cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
P300 stimulus sequence effects in children and adults

Immediate memory capability for 12 children (8 years) and 12 adults (21 years) was assessed electrophysiologically by using P300 event-related brain potential (ERP) stimulus sequences. These were derived from an auditory discrimination paradigm in which participants detected target stimuli in a series of target (T) and standard (S) tones that were varied by randomly presenting one of four sequence patterns (SSSS, TTTT, TTTS, SSST). Short-term memory capability was assessed behaviorally by recall performance of a 20-word list. Children and adults showed virtually identical P300 amplitude sequence patterns, such that for both groups component size increased systematically as the discrepancy between standard and target stimuli increased across sequence patterns. P300 latency evinced similar, albeit weaker, stimulus sequence effects, with children having longer component peak latencies. Memory recall performance was substantially weaker for the children than for adult participants, especially for recency effects. The findings suggest that immediate memory for stimulus sequences is fully developed in young children, although long-term memory is not.
PbSe Nanocrystal/TiOx Heterostructured Films: A Simple Route to Nanoscale Heterointerfaces and Photocatalysis

A simple approach to heterostructured thin film catalysts consisting of PbSe nanocrystals and layer-by-layer deposited TiOx is presented. Strong quantum confinement raises the conduction band of PbSe nanocrystals above that of TiOx, leading to a type II band offset. Photogenerated electrons in PbSe nanocrystals are transferred to catalytic TiOx which in turn initiate catalysis. Photocatalytic activity of the heterostructured films is found to be dependent on the size of the PbSe nanocrystals with the onset of catalysis coinciding at a photon energy of ∼2.5 times the band gap of the nanocrystals. Photocatalysis in the visible spectral region out to 650 nm is demonstrated.
How do Formulation and Process Parameters Impact Blend and Unit Dose Uniformity? Further Analysis of the Product Quality Research Institute Blend Uniformity Working Group Industry Survey

Responses from the second Product Quality Research Institute (PQRI) Blend Uniformity Working Group (BUWG) survey of industry have been reanalyzed to identify potential links between formulation and processing variables and the measured uniformity of blends and unit dosage forms. As expected, the variability of the blend potency and tablet potency data increased with a decrease in the loading of the active pharmaceutical ingredient (API). There was also an inverse relationship between the nominal strength of the unit dose and the blend uniformity data. The data from the PQRI industry survey do not support the commonly held viewpoint that granulation processes are necessary to create and sustain tablet and capsule formulations with a high degree of API uniformity. There was no correlation between the blend or tablet potency variability and the type of process used to manufacture the product. Although it is commonly believed that direct compression processes should be avoided for low API loading formulations because of blend and tablet content uniformity concerns, the data for direct compression processes reported by the respondents to the PQRI survey suggest that such processes are being used routinely to manufacture solid dosage forms of acceptable quality even when the drug loading is quite low. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. and the American Pharmacists Association J Pharm Sci 102:982–986, 2013
Lower extremity muscle activation during horizontal and uphill running

Sloniger, Mark A., Kirk J. Cureton, Barry M. Prior, and Ellen M. Evans. Lower extremity muscle activation during horizontal and uphill running. J. Appl. Physiol. 83(6): 2073–2079, 1997.—To provide ...
Clinical Management Factors Contribute to the Decision for Contralateral Prophylactic Mastectomy

Purpose To determine whether increasing rates of contralateral prophylactic mastectomy (CPM) are due to recognition of risk factors for contralateral breast cancer (CBC) or treatment factors related to the index lesion. Methods From 1997 to 2005, 2,965 patients with stage 0 to III primary unilateral breast cancer underwent mastectomy at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center. Patients who did and did not undergo CPM within 1 year of treatment for their index cancer were compared to identify independent predictors of CPM. Results The rate of CPM was 13.8% (n = 407), increasing from 6.7% in 1997 to 24.2% in 2005 (P < .0001). Patients with BRCA mutations or prior mantle radiation (n = 52) accounted for 13% of those having CPM. The rate of CPM by surgeon varied from 1% to 26%. Multivariate logistic regression adjusting for surgeon-identified white race (odds ratio [OR] = 3.3), immediate reconstruction (OR = 3.3), family history of breast cancer (OR = 2.9), magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) at diagnosis (OR = 2...
BER Performance Analysis of the Optimum ML Receiver for Decode-and-Forward Cooperative Protocol

In this paper, the performance of optimum maximum-likelihood (ML) receiver is analyzed for the decode-and-forward (DF) cooperative communication protocol in wireless networks. A closed-form bit-error-rate (BER) analysis is presented for the DF cooperative protocol with BPSK modulation and with ML detection at the destination. To further understand the result, we develop an approximation for the BER analysis in a special scenario. Simulation results are presented to validate both the closed-form BER expression and the approximation.
Understanding the Effects of Hydrogen Bonding at the Vapor−Water Interface: Vibrational Sum Frequency Spectroscopy of H2O/HOD/D2O Mixtures Studied Using Molecular Dynamics Simulations

