cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Human rights and the rights of the child, a panoramic view

Recognizing the importance of the universal rights of children is critical in a differentiated and pluralist world, which, in coming together through the increase of global economic interdependence and consequent changes, will require a breadth of talents to maintain peace and cooperation. The paper draws on research from historical perspectives on human rights and the rights of the child. It proposes an analysis of children’s rights as both positive and negative human rights that, in the case of the context of the right to an education, should include instructional practices that respect developmental, cognitive and intellectual capacities.
Evaluation of a Programmable, Hardware-Driven, Isolated-Droplet Generator

A progammable, high-resolution liquid-handling device, suitable for both aqueous and organic solvents, is described. This device, called an isolated-droplet generator (IDG), is based on the vibrating-capillary principle of droplet production. The unit described is capable of converting a liquid stream, such as that produced by an HPLC, to a subnanolitersized monodisperse droplet stream generated at rates of up to 50 kHz. Charging and deflection circuitry can be used to select individual droplets or droplet packets from the main stream. The instrument is an improvement over older designs, in that computer control imparts sufficient flexibility to make the device useful as a general-purpose high-resolution liquid-handling system. Droplet production parameters can be automatically altered to compensate for changing liquid streams, such as occur in liquid chromatography with gradient elution. The waveforms for droplet production and charging are produced entirely in hardware by a programmable counter/timer integrated circuit (IC).
Descriptions and records of bees. XXXV

(1911). XXXIV.—Descriptions and records of bees.—XXXV. Annals and Magazine of Natural History: Vol. 7, No. 40, pp. 310-319.
Legal logic and equity in Islamic law

Islamic law is the epitome of Islamic thought, the most typical manifestation of the Islamic way of life, the core and kernel of Islam itself. The very term fickh, 'knowledge', shows that early Islam regarded knowledge of the sacred Law as the knowledge par exellence.1 This characterization of Islamic law is commonly accepted among Islamists,2 but a strange and mistaken image of the Islamic judge (qadi) persists in American legal circles. U.S. judges have offhandedly used the term qadi justice to symbolize a total denial of the law, namely, unprincipled, expedient and arbitrary lawmaking. When Judge Dobie of the Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals refused to construe the words of a Virginia statute against its legislative intent, he stated,
Fidaxomicin for Clostridium difficile-associated diarrhoea: epidemiological method for estimation of warranted price.

Background: Fidaxomicin is a macrocyclic antibiotic approved in 2011 by the US Food and Drug Administration for treatment of Clostridium difficile-associated diarrhoea (CDAD). Objective: Herein, we present an epidemiological method to estimate, on a case mix basis, and from the perspective of the US health system, the warranted (justifiable) price per day for fidaxomicin, as a percent of the wholesale acquisition cost (WAC) per day for fidaxomicin ($US280). Methods: Data from two randomized controlled studies (Optimer-003 [n = 596] and Optimer-004 [n = 509]) were used to discern the number-needed-to-treat (NNT = 7.1) for sustained clinical response. Sustained clinical res ponse was defined as clinical response at the end of treatment, and survival without proven or suspected CDAD recurrence through 25 days beyond the end of treatment. National data for primary and secondary cases (the case mix) of CDAD (mean hospital length of stay [LOS], and mean cost) were derived from the 2009 US Healthcare Cost and Utilization Project. The method for attribution of hospital LOS for secondary cases of CDAD was derived from a study published by O’Brien et al. in 2007. Comparative regi mens of vancomycin were: (i) injectable used orally, 125 mg four times daily (qid; WAC of $US6/day), with use of vancomycin hydrochloride (HCl) cap sules, 125 mg qid (WAC of $US106/day) post-hospital discharge; (ii) vanco mycin HCl capsules, 125 mg qid; and (iii) vancomycin HCl capsules, 250 mg qid (WAC of $US196/day). Findings are expressed in 2011 US dollars. The study perspective is that of the US health system. Results: The warranted price per day for fidaxomicin represented 95% of the WAC per day for fidaxomicin compared with use of injectable vancomycin (orally) 125mg qid (with subsequent use of vancomycin HCl capsules, 125mg qid post-hospital discharge); 109% of the WAC per day for fidaxomicin compared with use of vancomycin HCl capsules, 125mg qid; and 141% of the WAC per day for fidaxomicin when compared with use of vancomycin HCl capsules, 250mg qid. Conclusion: From the perspective of the US health system, fidaxomicin represents value for money in the treatment of CDAD. The methodology employed in this research has application beyond antimicrobial pharmacotherapy.
Thick-walled composite beam theory including 3-d elastic effects and torsional warping

