cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
DIYbio Things: Open Source Biology Tools as Platforms for Hybrid Knowledge Production and Scientific Participation

DIYbio (Do It Yourself Biology) is a growing movement of scientists, hobbyists, artists, and tinkerers who practice biology outside of professional settings. In this paper, we present our work with several open source DIYbio tools, including OpenPCR and Pearl Blue Transilluminator, which can be used to test DNA samples for specific sequences. We frame these platforms as things that gather heterogeneous materials and concerns, and enable new forms of knowledge transfer. Working with these hybrid systems in professional and DIY settings, we conducted a workshop where non-biologists tested food products for genetic modifications. Our findings suggest new design directions at the intersection of biology, technology, and DIY: i) DIYbio platforms as rich tools for hybrid knowledge production; and ii) open source biology as a site for public engagement with science.
The pathophysiology of peptic ulcer disease

Heterogeneity is the most important consideration in the pathophysiology of peptic ulcer disease. Acute ulcers and erosions present clinically with gastrointestinal bleeding or perforation. If they heal there is no predictable recurrence. Factors concerned with mucosal defense are relatively more important than aggressive factors such as acid and pepsin. Local ischemia is the earliest recognizable gross lesion. The gastric mucosa is at least as vulnerable as the duodenal mucosa and probably more so. Most drug-induced ulcers occur in the stomach. Chronic or recurrent true peptic ulcers (penetrating the muscularis mucosae) usually present with abdominal pain. Many duodenal ulcer patients report that the pain occurs when the stomach is empty or is relieved by food, and follows a pattern of relatively long periods of freedom from symptoms between recurrences. Approximately 50% of patients experience a recurrence within a year if anti-ulcer medication is stopped. In most western countries recurrent duodenal ulcer is more common than gastric ulcer. Peptic ulcer disease is also more common in men. Recent evidence indicates genetic and familial factors in duodenal ulcer and increased acid-pepsin secretion in response to a variety of stimuli. However, it is also becoming clear that of all the abnormal functions noted, few are present in all subjects and many are clustered in subgroups. In chronic gastric ulcer of the corpus, defective defense mechanisms, such as duodenogastric reflux and atrophic gastritis, seem to be more important than aggressive factors. Nevertheless, antisecretory medications accelerate the healing of such ulcers. It remains to be seen whether prostaglandins, mucus secretion, or gastric mucosal blood flow are impaired in chronic ulcer disease.
The private sector and rural development: Can agribusiness help the small farmer?

Abstract There is considerable interest today in getting the private sector more involved in rural development. One potential means is the “core-satellite” model, where corporate food processors link up with small farmers through production contracts, exchanging agricultural inputs and services for assured deliveries of produce. Despite some attractive features, however, the model is feasible only when specific economic, technical, and social conditions prevail, conditions including active government support.
Education and Student Activities Committee (ESAC)

In this issue of the EMC Magazine, I am pleased to announce that over the last few months, the Education and student activities committee (esac) has started a new initiative with the Standards Development and Education Committee (SDECom). This initiative is intended to begin working to link both committees in the area of standards education, while still maintaining the main focus of each committee in their own area of responsibility. Planning for this linkage has been accomplished by the inclusion of SDECom representatives (Don Heirman and Alistair Duffy) on the monthly ESAC leadership conference calls. There have been a number of items that have been discussed on how to accomplish this joint work, and we are currently planning an ESAC/SDECom joint meeting session at the 2013 IEEE International Symposium on EMC. As a result, we are pleased to announce the following.
Cultural considerations in the assessment and treatment of intrafamilial abuse.

Cultural and subcultural factors can have a marked impact upon reporting, assessment, and treatment of abuse and family violence. Values and beliefs associated with three specific rural situations--small towns, Native American reservations, and cliques of health professionals--are examined and case illustrations are presented. Recommendations are offered for refining assessment and treatment strategies in these settings. Language: en
Use of the telephone in a health maintenance service for the chronically ill: a preliminary report.

EMPHASIS on comprehensive health care shifts the management of many acute and chronic conditions to the ambulatory services. In 1969, of 7144 registered hospitals, 6041 hospitals reported 163,248,221 clinic visits by non-hospitalized patients [I, Table 33. Much of the traditional bedside observation, diagnosis, and care is now performed in outpatient clinics. Patients bear their stresses, whether physical or functional, in the clinics one day and in their own environment the next. The goal and magnitude of ambulatory service stimulates the staff toward developing a care delivery system which can reach the patients in their immediate environment. To monitor patients’ conditions and to extend care needed from the hospital clinics, public health nursing and extramural agencies function in a partnership that creates a health service milieu. If the patients’ progress, stresses, and coping patterns are to be brought into focus, effective communication is imperative. Such communication includes face-to-face interaction as well as that transmitted through written and other technological means. A number of studies have reported on the use of the telephone as an aid in diagnosis and prevention in patient care. Some of these were concerned with monitoring physical changes only [2, 31. The telephone as a medium for transmitting the sounds of children’s respiratory distress and mothers’ anxieties was reported by Kravitz et al [4]. A study conducted at the Children’s Hospital, Boston [5], analyzed the use of the telephone by low-income families. The findings demonstrated equal effectiveness among medically indigent and middle class families in the use of the telephone to communicate a child’s condition. Besides, such communication enhanced the on-going relationship between the families and the physician. In suicide prevention work 16-81, the emergency telephone number is frequently reported as
Political Distrust and Gendered Attitudes: The Japanese State and Women

