cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Rapid Prototyped Optically Transparent Thin‐Layer Electrode Holder for Spectroelectrochemistry in Bench‐Top Spectrophotometers

A new optically transparent thin layer electrode (OTTLE) cell and holder have been designed to facilitate spectroelectrochemical measurements in standard bench-top absorbance and fluorescence spectrophotometers. The use of rapid prototyping for the OTTLE cell holder combined with the selection of inexpensive OTE materials results in a practical, low-cost spectroelectrochemical cell. The cell was characterized by thin-layer cyclic voltammetry and coulometry of ferricyanide/ferrocyanide. Spectroelectrochemistry of tris-(2,2′-bipyridine) ruthenium(II) chloride (Ru(bpy)3Cl2) and 1-hydroxypyrene (1-pyOH) was done with commercially available bench-top absorbance and fluorescence spectrophotometers. The good correlation between the results obtained and the known properties of each compound demonstrate that the OTTLE cell and holder provide an effective means for making spectroelectrochemical measurements in bench-top absorbance and fluorescence spectrophotometers.
Memory and photography: Rethinking postcolonial trauma studies

Recent scholarship in trauma and postcolonial studies has called for more wide‐ranging and at the same time more specific paradigms in trauma theory in order to accommodate the complexities of trauma evidenced in postcolonial writing. The work of sociologist Kai Erikson provides a useful model for unpacking the diachronic nature of postcolonial trauma, and for acknowledging the multiple social fractures that trauma inflicts. In a case study demonstrating Erikson's applicability, I show how common tropes of trauma narrative are used as more than an adherence to convention in Marinovich and Silva's memoir, The Bang‐Bang Club, which recounts the experiences of white South African photographers covering Soweto's Hostel War in the early 1990s. These narrative strategies produce a space of non‐resolution in which the trauma of violence and witnessing can appear.
Formulate Solution to the Visual Programming Challenge

Abstract The objective of the Visual Programming Challenge is to provide a comparative basis for evaluation of progress in the development of visual/multimodal languages, particularly for non-professional programmers. Presented herein is one solution to this challenge. It is expressed in Formulate, an equation-based (or form-based) programming language. Formulate employs a non-linear two-dimensional combination of textual and visual representations. While the language retains a high degree of expressiveness it is targeted at individuals with minimum to no formal programming training. Building on the successful ideas of spreadsheets, Formulate attempts to generalize such ideas while keeping simple solutions simple. In this paper, a brief introduction to Formulate is given, followed by a description of the Formulate solution to the VPC problem.
Density-functional characterization of the multiferroicity in spin spiral chain cuprates.

The ferroelectricity of the spiral magnets ${\mathrm{LiCu}}_{2}{\mathrm{O}}_{2}$ and ${\mathrm{LiCuVO}}_{4}$ was examined by calculating the electric polarizations of their spin spiral states on the basis of density-functional theory with spin-orbit coupling. Our work unambiguously reveals that spin-orbit coupling is responsible for the ferroelectricity with the primary contribution from the spin-orbit coupling on the Cu sites, but the asymmetric density distribution responsible for the electric polarization occurs mainly around the O atoms. The electric polarization is calculated to be much greater for the $ab$-plane than for the $bc$-plane spin spiral. The observed spin-spiral plane is found to be consistent with the observed direction of the electric polarization for ${\mathrm{LiCuVO}}_{4}$, but inconsistent for ${\mathrm{LiCu}}_{2}{\mathrm{O}}_{2}$.
Role of cardiac and extracranial vascular CT in the evaluation/management of cerebral ischemia and stroke

Collectively, cardiac and large artery sources are responsible for the largest proportion of acute ischemic stroke. Technological advancements in computed tomography (CT) continue to improve evaluation of these patients. The literature was reviewed for the potential role and impact of these innovations in evaluation and management of these patients. In conclusion, incorporation of early cardiac and extracranial vascular CT angiography (CTA) in evaluation of patients with acute ischemic stroke may potentially improve patient management and outcome, while decreasing cost.
Is Perspectival Self‐Consciousness Non‐Conceptual?

As perceivers we are able to keep track of the ways in which our perceptual experience depends on what we do (e.g., on our movements). This capacity, which Hurley calls perspectival self-consciousness, is a special instance of our more general ability as perceivers to keep track of how things are. I argue that one upshot of this is that perspectival self-consciousness, like the ability to perceive more generally, relies on our possession of conceptual skills.
The changing spatial form of cities in Western China

