cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
ACUTE HEMODYNAMIC EFFECTS OF RATTLESNAKE, CROTALUS VIRIDIS HELLERI, VENOM

ABSTRACT The acute effects of a sublethal dose of rattlesnake venom consist of arterial hypotension and an increase in cardiac output, subclavian and femoral artery flows. These findings are related to a profound decrease in vascular esistance in skeletal muscle vascular beds. Subsequently, cardiac output declines and there is loss of blood from the vascular space. Left ventricular failure does not appear to play a major role in rattlesnake venom shock.
Belief in Biofeedback for the Control of Short-Term Stress

This research explores the effect of biofeedback training and mental expectation or “belief” on the relief of short-term stress. Three experiments using a total of 165 subjects demonstrated that similar low levels of tension could be achieved with physical training using biofeedback instruments or with “belief” training using a biofeedback machine for a demonstration only. Two physiological indicants of short-term stress were the subjects’ muscle tension and finger temperatures. The results seem to indicate the possibility of a method of instruction for educators and therapists that, when coupled with traditional biofeedback training, may produce superior results at a reduced monetary investment.
Scope and Basic Principles of Insect Pathology

Insects are the dominant animals in the world, with more than one million described species. The vast majority of insects are innocuous or beneficial to humans, but a small percentage are pests that require a significant amount of our time, effort, and funds to reduce their negative effects on food production and our health and welfare. One environmentally acceptable method to control these insect pests is to use pathogens. The study of pathogens infecting insects is referred to as “insect pathology”. Insect pathology is the study of anything that goes wrong with an insect and, therefore, includes non-pathogenic and pathogenic causes. The present focus is on pathogens that can be used as microbial control agents of insects. Here, the basic principles in insect pathology including the microorganisms that cause diseases, their classification and phylogeny, portal of entry, infectivity, pathogenicity and virulence, course of disease, Koch's postulates, and diagnosis are covered.
Modelling the Functional Comorbidity Index as a predictor of health-related quality of life in patients with glenoid labrum disorders

Background/aim Health-related quality of life (HRQoL) is increasingly assessed within orthopaedic research. For those patients presenting with glenoid labral pathologies, there is little information on how baseline comorbidities affect long-term outcomes and HRQoL. This study aimed to investigate a model, including baseline comorbidities and demographics, to predict change in 2-year HRQoL scores in adult patients with glenoid labral tears or degenerations. Methods Participants provided Functional Comorbidity Index (FCI) scores and self-completed the Western Ontario Rotator Cuff (WORC) index at 6, 12 and 24 months. Univariable and multivariable linear regressions were performed to assess predictive quality of baseline comorbidities and demographics on the primary outcome measure of interest (change in WORC score). Results Multivariate regression with a continuous scaled FCI (β=617.8, p=0.042), age (by decade) (β=297, p Conclusion The continuous FCI model is better suited to predict future WORC and HRQoL scores among this patient population. Patients reporting with higher numbers of baseline comorbidities improved significantly more than patients with fewer comorbidities. This information on expected change in HRQoL scores among patients with a wide range of FCI scores at baseline may help guide treatment decisions based on these criteria.
Estimation of shear forces associated with rubbing of glass and ceramic surfaces

This note evaluates shear resistance obtained from some recent mode I and mode II fracture data on glass (amorphous) along with zirconia and alumina (fine-grain ceramics). The data were generated using the diametrically-compressed chevron-notched disk of Shetty et al. In this specimen, opening-mode loading is obtained when the notch is parallel to the load line and longitudinal shear is obtained when the notch is inclined at about 23 deg. to the load line
Chronic asthma and Mesenchymal stem cells: Hyaluronan and airway remodeling

Previous studies have demonstrated that ovalbumin sensitization promotes chronic asthma phenotype in murine asthma model. Human mesenchymal stem cells (hMSCs) are multipotent cells in vitro that have been shown to decrease inflammation and can reverse airway remodeling when infused into an in vivo chronic asthma model. However, the mechanism by which hMSCs reverse remodeling is still unclear. In this study, we hypothesized that hMSCs influence remodeling by decreasing extracellular matrix (ECM) deposition, more specifically by decreasing collagen I, collagen III, and hyaluronan synthesis. Chronic asthma phenotype was produced in an in vitro model with 3 T3 murine airway fibroblast cells by stimulating with GM-CSF. Collagen I and collagen III gene expression was investigated using RT-PCR and Taqman techniques. Hyaluronan was evaluated using FACE and Western Blots. The chronic asthma phenotype was produced in vivo in murine model using sensitization with ovalbumin with and without hMSC infusion therapy. ECM deposition (specifically trichrome staining, soluble and insoluble collagen deposition, and hyaluronan production) was evaluated. Image quantification was used to monitor trichrome staining changes. GM-CSF which induced collagen I and collagen III production was down-regulated with hMSC using co-culture. In the in vivo model, Ovalbumin induced enhanced ECM deposition, soluble and insoluble collagen production, and lung elastance. hMSC infusions decreased ECM deposition as evidenced by decreases in soluble and insoluble collagen production. hMSCs participate in improved outcomes of remodeling by reversing excess collagen deposition and changing hyaluronan levels.
Google's Role in Spreading Fake News and Misinformation