We explore sources of political trust by examining one’s gender role attitudes as they relate to political trust in Japan. We hypothesize that progressive gender role attitudes are associated with political distrust. This political distrust is perhaps caused by relative deprivation which progressive individuals experience, given that gender relations are still traditional in Japan. We further hypothesize that this distrust among women extends to the government itself. We analyze the 2003 Japanese General Social Survey, a national representative survey of Japanese adults. Based on multivariate analyses of 1,807 respondents, we find support for our hypotheses. Our findings suggest that gender issues are salient among progressive individuals, especially among women.
Effects of Ferrous Sulfate Consumption on the Performance of Broiler Chicks

Abstract Ferrous sulfate is often used as a litter treatment to control ammonia. A series of experiments was conducted to evaluate the effects of single high and multiple low doses of ferrous sulfate (FeSO4-7H2 O) on broiler chicks. In Experiment 1, broiler chicks were administered a single oral dose of ferrous sulfate. A direct relationship between mortality and the amount of ferrous sulfate administered was evident. The lethal dose that caused 50% mortality (LD50) for ferrous sulfate was calculated to be 7,010 mg/kg of body weight. In Experiment 2, the addition of ferrous sulfate to the diet at levels from .75 to 12% decreased feed consumption. Ferrous sulfate levels of 3% or greater lowered average daily gain and gain:feed ratios. In a pair-wise comparison preference test in Experiment 3, chicks significantly decreased consumption of a diet containing 3% ferrous sulfate but not of a diet with .375% ferrous sulfate. There was a significant decrease in body weight gain for the chicks offered 3% dietary ferrous sulfate. The results of these experiments indicate that ferrous sulfate can have adverse effects on mortality, weight gain, and feed efficiency of broiler chicks.
Real‐time filtering of data from mobile, passive remote infrared sensors with principal component models of background

Real-time monitoring of pollutant levels from a mobile measuring platform requires fast, flexible data analysis methods. This paper reports a method for rapid analysis of passive remotely sensed infrared data with the aid of a Kalman filter. The background spectra produced by emission from the atmosphere are modelled at the start of the data collection sequence with a simple principal components model obtained by eigenanalysis of the initial ‘blank’ data taken with the spectrometer. The species of interest are included in the state space model by a separate measurement of their infrared spectra. It is demonstrated that for best filter performance in detecting the simulated pollutant species SF6 in the atmosphere, a filter model with two principal components describing the emission background works best. The filter ‘maps’ of SF6 closely follow the integrated spectral intensities measured after removal of suitable backgrounds.
Effect of Perioperative Immunosuppressive Medication on Early Outcome in Crohn’s Disease Patients

The aim of the present study was to examine the early outcome in patients undergoing intestinal resection for Crohn’s disease (CD) while they are receiving perioperative immunosuppressive medication. We reviewed patients with CD undergoing intestinal surgery from 1999 to 2007. Demographics and relevant perioperative information, including medication, were extracted from patient charts. Statistical analysis was performed using Fisher’s exact test. During the course of the study period 112 with Crohn’s disease underwent intestinal resection, and 69 of them were receiving perioperative medication (47, corticosteroids; 39, immunomodulators; and 17, anti-tumor necrosis factor-α antibodies). There were no deaths. Median blood loss was 137 ml. Twenty-two of the patients using perioperative medication (32%) experienced complications, 10 of which were major. The major complications occurred in 3 of the 43 patients (7%) who were not receiving perioperative medications, in 5 of 38 patients (13%) who were receiving one drug, 4 of 28 patients (14%) receiving two drugs, and 1 of 3 patients (33%) receiving three drugs. Thus the occurrence of major complications was not significantly greater in patients receiving perioperative medication. Risk factors for a major complication were intraoperative blood loss >400 ml (P < 0.003) and emergency surgery (P < 0.005). The occurrence of complications in Crohn’s disease patients undergoing intestinal resection was not associated with the use of immunosuppressive medication. However, emergency surgery and blood loss were risk factors, and reflect the difficulty of surgery in this group of patients.
Supplier capacity analysis for a manufacturing firm with a case study

With today's interconnected manufacturing activities in the supply chain, a manufacturer commonly has many suppliers. The capacity planning function may need to be extended to suppliers in order to ensure supplier capacities are not exceeded for part usage planned by the manufacturer. This paper addresses considerations in expanding capacity planning to tier I suppliers and presents a preliminary design of such a program tool. When infinite capacity analysis is applied, a what-if analysis can be included to help identify an improved master production schedule. A case study in an automobile assembly plant demonstrates the application of such a program tool in better addressing its often encountered problems in capacity overloads associated with suppliers.
Performance and dependability modeling with Möbius