Cities in China have exploded in size, population, and impact during the last three decades. The combined effects of liberalization, decentralization, rapid industrialization, and globalization have led to an unprecedented urban transformation. Several investigations have documented the land-based impacts of this transition, but the majority focus on coastal cities first targeted for reforms in the 1970s–1980s. Urban expansion and restructuring in China's western region have not been widely studied or well-understood. This research investigates the ongoing urban transformation in Western China (1988–2009), focusing on four cities: Chengdu, Xi’an, Kunming, and Urumqi. The analysis relies on land change maps, satellite images, socioeconomic data, and master plans, and draws on a variety of measures to estimate urban patterns through space and time. The results show that the pace of change is indeed high: all cities grew at annual rates near 2% from 1988 to 2000, but climbed to 5–7% after 2006. Each city has more than doubled in size during the study period, and nearly one-third of new urban land is outside the core, in small towns. This result suggests the emergence of a multinucleated or polycentric urban form consistent with trends reported for coastal cities. Analysis using landscape metrics along urban–rural gradients suggests that rates and amounts are highest in areas designated for tertiary activities and residential growth. Overall, the results suggest that urban expansion in Western China may not fit models of urban development based on U.S.-European cities, but aligns more closely with new models based on Chinese coastal cities.
Frequency-dependent shear-wave Q models for the crust of China and surrounding regions

— Starting with fundamental-mode Rayleigh-wave attenuation coefficient values (γ R ) predicted by previously determined frequency-independent models of shear-wave Q (Q μ ), we have obtained frequency-dependent Q μ models that explain measured values of γ R as well as of Lg coda Q and its frequency dependence at 1 Hz (Q o and η, respectively) for China and some adjacent regions. The process combines trial-and-error selection of a model for the depth distribution of the frequency dependence parameter (ζ) for Q μ with a formal inversion for the depth distribution of Q μ at 1 Hz. Fifteen of the derived models have depth distributions of ζ that are constant, or nearly constant, between the surface and a depth of 30 km. ζ distributions that vary with depth in the upper 30 km are necessary to explain the remaining seven models. ζ values for the depth-independent models vary between 0.4 and 0.7 everywhere except in the western portion of the Tibetan Plateau where they range between about 0.1 and 0.3 for three paths. These low ζ values lie in a region where QLg and crustal Q μ are very low and suggest that they should also be low for high-frequency propagation. The models in which ζ varies with depth all show a decrease in that value ranging between 0.55 and 0.8 in the upper 15 km of the crust and (with two exceptions where ζ=0.0) between 0.3 and 0.55 in the depth range 15–30 km. The distribution of ζ values between 0.6 and 0.8 (the higher part of the range) in the upper crust indicates that high-frequency waves will propagate most efficiently, relative to low-frequency waves, in a band that includes, and strikes north-northeastward from the path between event 212/97 and KMI to the path between event 180/95 and station HIA in the north.
Losing the Lust for Life: A New Role for an Old Feeding Peptide?

A recent paper in Nature (Lim et al., 2012) describes the effects of melanocortin receptors in the nucleus accumbens. The studies connect a hypothalamic peptide system with brain reward centers and show effects on specific neuronal populations and behavioral components of mood.
Homologies of the Prootic Canal in Mammals and Non-mammalian Cynodonts

ABSTRACT The term prootic canal has been used to describe vascular canals in the adult petrosal bones of extant monotremes and marsupials and presumed vascular canals in the petrosals of extinct “non-tribosphenic” mammals (i.e., morganucodontids, docodontids, triconodontids, multitubercu- lates, Vincelestes). Study of the ontogeny of these canals in extant mammals and of their morphology in extinct mammals reveals that the term prootic canal has actually been applied to four different arrangements of canals. The prootic canal variously encloses the prootic sinus (most extinct “non- tribosphenic” mammals), the prootic sinus in company with the ramus superior of the stapedial artery (the platypus Ornithorhynchus and most multituberculates), the prootic sinus and the lateral head vein (the echidna Tachyglossus), and the lateral head vein alone (didelphid, caenolestid, and some dasyurid marsupials). We propose restricting the term prootic canal to the canal enclosing the prootic sinus (middle cerebral vein) a...
Dialogical Realities: the Ordinary, the Everyday, and Other Strange New Worlds

We tend to seek theoretical explanations of our own human behavior, to understand everything we do as arising, computationally, from a systematic set of simple laws, principles, or rules. Here, influenced by the later Wittgenstein, I argue that the very possibility of the kind of talk we use in our theorizing arises out of the joint or dialogical activities in which we engage in our practical lives together, and only has its meaning within the context of such activities – thus we cannot turn it around to explain its own genesis. We can, however, achieve a greater reflective awareness of our own structuring of our own activities through the new, nontheoretical methods Wittgenstein introduces into our intellectual practices. Here, I explore some of these methods, and the strange nature of our dialogical activities when seen in their light.
Customer rebates and retailer incentives in the presence of competition and price discrimination

Abstract Promotions are important tools for matching supply and demand in many industries. In the United States automotive industry, promotions are frequently offered, which may be given directly to customers (rebates) or given to dealers (incentives) to stimulate demand. We analyze the performance of customer rebate and retailer incentive promotions under competition. We study a setting with two manufacturers making simultaneous pricing and promotion decisions, and with two price-discriminating retailers as Stackelberg followers making simultaneous order quantity decisions. In the benchmark case with no promotions, we characterize the equilibria in closed form. We find that retailer incentives can be used by manufacturers to simultaneously improve each of their profits but can potentially lead to lower retailer profits. When manufacturers use customer rebates, we show that a manufacturer is able to decrease the profit of her competitor while increasing her own profit, although she is also at risk for her competitor to use rebates in a similar fashion. Unlike the monopoly case where the manufacturers are always better off with retailer incentives, customer rebates can be more profitable under some cases in the presence of competition. Using numerical examples we generate insights on the manufacturers’ preference of promotions in different market settings.
Symposium on applications of mathematics in the earth‐sciences: Preface

