cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Why Evaluate Mental Health Service Outcomes

The entire American society is troubled with the concern of ever increasing health care costs. Not only the patients, but the health care providers, and the insurance companies also are equally troubled by the question of managing health care as well as providing services. Insurance companies are struggling to manage affordable premiums and sparing health care costs. The health care practitioners are struggling to ensure that they are not dragged into malpractice litigations due to which they get all possible tests done whenever a patient comes with a complaint; this in turn adds to the overall health care cost. This chapter illustrates that the mental health industry however remains safe from these upheavals. For conditions with mental illness, studies show that outpatient psychotherapy proves to be more cost effective as compared to inpatient care. Concerns have also been voiced over the effectiveness of various forms of psychological interventions. Managed mental health care has now emerged as the new alternative and it is here to stay. Managed care organizations are also developing “first-generation” result monitoring and appraisal systems. The quality of mental health care can be improved and maintained with regular maintenance.
Complexity Theories and Theories of Learning: Literature Reviews and Syntheses

Systems approaches that try to understand experience by looking at patterns of activity or interest and the relationships between them are becoming increasingly prevalent and important in widely disparate disciplines. The purpose of this chapter is to undertake a discussion of the use of dynamic systems-theoretical approaches for making sense of (human) learning. The chapter begins with a review of the development of systems-theoretical perspectives and explores three of these in detail. Those sections are followed by discussion of apparent congruencies between interdisciplinary complex systems models and cognitive models of learning. The chapter concludes with brief remarks about projected directions for research into modeling learning as a complex system.
An Analysis of Patterns and Trends in United States Stormwater Utility Systems

Several factors, such as municipality location and population, are thought to influence trends among stormwater utilities (SWUs); however, no analysis of the relationship between these factors and SWU characteristics has been performed. This article corroborates hypothesized relationships and identifies trends and patterns in the establishment, funding mechanism, and magnitude of SWUs by analyzing location, population density, home value, and year of establishment for a comprehensive national SWU database with data for 1,490 SWUs. The equivalent residential unit (ERU), a SWU that charges based on impervious area, was the most prevalent funding mechanism in all National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Climate Regions of the United States except the West and West-North-Central. The ERU was also found in larger cities with high population densities, whereas the Flat Fee, a SWU that charges a single rate for all properties, was found in smaller towns. Higher home values were correlated with higher monthly fees for 28% of the municipalities analyzed. The residential equivalence factor, a SWU that charges based on runoff produced, was popular in municipalities with higher home values, whereas the Flat Fee was popular in municipalities with lower home values. The number of SWUs established increased with Phase I municipal separate stormwater and sewer system (MS4) permit and Phase II small MS4 permit deadlines. Summary tables provide guidance to aid municipalities considering a SWU.
An Integrated Approach to Preempt Cheating on Asynchronous, Objective, Online Assessments in Graduate Business Classes

Cheating, left untended, erodes the validity of evaluation and, ultimately, corrupts the legitimacy of a course. We profile an approach to manage, with an eye toward preempting, cheating on asynchronous, objective, online quizzes. This approach taps various technological and social solutions to academic dishonesty, integrating them into a technology-centered, socially-sensitive pedagogy. The resulting design engages a battery of technology tools, within a social context moderated by the testing effect, to minimize the practicality, productivity, and hence, students’ propensity to cheat. Operationally, we used the Canvas LMS to generate a differentiated series of objective quizzes from question banks holding several hundred potential items. We assess cross-sectional data from 178 MBA students spanning eight online-only classes. The results support the effectiveness of an integrated blend of technology tools and social methods to encourage students’ consciousness of the resulting uselessness of cheating. We review the implications of the results to test anxiety, student engagement, learning effectiveness, and workflow efficiency.
Calcium-pH Interactions in the Production of Shape Change in Erythrocytes

Isovolumic change of erythrocyte shape from a disc to a sphere may occur as the result of exposure to a variety of chemical agents [6, 11, 13, 21, 30], changes in pH [21, 22, 24, 30, 31] or by virtue of ATP depletion [10, 19, 33, 34]. Up to a point, these shape changes are reversible upon removal of the agent, restoration of the pH or regeneration of intracellular ATP.
Mechanical and Surgical Options for Patients with End-Stage Heart Failure

While heart failure medications, and in certain cases, cardiac resynchronization therapy or implantable cardiac defibrillators have improved quality of life and survival in heart failure patients, overall morbidity and mortality is still high [1]; refractory end-stage heart failure patients ultimately require either short or long-term mechanical circulatory support (MCS) or heart transplantation. While transplantation is the current gold standard and only definitive solution, the lack of available donor hearts and prevalence of significant comorbidities as contraindication to transplantation has led to growing use of MCS devices. Indeed, in patients with end stage heart failure considered too unstable to await a suitable donor organ, biventricular or left ventricular assist devices (LVADs) as well as total artificial hearts (TAHs) can be employed as bridge-to-transplantation therapy and have been shown to improve quality of life, survival-to-transplantation rates, and post-transplant survival [2, 3].
Investigation of NIR-to-red upconversion luminescence mechanism in Y 2 O 3 :Er 3+ ,Yb 3+ and the effect of co-doping Zn in the matrix

