cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Should children attend their parent's funeral?

Abstract Bereaved children and their surviving parents were interviewed regarding participation in and reaction to funeral activities following the death of one parent. Most children were expected to go and wanted to go to funeral activities and were reportedly emotionally controlled at funeral activities. Participation in and reactions to funeral activities did not predict increased psychiatric symptomatology at 2-months postdeath. Based on these preliminary data it seems that attendance at funeral activities is not in itself detrimental to a child's mental health in the short term. Long-term follow-up of these children is recommended.
Influences of combustion dynamics on linear and nonlinear unsteady motions in solid propellant rockets

This paper is a report of work in progress, part of the Caltech MURI Program: Novel Energetic Materials to Stabilize Rocket Motors. The primary technical objective of the MURI Program is to understand the connections between propellant composition and chemistry, and the dynamical behavior observed in solid propellant rocket motors. Here we are concerned with the theoretical framework in which chamber dynamics are investigated; and certain aspects of combustion dynamics represented by the response function which is ultimately the macroscopic realization of the propellant chemistry and combustion. Some results are given to illustrate possible influences of the frequency spectrum of the response function on linear and nonlinear motions in a solid rocket. A simple model is described which is extended eventually to provide a way to model phenomenologically some of the observed characteristics of the combustion dynamics of a burning solid propellant.
Cryogenic level detector and level control circuit

A circuit was devised for determining the liquid level in a sealed helium reservoir. The circuit comprises a neon lamp in parallel with a carbon resistor; the lamp lights only when the resistor is in the liquid helium. A similar circuit was devised as a liquid nitrogen level controller. (D.L.C.)
Characterization of p-n junctions under the influence of a time varying mechanical strain

Abstract This paper is concerned with the influence of time varying mechanical stress on the electrical properties of p-n junctions. A strain generator based upon a vibrating cantilever beam is described. Data obtained on silicon junctions are presented and compared to a theoretical model for the effects. The results indicate that the major effect of mechanical strain is to change the energy band structure of the semiconductor.
Potentials 'R'Us web-server for protein energy estimations with coarse-grained knowledge-based potentials

Background Knowledge-based potentials have been widely used in the last 20 years for fold recognition, protein structure prediction from amino acid sequence, ligand binding, protein design, and many other purposes. However generally these are not readily accessible online.
Microanalysis of serum triglycerides with or without separation by thin-layer chromatography

Abstract A manual colormetric procedure for the determination of tissue or serum triglyceride is described. This procedure utilizes very stable reagents and will allow for analysis of triglycerides after separation by TLC without prior extraction from the silica gel. Serum triglyceride analysis requires only 20 μl.
Uptake of Bromide by Two Wetland Plants (Typha latifolia L. and Phragmites australis (Cav.) Trin. ex Steud)

The successful use of bromide (Br-) as a conservative tracer for hydrological tests in wetland systems requires minimal Br- loss due to plant uptake. The uptake of Br- by two wetland plants, cattail (Typha latifolia L.) and reed grass (Phragmites australis (Cav.) Trin. ex Steud), was investigated in greenhouse flow-through microcosms. Concentrations of Br- and other pertinent constituents in sediment pore water were measured at 2 cm depth increments in the sediment column. The vertical Br- concentration profiles in the sediments clearly revealed Br- uptake by T. latifolia and by P. australis. X-ray spectroscopy studies of bromine in plant samples revealed the accumulation of Br- in root and leaf tissues. Plant transpiration was found to significantly concentrate dissolved species in sediments and was accounted for in the calculations of Br uptake rates. Michaelis-Menten kinetics satisfactorily describe Br- uptake by T. latifolia. The uptake of Br- by P. australis, however, showed unique features that could not be described using Michaelis-Menten kinetics. The addition of chloride (Cl-) effectively inhibited Br- uptake, and the uptake of Cl- and Br- by T. latifolia was shown to follow dual-substrate Michaelis-Menten kinetics. Results of this study indicate that the use of Br- for tracer experiments in vegetated wetland systems should be evaluated with great caution.
Applying effective instructional strategies for teaching dyslexic students in a remedial college algebra course

For many secondary and postsecondary students with dyslexia, passing required algebra courses presents a formidable challenge. Although dyslexic students do have specific and sometimes severe learning deficits that can affect their chances of success in algebra, they can succeed if given appropriate and effective instruction that meets their special and individual needs. This article briefly describes the application of effective instructional practices to the teaching of remedial algebra that have been used with dyslexic students in the University of Wisconsin Oshkosh Project Success program.
Advanced Poly-Si NMIS and Poly-Si/TiN PMIS Hybrid-Gate High-k CMIS using PVD/CVD-Stacked TiN and Local Strain Technique