Molecular structure and bonding interactions at the vapor−water interface of varying H2O/HOD/D2O composition has been calculated using molecular dynamics simulations. From these simulations a surface vibrational sum frequency (VSF) spectrum of the OH stretch region has been generated and compared with experimental VSF results of similar isotopic mixtures. The peak frequency of the uncoupled, solvated OH stretch mode determined from the computational spectrum of the vapor−HOD interface shows excellent agreement with these experimental results. With the addition of H2O, the calculations performed in this work provide information as to how various OH stretch modes at the vapor−water interface are impacted by the coupling effects that are induced by hydrogen bonding to adjacent OH oscillators. The results of these calculations demonstrate the frequency shifting, spectral broadening, and changes in transition strength exhibited by the OH stretch modes of interfacial water species that occur with increased inte...
Custom processor design using NISC: a case-study on DCT algorithm

Designing application-specific instruction-set processors (ASIPs) usually requires designing a custom datapath, and modifying instruction-set, instruction decoder, and compiler. A new alternative to ASIPs is no-instruction-set-computers (NISCs) that eliminate the instruction abstraction by compiling programs directly to a given datapath. The compiler analyzes the datapath and extracts possible operations and data flows. The NISC approach simplifies and accelerates the task of custom processor design. In this paper, we present a case-study of designing a custom datapath for a 2D DCT algorithm. We applied several optimization techniques such as software transformations, operation chaining, datapath pipelining, controller pipelining, and functional unit customization to improve the quality of the design. Most of the techniques are general and can be applied to other applications. The result of synthesizing our final custom datapath on a Xilinx FPGA shows 7.14 times performance improvement, 1.64 times power reduction, 12.5 times energy savings, and more than 3 times area reduction compared to a softcore MIPS implementation.
Effect of JQ-1 on monocyte-derived macrophage (MDM) phagocytosis of bacteria and cytokine release

Rationale: A characteristic of COPD is bacterial colonisation in the lower airway, possibly due to defective macrophage phagocytosis. This is associated with macrophage activation and increased cytokine release. JQ-1, a bromodomain inhibitor, down-regulates inflammatory protein transcription and may be anti-inflammatory. However, it may have other effects. This study compares the effect of JQ-1, on phagocytosis of bacteria in an MDM model using cells cultured from non-smokers, smokers and COPD subjects. Methods: Human monocyte-derived macrophages (MDMs) cultured (12 days + GMCSF) from non-smokers, smokers and COPD subjects were pre-treated with JQ-1 (1x10 -12 - 1x10 -5 M) for 4 or 24hrs. Phagocytosis of labelled H. Influenzae (HI) and S. Pneumoniae (SP) was measured by Fluorimetry. Cytokines TNF-α and CXCL-8 were measured by ELISA. Results: JQ-1 did not attenuate HI and SP stimulated release of CXCL-8 or TNF-α at 4 or 24hrs. MDM survival + JQ-1 (1μM): 4h = 156% and 24hr = 85% (relative to bacteria treated MDMs = 100%) Conclusions: JQ-1 had no effect on phagocytosis until high concentration (1μM). However, JQ-1 did not suppress CXCL-8 or TNF-.α release in this model. MDMs may not be a good model for study of bromodomain inhibitor effects and investigation of JQ-1 effects in other macrophage phenotypes is required.
Combined use of enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay and flow cytometry to detect antibodies to Trypanosoma cruzi in domestic canines in Texas.

Canines may be sentinels and/or reservoirs for human Trypanosoma cruzi exposures. This study adapted a method originally designed for human diagnostics to detect serum immunoglobulin G to T. cruzi in canines. The method combined an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) for screening and flow cytometry detection of anti-live trypomastigote antibodies (ALTA) for confirmation. The assays were optimized by using known positive and negative control canine sera, and cutoff values were established. The ELISA and ALTA assay easily distinguished between reactive (positive controls) and nonreactive (negative controls) sera and were used to test sera collected in a cross-sectional seroprevalence survey of 356 domestic canines from Harris County, Tex., and the surrounding area. Fifty-three (14.9%) of 356 asymptomatic canines in the survey were positive by ELISA, and 5 (1.4%) were confirmed positive with the ALTA assay, with an additional 4 (1.1%) canines classified as “suspect positive.” Thus, the overall prevalence of T. cruzi antibodies in this population was 2.6%. This is the first U.S. study to use the combination of ELISA and ALTA to detect serum antibodies to T. cruzi and the first report of the prevalence of T. cruzi infection in domestic canines in the Houston, Tex. (Harris County), region. Our results demonstrate that the combination of ELISA and ALTA has been successfully adapted for use in testing canines for serological evidence of T. cruzi infection. Seroprevalence survey results suggest that T. cruzi antibody-positive domestic canines in the peridomestic setting are present in the Houston, Tex., region and further suggest that T. cruzi is enzootic in the region.
Exercise reduces activation of microglia isolated from hippocampus and brain of aged mice