This paper analyzes Google’s role in proliferating fake news and misinformation in the months leading up to and immediately following the U.S. 2016 national election. It is one section of a longer report, Fake News and Misinformation: The roles of the nation’s digital newsstands, Facebook, Google, Twitter and Reddit, that serves as the first phase of a continuing inquiry over the 2017-18 academic year. This paper reviews the role of Google, and specifically Google Search, in the misinformation landscape. It tracks the problem of misinformation in search engines from the advent of search engine optimization and spam through the present day, focusing on Google’s efforts to curb its role in spreading fake news following the 2016 U.S. elections. Part 1 describes the “arms race” between search engines and spammers exploiting weaknesses in search algorithms, which contributes to Google’s role in proliferating fake and/or biased news in the 2016 elections. As part of the continuing accounting of the impact of fake news and misinformation on the 2016 elections, this analysis tracks search results for senate and presidential candidates in that election, revealing that up to 30% of these national candidates had their search results affected by potentially fake or biased content. Part 2 summarizes Google’s recent efforts in 2017 to curb misleading or offensive content through user reporting and human reviewers, along with the opinions of users and experts who are largely supportive of these changes. The section broadly reviews the influence of the Internet on journalism, and then describes Google’s recent efforts to invest in initiatives that bolster investigative journalism and news. It concludes with suggestions for policy and research directions, recommending in particular that Google and other companies increase data transparency, in particular for researchers, to better understand misinformation phenomena online. The study concludes that transparency and civilian oversight are the next critical steps towards a society which benefits fully from the ubiquitous and powerful technologies that surround us.
Petty Crimes and Harassment: How Community Residents Understand Low-Level Enforcement in three High-Crime Neighborhoods in New York City

This paper examines how residents of high-crime communities understand so-called “quality of life” policing tactics and their effects on police-community relations. We demonstrate how focus groups offer a unique opportunity to understand how community members perceive police activity by giving research participants an opportunity to dialog with each other to collectively articulate the meanings of this complex issue. We draw on focus groups conducted in three New York neighborhoods with high levels of violence, police contact, poverty, and other indicators of concentrated disadvantage. One set of focus groups was conducted with Black and/or Latino males ages 16–20 living in each community, while another set was held with adult residents over age 30, who had lived in the community for at least 10 years. We closely examine how these two sets of community residents express concerns related to aggressive low-level enforcement actions in their communities and the concomitant issues of the over-policing of young men of color, the under-policing of what residents understand to be the primary threats to their personal safety, and the perceived lack of police accountability. We consider the implications of these findings for police-community relations more broadly.
Stress CMR imaging observation unit in the emergency department reduces 1-year medical care costs in patients with acute chest pain: a randomized study for comparison with inpatient care.

Objectives This study sought to compare the direct cost of medical care and clinical events during the first year after patients with intermediate risk acute chest pain were randomized to stress cardiac magnetic resonance (CMR) observation unit (OU) testing versus inpatient care. Background In a recent study, randomization to OU-CMR reduced median index hospitalization cost compared with the cost of inpatient care in patients presenting to the emergency department with intermediate risk acute chest pain. Methods Emergency department patients with intermediate risk chest pain were randomized to OU-CMR (OU care, cardiac markers, stress CMR) or inpatient care (admission, care per admitting provider). This analysis reports the direct cost of cardiac-related care and clinical outcomes (myocardial infarction, revascularization, cardiovascular death) during the first year of follow-up subsequent to discharge. Consistent with health economics literature, provider cost was calculated from work-related relative value units using the Medicare conversion factor; facility charges were converted to cost using departmental-specific cost-to-charge ratios. Linear models were used to compare cost accumulation among study groups. Results We included 109 randomized subjects in this analysis (52 OU-CMR, 57 inpatient care). The median age was 56 years; baseline characteristics were similar in both groups. At 1 year, 6% of OU-CMR and 9% of inpatient care participants experienced a major cardiac event (p = 0.72) with 1 patient in each group experiencing a cardiac event after discharge. First-year cardiac-related costs were significantly lower for participants randomized to OU-CMR than for participants receiving inpatient care (geometric mean = $3,101 vs. $4,742 including the index visit [p = 0.004] and $29 vs. $152 following discharge [p = 0.012]). During the year following randomization, 6% of OU-CMR and 9% of inpatient care participants experienced a major cardiac event (p = 0.72). Conclusions An OU-CMR strategy reduces cardiac-related costs of medical care during the index visit and over the first year subsequent to discharge, without an observed increase in major cardiac events. (Cost Comparison of Cardiac Magnetic Resonance Imaging [MRI] Use in Emergency Department [ED] Patients With Chest Pain; NCT00678639 )
Molecular and Conformational Equilibria Studied by Electron Spin Resonance Spectroscopy

The discovery of aliphatic semidiones by my group in the early 1960’s came from several separate investigations. We were one of the first groups of organic chemists to apply electron spin resonance spectroscopy to studies of organic reactions. One of our initial lines of research involved the study of electronic comproportionation reactions, such as that shown in equation 1.2
A CRISPR Take on Clonal Hematopoiesis.