Performance of advanced hybrid-gate CMOS (poly-Si/HfSiON nMIS and poly-Si/TiN/HfSiON pMIS) is demonstrated. Vth of pMIS is controlled by fluorine implantation and by PVD/CVD-stacked TiN, which has higher WF than conventional single-CVD TiN. This combination enables sufficient Vth-control without degradation of device characteristics by excessive fluorine. Performance boosters such as strain enhancement techniques and laser annealing are easily and successfully introduced, and high current drivability is obtained. This advanced hybrid structure is promising for CMIS platforms of 45-nm node and beyond.
Tomorrow's Cities, Tomorrow's Suburbs by William H. Lucy and David L. Philips

This is an interesting and intriguing book with familiar themes about cities in decline and their resurrection. It is worth considering because the authors examine the evolution and health of citie...
Starmarker- : a fast and robust RGB-based saturation watermarking system for pan-sharpened IKONOS and QuickBird imagery

Originated from the extensive applications of remotely sensed imagery, Earth observation missions have drawn increasing attention from the scientific and industrial communities. Mostly available in digital forms, remote sensing imagery is easily distributed for unauthorized use, and its copyright protection is becoming nontrivial. For the watermarking of pan-sharpened IKONOS and QuickBird imagery, in this work, a fast and robust approach is proposed for preventing illegal use and malicious modification. Directly in RGB color space, multiple watermarks are embedded into the saturation component by exploiting the properties of intensity-hue-saturation color space and the discrete cosine transform. To resist general cropping, rotation, and resizing attacks on remote sensing imagery, a real system, named StarMarker, was implemented and tested. Experimental results show that this scheme can successfully make the multiple watermarks perceptually invisible and defeat composite attacks of cropping with rotation, high-pass filtering, saturation and hue adjustment, and JPEG compression. The merits of the proposed watermarking system not only provide promising performance but also achieve the purpose of copyright protection.
The impact of tannins on protein, dry matter, and energy digestion in moose (Alces alces)

Recent work suggests that moose (Alces alces (L., 1758)) in the boreal ecoregion may be nutritionally limited by the availability of protein as a consequence of both low nitrogen (N) concentrations and high tannin levels in their principal foods. However, the ability of moose to digest protein in the presence of tannins is unknown. We undertook a series of digestion trials with captive moose to quantify the effects of tannins and compare the digestive capabilities of moose to other browsing cervids. We fed four moose 14 single-species diets including 10 native tannin-containing forages and 4 non-tanniferous foods over four winters. True protein digestibility in moose was 92%, and metabolic fecal N excretion was estimated at 0.389 g N/100 g dry matter (DM) intake. Tannins reduced protein digestion, on average, by 38%, and the rate of reduction in protein digestion was estimated to be 8.28 g protein/100 g DM per unit protein-precipitating capacity. The digestion of protein, neutral detergent fiber, DM, and ...
A New Approach to Cartilage Tissue Engineering Using Human Dermal Fibroblasts Seeded on Three-Dimensional Polymer Scaffolds

Current methods for correcting articular cartilage defects are limited by a scarcity of cartilage cells. Here we describe a novel method for the conversion of human dermal fibroblasts to chondrocyte-like cells and the potential application of this methodology to cartilage tissue engineering. Human neonatal foreskin fibroblasts were seeded on two-dimensional, tissue culture polystyrene (TCPS) in high density micromass cultures in the presence of staurosporine (50-200 nM), a protein kinase C (PKC) inhibitor, and lactic acid (40 mM) to induce functional hypoxia. Dermal fibroblasts were similarly cultured on three-dimensional polymer scaffolds composed of a non-woven polyglycolic acid (PGA) fiber mesh reinforced in a dilute solution of poly(L-lactic acid) (PLLA). At 24 hours, northern analysis revealed a staurosporine dose-dependent increase in aggrecan core protein expression in lactate-treated micromass cultures on TCPS, while type I collagen gene expression was virtually abolished in all cultures supplemented with staurosporine. The cells in these cultures displayed a rounded, cobblestone-shaped morphology typical of differentiated chondrocytes (most pronounced at 200 n.M staurosporine and 40 mM lactate), and were organized into nodules which stained positively with Alcian blue. When seeded on PGA/PLLA matrices under identical conditions as described for TCPS, a chondrocyte-like morphology was observed in cultures treated with lactate and staurosporine in contrast to the flattened sheets of fibroblast-like cells seen in untreated controls. Taken together, the above findings suggest that staurosporine treatment coupled with high density micromass culture in the presence of lactate induces chondrogenic differentiation in human dermal fibroblasts, and that these cells may be used in concert with three-dimensional polymer scaffolds for the repair of articular cartilage lesions.
Piezoresistive Reponse of Aligned Carbon Nanotube Arrays for Flow Sensing Applications

We investigate the electromechanical sensing capabilities of aligned carbon nanotube (CNT) arrays as a means for a lightweight and simple electromechanical transduction element. CNT array heights of 25 and 350 μm are examined using a modified dynamic mechanical analyzer (DMA) to impart multiple strain-based test configurations while simultaneously measuring electrical resistance. Observed gauge factors range from 12.5 for the 25μm array to greater than 190 for the 350 μm array, with a peak sensitivity of 13,750 ohms/gram force achieved for the 350 μm array. The electromechanical response observed was independent of the examined frequency range, suggesting high fidelity sensory capabilities. Results of this study serve as a preliminary proof of concept for using CNT arrays as a transduction mechanism for a proposed artificial hair sensor for small air vehicles.Copyright © 2011 by ASME
Telomerase immortalization of human corneal endothelial cells yields functional hexagonal monolayers.