Background: Aging is associated with low-grade neuroinflammation that includes basal increases in proinflammatory cytokines and expression of inflammatory markers on microglia. Exercise can reduce neuroinflammation following infection in aged animals, but whether exercise modulates basal changes in microglia activation is unknown. Therefore, we evaluated changes in basal microglia activation in cells isolated from the hippocampus and remaining brain following running-wheel access. Methods: Adult (4 months) and aged (22 months) male and female BALB/c mice were housed with or without running wheels for 10 weeks. Microglia were isolated from the hippocampus or remaining brain. Flow cytometry was used to determine microglia (CD11b+ and CD45 low ) that co-labeled with CD86, CD206, and MHC II. Results: Aged mice showed a greater proportion of CD86 and MHC II positive microglia. In aged females, access to a running wheel decreased proportion of CD86+ and MHC II+ microglia in the hippocampus whereas aged males in the running group showed a decrease in the proportion of CD86+ microglia in the brain and an increase in the proportion of MHC II+ microglia in hippocampus and brain. Conclusion: Overall, these data indicate that running-wheel access modulates microglia activation, but these effects vary by age, sex, and brain region.
Targeted Discovery of Glycoside Hydrolases from a Switchgrass-Adapted Compost Community

Development of cellulosic biofuels from non-food crops is currently an area of intense research interest. Tailoring depolymerizing enzymes to particular feedstocks and pretreatment conditions is one promising avenue of research in this area. Here we added a green-waste compost inoculum to switchgrass (Panicum virgatum) and simulated thermophilic composting in a bioreactor to select for a switchgrass-adapted community and to facilitate targeted discovery of glycoside hydrolases. Small-subunit (SSU) rRNA-based community profiles revealed that the microbial community changed dramatically between the initial and switchgrass-adapted compost (SAC) with some bacterial populations being enriched over 20-fold. We obtained 225 Mbp of 454-titanium pyrosequence data from the SAC community and conservatively identified 800 genes encoding glycoside hydrolase domains that were biased toward depolymerizing grass cell wall components. Of these, ,10% were putative cellulases mostly belonging to families GH5 and GH9. We synthesized two SAC GH9 genes with codon optimization for heterologous expression in Escherichia coli and observed activity for one on carboxymethyl cellulose. The active GH9 enzyme has a temperature optimum of 50uC and pH range of 5.5 to 8 consistent with the composting conditions applied. We demonstrate that microbial communities adapt to switchgrass decomposition using simulated composting condition and that full-length genes can be identified from complex metagenomic sequence data, synthesized and expressed resulting in active enzyme.
Cancer prevention and HMOs.

AbstractHealth Maintenance Organizations (HMOs) now serve 15 % of the American population and are a visible part of the competitive health care marketplace in most areas. Shapiro (1) has argued that the recent growth of HMOs may increase the “vigor” of delivery of cancer prevention services to the population because of the organized nature of such practice settings and their historical commitment to prevention. In this report, we will review available evidence about the determinants of effective cancer prevention performance in an effort to assess whether HMOs or various aspects of HMO delivery systems do afford advantages over other methods of delivering cancer prevention services.
In situ surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopic study of formic acid electrooxidation on spontaneously deposited platinum on gold

Present formic acid fuel cell efficiency is limited by low kinetics at the anode, indicating the need for effective catalysts to improve the formic acid oxidation. As a prerequisite, the nature of adsorbed species and specifically the reaction intermediates formed in this process needs to be examined. This work focuses on the electrooxidation of formic acid and the nature of the intermediates at a platinum-modified gold surface prepared through spontaneous deposition using a combination of electrochemistry and in situ surface enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS). This Pt-modified gold electrode surface assists in oxidizing formic acid at potentials as low as 0.0 V vs. Ag/AgCl which is 0.15 V more negative than a bare Pt surface. The oxidation current obtained on the Pt-modified gold electrode is 72 times higher than on a bare Au surface and 5 times higher than on a bare Pt surface at the same potential. In situ SERS has revealed the involvement of formate at a low frequency as the primary intermediate in this electrooxidation process. While previous studies mainly focused on the formate mode at ca. 1322 cm−1, it is the first time that a formate peak at ca. 300 cm−1 was observed on a Pt or Pt-associated surface. A unique relationship has been observed between the formic acid oxidation currents and the SERS intensity of this formate adsorbate. Furthermore, the characteristic Stark effect of the formate proves the strong interaction between the adsorbate and the catalyst. Both electrochemical and spectroscopic results suggest that the formic acid electrooxidation takes place by the dehydrogenation pathway involving a low frequency formate intermediate on the Pt-modified gold electrode catalyst.
Foreclosure, Vacancy and Crime

This paper examines the impact of residential foreclosures and vacancies on violent and property crime. To overcome confounding factors, a difference-in-difference research design is applied to a unique data set containing geocoded foreclosure and crime data from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Results indicate that while foreclosure alone has no effect on crime, violent crime increases by more than 15% once the foreclosed home becomes vacant. Effects on property crime are similar, but less precisely estimated.
Spatio-temporal analysis reveals active control of both task-relevant and task-irrelevant variables