The group of addresses given at the joint session of Sections A and E of the American Association for the Advancement of Science at Columbus, Ohio, in December 1939 is a happy outcome of the joint session of these sections at the Richmond meeting in December 1938. It tends to further a very desirable rapprochement between geophysicists and mathematicians, for the group represents informed men from both these fields and begins the important task of bringing to each field the knowledge or some suggestions of the contributions which the other field may make. Mr. Lambert sketches the essentials in the development of gravitational geophysics in Great Britain, beginning with Newton in 1687. He discusses not so much the mathematical methods as the men and their results, although the former would have been of interest. It is an absorbing study to note the stumbling and disparate attempts to investigate the density of the Earth, the gravitation-constant, the elastic properties of the Earth, and the figure of the Earth including the related topics of the measurement of a degree of latitude, the determination at the geoid, and the variation in gravity. One may well contrast this slow development with the possibilities of the present day, where there is an increasing amount of cooperation, not merely between the various divisions in the field of geophysics but between geophysics and mathematics.
Ablation Study in a Capillary Sustained Discharge

Electrothermal-chemical ignition systems have been demonstrated in gun systems to provide desirable characteristics including reproducible shorter ignition delays. We present a combined theoretical and experimental study of the capillary discharge with an aim to develop a capillary plasma source with efficient energy conversion. The major emphasis in the present capillary discharge model is the ablation phenomenon. Consideration is given to different characteristic subregions near the ablated surface: namely, a space-charge sheath, a Knudsen layer, and a hydrodynamic layer. A kinetic approach is used to determine the parameters at the interface between the kinetic Knudsen layer and the hydrodynamic layer. Coupling the solution of the nonequilibrium Knudsen layer with the hydrodynamic layer provides a self-consistent solution for the ablation rate. According to the model predictions, the peak electron temperature is about 1.4 eV, the polyethylene surface temperature is about 700 K, and the pressure is about 10 MPa in the case of a 0.6 kJ discharge. In parallel, a parametric experimental study of the capillary ablation process is conducted. The ablation rates are measured for capillary tubes made of polyethylene and Teflon. Both experimental measurements and simulations indicate that the ablated mass increases with the peak discharge current and that a smaller diameter capillary yields a larger ablated mass. It is found that model predictions agree well with experimental measurements
Analysis of sea ice motion and deformation in the marginal ice zone of the Bering Sea using SAR data

This paper presents a study of sea ice motion and deformation in the marginal ice zone (MIZ) of the Bering Sea in the winter season. Segmentation techniques and statistical methods are applied to high‐resolution synthetic aperture radar (SAR) images to derive ice motion and deformation maps. These techniques involve dynamic local thresholding (DLT), which allows separation of sea ice into different classes of thickness and type. Two ice motion characteristics are observed, one consisting of a translation and a rotation at a scale larger than about 10 km day−1 and the other consisting of field deformations at a spatial scale of less than about 5 km over a 3‐day period. Sea ice deformation rates are calculated, and the divergence and shear feature of the sea ice in different regions identified. Possible causes, associated with wind, wave, current and internal ice forces, for the sea ice motion and deformation are discussed.
Hybrid nanocrystals: University of Kentucky US20060280680A1

This patent application claims an interesting and novel combination of passive accumulation of drug nanocrystals within diseased tissue, in combination with active uptake of the nanocrystals by diseased cells. The patent application further claims the hybrid nanocrystals combining imaging or stabilizing molecules as inclusions in the crystal matrix. There is a focus on cancer chemotherapy and imaging, but the initial claims are not disease specific. In this patent evaluation, the novelty and utility of this application is examined, while the state of the art in nanocrystal formulations and formulation is discussed.
The Method of Recovering Robot TCP Positions in Industrial Robot Application Programs

Robot tool-center-point (TCP) positions are critical elements in industrial robot application programs. Their measurements and accuracies rely on the actual geometries and positions of components in a robot cell. Tiny changes of the components such as robots, end-effectors, fixtures, parts in the robot cells will cause inaccuracies of robot TCP positions used in existing robot programs. This paper introduces the method of performing robot cell calibrations to recover the accuracies of originally defined robot TCP positions. This is done by employing a precise external measuring system that is able to calibrate the robot, end-effector, and fixture in a robot cell with spatial measurements and mathematical calculations. Successful applications of this technology allow rapid deployments of industrial robot applications by accurately transferring or downloading production robot programs between two "identical" robot cells.
Verifying and Analyzing Adaptive Logic through UML State Models

