cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Is Fat a Feminist Issue? Exploring the Gendered Nature of Weight Bias

Although research and scholarship on weight-based stigma have increased substantially in recent years, the disproportionate degree of bias experienced by fat women has received considerably less attention. This paper reviews the literature on the weight-based stigma experienced by women in North America in multiple domains, including employment, education settings, romantic relationships, health care and mental health treatment, and portrayals in the media. We also explore the research examining the intersection of gender and ethnicity related to weight stigma. Across numerous settings, fat women fare worse than thinner women and worse than men, whether the men are fat or thin. Women experience multiple deleterious outcomes as a result of weight bias that have a significant impact on health, quality of life, and socioeconomic outcomes. Because of this gender disparity, we argue that feminist scholars need to devote as much attention to the lived experiences of fat women as they have to the “fear of fat” experienced by thin women.
Nonuniform classical fluid at high dimensionality

We investigate the existence of nonuniform thermodynamic states of classical fluids with purely repulsive finite-range interaction, such as that of hard spheres. Both free energy and nonuniform profile are obtained in the strict limit of an infinitely large spatial dimension. We establish the density at which the uniform state undergoes a Kirkwood instability, and provide a basis for the surmise that this instability leads continuously to an ordered lattice.
Fulminant Hepatitis A Virus Infection in the United States: Incidence, Prognosis, and Outcomes

Acute liver failure (ALF) due to hepatitis A virus (HAV) infection is an uncommon but potentially lethal illness. The aim of this study was to identify readily available laboratory and clinical features associated with a poor prognosis among ALF patients with HAV infection. The presenting features of 29 adults with anti-HAV IgM positive ALF enrolled in the ALFSG_between 1998 and 2005 were reviewed. The HAV patients listed for transplantation by UNOS were also reviewed. Acute HAV accounted for 3.1% of patients enrolled in the ALFSG. At 3 weeks follow-up, 16 had spontaneously recovered (55%), 9 underwent transplantation (31%), and 4 had died (14%). A prognostic model incorporating 4 presenting features (serum ALT 2.0 mg/dL, intubation, pressors) had an AUROC for transplant/death of 0.899 which was significantly better than the King's College criteria (0.623, P = .018) and MELD scores (0.707, P = .0503). Between 1988 and 2005, the frequency of patients requiring liver transplantation for HAV in the UNOS database significantly decreased from 0.7 % to 0.1% (P < .001). In addition, the proportion of HAV cases enrolled in the ALFSG significantly decreased from 5% to 0.8% (P = .007). In conclusion, the frequency of HAV patients enrolling in the ALFSG and being listed for liver transplantation in the United States has declined in parallel. A prognostic index consisting of 4 clinical and laboratory features predicted the likelihood of transplant/death significantly better than other published models suggesting that disease specific prognostic models may be of value in non-acetaminophen ALF.
Living in the Gray: Lessons on Ethics from Prison

Often overlooked once they are remanded to custody, incarcerated former business executives can provide valuable insight into the inner workings of organizations while also contributing to the dialogue on of business ethics within the undergraduate business curricula. This paper summarizes experiences of white collar offenders obtained through a questionnaire-based research method to elicit lessons on ethics from prisoners and to provide a unique learning experience for undergraduate business students. Data was collected from 12 questionnaire responses (n = 12) which resulted in four major themes involving business ethics: core values, ethical responsibility, ethics training, and ethical culture. Narrative responses, integration of ethical decision-making research and student discoveries are included for each theme.
Genetic mechanisms in the intergenerational transmission of health.

Abstract This paper uses a sample of adoptees to study the genetic mechanisms underlying intergenerational associations in chronic health conditions. I begin by estimating baseline intergenerational models with a sample of approximately 125,000 parent–child pairs, and find that children with a parent who has a specific chronic health condition are at least 100% more likely to have the same condition themselves. To assess the role of genetic mechanisms in generating these strong correlations, I estimate models using a sample of approximately 2400 adoptees, and find that genetic transmission accounts for only 20–30% of the baseline associations. As falsification tests, I repeat this exercise using health measures with externally established levels of genetic determination (height and chicken pox), and the results suggest that comparisons of biological and adopted children are a valid method of isolating genetic effects in this sample. Finally, to corroborate these adoptee-based estimates, I examine health correlations among monozygotic twins, which provide an upper bound estimate of genetic influences, and find a similarly modest role for genetic transmission. I conclude that intergenerational health transmission is an important hindrance to overall socioeconomic mobility, but that the majority of transmission occurs through environmental factors or gene–environment interactions, leaving scope for interventions to effectively mitigate health persistence.
Distribution of Some Predators and Parasites of the Southern Pine Beetle in Two Species of Pine