Abstract We studied composite ZnO:Y 2 O 3 matrix for upconversion luminophore pair Er:Yb using near IR light excitation. Uni-phase crystalline nanoparticles were produced up to a 4% co-doped ZnO in Y 2 O 3 . In ZnO:Y 2 O 3 co-host matrix, Er(2%):Yb(10%) pair emits strong red luminescence. Doping 4% ZnO into the matrix enhances the luminescence by ~ 2.5 times. The mechanisms for the predominant red emission in the presence and absence of Zn ions were studied. An energy back transfer (EBT) process from Er to Yb is the main pathway for the intense red emission under NIR excitation although other mechanisms, e.g. Er-Er cross relaxation (CR), may also contribute to the red emission. The Er-Yb EBT process brings the Er ion from the green emission state to the intermediate 4 I 13/2 state, which further absorbs a near IR photon and jumps to the red emission state. The introduction of ZnO into Y 2 O 3 matrix does not interfere with this process significantly. Thus, the enhancement of luminescence is mainly caused by the breaking of the symmetry around Er 3+ ions due to the Y-to-Zn substitution, which favors the f - f electric dipole transitions that are forbidden in centrosymmetric environment.
Ethanol production from mixtures of sweet sorghum juice and sorghum starch using very high gravity fermentation with urea supplementation

Abstract The objective of this research was to enhance the production of ethanol from grain sorghum flour and sweet sorghum juice using very high gravity (VHG) fermentation. Various amounts of grain sorghum flour were combined with different concentrations of sweet sorghum juice to form (≈33 g/100 mL) mashes. Mashes were fermented to produce ethanol with and without urea supplementation via simultaneous saccharification and fermentation process. Based on one-way ANOVA results, all treatment mixtures had a significant effect on ethanol production and efficiency (P
Wagner equation predicting entire curve for pure fluids from limited VLE data: Critical point & four Antoine analytic points

Abstract Entire-curve Wagner analytics are treated as “true” or “best” values, and Antoine analytic values are used as surrogate experimental data. Limited-data Wagner constants are estimated from Antoine analytics for the fully-determined case for fifty-five species, from which reduced vapor pressures below and above the interval are predicted and compared with the entire-curve Wagner analytics to estimate the ability of limited VLE data to be used to accurately represent the entire two-phase curve. The Antoine intervals have a pressure range of 0.02–2 bars for most species, an average reduced temperature interval width of 0.20, and an average lower bound reduced temperature of 0.53. The Wagner constants estimated from Antoine analytics have an average entire-curve error of 4.8%, with the majority of the error occurring when extending down towards the triple point (9.55%), compared to 1.36% average error when extending up to the critical point. Such limited-data Wagner constants produce less predictive error for alcohols, while the semi-theoretical Riedel equation has the advantage for organic acids, and the empirical Ambrose-Walton equation produces less error for the remaining species. A comparison of Wagner and Antoine analytic values strictly over the Antoine interval indicates that disagreement of VLE data in the literature averages around 2% but varies considerably between species. Data disagreement is not found to be a strong indicator of predictive power of the limited-data Wagner constants; however, it is found to be a discriminator of performance relative to that of Riedel and Ambrose-Walton for some polar species.
International Students’ Journeys From Academic Probation to Academic Success

The purpose of this study was to determine factors that contribute to international students’ academic failure and positive factors that help students recover grades. Interviews were conducted with...
Blind modulation detection via staged GLRT

We present a two-stage generalized-likelihood-ratio test (GLRT) based procedure for the classification of modulation schemes with unknown signal parameters, such as frequency, amplitude, phase and symbol sequence. Extensive simulation studies presented in this paper demonstrate the efficacy of the developed scheme under limited observation for various PSK and FSK signals, including those with nested symbol constellations.
Nitric Acid in Firn: Discussion

Post-depositional changes in the HNO3 content of polar snow and firn limit our ability to infer past atmospheric concentrations and changes in concentration from an analysis of NO3 -in polar ice cores. Nitrate is present in snow, firn and polar ice both as HNO3 and as nitrate salts, and is a widely measured parameter in ice cores. Wolff (this book) presents a thorough review of reported nitrate data, and summarizes what has been inferred about nitrate sources. Because nitrate concentrations in near-surface snow can apparently decrease after deposition, presumably by re-emission to the atmosphere, (Neubauer and Heumann, 1988) Wolff (this book) largely confines his review to ice and firn that are buried and not in close contact with the atmosphere. There are, in fact, several reports of apparent HNO3 loss from near-surface snow; though a quantitative understanding of the loss processes has yet to emerge. The following discussion highlights the points raised at the meeting regarding the loss processes, and offers a conceptual picture of what we think we need to understand.
Gifts, Talents, and Their Societal Repercussions