Abstract A composite box beam model is developed for both thin- and thick-walled composite beams. In this analysis primary and secondary torsional warping and transverse shear effects, both of the cross-section and of the beam walls, are considered. An efficient method to account for 3-dimensional elastic effects in laminated beam walls is developed. These non-classical effects are investigated and are shown to be accentuated as the wall thickness increases. The present theory is validated by comparison with available experimental data, other analytical results, and finite element analysis. Good correlation between the present theory and other results is achieved for all test cases with predictions within 10% of experimental data for thin-walled beams and 8% of 3-D FEA results for thick-walled cases.
Elementary Magnetic Attitude Control System

A three-axis closed-loop attitude-control system for earth-observatory momentum-bias spacecraft is proposed. A horizon scanner and magnetometer are employed to measure attitude errors; no yaw sensor is required. Appropriate control signals are generated and used to command variable-strength electromagnets, which interact with the geomagnetic field to reduce observed errors. This system provides for initial acquisition, precession control, nutation damping, and pitch-axis momentum control. All functions are performed autonomously - no ground-station interaction is required. Analytical expressions predicting system response are compared with numerical solutions of the governing equations, and with the results of the application of Floquet Theory.-
Ischemic postconditioning at the initiation of cardiopulmonary resuscitation facilitates functional cardiac and cerebral recovery after prolonged untreated ventricular fibrillation

Abstract Objectives Ischemic postconditioning (PC) with "stuttering" reintroduction of blood flow after prolonged ischemia has been shown to offer protection from ischemia reperfusion injury to the myocardium and brain. We hypothesized that four 20-s pauses during the first 3min of standard CPR would improve post resuscitation cardiac and neurological function, in a porcine model of prolonged untreated cardiac arrest. Methods 18 female farm pigs, intubated and isoflurane anesthetized had 15min of untreated ventricular fibrillation followed by standard CPR (SCPR). Nine animals were randomized to receive PC with four, controlled, 20-s pauses, during the first 3min of CPR (SCPR+PC). Resuscitated animals had echocardiographic evaluation of their ejection fraction after 1 and 4h and a blinded neurological assessment with a cerebral performance category (CPC) score assigned at 24 and 48h. All animals received 12h of post resuscitation mild therapeutic hypothermia. Results SCPR+PC animals had significant improvement in left ventricular ejection fraction at 1 and 4h compared to SCPR (59±11% vs 35±7% and 55±8% vs 31±13% respectively, p p =0.003). Neurological function significantly improved in the SCPR+PC group at 48h and the mean CPC score of that group decreased from 2.7±0.4 to 1.7±0.4 ( p Conclusions Ischemic postconditioning with four 20-s pauses during the first 3min of SCPR improved post resuscitation cardiac function and facilitated neurological recovery after 15min of untreated cardiac arrest in pigs.
A Structurally Relevant Coarse-Grained Model for Cholesterol

Detailed atomistic computer simulations are now widely used to study biological membranes, including increasingly mixed lipid systems that involve, for example, cholesterol, which is a key membrane lipid. Typically, simulations of these systems start from a preassembled bilayer because the timescale on which self-assembly occurs in mixed lipid systems is beyond the practical abilities of fully atomistic simulations. To overcome this limitation and study bilayer self-assembly, coarse-grained models have been developed. Although there are several coarse-grained models for cholesterol reported in the literature, these generally fail to account explicitly for the unique molecular features of cholesterol that relate to its function and role as a membrane lipid. In this work, we propose a new coarse-grained model for cholesterol that retains the molecule's unique features and, as a result, can be used to study crystalline structures of cholesterol. In the development of the model, two levels of coarse-graining are explored and the importance of retaining key molecular features in the coarse-grained model that are relevant to structural properties is investigated.
Using journals in the engineering classroom

Students are given the opportunity to extra credit by keeping a journal that represents their knowledge base. The author describes the purpose of the extra credit opportunity, the contents of the journal, and the credit management policy. >
Plant salt tolerance

Soil salinity is a major abiotic stress in plant agriculture worldwide. This has led to research into salt tolerance with the aim of improving crop plants. However, salt tolerance might have much wider implications because transgenic salt-tolerant plants often also tolerate other stresses including chilling, freezing, heat and drought. Unfortunately, suitable genetic model systems have been hard to find. A recently discovered halophytic plant species, Thellungiella halophila, now promises to help in the detection of new tolerance determinants and operating pathways in a model system that is not limited to Arabidopsis traits or ecotype variations.
Proceedings of the 41st annual Design Automation Conference