Mobius is a multi-paradigm multi-solution framework to describe and analyze stochastic models of discrete-event dynamic systems. Mobius is widely used in academia and industry for the performance and dependability assessment of technical systems. It comes with a design of experiments as well as automated support for distributing a series of simulation experiments over a network to support the exploration of design spaces for real-world applications. In addition to that, the Mobius simulator interfaces with Traviando, a separate trace analyzer and visualizer that helps to investigate the details of a complex model for validation, verification, and debugging purposes. In this paper, we outline the development of a multi-formalism model of a Lustre-like file system, the analysis of its detailed simulated behavior, and the results obtained from a simulation study.
Polymer-based thermo-optic waveguide beam deflector with novel dual folded-thin-strip heating electrodes

A new design scheme for a polymeric waveguide thermo- optic beam deflector is presented and experimentally demonstrated. The refractive indices of the waveguide materials can be thermally tuned by applying electric current through a metal thin film electrode deposited and patterned using standard lithography on top of the waveguide. In doing so, the geometry of the electrode determines the performance and reliability of the beam deflector. We form a pair of heating electrodes sitting opposite to each other like interlocked sawteeth that have a folded-thin-strip substructure, and hence demonstrate an advanced beam deflector that has biangular sweeping capability, low power con- sumption, less wavefront distortion, and high reliability. A full sweep angle of 56.5 mrad (3.24 deg) and 138 switching capability at a 1550 nm wavelength are attained with an average power consumption of 247 mW per switching between adjacent resolvable spots. Switching from the zero-bias spot to the first resolvable spot exhibits a response time of 2 ms in both rising and falling. © 2003 Society of Photo-Optical Instru-
Can emergency physicians utilize ultrasonography to accurately confirm intraosseous needle placement

Study objectives: Obtaining vascular access in a critically ill child can be an imposing task. Intraosseous line placement can be an extremely valuable procedure in managing a pediatric emergency. We seek to determine whether emergency physicians could accurately confirm intraosseous needle placement using ultrasonography. Methods: We performed a prospective interventional educational study. There were 6 study participants. Three emergency medicine residents with limited ultrasonographic experience, 2 registered diagnostic medical sonographer (RDMS)–certified ultrasonographers, and 1 RDMS-eligible ultrasonographer. Each participant was given a brief lecture covering the use of ultrasonography in locating soft tissue foreign bodies (intraosseous needle) and confirming proper intraosseous needle placement during a vascular access laboratory. They were then asked individually to confirm proper intraosseous needle placement in 12 randomized chicken legs using a 10-MHz linear ultrasonographic transducer. Six chicken legs had intraosseous needles placed correctly (confirmed later by direct visualization), and 6 legs had intraosseous needles placed incorrectly in the soft tissues. Data were recorded for each participant. Results: The 6 participants were able to confirm proper intraosseous needle placement with a sensitivity of 100% and specificity of 94% (positive likelihood ratio=19, negative likelihood ratio=0). The 2 RDMS-certified participants and 1 RDMS-eligible participant were able to accurately confirm intraosseous needle placement with 100% sensitivity and specificity. Conclusion: In this prospective interventional educational study, we determined that emergency physicians can accurately confirm intraosseous needle placement. This technique can be valuable in managing the critically ill pediatric patient.
Leptin induces cell migration and the expression of growth factors in human prostate cancer cells

Abstract Background The adipocyte hormone leptin has been shown to increase migration and angiogenesis in epithelial cells. Therefore, we hypothesized that leptin would induce prostate cancer cell migration and growth factor expression in vitro. Methods Prostate cancer cell lines DU145 and PC-3 (androgen-resistant) were treated with leptin over time. Supernatants were assayed for growth factor expression via enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Becton Dickinson-Falcon Transwell systems were used to assay leptin-induced migration. Results Leptin significantly induced expression of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), transforming growth factor-β1 (TGF-β1), and basic fibroblast growth factor (bFGF) in DU145 and PC-3 cells. Prostate cancer cell migration was enhanced by leptin and inhibited 50% to 70% with the addition of mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) and phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI3K) inhibitors. Conclusions The mitogenic effects of leptin on cancer cells, in combination with the increased migration and expression of growth factors, overall likely contributes to the progression of prostate cancer. Therefore, obesity associated with high leptin levels should be considered a risk factor in prostate cancer patients.
Theory of Moxon-Rae type detectors II

Abstract Theoretical development of the Moxon-Rae detector's detection mechanism has been extended to include photoelectric effect and pair production for (γ, e) processes in addition to the previously considered Compton scattering. Further the converters now include Al and Pb along with C that was treated in the earlier theory. Quantitative calculations of the electron production probability , f (1) ( E , t ) and the electron transmission probability , f (2) ( E , t ) have been made for C, Al and Pb converters for photon energy E γ up to 10 MeV. A comparison of our f (1) ( E , t ) f (2) ( E , t ) values with the recently published Monte Carlo calculations of the response of Moxon-Rae detectors indicates that the two sets of values agree rather well. Various parameters useful for similar calculations, employing other converters, are also included.
The long-term effects of alar base reduction.