The Uncontrolled Manifold hypothesis and Minimal Intervention principle propose that the observed differential variability across task relevant (i.e., task goals) vs. irrelevant (i.e., in the null space of those goals) variables is evidence of a separation of task variables for efficient neural control, ranked by their respective variabilities (sometimes referred to as hierarchy of control). Support for this comes from spatial domain analyses (i.e., structure of) of kinematic, kinetic and EMG variability. While proponents admit the possibility of \textsl{preferential} as opposed to strictly \textsl{uncontrolled} variables, such distinctions have only begun to be quantified or considered in the temporal domain when inferring control action. Here we extend the study of task variability during tripod static grasp to the temporal domain by applying diffusion analysis. We show that both task-relevant and task-irrelevant parameters show corrective action at some time scales; and conversely, that task-relevant parameters do not show corrective action at other time scales. That is, the spatial fluctuations of fingertip forces show, as expected, greater ranges of variability in task-irrelevant variables (> 98\% associated with changes in total grasp force; vs. only
Effects of Reintroduction of Fire into Fire Suppressed Coastal Scrub and Longleaf Pine Communities Along the Lower Gulf Coastal Plain

Abstract The Northwest Florida coastal landscape consists of a mosaic of sand pine scrub, longleaf pine, and ecotonal communities. Fire suppression has altered the structure and composition of these communities. The effects of environmental variation and the recent reintroduction of fire on plant distribution and abundance across this landscape were investigated. Relative cover of herbaceous and woody ground cover species and density of sapling and canopy trees along with elevation, percent bare ground, percent canopy cover, and litter depth were determined in burned and long-unburned treatments for all community types. Canonical correspondence analysis (CCA) identified elevation and time since fire as the most influential environmental variables for species distribution and abundance. Species most closely associated with lower sites included Gaylussacia mosieri Small, Ilex glabra (L.) Gray, Kalmia hirsuta Walt., Magnolia virginiana L., Pinus palustrus P. Mill., Vaccinium myrsinites Lam., Aristida L. spec...
The hypergeometric function

The function represented by the infinite series \(\sum\limits_{n = 0}^\infty {\frac{{{{(a)}_n}{{(b)}_n}}}{{{{(c)}_n}}}\frac{{{z^n}}}{{n!}}} \) within its circle of convergence and all the analytic continuations is called the hypergeometric function 2 F 1(a, b; c;z).*
The TARSQI Toolkit

We present and demonstrate the updated version of the TARSQI Toolkit, a suite of temporal processing modules that extract temporal information from natural language texts. It parses the document and identifies temporal expressions, recognizes events, anchor events to temporal expressions and orders events relative to each other. The toolkit was previously demonstrated at COLING 2008, but has since seen substantial changes including: (1) incorporation of a new time expression tagger, (2)~embracement of stand-off annotation, (3) application to the medical domain and (4) introduction of narrative containers.
RPG Mythos: Narrative Gaming as Modern Mythmaking

Narrative has been a means by which to pass culture down through the generations, to help people understand their environments, and to provide a sense community and identity through telling and listening as well as the unique features of the characters and stories themselves. The most familiar surviving stories that connect us to our ancestors take the form of folklore and mythology. Games, too, have served many of the same functions as storytelling. In modern times, games and storytelling are no less prevalent, although the particular forms they take and functions they fulfill have been vastly expanded. Narrative gaming has become extremely popular, allowing for the consumption of both regional heritage and global multiculturalism. This essay will explore the roles of these contemporary narratives and provide an analysis of the transition from the traditional narrative to the live role-playing game.
North American Leptothorax of the Nitens-Carinatus Complex (Hymenoptera: Formicidae)

Leptothorax nitens var. Heathii Wheeler is found to be status, indistinguishable from typical L. nitens Emery and is synonymized with it, while var. mariposa Wheeler is resurrected from synonymy and accorded full specific Other members of the complex are L. andrei Emery and L. carinatus Cole. Keys are given to the workers of these four species and to the females of three, that of L. mariposa being unknown.
The Effects of Students’ Course Perceptions on Their Domain Identification, Motivational Beliefs, and Goals

The purpose of this study was to examine whether students’ perceptions in a first-year university engineering course affected their engineering identification, motivational beliefs, and engineering major and career goals. Based on current motivation models and theories, we hypothesized that students’ perceptions of the components of the MUSIC Model of Motivation (the MUSIC model) in one of their first university engineering courses would predict their engineering identification, which would predict their major and career goals. We conducted exploratory factor analyses on an estimation sample of 110 students and used a two-step structural equation modeling approach with a validation sample of 333 first-year engineering undergraduates. The measurement and structural model fit indices demonstrated that the hypothesized model provided a good fit to the data, indicating that students’ perceptions of four of the five MUSIC model components were statistically related to students’ engineering identification, whic...
Other tobacco product and electronic cigarette use among homeless cigarette smokers.