Southern pine beetle, Dendroctonus frontalis Zimmerman, and its natural insect enemies were reared from infested loblolly pines, Pinus taeda L., and shortleaf pines, P. echinata Mill. Southern pine beetle broods were most dense during spring (Mar.–May) and least dense in late summer. Populations were higher in late winter than in mid-summer. There were no differences in beetle densities between the pine species. Twelve predators and 9 parasites comprised ca. 99% of the natural enemy complex. Total density of the 12 predators did not vary with either season or tree species. Total parasite density, however, was highest in midsummer, lowest in late winter, and was significantly higher in shortleaf pine. Species diversity of predators and parasites was highest during spring and summer seasons and varied significantly between tree species.
Special Section on Vehicle Power and Propulsions

The six papers in this special section focus on vehicle power and propulsions. The section has been organized to focus on state-of-the-art research and development, as well as future trends in the modeling, design, control, and optimization of advanced power and propulsion systems for electric vehicles, hybrid electric vehicles, and plug-in hybrid electric vehicles.
Synergistic enhancement in mechanical properties and microstructure of homoblends made of poly(styrene-co-styrenesulfonic acid) and poly(styrene-co-4-vinylpyridine)

Abstract Bulk mechanical properties and microstructure of a model blend (homoblend), made of poly(styrene- co -styrenesulfonic acid) (SPS) and poly(styrene- co -4-vinylpyridine) (SVP), were investigated by tensile measurements and modulated differential scanning calorimetry (MDSC). The mechanical properties exhibited synergism: tensile strength and toughness values of the blends were higher than those expected based on the rule of mixtures. The results were attributed to the formation of ionic cross-links due to intermolecular ion–ion interactions between pyridinium cations and sulfonate anions, which arose from proton transfer from sulfonic acid groups to pyridine groups upon blending. MDSC detected only one T g for the SPS/SVP blends, indicating that the blends were unclustered. However, after annealing the blends at 150 °C for 24 h, two T g 's were detected, reflecting microphase separation (formation of a cluster phase and a matrix phase) due to aggregation of ionic groups during annealing.
On the Inclusive Determination of V_{ub} from the Lepton Invariant Mass Spectrum

Bauer, Ligeti and Luke have recently proposed a new method for measuring |V_{ub}| in inclusive semileptonic B decays, using a cut on the lepton invariant mass to discriminate against b->c transitions. We investigate the structure of the heavy-quark expansion for this case and show that to all orders the magnitude of the leading perturbative and nonperturbative corrections is controlled by a hadronic scale mu_c=O(m_c) depending on the minimal value of q^2. These corrections can be analyzed using a modified version of the heavy-quark expansion (``hybrid expansion''). We find that the theoretical uncertainty in the extraction of |V_{ub}| is a factor 2.5 larger than previously estimated, which allows for a determination with 10% accuracy.
Enterprise Social Link Recommendation

Many companies have started to use Enterprise Social Networks (ESNs), such as Yammer, to facilitate collaboration and communication amongst their employees in the business context. Social link recommendation, which finds and suggests whom one wants to connect with in a company, is crucial for ESNs to promote their usages. Although link recommendation has been studied extensively in external social networks (e.g., Facebook and Twitter), it has not been addressed in ESNs. In this paper, we study this novel problem. Social link recommendation in ESNs is significantly different from that in external social networks, and also has unique challenges: (1) people usually socialize differently in enterprise than in their personal life, but users' social behaviors in enterprise have not been well explored, and (2) there is important business information available in ESNs under the enterprise context, e.g., a company?s organizational chart, but how to exploit it for link recommendation is still an open problem. To this end, we mine not only the social graph and user-generated content in ESNs, but also the company's organizational chart, to model enterprise user social behaviors. We develop a supervised link recommendation algorithm using a large scale enterprise social network based on Yammer (with over 100k users), which shows that the proposed techniques perform effectively. Moreover, we find that both the social graph and the organizational chart are complementary to each other for link recommendation in ESNs.
Prevalence of the use of complementary and alternative medicine for glaucoma

Abstract Objectives To estimate the prevalence of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) for glaucoma, explore possible demographic and disease-related associations, and inquire about the perceived benefit of these treatments. Design Cross-sectional study. Setting and Participants One thousand twenty-seven consecutive patients from two urban, referral glaucoma practices. Main Outcome Measure Use of CAM specifically for glaucoma. Results The response rate was 97.4%. The percentage of people reporting use of CAM for glaucoma was 5.4% (54 of 1000 subjects) with 32 of these 54 (59%) having used more than one type. The percentages of those using the various types of nontraditional medicine were: megavitamin therapy (62.9%), herbal therapy (57.4%), exercise (24.0%), diet modification (22.2%), meditation, (1.8%), acupuncture (1.8%), faith healing (1.8%), and homeopathic remedies (1.8%). Patients who used CAM were more likely to be educated beyond high school ( P = 0.0014) and less likely to be retired ( P = 0.0053). Use of nontraditional therapy was not strongly associated with race ( P = 0.044), age ( P = 0.062), gender ( P = 0.24), length of diagnosis ( P = 0.91), or number of glaucoma medications ( P = 0.58). Of those using nontraditional therapy, 52% believed that it was helpful, 39% were unsure, and 9% considered it not helpful; 72% discussed their use with an ophthalmologist. Seventy percent discovered it from sources other than providers of either traditional or nontraditional care. Conclusions The prevalence of CAM use for glaucoma was 5.4% (95% confidence interval, 4.0%–6.4%). Most glaucoma patients currently cared for by ophthalmologists do not use nontraditional medicine.
Involvement of β-adrenergic receptor in synaptic vesicle swelling and implication in neurotransmitter release.