ObjectiveTo statistically analyze the long-term results of alar base reduction after rhinoplasty. MethodsAmong a consecutive series of 100 rhinoplasty cases, 19 patients required alar base reductio...
Marital Communication Across the Generations: Learning and Rebellion, Continuity and Change

This study examined the influence of parents' marital styles on their children's marriage. A cross-sectional study of two generations of married couples using Fitzpatrick's Relational Dimensions Instrument found the following. Whereas children do not blindly or totally replicate their parents' marital styles, they do appear to learn some aspects of their own marital style (sharing and traditionalism) from their parents, providing their parents are satisfied with their marriage. The results also show changes in marital styles consistent with common notions of changes in our culture (more sharing and less traditionalism). Young husbands rebelled against their fathers' style of conflict by selecting a different conflict style. Young husbands also married wives with conflict styles unlike their mothers. Young wives married husbands like their fathers in terms of traditionalism. Finally, certain aspects of the marital styles of both fathers and mothers predicted their daughters' marital satisfaction.
Fabrication of Alumina Nanotubes and Nanowires by Etching Porous Alumina Membranes

Porous alumina membranes are commercially available and have been widely used in recent nanoscale research, for example, as templates in nanowire fabrication through electrodeposition. In this report, we present a new use for porous alumina membranes in the fabrication of alumina nanotubes/nanowires desired in electrochemical devices and catalytic applications. A high yield of alumina nanotubes/nanowires is obtained by etching porous alumina membranes in an aqueous sodium hydroxide solution. We studied the effects of etching time and solution concentration and characterized the alumina nanotubes/nanowires using a scanning electron microscope (SEM). A discussion of the possible mechanism for the formation of nanotubes/nanowires is given. Our results also imply that in nanowire fabrication through the template approach where alumina membranes are removed with sodium hydroxide solution to release the nanowires special attention is needed in characterizing the nanowires with the SEM because alumina nanotubes/nanowires can be easily mistaken for electrodeposited nanowires.
Predictive control of surface mean slope and roughness in a thin film deposition process

Abstract This work focuses on the development of a model predictive control algorithm to simultaneously regulate the surface slope and roughness of a thin film growth process to optimize thin film light reflectance and transmittance. Specifically, a thin film deposition process modeled on a one-dimensional triangular lattice that involves two microscopic processes: an adsorption process and a migration process, is considered. Kinetic Monte Carlo (kMC) methods are used to simulate the thin film deposition process. To characterize the surface morphology and to evaluate the light trapping efficiency of the thin film, surface roughness and surface slope are introduced as the root mean squares of the surface height profile and surface slope profile. An Edwards–Wilkinson (EW)-type equation is used to describe the dynamics of the surface height profile and predict the evolution of the root-mean-square (RMS) roughness and RMS slope. A model predictive control algorithm is then developed on the basis of the EW equation model to regulate the RMS slope and the RMS roughness at desired levels by optimizing the substrate temperature at each sampling time. The model parameters of the EW equation are estimated from simulation data through least-square methods. Closed-loop simulation results demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed model predictive control algorithm in successfully regulating the RMS slope and the RMS roughness at desired levels that optimize thin film light reflectance and transmittance.
Relationship between the supply of primordial follicles and the onset of follicular growth in rats.

Primordial follicles enter a state of suspended animation when they are formed and constitute a "stockpile" from which all growing follicles are derived. The factors that release individual follicles from their quiescent state are unknown. Many investigators believe that the number of follicles in the primordial stockpile is a major factor in determining the rate at which follicles begin to grow. However, the relationship between the size of the stockpile of primordial follicles and the rate at which follicles move into the growing pool is unclear. The purpose of the present study was to attempt to clarify this relationship. The initial size of the stockpile of primordial follicles was experimentally reduced by exposing rats to various doses of busulphan (BUS) in utero. Ovaries were collected at various ages postpartum and prepared for histological analysis. A computer-controlled image analyzer was used to perform size/frequency analysis of oocytes in control and treated ovaries; onset of follicular growth was recognized by enlargement of the oocyte. There was an inverse correlation between the number of primordial follicles in the ovary at birth and the rate at which they moved into the growing pool. In rats most severely affected by the BUS, all of the remaining follicles began to grow very early in life. By the time these severely affected rats reached adulthood, the stockpile of primordial follicles had been nearly exhausted. Nevertheless, the number of large antral follicles remained at normal levels until the follicular reserve was completely depleted. These observations may provide insight into the mechanisms that maintain normal ovarian function during the waning reproductive years but result in accelerated follicular loss at the approach of menopause.
Effects of menstrual phase on intake of nicotine, caffeine, and alcohol and nonprescribed drugs in women with late luteal phase dysphoric disorder