Welcome to the 41st Design Automation Conference (DAC) and the technically vibrant and beautiful city of San Diego. Each year, several thousand attendees come to DAC to learn of advances and breakthroughs in electronic design methodology and Electronic Design Automation (EDA). DAC brings together a diverse community of designers, EDA developers, analysts, marketers, consultants, managers, executives, professors and students. This makes it a great meeting ground to get together with others with common interests and concerns, to learn about new developments, to meet people who use what you develop or develop what you use, to learn about emerging requirements and trends and to renew old friendships. It is an exciting and fast-paced week where your ability to exploit the many opportunities is limited only by your time.New this year in the Technical Program is Business Day at DAC, an entire day of sessions on Tuesday, which provide an in-depth examination of issues at the intersection of technology and business in our area. This bridges the traditional separation between the technical issues with their home in the technical program and business aspects on the exhibit floor.The keynote speakers this year are Patrick P. Gelsinger, Chief Technology Officer and Senior Vice-President of Intel Corporation, who will explore future design and design automation challenges; and Dr. Walden C. Rhines, Chairman of the EDA Consortium and Chairman and CEO of Mentor Graphics Corporation, who will speak on the future of this industry.This year's Technical Program received a record number of 785 paper submissions. The 73 members of the technical program committee, co-chaired by Limor Fix and Andrew B. Kahng and helped by over 700 reviewers, were forced to be highly selective in distilling what promises to be one of the best programs ever. The program covers sessions in seven topic areas: Business, System Level Design and Verification, Power, Logic Design and Test, Embedded Systems, Nanometer Analysis and Simulation, and Physical/Circuit Design. In each of these areas the sessions will cover aspects of both design methodology and design tools. The Panels chair, Kurt Keutzer, and his committee have put together an exciting set of panels for the technical program as well as the DAC Pavilion on the exhibit floor. The final program consists of 163 papers in 39 sessions, 10 special sessions and 8 panels. The DAC Pavilion on the exhibit floor will host 14 additional panels. All DAC technical program attendees will receive a DVD containing the proceedings of the 41 years of DAC.Over 220 companies will be at DAC this year, over 45 of them making their debut. New on the Exhibit Floor is an integrated booth-suite layout that provides for easier one-stop interaction with the exhibitors.
Evidence for carbon suboxide, C3O2, as an intermediate product in the cool flame oxidation products of diethyl ether

Abstract Emission spectra of two-stage cool flames of a mixture of diethyl ether and air with an equivalence ratio of four have been obtained in the spectral region 3·5 to 18·5 microns. Four emission bands corresponding to known vibrational frequencies for carbon suboxide have been obtained in these spectra. Two additional experiments confirming the presence of carbon suboxide in the products are described, and a reaction mechanism is outlined for the formation of carbon suboxide.
New flow cytometric capabilities at the national flow cytometry resource

The authors provide a brief review of flow cytometry and a broad view of new flow cytometry technologies. A brief introduction to flow cytometry and cell sorting is provided along with a summary of current commercial capabilities. New developments designed to overcome current limitations are described in terms of capabilities and a characterization of their performance. New capabilities include Fourier transform flow cytometry, phase sensitive detection, digital data acquisition, data clustering algorithms, high speed sorting, and slit scanning. >
Permanent pacemaker implantation with transvenous electrode placement in a dog with complete atrioventricular heart block, congestive heart failure and Stokes-Adams syndrome.

A permanent asynchronous pacemaker was implanted in a 2-year-old Shetland Sheepdog with complete heart block. Electrode implantation was via the transvenous method. One year after implantation the pacemaker unit began to fail. A new pacemaker, with a 7-year battery expectancy, was substituted for the original unit. The subject is still leading a normal life, 1 ½ years after the use of the pacemaker.
A novel use for novel acute kidney injury biomarkers: fenoldopam's effect on neutrophil gelatinase-associated lipocalin and cystatin C.

Substantial basic and translational research has been directed to detect earlier and more sensitive acute kidney injury (AKI) biomarkers over the past decade. Much of the seminal AKI biomarker validation research has been performed in children undergoing cardiopulmonary bypass since they represent an ideal clinical model for AKI biomarker study: the timing of the injury is known and children do not have many of the co-morbidities seen in adult patient populations, which can confound the clinical situation. Ricci and colleagues report the results of their study using two novel urinary AKI biomarkers, neutrophil gelatinase-associated lipocalin (NGAL) and cystatin C - not to predict AKI, but to define it - in a randomized trial of intraoperative fenoldopam to prevent AKI. They demonstrate that fenoldopam administration led to decreased postoperative urine NGAL and urine cystatin C concentrations, suggesting a renoprotective effect. Given the high sensitivity of NGAL for AKI post cardiopulmonary bypass, this study provides a model to use novel AKI biomarkers in a novel manner.
LAPAROSCOPIC ASSISTED RADICAL CYSTECTOMY WITH ILEAL NEOBLADDER: A COMPARISON WITH THE OPEN APPROACH