Human corneal endothelial cells (HCEnCs) form a monolayer of hexagonal cells whose main function is to maintain corneal clarity by regulating corneal hydration. HCEnCs are derived from neural crest and are arrested in the post-mitotic state. Thus cell loss due to aging or corneal endothelial disorders leads to corneal edema and blindness–the leading indication for corneal transplantation. Here we show the existence of morphologically distinct subpopulations of HCEnCs that are interspersed among primary cells and exhibit enhanced self-renewal competence and lack of phenotypic signs of cellular senescence. Colonies of these uniform and hexagonal HCEnCs (HCEnC-21) were selectively isolated and demonstrated high proliferative potential that was dependent on endogenous upregulation of telomerase and cyclin D/CDK4. Further transduction of HCEnC-21 with telomerase yielded a highly proliferative corneal endothelial cell line (HCEnT-21T) that was devoid of oncogenic transformation and retained critical corneal endothelial cell characteristics and functionality. This study will significantly impact the fields of corneal cell biology and regenerative medicine.
The effect of uterine motion and uterine margins on target and normal tissue doses in intensity modulated radiation therapy of cervical cancer.

In intensity modulated radiation therapy (IMRT) of cervical cancer, uterine motion can be larger than cervix motion, requiring a larger clinical target volume to planning target volume (CTV-to-PTV) margin around the uterine fundus. This work simulates different motion models and margins to estimate the dosimetric consequences. A virtual study used image sets from ten patients. Plans were created with uniform margins of 1 cm (PTVA) and 2.4 cm (PTVC), and a margin tapering from 2.4 cm at the fundus to 1 cm at the cervix (PTVB). Three inter-fraction motion models (MM) were simulated. In MM1, all structures moved with normally distributed rigid body translations. In MM2, CTV motion was progressively magnified as one moved superiorly from the cervix to the fundus. In MM3, both CTV and normal tissue motion were magnified as in MM2, modeling the scenario where normal tissues move into the void left by the mobile uterus. Plans were evaluated using static and percentile DVHs. For a conventional margin (PTVA), quasi-realistic uterine motion (MM3) reduces fundus dose by about 5 Gy and increases normal tissue volumes receiving 30–50 Gy by ~5%. A tapered CTV-to-PTV margin can restore fundus and CTV doses, but will increase normal tissue volumes receiving 30–50 Gy by a further ~5%.
Waveform relaxation on tightly coupled systems

The waveform relaxation method applied to a system composed of two tightly coupled subsystems L/sub 1/ and L/sub 2/ is studied. The authors insert three resistors of values -R, 2R, and -R in series with the system of conductors that connect L/sub 1/ and L/sub 2/. The new system is electrically equivalent to the original system, but the authors now partition the new system so that the two partitions overlap at the 2R resistor. They call the new system the overlapped partition. They present a necessary and sufficient condition for convergence of the waveform relaxation process applied to the overlapped partition, derive sufficient conditions that are practical, and discuss the choice of R and the choice of the step size to ensure convergence. Several simple examples are given to show how with the -R+2R-R insertion, convergence is achieved, whereas without it the relaxation process diverges. They also show by examples that the condition that every node is connected to a grounded capacitor is not necessary, even in a tightly coupled system. >
NMR Measurements of 3 He in 3 He- 4 He Mixture Films

3He atoms atop a thin film of 4He constitute a conceptually simple but remarkably rich system in which the 3He, depending on the coverage, can be studied from the extremes of a nearly non-interacting 2D Fermi gas, to a 3D interacting liquid. In such a system, the Fermi temperature depends on coverage and, for the 2D case, may he readily tuned. Several important questions may be asked of this system: (1) how does the behavior of the 3He change as the 3He coverage is increased and the interactions among the atoms increase, (2) how does the 3He interact with the 4He film which supports it, (3) for 3He coverages which approach and exceed a monolayer, how does the 3He evolve from a 2D to a 3D system, (4) are there phase transitions in the system as a function of either 3He coverage or temperature, (5) what are the dynamical properties of the 3He as a function of these parameters?
Time Domain Analysis of SAW Reflectors

A time domain analysis of high-reflectivity SAW reflector arrays is shown to yield values of stripe reflectivity, center frequency, and effective reflections plane penetration. An examination of the approach shows that the results are insensitive to device losses, RF coupling, and transducer response. Experimental results confirm the validity of the technique.
Dialogue for learning: Evaluator as critical friend

If the purpose of evaluation is learning, dialogue can be an effective means for achieving this purpose. This chapter focuses on the crucial role of language in establishing the heuristic stance that fosters dialogic inquiry and thereby enhances the effectiveness of evaluation. The role of the evaluator in facilitating dialogue is explicated through examples from practice.
DV/DT related spurious gate turn-on of bidirectional switches in a high-frequency cycloconverter