To investigate the possibility that cigarette smoking and other drug use are affected by menstrual phase in smokers with Late Luteal Phase Dysphoric Disorder (LLPDD), we examined daily diaries rating menstrual symptomatology, smoking, alcohol and nonprescription drug use, and caffeine intake in nine female smokers meeting criteria for LLPDD. Menstrual symptomatology peaked during the premenstrual phase. Smoking, alcohol, and nonprescription drug intake were increased during menses; caffeine intake was unaffected by phase. No systematic intrasubject correlation between symptomatology and smoking was detected. It was concluded that in women with LLPDD, smoking and alcohol and nonprescription drug intake appear to vary as a function of menstrual phase. The lack of intrasubject correlations between symptomatology and intake, and the failure of peak intake to coincide with peak symptomatology, however, indicate that these effects cannot be explained simply as "self-medication" of acute episodes of dysphoric mood.
Hemodynamics of Carotid Artery Atherosclerotic Occlusive Disease

Hemodynamic mechanisms for the initiation and progression of carotid bifurcation atherosclerotic occlusive disease have been extensively researched during the past few decades. Attention has focused on the carotid bulb, or sinus, where most atherosclerotic plaques are found. Herein, the authors review the seminal works that have led to an understanding of not only complex local hemodynamics but also the elicited specific biologic response. In addition, new analysis of the age-dependent morphologic maturation of the human carotid bifurcation is unveiled. Understanding the role of hemodynamics in atherogenesis may lead to the improvement of minimally invasive endovascular therapy and noninvasive strategies.
Summary of the AUA Guideline on Management of Primary Vesicoureteral Reflux in Children

Purpose: The American Urological Association established the Vesicoureteral Reflux Guideline Update Committee in July 2005 to update the management of primary vesicoureteral reflux in children guideline. The Panel defined the task into 5 topics pertaining to specific vesicoureteral reflux management issues, which correspond to the management of 3 distinct index patients and the screening of 2 distinct index patients. This report summarizes the existing evidence pertaining to children with diagnosed reflux including those young or older than 1 year without evidence of bladder and bowel dysfunction and those older than 1 year with evidence of bladder and bowel dysfunction. From this evidence clinical practice guidelines were developed to manage the clinical scenarios insofar as the data permit.Materials and Methods: The Panel searched the MEDLINE® database from 1994 to 2008 for all relevant articles dealing with the 5 chosen guideline topics. The database was reviewed and each abstract segregated into a spe...
A platform for applying multiple machine learning strategies to the task of understanding gene structure

Describes a system to support multiple machine learning strategies applied to the analysis of gene structure in general and the fine-structure of gene regulatory regions in particular. The focus is on two related tasks. The first is to take an overly generalized description of gene structure, represented as a formal grammar, and generate a detailed fine-structure description of a gene family (in this case the, beta -hemoglobin family); this amounts to a restricted form of grammar induction. The second task is to identify patterns in the sequence of uncharacterized DNA that specify functional regions involved in gene regulation. Because too few properly classified training examples are usually available to support statistical induction of pattern descriptors, the authors have instead used a variant of case-based reasoning to identify patterns in uncharacterized DNA by comparison to analogous cases in well-characterized DNA. >
Polyimide fatigue induced chip surface damage in DRAM's Lead-On-Chip (LOC) packages

The effect of mechanical fatigue on reliability failure was studied, based on plastic fracture mechanics including stress intensity factor, stress singularity, micro-plastic deformation behavior, and stress-strain characteristics. The fatigue has made the mechanical stability of novel lead-on-chip (LOC) packaging technologies a grave concern. The dominant issue is device failure related to fracture in the passivation layers and Al-Si-Cu metal due to polyimide cracking caused by fatigue in temperature cycles. To investigate the effect of polyimide fatigue on chip surface damage, devices were fabricated with different types of polyimides. A fatigue model obtained from the experiment and the simulated results of plastic deformation behavior were discussed. The validity of the proposed fatigue model was verified by experiments on different types of epoxy molding compounds. The results of these characterizations and an explanation of the primary factors affecting polyimide fatigue are presented in this paper.
Direct Comparison of the BD Phoenix System with the MicroScan WalkAway System for Identification and Antimicrobial Susceptibility Testing of Enterobacteriaceae and Nonfermentative Gram-Negative Organisms