ABSTRACTPurpose: To date, there have been only a few reports regarding the feasibility of the laparoscopic approach to radical cystectomy. In none of these cases has the laparoscopic approach been contrasted with a contemporary cohort of open cystectomy and diversion. Recently, we initiated laparoscopic assisted radical cystoprostatectomy and ileal neobladder (LACINB) wherein the cystoprostatectomy and pelvic lymph node dissections are performed laparoscopically and the reconstructive portion is performed via a 15 cm Pfannenstiel incision. We present and compare our initial series of LACINB with radical cystectomy performed by the open approach (OCINB) during the same period.Materials and Methods: Between September 2001 and February 2003, 13 men underwent LACINB and 11 underwent OCINB at our institution.Results: There was no statistically significant difference in operative time, blood loss or complication rates between the LACINB and OCINB groups. However, postoperative analgesic use was significantly le...
Stimulus generator for SEIR method based ADC BIST

Testing of ADC in SOC is a significant challenge since it usually has no connection to the outside. Built-in self-test (BIST) is regarded as a promising alternative to traditional test. Most reported ADC BIST research works try to replicate a production test scheme on chip. This approach requires input ramp with high linearity which is hard to achieve on chip. This paper investigates signal generator implementation issues of adapting stimulus error identification and removal method which was presented for production test into a practical ADC BIST solution. A stimulus generator using very small transistor count is presented. Extremely simple methods for generating small constant voltage level shifts are introduced and evaluated. Simulation results show that generated signals with less than 7 bits linearity, together with the simple level shifts, are able to test a 16-bit ADC to 16 bit accuracy level. These results demonstrate that accurate BIST of deeply embedded AMS blocks may be practically implemented on chip with very low overhead.
Hydrodynamics in 2½ dimensions: making jets in a plane

We show that a careful analysis of the Navier-Stokes equation in the low Reynolds number limit has two distinct solutions, one valid for a deep, thin curtain of flow and the other for a thin wide flow. We derive a solution to the latter situation and use the results to develop a new way to control fluid flows in thin, wide sheet flow.
Correlation among choroidal, parapapillary, and retrobulbar vascular parameters in glaucoma.

Purpose To study and compare the correlation among choroidal, parapapillary, and retrobulbar vascular parameters in healthy subjects, glaucoma suspects, and open-angle glaucoma (OAG) patients. Design Prospective observational clinical study. Methods The study included one randomly selected eye from 21 normal subjects, 30 glaucoma suspects based on optic disc appearance, and 22 OAG patients. The pulsatile ocular blood flow (POBF), a measure of choroidal blood flow, was assessed using ocular blood flow analyzer whereas parapapillary blood flow and blood velocity of retrobulbar blood vessels were measured using scanning laser Doppler flowmetry and color Doppler imaging, respectively. All vascular parameters along with blood pressure and intraocular pressure measurements were obtained within a 2-hour period. Univariate regression analyses were used to evaluate the correlation of POBF values with parapapillary blood flow values, retrobulbar blood flow velocities, and resistive index, which represents vascular resistance, in each group. Two multiple linear regression models were created based on results of univariate analyses and included POBF, mean parapapillary blood flow, age, and mean ocular perfusion pressure; and POBF, temporal short posterior ciliary artery resistive index, age, and mean ocular perfusion pressure. Results POBF was significantly associated with parapapillary blood flow ( r 2 = 0.54; P r 2 = 0.39; P Conclusion The relationships of POBF with parapapillary blood flow and calculated retrobulbar vascular resistance differs among normal subjects, glaucoma suspects, and OAG patients. This provides further evidence of vascular dysregulation in OAG.
Microelectromechanics of ionic polymeric gels as synthetic robotic muscles

An ionic polymeric gel is defined as a 3-D charged network of a cross-linked macromolecular polyelectrolyte capable of collapsing or swelling in an acidic or alkaline environment, respectively, purely due to pH changes. Fixed electrical charges reside at all cross-links in such macromolecular networks in the presence of wandering mobile charges that tend to change their spatial distribution within the gel network. In the presence of an electric field, the mobile ions redistribute themselves in the gel network and thus cause the network to deform accordingly. A microelectro-mechanical model is presented that takes into account such internal electric charge redistribution of fixed and mobile ions due to the presence of an electric field. Direct computer control of large expansions and contractions of ionic polymeric gels by means of a voltage gradient appears to be possible. A mechanism is presented for the reversible nonhomogeneous large deformations and in particular bending of strips of ionic polymeric gels in the presence of an electric field. Exact expressions are given relating the deformation characteristics of the gel to the electric field strength or voltage gradient, gel dimensions and other physical parameters. It is concluded that direct voltage control of such nonhomogeneous large deformations in ionic polymeric gels is possible.© (1994) COPYRIGHT SPIE--The International Society for Optical Engineering. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.
Toward Effective and Compelling Instruction for High School eCommerce Students: Results from a Small Field Study