Abstract Objective We determined the prevalence and correlates of other tobacco product and electronic cigarette (e-cigarette) use in a clinic-based sample of homeless cigarette smokers. Methods In April–July 2014, we used time-location sampling to conduct a cross-sectional, in-person survey of 306 currently homeless adult cigarette smokers recruited from 5 clinical sites at Boston Health Care for the Homeless Program. We assessed past-month use of large cigars, little cigars, smokeless tobacco, and e-cigarettes. Among those who had used e-cigarettes, we assessed the reasons for doing so. We used logistic regression analysis to identify the participant characteristics associated with the use of each product. Results Eighty-six percent of eligible individuals participated in the survey. In the past month, 37% of respondents used large cigars, 44% used little cigars, 8% used smokeless tobacco, 24% used an e-cigarette, and 68% used any of these products. Reasons for e-cigarette use included curiosity (85%) and to help quit conventional cigarettes (69%). In multivariable regression analyses, homeless smokers with greater subsistence difficulties were more likely to use little cigars ( p = 0.01) and less likely to use e-cigarettes ( p = 0.001). Non-Hispanic black ( p = 0.01), Hispanic ( p p = 0.04) participants were more likely to use large cigars. Readiness to quit was not associated with other tobacco product use but was significantly associated with e-cigarette use to help quit smoking ( p = 0.02). Conclusions Health care providers who serve homeless people should consider routine screening for the use of other tobacco products and e-cigarettes to help guide smoking cessation discussions and tobacco treatment planning.
8 × 8 × 40 Gbps fully integrated silicon photonic network on chip

We demonstrate a fully integrated photonic network-on-chip circuit with wavelength division multiplexing transceivers on silicon. The total transmission capacity is up to 8×8×40 Gbps for intra- and inter-chip interconnections.
Exploring arbitrarily high orders of optimized perturbation theory in QCD with nf→1612

Perturbative QCD with nf flavours of massless quarks becomes simple in the hypothetical limit nf→1612, where the leading β-function coefficient vanishes. The Banks–Zaks (BZ) expansion in a0≡8321(1612−nf) is straightforward to obtain from perturbative results in MS‾ or any renormalization scheme (RS) whose nf dependence is ‘regular’. However, ‘irregular’ RS's are perfectly permissible and should ultimately lead to the same BZ results. We show here that the ‘optimal’ RS determined by the Principle of Minimal Sensitivity does yield the same BZ-expansion results when all orders of perturbation theory are taken into account. The BZ limit provides an arena for exploring optimized perturbation theory at arbitrarily high orders. These explorations are facilitated by a ‘master equation’ expressing the optimization conditions in the fixed-point limit. We find an intriguing strong/weak coupling duality a→a⁎2/a about the fixed point a⁎.
INDUSTRY AND PRACTICE: Research Issues in Multimedia Databases

In recent years, multimedia applications based on stand-alone systems and network-based systems have grown at a phenomenal rate. This growth is expected to accelerate with increased bandwidth in our telecommunication networks as many applications that are now available and can be made available on the â€œNetâ€ require high transmission rates. Despite limited bandwidths to most homes and businesses, â€œsurfing the netâ€ has become commonplace among a large segment of the population often including our very young children.
Dynamic strength and ductility of ultra-high performance concrete with flow-induced fiber alignment

Abstract The effect of fiber alignment on dynamic strength and ductility of an ultra-high performance concrete has been investigated. A beam was cast to produce a realistic level of flow-induced fiber alignment. Cores were drilled from the beam, and fiber orientation was non-destructively characterized using x-ray computed tomography. Fiber orientations in three orthogonal directions were significantly different at a 95% confidence level, with fibers preferentially aligned in the direction of flow during placement. Cored specimens were then tested in high-strain rate compression using a split-Hopkinson pressure bar. Dynamic compressive strength was independent of fiber orientation for the specimens tested. Ductility, measured by the strain at peak stress, increased with the proportion of fibers oriented perpendicular to the applied load.
Environmental and Idiothetic Cues to Reference Frame Selection in Path Integration

The current study investigated the ways in which environmental and idiothetic cues affect the nature of the reference frame (i.e., egocentric or allocentric) in path integration in a virtual environment. Participants navigated to multiple waypoints and then attempted to walk or point to the first waypoint. We manipulated the environmental geometry, complexity of the outbound path, availability of idiothetic cues (vestibular, proprioceptive, & efferent motor information) and initial heading in the virtual environment to examine the reference frame in path integration. Experiments 1 and 2 showed that when idiothetic cues were present, participants adopted an egocentric reference frame regardless of the environmental geometry and outbound path complexity. Experiments 3 and 4 showed that when idiothetic cues were absent, participants adopted the initial heading as the reference direction. We concluded that unlike their marked influence on reference directions in spatial memory, environmental cues had little impact on the reference frame in path integration regardless of the availability of idiothetic cues.
Women Rule: Gendered Leadership and State Supreme Court Chief Justice Selection

While women are underrepresented in many political institutions and leadership positions, nearly half of state supreme court chief justices are women. Is there something about the role of state sup...
Initiation of labor analgesia with injection of local anesthetic through the epidural needle compared to the catheter

