cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Noninvasive assessment of myocardial salvage after coronary reperfusion: A perpetual quest of nuclear cardiology

There is a pressing need to develop reliable noninvasive approaches for determination of the initial extent of myocardium at risk during acute myocardial infarction and for early assessment of the degree of salvage after reperfusion therapy. To be clinically useful, the method employed should not delay the institution of thrombolytic drug administration, should be easy to perform with conventional imaging technology available in the community hospital setting and should be able to provide information relevant to myocardial viability in addition to flow enhancement. Thallium-201 imaging to assess coronary reperfusion. Myocardial perfusion imaging with thallium-201 has been utilized as a method for evaluating the efficacy of coronary reperfusion in acute myocardial infarction (1). When thallium-201 is injected intravenously during the occlusion phase (pretreatment), the degree of delayed redistribution after thrombolysis is proportional to the degree of flow restoration and, presumably, myocardial viability (2,3). Patients demonstrating successful thrombolysis had more thallium-201 redistribution and a smaller final thallium defect size in relation to prethrombolysis images than were observed in patients with a persistently occluded infarct-related vessel, who showed little change in defect size (4-6). Reduto et al. (4) found that the improvement in thallium-201 uptake on redistribution images correlated well with subsequent improvement in left ventricular ejection fraction. There are some important limitations to the use of thallium-201 rest redistribution imaging in evaluating patients receiving thrombolytic therapy. First, the time that it takes to obtain pretreatment images may delay the institution of therapy up to 20 or 30 min. This delay is not feasible because
The Evolution of Computing Machines and Systems

The development of digital computing machines is described and illustrated, from the mechanical devices of the seventeenth century to the electronic systems of today, in three chronological sets of sketches. Only a few typical ones of the modem systems are treated and not all early machines are discussed. A bibliography is appended.
Geophysical records of anthropogenic sinkhole formation in the Delaware Basin region, Southeast New Mexico and West Texas, USA

A significant minority of sinkholes that formed in gypsum bedrock in the Delaware Basin region are of human origin. These anthropogenic sinkholes are often associated with improperly cased abandoned oil wells or with solution mining of salt beds in the shallow subsurface. In July 2008, a sinkhole formed abruptly at the site of a brine well in northern Eddy Co., New Mexico. The well operator had been injecting fresh water into underlying salt beds and pumping out the resulting brine for use as oil field drilling fluid. Borehole problems had prevented the operator from conducting required downhole sonar surveys to assess the dimensions of subsurface void space. The resulting sinkhole formed in just a few hours by catastrophic collapse of overlying mudstone and gypsum and in less than 1 month had reached a diameter of 111 m and a depth of 64 m. Fortuitously, a seismometer had been deployed 13 km southeast of the brine well a few months earlier and precursor events were captured on the seismograph record a few hours before the subsurface cavity breached the surface. Four months later, another sinkhole collapse occurred in northern Eddy Co., again associated with a brine well operation. These events prompted the New Mexico Oil Conservation Division to review its regulations regarding brine well operations in the southeastern New Mexico oil fields. A third brine well within the city limits of Carlsbad, N. Mex., has been shut down to forestall possible sinkhole development in this more densely populated area. Electrical resistivity surveys have been conducted adjacent to the Eddy Co. sinkholes to assess the potential for additional subsidence or collapse events in the future.
Regulation of human IP‐10 gene expression in astrocytoma cells by inflammatory cytokines

Because of its prominent expression in central nervous system inflammatory pathology by astrocytes, we examined the mechanism of human IP-10 (hIP-10) gene induction by interferon-gamma (IFN-gamma) and tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha) in astrocytoma cells. When present together, IFN-gamma and TNF-alpha induced robust accumulation of hIP-10 mRNA, but hIP-10 mRNA was minimally induced when astrocytoma cells were treated with individual cytokines. This pattern of expression resembled that previously described for murine IP-10 (mIP-10) gene induction in fibroblasts and in rat astroglia. Nuclear run-on experiments showed that the synergistic effect of the cytokines resulted from an increased rate of IP-10 transcriptional initiation. Functional analysis of the hIP-10 promoter after deletion and substitution mutagenesis indicated that an interferon-stimulated response element (ISRE) governed both simple response to IFN-gamma and synergy with TNF-alpha. Synergistic induction of hIP-10 also required an ISRE-proximal nuclear factor kappa-B (NFkappaB) binding site. TNF-alpha-induced NFkappaB binding activity at this site was composed of RelA (p65) homodimers. Our results document that cis-elements through which cytokines mediate synergistic induction of IP-10 in mouse and human are strictly conserved despite divergence elsewhere within the proximal 5'-flanking region.
Proofreaders' Decreased Stroop Interference:

12 professional proofreaders and 12 control subjects performed a Stroop color-word task. The control subjects showed significantly more Stroop interference than did the proofreaders. It appears that a career in proofreading makes it easier for subjects to ignore the meaning of word stimuli.
WARP (workflow for automated and rapid production): a framework for end-to-end automated digital print workflows