Secretory vesicle swelling is required for vesicular discharge during cell secretion. The Gαo-mediated water channel aquaporin-6 (AQP-6) involvement in synaptic vesicle (SV) swelling in neurons has previously been reported. Studies demonstrate that in the presence of guanosine triphosphate (GTP), mastoparan, an amphiphilic tetradecapeptide from wasp venom, activates Go protein GTPase, and stimulates SV swelling. Stimulation of G proteins is believed to occur via insertion of mastoparan into the phospholipid membrane to form a highly structured α-helix that resembles the intracellular loops of G protein-coupled adrenergic receptors. Consequently, the presence of adrenoceptors and the presence of an endogenous β-adrenergic agonist at the SV membrane is suggested. Immunoblot analysis of SV using β-adrenergic receptor antibody, and vesicle swelling experiments using β-adrenergic agonists and antagonists, demonstrate the presence of functional β-adrenergic receptors at the SV membrane. Since a recent study shows vH+-ATPase to be upstream of AQP-6 in the pathway leading from Gαo-mediated swelling of SV, participation of an endogenous β-adrenergic agonist, in the binding and stimulation of its receptor to initiate the swelling cascade is demonstrated.
Observations on the birth and subsequent care of twin offspring by a lone pair of wild emperor tamarins (Saguinus imperator)

The birth of emperor tamarin (Saguinus imperator) twins was observed in the wild. The mother was a member of lone pair in a marked population of emperor tamarins in the Manu National Park, Peru. This report describes the birth and provides subsequent information on infant care and survival. Despite some difficulties, this lone pair of relatively young, primiparous emperor tamarins was able to successfully raise twin offspring to the age of at least 1 month.
Influence of High, Medium, and Low Soil Moisture on Growth and Alkaloid Content of Cinchona ledgeriana

Soil moisture in Cinchona growing regions may fluctuate greatly with seasonal changes in rainfall; prolonged droughts are experienced almost annually. On the other hand, during the peak of the rainy season the same soils may remain at or near saturation for extended periods. For example, at the Toro Negro National Forest in Puerto Rico, where Cinchona is being grown experimentally, the 23-year-average rainfall for two-week periods from January 1 to March 25 was 2.04 inches with frequent periods of drought. In the current year only 0.21 inch fell during January. From August 13 to November 18 rainfall averaged 5.69 inches for two-week periods. The average total annual rainfall for 23 years was 96.37 inches (4). The above extremes in soil moisture may be expected to exert marked influence on the growth and composition of Cinchona. Heinicke, Boynton and Reuther (3) demonstrated that a flooded (poorly aerated) soil produced symptoms in the apple typical of boron deficiency when the soil was not deficient in that element. It was also indicated that lack of oxygen in the soil interfered with the absorption of nitrogen and potassium. Wager (?) showed that avocado plants were more susceptible to disease if grown in a flooded soil than if watered normally. During the first year from seed, Cinchona plants are primarily herbaceous. It is during this tender stage that soil moisture is most likely to be a critical factor affecting growth. Since the plants are grown in palm-leafcovered nurseries during this stage it is fairly easy to correct a deficiency of soil water by irrigation, but more "difficult to prevent an excess during the rainy season. Cinchona nursery plantings have been observed which were apparently healthy during three-fourths ?f the year, but with the advent of heavy daily rains during the peak of the rainy season the plants developed symptoms typical of nutrient deficiencies and many succumbed to fungus attack. The experiment reported here was designed to study the effect of low, medium, and high levels of soil moisture on growth and alkaloid content of young Cinchona ledgeriana seedlings under controlled conditions.
Increased calcium buffering in coronary smooth muscle cells from diabetic dyslipidemic pigs

No studies exist concerning the ability of the plasma membrane Ca(2+) pump (PMCA), sarcoplasmic reticulum Ca(2+) pump (SERCA) and Na(+)-Ca(2+) exchanger (NCX) to regulate myoplasmic Ca(2+) (Ca(m)) in vascular smooth muscle cells from diabetic individuals with dyslipidemia. We tested the hypothesis that diabetic dyslipidemia would increase vascular smooth muscle cells to buffer Ca(m). Cells were isolated from the coronary artery of male Yucatan pigs treated for 20 weeks with: (1) a low fat diet (control group); (2) a high fat/cholesterol diet (F group); or (3) alloxan-induced diabetic pigs fed the high fat diet (DF group). The maximum Ca(m) response to a depolarizing 80 mM KCl (80 K) solution was evaluated in the absence and presence of thapsigargin (TSG; inhibits SERCA) and low Na (inhibits NCX). In response to 80 K alone, there was no difference in the Ca(m) response between groups. In the presence of TSG, the 80 K response decreased by 43% in the DF group; TSG did not affect the 80 K response in the control and F groups. When exposed to both TSG and low Na, the 80 K response also decreased by 55% in the DF group. This suggests increased Ca(m) buffering by the PMCA and/or mitochondria in the DF group when SERCA and NCX are inhibited. Compared to the control and F groups, low Na alone elicited a 50% lower Ca(m) amplitude in the DF group, which was reversed with TSG treatment; this suggests that SERCA activity is increased in DF pigs. Western blots also indicated a 7-fold increase in the approximately 115 kDa band density of an anti-SERCA2 antibody in DF compared to control pigs. This is the first report to demonstrate increased Ca(2+) buffering, specifically by SERCA, in vascular smooth muscle cells from diabetic individuals with dyslipidemia.
When pigs fly: immunomagnetic separation facilitates rapid determination of Pig-a mutant frequency by flow cytometric analysis.