This paper describes an instructional development effort to create effective and compelling instruction for eCommerce students. Results from a small field study inform the development project. Four high school students in an eCommerce course completed the standalone tutorial developed to teach them how to create a web page in the HyperText Markup Language (HTML). The four participants were also interviewed in an attempt to determine what motivates them to learn. Researcher observations of completed web pages indicated that the tutorial helped the four participants learn introductory HTML tags and, except for one revealing instance, they mastered the content without instructor assistance. Future work to develop an automated system for determining and correcting learner misconceptions evident in dysfunctional hyperlinks would provide additional support to learners. Lastly, this paper discusses implications of the field study results for the design and implementation of effective and compelling instruction.
Factors associated with hematopoietic cell transplantation (HCT) among patients in a population-based study of myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS) in Minnesota

Myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS) is a clonal hematopoietic stem cell disorder characterized by dysplastic changes in the bone marrow, ineffective erythropoiesis, and an increased risk of developing acute myeloid leukemia. Treatment planning for patients with MDS is a complex process, and we sought to better characterize hematopoietic cell transplantation (HCT) outcomes and the factors that play into decision-making regarding referral of adults with MDS for definitive therapy with HCT. Patients enrolled in a population-based study of MDS between April 2010 and January 2013 who underwent HCT within the first year after enrollment were included in this analysis. Age- and risk-matched MDS patient controls also enrolled during that time period were used as a comparison. Survival was significantly better in the HCT group (48 vs. 21 %, log-rank p value 0.009). Non-HCT patients were more likely to have comorbidities, and HCT patients were more likely to have a college degree and an income >$80,000. All three of these variables were independently associated with HCT, but none impacted survival. Patients with MDS in our study who underwent HCT had better survival than a comparable group of patients who did not undergo HCT. With refined treatment techniques, more patients may be able to be considered for this therapy. More work needs to be done to determine why education and income appear to impact the decision to pursue HCT, but these factors may impact referral to an academic center where aggressive therapy like HCT is more likely to be considered.
Current recommendations: Screening for Mendelian disorders

Over the last 50 years, screening for Mendelian disorders has progressed from screening of neonates for phenylketonuria (PKU) to screening of healthy individuals in the preconception or prenatal setting for more than 100 disorders. Traditional carrier screening has been based on ethnicity, and, as ethnic distinctions become less defined, the ability to screen effectively has become increasingly more limited. At the same time, advances in molecular technology have produced large screening panels without reliance on ethnicity. This article outlines the historical and traditional use of single gene carrier screening.
Perspectives: Local Ethics in a Global World

Ethics, fairness, trust, and freedom from corruption are parts of social capital, and social capital matters in financial markets. Investors consider not only the information they receive but also their trust in the accuracy of the information and the fairness of the markets in which to trade. Deficiencies in ethics and fairness mark all countries. But surveys of the perception among students and finance professionals of the fairness of insider trading in eight countries indicate that deficiencies are more pronounced in some countries than in others. Five factors are discussed that affect social capital: culture, globalization, income, education, and law enforcement.
Climatology of summer Shamal wind in the Middle East

The Middle Eastern Shamal is a strong north-northwesterly wind, capable of lifting dust from the Tigris-Euphrates basin and transporting it to the Persian Gulf and Arabian Peninsula. The present study explores the poorly understood spatial and temporal variability of summer Shamal on the diurnal, seasonal, and interannual time scales, along with its influence on dust storm activity and sensitivity to global patterns of sea surface temperature using a comprehensive set of observational data. Statistics of the summer Shamal season are quantified for the first time, including its onset, termination, duration, and the occurrence of distinct break periods. Based on a multistation criteria, the mean onset and termination of the Shamal season occur on 30 May ± 16 days (1 standard deviation) and 16 August ± 22 days, respectively. Anomalously early (late) onset and termination of the Shamal season are typically associated with La Nina (El Nino) conditions, which favor (inhibit) the development of the Iranian heat low in spring and inhibit (favor) its persistence into late summer. Dust source regions in the Tigris-Euphrates basin and Kuwait, as well as southeastward dust transport during the summer Shamal, which cannot be detected by satellite aerosol products alone, are identified, for the first time, from the Multiangle Imaging Spectroradiometer plume motion vector products and confirmed by surface observations and lidar data. A close interrelationship has been revealed among summertime dust activity across the eastern Arabian Peninsula, frequency of Shamal days, and duration of the Shamal season on the interannual time scales.
A NECESSARY CONSTRAINT ON THE USE OF EXTENDED HARMONIC ANALYSIS FOR TIDE PREDICTIONS

When American and British tide researchers, in an effort to improve tide predictions for large-range shallow-water tides, greatly expanded the number of tide constituents (extended harmonic analysis), they chose the added frequencies by selecting peaks of energy greatly exceeding the continuum (noise level) in a high-resolution Fourier analysis of tide residuals (observed minus predicted). Unfortunately, some tide agencies are now routinely analyzing for a greatly expanded number of constituents without checking as to whether the amplitudes of these added constituents are significantly larger than the continuum. They do this believing that more is necessarily better; actually, in some cases, a future prediction may be worse unless this check is done routinely.
Harnessing the crowd