Publishing industry is experiencing a major paradigm shift with the advent of digital publishing technologies. A large number of components in the publishing and print production workflow are transformed in this shift. However, the process as a whole requires a great deal of human intervention for decision making and for resolving exceptions during job execution. Furthermore, a majority of the best-of-breed applications for publishing and print production are intrinsically designed and developed to be driven by humans. Thus, the human-intensive nature of the current prepress process accounts for a very significant amount of the overhead costs in fulfillment of jobs on press. It is a challenge to automate the functionality of applications built with the model of human driven exectution. Another challenge is to orchestrate various components in the publishing and print production pipeline such that they work in a seamless manner to enable the system to perform automatic detection of potential failures and take corrective actions in a proactive manner. Thus, there is a great need for a coherent and unifying workflow architecture that streamlines the process and automates it as a whole in order to create an end-to-end digital automated print production workflow that does not involve any human intervention. This paper describes an architecture and building blocks that lay the foundation for a plurality of automated print production workflows.
Creating interstate compacts for low level waste management

Abstract The implementation of the 1980 Low-level Radioactive Waste Policy Act (LLRWPA) depends on the creation of interstate compacts. Compact formation is a public goods problem. For mation may be impeded by opposition from elements in the federal government, the inability of state governments to resolve problems of conflicting political interests, and the possibility of extensive and unfruitful negotiations. These obstacles may be overcome if fortuitous circumstances exist and entrepreneurial behavior is applied. Guidelines that entrepreneurs may use to facilitate compact formation are relying on the exclusive character of incentives, forming compacts with a small number of members, taking advantage of inequality of interests among prospective members, using solidary incentives to promote cooperation, relying on existing regional organizations to build support, em ploying a game metaphor to understand the stakes of the participants, and making each party subject to an agreement feel as if it were a winner.
On the synthesis of new pentafluorosulfanylbenzenes

Abstract A series of di- and trisubstituted pentafluorosulfanylbenzenes were prepared for the first time by Sheppard in 1962 [1]. Because of the low yields in which the pentafluorosulfanylbenzenes can be obtained, they have not been widely studied. This is inspite of their potential interest as pesticides with enhanced activity compared to trifluoromethyl analogs, as explosives with enhanced performance and lower sensitivity compared to nitro explosives [2], and as polymers with extremely high thermal and hydrolytic stability. Several new tri- and tetrasubstituted pentafluorosulfanylbenzenes which are potentially useful as explosives with enhanced properties or as monomer precursors for thermally stable polymers were synthesized. The synthesis as well as characterization, purification, and properties of these products will be discussed.
Mathematical model of dry-band arcing on self-supporting, all-dielectric, optical cables strung on overhead power lines

The service history of self-supporting, metal-free, optical cables strung on power transmission lines is briefly reviewed; they can suffer from dry-band arcing damage. By using the results of experimental measurements on low-current arcs, an analysis is presented of dry-band arcing, which establishes the conditions necessary for stable arcing. It is shown that the electrical potential difference available for dry-band arcing and the resistance of wet pollution, which both influence the magnitude of the earth-leakage current flowing to ground from a wet cable, are important parameters in determining the threat of damage. The way in which this threat varies with line type, mounting position, phasing arrangement and geographical location is explained. There exists a threshold combination of induced voltage and wet pollution resistance, below which stable dry-band arcing will not occur.
Computational Science for Natural Resource Management

Recent advances in miniaturization, computing power, remote sensing, and modeling are revolutionizing the science of natural resource management, but these advances also bring many challenges. This article highlights some key problems in resource management that represent opportunities for computer scientists and engineers in search of challenging practical problems.
Self-neglect and cognitive function among community-dwelling older persons.

Objective Elder self-neglect is a common public health issue, but it is unclear to what degree it is associated with cognitive function. This study aimed to examine the cross-sectional association between self-neglect and cognitive function. Methods Chicago Health and Aging Project (CHAP) is a population-based epidemiological study conducted in a geographically defined community in Chicago (N = 8698): we identified 1094 CHAP participants who had self-neglect reported to social services agency, which assessed the self-neglect severity. Cognitive function was assessed using the Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE), the Symbol Digit Modalities Test (Perceptual Speed), and both immediate and delayed recall of the East Boston Memory Test (Episodic Memory). An index of global cognitive function scores was derived by averaging z-scores of all tests. Linear regression models were used to assess the association of self-neglect severity and cognitive function. Results Self-neglect was associated with poorer cognitive function. After adjusting for confounders, self-neglect was associated with lower global cognitive function (parameter estimate[PE] = −0.367, standard error[SE] = 0.026, p < 0.001), lower MMSE (PE = −2.592, SE = 0.182, p < 0.001), episodic memory (PE = −0.288, SE = 0.032, p < 0.001), and perceptual speed (PE = −5.428, SE = 0.444, p < 0.001). In addition, higher self-neglect severity scores were associated with lower global cognitive function (PE = −0.008, SE = 0.003, p = 0.014). Greater self-neglect severity was not correlated with worse performance on MMSE, but was correlated with worse performance on episodic memory (PE = −0.008,=SE = 0.003, p = 0.010), and perceptual speed (PE = −0.131, SE = 0.042, p = 0.002). Conclusion Self-neglect is associated with lower global cognitive function, episodic memory and perceptual speed. Future studies are needed to examine the temporality of these associations. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Sediment yield in the Patuxent River (Md.) undergoing urbanization, 1968–1969