We identified a failure mode in a two stage dc/ac converter, comprising a high-frequency dc/ac inverter followed by an ac/ac cycloconverter, both operating at the same switching frequency. The failure-mode is a short-circuit condition, which is a combined effect of the reverse recovery of the MOSFET body diode and simultaneous spurious turn-on of the bidirectional switches of the cycloconverter, owing to a significantly high dv/dt (>2/spl times/10/sup 8/V/ns). A high dv/dt causes appreciable current to flow through the gate-to-drain (Miller) capacitance, thereby producing a significant amount of voltage drop across the external gate resistance. Consequently, the gate-to-source voltage of the power MOSFET may exceed the threshold voltage of the device, which turns the device on. We explain the mechanism for the dv/dt-related gate turn-on and present experimental results to validate the explanation. We also demonstrate, how a two-fold increase in the value of external gate resistance of the inverter switches (to reduce the dv/dt applied to the cycloconverter) reduces the periodicity of the short-circuit condition.
Digital processing of the speech of deaf children

Several digital processing techniques have been found to be of value in the computer analysis of the speech of deaf children. These techniques include the cepstrum analysis, chirp z transform, and predictive coding of the speech signal. The application of these techniques to the analysis of deaf speech, and the special problems that are encountered, are discussed. The accuracy of the speech parameter estimates obtained by these techniques is difficult to evaluate since the "true" values are not known. One approach to evaluating the accuracy of estimation is to synthesize the speech using the estimated parameter values. The computer simulation of the speech of deaf children has, thus far, shown a moderate degree of success. The computer synthesis of deaf speech also appears to be a diagnostic tool of great potential for the evaluation and treatment of speech problems.
Selective loss of natural killer T cells by apoptosis following infection with lymphocytic choriomeningitis virus.

Natural killer T (NKT) cells, a unique subpopulation of T cells, coexpress markers also present on NK cells and recognize the major histocompatibility complex class I-like CD1d1 molecule. We studied the effect of an acute virus infection on NKT cells. Mice were infected with the nonhepatotropic Armstrong strain of lymphocytic choriomeningitis virus (LCMV), and at various times postinfection, mononuclear cells from the liver, peritoneum, and spleen were isolated. It was found that within 2 to 3 days, there was a selective loss of NKT cells from the liver with an apparent rapid recovery within 8 to 14 days. There was no increase in peritoneal or splenic NKT cells, indicating that NKT cells did not traffic to these tissues. This loss of NKT cells was independent of gamma interferon (IFN-) and interleukin 12 (IL-12) production, but did occur in mice treated with poly(I-C), a classical inducer of IFN-/. The reduction in NKT cells was CD28 and fas/fasL independent and occurred via apoptosis. It was not observed in LCMV-infected DNA fragmentation factor 45-deficient mice, and an increase in active caspase 3-specific staining was found in liver NKT cells from LCMV-infected and poly(I-C)-treated mice compared to uninfected wild-type mice. Interestingly, it was also found that liver NKT cells from LCMV-infected mice were themselves infected. These results suggest that the loss of NKT cells following an acute LCMV infection could be due to the induction of IFN-/ resulting in NKT-cell apoptosis and is important for the host’s immune response to LCMV.
Stochastic orthogonal and nonorthogonal subspace basis pursuit

Component analysis, or basis methods, provide a lower-dimensional representation of a given data set for compression, compaction, or discrimination. Stochastic basis pursuit addresses the problem of finding an optimal basis, either orthogonal or nonorthogonal, for improved pattern discrimination for pattern recognition applications. In this paper, the results of experiments performed with two stochastic optimization techniques as applied to the optimal basis problem are reported. The cost function is a quadratic discriminant function. Testing is done using three publicly available databases and ten-fold cross-validation. Empirical results demonstrate a twelve to fifteen percent average performance improvement over previous results.
Ejaculate quality in spotted hyenas: intraspecific variation in relation to life-history traits

Sperm competition has received much attention in recent years as a primary form of intrasexual competition among males, but little is known about variation in ejaculate quality in natural mammal populations, particularly among carnivores. Here, we documented variation in semen characteristics among wild male spotted hyenas (Crocuta crocuta). We then tested hypotheses suggesting that reproductive senescence among aging male hyenas is reflected in declining ejaculate quality, and that dispersal status affects ejaculate quality. To address these questions, we electroejaculated 20 wild males, including both immigrants and adult natal males. We found no support for the hypothesis that male spotted hyenas experience reproductive senescence with respect to their ejaculate quality, but we did find that immigrant males had significantly higher ejaculate quality than adult natal males, suggesting that adult natal males may experience reproductive suppression before dispersing. Finally, to test the assumption that an individual's ejaculate quality is consistent over time, we obtained repeated samples from 6 captive male hyenas. This captive work demonstrated significant individual repeatability in ejaculate quality and illustrated the utility of complementing field research with laboratory study. By exploring variation in ejaculate quality and its relationship with life-history traits in this unique species, we have highlighted new avenues for potential research regarding how sexual selection manifests in sex role–reversed species.
Gain and spontaneous emission characteristics of high al-content AlGaN quantum well lasers