Background The rationale for injection of epidural medications through the needle is to promote sooner onset of pain relief relative to dosing through the epidural catheter given that needle injection can be performed immediately after successful location of the epidural space. Some evidence indicates that dosing medications through the epidural needle results in faster onset and improved quality of epidural anesthesia compared to dosing through the catheter, though these dosing techniques have not been compared in laboring women. This investigation was performed to determine whether dosing medication through the epidural needle improves the quality of analgesia, level of sensory blockade, or onset of pain relief measured from the time of epidural medication injection. Methods In this double-blinded prospective investigation, healthy term laboring women (n=60) received labor epidural placement upon request. Epidural analgesia was initiated according to the assigned randomization group: 10 mL loading dose (0.125% bupivacaine with fentanyl 2 µg/mL) through either the epidural needle or the catheter, given in 5 mL increments spaced 2 minutes apart. Verbal rating scale (VRS) pain scores (0-10) and pinprick sensory levels were documented to determine the rates of analgesic and sensory blockade onset. Results No significant differences were observed in onset of analgesia or sensory blockade from the time of injection between study groups. The estimated difference in the rate of pain relief (VRS/minute) was 0.04 (95% CI: -0.01 to 0.11; p=0.109), and the estimated difference in onset of sensory blockade (sensory level/minute) was 0.63 (95% CI: -0.02 to 0.15; p=0.166). The time to VRS ≤3 and level of sensory block 20 minutes after dosing were also similar between groups. No differences in patient satisfaction, or maternal or fetal complications were observed. Conclusion This investigation observed that epidural needle and catheter injection of medications result in similar onset of analgesia and sensory blockade, quality of labor analgesia, patient satisfaction, and complication rates.
Enhanced Polling and Infiltration of Highly-Linear Mach-Zehnder Modulators on Si/SiN-Organic Hybrid Platform

Effective infiltration and polling of electro-optic polymer (EOP) inside world-record vertical slot of 40 nm is demonstrated for a Mach-Zehnder modulator on a hybrid Si/SiN/EOP platform with highly-linear and high-power handling performance capabilities.
Limitation of photosynthesis by RuBp regeneration rate

The carboxylation of ribulose 1,5-bisphosphate (RuBP) by the enzyme RuBP carboxylase is the primary CO2 fixing reaction of photosynthesis. It is therefore reasonable to assume that any factor which changes the rate of photosynthesis must ultimately do so through an effect on this reaction. The reaction rate may be influenced by the concentration of the two substrates (CO2 and RuBP), the activity of RuBP carboxylase present, or by inhibitors of the reaction. For example, limitation of photosynthesis by CO2 is easily determined based on the response of photosynthetic rate to CO2 concentration in the intercellular spaces. It is clear that photosynthesis is limited by CO2 at CO2 concentrations around ambient, and this observation is consistent with kinetic data for RuBP carboxylase and CO2 in vitro.
Citizen Opinion and Constitutional Choices: The Case of the UK

In recent years, political scientists have begun to pay greater attention to political institutions and questions of institutional change. This article addresses a question that has been relatively ignored in the literature: What shapes mass opinion toward institutional and constitutional change? We develop two broad kinds of explanations of how voters see institutions. One is grounded in a conception of voters as self-interested actors, and the other considers a more ideological and psychological approach. We find empirical evidence consistent with both arguments. Using a broad categorization developed by Tsebelis (1990), we find that part of the answer to how voters see institutions lies in the kinds of institutions voters are being asked about: Different institutions prompt very different responses from different types of voters.
Immunochemical Detection of Viruslike Particles and Double-Stranded RNA from Agaricus bisporus

The mushroom virus disease of Agaricus bisporus is associated with the presence of double-stranded RNA (dsRNA) and several viruslike particles (VLP), two spherical with diameters of 25 nm and 34 nm and one bacilliform with overall dimensions of 19 × 50 nm (Hollings, 1962;Dieleman-van Zaayen, 1972; Saksena, 1975; Lemke, 1976; and Fig. 1). Antisera to these VLP and to dsRNA have been prepared. An investigation of the VLP has been carried out by immune electron microscopy, counter-im-munoelectrophoresis, immunoelectrophoresis, and the enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Immunochemical profiles of the VLP and of dsRNA from various mushroom tissues have been determined in an attempt to relate virus titers to disease expression.
Abortion in Korea: A Human Rights Perspective on the Current Debate over Enforcement of the Laws Prohibiting Abortion