Abstract Water discharge from the Patuxent River into its estuary was near-average (95%) during the water year 1968–1969 although precipitation was only 79% of the average. Suspended-sediment discharge into the estuary, however, was more then double the normal yield (344 metric tons/km2 compared to 143 metric tons/km2). These increases in runoff and suspended-sediment yields, despite decreased precipitation, must be attributed to urbanization of the drainage basin. The maximum measured suspended-sediment concentrations in the rural Middle Patuxent basin (Piedmont Province) increased only 40-fold during an increase from “average” to high water runoff (15 mg/l to 600 mg/l). In the portion of the Little Patuxent River basin undergoing urbanization (Piedmont portion), stream concentrations increased by over two orders of magnitude (20 mg/l to 2400 mg/l) as a result of heavy rainfall. The area undergoing urbanization of the Little Patuxent yielded more than twice as much suspended sediment per unit area as the rural Middle Patuxent (620 metric tons/km2 versus 290 metric tons/km2). This increase also is interpreted to be the direct result of erosion of soils denuded or disturbed during urban construction. Using the Middle Patuxent as a “standard” for normal erosion rates in rural areas, construction sites contributed about 82% of the suspended sediment discharged by the Patuxent River into its estuary even though such sites represented only 23% of the drainage basin.
Impact of a collaborative community case management program on a low-income uninsured population in Sedgwick County, KS.

Abstract This cross-sectional study assessed the impact of a collaborative nursing/social worker case management (CM) intervention on emergency department (ED) use, health status, and health locus of control (HLOC) in a low-income uninsured population. Using a pre–post intervention design, key outcomes were assessed using paired t test. A statistically significant (48%) reduction in total ED visits resulted in an estimated charge avoidance of US$1,446,280. Physical health status improved significantly; however, mental health status and HLOC scores showed minimal change. This CM model may assist vulnerable groups in gaining access to care and improved health.
Plasma C-reactive protein levels among children with sleep-disordered breathing.

Introduction. Levels of C-reactive protein (CRP), an important serum marker of inflammation with major implications for cardiovascular morbidity and atherogenesis, are elevated among adult patients with sleep-disordered breathing (SDB). We hypothesized that elevated CRP plasma levels would also be present among children with SDB. Methods. Eighty-one children (mean age: 9.3 ± 3.7 years) underwent polysomnographic evaluations. Samples for plasma CRP level and lipid profile determinations were drawn the next morning. Results. Because plasma CRP levels were not normally distributed in this cohort, logarithmic transformation was applied. Log plasma CRP levels were significantly higher in the SDB group (obstructive apnea/hypopnea index [AHI] of ≥5), compared with the mild SDB group (AHI of ≥1 and <5) and the control group (AHI of <1). Significant positive correlations were found between log CRP levels and AHI ( r = .53) and arousal index ( r = .28), whereas an inverse correlation was found between the lowest nocturnal arterial oxygen saturation and log CRP levels ( r = −.47). These correlations persisted after exclusion of outliers. Moreover, 94% of the children with elevated log CRP levels reported excessive daytime sleepiness and/or learning problems, compared with 62% of the children with normal log CRP levels. Conclusions. Plasma CRP levels were increased among some children with SDB and were correlated with AHI, arterial oxygen saturation nadir, and arousal index measures. These changes were particularly prominent among children who were sleepy or presented with neurobehavioral complaints. The intermittent hypoxemia and sleep fragmentation of SDB may underlie inflammatory responses, the magnitude of which may ultimately lead to the cardiovascular, cognitive, and behavioral morbidities of SDB.
Basal plane dislocation conversion near the epilayer/substrate interface in epitaxial growth of 4° off-axis 4H–SiC