The optical gain properties of high Al-content AlGaN quantum wells are analyzed for deep UV lasers. TM-polarized gain is expected for high Al-content AlGaN quantum wells attributed from the conduction - crystal-field split-hole transition.
Neural Substrates of Phonemic Perception

The temporal lobe in the left hemisphere has long been implicated in the perception of speech sounds. Little is known, however, regarding the specific function of different temporal regions in the analysis of the speech signal. Here we show that an area extending along the left middle and anterior superior temporal sulcus (STS) is more responsive to familiar consonant-vowel syllables during an auditory discrimination task than to comparably complex auditory patterns that cannot be associated with learned phonemic categories. In contrast, areas in the dorsal superior temporal gyrus bilaterally, closer to primary auditory cortex, are activated to the same extent by the phonemic and nonphonemic sounds. Thus, the left middle/anterior STS appears to play a role in phonemic perception. It may represent an intermediate stage of processing in a functional pathway linking areas in the bilateral dorsal superior temporal gyrus, presumably involved in the analysis of physical features of speech and other complex non-speech sounds, to areas in the left anterior STS and middle temporal gyrus that are engaged in higher-level linguistic processes.
Amygdala and ventromedial prefrontal cortex are inversely coupled during regulation of negative affect and predict the diurnal pattern of cortisol secretion among older adults

Among younger adults, the ability to willfully regulate negative affect, enabling effective responses to stressful experiences, engages regions of prefrontal cortex (PFC) and the amygdala. Because regions of PFC and the amygdala are known to influence the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis, here we test whether PFC and amygdala responses during emotion regulation predict the diurnal pattern of salivary cortisol secretion. We also test whether PFC and amygdala regions are engaged during emotion regulation in older (62- to 64-year-old) rather than younger individuals. We measured brain activity using functional magnetic resonance imaging as participants regulated (increased or decreased) their affective responses or attended to negative picture stimuli. We also collected saliva samples for 1 week at home for cortisol assay. Consistent with previous work in younger samples, increasing negative affect resulted in ventral lateral, dorsolateral, and dorsomedial regions of PFC and amygdala activation. In contrast to previous work, decreasing negative affect did not produce the predicted robust pattern of higher PFC and lower amygdala activation. Individuals demonstrating the predicted effect (decrease < attend in the amygdala), however, exhibited higher signal in ventromedial prefrontal cortex (VMPFC) for the same contrast. Furthermore, participants displaying higher VMPFC and lower amygdala signal when decreasing compared with the attention control condition evidenced steeper, more normative declines in cortisol over the course of the day. Individual differences yielded the predicted link between brain function while reducing negative affect in the laboratory and diurnal regulation of endocrine activity in the home environment.
Design of a high-throughput low-power IS95 Viterbi decoder

The design of high-throughput large-state Viterbi decoders relies on the use of multiple arithmetic units. The global communication channels among these parallel processors often consist of long interconnect wires, resulting in large area and high power consumption. In this paper, we propose a data-transfer oriented design methodology to implement a low-power 256-state rate-1/3 IS95 Viterbi decoder. Our architectural level scheme uses operation partitioning, packing, and scheduling to analyze and optimize interconnect effects in early design stages. In comparison with other published Viterbi decoders, our approach reduces the global data transfers by up to 75% and decreases the amount of global buses by up to 48%, while enabling the use of deeply pipelined datapaths with no data forwarding. In the RTL implementation of the individual processors, we apply precomputation in conjunction with saturation arithmetic to further reduce power dissipation with provably no coding performance degradation. Designed using a 0.25 /spl mu/m standard cell library, our decoder achieves a throughput of 20 Mbps in simulation and dissipates only 450 mW.
On the margins: the invisibility of communications in geography

Though a few geographers have made communication the object of study, communica- tion has been undertheorized by Anglo-American geographers. When considered, communi- cation has often been conflated with transportation, or been subject to quantification at the expense of sustained analysis of its implications for people and places. The increasingly central sociospatial concerns raised by new digital information technologies, however, suggest the urgency for the discipline to re-evaluate a reluctance to engage with communication processes that, until lately, because of their relative invisibility, may have seemed naturalized or beyond the disciplinary purview. Ironically, new communication technologies, because of the visual repre- sentations in which they trade, allow social and human geography to incorporate study of communication without abandoning an empirical focus on the visible.
Primäre hypercholesterinämische Xanthomatose und idiopathische Hyperlipämie

Bei zwei Krankheiten findet man im Blutserum ohne ersichtlichen Grund eine bedeutende Erhohung des Cholesterin- und des Phosphor-lipoidspiegels : bei der primaren hypercholesterinamischen Xanthomatose und bei der idiopathischen Hyperlipamie.
Endoscopic Ultrasound Staging