There are a number of ways of justifying special programs for the gifted and talented, but certainly among the most practically important concerns the societal benefits of adulthood achievements. This justification is elaborated by considering the cross-sectional distribution of impact in various domains of achievement. Because this distribution is highly skewed, with an extremely long upper tail, a large proportion of the contributions to any domain come from a small number of contributors. This means that any failure to promote the actualization of potential of this productive elite can have consequences out of proportion to the number of individuals involved.
Self-Defeating Behaviors

Self-defeating behaviors are those that make more likely a consequence that the person tried to avoid. These behaviors include procrastination, self-fulfilling prophecies of negative expectations, learned helplessness, self-handicapping, success avoidance, failures in self-regulation, and at the extreme, addictions, and risky behaviors. People may make trade-offs, obtaining short-term benefits at long-term costs, or they may engage in counterproductive strategies by misjudging their own capabilities of handling the realities of situations. People engage in these behaviors in order to protect self-esteem or to avoid unpleasant emotions. Extreme patterns of such behaviors are called ‘Personality Disorders,’ which include dependent, borderline, and obsessive personality disorders.
Going critical: Toward a modified nuclear one worldism:

Nuclear weapons posed a profound conceptual problem for classical realism, forcing into collision two of its long-standing core dictums: oppose world government as a source of insecurity and un-fre...
Representing credal imprecision: from sets of measures to hierarchical Bayesian models

The basic Bayesian model of credence states, where each individual’s belief state is represented by a single probability measure, has been criticized as psychologically implausible, unable to represent the intuitive distinction between precise and imprecise probabilities, and normatively unjustifiable due to a need to adopt arbitrary, unmotivated priors. These arguments are often used to motivate a model on which imprecise credal states are represented by sets of probability measures. I connect this debate with recent work in Bayesian cognitive science, where probabilistic models are typically provided with explicit hierarchical structure. Hierarchical Bayesian models are immune to many classic arguments against single-measure models. They represent grades of imprecision in probability assignments automatically, have strong psychological motivation, and can be normatively justified even when certain arbitrary decisions are required. In addition, hierarchical models show much more plausible learning behavior than flat representations in terms of sets of measures, which—on standard assumptions about update—rule out simple cases of learning from a starting point of total ignorance.
Strength-Based Instruction (SBI): A Systematic Instructional Training Model with a Primary Focus on a Child’s Strength

Strength-Based Instruction (SBI) is a systematic approach to instruction with a primary focus on a child’s strength. The purpose of this chapter is to introduce an instructional training model that focuses on the identification of a child’s strength (Chakraborti-Ghosh 2013). This training model has been used with a high school freshman to improve her academic performances in English. A quantitative methodology using single-subject design was used. The description of this model will highlight the step-by-step guidelines for SBI to prepare all educators, administrators, and parents to be part of this intervention and instructional process for a better outcome of students, teachers, and schools. An example of evidence-based practice using single-subject design across the settings is also discussed in the chapter.
Thulium fiber laser ablation of kidney stones using an automated, vibrating fiber.

Our preliminary study investigates an automated, vibrating fiber optic tip for dusting of kidney stones during thulium fiber laser (TFL) lithotripsy. A (0.75-mm diameter and 5-mm length) magnetic bead was attached to the fiber jacket, centered 2 cm from distal fiber tip. A solenoid was placed parallel to the fiber with a 0.5-mm gap between solenoid and magnetic bead on fiber. The solenoid was used to create a magnetic force on the bead, inducing fiber vibration. Calibration tests for fiber motion in both air and water were performed. The ablation crater characteristics (surface area, volume, depth, and major/minor axis) of uric acid stones were measured using optical coherence tomography, after delivery of 1500 TFL pulses at 1908 nm, 33 mJ, 500 μs, and up to 300 Hz, through 50-, 100-, and 150-μm-core fibers. The resonant frequency was dependent on fiber diameter and rigidity, with a cutoff pivot point for optimum vibration amplitude at 4 cm. Maximum fiber displacement is about 1 mm in water and 4 mm in air. For 50-, 100-, and 150-μm-core fibers, ablated surface area averaged 1.7, 1.7, and 2.8 times greater with vibrating fiber than fixed fiber, respectively. For these fibers, ablation volume averaged 1.1, 1.5, and 1.1 times greater with vibrating fiber than fixed fiber, given a fixed energy per pulse, respectively. Our preliminary study demonstrates the functionality of an automated, vibrating fiber system for stone “dusting,” with significantly larger surface area but similar ablation volumes as a fixed fiber. Future studies will focus on optimization of fiber parameters (especially displacement) and miniaturization of system components to facilitate integration into ureteroscopes.
Intentional Non-Use of the Internet in a Digital World: A Textual Analysis of Disconnection Narratives