Abstract In vivo mutation assays based on the Pig-a null phenotype, that is, the absence of cell surface glycosylphosphatidylinositol (GPI) anchored proteins such as CD59, have been described. This work has been accomplished with hematopoietic cells, most often rat peripheral blood erythrocytes (RBCs) and reticulocytes (RETs). The current report describes new sample processing procedures that dramatically increase the rate at which cells can be evaluated for GPI anchor deficiency. This new method was applied to blood specimens from vehicle, 1,3-propane sultone, melphalan, and N-ethyl-N-nitrosourea treated Sprague Dawley rats. Leukocyte- and platelet-depleted blood samples were incubated with anti-CD59-phycoerythrin (PE) and anti-CD61-PE, and then mixed with anti-PE paramagnetic particles and Counting Beads (i.e., fluorescent microspheres). An aliquot of each specimen was stained with SYTO 13 and flow cytometric analysis was performed to determine RET percentage, RET:Counting Bead ratio, and RBC:Counting Bead ratio. The major portion of these specimens were passed through ferromagnetic columns that were suspended in a magnetic field, thereby depleting each specimen of wild-type RBCs (and platelets) based on their association with anti-PE paramagnetic particles. The eluates were concentrated via centrifugation and the resulting suspensions were stained with SYTO 13 and analyzed on the flow cytometer to determine mutant phenotype RET:Counting Bead and mutant phenotype RBC:Counting Bead ratios. The ratios obtained from pre- and post-column analyses were used to derive mutant phenotype RET and mutant phenotype RBC frequencies. Results from vehicle control and genotoxicant-treated rats are presented that indicate the scoring system is capable of returning reliable mutant phenotype cell frequencies. Using this wild-type cell depletion strategy, it was possible to interrogate ≥3 million RETs and ≥100 million RBCs per rat in approximately 7 min. Beyond considerably enhancing the throughput capacity of the analytical platform, these blood-processing procedures were also shown to enhance the precision of the measurements.
What Management Says and What Managers Do

Of the existing literature on management, 95 percent is American, and most of the rest is paraphrased or lifted from the American literature. Leading the field in prestige and circulation 160,000 is Harvard Business Review. Like the school from which it issues, H. B. R. is a major fount of MANAGEMENT, as distinguished from management. Management is what managers do. MANAGEMENT is a view of what managers do at major corporations---a view shared by business schools, management consultants, and many business and management journals. Accordingly, the appearance of On Management Harper & Row, $17.95, articles selected from twenty-five years of H. B. R., is an event of some importance. The book should be considered not only in terms of its contents which are undated to emphasize their timelessness, but also in terms of the opportunity it affords us to examine MANAGEMENT, its relevance to real-life management, and its profound influence upon the way we work and live.
Self-driven lattice-model Monte Carlo simulations of alloy thermodynamic properties and phase diagrams

Monte Carlo (MC) simulations of lattice models are a widely used way to compute thermodynamic properties of substitutional alloys. A limitation to their more widespread use is the difficulty of driving a MC simulation in order to obtain the desired quantities. To address this problem, we have devised a variety of high-level algorithms that serve as an interface between the user and a traditional MC code. The user specifies the goals sought in a high-level form that our algorithms convert into elementary tasks to be performed by a standard MC code. For instance, our algorithms permit the determination of the free energy of an alloy phase over its entire region of stability within a specified accuracy, without requiring any user intervention during the calculations. Our algorithms also enable the direct determination of composition-temperature phase boundaries without requiring the calculation of the whole free energy surface of the alloy system.
Instream wood loads in montane forest streams of the Colorado Front Range, USA