Inflammation is fundamental to both atherosclerosis and the healing that occurs after myocardial infarction, but we have not yet bridged the gap between recognizing that inflammation matters and understanding exactly how the various inflammatory cascade components interact.1 A considerable body of work on the role of inflammation in atherosclerosis and myocardial infarction has zeroed in on cytokines, chemokines, growth factors, and a dizzying repertoire of receptors, kinases, and transcription factors. This focus is well founded: in addition to being sources of great science, secreted, membrane-bound, and even intracellular proteins can be attractive therapeutic targets. Last year, the completion of CANTOS, the clinical trial that targeted the inflammatory cytokine IL (interleukin)-1β to treat cardiovascular disease, laid bare the power of such an approach.2 Many people already receiving statins and other drugs benefited from blocking this one cytokine. Yet secreted, membrane-bound or intracellular proteins are cell products that are transcribed and translated by and for cells. And leukocytes, the white blood cells that define the immune system, are major protein producers; take a protein, even one loosely associated with the inflammatory cascade, and chances are it’s leukocyte-made. We should care about leukocyte dynamics—their production, recruitment, differentiation, and function—because understanding leukocytes improves our access to the larger story involving not only cells and their products but also organs they inhabit and systems in which they participate. Article, see p 335 The adult human bone marrow contains ≈10 000 hematopoietic …
Axioms & Uniform Substitutions

This chapter explores a succinct approach for soundly implementing rigorous reasoning for hybrid systems. Unlike previous chapters, this chapter is not concerned with identifying new reasoning principles for cyber-physical systems, but, rather, focuses on how they can best be implemented correctly. Uniform substitutions are identified as a simple concept based upon which differential dynamic logic proof systems can be implemented quite easily. Uniform substitutions uniformly instantiate predicate symbols by formulas. Since all reasoning can be reduced to finding the appropriate sequence of uniform substitutions, this makes it possible to implement theorem provers with a small soundness-critical core.
KCNJ11 variants and their effect on the association between serum potassium and diabetes risk in the Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities (ARIC) Study and Jackson Heart Study (JHS) cohorts.

Background In the Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities (ARIC) Study and Jackson Heart Study (JHS) cohorts, serum potassium (K) is an independent predictor of diabetes risk, particularly among African-American participants. Experimental studies show that serum K levels affects insulin secretion. The KCNJ11 gene encodes for a K channel that regulates insulin secretion and whose function is affected by serum K levels. Variants in KCNJ11 are associated with increased diabetes risk. We hypothesized that there could be a gene-by-environment interaction between KCNJ11 variation and serum K on diabetes risk. Methods Evaluating a combined cohort of ARIC and JHS participants, we sought to determine if KCNJ11 variants are risk factors for diabetes; and if KCNJ11 variants modify the association between serum K and diabetes risk. Among participants without diabetes at baseline, we performed multivariable logistic regression to determine the effect of serum K, KCNJ11 variants, and their interactions on the odds of incident diabetes mellitus over 8–9 years in the entire cohort and by race. Results Of 11,812 participants, 3220 (27%) participants developed diabetes. 48% and 47% had 1 or 2 diabetes risk alleles of rs5215 and rs5219, respectively. Caucasians had higher proportions of these risk alleles compared to African Americans (60% vs 17% for rs5215 and 60% vs 13% for rs5219, p<0.01). Serum K was a significant independent predictor of incident diabetes. Neither rs5215 nor rs5219 was associated with incident diabetes. In multivariable models, we found no statistically significant interactions between race and either rs5215 or rs5219 (P-values 0.493 and 0.496, respectively); nor between serum K and either rs5215 or rs5219 on odds of incident diabetes (P-values 0.534 and 0.687, respectively). Conclusion In this cohort, rs5215 and rs5219 of KCNJ11 were not significant predictors of incident diabetes nor effect modifiers of the association between serum K and incident diabetes.
Understanding women’s postpartum sexual experiences

This study aimed to understand women’s sexual health experiences, specifically knowledge, attitudes and norms related to sexual behaviour resumption during the postpartum period. Semi-structured, r...
Movements of Juvenile Bull Sharks in Response to a Major Hurricane Within a Tropical Estuarine Nursery Area