The intentional non-use of technology has become an increasingly popular practice, yet the scholarly literature on this topic is limited, being largely been framed as the lack of something rather than a phenomenon in itself. This paper reports on the analysis of over 300 disconnection narratives, the texts of which were analyzed by means of R software. Expected terms associated with phones and social media were identified, but descriptions of the assumed benefits of disconnecting, such as higher quality relationships, more productive work, and better sleep, were not found. However, overall sentiment was positive. This study will ground further research on a large scale, using big data sets drawn from social media platforms.
Chronic Critical Illness Patients Fail to Respond to Current Evidence‐Based Intensive Care Nutrition Secondarily to Persistent Inflammation, Immunosuppression, and Catabolic Syndrome

BACKGROUND Sepsis-induced multiple-organ failure (MOF) has plagued surgical intensive care units (ICUs) for decades. Early nutrition (principally enteral) improves hospital outcomes of high-risk ICU patients. The purpose of this study is to document how the growing epidemic of chronic critical illness (CCI) patients responds to adequate evidence-based ICU nutrition. METHODS This retrospective post hoc subgroup analysis of an ongoing sepsis database identified 56 CCI patients who received early, adequate nutrition per an established surgical ICU protocol compared with 112 matched rapid-recovery (RAP) patients. RESULTS The matched CCI and RAP groups had similar baseline characteristics. Serial biomarkers showed that CCI patients remained persistently inflamed with ongoing stress metabolism and that despite receiving evidence-based protocol nutrition, they had persistent catabolism and immunosuppression with more secondary infections. More CCI patients were discharged to poor nonhome destinations (ie, skilled nursing facilities, long-term acute care, hospice) (81% vs 29%, P < 0.05). At 12-month follow-up, CCI patients had worse functional status by Zubrod score (3.17 vs 1.62, P < 0.001) and Short Physical Battery Testing (4.78 vs 8.59, P < 0.02), worse health-related quality of life by EQ-5D-3L descriptive measures (9.07 vs 7.45, P < 0.003), and lower survival (67% vs 92%, P < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS Despite early, adequate, evidence-based ICU nutrition, septic surgical ICU patients who develop CCI exhibit persistent inflammation, immunosuppression, and catabolism with unacceptable long-term morbidity and mortality. Although current evidence-based ICU nutrition may improve short-term ICU outcomes, novel adjuncts are needed to improve long-term outcomes for CCI patients.
Scaling relative incentive value in honey bees, Apis mellifera

Abstract Reward downshifts in honey bees, Apis mellifera, result in a suppression of behavior that parallels mammalian frustration in response to reward downshift. Consistent with Weber’s Law, rats drinking sucrose that are trained with a 32 % sucrose solution and downshifted to a 4 % solution show a disruption in drinking based on the ratio discrepancy between the solutions, known as the “ratio scaling” property. The present experiment explored whether bee reward downshifts also exhibit ratio scaling, or instead depend upon absolute differences between solutions. Groups of bees were trained with a variety of sucrose solutions, then downshifted to smaller solutions that shared the same absolute differences or the same ratios. Results indicated that for bees, the disruption of consummatory behavior is determined by the absolute difference between solutions. A second experiment confirmed that these results are unlikely to be due to sensory adaptation. These results are the first to highlight a fundamental difference in the way bee and mammalian reward comparisons are made.
Paraneoplastic Leukocytosis: A Poor Prognostic Marker in Pancreatic Adenocarcinoma.

Hyperleukocytosis is a rare form of paraneoplastic syndrome that has been reported in adenocarcinomas, particularly pancreatic cancer. We present an elderly man with chronic abdominal pain and weight loss for six months. On examination, he had diffuse tenderness and marked ascites. A workup with a CT scan revealed a pancreatic mass, which was confirmed to be pancreatic adenocarcinoma on biopsy. His lab work showed a significant leukocytosis. An extensive infectious workup was negative. He was not on any medications known to cause a leukocytosis; therefore, his leukocytosis was attributed to his cancer. Unfortunately, he died just a few days later. This case highlights hyperleukocytosis as a paraneoplastic syndrome that is a poor prognostic sign, and can be used as a marker for disease progression.
Policy Knowledge: New Liberalism

New Liberalism, a contrast term, refers to a movement in social knowledge, public philosophy, state policy, and social practice underway internationally between the 1880s and the 1940s, intended to address the ‘social question’ raised by instabilities and inequities of modern Western capitalism, and to provide new thinking about relationships between state, economy, and society. New liberals addressed a range of contested issues, among them business cycles and unemployment, rights and conditions of labor, wages and distribution of income and wealth, the limits of property rights, industrial organization and corporate reorganization, family welfare and gender roles, public administration, and issues of immigration and race. Deep divisions over the substance and implications of new empirical and theoretical knowledge on these subjects led to a branching of new liberalism into two distinct new liberal movements elaborated over several decades – a statist-democratic strand of reform thought born in the 1880s, and an opposing, corporate-voluntarist alternative that came together around the turn of the century. The account here identifies five phases in the bifurcated development of new liberalism: (1) market failure and the drive for new social knowledge, (2) conflicting approaches to framing the social question, (3) the ‘turn’ to social insurance, (4) liberal statism and New Deal planning, and (5) the containment of statist liberalism.
Database-as-a-service for long-tail science