The Phoenix automated microbiology system (BD Diagnostics, Sparks, MD) is designed for the rapid identification (ID) and antimicrobial susceptibility testing (AST) of clinically significant human bacterial pathogens. We evaluated the performance of the Phoenix instrument in comparison with that of the MicroScan WalkAway system (Dade Behring, West Sacramento, CA) in the ID and AST of gram-negative clinical strains and challenge isolates of Enterobacteriaceae (n = 150) and nonfermentative gram-negative bacilli (NFGNB; 45 clinical isolates and 8 challenge isolates). ID discrepancies were resolved with the API 20E and API 20NE conventional biochemical ID systems (bioMerieux, Durham, NC). The standard disk diffusion method was used to resolve discordant AST results. The overall percentages of agreement between the Phoenix ID results and the MicroScan results at the genus and species levels for clinical isolates of Enterobacteriaceae were 98.7 and 97.7%, respectively; following resolution with conventional biochemical testing, the accuracy of the Phoenix system was determined to be 100%. For NFGNB, the levels of agreement were 100 and 97.7%, respectively. Both systems incorrectly identified the majority of the uncommon nonfermentative nonpseudomonal challenge isolates recovered from cystic fibrosis patients; these isolates are not included in the databases of the respective systems. For AST of Enterobacteriaceae, the rate of complete agreement between the Phoenix results and the MicroScan results was 97%; the rates of very major, major, and minor errors were 0.3, 0.2, and 2.7%, respectively. For NFGNB, the rate of complete agreement between the Phoenix results and the MicroScan results was 89.1%; the rates of very major, major, and minor errors were 0, 0.5, and 7.7%, respectively. Following the confirmatory testing of nine clinical isolates initially screened by the MicroScan system as possible extended-spectrum-β-lactamase (ESBL)-producing organisms (seven Klebsiella pneumoniae isolates and two Escherichia coli isolates), complete agreement was achieved for eight isolates (one ESBL positive and seven negative); one false positive was obtained with the Phoenix instrument. The MicroScan system correctly detected the 10 ESBL challenge isolates, versus the 6 detected by the Phoenix system. Overall, there was good correlation between the Phoenix instrument and the MicroScan system for the ID and AST of Enterobacteriaceae and common NFGNB. The Phoenix system is a reliable method for the ID and AST of the majority of clinical strains encountered in the clinical microbiology laboratory. Until additional performance data are available, results for all Klebsiella pneumoniae or Klebsiella oxytoca and E. coli isolates screened and confirmed as ESBL producers by any automated system should be confirmed by alternate methods prior to the release of final results.
What Is the Role of Serial High-Sensitivity Troponin Measurements in Chronic Heart Failure?

In the past decade, there has been a veritable explosion of studies examining cardiac biomarkers in heart failure (HF).2 Among the many reasons for this fact is that measurements of such biomarkers as natriuretic peptides (the current gold standard biomarker for HF diagnosis, prognosis, and management decision-making) are easy and safe to obtain, and they can potentially reveal important information about the patient at the biological level. Another class of cardiac biomarkers, the cardiac troponins, also provides important information about the prognosis of patients with HF. Studies have shown that cardiac troponins are typically measurable and sometimes frankly increased in HF patients, with values being closely linked with the severity of illness. Patients with more severe HF usually show higher cardiac troponin concentrations, intriguingly often independently of a diagnosis of coronary artery disease. Interestingly, cardiac troponins have been shown to be independently prognostic in both acute HF (1) and chronic HF (2), even after adjusting for natriuretic peptide concentrations. With a new generation of high-sensitivity cardiac troponin assays now or soon to be available, it is possible to detect minute amounts of circulating cardiac troponins with high precision. A substantial percentage of the patients with HF have measurable cardiac troponin values in high-sensitivity assays, often above the 99th percentile for a normal healthy population. For example, in a prior study, Latini and colleagues used a high-sensitivity cardiac troponin T (hs-cTnT) assay to measure cTnT among patients in the Valsartan Heart Failure Trial (Val-HeFT) (3) and reported the biomarker to be measurable in 92% of the study participants and—importantly for prognosis—before and after an adjustment for natriuretic peptides. This finding is of importance for both monitoring and managing HF, because high-sensitivity cardiac troponin measurements could theoretically be leveraged for monitoring chronic HF stability. If therapies specifically tailored for ameliorating the …
ASSESSING HUMAN-AUTOMATION SYSTEM SAFETY, EFFICIENCY, AND PERFORMANCE: DEVELOPING A METRICS FRAMEWORK

Automation is an important and widely utilized component in work environments across many domains; it is useful for completing tasks too dangerous or cumbersome for personnel to complete by themselves. Despite its benefits, potential issues can occur that may impact safety and efficiency in the overall humanautomation system. To realize the benefits of automation, designers must be able to measure and assess the levels of safety and efficiency. This paper will discuss a theoretical framework to guide the development and selection of metrics for assessing human-automation interaction.
Adaptive multi-sensor integration in uncertain environment with imperfect sensors

An adaptive multisensor/data fusion algorithm which can be employed in an uncertain environment using imperfect sensors is developed. The algorithm assumes little prior information about the sensed environment and the sensors, and adaptively adjusts the weights for the best fusion of inaccurate information provided by the multiple sensors. The term 'best' is used in the sense that the results of the adaptive fusion are as close to the optimal ones as possible. >
Evolving Concepts in the Diagnosis and Treatment of Arterial High Flow Priapism