Predicting the responses of animals to environmental changes is a fundamental goal of ecology and is necessary for conservation and management of species. While most studies focus on relatively gradual changes, extreme events may have lasting impacts on populations. Animals respond to major disturbances such as hurricanes by seeking shelter, migrating, or they may fail to respond appropriately. We assessed the effects of Hurricane Irma in 2017 on the behavior and survival of juvenile bull sharks (Carcharhinus leucas) within a nursery of the Florida coastal Everglades using long-term acoustic telemetry monitoring. Most of our tagged sharks (n = 14) attempted to leave the shallow waters of the Shark River Estuary before the hurricane strike, but individuals varied in the timing and success of their movements. Eight bull sharks left within hours or days before the hurricane, but three left more than a week in advance. Nine of 11 bull sharks (~ 82%) eventually returned to the array within weeks or months of the storm. Six of these returning individuals were detected in a different coastal array in nearshore waters ca. 80 km away from the mouth of the estuary during their absence. The remaining three bull sharks moved downstream relatively late (after the hurricane) and may have died. We used binomial generalized linear mixed models to estimate the probability of presence within the array as a function of several environmental variables. Departure from the array was predicted by declining barometric pressure, increasing rate of change in pressure, and potentially fluctuations in river stage. Juvenile bull sharks may weigh multiple environmental cues, perceived predation risk, their own physical size, and shifting prey resources when making decisions during and after hurricanes.
Attention Guided Imitation Learning and Reinforcement Learning.

We propose a framework that uses learned human visual attention model to guide the learning process of an imitation learning or reinforcement learning agent. We have collected high-quality human action and eye-tracking data while playing Atari games in a carefully controlled experimental setting. We have shown that incorporating a learned human gaze model into deep imitation learning yields promising results.
The Allantois and Chorion, Isolated before Chorio-Allantoic Fusion, Have Hematopoietic Potential.

The chorio-allantoic placenta provides for the exchange of nutrients, gas, and waste between the fetus and mother. The murine placenta is also enriched for long term repopulating hematopoietic stem cells, and is therefore a stem cell niche (Gekas et al. Dev. Cell8, 365, 2005 and Ottersbach et al. Dev. Cell8, 377, 2005). However, it is not known if the placenta is colonized by hematopoietic stem cells that originate from other sites in the conceptus, or whether the placenta itself is also a site of hematopoietic cell emergence. The placenta is formed through the fusion of the allantois, a mesodermal extension from the primitive streak, with the chorionic plate, which is comprised of extraembryonic ectoderm and mesoderm. Here we show that the allantois and chorion, isolated before chorio-allantoic fusion and prior to the establishment of circulation, contain hematopoietic potential. Both allantois and chorion explants produced CD45 positive cells, some of which also expressed Mac-1 and Gr-1, when cultured on OP9 stromal cells in the presence of cytokines that promote myeloid cell differentiation. Cultures of allantois and chorion explants in the presence of lymphoid promoting cytokines induced B220 and CD19 positive B cells. Spatial and temporal analysis of Runx1, a marker for definitive hematopoiesis, showed Runx1 is not expressed in either the allantois or the chorion prior to fusion, but is expressed at the base of the allantois and at the chorio-allantoic junction following fusion. Both allantoic explant cultures, and cultures of whole embryos from which allantoises were removed in order to prohibit chorio-allantoic fusion showed that Runx1 expression in neither tissue is dependent upon fusion. We conclude that the allantois and chorion have intrinsic hematopoietic potential prior to the establishment of circulation. Our results furthermore suggest that the placenta is both a niche and a source of hematopoietic cells.
Spatial Targeting of Payments for Ecosystem Services under Growth Uncertainties

Despite the impacts of economic growth uncertainty, few studies have explicitly focused on how payments for ecosystem services (PES) can account for uncertainty in their benefits and costs caused by economic growth fluctuations. The objective of our study was to identify spatial targets for county-level PES by maximizing the expected future cost efficiency of ecological benefits under two growth scenarios and compare them with counties targeted during baseline years (i.e., 2001, 2006, and 2011) without considering growth uncertainty. Results using a case study of forest-based carbon storage in the Central and Southern Appalachian region show that spatial targeting based on estimates of carbon-cost efficiency for baseline years is significantly different from spatial targeting based on expected future carbon-cost efficiency. Our county-level map of expected future carbon cost efficiencies will help conservation organizations identify a cost-efficient allocation of incentive payments that is robust to changes in economic growth fluctuations over time.
The effects of projectile mass on ballistic pendulum displacement

The maximum displacement from equilibrium of a ballistic pendulum is analyzed as a function of projectile mass. The displacement can be determined according to the conservation laws of energy and momentum, which are applied in three stages. For an ideal spring-gun, the pendulum's maximum displacement height should increase monotonically with the mass of the projectile until the mass of the projectile and the effective mass of the pendulum are equal, after which the displacement height decreases monotonically with projectile mass. The additional mass of the spring and driver mechanism shifts this peak towards higher projectile masses. This relationship was tested using a cup-catcher and a set of blocks of varying mass as the projectiles, and the pendulum maximum displacement does indeed increase with mass to a point before slowly decreasing.
Building policy practice into foundation field placement: experiences and outcomes