Database technology remains underused in science, especially in the long tail -- the small labs and individual researchers that collectively produce the majority of scientific output. These researchers increasingly require iterative, ad hoc analysis over ad hoc databases but cannot individually invest in the computational and intellectual infrastructure required for state-of-the-art solutions. We describe a new "delivery vector" for database technology called SQL-Share that emphasizes ad hoc integration, query, sharing, and visualization over pre-defined schemas. To empower non-experts to write complex queries, we synthesize example queries from the data itself and explore limited English hints to augment the process. We integrate collaborative visualization via a web-based service called VizDeck that uses automated visualization techniques with a card game metaphor to allow creation of interactive visual dashboards in seconds with zero programming. We present data on the initial uptake and usage of the system and report preliminary results testingout new features with the datasets collected during the initial pilot deployment. We conclude that the SQLShare system and associated services have the potential to increase uptake of relational database technology in the long tail of science.
An Exploratory Study of Social Work with Older Persons in Cuba

Abstract Assuring a satisfactory quality of life for Cuba's large and fast growing older population is a national challenge. Social work plays an important part in addressing this challenge through its role in Cuba's National Program for the Care of Older Persons. This article explores the role of social work in Cuba's programs for the elderly and its implications for social work practice in the US. The information was obtained from 25 qualitative interviews with policy makers, social work practitioners, and community members in Havana, Cuba in 2003. The community oriented and interdisciplinary nature of Cuban social work with older persons distinguishes it from social work in the US and has implications for social work in this country. Despite the differences between Cuba and the US, the Cuban social work model provides important insights for social work in this country.
Pairing correction of particle-hole state densities for two kinds of Fermions

Abstract Pairing corrections in particle-hole (exciton) state-density formulas used in precompound nuclear reaction theories are, strictly speaking, dependent on the nuclear excitation energy U and the exciton number n. A general formula for (U, n)-dependent pairing corrections has been derived in an earlier paper for exciton state-density formulas for one kind of Fermion. In the present paper, a similar derivation is made for two kinds of Fermions. It is shown that the constant-pairing-energy correction used in standard level-density formulas, such as U o in Gilbert and Cameron, is a limiting case of the present general (U, n)-dependent results.
Exploiting the Peptide — MHC Water Interface in the Computer-Aided Design of Non-Natural Peptides that Bind to the Class I MHC Molecule HLA-A2

Abstract Class I major histocompatibility complex (MHC) molecules bind peptides derived from intra-cellular proteins and present them to cytotoxic T cells. Certain human immunological diseases are associated with errors in this process. Here we describe an approach to the design of non-natural peptides that could potentially interfere with peptide presentation associated with autoimmune diseases. We have shown previously that the interaction of the peptide GILGFVFTL with the MHC molecule HLA-A2 is mediated by a network of water molecules. In principle, the addition of hydroxyl groups to the peptide could allow for an enhanced interaction of the modified peptide with this water network. Here we illustrate this approach using a peptide having the non-natural amino acid homoserine at position 3, GIhSGFVFTL, and also peptides in which the Cα(F5)—CO—NH1—Cα(V6) peptide bond is replaced by an ether. Cα(F5)—CH(X)—O—Cα(V6), to give the non-natural peptide GILGF—CH(X)—O—VFTL, where X = CH2OH or CH3. In a 200 ps sol...
Magnetism, Critical Fluctuations and Susceptibility Renormalization in Pd

Some of the most popular ways to treat quantum critical materials, that is, materials close to a magnetic instability, are based on the Landau functional. The central quantity of such approaches is the average magnitude of spin fluctuations, which is very difficult to measure experimentally or compute directly from the first principles. We calculate the parameters of the Landau functional for Pd and use these to connect the critical fluctuations beyond the local-density approximation and the band structure.
Environmental Regulatory Reform in Poland: Lessons for Industrializing Economies

This paper examines the environmental regulatory reform in Poland during the 1990s and uses the findings to consider the extent to which elements of successful regulatory systems are transferable across national boundaries. Drawing on five case studies of privatized firms, a mailed questionnaire, and policy and institutional analysis, it investigates how Poland developed an effective system for managing industrial pollution while also achieving considerable socioeconomic progress. The fundamental legitimacy of the regulators and regulatory process, the availability of information about firms and regulatory intents, and the capacity for case-specific decision-making are among the key explanatory factors. The study also shows how in Poland a good “fit” between regulatory institutions and policies on one hand and their social context on the other hand has evolved, and how it contributes to the effectiveness of the regulatory system. Industrializing economies can indeed simultaneously pursue environmental pro...
Photochemical studies of thymine in ice.

