QT interval increased from 393 +/- 11 ms to 489 +/- 9 ms, whereas the mean normalized QT (QTc) interval increased from 415 +/- 5 ms to 487 +/- 5 ms (P <.001) during the drug treatment. Circadian rhythmicity of RR interval was abolished, but the circadian rhythms of the QT and QTc intervals were maintained during continuous treatment with sotalol. This finding is in contrast to amiodarone, which abolished the circadian rhythmicity of QTc interval while maintaining that of RR interval. RUD index was increased from 0.13 +/- 0.08 to 0.24 +/- 0.10 (P <.001) after sotalol, consistent with increased RUD with sotalol. CONCLUSIONS: The effects of sotalol on the circadian rhythmicity of HR and QTc interval are dissociated. They are in direct contrast to those reported for amiodarone, a difference that may be of clinical significance. The RUD index introduced here provides a noninvasive parameter for comparing short-term as well as long-term effects of class III antiarrhythmic drugs on RUD.
Mapping susceptibility loci for alcohol consumption using number of grams of alcohol consumed per day as a phenotype measure.

There is substantial evidence for a significant genetic component to the risk for alcoholism. However, susceptibility loci or genes for alcohol dependence remain largely unknown. To identify susceptibility loci for alcohol dependence, we selected 329 extended families from the Framingham Heart Study population in which at least one family member reported alcohol consumption during the interview in 1970–1971, and performed genome-wide linkage analyses using various analytical methods. Multi-point sib-pair regression analysis using the SIBPAL program of S.A.G.E. provided strong evidence for linkage of alcohol dependence to chromosomes 9 (p-value 2.0 by the variance-component method. This region is located on chromosome 9 between markers GATA21F05 and GATA81C04. Analyses of the Framingham Heart Study population provided evidence of genetic susceptibility loci for alcohol dependence on chromosomes 9, 15, and 16. The genomic region identified on chromosome 9 was particularly interesting because the region has also been previously reported to be linked to alcohol dependence in the American Indian population by another group.
Impact of Dietary Omega-3 Polyunsaturated Fats on Tissue Changes: Are Plant Sources of Omega-3 Fats Equivalent to Dietary Sources from Fish?

TEXT: Recent FDA guideline approving qualified health claims for the long chain n-3 PUFAs EPA and DHA (found in fish oils) did not include -linolenic acid (ALA), a rich component of flaxseed, canola and soybean oils. Although ALA is the biochemical precursor for EPA and DHA, there is some confusion as to whether the effects of dietary ALA act via its conversion to EPA/DHA. To address this question, we conducted a systematic review of 50 clinical trials to ascertain whether ALA versus EPA/DHA differentially modifies EPA/DHA content of tissue phospholipids (plasma and erythrocytes) when supplemented to a Western diet. Results: Increasing the amounts of ALA (by as much as 35g/d) or EPA (3.2g/d) do not modify tissue DHA levels; only the consumption of DHA changes tissue DHA, with maximal effects occurring with 1g/d. Adding ALA to the diet increases the typically low tissue levels of EPA only 2 fold, while EPA supplementation maximally changes EPA levels 5-6 fold, with a maximum effect achieved 1.6g/d. EPA and DHA equivalently depress arachidonic acid levels by 25% even at the highest intakes. These data are critical to fully understand the impact of dietary ALA. In summary, dietary ALA cannot be used as a surrogate for dietary EPA/DHA. When supplemented at levels above typical consumption, ALA is poorly converted to EPA and DHA. In order to maximize tissue levels of EPA and DHA, both have to be supplemented because EPA is also poorly converted to DHA, and DHA is poorly retroconverted to EPA.
Comparison of Ensemble-Based Filters for a Simple Model of Ocean Thermohaline Circulation

The performance of ensemble-based filters such as Sequential Importance Resampling (SIR) method, Ensemble Kalman Filter (EnKF), and Maximum Entropy Filter (MEF) are compared when applied to an idealized model of ocean thermohaline circulation. The model is a stochastic partial differential equation that exhibits bimodal states and rapid transitions between them. The optimal filtering result against which the methods are tested is obtained by using the SIR filter with N=104 for which the method converges. The numerical results reveal advantages and disadvantages of each ensemble-based filter. SIR obtains the optimal result, but requires a large sample size, N⩾ 103. EnKF achieves its best result with relatively small sample size N=102, but this best result may not be the optimal solution. MEF with N=102 achieves the optimal results and potentially is a better tool for systems that exhibit abrupt state transitions.
Shaping of Dynamic Responses by Observers

This paper presents the experimental results of the investigation of the effects of the observer poles for shaping the dynamic responses of state-space systems with system poles placed by state vectors obtained from full-order observers instead of the original full state vectors, which is assumed to be unavailable. The particular parameters considered in the shaping of the dynamic responses in this paper are the settling time and percent overshoot. A large number of observer poles on the complex plane were selected evenly. The corresponding observer state vectors were computed. These state vectors were used for system pole placement. All the system poles were placed at the same locations. The resulting dy- namic responses were simulated and the settling times and percent overshoots were measured. Even though the system poles were the same, the dynamic responses, in particular, the settling time and percent overshoot were not identical and depended on the locations of the observer poles. The relationship between these parameters and the observer poles were analyzed and the results are presented in this paper.
Detection of Epstein-Barr virus DNA by polymerase chain reaction in blood and tissue biopsies from patients with Sjogren's syndrome.