Effective engagement in policy practice is a critical component in achieving social justice. Field education settings provide important opportunities for students to learn policy practice skills. T...
The Young/Adolescent Basketball Player

Basketball continues to be a popular sport among youth and adolescent athletes. While the benefits of youth sports participation are both expansive and innumerable, there underlies an inherent risk of injury, especially given the athletic maneuverability required in a pivoting and jumping sport like basketball. Youth athletes also carry both unique musculoskeletal and social considerations that need to be taken into account. The purpose of this chapter is to provide: (1) a discussion on the development of the youth basketball player and the importance of avoiding early single sport specialization; (2) an overview of orthopedic injuries unique to pediatric basketball players and their management; and (3) a brief introduction on social considerations including “the parent, coach, and athlete triad” and safeguarding the youth and adolescent athlete.
Integration Issues and Challenges

Although the thin-film embedded capacitors have been realized in the prototype quantities, there are several challenging issues for their product applications. Specifically, a successful integration of these capacitors at onchip and/or off-chip levels requires their compatibility, reliability, and interaction (diffusion and/or reaction) with the metal interconnections and their insulators. This chapter discusses many of the key issues and challenges for the integration of thin film capacitors.
Creating an augmented reality orientation using learning and design theories

This study investigates the impact of an augmented reality library orientation on first-year undergraduate students’ feelings of anxiety toward the library and confidence using the library. This pa...
Evaluation of Delirium in Critically Ill Patients Prescribed Melatonin or Ramelteon.

Background:An impaired sleep-wake cycle may be one factor that affects the development of delirium in critically ill patients. Several small studies suggest that exogenous melatonin or ramelteon ma...
Affective disorders, weight change, and patient engagement in a rural behavioral weight loss trial.

Abstract Background Adults in rural areas have a higher prevalence of obesity and some mental health conditions. The degree to which mental health influences weight loss among rural residents remains unclear. This study evaluated changes in body weight, physical activity, diet, and program engagement outcomes in a cohort of participants with vs. without an affective disorder in a behavioral weight loss trial. Methods A sample of 1407 adults with obesity were recruited from rural U.S. primary care practices to participate in a weight loss trial. In this secondary analysis, participants were stratified by those with vs. without an affective disorder at baseline. Mixed models were used to estimate changes in outcomes over 24 months. Results One-third of participants (n = 468) had an affective disorder. After covariate adjustment, both groups experienced significant weight loss over 24 months, but weight loss was significantly less among those with an affective disorder at all follow-up times (all p's Conclusion Participants with an affective disorder lost less body weight and less improvement in lifestyle measures over 24 months. These trends paralleled reduced engagement in critical intervention activities such as weight loss session attendance. Future interventions should consider additional methods to minimize disengagement in adults with underlying affective disorders.
IGOR: Accelerating Byzantine Fault Tolerance for Real-Time Systems with Eager Execution

Critical real-time systems like spacecraft and aircraft commonly use Byzantine fault-tolerant (BFT) state machine replication (SMR) to mask faulty processors and sensors. Unfortunately, existing BFT SMR techniques require replicas to reach agreement on redundant sensor data and perform source selection before executing, which adds unavoidable latency to every execution and inevitably decreases control performance. The standard way to reduce the latency of BFT SMR in nonreal-time systems is to use speculation, forgoing agreement on inputs altogether, and repeating executions when faults occur. However, this approach is not suitable for real-time systems, since its worst-case latency when faults occur can be even higher than that of non-speculative systems. This paper presents IGOR, a new speculative BFT SMR approach that leverages multi-core processors to avoid the added latency inherent to traditional BFT SMR techniques in both the absence and presence of faults. The key idea of IGOR is to eagerly execute on data from redundant sensors in parallel. While these executions are underway, the replicas reach agreement on which execution will determine the system’s final state. As a result, IGOR’S latency is reduced to the time taken by the executions or by the agreement process, whichever is longer. Our evaluation shows that IGOR reduces latency by up to $ 1.75\times$ and improves schedulability by $ 1.88-3.22\times$ compared to the state of the art. We also show that when used to execute spacecraft guidance, navigation, and control software during a dynamic mission phase, IGOR noticeably increases vehicle stability.
Resistance exercise training with protein supplementation improves skeletal muscle strength and improves quality of life in late adolescents and young adults with Barth syndrome: A pilot study.