Abstract Although several studies examine instream wood loads and associated geomorphic effects in streams of subalpine forests in the U.S. Southern Rocky Mountains, little is known of instream wood loads in lower elevation, montane forests of the region. We compare instream wood loads and geomorphic effects between streams draining montane forest stands of differing age (old growth versus younger) and disturbance history (healthy versus infested by mountain pine beetles). We examined forest stand characteristics, instream wood load, channel geometry, pool volume, and sediment storage in 33 pool–riffle or plane-bed stream reaches with objectives of determining whether (i) instream wood and geomorphic effects differed significantly among old-growth, younger, healthy, and beetle-infested forest stands and (ii) wood loads correlated with valley and channel characteristics. Wood loads were standardized to drainage area, stream gradient, reach length, bankfull width, and floodplain area. Streams flowing through old-growth forests had significantly larger wood loads and logjam volumes (pairwise t-tests), as well as logjam frequencies (Kruskal–Wallis test), residual pool volume, and fine sediment storage around wood than streams flowing through younger forests. Wood loads in streams draining beetle-infested forest did not differ significantly from those in healthy forest stands, but best subset regression models indicated that elevation, stand age, and beetle infestation were the best predictors of wood loads in channels and on floodplains, suggesting that beetle infestation is affecting instream wood characteristics. Wood loads are larger than values from subalpine streams in the same region and jams are larger and more closely spaced. We interpret these differences to reflect greater wood piece mobility in subalpine zone streams. Stand age appears to exert the dominant influence on instream wood characteristics within pool–riffle streams in the study area rather than beetle infestation, although this may reflect the relatively recent nature (
Zinc and collagen content of cirrhotic liver

Liver samples obtained from 43 consecutive autopsies were analyzed for their content of zinc, hydroxyproline and nitrogen. Mean liver zinc was 2.36 and 1.27µg/mg nitrogen for histologically normal and cirrhotic samples, respectively. Hepatic zinc did not correlate with hepatic hydroxyproline. It is concluded that there is an absolute reduction in zinc content of cirrhotic liver and that this reduction bears no relationship to the amount of collagen present. If low levels of zinc in liver can be equated with zinc deficiency, patients with Laennec's cirrhosis are deficient in zinc.
Grief, psychosis, and panic intervention with a psychotic patient: Integrating psychodynamic and cognitive-behavioral approaches

(2002). Grief, Psychosis, and Panic Intervention with a Psychotic Patient: Integrating Psychodynamic and Cognitive-Behavioral Approaches. Harvard Review of Psychiatry: Vol. 10, No. 2, pp. 100-108.
Depression and sleep: pathophysiology and treatment

This review examines the relationship between sleep and depression. Most depressive disorders are characterized by subjective sleep disturbances, and the regulation of sleep is intricately linked to the same mechanisms that are implicated in the pathophysiology of depression. After briefly reviewing the physiology and topography of normal sleep, the disturbances revealed in studies of sleep in depression using polysomnographic recordings and neuroimaging assessments are discussed. Next, treatment implications of the disturbances are reviewed at both clinical and neurobiologic levels. Most antidepressant medications suppress rapid eye movement (REM) sleep, although this effect is neither necessary nor sufficient for clinical efficacy. Effects on patients' difficulties initiating and maintaining sleep are more specific to particular types of antidepressants. Ideally, an effective antidepressant will result in normalization of disturbed sleep in concert with resolution of the depressive syndrome, although few interventions actually restore decreased slow-wave sleep. Antidepressants that block central histamine 1 and serotonin 2 tend to have stronger effects on sleep maintenance, but are also prone to elicit complaints of daytime sedation. Adjunctive treatment with sedative hypnotic medications--primarily potent, shorter-acting benzodiazepine and gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA A)-selective compounds such as zolpidem--are often used to treat associated insomnia more rapidly. Cognitive behavioral therapy and other nonpharmacologic strategies are also helpful.
A finite state automata of the Arabic grammar

A framework is presented showing that the study of the computational modeling of Arabic faces many problems. The need for a phrase structure of Arabic is indicated by showing how it is completely different from English. The phrase structures of Arabic sentences and their noun phrases are given. Some of the specific structures like the interrogative are also given. All these structures are given in the finite state automata form. >
Forecasting of Turkey's electricity consumption using Artificial Neural Network

In this paper, forecast of Turkey's electricity consumption on energy sector basis until 2023 is investigated. Artificial Neural Networks (ANN) is preferred as a forecasting tool. The reasons behind choosing ANN are the ability of ANN to forecasting value of more than one variable and to model the nonlinear relation in the data structure. Founded forecast results by ANN are compared with official data.
Inferring combinatorial regulation of transcription in silico

In this paper, we propose a functional view on the in silico prediction of transcriptional regulation. We present a method to predict biological functions regulated by a combinatorial interaction of transcription factors. Using a rigorous statistic, this approach intersects the presence of transcription factor binding sites in gene upstream sequences with Gene Ontology terms associated with these genes. We demonstrate that for the well-studied set of skeletal muscle-related transcription factors Myf-2, Mef and TEF, the correct functions are predicted. Furthermore, starting from the well-characterized promoter of a gene expressed upon lipopolysaccharide stimulation, we predict functional targets of this stimulus. These results are in excellent agreement with microarray data.
The strong simplex conjecture is false