It is becoming increasingly important to be able to adapt an application's behavior at run time in response to changing requirements and environmental conditions. Adaptive programs are typically difficult to specify, design, and verify. A variety of conditions may trigger an adaptation, each of which may involve different types of adaptation mechanisms. In many cases, adaptive systems are concurrent, thus further exacerbating the complexity. Furthermore, it is important that adaptations do not put the system into an inconsistent state during or after adaptation. This paper presents an iterative approach to modeling and analyzing UML behavioral design models of adaptive systems, where the UML state diagrams are automatically translated into Promela code for analysis with the Spin model checker. The adaptive models are analyzed for adherence to both system invariants and properties that should hold during adaptation. We demonstrate this approach on applications for the mobile computing domain where we verify the design models against formally-specified properties.
Efficient real gas upwinded Navier-Stokes computations of high speed flows

An efficient method to account for the chemically frozen thermodynamic and transport properties of air in three-dimensional Navier-Stokes calculations has been demonstrated. This approach uses an explicitly specified equation of state (EOS) so that the fluid pressure, temperature, and transport properties are directly related to the flow variables. The method is efficient since no subiterations are required to deduce the pressure and temperature from the flux variables and is modular by allowing different equations of state to be easily supplied to the code. The flexibility of the EOS approach is shown by its implementation into a high-order total variation diminishing upwinding scheme as well as a standard central-differencing scheme. The EOS approach is then demonstrated by computing the hypersonic flow through the corner region of two mutually perpendicular flat plates using both the upwind and central-differencing schemes.
Mass-Conserved Morphological Evolution of Hypocycloid Cavities: A Model of Diffusive Crack Initiation with No Associated Energy Barrier

An analytic proof is developed for an energy variation theorem which states that in a homogeneous isotropic linear elastic solid under equibiaxial loading, a cusp-shaped hypocycloid cavity satisfying the Griffith condition G ≽ 2 γ can be formed through mass-conserved shape evolution with no associated energy barrier. In this process, the sum of the strain energy and the surface energy continuously decreases as the hypocycloid changes from a perfectly circular hole to an array of cusp cracks. The hypocycloid evolution provides a unified model of diffusive crack formation from Griffith cracks to cycloid surfaces; the latter has been used recently to model stress driven surface evolution in heteroepitaxial thin films. A number of interesting observations are made regarding features that are common to the entire hypocycloid family. It is shown in Appendix A that the assumption of a finite energy release rate at diffusive crack initiation leads to the conclusion that the only kind of geometric singularities which may be formed by stress controlled surface diffusion is a mode I cusp crack exactly satisfying the Griffith equality G = 2 γ . If thermal nucleation of dislocations has not occured when such a cusp crack is formed, it is only logical to assume cleavage decohesion at a tension cusp and diffusive trapping of dislocations at a compression cusp.
Pyrolysis of energy crops including alfalfa stems, reed canarygrass, and eastern gamagrass ☆

Production of energy from renewable biomass resources would reduce atmospheric CO2 increase associated with fossil fuel use. The objective of this study was to evaluate the energy potential of a thermochemical conversion platform of three herbaceous biomass crops. The biomass crops tested were stems of alfalfa, a legume, and whole herbage of reed canarygrass and eastern gamagrass, cool- and warmseason grasses, respectively. Two stages of physiological development were included for the alfalfa and reed canarygrass; bud and full flower stages for the alfalfa, and vegetative and ripe seed stages for the reed canarygrass. The eastern gamagrass was fully mature, senescent material. Pyrolysis products at 600–1050 � C were characterized for gas and char yields, and non-condensable gas product composition. Gas yields ranged between 15 and 36 Nm 3 kg � 1 while char yield ranged between 5.4 and 26.7 wt% of dry initial biomass. Gas yields for alfalfa were greater than from the grasses at all temperatures ranging from 25 to 36 Nm 3 kg � 1 compared to the grasses in the combined range of 15–27 Nm 3 kg � 1 biomass. For the alfalfa stems, the more mature sample yielded more gas. For reed canarygrass, higher gas yield was obtained for the sample harvested at the vegetative stage than the more mature flowering stage. Char was greater for mature reed canarygrass than eastern gamagrass at temperatures of 900 � C or less, with the other biomass samples being intermediate. Maturity effect on alfalfa char yield was not significant. However, all samples had similarly low char residues at 1050 � C. With regard to the composition of non-condensable gas produced, the grasses had higher heating values than alfalfa; however, at 900 � C where the gas heat of combustion is maximized the calorific value of the gas was similar for all samples at about 13.6 MJ kg � 1 . This compares to about 18.4 MJ kg � 1 of the parent biomass i.e., about 75%. The activation energy for thermal decomposition, estimated from first order reaction kinetic models, did not exhibit a consistent trend with maturity, but mean activation energy was lower for alfalfa (2837 kJ mol � 1 ) than the grasses (3427 and 3419 kJ mol � 1 for reed canarygrass and eastern gamagrass, respectively). The effect of maturity on the pyrolysis
Binaural hearing with electrical stimulation.