Preoperative staging of pancreatic cancer determines the therapeutic approach to the malignancy. The major decision point is whether surgical resection will be attempted or nonoperative therapy will be employed. Cross sectional imaging is often used to initially localize the primary site of a pancreatic malignancy. Although staging of the pancreatic malignancy can be assessed with diagnostic CT and MRI scanning, detailed staging is usually performed with specific staging protocols that involve the use of timed administration of intravenous contrast agents. Endoscopic ultrasound (EUS) uses high frequency ultrasound images to provide detailed imaging of the primary malignancy and its relationship to adjacent structures, such as the portal venous system. With accurate staging, inappropriate therapy, such as unsuccessful surgical resection can be avoided and palliative therapy can be provided to patients with advanced disease.
From Anzac to Afghanistan: have 100 years taught us nothing about the devastation of war?

Commentary On: Atkinson Brigadier (Ret'd) RN, Fraser RD. 100 years—Anzac, Vietnam to now. Spine J 2015:15:2454–6 ( in this issue ). Robertson PA. Gallipoli 100 years on: a New Zealand perspective. Spine J 2015:15:2457–8 ( in this issue ).
The Rational Weight of the Scientific Past: Forging Fundamental Change in a Conservative Discipline

(One of the recurrent foci in David Hull’s research has been the character of history, especially history of science. He has, indeed, been an eloquent defender of enlightened whiggism in history of science during decades when, for all the wrong reasons, whiggism has gone out of fashion. At the heart of the debates between anti-whigs and people like David Hull has been a disagreement about whether the past has a legitimate justificatory role in contemporary debates about science. I have written this essay for this volume as an effort to sketch put a picture of one important kind of justification which the history of science has often been expected to provide.)
Simulating the Inter-Building Effect on energy consumption from embedding phase change materials in building envelopes

Abstract The built environment contributes significantly to rapidly growing world energy consumption. Along with urbanization, buildings continue to escalate this trend owing to their tighter spatial interrelationships and the influence of their surrounding micro-environment. The concept of the Inter-Building Effect (IBE) was introduced to understand complex mutual impacts within spatially-proximal buildings. Recent research has revealed that inter-building reflection or shading can have nuanced effects on a month-by-month basis depending on the climatological context. The application of phase change materials (PCMs) has begun to be examined by researchers due to its ability to store and release heat within a certain temperature range. In this paper, we sought to explore and understand if PCM-embedded building envelopes could potentially mitigate negative thermal-energy impacts within spatially proximal buildings. Building upon previous IBE research and simulation models, we conducted several building network simulations with different PCM settings in different climatological contexts. The results showed considerable improvements (up to 17%) of annual HVAC energy consumption when PCM-embedded building envelopes were used in the control building. The findings expand and deepen our understanding of the IBE, and may help minimize negative mutual influences across buildings that lead to increases in energy consumption in urban environments.
Nanostructured lipid carriers: effect of solid phase fraction and distribution on the release of encapsulated materials.

Emulsions, solid lipid nanoparticles (SLN), and nanostructured lipid carriers (NLC) containing a mix of liquid and solid domains are of interest as encapsulation vehicles for hydrophobic compounds....
Using convolutional neural networks for human activity classification on micro-Doppler radar spectrograms

This paper presents the findings of using convolutional neural networks (CNNs) to classify human activity from micro-Doppler features. An emphasis on activities involving potential security threats such as holding a gun are explored. An automotive 24 GHz radar on chip was used to collect the data and a CNN (normally applied to image classification) was trained on the resulting spectrograms. The CNN achieves an error rate of 1.65 % on classifying running vs. walking, 17.3 % error on armed walking vs. unarmed walking, and 22 % on classifying six different actions.
Investigation and Analysis on Outpatient Pharmacy Dispute

Objective To investigate the outpatient pharmacy dispute,to improve hospital patient relation.Methods In this study,37 cases of dispute were reviewed for statistical analysis of dispute causation.Results Of all the dispute reasons,doctor and drug withdrawal were the most common,followed by drug dispensing and patients.Conclusions Pharmacists should adhere to the 'patient-centered' principle,abide by the rules and regulations,dispense in strict accordance with the workflow.
The Reliability Study to the Students' Assessment in Universities' Human Resources Management

Performance appraisal for university teachers is a crucial task in university human resource management when taking its importance and difficulty into consideration.Appraising teachers' teaching quality by students,a method widely used in university teachers performance management,is effective and efficient.The reality of appraising teachers by students has a direct impact on university teachers' performance appraisal.Based on the empirical investigation of the influence factors analysis to students' assessment,3 non-teaching factors affect students' assessment,include student achievement,course popularity and teaching conditions,through quantitative analysis.Based on the analysis we get the conclusion that the impact of the factors is small and the reliability of the students' assessment is high.
Energy metabolism during embryonic development and larval growth of an Antarctic sea urchin.