— Solutions containing various concentrations of thymine have been irradiated (254 nm) at — 196°, and the corresponding absorbance changes at 315 nm due to thymine-thymine adduct formation have been followed as a function of dose. The maximum yield of the adduct is about 3–2 per cent. Additional irradiation leads to a reduction in the yield of adduct and to an increase in the yield of the proposed trimer, which shows a sigmoid dose response curve. Not more than 10 per cent of the thymine is converted to trimer. Irradiation of the trimer in solution converts it into adduct plus thymine. Fluorescence due to the adduct does not appear directly after irradiation at — 196°, but comes about upon annealing at elevated temperatures (T > - 80°).
AUDRI, an instrument for the automated performance of kinetic and toxicity experiments with cultured cells

Abstract A device for automatic manipulation of culture dishes has been developed to facilitate the execution of long-term cell culture experiments involving repetitive measurement of either cell killing or labeled precursor incorporation, or both. Solutions are added and withdrawn from 35 or 60 mm plastic culture dishes maintained under growth conditions, according to a preprogrammed schedule that can continue for an essentially indefinite period. Both fixed- and variable-volume addition of up to four different solutions can be specified, the former to a maximum of 5 ml and the latter to 444 μl in 3.5-μl increments. Provision is made for up to 48 pairs of cultures, the dishes of each pair receiving identical treatment. As many as 13 different treatments can be specified for a given experiment; these can be scheduled as closely as 1 min apart. The device is controlled by a minicomputer which is programmed with the experimental protocol by means of a punched paper tape prepared on a large computer. Some examples of its application are presented.
What Motivates Introductory Geology Students to Study for an Exam

ABSTRACT There is a need to understand why some students succeed and persist in STEM fields and others do not. While numerous studies have focused on the positive results of using empirically validated teaching methods in introductory science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) courses, little data has been collected about the student experience in STEM courses. The aim of this study was to capture and characterize the student perception of their motivation to study for an exam in a geoscience class. Students enrolled in introductory physical geology courses (n = 42) at 5 different institutions (seven instructors at two research universities and three community colleges) were interviewed using a semistructured protocol. The interview data were analyzed using a grounded theory approach. The resulting emergent themes included goal orientation and emotion. All students report a performance component to their motivation, where a learning task is a means to an end, such as earning a grade. However, most ...
CFAR fusion: A replacement for the generalized likelihood ratio test for Neyman-Pearson problems

A new technique has been proposed with some important advantages over the GLRT in solving composite hypothesis testing problems. CFAR fusion is one flavor from a menu of detection algorithms that arise from simultaneously applying an infinite number of likelihood ratio tests. We show that, when a universally most powerful (UMP) detector exists, it is always given by the CFAR fusion flavor. The GLRT is known to lack this optimality property. We also give examples where CFAR fusion is arguably a better solution than the traditional GLRT.
Computer‐aided modeling of circular conductors

Circular conductors have manufacturing advantage compared with rectangular conductors in building microwave components such as filters and couplers which make it very popular for microwave designers. The accurate and efficient evaluation results of the capacitance, inductance, and characteristic impedance of circular conductors can help the designers to optimize the layout of the integrated circuits. In this article, we use the finite element method to compute the capacitance per unit length, inductance per unit length, and characteristic impedance of circular conductors. Mainly, we focus our computation and modeling on four types of systems as follows: a single circular wire above ground plane in a dielectric layer, a single circular conductor above a ground plane in a lossy dielectric layer, parallel coupled slab lines with homogenous dielectric layer, and three circular rod arrays in a rectangular trough with homogenous dielectric layer. Comparisons with published results demonstrate excellent agreement with the modeling. © 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Microwave Opt Technol Lett 51: 1366–1372, 2009; Published online in Wiley InterScience (www.interscience.wiley.com). DOI 10.1002/mop.24307
745 IMPAIRED PULMONARY DEFENSE IN CYSTIC FIBROSIS (CF)

We studied the effect of CF serum on the phagocytic function of normal and CF human alveolar macrophages to determine if the chronic pulmonary infection in CF patients results from a defect in phagocytosis. Alveolar macrophages were obtained by fiberoptic bronchoscopy and cultured overnight on glass surfaces; the uptake of radioactive bacteria was then measured in the presence of normal or CF sera. 19 of 21 CF sera produced >30% inhibition of phagocytosis of Pseudomonas aeruginosa, and had no apparent effect on phagocytosis of Staphylococcus aureus by normal human macrophages. Alveolar macrophages from CF patients were able to phagocytize Pseudomonas in the presence of normal sera, but were inhibited by both autologous and homologous CF sera. Incubation of normal macrophages with a mixture of normal and CF serum did not reduce the degree of inhibition of Pseudomonas phagocytosis. These results suggest that CF alveolar macrophages may function normally in a suitable environment, and that CF serum contains a factor which inhibits phagocytosis of Pseudomonas. This factor is unaffected by freezing or heating at 56° for 30 minutes, and is not adsorbed onto glass. The chronic Pseudomonas pulmonary infection of CF may be due to a factor in the lung environment extrinsic to the macrophages, rather than to an intrinsic defect in the alveolar macrophages themselves.
The importance of generalizability for anomaly detection