Bilateral cochlear implantation is becoming a standard of care in many clinics. While much benefit has been shown through bilateral implantation, patients who have bilateral cochlear implants (CIs) still do not perform as well as normal hearing listeners in sound localization and understanding speech in noisy environments. This difference in performance can arise from a number of different factors, including the areas of hardware and engineering, surgical precision and pathology of the auditory system in deaf persons. While surgical precision and individual pathology are factors that are beyond careful control, improvements can be made in the areas of clinical practice and the engineering of binaural speech processors. These improvements should be grounded in a good understanding of the sensitivities of bilateral CI patients to the acoustic binaural cues that are important to normal hearing listeners for sound localization and speech in noise understanding. To this end, we review the current state-of-the-art in the understanding of the sensitivities of bilateral CI patients to binaural cues in electric hearing, and highlight the important issues and challenges as they relate to clinical practice and the development of new binaural processing strategies. This article is part of a Special Issue entitled .
Simultaneous imaging of oxygen tension and blood flow in animals using a digital micromirror device

In this study we present a novel imaging method that combines high resolution cerebral blood flow imaging with a highly flexible map of absolute pO(2). In vivo measurements of pO(2) in animals using phosphorescence quenching is a well established method, and is preferable over electrical probes which are inherently invasive and are limited to single point measurements. However, spatially resolved pO(2) measurements using phosphorescence lifetime quenching typically require expensive cameras to obtain images of pO(2) and often suffer from poor signal to noise. Our approach enables us to retain the high temporal resolution and sensitivity of single point detection of phosphorescence by using a digital micromirror device (DMD) to selectively illuminate arbitrarily shaped regions of tissue. In addition, by simultaneously using Laser Speckle Contrast Imaging (LSCI) to measure relative blood flow, we can better examine the relationship between blood flow and absolute pO(2). We successfully used this instrument to study changes that occur during ischemic conditions in the brain with enough spatial resolution to clearly distinguish different regions. This novel instrument will provide researchers with an inexpensive and improved technique to examine multiple hemodynamic parameters simultaneously in the brain as well as other tissues.
Omega-3 Polyunsaturated Fatty Acids and Cardiovascular Diseases

Omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acid (ω-3 PUFA) therapy continues to show great promise in primary and, particularly in secondary prevention of cardiovascular (CV) diseases. The most compelling evidence for CV benefits of ω-3 PUFA comes from 4 controlled trials of nearly 40,000 participants randomized to receive eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) with or without docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) in studies of patients in primary prevention, after myocardial infarction, and most recently, with heart failure (HF). We discuss the evidence from retrospective epidemiologic studies and from large randomized controlled trials showing the benefits of ω-3 PUFA, specifically EPA and DHA, in primary and secondary CV prevention and provide insight into potential mechanisms of these observed benefits. The target EPA + DHA consumption should be at least 500 mg/day for individuals without underlying overt CV disease and at least 800 to 1,000 mg/day for individuals with known coronary heart disease and HF. Further studies are needed to determine optimal dosing and the relative ratio of DHA and EPA ω-3 PUFA that provides maximal cardioprotection in those at risk of CV disease as well in the treatment of atherosclerotic, arrhythmic, and primary myocardial disorders.
Cholangiocyte marker-positive and -negative fetal liver cells differ significantly in their ability to regenerate the livers of adult rats exposed to retrorsine

We have used monoclonal antibodies against cell-surface developmental epitopes in combination with micromagnetic beads to isolate phenotypically defined subpopulations of cholangiocyte marker-positive fetal liver epithelial cells (CMP-FLEC). Differentiation potential was evaluated by injecting cell isolates from dipeptidyl peptidase IV (DPPIV) positive (DPPIV+) Fischer donor rats into the spleen of partially hepatectomized, DPPIV negative (DPPIV-) Fischer host rats exposed to retrorsine. At various time points, liver tissue was harvested and cells in DPPIV+ colonies were phenotyped by immunofluorescence and histochemical protocols. Functional differentiation and liver replacement were determined by comparing donor and host hepatocyte protein expression patterns and DPPIV enzyme activity in extracts from livers of host rats receiving CMP-FLEC. Our results showed that bipotentiality was retained during differentiation and maturation of CMP-FLEC, indicating that the acquisition of ductal morphology and phenotype were not indicative of lineage commitment. CMP-FLEC transplanted into the adult rat liver lost ductal and gained hepatocyte markers, and acquired protein expression patterns in 2D gels with a close similarity (>75% spot match) to host hepatocytes but differing significantly from the transplanted CMP-FLEC cell isolate (<25% spot match). The average size of donor hepatocyte colonies increased with time so that by 1 year, up to 70% of the host rat liver was replaced by CMP-FLEC derived DPPIV+ hepatocytes. Depletion of CMP-FLEC from fetal liver isolates resulted in a marked decrease in adult liver colonization, suggesting that a high percentage of the hepatocyte colonies in animals receiving total fetal liver isolates are derived from CMP-FLEC.
Pelvic inflammatory disease in adolescents between the time of testing and treatment and after treatment for gonorrhoeal and chlamydial infection