As governments scale back investment in basic science, Travis Metcalfe calls on scientists to tap other avenues of funding for their research.
IGNITION ENERGY TESTING OF THE QUARTER WAVE COAXIAL CAVITY RESONATOR WITH AIR- LIQUEFIED-PETROLEUM-GAS MIXTURES

Significant environmental and economic benefit could be obtained from engines that utilize lean mixtures ignited with high energy sources. To help reach this goal, the quarter wave coaxial cavity resonator (QWCCR) igniter was examined as an ignition source. Evaluation consisted of comparative ignition tests with liquefied-petroleum-gas (LPG) air mixtures of varying composition. Combustion of these mixtures was contained in a closed steel vessel with a pre-combustion pressure near one atmosphere. The resonator igniter was fired in this vessel with a nominal 150 W microwave pulse of varying duration to determine ignition energy limits for various mixtures. Mixture compositions were determined by partial pressure measurement and the ideal gas law. Successful ignition was observed through a view port in a combustion chamber. Microwave pulse and reflected power was captured in real time with a high-speed digital storage oscilloscope. Ignition energies and power levels were calculated from these measurements. As a comparison, ignition experiments were also carried out with a standard non-resistive spark plug where gap voltage and current were recorded for energy calculations. Results show that ignitable mixtures around stoichiometric and slightly rich compositions are combustible with the QWCCR using similar levels of energy as the conventional spark plug, in the low milli-Joule range. Combustion energy for very lean mixtures could not be determined reliably for the QWCCR for this prototype test, but are expected to be lower than that for a conventional spark. Given the capability of high power, high energy delivery, and opportunity for optimization, the QWCCR has the potential to deliver more energy per unit time than a conventional spark plug and thus could be considered be as a lean ignition source.
Improved synthesis of thienothiazole and its utility in developing polymers for photovoltaics

In response to the structural and electronic limitations of the popular benzo[1,2-b:4,5-b′]dithiophene–thieno[3,4-b]thiophene (PBnDT–TT) polymer series, this study explores the design and synthesis of a thienothiazole (TTz) moiety. The synthesis of TTz was streamlined down to four high-yielding steps, resulting in the new polymer PBnDT–TTz for organic solar cells. By incorporating TTz, a nitrogen is directly introduced into the polymer backbone which tunes the HOMO level and eliminates the reliance on external substituents. Compared to its TT analogue, PBnDT–TTz exhibits the same HOMO level of −5.06 eV and the same Voc of 0.69 eV, yet a higher power conversion efficiency of 2.5%. These promising results demonstrate the benefits of backbone modification and the great potential of TTz in the design of new polymers for organic photovoltaics.
Renal clearance in the unanesthetized guinea pig: depression of inulin clearance by creatinine.

SummaryRenal function studies were conducted in unanesthetized guinea pigs. 1. The mean value for inulin clearance obtained compares satisfactorily with published data in other small mammals. Inuli...
Designing for India: Government Animation Education and the Politics of Identity

This article examines animation education at the two Indian government design schools, the National Institute of Design (NID) and Industrial Design Centre (IDC), looking beyond the transfer of skills to the negotiation of social and professional identity. The accounts of faculty, students and graduates express symbolic values of local relevance and cultural continuity rooted in a tradition of ‘purposeful design’ as a tool for post-independence national development. Moreover such testimony not only reveals fraught discourses of national, regional, class, and gender identity, but also creative independence and entrepreneurship. By placing design instruction in a context of communities of practice, the author argues that this reflects an overt politicised effort on the part of educators and students to respond to the current industrial conditions of Indian animation, rejecting market-driven labour standardization in favour of ideologically-based professional networks of their own devising.
Examining the importance of incorporating emergency preparedness and disaster training core competencies into allied health curricula.

Preparation for responding to emergency events that does not warrant outside help beyond the local community resources or responding to disaster events that is beyond the capabilities of the local community both require first responders and healthcare professionals to have interdisciplinary skills needed to function as a team for saving lives. To date, there is no core emergency preparedness and disaster planning competencies that have been standardized at all levels across the various allied health curricula disciplines. Objective: To identify if emergency preparedness and disaster training content are currently being taught in allied health program courses, to identify possible gaps within allied health curricula, and to explore the perceptions of allied health college educators for implementing emergency preparedness and disaster training core competencies into their existing curricula, if not already included. Design: A quantitative Internet-based survey was conducted in 2013. Setting: Convenient sample. Participants: Fifty-one allied health college educators completed the survey. Findings: Descriptive statistics indicated that the majority of allied health college instructors do not currently teach emergency preparedness and disaster training core competency content within their current allied health discipline; however, their perceived level of importance for inclusion of the competencies was high. The results of this study supported the need for developing and establishing a basic national set of standardized core emergency preparedness and disaster planning competencies at all levels across various allied health curricula disciplines to ensure victims receive the best patient care and have the best possible chance of survival.
Triage and transport of the critically ill child.