In security-related areas there is concern over novel “zero-day” attacks that penetrate system defenses and wreak havoc. The best methods for countering these threats are recognizing “nonself” as in an Artificial Immune System or recognizing “self” through clustering. For either case, the concern remains that something that appears similar to self could be missed. Given this situation, one could incorrectly assume that a preference for a tighter fit to self over generalizability is important for false positive reduction in this type of learning problem. This article confirms that in anomaly detection as in other forms of classification a tight fit, although important, does not supersede model generality. This is shown using three systems each with a different geometric bias in the decision space. The first two use spherical and ellipsoid clusters with a k-means algorithm modified to work on the one-class/blind classification problem. The third is based on wrapping the self points with a multidimensional convex hull (polytope) algorithm capable of learning disjunctive concepts via a thresholding constant. All three of these algorithms are tested using the Voting dataset from the UCI Machine Learning Repository, the MIT Lincoln Labs intrusion detection dataset, and the lossy-compressed steganalysis domain.
An unstructured hp finite-element scheme for fluid flow and heat transfer in moving domains

Abstract This paper presents the formulation, validation, and application of a spectral/ hp algorithm for numerical solution of the Navier–Stokes and heat/scalar transport equations in arbitrarily moving complex geometries. The new spectral element algorithm is based on the arbitrary Lagrangian Eulerian formulation and utilizes modal expansion of Jacobi polynomials in mixed triangular and quadrilateral elements in two dimensions. Time integration is performed by stiffly stable schemes and can deliver up to third-order time accuracy for transient problems. Test cases with sufficiently smooth solutions demonstrate spectral convergence and low phase/dissipation error. Preliminary simulation results for micro-mixers and micro-heat spreaders are also presented.
On using multiple interoperating models to address complex problems

Abstract Models, created using different modeling techniques, usually serve different purposes and provide unique insights. While each modeling technique might be capable of answering specific questions, complex problems require multiple models interoperating to complement/supplement each other; we call this Multi-Modeling. This Multi- Modeling approach for solving complex problems is full of syntactic and semantic challenges. In this paper, a systematic methodology for addressing Multi-Modeling problems is presented. The approach is domain specific: Identification of the domain and the supporting modeling techniques is the first step. Then a new Domain Specific Multi-Modeling Workflow Language supported with a Domain Ontology is used to construct the workflow that defines the interoperation of the selected models. The Domain Ontology provides semantic guidance to effect valid model interoperation. The approach is illustrated using a case study from the Drug Interdiction and Intelligence domain. The Joint Inter-Agency Task Force (JIATF) -South, an agency well known for interagency cooperation and intelligence fusion, receives huge amounts of disparate data regarding drug smuggling efforts. Analysis of such data using various modeling techniques is essential in identifying best Courses of Action (COAs). The proposed methodology is illustrated by creating workflows of model interoperations involving Social Networks, Timed Influence Nets, Organization Structures and Geospatial models.
Ciguateric Fishes, Ciguatoxin (CTX) and Ciguatera Poisoning

AbstractCiguatera poisoning is caused by the eating of certain tropical and semi-pelagic marine fishes or by a few species of gastropods. In the case of the fishes, these have fed upon either carnivorous or benthonic algal feeders, which have accumulated the toxin through the food chain. The basic organisms involved are dinoflagellates, principally Gambierdiscus toxicus. The toxin, ciguatera toxin (CTX) is C55H76O18 and appears to favor a rather selective choice in voltage - dependent Na+ channels in nerve and muscle cells, and in synaptic terminals. In this respect, the channel(s) are different from those so far identified for tetrodotoxin, maitotoxin, and the other marine toxins for which specific channels have been implicated.Although the poisoning has been known for over 200 years, it has been during only most recent years that it has become a public health problem. While most cases occur in the Pacific Ocean and Carribean Sea, the poisoning is now been reported from numerous parts of the world, and w...
Current mechanisms of macula densa cell signalling.

Macula densa cells couple renal haemodynamics, glomerular filtration and renin release with tubular fluid salt and water reabsorption. These cells detect changes in tubular fluid composition through a complex of intracellular signalling events that are mediated by membrane transport pathways. Increases in luminal fluid sodium chloride concentration result in alterations in cell sodium chloride concentration, cytosolic calcium, cell pH, basolateral membrane depolarization and cell volume. Macula densa signalling then involves the production and release of specific paracrine signalling molecules at their basolateral membrane. Upon moderate increases in luminal sodium chloride concentration macula densa cells release increasing amounts of ATP and decreasing amounts of prostaglandin E 2 , thereby increasing afferent arteriolar tone and decreasing the release of renin from granular cells. On the other hand, further increases in luminal concentration stimulate the release of nitric oxide, which serve to prevent excessive tubuloglomerular feedback vasoconstriction. Paracrine signalling by the macula densa cells therefore controls juxtaglomerular function, renal vascular resistance and participates in the regulation of renin release.
Integrating phylogenetic analysis and classification in fungi

The central goal of taxonomic mycology is to create classifications that communicate under- standing of fungal phylogeny. To insure that taxon- omy reflects up-to-date phylogenetic hypotheses, there must be efficient mechanisms for translating phylogenetic trees into classifications. The current taxonomic system, which is based on the hierarchy of Linnaean ranks and the International Code of Bo-
Electrophoretic studies of hemoglobin-methemoglobin mixtures.