Polymerase chain reaction has been used to detect increased levels of EBV DNA in salivary gland (SG) biopsies and PBL from patients with Sjogren's syndrome (SS). These results suggest that EBV, which has a normal site of latency in a small number of SG epithelial cells, may be reactivated in SS patients and provide a target for immune attack. The great sensitivity of polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and the ability to analyze very small tissue biopsies (37) make this technique well suited for clinical diagnosis. Specific methods to prevent artefactual contamination of tissue biopsy DNA with viral DNA of other samples (i.e., lyophilization of samples before DNA extraction) and the use of an internal positive control (i.e., inclusion of primers for a single copy human gene) during PCR amplification are presented. Since EBV reactivation occurs with markedly increased frequency in patients with lymphoproliferative and immunodeficiency diseases, as well as transplant recipients receiving cyclosporin A (10), rapid methods of viral detection such as PCR may allow better monitoring of medications and early detection of EBV-related lymphomas that may arise in these patients.
Frequency-Agility Processing to Reduce Radar Glint Pointing Error

A technique to reduce radar pointing errors due to glint using frequency agility and amplitude weighting is presented. The reduction in rms tracking error is developed into an equation dependent upon the original glint tracking error, ?g, and the number of returns weighted, N. The rms tracking error is thereby reduced approximately by a factor of N. Finally, the equation formulated allows one to evaluate the reduction in glint error versus the number of frequencies chosen for frequency agility.
The utility of ATF3 in distinguishing cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma among other cutaneous epithelial neoplasms.

The histopathologic distinction between benign and malignant cutaneous keratinocytic proliferations can pose a difficult diagnostic challenge - often with important clinical implications. Activating transcription factor 3 (ATF3) has emerged as a potential biomarker which may aid in the segregation of these lesions, and we hypothesize that ATF3 expression may be a specific marker of cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma (SCC). Using immunohistochemistry, we characterized ATF3 expression in a series of 126 cutaneous epithelial proliferations, including SCC (n = 27), basal cell carcinomas (BCC, n = 59), seborrheic keratoses with atypia (SK, n = 16), hyperplastic actinic keratoses (AK, n = 12) and prurigo nodularis cases (PN, n = 12). We showed strong, nuclear and/or nucleolar expression of ATF3 in a statistically significant number of cases of SCC compared to BCC, SK and PN. We conclude that ATF3 expression is a surrogate of malignancy (or pre-malignancy) in keratinocytic epithelial proliferations and thus helps distinguish SCC from other cutaneous epithelial neoplasms.
IFN-γ inhibits human airway smooth muscle cell proliferation by modulating the E2F-1/Rb pathway

Elucidating the factors that inhibit the increase in airway smooth muscle (ASM) mass may be of therapeutic benefit in asthma. Here, we investigated whether interferon-γ (IFN-γ), a potent inducer of...
Route profile analysis to determine suitability of electric postal delivery vehicles

An instrumentation system and computer program were developed that allow the U.S. Postal Service to determine which postal routes are suitable for electric delivery vehicles. The instrumentation system provides route data. The route data and electric vehicle characteristics are used in the computer program to calculate vehicle energy and power requirements for the particular route. The performance characteristics of electric vehicles are contained in an input data file to the computer program. The instrumentation system is designed for use during normal mail delivery with gasoline-powered vehicles. The system is powered by the vehicle battery. Minimum operator interaction and inexpensive maintenance-free sensors are featured in the design. Route grade is determined from a pendulum measurement corrected for vehicle acceleration. Acceleration is determined from a measurement of the distance traveled. The value of road grade obtained in this manner is in excellent agreement with civil survey data. The distance transducer utilizes an electro-optical sensor and a rotating disk driven by the speedometer gear to provide a resolution of 3 mm. A microprocessor provides timing and data management. Data are recorded on a cassette tape. The instrumentation system is compact and readily installed or removed in a "survey" delivery vehicle. Calibration requirements are minimal. Since postal delivery routes are closed, i.e., they begin and end at the same location (elevation), the bias error in initial orientation of the pendulum can be reduced to zero during data reduction. After the tape is inserted by the operator at the beginning of a run, and identification information is keyed in, data are automatically recorded in 50-s blocks. If the vehicle is not in motion during a data block period, no data are recorded for that period. Route data on the cassette tape are reduced in subroutine CARAIN which converts the binary data to engineering plots of time, speed, acceleration, road grade, and elevation vs distance. The program CARA determines whether a specific electric vehicle can complete the route, subject to energy and power limitations. Output plots of battery power and battery state of charge vs time are provided. If battery power or motor torque limitations are exceeded, this fact is noted, but otherwise disregarded, as the calculation proceeds to the end of the route or to a set minimum value of battery state of charge. Battery state of charge is determined by a first-order-system method developed at Purdue University; the results compare well with battery test data. CARA was validated by comparing performance predictions with test data obtained with electric postal delivery vehicles. Acceptance test results indicate that a useful route profile analysis system has been developed.