Abstract The conversion of basal plane dislocations (BPDs) is investigated in the epitaxial growth of 4° off-axis SiC by three approaches: (1) regular growth on untreated substrates, (2) growth on pre-etched substrates and (3) growth-etch-regrowth approach. In the regular growth, ∼99.0% of the substrate BPDs are converted to threading edge dislocations (TEDs) in the vicinity of the epilayer/substrate interface and the rest ∼1.0% BPDs are converted throughout the ∼20 μm thick epilayer. A modified KOH–NaOH–MgO eutectic mixture is developed to mildly etch the substrate in approach (2) or a grown buffer-layer in approach (3) to enhance BPD conversion rate. In the subsequent epitaxial growth, the BPD conversion rate near the interface is enhanced up to 99.9% in approach (2) and to 100% in approach (3). Using the modified KOH–NaOH–MgO eutectic mixture, very mild etching of the surfaces (substrate or buffer-layer) for a short duration (2–3 min) will generate very small etch pits, and will not degrade the morphology of the etched surfaces and also that of the subsequently grown epilayer surfaces, but very high (∼100%) BPD conversion rate is still preserved. Post-polishing process is no longer needed for future device fabrication. It is proposed that the opening of a sector plane in the BPD etch pit, which enables lateral epitaxial growth to pinch off the step-flow growth inside the etch pit, is responsible for the high BPD conversion rate near the interface. The degree of anisotropic etching in the 〈11–20〉 directions versus the 〈1–100〉 directions determines the sector open angle of the BPD etch pits. The degree of anisotropic etching is studied for different KOH formulations—pure KOH, regular KOH–NaOH eutectic and the modified KOH–NaOH–MgO eutectic mixture.
Stock Price Reaction to Evidence of Earnings Management: Implications for Supplementary Financial Disclosure

We condition security price reactions to quarterly earnings announcements on whether firms disclose supplementary balance sheet and/or cashflow information that can be used to estimate the consequences of earnings management. Disclosure of supplementary information is voluntary, and thus, we consider the possibility that firms that disclose balance sheet and/or cashflow information differ systematically from firms that do not disclose. Results indicate that investors discount evidence of earnings management at the disclosure date when supplementary information is disclosed. Such results indicate more informed earnings interpretations of quarterly earnings when firms provide balance sheet and/or cashflow information concurrently.
SINGLE CRYSTAL SILICON SUPPORTED THIN FILM MICROMIRRORS FOR OPTICAL APPLICATIONS

A novel process for fabrication of single crystal silicon sup- ported torsional micromirrors with large dimensions (300 3 240 mm) is presented. The mirrors consist of a sputtered aluminum film on a layer of supporting oxide mounted on fully suspended single crystal silicon grids. The grids have an aspect ratio of 7:1 to provide a stiff backbone and to ensure flatness of the mirror surface. Thus the mirrors do not bend due to the internal stresses. A new idea of actuation of torsional structures is also presented. Vertical near-comb type actuators were fabricated to drive the torsional structures. © 1997 Society of Photo-Optical Instrumentation En- gineers. (S0091-3286(97)01405-0)
Calculated spectral dependence of gain in excited GaAs

The calculated dependence of the gain coefficient on photon energy and excitation level in GaAs is given for 297 and 77 K. The curves of gain versus excitation rate generally have downward curvature for photon energies near the gain peak, while the envelope of these curves generally has upward curvature except at high excitation rates. Results are also given for the calculated dependence of the radiative recombination rate coefficient and of the photon energy at the gain peak on excitation rate. The qualitative behavior of the results is in agreement with experiment.
Trace determination of lead by helium-4 activation analysis

The determination of lead via 30 MeV4He bombardment to produce the long-lived radioisotope210Po was studied. The validity of the technique was tested by the analysis of a series of NBS glass samples doped with 61 different trace elements at nominal 500 to 1 ppm level concentrations. The measurement sensitivity of alpha counting with surface barrier detectors was evaluated. The detection limit was estimated at 0.1 ppm. The4He-activation technique coupled with α-counting features a unique combination of sensitivity and accuracy for the trace determination of lead.
Government employment and the provision of fringe benefits

This study uses individual level data from the United States to examine the influence of government employment on the provision of five major fringe benefits. Four of the five benefits are more likely to be provided to government workers than to their private sector counterparts. Unlike wage comparisons which typically find substantial overpayment only for federal workers, the findings suggest that past wage differentials underestimate the true compensation advantage enjoyed by government workers.
Plasma LH and FSH after estradiol, norgestomet and Gn-RH treatment in ovariectomized beef heifers

Abstract Plasma luteinizing hormone (LH) first decreased then increased in a preovulatory-like fashion after administration of estradiol-17β (E) in ovariectomized heifers. However, in heifers implanted with norgestomet (N), a synthetic progestogen, an injection of E caused no preovulatory-like surge in plasma LH; only the suppression in plasma LH was noted. Injections of luteinizing hormone releasing hormone/follicle-stimulating hormone releasing hormone (Gn-RH) increased serum LH when given alone and in combination with either E, N, or N plus E. There was no evidence that the exogenous steroids blunted the ability of the pituitary to release LH in response to exogenous Gn-RH. Estradiol administered alone or in combination with N depressed plasma FSH. The implant of N alone had no significant effect on plasma FSH. Injections of Gn-RH stimulated only small increases in plasma FSH compared to LH, and no increase in plasma FSH was observed after E; rather, E alone or in combination with N depressed plasma FSH. The progestational block of E-induced LH release appeared to be the result of reduced endogenous secretion of gonadotropin releasing hormone because N did not blunt the ability of the pituitary to release LH in response to exogenous Gn-RH.
The construction of an internet-based intelligent system for internal control evaluation