Abstract Human red cell hemolyzates containing from 4.7 to 95% methemoglobin were investigated by moving-boundary electrophoresis in a cacodylate buffer at pH 6.5. Methemoglobin, which migrated faster than hemoglobin, was responsible for additional components in the patterns. The appearance of the electrophoretic patterns is markedly affected by the relative proportions of hemoglobin and methemoglobin. It is suggested that the extra boundaries represent fully oxidized rather than intermediate species of hemoglobin. The effect of removing Component B by dephosphorylation with alkaline phosphatase on the patterns of hemolyzates containing methemoglobin is shown.
Hemorrhage in cavum septi pellucidi

One case of hemorrhage in the cavum septi pellucidi (CSP) is presented. This unusual location of intracranial hemorrhage was demonstrated by cranial sonography in a premature neonate.
Evidence for a noncholinergic nicotine receptor on human phagocytic leukocytes.

A noncholinergic nicotine receptor on human phagocytic leukocytes has been characterized using the binding of3H-(d,l)-nicotine. The average affinity +/-standard deviation of (d,l)-nicotine for the receptor on neutrophils is 36 ± 18 nM (n=6). The binding is saturable with an average of 8.7 x 104 sites per neutrophil. Monocytes and to a lesser extent lymphocytes but not erythrocytes also display specific binding. Bound nicotine is dissociable from the receptor and is not metabolized. Only close structural analogs of nicotine bind to the receptor, which is stereoselective for the (d)-isomer. The receptor can be occupied by (l)-nicotine at concentrations present in the blood of smokers. It is suggested that some of the adverse effects of smoking on leukocyte functions may be mediated by a specific nicotine receptor.
A broadband sensor interface IC for miniaturized dielectric spectroscopy from MHz to GHz

This paper describes a broadband sensor interface IC as part of a miniaturized measurement platform for MHz-to-GHz dielectric spectroscopy. Developed in 0.35 μm 2P/4M RF CMOS, the IC measures frequency-dependent S 21 magnitude and phase of a microfluidic dielectric sensor fabricated in a thick gold-on-glass microfabrication process and loaded with a material-under-test (MUT). The IC architecture implements a broadband frequency response analysis (bFRA) method by first down-converting the sensor response signal from the RF excitation frequency to an intermediate frequency (IF) of 1 MHz using a low-noise amplifier (LNA) and active mixer, followed by down-converting the IF signal to dc using a coherent detector employing IF amplification stages with programmable gain, a passive mixer driven by in-phase (I) and quadrature-phase (Q) signals and an active-RC low-pass filter (LPF). The sensor interfaced with the IC is fully capable of differentiating among deionized (DI) water, phosphate buffered saline (PBS), ethanol and methanol in tests conducted at four different excitation frequencies of 50 MHz, 500 MHz, 1 GHz and 3 GHz. Further, dielectric readings of ethanol from the sensor interfaced with the IC at five excitation frequencies in the range of 50 MHz to 2 GHz are in excellent agreement (error <;1%) with those from using a vector network analyzer (VNA) as the sensor readout. A bulk-solution reference measurement by an Agilent 85070E dielectric probe kit interfaced with a VNA is also performed to verify proof-of-concept feasibility in conducting MHz-to-GHz dielectric spectroscopy with a miniaturized measurement platform using μL-sample volumes.
Current And Future Indications For Magnetic Resonance In Medicine

Since Nuclear Magnetic Resonance was first used to image the human body in the late 1970's (1), image quality has steadily improved. At this time, image quality from magnetic resonance (MR) imaging, as it is now called, rivals that produced by x-ray computed tomography (CT). The cross-sectional tomographic images of the body produced by magnetic resonance display hydrogen density in the body, modified by the magnetic relaxation times, Tl and T2 (2). In addition to imaging the body, MR can also provide spectroscopic information from a specified region of interest within the body. Spectroscopy gives the concentration of different chemical species of the same chemical nucleus (e.g., P-31, C-13, Na-23), again modified by the magnetic relaxation times. Although such spectra have been obtained from the human body, the role of spectroscopy in clinical medicine has yet to be defined. The following discusses the indications for magnetic resonance imaging in current medical practice relative to existing imaging modalities such as CT. Potential future indications for magnetic resonance (including both imaging and spectroscopic applications) will be discussed.
Saline irrigation in gastric hemorrhage: the effect of temperature.

Abstract This study sought to determine the optimal temperature of saline irrigant used to control gastric hemorrhage. The data indicate that iced saline (0°C) is significantly less effective in promoting hemostasis than irrigation with saline at 21°C. Removal of shed blood without irrigation provided cessation of hemorrhage more rapidly than with irrigation at any temperature.
A method of syntax specification

The addition of a few simple conventions to the Backus Normal Form specification of a language provides a mode of description which is more compact and easier to prepare and use than either the standard BNF description [1] or the corresponding syntactical chart [2].