The design of M average-energy-constrained signals in additive white Gaussian noise is addressed. The long-standing strong simplex conjecture, which postulates that the regular simplex signal set maximizes the probability of correct detection under an average-energy constraint, is disproven. A signal set is presented that performs better than the regular simplex signal set at low signal-to-noise ratios for all M/spl ges/7. This leads to the result that, for all M/spl ges/7, there is no signal set of M signals which is optimal at all signal-to-noise ratios. Furthermore, the optimal signal set at low signal-to-noise ratios is not an equal energy set for any M/spl ges/7. The regular simplex is shown to be the unique signal set which maximizes the minimum distance between signals. It follows that a signal set which maximizes the minimum distance is not necessarily optimum. However, the regular simplex is shown to be globally optimum in the sense of uniquely maximizing the union bound on error probability at all signal-to-noise ratios. >
Plasmonic resonances in an /spl epsi/-negative host medium: metamaterials at optical frequencies for nano-optics and nanotechnology

In the present contribution, a novel conceptual approach is proposed to use plasmonic resonances for realizing materials, components and devices that may overcome the classical physical limitations at infrared and optical frequencies. Specifically, reversing the idea of using plasmonic particles in a dielectric lattice, here we propose the use of an /spl epsi/-negative (ENG) background with properly designed resonant dielectric or hollow voids as an effective solution for realizing sub-wavelength cavities, sub-diffraction transmission lines and left-handed (double-negative) optical metamaterials. As we show in the following, and more extensively during the talk, this approach may allow a more viable and effective realization of these components for various physical and technological reasons. The availability of low-loss ENG materials in nature (i.e., noble metals such as silver or gold, and polar dielectrics) at these frequencies allows possibilities for practical realizations of the proposed setups, with numerous potential applications in optics, imaging, and the other related applied fields that can benefit from these advances.
Least mean square adaptive digital background calibration of pipelined analog-to-digital converters

We present an adaptive digital technique to calibrate pipelined analog-to-digital converters (ADCs). Rather than achieving linearity by adjustment of analog component values, the new approach infers component errors from conversion results and applies digital postprocessing to correct those results. The scheme proposed here draws close analogy to the channel equalization problem commonly encountered in digital communications. We show that, with the help of a slow but accurate ADC, the proposed code-domain adaptive finite-impulse-response filter is sufficient to remove the effect of component errors including capacitor mismatch, finite op-amp gain, op-amp offset, and sampling-switch-induced offset, provided they are not signal-dependent. The algorithm is all digital, fully adaptive, data-driven, and operates in the background. Strong tradeoffs between accuracy and speed of pipelined ADCs are greatly relaxed in this approach with the aid of digital correction techniques. Analog precision problems are translated into the complexity of digital signal-processing circuits, allowing this approach to benefit from CMOS device scaling in contrast to most conventional correction techniques.
Alpha1‐ and alpha2‐adrenoreceptor antagonists produce opposing mydriatic effects by a central action

1. In anaesthetized rats, intravenous administration of alpha 2-adrenoreceptor antagonists yohimbine (0.3-3.0 mg kg-1), idazoxan (0.03-0.3 mg kg-1) and raulwolscine (0.3-3.0 mg kg-1) produced a dose-related inhibition of sciatic nerve-(ScN) mediated reflex pupillary dilation (parasympatho-inhibition). The rank order of potency was idazoxan greater than yohimbine greater than rauwolscine. 2. Under similar experimental conditions, intravenous administration of alpha 1-adrenoreceptor antagonists prazosin (0.03-1.0 mg kg-1), phenoxybenzamine (0.3-3.0 mg kg-1) and corynanthine (0.03-1.0 mg kg-1) produced a dose-dependent potentiation of the reflex mydriasis with the potency order being prazosin greater than corynanthine greater than phenoxybenzamine. Intravenous yohimbine (1.5 mg kg-1) reversed the potentiation caused by the alpha 1-adrenoreceptor antagonists and blocked the reflex mydriasis. 3. Parasympatho-inhibition and mydriasis elicited by hypothalamic stimulation was not affected by the alpha 2-adrenoreceptor antagonists yohimbine (0.3-3.0 mg kg-1), idazoxan (0.03-0.3 mg kg-1) or the alpha 1-adrenoreceptor antagonist prazosin (0.3-1.0 mg kg-1). 4. Microinjection of prazosin (3-30 ng) into the oculomotor nuclear complex (IIIn), produced a dose-related potentiation, whereas microinjection of yohimbine (0.3-3.0 micrograms) produced a dose-related blockade of reflex mydriasis. 5. The above findings support the hypothesis that ascending mechanisms (e.g. afferent ScN) produce inhibition of parasympathetic oculomotor tone to the iris by activation of central postsynaptic alpha 2-adrenoreceptors. Furthermore, these studies demonstrate that alpha 2-adrenoreceptor antagonists block and alpha 1-adrenoreceptor antagonists potentiate the reflex mydriasis. These actions appear to be localized within the pupilloconstrictor regions of the brain (oculomotor nuclear complex).
Reducing losses in dielectric waveguide discontinuities