Abstract Over the past two decades, several applications have been developed as a training tool in transferring the knowledge of auditors' internal control evaluation to novices. Nevertheless, most of the systems previously developed were abandoned regardless of their positive outcome. The main reason for this disappointed story might lie in the rigid nature of the systems. This study reports the development of such a system integrated with the Internet as an attempt to increase the system's flexibility and ease of use. The development process is described as well as an experiment conducted to examine the value of the system is reported.
Electron Number Density and Temperature in MPD-Arc Thruster Exhausts

T electron number density and electron temperature of the exhaust of a pulsed, megawatt, MPD-Arc thruster are measured at a station located 30 cm downstream of the thruster throat. The measurements are taken every 10-20 /isec for a period of approximately 100 /^sec after the plasma exhaust arrives at the measuring station. Measurements are made for various sets of thruster parameters. The mean deviation of the data scatter is presented to show the nature of the exhaust variation. The data is compared with earlier work at a measuring station closer to the thruster so as to define the nature of the exhaust expansion with and without a thruster auxiliary magnetic field.
A case against a divide and conquer approach to the nonsymmetric eigenvalue problem

Abstract Divide and conquer techniques based on rank-one updating have proven fast, accurate, and efficient in parallel for the real symmetric tridiagonal and unitary eigenvalue problems and for the bidiagonal singular value problem. Although the divide and conquer mechanism can also be adapted to the real nonsymmetric eigenproblem in a straightforward way, most of the desirable characteristics of the other algorithms are lost. In this paper, we examine the problems of accuracy and efficiency that can stand in the way of nonsymmetric divide and conquer eigensolver based on low-rank updating.
Belief Propagation, Dykstra's Algorithm, and Iterated Information Projections

Belief propagation is shown to be an instance of a hybrid between two projection algorithms in the convex programming literature: Dykstra's algorithm with cyclic Bregman projections and an alternating Bregman projections algorithm. Via this connection, new results concerning the convergence and performance of belief propagation can be proven by exploiting the corresponding literature about the two projections algorithms it hybridizes. In this regard, it is identified that the lack of guaranteed convergence for belief propagation results from the asymmetry of its Bregman divergence by proving that when the associated hybrid projection algorithm generalization is used with a symmetric Bregman divergence, it always converges. Additionally, by characterizing factorizations that are close to acyclic in a manner independent of their girth, a new collection of distributions for which belief propagation is guaranteed to perform well is identified using the new projection algorithm framework.
Eisenhower's 1955 heart attack: medical treatment, political effects, and the "behind the scenes" leadership style.

During his first term as President of the United States, Dwight D. Eisenhower suffered several serious illnesses. Particularly important was the massive heart attack he experienced in the fall of 1955. Drawing on primary sources as well as prior scholarship, this article analyzes varying interpretations of Eisenhower's 1955 medical treatment in light of his previous illnesses and their management. It explores the handling of public disclosure by the White House, by Eisenhower himself, and by his medical team. And it reconsiders Republican strategists' efforts to allay public concerns about the President's health. Current understanding is called into question in several respects. Although it sharpened speculation about his fitness and willingness to run in the 1956 presidential campaign, the 1955 heart attack made Eisenhower more likely, rather than less likely, to run. Although often sick, and in several instances critically so, Eisenhower was clearly the dominant player — intentionally “behind the scenes” — both in the management of his illnesses and in the health-perceptual aspects of his drive toward a second term. These findings should lead us to a better reading of Eisenhower as a president and to a better appreciation of health's linkage to legacy in presidential politics.
Longitudinal Social Science Research in Natural Resource Communities: Lessons and Considerations

The majority of social science research is cross-sectional in nature, with data collected at a single point in time. However, social systems are dynamic and many of the variables of interest to social scientists may change over time. Longitudinal research methods enable data collection at two or more points in time among a population of interest to examine change in measured variables and influencing factors. Despite the opportunities it affords, longitudinal research is relatively uncommon in natural-resource-based social science research as compared to other fields (e.g., medical, criminal, education). We feel that the field of natural resource social science is ripe for a proliferation of longitudinal studies, now that a substantial body of cross-sectional data has been built. In the spirit of encouraging more of this type of research, we draw on our collective experiences in longitudinal studies to share lessons learned in research design, sampling, and data management.
Quantifying factors that influence metal ion release in photocaged complexes using ZinCast derivatives