For decades, the Republic of Korea has seen hardly any debate about abortion rights. Although abortion is illegal based on Korea’s criminal code drafted in 1953, it is actually very common. Since 1973, the law has provided broad exceptions to this ban on abortion, allowing abortions for victims of rape or incest, women whose health is at risk, cases where the fetus is suspected of having a genetic disorder, and cases where the pregnant woman or her spouse suffers from a list of communicable or hereditary disease. In practice, these exceptions have been used to justify abortion on demand, and the law prohibiting abortion in normal circumstances has gone largely unenforced. Although there has been some opposition to this non-enforcement from Korean religious leaders, it has been relatively subdued. Unlike the United States and many other countries, abortion has not been a political lightning rode in Korea. As of January 2010, however, it can no longer be said that there is a lack of discussion on abortion within Korean society. On the contrary, debate on the future of abortion regulation is raging in newspapers, Internet chat rooms
THERMAL PERFORMANCE ANALYSIS FOR ELEVEN CALIFORNIA PASSIVE SOLAR AND ENERGY CONSERVING HOUSES BASED ON ONE YEAR OF MONITORED DATA

ABSTRACT Nine passive solar and two conservation houses in different California climates were monitored for a period of one year starting in July 1981. The two conservation houses were located next to passive solar houses for convenient comparison of performance. The Solar Energy Research Institute (SERI) Class B data collection methodology and instrumentation, modified to meet California needs, were used. This included continuous data collection with data stored hourly on cassette tape and printed daily, weekly and monthly on paper tape. In addition to the continuous data, one time measurements were made on each house to determine the building loss coefficient, infiltration rates and furnace efficiency. The hourly data on cassette tape was transferred to disc and then used to analyze the thermal performance of each house. The solar contributions are obtained subtractively and comfort levels maintained are indicated by monthly plots of extreme, and binned inside and outside temperatures. The overall performance for each house is presented and compared to an equivalent non-solar house. In the two cases where solar and conservation houses are nearby, these performances are also compared. In general the energy savings attributed to the solar feature of these houses depended upon the weather and user interaction in a more dramatic manner than is commonly believed. The interaction between system components and weather is discussed.
Transcription regulation of rat glutathione S-transferase Ya subunit gene expression by chemopreventive agents.

Purpose. To study the transcription regulation of rat glutathione S-transferase Ya (rGSTya) subunit gene expression by chemopreventive agents.
High-Resolution Laser Excitation Spectroscopy of the A1Σ+-X1Σ+ Transition of BaS

Abstract The high-resolution laser excitation spectrum of the A 1 Σ + - X 1 Σ + transition of BaS was recorded. The BaS molecule was prepared by a gas-phase reaction of Ba metal vapor with CS 2 in a Broida oven. The 2-0, 3-0, 4-0, 5-0, 5-1, 6-1, 7-1, 7-2, 8-2, 9-2, and 8-3 vibrational bands were rotationally analyzed. Approximately 600 lines for the main isotopomer 138 Ba 32 S (67.5%) were measured and fitted to yield spectroscopic constants for the A 1 Σ + and X 1 Σ + states. The A 1 Σ + state is found to be extensively perturbed by two low-lying electronic states, the A ′ 1 Π and a 3 Π i .
Network Autocorrelation and Spatial Filtering

Geographical flows have been frequently modeled with gravity type spatial interaction models. The estimation of spatial interaction models is often achieved with regression techniques, including linear regression and Poisson/negative binomial regression based on the nature of the observations under the independence assumption among observations. Recent studies show, with a development of neighborhood structure among network flows, that geographical flows such as population migration tend to have a significant level of correlation. This phenomenon, called network autocorrelation, leads to a violation of the independence assumption and raises a necessity of a proper modeling method which can account for network autocorrelation. The eigenvector spatial filtering method furnishes a way to incorporate network autocorrelation in linear regression and generalized linear regression. Specifically, the eigenvector spatial filtering method can be utilized to describe positive autocorrelation in Poisson/negative binomial regression, whereas their counterpart auto models are able to describe only negative autocorrelation due to the integrability condition. This chapter discusses different specifications of eigenvector spatial filtering to model network autocorrelation in a spatial interaction modeling framework. These methods are illustrated with applications with interregional commodity flows and interstate migration flows in the U.S.
Ethnicity, Culture, and Group Psychotherapy

Ethnicity and culture have great therapeutic import in the practice of group psychotherapy, especially given the increasing diversity of the population of North America, and this issue has not received appropriate recognition in the literature. In this paper these terms are defined, and the literature is reviewed. Ethnicity, culture, and psychopathology are discussed, focusing on treatment issues including transference, countertransference, resistance, group cohesion, group process, and multi-ethnic groups. The group therapist must be knowledgeable about ethnic and cultural issues in the lives of the group members in order to promote group cohesion and therapeutic effectiveness. The recognition and exploration of ethnic/cultural differences enhances the work of the group. Recommendations for treatment are discussed.
Fibrostenotic Inflammatory Bowel Disease: A Cinderella Story

Intestinal fibrosis in inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) leading to stricture formation, intestinal obstruction and need for surgical intervention remains one of the largest unresolved clinical challenges in IBD. Despite the emergence of novel anti-inflammatory drugs the incidence of stricture formation and surgery remained largely unchanged. Challenges in testing anti-fibrotic compounds have so far prevented progress in this area, but recent development put clinical trials for anti-fibrotic compounds into reach.
The Impact of the Depression and Nuclear Research on Universities, Research, and Scholarly Publishing: 1929–1941