Critical care transport teams should provide tertiary critical care to the child during transportation. Ideally, members should be individuals with skills in critical care as well as transport medicine. In the past few years, patient demographics and diseases requiring transport services have been described. Team composition and training requirements, however, as well as triage guidelines and outcome evaluation measures need to be addressed.
Southeast Asian and Australasian Herpetological Collections from the Eighteenth and Nineteenth Centuries in the Zoological Museum of Berlin

The Zoological Museum in Berlin (Museum fur Naturkunde) houses one of the most extensive herpetological collections in Europe. Important material from Southeast Asia and especially the Indo-Australian Archipelago accumulated steadily following the museum’s founding in 1810. The earliest parts of the collection, stemming from the natural history cabinets of Marcus Elieser Bloch, Friedrich Heinrich Graf von Borcke and others, are represented by eighteenth century material, mostly without specific locality. Throughout the early decades of the nineteenth century amphibians and reptiles reached Berlin from a number of collectors, both German and foreign. The most important of these were Fedor Jagor and Eduard von Martens, both contemporaries of Alfred Russel Wallace. Additional important material was obtained by exchange or purchase from museums and natural history dealers from across Europe. Among approximately 625 specimens from Southeast Asia catalogued into the Zoological Museum before about 1870 are specimens representing types of at least 44 nominal species of amphibians and reptiles. The majority of these were described by Wilhelm Peters, director of the Zoological Museum, whose later collaboration with Giacomo Doria in Genoa further strengthened the collection through the addition of many specimens from Sarawak. Berlin Southeast Asian collectors and localities are reviewed and the identity and status of confirmed and putative type material from the region is evaluated.
Utilization and impact of adjuvant therapy in anaplastic oligodendroglioma: an analysis on 1692 patients

The aim of this study was to determine the utilization rates and impact of adjuvant therapy on overall survival (OS) for anaplastic oligodendroglioma (AO). Data were extracted from the National Cancer Data Base (NCDB). Chi square test, Kaplan–Meier method, and Cox regression models were employed in SPSS 22.0 (Armonk, NY: IBM Corp.) for data analyses. 1692 patients with AO who underwent surgery were identified. 945 (55.9 %) received adjuvant radiotherapy with concomitant chemotherapy (chemoRT), 102 (6.0 %) adjuvant radiotherapy (RT) sequentially followed by chemotherapy, 244 (14.4 %) adjuvant RT alone, and 401 (23.7 %) received no adjuvant therapy. Patients were more likely to receive adjuvant chemoRT if they were diagnosed in 2009-2013 vs. 2004–2008 (p 70 vs. <70 (p = 0.018), had private insurance vs. Medicaid vs. no insurance (p < 0.001), or had median income ≥$63,000 vs. <$63,000 (p = 0.014). Those who received adjuvant chemoRT (concomitant or sequential) had significantly better 5-year OS than those who received adjuvant RT alone or no adjuvant therapy (59.8 % vs. 65.0 % vs. 44.9 % vs. 45.6 %, p < 0.001). This significant 5-year OS benefit was also observed regardless of age. There was no difference in OS when comparing concomitant chemoRT to sequential RT and chemotherapy (p = 0.481). On multivariate analysis, receipt of adjuvant chemoRT (concomitant or sequential) remained an independent prognostic factor for improved OS. Adjuvant chemoRT (concomitant or sequential) is an independent prognostic factor for improved OS in anaplastic oligodendroglioma and should be considered for all clinically suitable patients who have undergone surgery for the disease.
A new approach to the design and analysis of peer-to-peer mobile networks

This paper introduces a new model and methodological approach for dealing with the probabilistic nature of mobile networks based on the theory of random graphs. Probabilistic dependence between the random links prevents the direct application of the theory of random graphs to communication networks. The new model, termed Random Network Model, generalizes conventional random graph models to allow for the inclusion of link dependencies in a mobile network. The new Random Network Model is obtained through the superposition of Kolmogorov complexity and random graph theory, making in this way random graph theory applicable to mobile networks. To the best of the authors' knowledge, it is the first application of random graphs to the field of mobile networks and a first general modeling framework for dealing with ad-hoc network mobility. The application of this methodology makes it possible to derive results with proven properties. The theory is demonstrated by addressing the issue of the establishment of a connected virtual backbone among mobile clusterheads in a peer-to-peer mobile wireless network. Using the Random Network Model, we show that it is possible to construct a randomized distributed algorithm which provides connectivity with high probability, requiring exponentially fewer connections (peer-to-peer logical links) per clusterhead than the number of connections needed for an algorithm with a worst case deterministic guarantee.
Transoral Robotic Surgery and Lasers