Developmental energetics of an Antarctic sea urchin, Sterechinus neumayeri, were quantified to describe the physiological bases underlying ontogenetic changes in metabolic rate at extreme cold temperatures (−1.5 degrees C). Rates of development from a four-arm to a six-arm larval stage were not affected by food availability. The respiratory cost of development to the six-arm larval stage (day 60) was 14.0 mJ for fed larvae and 8.2 mJ for unfed larvae. We observed three phases of metabolic regulation during development. During embryogenesis (day 0–22), increasing metabolic rates were proportional to increases in cell numbers. During early larval development (day 22–47), the differences in respiratory rate between fed and unfed larvae were not accounted for by cell number, but by cell-specific metabolic rate (respiratory rate normalized to DNA content). Once an advanced larval stage had been reached (day 47–60), cell-specific respiratory rate and mitochondrial densities (citrate synthase activity normalized to DNA content) were more equivalent between fed and unfed larvae, suggesting that size-specific metabolic rates were determined at a level of physiological regulation that was independent of cell numbers or feeding history.
City Against Suburb: The Culture Wars in an American Metropolis

Introduction City into Suburb The Freeway Revolt in San Francisco Building BART and Affirmative Action in West Oakland Suburb into City Multicultural History in San Jose Public Art in Concord
Score Following for Piano Performances with Sustain-Pedal Effects.

One challenge in score following (i.e., mapping audio frames to score positions in real time) for piano performances is the mismatch between audio and score caused by the usage of the sustain pedal. When the pedal is pressed, notes played will continue to sound until the string vibration naturally ceases. This makes the notes longer than their notated lengths and overlap with later notes. In this paper, we propose an approach to address this problem. Given that the most competitive wrong score positions for each audio frame are the ones before the correct position due to the sustained sounds, we remove partials of sustained notes and only retain partials of “new notes” in the audio representation. This operation reduces sustain-pedal effects by weakening the match between the audio frame and previous wrong score positions, hence encourages the system to align to the correct score position. We implement this idea based on a state-of-the-art score following framework. Experiments on synthetic and real piano performances from the MAPS dataset show significant improvements on both alignment accuracy and robustness.
Oscillations by the p53-Mdm2 Feedback Loop

The p53 network is perhaps the most important pathway involved in preventing the initiation of cancer. p53 levels and activity are upregulated in response to various, stresses including DNA damage, hypoxia, and oncogene activation. Active p53 initiates different transcriptional programs that result in cell cycle arrest, cellular senescence or apoptosis. p53 also activates the transcription of Mdm2, which in turns target p53 for degradation, therefore creating a negative feedback loop on p53. Previous studies showed that the level of p53 increased dramatically after exposure to damaging radiation, then declined in a series of damped oscillations. Recent quantitative studies examined p53 responses in individual living cells, using time-lapse fluorescent microscopy and showed that—on an individual cell level—the oscillations are not damped. Instead one cell may have only one pulse of p53, while its neighbor may show several repeated pulses. As the amount of irradiation increased, the percentage of cells showing a high number of p53 pulses also increased. The mean height and width of the pulses was constant and did not depend on the damage level. These observations opened new questions regarding the mechanism and function of p53 oscillatory dynamics. In this chapter I will review the different models that have been suggested for p53 oscillations, including proposed reasons for variation between cells, and will discuss potential functions for oscillatory dynamics in the p53 signaling pathway and in stress responses in general.
Data Monitoring Committees — Expect the Unexpected

Randomized clinical trials require a mechanism to safeguard the enrolled patients from harm that could result from participation. This article reviews the role of data monitoring committees in the performance of randomized clinical trials.
Breast Cancer Screening for High-Risk Patients of Different Ages and Risk - Which Modality Is Most Effective?

While the guidelines for breast cancer screening in average-risk women are well established, screening in high-risk women is not as clear. For women with BRCA1 or BRCA2 mutations, current guidelines recommend screening by clinical breast examination and mammography starting at age 30. For certain high-risk women, additional screening with magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is encouraged. This review focuses on differentiating imaging modalities used for screening women at high-risk for breast cancer over the age of 50 by discussing the different imaging techniques, cost versus benefit, detection rates, and impact on survival. While mammography is the only imaging modality proven to reduce mortality from breast cancer, MRI is more sensitive in identifying cancers. MRI can often identify smaller malignancies at a greater resolution at an earlier stage. The use of MRI would be more cost effective as there would be less need for invasive therapeutic procedures. Research thus far has not identified an age-specific preference in imaging modality. There are no guidelines for high-risk women that specify screening with respect to age (i.e., older than 50 years old). More research is needed before screening guidelines in different age groups with various risk factors can be established.
Antagonism of muscarinic acetylcholine receptors in medial prefrontal cortex disrupts the context preexposure facilitation effect.