Background Muscle weakness and exercise intolerance contribute to reduced quality of life (QOL) in Barth syndrome (BTHS). Our group previously found that 12 weeks of resistance exercise training (RET) improved muscle strength, however, did not increase muscle (lean) mass or QOL in n = 3 young adults with BTHS. The overall objective of this pilot study was to examine the safety and effectiveness of RET plus daily protein supplementation (RET + protein) on muscle strength, skeletal muscle mass, exercise tolerance, cardiac function, and QOL in late adolescents/young adults with BTHS. Methods Participants with BTHS (n = 5, age 27 ± 7) performed 12 weeks of supervised RET (60 minutes per session, three sessions/week) and consumed 42 g/day of whey protein. Muscle strength, muscle mass, exercise capacity, cardiac function, and health-related QOL were assessed pre-post intervention. Results RET + protein was safe, increased muscle strength and quality of life, and tended to increase lean mass. Conclusions RET + protein appears safe, increases muscle strength and quality of life and tends to increase lean mass. Larger studies are needed to confirm these findings and to fully determine the effects of RET + protein in individuals with BTHS.
An Early Evaluation of WSRF and WS-Notification via WSRF.NET

The Web Services Resource Framework (WSRF) and its companion WS-Notification were introduced in January 2004 as a new model on which to build grids. This paper contains early observations made while implementing the full suite of WSRF and WS-Notification specifications on the Microsoft .NET Platform. While the potential of WSRF and WS-Notification remains strong, initial observations are that there are many challenges that remain to be solved, most notably the implied programming model derived from the specifications, particularly the complexity of service-side and client-code and the complexity of WS-Notification.
Name That Plant! Overcoming Plant Blindness and Developing a Sense of Place Using Science and Environmental Education

Plants are often overlooked or ignored entirely in K-12 classrooms. This chapter provides background information about the idea of “plant blindness,” which attempts to explain why botanical education is neglected, and why we humans have so much trouble “seeing” plants. We suggest that plants can be an integral part of life science education, and that giving teachers and students the chance to learn about and explore plant life in their communities will enhance their environmental awareness and sense of place. To this end, we make a case for giving teachers and students the skills they need to learn about the plants around them, including scientific nomenclature, evolution, and ecology. Included in the chapter are ideas for how to use nature-based outdoor experiences to teach about the environment, with an emphasis on National Science Education Standards and Environmental Education goals.
A Specimen of Theory Construction from Quantum Gravity

Despite the philosophical tone of this volume, I personally am much more of a working scientist than a philosopher. Of course it is good to remember Peter Bergmann’s description of the physicist as “in many respects a philosopher in worker’s clothes”, but it is not my purpose here to attempt to draw philosophical lessons from the history of work on quantum gravity. Instead I will only try to recount a certain part of my own experience with this problem, explaining how I arrived at the idea of what I will call a causal set. This and similar structures have been proposed more than once as discrete replacements for spacetime. My excuse for not also explaining how others arrived at essentially the same idea’ is naturally that my case is the only one I can hope to reconstruct with even minimal accuracy.
International Financial Contagion: An overview of the Issues and the Book

Before 1997, the term “contagion” usually referred to the spread of a medical disease. A Lexis-Nexis search for contagion before this year finds hundreds of examples in major newspapers, almost none of which refer to turmoil in international financial markets.1 This changed in July of 1997. A currency crisis in Thailand quickly spread throughout East Asia and then on to Russia and Brazil. Even developed markets in North America and Europe were affected, as the relative prices of financial instruments shifted and caused the collapse of Long-Term Capital Management (LTCM), a large U.S. hedge fund. These global repercussions from what began in the relatively small Thai economy have sparked the widespread use of a new meaning for the term contagion. A Lexis-Nexis search of major newspapers since mid-1997 finds that almost all articles using the term contagion referred to the spread of financial market turmoil across countries.
Dose Escalation in Non–Small-Cell Lung Cancer Using Three-Dimensional Conformal Radiation Therapy: Update of a Phase I Trial

PURPOSE: High-dose radiation may improve outcomes in non–small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC). By using three-dimensional conformal radiation therapy and limiting the target volume, we hypothesized that the dose could be safely escalated. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A standard phase I design was used. Five bins were created based on the volume of normal lung irradiated, and dose levels within bins were chosen based on the estimated risk of radiation pneumonitis. Starting doses ranged from 63 to 84 Gy given in 2.1-Gy fractions. Target volumes included the primary tumor and any nodes ≥ 1 cm on computed tomography. Clinically uninvolved nodal regions were not included purposely. More recently, selected patients received neoadjuvant cisplatin and vinorelbine. RESULTS: At the time of this writing, 104 patients had been enrolled. Twenty-four had stage I, four had stage II, 43 had stage IIIA, 26 had stage IIIB, and seven had locally recurrent disease. Twenty-five received chemotherapy, and 63 were assessable for escalation...
What do the Philosophers Have against Dignity

Among analytic philosophers, there is considerable antipathy towards the concept of human dignity. It is not always expressed, but the impression is conveyed that this is a rather disreputable idea and that its trumpeting in legal and political theory is to be deplored. The present paper tries to get to grips with the sources of this antipathy. Is it based on the unclarity of the concept, its religious overtones, its speciesism, or its redundancy as a moral idea. The paper makes a case for dignity as a status-concept -- denoting a particular sort of moral/legal status that all humans have.
Intergenerational Groups: Rediscovering our Legacy