In incarcerated adolescents, 13% developed pelvic inflammatory disease (PID) between the time of testing and treatment for chlamydial and gonorrhoeal infection, and 13% developed PID in the 30 days following single-dose treatment for one or both of these infections.
Pancreatic cyst fluid concentration of high-mobility group A2 protein acts as a differential biomarker of dysplasia in intraductal papillary mucinous neoplasm

Background and Aims No reliable cyst fluid biomarkers exist that allow preoperative identification of patients with intraductal papillary mucinous neoplasms (IPMNs) and high-risk pathology. High-mobility group (HMG) A2 protein has been demonstrated to be a biomarker of dysplasia in IPMNs. It is unknown whether HMGA2 protein is present in the cyst fluid from IPMNs. The aims of this study were to determine whether HMGA2 protein is present in the cyst fluid of IPMNs and demonstrate whether HMGA2 protein concentration correlates with the degree of dysplasia. Methods Patients with surgically resected IPMNs and banked pancreatic cyst fluid were identified. Low-risk IPMNs (low-grade [LGD] or moderate dysplasia [MD]) and high-risk IPMNs (high-grade dysplasia [HGD] or invasive cancer) were identified. Pancreatic cyst fluid concentrations of HMGA2 protein were measured via enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Results Samples from 31 patients were analyzed. HMGA2 protein was detected in the cyst fluid of 30 of 31 specimens (97%). Median cyst fluid HMGA2 protein concentration (ng/mL) was as follows: LGD, 0.6 (interquartile range [IQR] 0.35-0.6); MD, 1.55 (IQR 0.65-2.7); HGD, 4.2 (IQR 1.7-9.2) ( P P = .03). Conclusion HMGA2 protein is present in IPMN cyst fluid. Significantly higher concentrations of cyst fluid HMGA2 protein are found in IPMNs with HGD compared with lesions with LGD or MD. Cyst fluid concentrations of HMGA2 protein may thus serve as a biomarker to differentiate patients with high-risk IPMNs from those with low-risk IPMNs.
Quantification of Prevalence of Asymptomatic Ventricular Arrhythmias in Patients with Heart Failure

Background Ventricular arrhythmias (VAs) are recorded in many patients with chronic heart failure. The present study was designed to prospectively determine and quantify the prevalence of asymptomatic VAs in this patient population. Methods One hundred and two patients, 82 men and 20 women (median age 61 years) with NYHA Functional Class II (n = 50, 49%) and III (n = 52, 51%) heart failure were prospectively assessed with 24-hour ambulatory ECGs. Results Rare premature ventricular complexes (PVCs) ( 1000/24 hours) in 49 (48.0%) patients. A significantly greater prevalence of 0 repetitive PVCs (RPVCs) per 24 hours and >25 RPVCs/24 hours in patients with low ejection fraction (EF), defined as either ≤0.30 (P = 0.003) or ≤ 0.22 (P = 0.02). The occurrence of VT events was significantly associated with EF ≤ 0.30 (P = 0.007). The prevalence of >100 PVCs/24 hours was significantly higher in patients treated with digoxin (P < 0.02). Conclusions PVCs are more frequently observed and more frequent in number in patients with heart failure than in normal subjects, and arrhythmia severity correlates with severity of left ventricular dysfunction.
PostHat and All That

Abstract interpretation provides an elegant formalism for performing program analysis. Unfortunately, designing and implementing a sound, precise, scalable, and extensible abstract interpreter is difficult. In this paper, we describe an approach to creating correct-by-construction abstract interpreters that also attain the fundamental limits on precision that abstract-interpretation theory establishes. Our approach requires the analysis designer to implement only a small number of operations. In particular, we describe a systematic method for implementing an abstract interpreter that solves the following problem:Given program P, and an abstract domain A, find the most-precise inductive A-invariant for P.
Hot Tub-Associated Necrotizing Pneumonia due to Pseudomonas aeruginosa

We describe a case of severe necrotizing pneumonia due to community-acquired Pseudomonas aeruginosa. Cultures of fluid obtained from the filter of the patient’s hot tub grew the same P. aeruginosa strain as that grown from culture of the patient’s sputum. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidelines should be strictly followed for hot tub maintenance to prevent P. aeruginosa overgrowth: the range of free chlorine levels in the water should be kept at 1‐3 mg/ L, and the pH should be kept at 7.2‐7.8. Pseudomonas aeruginosa is a common cause of nosocomial respiratory tract, urinary tract, and bloodstream infections but remains a rare cause of community-acquired infection despite its environmental ubiquity. Herein we report a case of severe necrotizing pneumonia due to community-acquired P. aeruginosa. Case report. A 40-year-old man with a history of tobacco use presented to the emergency room after experiencing several days of fevers, chills, and a cough producing blood and rustcolored sputum. Physical examination revealed a temperature of 37.3� C and tachypnea (respiratory rate, 24 breaths/min). Chest examination revealed decreased breath sounds in the upper lung fields bilaterally that were especially notable at the right apex. There were no rales noted, and there was no evidence of egophony or increased tactile fremitus. The findings of the physical examination were otherwise unremarkable. Laboratory abnormalities included leukocytosis (WBC count, 17,900 cells/mL) with a left shift (83% neutrophils), a platelet count of 623,000 cells/mL, and a serum sodium level of 127 mM. Chest radiographs revealed a right upper-lobe cavitary
A retained wooden foreign body in the foot detected by ultrasonography. A case report.