Rectangular dielectric waveguides are used in millimeter-wave applications. They have low loss and wide bandwidth at high frequencies. Another major advantage to dielectric waveguides is that they are inexpensive to design and manufacture. However, a major disadvantage to the dielectric waveguide is that they experience relatively high losses at bends and T-junctions. This paper looks at a novel approach in reducing the insertion loss in dielectric waveguide bends and T-junctions. A high dielectric material is inserted at the discontinuity, causing the electromagnetic energy to be coupled and launched toward the output. The dielectric constant of the material, position of the material, and shape of the material are instrumental in reducing the insertion loss. A transition discontinuity in the form of a 45/spl deg/ bend has also been found to reduce insertion loss when properly designed. The size, shape, and location of the discontinuity and the high dielectric material are optimized and compared to the results without a high dielectric material. The 90/spl deg/- and 45/spl deg/-bend simulations were verified by building test structures and comparing predictions of the insertion loss to measurements.
Human Activity Recognition with 2D and 3D Cameras

This presentation will cover human activity recognition by using conventional 2D video cameras as well as the recently developed 3D depth cameras. I’ll first give an overview on the interest- point based approach which has become a popular research direction in the past few years for 2D based activity recognition. In addition to the conventional classification problem, I’ll discuss the problem of detection (spacetime localization) as well as the example-based search where the amount of labelled data is extremely small. The second part of the talk will focus on activity recognition with 3D depth cameras. I’ll describe some of the recently developed visual representations and machine learning frameworks for 3D data analysis.
Causative Factors for ADHD: Perinatal Risk Factors

Investigators at Seoul National Hospital, and other centers in Seoul, Korea, studied the genetic, perinatal, and developmental risk factors in 147 children, ages 6 to 15 years, diagnosed with ADHD.
Workload and Performance: A Field Evaluation in a Police Shooting Range

One vital responsibility of all law enforcement officers lies in their obligation to defend themselves and those around them in the event of a violent threat. The best tool available to them to per...
Astrocyte structural reactivity and plasticity in models of retinal detachment

Although retinal neurodegenerative conditions such as age-related macular degeneration, glaucoma, diabetic retinopathy, retinitis pigmentosa, and retinal detachment have different etiologies and pathological characteristics, they also have many responses in common at the cellular level, including neural and glial remodeling. Structural changes in Muller cells, the large radial glia of the retina in retinal disease and injury have been well described, that of the retinal astrocytes remains less so. Using modern imaging technology to describe the structural remodeling of retinal astrocytes after retinal detachment is the focus of this paper. We present both a review of critical literature as well as novel work focusing on the responses of astrocytes following rhegmatogenous and serous retinal detachment. The mouse presents a convenient model system in which to study astrocyte reactivity since the Mϋller cell response is muted in comparison to other species thereby allowing better visualization of the astrocytes. We also show data from rat, cat, squirrel, and human retina demonstrating similarities and differences across species. Our data from immunolabeling and dye-filling experiments demonstrate previously undescribed morphological characteristics of normal astrocytes and changes induced by detachment. Astrocytes not only upregulate GFAP, but structurally remodel, becoming increasingly irregular in appearance, and often penetrating deep into neural retina. Understanding these responses, their consequences, and what drives them may prove to be an important component in improving visual outcome in a variety of therapeutic situations. Our data further supports the concept that astrocytes are important players in the retina's overall response to injury and disease.
Persistent anomaly complicating pacemaker placement.

A 67-year-old man required permanent pacemaker placement for sick sinus syndrome. The procedure revealed an anomalous course of the guide wire from the left cephalic vein directly into the coronary sinus (CS) with poorly visualized right-sided anatomy on venogram. Echocardiography demonstrated a dilated CS. Injection of agitated saline into the left basilic vein demonstrated opacification of the CS followed immediately by the right heart chamber ( Panel A ). Agitated saline was then injected into the right basilic vein which also filled the …
Preparation and Characterization of h-BN High-temperature Resistant Coating on the Surface of Carbon Fibers

Objective Hexagonal boron nitride coatings were prepared on carbon fiber surface,in order to improve the oxidation resistance and high temperature resistant performance of the fiber,so as to broaden its application in the field of high temperature.Methods With boric acid,urea,ammonia and nitrogen gas as raw materials,a mixture of boric acid and urea solution was coated on the carbon fiber surface through impregnating method,and the coating was then placed in the ammonia and nitrogen atmosphere for high temperature pyrolysis. The morphology of the coating was observed by electronic microscope analysis to check whether the coating was well bonded with the carbon fiber. Fourier infrared spectra,X ray electronic energy spectrum and X-ray diffraction( XRD) were used to characterize the composition and structure of the coating. Results The coating on the surface of the carbon fiber was continuous and had good appearance. In the infrared spectrum,B—N key and B—N—B key characteristic peaks occurred at 1399,799 cm- 1. In the X-ray diffraction pattern,( 001) crystal plane and( 004) crystal plane characteristic peaks of hexagonal boron nitride appeared at 43. 64° and 53. 93°,respectively. X-ray photoelectron analysis showed the existence of the four elements of O,B,C and N,and a B / N atom ratio of close to 1∶ 1. Conclusion H-BN coated carbon fiber was successfully prepared,and the coating was well bonded with the carbon fiber. The h-BN in the coating had good crystallinity and high purity,but the existence of a small amount of oxide had influence on the thermostability improvement of h-BN coated carbon fiber. More works have to be done to study how to further improve the purity of h-BN coatings.
Accounting Business Procedure Recomposing Based on the Value Chain