Before 1939, Europe was the center of scientific research, including major atomic research projects in Germany. Albert Einstein, Leo Szilard, and others became concerned about the potential threat posed by Germany if it developed an atomic bomb. This chapter addresses Einstein’s 1939 letter to President Franklin D. Roosevelt requesting that the U.S. ratchet up atomic research, Roosevelt’s response to Einstein’s letter, the role played by the National Bureau of Standards (and its impact triggering 227 scientific journals to “censor” the publication of atomic research in the U.S.), the creation of the Office of Scientific Research and Development, and ultimately the Manhattan Project’s impact on scientific research.
Review of Probability and Statistics

Synopsis A brief review is given of the topics in classical probability and statistics that are used throughout the book. Connections between probability theory and its application to the analysis of data with random measurement errors are highlighted. Note that some very different philosophical interpretations of probability theory are discussed in Chapter 11 .
Evaluation of the Two-Bag System in Adult Diabetic Ketoacidosis Patients.

Purpose:Diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA) is a serious complication of diabetes mellitus (DM). This study was designed to assess if the two-bag (TB) system, which utilizes 2 intravenous (IV) fluid bags, ...
One-step strategy to graphene/Ni(OH)2 composite hydrogels as advanced three-dimensional supercapacitor electrode materials

Graphene-based three-dimensional (3D) macroscopic materials have recently attracted increasing interest by virtue of their exciting potential in electrochemical energy conversion and storage. Here we report a facile one-step strategy to prepare mechanically strong and electrically conductive graphene/Ni(OH)2 composite hydrogels with an interconnected porous network. The composite hydrogels were directly used as 3D supercapacitor electrode materials without adding any other binder or conductive additives. An optimized composite hydrogel containing ∼82 wt.% Ni(OH)2 exhibited a specific capacitance of ∼1,247 F/g at a scan rate of 5 mV/s and ∼785 F/g at 40 mV/s (∼63% capacitance retention) with excellent cycling stability. The capacity of the 3D hydrogels greatly surpasses that of a physical mixture of graphene sheets and Ni(OH)2 nanoplates (∼309 F/g at 40 mV/s). The same strategy was also applied to fabricate graphene-carbon nanotube/Ni(OH)2 ternary composite hydrogels with further improved specific capacitances (∼1,352 F/g at 5 mV/s) and rate capability (∼66% capacitance retention at 40 mV/s). Both composite hydrogels obtained here can deliver high energy densities (∼43 and ∼47 Wh/kg, respectively) and power densities (∼8 and ∼9 kW/kg, respectively), making them attractive electrode materials for supercapacitor applications. This study opens a new pathway to the design and fabrication of functional 3D graphene composite materials, and can significantly impact broad areas including energy storage and beyond.
Moutinho, Isabel. The Colonial Wars in Contemporary Portuguese Fiction. Woodbridge, UK: Tamesis, 2008.

Moutinho’s work combines such an original approach to the subject with such rigorous and thoughtful referencing of secondary criticism that I cannot envision teaching or writing about any of these works again without drawing heavily on her contribution. Indeed, the book is structured perfectly so that readers can focus on only the particular close reading in which they are interested on any occasion, while following a logical, narrative flow that entices them to begin at the beginning and read right through to the end. Its usefulness, particularly in the anglophone university setting, is both as the first monograph in English to tackle the subject, and also because of the meticulous way in which Moutinho explains cultural references and intertextual allusions, revealing an immense erudition in Comparative Literature.
VIII – Systems of Differential Equations

Publisher Summary This chapter focuses on the sets of simultaneous equations that involve several unknown functions and their derivatives. Such a set of equations is called a system of differential equations. The theory and technique are reminiscent of the elimination method for solving systems of linear algebraic equations. Two systems of differential equations are said to be equivalent if they have the same solutions. In the method of elimination, a given system is replaced by an equivalent, but simpler, system that is relatively easier to solve. The reduction to a simpler system is carried out by performing a sequence of operations, each of which leads to an equivalent system. Some problems that involve the motion of one or more objects have been considered. The mathematical description of such a problem involves a system of differential equations in which the unknown functions are the co-ordinates of the centres of mass of the moving objects.
Automated Location-Aware Influencer Evaluation

Location-aware influencer is a user who caters to a geographically specific audience. Examples of location-aware influencers are the local news reporter, the city mayor, local business and others. Such influencers can be identified by the location that captures the biggest percent of the influencer's followers.Size of online social networks (OSNs), their API data limits, and lack of precise location data make it a challenging and timeintensive process to identify such influencers. This paper proposes an algorithm to establish, validate, and continuously update a repository of location-aware influencers via targeted collection.The evaluation of location-aware influencers is typically limited to small handlabeled datasets, but automating key steps allowed us to evaluate thousands of influencers. Our approach is verified using multiple datasets including influencers associated with city level locations via automatic Google searches. A repository of such location-aware influencers is of interest for content recommendation and for studying location related communities from influencer's followers. The approach is developed over Twitter but applies to other social networks.