AbstractPurpose: We investigated 2 evolving concepts in the management of arterial priapism: 1) the efficacy of perineal duplex Doppler ultrasound as a diagnostic alternative to arteriography and 2) the therapeutic alternative of expectant management.Materials and Methods: We evaluated 10 patients with high flow arterial priapism.Results: Compared to selective internal pudendal arteriography, perineal duplex Doppler ultrasonography was associated with 100 percent sensitivity and 73 percent specificity rates. Compared to physical examination, followup duplex ultrasonography had a sensitivity of 75 percent and specificity of 100 percent. Followup penile duplex ultrasound demonstrated restoration of antegrade flow in the cavernous artery after embolization. Patients on expectant management remained potent as long as 31 years.Conclusions: Diagnostic perineal duplex Doppler ultrasonography and expectant management are valuable tools for the treatment of arterial priapism. A new algorithm for patient care is pr...
Oral and maxillofacial surgery in patients with chronic orofacial pain.

Abstract Purpose: In this investigation, we evaluated a population of patients with chronic orofacial pain who sought treatment at a pain center in an academic institution. These patients were evaluated with respect to 1) the frequency and types of previous oral and maxillofacial surgery procedures, 2) the frequency of previous significant misdiagnoses, and 3) the number of patients who subsequently required surgical treatment as recommended by an interdisciplinary orofacial pain team. The major goal of this investigation was to determine the role of oral and maxillofacial surgery in patients with chronic orofacial pain. Patients and Methods: The study population included patients seen at the Center for Oral, Facial and Head Pain at New York Presbyterian Hospital from January 1999 through April 2001. (120 patients; female-to-male ratio, 3:1; mean age, 49 years; average pain duration, 81 months; average number of previous specialists, 6). The patient population was evaluated by an interdisciplinary orofacial pain team and the following characteristics of this population were profiled: 1) the frequency and types of previous surgical procedures, 2) diagnoses, 3) the frequency of previous misdiagnoses, and 4) treatment recommendations made by the center team. Results: There was a history of previous oral and maxillofacial surgical procedures in 38 of 120 patients (32%). Procedures performed before our evaluation included endodontics (30%), extractions (27%), apicoectomies (12%), temporomandibular joint (TMJ) surgery (6%), neurolysis (5%), orthognathic surgery (3%), and debridement of bone cavities (2%). Surgical intervention clearly exacerbated pain in 21 of 38 patients (55%) who had undergone surgery. Diagnoses included myofascial pain (50%), atypical facial neuralgia (40%), depression (30%), TMJ synovitis (14%), TMJ osteoarthritis (12%), trigeminal neuralgia (10%), and TMJ fibrosis (2%). Treatment recommendations included medications (91%), physical therapy (36%), psychiatric management (30%), trigger injections (15%), oral appliances (13%), biofeedback (13%), acupuncture (8%), surgery (4%), and Botox injections (1%) (Allergan Inc, Irvine, CA). Gross misdiagnosis leading to serious sequelae, with delay of necessary treatment, occurred in 6 of 120 patients (5%). Conclusions: Misdiagnosis and multiple failed treatments were common in these patients with chronic orofacial pain. These patients often have multiple diagnoses, requiring management by multiple disciplines. Surgery, when indicated, must be based on a specific diagnosis that is amenable to surgical therapy. However, surgical treatment was rarely indicated as a treatment for pain relief in these patients with chronic orofacial pain, and it exacerbated and perpetuated pain symptoms in some of them. © 2003 American Association of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons J Oral Maxillofac Surg 61:662-667, 2003
Probability and Random Variables

Most signals we deal with in practice are random (unpredictable or erratic) and not deterministic. Random signals are encountered in one form or another in every practical communication system. They occur in communication both as information-conveying signal and as unwanted noise signal.
A Web Application for Automated Dialect Analysis

Sociolinguists are regularly faced with the task of measuring phonetic features from speech, which involves manually transcribing audio recordings ‐ a major bottleneck to analyzing large collections of data. We harness automatic speech recognition to build an online end-to-end web application where users upload untranscribed speech collections and receive formant measurements of the vowels in their data. We demonstrate this tool by using it to automatically analyze President Barack Obama’s vowel pronunciations.
A spatial–temporal double-hurdle model for extremely over-dispersed avian count data

Abstract Several wind energy facilities are currently being planned for offshore Atlantic waters of the United States. However, relatively little is known about the distribution, abundance and spatio-temporal variability of marine birds in their offshore habitats and it is becoming increasingly necessary to accurately characterize these demographic parameters before assessing the influence of factors such as offshore energy development on populations. Thus, we incorporate a multi-scale approach to develop models for the space-time distribution and abundance of marine birds to identify potential high-use areas in need of further study. With data taken from past and ongoing survey efforts, we provide relative abundance and density estimates for marine birds over a wide geographical area during multiple years. Due to the excessive amount of zeros as well as extremely large counts exhibited in the data, a double-hurdle model is formulated that includes a negative binomial and a generalized Pareto distribution mixture. Spatial heterogeneity is modeled using a conditional auto-regressive (CAR) prior, and a Fourier basis was used for seasonal variation. We demonstrate our model by creating probability maps that show areas of high-abundance and aggregation for twenty-four species of marine bird.
SERS detection of uranyl using functionalized gold nanostars promoted by nanoparticle shape and size.