An orthopaedic surgeon is often called on to remove a foreign body in an extremity. When the foreign body is radiopaque, usually it can be localized on standard radiographs or by fluroscopy. When the foreign body is not radiopaque, such as a wooden splinter or a thorn, it may remain undetected even after exploration. High-resolution, real-time ultrasonography has proved to be both sensitive and specific when used to detect non-radiopaque foreign bodies and has helped greatly to find and remove them.
Enhancement of La0.6Sr0.4Co0.2Fe0.8O3-δ durability and surface electrocatalytic activity by La0.85Sr0.15MnO3±δ investigated using a new test electrode platform

A carefully designed test cell platform with a new electrode structure is utilized to determine the intrinsic surface catalytic properties of an electrode. With this design, the electrocatalytic activity and stability of an La0.6Sr0.4Co0.2Fe0.8O3−δ (LSCF) cathode is enhanced by a dense thin La0.85Sr0.15MnO3±δ (LSM) coating, suggesting that an efficient electrode architecture has been demonstrated that can make effective use of desirable properties of two different materials: fast ionic and electronic transport in the backbone (LSCF) and facile surface kinetics on the thin-film coating (LSM). Theoretical analyses suggest that the enhanced electrocatalytic activity of LSM-coated LSCF is attributed possibly to surface activation under cathodic polarization due to the promotion of oxygen adsorption and/or dissociation by the surface layer and the dramatically increased oxygen vacancy population in the surface film. Further, the observed time-dependent activation over a few hundreds of hours and durability are likely associated with the formation of a favorable hybrid surface phase intermediate between LSM and LSCF. This efficient electrode architecture was successfully applied to the state-of-the-art LSCF-based cathodes by a simple solution infiltration process, achieving reduced interfacial resistance and improved stability under fuel cell operating conditions.
Valvular heart disease in older adults: evolving technology to meet the needs of aging patients

Valvular heart disease is associated with aging and the incidence is increasing as the population ages. Aortic stenosis and mitral regurgitation represent the majority of valvular disease in older adults. Severe valvular disease is associated with the development of heart failure, arrhythmia and death. Unfortunately, medical therapy is ineffective for the treatment of severe symptomatic valvular disease. As a result of advances in surgical techniques and catheter-based technologies, older adults who were once deemed ‘too old/sick’ are now being offered definitive treatment. However, the presence of comorbidities and frailty in the elderly make patient selection difficult and prediction of overall response to therapy less reliable compared with younger patients. In the elderly, goals of therapy may differ, with an emphasis placed on quality of life, functionality, maintaining independence and palliation of severe symptoms rather than increased longevity. We review the epidemiology and treatment approaches ...
Factors Affecting Consumer Preference towards the Organic Food Purchases

Background: Organic products now a days are considered as healthy by most of the buyers as these are made up of natural substances. Organic products are grown without the use of fertilizers, artificial chemicals, and pesticides. The Indian organic food market although initsnascent stage, has started growing rapidly. Consumers prefer organic food due to safety, human health, and environmental concern and also due to attributes like nutrition value, taste, freshness and appearance of organic food matters a lot for consumers. Methods/Statistical Analysis: Multiple linear regression technique was used to find the determinants which could explain the preference among consumers to buy the organic food products. Descriptive statistics was used to understand the demographic information. Findings: From this study, it is seen that the consumers prefer to buy organic food products, there are various factors impacting the preference including demographic characteristics of the consumers. It has been observed that females have more preference for organic food products as compared to male respondents. More number of educated respondents prefers to buy organic food products. Age group of 29-39 prefers to buy organic food as compared to other age groups. Also people of higher income group prefer to buy organic food. Consumers prefer to buy organic food products because of their perception that the organic food products are healthy and safe, nutritious and environment friendly. Application and Improvement: This research reveals the determinants of consumer preference towards organic food and it will be useful for the marketers to design a suitable marketing mix. This research can be incorporated to implement the various marketing strategies by the marketers and other factors impacting the preference of theconsumers in the various strata of the society.
Capital Market Indices and Portfolio Management