Intergenerational groups are a community-based group concept designed to engage and mobilize often untapped resources of older adults in effective interaction with younger populations. These groups support an atmosphere of synergistic interaction. Members of each generation share reflections on interpersonal strengths and capacities and rediscover emotional and spiritual anchors and bonding. Illustrated here is Community Connections (CC), developed using the phase driven participatory culture-specific intervention model (PCSIM; Nastasi, Moore & Varjas, 2004) that included self selected local older adults, caregivers, and multicultural exchange students. The program was structured to offer mutual opportunities for activities built around exchanging cultural and life experiences. The goals were: 1) to reduce social isolation due to age, culture, or disability 2) for international students to practice English and learn about local cultural traditions, and 3) to build intergenerational ‘extended family’ relationships.
Geometric deviations in forging and cooling operations due to process uncertainties

Abstract During hot forging, the billet is heated to an elevated temperature, forged to the required shape and cooled to room temperature. Most of the hot forged parts produced, meet the specified geometric tolerances, but some do not. Some of the defective parts can be rectified by machining, others are rejected. Restoring a hot forged part demands extra production cost. Defective parts can be attributed to process variations or uncertainties that occur during production. Such manufacturing anomalies in the metal forming industry can induce heavy losses (e.g. premature failure of equipment, under-fill, folds in part and double hit) during mass production. The objectives of this research are, determining the uncertainties that cause defective parts during hot forging and illustrate a method to determine parameters that control the trade-off between rejected parts and rectifiable parts. This information will aid in reducing production costs of the forgings. The uncertainties are demonstrated in this research by simulations of the forging and cooling processes. Since, uncertainties in the field of metal forming have never been considered in the design process, quantifying the effects of the process uncertainties would be the first step towards reducing geometric variation and related production costs. Also, incorporating the process uncertainties into the forging and cooling process design leads to better quality parts.
Defense changes in stress nonresponsive subordinate males in a visible burrow system.

Abstract Dominant and subordinate male rats housed in a visible burrow system (VBS), and male controls each housed with a female, were run in a series of tests evaluating their response to threatening stimuli. Subordinates were later assessed as stress responsive (SRS) or nonresponsive (NRS) on the basis of plasma corticosterone response to restraint stress. In the tests using mildly threatening stimuli (handling, open field), NRS had longer latencies to show a righting response and reduced activity compared to SRS or (handling, open field) to dominants. There were no differences among the VBS groups in tests with more intense threat stimuli (cat odor, cat presentation). These results suggest that stressful social experience may produce a shift toward more passive and immobile forms of defense and that the experience of subordination may interact with individual differences characteristics of rats to exacerbate this shift. The hypothalamic–pituitary–adrenal (HPA) axis changes of NRS, manifested as reduced plasma corticosterone response to restraint, and previous findings of sharply reduced testosterone in these animals, along with their passive defensive behaviors, form a pattern that is suggestive of a biobehavioral “reactive” (as opposed to “proactive”) coping style, and suggest that these behavioral and endocrine variables may show related changes even when altered by individual experience.
Isolated right ventricular infarction complicated by ventricular septal defect

Right ventricular infarction is frequently seen with inferior myocardial infarction, but it rarely presents in isolation. We describe a case of isolated right ventricular infarction complicated with ventricular septal defect. Clinical, hemodynamic, echocardiographic, and surgical features are discussed. Twenty months following surgical repair of the ventricular septal defect and two vessel coronary artery bypass surgery, the patient continues to do well and is free from angina and exertional dyspnea.
Relative value of glucose and amino acids in preserving exercise capacity in the postoperative period.

Summary The value of crystalline amino acids compared with glucose in maintaining functional muscle mass (maximum exercise capacity) in the perioperative period was studied. Twelve surgical patients received 100 g of glucose (Group 1) for 7 to 10 days perioperatively, and 12 (Group 2) received 90 g of crystalline amino acids for a similar period. Maximum exercise capacity, nitrogen balance, and serum albumin were studied. The use of amino acids instead of glucose spared nitrogen. Net nitrogen loss was 64.7 ± 6.7 g in Group 1 compared with 34.7 ± 4 g in Group 2 (p ≤0.001). Exercise capacity decreased 13.8 ± 4.5 percent in Group 1 and 13.3 ± 2.9 percent in group 2. The serum albumin level decreased by 0.30 ± 0.2 g/100 ml in Group 1 compared with 0.34 ± 0.15 g/100 ml in Group 2. These differences were not significant. Changes in serum albumin were correlated with changes in exercise capacity (r=0.7, p ≤ 0.002), but neither was significantly correlated with nitrogen loss. We concluded that the use of amino acids instead of glucose during moderate periods of semistarvation associated with moderate trauma will not influence loss of exercise capacity significantly, although some nitrogen will be spared; patients undergoing moderately severe surgical procedures accompanied by moderate periods of semistarvation will lose approximately 14 percent of their exercise capacity; and loss of exercise capacity is not correlated with loss of nitrogen under these conditions but is loosely correlated with changes in serum albumin levels.
Channel-like structures formed from extended networks of 4,13-diaza-18-crown-6 complexes