The radius of curvature of gold (Au) nanostar tips but not the overall particle dimensions can be used for understanding the large and quantitative surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) signal of the uranyl (UO2)2+ moiety. The engineered roughness of the Au nanostar architecture and the distance between the gold surface and uranyl cations are promoted using carboxylic acid terminated alkanethiols containing 2, 5, and 10 methylene groups. By systematically varying the self-assembled monolayer (SAM) thickness with these molecules, the localized surface plasmon resonance (LSPR) spectral properties are used to quantify the SAM layer thickness and to promote uranyl coordination to the Au nanostars in neutral aqueous solutions. Successful uranyl detection is demonstrated for all three functionalized Au nanostar samples as indicated by enhanced signals and red-shifts in the symmetric U(VI)–O stretch. Quantitative uranyl detection is achieved by evaluating the integrated area of these bands in the uranyl fingerprint window. By varying the concentration of uranyl, similar free energies of adsorption are observed for the three carboxylic acid terminated functionalized Au nanostar samples indicating similar coordination to uranyl, but the SERS signals scale inversely with the alkanethiol layer thickness. This distance dependence follows previously established models assuming that roughness features associated with the radius of curvature of the tips are considered. These results indicate that SERS signals using functionalized Au nanostar substrates can provide quantitative detection of small molecules and that the tip architecture plays an important role in understanding the resulting SERS intensities.
Analysis of Performance and Emission Characteristics of a Homogeneous Charge Compression Ignition (HCCI) Engine

Abstract In internal combustion engines, soot-NOx paradox is extremely challenging issue, which remains to be resolved. Homogeneous charge compression ignition (HCCI) is a new combustion concept that gives benefits such as diesel like efficiency and resolves the problem of high level of NOx and PM simultaneously. It gives very high rate of heat release which cannot be easily controlled. The present work deals with development of HCCI engine and performance and emission investigations of combustion on petrol fuelled single cylinder engine. Homogeneous mixture preparation is the most critical part of the HCCI combustion concept. To achieve homogeneous mixture of fuel and air, petrol was used. The mixture was introduced in combustion chamber through carburetor, controlled by throttling, the intake manifold specially fabricated for the engine under consideration. Experiments were performed at variable speed to observe behavior of HCCI combustion. The engine's load carrying capacity was controlled by regulating the air and fuel flow. It was observed that engine could run smoothly at lean air fuel mixture but knocking was noticed at rich air fuel mixture. Compared with base engine, NOx and smoke opacity were observed to be reduced by 78% and 100% respectively with modified engine (HCCI) as compared to base engine.
The HL-60 Cells Response to Various Particle Sizes of Tetracalcium Phosphate Ceramic Delivery System

The specific objective of this investigation is to study the effect of tetracalcium phosphate (TeCP) delivery system fabricated from three different particle sizes (<38, 45 and 75 um) on the viability of HL-60 cell line in culture. Each TeCP reservoir was fabricated using standard protocols. The sintered microcrystal material were cold pressed at 5000 kg compression load, sterilized and loaded into wells pre-plated with 106 HL-60 cells. At the end of 24, 48, and 72 hours, the supernatants (cell suspension) from the wells were collected for cell count (a hemacytometer method) and lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) assays. The cells were evaluated for structural cellular damage by using conventional histopathological protocols (H&E stain). Results obtained from this investigation suggest the followings: (i) particle sizes are key elements in developing TeCP delivery system, (ii) the use of <38 um particle sizes would be favorable for long duration of delivering biologicals from the TeCP reservoirs due to the viability of HL-60 cells, (iii) LDH activities were directly proportional the particle sizes of the ceramic capsules compared to the control and (iv) there were less cellular structural changes in devices fabricated from <38 um particle sizes and the cells became more reactive with an increase in particle sizes.
Self-focusing dynamics of coupled optical beams

In this Letter, we investigate both theoretically and experimentally the spatial collapse dynamics of two coherently coupled beams in Kerr media. We observe repulsion and attraction between the collapsing beams, and a sharp transition to fusion of the beams, which is dependent on their initial power, spatial separation and relative phase. We further show that this transition, accompanied by a peak in the collapse distance, can be exploited to control and manipulate the collapse dynamics of two coupled beams. Our results shed light on the basic nonlinear interaction between self-focused collapsing beams and are applicable in different scenarios, including that of multiple filamentation and collapse of complex multilobe beams such as necklace beams [25]. To investigate the propagation and collapse of two spatially separated beams in Kerr media, we numerically +� ] + +