Two generations of nitrobenzhydrol-based photocages for Zn2+ have been prepared and characterized. The first series includes the tridentate ZinCast-1 utilizes a bis-pyridin-2-ylmethyl-aniline ligand that forms a 5,5-chelate ring upon metal binding. The related photocages ZinCast-2 with a N-[2-(pyridine-2-yl)ethyl]-N-(pyridine-2-ylmethyl)aniline (5,6-chelate ring) and ZinCast-3 with a N,N-bis[2-(pyridine-2-yl)ethyl]aniline (6,6-chelate ring) were synthesized for comparative studies. The complexes formed by the ions Cu2+, Zn2+ and Cd2+ with three ZinCast and their photoproducts (ZinUnc) were interrogated by UV-Vis spectroscopy. The studies indicate that ZinCast-1 forms complexes of the highest stability and ZinCast-3 exhibits the most significant changes in metal affinity upon uncaging. These results suggest that the changes in nitrogen atom donor ability as well as the initial complex stability must be considered to design a photocage with the desired properties. The composite results were used to design ZinCast-4 and ZinCast-5, the second generation photocages that incorporate an additional adjacent ether ligand into the Zn2+ chelator.
Narrowing competency gaps to enable manufacturability of new mobile communication products - a technical training methodology

Convergence of communications and computing technologies in today's industrial standards have created new manufacturing competency gaps in the areas of radio-frequency, mixed-signal and digital high-speed engineering for mobile communication products at Intel Malaysia. The manufacturing of these products cannot be done without training in these areas. No centralized and structured training program on a site-wide scale in Malaysia was ever carried out to address the manufacturing gaps. Furthermore, efforts to measure performance-after-training were never performed. This paper describes an innovative technical training program to illustrate a methodology used to reduce manufacturing competency time by narrowing the knowledge and skill gaps. We also introduced first-of-its-kind in-depth evaluations on the training impact: job application of training knowledge and skills acquired, training return of investment (ROI) in terms of project execution time saved, forecasted project cost savings as success indicators and intellectual properties (IP) generated.
Intracortical processing of visual contour information in cats.

Fine slices made through the gray matter perpendicular to the surface of cortical area 17–18 in the cat produced no change in behavioral measures of grating acuity, a modest reduction in vernier acuity and a proportionately larger effect on contour orientation acuity. The introduction of vertical gaps in the vernier acuity targets produced increases in the vernier offset threshold proportional to the gap size both before and after cortical damage, except at the largest vertical gap values employed (1–1.5 °) where no change in thresholds was observed after surgery. Neither the preoperative vernier thresholds nor the postoperative changes in vernier thresholds were predicted by the measured contour orientation thresholds and thus an orientation discrimination model of vernier acuity was not supported. The results of this study support the view that intracortical processing in area 17–18 is important in both vernier and orientation acuity, but the neural mechanisms mediating the two capacities are different.
Ceriofast™: An acute toxicity test based on Ceriodaphnia dubia feeding behavior

The authors have developed a rapid acute toxicity test (CerioFAST{trademark}) based on suppression of feeding activity of Ceriodaphnia dubia in the presence of toxicants. The bioassay consists of a 1-h exposure period to a given toxicant. Yeast cells, stained with a fluorescent dye, are added 20 min before the end of the exposure period. Response to a toxic sample is indicated by the absence of fluorescence in the gut of the daphnids. CerioFAST was compared to the standard 48-h C. dubia acute bioassay, using heavy metals and organic compounds.CerioFAST EC50s of Cd, Cu, Pb, Ag, Zn, and carbofuran were in the 0.01--0.1-mg/L range, whereas EC50s of hexachloroethane, pentachlorophenol, trichlorophenol, and lindane were in the 1--10-mg/L range. CerioFAST EC50s of the heavy metals and organics were well correlated with Ec50s obtained with the 48-h C. dubia bioassay.
Place Effects on Environmental Views

How people respond to questions involving the environment depends partly on individual characteristics. Characteristics such as age, gender, education, and ideology constitute the well-studied "social bases of environmental concern," which have been explained in terms of cohort effects or of cognitive and cultural factors related to social position. It seems likely that people's environmental views depend not only on personal char- acteristics but also on their social and physical environments. This hypothesis has been more difficult to test, however. Using data from surveys in 19 rural U.S. counties, we apply mixed-effects modeling to investigate simple place effects with respect to locally focused environmental views. We find evidence for two kinds of place effects. Net of individual characteristics, specific place characteristics have the expected effect on related environmental views. Local changes are related to attitudes about regulation and growth. For example, respondents more often perceive rapid development as a problem, and favor environmental rules that restrict development, in rural counties with growing populations. Moreover, they favor conserving resources for the future rather than using them now to create jobs in counties that have low unemployment. After we controlled for county growth, unemployment and jobs in resource- based industries, and individual social-position and ideological factors, there remains significant place-to-place variation in mean levels of environmental concern. Even with both kinds of place effects in the models, the individual- level predictors of environmental concern follow patterns expected from previous research. Concern increases with education among Democrats, whereas among Republicans, the relationship is attenuated or reversed. The interaction marks reframing of environmental questions as political wedge issues, through nominally scientific counterarguments aimed at educated, ideologically receptive audiences.
Anthropological Perspectives on Technology.