Abstract Solid-state structures of complexes formed between sodium cation, water, and/or 4,13-diaza-18-crown-6 (1) are reported. The oxygen donor atoms of either water or the crown participate in forming a channel-like network of sodium cations that may emulate the interior of a channel’s pore. Specifically, the structures of 1·Na2I2(H2O)2 and NaI(H2O)2 are reported along with the structure of N,N′-bis(propargyl)-4,13-diaza-18-crown-6·KBF4, included for comparison. In all cases, cations and donor groups within the structures form extended columnar networks that may mimic natural cation channels within bilayers.
Splitting of the circadian rhythm of body temperature in the golden hamster

The circadian rhythm of hamster locomotor activity "splits" into two distinct circadian components during conditions of constant illumination. To determine if the circadian rhythm of body temperature also splits under these conditions, body temperature and locomotor activity were monitored concurrently in animals housed in constant illumination. Splitting of the body temperature rhythm into two circadian components was observed in animals manifesting split activity rhythms. Concurrent splitting of both rhythms suggests a common mechanism either for the generation or coupling of these rhythms.
A study of carrier-trap generation by Fowler-Nordheim tunneling stress on polycrystalline-silicon/SiO2/silicon structures

Abstract Deep level transient spectroscopy was used to study carrier traps induced in n+-polycrystalline-silicon/90 A-thick SiO2/p-type silicon material-system capacitors. The capacitors were fabricated using a 0.50 μm complementary metal-oxide-silicon (CMOS) process flow. The capacitor structures were subjected to constant-voltage Fowler-Nordheim (FN) stressing at temperatures between 50 and 300 K. It was observed that stressing at temperatures above 150 K induces a 0.20 eV-wide band of closely-spaced SiO 2 Si interface hole-traps centered at 0.55 eV above the edge of the valence band in silicon. For the same stress level, the concentration of traps in the band decreases with decreasing temperature, and the band is undetectable at stress temperatures below 150 K. FN stress at temperatures of 150 K and below is observed to induce defect states in the silicon substrate 600–1000 A below the interface. The silicon defects observed in this study give rise to electron traps at 0.30, 0.35, and 0.37 eV below the bottom of the conduction band. The former two traps are suggested to arise from the configurationally bistable boron-vacancy pair. The latter trap, which is unstable above ∼ 150 K, is tentatively ascribed to the isolated vacancy.
Synthesis of diamond on WC-Co substrates using a KrF excimer laser in combination with a combustion flame

A KrF excimer laser was used in combination with a combustion flame to deposit diamond films on cemented tungsten carbide (WC-Co) substrates. The laser has a wavelength of 248 nm, a pulse width of 23 ns, a pulse energy range of 84~450 mJ, and a repetition rate up to 50 Hz. Using the combustion flame method, diamond films were deposited on the laser-processed WC-Co substrates for 10 min. The morphologies of the deposited diamond films were examined using a scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The composition and bonding structures in the deposited films were studied by energy dispersive X-ray analysis (EDX) and Raman spectroscopy, respectively. The film adhesion was characterized by scratching a razor across the films. It was found that C composition on WC-Co substrate surfaces was eliminated by the laser irradiation. As a consequence, diamond nucleation density decreased and diamond grains grew larger in the laser-processed areas. Based on the experimental results, a film growth mechanism at different deposition temperature ranges corresponding to pre-deposition laser-surface-treatment effects was proposed.
Neural network classification technique and machine vision for bread crumb grain evaluation

Bread crumb grain was studied to develop a model for pattern recognition of bread baked at Hard Winter Wheat Quality Laboratory (HWWQL), Grain Marketing and Production Research Center (GMPRC). Images of bread slices were acquired with a scanner in a 512 multiplied by 512 format. Subimages in the central part of the slices were evaluated by several features such as mean, determinant, eigen values, shape of a slice and other crumb features. Derived features were used to describe slices and loaves. Neural network programs of MATLAB package were used for data analysis. Learning vector quantization method and multivariate discriminant analysis were applied to bread slices from what of different sources. A training and test sets of different bread crumb texture classes were obtained. The ranking of subimages was well correlated with visual judgement. The performance of different models on slice recognition rate was studied to choose the best model. The recognition of classes created according to human judgement with image features was low. Recognition of arbitrarily created classes, according to porosity patterns, with several feature patterns was approximately 90%. Correlation coefficient was approximately 0.7 between slice shape features and loaf volume.
Reduced isoscalar and isovector E2 matrix elements in the A = 26, T = 1 triad

Abstract Reduced isospin scalar and vector matrix elements can be extracted from comparison of electromagnetic transitions between analogous states in isospin triplets. Calculations for the transitions between the first 2+, T = 1 and 0+, T = 1 levels in the A = 26 triad indicate that only the isoscalar component shows collective enhancement.