Along with the development of the netwoke economy and the knowledge economy globalizatio,the competition scope and the competition content has had the radical change.After value chain theory production,the enterprise has applied actual to the value chain theory center,in the enterprise value chain movement,accountant uses its unique technology and the standard,and provides continual,the system,the synthesis information in the value chain management,reflect and control fund information flow.
Chapter 15 – Posttreatment Surveillance, Risk for Recurrence of Barrett’s Esophagus, and Adenocarcinoma After Treatment

Abstract Esophagectomy or endoscopic eradication therapy, either using endoscopic resection or radiofrequency ablation, cryoablation, or a combination of resection and ablation, aims not only to completely eliminate Barrett’s esophagus (BE) dysplasia and early neoplasia but also a complete eradication of intestinal metaplasia (CEIM). We review the existing evidence and propose management strategies that would be applicable to the everyday care of patients with BE after they have received endoscopic or surgical eradication. CEIM is a key initial outcome that requires, at present, validation by endoscopic and histologic assessments. Because of the possibilities for biopsy sampling errors and persistence of buried metaplasia, patients receiving endoscopic therapy or esophagectomy for dysplastic BE should be kept in surveillance until definitive long-term, prospective data become available.
School Nurses on the Front Lines of Medicine When Student Heads Collide: Managing Head Injuries in the School Setting

Head trauma is a common chief complaint encountered by school nurses. This article describes the initial assessment and management of head trauma in children and adolescents, delineates reasons that may prompt the school nurse to transfer a student to a local emergency department, and discusses the role of the school nurse when a student is diagnosed with a concussion.
Ethical Aspects of Working With Local Communities and Their Biological Resources

Both field and laboratory researchers need to learn about the ethical aspects of working with local knowledge and its associated biological resources to ensure the fair and just treatment of local communities and equitable sharing of benefits resulting from scientific research and potential development of these resources. Key concepts central to this learning process are mindfulness, prior informed consent, self-determination, access and benefit sharing, mutually agreed terms, and cultural sensitivity. This chapter describes the legal basis and ethical guidelines for conducting research with local communities, either directly in the field or indirectly through evidence-based testing of their biological resources.
Adaptive control of Networked Distributed Systems with unknown interconnections

Networked Distributed Control Systems (NDCS) consist of a number of interacting subsystems and usually face the challenge of delays induced by the communication network. In this paper we consider the case where each subsystem communicates with other subsystems its state information with a communication delay. We assume that each subsystem knows its own dynamics but does not know how neighboring subsystems affect its dynamics, i.e., the interconnection matrices are unknown. We proposed local robust adaptive control schemes whose objective is to stabilize the local subsystems, weaken the interconnections and guarantee global stability for the NDCS despite the communication delays. We showed analytically that if the unknown interconnections can be weakened by each subsystem and if the communication delay is small the overall system is exponentially stable.
Productivity diagnosed from the diel cycle of particulate carbon in the North Pacific Subtropical Gyre

The rate of primary production (PP) in the ocean is a critical ecosystem function that contributes to the regulation of air-sea CO2 exchange. Historically, oceanographers have relied primarily on in vitro measurements of 14C uptake (14C-PP) as a proxy for PP. Yet it can be difficult to reconcile PP rates measured in vitro with in situ rates such as those based on oxygen. Here we present diel cycles of optically derived particulate organic carbon (POC) measured in the North Pacific Subtropical Gyre. We have calculated gross production (OPTGP) from the daytime increase and nighttime decrease of optically derived POC, assuming that the observed change in POC represents the sum of PP and community losses. We have compared these estimates to parallel 14C-PP incubations and considered sources of difference. We find that OPTGP is strongly related to 14C-PP in this region and that growth and loss rates of POC are tightly coupled.
Robotic Surgery: Past, Present, and Future

Robots are able to perform varied precise and accurate tasks including existing in hazardous environments and handling hazardous materials with minimal risk to humans. They excel at performing highly repetitive tasks and have been widely adopted into industrial manufacturing due to many of these advantages. Overall, robots are often categorized by type of control mechanisms. Robotic control can be defined as active, where the robot is actually performing the action without human control usually under a programmed command structure; semi-active, where the robot is responsible for some of the control but is overseen during the task by a human who is able to add control; and, finally, passive (master–slave) system architecture where the system only performs movements that are input directly from the human controller. No autonomous movement is present in the commercial surgical robotic system created for abdominal and thoracic minimally invasive surgery, although this is an area of active research. The success of robotic industrial manufacturing has demonstrated that robots can be tireless, accurate, and capable of speed and precision that is far beyond that of a human. However, industrial robots are also dangerous as their speed, size, and movements can result in significant damage to surrounding structures or life forms if there are errors in command or control.