Anthropological Perspectives on Technology. Michael Brian Schiffer. ed. Albuquerque: University of New Mexico Press, 2001. 242 pp.
fMRI activation mapping as a percentage of local excitation: Consistent presurgical motor maps without threshold adjustment

Purpose To evaluate the performance of a relative activation amplitude algorithm, versus standard t-value thresholding, for reliably establishing the location, amplitude, and spatial extent of functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) brain activation for presurgical planning. Materials and Methods Diagnostic fMRI maps from 42 neurosurgical patients performing a simple hand movement task were analyzed. Relative activation maps were made by normalizing statistical t-value maps to the local peak activation amplitude within each functional brain region. The spatial distribution of activation was quantified and compared across mapping algorithms, subjects, and scan duration. Results Whereas the spatial distribution of blood oxygenation level-dependent (BOLD) t-value statistical activation maps was highly variable across subjects and scan duration, the spatial distribution of relative activation maps was highly reproducible both within individual subjects and across different subjects. In every case the 40% most active voxels in the cortical hand region were consistently localized to the pre- and postcentral gyri of the sensorimotor cortex. Conclusion The reproducibility and anatomical specificity of the spatiotemporal pattern of BOLD activation makes relative amplitude fMRI mapping a useful tool for clinical imaging, where accuracy, reproducibility, and quality control are critical concerns. J. Magn. Reson. Imaging 2009;29:751–759. © 2009 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
Observations in classrooms using a network of handheld devices

This paper illustrates the educational implications of the design features of public anonymity and private accountability in a classroom network of handheld devices. The author draws from four years of observations of classes using two early network prototypes. Themes discussed are anonymity of data submission to the group, the ability for students to see their data displayed in the group space, the ability for the teacher to instantly assess how all students are doing at any time during a lesson, and that the ability of the network to let all students answer all questions may have an impact upon student engagement in the classroom. The paper goes on to highlight research done in the field of communications using synchronous electronic submission systems and relates this to the use of similar networks in the classroom.
Community Participatory Ecological Art and Education

This paper presents a phenomenological case study on ecological artist Lynne Hull by investigating the connections between ecological art, nature, and education. The research examines Hull's ‘positive gesture towards the Earth’ as conceptualized in her work of creating habitats for wildlife (Hull, 2004, para 1). It illustrates how she seeks to inspire changes in human behaviour through her artwork in addition to developing action steps based on her works. Through an examination of Hull's work, the researcher explores how ecological art can inspire environmental education by presenting innovative ways of thinking about existing concepts. The paper discusses how educators can incorporate inquiries about ecological art into the school curriculum. Furthermore, it considers ways in which educators can adopt Hull's art-making processes and integrate these into the curriculum. It argues that educators can help students to interact with these artworks and develop their own creative processes in a meaningful way that involves art, aesthetics, and nature – all of which may raise students' consciousness about the environment in themselves and others. Ultimately, appreciating the elements of nature and their connection to the aesthetic can become a vehicle for raising awareness about broader
Acid-catalyzed reactions of hexanal on sulfuric acid particles: Identification of reaction products

While it is well established that organics compose a large fraction of the atmospheric aerosol mass, the mechanisms through which organics are incorporated into atmospheric aerosols are not well understood. Acid-catalyzed reactions of compounds with carbonyl groups have recently been suggested as important pathways for transfer of volatile organics into acidic aerosols. In the present study, we use the aerodyne aerosol mass spectrometer (AMS) to probe the uptake of gasphase hexanal into ammonium sulfate and sulfuric acid aerosols. While both deliquesced and dry non-acidic ammonium sulfate aerosols showed no organic uptake, the acidic aerosols took up substantial amounts of organic material when exposed to hexanal vapor. Further, we used 1 H-NMR, Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy and GC–MS to identify the products of the acid-catalyzed reaction of hexanal in acidic aerosols. Both aldol condensation and hemiacetal products were identified, with the dominant reaction products dependent upon the initial acid concentration of the aerosol. The aldol condensation product was formed only at initial concentrations of 75–96 wt% sulfuric acid in water. The hemiacetal was produced at all sulfuric acid concentrations studied, 30–96 wt% sulfuric acid in water. Aerosols up to 88.4 wt% organic/11.1 wt% H2SO4/0.5 wt% water were produced via these two dimerization reaction pathways. The UV-VIS spectrum of the isolated aldol condensation product, 2-butyl 2-octenal, extends into the visible region, suggesting these reactions may impact aerosol optical properties as well as aerosol composition. In contrast to previous suggestions, no polymerization of hexanal or its products was observed at any sulfuric acid concentration studied, from 30 to 96 wt% in water. r 2006 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Living With Moebius Syndrome: Adjustment, Social Competence, and Satisfaction With Life