Abstract Cholinergic function plays a role in a variant of context fear conditioning known as the context preexposure facilitation effect (CPFE; Robinson-Drummer, Dokovna, Heroux, & Stanton, 2016). In the CPFE, acquisition of a context representation, the context-shock association, and expression of context fear occur across successive phases, usually 24 h apart. Systemic administration of scopolamine, a muscarinic acetylcholine receptor antagonist, prior to each phase (context preexposure, immediate-shock training, and testing) disrupts the CPFE in juvenile rats (Robinson-Drummer et al., 2016). Dorsal hippocampal (dHPC) cholinergic function contributes significantly to this effect, as local infusion of scopolamine into the dHPC prior to any individual phase of the CPFE produces a disruption identical to systemic administration (Robinson-Drummer et al., 2016). The current experiment extended these findings to another forebrain region implicated in the CPFE, the medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC). Adolescent rats received bilateral infusions of scopolamine (35 μg/side) or PBS 10 min before all three phases of the CPFE or only prior to a single phase. Intra-mPFC administration of scopolamine prior to all three phases significantly impaired fear conditioning suggesting that mPFC cholinergic function is necessary for successful CPFE performance. Analyses of the individual infusion days revealed a significant impairment of the CPFE when infusions occurred prior to preexposure or training (i.e. immediate footshock) but not prior to testing. In total, these findings suggests a role of mPFC cholinergic function in the acquisition and/or consolidation of a contextual representation and the context-shock association but not in retrieval or expression of fear memory. Implications for mPFC involvement in contextual fear conditioning and neurological dysfunction following neonatal alcohol exposure are discussed.
Near-drowning: fresh, salt, and cold water immersion.

Immersion accidents are the third most common cause of death in children. Hypothermia resulting from cold exposure can be an important complicating factor. Our understanding of the pathophysiologic effects of salt and fresh water aspiration and hypothermia is extremely important in optimal management.
Serum Biomarkers May Prognosticate Recurrence in Node-Negative, Non-Small Cell Lung Cancers Less Than 4 Centimeters.

Background A significant proportion of patients who undergo lung resection for less than 4 cm non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) will die of disease recurrence within 5 years. The ability to identify patients at greatest risk for recurrence may help individualize treatment and surveillance regimens and improve outcomes. We hypothesized that a serum-based biomarker panel could help risk stratify patients with node-negative NSCLC less than 4 cm for recurrence after lung resection. Methods An institutional biorepository of more than 1,800 cases was used to identify patients with resected, node-negative NSCLC less than 4 cm in size. Clinical and radiographic data were collected. Preoperative serum specimens were evaluated in a blinded manner for 47 biomarkers that sampled biological processes associated with metastatic progression, including angiogenesis, energy metabolism, apoptosis, and inflammation. Receiver-operating characteristics curves and log rank tests were used to evaluate individual biomarkers with respect to recurrence, followed by random forest analysis to generate and cross validate a multiple-analyte panel to risk stratify patients for recurrence. Results The cohort included 123 patients with a median follow-up of 58.2 months; 23 patients had recurrences. A seven-analyte panel consisting of human epididymis protein 4, insulinlike growth factor–binding protein 1, beta-human chorionic gonadotropin, follistatin, prolactin, angiopoietin-2, and hepatocyte growth factor optimally identified patients with disease recurrence with a cross-validated specificity of 91%, sensitivity of 22%, negative predictive value of 83%, positive predictive value of 36%, and accuracy of 78%, providing an area under the receiver-operating characteristics curve of 0.70. Conclusions Serum-based biomarkers may be useful for risk stratifying patients with node-negative NSCLC less than 4 cm for recurrence after lung resection.
Drawing Circles Around Smallpox Hospitals: Cartography, Calculation, and Surveillance

This chapter looks closely at William Henry Power’s landmark 1881 investigation of “hospital influences” in epidemics, which employed an innovative form of spot map and concluded that the MAB’s Fulham Smallpox Hospital had contributed to an increased risk of smallpox in its vicinity. Although highly controversial at the time, Power’s study came to be considered a “classic” epidemiologic study. Disease maps of this sort gained a pivotal place in the visual culture of public health and exerted a broad influence on debates and struggles over urban epistemology and governability. This chapter links the history of medical cartography with practices of social inspection and examines how disease maps invited the London public to place itself in the position of observer and to see itself through the eye of surveillance.
Introduction to Reoperative Pelvic Surgery for Rectal Cancer

Despite significant progress in the treatment of rectal cancer, local recurrence remains a difficult problem,1 resulting in considerable morbidity and high cancer-related mortality. Prevention of local recurrence should therefore be the chief goal of the operating surgeon and multidisciplinary management team. However, some patients are potential candidates for curative re-resection and therapy. This chapter addresses the issues involved in surgical management of patients with locally recurrent rectal cancer.
Preparation, Image Acquisition and Reconstruction, and Post-processing

The practice of cardiology has evolved dramatically in the past few decades. Advances in pharmacology have played a central role in this evolution, but technology has been equally influential. Noninvasive cardiac imaging has come to play a central role when assessing patients with suspected or known cardiovascular disease. Echocardiography, nuclear cardiology, and MRI each hold a unique set of indications for evaluating cardiovascular conditions, and the information each provides is frequently complementary, although a certain degree of overlap also exists.