If E is the securities expected return vector, and b is the appropriate sensitivity vector for a vector of the securities common factors, F, then, the implied rational equilibrium vector F can be obtained by solving E=bF, if a set of the equilibrium E is known, i.e. F=b^(-1)E. Unfortunately the values of F are not unique, if we find any invertible matrix C such that F=b^(-1)C^(-1)CE. By weighting betas, however, one achieves the uniqueness. In any multifactor risk forecasting models, we also discover that economic factors in any multifactor securities pricing models are in fact returns on some style indexes. Based on these and other results, the paper attempts to synthesize refined single market risk models with a more general global risk model for individual securities. We propose a method to estimate the market portfolio as suggested in Capital Asset Pricing Model (CAPM). It is further shown that the mathematical restrictions placed on various factor loadings and our efforts to embed single market risk models into a global model contribute to analyzing portfolio performance attribution.
Factors Affecting the Completion of Adjuvant Chemotherapy in Early-Stage Breast Cancer

Despite the survival benefit associated with adjuvant chemotherapy in early-stage breast cancer, many do not complete treatment. This study identified factors associated with noncompletion of adjuvant chemotherapy among a select population of women with early-stage breast cancer. The study sample was obtained from a multicenter study designed to evaluate patient-assistance program usage among early-stage breast cancer patients requiring adjuvant therapy. In this study, 333 patients with stages I and II breast cancer undergoing surgery from October 2006 to September 2009 completed 6-month follow-up surveys assessing their experiences with care, health status, social support, self-efficacy, and treatment beliefs. In- and outpatient medical records were abstracted to assess treatment completion. Of the 333 patients, 198 initiated adjuvant chemotherapy and formed our study cohort. The study compared patients who did and did not complete adjuvant chemotherapy. The median patient age was 53 years (range 28–86 years). According to self-identification, 41 % of the patients were non-Hispanic white and 21 % were black. A total of 13 patients (7 %) did not complete adjuvant chemotherapy. In the bivariate analysis, the patients not completing chemotherapy were more likely to be black and unmarried women with low emotional social support and a poor body image after treatment. In the multivariate analysis, black race [odds ratio (OR) 5.62; 95 % confidence interval (CI) 1.63–20.36] and poor body image (OR 9.75; 95 % CI 2.12–95.95) were independently associated with noncompletion of chemotherapy. Overall chemotherapy noncompletion rates were low among women exposed to patient-assistance programs. However, poor body image and black race were independent predictors of uncompleted chemotherapy. The true impact of race in this group may result from social factors that occur more often among black women, including poor social support.
Techniques for In-Pile Measurements of Fission-Gas Release*

The continuous release of fission gas from ceramic fuels is measured during irradiation in the Oak Ridge Research Reactor. The fuel specimens are heated by their own fission power which is controll...
SiSiGe HBT Technology for LowPower Mobile Communications System Applications

Can a silicon-based technology like Si/SiGe HBT exhibit performance compatible with the demands of the low-power wireless communications marketplace, and does it retain the low cost and manufacturability of its silicon pedigree? This chapter will attempt to answer that question by summarizing the progress and prospects for this technology in the area of low-power mobile communications systems, with particular emphasis on circuit and device performance. It is organized in the following manner. Section 4.2 outlines the advantages and disadvantages of silicon technology for applications to high-frequency low-power communications circuits. Section 4.3 summarizes the key device design aspects of SiGe devices, particularly with respect to high-frequency applications. Section 4.4 provides an assessment of passive component technology in Si/SiGe technology. Section 4.5 provides a direct comparison of the performance of silicon-based HBTs to those based on III-V technologies. Finally, Section 4.6 provides an overview of reported circuit performance in Si/SiGe HBT technology, with emphasis on low-power communications applications.
The Integration of Multicultural Education, Multicultural Social Work Practice and Tao Complexity Tool Models in Inducing a Paradigm Shift in Public Policy-Making to Communities of Practice: A Postmodern Approach that Positively Impacts the Latino Students' Formal Education in the United States

In this paper, the author highlights the effects of the Tao Complexity Tool model in inducing paradigm shift (Fu & Bergeon, 2012) in policy-making in complementarity to Systems Thinking (Senge, 1990, 2006) in addressing and resolving global issues (Rothenberg, 2006) facing global systems. In this analysis, these global systems are classified as open systems (Fu & Kirk, 1999) in postmodern organizations as multicultural communities of practice (Wenger, 1998, 1999, 2008). In doing this, I define the Tao Complexity Tool model as an open system and explicate the use of this model in inducing paradigm shift in policy-making (Fu & Bergeon, 2012). Also, I emphasize and clarify the interrelatedness and complementarity of the Tao Complexity Tool model to Systems Thinking (Senge, 2006) in addressing and analyzing specific global issues. In this respect, I explain an open systems-thinking based on Fu and Kirk's (1999) perspective on open systems in conjunction with Senge's (2006) work on systems-thinking. Additionally, I analyze the significance of addressing the education of the immigrant children and families from South and Central America facing educators, policy-makers and community stakeholders in the United States. Finally, I explain and correlate the importance of designing effective policy-making strategies such as the implementation of multicultural education, multicultural social work practice as effective policies in the American education system to help those global children who are coming to the United States achieve academic and social success in their formal American education.