Abstract Context: Moebius syndrome is a rare congenital condition that results in bilateral facial paralysis. Several studies have reported social interaction and adjustment problems in people with Moebius syndrome and other facial movement disorders, presumably resulting from lack of facial expression. Objective: To determine whether adults with Moebius syndrome experience increased anxiety and depression and/or decreased social competence and satisfaction with life compared with people without facial movement disorders. Design: Internet-based quasi-experimental study with comparison group. Participants: Thirty-seven adults with Moebius syndrome recruited through the United States–based Moebius Syndrome Foundation newsletter and Web site and 37 age- and gender-matched control participants recruited through a university participant database. Measures: Anxiety and depression, social competence, satisfaction with life, ability to express emotion facially, and questions about Moebius syndrome symptoms. Resul...
Nitrogen regulatory protein C-controlled genes of Escherichia coli: Scavenging as a defense against nitrogen limitation

Abstract Nitrogen regulatory protein C (NtrC) of enteric bacteria activates transcription of genes/operons whose products minimize the slowing of growth under nitrogen-limiting conditions. To reveal the NtrC regulon of Escherichia coli we compared mRNA levels in a mutant strain that overexpresses NtrC-activated genes [glnL(Up)] to those in a strain with an ntrC (glnG) null allele by using DNA microarrays. Both strains could be grown under conditions of nitrogen excess. Thus, we could avoid differences in gene expression caused by slow growth or nitrogen limitation per se. Rearranging the spot images from microarrays in genome order allowed us to detect all of the operons known to be under NtrC control and facilitated detection of a number of new ones. Many of these operons encode transport systems for nitrogen-containing compounds, including compounds recycled during cell-wall synthesis, and hence scavenging appears to be a primary response to nitrogen limitation. In all, ≈2% of the E. coli genome appears to be under NtrC control, although transcription of some operons depends on the nitrogen assimilation control protein, which serves as an adapter between NtrC and σ70-dependent promoters.
Causation, Compulsion, and Involuntariness

This article first addresses the persistent confusion between causation and excuse. It demonstrates that causation is not the equivalent of compulsion and that causation per se is not an excusing condition. Then the article examines the conceptual and practical difficulties presented by the excuse that is variously labeled “compulsion,” “involuntariness,” “volitional problems,” “irresistible impulse,” and the like. It concludes that this excuse, when produced by internal causes, is far less well understood and assessed than forensic clinicians usually assume and that most such excusing conditions are better understood and assessed in terms of rationality problems.
War Crimes: War Crime Law and Tribunals

Abstract This chapter covers the law of war crimes, commonly referred to as ‘international humanitarian law’ or ‘ jus in bello. ’ It covers the sources of law from which international humanitarian law is derived, and the legal courts or tribunals where perpetrators of such war crimes are criminally adjudicated. This section only addresses those war crimes and tribunals that are international in nature, meaning that the substance of the actions during wartime have been characterized as criminal by the international community and the tribunals are ones that have been authorized by the international community to adjudicate individuals who have violated such international criminal law norms.
Disease‐related costs of care and survival among Medicare‐enrolled patients with myelodysplastic syndromes

BACKGROUND Although newer treatments for myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS), particularly hypomethylating agents (HMAs), are expensive, it is unclear whether MDS-related costs of care are associated with overall survival. This study evaluated the relation between MDS-related costs and survival among Medicare beneficiaries with MDS. METHODS Eligible patients were identified from the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results–Medicare database with codes for MDS from International Classification of Diseases for Oncology, 3rd edition. The patients were diagnosed between January 1, 2005 and December 31, 2011, were 66 years old or older, and were followed through death or the end of study (December 31, 2012). Medicare payments were used to estimate costs. Cumulative costs in a propensity score–matched group of cancer-free Medicare beneficiaries were subtracted from costs in the MDS cohort in each registry to estimate MDS-related costs. Hazard ratios (HRs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were derived from multivariate Cox proportional hazards models adjusted for patient and disease characteristics. RESULTS There were 8580 eligible patients, and 1,267 (14.7%) received HMAs. The overall 2-year survival rate was 48.7%, and the 2-year registry-specific MDS-related cost per patient ranged from $40,793 to $78,156 across 16 registries. The 2-year MDS-related cost was not associated with survival in the overall study population (first tertile, reference; second tertile, HR, 0.96; 95% CI, 0.89-1.04; P = .29; third tertile, HR, 0.98; 95% CI, 0.91-1.06; P = .64) or in subgroups of patients who did or did not receive HMAs. CONCLUSIONS Medicare expenditures for elderly patients with MDS varied across registries but were not associated with survival. A lack of an association between costs and outcomes warrants additional research because it may help to identify potential areas for cost-saving interventions without compromising patient outcomes. Cancer 2016. © 2016 American Cancer Society.
Topology as Epistemology

Introduction aux questions epistemologiques qui peuvent etre interpretees en termes topologiques. A travers l'analyse des proprietes des hypotheses empiriques auxquelles le critere de la falsifiabilite est appliquable apparaissent deux proprietes topologiques: la premiere releve de la satisfaction des ensembles clos, la seconde consiste en la densite des hypotheses