The development of Transoral Robotic Surgery (TORS) has provided a minimally invasive and oncologically sound surgical option for resection of many laryngopharyngeal tumors. Robotic instrument technology for head and neck applications remains in its formative stages, and the limited variety of tools for resection/ablation has been problematic. Building upon the success of laser technology in other transoral techniques for resection of laryngeal tumors, investigators have begun to conduct trials using lasers in TORS with promising results.
Diabetes Support Group-Study Results and Implications

ABSTRACT This study examines the implications of support groups and their impact on the specific population of diabetics. An in-depth examination takes place of pre- and post-intervention levels of two variables in the subjects: pre- and post-glycosylated hemoglobin levels and pre- and post-social support questionnaire results. Subjects were studied over a 17 week period, and were involved in weekly meetings of a 1 1/2 hour support group for 10 weeks. The components of the meetings included gaining a sense of community to lessen the impact of isolation set up by this chronic illness, gaining personal insights into subjects' individual “stage” of adaptation to the disease, identification of feelings, discussion of potential complications, the potential impact of stress, exercise and positive self-talk on the blood glucose levels, coping strategies for dealing with multiple demands, and an opportunity to share with those who understand the impact of diabetes in subjects' individual lives. The intervention's...
Electrocoagulation driven fabrication of graphene oxide films

Abstract A unique electrocoagulation based method enabling the deposition of graphene oxide (GO) films on copper was developed. This method involves two distinct steps, (i) electrocoagulation of GO particles dispersed in aqueous media, induced by copper ions produced at the anode and (ii) deposition of the particles onto the copper anode. Under acidic conditions, GO films with tailorable thicknesses (3–130 μm) were readily deposited on the anode by varying applied voltage and deposition time in a controllable manner. The GO particles exhibited negative zeta-potentials, facilitating deposition on the positive anode. The copper oxidation state in the GO film was confirmed using X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy to be 2+, while its concentration within the GO film was strongly dependent on the applied voltages and deposition time. This new approach can be extended to other metal substrates, opening up new avenues for employing GO in a wide variety of energy and membrane applications.
Tissue engineering toward organ-specific regeneration and disease modeling.

Tissue engineering has been recognized as a translational approach to replace damaged tissue or whole organs. Engineering tissue, however, faces an outstanding knowledge gap in the challenge to fully recapitulate complex organ-specific features. Major components, such as cells, matrix, and architecture, must each be carefully controlled to engineer tissue-specific structure and function that mimics what is found in vivo. Here we review different methods to engineer tissue, and discuss critical challenges in recapitulating the unique features and functional units in four major organs—the kidney, liver, heart, and lung, which are also the top four candidates for organ transplantation in the USA. We highlight advances in tissue engineering approaches to enable the regeneration of complex tissue and organ substitutes, and provide tissue-specific models for drug testing and disease modeling. We discuss the current challenges and future perspectives toward engineering human tissue models.
Development of a piezoelectric energy harvesting floor (Conference Presentation)

Piezoelectric materials can be utilized to harness unused energy to power electronic devices. This article outlines the construction of a piezoelectric energy harvesting floor and evaluates the floor’s energy collection capabilities. This project utilizes the piezoelectric material lead zirconate titanate (PZT) to collect energy. Tests were conducted to determine the strength of the PZT material and the pressure plate, and COMSOL modeling was used to simulate the power output of the energy harvesting floor before the prototype was fabricated. Various adhesives were analyzed to ensure the selected adhesive had the maximum electrical conductivity. The piezoelectric elements were wired in parallel to increase the low-level AC current; the output of the energy harvester was connected to a circuit that converted the AC power to DC. The energy was stored until the capacitor was filled and then was released at a constant voltage and current allowing a device to be charged. Longevity and durability took precedence over the magnitude of energy harvested from each impulse. Protecting the piezoelectric elements was the focal point of the design. Finding the correct balance between the life span of the project and the generation of energy was paramount.
A Moiré-deflectometry Based Bulge/Contact Test for Transparent Thin Films

Bulge tests have been widely used to characterize mechanical properties of thin films. In this technique, mechanical properties are extracted from the analytically or approximately obtained pressure-deflection response. The determination of the out-plane deflection is critical for bulge tests and to date, this has been implemented by using optical microscopy with a calibrated vertical displacement, laser interferometry and shadow moire. All these techniques rely on reflected light from the bulged film surface, so films with relatively smooth and reflective surfaces are required. Consequently, these techniques are less applicable to transparent polymeric thin films.
Intersection Theories on a Non Singular Variety.

In this paper we show a relationship between the Chow ringA(X) of a non singular varietyX and its graded Grothendieck ringGK(X) by constructing explicitly a surjective ring homomorphism fromA(X) toGK(X). It is a new proof of a well-known theorem of Grothendieck.